Side Story The Goddess II: Fate of the Old Gods

[Jeremi]

ICE BRIDGE
"Careful?" Atreus muttered to himself, unable to hide the concern in his voice. "No... She needs to come back... We need to get her back!"

"Atlantiades!" The boy howled, sprinting to the edge of the coast. "Atlantiades! Stop you're too h---"

[CRACK]

A great white crack spread out across the first bridge, severing, severing it in two at its halfway point. Throwing caution to the wind, Atreus sprinted onto the drifting bridge. In his eagerness to reach the Old God, he slipped and skidded towards the bridge's end. His fall was enough to crack the bridge some more. By the time he scrambled to his feet, the bridge had drifted apart to form 4 separate pieces.

The first segment clung to the coast beside Viper, Adam, Damian, Mila, Karinith and Billy.

The second was drifting Eastward towards the Horizon. This piece was slowly breaking apart under Atlantiades' weight.

The third was drifting Northwards towards the Insect Kingdom. Atreus was light enough not to break his thin, floating platform, but he was also weak to paddle against the tide. The waves were slowly pushing him further and further away from the Old Gods.

The forth and largest piece remained fixed to the base of the distant cliff. It seemed to be much more durable than its smaller satellites.

A stoic figure watched the Old Gods from the edge of the Insect Kingdom. He arms were folded. His eyes were alive with a crimson glow. With so little time remaining, it was curious that he was wasting so much of it watching the Old Gods.

"What are you waiting for?" Crimson hissed at Adam. "Go help them!"

"Me?" Adam chuckled, a smarmy grin clinging to his face. "No. The Gravity here is... abnormal. To fly is to dive." He pointed to the crackling lightning bolt on his chest. "And only a buffoon would enter the water when he lighting flowing through his veins."

"Fine!" Viper snapped, removing her jacket and gloves. "I'll help. Trust a mortal to do a 'god's' work for him."

"Do not play upon my pride, woman. Go freeze to death." Adam shrugged. "Perhaps you'll get lucky. Perhaps the cold will numb your nerves before gravity drags to you down to the coral."

"You've made your point, Adam..." She grunted.

"Mila..." Damian turned away from their squabbling allied. "What's our next move?"

Time remaining: 4 hours 15 minutes

@Yun Lee @Jeremi @Minerva @Crunch @Lucky​

"Hold yourself!" Atlantiades shouted to Viper and Mila. "We won't lose any more in these deceptive waters. The boy is my responsibility." It was quite rare for them to swim but they could not lose the boy.

They refused. With a splash, they were in the water hoping their godly strength was enough to reach Atreus so that they could push him over to the other shore. Atlantiades wondered to themselves what Wonder Woman had to say about the situation. Probably that they had grown, but what was a God that didn't look after their followers?


@Yun Lee @Jeremi @Minerva @Crunch @Lucky

 

[Takumi]

"Hold yourself!" Atlantiades shouted to Viper and Mila. "We won't lose any more in these deceptive waters. The boy is my responsibility." It was quite rare for them to swim but they could not lose the boy.

They refused. With a splash, they were in the water hoping their godly strength was enough to reach Atreus so that they could push him over to the other shore. Atlantiades wondered to themselves what Wonder Woman had to say about the situation. Probably that they had grown, but what was a God that didn't look after their followers?


@Yun Lee @Jeremi @Minerva @Crunch @Lucky

Mila stopped, eyeing Atlantiades as they went to swim for Atreus. She didn't move, watching them intensely.

@Jeremi @Sark @Minerva @Everyone

 

[Yun Lee]

How unfortunate. It appeared that their plans had changed. This man had the highest kill count currently, and it looked as though he had just gone for another. "What am I planning?" Gill asked. "Why, it is quite simple. Once the Goddess has been defeated, I shall give her divine tongue to Urien while she still draws breath, before she is destroyed completely. Of course, to do so, he and I must both escape this world, we do need that poor girl alive. Please, do give her to us. Perhaps we may all be able to escape here together."

Eobard was not the only person Gill was speaking to, however. Hands behind his back, Gill tapped on his arm with his finger, gentle enough that only Urien would be able to see.

One short tap, two long. A pause.
One short tap, one long. A pause.
Two short taps. A pause.
One long tap. Pause.

He gave his brother enough credit that he may understand.

@Sark​

 

[Sark]

"Hold yourself!" Atlantiades shouted to Viper and Mila. "We won't lose any more in these deceptive waters. The boy is my responsibility." It was quite rare for them to swim but they could not lose the boy.

They refused. With a splash, they were in the water hoping their godly strength was enough to reach Atreus so that they could push him over to the other shore. Atlantiades wondered to themselves what Wonder Woman had to say about the situation. Probably that they had grown, but what was a God that didn't look after their followers?


@Yun Lee @Jeremi @Minerva @Crunch @Lucky

ICE BRIDGE
"Atlantiades! Wait! No!" Atreus lunged towards the edge of his sheet of ice, his hand reaching out towards them. His efforts were in vain. The moment Atlantiades touched the water, they sunk like a stone. It was just as Adam had theorized: the region's abnormal gravity dragged her straight down to the coral. Perhaps it was a painless death. Perhaps the cold got to her before she suffocated. Perhaps she died before she felt the crushing pressure of the ocean crashing down upon her. It was hard to say. Her air bubbles stopped rippling under the waves after a minute or two.

PLAYER ELIMINATED: Atlantiades
FATE: Drowned trying to save Atreus

"Noooo!" Atreus howled. His fists came pounding down upon his icy sheet. It wasn't long before his platform started to crack too. He barely notices. He barely cared. Rage had swallowed him whole. "Come back!!!" He screeched, sparks swarming him like fireflies.

"Give her back!!!"

[Crack!]

His platform spit in two. Throwing caution to the find, he plunged deep into the blue, his arms reaching down towards Atlantiades. He never resurfaced.

PLAYER ELIMINATED: Atreus, Son of Kratos
FATE: Drowned trying to save Atlantiades

Viper screamed and ran to the coast. Damian caught her before she could reach the tide. She fought against him. She screamed and hissed and spat. Robin remained silent. The situation was horrible. Hellish. Unfair. There was nothing either of them could have done. Adam remained stoic. He kept his arms folded and his brow tense.

"And then there were 6..." He sighed. "It's a shame. I was actually starting to like them. Still. We have no time to grieve. If we want to reach this... escape route the Winged-One spoke of, we'll have to let the seas take them. We'll need to find another way across, for our sake..."

How unfortunate. It appeared that their plans had changed. This man had the highest kill count currently, and it looked as though he had just gone for another. "What am I planning?" Gill asked. "Why, it is quite simple. Once the Goddess has been defeated, I shall give her divine tongue to Urien while she still draws breath, before she is destroyed completely. Of course, to do so, he and I must both escape this world, we do need that poor girl alive. Please, do give her to us. Perhaps we may all be able to escape here together."

Eobard was not the only person Gill was speaking to, however. Hands behind his back, Gill tapped on his arm with his finger, gentle enough that only Urien would be able to see.

One short tap, two long. A pause.
One short tap, one long. A pause.
Two short taps. A pause.
One long tap. Pause.

He gave his brother enough credit that he may understand.

@Sark

JUNGLE/WATERFALL
A sneer crept across Urien's face. The Tongue of the Goddess... now that would do him nicely. Holding the line behind Gill, the Silent One waited patiently, tapping his foot as the seconds crawled by.

One quick tap, one long one. A pause.
Three quick taps. A pause.
Two quick taps, one long one. A pause.
One quick taps, two long ones. A pause.
Two quick ones. A pause.
Three quick ones. A pause.
Four quick taps ones. A pause.

"Good answer, good answer... but tell me this, stranger..." Eobard hummed sarcastically, stroking his chin all the while. "Why would I want to 'escape' when I have this game in the bag? With that kid with the gun gone, who's left to compete with my score? I mean, one more kill..." He raised his foot over Cammy's head. "And I'll be unbeatable. You want this girl? You're going to have to beg a little harder than that. Offer me something good- something really good- and I might send a bit of charity your way. Now, I'll tell you this much; Fame, power and glory scratch a certain itch for me. So what do you have to offer?"

@Yun Lee

TIME REMAINING: 3 hours 30 minutes.

...
...
...
...
...
Falling.
Drowning.
Sinking.
Down from the forth dimension of time...
Into the third, the dimension of space...
Into the second...
Into the first...
And beyond...
Atlantiades fell...
Endlessly...
Until she came upon...

//GODDESS II// EMERALD NOON//
//FATE OF THE OLD GODS// CHAOS WAR//
//AFTERLIFE//
THE NEGATIVE THIRD DIMENSION
Time ceased to matter.
There was no Sun down there. No moon. No stars.
Only a burning, endless sky, littered with smog clouds and raining razors.
The air was always hot. Always rough on the way down.
There was nothing to eat or drink. You were always hungry. Always thirsty.
Always on edge. Always hunting.

The High-Inquisitor was running. Chasing something. They didn't know. They didn't know why.
They simply hunted. The High-Inquisitor was a hunter. That was the way things were.
It was a blissful existence, despite the pain. No matter how thirsty or tired they grew, they couldn't bring themselves to hate the N3.
It was their home. Their fellow hunters were their family. They had partners. Lovers. Friends. Why would they ever want to leave?
What could the +4 offer her what the N3 didn't already provide?
The Goddess had given the High-Inquisitor bliss. She had liberated them from the crushing weight of free-thought. They wanted for nothing.
View attachment 6551
The hunt was almost over. Their prey was cornered in dusty black alley. He struck the alley's back away with a crack. He pounded his fist against the concrete barrier and the Goddess for all she was worth. He slowly turned around to face his death with a glimmer of pride. His pleading eyes were illuminated by the crimson glow of a nearby tower.
View attachment 6552
"So this is how it ends, High-Inquisitor?" The Old Soldier groaned. "After all we've been through... This is how it ends?"

"Such is the fate of all Imperial Traitors," The High-Inquisitor replied, unable to control her own tongue. "Fear not, Atreus. You'll be with the Mother-Queen soon enough. Her love shall purify you. You will be made whole again!"

"Whole?" Inquisitor Atreus chuckled bleakly. "I know not what 'wholeness' is. I have not felt it since Underworld."

The High-Inquisitor rolled their eyes.

"I don't know what spirit has possessed you, Chaos-Dog, but know that there is nothing the Goddess cannot repair. Return to the front lines with us! Bathe yourself in the blood of the marines! Heal yourself in their hate!"

"The spirit that possesses me is the spirit of empathy, Inquisitor! It is the spirit of sympathy! Of guilt, of regret, of misery! I am possessed by the spirit of free thought!!!" Atreus his mother's axe. "Listen to me, Love-God!"

"You're wasting time, High-Inquisitor!" Jon spat, his aura flaring.
View attachment 6553
"What are you waiting for? Kill him! Rid the Realm of this Hellspawn!"

"Hellspawn?!" Atreus protested, tightening his grip on his axe. "It is you who are the Hellspawns! It is you who are the demons! You, who betrayed all who exist in the world above! Love God--"

"Don't call me that. I am the High--"

"No! You are the God of Love! The Emerald Flag cannot change that! Even the Goddess herself cannot change that!"

"Blasphemer!" They spat. "Infidel!"

"Yes! I will blaspheme against the False-Goddess until my final breath! I will follow her no longer! I will am Inquisitor Imperius no more! I am Atreus, Son of Laufey! Son of Kratos! Just as you are Jonathon Kent, Son of Lois and Clark! And you!" His eyes burned into the Inquisitor. "Just as you are the child of Hermes and Aphrodite!"

"I have no mother but Her! I have no Mother but the Mother-Queen!"

"That's where you are wrong, Jon!"

"Don't call him that!"

"I will call him by his name! His true name! The name of a man destined to save lives, not take them!"

"The only destiny I possess is the one written for me by--"

"An'Lu'Munus!" Atreus screamed over Superboy. "That is her name! She's not God! She's not Divine! None of us are! Please! Love God! Believe me! BELIEVE ME!"

Atreus stepped forward. Jon's eyes burned with heat. The High-Inquisitor signaled for him to stand down. Begrudgingly, Superboy stepped back in line.

Atreus took a knee before the High-Inquisitor. He raised his axe, offering it to them.

"We're monsters. We can tell ourselves that we're better than the those we face... but we're not. Our hands are stained black with innocent blood! With killed as many 'traitors' within our ranks as we have Marines! I will pay for my part in these crimes with my life."

"The Goddess will--"

"No. You will decide my fate." He looked up at them with tired, war-weary eyes. "I will die by my own blade."

The High Inquisitor obliged. She raised the axe above her head. Atreus bowed a little lower.

"I admired you, Love God. I have ever since I was a boy. I admired your convictions. The way you protected us. Raised us. Even now, I can't help but love you. I cannot bid you good fortunes. I pray that your demons catch up with you some day. I pray that the same spirit that possesses me..."

The axe was swung.

"--will possess you." Atreus looked up at the High-Inquisitor. He looked up at blade that had stopped and inch away from his skull. He looked up at the saint who had spared him. Something changed within the Love-God. Something had moved through her. A switch had been flicked. A flood gate had opened.

"Welcome back, Atlantiades. It's been far too long."

"Inquisitor?" Jon muttered, frozen in his place. "Inquisitor... what has he done to you?"

For the first time in an eternity, Atlantiades was free. She could control herself once again, body, mind and soul.

God help the Goddess.

//AFTERLIFE//
THE NEGATIVE THIRD DIMENSION
[N3-3]
Prologue- Patience, Peace and Piety

@Jeremi​

 

[Lucky]

Billy Batson/ Shazam

Billy hadn't expected the others to catch up with him or to be helped by Damian. They would eventually reach the ice bridge and then it all came back. Every painful memory that he thought he had repressed about this place. It was here that he had tried to save two lives and instead took two instead. It was here that Billy Batson had died. Funny, he had always thought himself as Billy... but now, now back in this place, he had to wonder how true that was. Sure. it was what he had called himself because it was the only name he had ever known...….

But it had always felt wrong. Like he was using the name as a sort of mask. But if he wasn't Billy Batson, who was he? At one point, he would have said Shazam... but Arcade had ruined that when he had made him his son. His creation. His ever-lasting carrier. Huh- funny, he hadn't thought about that in years. But being here brought it all out. So lost in his own grief, he missed when they finally arrived at the ice bridge. Missed the love Goddess going on the ice bridge, missed Atreus going to save her. Missed it all. If only he had been paying attention he could have warned them..... could have prevented death..... but it was too late now. He was always too late.

" Yeah, the bridge is gone and swimming isn't an option..... unless..... maybe.... it's a dumb idea. It might be better to build a raft. But.... uhh… Karinth, could you do that thing that froze the Wetlands again? Maybe we can make the whole sea frozen for long enough for us o cross."

@Minerva @Takumi @Sark

 

[Sark]

" Yeah, the bridge is gone and swimming isn't an option..... unless..... maybe.... it's a dumb idea. It might be better to build a raft. But.... uhh… Karinth, could you do that thing that froze the Wetlands again? Maybe we can make the whole sea frozen for long enough for us o cross."

@Minerva @Takumi @Sark

"I don't see any slaves around here, do you?" Adam sneered. He threw his arms to the side and surveyed the beach, mocking Billy. "I don't think any of us have experience in shipbuilding, boy. We wouldn't know where to start. Even with our combined speed, it would take us over an hour to build something sea-worthy. If you and I were to fall below the waves we would electrify the water. The charge would travel to the raft and kill everyone on board. It would be suicide. Face the truth, Batson!" Adam snarled. He grabbed Shazam but the scruff of his costumed and lifted him up off of the ground. "You've been played for a fool! We all have!"

With a beastly snarl, Teth tossed Billy back down onto the sand. He spat down upon him. "Even if- by some miracle- you reached that cliff, this regions abnormal gravity would drown you down to the depths bellow! You die, clinging to whatever miracle is hidden for you at the base of that cliff! Even if we built a raft, even if the ocean was frozen down to the seabed, even if the dragon tossed you across the sea herself, yours is a suicide mission! You've wasted out time! We've pissed away 9 hours on this wild goose chase! And for what?!!" He removed a small note from his pocket, crunched it up and tossed it across the beach. It landed beside Batson. "To appease some benefactor? To play some game inside a game? I should kill you myself, boy!"
View attachment 6557
"You've marched us all to our doom!"
Lighting crackled from every pore on this dictator's body as he screeched.
"You've killed us all!"

@Lucky @Minerva @Takumi​

 

[Lucky]

Billy Batson/ Shazam

" You know, that's the third time you have brought up slavery." He would take a moment to consider the point that Black Adam was making and he paused for a beat, realizing something true. " I know that if either of us go into the water, it's certain death for anyone who is already there. I know," he replied, emphasizing the I know again. He had already dealt with waters like these, with a place like this before. This wasn't just some game to him. There it was. The word he had been ignoring his whole life.. The one thing he refused to acknowledge, the simple fact that was more true than any other fact. But yet...… yet..... there was something else.

Billy didn't initally react tp being tossed down and spat on. He just stared back at Adam a certain emptiness in his eyes. It was then that he realized something. The answer.....was something he had been searching for his whole life..... but he had never stopped to ask the question. He had become so focused on making it up to the cliffs for the answer to what the reward was tha6t he hadn't asked the question. Why do I want to know something? Maybe it was because he was always acting, always trying to please everyone or maybe he liked to pretend he was something better than his broken parts, better than his mess he was. Maybe he should have realized his role was the one he had been made to play. Literally. When Billy got up again, his eyes were glowing that brilliant blue and he was on fire.

" No, I didn't. You didn't have to follow me. You chose too. I never asked for anyone to come with me," he replied, walking up to Adam and grabbing him. " So stop acting like a spoiled child."

@Sark @Minerva @Takumi

 

[Sark]

" No, I didn't. You didn't have to follow me. You chose too. I never asked for anyone to come with me," he replied, walking up to Adam and grabbing him. " So stop acting like a spoiled child."

@Sark @Minerva @Takumi

"What are y--GGGGAHHH!" Adam cried out in pain as Billy touched his body. But Billy's flames hadn't cause his agony. Not had the boy's thunder. Adam screamed as a strange, magical reaction took place... a magical reaction that had not occurred in over 5 years. The Flames of Arson washed over him. The Speed of Robbery rippled through his muscles. The Genius of Conspiracy filled his mind. The Strength of Assault filled his heart. The Guile of Dishonesty was printed upon his face. The Might of Extortion filled his thunder. Adam's screaming stopped. He wrapped his hand around the back of Billy's head, preventing his from pulling away. His cry of pain were replaced by deep, earth-shaking laugh. His eyes cut deep into Shazam.

"Let us not deal in half-measures, boy." He grinned. "ARCADE!"

He cried out the cursed word with intent. A burning, crimson thunderbolt came crashing down from the heavens to strike the pair. The sensation was all too familiar.

Shazam was at a crossroad. He was presented with a choice.
He could accept the Cursed Thunderbolt and become the Ringmaster once again...
Or he could reject it the form and transfer the Dark Power over the Teth-Adam.

Adam's heat was already black. Perhaps the Dark Bolt would affect him differently. Maybe he could control its the dark impulses...
Then again, the pure, unbridled power of A.R.C.A.D.E. might come in hand in a situation like this... but was the price too high?

TIME REMAINING: 2 hours 45 minutes.

@Minerva @Takumi @Lucky​

 

[Lucky]

Billy Batson/Shazam

Billy didn't answer him. All he had wanted to do was just to get him to shut up. He was sure that somewhere Arcade was laughing. He was positive that was the case as Adam was screaming. Had he done the right thing or the wrong one? He wasn't quite certain, but all he did know was that no mater what choice he made next, things were abut to get worse. It wasn't a lie, it was just a matter of fact. He was sure if Mary knew what he was doing she would have scolded him for being so reckless. Huh- funny, he hadn't thought about what Mary would think until now. He wondered if the rest of his family was doing okay. He didn't want to pull away.... funny, he thought that he would hate being so close to evil..... but yet, he strangely didn't.

Of course, Arcade was one to give his powers to other, the man certainly had an ego.

There was so much about that word that was wrong, but he also doubted anyone else could control or even contain it. He had barely contained it himself for all these years.

Choices that were made rashly were the ones that Billy was best at.

There wasn't much of a choice here and he knew it. Darkness and death followed him wherever he went.

It was only natural for what Billy did next, the only right choice in his mind or was it the wrong one?


He wasn't sure that it mattered, either way and he took a moment to look at him and he didn't push him away. He looked him straight in the eyes.

"Let's not," he replied, pulling Black Adam closer. He was going to let them both be struck by the Black Thunderbolt. Consequences be damned.

@Sark @Takumi @Minerva

 

[Yun Lee]

"Has there not been enough bloodshed, my friend?" Gill asked. "Don't you feel it? Twelve have died already...that leaves us with ten others contending. What use is it to continue killing, when we may vie for harmony instead? All I can offer you is brotherhood, a place amongst my brother and myself once we are free of this place. Isn't that worth a girl's life?"

@Sark​

 

[Takumi]

ICE BRIDGE
"Atlantiades! Wait! No!" Atreus lunged towards the edge of his sheet of ice, his hand reaching out towards them. His efforts were in vain. The moment Atlantiades touched the water, they sunk like a stone. It was just as Adam had theorized: the region's abnormal gravity dragged her straight down to the coral. Perhaps it was a painless death. Perhaps the cold got to her before she suffocated. Perhaps she died before she felt the crushing pressure of the ocean crashing down upon her. It was hard to say. Her air bubbles stopped rippling under the waves after a minute or two.

PLAYER ELIMINATED: Atlantiades
FATE: Drowned trying to save Atreus

"Noooo!" Atreus howled. His fists came pounding down upon his icy sheet. It wasn't long before his platform started to crack too. He barely notices. He barely cared. Rage had swallowed him whole. "Come back!!!" He screeched, sparks swarming him like fireflies.

"Give her back!!!"

[Crack!]

His platform spit in two. Throwing caution to the find, he plunged deep into the blue, his arms reaching down towards Atlantiades. He never resurfaced.

PLAYER ELIMINATED: Atreus, Son of Kratos
FATE: Drowned trying to save Atlantiades

Viper screamed and ran to the coast. Damian caught her before she could reach the tide. She fought against him. She screamed and hissed and spat. Robin remained silent. The situation was horrible. Hellish. Unfair. There was nothing either of them could have done. Adam remained stoic. He kept his arms folded and his brow tense.

"And then there were 6..." He sighed. "It's a shame. I was actually starting to like them. Still. We have no time to grieve. If we want to reach this... escape route the Winged-One spoke of, we'll have to let the seas take them. We'll need to find another way across, for our sake..."


JUNGLE/WATERFALL
A sneer crept across Urien's face. The Tongue of the Goddess... now that would do him nicely. Holding the line behind Gill, the Silent One waited patiently, tapping his foot as the seconds crawled by.

One quick tap, one long one. A pause.
Three quick taps. A pause.
Two quick taps, one long one. A pause.
One quick taps, two long ones. A pause.
Two quick ones. A pause.
Three quick ones. A pause.
Four quick taps ones. A pause.

"Good answer, good answer... but tell me this, stranger..." Eobard hummed sarcastically, stroking his chin all the while. "Why would I want to 'escape' when I have this game in the bag? With that kid with the gun gone, who's left to compete with my score? I mean, one more kill..." He raised his foot over Cammy's head. "And I'll be unbeatable. You want this girl? You're going to have to beg a little harder than that. Offer me something good- something really good- and I might send a bit of charity your way. Now, I'll tell you this much; Fame, power and glory scratch a certain itch for me. So what do you have to offer?"

@Yun Lee

TIME REMAINING: 3 hours 30 minutes.

...
...
...
...
...
Falling.
Drowning.
Sinking.
Down from the forth dimension of time...
Into the third, the dimension of space...
Into the second...
Into the first...
And beyond...
Atlantiades fell...
Endlessly...
Until she came upon...

//GODDESS II// EMERALD NOON//
//FATE OF THE OLD GODS// CHAOS WAR//
//AFTERLIFE//
THE NEGATIVE THIRD DIMENSION
Time ceased to matter.
There was no Sun down there. No moon. No stars.
Only a burning, endless sky, littered with smog clouds and raining razors.
The air was always hot. Always rough on the way down.
There was nothing to eat or drink. You were always hungry. Always thirsty.
Always on edge. Always hunting.

The High-Inquisitor was running. Chasing something. They didn't know. They didn't know why.
They simply hunted. The High-Inquisitor was a hunter. That was the way things were.
It was a blissful existence, despite the pain. No matter how thirsty or tired they grew, they couldn't bring themselves to hate the N3.
It was their home. Their fellow hunters were their family. They had partners. Lovers. Friends. Why would they ever want to leave?
What could the +4 offer her what the N3 didn't already provide?
The Goddess had given the High-Inquisitor bliss. She had liberated them from the crushing weight of free-thought. They wanted for nothing.
View attachment 6551
The hunt was almost over. Their prey was cornered in dusty black alley. He struck the alley's back away with a crack. He pounded his fist against the concrete barrier and the Goddess for all she was worth. He slowly turned around to face his death with a glimmer of pride. His pleading eyes were illuminated by the crimson glow of a nearby tower.
View attachment 6552
"So this is how it ends, High-Inquisitor?" The Old Soldier groaned. "After all we've been through... This is how it ends?"

"Such is the fate of all Imperial Traitors," The High-Inquisitor replied, unable to control her own tongue. "Fear not, Atreus. You'll be with the Mother-Queen soon enough. Her love shall purify you. You will be made whole again!"

"Whole?" Inquisitor Atreus chuckled bleakly. "I know not what 'wholeness' is. I have not felt it since Underworld."

The High-Inquisitor rolled their eyes.

"I don't know what spirit has possessed you, Chaos-Dog, but know that there is nothing the Goddess cannot repair. Return to the front lines with us! Bathe yourself in the blood of the marines! Heal yourself in their hate!"

"The spirit that possesses me is the spirit of empathy, Inquisitor! It is the spirit of sympathy! Of guilt, of regret, of misery! I am possessed by the spirit of free thought!!!" Atreus his mother's axe. "Listen to me, Love-God!"

"You're wasting time, High-Inquisitor!" Jon spat, his aura flaring.
View attachment 6553
"What are you waiting for? Kill him! Rid the Realm of this Hellspawn!"

"Hellspawn?!" Atreus protested, tightening his grip on his axe. "It is you who are the Hellspawns! It is you who are the demons! You, who betrayed all who exist in the world above! Love God--"

"Don't call me that. I am the High--"

"No! You are the God of Love! The Emerald Flag cannot change that! Even the Goddess herself cannot change that!"

"Blasphemer!" They spat. "Infidel!"

"Yes! I will blaspheme against the False-Goddess until my final breath! I will follow her no longer! I will am Inquisitor Imperius no more! I am Atreus, Son of Laufey! Son of Kratos! Just as you are Jonathon Kent, Son of Lois and Clark! And you!" His eyes burned into the Inquisitor. "Just as you are the child of Hermes and Aphrodite!"

"I have no mother but Her! I have no Mother but the Mother-Queen!"

"That's where you are wrong, Jon!"

"Don't call him that!"

"I will call him by his name! His true name! The name of a man destined to save lives, not take them!"

"The only destiny I possess is the one written for me by--"

"An'Lu'Munus!" Atreus screamed over Superboy. "That is her name! She's not God! She's not Divine! None of us are! Please! Love God! Believe me! BELIEVE ME!"

Atreus stepped forward. Jon's eyes burned with heat. The High-Inquisitor signaled for him to stand down. Begrudgingly, Superboy stepped back in line.

Atreus took a knee before the High-Inquisitor. He raised his axe, offering it to them.

"We're monsters. We can tell ourselves that we're better than the those we face... but we're not. Our hands are stained black with innocent blood! With killed as many 'traitors' within our ranks as we have Marines! I will pay for my part in these crimes with my life."

"The Goddess will--"

"No. You will decide my fate." He looked up at them with tired, war-weary eyes. "I will die by my own blade."

The High Inquisitor obliged. She raised the axe above her head. Atreus bowed a little lower.

"I admired you, Love God. I have ever since I was a boy. I admired your convictions. The way you protected us. Raised us. Even now, I can't help but love you. I cannot bid you good fortunes. I pray that your demons catch up with you some day. I pray that the same spirit that possesses me..."

The axe was swung.

"--will possess you." Atreus looked up at the High-Inquisitor. He looked up at blade that had stopped and inch away from his skull. He looked up at the saint who had spared him. Something changed within the Love-God. Something had moved through her. A switch had been flicked. A flood gate had opened.

"Welcome back, Atlantiades. It's been far too long."

"Inquisitor?" Jon muttered, frozen in his place. "Inquisitor... what has he done to you?"

For the first time in an eternity, Atlantiades was free. She could control herself once again, body, mind and soul.

God help the Goddess.

//AFTERLIFE//
THE NEGATIVE THIRD DIMENSION
[N3-3]
PART 1- Patience, Peace and Piety

@Jeremi​

Billy Batson/ Shazam

Billy hadn't expected the others to catch up with him or to be helped by Damian. They would eventually reach the ice bridge and then it all came back. Every painful memory that he thought he had repressed about this place. It was here that he had tried to save two lives and instead took two instead. It was here that Billy Batson had died. Funny, he had always thought himself as Billy... but now, now back in this place, he had to wonder how true that was. Sure. it was what he had called himself because it was the only name he had ever known...….

But it had always felt wrong. Like he was using the name as a sort of mask. But if he wasn't Billy Batson, who was he? At one point, he would have said Shazam... but Arcade had ruined that when he had made him his son. His creation. His ever-lasting carrier. Huh- funny, he hadn't thought about that in years. But being here brought it all out. So lost in his own grief, he missed when they finally arrived at the ice bridge. Missed the love Goddess going on the ice bridge, missed Atreus going to save her. Missed it all. If only he had been paying attention he could have warned them..... could have prevented death..... but it was too late now. He was always too late.

" Yeah, the bridge is gone and swimming isn't an option..... unless..... maybe.... it's a dumb idea. It might be better to build a raft. But.... uhh… Karinth, could you do that thing that froze the Wetlands again? Maybe we can make the whole sea frozen for long enough for us o cross."

@Minerva @Takumi @Sark

"I don't see any slaves around here, do you?" Adam sneered. He threw his arms to the side and surveyed the beach, mocking Billy. "I don't think any of us have experience in shipbuilding, boy. We wouldn't know where to start. Even with our combined speed, it would take us over an hour to build something sea-worthy. If you and I were to fall below the waves we would electrify the water. The charge would travel to the raft and kill everyone on board. It would be suicide. Face the truth, Batson!" Adam snarled. He grabbed Shazam but the scruff of his costumed and lifted him up off of the ground. "You've been played for a fool! We all have!"

With a beastly snarl, Teth tossed Billy back down onto the sand. He spat down upon him. "Even if- by some miracle- you reached that cliff, this regions abnormal gravity would drown you down to the depths bellow! You die, clinging to whatever miracle is hidden for you at the base of that cliff! Even if we built a raft, even if the ocean was frozen down to the seabed, even if the dragon tossed you across the sea herself, yours is a suicide mission! You've wasted out time! We've pissed away 9 hours on this wild goose chase! And for what?!!" He removed a small note from his pocket, crunched it up and tossed it across the beach. It landed beside Batson. "To appease some benefactor? To play some game inside a game? I should kill you myself, boy!"
View attachment 6557
"You've marched us all to our doom!"
Lighting crackled from every pore on this dictator's body as he screeched.
"You've killed us all!"

@Lucky @Minerva @Takumi​

Billy Batson/Shazam

Billy didn't answer him. All he had wanted to do was just to get him to shut up. He was sure that somewhere Arcade was laughing. He was positive that was the case as Adam was screaming. Had he done the right thing or the wrong one? He wasn't quite certain, but all he did know was that no mater what choice he made next, things were abut to get worse. It wasn't a lie, it was just a matter of fact. He was sure if Mary knew what he was doing she would have scolded him for being so reckless. Huh- funny, he hadn't thought about what Mary would think until now. He wondered if the rest of his family was doing okay. He didn't want to pull away.... funny, he thought that he would hate being so close to evil..... but yet, he strangely didn't.

Of course, Arcade was one to give his powers to other, the man certainly had an ego.

There was so much about that word that was wrong, but he also doubted anyone else could control or even contain it. He had barely contained it himself for all these years.

Choices that were made rashly were the ones that Billy was best at.

There wasn't much of a choice here and he knew it. Darkness and death followed him wherever he went.

It was only natural for what Billy did next, the only right choice in his mind or was it the wrong one?


He wasn't sure that it mattered, either way and he took a moment to look at him and he didn't push him away. He looked him straight in the eyes.

"Let's not," he replied, pulling Black Adam closer. He was going to let them both be struck by the Black Thunderbolt. Consequences be damned.

@Sark @Takumi @Minerva

While she wasn't sure Billy's plan would work, in the end not much mattered. Time was running out, and Bison had yet to have their head roll for their transgressions. Divine punishment, you could call it, awaited Bison and the Goddess. At this rate they may not even get the damn sword back, and that just wouldn't do.

"Your bickering is wasting time, enough." Mila grunted, eyes on the waters that took two of their own. She could of sworn, that at one point she saw someone watching, before the two deaths had taken her attention and caused her heart to feel heavy. She never got the chance to mention what she might of saw, things were going to fast, and she could only do so much.

Then things escalated, and she moved to try and forcefully seperate them--until Adam and Billy both coated themselves in lighting and fire, with the former suddenly screaming.

Mila hissed, moving to stand protectively near Viper, Karinth, and Damian as the lighting of ARCADE came down to consume them both.

@Sark @Lucky @Minerva

 

[Sark]

Billy Batson/Shazam

Billy didn't answer him. All he had wanted to do was just to get him to shut up. He was sure that somewhere Arcade was laughing. He was positive that was the case as Adam was screaming. Had he done the right thing or the wrong one? He wasn't quite certain, but all he did know was that no mater what choice he made next, things were abut to get worse. It wasn't a lie, it was just a matter of fact. He was sure if Mary knew what he was doing she would have scolded him for being so reckless. Huh- funny, he hadn't thought about what Mary would think until now. He wondered if the rest of his family was doing okay. He didn't want to pull away.... funny, he thought that he would hate being so close to evil..... but yet, he strangely didn't.

Of course, Arcade was one to give his powers to other, the man certainly had an ego.

There was so much about that word that was wrong, but he also doubted anyone else could control or even contain it. He had barely contained it himself for all these years.

Choices that were made rashly were the ones that Billy was best at.

There wasn't much of a choice here and he knew it. Darkness and death followed him wherever he went.

It was only natural for what Billy did next, the only right choice in his mind or was it the wrong one?


He wasn't sure that it mattered, either way and he took a moment to look at him and he didn't push him away. He looked him straight in the eyes.

"Let's not," he replied, pulling Black Adam closer. He was going to let them both be struck by the Black Thunderbolt. Consequences be damned.

@Sark @Takumi @Minerva

The smoke cleared. The few remaining champions approached the crater. The Might of Shazam, Adam and ARCADE has come together to form a lethal chain. The raw, concentrated power that had flowed through the two men was too much for either body to endure. Just like the sand around them, the two Old Gods were been melted into glass. They stood as two stoic, silver statues, shimmering in the light of the rising Sun.

PLAYER ELIMINATED: Billy Batson/Shazam
FATE: Melted by the power of ARCAZAM

PLAYER ELIMINATED: BLACK ADAM
FATE: Melted by the power of SHACADE

Damian stepped out from behind Mila’s wing as the dust started tonsettlecautiously tapped the statues with the tip of his sword.
“They killed each other...” Robin returned his weapon to his belt. “After all that... they just... killed each other...”

“And then there were 4...” Viper sighed to herself. She removed her glasses and buried her head in her hands. “There are only 4 of us left... 4...”

“We’re running out of time,” Damian cursed to himself. “If we‘ve got 2 and a half hours before this all comes to an end. We need to make a decision. Do we throw our lives away searching for something that might set us free? Or do we call it quits... Do we head back to Flaming Forest? Do we forget about that cliff and just... try surviving this thing?”

“No.” Viper hummed defiantly, wiping her welling eyes. “No. We’ve come to far. We’re getting to that cliff. We’re building a damn raft and we’re getting to that cliff if it kills us.”

“Good.” Robin nodded with conviction. “I’m not alone. Old Gods... are you with us? There’s no shame in turning back. This is the point of no return.”

@Takumi @Minerva

"Has there not been enough bloodshed, my friend?" Gill asked. "Don't you feel it? Twelve have died already...that leaves us with ten others contending. What use is it to continue killing, when we may vie for harmony instead? All I can offer you is brotherhood, a place amongst my brother and myself once we are free of this place. Isn't that worth a girl's life?"

@Sark

“Harmony?” Eobard smirked. “Alright... you’ve peaked my interest. I’ve been offered a fair few things in the past, but for you to offer yourselves as allies...” He took a step away from Cammy’s body. “Now that does intrigue me... She’s all yours, ‘brother’...”

“What happens next?”

Time Remaining: 2 hours 10 minute

@Yun Lee​

 

[Jeremi]

ICE BRIDGE
"Atlantiades! Wait! No!" Atreus lunged towards the edge of his sheet of ice, his hand reaching out towards them. His efforts were in vain. The moment Atlantiades touched the water, they sunk like a stone. It was just as Adam had theorized: the region's abnormal gravity dragged her straight down to the coral. Perhaps it was a painless death. Perhaps the cold got to her before she suffocated. Perhaps she died before she felt the crushing pressure of the ocean crashing down upon her. It was hard to say. Her air bubbles stopped rippling under the waves after a minute or two.

PLAYER ELIMINATED: Atlantiades
FATE: Drowned trying to save Atreus

"Noooo!" Atreus howled. His fists came pounding down upon his icy sheet. It wasn't long before his platform started to crack too. He barely notices. He barely cared. Rage had swallowed him whole. "Come back!!!" He screeched, sparks swarming him like fireflies.

"Give her back!!!"

[Crack!]

His platform spit in two. Throwing caution to the find, he plunged deep into the blue, his arms reaching down towards Atlantiades. He never resurfaced.

PLAYER ELIMINATED: Atreus, Son of Kratos
FATE: Drowned trying to save Atlantiades

Viper screamed and ran to the coast. Damian caught her before she could reach the tide. She fought against him. She screamed and hissed and spat. Robin remained silent. The situation was horrible. Hellish. Unfair. There was nothing either of them could have done. Adam remained stoic. He kept his arms folded and his brow tense.

"And then there were 6..." He sighed. "It's a shame. I was actually starting to like them. Still. We have no time to grieve. If we want to reach this... escape route the Winged-One spoke of, we'll have to let the seas take them. We'll need to find another way across, for our sake..."


JUNGLE/WATERFALL
A sneer crept across Urien's face. The Tongue of the Goddess... now that would do him nicely. Holding the line behind Gill, the Silent One waited patiently, tapping his foot as the seconds crawled by.

One quick tap, one long one. A pause.
Three quick taps. A pause.
Two quick taps, one long one. A pause.
One quick taps, two long ones. A pause.
Two quick ones. A pause.
Three quick ones. A pause.
Four quick taps ones. A pause.

"Good answer, good answer... but tell me this, stranger..." Eobard hummed sarcastically, stroking his chin all the while. "Why would I want to 'escape' when I have this game in the bag? With that kid with the gun gone, who's left to compete with my score? I mean, one more kill..." He raised his foot over Cammy's head. "And I'll be unbeatable. You want this girl? You're going to have to beg a little harder than that. Offer me something good- something really good- and I might send a bit of charity your way. Now, I'll tell you this much; Fame, power and glory scratch a certain itch for me. So what do you have to offer?"

@Yun Lee

TIME REMAINING: 3 hours 30 minutes.

...
...
...
...
...
Falling.
Drowning.
Sinking.
Down from the forth dimension of time...
Into the third, the dimension of space...
Into the second...
Into the first...
And beyond...
Atlantiades fell...
Endlessly...
Until she came upon...

//GODDESS II// EMERALD NOON//
//FATE OF THE OLD GODS// CHAOS WAR//
//AFTERLIFE//
THE NEGATIVE THIRD DIMENSION
Time ceased to matter.
There was no Sun down there. No moon. No stars.
Only a burning, endless sky, littered with smog clouds and raining razors.
The air was always hot. Always rough on the way down.
There was nothing to eat or drink. You were always hungry. Always thirsty.
Always on edge. Always hunting.

The High-Inquisitor was running. Chasing something. They didn't know. They didn't know why.
They simply hunted. The High-Inquisitor was a hunter. That was the way things were.
It was a blissful existence, despite the pain. No matter how thirsty or tired they grew, they couldn't bring themselves to hate the N3.
It was their home. Their fellow hunters were their family. They had partners. Lovers. Friends. Why would they ever want to leave?
What could the +4 offer her what the N3 didn't already provide?
The Goddess had given the High-Inquisitor bliss. She had liberated them from the crushing weight of free-thought. They wanted for nothing.
View attachment 6551
The hunt was almost over. Their prey was cornered in dusty black alley. He struck the alley's back away with a crack. He pounded his fist against the concrete barrier and the Goddess for all she was worth. He slowly turned around to face his death with a glimmer of pride. His pleading eyes were illuminated by the crimson glow of a nearby tower.
View attachment 6552
"So this is how it ends, High-Inquisitor?" The Old Soldier groaned. "After all we've been through... This is how it ends?"

"Such is the fate of all Imperial Traitors," The High-Inquisitor replied, unable to control her own tongue. "Fear not, Atreus. You'll be with the Mother-Queen soon enough. Her love shall purify you. You will be made whole again!"

"Whole?" Inquisitor Atreus chuckled bleakly. "I know not what 'wholeness' is. I have not felt it since Underworld."

The High-Inquisitor rolled their eyes.

"I don't know what spirit has possessed you, Chaos-Dog, but know that there is nothing the Goddess cannot repair. Return to the front lines with us! Bathe yourself in the blood of the marines! Heal yourself in their hate!"

"The spirit that possesses me is the spirit of empathy, Inquisitor! It is the spirit of sympathy! Of guilt, of regret, of misery! I am possessed by the spirit of free thought!!!" Atreus his mother's axe. "Listen to me, Love-God!"

"You're wasting time, High-Inquisitor!" Jon spat, his aura flaring.
View attachment 6553
"What are you waiting for? Kill him! Rid the Realm of this Hellspawn!"

"Hellspawn?!" Atreus protested, tightening his grip on his axe. "It is you who are the Hellspawns! It is you who are the demons! You, who betrayed all who exist in the world above! Love God--"

"Don't call me that. I am the High--"

"No! You are the God of Love! The Emerald Flag cannot change that! Even the Goddess herself cannot change that!"

"Blasphemer!" They spat. "Infidel!"

"Yes! I will blaspheme against the False-Goddess until my final breath! I will follow her no longer! I will am Inquisitor Imperius no more! I am Atreus, Son of Laufey! Son of Kratos! Just as you are Jonathon Kent, Son of Lois and Clark! And you!" His eyes burned into the Inquisitor. "Just as you are the child of Hermes and Aphrodite!"

"I have no mother but Her! I have no Mother but the Mother-Queen!"

"That's where you are wrong, Jon!"

"Don't call him that!"

"I will call him by his name! His true name! The name of a man destined to save lives, not take them!"

"The only destiny I possess is the one written for me by--"

"An'Lu'Munus!" Atreus screamed over Superboy. "That is her name! She's not God! She's not Divine! None of us are! Please! Love God! Believe me! BELIEVE ME!"

Atreus stepped forward. Jon's eyes burned with heat. The High-Inquisitor signaled for him to stand down. Begrudgingly, Superboy stepped back in line.

Atreus took a knee before the High-Inquisitor. He raised his axe, offering it to them.

"We're monsters. We can tell ourselves that we're better than the those we face... but we're not. Our hands are stained black with innocent blood! With killed as many 'traitors' within our ranks as we have Marines! I will pay for my part in these crimes with my life."

"The Goddess will--"

"No. You will decide my fate." He looked up at them with tired, war-weary eyes. "I will die by my own blade."

The High Inquisitor obliged. She raised the axe above her head. Atreus bowed a little lower.

"I admired you, Love God. I have ever since I was a boy. I admired your convictions. The way you protected us. Raised us. Even now, I can't help but love you. I cannot bid you good fortunes. I pray that your demons catch up with you some day. I pray that the same spirit that possesses me..."

The axe was swung.

"--will possess you." Atreus looked up at the High-Inquisitor. He looked up at blade that had stopped and inch away from his skull. He looked up at the saint who had spared him. Something changed within the Love-God. Something had moved through her. A switch had been flicked. A flood gate had opened.

"Welcome back, Atlantiades. It's been far too long."

"Inquisitor?" Jon muttered, frozen in his place. "Inquisitor... what has he done to you?"

For the first time in an eternity, Atlantiades was free. She could control herself once again, body, mind and soul.

God help the Goddess.

//AFTERLIFE//
THE NEGATIVE THIRD DIMENSION
[N3-3]
PART 1- Patience, Peace and Piety

@Jeremi​

The first thing Atlantiades felt was shock. It quickly melted away though to be replaced by anger.

"I will stomp that pompous bitch into the ground!" A powerful light erupted from their body. While anger was taking over like a torrent inside the Goddess of Love's body, the others around them felt a calm they hadn't felt in a very long time. "She thinks she can use me for sport?! A puppet on her strings?!"

The ground itself seemed to shook at their anger. But then they saw the man in front of them and the anger subsided. Atlantiades face of fury changed to one of compassion. "Atreus?" He looked so old. "I'm sorry..." Atlantiades took him into their embrace. "I'm sorry my foolishness caused you to suffer as well." At the time they hadn't known each other very long, but he had been a charge nonetheless. "I will do my best to protect you now." Atlantiades still shone brightly as they turned to face the boy once known as Jon Kent. "What will you do? Will you lash out like the hound your master has made you, or will you allow me to make you see the truth?"​

@Sark

 

[Takumi]

The smoke cleared. The few remaining champions approached the crater. The Might of Shazam, Adam and ARCADE has come together to form a lethal chain. The raw, concentrated power that had flowed through the two men was too much for either body to endure. Just like the sand around them, the two Old Gods were been melted into glass. They stood as two stoic, silver statues, shimmering in the light of the rising Sun.

PLAYER ELIMINATED: Billy Batson/Shazam
FATE: Melted by the power of ARCAZAM

PLAYER ELIMINATED: BLACK ADAM
FATE: Melted by the power of SHACADE

Damian stepped out from behind Mila’s wing as the dust started tonsettlecautiously tapped the statues with the tip of his sword.
“They killed each other...” Robin returned his weapon to his belt. “After all that... they just... killed each other...”

“And then there were 4...” Viper sighed to herself. She removed her glasses and buried her head in her hands. “There are only 4 of us left... 4...”

“We’re running out of time,” Damian cursed to himself. “If we‘ve got 2 and a half hours before this all comes to an end. We need to make a decision. Do we throw our lives away searching for something that might set us free? Or do we call it quits... Do we head back to Flaming Forest? Do we forget about that cliff and just... try surviving this thing?”

“No.” Viper hummed defiantly, wiping her welling eyes. “No. We’ve come to far. We’re getting to that cliff. We’re building a damn raft and we’re getting to that cliff if it kills us.”

“Good.” Robin nodded with conviction. “I’m not alone. Old Gods... are you with us? There’s no shame in turning back. This is the point of no return.”

@Takumi @Minerva

“Harmony?” Eobard smirked. “Alright... you’ve peaked my interest. I’ve been offered a fair few things in the past, but for you to offer yourselves as allies...” He took a step away from Cammy’s body. “Now that does intrigue me... She’s all yours, ‘brother’...”

“What happens next?”

Time Remaining: 2 hours 10 minute

@Yun Lee​

"If you insist on building a raft, then perhaps I can grow vines strong enough to hold it together." Mila spoke up. She wouldn't leave Damian, at the very least. She glanced to Karinth then.

"If you object to staying, I will not try and force you to stay." She spoke to her fellow god.

"One more thing...I thought I saw someone watching us, I think from the Insect Kingdom? Do you know of anyone that way?" She asked both Viper and company as she attempted to try and grow vines for them to use once they got the remaining materials they'd need for the raft.

@Sark @Minerva

 

[Sark]

"If you insist on building a raft, then perhaps I can grow vines strong enough to hold it together." Mila spoke up. She wouldn't leave Damian, at the very least. She glanced to Karinth then.

"If you object to staying, I will not try and force you to stay." She spoke to her fellow god.

"One more thing...I thought I saw someone watching us, I think from the Insect Kingdom? Do you know of anyone that way?" She asked both Viper and company as she attempted to try and grow vines for them to use once they got the remaining materials they'd need for the raft.

@Sark @Minerva

LIFELANDS COAST
"The Insect Kingdom..." Viper hummed, looking to the horizon. She thinned her eyes, scouring the scene. "There's no-one there, Mila. Whoever ever it was... they're long now."

"Or, they were never there to begin with..." Damian muttered, taking his sword to the bark of a Lifeland tree. With a grunt, he severed a thin sheet of wood. It was a start. "The Insect Kingdom is inhospitable. Nobody goes there. It's a land of death and misery. Can you feel it, Mila?" Robin closed his eyes and took a moment to breathe.

PLAYER ELIMINATED: Barbara Minerva/ Cheetah
FATE: Slain by Summers

"More of us are dying every minute. People are getting desperate. If there was someone up there, they would have made a move against us already. Now come... let's get to work..."

Even with Mila's vines aiding in its construction, building the raft was still a time consuming process. It was just as Adam had said; none of them had any experience in shipbuilding. Even pushing the raft out past the first lapping waves was a trial in itself. But before they knew it, the Champions were braving the sea.

Time Remaining: 1 hour 10 minutes.

PLAYER ELIMINATED: Nathan Summers/Cable
FATE: Overwhelmed by Sagat's Hado.

The raft was tossed from side to side. The party constantly had to scurry around its great, green face, desperately trying to balance out the beast. The Dark Bolt summoned by Adam and Billy had brought the first signs of a storm in its wake. Every pounding fist of water threatened to overturn their boat. But they held strong. They held true. They had no other choice.

Time Remaining: 0 hours 50 minutes

PLAYER ELIMINATED: Hank McCoy/Beast
FATE: Overwhelmed by Sagat's Hado.

Even by the time the storm subsided, the ocean's mouth was still great and wide. The lack of a strong wind to guide them, the Champions had to resort to paddling. Slow, futile, paddling.

Time Remaining: 30 minutes
"We're not going to make it!" Viper spat, wiping the sea spray from her face. Her glasses had been claimed by the sea an hour ago. Despite her doubts, she kept paddling. What other choice did she have?

Damian contemplated comforting her. He wanted to tell her that everything was going to be okay.

But as the second storm set in, even he didn't believe that it would be so.

Time Remaining: 15 minutes
They weren't going to make it.

Time Remaining: 13 minutes.
Even as the wind came to their aid, they all knew it was over. The distance was just too great.
And they had wasted too much time.

Time Remaining: 9 minutes.
A great wave rose before them. It dragged the seabed up with it. It grew higher and higher. It stretched wider and wider. Its great, silver face blotted out even the rising morning sun. This was it. This was the end.

Viper looked up at the natural foe before them. How it dwarfed them... Even when faced with death, all she could think of was her little girl...

She was going to grow up without her mother. The sea grew a few tears deeper.

Damian threw his arm around her. He offered his cape-wrapped hand to Mila and Karinth. He didn't say a word. They started their journey together. It was only fitting that they finished it together too.

@Takumi @Minerva

The first thing Atlantiades felt was shock. It quickly melted away though to be replaced by anger.

"I will stomp that pompous bitch into the ground!" A powerful light erupted from their body. While anger was taking over like a torrent inside the Goddess of Love's body, the others around them felt a calm they hadn't felt in a very long time. "She thinks she can use me for sport?! A puppet on her strings?!"

The ground itself seemed to shook at their anger. But then they saw the man in front of them and the anger subsided. Atlantiades face of fury changed to one of compassion. "Atreus?" He looked so old. "I'm sorry..." Atlantiades took him into their embrace. "I'm sorry my foolishness caused you to suffer as well." At the time they hadn't known each other very long, but he had been a charge nonetheless. "I will do my best to protect you now." Atlantiades still shone brightly as they turned to face the boy once known as Jon Kent. "What will you do? Will you lash out like the hound your master has made you, or will you allow me to make you see the truth?"

N3
"There she is...There's the Atlantiades I knew..." Atreus smiled, reclaiming his axe. To be held by Atlantiades felt... nice. Gods, he hadn't been hugged since his mother- his real mother- passed on. He prayed that she had ended up in a better place than he did. "There are hundreds of people who would willingly die protecting one of the Goddess' Inquisitors, Love-God. I'm not looking for a guardian anymore, Atlan. Right now, I'm looking for a friend. I forgave you an eternity ago--"

"Enough!" Jon snapped. A tone of confusion and hesitation clung to his every word. "I've heard enough... The +3 rejected us... It expunged us... Or have you forgotten? The N3 is all we have! We were supposed to bring Order to this chaotic realm! You were supposed to lead us! To save us! Hound or no hound... I know where my loyalties lie... I know who my mother is..." The zealot's aura flared forth again. He balled his fists. He snarled like a haunted, wounded animal. "And I know a traitor when I see--"

[BANG]

A purple muscle car came roaring around the corner, its radio roaring. It mounted the curb and scraped the wall beside the alley. Conner was sent rolling down the street, seemingly stunned by a green hood ornaments that had been crudely welded to the car's bonnet. The driver screeched to a halt, blocking the alley with his car door. He reached around the back and opened up that passenger side.

"What were you gonna do? Love him to death?" The driver moaned. "Get your asses in the car before your Inquisitor pals get here..."

"No... We can't leave Jon behind... he's not in his right mind..."

"You can and you will." The Driver snapped. "I've got enough lunatics in this wagon as it is..."

Through the passenger seat window, Atlantiades could make out a familiar silhouette. Dressed in a filthy Janitor's outfit, Billy Batson sat, freshly freed from an eternity scrubbing floors. He knew about as much as Atlantiades did. One moment he had been blissfully serving the Goddess, and now? He was in the back of a stranger's car.

"You want to chuck more dead weight in my car? He's going in the trunk. If he kills me again, I'll haunt you until the N3 freezes over. Your call."

@Jeremi @Lucky​

 

[Lucky]

Billy Batson/ Shazam

" Shazam..." Billy mumbled under his breath. Listen, he wasn't going to stay in a dirty janitor uniform.... and he had learned work arounds to the clothing situation a little before he had first entered Arcade's arena. Now in his shazam form, he wore a pair of aviators, a red work muscle shirt, jeans and a pair of sneakers. " What exactly do you mean by kills you again?" He asked.

@Jeremi @Sark

 

[Takumi]

LIFELANDS COAST
"The Insect Kingdom..." Viper hummed, looking to the horizon. She thinned her eyes, scouring the scene. "There's no-one there, Mila. Whoever ever it was... they're long now."

"Or, they were never there to begin with..." Damian muttered, taking his sword to the bark of a Lifeland tree. With a grunt, he severed a thin sheet of wood. It was a start. "The Insect Kingdom is inhospitable. Nobody goes there. It's a land of death and misery. Can you feel it, Mila?" Robin closed his eyes and took a moment to breathe.

PLAYER ELIMINATED: Barbara Minerva/ Cheetah
FATE: Slain by Summers

"More of us are dying every minute. People are getting desperate. If there was someone up there, they would have made a move against us already. Now come... let's get to work..."

Even with Mila's vines aiding in its construction, building the raft was still a time consuming process. It was just as Adam had said; none of them had any experience in shipbuilding. Even pushing the raft out past the first lapping waves was a trial in itself. But before they knew it, the Champions were braving the sea.

Time Remaining: 1 hour 10 minutes.

PLAYER ELIMINATED: Nathan Summers/Cable
FATE: Overwhelmed by Sagat's Hado.

The raft was tossed from side to side. The party constantly had to scurry around its great, green face, desperately trying to balance out the beast. The Dark Bolt summoned by Adam and Billy had brought the first signs of a storm in its wake. Every pounding fist of water threatened to overturn their boat. But they held strong. They held true. They had no other choice.

Time Remaining: 0 hours 50 minutes

PLAYER ELIMINATED: Hank McCoy/Beast
FATE: Overwhelmed by Sagat's Hado.

Even by the time the storm subsided, the ocean's mouth was still great and wide. The lack of a strong wind to guide them, the Champions had to resort to paddling. Slow, futile, paddling.

Time Remaining: 30 minutes
"We're not going to make it!" Viper spat, wiping the sea spray from her face. Her glasses had been claimed by the sea an hour ago. Despite her doubts, she kept paddling. What other choice did she have?

Damian contemplated comforting her. He wanted to tell her that everything was going to be okay.

But as the second storm set in, even he didn't believe that it would be so.

Time Remaining: 15 minutes
They weren't going to make it.

Time Remaining: 13 minutes.
Even as the wind came to their aid, they all knew it was over. The distance was just too great.
And they had wasted too much time.

Time Remaining: 9 minutes.
A great wave rose before them. It dragged the seabed up with it. It grew higher and higher. It stretched wider and wider. Its great, silver face blotted out even the rising morning sun. This was it. This was the end.

Viper looked up at the natural foe before them. How it dwarfed them... Even when faced with death, all she could think of was her little girl...

She was going to grow up without her mother. The sea grew a few tears deeper.

Damian threw his arm around her. He offered his cape-wrapped hand to Mila and Karinth. He didn't say a word. They started their journey together. It was only fitting that they finished it together too.

@Takumi @Minerva

N3
"There she is...There's the Atlantiades I knew..." Atreus smiled, reclaiming his axe. To be held by Atlantiades felt... nice. Gods, he hadn't been hugged since his mother- his real mother- passed on. He prayed that she had ended up in a better place than he did. "There are hundreds of people who would willingly die protecting one of the Goddess' Inquisitors, Love-God. I'm not looking for a guardian anymore, Atlan. Right now, I'm looking for a friend. I forgave you an eternity ago--"

"Enough!" Jon snapped. A tone of confusion and hesitation clung to his every word. "I've heard enough... The +3 rejected us... It expunged us... Or have you forgotten? The N3 is all we have! We were supposed to bring Order to this chaotic realm! You were supposed to lead us! To save us! Hound or no hound... I know where my loyalties lie... I know who my mother is..." The zealot's aura flared forth again. He balled his fists. He snarled like a haunted, wounded animal. "And I know a traitor when I see--"

[BANG]

A purple muscle car came roaring around the corner, its radio roaring. It mounted the curb and scraped the wall beside the alley. Conner was sent rolling down the street, seemingly stunned by a green hood ornaments that had been crudely welded to the car's bonnet. The driver screeched to a halt, blocking the alley with his car door. He reached around the back and opened up that passenger side.

"What were you gonna do? Love him to death?" The driver moaned. "Get your asses in the car before your Inquisitor pals get here..."

"No... We can't leave Jon behind... he's not in his right mind..."

"You can and you will." The Driver snapped. "I've got enough lunatics in this wagon as it is..."

Through the passenger seat window, Atlantiades could make out a familiar silhouette. Dressed in a filthy Janitor's outfit, Billy Batson sat, freshly freed from an eternity scrubbing floors. He knew about as much as Atlantiades did. One moment he had been blissfully serving the Goddess, and now? He was in the back of a stranger's car.

"You want to chuck more dead weight in my car? He's going in the trunk. If he kills me again, I'll haunt you until the N3 freezes over. Your call."

@Jeremi @Lucky​

Without thinking, acting on pure instinct, Mila mover to push Karinth to Damien and Viper, her body curling over them protectively. Her wings opened wide in an attempt to slam sharp winds to cut the wave in half, and if that failed? She'd use her wings to shield the others as best she could.
She doubt even the strongest wind she could make would be enough, but the least she could do was protect the others even as the clock ticked down.

@Sark @Minerva

 

[Sark]

Billy Batson/ Shazam

" Shazam..." Billy mumbled under his breath. Listen, he wasn't going to stay in a dirty janitor uniform.... and he had learned work arounds to the clothing situation a little before he had first entered Arcade's arena. Now in his shazam form, he wore a pair of aviators, a red work muscle shirt, jeans and a pair of sneakers. " What exactly do you mean by kills you again?" He asked.

@Jeremi @Sark

AFTERLIFE
Shzz--
"Shut. Your. Ass." Before Billy could summon a magical lightning bolt to strike the car and electrocute- and possibly kill- everyone inside, the man sitting in the front passenger seat turned around and placed an SMG barrel into the boys mouth. "Just shut. Your. Ass."
View attachment 6571
"We've just had this baby waxed. You want to zap yourself? Hold it until we stop for gas!"

"Getting into the N3 is a pain in the ass. The easiest way to get down here is to die." The Driver replied matter-of-factly. "I died in a plane-crash, Pierce choked on an olive--"

"C'mon, man! We talked about this! We were gonna say I died how I lived; drowning in strippers and--"

"Yeah-Yeah-Yeah, whatever you say. The short answer is we're both already dead. As are you guys. Suck it up and put your damn seat-belt on."

@Jeremi @Lucky

Without thinking, acting on pure instinct, Mila mover to push Karinth to Damien and Viper, her body curling over them protectively. Her wings opened wide in an attempt to slam sharp winds to cut the wave in half, and if that failed? She'd use her wings to shield the others as best she could.
She doubt even the strongest wind she could make would be enough, but the least she could do was protect the others even as the clock ticked down.

OPEN SEAS
The sharp wind from Mila's wings rolled upwards as it struck the great wave. The wave broke down into a cloud of foam and fog. It came crashing down upon the boat nonetheless. Already rocked the by force of Mila's wings, the pounding, crashing water was enough to tip the flimsy raft. The hastily fastened wood came crumbling apart, and the last of the Champions were dragged down bellow...

8 Minutes Remaining
Eight. 8.
A lucky number.
There were 8 teams on the island.
8 Saints were anointed upon the Goddess' return.
There 8 dimensions of 'space' in reality.
Any dimensions above the 8th were spaceless of beyond mortal understanding.
Some day soon, 8 Mortals would march against the Goddess.
As we speak, there 8 writers writing this story.

Perhaps it was luck. Perhaps it was fate.
But with 8 minutes to spare, a dragon, a viper and a robin caught sight of something glowing beneath the waves.
The strange gravity of the Underworld dragged them down towards it.
All they had to do was reach out!
Reach out and---

DRYLANDS
Wet, cold and stunned- but alive- the Champions awoke in the heart of the Drylands. A strange, topical forest had started to sprout of from where they had laid. The air was cool. The grass was wet. It was something straight out of a mirage.

"How..." Robin muttered. He slowly sat up and wiped the flakes of ice from his face. "We were... how did we...?"

Time Remaining: 3 minutes.

"But we're still here... we're alive..."

Time Remaining: 2 minutes

"But we're out of time..." Viper stared blankly at the rising Sun. "Another Underworld Morning... We're never getting off the island, are we?"

"I..." Robin's eyes drifted down to Mila and... the Emerald that laid beside her. The strange crystal seemed to pulse and shake... as if something was lurking inside of it, desperate to be free. Red sparks crackled over its surface. With every shake, the mirage spread further and further. Before Champions knew it, the Drylands had become a new, Tropical Region. "I think... for the first time in God knows how long... we just might have a shot..."

"Damian, it's morning... You know what's coming, don't know? We need to find cover! We need to get back to the Clearing! We need to move!"

@Takumi @Minerva​

 

[Lucky]

Billy Batson/ Shazam

Billy looked over at him. " Fine.... I'll wait until we stop for gas," he replied, crossing his arms in a pout. It was easy to forget that Billy Batson had been and probably still was a 14 year old teen mentally. Impulsive, rash, stupid and very very broken. He put on his seat belt. " Do you g0ot a name or should I refer to you as I?"

@Sark @Jeremi

 

[Jeremi]

LIFELANDS COAST
"The Insect Kingdom..." Viper hummed, looking to the horizon. She thinned her eyes, scouring the scene. "There's no-one there, Mila. Whoever ever it was... they're long now."

"Or, they were never there to begin with..." Damian muttered, taking his sword to the bark of a Lifeland tree. With a grunt, he severed a thin sheet of wood. It was a start. "The Insect Kingdom is inhospitable. Nobody goes there. It's a land of death and misery. Can you feel it, Mila?" Robin closed his eyes and took a moment to breathe.

PLAYER ELIMINATED: Barbara Minerva/ Cheetah
FATE: Slain by Summers

"More of us are dying every minute. People are getting desperate. If there was someone up there, they would have made a move against us already. Now come... let's get to work..."

Even with Mila's vines aiding in its construction, building the raft was still a time consuming process. It was just as Adam had said; none of them had any experience in shipbuilding. Even pushing the raft out past the first lapping waves was a trial in itself. But before they knew it, the Champions were braving the sea.

Time Remaining: 1 hour 10 minutes.

PLAYER ELIMINATED: Nathan Summers/Cable
FATE: Overwhelmed by Sagat's Hado.

The raft was tossed from side to side. The party constantly had to scurry around its great, green face, desperately trying to balance out the beast. The Dark Bolt summoned by Adam and Billy had brought the first signs of a storm in its wake. Every pounding fist of water threatened to overturn their boat. But they held strong. They held true. They had no other choice.

Time Remaining: 0 hours 50 minutes

PLAYER ELIMINATED: Hank McCoy/Beast
FATE: Overwhelmed by Sagat's Hado.

Even by the time the storm subsided, the ocean's mouth was still great and wide. The lack of a strong wind to guide them, the Champions had to resort to paddling. Slow, futile, paddling.

Time Remaining: 30 minutes
"We're not going to make it!" Viper spat, wiping the sea spray from her face. Her glasses had been claimed by the sea an hour ago. Despite her doubts, she kept paddling. What other choice did she have?

Damian contemplated comforting her. He wanted to tell her that everything was going to be okay.

But as the second storm set in, even he didn't believe that it would be so.

Time Remaining: 15 minutes
They weren't going to make it.

Time Remaining: 13 minutes.
Even as the wind came to their aid, they all knew it was over. The distance was just too great.
And they had wasted too much time.

Time Remaining: 9 minutes.
A great wave rose before them. It dragged the seabed up with it. It grew higher and higher. It stretched wider and wider. Its great, silver face blotted out even the rising morning sun. This was it. This was the end.

Viper looked up at the natural foe before them. How it dwarfed them... Even when faced with death, all she could think of was her little girl...

She was going to grow up without her mother. The sea grew a few tears deeper.

Damian threw his arm around her. He offered his cape-wrapped hand to Mila and Karinth. He didn't say a word. They started their journey together. It was only fitting that they finished it together too.

@Takumi @Minerva

N3
"There she is...There's the Atlantiades I knew..." Atreus smiled, reclaiming his axe. To be held by Atlantiades felt... nice. Gods, he hadn't been hugged since his mother- his real mother- passed on. He prayed that she had ended up in a better place than he did. "There are hundreds of people who would willingly die protecting one of the Goddess' Inquisitors, Love-God. I'm not looking for a guardian anymore, Atlan. Right now, I'm looking for a friend. I forgave you an eternity ago--"

"Enough!" Jon snapped. A tone of confusion and hesitation clung to his every word. "I've heard enough... The +3 rejected us... It expunged us... Or have you forgotten? The N3 is all we have! We were supposed to bring Order to this chaotic realm! You were supposed to lead us! To save us! Hound or no hound... I know where my loyalties lie... I know who my mother is..." The zealot's aura flared forth again. He balled his fists. He snarled like a haunted, wounded animal. "And I know a traitor when I see--"

[BANG]

A purple muscle car came roaring around the corner, its radio roaring. It mounted the curb and scraped the wall beside the alley. Conner was sent rolling down the street, seemingly stunned by a green hood ornaments that had been crudely welded to the car's bonnet. The driver screeched to a halt, blocking the alley with his car door. He reached around the back and opened up that passenger side.

"What were you gonna do? Love him to death?" The driver moaned. "Get your asses in the car before your Inquisitor pals get here..."

"No... We can't leave Jon behind... he's not in his right mind..."

"You can and you will." The Driver snapped. "I've got enough lunatics in this wagon as it is..."

Through the passenger seat window, Atlantiades could make out a familiar silhouette. Dressed in a filthy Janitor's outfit, Billy Batson sat, freshly freed from an eternity scrubbing floors. He knew about as much as Atlantiades did. One moment he had been blissfully serving the Goddess, and now? He was in the back of a stranger's car.

"You want to chuck more dead weight in my car? He's going in the trunk. If he kills me again, I'll haunt you until the N3 freezes over. Your call."

@Jeremi @Lucky​

"I don't much take for labels," Atlantiades replied off-hand to Aterus before Jon got feisty again before a car dropped down on him. As the others argued Atlantiades went calmly towards Jon. Placing their hand on him the cape he was wearing enveloped him like a straight jacket before they dragged him back towards the car. "Then in the trunk he will go," They remarked casually. "I will not leave behind able-bodied beings that can be used to stop the Go- An'Lu'Munus." Now that they knew her name Atlantiades would use it every chance they got.

AFTERLIFE
Shzz--
"Shut. Your. Ass." Before Billy could summon a magical lightning bolt to strike the car and electrocute- and possibly kill- everyone inside, the man sitting in the front passenger seat turned around and placed an SMG barrel into the boys mouth. "Just shut. Your. Ass."
View attachment 6571
"We've just had this baby waxed. You want to zap yourself? Hold it until we stop for gas!"

"Getting into the N3 is a pain in the ass. The easiest way to get down here is to die." The Driver replied matter-of-factly. "I died in a plane-crash, Pierce choked on an olive--"

"C'mon, man! We talked about this! We were gonna say I died how I lived; drowning in strippers and--"

"Yeah-Yeah-Yeah, whatever you say. The short answer is we're both already dead. As are you guys. Suck it up and put your damn seat-belt on."

@Jeremi @Lucky

OPEN SEAS
The sharp wind from Mila's wings rolled upwards as it struck the great wave. The wave broke down into a cloud of foam and fog. It came crashing down upon the boat nonetheless. Already rocked the by force of Mila's wings, the pounding, crashing water was enough to tip the flimsy raft. The hastily fastened wood came crumbling apart, and the last of the Champions were dragged down bellow...

8 Minutes Remaining
Eight. 8.
A lucky number.
There were 8 teams on the island.
8 Saints were anointed upon the Goddess' return.
There 8 dimensions of 'space' in reality.
Any dimensions above the 8th were spaceless of beyond mortal understanding.
Some day soon, 8 Mortals would march against the Goddess.
As we speak, there 8 writers writing this story.

Perhaps it was luck. Perhaps it was fate.
But with 8 minutes to spare, a dragon, a viper and a robin caught sight of something glowing beneath the waves.
The strange gravity of the Underworld dragged them down towards it.
All they had to do was reach out!
Reach out and---

DRYLANDS
Wet, cold and stunned- but alive- the Champions awoke in the heart of the Drylands. A strange, topical forest had started to sprout of from where they had laid. The air was cool. The grass was wet. It was something straight out of a mirage.

"How..." Robin muttered. He slowly sat up and wiped the flakes of ice from his face. "We were... how did we...?"

Time Remaining: 3 minutes.

"But we're still here... we're alive..."

Time Remaining: 2 minutes

"But we're out of time..." Viper stared blankly at the rising Sun. "Another Underworld Morning... We're never getting off the island, are we?"

"I..." Robin's eyes drifted down to Mila and... the Emerald that laid beside her. The strange crystal seemed to pulse and shake... as if something was lurking inside of it, desperate to be free. Red sparks crackled over its surface. With every shake, the mirage spread further and further. Before Champions knew it, the Drylands had become a new, Tropical Region. "I think... for the first time in God knows how long... we just might have a shot..."

"Damian, it's morning... You know what's coming, don't know? We need to find cover! We need to get back to the Clearing! We need to move!"

@Takumi @Minerva​

"I guess that's one thing to remove from the bucket list," Atlantiades casually remarked as they slammed the trunk shut with Jon inside. "I assume there are more of you?" Allies or not, they weren't filling them with much confidence right now. Anything was better than being one of the Goddess' puppets though and so Atlantiades did their best to fold up their wings and put on their seatbelt.

@Sark @Lucky