The Gatekeeper (Part One)

I pondered as I stared into the eyes of a Hero in his calcified cage, compliments of me, about his and his team’s brash decision to come here and expect to be victorious. Don’t they realize, this is not their home? We don’t play by their rules. Nonetheless, the state of mind, of man, is truly a conundrum of delicate and delectable discovery. Take these heroes for instance. With a flick of my wrist, I begin to crush every bone in their body with symphonic precision, but they are resolute in getting through me.

“State your purpose here, dear” I gently ask the girl. Oddly enough, she appears to be their leader.

“As if you don’t already know!” and with a smirk she breaks free and proceeds to Thunder Kick me. As I side step from the strike, I glare at her and smile, “Touché!” I retort. As I quickly place her in a petrified prison, “You forget that your rules don’t abide here. I may give you some time, and me more practice, but it is a moot gesture. Well you currently are of no use, so next in line.”

As I approach the next stoned hero I am disheartened. My apparent surge of rage that encased the heroine had also strengthened the cages, collapsing the heroes and porting them back to whence they came. But to my utter delight, something catches my eye. As I picked it up, I couldn’t help but smile, “This bodes to be a very interesting evening indeed.”

Back at the Hospital, the heroes compose themselves. As they meet up in the lobby, one utters “Oh no! Guys…I think that Praetorian’s stone cages knocked my homing beacon off me.”

Princess Grace, troubled, speaks, “We will not pass through that area and continue our mission with that meddlesome deviant in the way. He seems to have an unnatural control over the Earth. And if he found the beacon, we are in for some serious trouble.”

“You are right and I can’t help to think he looks like someone I know.” The telepath, Lady Megrim, said, “No pun intended.”
Princess Grace continued, “We need to seek the assistance of MAGI. I will go, the rest of you head to the base and look at our database. Try to find that Praetorian’s counterpart. He may be in danger.”


Journal Entry Month 11, Day 13

My favor in the eyes of Arachnos is growing. It has become apparent that my mutinous successor has decided to expand her reach into the Rogue Isles. The Carnival of Shadows has really overstepped their boundaries. They not only underestimated Lord Recluse’s hold on the Isles, but never intended on having to deal with me. It was truly a delight to see their dumbfounded faces when they saw their former leader, thought dead, to have established in a new Circus in the Isles and even less to return with such ferocity. It seems my carrion carnies don’t like them much either. Interesting enough, my “interrogation” of the Ring Mistress led me to a scientist in Nerva, one Technician Naylor. He apparently is running some experiments with stolen Portal Corp technology. It appears he has created a gate to another dimension. This may be useful as I may finally be able to be rid of my arch enemy while simultaneously once again take over The Carnival of Shadows and return my circus to its former glory. I have “persuaded” Naylor to let me go through the door in hopes of finding these so-called Praetorians. First on the list, destroy my arch enemy before he meddles in my attempts to return to Paragon City. Mark my words, Salsero, Your days are numbered!


As Princess Grace headed to MAGI, the other Altair Guardians went to their base and began the painstaking search for the unknown hero. Lady Megrim sets off to meditate on that sinking feeling that she knows the hero they are looking for. As they entered the base, Lissandra is there to greet them. “Welcome fellow Guardians. Your last mission against the Malta really paid off! We were able to get the necessary tech from them to boost our base Super Computer. I made some remodeling to accommodate that, but try it out. It now has the capabilities to research heroes by their archetype and recent visits to Paragon City!”

“Excellent! Just in time too.” Double Take said.

“Why?” asked Lissandra, “What’s going on?”

StarOmega begins, “As you know we have in the search for Tyrant in the alternate dimension. Well, we ran into an unexpected Praetorian. Caught us off guard and nearly wiped us.”

Lady Weapon continued, “He has Earth powers unlike anything I’ve seen before.”

“Princess was able to get a few hits in, but she was quickly held again.” Megablast said.

“When we returned, she sent us back here to try to find his Praetorian counterpart. He unfortunately knocked off my beacon in the exchange,” said Arctic Snowstorm, “But his magic was much more powerful than any Praetorian of his level. If he gets to Paragon City, he can cause more havoc than we can possibly fathom.”

With that, Lady Megrim emerges from her meditation room weak and faltering. “Yes, he will make Faultline look like a golf course. Not even Atta could conceive such destruction.” She nearly collapses when Megablast catches her, “I sense him…”

Double Take elates momentarily, “You found him. That is great news. Where is this hero?”

“Not the hero, The Praetorian: Reggaeton. He has found the gate and is sending some of his goons through it. He…” Lady Megrim, exhausted, collapses. Megablast carries her to her room to let her rest.

Lissandra, stunned motionless by this unexpected influx of aberrant activity, looks at the team. “I will contact Princess Grace to bring her up to speed. Arctic, use your symbiosis with nature to get a fix on these precarious pests. The rest of you, find that hero...”


This was not the turn out I expected. I came prepared to battle my way through this gate only to find…nothing. Any empty room in an abandoned warehouse. From the location of the gate, I am assuming that they were trying to sneak up to Tyrants domain. But apparently they took a most unexpected turn. For the best to me, worse for them.
Nonetheless, there could quit possibly be an ambush waiting on the other side. I do not take unnecessary risks. I may have to get some of my more deviant denizens to “volunteer” their services and clear out anyone and anything on the other side of that gate.

“Ahh! Right on cue.” I greeted the Lieutenants as they approached. “I am sure you three brought your minions?”

“Aye my lord.” They said almost in unison.

“All we need now is my second in command, Acid Rain. And speak of the devil.”

Acid Rain flies down with all the grace of a winter snowflake, “My Lord. I came as you requested. I see we have some chaos to ensue.”

“Chaos?! My dear Acid Rain,” I tell her as I put my arm over her shoulder and direct her to the gate. “Chaos is a given. This is destiny!”


Back at MAGI:
“Well Princess Grace, I will have to consult with the Elders about this, but it seems to me he is a master of a near extinct magical tradition: Tiergai” Azuria explained.

“Tiergai? What is that?” asked Princess Grace.

“It is difficult to explain but consider it Earth magic.”

“I have never seen Earth magic of that caliber before”

“Hence why I said it is difficult to explain, here have a seat and I will explain while I prepare the request for help to The Elders.”

Princess Grace sits down and eagerly listens to the explanation. She really cannot perceive what she is about to hear nor what they have stumbled upon.

“Tiergai magic is the most powerful and most dangerous of all Terran practices. Only a small group of these masters remain on this plane. One of our Elders is the head of that guild here…”

“Wait a moment. On this plane? What do you mean?”

“Practitioners of Tiergai have been all but destroyed. Those too powerful to have been dealt with here, were banished.”

Princess Grace stands up alarmed, “Banished where?”

“One can only guess, but I sense that they found their way to the Praetorian dimension.”

“They? Now this getting disturbing. How many constitutes ‘they’?”

“That is irrelevant. My only concern is that one in particular would find his way back. And he is the one I need to see the Elders about.”

“And who would that be?” With that, Princess Grace’s communicator goes off. “Hello? WHAT?! Find out what you can and contact me as soon as possible on the bearings.” She closes her communicator. “Azuria? Put that request on a rush order.”

“Why is that?”

“That Praetorian has found the gate!”