Jianyu let Tretij...no, Mantis, say his piece. Spill his little heart out. Had this been yesterday, it would have completely broken her. Destroyed her. To hear the person she clung to, cared for, say such awful, horrible things about her...it would have crushed her into dust. But now? Now?
"...hee, hee."
Jinyu giggled. Giggled, like a schoolgirl. That giggle soon turned into laughter. Cruel, wicked laughter. "Hahahaha! Ahahahaha! Oh my GOD! Are you fucking SERIOUS?!" She smiled at Mantis, baring teeth. "Listen you little bitch, and listen GOOD. I'm a monster. Is that what you wanna hear? I'm a monster. A bitch. A bloodthirsty piece of shit. But at least I'm loyal. At least I care about people who matter to me." She pointed at him, smile turning into a glare. "I cared about Tretij. I cared about him so fucking much. I would have done ANYTHING for him. And for you to show up, to throw that all away, to try and make excuses to kill me? Fuck you! Fuck every bit of love and care I poured into you! Fuck the vulnerability I showed you! Fuck it all!"
She channeled whatever Psycho Power she could in this mental realm, refusing to let him win. To give him the control he so desperately wanted. "You have no one to blame but yourself for what you've turned into. YOU chose to find me. YOU chose to follow me. YOU chose to stay. You could've left whenever you wanted. Clearly, you left Vanitas and Eli and whoever the fuck else! You could've left me, but you didn't. Oh, and one more thing? If anyone's like Barnes, it's you."
"Because you both kept talking when you should've just fucking killed me."
Through the fires and quakes and destruction of the void, Jianyu charged forward, murder in her eyes as she screamed her fury.
“ You know, at one time, I would have thought that it was impossible too, but this island, man, it has done some strange things to us. Turned us into killers, even the purest of heart. I know we saw him die, but I went to a place where everything was dead and desolate. A dead lands of sort where the only living thing I found were the spiders. They formed to look like Ben, a warped version, but still Ben or maybe it was just what I wanted to see. I don’t know, honestly.”
It felt weird to be on the other side of this exchange and Ringmaster liked it. Putting someone in a situation where there was no choice, no way to know how it would end. He had been put in that situation, but now he had a chance to return the situation ten fold.
“You’re right, I’m not giving you a choice, Nezumi. But what is life but the illusion of choices we make? Things we think we control but don’t. Life is kind of like this island, at the end of the day, only the strong make it out alive. Are you one of the strong or a fallen man?”
Jianyu let Tretij...no, Mantis, say his piece. Spill his little heart out. Had this been yesterday, it would have completely broken her. Destroyed her. To hear the person she clung to, cared for, say such awful, horrible things about her...it would have crushed her into dust. But now? Now?
"...hee, hee."
Jinyu giggled. Giggled, like a schoolgirl. That giggle soon turned into laughter. Cruel, wicked laughter. "Hahahaha! Ahahahaha! Oh my GOD! Are you fucking SERIOUS?!" She smiled at Mantis, baring teeth. "Listen you little bitch, and listen GOOD. I'm a monster. Is that what you wanna hear? I'm a monster. A bitch. A bloodthirsty piece of shit. But at least I'm loyal. At least I care about people who matter to me." She pointed at him, smile turning into a glare. "I cared about Tretij. I cared about him so fucking much. I would have done ANYTHING for him. And for you to show up, to throw that all away, to try and make excuses to kill me? Fuck you! Fuck every bit of love and care I poured into you! Fuck the vulnerability I showed you! Fuck it all!"
She channeled whatever Psycho Power she could in this mental realm, refusing to let him win. To give him the control he so desperately wanted. "You have no one to blame but yourself for what you've turned into. YOU chose to find me. YOU chose to follow me. YOU chose to stay. You could've left whenever you wanted. Clearly, you left Vanitas and Eli and whoever the fuck else! You could've left me, but you didn't. Oh, and one more thing? If anyone's like Barnes, it's you."
"Because you both kept talking when you should've just fucking killed me."
Through the fires and quakes and destruction of the void, Jianyu charged forward, murder in her eyes as she screamed her fury.
@Mental Plain
Towers of fire consumed the Mental Plain. Over the crackling hiss of the flaming tongues Mantis screeched, clawing at his mask.
"Loyal? You'd call yourself loyal? You would have left Conner to die at the hands of Shazam if not for me! You surrendered yourself to you tears and trauma! You lost you nerve, your fire, and your authority of me! You surrendered it all, and for what? To avoid getting wet? You are nothing but a coward, Jianyu! You're a coward and a murderess!"
With a thought, Mantis shaped the flames into a man. A Demon. The creature marched across the Mental Plain, its arms reaching out towards the doll. View attachment 4206 "Killlll… Killl jjuusstttt riiigghhtt…."
Light poured from Mantis' masked. With a hallowing shriek, he finally pulled it from his skull and discarded it into the flames.
The flaming man faded into smoke. Mantis faded into the black. The Mental Plain slowly began to fold in on itself. With a whisper, Jianyu found herself back in the Drylands, free of Mantis' influence.
Weapon Hex's barrier had dropped once she had reached the interior of the cockpit and as Eli stabbed her with the knife instead of trying to protect herself she let it slid through. As her palm reached the hilt and grabbed unto Eli's hand and used all her might to try and pull him out of the cockpit. She wasn't going to kill him but if he fell down unto the sands bellow then it might be enough to teach him a lesson.
@Drylands "No! It's not fair!" Eli screamed as he was plucked from the Metal Gear. "You don't get to do this to me! You don't get to--"
[CREAKKKK]
Sahalanthropus began to groan and heave. Without a pilot to man its pedals, the colossus began to teeter and stumble. The bombardment it had endured from the Champions rendered the Metal Gear unable to balance. With one final roar, the titan fell, crashing into a nearby cliff and drowning the region in a sea of smoke.
By the time the smoke cleared, Eli, Laura and Alice were left half buried in the sand. They were all winded. Stunned. Vulnerable. Their heads were spinning. Moments melted by like heartbeats.
Through their blurred vision, the could make out a figure floating down towards them.
"Well, almost." With a snap of his fingers, the Metal Gear rose it its feet once again. It floated an inch or two from the ground and raised its sword above its head. "I thought that if I left you all alone for a while, you might finally get down to business, but no. No. More Alliances? Please. It's just embarrassing at this stage. Embrassing with a capital E."
Arcade snapped his fingers. On command, the Metal Gear turned its blade upon itself. It impaled itself on a tower of Archaea, and released one final screech with the last of its power. Slowly, the lights on its eyes began to blink out.
"Sahalanthropus!" Eli cried, a desperate look lingering in his eyes. With his weapon lost, he crumbled into the sand, weeping just as he had done at the Ice Bridge. "You... bastard..."
"God giveth, God taketh away. You know how this works, Eli. You're all here to suffer."
"Suffering..." Eli laughed through his pain, wiping a trickle of blood from his forehead. "You don't know the meaning of the word... but you will... you will. We had a deal..."
"Sure we did. You promised me two souls in exchange for your team's freedom. You gave me Hnikar, and who else? I gave you a weapon capable of killing Shazam and you could even kill Archangel. Embarrassing with a capital E!"
Arcade turned away from Eli and jumped on top of Sahalanthropus' corpse, raising his arms like a circus ring leader.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls, where are your smiles?! Tonight is going to be the biggest night of your lives! And hopefully the final, too!" View attachment 4207 "Now, I now you little scamps have had a tough week. But don't worry. It's all going to be over soon. I can't promise its going to be painless... but its going to be fun..."
Metallic Archaea began to crawl from Sahalanthropus' blade. Within seconds, the Metal Gear had consumed itself, transforming into a rusty husk of the titan it had once been.
"Now, can any of you geniuses tell me-- you know what? Forget it. This isn't a Q and A session. The scientists among you are all dead now, anyway. Guess I'll be the one to spill the tea. You see, this Metalic Archaea is made out depleted uranium. Metallic Archaea is designed to break down whatever it comes into contact with. When the two mix, well..."
A sick smile crawled across his lips.
"Boom! The Uranium is reenergised, and the Metal Gear self-destructs with nuclear results. The Island goes up in flames. You all die! I go down in history! Now, my powers have slowed the detonation, but even I can't hold forever! You've got 24 hours. Maybe less. Depends how I feel." View attachment 4209 "What happens next? That's up to you. Roll over and die. Have a good ol' cry. Or, get your asses in gear and start killing! For your own sake. And your families, of course! And for those of your feeling particularly suicidal, I'll be waiting by the Waterfall for the Big Bang. Feel free to pay me a visit."
A sonic boom sounded, and Arcade vanished.
Number of Survivors: 14 Number of Dead: 18 Hours until Extinction: 23 hours, 50 minutes and 4 seconds Time: 0:09 View attachment 4210 "I'm done with this!" Liquid snapped. "I'm not going to stit here and wait for oblivion!! I'm going to kill the bastard... I'm going to kill him!!" Dusting the sand from his jacket and stumbling to his feet, Eli slowly staggered towards the tunnel his Metal Gear had risen from. After a few steps, he fell to the ground again. His injuries were slowly getting the better of him. "No!" He willed himself back onto his feet. "It's not over. It'll never be Game Over. Never. Never!" @Takumi View attachment 4212 "If what you say is true, Boy..." Angel growled at Henry. "Then you will take me to him. Guide me. I will look upon this ungodly creature and cast my judgement... the world can wait.." In a flash, Angel was upon Henry. He wrapped his half-frozen body in his winds and raised him into the air. "Guide me, boy, and you shall be spared..." @Lucky View attachment 4214 "I guess this is it, then..." Conner muttered as he hovered lowered himself down towards Jianyu. "We had a good run, right? We stayed ahead of the game for as long as we could and... you alright? You look like you've seen a ghost..." @Yun Lee View attachment 4215 "There's gotta be a way out of this, right?" Wally stumbled over his words. In a flash, he was back beside Laura, reading to help her to her feet. "You've got a plan, right? You gotta have a plan, right?" @Jeremi
Survivors Update: Red Team Katherine 'Kate' Bishop/ Hawkeye @Atomic Knight [/STATUS: DECEASED: ELECTROCUTED BY BILLY BATSON/SHAZAM] Hnikar @Crow [/STATUS: DECEASED: OBLITERATED BY SAHALANTHROPUS]
Alice Swayne @Takumi [/KILLS: 1]
Eli/Liquid Snake [/KILLS: 2]
Blue Team
Hyakkimaru @Gummi Bunnies
Laura Kinney @Jeremi [/KILLS: 1] Maeve @Hahli Nuva [/STATUS: DECEASED: IMPALED ON A METAL ROD BY WARREN WORTHINGTON III/ ANGEL]
Max Griffin @York [/KILLS: 1]
Green Team
Isabeau @Minerva Alani Ryan @Jeremi [/STATUS: DECEASED: ELECTROCUTED BY BILLY BATSON/SHAZAM]
Vanitas @Gummi Bunnies [/KILLS: 2] Psycho Mantis [/STATUS: ???]
Yellow Team
Nezumi @Takumi
Jaime Reyes @Crow Xiayu @Yun Lee [/STATUS: DECEASED: SACRIFICED TO THE RAVINE] Ben Reilly/ Scarlet Spider [/STATUS: ???]
Pink Team Kara/ Supergirl @York [/STATUS: DECEASED: DROWNED AND CURSED BY MAX GRIFFIN]
Jianyu @Yun Lee [/KILLS: 2?] Stephen Universe @Atomic Knight [/STATUS: DECEASED: IMPALED ON A METAL ROD BY WARREN WORTHINGTON III/ ANGEL] Terry McGinnis/ Batman Beyond [/STATUS: DECEASED: KILLED BY KILLER BEES AND ABANDONED BY NEZUMI!]
Orange Team Bucky Barnes/ Winter Soldier [/KILLS: 1] [/STATUS: DECEASED: THROWN INTO A WILDFIRE BY JAINYU]
Wally West/ Kid Flash
Warren Worthington III/ Angel [/KILLS: 3]
Connor Kent/ Superboy
White Team
Billy Batson/ Shazam @Lucky [/KILLS: 2] Jak/Mar @dark [/DECEASED: DROWNED IN FREEZING WATER] Goro Akechi @Alex Azure [/DECEASED: STABBED TO DEATH BY ELI] Scott Summers/Cyclops [/DECEASED: SHOT TWICE BY ALICE]
Purple Team
Henry Hart/ Kid Danger @Lucky Ratchet @dark [/DECEASED: CRUSHED UNDER RUBBLE] Haru Okumura @Alex Azure [/DECEASED: IMPALED ON A METAL ROD BY WARREN WORTHINGTON III/ ANGEL] Amadeus Cho [/DECEASED: CRUSHED UNDER RUBBLE]
Jianyu sat for a moment, having fallen to the ground, and just took the time to catch her breath. She felt wiped out, her mind completely exhausted...but she couldn't rest. Not now. There was still more to be done. Shakily she got to her feet, looking at Connor as he came to her. She swallowed, before walking up to him and, without a single word, hugged him. That...thing maybe was right. She was a coward...always needing someone. Well, Connor...that was you, now.
She pulled away, looking down. "Tretij...Mantis...something happened back there. He got into my head and just...fuck, I don't even know...but it's okay. I think." She looked up at him, smiling. "We're gonna stop this, okay? I mean, c'mon! We've made it this far. We survived Shazam, that robot, each other...all his powers, Arcade can't possibly beat us! But..." She looked behind her at Laura and...him, and sighed. "...we can't do it alone, though."
@Mental Plain
Towers of fire consumed the Mental Plain. Over the crackling hiss of the flaming tongues Mantis screeched, clawing at his mask.
"Loyal? You'd call yourself loyal? You would have left Conner to die at the hands of Shazam if not for me! You surrendered yourself to you tears and trauma! You lost you nerve, your fire, and your authority of me! You surrendered it all, and for what? To avoid getting wet? You are nothing but a coward, Jianyu! You're a coward and a murderess!"
With a thought, Mantis shaped the flames into a man. A Demon. The creature marched across the Mental Plain, its arms reaching out towards the doll. View attachment 4206 "Killlll… Killl jjuusstttt riiigghhtt…."
Light poured from Mantis' masked. With a hallowing shriek, he finally pulled it from his skull and discarded it into the flames.
The flaming man faded into smoke. Mantis faded into the black. The Mental Plain slowly began to fold in on itself. With a whisper, Jianyu found herself back in the Drylands, free of Mantis' influence.
@Drylands "No! It's not fair!" Eli screamed as he was plucked from the Metal Gear. "You don't get to do this to me! You don't get to--"
[CREAKKKK]
Sahalanthropus began to groan and heave. Without a pilot to man its pedals, the colossus began to teeter and stumble. The bombardment it had endured from the Champions rendered the Metal Gear unable to balance. With one final roar, the titan fell, crashing into a nearby cliff and drowning the region in a sea of smoke.
By the time the smoke cleared, Eli, Laura and Alice were left half buried in the sand. They were all winded. Stunned. Vulnerable. Their heads were spinning. Moments melted by like heartbeats.
Through their blurred vision, the could make out a figure floating down towards them.
"Well, almost." With a snap of his fingers, the Metal Gear rose it its feet once again. It floated an inch or two from the ground and raised its sword above its head. "I thought that if I left you all alone for a while, you might finally get down to business, but no. No. More Alliances? Please. It's just embarrassing at this stage. Embrassing with a capital E."
Arcade snapped his fingers. On command, the Metal Gear turned its blade upon itself. It impaled itself on a tower of Archaea, and released one final screech with the last of its power. Slowly, the lights on its eyes began to blink out.
"Sahalanthropus!" Eli cried, a desperate look lingering in his eyes. With his weapon lost, he crumbled into the sand, weeping just as he had done at the Ice Bridge. "You... bastard..."
"God giveth, God taketh away. You know how this works, Eli. You're all here to suffer."
"Suffering..." Eli laughed through his pain, wiping a trickle of blood from his forehead. "You don't know the meaning of the word... but you will... you will. We had a deal..."
"Sure we did. You promised me two souls in exchange for your team's freedom. You gave me Hnikar, and who else? I gave you a weapon capable of killing Shazam and you could even kill Archangel. Embarrassing with a capital E!"
Arcade turned away from Eli and jumped on top of Sahalanthropus' corpse, raising his arms like a circus ring leader.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls, where are your smiles?! Tonight is going to be the biggest night of your lives! And hopefully the final, too!" View attachment 4207 "Now, I now you little scamps have had a tough week. But don't worry. It's all going to be over soon. I can't promise its going to be painless... but its going to be fun..."
Metallic Archaea began to crawl from Sahalanthropus' blade. Within seconds, the Metal Gear had consumed itself, transforming into a rusty husk of the titan it had once been.
"Now, can any of you geniuses tell me-- you know what? Forget it. This isn't a Q and A session. The scientists among you are all dead now, anyway. Guess I'll be the one to spill the tea. You see, this Metalic Archaea is made out depleted uranium. Metallic Archaea is designed to break down whatever it comes into contact with. When the two mix, well..."
A sick smile crawled across his lips.
"Boom! The Uranium is reenergised, and the Metal Gear self-destructs with nuclear results. The Island goes up in flames. You all die! I go down in history! Now, my powers have slowed the detonation, but even I can't hold forever! You've got 24 hours. Maybe less. Depends how I feel." View attachment 4209 "What happens next? That's up to you. Roll over and die. Have a good ol' cry. Or, get your asses in gear and start killing! For your own sake. And your families, of course! And for those of your feeling particularly suicidal, I'll be waiting by the Waterfall for the Big Bang. Feel free to pay me a visit."
A sonic boom sounded, and Arcade vanished.
Number of Survivors: 14 Number of Dead: 18 Hours until Extinction: 23 hours, 50 minutes and 4 seconds Time: 0:09 View attachment 4210 "I'm done with this!" Liquid snapped. "I'm not going to stit here and wait for oblivion!! I'm going to kill the bastard... I'm going to kill him!!" Dusting the sand from his jacket and stumbling to his feet, Eli slowly staggered towards the tunnel his Metal Gear had risen from. After a few steps, he fell to the ground again. His injuries were slowly getting the better of him. "No!" He willed himself back onto his feet. "It's not over. It'll never be Game Over. Never. Never!" @Takumi View attachment 4212 "If what you say is true, Boy..." Angel growled at Henry. "Then you will take me to him. Guide me. I will look upon this ungodly creature and cast my judgement... the world can wait.." In a flash, Angel was upon Henry. He wrapped his half-frozen body in his winds and raised him into the air. "Guide me, boy, and you shall be spared..." @Lucky View attachment 4214 "I guess this is it, then..." Conner muttered as he hovered lowered himself down towards Jianyu. "We had a good run, right? We stayed ahead of the game for as long as we could and... you alright? You look like you've seen a ghost..." @Yun Lee View attachment 4215 "There's gotta be a way out of this, right?" Wally stumbled over his words. In a flash, he was back beside Laura, reading to help her to her feet. "You've got a plan, right? You gotta have a plan, right?" @Jeremi
Survivors Update: Red Team Katherine 'Kate' Bishop/ Hawkeye @Atomic Knight [/STATUS: DECEASED: ELECTROCUTED BY BILLY BATSON/SHAZAM] Hnikar @Crow [/STATUS: DECEASED: OBLITERATED BY SAHALANTHROPUS]
Alice Swayne @Takumi [/KILLS: 1]
Eli/Liquid Snake [/KILLS: 2]
Blue Team
Hyakkimaru @Gummi Bunnies
Laura Kinney @Jeremi [/KILLS: 1] Maeve @Hahli Nuva [/STATUS: DECEASED: IMPALED ON A METAL ROD BY WARREN WORTHINGTON III/ ANGEL]
Max Griffin @York [/KILLS: 1]
Green Team
Isabeau @Minerva Alani Ryan @Jeremi [/STATUS: DECEASED: ELECTROCUTED BY BILLY BATSON/SHAZAM]
Vanitas @Gummi Bunnies [/KILLS: 2] Psycho Mantis [/STATUS: ???]
Yellow Team
Nezumi @Takumi
Jaime Reyes @Crow Xiayu @Yun Lee [/STATUS: DECEASED: SACRIFICED TO THE RAVINE] Ben Reilly/ Scarlet Spider [/STATUS: ???]
Pink Team Kara/ Supergirl @York [/STATUS: DECEASED: DROWNED AND CURSED BY MAX GRIFFIN]
Jianyu @Yun Lee [/KILLS: 2?] Stephen Universe @Atomic Knight [/STATUS: DECEASED: IMPALED ON A METAL ROD BY WARREN WORTHINGTON III/ ANGEL] Terry McGinnis/ Batman Beyond [/STATUS: DECEASED: KILLED BY KILLER BEES AND ABANDONED BY NEZUMI!]
Orange Team Bucky Barnes/ Winter Soldier [/KILLS: 1] [/STATUS: DECEASED: THROWN INTO A WILDFIRE BY JAINYU]
Wally West/ Kid Flash
Warren Worthington III/ Angel [/KILLS: 3]
Connor Kent/ Superboy
White Team
Billy Batson/ Shazam @Lucky [/KILLS: 2] Jak/Mar @dark [/DECEASED: DROWNED IN FREEZING WATER] Goro Akechi @Alex Azure [/DECEASED: STABBED TO DEATH BY ELI] Scott Summers/Cyclops [/DECEASED: SHOT TWICE BY ALICE]
Purple Team
Henry Hart/ Kid Danger @Lucky Ratchet @dark [/DECEASED: CRUSHED UNDER RUBBLE] Haru Okumura @Alex Azure [/DECEASED: IMPALED ON A METAL ROD BY WARREN WORTHINGTON III/ ANGEL] Amadeus Cho [/DECEASED: CRUSHED UNDER RUBBLE]
Letting her head clear for a moment, Alice got to her feet unsteadily. Noticing Eli taking her exit, she frowned.
"Hey brat!" Alice called, stumbling after Eli. Once she'd catch up, she'd stare him down. Breathing through her nose for a moment she didn't say anything.
Smack!
She hit him in the back of the head with an irritated huff, heat coming off of her in waves for a moment.
"Why the fuck did you kill Hnikar?" She spoke, voice cold.
"I had added terms before I got there and Hnikar wasn't supposed to be killed in exchange for taking you off the fucking list." She hissed, twisting his ear.
Running a hand down her face, she sighed through her nose again.
"Forget it! Forget it, it's over. How exactly are you going to go through with whatever bullshit you're planning now?" She huffed.
“ You know, at one time, I would have thought that it was impossible too, but this island, man, it has done some strange things to us. Turned us into killers, even the purest of heart. I know we saw him die, but I went to a place where everything was dead and desolate. A dead lands of sort where the only living thing I found were the spiders. They formed to look like Ben, a warped version, but still Ben or maybe it was just what I wanted to see. I don’t know, honestly.”
It felt weird to be on the other side of this exchange and Ringmaster liked it. Putting someone in a situation where there was no choice, no way to know how it would end. He had been put in that situation, but now he had a chance to return the situation ten fold.
“You’re right, I’m not giving you a choice, Nezumi. But what is life but the illusion of choices we make? Things we think we control but don’t. Life is kind of like this island, at the end of the day, only the strong make it out alive. Are you one of the strong or a fallen man?”
Ringmaster was a sellout from the sounds of it, but Nezumi wouldn't tell the other that. Staring the other down, Nezumi put on a neutral expression.
"Alright, I'll bite. Since you were so nice about it." He spoke with a roll of his eyes, "Consider this a partnership or whatever you want to call it."
This would be temporary, there was only one person he ever felt even remotely comfortable with and that idiot wasn't stuck on a murderous planet with a dumb kid.
@Mental Plain
Towers of fire consumed the Mental Plain. Over the crackling hiss of the flaming tongues Mantis screeched, clawing at his mask.
"Loyal? You'd call yourself loyal? You would have left Conner to die at the hands of Shazam if not for me! You surrendered yourself to you tears and trauma! You lost you nerve, your fire, and your authority of me! You surrendered it all, and for what? To avoid getting wet? You are nothing but a coward, Jianyu! You're a coward and a murderess!"
With a thought, Mantis shaped the flames into a man. A Demon. The creature marched across the Mental Plain, its arms reaching out towards the doll. View attachment 4206 "Killlll… Killl jjuusstttt riiigghhtt…."
Light poured from Mantis' masked. With a hallowing shriek, he finally pulled it from his skull and discarded it into the flames.
The flaming man faded into smoke. Mantis faded into the black. The Mental Plain slowly began to fold in on itself. With a whisper, Jianyu found herself back in the Drylands, free of Mantis' influence.
@Drylands "No! It's not fair!" Eli screamed as he was plucked from the Metal Gear. "You don't get to do this to me! You don't get to--"
[CREAKKKK]
Sahalanthropus began to groan and heave. Without a pilot to man its pedals, the colossus began to teeter and stumble. The bombardment it had endured from the Champions rendered the Metal Gear unable to balance. With one final roar, the titan fell, crashing into a nearby cliff and drowning the region in a sea of smoke.
By the time the smoke cleared, Eli, Laura and Alice were left half buried in the sand. They were all winded. Stunned. Vulnerable. Their heads were spinning. Moments melted by like heartbeats.
Through their blurred vision, the could make out a figure floating down towards them.
"Well, almost." With a snap of his fingers, the Metal Gear rose it its feet once again. It floated an inch or two from the ground and raised its sword above its head. "I thought that if I left you all alone for a while, you might finally get down to business, but no. No. More Alliances? Please. It's just embarrassing at this stage. Embrassing with a capital E."
Arcade snapped his fingers. On command, the Metal Gear turned its blade upon itself. It impaled itself on a tower of Archaea, and released one final screech with the last of its power. Slowly, the lights on its eyes began to blink out.
"Sahalanthropus!" Eli cried, a desperate look lingering in his eyes. With his weapon lost, he crumbled into the sand, weeping just as he had done at the Ice Bridge. "You... bastard..."
"God giveth, God taketh away. You know how this works, Eli. You're all here to suffer."
"Suffering..." Eli laughed through his pain, wiping a trickle of blood from his forehead. "You don't know the meaning of the word... but you will... you will. We had a deal..."
"Sure we did. You promised me two souls in exchange for your team's freedom. You gave me Hnikar, and who else? I gave you a weapon capable of killing Shazam and you could even kill Archangel. Embarrassing with a capital E!"
Arcade turned away from Eli and jumped on top of Sahalanthropus' corpse, raising his arms like a circus ring leader.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls, where are your smiles?! Tonight is going to be the biggest night of your lives! And hopefully the final, too!" View attachment 4207 "Now, I now you little scamps have had a tough week. But don't worry. It's all going to be over soon. I can't promise its going to be painless... but its going to be fun..."
Metallic Archaea began to crawl from Sahalanthropus' blade. Within seconds, the Metal Gear had consumed itself, transforming into a rusty husk of the titan it had once been.
"Now, can any of you geniuses tell me-- you know what? Forget it. This isn't a Q and A session. The scientists among you are all dead now, anyway. Guess I'll be the one to spill the tea. You see, this Metalic Archaea is made out depleted uranium. Metallic Archaea is designed to break down whatever it comes into contact with. When the two mix, well..."
A sick smile crawled across his lips.
"Boom! The Uranium is reenergised, and the Metal Gear self-destructs with nuclear results. The Island goes up in flames. You all die! I go down in history! Now, my powers have slowed the detonation, but even I can't hold forever! You've got 24 hours. Maybe less. Depends how I feel." View attachment 4209 "What happens next? That's up to you. Roll over and die. Have a good ol' cry. Or, get your asses in gear and start killing! For your own sake. And your families, of course! And for those of your feeling particularly suicidal, I'll be waiting by the Waterfall for the Big Bang. Feel free to pay me a visit."
A sonic boom sounded, and Arcade vanished.
Number of Survivors: 14 Number of Dead: 18 Hours until Extinction: 23 hours, 50 minutes and 4 seconds Time: 0:09 View attachment 4210 "I'm done with this!" Liquid snapped. "I'm not going to stit here and wait for oblivion!! I'm going to kill the bastard... I'm going to kill him!!" Dusting the sand from his jacket and stumbling to his feet, Eli slowly staggered towards the tunnel his Metal Gear had risen from. After a few steps, he fell to the ground again. His injuries were slowly getting the better of him. "No!" He willed himself back onto his feet. "It's not over. It'll never be Game Over. Never. Never!" @Takumi View attachment 4212 "If what you say is true, Boy..." Angel growled at Henry. "Then you will take me to him. Guide me. I will look upon this ungodly creature and cast my judgement... the world can wait.." In a flash, Angel was upon Henry. He wrapped his half-frozen body in his winds and raised him into the air. "Guide me, boy, and you shall be spared..." @Lucky View attachment 4214 "I guess this is it, then..." Conner muttered as he hovered lowered himself down towards Jianyu. "We had a good run, right? We stayed ahead of the game for as long as we could and... you alright? You look like you've seen a ghost..." @Yun Lee View attachment 4215 "There's gotta be a way out of this, right?" Wally stumbled over his words. In a flash, he was back beside Laura, reading to help her to her feet. "You've got a plan, right? You gotta have a plan, right?" @Jeremi
Survivors Update: Red Team Katherine 'Kate' Bishop/ Hawkeye @Atomic Knight [/STATUS: DECEASED: ELECTROCUTED BY BILLY BATSON/SHAZAM] Hnikar @Crow [/STATUS: DECEASED: OBLITERATED BY SAHALANTHROPUS]
Alice Swayne @Takumi [/KILLS: 1]
Eli/Liquid Snake [/KILLS: 2]
Blue Team
Hyakkimaru @Gummi Bunnies
Laura Kinney @Jeremi [/KILLS: 1] Maeve @Hahli Nuva [/STATUS: DECEASED: IMPALED ON A METAL ROD BY WARREN WORTHINGTON III/ ANGEL]
Max Griffin @York [/KILLS: 1]
Green Team
Isabeau @Minerva Alani Ryan @Jeremi [/STATUS: DECEASED: ELECTROCUTED BY BILLY BATSON/SHAZAM]
Vanitas @Gummi Bunnies [/KILLS: 2] Psycho Mantis [/STATUS: ???]
Yellow Team
Nezumi @Takumi
Jaime Reyes @Crow Xiayu @Yun Lee [/STATUS: DECEASED: SACRIFICED TO THE RAVINE] Ben Reilly/ Scarlet Spider [/STATUS: ???]
Pink Team Kara/ Supergirl @York [/STATUS: DECEASED: DROWNED AND CURSED BY MAX GRIFFIN]
Jianyu @Yun Lee [/KILLS: 2?] Stephen Universe @Atomic Knight [/STATUS: DECEASED: IMPALED ON A METAL ROD BY WARREN WORTHINGTON III/ ANGEL] Terry McGinnis/ Batman Beyond [/STATUS: DECEASED: KILLED BY KILLER BEES AND ABANDONED BY NEZUMI!]
Orange Team Bucky Barnes/ Winter Soldier [/KILLS: 1] [/STATUS: DECEASED: THROWN INTO A WILDFIRE BY JAINYU]
Wally West/ Kid Flash
Warren Worthington III/ Angel [/KILLS: 3]
Connor Kent/ Superboy
White Team
Billy Batson/ Shazam @Lucky [/KILLS: 2] Jak/Mar @dark [/DECEASED: DROWNED IN FREEZING WATER] Goro Akechi @Alex Azure [/DECEASED: STABBED TO DEATH BY ELI] Scott Summers/Cyclops [/DECEASED: SHOT TWICE BY ALICE]
Purple Team
Henry Hart/ Kid Danger @Lucky Ratchet @dark [/DECEASED: CRUSHED UNDER RUBBLE] Haru Okumura @Alex Azure [/DECEASED: IMPALED ON A METAL ROD BY WARREN WORTHINGTON III/ ANGEL] Amadeus Cho [/DECEASED: CRUSHED UNDER RUBBLE]
Jianyu sat for a moment, having fallen to the ground, and just took the time to catch her breath. She felt wiped out, her mind completely exhausted...but she couldn't rest. Not now. There was still more to be done. Shakily she got to her feet, looking at Connor as he came to her. She swallowed, before walking up to him and, without a single word, hugged him. That...thing maybe was right. She was a coward...always needing someone. Well, Connor...that was you, now.
She pulled away, looking down. "Tretij...Mantis...something happened back there. He got into my head and just...fuck, I don't even know...but it's okay. I think." She looked up at him, smiling. "We're gonna stop this, okay? I mean, c'mon! We've made it this far. We survived Shazam, that robot, each other...all his powers, Arcade can't possibly beat us! But..." She looked behind her at Laura and...him, and sighed. "...we can't do it alone, though."
"We can..." Laura half slurred when Wally got her up to her feet. "If we find the real Arcade." She groaned slightly as the wound on he hand started to stitch itself back together. "This, all of this," She motioned around them. "Is play, a smoke screen to the truth. Arcade is not a god, he's a human. We need to find him at his most vulnerable and take him out."
Her healing factor having done its job she let go of Wally and looked around. "The problem is to find his little hidden nest, does anyone know where he could be hiding? Any place on this island just felt weird...er?" They were running out of time and Laura was not going to die like a dog in this place. "The first thing we have to do is stop playing Arcades game. He's the enemy, not us."
If what you say is true, Boy..." Angel growled at Henry. "Then you will take me to him. Guide me. I will look upon this ungodly creature and cast my judgement... the world can wait.." In a flash, Angel was upon Henry. He wrapped his half-frozen body in his winds and raised him into the air. "Guide me, boy, and you shall be spared..."
Henry really could have done without the growling. "I can certainly guide you to where I found the creature, but it's a little more complicated as the area where I entered collapsed-" He glanced at Vanitas to make a point. " Due to some meddling. Our best bet is to find the mot collapsed area as I think that connects to where we need to go.... the Badlands."
Henry, before he would be taken away by Angel would pause for a moment. Something clicked in his head, the way she had mentioned a smoke screen. It was what Shazam had done back in the flooded plains.
"I think there is exactly one person who might know where he is. Ever since Shazam has been broken, he's been different, but he didn't have fire and such manipulation in the past, he must have been gotten those from Arcade. The only person who might actually know where Arcade was or met the real one is him.... but that would require us to find a way to reason with him. And he seems too broken for that. If however.... we could.... find a way to break whatever conditioning Arcade has given him.... we might be able to get him to remember how. That being said, the Badlands where I have found Ben was weird, Arcade is most likely on the other side of it...that or he really is by the waterfall cave where he is waiting for people to kill themselves..... huh- I wonder if anyone else has tried to off themselves."
William looked back at him, musing for a second. He wondered what was happening to their Dryland friends, he doubted it was anything good. It made him smile.
" Oh good, though I would say the alliance is a 24 hour thing, I feel like we are in the last day. Father must have entered his endgame now."
This would be temporary, there was only one person he ever felt even remotely comfortable with and that idiot wasn't stuck on a murderous planet with a dumb kid
He would look over at the area and considered for a moment. " Perhaps.....hmmm.... they would be dumb enough to spend the last day trying to find my father. So, would you like to sleep her for the night or find a nice place? I doubt there is anything quite like this.... though I do wonder if those corpses will stay dead."
Jianyu sat for a moment, having fallen to the ground, and just took the time to catch her breath. She felt wiped out, her mind completely exhausted...but she couldn't rest. Not now. There was still more to be done. Shakily she got to her feet, looking at Connor as he came to her. She swallowed, before walking up to him and, without a single word, hugged him. That...thing maybe was right. She was a coward...always needing someone. Well, Connor...that was you, now.
She pulled away, looking down. "Tretij...Mantis...something happened back there. He got into my head and just...fuck, I don't even know...but it's okay. I think." She looked up at him, smiling. "We're gonna stop this, okay? I mean, c'mon! We've made it this far. We survived Shazam, that robot, each other...all his powers, Arcade can't possibly beat us! But..." She looked behind her at Laura and...him, and sighed. "...we can't do it alone, though."
@Drylands "Oh, hey, what did I do to earn this?" Conner laughed and embraced Jianyu. "Whatever it is, I--" For the first time since arriving at Murderworld, Conner froze, and finally shut his mouth. He let the moment linger, and found a sanctuary in her warmth.
"You're right..." Superboy smiled as Jianyu pulled away. "It's not over. We're down a few guys, but we can claw it back. We have to... We will."
Letting her head clear for a moment, Alice got to her feet unsteadily. Noticing Eli taking her exit, she frowned.
"Hey brat!" Alice called, stumbling after Eli. Once she'd catch up, she'd stare him down. Breathing through her nose for a moment she didn't say anything.
Smack!
She hit him in the back of the head with an irritated huff, heat coming off of her in waves for a moment.
"Why the fuck did you kill Hnikar?" She spoke, voice cold.
"I had added terms before I got there and Hnikar wasn't supposed to be killed in exchange for taking you off the fucking list." She hissed, twisting his ear.
Running a hand down her face, she sighed through her nose again.
"Forget it! Forget it, it's over. How exactly are you going to go through with whatever bullshit you're planning now?" She huffed.
"You know what?" Eli muttered, cradling his skull. "Maybe I deserved that. I should have told you sooner. I knew that when you found out you would have done something like this."
Liquid sighed, and sat down to rest beside a large pale rock.
"I killed Hnikar for you. To get the two of us out of here before someone bigger and badder than us came looking. I was ready to face the Island as an enemy if it meant we had a chance at being free. Hnikar was the biggest fish. It made sense to fry him first. Besides. He left us to die. I regret nothing. If she-" He glared in Laura's direction. "-hadn't ruined everything, it would have worked."
"The problem is to find his little hidden nest, does anyone know where he could be hiding? Any place on this island just felt weird...er?" They were running out of time and Laura was not going to die like a dog in this place. "The first thing we have to do is stop playing Arcades game. He's the enemy, not us."
"That is the kind of bullshit I'm planning." Eli shot a finger towards Laura. Damn. She was the last person he expected he'd be agreeing with. "Whilst the rest of you have been off fighting like dogs, I've been thinking. Planning. Playing those highlight reels over and over inside my head. I found a pattern." The boy jumped to his feet, ran his dusty fingers through his hair and laughed. "Have none of you connected the dots? The answer has been right under our noses." He kicked at the dirt. "Right under our feet. When Shazam broke bad, where did he appear from? A hole in the lake. When I struck my deal with Arcade, where did I appear? Under the Drylands. Arcade isn't hiding out on the Island. He's under it."
"Really? You think he's just chilling underground? Why would he--" Conner's eyes slowly widened. "Crap... How didn't I pick up on this earlier...?" View attachment 4219 "My X-Ray vision... This whole island is built upon some sorta... giant led depository... I thought it was natural..."
"Where better to hide from two Kryptonians that the one thing they can't look through..."
"We know where Arcade is. We just need to hunt him down... And for someone to draw his focus away from his cameras..."
"Wait... You mean by fighting Arcade? Sounds like a suicide mission!"
"You got a better idea? This its the only shot we have at getting out of here. We can't beat him head on. We need to find a way to cheat if we want any chance at making it home. It's out only option."
Conner's eyes fell to Jianyu, then back down to the sands beneath them. He smiled.
Henry really could have done without the growling. "I can certainly guide you to where I found the creature, but it's a little more complicated as the area where I entered collapsed-" He glanced at Vanitas to make a point. " Due to some meddling. Our best bet is to find the mot collapsed area as I think that connects to where we need to go.... the Badlands."
Henry, before he would be taken away by Angel would pause for a moment. Something clicked in his head, the way she had mentioned a smoke screen. It was what Shazam had done back in the flooded plains.
"I think there is exactly one person who might know where he is. Ever since Shazam has been broken, he's been different, but he didn't have fire and such manipulation in the past, he must have been gotten those from Arcade. The only person who might actually know where Arcade was or met the real one is him.... but that would require us to find a way to reason with him. And he seems too broken for that. If however.... we could.... find a way to break whatever conditioning Arcade has given him.... we might be able to get him to remember how. That being said, the Badlands where I have found Ben was weird, Arcade is most likely on the other side of it...that or he really is by the waterfall cave where he is waiting for people to kill themselves..... huh- I wonder if anyone else has tried to off themselves."
@Badlands View attachment 4220 "We find Reilly first." Angel scowled. "His redemption is my first priority. Once he has been purified, I will turn my attention to the Thunder-God. The False Idol shall burn before my radiance. He's day of reckoning his here."
***
Henry struck the undergrowth of the Badlands with a crack. The Archaea managed to absorb the brunt of his fall, jet the sudden landing was still more than enough to leave him winded. As soon as the boy had found his balance, Angel placed a razor wing to his throat.
"We have arrived, boy. Call to your ally. Call to the Scarlet Spider. Call before I grow impatient!"
"Scarlet Spider? The name kinda rings a bell..." A voice crowed from the undergrowth. "Can't put my finger on where I've heard it though... And I've got a crap load of fingers."
In the time it took for Henry to blink, the Spider Beast was upon them.
"Henry! Friend! You have done well! You have brought us flesh! Flesh! My children shall sing your praises for generations!!!"
As Ben spoke, those all too familiar crimson spiders began to crawl over Angel's legs and wings. He did his best to crush them. The swat them. But even he couldn't fight them off.
"Release me, Reilly! You are to be purified! Your rebirth is a slight against nature! Submit!!"
"Yeah, yeah, heard it all before." Within seconds, the Spiders had started to blind Angel's wings in their silk. "Now... you really do look delicious... Want a slice, Henry? There's enough to spared. You think the wings are edible? Screw it. We'll try them anyway..."
@Drylands "Oh, hey, what did I do to earn this?" Conner laughed and embraced Jianyu. "Whatever it is, I--" For the first time since arriving at Murderworld, Conner froze, and finally shut his mouth. He let the moment linger, and found a sanctuary in her warmth.
"You're right..." Superboy smiled as Jianyu pulled away. "It's not over. We're down a few guys, but we can claw it back. We have to... We will."
***
"You know what?" Eli muttered, cradling his skull. "Maybe I deserved that. I should have told you sooner. I knew that when you found out you would have done something like this."
Liquid sighed, and sat down to rest beside a large pale rock.
"I killed Hnikar for you. To get the two of us out of here before someone bigger and badder than us came looking. I was ready to face the Island as an enemy if it meant we had a chance at being free. Hnikar was the biggest fish. It made sense to fry him first. Besides. He left us to die. I regret nothing. If she-" He glared in Laura's direction. "-hadn't ruined everything, it would have worked."
***
"That is the kind of bullshit I'm planning." Eli shot a finger towards Laura. Damn. She was the last person he expected he'd be agreeing with. "Whilst the rest of you have been off fighting like dogs, I've been thinking. Planning. Playing those highlight reels over and over inside my head. I found a pattern." The boy jumped to his feet, ran his dusty fingers through his hair and laughed. "Have none of you connected the dots? The answer has been right under our noses." He kicked at the dirt. "Right under our feet. When Shazam broke bad, where did he appear from? A hole in the lake. When I struck my deal with Arcade, where did I appear? Under the Drylands. Arcade isn't hiding out on the Island. He's under it."
"Really? You think he's just chilling underground? Why would he--" Conner's eyes slowly widened. "Crap... How didn't I pick up on this earlier...?" View attachment 4219 "My X-Ray vision... This whole island is built upon some sorta... giant led depository... I thought it was natural..."
"Where better to hide from two Kryptonians that the one thing they can't look through..."
"We know where Arcade is. We just need to hunt him down... And for someone to draw his focus away from his cameras..."
"Wait... You mean by fighting Arcade? Sounds like a suicide mission!"
"You got a better idea? This its the only shot we have at getting out of here. We can't beat him head on. We need to find a way to cheat if we want any chance at making it home. It's out only option."
Conner's eyes fell to Jianyu, then back down to the sands beneath them. He smiled.
@Badlands View attachment 4220 "We find Reilly first." Angel scowled. "His redemption is my first priority. Once he has been purified, I will turn my attention to the Thunder-God. The False Idol shall burn before my radiance. He's day of reckoning his here."
***
Henry struck the undergrowth of the Badlands with a crack. The Archaea managed to absorb the brunt of his fall, jet the sudden landing was still more than enough to leave him winded. As soon as the boy had found his balance, Angel placed a razor wing to his throat.
"We have arrived, boy. Call to your ally. Call to the Scarlet Spider. Call before I grow impatient!"
"Scarlet Spider? The name kinda rings a bell..." A voice crowed from the undergrowth. "Can't put my finger on where I've heard it though... And I've got a crap load of fingers."
In the time it took for Henry to blink, the Spider Beast was upon them.
"Henry! Friend! You have done well! You have brought us flesh! Flesh! My children shall sing your praises for generations!!!"
As Ben spoke, those all too familiar crimson spiders began to crawl over Angel's legs and wings. He did his best to crush them. The swat them. But even he couldn't fight them off.
"Release me, Reilly! You are to be purified! Your rebirth is a slight against nature! Submit!!"
"Yeah, yeah, heard it all before." Within seconds, the Spiders had started to blind Angel's wings in their silk. "Now... you really do look delicious... Want a slice, Henry? There's enough to spared. You think the wings are edible? Screw it. We'll try them anyway..."
Alice blinked when Eli said he killed Hnikar for her. Her eyes widened slightly as she stared at the literal child in front of her. Her mouth went down in a frown and her eyes narrowed before she avoided her gaze and crossed her arms.
Renfred, Chise, and now Eli. Every time someone did something for her, they always got hurt in some way. Eli seemed okay for the most part right now at least, but he could've been worse off in the end. Why was she so fucking weak that she couldn't even protect a brat like the one next to her?
"Heh, some guardian I am, letting a twelve year old brat go so far for me." She muttered, then sniffed and cocked her head to the side as she listened to Eli spill the beans on his plan.
She glanced to Wally then when he brought up how crazy fighting Arcade sounded and laughed a little.
"That geezer had it coming for him day one, I say it's about long over due by now." She spoke to the speedster.
If what you say is true, Boy..." Angel growled at Henry. "Then you will take me to him. Guide me. I will look upon this ungodly creature and cast my judgement... the world can wait.." In a flash, Angel was upon Henry. He wrapped his half-frozen body in his winds and raised him into the air. "Guide me, boy, and you shall be spared..."
Henry really could have done without the growling. "I can certainly guide you to where I found the creature, but it's a little more complicated as the area where I entered collapsed-" He glanced at Vanitas to make a point. " Due to some meddling. Our best bet is to find the mot collapsed area as I think that connects to where we need to go.... the Badlands."
Henry, before he would be taken away by Angel would pause for a moment. Something clicked in his head, the way she had mentioned a smoke screen. It was what Shazam had done back in the flooded plains.
"I think there is exactly one person who might know where he is. Ever since Shazam has been broken, he's been different, but he didn't have fire and such manipulation in the past, he must have been gotten those from Arcade. The only person who might actually know where Arcade was or met the real one is him.... but that would require us to find a way to reason with him. And he seems too broken for that. If however.... we could.... find a way to break whatever conditioning Arcade has given him.... we might be able to get him to remember how. That being said, the Badlands where I have found Ben was weird, Arcade is most likely on the other side of it...that or he really is by the waterfall cave where he is waiting for people to kill themselves..... huh- I wonder if anyone else has tried to off themselves."
William looked back at him, musing for a second. He wondered what was happening to their Dryland friends, he doubted it was anything good. It made him smile.
" Oh good, though I would say the alliance is a 24 hour thing, I feel like we are in the last day. Father must have entered his endgame now."
This would be temporary, there was only one person he ever felt even remotely comfortable with and that idiot wasn't stuck on a murderous planet with a dumb kid
He would look over at the area and considered for a moment. " Perhaps.....hmmm.... they would be dumb enough to spend the last day trying to find my father. So, would you like to sleep her for the night or find a nice place? I doubt there is anything quite like this.... though I do wonder if those corpses will stay dead."
'More like this alliance is less than 24 hours and more of a "until I decide to make a break for it" kind of arrangement, but that's best kept to myself.' Nezumi thought.
"I don't care much where we go or if we stay here." He said with a wave of his hand.
"Unless you have any suggestions or objections, Your Majesty?" He asked in a slightly mocking and sarcastic tone, one eyebrow raised as he addressed William.
"All I've wanted is to take him down from the start," Jianyu said. "Whatever we do, I'm game." She looked around at their little group. Conner, Laura, Eli, Alice...Wally. God, who would've thought, huh? She still didn't like him. Just looking at him pissed her off. But...what would killing him even accomplish? One less body to take down Arcade? At least when this was all over she'd never have to see him again.
Though through their talking, Jianyu picked up on something. Something that she REALLY didn't like. She turned to Conner, eyes wide. "You don't mean...YOU'D face Arcade as the distraction, do you?"
@Drylands "Oh, hey, what did I do to earn this?" Conner laughed and embraced Jianyu. "Whatever it is, I--" For the first time since arriving at Murderworld, Conner froze, and finally shut his mouth. He let the moment linger, and found a sanctuary in her warmth.
"You're right..." Superboy smiled as Jianyu pulled away. "It's not over. We're down a few guys, but we can claw it back. We have to... We will."
***
"You know what?" Eli muttered, cradling his skull. "Maybe I deserved that. I should have told you sooner. I knew that when you found out you would have done something like this."
Liquid sighed, and sat down to rest beside a large pale rock.
"I killed Hnikar for you. To get the two of us out of here before someone bigger and badder than us came looking. I was ready to face the Island as an enemy if it meant we had a chance at being free. Hnikar was the biggest fish. It made sense to fry him first. Besides. He left us to die. I regret nothing. If she-" He glared in Laura's direction. "-hadn't ruined everything, it would have worked."
***
"That is the kind of bullshit I'm planning." Eli shot a finger towards Laura. Damn. She was the last person he expected he'd be agreeing with. "Whilst the rest of you have been off fighting like dogs, I've been thinking. Planning. Playing those highlight reels over and over inside my head. I found a pattern." The boy jumped to his feet, ran his dusty fingers through his hair and laughed. "Have none of you connected the dots? The answer has been right under our noses." He kicked at the dirt. "Right under our feet. When Shazam broke bad, where did he appear from? A hole in the lake. When I struck my deal with Arcade, where did I appear? Under the Drylands. Arcade isn't hiding out on the Island. He's under it."
"Really? You think he's just chilling underground? Why would he--" Conner's eyes slowly widened. "Crap... How didn't I pick up on this earlier...?" View attachment 4219 "My X-Ray vision... This whole island is built upon some sorta... giant led depository... I thought it was natural..."
"Where better to hide from two Kryptonians that the one thing they can't look through..."
"We know where Arcade is. We just need to hunt him down... And for someone to draw his focus away from his cameras..."
"Wait... You mean by fighting Arcade? Sounds like a suicide mission!"
"You got a better idea? This its the only shot we have at getting out of here. We can't beat him head on. We need to find a way to cheat if we want any chance at making it home. It's out only option."
Conner's eyes fell to Jianyu, then back down to the sands beneath them. He smiled.
@Badlands View attachment 4220 "We find Reilly first." Angel scowled. "His redemption is my first priority. Once he has been purified, I will turn my attention to the Thunder-God. The False Idol shall burn before my radiance. He's day of reckoning his here."
***
Henry struck the undergrowth of the Badlands with a crack. The Archaea managed to absorb the brunt of his fall, jet the sudden landing was still more than enough to leave him winded. As soon as the boy had found his balance, Angel placed a razor wing to his throat.
"We have arrived, boy. Call to your ally. Call to the Scarlet Spider. Call before I grow impatient!"
"Scarlet Spider? The name kinda rings a bell..." A voice crowed from the undergrowth. "Can't put my finger on where I've heard it though... And I've got a crap load of fingers."
In the time it took for Henry to blink, the Spider Beast was upon them.
"Henry! Friend! You have done well! You have brought us flesh! Flesh! My children shall sing your praises for generations!!!"
As Ben spoke, those all too familiar crimson spiders began to crawl over Angel's legs and wings. He did his best to crush them. The swat them. But even he couldn't fight them off.
"Release me, Reilly! You are to be purified! Your rebirth is a slight against nature! Submit!!"
"Yeah, yeah, heard it all before." Within seconds, the Spiders had started to blind Angel's wings in their silk. "Now... you really do look delicious... Want a slice, Henry? There's enough to spared. You think the wings are edible? Screw it. We'll try them anyway..."
"All I've wanted is to take him down from the start," Jianyu said. "Whatever we do, I'm game." She looked around at their little group. Conner, Laura, Eli, Alice...Wally. God, who would've thought, huh? She still didn't like him. Just looking at him pissed her off. But...what would killing him even accomplish? One less body to take down Arcade? At least when this was all over she'd never have to see him again.
Though through their talking, Jianyu picked up on something. Something that she REALLY didn't like. She turned to Conner, eyes wide. "You don't mean...YOU'D face Arcade as the distraction, do you?"
"Maybe we don't have to attack Arcade directly to keep him occupied," Laura offered. "We'll just have to start up a show that there's no way he can look away from, and I think I just know the target." She looked at the others and smiled. "We'll just fight one of his only lapdogs that are still standing. We take down Shazam."
@Drylands
"Don't tell me you're going soft, Alice,". Eli groaned through and uncharacteristic smile. "We've got work to do. Focus up. Focus on the future."
@Takumi
"I mean, sure, Arcade deserves and Ass-kicking, I won't argue with that," Wally muttered, running his fingers through his hair. "But that doesn't change the fact the he still has every advantage imaginable. Even if we do find a way to best him--"
"When we find a way to kill him" Eli interjected.
"Whoever faces him his still going to get smacked around like some sorta you." Wally continued. "It's a suicide mission. Worse yet, whoever faces off against Arcade is volunteering for torture. I can't allow any of you to do this. I'll go." The Speedster sighed. "I have enough regrets as it is. I don't need any more bodies on my conscience..."
@Takumi
"I mean, sure I will!" Conner exclaimed, placing his hands upon his hips. "It's not like have many options. We've got to look out for each other, right? We're Team Psycho! I"ll do what I'm good at- punching crap- and you do what you're good at- staying alive and saving the day and stuff!"
"The way I see it, Shazam and Arcade are a package deal. We go after one of them, the other will come running..." Conner sighed in contemplation. "It's up to you to decide who we start tracking first, but sooner or later, we'll be going toe to toe with both."
"So it's settled then?" Wally added. "Conner, Hex and I are going to go after Arcade and Billy. You guys find a way to end this circus. Any objections?"
Jianyu opened her mouth, but shut it. It was true, no matter how much she didn't like it. They needed to stop him, but going after him was what he wanted. Still...
"Don't you dare die on me, Superboy. I already lost two people to Arcade. Don't make it three." He wasn't Tretij, and he certainly wasn't Xiayu. But Conner had stayed with her through...Christ, half of this damn nightmare. He was all she had left.
@Drylands
"Don't tell me you're going soft, Alice,". Eli groaned through and uncharacteristic smile. "We've got work to do. Focus up. Focus on the future."
@Takumi
"I mean, sure, Arcade deserves and Ass-kicking, I won't argue with that," Wally muttered, running his fingers through his hair. "But that doesn't change the fact the he still has every advantage imaginable. Even if we do find a way to best him--"
"When we find a way to kill him" Eli interjected.
"Whoever faces him his still going to get smacked around like some sorta you." Wally continued. "It's a suicide mission. Worse yet, whoever faces off against Arcade is volunteering for torture. I can't allow any of you to do this. I'll go." The Speedster sighed. "I have enough regrets as it is. I don't need any more bodies on my conscience..."
@Takumi
"I mean, sure I will!" Conner exclaimed, placing his hands upon his hips. "It's not like have many options. We've got to look out for each other, right? We're Team Psycho! I"ll do what I'm good at- punching crap- and you do what you're good at- staying alive and saving the day and stuff!"
"The way I see it, Shazam and Arcade are a package deal. We go after one of them, the other will come running..." Conner sighed in contemplation. "It's up to you to decide who we start tracking first, but sooner or later, we'll be going toe to toe with both."
"So it's settled then?" Wally added. "Conner, Hex and I are going to go after Arcade and Billy. You guys find a way to end this circus. Any objections?"
Jianyu opened her mouth, but shut it. It was true, no matter how much she didn't like it. They needed to stop him, but going after him was what he wanted. Still...
"Don't you dare die on me, Superboy. I already lost two people to Arcade. Don't make it three." He wasn't Tretij, and he certainly wasn't Xiayu. But Conner had stayed with her through...Christ, half of this damn nightmare. He was all she had left.
"I don't plan on it, Jain" Conner smiled, ruffling the back of his hair. With a wave and a salute, he took to the skies. "I'll see you on the flip side."
Turning away to hide his concern, Superboy vanished into the clouds.
@Jeremi@Yun Lee
@Drylands---> Underworld "Hurry up. We don't have all day..." Eli cried out across the desert. He picked his knife up out of the dirt and made his way towards Sahalanthropus' tunnel. With hesitation, Eli took a leap the Drylands and into the Underworld.
***
The journey to the Underworld was accelerating. The Champions floated in a freefall for a moment or two, before some unseen force pulled them against the walls of the tunnel. Before long the passageway's rocky walls had been replaced by a series colourful, metallic panels. The tunnel transformed into a kaleidoscope slide that twisted and turned every which way.
The slide came to a sudden stop, with an angled kick sending Alice, Eli and Jianyu flying forth into the heart of Arcade's headquarters. Once their heads stopped spinning, they got their first real look at the Underworld.
Compared to the washed-out, earthy tones of the desert, the vibrant colours of the underworld were overwhelming. Red tiles littered its hallways. Shimmering curtains blew in the cool, conditioned air. The air smelled sickly sweet, as if fresh candyfloss was hidden inside every room. Reparative, joyful music roared from every speaker.
If it weren't so empty, one might have mistaken it for a circus.
"Arcade took me through here after we made our deal." Eli muttered. "I don't know where his main computer is, but I know some people who might. They're down the hall and to the right, but you might not like what you see on your way... His lab is around here too. I think it was to the left of here..."
@Yun Lee@Takumi
@Camp Angel---> Arcade's Clearing
In a flash, Wally had carried Laura across the island. By the time the lighting had vanished from her vision, she would discover the Speedster had taken her to Arcade's Clearing.
"I figured that if we were going to finish this, we might as well do it where it all began..."
The scene hadn't changed a bit since their first day on the island. The ring of fire that had restrained them when they first awoke still crackled with warmth. The earth was still dusty and dry. Eli's machete still sat blade down in a fallen log.
"All that's left is to rally the troops..." View attachment 4226
With a clap of his hands, thunder surged forth from Wally's body. Clouds began to gather over the island. He eyes began to glow. The dust around them began to float and inch or two above the stony ground. With a rebel yell, a column of lighting leaped his body and soared upwards until it burned the sky. The thunder-crack that followed could be heard deep into the Underworld.
"Now... the ort to have gotten someone's attention..." Conner laughed, coming in to land. "I guess now... we wait... Jianyu was right. We've lasted this long. Whatever that nut-job throws at us, we can handle it...we can handle it..."
Ugh. This was the tackiest shit she'd ever seen. Jianyu couldn't help but be disgusted even further. Though what Eli said... "Why? What's up with the people here?" The lab might be a good way to fuck him up further, but...did Arcade have henchmen here or some shit?
He was weak. He couldn't dare get involved in any big confrontations at the moment, not when he felt like the very thing that gave him strength in the first place was fleeting. Vanitas knew that much. It was like a game of cat and mouse, waiting for the perfect opportunity to get the drop on them. That also meant finding the opportunity to finally absorb back that massive Unversed he let loose awhile ago. It already served its purpose, he didn't want it to roam freely when he needed that fill of darkness the most. So he did. It was fairly simple to absorb all of that darkness back into his body.
So he should be able to engage anyone and take out his frustration on them, given that he had things to be dealing with back home.
That was what he thought.
❝ W-What the... Why am I... ? Gah! ❞ The boy felt a sickening feeling sprout from his heart. What the fuck even happened to this one Unversed? Why was it's essence making him feel... whatever this was? Okay, breathe. He had to calm down somehow, and piece together what this overwhelming weight was on his heart. Well, the most prominent feeling was... guilt? No, that can't be right. He didn't give a damn for the people he practically left to their deaths in the caves. So why did he only feel guilty over it now? Then came the next conflicting feeling. Fear. They only had so much time left, right? Before the game would end with everyone dying if there wasn't a lone victor. Sure, he wanted to be that lone victor, but... along with the guilt, he suddenly didn't want to be alone. Like how he was now. Dammit, he was supposed to be the fledgling of darkness, a killer trained to fight the very boy that would result in forging the X-blade!
Despite how messy he felt at the moment, Vanitas saw that a group of people were planning to split up in order to stop Arcade's game. An unconscious decision was already made in his head, and he didn't even understand why he thought of it. He had to help too. Damn, did that one Unversed being influenced without his discretion really do this to him? He felt disgusting, somehow having a whole stupid epiphany at the end of all this.
He didn't understand why he was suddenly doing this, as if maybe this strange behavior was already implanted in him from his creation, that it was just waiting to be reawakened. Without thinking, he made a break for it once the group he saw in the Drylands split ways, plunging into the pit that would transition him into the Underworld.
❝ Tch... I can't believe I'm doing this right now... ugh.... ❞ He grumbled to himself. Then came the next problem once he practically caught up with this small group coming in here to sabotage the game. Would they trust him or not?
In all this time, Hyakkimaru was doing his best on keeping people alive. He remembered Dororo telling him that it wasn't okay to kill other people, and that it were only okay if there were monsters. He understood that, yet he couldn't help it. Even if those demons lurked in human bodies, they were all the same regardless. They had to be put down by his blades.
That's when a sudden stench drew his attention, disrupting his silent calmness. Multiple signatures alike to a demon lingered. He couldn't understand why he detected it here of all places, but it didn't matter. That demonic signature was present. He had to. Almost like throwing out his moral compass, the swordsman went into a frenzy, rushing to where he detected the most of those demonic signatures. He didn't have time to differentiate the demonic signatures from human ones, or to see if they were mixed for some reason. It didn't matter to him. He just had to get to Arcade's clearing now, especially after hearing that loud clapping noise.
He didn't care. He didn't care as long as he could do this. Maybe it was a stroke of luck for him that he could at least make progress on his demon hunts while he was here. Plus, Dororo wouldn't see this. It was better that way, at least. To those at the clearing, they could see an overwhelming surge of darkened aura coming out of the swordsman. Hyakkimaru didn't even realize it, but if it urged him to make his move now. He didn't even know that they were working together to stop this game. Hell, Hyakkimaru practically forgot about the fact that they were all in an unjust game. He just wanted to kill whatever gave off the essence of a demon even if they were not right now!
A rage-induced yell, Hyakkimaru sped towards Connor without any other second thoughts on what he was doing, aiming his arm blades to go for his throat.
He was weak. He couldn't dare get involved in any big confrontations at the moment, not when he felt like the very thing that gave him strength in the first place was fleeting. Vanitas knew that much. It was like a game of cat and mouse, waiting for the perfect opportunity to get the drop on them. That also meant finding the opportunity to finally absorb back that massive Unversed he let loose awhile ago. It already served its purpose, he didn't want it to roam freely when he needed that fill of darkness the most. So he did. It was fairly simple to absorb all of that darkness back into his body.
So he should be able to engage anyone and take out his frustration on them, given that he had things to be dealing with back home.
That was what he thought.
❝ W-What the... Why am I... ? Gah! ❞ The boy felt a sickening feeling sprout from his heart. What the fuck even happened to this one Unversed? Why was it's essence making him feel... whatever this was? Okay, breathe. He had to calm down somehow, and piece together what this overwhelming weight was on his heart. Well, the most prominent feeling was... guilt? No, that can't be right. He didn't give a damn for the people he practically left to their deaths in the caves. So why did he only feel guilty over it now? Then came the next conflicting feeling. Fear. They only had so much time left, right? Before the game would end with everyone dying if there wasn't a lone victor. Sure, he wanted to be that lone victor, but... along with the guilt, he suddenly didn't want to be alone. Like how he was now. Dammit, he was supposed to be the fledgling of darkness, a killer trained to fight the very boy that would result in forging the X-blade!
Despite how messy he felt at the moment, Vanitas saw that a group of people were planning to split up in order to stop Arcade's game. An unconscious decision was already made in his head, and he didn't even understand why he thought of it. He had to help too. Damn, did that one Unversed being influenced without his discretion really do this to him? He felt disgusting, somehow having a whole stupid epiphany at the end of all this.
He didn't understand why he was suddenly doing this, as if maybe this strange behavior was already implanted in him from his creation, that it was just waiting to be reawakened. Without thinking, he made a break for it once the group he saw in the Drylands split ways, plunging into the pit that would transition him into the Underworld.
❝ Tch... I can't believe I'm doing this right now... ugh.... ❞ He grumbled to himself. Then came the next problem once he practically caught up with this small group coming in here to sabotage the game. Would they trust him or not?
In all this time, Hyakkimaru was doing his best on keeping people alive. He remembered Dororo telling him that it wasn't okay to kill other people, and that it were only okay if there were monsters. He understood that, yet he couldn't help it. Even if those demons lurked in human bodies, they were all the same regardless. They had to be put down by his blades.
That's when a sudden stench drew his attention, disrupting his silent calmness. Multiple signatures alike to a demon lingered. He couldn't understand why he detected it here of all places, but it didn't matter. That demonic signature was present. He had to. Almost like throwing out his moral compass, the swordsman went into a frenzy, rushing to where he detected the most of those demonic signatures. He didn't have time to differentiate the demonic signatures from human ones, or to see if they were mixed for some reason. It didn't matter to him. He just had to get to Arcade's clearing now, especially after hearing that loud clapping noise.
He didn't care. He didn't care as long as he could do this. Maybe it was a stroke of luck for him that he could at least make progress on his demon hunts while he was here. Plus, Dororo wouldn't see this. It was better that way, at least. To those at the clearing, they could see an overwhelming surge of darkened aura coming out of the swordsman. Hyakkimaru didn't even realize it, but if it urged him to make his move now. He didn't even know that they were working together to stop this game. Hell, Hyakkimaru practically forgot about the fact that they were all in an unjust game. He just wanted to kill whatever gave off the essence of a demon even if they were not right now!
A rage-induced yell, Hyakkimaru sped towards Connor without any other second thoughts on what he was doing, aiming his arm blades to go for his throat.
Well this was unexpected and disastrously derailing if allowed to continue. "Raaagh!" Weapon Hex jumped between Connor and the crazed swordsman doing her best to deflect his arm blades with her claws. "The plan stays the same!" She shouted to Connor and Wally. "This changes nothing!" If anything this might catch Arcade's eye, but facing Hyakkimaru, Shazam and potentially Arcade might be too much even with this group.
@Drylands
"Don't tell me you're going soft, Alice,". Eli groaned through and uncharacteristic smile. "We've got work to do. Focus up. Focus on the future."
@Takumi
"I mean, sure, Arcade deserves and Ass-kicking, I won't argue with that," Wally muttered, running his fingers through his hair. "But that doesn't change the fact the he still has every advantage imaginable. Even if we do find a way to best him--"
"When we find a way to kill him" Eli interjected.
"Whoever faces him his still going to get smacked around like some sorta you." Wally continued. "It's a suicide mission. Worse yet, whoever faces off against Arcade is volunteering for torture. I can't allow any of you to do this. I'll go." The Speedster sighed. "I have enough regrets as it is. I don't need any more bodies on my conscience..."
@Takumi
"I mean, sure I will!" Conner exclaimed, placing his hands upon his hips. "It's not like have many options. We've got to look out for each other, right? We're Team Psycho! I"ll do what I'm good at- punching crap- and you do what you're good at- staying alive and saving the day and stuff!"
"The way I see it, Shazam and Arcade are a package deal. We go after one of them, the other will come running..." Conner sighed in contemplation. "It's up to you to decide who we start tracking first, but sooner or later, we'll be going toe to toe with both."
"So it's settled then?" Wally added. "Conner, Hex and I are going to go after Arcade and Billy. You guys find a way to end this circus. Any objections?"
"I don't plan on it, Jain" Conner smiled, ruffling the back of his hair. With a wave and a salute, he took to the skies. "I'll see you on the flip side."
Turning away to hide his concern, Superboy vanished into the clouds.
@Jeremi@Yun Lee
@Drylands---> Underworld "Hurry up. We don't have all day..." Eli cried out across the desert. He picked his knife up out of the dirt and made his way towards Sahalanthropus' tunnel. With hesitation, Eli took a leap the Drylands and into the Underworld.
***
The journey to the Underworld was accelerating. The Champions floated in a freefall for a moment or two, before some unseen force pulled them against the walls of the tunnel. Before long the passageway's rocky walls had been replaced by a series colourful, metallic panels. The tunnel transformed into a kaleidoscope slide that twisted and turned every which way.
The slide came to a sudden stop, with an angled kick sending Alice, Eli and Jianyu flying forth into the heart of Arcade's headquarters. Once their heads stopped spinning, they got their first real look at the Underworld.
Compared to the washed-out, earthy tones of the desert, the vibrant colours of the underworld were overwhelming. Red tiles littered its hallways. Shimmering curtains blew in the cool, conditioned air. The air smelled sickly sweet, as if fresh candyfloss was hidden inside every room. Reparative, joyful music roared from every speaker.
If it weren't so empty, one might have mistaken it for a circus.
"Arcade took me through here after we made our deal." Eli muttered. "I don't know where his main computer is, but I know some people who might. They're down the hall and to the right, but you might not like what you see on your way... His lab is around here too. I think it was to the left of here..."
@Yun Lee@Takumi
@Camp Angel---> Arcade's Clearing
In a flash, Wally had carried Laura across the island. By the time the lighting had vanished from her vision, she would discover the Speedster had taken her to Arcade's Clearing.
"I figured that if we were going to finish this, we might as well do it where it all began..."
The scene hadn't changed a bit since their first day on the island. The ring of fire that had restrained them when they first awoke still crackled with warmth. The earth was still dusty and dry. Eli's machete still sat blade down in a fallen log.
"All that's left is to rally the troops..." View attachment 4226
With a clap of his hands, thunder surged forth from Wally's body. Clouds began to gather over the island. He eyes began to glow. The dust around them began to float and inch or two above the stony ground. With a rebel yell, a column of lighting leaped his body and soared upwards until it burned the sky. The thunder-crack that followed could be heard deep into the Underworld.
"Now... the ort to have gotten someone's attention..." Conner laughed, coming in to land. "I guess now... we wait... Jianyu was right. We've lasted this long. Whatever that nut-job throws at us, we can handle it...we can handle it..."
Ugh. This was the tackiest shit she'd ever seen. Jianyu couldn't help but be disgusted even further. Though what Eli said... "Why? What's up with the people here?" The lab might be a good way to fuck him up further, but...did Arcade have henchmen here or some shit?
"It's easier if I show you..." Eli whispered as he lead Alice and Jianyu down the winding halls of the Underworld. Placing his arrow between two larges, spiral painted doors, Liquid wedged them open.
Hundreds of small, metallic doors lined the walls of the chamber. Each one was well polished and tame in design compared to the rest of the Underworld. Each one was engraved with a single name and a number, and a small, blue glass viewing window.
"Don't touch anything..." Eli snapped as he ran his finger from door to door. "I know she's here somewhere... Yes!"
Eli wrapped his fingers around the handle of draw S990, M.Marvel.
With a Click and a beep, the came sliding open. Like a tray at a morgue, the body of a young woman rolled out on long metal bed.
"I saw her talking to him when I first arrived..." His fingers traced a long, freshly stitched wound across her right arm. "He's been experimenting on her. Running tests. If anyone knows where Arcade's main computer is, its--"
The Girl sat up suddenly and screamed. She wrapped her fingers around the edge of her Metal bed. He strength was enough to crush the steel..
"Where... Where am I!" She cried, grappling ahold of Eli's collar for support. "No... No you!!" She screamed again. "You're with him!!!" She pushed him away. Not realising her own strength, she sent the young boy flying across the room. "Get away from me!!!"
[HONK-HONK]
A strange noise echoed down the hall.
"Oh no... Oh no no no no..." The Girl howled. "It's coming back!!!"
By the time Vanitas made arrived in the Underworld, Alice, Eli and Jianyu had already vanished down one of Circus's many winding corridors. Finding them would be a trial in itself, unless...
[HONK HONK]
A strange noise echoed from a nearby corridor. A strange shadow disappeared down the hall. Vanitas wasn't alone. Someone else- or something else- was loose in the circus. He could make out the sound of wheels turning. Of cogs churning. A mechanical creature was stalking the halls in search of the wandering Champions...
In the distance, he could make out the muffled screams of a young girl.
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