The Chronicles of Lady Reaver

Hi:

This are the stories that accounts for my character's biography, starting with how she acquired her powers and evolved. She is a Fire/Axe Tanker, and I hope you all enjoy the tale.

Lady Reaver can be seen avenging the innocent dead at Champions server, hero side.

Lady Reaver is a proud of member of United Heroes Brigade Super Group, come meet Lady Reaver and enjoy the friendliness and the family feel of this outstanding SG!

Hugs Stormy

The Chronicles of Lady Reaver
Beginnings
By Ed and Sue Garcia

The loudly buzzing alarm clock demanded the attention it had been built to receive each morning. A tired hand left the warmth of the blankets and slowly reached towards the clock and turned the alarm off. At first a leg slowly worked itself out of the blanket, and then the other leg slowly followed. Once both feet were firmly on the ground, a soft, delicate groan could be heard as the rest of the blankets were pushed aside.

For a few moments a slender brunette sat on the bed, stretched her arms wide and turned to regard her husband with a smile on her face, as he went on sleeping. She slowly leaned toward her right, and softly kissed her husband’s forehead and left the bed to head towards the bathroom.

As she enjoyed the warm shower, she reminisced the many happy moments of her life with her husband and continued smiling. She remembered the first day she met him at the shopping mall, and the terrible choice of clothing he was wearing, but even then he had such an attractive smile and a difficult to explain charm in the way he moved and spoke. She rejoiced in the memory of his asking for her hand in marriage, and of her wedding day. A sly smile now showed on her face, as she remembered his warmth as he held her during the moment of passion, and the memory when she first learnt she was pregnant. A smile filled with pride now took over, as she remember giving birth to her daughter which both her husband and her had grown to cherish beyond life itself. A giggle escaped her as she showered, for she remembered talking her husband into letting her adopt “Spunky” her German Shepard friend and companion when neither her husband or daughter were home.

The shower ended when the bath tub was full of warm water, and then she slowly lowered herself to relish the warmth of the water as it slowly engulfed her body. With a satisfaction filled smile she reached for a razor and after applying a rich lather of foamy skin softener and other lubricants proceeded to shave her legs. A few minutes later, once the grooming had been completed, she stepped out of the bath tub and pulled the drain plug to allow the water to drain away. As she dried herself, she smiled once more and cherished the thought that this day, was a very special day in her life, for it was her beloved husband’s birthday. She wanted to make it special, she wanted to make him happy, wanted him to feel young. She decided that cooking him breakfast would be a good start, and of course she would have to make his favorite dishes for lunch and dinner as well. Silently she reviewed the ingredients flour, sugar, strawberry preserves, and eggs to make him some strawberry filled crepes. Then searched through her memory to remember if all the ingredients were available, and with a giggle decided that she did have all she would need. Of course a grown man can not live out of crepes alone, and he would require quite a bit more with his crepes. In her mind she thought of tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, ham, cheese, eggs, mushrooms and bacon. With another smile she believed to have all the ingredients to make his favorite omelet. Hash browns, he would want hash browns to go with his omelet. With a frown she decided that she could not remember if she had any potatoes to make hash browns or frozen hash browns to fry for him.

Quickly she commenced to dress, and looked at herself at the mirror. She smiled at herself and realized that time had been kind to her and she was still a beautiful woman, despite of her age. Her frown turned into a wicked smile as a thought crossed her mind, for tonight she would show him how young she really was in bed. She giggled and slipped her dress on with a bit of a hurry.

She quietly walked towards the kitchen and noticed that Spunky was waiting for her already, and wagging his tail as he sat by his food dish. She smiled at Spunky and thought to herself that the dog was for some reason always hungry. She hugged Spunky and gave him a kiss on his forehead as the dog happily licked her face. She laughed at Spunky and decided he deserved something special, and instead of serving dog food, she filled his bowl with corn pops and milk, which of course the dog greedily devoured.

The freezer door opened with a whoosh of frigid air caressing her face, but despite of how many bags she turned over, shoved aside, there were no hash browns to be found. She growled in frustration, and then with resignation returned to the bedroom and stopped at the door to once more enjoy the sight of her husband peacefully sleeping.

She walked towards the dresser to gather her keys and purse, and then left the room. On the way out she stopped to check on her daughter who was still asleep, but after all what could one expect out of a teenager who spent most the night out partying with her friends. She smiled and told herself, that she had been young once. Once more she giggled, for she had special plans for a romantic night, or shall we say an erotic encounter with her husband. She quickened her pace towards the garage while giggling as she remembered buying those garter belts and spiked heel boots.

She opened the door to the garage and saw Spunky following her, hoping he would get to ride with her in the car. But it was the summer, and the morning was already getting warm, thus she decided that it would not be a good idea to leave Spunky locked inside the car. She hugged Spunky, and said with a sad voice: “Sorry Spunky, it’s too hot now, and I can’t take you. Be a good boy for mama, and watch over my home and keep them safe” Somehow she could tell by looking into Spunky’s eyes that dog was very sad but had understood her command.

It was a beautiful day, not a cloud in the sky, and made a note to get some steaks to grill for lunch. Paragon City was a very active place, but despite of there being a criminal element present she felt safe. There seemed that around Atlas Park there was a superhero just about everywhere, you could not take a step and not see one chasing a crook.

She drove by and slowed down to admire the incredible physiques of the many male heroes and their often rather revealing outfits. She laughed aloud and mocked herself about behaving like a little girl, when she caught herself thinking what it would be like making love to a superhero. She thought of her husband, a very talented architect, but no where close to even pass for a superhero. She laughed as she saw her husband in his Izod shirt, faded blue jeans and a mug of coffee in his left hand, some kind of hero he would make and laughed some more. On the other hand he was a hero to her, deep in her heart she worshipped that man, for despite all his frailties and lack of super powers, he was true to her, and always saw to her daughter’s and her needs. With a tear escaping her left eye, she realized that perhaps he did have a superpower after all, he had commitment, and that was a rare power indeed.

She parked her car almost at the very entrance to the grocery store, and thought to herself this must be her lucky day and with a little prance in her step entered the store. She grabbed a shopping cart, and quickly walked down the aisles picking can goods, bags and anything she thought she could use. Might as well get all the ingredients to make his favorite dinner as well, she thought to herself, meatloaf and mashed potatoes was what was for dinner tonight. With an even bigger smile, she picked up two bottles of Asti Spumante, the good one of course, and some cheese and crackers to go with them. Of course the wine and cheese, was for her especial gift to him, a night he would remember till the day he died.

She agonized the full time that she was forced to endure the long wait at the cashiers, for somehow this day too many people had decided to go shopping as well, how rude of them. Eventually the ritual of waiting, reading the scandal magazines and resisting the urge to eat every candy bar within hands reach, was over. But the misery did not end there, for some strange reason every traffic light on her way home seemed to turn red as she approached them.

As she pulled her car into the drive way, she could not help to notice that something was not altogether right, and in fact something was terribly wrong. For starters the main door to her house had been ripped of its hinges, and the broken pieces of the door scattered all over her front yard.

She could not ignore the growing knot feeling forming in her stomach, as her heart beat raced. Tears commenced to streak down her face, for she feared the worst.

She opened the door, and ran towards her home as she screamed her husband’s name. Once she stepped through the entrance to her house, she could see the mangled pieces of what once had been Spunky. She screamed in desperation and sheer agony as she saw her dog’s head impaled on a broom stick. Blood was splatter everywhere, and her mind returned to her and the thoughts of her daughter and husband became her central thought.

The walls of the hallway were also bloody, filled with many holes from bullets, and holes that appeared to have been made with a sledge hammer. She entered her daughter’s room first, for it was on the way to the master bedroom. A horrified scream escaped her lips as she saw her daughter’s hands bound to the bedposts, while most of her entrails had seemed to have been barbarically removed from her and flung all over the room. Crying, she slowly approached the bruised face of her daughter and with a trembling hand pushed her eyelids closed. She lifted her head to look around the room, and on the wall written in blood were the words “Hellions Rule”

There was no way of telling how long she knelt crying next to her dead daughter, while gently caressing her hair. But then slowly she stepped away from the bed, and walked towards the master bedroom. In her mind she kept saying to herself: “No, No, No this can not be happening! We are good people! This does not happen to good people! No!”

But she knew that it this was too horrible to be a bad dream, for life is seldom kind to those who had fallen off some God’s grace. She entered her room, her husband apparently had tried to defend himself, but was no match for the horde of murderers that had invaded their home. Like her daughter, he had been disemboweled but also totally dismembered.

She screamed with outrage and shouted: “You let this happen! I want justice! I want revenge! I want to kill those animals! I want justice! I want revenge” She continued screaming these words over and over, as she cried, till finally the shock and exhaustion overcame her.

She awoke in a strange place, it was frigid, it was cloudy, and it felt strange. But she did not feel alone. There was someone or something within the fog around her. She walked slowly forming a slight circular pattern, waiting to be attacked at any moment. Then the memory of her dead husband returned to her, followed by the memory of her daughter and dog. Once more despair filled her heart, but soon afterwards the burn of hatred and the thirst for vengeance replaced it.

The fog slowly dissipated revealing a white bearded man dressed in leather and wielding a large hammer in his right hand, as he sat in a magnificent throne which looked to be made out of gold. He looked at her with penetrating eyes, and with out expression. She looked at him with hatred.

Finally she broke the silence and said: “Who are you? Why you toy with me?”

The bearded man gave her a fatherly smile, and said with a soft voice that only she could hear in her mind: “I am Forseti, Norse God of Justice”

She bitterly laughed as she stood before the self proclaimed God and then said with disdain: “You a God of Justice? Where were you when the Hellions busted into my house? Where were you when they were [censored] my daughter? Where were you when they slaughtered her? Where were you when they murdered my husband? And you call yourself a God of Justice?”

Forseti gave her a long look and then with a firm voice said: “You want justice? You want to punish those who killed your family? Ah? Well, there is price to be paid, and you shall pay it in full! You prayer has been heard and answered! Go Reaver, and bring justice against those who practice evil in Paragon City”

She awoke next to her dead husband, but she felt different. Then she heard a soft voice coming from what it seemed very far away, but it was too faint to understand what it had said. She walked away from her dead husband, and looked into one of the dresser drawers thrown to the side and near her. Within it was her naughty outfit, the outfit her husband would never get to see her wearing for him. She removed her clothes, as tears fell, and in her mind she mourned her family and the many things they would never get to do. Then slowly she began to put her naughty outfit on, so at least her dead husband’s body could see it and that somehow the spirit of her husband may be around and see her wearing it. Suddenly the ghostly voice became louder, as if approaching her. She was half naked, and felt something was coming her way. She rushed to finish dressing up and to be ready for whatever was coming her way, but no more sounds of anything could be heard. She finished putting on her rather revealing outfit on, and turned to face her husband’s dead body. Suddenly she heard a voice, it was faint but clear, it was her husband’s.

She turned towards the voice, but there was nothing next to her, so she shook her head for she believed that her grief was making her hear voices. She looked at her dead husband for long moments, and decided it was time to change. Then she heard another voice, it was her daughters, and this time she understood what she said: “Mammy, please avenge me, kill those who murdered me, kill them so that I may go to heaven”

She screamed with happiness: “Baby, you are all right” But as she turned to face the voice there was no one, and the voice had gone silent. From behind her she heard her husband’s voice: “Please kill those who murdered me, help me go on”

Once more she turned about, but there was no one to be seen. Then she heard both her daughter and husband speak to her, pleading to her for vengeance, for relief. In desperation she screamed: “But I do not know where they are, and I’m but just a woman, what can I possibly do to them”

Yet the voices, continued pleading for mercy. But her husband said: “Leave the house, sprint west towards the abandoned warehouse area of the city”

She walked towards the door of the house, and stopped. She said with a trembling voice: “Darling, I can’t do it! I’m just a woman, how can I kill those mad men?”

Her daughter lamented near her, and said: “Please mom, go to the warehouse, you have been given all you need to free us, run mom please”

She started to run towards the street, but then stopped and headed towards her car. She stopped on her tracks as her husband spoke to he once more saying: “Stop, you no longer need that car, you have been gifted by Forseti, you are stronger and faster than ever before, yours is the strength of retaliation! You can run faster than your car and leap over walls, let your thirst for vengeance burn through you and power you! Run! Run”

She turned about and commenced running down the street, to her surprise she caught up and then passed a car and then another. Still confused she continued running towards the warehouse district, filled with dread and doubt.

She leapt over a wall with ease, and stopped to regard her feat in utter amazement. Then she felt something on her head. Slowly she reached and felt a headpiece, and with great care removed it to see it. It was made out of gold, and had large wings at its sides resembling much those worn by the mythological Valkiries. But the headpiece had a dark red hue to them, red as the blood spilt from the innocent victims of the Hellions and all that is evil. She placed the headpiece back and in her face a sense of determination could be seen, and then with fierceness ran forward and leapt over another wall.

She ran down a long alleyway, and saw rows of warehouses ahead of her. She stopped confused, for she did not know which one where the Hellions hiding at. But her daughter spoke to her, with a pleading voice saying: “Mommy, please, I want to go to heaven, please go to the third one to your right, please Mommy, please!”

Tears streaked down her face, as she walked towards the warehouse, as she approached the warehouse she could hear the screams of the celebrating Hellions. She commenced to cry aloud, and as she sobbed said: “Oh my baby, I can’t, I can’t kill those animals, for I’m but just a woman”

Then she heard her husband say with a firm voice: “Let your anger be your shield, let the fire of your hatred of them engulf you and make you immune to anything they could do! Let your love for us and what is just, be like an axe to split their evil souls! Go! Go! Go my love for we are in pain! Go!

She screamed in frustration, but the continuous laments from both her daughter and husband would not subside. As she heard the raucous laughter of the Hellions and the agonizing pleas of her loved ones, hatred filled her soul and fire enveloped her. Her immense thirst for vengeance, and justice over took her, and with sheer determination charged towards the entrance of the warehouse. A mere step away from the entrance to the warehouse, her thirst for revenge materialized in the form of a large two handed battle axe. Then she swung the axe with unnerving ferocity, and with a feral scream. The door exploded into a thousand splinters from the sheer force of the axe’s blow, giving the fire engulfed brunette access to the warehouse’s interior.

She stepped through the smashed entrance and saw two Hellions guarding the entrance, but stunned into inaction from her dramatic appearance. She did not hesitate, and stepped towards the closest one, swinging her axe in a flat horizontal arc. The axe struck the first thug and cleaved deeply into the punk, killing him with a single blow. The second thug pulled a gun and fired at her; the bullet struck her and it smarted, but did not really hurt her. The second swing smashed his skull and she walked past his now slumping body without a second thought, for she was determined to finish what she had come here to do.

Three more Hellions heard the commotion and entered the lobby in an effort to learn what had happened. They laughed at her, and made lewd gestures at her, and then she realized that she was wearing her naughty outfit and high heeled boots. She became even angrier and charged the brutes. By the time she closed on them, two of them had pulled their pistols and were shooting at her, but they seemed to have lousy aim. The third Hellion continued laughing at her, produced a baseball bat and prepared to swing at her.

She gave the thug a knowing smile and swung her axe killing one of the pistol wielding thugs in a single blow, then with an unnatural voice said: “I hear the voices of the innocent murdered, you shall pay for your crime”

A thug fired again, but the bullet was reduced to ashes as it penetrated the fire that engulfed and protected her, while the baseball bat missed striking her. She swung her axe a second time, and the second pistol using thug could not be counted among the living anymore.

The baseball bat using thug said: “Forget this” And turned around to run away from her. She looked at him run, but did not run after him, for she knew there was nowhere in this warehouse, or in this world he could hide from her.

She turned around and followed a long corridor which ended in a large storage area, in it she could see nine thugs gambling and fight training with each other.

The group of thugs spotted her, and their faces were filled with a smile as they saw the scantily clothed woman standing before them. It seemed their lust was more powerful than their sense of survival or just plain common sense. She walked towards them with confidence, as they laughed and made lewd gestures towards her, one of them commenced to drop his pants. Of course he stopped when he saw the axe materialize in her right hand. They suddenly realized that this was not some fancy [censored] that had come to pleasure them, and instead they realized it was a being that had come to kill them. One of the thugs pulled a machine gun and commenced shooting at her, but he was so scared that the shots struck the ground before her feet, the second thug pulled a knife and the last one had a sword held in a rather threatening manner.

She charged them, blinded by the fire of her own hatred and thirst for vengeance. If she had been hurt, she never felt the pain of being struck, but when it was all over all three of them were now dead, among the other six corpses of Hellions that may have arrived to help their besieged friends during the fight, and somehow in her blind fury never saw them join the fight.

She did feel tired, so she stood still as she rested and carefully examined her surroundings. At a distance she noticed a crate marked and colored in such a different way, that it was obvious it did not belong here. She walked towards the crate, but before she could get close enough to examine it, she felt the thud of a baseball bat striking her left shoulder. She turned around and punched the thug, knocking him off is feet. Then as he attempted to get up, she swung her axe and killed him with a sickening slicing sound.

She opened the crate and inside of it was a figurine made out of Onyx stone, and somehow she could feel that this figurine was magical in nature for she could sense a power source of some kind.

She knew she was not finished, for the pleas of her daughter and husband urged her to go on towards her left and deeper into the warehouse. She killed six more thugs before a much larger Hellion became evident to her. He wore two large spiked shoulder pads and next to him rested a large axe. She did not try to surprise him, for it had been him who had killed her daughter and husband. It was him who had disemboweled them, and rejoiced in his actions.

He looked at her, and gave her a lusty look, and then he said: “Ah so you come to kill me, ah? Avenge a loved one I bet! Ha, you are not the first who had tried that. I will beat you to mere inches from your death, and then I will ravage you, on and on, until you beg me to kill you”

She did not flinch, and simply stood still waiting for him. The fire around her burnt firmly and brightly. Her axe sparkled and reflected the light produce by her fiery aura which shielded her from damage. Her face was devoid of emotion, for she was fully focused on her deadly task.

He grew tired of the wait, and lifted his axe as he lightly stepped towards her. He swung his axe and she blocked it with hers, and then casually punched him with her left fist. He stumbled back a few steps and roared with a bestial yell. But before he could raise his axe, she swung her axe. It struck his left leg hard, and in pain he fell to the floor. He slowly commenced to raise himself, but she again swung her axe, and the blow from it knocked him off his feet and nearly across the room. She confidently stepped towards him, there was fear in his eyes, but there was also hatred. But her hatred for him was far greater than his. She looked at him with contempt and said: “I hear the voices of those innocently murdered by you, they demand justice, and they demand your death!”

She swung her axe, with a yell filled with agonizing pain and hatred, and the axe struck his neck and severed his head from his body. With his death came peace in her heart, the flames resided and her axe vanished.

She commenced to cry aloud and dropped to her knees, but her tears were cut short as her daughter talked to her saying: “Thank you mommy, thank you mommy, I’m going to heaven now mommy”

She clutched at the floor and with a painful wail said: “No, my baby, please don’t leave me, no” But she was now gone, and she knew it.

She continued crying in total despair, but then stopped as she heard her husband say: “My love, thank you for bringing us peace. I regret not being able to remain with you for I must now go on into the afterlife. I will watch over our daughter and I will be waiting for you when we once again can be rejoined. That statue you found is magical and must be returned to a mystic at the town hall at Atlas Park, she will know what to do with it. I love you”

And then he was gone, and she was now more alone than ever. She reached towards the dead Hellion and removed his shoulder pads, and placed them on herself and said: “I will now take this and keep it as a souvenir to remind me of this moment”

As she began crying again she heard another voice, a voice of a little boy. At least that is what she had thought. She got back on her feet and looked around, but saw no one. She stepped away from the dead body of the Hellion leader, and looked towards the hallway which would take her to the exit of this cursed building. Then she heard the voice say again: “Miss, please, Lady Reaver, please help me go to heaven. Please, I’m in so much pain! Please, these evil men came to my home and murdered my family and me. Please, I feel so cold” She stood still and as her fiery aura engulfed her, said with a chilling and from beyond the grave voice: “Yes little boy, oh yes, there is a price that must be paid”

The Chronicles of Lady Reaver
Enter the Vahzilok
By Ed and Sue Garcia

A grieving tall slender Brunette stands by a grave and slowly places a red rose over it, the tombstone reads: “Here rest in peace William Fulton, beloved father of Erica Fulton and faithful husband to Laura”

As she slowly walks away from the grave of her husband, she hears a young man’s voice whisper at her, she violently turns towards the whisper, but there is no one to be seen. She grits her teeth, for she knows it is the dead who had talked to her, once more she will be called upon to avenge the dead.

The voice murmurs to her once more, but this time she can make out the words: “Your loved ones were not disemboweled for no reason at all, go read the Coroner’s report on your loved ones”

She stops at mid stride, and closes her eyes as tears travel down her cheeks. Her body trembles with uncertainty and as the flood of memories rushes back to her. She screams in agony, and while experiencing helplessness says: “But they are in heaven, they are resting in peace! Please, let me have my peace!”

The voice returns and says with a more forceful voice: “I have been murdered by the Vahzilok, my body organs taken apart and used for evil experiments. Your husband’s heart is being used in one of those ghastly horrors that walks the streets at night, please destroy the one who killed me and those monsters he created using my organs”

She shakes her head in total disbelief, what she had been told was just too gruesome to be truth, but deep inside of her, she knew it was too horrible to be a lie. She steps into her mini van and drives to the police department, fiercely determined to prove the spirit voice wrong. But the police report confirms her worst fear, and then went beyond it, for parts of her daughter’s body had been also found missing.

She screams in fury, as more and more voices of the dead reached her and fills her mind, tears stream down her face as she knows that once more she must kill and punish. Before the startled policeman her body is covered in fire and an axe is held by her right hand, she looks at the policeman and offers him a thin smile and starts to walk away. But before she can leave the station a police officer dressed in riot gear and holding a shotgun leveled at her chest said: “Who are you? Are you a registered hero?”

She pauses to think, registered hero, who her? She looked at the police officer, as her mind became flooded once more with the voices of the dead pleading for vengeance, and said with an almost guttural voice, as if it had come from beyond the grave: “I am no hero. I am the incarnation of vengeance. I am a Reaver, and I avenge the innocent who has been murdered. Stand aside, for I hear the voices of the innocent murdered pleading for relief of their suffering”

The police officer stepped back and said with a voice filled with panic: “Oh no another super psycho, we must stop her! Everyone get into your gear and help me stop her!”

She stops and gazes at the police officer and says with a chilling voice: “I am the envoy of Forseti, God of Justice placed in this city to avenge the innocent murdered. I have no business with you, stand aside”

The officer took a step back as she slowly moved towards the exit door, seeing she was not stopping, said: “Sorry lady, but you are under arrest! On your knees and hands over your head”

She walked towards the officer, no longer hearing him, for her mind was cluttered with the voices of the innocent murdered, telling her where to go, telling her to go to King’s Row. The officer discharges his shotgun, but it does not hurt her; as the pellets are vaporized the moment they touch the flames engulfing her. He stands aside, and lets her walk by, as she steps out into the street he screams: “I will get you for this, no one makes a fool out of me. I will get you”

Her once grieving face, is now changed for one filled with determination as she sprints towards the train station, no one gets on her way, but a few reckless Hellions who no longer can be counted among the living. She boards the train in somber silence, as suspicious citizens stare at her. No one talks to her inside the train, for no one there has business with her. She silently steps out of the train, and is intercepted by a squad of police officers that had been waiting for her. A police lieutenant flashes his badge before her, and says with a strict voice: “Madam you are under arrest, you have failed to register as a super hero, and resisted arrest at the Atlas City police department. Please drop to your knees and place your hands over your head”

She looks at the young man, and she can see the fright in his face and says in a cryptic voice: “I am the envoy of Forseti. I am here to punish those who have murdered the innocent. I am here to bring peace to those murdered by the evil, for I am their death. Do you have business with me?”

The lieutenant turned to look at the police drones and screamed: “Do something, you blasted machines” But they did not react to the slender brunette bathed in flames, for somehow they knew she was not evil.

She looked at the machines, then she turned back to stare at the police lieutenant, and once more with a voice from beyond the grave said: “Do you have any business with me?”

The lieutenant seemed to look around as if he heard voices around him, and his face noticeably paled as he realized he was listening to spirits. He turned to look at the flaming lady and said with terror in his voice: “Please get them to stop talking to me, they are in my head, please!”

She slowly nodded towards the lieutenant and her face became pained as dozens of voices now filled her head. She looked once more at the lieutenant and lifted her left eyebrow in expectation of a response from him.

The lieutenant still visibly shaken from his experience said with a weak voice: “There has been a misunderstanding, all super types must register at the courthouse, but I know you are too busy at this moment. If you give your name, I will register you myself. What do you call yourself?”

She gave him a puzzled look and then she regained her grave look and said: “Reaver, I shall be know to all who are evil as Reaver”

The lieutenant stuttered a bit and replied: “I got it Lady, I mean, I got it Reaver. I will register you right away, thank you for your cooperation”

As she walked away, she heard the lieutenant say over his radio: “Dispatch, connect me with records hall immediately! Is this records hall? This is Lieutenant Lafayette, and I need to register a new hero. Yes, her name is “Lady Reaver” and her picture is being emailed to you as we speak. Thank you, what fee? Who is going to pay the fee? Just charge it to the city for crying out loud!”

She walked away, a sly smile could be faintly seen across her thin red lips, and as she walked away she thought to herself: “How about that, I have a name now, I shall be known as Lady Reaver, from this day on all evil doers will have a name to fear. A name to keep them awake at night, a name they will utter from their bloody lips as I slay them in just vengeance”

“You must travel due West lady!” said an unearthly voice with urgency, “Hurry, please they will not stay there for long”

The quiet, slender, brunette commenced to run down the street and this time chose to ignore the violence that surrounded her. Never before had she noticed the enormous amount of crime on the streets, had she been so blind to it all these years?

She came across a very tall wall, but the spirits urged onwards, she shook her head in frustration and turned Northwards in the hope to find a set of stairs that would allow her to get over this wall. Someday she thought to herself, she would ask Forseti for the ability to fly so that these or any other walls would not be an impediment any more.

A street gang barred her way to the stairs, they wore gruesome skull like masks over their faces and could be seen drug trafficking. The spirit voices urged her onwards, but the street gang had taken notice of her, especially of her rather seductive clothing she was wearing. A few of the gang members could be seen slipping their hands inside their pants, probably to play with their genitals. It become quite obvious what they wanted with her, but that was the one thing they would never get from her. She stood before them and concentrated in making her flames even brighter and said with a soul chilling voice: “Stand aside, for I have no business with you yet”

The leader of the gang laughed and as he held his crutch with a very lewd motion, and said with a mocking voice: “You may not, but I have business with you. So just lie down, and spread your legs and make it easy on you”

The entire gang laughed aloud, but the slender brunette was not. Their laughter turned into a gasp as they were surprised when the glowing axe materialized and she held it in a very threatening manner. As they gawked at her, some began pulling their weapons, and an assortment of knives, baseball bats, guns, and rifles. She looked at them one last time and said: “I had no business with you, but the voices of the slain innocent are now calling for justice to be dispensed, you all have murdered the helpless and rejoiced in their suffering. Now you will pay dearly for it”

There was nothing more to be said, for carnage and death was the only thing that would satisfy the dead. Without hesitation she charged the nearest gang members and swung her axe killing the nearest one with a single blow. The gang reacted to her attack as a wall of lead from pistols and machine guns flew her way. Yet the strength of her rage powered her fiery aura and little damage if any was done to her. The axe was raised and killed another one as it came down, some of the gang members felt that they were out of her league and simply ran away, leaving their leader and a few more behind to deal with the enigmatic stranger.

The leader attacked her with his machine gun, as did the rest of his crew with their preferred weapons. In frustration the leader yelled: “Who are you, where did you come from! You better leave us and run before the Skulls places a bounty on your head”

Lady Reaver continued hacking and slashing, then stopped to regard the lieutenant and said with a voice filled with anger and a sound from beyond the grave: “A bounty on my head you say? Ha! I will let you live for that, go place the bounty on me! This way the evil doers will come to me, and I will not have to search for them among the trash. Tell your master that Lady Reaver is here to avenge the slain innocent. Tell you master that each one that he had killed, now demands his death! Tell your master that I’m coming”

The lieutenant was already running, but she did not give chase or even attempted to.

Reaver turned to face towards the West and quietly readied herself for her imminent engagement with the Vahzilok, there was a price to be paid and it would be paid soon.

The Chronicles of Lady Reaver
The Trail of Doctor Vahzilok
By Ed & Sue Garcia

The darkness amongst the old warehouses on the west side of King’s Row was broken by a fire engulfed figure walking through them, a figure which seemed to have a very specific destination and purpose.

I readied my axe, for the spirits just told me that the murderous Vahzilok were just ahead, soon the voices of the unjustly killed filling my head would go silent, and the sooner I will learn where my husband and daughter’s organs are.

I rounded the corner and saw a ghastly sight, before me were a man wearing an intimidating skull like mask, and two Frankenstein looking zombies. I obviously caught them in the middle of some activity, for they were totally surprised by my appearance.

I swung my axe at the nearest brute, it bit deeply into its undead flesh, yet it took the blow quite well, and seemed unharmed by it. The man stopped inspecting a body that lay next to him, and as he stood up drew a crossbow. The second zombie like creature, turned around and vomited a foul greenish fluid at me, fortunately my fire burnt it before it could harm me. I swung my axe with greater determination, despite a full sense of revulsion at this travesty of life that stood before me. This time my attack struck it hard and the monster actually seemed to moan as it was knocked off its feet. I felt a shot of pain as a bolt struck me at my chest, and saw the masked man laugh with glee as he said: “Ah Doctor Vahzilok is going to be really pleased with us, when we bring super hero body parts”

I swung once more my axe at the fallen creature, I had recently knockdown, and was rewarded with it emitting one last groan before it was destroyed. The second creature vomited at me a second time, and managed to get his vomit to engulf me with the fowl greenish liquid. I felt myself covered in pain, as the acid burnt my skin, but the pain only served to focus my rage as the spirits continued insistence for vengeance went on.

I swung my axe at the second creature, it was not going to get a second chance at vomiting at me at least I hoped it would not. My first swing struck its chest and knocked it down. I followed up with my axe again but in a downward motion and nailed it to the ground. To my surprise the creature was still trying to get up, despite the devastating damage I dealt to it. Once more I felt intense pain as a bolt penetrated my fiery aura and punctured into my left shoulder. That skull masked freak was going to pay for that and much more. I swung my axe in a horizontal motion, and sliced the monster’s head off. Its body fell to the ground and moved no more. Then I turned to regard the man who had been assailing me with his crossbow and said: “The voices of your victims call for justice, they call for vengeance, and vengeance they will have”

I slowly walked towards the man who continued laughing and preparing his crossbow, and stopped before him and said: “Death awaits you, you will pay dearly for your crimes, and judgment at Forseti’s court will follow”

The man fired his crossbow at point blank, I’m sure it struck me, but I did not feel it. I kicked him, and knocked him off his feet. I waited for him to regain his feet, for death was not going to come swiftly for this one. He drew a wicked blade, the one he had used to carve the body of a fallen Skull gang member, and while showing the blade at me he laughed.

The mad man loudly cackled as he swung his blade, but I side stepped his attack and kicked him down once more. I locked my eyes on his and said with a cryptic voice: “The voices of the slain innocent calls for your death, you will suffer the accumulated pain that all of your victims felt, your death will be slow, and filled with agony. You will come to regret all of your evil”

He laughed and swung his blade, it struck me, but it did not hurt. He saw me not flinch from his knife attack, and saw in my eyes what all else sees: Death. His laughter suddenly stopped, for now he realized he was not dealing with a mere mortal, but instead with a creature from the supernatural, a creature that was indeed an envoy of a God.

It’s amusing when evil men recognize their mortality, and often tries to convince themselves that reality is not what it seemed. The wicked man, with trembling hands, held his knife between us, and said with a voice filled with fear and madness: “No, this can’t be right; Doctor Vahzilok said that we could not be killed. That if I served him faithfully, I would receive great riches and power. Please let me go, don’t hurt me”

I looked at the coward, for he was a coward indeed. How many victims begged him for their life, and how often did he laugh at them as he carved their bodies while they were still alive. I raised my Axe and struck his left leg; he ungraciously fell to the ground, and tried crawling away from me as he continued begging. I swung my axe and struck his right arm; he stopped crawling and commenced to cry, little did he know that crying was not going to elicit any mercy from me, for the voices of the slain innocent screamed at me for vengeance, and vengeance was theirs to have.

I kicked his side and knocked him away a few feet, he screamed in pain and terror as he saw me firmly walking towards him. In terror he said: “Please stop hurting me, I will tell you anything you want to know”

I looked at him for long moments, and allowed him to be engulfed in his own terror, and then I formed my axe and held it high. He screamed in terror once more, and then while sobbing, he begged for his life once more. I searched for his eyes and waited for his to look at mine. Once he was under my control, I said with a voice filled with rage and contempt: “Where is your master, for he has crimes to pay. Where does your master keep his records?”

The wicked man looked at me as his entire body trembled, and then said: “I am a Reaper, faithful servant of Doctor Vahzilok, I will not betray him!”

I kicked him once more, making sure to strike his broken leg. His body was violently thrown against the wall from the sheer force of my kick, and his scream was a mix of agonizing pain and terror. As he slumped off the wall, I punched his face hard and broke his nose. Then I placed my left foot over his injured arm and applied pressure as I dug my boot’s spiked heel deep into his flesh and turned my foot left and right. Once more he screamed in pain, but he had information I wanted, before I would kill him.

I pushed my boot’s spiked heel even deeper and said with a cold voice: “Give me the answers to my questions, or your pain will be even greater, hurry for my patience is coming to an end”

I willed my divine fire to engulf me and the area around me, the Reaper screamed in pain and terror for my divine fire was now burning his flesh. I looked into his eyes and said with a voice filled with hatred: “Are you now feeling what your victim’s felt as you carved their bodies while still alive? Do you expect me to give you a mercy you did not have for your victims? The only mercy I will give you is a clean death if you give me what I have asked of you”

The Reaper groaned and said with a shaky voice: “If I tell you, will you let me go?”

I kicked his arm and waited for him to stop screaming before saying: “I am the envoy of vengeance, answer the question given to you”

Finally the Reaper stopped crying and said: “Doctor Vahzilok’s laboratory can be found just north of the train station, you can enter his facility through a sewer grate. Perhaps he keeps his records there, I don’t know, I only go there to deliver the body parts he has tasked me to get”

I looked at him for precious long moments, and noticed him looking at his knife. He then looked at me, and then back to his knife. I looked at him and gave him a knowing smile. He obviously reconsidered reaching for his knife, and slowly tried to regain his feet. He nervously smiled at me and said: “You letting me go?”

I looked into his eyes and he saw what he had seen before: Death

He tried to run away, but his broken leg failed him, and he noisily fell. I punched him once more and he fell unconscious.

I waited for him to wake up, for our final confrontation. Eventually he awoke but his eyes opened wide in sheer panic as he realized he could not move. I laughed at him, and said with a voice filled of contempt: “I promised you a clean death, you may notice if you turn to your left, that I have secured you to the ground next to a fire ant hill. Soon it will be morning, and the hungry insects will be leaving their home in search of food. They will find you, and they will eat you. They will leave a clean skeleton behind, so it must be, as Forseti has decreed”

As I walked away with the sun at my back and my shadow enlarging before me, I could hear him screaming as his punishment was dealt. Soon the voices of those many innocent victims slain by him will go quiet.

The Chronicles of Lady Reaver
The Long Arm of Crey
By Ed & Sue Garcia

A lady ran through the streets, as her slender body was entirely caressed by bright golden flames, from the Warehouse district in Kings Row towards the train station in an easterly direction. As she ran a few Skulls were unwise to get on her way, and where now accounting for their evil deeds to Forseti; the Norse God of Justice.

Her path took her by the train station, and where a large number of Paragon City police officers were waiting for her arrival. She saw an officer dressed in riot gear step on the street and raised a hand motioning her to stop, as a large number of armed police officers carrying rather intimidating weapons moved behind the warning officer to provide further support.

The slender brunette stopped a few steps away from the officer, and stood quietly as her flames bathed her with a golden-blue glow. Her eyes were looking down, avoiding eye contact with the police officer, yet it was obvious by her body language that her patience was wearing thin.

The police officer stood firmly and with a voice filled with the arrogance built over the years of pushing one’s weight on the weak, said: “You are under arrest for failure to register as an acting hero in Paragon City. Kneel before me and place your hands on your head, and don’t you give me any trouble or I will make you rue this day”

The brunette stood motionless, but her face suddenly contorted with pain as if something very wrong, something very painful was happening to her. Then she lifted her face and searched for the officer’s face and eyes. There was anger in Lady Reaver’s eyes, and with a voice, sounding if from beyond the grave that made most officers in the area cringe in fear said: “Officer Brannigan, the voices of those unjustly slain calls for justice. They cry for vengeance, they are telling me your hideous crimes against them, they are telling me about your arrangement with the Vahzilok, and your accepting money from Crey to look the other way”

The arresting officer took a step back in hesitation, as the brunette’s flames grew in intensity and a large axe had materialized. Another officer standing behind also took a step behind as he mumbled: “But how did she know the Lieutenant’s name, he never gave it to her?” Lieutenant Brannigan continued stepping back, but upon hearing what his subordinate said, he immediately stopped retreating and his face became filled with sheer hatred. Lieutenant Brannigan lowered his shotgun and fired. The bullets struck Lady Reaver, but were vaporized as they contacted the flames, with a glint of fear, Brannigan screamed: “What you whelps are waiting for? Fire, do not let her escape. Fire, she is resisting arrest! Can’t you see that?” Before the escorting officers could react, they were all engulfed by the cleansing fires of Forseti, many stood stunned as they realized that the fire was not harming them, but Lieutenant Brannigan and a few others were contorting in pain. Lady Reaver turned to look at the dazed officers and said: “I am not a hero. I am the Avatar of Forseti, the Norse God of justice. The flames that surround you are the flames of his judgment, those who are not evil, have nothing to fear. But those of you, who have murdered the unjust, will experience all the grief of all your victims had and still are experiencing. The voices of the unjustly slain call for justice and justice will be served this day.”

The officers not affected by the fires stepped away, and silently witnessed Lady Reaver execute Forseti’s brand of justice. Some lifted their rifles in an attempt to stop her, but then, mystically, the flames would rematerialize around them, and this time they experienced a taste of the pain and agony that Lady Reaver experienced when the spirits begged her for justice. Each officer, one by one, their faces showed a change from the urge to help a fellow officer to one of sheer contempt. For the crimes of the evil had been revealed to them.

Once the executions had been completed another officer, the second in command a Lieutenant as well, stood his ground before Lady Reaver and said with a voice filled with respect: “Madam, you are with out a doubt a super powered being, and it is my belief your gifts are used for the good of the citizens of Paragon City. But city ordnances require you personally fill the paperwork, we will be honored to escort you to city hall in Atlas Park to formally register you. But madam, please understand, that we are officers of the law sworn to uphold the laws”

The flames gradually dimmed and totally faded out. The slender brunette stood before the officers and said with a firm voice: “Forseti has given me leave to follow your laws, and the voices of the unjustly slain will remain quiet for only a brief time”

Lady Reaver entered the train station, and the escorting police officers ensured that all civilians left a train cart empty. Lady Reaver silently entered the car, as civilians stared at her at a distance as a chain of officers made sure to keep them away from her. The leading officer stepped off the train and motioned for Lady Reaver to follow. Quickly a number of police officers ran out of the next car, and immediately formed a barrier with their bodies to prevent any civilians from having any contact with her, all they needed was for the voices of the dead to fill her head and have a scene.

As they exited the train a squad of Crey Riot officers, and a few Paragon Protectors were waiting for them. The escorting police officer looked confused at what was happening, and said with a voice filled with confusion: “What are you citizens doing here?”

A Crey agent stepped from behind the Crey officers dressed in riot gear, the officer stepped back, as the Crey Agent was immaculately dressed in a black suit. He smiled at the officer, and adjusted his dark glasses. After a very uncomfortable period of time, the agent said with a firm voice: “The city has retained Crey to relieve you of your prisoner, known as Lady Reaver; we will now accept responsibility to transport this dangerous individual to a Crey maximum security facility. Please stand aside, be a good policeman and let us do our job” The Paragon Protectors immediately went airborne, with one of them, the masked male’s body suddenly growing spikes all over his body. People started to scream and run away, for they knew a super powered battle was about to ensue.

The police officer stood his ground, much to everyone’s surprise to include the agent, and with a firm voice said: “Lady Reaver is not our prisoner, for we are her escort to avoid riff raff from disturbing her. Now I ask for you to be a good corporate worker and stand aside, after all you don’t want to give Crey a bad reputation, don’t we?”

The agent laughed, and drew his weapon as he loudly said: “I can see that the super villain has used her mental influencing powers to take over their weak minds. It saddens me to have to bring pain to innocent victims”

The Paragon City police officers stepped back, but fear could be easily seen on their faces, but yet managed to have enough courage left to draw their weapons, for such is the effect of the cleansing fires of Forseti on those with good hearts.

The Lieutenant looked at the agent, and gave him a cold knowing smile, and said with a firm voice: “Do not draw weapons against an officer of the law, that is illegal, even for Crey personnel. I must see your paperwork first, before I even consider turning anyone to you”

The agent looked at the officer and then at Lady Reaver, who was still in her civilian form, and said with a threatening voice: “I was not given any paperwork, was ordered to come here and take Lady Reaver into custody”

The Lieutenant smiled at the agent and said: “No paperwork, no release. You corporate workers should understand better than anyone else the importance of paperwork. Why not just walk a few hundred yards and enter the courthouse? I believe once we get there, we can clarify any possible misunderstandings, right?

The agent softly growled as he saw two police drones leave the entrance of the train station, and silently hover next to the Paragon Protectors. The Lieutenant smiled at the agent, and pointed to his wrist, and said with a firm voice: “I have sent a signal for support, these are the first of the police drones to get here, there will be more. I think you had a communications glitch, and you are acting on such defective information with good intentions. Go back to Bricks or wherever you guys come from. Lady Reaver is no criminal, and will be registered shortly. The sooner you step aside, and discontinue interfering with official police business the better it will be for all parties”

The agent spat, and motioned for the rest of the Crey personnel to follow him, as he gave an intimidating look to the police Lieutenant.

Lady Reaver stood still and looked at the police Lieutenant for a long moment, and finally said with a firm voice: “You have placed yourself and your men at great risk on my behalf, and yet I do not know your name. Will you give it to me?” The Lieutenant smiled and cordially said as he stretched his hand forward: “My name is Lieutenant Charles Lancaster, at your service madam” Lady Reaver shook his hand and said: “I am pleased to make your acquaintance Lieutenant Lancaster, I shall consider you a friend to Forseti and myself as well. If you ever wronged and you suffer death, know that I will personally hunt those who had slain you, and give you justice and eternal peace”

Lady Reaver entered the courthouse, and stood before the records office. Lieutenant Lancaster stood next to her and said: “Give this lady a form 1356B rev C, the hero registration form” A bored clerk looked at them both, and typed something on his keyboard, then said: “Use the computer terminal in stall number four”

Lady Reaver sat on a chair and commenced filling the form, when she finished she stood by a camera and had her picture taken. The Lieutenant smiled and said: “Well you are now registered, welcome Lady Reaver, newest protector of justice in Paragon City” But before anyone could cheer, the clerk said: “I’m sorry but there is a warrant for Lady Reaver’s arrest, please handcuff her and escort her outside where a Crey escort service will be awaiting”

The Lieutenant gasped and said: “What you mean under arrest, for what crime?” The clerk did not bother to look up, and continued reading his monitor saying: “Lady Reaver is wanted for illegal use of her powers in public, failure to register prior to use those powers in public, and failure to bring her captives to the nearest detention facility” The Lieutenant looked truly embarrassed, and said with a voice filled with desperation: “We never have done this before, why are we yielding captives to Crey?” The clerk did not raise his head to look at us, and continued typing something on his keyboard and said with a voice filled with insolence: “I don’t know, it’s not my job to know that, and I simply don’t care”

The Lieutenant gave a pained look at Lady Reaver, but did not had time to say anything as the Crey agent he had recently embarrassed entered the room. The agent wore a mocking smile, and said: “There was no mistake was it? Well Lieutenant what you waiting for? Turn her over to us now!”

The slender brunette gently placed her hand on LT. Lancaster’s shoulder and said: “There is no need for embarrassment or violence on my behalf. I will quietly go with these duly assigned officers of the law. Can you at least tell me when my court date is?”

The agent looked at the LT and said: “That information was not given to me, was only told to escort this dangerous criminal to Bricks for safe keeping” The LT now looked at the clerk, who seemed too busy doing something else. As Lady Reaver walked away from the clerk towards the Cray agent and his cronies, the clerk stood up, on the sleeve of his uniform there was a patch. The patch said: “Crey”

The Chronicles of Lady Reaver
Sticks and Stones…
By Ed and Sue Garcia

The Crey agent removed a strange pair of metal gauntlets from an aluminum case, and raised his head to look into Lady Reaver’s face. Then with a flat voice said: “Raise your hands towards me, and allow me to place these gauntlets on. They are designed to prevent you from activating your powers, regardless of the source that enables you to use them” Lady Reaver quietly submitted herself to be restricted by the strange techno-gauntlets, and then was lead to the back of an armored truck. A Paragon Protector, the male, brusquely lifted her by her hips and brutally threw her inside. As a result of her being thrown, her left chick became bruised, as her face was smashed against the side of a bench at the back of the truck. The female Paragon Protector laughed at Lady Reaver, and brutally kicked Lady Reaver’s ribs. As Lady Reaver gasped in pain and for air, she was lifted and thrown against the bench in a sitting position by both Paragon Protectors. As Lady Reaver’s head was spinning from the blow she just endured, the paragon Protectors chained her arms, and legs to the bench to prevent her from being able to move.

The Crey officers in riot gear silently entered the truck and sat across Lady Reaver, as the Paragon Protectors closed the doors and reported to the Agent who was now sitting at the passenger side of the vehicle. Moments after, the vehicle was traveling down the Atlas Park roads with both Paragon Protectors flying over the vehicle. The vehicle left Atlas Park and entered Steel Canyon, whose tall buildings’ glass reflected the sun light upon the Crey truck. The truck traveled through buildings so tall, that they seem to almost touch the sky, and in their own terms were miracles of technology. Nothing disturbed the truck, not even a warrior would challenge the vehicle that so obviously traveled through his territory, for they feared the retaliation Crey would render on them. The smell of the air changed from smoggy to a tinge of salt, as they entered Independence Port. Once again no one disturbed the truck, not the gangster group referred often as “the family” interfered with the vehicle, nor the hordes of parading 5th column personnel trying to recruit new personnel and completing shady deals attempted to harass the Crey detachment.

The vehicle entered Brickstown, but then it suffered a flat and was forced to stop. The agent stepped out and softly cursed: “Those darn Freaks, always destroying property, and setting traps” He turned to the truck driver and said with an irritated voice: “Well, what you waiting for? Are you waiting for an invitation or something? Get off your rear, and change the tire!”

The Officers in Riot Gear opened the back doors of the truck and let cool air enter into the truck and stepped outside while the tired was being replaced. As the driver replaced the tire, the Male Paragon Protector flew next to a young lady walking by and commenced to ask her out for a date. The young lady simply ignored him and tried to walk away a bit faster, and eventually was forced to run as the Paragon Protector continued to harass her. She screamed for help, but none came, she screamed again, but the scream was cut short as the Protector slapped her face. The slap had been hard enough that the young lady was rendered unconscious and fell off the side of the highway bridge. As she fell, the Paragon Protector did nothing to rescue her, in fact as he saw Lady Reaver staring at him said: “Serves her right, she could have been pleasured by me, but was too dumb to know what was good for her”

Moments after the screams of the dead filled Lady Reaver’s head, tears covered her face as she recognized the young lady’s voice among them. She tried to stand and rush the Paragon Protector but the chains held her at bay, and the gauntlets had somehow prevented her from summoning her fire aura and axe. The Paragon Protector laughed at Lady Reaver’s obvious consternation, and helplessness. But then the floor about Lady Reaver began to burn, fire erupted from the base of the truck and engulfed Lady Reaver and all of those around her. The offices in riot gear yelled in pain and quickly ran away from the searing flames that had engulfed them, and the driver had also left in a hurry. The Male Paragon Protector stopped laughing as he saw the metal gauntlets melting away from Lady Reaver, and then his eyes locked on with hers.

Fire now bathed the slender brunette who now stepped off the truck with axe in hand, and with a cryptic voice said: “I hear the voices of the innocent slain crying for justice, and justice they shall receive”

The female Paragon Protector was the first to react and opened up with a twin energy bolt attack, which seemed to have no effect on Lady Reaver. The Agent pulled her pistol and commenced firing along the rest of the officers in riot gear. The Male Paragon Protector threw a slew of vicious spines at the flaming lady, but with little effect, for his apparent intent to pin her in place did not work.

Lady Reaver stepped off the truck and swung her blade at the closest aggressor, the Crey Agent. Her swing was a horizontal blow that cleanly cleaved though his flak jacket and bit deep into the agent’s flesh. The agent moaned in pain and collapsed unconscious from the blow. The female Paragon Protector became airborne and continued pummeling Lady Reaver with energy beam after another, but such was the rage of Lady Reaver that her fire shield absorbed all the damage or the great majority of it. The male Paragon Protector screamed a battle yell and charged Lady Reaver with his entire body as he swung his clawed fist. The brutality of the blow was such that Lady Reaver was knocked off her feet, but the damage was not so severe to prevent her from immediately getting back up. The officer in riot gear continued firing their automatic weapons and stood next to the male Paragon Protector, yet their bullets had no effect that could be seen. Lady Reaver swung her axe in a wide arc and struck all the riot officers and the male Paragon Protector, and in return knocking all of them off their feet. As they all were getting back up, Lady Reaver once more swung her axe in a wide arc and sent them all flying back and off their feet. But this time, only the Male Paragon Protector stood back up. Before Lady Reaver could get another swing in, the male Paragon Protector shivered for a few moments and a golden glow appeared around him, to Lady Reaver’s dismay her axe attack missed her mark. Both Paragon Protectors continued their assault at Lady Reaver who was starting to show some wear and tear from their attacks, while the male Paragon Protector was easily evading her attacks. Lady Reaver suddenly stopped attacking, and simply stepped back and away from the male Paragon Protector. The male Paragon Protector was surprised at the sudden stop of Lady Reaver’s attacks and said with a mocking voice: “I see you have tired, and no longer capable of fighting. I will pummel you till you are unconscious, and then I will ravage your body till you cry for me to kill you”

Lady Reaver’s face had no expression, but her voice hinted no passion, no exhaustion, just the normal from beyond the death voice: “I hear the voices of the innocent murdered, they cry for rest, they yell for justice, they demand vengeance” Suddenly Lady Reaver engaged her super speed and then leapt and brutally swung her axe at the lady Paragon Protector. The blow was so devastating that the lady Paragon Protector was violently thrown towards the ground and loudly crashing against the Crey truck. As she tried to get up, Lady Reaver delivered a second and final blow to her. The male Paragon Protector stood still, too surprised at what had just occurred and then with a voice filled with surprise said: “But, but, but you are not supposed to fly or move that fast. Our reports said nothing of that”

It matter not what he had to say or thought, for the voices of the innocent slain demanded justice and it was Lady Reaver’s job to dispense justice and give them the peace they so ardently desired.

Lady Reaver swung her axe in a vertical motion and struck the male Paragon Protector’s left shoulder. The evil Crey screamed in pain, and disbelief that he had been struck, but before he could say more, Lady Reaver struck him a second time with a horizontal blow and struck his right leg, then said with a voice filled with hatred towards the Paragon Protector: “The voices of the dead told me about your ability to focus your defenses and greatly prevent you receiving any damage from those attacking you. But the voices of the innocent slain also told me that your ability only last for a short period of time. Now I will send you to Forseti for judgment, but before I send you to Forseti, I will make you feel the pain and suffering you so readily gave them”

Soul cleansing fires engulfed both the Paragon Protector and Lady Reaver, the Paragon Protector screamed in pain as he dropped to his knees, and tried to crawl away from the punishing fires. No sooner would he leave the circle of fire, that Lady Reaver would start another one. After several long minutes of torturing the Paragon Protector, she raised her axe and swung it one more time. Mercifully the voices of the innocent dead slowly began to quiet down, as justice had been rendered.

Lady Reaver took a step away from the now burning Crey truck, and walked towards the train station for she had unfinished business back in King’s Row.

The Chronicles of Lady Reaver
The Doctor gets a house call
By Ed & Sue Garcia

A solitary figure stands by a sinister looking sewage grate, and her keen sight does not fail to notice the lack of rust and the well greased hinges, nor the newness of the padlock on it. She stands by the grate motionless, listening for any tell tale sounds. But all she hears are the drips of water dropping on shallow water pools, and none else. Her face seemed pained, as if some monumental inner struggle was being fought.

An arrow struck her unprotected back, and she screamed in pain as laughter filled the morning air. The slim brunette quickly turned to face her aggressor, and as the Reaper prepared to fire another shot, two Abominations charged her. The slender brunette’s body suddenly was engulfed with searing hot flames which both protected her from further damage and healed her.

The Reaper ceased to laugh as he witnessed the transformation, and knew all too well that he was in trouble. The Abominations, well being the retarded creatures they were, simply continued their charge towards Lady Reaver, who would soon end their charge and unholy lives.

The Reaper released another bolt at Lady Reaver, but it was vaporized by the flames bathing her body. An axe materialized on her right hand, and she maneuvered forward with a single step and swung her axe. The Abomination did not even attempted to avoid the blow, and was cut in half were he stood. The second Abomination, stopped his charge, and commenced to convulse. Obviously preparing to vomit toxic liquids upon Lady Reaver, Lady Reaver knew what was coming, and a different form of flame engulfed her as well, this time giving her glow a slightly greenish tint to the golden-blue fire aura she previously had. The Abomination vomited towards her, but somehow managed to miss all together, to its frustration it did not receive the chance to try a second time, for Lady Reaver stepped up to him and cut him down with a single swing of her axe.

The Reaper fired his crossbow at Lady Reaver, and missed. Lady Reaver searched for his eyes and when she finally found them said with her characteristic voice from beyond the dead: “I hear the voices of the innocent slain, they beg for peace, they supplicate to have their pain relieved, and they demand justice!” The Reaper drew a wicked looking blade and laughed once more, confident on his ability with the tool he used to disembowel his victims as they pleaded for their lives. Lady Reaver showed no indications of being intimidated by the attacker and his weapon, and simply stood her ground waiting for the fool to come to her. Before the Reaper could get within striking distance Lady Reaver formed a circle of flames around her, and thus engulfing the Reaper as well. The soul cleansing and judging flames engulfed them both, since Lady Reaver was pure of heart and soul, the flames soothed her, but for the Reaper the flames were sheer agony. The Reaper screamed and dropped to his knees in sheer pain, and tried to crawl away from Lady Reaver. Lady Reaver maneuvered once more to stand before him and said with a cold voice filled with utter hatred: “You are now feeling all the agony, despair, and suffering you gave your victims. The very same despair they felt as they begged you for their life, and you laughed at them as you took their life. How does it feel, to now, experience the pain of being disemboweled alive? The voices of the innocent demand justice, and justice they shall receive!” Lady Reaver lifted her axe once more, and with a vertical downwards motion and sent the evil Reaper to Forseti for final judgment.

Lady Reaver knelt next to the Reaper and searched through his body and back pack. In the backpack she found a container with a few organs, and a wallet which she deduced belonged to the victim whose organs were stored in the container. For long minutes she looked at the pictures of the wallet, and a tear escaped her for in the wallet were family pictures. The victim was a family man, and soon the news of his death would arrive to his wife and son. The memories of her own family, the deaths they suffered rushed her mind and many more tears now streaked down her face. With trembling hands she searched the Reaper’s body, checking each and every pocket. Eventually in his pant’s left pocket she found a key, and she felt very certain it was the key to the sewage grate. She continued searching the body for more clues, and anything else that may be of use to her, but found none.

Lady Reaver tried the key on the sewer grate lock, but it did not fit, it was the wrong key! How could this be, the Reaper was returning back to base, how was he to get in without the proper key? Perhaps the key was the key to another box, which was hidden somewhere near, and in that box the true key could be found. Lady Reaver’s face contorted once more with pain, as more voices of the dead filler her mind. In desperation she swung her axe, and obliterated the grate that barred her way. She ran through the sewer corridors, looking for ways to go deeper into the system. But after the very first turn, she ran into a large mob of Abominations being lead by a Reaper. The axe quickly materialized in her right hand, and she began the gruesome task of destroying the undead zombies of Doctor Vahzilok. Toxic vomit flew all over the narrow corridor, at times striking Lady Reaver and giving her a great deal of pain, but the greenish healing fires engulfed her body, thus protecting her from further toxic damage and healing the wounds they had caused. Her axe chopped, swung, and whirled about. After a few minutes the squad of Abominations had been totally obliterated, along with the original Reaper. Among the wreckage of the battle, Lady Reaver discovered that during the fight a second Reaper and a Mortificator had joined the fight and been defeated as well.

Despite the destruction of so much evil, the number of voices of the unjustly slain kept raising instead of diminishing. As Lady Reaver continued traveling down the filthy and reeking sewer corridors, she wondered if she could handle the dozens if not hundred of voices within her head as she fought the evil Vahzilok.

Another turn and another gaggle of Abominations, Reapers and Mortificators was found and destroyed. It seemed that there were more and more of these monsters to be found each step she took, yet they were each confronted and destroyed. Finally the sewer corridors opened up into a large square chamber, and in it large numbers of the unholy creatures could be seen, along with Reapers and Mortificators. But this time, there was something different, something else. The new creatures in there were dressed in tight fighting silver colored clothes, like spandex of some sort. It became very evident to Lady Reaver that these silver dressed creatures were very much in charge. It mattered not, for she could not tarry much longer, as the number of voices in her head continued to increase. She stepped into the room, and immediately two squads of Abominations rushed her, and a hail of crossbow bolts were flying all around her. Her protective fires’ glow became much more intense, and she waited for all the Abominations to gather around her. She focused her mind on her next attack, and leapt into the air, and twirled in a circular motion as her axe materialized in her right hand and brutally swung it. As she completed her leap and twist motion, all the creatures around her had been devastatingly struck by the axe, with over half of them destroyed from the mighty blow. The rest were knocked down, and not able to counter attack. She stepped next to the closest Abomination and swung her axe in a horizontal motion, thus finishing what her area attack started. Bolt after bolt flew past her or were destroyed by the flames that engulfed her. To her great irritation, the Reapers and Mortificators were not closing in to melee range, and seemed pretty comfortable attacking from range. After a few moments all the Abominations had been destroyed, and it was the Reapers next in her agenda to deal with.

As she stepped forward she found herself surrounded by dark evil tentacles, she found her forward movement had been totally denied and that the tentacles were starting to tightly grip and constrict her. In anger she summoned her cleansing flames, and a circle of fire burning everything around her was formed, thus destroying the tentacles and freeing her to once more charge her opponents. But this time she was now going for the silver dressed and enigmatically masked creature. As she approached the silver dressed creature, she heard a Reaper say with a mocking voice: “She will now pay for what she has done to us, the Eidolon will render her helpless, and we will harvest her organs for our master Doctor Vahzilok”

So this new nuisance, thought Lady Reaver to herself, is known as an Eidolon. It mattered not to her what the creature’s professional name was, for it was her destiny to bring them all to judgment. She closed the distance with the Eidolon whose futile efforts at immobilizing her accomplished nothing, but then a second Eidolon stepped away from the concealment of a column and engulfed Lady Reaver within a dark thick fog. Lady Reaver felt a portion of her endurance zapped away in a very painful manner, and thus with grim determination she confronted both Eidolons. They were very agile and quick, a stark contrast to all other Vahzilok she had fought before, and wondered what the Doctor would be like. Despite their greater agility and remarkable powers, both Eidolons were no match for Lady Reaver and were both sent to Forseti a few minutes later. With the defeat of the Eidolons the surviving Reapers and Mortificators morale dropped, and they commenced to disperse and simply run away. Lady Reaver chose the nearest one and chased him down the corridor, the use of her enhanced movement powers gave her a distinct edge, and had no trouble catching up to the Mortificator and lay him low. It took considerable amount of time to track each of the large room’s occupants and destroy them, but there was no escaping Lady Reaver, for the voices of the unjustly dead told her where to look each time.

There was another corridor that provided another path to follow out of the large room, and she quietly took it. She entered the dark corridor with her flames breaking the darkness, and warning those whose hearts are filled with evil that justice was on her way; that Lady Reaver was coming!

The corridor was clear of monsters, yet the voices of the innocent slain continued to grow in numbers, exasperated Lady Reaver thought: “Surely after all the slaying of these evil monsters, the voices would start to quiet down”

Abruptly the corridor came to an end, for a large steel iris looking door barred her way. On a box to the side was a key hole, and Lady Reaver decided to give the key she had retrieved from the Reaper long ago another try. To her surprise and great pleasure, the key was to this box and with a turn of the key the sound of machinery could be heard as the iris opened.

As the iris opened, she could see a large number of Abominations once more, with their standard complement of Reapers and Mortificators. Also a large number of Eidolons could be seen milling about. At a distance to the far corner, there was an enormous looking abomination, and it seemed all other creatures treated it with a certain amount of awe.

As she stood at the entrance studying the gruesome spectacle before her, she was spotted by an abomination wearing a strange backpack. It rushed at her, and she immediately materialized her axe, but then a few steps away it stopped and seemed to be concentrating to do something, puzzled Lady Reaver simply stood and watched the creature do whatever it was going to do. Then it blew up, the shock of the explosion engulfed her, but her flames were more than a match for the explosion and laughed at the silly way the Abomination gave its unholy life away.

The explosion while not harming her was not a total waste, for it had served as an alarm, and a large contingent of Abominations, Reapers, Mortificators and Eidolons were now running towards her. Her first impulse was to run away from the unholy mob, but the voices of the dead, continued pleading, begging, imploring her for peace. Thus she stood her ground, and clenched her teeth tight in preparation for what was coming ahead.

Soon the arrows and dark energies of her ranged aggressors was upon her, and the Abominations where nearly atop of her. She endured the pain from the many dark powers used upon her, and the pricking pain of the bolts that did manage to penetrate her fiery shield. The toxic vomit followed, obviously being shorter ranged than the other Vahzilok ranged attacks, but the pain inflicted by them was much greater. Lady Reaver briefly closed her eyes and summoned the cleansing fires of Forseti, and the pain was gone with the majority of her wounds. Then she was rocked, and knocked of her feet as several Abominations detonated the explosives within their backpacks, but this time she was injured from the massive number of explosions so near to her. She blindly swung her axe as she attempted to regain her feet, striking many Abominations in the process; after all it was hard to miss when so tightly surrounded. She screamed with rage, as she swung her axe with deadly intent. Each time she swung an Abomination was destroyed, but commenced to falter as the massive number of attacks commenced to take their toll. She thought of her husband and daughter, and how they were killed. She thought it was because of these monsters, that her family had been slain in such a gruesome manner. Inspired by these thoughts and her faith in Forseti, her health was restored and also felt her endurance invigorated. Once more with grim determination, she went about her task of decimating the unholy life about her. Minutes later the last of the Abominations detonated itself in an act of desperation, but it was a futile act, for it did no damage. To Lady Reaver’s surprise two Eidolons closed the distance with her, and attacked. Lady stared at them, and engulfed them within her circle of fire. The pain they suffered made them hesitate, and while they attempted to exit the circle of flames that pained them so much, Lady Reaver took the opportunity to swing her axe with deadly results and destroy one of her aggressors. The Reapers ceased to fire their crossbows at Lady Reaver and closed in with their wicked looking blades to support the second Eidolon. Four Mortificators could be also seen instead of firing their crossbows to be busily working on four destroyed Abominations. Lady Reaver swung her axe wide as she leapt, striking all of her nearby opponents with a mighty blow, many were knocked down, but none had been destroyed. She swung her axe in a tight arc, centering her arc on the Eidolon. Her attack was true and the Eidolon fell destroyed along with three other Reapers. But her victory was short lived, as she saw four Abominations standing back, obviously reanimated by the Mortificators.

Lady Reaver knew that as long as the Mortificators were reanimating the Abominations this battle would never end. So she ignored the remaining Reapers and charged the nearest Mortificator who was now kneeling by another Abomination. The Mortificator did not even realize he was under attack, for he was too immersed in his unholy task. The single axe blow sent the Mortificator to Forseti, but not before he had completed his task of reanimating the abomination. Lady Reaver once more leapt and swung her axe, and killed the four Reapers and two Abominations next to her with her brutal axe blow. Yet there were three Mortificators at large, busily reanimating more Abominations. It was a long tedious process of charging a Mortificator and destroying him and the Abominations he had made, but eventually the job was done.

Lady Reaver was amazed at the arrogance of the large Abomination at not even reacting at her decimation of his associates, but was happy not to have to deal with such large creature during the fight she just had. Lady Reaver stepped back, and evaluated the current situation at the room. Her current count included the huge Abomination, one Eidolon, a Mortificator, two Reapers, and eight Abominations left in the room. Also past the huge Abomination was a large set of cabinet files, to which she hoped the information regarding her husband and daughter’s organs would be available.

Lady Reaver boldly stepped towards the huge Abomination, and as she neared him the huge Abomination said: “You, how dare you interrupt Doctor Vahzilok! Kill her!”

It seems that everything in the room, simply charged at her with murderous intent. It mattered not, for Lady Reaver knew all along what the outcome would be, for it was written in the book of justice. She swung her axe in a vertical and downward motion at the closest Eidolon, striking it with uncanny precision and destroying it with a single blow. She followed her attack with a twirling leap and an axe swing, many Abominations dropped dead from her axe attack, and the rest of her aggressors were knocked of their feet. As they attempted to regain their feet, Lady Reaver swung her blade with deadly result at a Mortificator in a close arc, which also destroyed a Reaper and another Abomination.

Doctor Vahzilok growled with a feral voice, angered at the destruction of his handy work and charged towards Lady Reaver. By the time he got near Lady Reaver the last of his henchmen had been sent to Forseti for judgment. So it was down to a one on one encounter.

Doctor Vahzilok swung his great arm and struck Lady Reaver with a mighty blow, yet she held her ground as she said: “The voices of the innocent slain are demanding peace, calling for vengeance, and they shall have it” Then the cleansing, burning fires of Forseti engulfed them both, but to Lady Reaver’s surprise she saw no visible effects on Doctor Vahzilok. She swung her axe, and struck the Doctor; but to her horror, she saw him to begin regenerating the damage quite quickly. Then the Doctor struck her again, and this time she was knocked down. He continued pummeling her as she tried to get up, but no sooner she would regain her feet, she would be knocked down again. Finally she managed to swing her axe and get a good blow in, by all rights the Doctor should have been knocked down, but he did not fall. Lady Reaver summoned the healing fire to restore her health, and endured another brutal blow from the totally healed Doctor. Then as anger and the thirst of justice grew in Lady Reaver, her attacks became much more accurate and brutal. It was a titanic struggle between the two figures standing on sewage water, with the sounds of their fighting echoing through the walls and corridors of the sewer system. Neither villain nor hero asked for mercy, for there was none to be given. The battle ensued for hours, with Doctor Vahzilok starting to show wear and tear. Lady Reaver thought of her husband’s last words to her of gratitude, and the rage of it inspired her to hit even harder, each blow she delivered was a coldly calculated attack. Finally with the last of her endurance, she delivered one final blow and Doctor Vahzilok had been defeated. With the last blow, the voices of many of the dead commenced, one by one, to go silent.

Lady Reaver was appalled at the large number of victims Doctor Vahzilok had disemboweled and used their organs. She followed the alphabetically ordered files, and came across her husband and daughter’s files. She read them as tears streaked down her cheeks, and learned that their organs had originally been used to make Abominations, but then a deal had been bartered with the Tsoo gang at Steel Canyon for their organs were needed for some kind of drug making process. Once more the sounds of crying and laments could be heard echoing through the walls and corridors of the sewage system, and slowly a broken hearted woman stepped out and past the sewer grate. As she stepped out, with tears blurring her vision, she heard: “You did not think you could get away from the Crey that easily, did you?”

The Chronicles of Lady Reaver
Chinese Take Out
By Ed & Sue Garcia

The female Paragon Protector was quick to take advantage of Lady Reaver’s distressed state of mind, and blasted the lonely tanker with an energy sniper blow which glowed brilliant blue against the stark, dark and dirty grey of the sewer drain entrance wall. Lady Reaver was violently knocked back from the blow several feet, and limply fell to the ground, as if she was not aware of what had happened to her. The Crey hunting team, stood there stunned at the unexpected reaction of the flaming tanker. All riot geared officers stood still, away and visibly nervous of what may soon occur. The field agent, responsible for the operation, was also not sure of what course of action to take. The four Paragon Protectors, also stood expectantly, but a male spine scrapper type growled with impatience. Eventually this male, spine scrapper, Paragon Protector finally growled one more time and said with a voice filled with annoyance: “Lets take her out! That is what we were sent to do”

The Agent produced another device, adjusted a few knobs on it, and said: “The teleport rerouting unit is operational, take care her out with maximum brutality, she trashed too many of our colleagues a few days ago. Its time she learns to respect the Crey”

The male, scrapper, that had been growling all along and spoiling for a fight, was the first to leap towards the apparently helpless Lady Reaver. But as his leap took him next to her, he saw her starting to be engulfed by golden, blue and green flames. As he landed, a circle of flames engulfed them both. The Paragon Protector screamed in pain, for the suffering and pain he induced to all of his victims was now being experienced by him. Lady Reaver was now standing, with axe in hand. The other three Paragon Protectors reacted in an instinctive reaction to protect one of their own. Two of the Paragon Protectors, both ladies, were energy blasters, and commenced blasting at Lady Reaver with little effect. The other Paragon Protector was also a spine scrapper, and dashed forward to join his team mate.

Lady Reaver did not speak a word, and simply swung her axe in a vertical motion at the scraper Paragon Protector who was crawling away from her cleansing flames. The brutal impact of the axe sent the Paragon Protector skyward as he had been scooped up by the blow and thrown upwards. As all that goes up, must come down, so did the hapless Paragon Protector who was struck by a horizontal axe swing, and immediately afterward sent to stand before Forseti for judgment.

The second spine scraper, gave a feral growl, and leapt towards Lady Reaver striking her with ferocious claw attacks. Lady Reaver took the hits, but gave no signs of being injured nor impressed by the attack. Lady Reaver sought the eyes of her aggressor, and in time, the aggressor was stupid enough to lock his eyes with the flame engulfed avenger of the innocent slain. As cleansing fires now engulfed this second Paragon Protector, the Protector dropped to his knees in pain, and screamed a bestial howl of anguish. The other two Paragon Protectors desperately attempted to take Lady Reaver down, but they simply had no effect. By now the riot gear Crey were firing their machine guns at Lady Reaver as well, while the Agent was busy talking to his communicator device.

Lady Reaver struck the remaining Paragon Protector with her axe, once, twice, and with the third blow sent him to the final judgment fires and court of Forseti. By now the riot geared Crey lost morale and quickly dispersed as they ran away, so did the agent. Lady Reaver saw her aggressors run away, but focused her attention on the Agent, and with a leap landed in front of him. The agent screamed in terror at the sudden appearance of the flaming incarnation of vengeance, but his Crey training eventually took over and was able to calm down. With a slight throat clearing sound, the Agent said: “I have orders to arrest you, and take you to a high security Crey contracted prison. Your resisting arrest is only making things worse for you”

Lady Reaver looked at the little man, who so valiantly stood before her. In a way she felt a bit of respect for the man, but the voices of the dead prevented her from feeling much more of anything else. Lady Reaver locked her eyes with the agent’s, and said with her typical from beyond the dead voice: “The voices of the murdered calls for me to give them justice, they cry in anguish, always seeking peace and never finding it until vengeance has been given to them”

The agent managed to break the mesmerize effect that Lady Reaver tends to have and simply ran away as fast as he could. Lady Reaver leapt once more and as she landed swung her axe vertically striking the agent with brutal effect. The agent dropped to the ground, defeated with a single blow and was sent to Forseti for his final judgment.

A silent flame bathed figure stood at the train station, totally ignored by the police drones and the Paragon City police force. When the train to Steel Canyon arrived, she silently boarded it.

Lady Reaver exited the train at Steel Canyon, and memories of her coming here to punish the criminal deeds of warriors and destroying those pesky wind-up toy monsters known as the “clockwork” rushed into her mind. She knew where the Tsoo congregated around Steel Canyon, and how they preferred to hang around the hospital. With grim determination she leapt high and far, her jump took her over entire buildings and moments later she was at the Hospital district area.

Shortly afterward she had no problem locating a band of Tsoo, for they were arrogant in their knowledge of their power and status they enjoyed in Steel Canyon. As they harassed citizens for money or to sell drugs to them, the Tsoo paid no attention to what or who was near them, so they never saw Lady Reaver bathed in flame directly walking towards them with her axe held in her right hand.

The axe was swung in a swooping fashion, and a Tsoo Sorcerer was soon sent airborne, and his inert body noisily landing on the concrete paved parking lot. The Sorcerer’s henchmen were quick to counter attack, but they were dropping one by one just as quickly as the Sorcerer did. Finally the last of the Tsoo minions realized he was badly outclassed and decided to run, but Lady Reaver was ready for him, and had him bathed in cleansing fires, As the Tsoo minion screamed in anguish, Lady Reaver said with a firm voice: “I want to see your records, your clan had made a business transaction with Doctor Vahzilok and I want to know what happened to those organs”

The minion gasped in pain, and said: “Lady, please spare me! The organs we had acquired from the Vahzilok were stolen from us by the Circle of Thorns! All I know is that the Thorns left to their hideout in Talos. Lady that is all I know, this is the truth, please, please!” Lady Reaver swung her axe once more, and ended the Tsoo’s misery.

The voices of the dead that cried for vengeance were soon overwhelmed, by her own voice, as she cried for vengeance.

The Chronicles of Lady Reaver
The Circle is Broken
By Ed & Sue Garcia

Lady Reaver stepped off the train, and the smell of the sea filled her nostrils. She stood a few moments enjoying the scent and allowing memories of her and her family coming to Talos for a summer vacation so many years ago. She remembered when her husband, long ago, asked her for a date and took her to the boardwalk. She remembered her husband asking her hand in marriage, at the boardwalk’s pier. Then tears streaked down her face, as the memories of his death returned to her mind and she remembered why she was here this night.

Lady Reaver remembered tackling a few Circle of Thorn members in the past, initially in King’s Row and much later here in Talos. She remembered fighting them on some small islands north of Talos, where her search for their secret hide out would begin. Lady Reaver had a personal dislike for the Circle of Thorns, for they had exhibited a total lack of regard for human life. Their sacrificial practices and body snatching for ancient spirits to inhabit were truly abominable. She even found more disturbing their porting in of demons and then worshipping them as part of their perverted rituals.

The Thorns were particularly difficult to track because often the spirits of those they have murdered or stolen their bodies from; where also held prisoners on magical crystal shards, thus there were not many, if any voices of the dead to guide her. Lady Reaver’s body shivered, as the magnitude of the inhumanity that the Circle of Thorns could be capable of doing downed on her. Lady Reaver’s attitude became grimmer as she realized that if the Thorns defeated her, it is likely that her soul would be captured in some mystical crystal shard, and her body occupied by some evil spirit.

Bathed in the warmth of Forseti’s flames, Lady Reaver stared towards the night sky and saw a falling star travel through the horizon. She closed her eyes and made a wish, a wish that she knew all too well would never happen, for her family was gone, forever gone, taken away by the evil that had befallen Paragon City. Lady Reaver gripped her axe with increased determination and leapt away from the train station and towards the islands she knew the Thorns hid at.

A few jumps later, she landed on a small dumbbell shaped island, and just in time to interrupt a Circle of Thorns sacrificial ritual. Suspended in mid air was a victim, a victim pleading for their life, a victim who the Circle of Thorns felt no pity for. The Thorns would get no mercy from Lady Reaver this night or any other time either, they are a scourge, a cancer that most be eradicated from this world whenever encountered. There was a large winged demon seemingly guarding a death mage, and his two assistants, also a demonic spirit seemed to be supporting the ritual as well. It mattered not, for her faith in Forseti would see her through this battle and the Thorns will be made to pay. As she landed she rushed the winged demon, a Behemoth Master, she believed they were called, but a demon no less. There were no words exchanged, the two fire engulfed champions, one for good and the other for evil, engaged in mortal combat. But there was no honor among the Circle of Thorns, and soon all other Thorns participants of the ritual soon began shooting their crossbows and casting evil magic spells at Lady Reaver. Lady Reaver summoned a circle of cleansing flames about her, but the demon was not affected by it, but since when demons had a conscience. Yet Lady Reaver’s axe was all too real, and it commenced to quickly injure and devastate the huge demon, which also used its sharp clawed hands to deliver pain and agony to Lady Reaver. Lady Reaver’s naughty outfit commenced to shred to pieces as each clawed hand struck her, and soon discovered that all of her clothing had been destroyed leaving her nude. Yet this rather embarrassing situation did not prevent her from defeating the large demon. The death mage took a good long look at Lady Reaver, and she had no difficulty in seeing that the mage had become sexually aroused. This only made Lady Reaver angrier, at how evil and petty the death mage was, and thus he became her next target. The mage was protected by some kind of magical force fields, and had much difficulty seriously injuring him, and it seemed that no sooner did she hurt him some, that he would cast an evil spell at her and recover his health at her expense. She redoubled her efforts, and bathed the evil mage in soul cleansing flames, which this time affected the mage for he was no demon. Yet the mage’s magical protections guarded him from the mind agonizing, conscience, and judgment effects of her flame, but yet the flames were hurting him and also affecting how well he could cast. It was a long and arduous battle, but finally the mage was defeated with a final swooping axe blow that took him down, along with the demonic spirit and one of his assistants as well.

The last of the assistants commenced to run away, but was caught by Lady Reaver’s flames. The assistant fell to his knees and screamed in agony. Lady Reaver stood next to him and said with her normal from beyond the grave voice: “Tell me where the secret temple is at, and I will end your torment” The terrified Circle of Thorns assistant moaned in pain, but managed to signal with his head that he would cooperate. Moments later the flames ceased to torture the Circle of Thorns assistant, and Lady Reaver allowed her axe to banish away and crossed her arms waiting for an answer. The Circle of Thorns assistant slowly stood up, but being a man, could not resist the urge to stare at her breasts and groin area. This made Lady Reaver even angrier and more impatient, thus she summoned back her axe and changed her stance indicating that very soon she would be swinging. The Circle of Thorn assistant immediately stopped staring at her, and moved his head to look down towards the sand and with a trembling voice said: “Our underground temple can be found in the largest island to the northwest. At the center of the island you will see a large mountain, and on the southern side of this mountain you will see a waterfall. There is a cave at the other side of the waterfall, and in this cave is the entrance to our underground temple.”

Lady Reaver raised her axe in a motion to ready her swing, and the assistant screamed: “But you said you would not harm me” Lady Reaver continued her motion and sent the assistant to await Forseti’s judgment and as she walked away said: “I said I would end your torment”

As Lady Reaver prepared to leave towards the northwest in search of the island with the mountain that had a waterfall, a column of flame descended from the skies and engulfed her for a long time. Then the column of flame slowly raised back into the night sky and disappeared from sight, leaving behind Lady Reaver dressed in a new costume composed of dark leather and a metal body fitting breast plate.

The Chronicles of Lady Reaver
The Face Evil
By Ed & Sue Garcia

Lady Reaver leapt towards the next island, in an attempt to find the one with a large waterfall, but so far it had all been in vain. But her visits to each tiny island was not a total waste of time, for she vanquished many a Circle of Thorn evil ritual and freed many would be victims. Finally a larger island presented itself before her, and Lady Reaver somehow knew this was the place she had been looking for. As soon as she landed on the island, she was attacked by spectral spirits and behemoth demons, but they were no match for Forseti’s avenger of justice. In time she climbed up the mountain, and found the waterfall just as it had been described. She readied her axe, and then stepped through the waterfall and to her relief into a dimly lit cave. Barring her way deeper into the cave was a huge oaken door, carved with all sorts of mystical symbols. She looked at them for awhile, and wondered if they were wards of some sort, or worse yet glyphs which could explode by being triggered by her mere presence.

The fire engulfing her glowed brightly, and her axe reflected the light produced by the flames in a rather intimidating manner. Lady Reaver took a step towards the door, but nothing happened, no feelings of dread, and no explosions occurred. She thought about knocking at the door, but felt that would not be appropriate, after all she wanted, really wanted for the Circle of Thorns to know she was coming.

She raised her axe, and lowered it with brutal force. The door exploded in a rain of splinters from the sheer might of her axe blow. The guards on the other side were caught by surprise, or simply stunned by the sheer brutality on how the door was destroyed. She stepped forward into the cavern, and said with her normal from beyond the grave voice: “You have slain the innocent, tortured the weak, and you will now suffer all the pain you gave during your life, before I destroy you”

The Behemoth demon was the first to cast fire bolts at Lady Reaver, but they had no effect. A few guides fired their crossbows, but their bolts were disintegrated by the heat of her fire shield. Finally a death mage utilized his dark magic at her, but no noticeable effect could be discerned. Lady Reaver charged the huge winged demon, for it best represented the evil that threatened to overcome this world. The axe cleaved into the demons right shoulder and it howled in pain, followed by the judging flames of Forseti that engulfed it. Once more Lady Reaver was denied the pleasure of seeing the evil doer suffer the pain they had given to others, for Demons had no conscience. She swung her axe once more and killed the demon, and turned to face off with the death mage. The death mage focused his attention on her and summoned a dark energy force; that manifested itself as dark tendrils reaching out from him towards her. But the tendrils were destroyed as soon as they attempted to pierce through the cleansing flames. Lady Reaver leapt and landed next to the death mage, and as she did swung her axe vertically in order to benefit from the momentum of her leap. The mage’s scream was a short one, for the single massive impact of the axe sent him to Forseti for his final judgment.

The two guides continued firing their crossbows at her, but as expected with no effect at all. A wide sweeping blade strike struck both Circle of Thorns and put an end to their evil ways. An ancient corridor laid ahead, dimly illuminated with torches placed about every ten feet. Lady Reaver could sense the evil ahead of her, and felt revulsion from it. She once more walked down the corridors in search of evil doers, and at a cross section she was met by a large contingency of Circle of Thorns. It was all too obvious that her presence was known, and that she was being dealt with. A mage at the back shouted: “Attack, render her helpless! Then we shall capture her soul and use her body to serve the Circle of Thorns”

Several Behemoth Demons and a huge oversized demon, probably their master, immediately summoned demonic bolts of brimstone which engulfed her with a wall of fire. Her fire shield took the brunt of the attack, but some of it managed to get through and produce searing pain. Lady Reaver screamed in anguish, and then it gradually turned into anger. As her anger increased at the unholy creatures her flame shield grew brighter, and she then charged the demons with her axe at ready. The demons continued to hail her with brimstones, but the master demon produced a huge fiery sword and stood ready to duel with her in mortal combat. Lady Reaver ignored the master demon, and attacked its minions with full ferocity. Each time she swung her axe, a dead demon was thrown aside. Finally it came down to the master demon and her. The mage who had ordered to have Lady Reaver rendered helpless, ordered his guides to guard the corridor he was quickly retreating into.

The huge demon swung his fiery sword, but Lady Reaver’s fire shield prevented it from doing any noticeable harm. Lady Reaver swung her axe, and struck the huge demon, but it also seemed unaffected by her attack. The demon swung again, but this time missed hitting Lady Reaver, who swung her axe with lethal conviction. The axe struck the demon in his midsection and sent them flying back and against the wall. As the demon attempted to regain his feet, Lady Reaver was next to him, and hacking. The demon knew that his defeat was impending, and said as a last sign of defiance: “My brethren will avenge me, and you will fall. Your soul will be captured and tortured for the rest of eternity” Lady Reaver looked at the demon and said with her cryptic voice: “Worse fate awaits you, for Forseti awaits your arrival” She swung her axe one last time and the demon’s life force was extinguished, as his eyes gradually dimmed and turned dark.

The guides rushed Lady Reaver with wicked looking blades, but as soon as they entered Forseti’s flames of judgment, their fanaticism quickly burnt away. They begged for mercy, but there was none to be given. Wordlessly Lady Reaver executed each and every one of the guides. She followed the corridor the mage had used to run away from her and entered a larger cavern; in the middle of the cavern was a large pyramid like structure. At top of the pyramid Lady Reaver could see the glow emanating from magic crystals, and she knew that what she had come to retrieve could be found there.

The battle to the top of the pyramid was a long and arduous one, for the steps to the top were filled with many demons and Circle of Thorn fanatics willing to die in the attempt to stop her from reaching the top. Lady Reaver thought to herself, that this day Forseti’s court would find itself very, very busy with lots of evil customers. Finally at the top of the pyramid the death mage was there expecting her, and with a voice filled with contempt said: “You had slain many of my minions, but I Gothos, will claim your soul to the magic crystals of Oranbenga. Your body will serve me, and it will satisfy each and every one of my desires, and your soul will be made to suffer endlessly”

Lady Reaver looked at the mage, and said with her cryptic voice: “The dead demands justice, the souls of the tortured demand freedom, and I demand revenge” She stepped forward towards the mage, but the mage summoned dark clouds of energy which engulfed her, and then manifested themselves as black monstrous tentacles, which prevented her from moving. The mage laughed and said: “See how easy it was for me to restrain you! Now with this crystal I will draw your soul out of your body, muahahaha” Lady Reaver saw the mage approach her with a transparent crystal, which at times seemed to sparkle with wisps of color alternating from blue, green and red. Lady Reaver waited till the mage commenced to move the crystal next to her, and then summoned Forseti’s flames of judgment. The dark bonds that restrained her were quickly burnt away, and she was free to do as she pleased. The flames engulfed Gothos as well, and the evil mage dropped to his knees in agony, yet in his eyes, Lady Reaver could see the vile hatred and inhumanity in this mage’s soul. She grabbed the mages wrist with her left hand and held the crystal between the mage and herself at eye level. Then she said with a threatening voice: “You will tell me all I want to know, or you will suffer a fate much worse than you had in store for me. Now tell me, and don’t play games with me” The flames of judgment became more intense, and Gothos screamed in agony once more, and gradually transitioned from screaming to sobbing as the intensity of Lady Reaver’s flames decreased as well. Lady Reaver looked into his eyes and said: “Answer this question truly, your minions a few days back attacked the Tsoo in Talos Island, human organs were taken from them. I want to take possession of those organs and appropriately dispose of them. Now tell me where they are, and your suffering in this world will come to an end” The mage looked into her eyes, and laughed. It was a laugh of a man gone mad, it was a laugh filled with hopelessness. Then the mage said: “The organs did not get to be used for our rituals, as my apprentice was preparing to use them he was attacked and slain by the Devouring Earths. The Devouring Earths took prisoner several of my servants and your precious organs as well” The mage attempted to push the crystal towards Lady Reaver, but could not summon sufficient strength to do so. Lady Reaver while holding Gotho’s wrist, smiled, and commenced to very slowly move the crystal towards his face. The crystal eventually touched his left cheek and Gothos screamed as she saw his soul being sucked into the crystal.

A ghostly voice whispered to her mind, and said: “Collect all the crystals and take them to Azuria in Atlas Park, she will know how to free the souls entrapped in them”

Lady Reaver stepped out of the waterfall and gazed into the skies, she knew that her hunt for her family’s organs would have to wait till she delivered the crystals to Azuria.

The Chronicles of Lady Reaver
Mother Nature
By Ed & Sue Garcia

Lady Reaver stepped off the Talos train station into a thunderstorm, and she looked about to see people running for cover. At first she believed the citizens of Talos were looking for a refuge from the torrents of rain and occasional hail, but closer examination and a tip from a friendly ghost, quickly yielded a number of Crey personnel in power armor waiting in ambush. Lady Reaver knew the ambush was for her, as it so often has happened these past few days, and wondered briefly why were the Crey so intent in persecuting her? Why her instead of the hundreds of other super heroes that spend considerably more effort ruining Crey plots than her.

Lady Reaver wanted to continue with her line of thinking, but the voices of the unjustly murdered commenced to build up in her mind. It was time for her to get busy and do her job as Forseti’s Valkyrie; as Forseti’s spirit of retribution. Soon her body was engulfed by divine sourced flames and her mystically powered axe was ready for use.

She walked down the train ramp and towards the center of the open plaza, and making no attempt to hide her presence. Her walk was slow and deliberate, and she smiled as she knew she was tempting the Crey to assault her; yet no attacks were delivered. She stopped at the center of the plaza, and looked towards the skies as the rain poured down, yet her divine flames prevented the rain from reaching her. Lady Reaver looked around, and sighted with boredom. Yet no attack from the Crey followed, the thunderstorm finally moved on its way towards Dark Astoria and gradually the skies began to clear.

Finally Lady Reaver slowly looked around herself and said aloud with her characteristic voice from beyond the grave: “I have been told of your presence here, servants of Countess Crey, there is no surprise to be had, disperse or prepare to receive Forseti’s judgment”

A single Crey operative, dressed in a purple power armor suit, stepped away from a parked mini van, and said though his amplified voice speaker system: “Lady Reaver, you have been found guilty of using super powers in public with out appropriate permits. We have been dispatched by the legal authorities to arrest you. You may surrender to us the easy way, or the hard way. Which way you choose is of no consequence to us”

Lady Reaver smiled at the Crey Operative and said with a firm voice: “Show me the warrant”

The operative nervously shuffled his feet, and turned around looking for moral support from his colleagues. After a few minutes he said with an irritated voice: “Police drone Talos-1, incapacitate Lady Reaver”

Lady Reaver turned to look at the police drones, but neither moved or did anything beyond the normal flashing of their warning lights. Once more the Crey Operative repeated, but this time louder and with a great deal of anger: “Police drone Talos-1, incapacitate Lady Reaver”

Lady Reaver stepped towards the Crey operative and said: “It is Forseti’s will that the drone obeys, not yours or any other mortal. Remove yourself and your companions from my presence now”

The Crey operative made a motion with his right hand, and a large number of operatives moved towards the plaza to surround Lady Reaver, but no sooner had they surrounded Lady Reaver, another super lady hero stepped off the train. The people immediately recognized assistant district attorney Odin’s Wrath, and cheered at her with loud voices and whistles.

Odin’s Wrath looked at the lead Crey operative and said with a firm and authoritative voice: “The people of Paragon has dropped all charges against Lady Reaver as part of the Rogue-Clone settlement, your orders are obsolete. Return to your duty station, and disturb this lady no more”

The Crey operative regarded Odin’s Wrath for a few moments and said: “Show me the paperwork to validate what you had said”

Odin’s Wrath replied with anger in her voice: “You show me your paperwork that gives you the right to apprehend Lady Reaver. If you fail to provide it, I will charge you with unlawful attempt to imprison and use of deadly force”

The Crey operative stood motionless for a few moments, and then said with a shaky voice: “I have received updated orders from central dispatch, and they have canceled the arrest mission and reassigned me to patrol Dark Astoria”

Lady Reaver nodded with gratitude to Odin’s Wrath and leapt away towards the North while Odin’s Wrath returned to the train station.

Past the Circle of Thorn infested islands Lady Reaver jumped; island after island she explored in search of the dreaded Devouring Earths. Many a rumor she had heard of this enigmatic organization or perhaps cult, yet she was not able to make sense of to their purpose of being. It was not money or power, as so many other criminal organizations pursued, that the Devouring Earth cherished or even lightly considered. As far as she could tell they were protectors of the environment, but perhaps a bit too fanatic about it and often becoming too blood thirsty to be considered a benign organization. The voices of the unjustly murdered continued to fill her mind, and increase in desperation, thus she knew she was getting closer to her destination. It was all too obvious to Lady Reaver that the blood thirsty Devouring Earth had killed many an innocent citizen; and they now cried for justice, demanded vengeance.

As soon as Lady Reaver landed on a mid sized island, she found herself assaulted by a barrage of spines, swarms of bees, and chocking clouds. While these attacks would kill a normal citizen, and even incapacitate many super heroes; they were no risk to one who was a divine emissary. Her body was now brilliantly covered in divine flames and her axe was brutally swinging at all kinds of nature’s defenders. The Devouring Earths were no match for Forseti’s Valkyrie, and were falling totally destroyed each time Lady Reaver swung her mystical axe. Finally the Devouring Earth stopped their attacks, and stepped aside forming a corridor in between their ranks. Lady Reaver allowed her axe to dematerialize but remained protected by her cleansing fires, and cautiously commenced to walk down the bizarre looking corridor.

She walked for a few minutes and the corridor lead her to a cave entrance, she was not intimidated by the darkness she saw within the cave; for her protective flames would provide all the illumination she would need. The cave’s interior was mostly made of a crystalline material and not the typical rock like materials found in conventional caves. Lady Reaver being a creature born out of magic, had no difficulty feeling the great amount of magical flows and emanation sources, she knew this was no mere place people would come for a casual stroll. After a few minutes she reached an underground lake and saw in the middle of this lake a small island. In this island Lady Reaver saw an elderly lady sitting on a marble throne, as Lady Reaver stood by the water’s edge, the elderly lady motioned for Lady Reaver to come to her.

Lady Reaver looked at the brackish water and looked towards the elderly lady, waiting for something to happen, perhaps a word of encouragement; maybe a taunt; or maybe some kind of horrid monster would emerge from the lake’s bottom and take her prisoner for the rest of eternity. Yet not one of these choices occurred, instead the water parted between Lady Reaver and the elderly lady, showing a narrow walkway that have been covered by the brackish water, thus hiding its presence. Lady Reaver stepped on this narrow walkway and slowly began to travel towards the elderly lady. To her surprise the walkway was dry and not slippery as she had expected it to be.

Lady Reaver stood before the elderly lady and waited for her to say something. After several anxious moments, the elderly lady said with a tired voice: “My daughter, why do you fight my servants? Why have you come here?”

Lady Reaver regarded the old woman and said with her customary from beyond the grave voice: “I am not your daughter, if I was, I am not now. I am the servant of Forseti; the God of Justice. I serve non other than Forseti, and have given up all that I was and will ever be to avenge the deaths of my daughter and husband. I shall forever roam this world seeking those who murder the innocent and the helpless, for that is the price demanded by the pact between Forseti and myself. I do eat, sleep, drink, and breathe air as if alive, yet I can’t die and I really don’t live a mortal’s life anymore. While eternity is mine to have, my life is empty of joy and happiness; it is one of servitude. I have come here seeking for what has been taken away from my daughter and husband’s bodies; your servants took these organs from the evil Circle of Thorns; and I want them back so that their bodies may be buried whole”

The elderly lady commenced to loudly weep, and she slowly lifted her face to look at Lady Reaver’s face and said: “I grieve for you, my daughter, for I am Gaia, mother of all that lives in this world. I cry for your loneliness, as a mother suffers from her child’s misfortune. You have paid a grievous price in the pursuit of justice for a horrible crime done against your family and me. I blessed you when you and your husband conceived your first child; I blessed your child as she grew up; and my work with you was all lost when they were murdered. My loss became total, when you left me and became an emissary of Forseti. I know of your loved ones missing organs, and had captured them from the degenerate Circle of Thorns so they could be buried in consecrated grounds, but alas, that did not happened. An evil organization known as the Crey raided our island in search of material components for some experiment of theirs, most surely one which will bring great harm to the environment, among the items they took were your loved one’s organs. I grieve with you, for I know that your sacrifice to Forseti is all in vain until those organs are buried with your loved ones. Be well my child, and I hope a day will come were Forseti will release you from his service and let you return to me”

The Chronicles of Lady Reaver
A Mother’s Fury
By Ed and Sue Garcia

Lady Reaver stood within the train car with a very grim expression on her face, with flames engulfing her body and holding her axe in a quite threatening stance. The few unlucky passengers riding in the same train car with her did their best to be as far away as they could from her and remained silent for the entire trip.

The train stopped at Talos and the doors opened, no passengers stepped off the car, and a few would be passengers at Talos commenced to enter the car but decided against it. Finally the train stopped at Brickstown and Lady Reaver stepped off the car as several sighs escaped the terrified citizens that had ridden the train with the emissary of Forseti.

Lady Reaver slowly left the train station and stood in the middle of the street. She looked, observed and searched for something with kin interest. People traveling on the street across from the train station saw the fiery figure with an intimidating axe, and simply chose to take a different street.

Lady Reaver commenced walking in a southern direction, and then turned west to parallel the bridge. Soon she saw a group of Crey agents, intimidating citizens as they often do. Lady Reaver heard a few voices of the innocent slain, but their voices were drowned by her own thoughts of punishment, vengeance, and wrath.

There were no words exchanged, as her axe raised and lowered a Crey died. She said nothing, asked nothing, she just killed. Crey powered armor agents were rendered to pieces by her mystic axe; agents screamed in anguish as her fiery aura engulfed them in righteous judgment and their laments abruptly ending by the sharp edge of an axe.

Lady Reaver looked around for any challengers, but no other criminal organization wanted a part of what was being delivered. She walked further west and another unlucky cluster of Crey agents came into sight. Once more, with out a word, Lady Reaver assaulted the Crey with deadly intent. The Crey fought for their lives, but they were no match against the anger of a grieving wife and mother; they were no match for Forseti’s Valkyrie of justice.

A powered armored Crey tank broke away and ran, but Lady Reaver simply leapt in pursuit and did not try real hard to catch up with him. In time, just a mere two blocks away from the initial place Lady Reaver started the fight with the Crey minions; the terrified Crey tank entered a building. Lady Reaver allowed herself a very thin smile, for she had wanted the Crey tank to lead her to a Crey facility. The tank entered the facility and slammed the door shut, but his respite was of no consequence, for Lady Reaver hacked the door into pieces and stepped into the facility.

Two Paragon Protectors stepped to bar her way, and the leading protector, a male scraper, said with threatening voice: “You are entering private property of Crey Industries, if you continue performing this criminal activity, Crey will press charges against you”

Lady Reaver looked at the two Paragon Protectors and said with her beyond the grave voice: “Crey has taken my property, a property that is very dear to me. You all will pay dearly for what you have done” She then stepped forward and attacked the nearest scrapper Paragon Protector with her axe. The scraper Paragon Protector was actually very competent and managed to avoid many of her attacks but eventually found himself engulfed by her flames of judgment, and during his hesitation found himself hacked apart by her mystic axe. The second Paragon Protector was a lady blaster, whose energy bolts had no noticeable effect on Lady Reaver, and simply turned around and flew away in terror as she saw her partner hacked to pieces.

Lady Reaver destroyed everything along the way, machine, crate or Crey employee. A few employees begged for mercy, but all they received was the sharp end of her axe. As Lady Reaver penetrated the Crey facility the intensity in which the facility was defended increased, but it did not matter for Lady Reaver wanted revenge, plain and simple.

Paragon Protector after another fell by the might of her mystic axe, and many a pleading spirit received peace this day. Finally as she entered the last room of the building, a lone Crey Scientist stood in sheer terror by a large computer display. On the computer display the face of Countess Crey could be seen, and she was not happy.

Countess Crey cleared her voice and said: “I know who you are, and your little rampage has costed me dearly this day. What you want?”

Lady Reaver stopped in the middle of the room, bathed with cleansing flames and mystic axe in hand. She said nothing for a few moments and then said with a firm and threatening voice: “I am Lady Reaver, servant of Forseti the Norse God of justice. I only exist to punish the wicked that murders the innocent, so that their spirits may receive eternal peace. You have in your possession several organs of my deceased husband and daughter. I want them back; Gaia told me your operatives took them from her three days ago”

Lady Reaver could see that Countess Crey was no longer looking at her camera, but busily typing something on a keyboard by the sound of the clicking of the keyboard’s keys. A few moments later, Countess Crey stopped typing and faced the camera. With a feline smile she said: “Yes, I have records of us raiding the Devouring Earths for materials and that among the loot some human organs were discovered. I take it you want them back, don’t you”

Lady Reaver nodded with acceptance, and waited for Countess Crey to continue. Countess Crey once more smiled and said with a threatening voice: “I have a task for you to perform, if you do it well enough, I might give you the organs back”

The Chronicles of Lady Reaver
The Wages of Evil
By Ed & Sue Garcia

Lady Reaver silently stared at the monitor for a long time, as Countess Crey laughed at her. But Countess Crey’s laughter was caught short as she saw Lady Reaver decapitating the scientist that had set up the conference.

Lady Reaver turned to address the large monitor and said with her usual from beyond the grave voice: “Founders Falls, Building 203, 52nd Street, 25th floor, and Northwest Corner office”

Countess Crey gasped for a moment and said with in a voice filled with surprise: “How did you know my location, who told you?”

Lady Reaver remained silent for a few moments, her face showing a colossal struggle on going in her mind, and then her face relaxed and said with a flat voice: “Nothing is kept from Forseti’s instrument of judgment, at least not for long. There is nowhere you can go, where I can’t find you. The voices of the innocent death, whose blood are on your hands calls for justice, and they shall receive it. I’m coming for you, your time to stand before Forseti has come”

Countess Crey laughed, and menacingly leaned towards the camera and said: “You little tramp, a mere housewife, you dare threaten me? Ha! I have bested better than you and your ridiculous Norse God. You serve me now, or I destroy those precious organs of yours in punishment”

Lady Reaver remained silent once more, and then replied with a detached voice: “The housewife is no more, and she died when her family was murdered. I am the servant of Forseti till the end of time, for that was the agreement in our covenant. Attempting to coerce me with those organs is of no consequence, for regardless of how my mortal form may feel it is irrelevant”

It was now Countess Crey’s turn to remain silent and to consider her next action, then with an intimidating yet soft spoken voice she said: “My records indicates that your mother lives in Galaxy City, how quaint. As we speak Crey Operatives are on their way to protect her from ruffians. You shall serve me!”

Lady Reaver’s face became quite saddened and mumbled towards the monitor: “There was a price to be paid, and it seems I’m still paying it. I’m coming Countess, and you are going to regret crossing me”

Countess Crey laughed and as she pressed a button said: “I sincerely doubt it”

The building that Lady Reaver had ravaged blew up in a fiery explosion that rattled most of Brickstown. When the dust and smoke settled down, a fiery figure stood amidst the rubble, axe in hand.

Lady Reaver leapt towards the West and landed on a roof where several Crey agents were monitoring the activities of a nearby building. The Crey agents attempted to fire their weapons, but Lady Reaver had caught them flat footed and with a wide arc sweep of her axe, killed all of them. At a distance more Crey agents could be seen, with a thin smile Lady Reaver leapt towards that roof.

Most of that day, Lady Reaver endeavored herself in ridding Brickstown of as many Crey operatives as she could, and then went to a phone booth and made a call.

Founders Falls never saw so many Crey personnel brought down so quickly and brutally as it happened that day. The trail of Crey devastation lead directly to the building Countess Crey resided on, and as Lady Reaver got closer the more desperate the defense of the building became. A few lawyers tried to intimidate Lady Reaver with the threat of legal lawsuits, but what was a lawsuit to the servant of a God? Lawyer blood and body parts were splattered over building walls and sidewalks; there was nothing in this mortal world that could stop the determined servant of Forseti.

The building doors at Crey headquarters at Founders Falls blew open into thousands of glass shards as Lady Reaver’s axe bit into them. Alarms went off all over the building and a few unwise guards attempted to stop Lady Reaver’s advance into the building. The guards’ reward was having their bodies hacked to pieces. Once more destruction of anything of value or Crey personnel was observed at every floor, as personnel learned of Lady Reaver’s advance on to their floor, total panic ensued. There were a few terrified Crey that actually leapt out of windows and to their deaths to avoid Lady Reaver’s flames of judgment and axe.

Finally Countess Crey office doors were hacked open and Lady Reaver stood before Countess Crey.

Countess Crey smiled at Lady Reaver and said: “You have destroyed a lot of my property, and you will pay dearly for that. You will pay even more for daring to challenge me! You will never find your family’s organs. I did not destroy them, ha, ha, ha! You will go crazy trying to find them and achieve closure, but that will never happen, you will never find them”

Lady Reaver looked at her and said: “You murdered my mother; her body can be found in a warehouse in the corner of 15th street and Brawler Avenue. I know, for she has told me. My family’s organs are at the bottom of the sea between Talos and Founders Falls. I shall retrieve them, after you have been sent to Forseti”

Countess Crey laughed and said: “You think you can take me on alone?”

Lady Reaver stepped aside and said: “What makes you think I came alone? Forseti has many ways to aid his servants”

Countess Crey looked past Lady Reaver and recognized Stormfront, Thunderkick, Sun Witch, Acasta, Dream Witch, Odin’s Wrath, and Irish Spring entering the room with grim faces, faces of powerful super heroes that remembered the tribulation they had just been put thorough from Countess Crey’s Rogue-Clone campaign.