BZPB

OOS: Sorry it took me ages to post this >_<. Also, just to be clear, I'm not racist towards anthro reptiles.

[Gathering Of Mercs, Liquid Metallicon]

*As all eyes turn to him, Raigen pauses for abit as some pieces of his fragmented memories start to appear, seemingly triggered by all this. Yes, he had been in situations like this countless times before. “Introductions” like these usually have the implication of “Give me a reason why I should pay you.” Most times, a simple casual mention of his name and nicknames would suffice. Sometimes though, he had to prove himself in much harder ways. He hope this time it would be the latter….*

Raigen: The name's Raigen. Merc, assassin, etc, etc. Most of you would probably know me. Heh, probably better than I know myself for the moment.

Raigen: (To Ozar) And you probably already know who I am cos otherwise you wouldn't have sent lizard-face over there *jerks his head bit towards Fourteen* to find me. Anyways, just give me the job and some cash and we'll get along just fine.

*Yon appears*

Raigen: What the hell?! Cool, is that a real, live cyclops? *pokes Yon in the side of his head curiously*

~~~

[Unknown location, Space]

[Pirate ship]

*A pirate scout vessel was on its usual search for targets of interest, such as trading convoys, science expeditions, unprotected planets, etc. Its purpose was not to engage the targets directly, but to report in the coordinates for more heavily-armed pirate vessels. Its crew had long ago learnt to utilise its superior speed and agility as well as its small, stealthy size to their advantage, and most often then not it was their intel that had led to many a successful pirate raid. The crew of the ship, however, was definitely not prepared for what just happened and was happening right now. It had all started when a stowaway had been reported on board...*

*In the ship's cargo bay, half a dozen nervous-looking pirates, two humans and the rest that seemed to be some sort of anthro reptiles, were cautiously patrolling the area, each gripping tightly an M8 Gauss Combat Rifle each. It is clear from his attire and the air of authority that seemed to hang around him that one of the humans is the captain of the vessel.*

Pirate captain: Keep your eyes peeled. There's no telling when it'll show up.

Pirate #1: But...but...did you see what that...that...thing did to the other guys?!

Pirate #2: Screw this!! I'm not risking my life for this bullshit! I'm outta here!!

*One of the reptilian pirate runs but no sooner had he gone 10 feet, he was gunned down without mercy nor remorse by the captain, his tattered corpse a reminder of the captain's simple answer to those that disobey his commands.*

Pirate captain: I WILL NOT HAVE COWARDS IN MY CREW!! NOW IF ANYONE ELSE EVEN THINKS OF RUNNING, HE WILL-

*The captain's words are cut short as his head suddenly explodes in a bloody shower of brains and gore. He slumps back with most of his face gone and behind his drooping corpse is a patch of congealed fluid stuck to the wall, the remnants of the captain's brain shredded into mincemeat. The other pirates barely had time to register what had happened when a small, beeping device lands in the middle of the group.*

Pirate #2: GRENADE!!

*The warning came abit too late as the M1-A Fragmentation Grenade delivered its lethal payload. Its victims scream in agony as red hot shrapnel cut through them. Most of the pirates are slain immediately, serrated metal embedded in vital body areas. Only one was unlucky enough to survive, the reptilian pirate bleeding copiously from multiple lacerations and gashes, a result from the wild flurry of metal fragments. He had scarcely enough time to stumble forward before another grenade, this time equipped with a proximity detonator, impacted squarely in the middle of his torso, erupting his upper body in a spectacular shower of bloody gore and viscera.*

[Pirate ship, Bridge]

*In the ship's bridge, the sole two survivors of the pirate crew were frozen in shock and fear as they watched the security camera feed of the previous spectacle.*

Pirate #1: Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap! This is hopeless! We're dead!! We're freaking dead!!! God, I don't want to die!!

Pirate #2: Calm down, will you? Its obvious whoever did all this want the ship. Well, he can't get this crate going without us!

*A voice that sounds distinctly feminine behind them made their blood run cold.*

???: Actually...

*One of the pirates let out a shriek of pain as the sinister blade of a HF combat knife suddenly pierces the belly of one of the pirates, the mysterious figure working her blade up, directing the weapon towards the ribcage and the vulnerable organs that lay within. She ignores the spray of viscous fluid that follows. The screech of the reptilian pirate dies to a faint gurgle as his lungs and heart are torn apart by the serrated high-frequency adamantium of the blade. Her grim work finished, the S-1 Scout Combat Armour attired stranger turned to the remaining pirate.*

???: ....I only need one of you.

Pirate #1: Please! I'll do anything!!

???: Who is your leader?

Pirate #1: O-ozar! Ozar! Pirate Lord Ozar!

???: Good. Saves me a ton of trouble. Where can I find him?

Pirate #1: L-liquid Metallicon! H-he's having a gathering of mercs or something! That's all I know, I swear!!

???: Hmm, mercs, eh? Alrighty then, plot a course there then and we'll see how it goes from there. Sorry bout your friends, by the way. Guess I got on the wrong side of the bed today.

<Manning's office>

*Aster looks intrigued*

Aster: Who are these people?

-----

<Jones' ship>

*Jones smiles*

Jones: Oh my. You don't get it, do you? Something great has fallen apart. The pride of one man, one man who thinks himself a great saviour, has doomed it. It was only to be expected, though. Shotgun marriages rarely last.

-----

<Ailyb-Gypte>

*Blackout gets up, and walks to the dining room*

*He sees Figlio, bows slightly, and sits down opposite him*

Blackout: Good evening. I'm Makuta Blackout, but you probably already know that. I find it's rather polite to introduce yourself, though. I ever so despise rudeness.

-----

<Malchior IV>

*SB stops in front of a black house*

SB: See this place? The government runs its surveillance operations out of there. The planet will probably thank us.

*He gets out, and throws a bomb at the house*

*553 also gets out, holding a machine gun*

*He fires at the house's windows*

-----

<Vizima>

TPK: Why is that?

-----

<Lantern Battle>

*Dirge rolls out of the way of EY's attacks*

*He stands up, and fires two Lantern energy fists at EY*

Dirge: You don't let up, do you?

-----

<Gathering of Mercs, Liquid Metallicon>

*Annoyed and looking ahead instead of at Raigen, Yon replies*

Yon: No, not a cyclops. Cyclopean, though.

*He turns his attention to the others*

Yon: Are you... offering me a job?

----------------------------------------------

<Desert planet, far away>

*Trantoshen and Mocax remain in the arena, awaiting their opponent. The huge, rusty portcullis at the opposite end of the arena is slowly raised to reveal only the dark exit of the tunnel. A roar is heard, and the two brace themselves*

Trantoshen: Sounds big.

Mocax: We've fought bigger than the cave itself.

Trantoshen: Heh, oh yeah. Lotcas, right?

Mocax: Right.

*A scaled, dull green claw emerges from the shadow of the cave, followed by another. They step forward and gradually the creature reveals itself. It appears to be a gigantic biomechanical dragon with three tails, each clad in reflective purple armour which arc up over the main body. It has four legs, each with two knees, protected by armour in a duller silver colour. The eyes are purple with red pupils, and its mouth opens to display its natural blood-red teeth with gears visible at the back of the jaw. Trantoshen turns to Mocax, and notices his friend suddenly drop to his knees with his claw-blades by his side*

Trantoshen: What are you doing? Get up! What is it?!

Mocax: I've seen that thing before. Tens of thousands of years ago. Haven't you ever heard of it? It's the Zahgargak.

[Korasa]

Prime:  Impressive ability.

*Its eyes glow red and a powerful electric shock is dealt to the Ynot, stunning it. Prime then sweeps Blackout, bringing its rifle to bear.*

Prime: Irrelevant if master is neutralized.

*It pulls the trigger, firing a powerful pulse at Poe, and deploying two turrets to fire rockets at the controller.*

---

[Lantern Parade]

Xavalis:  Ha...*coughs*  I win.

*The systems power down as the doubt overtakes his mind, as he collapses on the ground.*

---

*The beast roars in pain, before exploding into tiny chunks, vaporizing every unshielded thing in the area.  FY is obliterated, absorbing most of the liquid, though Xavalis's tech is moderately damaged by the explosion.*

Jin-Gitaxias:  Irrelevant.  The not-us will fall inevitably.  Those taken from this parade will be compleated and perfected.  None can stop us.

---

[Legacy Ship]

Anzu:  Sounds like a plan.

*Lynvara nods quietly, surreptitiously glancing at Sumire.  Anzu notices, a small smile appearing on his face as Lynvara's reddens*

---

[Grassy Planet]

Laros:  Good.  We better...track...

*He swoons, collapsing into Theris's arms*

Laros:  Does anyone else feel tired?

Theris:  Are you insane, Laros?!  That was blood magic - you know the arts of the maleficarum are banned for good reason!

Laros:  I needed it...to deal with the lich.

Theris:  Nearly every bloodmage in recorded history has gone mad or killed himself by mistake.

*He shakes his head, sighing*

Theris:  Laros, what in hell have you gotten yourself into?

---

[The Winter Court]

Glace:  Got it.  We'll need teams to back each other up.  If we lose contact, set up a perimeter around the area.  We aren't letting that thing escape.

*She nods to a group of kneeling faeries, who leave to what must be the armory*

---

[Dhakaan]

*Z'Dal and his hobgoblin forces fight extremely well, and the invaders lose a large portion of their forces, but eventually they are overwhelmed*

Z'Dal:  I surrender.  Leave my men alive.

*A tall, lithe woman clad in white armor steps forth.  She removes her helmet, revealing long, brown hair and pointed ears.  She bears a scar on her left cheek - the blade that made it clearly of goblin make.*

Z'Dal:  Tiera.  Should have known that this cowardice was of elven design.

Tiera:  Save it.  You are to be taken as prisoners of war by Valenar.  You will be given rations appropriate to your behavior.  As to your survival, well, that depends on what Valus tells me.

Z'Dal:  Very well.

---

Haruuc:  Z'Dal is captured.  That force was ill-trained, and there's no doubt in my mind that even with Z'Dal's magical powers, the opposing force captured him.

Vayne:  Lord Haruuc, do you think-

Haruuc:  Yes.

*He sighs, his dull brown eyes glinting in the sunlight*

Haruuc:  Valenar.  No one else could be so cowardly and simultaneously so bold.

---

[Pirate Mercenary Gathering]

Aluren:  Regretfully, I cannot allow you to operate in Imperial space.  Your crimes will be cleared, certainly, but having private paramilitary firms in conflict with the Imperial Fleet.  My apologies.

*Randolph chuckles*

Randolph:  She's a government official.  You don't -really- think we can trust her, do you?

Aluren:  I suggest you be silent, Moloch.  You have a list of crimes longer than your family tree - I could in a heartbeat have the Imperial fleet on you and you on your way to a prison cell at New Folsom.  I recommend you remain silent.

*Randolph grumbles, but complies*

---

[Ulduar]

*Tezzeret taps the crystal, channeling some magic through it.  Four of the golems turn and attack their compatriots.*

Tezzeret:  Heh.  Similar resonance.

*Tae'thelan nods, using impact bursts to destroy the golems' armor*

Voice:  Do not falter.  These mortals will not interfere with the master's plan.

*Fourteen smiles when he hears Raigen call him a lizard face.*

*Randolph and the Spymistress speak*

Ozar: "Of course I don't trust her. In fact, it'll be a miracle if you find me trusting any of you. But I have two things in my favor here. One, I'm paying most of you, which means whoever betrays me will most certainly die by either my hand or your hands. Two, I have a living weapon in this room that can anticipate your every move and can rip you to pieces before you can say 'Oops'. "

*Yonnanigans happen*

Ozar: "Everyone, this is Yon. He's a Terugan mercenary. He will be aiding us in this mission. Anyways, now that we know each other, it is time to begin."

*Ozar presses a button on his armor, revealing a holographic image of a shark-like humanoid*

Ozar: "This is Tiff Ramson. Notorious Uterio War criminal. He has been imprisoned on a facility in distant space in solitary confinement. Your job is to break him out."

Lalli Cain: "You want us to break out a war criminal. Why?"

Ozar: "Simple. Many parties would be interested in him. Some want to kill him themselves. Some would pay for me to kill him. Some would pay to put him back in prison. Some would pay to put him in trial. Some would pay to use him for military advice. Some would pay to see him go free. And others wouldn't mind a strong Karkarodon slave with a long rap sheet. Either way, hundreds of groups in the galaxy would pay astronomical sums of money for him. And by astronomical, I mean enough to make the two richest people in this room widen their eyes."

Fourteen: "Plus, he can even help us expand our empire if no one pays us."

Ozar: "So either way, I emerge victorious."

Lalli Cain: "Yeah, right."

Ozar: "*presses another button, revealing schematics for the prison* Welcome to Supermax Prison 429. Not many know of its existence, and even then, only 2 are housed inside, both in solitary confinement. Guards are changed swiftly, and they are armed to the teeth. If you enter with hostile intentions, you will be killed in ways you cannot imagine. What we are planning is a more precise strike, one that will not give them a chance to stop us."

*a pathway formed by red dots appears in the prison schematics*

Ozar: "You will be using this pathway. Osseron Tyrok, how good are you with technopathy? If you're good enough, you will be hacking into the security console before we enter. If not, Fourteen will do it. The systems will be down long enough for each of you to enter. Eruka, you will gas the vents using your magic to knockout--not kill--any guards nearby. The remaining guards will have already put on gas masks, or will be in rooms that use a different air system. Any guards you find in the hallway will be taken down by Al-Hassi, Raigen, and Randolph. Lalli, you and Yon will go with them and break into the confinement area where Tiff is located. Raigen, Randolph, and Al-Hassi will wait for you outside. Take down the two guards near a console. This will give you enough time to release the package from his holding. You will then signal him to break through the glass window, and explain your intentions. After that, all of you will leave quietly and get into the ship. I want this to be quick, and easy. And please *looks at Randolph* No body count unless it is absolutely necessary. Keep it clean. But just in case, Osseron Tyrok is on necromancer duty and healing duty. Spymistress, you will be in charge of taking care of your own prisoner. If you need backup, take Al-Hassi with you. Any questions?"

---

Lt. Manning: "I have no idea, honestly. They've committed a few attacks here and there, but few have been catastrophic or even lethal, if I'm not mistaken. Their motives are shady."

---

Nadle: "*sips tea and grins* You must look great in a wedding dress."

---

Figlio: "*smiles* My name is Figlio di Armechio. My father was Uterio di Armechio. Nice to finally meet you, Makuta. Your reputation precedes you. *nods at a nearby servant* What wine catches your fancy? I recommend one from this planet. They know how to grow their grapes."

---

*The windows repair themselves, and some soldiers back*

Rahn: "My research says even many leaders of this planet will thank us, save for those in this province and principality. This won't exactly be an attack."

Julio: "DEATH TO ALL WHO HELP KLAK! *throws a grenade at the building, destroying one of its walls*"

---

Coro: "Blackout is notorious for doing that. You should have known, TPK."

---

Me: Keep doing that, Tezzy!

*fires a plasma blast at two of the remaining golems, hitting their crystals*

Bob: "Did anyone else hear that voice, or am I slightly schizophrenic?"

---

OOS: Waiting on Ynot for the Platinum Lanterns, Poe, Organization XIII, and Young Justice.

[Gathering of Mercs, Liquid Metallicon]

*Yon rolls his eye and saves all of this new information to his memory. His glowing iris can be seen darting about beneath his eyelid in the process. This is a new ability he found himself obtaining in the months after being thrust into another dimension where he was literally in a computer world - maybe he accidentally swallowed a few programs while there. Reopening his eye, he snaps to attention and rests his gaze on Ozar with a concerned expression.*

Yon: Well I hate being a homeless wanderer, and I'm glad I'm getting paid because I've been in a lot of prisons during my life, heard tales about even more... but Supermax 429 must be some article, because the last I heard Supermax 400 is where that line of prisons ended. Everything beyond that number is off the chart. Undisclosed, even to the head of my homeworld.

*He pauses to see a couple of nods in agreement, and raised eyebrows, before continuing*

Yon: I don't know that I can trust any of you, and not many of you really know me... well, I remember an encounter with Mr Tyrok a while back *gives nod*. But you gotta heed my warning. This guy, Ozar, is serious when he says that there is much more than just our lives at stake here, so don't mess it-

*He stops again to see a "who-put-you-in-charge" look from Ozar. Yon bows out and walks over to Lalli instead, the merc he has work with.*

---------------------------------

[Stouttish Islands]

*The countryside were nice and the pants were singing and the birds and the sun was almost down from the top of the sky. The mood was set when-* The Hand bursts through this sentence, and lands on top of one of the ovens in the now abandoned McYonald's fast-food restaurant. It then starts groping the grill, for no reason.

<Manning's office>

*Aster ponders while duckfacing at the screen*

*She takes out her phone, and writes a text message*

-----

<Jones' ship>

*A shape-shifter walks into the room, its face morphing*

*It speaks in a deep, groaning voice*

Shifter: We've arrived.

Jones: Shall we test your theory, Nadle?

-----

<Ailyb-Gypte>

*Blackout continues smiling, his face revealing no emotion*

Blackout: I had no idea Uterio had a son. And yes, I'll have the local wine, please.

*He looks at Figlio, his eyes almost burning a hole through him*

Blackout: So, then. You didn't come here for the views.

-----

<Malchior IV>

*SB rolls out of the way of the shots*

SB: Self-repairing windows? YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!

*He fires a plasma bolt at one soldier's head*


*553 hides behind a car, reloads, and fires at a window on the roof*


*Meanwhile, inside the house, a phone that was left on a table beeps*

*There is a whirring noise, and it suddenly transforms into Frenzy*

-----

<Vizima>

TPK: And that's why we need to make sure he's definitely dead this time, which is why I want the Knights in on this.

-----

OOS: Waiting on Ynot for Dirge.

[Korasa]

*Clone Ynot(CY) staggers back, but sweeps Primes legs as he did to Clone Blackout(CB). CB springs off his hands while falling back and dashes in with his Master Sword Knock off. Poe raises her shield to take the impact of the turret assault, but is grazed by the first shot of the rifle, pushing her back*

Poe: Rainn, I’m afraid I won’t be joining you from here.

*She fires several rounds into the dirt, stirring up a fresh cover of smoke, when it clears she is gone, but the Clones still attack Prime*

----
[Mount Justice Ruins, Earth]

Impulse: One,  it’s Kid Flash now, remember? Taking up the mantle and all that. Two, I’m not saying it WILL happen, but Batman isn’t here, and he’s the one that always insists on preparing for every possibility. Think about that. The Bat. Is not. Here. We are sending our most powerful heroes to a far off world to fight two of the most powerful, and nigh indestructible villains we know of. And the one person who would have a contingency for this situation can’t help us.

*Impulse sighs deeply*

Impulse: I’d just hate to be caught off guard, again. In the future, I read about a lot of the adventures you guys had, and things always went south when you were looking in the wrong place. Not to say you did so often, but that’s always when it happened. There are a lot of things different in this timeline now, though. Now I bet one of you smart alecs are about to ask for future knowledge right? Well sucks to be you, cause this timeline is completely changed now that the Reach are gone.

----
[Lantern Parade]

*In response to Dirges question, he stops mid charge, prompting a moment of puzzlement from Dirge, until he is struck from behind by Electric Ynot with a wave of fear*

----
*Water Ynot shields Videlle from the incoming death wave from the exploding Obliterator*

----

Main Ynot: Prove? That you lot are unprepared for the worst this universe has to offer. Look around. Komerak dropped instantly. Kratos, your leader, and Xavalis the new recruit are down for the count. Videlle is about to join them, and that leaves you. The Toa that’s lost his way.

*Ynot pauses a moment to let his words sink in*

Ynot: If you are surprised by how well informed I am about the members of your group, know that I saw you coming millennia ago. I go through sieges like this WEEKLY. Some even get by ME. I just got back from some guerillas that stole me from my BODY. THEY FOUND A WAY TO BEAT ME, Ynot, regarded on several worlds as a nuclear deterrent. On two as a god. I have bested some of the most vile and underhanded threats this universe has to offer, and I STILL get curveballs.

*Ynot drops his shoulders as the rings of the four defeated personas return to his hand, clearly taking in the exhaustion*

Ynot: Just...I don’t want a group of people who TRY to take some of the weight off of my shoulders to get crushed. I’m showing you how easy that can be. Now, if you excuse me, I’ve made my point clear. While I wasn’t paying full attention, some innocents have been kidnapped, and I have to go save the day. Again. Attack me if you wish, I don’t care. Your teammates might, though.

*Electric and Earth Ynots crumble away into scrap metal, their weapons vaporizing, and their rings returning to Ynot’s hand as well as he flies back to his ship*
----

[TWtAWb]

SM Demyx: I’m glad you think so. Let the games begin.

----
[Beach Planet]

*The flame takes on a poofy shape and purple color*

Shaern: The hell kind of fire is this?

[ Beach Planet: ]

Zev: The Cloud Flame, Nuvola, the Purple Flame of Propagation. It has powers of replication and expansion, and is also known for properties of consolidating the Flames of weaker foes into itself. It's associated with folks who are aloof and distant, but who would never, ever turn their backs on their comrades in the most dire of battles.

*From behind a cluster of boulders, a familiar, lilting voice can be heard giggling*

*Emerging with a smile, Asabana holds the Crowned Mirror in her hands*

Asabana: I'm not used to my master nearing such a grandiloquent state! It's charming, isn't it?

Zev: *Blushes, grinning* Asabana, don't embarrass me in front of my first pupil in ages, heh!

Asabana: Well, I feel it necessary to explain what you neglected to mention. *Turns to Shaern, smile taking on an odd look* What my master has used is an old Juraian technique to reveal characteristics of the spirit and soul to the visible world. What we must next do is to tap that power just below the surface.

Zev: *Deepest of siiiiiighs* Because of the nature of Dying Will Flames, they will only awaken from a near-death experience. That's very dangerous, and difficult to control. So, we're going to do something that I figured out by trying it on myself.

Asabana: Which he knows better than to do without help, by the way! *Indicates the Crowned Mirror in hand* The Suiten Taikan Kagami is capable of many things, in addition to providing almost boundless reserves of magical energy. It's able to, for a brief instant, reveal the Truth of life and death, and many other mysteries of the Universe.

Zev: A mind like yours or mine can't fathom this knowledge by merely looking upon it, to see the afterlife without going there first. We can only naturally reach it in dreams, after near-death experiences, generally. What I'm going to attempt to do is recreate the kind of near-death experience - in perception only - that fully awakens Dying Will Flames.

Asabana: You're going to be put into a calmed state, and then, shown the Truth. You will be very frightened, and may go into shock, but your mind, body, spirit and soul will be protected. You will be perfectly safe. <3

Zev: We'll begin any time you're ready.

~ ~ ~

[ A Place on Datrio, Far From the Plot: ]

*The chamber is rather sweltering, from a huge kiln in the corner*

*Countless materials and tools are strewn about, and clay constructs of intricate design dart about*

*Wearing a pair of spectacles, Prudence carefully etches runes into the forehead of a wood and clay golem, with a large ruby inset in its chest; overall, it's about the size of a toddler, with large fists hanging down to its knees, and a mostly-featureless lump for a head*

Prudence: *Brow furrows as she inspects her work, before she takes some kind of artful chisel out of her coat* Into the Chisel, O.S.: Ibnam.

*The chisel floats up in the air, turning slowly, before glowing and assuming a humanoid form*

*Nothing of the figure's skin is revealed; from behind his golden mask, featureless save for an inset ochre lens, a head of curly blonde hair hangs to his shoulders. He wears a silver and indigo vest, a dark violet mantle which hangs to his ankles in seven trails tipped by golden rings, a striped violet and silver bodysuit, and golden stakes of some kind replacing his feet*

*He overs a foot off of the ground, and waits for Prudence to speak with his golden claws folded before him*

Prudence: Ibnam, what do you say to this golem? *Shows him her work*

Ibnam: *Nods ever so slightly*

Prudence: Good! As ever, I appreciate your in-depth critiques! *Snickers as she places the golem on a metal rack, and slides it into the kiln*

*As she waits, she reads a newspaper*

~ ~ ~

[ Legacy Ship: ]

*At last, with a groan and a clanking of boots, Polly and Heathcance catch up to the group*

Sumire: Splendid. Now that we are gathered in our entirety, the time is nigh to reveal my findings. *Taps a holographic panel, bringing a variety of readings up on the screen* Now, I will assume that none of you know what Vascuud weaponry is. In an attempt to be concise, a Vascuud weapon uses the energy from skuub coral - symbiotes which live in the bodies of a moribund race, the Aea - by drawing it from an individual or group with the coral within them, to power devastating energy blasts with homing capabilities.

Heathcance: If I may ask, why do we not simply invite ourselves into the nearest Aea stronghold to straighten out their scurrilous ways?

Sumire: I'm afraid that there are a plethora of flaws in that sentiment. One, the Aea do not build strongholds - they are nomads, refugees from a disaster which rocked their star system. Two, they are opposed to needless violence, and although they will use Vascuud weaponry if necessary, a cognizant Aea would never use one to initiate an assault out of the blue. They also are under G.G. protection, due to their dwindling numbers and inability to digest most foods common throughout the Galaxy, and most disconertingly, we are on the entirely opposite side of the Galaxy from where the Aea are being protected and nurtured: the G.G. Stronghold Station of Mariejois.

Jemelt: What you mean to say is, we're being attacked by someone with Aea weaponry, and enough Aea biology to use it...

Sumire: Yes. But someone who is not held to their beliefs in peace and never initiating combat.

---

[ Endless Ocean Planet, A System Away: ]

*The seas are tinged with a pinkish-orange, and while the skies are just as blue as Earth, the clouds are a glimmering, pale gold*

*A few tiny archipelagos dot the surface, but the tallest feature is some kind of spire base*

*The spire extends for miles above the sea, and three tiers of interconnected rings encircle what is roughly the midsection*

*Somewhere near the very top, a certain someone is wrecking her room*

Anemone: Rrrgh!! Rrrrrgh, waaah, waaaaaagggghhhhh!!! *Smashes a vase into powder on the floor*

*A brownhaired young man runs breathless into her room, and immediately tries to console her*

Anemone: *Backhands him across the face, and leaps onto her bed*

*However, she stumbles, brains herself on the headboard, and begins to writhe atop it*

*Obviously in a far greater pain than just hitting her head like that would cause, Anemone screams and grunts like an animal as she tosses violently in bed*

*Despite her constantly beating on him, the young man carefully embraces her, and strokes her hair*

???: Anemone, you need to rest...Until you rest, the pain will only get worse. Please, go to sleep, and don't damage the things you love so much. *Takes an elbow to the ribs* Ngh! Please, shhh, shh...It's okay... *Begins to cry, as he continues hushing Anemone*

*Finally, her struggles mostly die down, and she begins to slip into unconsciousness*

???: I promise, tomorrow will be better...We have enough medication and prescriptions to prevent something like this for a long, long time, if you take it wisely. Just please, please sleep...

*He is overcome, and begins to cry*

???: You only have peace when you sleep... *Gently holds Anemone's wrist for strength*

Anemone: *Even as she fades out, she adjusts her hand*

*She falls asleep holding the young man's hand in hers*

~ ~ ~

[ Grassy Planet: ]

*As the group rests, suddenly, the sound of music can be heard*

*Who should be approaching but Lyram, carrying and playing a golden lute*

*Without a word, he pauses the song, sits down on the grass, and continues playing*

*Some magic in the tune rejuvenates the group*

~ ~ ~

[ Winter Court: ]

Pfae: It seems that hints are not enough. I beseech that you take me with you as bait. Once it catches my scent in an open area, it will simply set out to catch me. If I'm in a flat area with no obstruction of view, I'll be able to prepare for it.

*She cradles her left hand's stump, wincing slightly*

Pfae: I also need to get my hand back in the next 44 hours or so, lest it be lost to me forever; and there is a girl whose rescue will depend on me being at full capabilities.

~ ~ ~

[ Dhakaan, Near the Palace: ]

*Suddenly, Ecratea and Est come swooping low through the trees; they are followed close by a tough-looking woman with short, fiery scarlet hair, riding atop a sienna stallion with white flecks on its flanks*

*She is followed in turn by a number of horseback goblins and hobgoblins, perhaps an orc or two*

Ecratea: As you can see, Captain of the Cavalry Sully was able to fend off the invaders long enough for us to rescue her company.

Sully: Good Gods almighty! I never expected the elves to be so bone-dead stupid!

Est: Well we're the ones who got caught with our pants down, to be -

Ecratea: I want to hear less idle bickering and more strategizing.

Sully & Est: Yes'm.

~ ~ ~

[ Pirate-Mercenary Boogaloo: ]

Eruka: I have but one stipulation.

Al-Hassi: Yeah, that's likely enough...

Eruka: Would you hush? I need a nice bath before I go out. You caught me in the middle of a four-week assignment to harvest organs for a deadly doctor named Doolittle. Chances are, someone of consequence will be meeting her someday. Right now, I need a bath.

Al-Hassi: *Shakes her head, staying mercifully quiet*

[Pirate/Merc Gathering]

Aluren:  Understood.

Randolph:  No body count?  Such a drag....I better be paid in full for this job, then.

---

[Rhukaan Draal, Dhakaan]

Haruuc:  Enough.  The elves have taken the fortress, and Archmage Z'Dal.  No doubt King Valus will want to send an envoy to gloat.

Klin:  My spy network did not anticipate this - indeed, the Valenaran force must have traveled very quickly to have struck this fortress without us knowing it.

Vayne:  Nothing on the street, either.  This is most disconcerting.  What changed, to have the elves attack so quickly?

Haruuc:  Standing here thinking about it is doing nothing.  We need to regroup our forces and take them before they can bolster their position.

----

[Legacy Ship]

Anzu:  The Empire has encountered the Aea before.  Peaceful nomads, and usually they are allowed to travel in peace.  A non-Aea acquiring their technology is almost unprecedented.

*Lynvara stops blushing and glancing at Sumire, and nods, her normal stutter slipping away.*

Lynvara:  I'd love to get my hands on some Aea tech!  I've always wondered how they manage to completely invert the square-cube law using purely organic components.  Common sense says impossible, but they seem to manage it.  Simply brilliant.

---

[Winter Court]

*Though some of the Fae open their mouthes to protest, Glacé waves them down.

Glacé:  Good.  Then there is no time to be lost.  Lead the way, madame.

---

[Grassy Planet]

*Laros's wounds close, his internal bleeding stopped by the song*

Theris:  Damn it, my friend...why did you have to be so reckless?  You've always been headstrong, but bloodmagic is banned for a reason...

*He sighs*

Theris:  Laros will need time to recover.  Blood Magic is powerful, but ravages the body and life force.  I'll watch over him.

---

[Korasa]

*Prime impales CB with the blade attachment to its rifle, and uses the leverage to right himself, tossing CB into CY*

Prime:  Target...

*Prime uses infrared vision to sight Poe...and finds nothing.*

Prime: Escaped.

*It turns to the clones, and fires another stunning blast, retreating to its ship*

---

[Ulduar]

Tezzeret:  No, I hear that thing too.

Tae'thelan:  *Blasts an oncoming wave of golems*  It must be the Controller.  A sort of "Golem Supreme" with higher intelligence.

Golem Supreme:  Destroy them!  Let none breach this sanctuary!

Tezzeret:  *Hotwiring a few other golems*  Obviously there's something here of value.  Whatever it is...I want it.

Tae'thelan:  Treasure is irrelevant - it is what stories are buried here that mattered.  The civiliz-

*A golem punches him in the face, dropping him to the floor*

Tezzeret:  Keep your head in the game, man!

*He claws through more golems, his hand shredding them like rubber.*

---

[The World the Always Will Be]

*A portal opens, and a gold-robed figure of indeterminate gender steps through.  Zhe has long, golden hair, that covers one eye, and a golden crown.  Red jewels bedeck hir form.*

???:  Well, well, well.  More beings that do not bow to my whim.  Mages, take this realm.  It belongs to me now.

Soldier:  Yes, lord Demiurge.

*The Demiurge opens hir eyes, revealing a crimson red.*

Demiurge:  Now BOW.

*Zhe raises hir staff, a golden scepter topped with red, and releases a wave of light, blinding those with their eyes open*

Ozar: "Thank you Yon, that will be all. And yes, Randolph. *grins* You will definitely be paid. And don't worry, your more violent services always have a place in my empire."

*Fourteen hears what Eruka says*

Fourteen: "Oh? Oh! Excuse us for interrupting your bloody tea time! Please, do reject our generous offer of money for a nice clean shower and your bloody little es-"

Ozar: "Now now, Fourteen, we must treat our guest with honor. You may have a quick shower, Eruka. But ours is different, so you'll have to find the shower more suited to your kind in this base. And remember, you'll be keeping a pack of cutthroat thieves waiting. You wouldn't want to stall them for too long, eh?"

*Ozar smiles*

Lalli: *whispers to Yon* "See what he did the-Oh...I...uh....sorry."

Fourteen: "Alright then. Let's wait in my ship. I 'ave good music."

*Fourteen leaves towards the dock area*

---

*Merasmus sits in front of a TV, watching Burt Lancaster movies*

Merasmus: "Aaaah."

*See-Man bursts in, and points to a picture on his demo-phone*

See-Man: "SEE!!"

*points to a picture of The Hand groping the grill*

Merasmus: "AAIEEEIAAAIEEAH! WHO TOLD HIM TO DO THAT?!"

*leaps and teleports to McYonald's*

Merasmus: "*points to the Hand* Leave!"

---

*Lt. Manning rolls his eyes*

Lt. Manning: "*whispers* People today."

---

*Nadle stands and nods*

Nadle: "After you. *points to the door*"

---

Figlio: "*grins* No. I came here for dinner. And business."

*Ra comes into the dining hall, and sits at the table*

Ra: "What would you like to eat, Makuta Blackout?"

*A waiter comes by and serves Blackout wine*

Figlio: "So why did you invite us here, Ra?"

Ra: "You both have something in common."

Figlio: "Oh, do we?"

Ra: "Yes. But I'd rather have you two discover that on your own."

Figlio: "*snicker* You Osirians and your riddles."

---

*The soldier is knocked out by the plasma bolt*

Rahn: "WHY DO WE ATTACK THE WORST PLACES?! WHY CAN'T WE ATTACK A NORMAL PLACE THAT ACTUALLY BLOWS UP?"

Julio: "FIGHT! DON'T TALK! DEATH TO KLAK!"

*Both Rahn and Julio throw grenades at the door, blowing a hole through it*

*They get up, and rush towards the hole*

Random Soldier: "*steps in front of them* What are you doing?"

Rahn: "I have no idea."

*Meanwhile, the guards near Frenzy begin to shoot at him*

---

Coro: "....And what's to guarantee you won't attempt to kill them?"

---

Rainn: "*whispers* Godspeed, Poe. *laughs, and looks at Prime* What are you aiming at, Robot? She's gone! And I suggest you get going too. Blizzard Wolfang doesn't take kindly to unwanted guests with hostile intentions. And something tells me you wouldn't do well against those who have powers that reflect their home turf. Now go."

---

Miss Martian: "*quietly* I'm sorry. I'm still getting used to you being Kid Flash."

---

*Perseus's eyes flare in rage*

Perseus: "Lost his way? LOST HIS WAY?!"

*He quickly flies over to the incoming asteroid, and begins to punch it angrily*

Perseus: "LOST MY WAY?! I AM A GENERAL! A LEADER! I DESTROYED ENEMIES OUT OF THE COMBINED HANDS OF MY KNIGHTS AND MY OWN ABILITIES."

*His punching begins forming a crater*

Perseus: "I WAS SELECTED ABOVE OTHERS TO BE A PLATINUM LANTERN! YOU?! YOU CAUSE NOTHING BUT CHAOS IN YOUR WAKE! LOST MY WAY?!"

*He punches the asteroid harder, and cracks begin to form*

Perseus: "LOST. MY. WAY?!"

*The asteroid cracks in half*

*Now calm, Perseus turns to Ynot*

Perseus: "But I concede this one to you. Take care of your pressing matters. I await for our next battle."

*He quietly flies over to User MY*

Perseus: "*whispers to him* As for you. I will deal with you at the User World. Take the Lanterns home."

---

*Saix, for some unknown reason, covered his eyes before The Demiurge appeared*

Saix: "*hears what is going on* Dafuq?"

----

Me: If it's really "higher" intelligence, it would have backed away by now.

*slices through three golems*

*Toa Bob opens a chasm between some of the golems*

---

*Meanwhile, on an unidentified planet, the leaders of Cadmus meet*

Amanda Waller: "The new subjects and the continued close calls mean that we have to retreat into the shadows. Our cover might be blown, so we must scale back on a few operations."

Richtofen: "Some of our recent attempts at cloning have failed. All of those you took DNA from at Malchior IV proved to have..unstable clones. We did not have enough to continue experimenting."

Amanda Waller: "This is troublesome. And with that event on Malchior IV, we can presume many of our subjects are dead."

*A holographic image of Thunderbolt Ross nods*

Thunderbolt: "Still, my new contacts have presented me with a machine that can wipe out Makuta. I will see its results soon enough."

Waller: "You may have to hold off on that, Ross. We don't want to kill off potential experiment sources."

Thunderbolt: "*grunts* True."

Nuvo Vindi: "How close are we to Malygos, yeah?"

Waller: "We have a few that are intending to get to him. Once we have enough DNA, we can attempt at experimentation."

Dr. Strange: "These HYDRA groups. They trouble me. We must watch them."

Waller: "Agreed. But they have similar goals to us. Perhaps they can do our dirty work without even noticing."

Dr. Strange: "Impossible. Their leader is a brilliant tactician. We must not interfere with them, lest they discover our true intentions."

Richtofen: "Agreed. Zhis may become our undoing."

Waller: "Then Cadmus must continue its work, but in secret."

Richtofen: "As it always has been."

Dr. Strange: "When shall we meet again?"

*Richtofen, Strange, Waller, Vindi, and other leaders decide on 3 months.*

OOS: Just sort of putting them on a bus until I find a place to work them in. For now, I'll focus on HYDRA and other villains.

[Gathering of Mercs, Liquid Metallicon]

*Yon coughs, then laughs and coughs again, accidentally elbowing Lalli in the ribs*

Yon: Me too. Must be something I ate.

*Yon just realizes that he's still wearing the McYonalds uniform, and takes off the silly baseball cap*

----------------------------------

[McYonalds, Stouttish Islands]

*The Hand turns around, sticks its middle finger up at Merasmus, then jumps onto a sign hanging from the ceiling which bears the company motto: "It doesn't matter if you have one eye or two, we'll get around to serving you". When Merasmus tries to grab it, it leaps off into a cupboard, emerging holding a syringe labelled "DRUHGS" with its three middle fingers*

----------------------------------

[arena planet, unknown location]

Mocax: The Zahgargak. It's a legendary beast manufactured by the Brotherhood of Makuta millennia ago for use in wars or conflicts, most notably sieges on forts. Well, in the end there was only one created, and that was by... your father.

Trantoshen: So what the hell's it doing here?

Mocax: It has teleportation Kanoka built into its spinal column so it can materialize anywhere at will. It could have been following us all this time.

*Trantoshen draws his sword, firmly gripping it with both hands*

Trantoshen: So what do we do?

Mocax: Follow my lead.

*He gets up, and slowly approaches the beast*

[Gathering Of Pirates And Mercs, Liquid Metallicon]

*Shortly after Ozar had finished his briefing, Raigen nonchalantly walks to one of the consoles he noticed were arranged at the front of the hall. Ignoring the suspicion-laced look of a nearby pirate guard, he downloads the intel for the heist, including the map of the prison, into his phone. Satisfied that he now has the intel for the heist saved for future reference, he walks away from the console while checking out the newly acquired info. Hmm, everything's all here. This'll be useful just in case. Supermax series, guard patrol routes, security systems.....Wait...what?! The merc pauses as he discovers a heavily encrypted file he had also downloaded. Prisoner #3.......Hmm.....Ozar didn't mention anything about this.... I can't open the files now, though, with this heavy duty encryption..... Maybe I'll check this out later...*

*Putting away his phone, the wolf walks over towards Randolph and Al-Hassi.*

Raigen: So.....you're the guys I gotta work with, huh?

~~~

[News Broadcast, Picus TV, Picus Communications Group]

Newsreader: ...In other news, details about a bold manoeuvre by major player in the universal market, Gentech continue to emerge. Sources close to the transgalactic giant inform me that it has successfully purchased rival corporation EnPro Tech. EnPro stock had taken a dip earlier in the week as rumours began to circulate, accusing CEO Neil McTavish of embezzlement. McTavish denied the allegations but could not explain how trillions of dollars in revenue ended up in his personal account. "I'm sure it was just a clerical error," quipped Joseph Heller, CEO of Gentech as transfer of ownership was officially declared. The purchase gives Gentech a significant increase in universal market share, allowing it to field a larger influence on the universal stage. This is Eliza Cassan, reporting to you live from Picus.


OOS: Short post but took me about 2 days to think about all teh names (even tho I eventually chose some of them to be based on games), believe it or not. I'm teh type of guy that usually takes hours to pick a character name when playing a game x3

[Ozar's Super-Happy-Fun-Times-Soon-Too-Be-A-Zombie-Making-Factory-Outing]

Osseron listened as everyone told their introductions and Ozar presented his plan, and everyone's intended jobs. Letting the man finish he spoke up.

"Listen, I'm not sure who told you I was a technopath, but sadly that is the one thing I most definitively am not. I'm actually in the middle of a mutual disgust with technology, so the less I have to touch it, the better. I'll stick to reviving and healing for this."

Walking over to Randolph, Al-Hassi, and Raigen, he looks over all three before smiling.

"Well then, seems like you three are the most likely to bleed and/or die, so I'll be nearby patching up the leaky bits, eh? If anything I might as well get a free fireworks show in the best seat of the house~!"

He looks at Randolph and Al-Hassi before pulling out his tab-book and jotting flipping to a new page, jotting down their names.

<Manning's office>

*Aster puts her phone away*

Aster: I'm sorry, what?

-----

<Jones' ship>

*Jones rolls his eyes, but then walks on*

*Outside the ship, shape-shifters are setting up equipment*

Jones: This is a soft spot in the fabric of reality. We can use it to look into another reality, one without F-Klak.

-----

<Ailyb-Gypte>

*Blackout laughs*

Blackout: You do love being cryptic, don't you? I think I'll like this planet. Also, I'll have the chicken fillet, please.

*He turns back to Figlio*

Blackout: What business might that be, if I may ask?

-----

<Malchior IV>

*553 runs up to the random soldier and headbutts him*

SB: THIS IS MADNESS!

*He throws a grenade at the roof*


*Frenzy turns from the computer, and rolls under a table*

*He suddenly gets up, knocking the table over, and shoots razor discs at the soldiers*

-----

<Vizima>

TPK: I came here alone, to meet an army of battle-hardened warriors. Would that really be smart?

-----

<Lantern Parade>

*Dirge hides behind a rock, and only reluctantly peers out after the Ynots have gone*

-----

<Liquid-Metallicon>

*A shuttle heads for the location of the gathering*

-----

[Below Korasa, Tunnels]

*Poe catches her breath, knowing the killdroid can’t follow her where she is*

Poe: Great. Where to now, Poe?

*she pulls out a tablet and does a little research*

----
[Mount Justice Ruins, Earth]

Nightwing: If that happens, Kid, do things as we always do. Recon, Research, Repeat, React, Reengage. Aqualad, will, of course, be here to lead.

Impulse: Gotcha.

Nightwing: I’m going back to the Cave for now, I will meet the ones on mission here in the morning. Get some rest. We are going to need it.

*He heads for the Zeta tubes, Robin following*
----
[Lantern Parade]

*MY smirks as Perseus flies by*

MY: Oh, yes, of course. Do put me in my place, I’m sure you can.

*MY gathers up the remaining Lanterns, and instructs Dirge to follow, returning to User HQ*

----

[TWtAWb]

Demyx: Oh, and who might you be? Last I checked, this world already had a ruler. We do not bow, we enslave.

*Several dozen Dancer Nobodies appear and encircle the Demuirge*

----
[Beach Planet]

Shaern: That sounds like a very political way of saying I’m not doing this the way it is supposed to be done. Whatever. I guess I’m ready when you are.

*Shaern sits cross legged and tries to calm herself*

OOS: Don't think I missed anyone.

Sorry if I did. : S

~ ~ ~

[ Pirate Partay: ]

*Thankfully, Eruka is quick to finish her shower*

Eruka: Ahhhh. I feel like I just put on a fully-new wardrobe on the first day of a new year.

Al-Hassi: Oh for God's sakes. *Yanks her by the arm after the others*

Eruka: *Squawks indignantly, and launches into a tirade*

Al-Hassi: *Tunes her out, as shall we*

~ ~ ~

[ Dhakaani Invasion Repulsion: ]

Basilio: If this is all we've got, we need a plan, and fast. With a group this small, rushing in without an airtight role for everyone will leave us without a fart's chance in the wind of living to see nightfall!

Norne: Gross. *Suddenly has a thought* ...Actually...If the trees could cover our escape, couldn't they cover our return just as well?

Est: *Snaps her fingers* The royal hunting grounds! Only the Haruuc and his commanders know how to navigate it! If we split up into small squads -

Ecratea: - Then we can surgically disable the occupying force, distract them long enough to reach the dungeon, and then free whomever may be imprisoned.

*She turns to the Goblin King, as her wyvern adjusts its crouch by her side*

Ecratea: By your leave, I'll begin organizing squads.

~ ~ ~

[ Legacy Ship: ]

Sumire: A task for another day, sadly. We still have the matter of the malfunctioning environmental regulation processors. *Siiiiiigh* And how precisely to go about reaching it, so as to make repairs...

Polly: I actually did a wee bit o' tinkerin' wit some suits I had transported 'ere. *Snaps her fingers in Heathcance's general direction*

Heathcance: *Clanks off, soon to return with a large hover-trolley; set out on top are baggy suits covered in dimly glowing cyan circuits, with helmets resembling sleek versions of those worn by old-fashioned salvage divers*

Polly: Heathcance has absolutely 0% organic components, and thus cannae be rendered undead. These suits'll allow four a' our number ta venture down, defend ourselves, an' make repairs. I took time ta analyze fair Lynva's tech, and I installed an interface in her suit.

Sumire: Ye Gods, Polly! The technology of the Foggernauts never ceases to amaze. *Circles around the hover trolley, aglow with admiration* The patented Foggernaut conforming electrofabric armor, yes. And a wireless interface helmet! What I would give to spend a day studying your people's refinements!

Heathcance: Milady, my creator and I forever consider you welcome.

Sumire: Thank you kindly, Heathcance.

~ ~ ~

[ Cold World: ]

Pfae: *Has come to a stop in a wide field, covered in shallow snow*

*She looks to Glace, calm and resolute*

Pfae: Conceal yourself, preferably with magic. It may distract the mouther long enough for me to pull off a particularly bloodthirsty farce.

*A maniacal chattering arises in the distance, distorted by the wind*

~ ~ ~

[ Beach Planet: ]

Asabana: *Presents the Crowned Mirror*

Zev: Now, I can't guarantee what you shall see...But know that you are safe, and not alone.

*The mirror gives an odd, eldritch glow*

<Lantern Parade>

*Dirge reluctantly transforms and follows*

*As he gets further and further away from the battlefield, he is less and less afraid*

-----

<The Cabana>

*A portal opens, sucking air into it*

*A blue-armoured hand pokes its way out of it, followed by the rest of the person*

*It is F-Blackout, wearing a backpack*

*A chair floats out of the portal behind him, which then shuts*

*F-Blackout takes off his backpack, sits down, and waits*

[Fae Realm]

Glacé: Very well.

*She cast an invisibility spell on herself and the fae soldiers behind her*

---

[Legacy Ship]

*Lynvara gazes at the suits in wonder, her gaze taken from the beautiful succubus for a second*

Lynvara: Brilliant! Doppler's been trying to design magitek armor like this for operations in extreme environs for years, with little success. It simply took too much power to maintain the magic shield for an extended period of time. Eventually, we just decided to use golems for those operations - less hassle. But you Foggernauts have managed it without the use of magic at all! Simply splendid!

*Anzu smirks*

Anzu: You can get wet over the tech later, we have a job to do.

Lynvara: Oh! *She turns to Sumire, her face reddening* S...sorry...

---

[Dhakaan]

Haruuc: Understood. Vayne.

Vayne: Yes, my lord.?

Haruuc: You will lead the squad that recovers Z'Dal, and other prisoners locked in the dungeon. Wait for the distraction, set up by Ecraeta. My force will then cut off the elvish forces from hitting the castle, until Vayne's mission succeeds.

Vayne: It will be done, my lord.
---

[TWtAWB]

Demiurge: Pathetic.

*He waves his hand, and a circle of light appears around him*

Demiurge: Burn.

*He waves his hand, and the circle expands, engulfing the Nobodies in searing light*

---

[Lantern Parade]

*LM glares at MY*

LM: You're planning something stupid and disruptive again, aren't you.

---

[Pirate Gathering]

Randolph: Yes. So you're the famed mercenary, Raigen. I must say, I was expecting someone beefier.

---

Aluren: The plan seems relatively simple. Also, if it is helpful, I do have disruption and enchantment magic that could help us get in and disable some security systems.

---

[Ulduar]

Tezzeret: We're almost through. They must have something real good to have so many golems protecting it.

*He tears on through the heart of another golem, supercharging it, and throwing it towards the army of golems. It explodes, overloading their processors and destroying them.*

Tae'thelan: Go!

*He casts a haste spell, and they begin to move more quickly, as the golems regroup*

---

[Korasa]

Prime: Very well.

*He vanishes, having teleported away*

---

((Waiting on Zev for Grassy Planet))

*Pirate Lord Ozar facepalms*

Ozar: "I apologize, Osseron. That's the second error my intelligence made today. The first was talking about a third prisoner. *Gets a notification* Oh my. I forgot to cancel on one of the mercenaries. Everyone, your final comrade will arrive soon. Remember to apologize on our behalf, Fourteen. We must continue to clean up after Keichi's mistakes. And thank you for your offer, Spymistress. You may help Fourteen with disabling the security system. Good luck, mercenaries. May the gods be with you."

*He walks away from the briefing room, and texts DRJ's character to board Fourteen's ship above the orbit of the planet. He also texts him the details of the mission.*

Lalli Cain: "*coughs uncomfortably at the mention of 'gods', and turns to Yon* McYonalds? Isn't that the restaurant in the Stouttish Islands?"

*Fourteen finds out that Eruka has finished*

Fourteen: "Enough talk. It's time for action. Get to the ship, everyone."

*He presses a button, and teleports the mercenaries to his ship*


---

Merasmus: "NO! Don't do that!"

---

Lt. Manning: "Uh, nothing! Nothing at all!"

---

Nadle: "I see. How do we know F-Klak's existence, or lack thereof, is the only variable?"

---

Figlio: "You sure you don't want the herring? I love herring! *sips wine* Right now, I am considering ventures in revolutions. What is your expertise in the matter?"

Ra: "*speaks in Ancient Egyptian to his servant, repeating to him what everyone ordered*"

*The waiter nods, salutes, and leaves.*

---

*The roof explodes, leaving a hole in it.*

Rahn: "UH WHAT. WHY AREN'T WE GOING THROUGH THAT ROOF?"

*The soldiers shot by the discs die immediately.*

---

Coro: "Well, you are a Great Being. *pauses, then laughs hardily* Very well then, come with me."

*Coro pulls out a blindfold, and wraps it around TPK's face.*

---

Perseus: "More than you know, User. More than you know."

---

*Miss Martian silently floats over to the Zeta Tubes*

---

*Saix is injured*

---

Me: Lots of guards, lots of treasure.

*As the golems begin to regroup, Klak leaps into the air, and jumps on one of them. He springs from that one, and then to another one, using each monster as a leap pad.*

*Bob smashes his hand to the ground, causing a minor shockwave that knocks some of the golems down.*

*He then does the same as Klak.*

---

*Rainn bites the bottom of his lip.*

Rainn: "Well. Adventure awaits. I should find Aster again."

????????: "I will follow you."

Rainn: "It doesn't sound like you have much else to do."

????????: "Nope."

*Rainn gets into his ship, and flies away, setting course for Malchior IV*

<Manning's office>

Aster: Good. Just out of curiosity, have there been any incidents of espionage reported recently?

-----

<Outside Jones's ship>

Jones: We can't know that. Not unless you know of a way to probe an entire universe in every detail. All we can do is find one that fits our criteria.

*He gestures at the shape-shifters*

-----

<The Black House>

553: Because there's a door, silly.

*He walks in, and starts shooting at things*

*SB follows suit*


*Frenzy jumps over to the soldiers to check if they're dead*

*He jibbers in his language, then runs back over to the computer to check on the download*

*3%*

Frenzy: :fuu: 

*He goes mental, and smashes his head into a wall*

-----

<Vizima>

*TPK hmphs, but decides to follow Coro anyway*

-----

<Liquid-Metallicon>

*The shuttle docks with Fourteen's ship*

*The hatch and airlock open, and Deathsaurus exits*

*He realises he has no idea where to go now*

Deathsaurus: He could've texted me directions for the ship, too.....

-----

<Ailyb-Gypte>

Blackout: I'm not too fond of fish. *coughs* I've put down a few revolutions in my time, now that you mention it. Ever heard of Xindi VII?

-----

OOS: Waiting on Ynot for F-Blackout.

[Cabana]

*Ynot stirs*

Ynot: (in a really groggy voice) I swear to Mata Nui, if I have to fight whoever just came in here, I am nuking this entire ship.

*He opens his eye to see F-Blackout*

Ynot: You feel like Blackout, but you don’t look like him. Seeing as you had the opportunity to kill me in my sleep, that isn’t what you are here for. What’s this about?
----

[Parade]

MY: Please, I don’t plan anything like that. Now come along, before more beings try to take a stab at us.

*They depart*

[User HQ]

*As the group returns to base, MY reviews what he missed while away, taking a quick inventory of situations, then addresses the Lanterns*

MY: Kratos, Perseus, I would have words with you two, the rest of you may disperse and do as you please.

*Kratos, and hopefully Perseus approach*
MY: You did well out there today. I realize you didn’t win, but you held your own, and you are alive. There are several people who’ve faced Ynot who can’t say that. This showed us where improvement is needed. I will not be assigning a mission to this group until you have all healed, and feel ready. That being said, I believe it time to reward you two for you leadership out there.

Kratos: I didn’t say I’m staying.

MY: Kratos, if you weren’t, you would not have come back here. As I was saying, I wish to reward you two. Ask for anything you wish, it shall be yours.
----

[TWtAWb]

*Demyx is behind Demiurge, his Sitar raised as he bashes it over Demiurge’s head*

SM Demyx: We will not bow to an invader. Leave now, and go in peace. We have conquest plans of our own.
----

[Beach Planet]

Shaern: So, what do I have to do here, just look into the mirror?

<The Cabana>

*F-Blackout smiles*

F-Blackout: Yep, I'm Blackout. It's been a while. I'm from.....100,000 years in the future, I think. We've met, at Klak's funeral that wasn't actually a funeral. Now, if I had a whole posse following me around all the time, I'd get tired. No wonder you dumped them. And yet you still care about them. I don't, but I care about you, in a twisted little way. So I came here to make you a promise. There's a little war going on in the future right now, and I'd hate it if your friends got caught in the crossfire. So I'm going to protect them. I will do everything in my power to make sure they get to live out however many years they have unharmed. How's that?

*He picks up his backpack, and messes with it a little*

-----

[ User HQ: ]

*Metaphorically licking her wounds, Videlle keeps to herself*

~ ~ ~

[ Beach Planet: ]

Zev: Yes, just -

Asabana: - Just get on with it is what he means to say!

Zev: I actually never intended to be that pushy...

Asabana: I improvised. Look into the mirror, and you will see a vision of the afterlife. That will trigger the effect of a near-death experience, and awaken your Dying Will Flame.

Zev: Just do it whenever you're ready.

~ ~ ~

[ Winter World: ]

*Soon, the gibbering mouther comes into view*

*It's an amoebic mass of flesh-colored ooze, covered by a mess of eyes and mouth which randomly appear and disappear throughout its mass*

*Barreling towards Pfae, it's suddenly distracted by the presence of a cloaked faerie*

Pfae: *Suddenly becomes a huge, six-limbed reptile, with hooked talons and massive, crocodillian jaws* RAAAAAAAATCH!!

*She grabs the gibbering mouther in her jaws, and begins to violently shake it back and forth*

*Every few shakes, she slams it on the ground once, twice, maybe even thrice, then continues shaking it*

*When she's done, the mouther is dissolving into quivering wisps of nebulous darkness*

*As Pfae returns to her normal form, the mouther drops her hand to the snow - scarred quite a bit, but still retaining its original shape*

Pfae: *Picks up the hand, and places it back against the stump of her wrist* Nngh...

*With a grunt of pain, she begins knitting the flesh and bone back together*

~ ~ ~

[ Legacy Ship, Time Skip: ]

*The group of Lynvara, Anzu, Sumire, Polly, and Heathcance have descended to the lower levels*

*Prepared for the noxious fog, they are not ready for the corpses loitering about and cannibalizing each other*

Sumire: *Points to a tower that soars above the immense bank of smog* Ho! There lies this level's environmental unit! Prepare to advance, friends!

*As the Dead begin to approach, Sumire rushes forward; blasting them with bursts of freezing light*

Polly: *Wielding a high-power boltgun, sends the metal fasteners rocketing straight through the Dead's bodies at such speed that they begin to lop off limbs*

Heathcance: *Has summoned a couple of cybots and disc-drones, bringing up the rear and forming an obstacle course for any undead who wish to follow*

*Periodically, he stomps - forming a tall barricade out of the stone floor - or spews out walls of maroon flames from his gauntlets*

*As one of the Dead lunges for Anzu, Polly grapples it with a lifting cord, and flings it high into the air*

*There, shots of Stasis energy tear it to shreds*

~ ~ ~

[ Dhakaan, Time Skip: ]

*In the elven-occupied castle, they keep a sharp eye out for ground troops*

*However, suddenly, a long, haunting shriek echoes in the cloudy skies above*

*Soaked in water from the clouds, Ecratea and Est swoop down - Est plants two lances in the chests of elves, whilst Ecratea beheads two more with one swing of her axe*

*As the two circle the castle on their steeds, the thundering of hooves can be heard below*

Sully: Take no prisoners!! *Throws her lance, knocking straight into an elf's mouth and killing him instantly*

*Her hobgoblin, etc. riders send lances and arrows and throwing axes cutting through elven forces*

*Meanwhile, from the cover of the trees and brush in the hunting grounds, Norne and Basilio send arrows flying into the battlements*

Lon'qu: *Suddenly dashes into the midst of several light-armored elven guards, drawing his blade*

*In a flurry of slashes, he's left them riddled with deep wounds, before escaping*

~ ~ ~

[ Green Planet: ]

*After Lyram's song has rejuvenated and healed the group, they head on their way back to the Cait Shelter guild hall*

Mia: So, Lyram. What precisely brought you so far afield from the hall?

Lyram: Boss-lady Sarasim got a feeling that you needed help~

*Obtuse as usual, the androgynous one leaves it at that*

---

[ Somewhere Secluded, And Far Away: ]

*Two figures watch these proceedings, via scrying pool*

*One, a female with violet scales, indigo hair tied down in pigtails framing her jaw by polka-dot bows, and eyes with scarlet sclera and grayish-purple pupils looks positively wroth. Her face is painted with white on the left and black on the right - as well as inverted markings around her eyes, a stylized, toothy white grin design around the right side of her mouth, and a fanged frown in black around the left side. Two twisted, banded black horns arch up from above her temples, before sharply curling out, down, then inward until they almost meet above her brow*

*She towers above her compatriot, and bears an, ahem, "generous carriage." Her curvaceous torso is loosely covered by a worn t-shirt, sloppily fingerpainted in indigo designs, while her voluptuous legs are hugged by striped black and purple tights, secured by a plated belt and an armored pair of purple briefs. To complete her bizarre ensemble, she wears a pair of boots with curled-up toes*

??? 1: *Screams, stomping the ground so hard that the cavern shakes, and an imprint of her boot is left in the stone* That little ##### Pokotan has no business in our territory! I oughta hunt her down and smack her a good one! ####er####ing #####!!

??? 2: *Is a bit shorter, with a bulky body, and some kind of shell atop his head, and on his back* Patience, Halfaxa. When those scamps siding with Sarasim are out in the open, we'll make our move.

Halfaxa: I hate waitin', Tak. I wanna do sumpthin'.

Tak: Wait just a bit longer, and you can fight your fill.

Halfaxa: *Grins, contemplating...*

[Green Planet]

*Laros chuckles, turning to Theris*

Laros: That leaves another quesiton - what brings you out here, old friend?

Theris: Oh, the usual. The ability to exercise my power with impunity, the abundance of beautiful women and men, the same thing that attracts me to any other places. What about you, Laros?

Laros: Well, we're on a quest.

*Raucous laughter bursts from the illusionist's throat*

Theris: A quest! God, how old are you, Laros? This isn't a children's fantasy.

*Laros pouts.*

Laros: It's true...

Theris: Hey, calm down. I was only joking.

---

[Dhakaan]

*Noting the signal, Vayne's force of black-cloaked goblins begins to rush quickly into the castle as the elves are distracted*

*The commanding officer, however, notices.*

Tiera: You fools! They're attacking the castle under our very notices. Kill them!

*The elves turn to rush...finding their path blocked by a legion of elite hobgoblin infantry, clad in black, with armor and shield, bearing the crest of Dhakaan, a red sword on black.*

Haruuc: Close ranks!

*The Dhakaani forces lock shields*

Haruuc: Spears at the ready! Do not let our formation fall!

*The hobgoblins ready their spears, and begin to march towards the Valenar forces. Tiera commands her army to fire upon the phalanx, but to no avail.*

---

[Legacy Ship]

Anzu: I do not need help in combat.

*He opens his hand, and his characteristic black scythe appears in it. He slices through some of the dead, leaping into action. His scythe begins to darken as he unleashes bolts of shadow with every blow he lands*

*One of the dead lunges for Sumire, past Anzu's flurry, but Lynvara stops it, melting its head with a high-powered laser*

Lynvara: B...Be careful!

*She presses a few buttons on her omni-tool, unleashing a bolt of fire from it. Techincally it's not a fireball, being tech-based, but it still works. After getting off a few other good shots from her laser, she switches to using more incendiary shots, arcing towards the enemies. Unconsciously, she feels herself most closely fighting alongside Sumire.*

---

[Winter Planet]

Glacé: Don't just stand there, you imbeciles. Destroy it.

*They comply, firing bolts of ice at the thing as Glacé draws her sword - a shard of black ice carved most eloquently and inscribed with magical runes. It emits an aura of cold, even chilling some of the fae.*

*She swings the sword towards the mouther, intending to freeze the thing solid*

---

[TWtAWB]

*The magus simply grins again, putting forth his hand, and speaks a word.*

Demiurge: Halo.

*A shield of light appears around the Demiurge, as he begins to stand back up. The shield - no, the ring - begins to expand, engulfing SM Demyx in purifying light*

Demiurge: Light burns creatures of darkness such as yourself. I have a friend who would also like to meet you. Anzu, archangel of Light, ready yourself.

*An angel of purest light strides forth, raising a cross-like sword, aflame with holy fire*

SM Anzu: I am ready, my lord.

Demiurge: Destroy them, as your Emperor commands!

SM Anzu: It will be done.

*He slices through some Mook Nobodies before unleashing a lance of light from his sword to strike Demyx*

Demiurge: You? Conquer? Don't make me laugh. Your would-be conquerer is going to die before he even makes his first move. Swear allegiance to me, and you will be incorporated into our grandest Empire.

*He smirked*

Demiurge: Think. No one to persecute you for what you are. No one to oppose your ambitions - so long as they are in our interests, of course.

---

[User HQ]

*LM scoffs, walking away and opening his transmitter*

LM: Prime, what is your status.

Prime: Target has fled.

LM: Unfortunate. This is a...difficult situation. Find her again, and do not resume hostilities unless forced to. I want to talk to her this time.

Prime: Understood.

*He closes his transmitter and strides off to his room, adjusting his glasses*

---

[Ulduar]

Tezzeret: Alright, let's go!

Tae'thelan: The control room should be just through this-

*A hulking, mechanical automoton stands in the way, held together with some sort of magnetic force*

*A high-pitched voice comes form it, despite there being no visible orifice*

Machine: New toys? For me?!?!? Oh, I promise I won't break them this time!

Tezzeret: S**t...

*The thing rushes forward, slamming one of its hands down against Tezzeret*

---

[Pirate Gathering]

*Randolph idly cleans his rapier, as Aluren checks the status of her tech*

[Malchior IV]

Lt. Manning: "*uneasily* D-define espionage."

---

[DRJ's ship]

Nadle: "Very well. Let us go."

*prepares himself*

---
[Malchior IV]

Rahn: "*gets in through the door, and shoots at some of the guards* Malchiorians are always dying."

---

[Vizima]

*Coro removes TPK's blindfold, revealing the Knights of the Keruvim camp *

*The Knights form a circle around them, suspiciously looking at the two.*

Axalara: "Great TPK. *bows* What brings you to our camp?"

Coro: "The new leader of my people wishes to speak with you."

---

[Ailyb-Gypte]

Figlio: "I've heard a few tales. Weren't you almost injured there? Oh well, putting down revolutions, raising them up. This unstoppable force could meet an immovable object, don't you think?"

---

[Users]

Perseus: "Anything? *pauses* I wish to emancipate myself from User rule. I need time...I must understand why I even joined this team, and work alone for a while."

---

[TWtAWB]

Saix: "I'm still here."

---

[Space]

*Rainn continues to fly the cosmos, and jumps to lightspeed.*

---

[Ulduar]

Me: TEZZERET!

Bob: "He'll be okay! He looks kind of human, and they're squishy!"

Me: Shut up, Bob.

Bob: "Right. What is this thing, Tae'thalan?"

*Klak attempts to hold it back with his gravity powers.*

---

[Mercenary Plot]

*Fourteen beams Deathsaurus into his ship*

*The text detailing the directions arrives*

Fourteen: "Ugh, space reception. I hate it. Everyone's here? Roight then."

*flips a switch, and they jump to lightspeed, arriving near Supermax 429 in a short while.*

Fourteen: "Get your gear ready. We need to be ready in 10."

*Lalli Cain makes sure his pistols are loaded, and that his body and knives are ready.*

Lalli: "Ready."

<Malchior IV>

Aster: Suspicious transmissions. Government employees going missing. Anything like that.

-----

<DRJ's ship>

*The shape-shifters stand aside, and the equipment they set up begins humming ominously*

*A portal opens*

DRJ: After you.

-----

<Malchior IV>

553: Hold your fire.

*He aims at the few remaining employees*

553: All of you, get up against the wall. Shadow Blade, tie them up.

*He hands SB a few zip ties*

*The Makuta reluctantly starts restraining the Malchiorians*


*Frenzy turns back to the computer*

*89%*

Frenzy: AERH HAADF HURRYUPHURRYUPTHEYCOMIN!

-----

<Vizima>

*TPK clears his throat*

TPK: Yes. Where is your leader? Where's Perseus?

-----

<Fourteen's ship>

*Deathsaurus looks around*

DS: Nice to see you all. I'm Deathsaurus.

*He checks his various weapons*

-----

<Earth>

*Shockwave walks into a lab to find Krika sitting down hunched over a book*

*Behind him, there is a pod, containing a suspiciously-coloured gelatinous mass*

Shockwave: What.....is that?

Krika: What? *he turns to the pod* Oh, that. I'm making Earth tea. I hear it's delicious with some cytossssssssol.

Shockwave: Isn't that only found in cells?

*Krika gets up, and walks over to the pod, which has a tap attached*

Krika: Yes. *He holds up a teaspoon, and opens the tap*

*Some liquid comes out, just enough to fill the teaspoon*

*He goes back to his table, adds the liquid to a cup full of water, and puts a teabag in it*

Shockwave: You disgust me.

Krika: You also need me. So, what brings you here?

Shockwave: I want you to use the serum on me.

*The Makuta stares at him, dumbfounded*

Krika: But you're so big, and strong, and your arm isssss a gun. Why do you need more?

Shockwave: I just do.

Krika: Very well. Sssssit right down.

[Cabana]

Ynot: That sounds nothing like the Blackout I know. Unless there is a catch. Let’s hear it.
----

[User HQ]

MY: If that is what you wish, I am a man of my word. Your control was tenuous at best, anyway. Your User has been on Ice for quite some time. Self inflicted, just for the record. He handed control of you to me, and I set you on Autopilot.

Kratos: Autopilot?

MY: Yes, of course. SOME Users control every action a character makes. Me? I set the stage and let my creations do their own thing. I provide a crossroads for them to pick their paths. Occasionally, some outcomes I favor over others, and make those paths seem more favorable, but the choice still lies with the characters.

Kratos: I think you lie, User.

MY: Then why did Ynot crash your parade? That certainly wasn’t something I wanted. I gave him a choice, the other path was to be fighting a rather large monster in another part of the galaxy. But he chose to come to us. One of Ynot’s crew, Blade shows great distaste for Ynot. He went so far as to request Ynot leave his island home. Ynot chose to respect that wish, instead of imposing his will. Blade learned a lesson that day, the same lesson Sasuken learned years before. Ynot excels in doing the one thing you don’t expect.

Kratos: Then what would he do if I attacked him, now?

MY: Not to long ago, I would have said stand still and let you fgure out you could do nothing to kill him. Now? Probably open a portal beneath you and drop you into an underworld.

Kratos: Wait... you don’t mean...

MY:  Don’t know for sure. But we are getting off track with all this exposition. Perseus, you are free for however long you wish. I will even extend this to all of the corps, but let’s set the rest of you on a weeks leave? Kratos, you also still have one wish.

Kratos: Well, I am free of responsibility, I have greater power than ever, and yet... I wish I had my anger back. My past as a whole.

MY: I will honor that wish, but before I do...think on this. those who might have turned a blind eye without your past will not once I do so.
Kratos: Don’t care.

MY: Then it shall be so, the moment you leave here. Do inform the others of their vacation on your way to kill whatever god peaks your interest.
----

[TWtAWb]

*The SM Demyx that was struck dissipates as the real one grabs Saix and makes for the lower levels*
----

[Beach Planet]

Shaern looks deep into the mirror and finds herself at a crossroads. To her right, a charred landscape with burnt trees. To the contrary, on her left is a beautiful landscape of lush greenery and peaceful animals. The road she stands on forks, on in both directions. At the fork, a man of a dark regal air stands, propped by a large scythe. He is not imposing, as he stands a mere 4 and a half feet tall, but his form is nothing but muscle, covered by luminous blue skin. He wears a bony spiked Pauldron on his left shoulder, a kilt, gauntlets, and Sabatons of similar design. His face is framed by long dark purple hair, and covered by a bone mask, lacking a mouth.

Death: Figured I'd see you sooner than later. You always did burn brighter than you did long.

*Shaern quivers slightly before regaining her composure*

Shaern: I do not fear you.

Death: Didn't say you did.

<The Cabana>

F-Blackout: There's no catch. I'm just doing this for old times' sake. Though, I'd like you to pass something on for me.

*He opens his backpack, and pulls out a mask*

*It is ancient, cracked, and battered, but still clearly the Kraahkan*

F-B: I haven't needed this in years. Nobody dares question my leadership of the Brotherhood, or what it's become, anyway. It's kinda boring, actually. But I manage. Give the mask to Sasuken. I'm sure he'd appreciate a memento of his father.

-----

<Earth>

*Shockwave gets out of a chair, pulling an IV drip out of his arm*

Shockwave: How long until it starts to take effect.

Krika: Manipulating DNA takesssssssss time. Could be week. Could be day. In meantime, I have newsssssss.

Shockwave: Yes?

Krika: The virusssss. Isssss almost ready for tesssssting.

OOS: So I managed to forget Ailyb-Gypte not once, but twice.....gah!

<Ailyb-Gypte>

Blackout: I can raise revolutions up too. I just haven't had a reason to lately. How about you? What sort of frowned-upon activities have you been engaging in lately?

[Gathering of Mercs, Fourteen's Ship]

*Yon bends over as if he is catching his breath, or about to vomit*

Yon: Give us a warning next time, eh? I bloody hate teleports...

*Just when he's sat down and composed himself, he suddenly spots Deathsaurus, and jumps back, drawing his last pistol*

Yon: What the hell?!

*He then gets up and points it at Deathsaurus' nose*

Yon: You're the bastard that wrecked me ship!

----------------------------------

[McYonalds, Stouttish Islands]

*The Hand then jumps onto Merasmus' head and knocks off his skull-hat*

----------------------------------

[Zahgargak arena, unknown planet]

*Mocax slowly approaches the beast, brandishing his crescent blades. It gives a mighty roar, which Mocax uses as an opportunity to run forward and shove the blades in between its teeth. Using those, he props its jaw open and climbs inside, much to the audience's disbelief*

<Fourteen's ship>

*Deathsaurus laughs, and pushes Yon's hand down*

Deathsaurus: Yer gonna have to be more specific, laddie.

-----

<Earth>

Shockwave: There's one thing that worries me. How do we spread the virus across such a wide area?

Krika: Leave zat to me.

*He abruptly leaves the lab*

[ Fourteen's Ship: ]

Al-Hassi: Hey. We're on a mission. Kill each other when we're done, yeah?

Eruka: Kindly try to wait that long, gentlemen.

~ ~ ~

[ Beach Planet: ]

Asabana: *Has crouched down, watching Shaern intently*

Namah: *Has emerged, her hair tied in a short ponytail* Huh. Shaern getting special training?

Zev: Ehyup.

Namah: Don't let her hurt herself, hun.

Zev: Will do!

~ ~ ~

[ Grassy Planet: ]

*The group arrives back at the Cait Shelter Guild Hall*

*They find Sarasim enjoying bread and silvery white tea with none other than...*

Faustus: *Hummmms with delight* I must say, ma'am, I have not enjoyed bread like this in years, and years, and years...It really does warm a cold old man's heart.

Anna: Sarasim, I would like for you to explain why -

Sarasim: Gurl. Don't even hate. Faustus is like totes in-tune with bakin' and tea brewin'. He knows how to brew a wicked cuppa tea.

Anna: ... *2x Facepalm Combo Rides Again*

~ ~ ~

[ Winter World: ]

Pfae: *Sweat beaded heavily on her brow, has successfully reattached her hand*

*However, the remains of the gibbering mouther she so thoroughly thrashed are now frozen and shattered into powder snow*

Pfae: I fear I must now be off, to rescue the princess from her prison. Cheerie bye. *Walks off a distance*

*She promptly turns on her heel, and walks back*

Pfae: Where is the Horned Glacier Citadel?

~ ~ ~

[ Legacy Ship, Lower Levels: ]

Sumire: Many thanks, Lynvara!

*She destroys a number of the Dead with a flurry of energy-charged bubbles*

*Meanwhile, Polly is gathering streams of grayish-blue energy for a spell*

Polly: Hrrrrah!! *Hefts a gigantic anchor of blue-gray stone, extending on a cord of water*

*She lashes it about, smashing Dead left and right*

Heathcance: *Has conjured and launched several blocky barricades of stone, and set out Cybots amongst the resulting strewnfield behind the group's advance*

*This has made pursuit by the Dead completely impossible*

*Now, the Frayborg has set about blocking all avenues by which Dead could sneak in, whilst also firing shot after shot of Stasis energy*

*When a Dead tries to ambush Polly, Heathcance exposes the power core in his chest, and projects an energy field that protects his master and debilitates the Dead*

*With one pinpoint shot to the head, he puts it down*

Polly: Nice one! *Drops her anchor onto yet another Dead*

*At last, Sumire has reached the environmental regulator*

Sumire: Lynvara, Anzu, it is imperative that you keep watch as I do this! *Retrieves a small disc and slots it into the console*

*As she inputs commands, a couple of Dead try to approach*

~ ~ ~

[ Nefarian's Lair: ]

*From apparently nowhere, Samjam has drawn a huge bottle of milk, with the picture of a dragon skull and crossed thigh bones on the front*

*She carefully feeds this to Pwyll*

~ ~ ~

[ And Now, Somewhere Completely Different: ]

*The massive world seems to be but a tomb, covered in stone and metal*

*Huge towers, connected by dead power cords, rise up thousands of miles into the sky*

*Deep, deep within the bowels of the planet, seemingly endless ranks of feline machines stand in a solemn sentry - their black hair styled in various ways, their huge lenses gone blank in ages long past*

*Deep, deep within, in a chamber scattered with toys, a tiny figure with combed-back hair sleeps in a coffin of cushions*

*Her electric dreams are winding down, though, as the unimaginably long programming loops of her prison are aborted by the final death of the local star*

*Streams of data flicker-flash across her lenses, before she springs upright*

???: I'm back bitches!!

<Earth>

*Shockwave walks into a morgue, and opens up one drawer*

*The body inside appears to be a silver robot, humanoid with the exception of having two extra arms, but with an oddly organic face*

Shockwave: Hello, Maelstrom. We haven't talked in a while. I don't feel like I'm grateful enough to you. If it weren't for your tech, I might never have become what I am now. Of course, Blackout had his part in it too, but he only got there by studying you.

*A siren rings out*

Shockwave: Ah, the new test subjects have arrived. They could've done better with that signal. Ah, well. I shall honour you soon.

*He closes the drawer, and leaves*

-----

Manning: "*calms down because Assange would be proud* Yes, actually. Though my knowledge is limited. I may be one of the few Lieutenants with level 7 access, but there are limits. Right now, my secret beeper-phone that you didn't see has informed me that there's an attack on a classified facility at this moment."

*Lt. Manning places his hands on his mouth with a shocked look on his face*

Lt. Manning: "I WASN'T SUPPOSED TO SAY THAT."


---

Nadle: "If I die, tell Space Led Zepplin that I love them."

*Nadle walks into the portal*

---

Rahn: "Alright, say your prayers."

*Rahn raises his gun up towards the employees*

*Suddenly, Rahn is punched in the face by one of the employees, and crashes into the wall*

Employee: "I AM ONE-PUNCH MAN! ONE PUNCH, AND MY ENEMIES ARE KNOCKED OUT! MY ONLY WEAKNESS IS A KICK! I AM ONE PUNCH MAN! PREPARE FOR YOUR DOOM!!!"

---

Axalara: "Perseus is no longer the leader. He has left on for a higher calling. He named me his successor."

---

[Merc plot]

Fourteen: "As much as I hate saying this, Al-Hassi and Eruka are right."

Lalli: "Let's put this into perspective."

Fourteen: "Let's not! Now let's get this show on the road."

*Fourteen begins working on his computer*

*The security systems of the prison suddenly begin slightly malfunctioning*

*Fourteen's ship is now in the dock.*

Fourteen: "Go!"

---

*Perseus humphs, and nods at both MY and Kratos*

Perseus: "Perhaps I shall return soon."

*He walks out, and slams his fist on the ground*

Perseus: "STILL. STILL AFTER ALL THAT…..IT'S RIGGED. THIS WHOLE THING IS RIGGED! I HAVE HAD ENOUGH. *slams fist* OF. *slams fist* THIS. A TEAM THAT FAILED EVERY MISSION. WHAT, DID THE WAR MAKE EVERYONE SLACK OFF?!"

*A red ring approaches Perseus*

*Perseus slams his fist hard on the ground, creating a small crater and shaking the ground nearby*

*A voice from the ring speaks*

???: "Perseus. Your rage for justice makes you worthy."

Perseus: "W-What? Another Lantern ring?"

*The ring places itself onto his finger*

*Perseus's Platinum Lantern armor appears, but it quickly turns red. The symbol of the Red Lanterns appears in the middle of his chest. His eyes glow red with rage.*

Perseus: "'With blood and rage of crimson red, We fill men's souls with darkest dread, together with our hellish hate, we'll burn you all. THAT. IS. YOUR….FATE.'"


*Perseus flies out of the area*

OOS: Dun dun dun

---

*Saix laughs emotionlessly*

----

*Merasmus screams and knocks his hat on the floor*

Merasmus: "ENOUGH! I'm leaving now!"

*Merasmus runs out of McYonalds and gets in his CA-DILL-ACK*

Merasmus: "AAIIEEAAIEIEEEYOOAAA"

*He drives away, but slowly, because wizards have a hard time driving*

---

OOS: Waiting on Malygos for his stuff.

---

OOS: Can't believe I forgot Ailyb-Gypte.

*Figlio grins as the waiter brings in everyone's meals*

Figlio: "Lots of things. My leader and I are interested in changes. One thing might interest you. The Makuhero Cluster. A place that I believe you and your allies bombarded and conquered back in the war. A year? A year and a half ago? Anyway, there's a space colony there. It was considered a utopia, even in the Makuhero Cluster."

Ra: "Was?"

Figlio: "The youth down there are quite angry. They feel cheated by the Former Rebel Alliance and by the Great Beings. The peace process is synonymous with oppression in their mind."

Ra: "I see."

Figlio: "If you want to anger a swarm of space hornets, all you need is to lightly tap the hive. Such is the way with disaffected youth."

*A projector suddenly displays images on a nearby wall. Hundreds of young [insert Hero Factory species here] taking to the streets, knocking things down, and taking over using weapons.*

Figlio: "Thoughts, Makuta Blackout?"

<Manning's office>

*Aster laughs*

Aster: You are the worst secret agent ever! We should go and help them out!

-----

<Malchior IV, NSA house>

SB: How dare you?!

*SB runs up to One Punch Man and starts punching him, with no effect*

*553 sighs, and kicks OPM in the shin*

-----


<Alternate Malchior IV>

*Jones walks through the portal too*

DRJ: I like that band too. Their last album wasn't very good, though. Trying too hard to be Muse.

*They are now on top of a hill that wasn't there in our universe*

DRJ: I see that this universe is quite different to ours.

*A teenage boy, dirty and bleeding from several places, wearing ripped and ragged clothes, runs up to them*

Boy: Who are you?

-----

<Vizima>

TPK: Very well then. I require the help of the Knights in a campaign, one that may very well save the universe. I need your help to strike at Blackout.

-----

<Merc plot>

*Deathsaurus runs out of the ship*

*He pulls out a revolver-like weapon, and opens a door*

-----


<Ailyb-Gypte>

Blackout: Ah yes, Makuhero. I don't blame them for rising up. It's just a shame they didn't do it earlier. This *scoffs* 'order' the greats of this universe hail so much is fundamentally corrupt. They pit the species against each other in a bid to claim as much power and resources for themselves, when mutual cooperation would benefit them all far more. Revolution is the only way forward.

-----

<Earth orbit>

*A ship approaches a space station*

[Merc-Pirate Mission, Supermax 429]

*Yon promptly leaps out of the ship but fails to notice a raised plug socket holder in the floor of the landing dock, which he trips over, landing on the metal floor eye-first. He groans, and slowly gets to his feet, rubbing his face*

Yon: Ach, me fokin' eye...

*Once his vision comes back into focus, he looks around him, seeing the group already split up, going into different doors. Raigen, Randolph and Al-Hassi were to his left; Deathsaurus to his right. Had he not been assigned to work with Lalli Cain, he would have stayed behind Deathsaurus the whole mission, watching his every move. The agitated Terugan mercenary spots Cain leaving the ship and approaches him*

Yon: Alright Mr. Cain, it looks like we'll be going with this lot. *points to Raigen's group* Luckily they're gonna be doing most of the fighting till we get to the room we need to, but just in case, you gotta gun, right?

---------------------

[Stouttish Islands]

*A giant onion thrown by an unseen assailant splatters over Merasmus' windscreen, obscuring his view*

---------------------

[Zahgargak arena, unknown planet]

*A few moments later, Mocax's voice echoes through the mouth of the beast*

Mocax: Oh my god, Tran, there's so much stuff in here!

*Trantoshen is still in awe from his ally's feat of bravery, but snaps to attention*

Trantoshen: What kind of stuff?

Mocax: Corpses! From home!

Trantoshen: Not sure how to respond to that, friend...

Lt. Manning: "Yes, let's."

*Lt. Manning gets up and puts on his cloak*

---

OPM: "OOUUUGH! AAAAAGH! YOU HAVE DISCOVERED MY WEAKNESS! A PLAGUE BE UPON YOU! MY…ONLY….WEAKNEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSS!"

*OPM gets sucked into a black hole*

---

Nadle: "Indeed. *The boy walks up to them* I am Makuta Nadle. What happened to you?"

---

Axalara: "Absolutely. I assume nothing in the peace treaty prevents us from doing so?"

---

[Merc plot]

*Lalli Cain smiles at Yon*

Lalli: "No. I have several."

*Lalli walks with the other mercenaries and approaches the doors with Deathsaurus*

*The other mercenaries (I hope) follow Deathsaurus as he bursts open the door*


*A scientist turns to them*

Scientist: "My gosh, what are you doing?!"

*The scientist yells and falls to the floor.

*Lalli approaches him*

Scientist: "Please don't bother me until AFTER the test, Freeman."

*Lalli looks at the others, and shrugs*

Fourteen: "So far so good. Eruka, gas the vents, quickly."

---

*Figlio's eyes twinkle*

Figlio: "*claps* Well said! Well said! Yes! I did not expect I would agree with Makuta Blackout!"

*Ra silently eats*

---

*Merasmus's car goes out of control, and he crashes into a nearby pole*

Merasmus: "OH! My CA-DILL-ACK!!! Who told you to do that?!"

*Merasmus reaches for his pills and begins to swallow them while muttering something about cornflakes and terrible roommates*

---

OOS: Waiting on Mally, Ynot, and Zev for the rest of the merc plot and other shenanigans.

<Outside (?) Manning's office>

Aster: A cloak? How.....quaint. Suits you though. Can we get a car?

-----

<NSA house>

*SB gets up off the ground, rubbing his chin*

SB: Right. Will there be anyone else?

*553 throws sacks over the heads of the restrained employees*

*Suddenly, Frenzy runs into the room*

Frenzy: AAAAAJAHJAHYAAAH! NOTEXPECTEDNOTEXPECTED.

SB: What in the name of.....?

-----

<Alternate Malchior IV>

*The boy starts stammering something*

*A huge robot can be seen on the horizon, getting closer*

Boy: Om--om-omnidroids!

-----

<Vizima>

TPK: The treaty is ink on a page. If we kill Blackout, the universe will thank us and no one will spare the treaty a second thought. Will there be anything else?

-----

<Supermax 429>

*Deathsaurus bursts through the door, and immediately bumps into a guard*

Guard: Well, what in Primus' name-?

*Deathsaurus knocks him upside the head, and catches him as he falls*

Deathsaurus: Starting well. Anyone see a closet?

-----

<Ailyb-Gypte>

*Blackout smiles slightly*

Blackout: I'm glad you think so too. Say, how do you feel about the current leader of the Great Beings?

-----

[Merc-Pirate Mission, Supermax 429]

Yon: Well, that seems to have worked. If anyone needs an eyebeam, let me know before I change my mind.

*The scientist looks on in terror*

---------------------

[Stouttish Islands]

*Two voices can be heard arguing from behind a tree near Merasmus' crashed Cadillac*

???1: Well that's one problem mate, you forgot the seasoning!

???2: Who needs seasoning? Ah'm going in this one dry, laddeh.

*A familiar ogre emerges into Merasmus' view, followed by a familiar British daytime TV chef*

???1: Well don't say I didn't warn ya. Just isn't the same without a pinch of couscous, y'know?

---------------------

[Zahgargak arena, unknown planet]

*The Zahgargak crunches the scythes embedded in its jaw, leaving Mocax trapped inside. The audience gasps*

<Cabana>

*Ynot walks over to F-Blackout and accepts the mask*

Ynot: Will do.

*Ynot goes over to a chair in the corner, setting the mask on his lap, staring at it through fingers slayed across his face, he thinks for a moment*

Ynot: Hey, Blackout. Do we, you and I, ever see eye to eye again? I mean, we've had heated battles, but I just get this feeling that we're on the same page on some things. Maybe I'm just imagining it. Karzahni, maybe I'm imagining you. Sometimes I feel so lost, you know?
---

<User HQ>

*Kratos gets up and heads for the exit, finding Komerak, he pulls him aside*

Kratos: Toa Komerak. Send word to our compatriots, for the next week, we are relieved of duty. If I am not back by then, presume I am dead.
----

OOS: Waiting on Malygos for Nobodies Plot
----

<Beach Planet, Shaern's Mind>

Shaern: So, I'm supposed to have a experience close to you, I guess?

Death: Then walk with me.

Shaern: Where to?

Death: My next appointment.

<Cabana>

F-Blackout: We try. You tried to understand what I'd been teaching you for so long, but I guess not all of it took.

*He gets up, and opens a portal with a snap of his fingers*

F-B: You made a terrible mistake when you left the Legion, you know? You could've gone so far. Everything was possible back then. Now.....it's all gotten so complicated even I don't know where to start sometimes. Makes me wish I could rewrite the past. Goodbye, my friend.

*He disappears into the portal*

-----

[ Mercenary Plot: ]

Eruka: Gladly.

*Following the orders she's been given, Eruka mysteriously sends some kind of black particles through the vents*

Eruka: Wait for it. Waaaiiit for it...

*The screams start*

Al-Hassi: Niiice.

~ ~ ~

[ Beach Planet: ]

*Near Shaern's unconscious body, the apprehension intensifies*

Zev: *Is doing a crossword puzzle with Namah* ...What is an eight-letter word for determination, or get-up-and-go?

Namah: See if "gumption" works.

Zev: ...Yes it does. *Writes the word into the boxes*

Asabana: *Floats by them, watching*

*Lt. Manning nods, and runs out the door. He goes through a hallway, down some stairs, and into a parking lot. He gets into a car, with Aster hopefully having been following him this whole time.*

Lt. Manning: "Buckle up."

---

*Rahn gets up*

Rahn: "What the hell?!"

*He shoots at Frenzy in a frenzy*

---

Nadle: "*gets into attack position* I take it we'll be killing a lot of these?"

---

Axalara: "Nope."

Lancer: "Uh, yeah, what does TPK stand for?"

*Coro walks over to Lancer and whispers the answer into his ear*

Lancer: "Oh. Wow."

Axalara: "What our first step?"

---

(Merc Plot)

Fourteen: "No need for a closet. When he and the others wake up, we'll be long gone."

*The screaming stops, and Fourteen begins blinking*

Fourteen: "Damn. Several troops have put on gas masks. The others remaining are immune to it somehow. One just thought of a tank they have lying around. This'll be a bit tricky."

*The scientist is somehow still conscious on the floor, and gets up randomly*

Scientist: "Yo let's go to a fageout tea party with dr. Breen gee gee gee gee gee gee gee, gee gee gee gee"

*The scientist disappears, and a Windows Blue Screen has replaced him*

Fourteen: "Bloody underworld. Red, Randolph, Deathsaurus you're up. Take down any remaining guards. I'll be behind you with Osseron Tyrok. Lalli, you and Yon are behind me. Eruka, you're with those two. Al-Hassi, go with the Spymistress and help her. We'll call you two if we need backup. The warden is upstairs in a room that hasn't been affected by the gas. He's thinking about some sort of transport arriving in 10 minutes. I want to be out before then, understand?"

*Lalli nods*

Lalli: "Let's do this, ladies."

*Lalli and Fourteen move forward, and assuming everyone is in their position, approach a corner. They turn and walk down a long hallway with several prison cells next to them. About 10 guards are seen lying down near each cell*

Fourteen: "No worries. These are all empty, and these guards are knocked out cold. We're the only ones with any sense he-"

*He stops, as to his left he feels a dark presence.*

Fourteen: "What the *beep*? There were only 2 prisoners here."

*They all turn, and before them there stands a strange cell. It has a door made of a strange, clear material, and inside a tall black figure slams his hands on the door. He is a male in a black cloak and cowl that covers nearly his entire body, with a white mask covering his face. The white mask has an emblem in its center, and his hands are adorned with gloves with many runic inscriptions on them.*

Lalli: "Another intel error?"

Fourteen: "Or someone was hiding it from us."

*Fourteen's eyes widen, and he grips his head, gasping for air.*

Fourteen: "It's in my head! It's in my head!!!"

*All those in the room with any sort of magical sensitivity begin to feel some sort of tugging sensation, as if something is draining their abilities and life force.*

Fourteen: "H-he's telling me everything! H-he. It. It has a name. Ma…Ma…..Mazkertis! Something about a Keruvim, and and and….GAH….He wants us to release him!"

*Lalli Cain's eyes widen*

Fourteen: "GET IT OUT! MUST…GET IT…OUT….OF MY HEAD. I can see so many things, other worlds, and and and and….GET IT OUT!"

*Fourteen severs the mental link he has with Mazkertis, and backs into a wall, panting*

Fourteen: "*panting* Leave this thing here to rot. Whatever it is, it deserves to be classified."

*Fourteen gets up, and keeps walking down the hall*

Lalli: *whispers to Yon and Osseron* "Reminds me of these SCP things I had to escape from on a mission a few years ago."

*Mazkertis's scarlet and confused eyes look up at the mercenaries as he slams onto the door once more, pleading wordlessly to be released.*

Fourteen: "Keep it moving."

---

Figlio: "TPK? Why do you ask? Weren't you two friends in the war?"

---

*Merasmus points his staff at Shrek and Ainsley*

Merasmus: "Who the hell are you?!"

---

OOS: Waiting on Ynot and Malygos for the Nobodies plot and the Ulduar plot.

[User HQ]

*Komerak's eyes widen in concern, and instead of asking his fellow Platinum Lantern for details on his solo mission, he wordlessly sits back down in his chair, puts down his newspaper aside and taps his power ring. It glows and as he wills it, it opens a transmission to the other Plat Lats*

Komerak: I send word from Kratos, for this week we are relieved of duty. Visit your relatives and hang out at bars, do what you like as long as you'll be back in fighting form in seven days. Consider it a reward for your work... or whatever it is. I don't know. Komerak out.

*He ends the transmission, and opens the newspaper, turning a page and humming. The story on the cover is titled "Manhunt begins for missing user Nif"*

-----------------------------------

[Merc-Pirate Mission, Supermax 429]

*Yon rubs his temple and groans, as he too felt the mental pull of Mazkertis, but at a much more subtle level than the others due to his inexperience with telepathic beings. Once his headache wears off, he follows Lalli and Fourteen down the corridor, with a firm grip on his pistol*

-----------------------------------

[Stouttish Islands]

Ainsley: You dunno 'oo I am? Frankly I'm a little insulted!

*He grabs an onion from his partner's grip and hurls it at Merasmus*

-----------------------------------

[Zahgargak arena, unknown planet]

*What appears to be an intense, wide beam of light pierces through the hide of the Zahgargak as it screams in pain. The scream fades in intensity as the beam disappears, leaving a hole where it emerged from. None other emerged from that hole than Mocax, carrying a biomechanical corpse over each shoulder*

Mocax: You don't usually see this, what with home's automatic about-to-die-teleport-me-to-the-red-star-for-repair thing, I know... eugh.

*He drops the corpses onto the sand. Upon closer examination, they appear to be made of bone fused with metallic plates, cords and armour - the rotten bodies of Toa. All flesh had obviously been digested inside the Zahgargak a long time ago*

Trantoshen: By the order of Mata Nui, this feels like desecration...

*Mocax nods, and makes eye contact*

Trantoshen: But... we could certainly use that. *He points to a Kanohi of Elemental Energy attached to the robotic skull of the first corpse. Mocax nods again much more enthusiastically*

[Edge of Known Universe]
The world invaded and destroyed, an extremely large ship(who knows what level) arrives at the scene. At the helm lies a man covered in black robes, with blunt-glowing red eyes. With the little light of the local sun shining in on the deck, it appears the figure also has vibrant lime-green colored fur. He has a very large hood over his head, and breathes heavily. One of the officers on the ship comes up to behind him, and then lowers onto his knee.
"M'Lord, we've scanned and destroyed the whole planet. There is no signs of him here. No holidays were reported either, sir."
A low, raspy, perhaps even slightly angered voice rose. The voice was odd - an almost surreal voice, as if he was not from this plane of existence, but from some other bizarre dimension. "Gather the groups, we move on for who knows where the Who's shall be. Raise bones to come up to me."
The officer nods and then raises from the ground. "Yes, M'Lord." He goes back and calls the military commander on the ground surface, telling him to bring up the army back to the spaceships and leave the system.
The officer then enters the elevator to go down, but hits his head against a large suit of armor. The armor was black in color, and shaped like an astronaut suit. On the visor was grafted a skull, human in shape. The whole armor was grafted with what appeared to be the bones of a human body. The officer makes haste and enters the elevator, avoiding the armor as it walks out.
Continuing along the hallway, the armor then stops. "What did you call me up for?"
"Not what, but who! Go to the place of Stouttish Islands, and get everyone there. Tell them it's begun. That it's happening. The apocalypse."
"It has? That means I must get the title of Death soon. Rattle me bones, if this ride don't end there's no going back." Bones then leaves back down. In the distance, the Hooded figure gazes into the star slowly fading from his view as the planet gets in the way.

[Merc-Pirate Mission, Supermax 429]

Raigen: What the hell....was that...?

*Raigen shakes his head to dispel the growing headache he received from the sudden unwanted mental intrusion. Keeping a wary yet curious eye upon the mysterious prisoner, he quickens his pace to keep up with Deathsaurus and Randolph.*

~~~

[Unmarked Frigate, 10km from Supermax 429]

*A figure observes the rapidly approaching superstructure from the bridge, his posture failing to betray any emotions as he contemplates his current task. His musings were interrupted, however, by the arrival of one of his subordinates to his side.*

??? Officer: Sir, Supermax 429 is in sight. According to our calculations, we seem to have arrived 564 seconds earlier than the estimated time.

??? Commander: Good. Alert the control tower. Request docking permissions. The sooner we get this over with, the better.

??? Officer: (salutes) Yes, sir!

[Nefarian's Lair]

Ludevic: Ah? What's that? Some sort of enchanted dragon-milk? Because-

*A low, feminine voice speaks next to him.*

Voice: Because another dragon is here? I'm not just giving my milk to something like that- regular dragon milk could kill it without proper testing.

*An elegant blue dragon steps into the chamber, with bright blue eyes and with arcane runes tattooed down her legs*

Dragon: I am Tareca, Archmage of the Blackrock Tower.

*She dipped her head to Samjam*

Tareca: A pleasure to meet you.

---

[Legacy Ship, Lower Levels]

Lynvara: Got it.

*She fires an incineration-tech blast to the centre of the Dead, burning them til they fall*

Anzu: Don't worry; your girlfriend won't come to harm while I'm protecting her.

*He slices a line across the topmost Dead, and then throws a lance of dark energy through the rest*

Lynvara: *blush* S-she's n-not my g-girlfriend...

----

[Winter Planet]

Glace: South. But I insist on coming with you. This thing's incursion into fae realm clearly indicates a problem in our defenses; thus, your quest merits observation, at the very least.

---

[Merc Plot]

*Randolph growls.*

Randolph: I hate psions.

*He looks at Raigen*

Randolph: Keep pace, runt. There's battle to be done.

*Aluren's eyes widen*

Aluren: No...Him, here? He's supposed to be dead...We'd better keep this one here.

---

[TWTAWB]

*The Demiurge sighs*

Demiurge: And you still refuse to listen to reason.

*Zhe teleports in front of Demyx and Saix in a blinding flash of light*

Demiurge: Radiance.

*White-hot flames flash out from hir hands at the same time as blinding light radiates from hir eyes*

---

[Grassy Planet]

*Theris lets out a chuckle as Laros joins Anna in facepalm*

Theris: I wouldn't mind some tea either. Though, I doubt it's better than the sylvan tea my friend makes.

Laros: Don't drag me into this.

Theris: Come on, if Faust is so good, why don't we have a cook-off.

Laros: This is silly. Why must we do this.

Theris: Because you, my friend, are stressed. You need to relax.

---

[Ulduar]

Tae'thelan: Damn it, Klak, I'm an archaeologist, not an engineer!

*He puts on his spectacles*

Tae'thelan: But that's brilliant! Whatever technology this civilization had, it's far beyond what I ever imagined! There must have been some sort of dark age after this fell...Oh, the things that we could learn from these people!

*Tezzeret leaps up, punching the gravity-affected machine to the ground*

Tezzeret: Less talking, more blasting!

*He punches the mech twice in the core before being flung off*

Mech: NO NO NO NO NO NO!

*The mech slams the ground with its fists, causing a small earthquake to knock over the party*

---

OOS: Waiting on Zev for Dhakaan, and for Poe to reemerge for more Primenanigans.