Coldfire moved his arms forward as they were engulfed in flame. Suddenly, a white hot beam of fire tore through the red beings chest sending it flying and catching the fly trap on fire. As he turned and threw another fire ball into the crowd, he wondered what was taking the others so long in taking out the small alien.
"Are you guys just going to jack around or do your damn jobs?!" Coldfire yelled as he slammed a frozen fist into the torso of a leaping energy monster.
((Where'd everyone go?))
StrangeBlood lept up onto his feet as the Energy being was sent spinning into the air.
" You think they need our help? "
StrangeBlood replied to Coldfires question to the other group.
He then focused on the group of creatures that still remained trapped by his vines..
The single eye on his forehead shot out a series of mental blasts at each foe, each one yelped with pain as its death was finalised by the crushing vines.
Another Large being surged in from behind the pair and launched an attack, StrangeBloods mere look and a small jester from his hand launched the creature violently upwards into the air....
Coldfire froze the ground in front of a charging squad of energy beasts, causing them to slip and fall as he turned to respond to his ally.
"No." Coldfire said simply as he chunked a fireball at the group and continued, "But we gotta hurry up if we are to win this!"
Coldfire was getting angered by the time the others were wasting at their expense. As his eyes glew with flames, he leapt off the pile and into the crowd, using a combination of his ice sword and fire powers to take on the crowd.
((Sorry for the dalay - still with you though))
While Carlos, Coldfire, and teh rest engaged the alien armies, Mu'Rahu, hovering the in the air above, remained pre-occupied wiht the seemingly invulnerable blue alien creature. So long as ti remained in play, no amoung of carnae would suffice to turn the tide - it could always restore it's fallen comrades.
Thinking quickly, the scarlet-clad sorceress, reaches out her hands to contact the verge of it's energy shield, and concentrates. The msytic burst of energy that leapt from her ahnds would ahve caused feedback enough to render most heroes helpless, and kill a normal man in his tracks. The aliens shields flickered once... barely.
But once, in this case, was more thene nough! The mometary disruption had allowed her slip through the barrier. The creature must have realised it's danger, as it lashed out at her, with a powerful blast of concussive force, but to it's horror, it could only knock her back as far as teh _inside_ of it's shields... still well within the reach of her still outstretched hand. For a moment, the two lock eyes, and then, a terrible energy lights betwean Mu'Rahu's outstreched fingers, as she reaches forth to lay her hands upon it's breast.
For a brief moment, all sight of the two compatants is lost amongst an incrdible disrchage of red lightnings, and then, when it fades, rahu floats trumphant (if somewhat winded), above the creatures barely-recognizable ashen corpse.
"There now, that wasn't so..."
Looking up, the Mu Mystic cannot help but notice the the small legion of enemy reinforcements makingtheir way to the fighting.
Mu'Rahu simply sighs, "...Hard"
Without missing a beat, she set herslef hard at work helping hte others to dipose of the remaining armies before still more arrived to plague them.
As Rahu moved to engage the combatents and the other fighters went to mop up the crowd, one massive explosion shocked the earth and sending the monsters flying. The erupting flames scorching the asphalt and causing metal to melt. Standing in the midst of the crater stood a gasping Coldfire having used all his power to attack the mob. Collapsing to his knees, Becky ran over to help.
"We should make an LZ for the other heroes to come to. Since this area is clear, lets go to the City Hall, it should be a good place to set up as a base." Carlos said looking at Rahu, "You're friends at Arachnos aren't having an easy time either by the way."
With his words said, Carlos walked over toward Becky and Coldfire and they began walking toward City Hall. Rahu turned at the sound of footsteps and behind her walked the Rikti heading toward City Hall, still intent on helping to protect the heroes for an unknown reason.
"I don't trust them." Blade said as he walked past her, "And you shouldn't either. They can not be up to any good."
------------------------------------------------------------------------
In the darkness of Earth's orbit, a voice rings out over a secret radio wave.
"Our initial team has failed. They have been taken out. Not acceptable."
Another responds, "Activate Berzerker coding."
"Yes commander." a third responds.
Suddenly, a bright light flashes over Paragon and the Rogue Isels.
"Unbeknownst to our heroes, a diabolical plan is unfolding. What is to come, is much worse."
((That was one hell of an opening scene don'tcha think?))
As StrangeBlood floated above the Heroes, heading towards City Hall, he stared coldly at the Sorceress. An Evil grin crossed his face.
A sudden flash and StrangeBloods garbs and look altered completly. His skin which was once green, leaves and vines which covered his head and body, arms and legs were tranformed. The black Toga changed into a 18th Century suit, with top hat - purple. His skin returned to flesh and his 3rd eye sunk back into his head - completly hidden from sight.
In this form Dr strangeBlood looked eeringly gentlemanly like. Almost like an English gent.....almost.
Rahu, floating herself, and well past any thought of concealing her origins, smiles at Blade and quips, "No doubt you are correct, hero, but then, neither am I, ussually. As the good Doctor there would say, the enemy of my enemy, is at the very least an ally of temporary conveniance. The Ritki cannot conquer the world, if these new aliens should beet them too it."
"Oh, and by the way little wizard," she turns to Dr. Strangeblood, "your new clothes are most becoming."
Elsewhere across teh city, the violence was ongoing, but, having no further commentary to give, Mu'Rahu floated in silence, thinking. Every villain in the Rogue isles, and qutie a few other places besides, must certainly have dreamed, at one point, of walking proudly through the gates of the Paragon City Hall. Probably none of them had ever imagined it happening quite like this.
((Sorry for the delay.))
As they entered the partially destroyed building, the group walked down to the area which the new heroes would get tasks from their first contacts. Looking onward, they see that the entire D.A.T.A. room was caved in. A voice rang out from the shadows of the rubble in the large hall.
"The future..." the voice said walking toward the group, "That is what the scientists found when they were playing with those damn portals. Those things had taken over the world, far far into the future. When we found them...they sent some kind of signal to themselves in the past and that is why they attacked."
A flicker of light came from Coldfire's extended hand and illuminated the shadows. In the darkened hall stood the shambles of what was the Freedom Phalanx. Behind them was an entire supergroup's worth of heroes, all injured severely.
Stepping forward to speak to the group, Statesman said to them, "You need to be out there fighting these things! Why are you wasting your time here?!"
"STATESMAN!" Synapse yelled out as he turned to him, "These heroes just fought off that entire damn army of those things!"
"We need to get these heroes fixed up first. That way they can help in the fight." Coldfire said as he sagged to the ground and leaned against a wall.
"We have: Medics with: Us." The large Rikti Warmaster said as he walked into the room.
"What are they doing here?!" Statesman yelled as he dropped his stance.
"They're here to help us, don't piss them off, we don't need another enemy." Positron said in a monotone.
As the group went about their business, Coldfire lit up a ciggarette and chuckled to himself. He was supposed to go to court today for charges against him. Looked like his court date was off. Crey would have to wait to try and get to him.
((Your choice what you do right now. This is downtime but we could jump straight back into combat if you guys want.))
(alittle fun first)
a voice whispered in the mind of Mu'Rhu
Call me little wizard again and this voice will be the only voice you hear in that head of yours for the rest of your miserable excistence
"Well, What a situation you have here"
Dr StrangeBlood hovered into the hall above the heroes
"Seems you have yourself quite a predicament StatesMAN
"looks like you could use some help"
StrangeBloods smirk didnt go unnoticed as he began a conjuration..
((Indeed))
((We were suposed to ahve defeated the whole army?! Leet! I coudl ahve sworns oemwone psoted about reinforcements though; that's why I reference dit in my own post. But maybe that was at the Grandville battle.))
*I am a guardian of the Mu, you insolent roughian, MU'Rahu thoughtcasts back, and I shall refer to yo-... Mu'Rahu, is in mid mental tirade, when suddenly, the group emerges down the stairs of into the fortified sub-levels of the Paragon City Hall. At that sight, however - the sight of the better part of the Freedom Phalanx injured, and more heroes then she has evern seen before in one spot all looking as if... well, as if they'd been through a war - a singular thought forces all other consdierations from her mind. We just... saved... the city. I just helped _save_ Paragon City. Faced with the inescapable reality of this realization, she does the only thing she can do (and probably the least appropriate thing anyone could do), and bursts into fits of laughter.
Eventually, of course, her brain starts functioning normally again, filled with such thoughts as 'that two-bit excuse for a sorcerer _threatened_ me', 'I wonder if I could slip away for a minute and investigate the MAGI vaults unnoticed', and 'I rather hope Grandville is fairing no worse then we are', but she is still far too entertained by the irony of it all to be overly concerned about any of those, so instead, she simply floats in a corner smiling to herself, in spite fo the many odd looks tossed her way (and somehow, even in a good mood, her body language manages to make it clear that all others are beneath contempt), and waits silently to see what Paragon's vaunted heroes will do next.
((Haven't forgotten... been a lil busy. Unable to write as much as I have wanted to. Will post asap))
(Personal delays. This is not dead yet. I'm just giving you all some time to have conversations. Have fun with it and soon I'll chime in with the next big event.)
Statesman walked right up to Coldfire and looked him straight in the eye and said in a voice loud enough to wake the dead, "I don't like you Kaiser. You are a heartless, merciless killer and are no better than these damned villains! The very thought that you would bring them to a place like this sickens me!"
"States-" Sister Psyche was cut off by Coldfire as he responded to Statesman's words.
"I don't give a damn what you think Statesman. You are far less of a hero than anyone else on your team. Hell, I could lead the Freedom Phalanx better than you! I may be merciless, but at least I care about some things. If anyone here is heartless, it's you." Coldfire's eyes flickered with flame as silence fell over the room.
"Lets go." Statesman said as he began crossing the room.
"But-" Manticore chimed in from next to an injured hero to be cut off by the flag man himself.
"NOW!"
The sound echoed through the halls as the Phalanx started to leave. As he passed, Manticore stopped next to Coldfire and turned to look at him.
"You know he cares about this city." Manticore said reaching into his bag and pulling out a small green device, "But you only care about her."
Coldfire took the device and walked away from Manticore as the group left the building.
"Who can use a healing device?"
Drone lifted into the air and continued, "If you wish, I can explain this on the way. If you don't wish to help, then don't bother me with questions."
Tormentil had opened his mouth to speak, but thought better of it and closed it.
Tearing his fake flesh off, he frowned and said back to the demon, "Are you coming or not?"
"As long as you do not continue to rip yourself apart, I will oblige," the ebony colored demon responded.
A soft whirring resounded near Tormentil. The ground beneath him pulsated with invisible shockwaves that pushed him several feet off the ground. He floated effortlessly in the air. The shockwaves continued to pulse under his feet like a heartbeat.
"Shall we?"
At Grandville's inner sanctums, the battle raged unlike what he had seen earlier. Black Widow stood at the entry way to her Master's tower and fended off anyone that dared to try and enter. Tormentil always admired her powers as they, in some ways, were similar to his. He descended onto the ground behind a tall stack of crates that were waiting to be shipped.
He watched as two spider-like beings closed in on an unaware Black Widow. She had concentrated on so much that was going on in front of her, that she hadn't been able to concnetrate on her rear enemies, had there been any at all.
Both alien intruders pointed their hands at Black Widow's side. Their pulse cannons charged. This caught evil empress' attention as she turned just in time to see a massive steel crate sideswipe the two humanoids.
Black Widow looked in the originating direction of the crates starting point and saw Tormentil hovering in the air, with one arm outstretched to the fallen enemies and his other powerfully holding another crate inches in front of him.
The Widow's eyes narrowed at the well-dressed demon and scowled, "If I wanted your help, I would have asked for it."
"As you wish," he simply replied and relased the crate of his anti-gravitational power. It fell to the ground with a loud thud. Piece of the steel cube scattered amongst the ground. He wa sure she was unaware of the hulking alien about to come up...
"ARGH..." Black Widow writhed in pain from the armored hand that began to crush her in its grasp. The not so jolly red giant raised Black Widow over his head and proceeded to smash her onto his knee. He never got the opportunity as she was whisked away by one of Lord Recluse's teleportation syncs that had triangulated onto her.
Suddenly, a bright light flashes over Paragon and the Rogue Isles.
Tormentil shielded himself from the light. It had gone as quickly as it come. When the demon looked again, everything he had seen before was now different. There weren't any more battles. There were only other residents of the Isles. Standing, sitting, leaning, dying villains spread about with an unanswered amount of aliens at their feet.
Interesting, he thought, I wonder if Paragon experienced the same predicament.
Tormentil pulls out a small crystal-like orb from inside his coat and holds it out into the air, the same pulsating shockwaves emitted underneath it. Almsot as if he were waiting for something to happen, the tansparent ball gave off an irridescent glow that flashed an cloud-shaped image in front of him. The visual was of Paragon City's Talos Island. The same destruction had happeend there as well. The scenery fdaed into Atlas Park and inside City Hall. There he saw a number of damaged heroes that were weakly rallied behind Statesman.
Satisfied, Tormentil retireved the orb and placed it back into his pocket. Below, he saw Drone and descended towards him.
"Well, this doesn't seem to be just here, but in Paragon as well. I imagine whatever's clever decided that this initial attack was not working. I imagine we should probably look for some strong reinforcements. I'd go home, but... where's the fun in that," Tormentil smiled to reveal a white set of teeth that bared two pairs of fangs.
StrangeBlood finished his conjuration, a Tree sprouted amongst the crowd of injured heroes and its magical ploomage set of healing the wounds of the fallen.
"Ive no need for your science"
Strangeblood replied, turning his nose up at the device.
"ive advanced beyond that"
Strangeblood paused for a moment....
"Seems Statemans got himself a mutiny HAHAHAHA"
....Strangebloods laughter echoed the hall...
"But in all honesty, as much as I like to see heroes dying at my feet, and there will be plenty of time for that later!! can we get out there and stop these things"...
Dr StrangeBlood glared at Coldfire.
Coldfire looked at the doctor and frowned.
"Do you have a problem with me?" Coldfire said as he turned and looked at him.
"Psymon, don't." Becky said as she ran between the two.
Coldfire looked down at her and then turned to go talk with Carlos.
"Don't egg him on. Maybe you've heard the stories, maybe you haven't..." Becky said turning to Strangeblood, "But he has killed heroes. Imagine what he'll do to a villain."
------------------------------------------------------------------------
"This is no where near over." Drone said as he began maintenance on his robots, "This was a test attack. The real force will arrive shortly. I summize that Arachnos will be the survivor of all this. Paragon is too disorganized. They may have heroes, but most of them are to compasionate to survive-"
"Except my nuisance of a 'brother', Coldfire." Charcold said as he walked up to Drone, "What's the news Drone?"
"Their ships are in orbit around the planet. 53 to be precise." Drone said as he threw out a hologram beacon, "I believe that each ship could have a total of over...five million of those creatures on board as well as at least one of each of the small aliens we saw Coldfire fighting through my Spibot."
Looking sadistically toward Recluse's tower, Charcold said, "So this is the day when Arachnos and the Heroes fall. Delicious."
"My dear girl.."
StrangeBlood floated down to meet with Becky eye to eye
"The thought of it intrigues me..."
StrangeBlood stared upon Coldfire as he talked to Carlos
"Ive killed many Heroes and Villians of which I havent given a second thought about...but this one..."
StrangeBlood continued to stared at Coldfire as a thought bounced around his twisted mind.
" this could be most interesting.."
He turned back towards becky
"and....so what is your connection to this man?"
"He is my fiance. He saved my life and I've seen him fight." Becky began as she turned her body to be facing Stangeblood, "I know some of you villains are sadistic in the things you do, but I have seen him pull apart people piece by piece to get information out of them. He has spilled the intestines of people and watched them die. He has slit the achilles tendon of some of his enemies just to watch their legs shatter!"
Becky turned to look at Coldfire and then continued, "He has crushed the skulls in of heroes, impaled them, incinerated them, and worse." Pausing for a second, Becky shifted her eyes to look directly into Strangeblood'd eyes, "He has done things to people that could put some of Recluse's minions into shock. He is far worse than you could ever be. I tell you this now, do not cross him, I don't want to see one of the fighters that have helped today die. Please, just leave him alone."
"Becky!" Coldfire shouted from across the room.
"Heed my warnings mage." Becky said quickly as she turned to cross the room."
((I think I've come up with the most demonic and sadistic hero of all times...))
as becky turned away and walked towards Coldfire, StrangeBlood pondered the thought...and whispered to himself..
"But you have love in your veins young Coldfire....Love."
He looked Becky up and down, slowly moving his eyes up her body, almost like a touch.
Dr StrangeBlood was no newcomer to death. He had been alive since 1832, and studied the works of Darwin, of which the 'Origin of Species' played a major part in his scientific exploration of man which eventually lead to his involvement in Magic and Immortality. Dr StrangeBlood has, among murder and robbery on his list of crimes throughtout the decades, Grave robbing in which he first began his crazed experiments to further himself and become the monster he is today.
StangeBlood took to the air once more and gently glided behind the group, still deep in thought.
"Yes..........most interesting................................"
((Couple more replies and I'll introduce the next attack.))
((*cough cough* It smells dead in here >.>. Is anyone interested in seeing how this ends? Or should I just kill it now?))
Dr StrangeBlood loved nothing more than to dominate the minds and bodies of his victims or even those that kept his company! Dr StrangeBlood didnt keep friends for long and he wasnt here to make any.
As Carlos lept off and another took his place...
"The enemy of my enemy is my friend - Im happy right here"
StrangeBlood replied.
A mind blast killed the held creature but as it slumped to the ground and the roots retracted into the earth Dr StrangeBlood caught a glimpse of a Swarm of White and Blue energy beings lead by a Large Red one.
StrangeBloods new partner only angered the group with a ball of Fire, as the Large Red Energy being closed in for him.
Acting quickly StrangeBlood Drew upon his mental energies. His eyes closed and the eye upon his forehead opened wide, Afew of the swarm stopped dead in thier tracks and began to attack thier own, but StrangeBlood continued to jester with his hands - a whisper of an incarntation shook the ground beneath the remaining group as vines reached out of the earth and entwined them, tightening as they struggled.
The Red Creature was uneffected by the vines and plowed past the lesser beings. A single punch lifted Dr StrangeBlood from his feet and sent him hurling into a branch of his healing Tree.
It turned onto the Fire weilding man with a raised fist, but it was stopped briefly from attacking as StrangeBloods unusual pet lept up onto the shoulders of the creature and started biting.