Disclaimer: I do NOT own gargoyles; they belong to Buinavista. Jericho
and Damien belong to Christine Morgan even though I have used them in a
different setting. Doom belongs to ID, and everyone else belongs to me.
1) Manhattan -central Park- (Wraith)
To Goliath the patrols now were a time to meditate in the past events. Ever since Damien had called up Hell and was defeated there had been little or no crime. Even the quarry men had been silent in shock. However the Gargoyles reputation skyrocketed due to the fact that they stopped the menace. The lack of action, however, only let them have more time to contemplate other things. Demona's betrayal was almost past shocking to him. How could she have Jericho steal Angela's egg?! Did she care for her daughter at all? Then there was Damien. He still baffled Goliath. Damien was the epitome of evil, not feeling a thing, and yet he was a Gargoyle. While all of this was running through his head the park was silently peaceful. Then a column of magma erupted in the center bringing on a sense of dejavu. Goliath quickly sent of a summons through his radio and swooped towards the column. And then he stopped dead still. From with in the column came a silver bubble with four forms within it. The bubble floated off to the end of the field and popped. From within he came three gargoyles and a man in a red cloak. As they all gently floated down to the Earth Goliath finally recognized one of the gargoyles. "Demona!!" he roared with eyes glowing white, making them whirl around and spot his approaching form. Then both Demona and Jericho recognized him and suddenly called out "Goliath! Behind you!" Goliath whipped around just to have a ball of green plasma knock him out of the air.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Manhattan -
Wraith had no idea the armies of Hell would try to follow them back to Earth, but that was exactly what he had seen just as the capsule had closed. Especially Hence he had decided to move the capsule away from the portal after it went through. This proved to be a prudent decision not only because it removed them from the new gargoyles range but also ensured that any demons coming through would not come out on top of them. And come out them demons did. From the portal came an army that the likes of which had never been seen. "Prepare for battle." was all he said as he dropped the protective capsule. While they floated to the ground all of them turned and studied the army of Hell descending upon them. Wraith noticed that almost every type of demon was coming through that portal. Well, he thought, at least they will bicker among them selves and take most of their own forces out. As they were charging up their weapons a roar of anger came from the unknown gargoyle made him known to all present with ranging degrees of shock. Demona and Jericho immediately recognized Goliath and called out to him, as they knew the monsters would soon open fire. However the warning did nothing more than slow Goliath enough to be hit by a Hell Knight. Both Demona and Jericho leapt into the sky, a feat aided by the strength enhancing armor, to catch him. Doom and Wraith stepped up to the army and let loose with a salvo of blasts. Lucifer just had the dignity to roar, "Let the GLIBBING Begin!!" as he changed in to his monster form. Hell's army promptly erupted into chaos as the demons fought each other and us in an all out free for all. Demona and Jericho added their BFG9000s to our effort after they got an unconscious Goliath to safety and the army started to quickly dwindle. However the army of demons was sill huge by any comparison and more were pouring through the portal to replace the dead. Sometime in the battle other gargoyles and humans arrived and set into to the demonic hoards. There were energy blasts, witch blasts, plasma blasts, fireballs, lasers, bullets, and fists flying everywhere. No one remembered much of the carnage that followed. When things started to die down our forces finally got a good look at each other. The resulting shock of seeing gargoyles, humans, and long time enemies saving each other time and again finally set in. It nearly let Hell's army win if Wraith had not called everyone's attention back to the task at hand. They decided to put aside their differences for the moment and polish off the remains of Hell's army while Wraith fought his way over to the portal to close it off. When I got there barely any beasts were coming out. Wraith charged up his power and was able to close off the portal before any more creatures could get through. Then he looked around and saw that the others were getting along nicely. Demona was working with Xanatos, in his red and black armor, to clear away the last of the Reverents. Jericho and Brooklyn were tearing the demons apart. Goliath and Doom, with his eyes glowing red from a berserker, were taking down a pair of Barons of Hell. The rest were dishing it out to various other monsters. I simply joined with Lucifer in taking out a trio of Pain Elementals. A short time later the last of the battle was winding down. The park had been reduced to ruble and craters with gore spread liberally about. Then with a particularly satisfying explosion the last Cyberdemons exploded leaving an awesome crater. Everyone was just coming out of a battle frenzy and the their inflicted wounds were starting to resurface. As the glowing eyes dimmed everyone sprang apart and formed their lines for a showdown. On one side were Goliath, Elisa, Brooklyn, Angela, Broadway, Elektra, and Xanatos. On the other were the slightly less worn Demona, Jericho, Doom, Lucifer, and myself. I noticed Demona and Jericho both had an expression of guilt. Glancing back to the others I noticed the identities of our group were just sinking in. Then Angela released a tremendous roar and with eyes blazing ruby red leapt across the distance before Goliath could stop her. Doom instinctively stepped up and let an efficient uppercut loose which went right through Angela's defenses sending her flying back to Goliath's group. It was hard to tell what they were shocked over more. That Doom had so swiftly and effectively stopped the threat or that Jericho had just stood aside to let it happen. Goliath and Brooklyn recovered the quickest, each with anger rising and eyes glowing like supernovas. I quickly stepped up and motioned for Xanatos to come forward. He also recognized the need for diplomacy and quietly restrained Goliath before coming out to meet me. As he took of hi helmet while approaching I decided to get to the quick and said "Xanatos, yes I know all of your names, we are entitled to have your clan's neutrality while we explain our position. For we have saved us all by forever closing Hell." This statement clearly caught him off guard, and he gave a quick nod before responding. "What does your clan want?" he asked with clear indecision. "We want your protection." This answer also caught them off guard because of the numerous "What?!"s, "Why?!"s, and "Huh?!"s. Xanatos simply gestured for them to be quiet before I continued. "As you undoubtedly know dawn fast approaches. And our lodgings were destroyed when the first portal opened. Also as you can note my clan is severely worn out. I request one nights lodging before we must unfold our tale and negotiate." With this said I received nods of acquiescence for my incite from Xanatos and the some of the other Gargoyles went ballistic. Angela was the first to come forward to protest. She was so pissed that her speech was incoherent. The only things easily made out were the words 'egg', 'stole', 'betrayal', and 'evil'. To remedy this situation I motioned my clan to me. I nodded to Demona and she took the egg out of our sparse luggage to also cover up the fact I would soon be laughing my head off if Angela's face didn't stop twitching soon. As she approached I saw that the Gargoyles who appeared like they were going to clobber Xanatos died down in shock. Demona simply walked to Angela with tears in her guilt-ridden eyes and handed the egg to her saying that she should be a better mother than herself. Angela accepted the egg with the look of amazement that comes from something akin to the heavens opening and god coming down. Demona swiftly turned and headed back to us with her head in her hands and tears streaming down her cheeks. When she reached us Jericho caught her up and embraced her while draping his wings around her. I waited for her to stop crying and then motioned to the Aerie Building. As we departed I noticed we had left a bowled over clan Wyvern in our wake.
* * * * * * * * * * * * 2) Castle Wyvern -one hour after dawn-
It was good of Xanatos to give us nice quarters I thought. I could just imagine the resulting mess if he had given us the dungeon. I looked around admiring our temporary quarters. Like everything else in the castle they were top notch. Jericho was facing the window encased in his stone sleep. He had recently taken up posing in the crouch Doom had taught him. Demona was in a deep sleep on the king size bed due to the overwhelming exhaustion brought on by her transformation and recent events. Lucifer had discovered the playful hacker side of his personality and was currently hooked up to the computer terminal in the room. It made me chuckle how this being designed for merciless destruction had lit up at the idea of getting on-line. He had been plugged in since we were shown our room. Doom was snoozing on the couch in full armor and had his hand wrapped around his 'super shotgun' in ever-ready form. And last but not least I was sitting here at the table contemplating our future. This of course required a reviewing of our past. Our arrival at the castle was to say the least interesting. Hudson, Lex, Aiden, Bronx, and Fox had been waiting in the courtyard with expressions ranging from disgruntlement to curiosity to shock. Ten Steel Clan robots had flanked them and the defenses were on full alert. They probably had been notified only minutes earlier due to the fact that we arrived so fast. Our trip had revealed that Lucifer had a jetpack imbedded in him and was air worthy. As we had approached I could feel the others cringe at the site of the mighty defenses so I had simply called them to enter the safety of my cloak. They all agreed and left me to make my decent. I decided to be showy. I can still remember their gasps as I floated down with my cloak billowing thirty feet around me. Then their stairs as my clan mysteriously appeared from behind me, thanks to my cloak. Only Fox was able to recover and showed us to our quarters. We simply swept by the others. About half an hour later the rest returned but we were not called upon. Therefore I suggested we all relax while one staid on guard. They had all readily agreed. I had taken the first stint of guard duty and the rest had gone to relax in sleep. I was suddenly jerked out of contemplation as Doom got to his feet and ambled of to the bathroom. I glanced at the clock and was surprised to find it was now nine-o-clock. Then Doom returned from the bathroom looking much better after his nap. He went over and tapped on Lucifer's shoulder. Lucifer immediately came out of his trace and disconnected. With a nod to us he took up the sentry post near the door. Doom simply smiled fondly and said "Hey Wraith, how about some breakfast." "Sure." I said before following him out the door and towards the great hall. When we entered the hall only Owen was still there eating. He glanced up and simply stopped until we had approached him. "I know we are not guests here but can we have some breakfast?" I asked. He simply pointed to the buffet and left. Doom and I both loaded down our trays with goodies before sitting down at the table. Doom had set his helmet aside and I let my necro armor uncover my head. Doom's own necro armor had taken the shape of a trench coat that looked good on him. We just looked at each other and laughed. Both of us still remembered when I had first shown the face under my mask and had caused Demona to choke, as it was the face of the main character of her company's video game. Then we began to eat and discuss our escapades. Half way through breakfast Xanatos came in looking like he had a long night with little sleep. When he spotted us he simply walked over in awe. Xanatos circled Doom and finally got up the courage to ask. "But... you're a Gargoyle??" Doom just laughed and I had to explain. "What he is wearing is necro armor. It forms whatever the mind needs." This did wonders along with the fact that Doom had briefly turned the 'trench coat' back into wings. Xanatos just shook his head and muttered something about being beyond shock before going to the buffet. He returned with a plate full of food and sat down next to us. Then after a few bites he looked up and said, "So, how did you guys get mixed up with Demona?" "You probably would not believe us." I replied. "Just try me." was all Xanatos said as Demona and Lucifer both walked through the door. A while latter we had finished our story. Xanatos had been polite enough to sit quietly until we were finished and then just whistled. "Now that is quite a story." was his only comment. By then we had all finished our breakfast and were simply leaning back in our chairs. "Well, for as long as I have known Demona, I believe you guys. The emotions going through her face were just too sincere. And, frankly Demona, I never thought you had that many emotions. However there are some things that I just simply can not believe." Xanatos said. "For instance" he continued, "that he" Xanatos made a gesture at Doom, "could take down two full grown and battle hardened Gargoyles." At this Demona had a hearty laugh and said, "Do you want me to show you the bruises or would you like a demonstration?" Xanatos thought this one over and replied, "The demonstration would be greatly appreciated. Even so, I can not believe that Doom can do half the things he claims." At Doom's slightly annoyed visage Xanatos continued, "But I would be delighted to meet you in our battle room to test them. How about in half an hour?"
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Battle Room -30 minutes latter-
My clan, except for Jericho, who was still stuck in stone sleep, all decided to join in the exercise. We were in our combat gear and had brought along a sample of every thing in our arsenal. Doom was in his original armor with a backpack on that held the majority of his smaller weapons and ammo. Demona had on her necro armor and was sporting a plasma rifle and BFG9000. I was in my full suit of necro armor and had my energy powered up. This left Lucifer in his monster form who was sporting his own personal rocket launchers and had no need for armor. When we arrived I noticed that we had quite a turn out for our demonstration. There was Xanatos and Fox, both in full power armor suits. Elisa and Matt had both gotten off work and were there in sports clothes. The only other person there was Birdie wearing an inquisitive smile. They let us pass through with various looks of stony vigilance. Once we were all in the room with the doors locked behind us Xanatos stepped up to make an announcement. "I have listened to their incredible story and have requested that they demonstrate the skills hey claim to have." At this I stepped up and took control of the situation. "I do believe we did not have introductions when last me met. This" I gestured to Doom, "is Doom, veteran of the Hell campaign. I believe you already know Demona and Jericho." This comment brought many a belligerent look from them. "This" I continued while indicating Lucifer, "is Lucifer, also a being from the Hell campaign. And I am Wraith, multiverse traveler extraordinaire." After our introductions we all sort of stared at each other. Then Doom came forward and extended his hand to Matt. They shock heartily and went with Elisa off to another corner of the room to discussing our journeys. Demona approached Xanatos and Fox with furtively. Then after a brief stare they locked for arms in the warrior's way. They sauntered off leaving me with Lucifer and one slightly frightened Birdie. As I drew near her I saw that she affected some courage and stood silent waiting for me to get there. "Hello Birdie." I called out to her "Why are you here?" At my warm tone she relaxed and gave me an encouraging smile. "I'm here to see the ones who blew away the hoards of Hell." Birdie sent back. "Well Birdie I have a treat for you." I motioned for Lucifer to step forwards, "Here is one of the hoards himself Lucifer." Lucifer stepped forwards and Birdie gasped. This caused Lucifer to look so disappointed that Birdie was instantly apologizing for her reaction. Birdie then went with Lucifer off somewhere and I decided to go and get some sleep.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Battle Room -30 minutes before sunset-
I walked into the battle room and was treated to an astonishing view. Lifetime enemies were training side by side in an atmosphere of good will. Matt was running through some hand-to-hand combat maneuvers with Doom while Elisa watched on. Every once and a while she would laugh as Matt was thoroughly trounced but refused to leave with out giving Doom at least one bruise. Birdie was playing a game of chess with Lucifer back in his human form once again. He had a stumped look on his face that made Birdie laugh in a friendly way as she took his last bishop. Xanatos had quitted the gathering and Fox was with Demona reminiscing about their pasts. Without much thought I went over and watched the chess game. After a few moves Birdie won and Lucifer went off with just a brief comment of how it was impossible for him, son of Satan, to lose five games successively. I laughed as he passed and turned to study Birdie. "So, still frightened of him?" I asked. "No, once I got over his appearance he turned out to be quite fun. Reminds me of Broadway." "Really, and I thought he had such a tough exterior." She laughed at this and simply shook her head. "You guys really are too much." she continued laughing, "You are all kind people that look like they came from some insane computer gamer's imagination." "You don't know how right you are." I said. This comment wrenched Birdie out of her laugh and caught her attention. "Really though, where are you guys from? I mean both Lucifer and Doom seam oddly familiar." she asked politely. To this is I simply said, "Have you ever played the video game DOOM or DOOM II?" and let the implications set in. And set in they did, for I could see the exact moment that things clicked by the way she almost dropped her glass. I retrieved the glass and waited for her to get over the shock. She merely sat there and gaped until a purely devious grin spread here face. "What is that grin for?" I had to ask. She just kept that grin and said. "I was just thinking of when Lex got that game and could not beat the end Boss. I want to be the one to spring it on him that he can practice with the real thing now." I could not help but laugh and then noticed something about her. "Birdie, I know you think you are normal, but there is a power about you." This remark caught her so off guard she simply said "What do you mean 'power'?" "You" I started to explain, "Have the right type of inbred conditions that are only manifested in a few beings. To know how to use this power you must first understand some things that will not only change your world forever but also probably scare the shit out of you too. If you are willing to risk insanity I can help you become as powerful as any one else here." Birdie just whistled and then a devil take all look came over her face. She leaned towards me and said, "I have taken on Gargoyles, mythical creatures, fanatics, and fae. I am a friend with sorceresses, millionaires, fairies, and immortals. What would I be risking with a little insanity?" With that answer I at once decided to start her education. "The key to your power lies in one concept. This concept would blow any normal persons mind but you just might be able to withstand it." I let this sink in for effect and awaited Birdie's reply. She merely gestured for me to continue with a fascinated look. "The concept is startling easy," I continued, "it is that reality is only what you know it is." She simply looked at me like I had said something that made no sense and was better off forgotten. And so I continued, "That means that what ever you truly believe down to the deepest part of your subconscious will become reality." To emphasize the fact I reached out mentally and turned our clothes into that of medieval garb, complete down to the dirt stains. Birdie gasped and I quickly changed us back into what we were originally wearing. She looked at herself again and opened her mouth to protest. I simply raised a hand to silence her and persisted. "This has been happening around you all the time and is manifested in many you already know. Elisa has routed her abilities in it through her love for Goliath and accomplished some so-called 'miracles'. This power is what drives magic and everyday life. You have the ability to adapt and consciously focus this talent. With concentration you can defy many things but I doubt you will get very far for it is human nature to need rules and boundaries. That is why 'science' exists; it is a near planet wide delusion produced unconsciously from human society." As this settled in I watched her expressions closely. A wide variety ranging from disbelievement to acceptance ran across her face before it settled in a look of hesitant aspiration. "So all I have to do is believe that something will happen, like in that movie the Matrix?" she asked. "Well, like in the movie you have to let it all go, but you have to do more than that. You have to believe down to your atoms in your goal." "Then I want an ice cold Bud light." Birdie said while reaching out with her hand. Nothing happened and Birdie looked like she once again believed that everything she heard was a lie. I looked at her and asked. "Is there any thing that you would like to be down to the bottom of your heart for the next thirty minutes?" Birdie looked startled then hesitantly answered, "Yes ... I was once temporarily a Gargoyle and would like to be so again, however that's just wishful thinking." To this I merely snorted and said, "In reality there is no wishful thinking. If you truly want it then let reality slide away and be a Gargoyle." Birdie took my advice and calmly relaxed then she shimmered and suddenly there was a stone female gargoyle clad in halter and loincloth with one very shocked expression on her face.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Castle Wyvern -sundown-
Small fissures appeared on the stone as if it was experiencing tiny earthquakes. Then the stone blew apart as the gargoyles awakened with a roar at the suns passage. After settling down from their stretch they assumed looks of sober anticipation. However when they headed for the hall they were met by a gargoyle that none had seen before. They just stopped and stared until at her until three of them finally had their memories click. "BIRDIE?!" Lex, Aiden, and Broadway a shouted together. This comprehension just confused the others more until the gargoyle in front of them suddenly disappeared and there was Birdie just standing there smirking. Hudson muttered something about sorcery and Birdie laughed before indicating them to step inside. When they entered the clan's hall expecting everyone to be there. However there was only Owen standing in the doorway. "The Xanatoses are in the battle room with everyone else. Mrs. Yale may I have a word with you?" was all Owen said. The last thing the clan saw while filing out was Birdie going to Owen and saying, "Oh, is the mighty Puck wondering where I picked up some tricks?"
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Battle Room
KKAAABBOOOOMM!!
"And that ladies and gentlemen is the power of a Cyberdemon's rocket." Said Doom. Every one but Xanatos clapped. He just sat there staring at the remains of his new Steel Clan robot and said, "But, but, that was the best armor produced. Just then they heard the doors unlock and opened. On the other side of the doors were the Gargoyles all with expressions that spoke of seeing too much in too little time to be shocked anymore. Xanatos beckoned to them to join them and be silent. The gargoyles skirted my clan with a few nasty looks before settling down. Doom nodded to them and continued the demonstration. "Now this" Doom said while lifting a BFG9000, "is one of the most powerful energy cannons to date. It is called the BFG9000, which stands for 'Big Fraggin Gun'." Doom then gestured to Xanatos and another Steel Clan robot stepped forwards. "The BFG9000 will eat up two whole energy cells while charging up but the results are quite satisfying." Doom explained. With that said Doom brought the laser sight to bear on the robot and flicked the safety off. Then the air was filled by a whine as the BFG9000 charged. The other clan started to get a little rest less and Xanatos stood to say something. All of a sudden the BFG9000 erupted with its characteristic-blinding ball of energy and half the people in the room jumped while staring at the robot. When the ball of energy reached the robot it exploded into flames and was hurled against the wall with such force it created a one-foot dent. As the smoke lifted everyone saw that where the robot had caught the blast in the middle there was only a hole clear all the way through. All that held the robot together was a couple strips of metal. My clan clapped while the others simply stared. As they recovered they all reacted differently. Elisa and Matt smiled in respect for the awesome weapon. Most of the gargoyles gapped at the damage done with awe. Hudson, the only who had not watched the show, noted Doom's skilled movements at putting away the gun and nodded like an old campaigner. Fox clapped at the show while Xanatos affected a slightly disgusted look and surveyed the robot. After we had all settled down again I decided to take the stage. I motioned Doom to sit and approached the crowd. "Ladies and gentlemen," I began, "you have just witnessed the finest military weapons developed this side of Hell. However I know some of you have magical powers that would let you negate these weapons." At this Xanatos and Aiden nodded while I continued, "I however have something else to contribute. I have decided to demonstrate my own meager skills in magic." This brought some confused glances from the other gargoyles but the people that had been practicing with me earlier smirked. I let my cape disappear and charged my energies. The crowd murmured while Aiden and Electra gasped as my energies enveloped me. It provided a dull glow around me. I conjured up a cyberdemon and put it in stasis. Then I turned and addressed the crowd. "Now the cyberdemon would usually take about four BFG9000 blasts." I announced. They mutter something among themselves and looked to Doom who just disgustedly nodded to its truth. "However a normal fae blast would not even phase it." I continued. "I on the other hand can draw on much deeper energies than the fae so I can create a better blast." I then drew up my strength and focused the energy in my hand. Some of them softly gasped as an eerie green ball of energy about the size of a softball formed in my right hand. I sent the ball at the beast and stood back to watch the effects. When the ball reached the cyberdemon it was engulfed in an explosion that rocked the entire room. The explosion however was also held in an area only directly around the demon and never reached anywhere else due to my mental control. As everyone's eyes cleared from the flare all that was left of the demon was some burnt marks on the ground and a red haze that lazily drifted down. They all sat down and after a moment there was an uproar of applause. "Now some of you may have seen the anime show Dragon Ball Z." I continued. "But if you have not I will show you just how powerful I can get." Lifting up a finger an energy ball no bigger than a golf ball formed above it. "This much energy," I continued, "will disintegrate a man. This much, " I said increasing the energy ball to the size of a basketball "would level the Eire Building. But this," the ball suddenly expanded to the size of a motorhome "would turn this planet into just so much dust." And then I just dissipated the energy safely and walked away. Goliath decided that since the demonstration was over it was time to talk and dragged Xanatos away before he could question me. Elisa, Angela, and Fox followed them out with knowing smirks. The ones left got up and milled around before coming over and talking to some of my clan. Lexington went over to Cyberdemon and looked him up and down as if to remember when he had seen him before. Aiden went over to Demona to chat about our escapades. Broadway and Elektra stood off to the side and studied every one else. And Brooklyn approached Doom with a mischievous gleam in his eye. I watched for a moment then decided that Lex needed a hint as to where he had previously seen Cyberdemon. I walked over and simply said, "Lex imagine him in a dark lit corridor with a couple Mancubuses around him." I could tell the exact moment the Lex figured it out by the way his eyes lit up like flares and he yelled, "But DOOM is a computer game!" Cyberdemon let out a hearty laugh and started to calm down the frantic Lex. I then noticed that Brooklyn was trying to sneak up on a nonchalant Doom who was inspecting the fighting ring. Brooklyn got within range and let an ill- fated punch go. Doom spun around with his usual speed and caught the punch in his hand. He just shook his head at the confused expression at Brooklyn's surprised face and said "Now Brooklyn, you should not try and sneak up on experienced warriors like that. It could have unpleasant consequences." Doom then reached up with his other hand, grabbed Brooklyn by the throat, and tossed him into the wall. Doom again shook his head at the foolish gargoyle. Brooklyn's anger flared as he regained his footing. His eyes blazed a white light as he roared and charged Doom. Doom just rolled his eyes and dropped into his combat crouch. Right before Brooklyn reached him Doom stepped past Brooklyn's defenses and let loose a tornado of punches. Brooklyn was caught off guard and quickly bawled over. The fight ended when Doom delivered a particularly wicked uppercut that sent Brooklyn back into the wall. As Brooklyn slid down the wall into a barely conscious heap an untouched Doom went over to dig around in his backpack. I turned and took in the varied reactions of the Wyvern clan. Electra and Aiden had stopped to stare in shock. Matt laughed heartily at Brooklyn's pitiful attempt at what he had been trying to accomplish all afternoon. Hudson gave a grim nod to acknowledge Doom's impressive skill. And Broadway and Lex were torn between ribbing their rookery brother and uniting to defend him. Turning back to the combatants I saw that Doom had retrieved a Soul Sphere from his stash in the backpack and was approaching Brooklyn with it. He pressed the artifact against Brooklyn and watched as the healing glow enveloped him. As the glow faded to nothing Brooklyn stood and gathered his wits. He focused on the smirking Doom and looked around dazed. Doom spoke up. "So Brooklyn, want another round?" Brooklyn gaped as the memory of what just happened returned and slinked off to his brothers' ribbing. Hudson was the first to regain his composure and went over to talk to Doom. They turned away to go over sparring moves and I went over Elektra and Aiden. "Hello ladies," I said as I drew near, "I am Wraith." Elektra took my extended arm in a warriors grip and Aiden looked up at me in puzzled silence. After introductions I queried as to what Aiden was so puzzled about. "You." She said blushing. "Really, and what pray tell about me is so puzzling?" "It is your magic." Elektra supplied for the timid gargoyle. "You used powers that we did not even know exist in this realm. Yet now you have not a hint of magic about you. How?" Aiden continued. "That is because I do not come from your realm or even Avalon. I come from a realm where magic does not exist." "WHAT?" "I come from a realm where magic does not exist." I repeated. "Why don't we go and sit down so I can tell you my story?" I offered and then headed for the table with two astonished gargoyles in troll. "I was fourteen when I first began my adventure." I told the two gargoyles. "That was in another universe where the battle between heaven and hell were decided by mankind's actions. When a Hellspawn came through a portal to Earth I was accidentally transported to hell. Once there I gained a suit of necroplasm armor." I changed my armor back into the original coloring of a Hellspawn. Aiden gasped and mutter "Spawn". "Yes I knew him but I am not him." I responded. "I became a being of unparallel power. Since I had not died I inherited both the powers of heaven and those of hell. As I learned how to use them I was forced to fight my way out. I was nearly killed but I used my newfound powers to move myself to another universe. Nozgarth." Adien recognized the name again and gasped. "Kain, you were Kain." I nodded and continued. "I was cast out of Kain's body by the death of the nine. I was once again banished to another universe and landed up in Oz." Aiden burst out laughing here and Elektra looked at her in a puzzled look. "As Kain I had learned much of my powers and I learned even more in Oz. However it was not fated for me to stay and so I took my leave. I had learned how to control my portals and from then on I went through universes learning how to use more powers. After a while I had learned how to control matter. I decided to return to my home universe and my life. However my society cast me out and I had Hell on my trails too. They sent a whole army after me and I had to negotiate the cities existence for my life. I turned the tables on them though by going to Hell and killing their god Malbosia. This created a huge cataclysm that upset the world. After that mess was sorted out I spent a little time in heaven studying their angeltech. There I decided to collect the technology of the universes and meld them together. I plan to take that technology and create a place of understanding and culture for all outcasts of society. However while my fleet was building I was ripped into another universe and have been wandering ever since." Elektra and Aiden stared at me as if I was insane. Elektra was the first to recover and said, "Ye mean to say that you can travel between Heaven and Hell?" I laughed at this and motioned for Lucifer. He walked over and stood behind me. "This is Lucifer and he is a certified being of Hell." I said with a gesture for him to seat himself after he changed into his demonic form. He sat and both Elektra and Aiden cringed at his frightening appearance. He blushed and changed back into his human form before offering his hand to the frightened gargoyles. After they shook and got over their shock the questions started. "Ye are truly from Hell?" asked Elektra. "I am afraid so." "But how are ye not like the ones that had previously come from Hell?" Lucifer squirmed and then settled down to tell them his story. After numerous 'WHAT?'s and 'Impossible!'s he finally finished. They were just about go into another round of questions when suddenly Broadway was sent into the table with amazing force. Elektra leapt to his aid as the rest of us got up and stood away from the wreckage. The others came over to help the dazed Broadway up. Matt and Doom were joking and the gargoyles looked like they had been ran over by a truck. I asked Matt what the deal. "Doom just put them all though their paces when they went in for a four against one brawl. Didn't even break a sweat." By this point Doom had Broadway and the others patched up. But before they could continue Goliath and company returned. They crossed the room and once again the two clans stood off. However this time there was considerably less tension in the air and then Goliath stepped forwards. Doom also stepped forwards to great him. They stood for a moment just staring at each other. Then doom took a step forwards and extended his arm. Goliath shook his arm in the warrior's greeting and spoke. "I great you Doom. I extend the hospitality of Clan Wyvern." "I great you Goliath of Clan Wyvern. I accept your hospitality for Clan HellAngels." I could not figure out what brought more smirks from Clan Wyvern, the fact that Doom was not daunted in the least by Goliath or the ironic wordplay of our clan name. The two leaders broke away and once again our clans mingled. Jericho went to the bar with Matt and the Xanatoses. Doom went joined the trio and Hudson in sparing techniques while Elisa and Goliath looked on in amusement. Demona guiltily approached a dazed Angela. Lucifer went to take up his story with Elektra and Aiden again. And so I was left alone for the moment. I decided to head over Elisa and Goliath to watch the sparing. Elisa was looking on with a snicker while Goliath was in a state of stunned silence as Doom mopped the floor with the other four gargoyles. I sidled up next to them and shook my head at their futile efforts. Goliath turned to me "By the Dragon, can anyone best that man?!" I drew Goliath's confused look when I laughed. "You're standing next to the only one who can alone in this room, but Demona and Jericho can if they team up and Lucifer would get a draw." He kept that confused look until I walked on the mat and called out to Doom. "Hey Doom, I think you've gone to far my friend. They believe you are untouchable." "Wraith you know damn well that's only because they can't fight worth jack." "So how about it, shall we show them a true brawl?" Doom contemplated this and then with nod he accepted my challenge. As I drew near he decided that due to our present surroundings we should limit our techniques. "Alright Wraith no necro armor stuff, no long-range weapons, no energy skills from you, and no berserkers from me. Does that sound fair." I consented to the rules and noticed that the others had all stopped to watch as Doom and I squared off. I slipped into a fighting crouch and saw that Doom paralleled me. I don't remember much after that because I had let my fighting instinct that had been ground into my very soul take over my actions. The only patches I remember are usually of either me or Doom being flung hard somewhere. Then the fight was over and I regained my senses. I stretched and took a mental survey of my condition. I was bruised all over and was severely exhausted. Doom on the other hand was out cold and looked like homemade hell. While I walked over to where Doom left his backpack I restarted the powers of my necro armor and the injuries immediately started to fade. I fetched a Soul Sphere and tossed it to the crumpled form of Doom. It healed him and I extended my hand to help him up. He took it with a smile and stood. "Now that was a damn good fight Wraith. Thanks for the exercise." I chuckled and walked back to the stunned crowd. I stopped before them and said, "So, who wants to take me on next?" The trio fled in the opposite direction much to the amusement of the others. "How about you Hudson?" I asked. "Och, nay, I've earned my sores already by Doom's hands. Goliath however has not gotten his yet." The elder said nodding to Doom and placing a hand on Goliaths shoulder. Goliath jumped and glared at his mentor. However he grudgingly stepped into the ring and prepared himself. I decided to be easy on him. "Goliath here are the rules. You may use anything against me but I will limit my powers only to what I am biologically capable of." With that I shed my cloak and straitened out to my full height. This daunted even Goliath since I was taller and wider than him, though not by much. Goliath launched him self in a tackle that would have flattened all but the strongest of beings. I decided to teach him a lesson and snared him right before he reached me. I swung him with his momentum and sent him flying into the wall with ground shattering force. He stood groggily and slowly regained his composure. From then on Goliath more sound tactics. Nevertheless this did not do him any good as I have innumerable black belts in various martial arts. Goliath did land some punches on me but they did little damage due to my massive pain tolerance. After I about fifteen minutes I grew bored and decided to end the match. When Goliath approached for his next run I stepped up, drove a knee into his gut with paralyzing force, and let loose an uppercut with all of my strength behind it. While normally my punches do great amounts of damage when I release all of my strength it is a whole different story. My upper cut sent Goliath through the wall and across the next room. He slid to the ground in an unconscious mess. I retrieve the last soul sphere and healed Goliath. He arose with such an expression of complete disbelief that everyone had a good laugh. But then I felt the growing stress in reality. I realized that my clan's presence had caused so much damage that it had triggered one of the probes the Messiah had released. And so marshaling all my clan to me I fixed the problem.
1) Manhattan -central Park- (Wraith)
To Goliath the patrols now were a time to meditate in the past events. Ever since Damien had called up Hell and was defeated there had been little or no crime. Even the quarry men had been silent in shock. However the Gargoyles reputation skyrocketed due to the fact that they stopped the menace. The lack of action, however, only let them have more time to contemplate other things. Demona's betrayal was almost past shocking to him. How could she have Jericho steal Angela's egg?! Did she care for her daughter at all? Then there was Damien. He still baffled Goliath. Damien was the epitome of evil, not feeling a thing, and yet he was a Gargoyle. While all of this was running through his head the park was silently peaceful. Then a column of magma erupted in the center bringing on a sense of dejavu. Goliath quickly sent of a summons through his radio and swooped towards the column. And then he stopped dead still. From with in the column came a silver bubble with four forms within it. The bubble floated off to the end of the field and popped. From within he came three gargoyles and a man in a red cloak. As they all gently floated down to the Earth Goliath finally recognized one of the gargoyles. "Demona!!" he roared with eyes glowing white, making them whirl around and spot his approaching form. Then both Demona and Jericho recognized him and suddenly called out "Goliath! Behind you!" Goliath whipped around just to have a ball of green plasma knock him out of the air.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Manhattan -
Wraith had no idea the armies of Hell would try to follow them back to Earth, but that was exactly what he had seen just as the capsule had closed. Especially Hence he had decided to move the capsule away from the portal after it went through. This proved to be a prudent decision not only because it removed them from the new gargoyles range but also ensured that any demons coming through would not come out on top of them. And come out them demons did. From the portal came an army that the likes of which had never been seen. "Prepare for battle." was all he said as he dropped the protective capsule. While they floated to the ground all of them turned and studied the army of Hell descending upon them. Wraith noticed that almost every type of demon was coming through that portal. Well, he thought, at least they will bicker among them selves and take most of their own forces out. As they were charging up their weapons a roar of anger came from the unknown gargoyle made him known to all present with ranging degrees of shock. Demona and Jericho immediately recognized Goliath and called out to him, as they knew the monsters would soon open fire. However the warning did nothing more than slow Goliath enough to be hit by a Hell Knight. Both Demona and Jericho leapt into the sky, a feat aided by the strength enhancing armor, to catch him. Doom and Wraith stepped up to the army and let loose with a salvo of blasts. Lucifer just had the dignity to roar, "Let the GLIBBING Begin!!" as he changed in to his monster form. Hell's army promptly erupted into chaos as the demons fought each other and us in an all out free for all. Demona and Jericho added their BFG9000s to our effort after they got an unconscious Goliath to safety and the army started to quickly dwindle. However the army of demons was sill huge by any comparison and more were pouring through the portal to replace the dead. Sometime in the battle other gargoyles and humans arrived and set into to the demonic hoards. There were energy blasts, witch blasts, plasma blasts, fireballs, lasers, bullets, and fists flying everywhere. No one remembered much of the carnage that followed. When things started to die down our forces finally got a good look at each other. The resulting shock of seeing gargoyles, humans, and long time enemies saving each other time and again finally set in. It nearly let Hell's army win if Wraith had not called everyone's attention back to the task at hand. They decided to put aside their differences for the moment and polish off the remains of Hell's army while Wraith fought his way over to the portal to close it off. When I got there barely any beasts were coming out. Wraith charged up his power and was able to close off the portal before any more creatures could get through. Then he looked around and saw that the others were getting along nicely. Demona was working with Xanatos, in his red and black armor, to clear away the last of the Reverents. Jericho and Brooklyn were tearing the demons apart. Goliath and Doom, with his eyes glowing red from a berserker, were taking down a pair of Barons of Hell. The rest were dishing it out to various other monsters. I simply joined with Lucifer in taking out a trio of Pain Elementals. A short time later the last of the battle was winding down. The park had been reduced to ruble and craters with gore spread liberally about. Then with a particularly satisfying explosion the last Cyberdemons exploded leaving an awesome crater. Everyone was just coming out of a battle frenzy and the their inflicted wounds were starting to resurface. As the glowing eyes dimmed everyone sprang apart and formed their lines for a showdown. On one side were Goliath, Elisa, Brooklyn, Angela, Broadway, Elektra, and Xanatos. On the other were the slightly less worn Demona, Jericho, Doom, Lucifer, and myself. I noticed Demona and Jericho both had an expression of guilt. Glancing back to the others I noticed the identities of our group were just sinking in. Then Angela released a tremendous roar and with eyes blazing ruby red leapt across the distance before Goliath could stop her. Doom instinctively stepped up and let an efficient uppercut loose which went right through Angela's defenses sending her flying back to Goliath's group. It was hard to tell what they were shocked over more. That Doom had so swiftly and effectively stopped the threat or that Jericho had just stood aside to let it happen. Goliath and Brooklyn recovered the quickest, each with anger rising and eyes glowing like supernovas. I quickly stepped up and motioned for Xanatos to come forward. He also recognized the need for diplomacy and quietly restrained Goliath before coming out to meet me. As he took of hi helmet while approaching I decided to get to the quick and said "Xanatos, yes I know all of your names, we are entitled to have your clan's neutrality while we explain our position. For we have saved us all by forever closing Hell." This statement clearly caught him off guard, and he gave a quick nod before responding. "What does your clan want?" he asked with clear indecision. "We want your protection." This answer also caught them off guard because of the numerous "What?!"s, "Why?!"s, and "Huh?!"s. Xanatos simply gestured for them to be quiet before I continued. "As you undoubtedly know dawn fast approaches. And our lodgings were destroyed when the first portal opened. Also as you can note my clan is severely worn out. I request one nights lodging before we must unfold our tale and negotiate." With this said I received nods of acquiescence for my incite from Xanatos and the some of the other Gargoyles went ballistic. Angela was the first to come forward to protest. She was so pissed that her speech was incoherent. The only things easily made out were the words 'egg', 'stole', 'betrayal', and 'evil'. To remedy this situation I motioned my clan to me. I nodded to Demona and she took the egg out of our sparse luggage to also cover up the fact I would soon be laughing my head off if Angela's face didn't stop twitching soon. As she approached I saw that the Gargoyles who appeared like they were going to clobber Xanatos died down in shock. Demona simply walked to Angela with tears in her guilt-ridden eyes and handed the egg to her saying that she should be a better mother than herself. Angela accepted the egg with the look of amazement that comes from something akin to the heavens opening and god coming down. Demona swiftly turned and headed back to us with her head in her hands and tears streaming down her cheeks. When she reached us Jericho caught her up and embraced her while draping his wings around her. I waited for her to stop crying and then motioned to the Aerie Building. As we departed I noticed we had left a bowled over clan Wyvern in our wake.
* * * * * * * * * * * * 2) Castle Wyvern -one hour after dawn-
It was good of Xanatos to give us nice quarters I thought. I could just imagine the resulting mess if he had given us the dungeon. I looked around admiring our temporary quarters. Like everything else in the castle they were top notch. Jericho was facing the window encased in his stone sleep. He had recently taken up posing in the crouch Doom had taught him. Demona was in a deep sleep on the king size bed due to the overwhelming exhaustion brought on by her transformation and recent events. Lucifer had discovered the playful hacker side of his personality and was currently hooked up to the computer terminal in the room. It made me chuckle how this being designed for merciless destruction had lit up at the idea of getting on-line. He had been plugged in since we were shown our room. Doom was snoozing on the couch in full armor and had his hand wrapped around his 'super shotgun' in ever-ready form. And last but not least I was sitting here at the table contemplating our future. This of course required a reviewing of our past. Our arrival at the castle was to say the least interesting. Hudson, Lex, Aiden, Bronx, and Fox had been waiting in the courtyard with expressions ranging from disgruntlement to curiosity to shock. Ten Steel Clan robots had flanked them and the defenses were on full alert. They probably had been notified only minutes earlier due to the fact that we arrived so fast. Our trip had revealed that Lucifer had a jetpack imbedded in him and was air worthy. As we had approached I could feel the others cringe at the site of the mighty defenses so I had simply called them to enter the safety of my cloak. They all agreed and left me to make my decent. I decided to be showy. I can still remember their gasps as I floated down with my cloak billowing thirty feet around me. Then their stairs as my clan mysteriously appeared from behind me, thanks to my cloak. Only Fox was able to recover and showed us to our quarters. We simply swept by the others. About half an hour later the rest returned but we were not called upon. Therefore I suggested we all relax while one staid on guard. They had all readily agreed. I had taken the first stint of guard duty and the rest had gone to relax in sleep. I was suddenly jerked out of contemplation as Doom got to his feet and ambled of to the bathroom. I glanced at the clock and was surprised to find it was now nine-o-clock. Then Doom returned from the bathroom looking much better after his nap. He went over and tapped on Lucifer's shoulder. Lucifer immediately came out of his trace and disconnected. With a nod to us he took up the sentry post near the door. Doom simply smiled fondly and said "Hey Wraith, how about some breakfast." "Sure." I said before following him out the door and towards the great hall. When we entered the hall only Owen was still there eating. He glanced up and simply stopped until we had approached him. "I know we are not guests here but can we have some breakfast?" I asked. He simply pointed to the buffet and left. Doom and I both loaded down our trays with goodies before sitting down at the table. Doom had set his helmet aside and I let my necro armor uncover my head. Doom's own necro armor had taken the shape of a trench coat that looked good on him. We just looked at each other and laughed. Both of us still remembered when I had first shown the face under my mask and had caused Demona to choke, as it was the face of the main character of her company's video game. Then we began to eat and discuss our escapades. Half way through breakfast Xanatos came in looking like he had a long night with little sleep. When he spotted us he simply walked over in awe. Xanatos circled Doom and finally got up the courage to ask. "But... you're a Gargoyle??" Doom just laughed and I had to explain. "What he is wearing is necro armor. It forms whatever the mind needs." This did wonders along with the fact that Doom had briefly turned the 'trench coat' back into wings. Xanatos just shook his head and muttered something about being beyond shock before going to the buffet. He returned with a plate full of food and sat down next to us. Then after a few bites he looked up and said, "So, how did you guys get mixed up with Demona?" "You probably would not believe us." I replied. "Just try me." was all Xanatos said as Demona and Lucifer both walked through the door. A while latter we had finished our story. Xanatos had been polite enough to sit quietly until we were finished and then just whistled. "Now that is quite a story." was his only comment. By then we had all finished our breakfast and were simply leaning back in our chairs. "Well, for as long as I have known Demona, I believe you guys. The emotions going through her face were just too sincere. And, frankly Demona, I never thought you had that many emotions. However there are some things that I just simply can not believe." Xanatos said. "For instance" he continued, "that he" Xanatos made a gesture at Doom, "could take down two full grown and battle hardened Gargoyles." At this Demona had a hearty laugh and said, "Do you want me to show you the bruises or would you like a demonstration?" Xanatos thought this one over and replied, "The demonstration would be greatly appreciated. Even so, I can not believe that Doom can do half the things he claims." At Doom's slightly annoyed visage Xanatos continued, "But I would be delighted to meet you in our battle room to test them. How about in half an hour?"
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Battle Room -30 minutes latter-
My clan, except for Jericho, who was still stuck in stone sleep, all decided to join in the exercise. We were in our combat gear and had brought along a sample of every thing in our arsenal. Doom was in his original armor with a backpack on that held the majority of his smaller weapons and ammo. Demona had on her necro armor and was sporting a plasma rifle and BFG9000. I was in my full suit of necro armor and had my energy powered up. This left Lucifer in his monster form who was sporting his own personal rocket launchers and had no need for armor. When we arrived I noticed that we had quite a turn out for our demonstration. There was Xanatos and Fox, both in full power armor suits. Elisa and Matt had both gotten off work and were there in sports clothes. The only other person there was Birdie wearing an inquisitive smile. They let us pass through with various looks of stony vigilance. Once we were all in the room with the doors locked behind us Xanatos stepped up to make an announcement. "I have listened to their incredible story and have requested that they demonstrate the skills hey claim to have." At this I stepped up and took control of the situation. "I do believe we did not have introductions when last me met. This" I gestured to Doom, "is Doom, veteran of the Hell campaign. I believe you already know Demona and Jericho." This comment brought many a belligerent look from them. "This" I continued while indicating Lucifer, "is Lucifer, also a being from the Hell campaign. And I am Wraith, multiverse traveler extraordinaire." After our introductions we all sort of stared at each other. Then Doom came forward and extended his hand to Matt. They shock heartily and went with Elisa off to another corner of the room to discussing our journeys. Demona approached Xanatos and Fox with furtively. Then after a brief stare they locked for arms in the warrior's way. They sauntered off leaving me with Lucifer and one slightly frightened Birdie. As I drew near her I saw that she affected some courage and stood silent waiting for me to get there. "Hello Birdie." I called out to her "Why are you here?" At my warm tone she relaxed and gave me an encouraging smile. "I'm here to see the ones who blew away the hoards of Hell." Birdie sent back. "Well Birdie I have a treat for you." I motioned for Lucifer to step forwards, "Here is one of the hoards himself Lucifer." Lucifer stepped forwards and Birdie gasped. This caused Lucifer to look so disappointed that Birdie was instantly apologizing for her reaction. Birdie then went with Lucifer off somewhere and I decided to go and get some sleep.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Battle Room -30 minutes before sunset-
I walked into the battle room and was treated to an astonishing view. Lifetime enemies were training side by side in an atmosphere of good will. Matt was running through some hand-to-hand combat maneuvers with Doom while Elisa watched on. Every once and a while she would laugh as Matt was thoroughly trounced but refused to leave with out giving Doom at least one bruise. Birdie was playing a game of chess with Lucifer back in his human form once again. He had a stumped look on his face that made Birdie laugh in a friendly way as she took his last bishop. Xanatos had quitted the gathering and Fox was with Demona reminiscing about their pasts. Without much thought I went over and watched the chess game. After a few moves Birdie won and Lucifer went off with just a brief comment of how it was impossible for him, son of Satan, to lose five games successively. I laughed as he passed and turned to study Birdie. "So, still frightened of him?" I asked. "No, once I got over his appearance he turned out to be quite fun. Reminds me of Broadway." "Really, and I thought he had such a tough exterior." She laughed at this and simply shook her head. "You guys really are too much." she continued laughing, "You are all kind people that look like they came from some insane computer gamer's imagination." "You don't know how right you are." I said. This comment wrenched Birdie out of her laugh and caught her attention. "Really though, where are you guys from? I mean both Lucifer and Doom seam oddly familiar." she asked politely. To this is I simply said, "Have you ever played the video game DOOM or DOOM II?" and let the implications set in. And set in they did, for I could see the exact moment that things clicked by the way she almost dropped her glass. I retrieved the glass and waited for her to get over the shock. She merely sat there and gaped until a purely devious grin spread here face. "What is that grin for?" I had to ask. She just kept that grin and said. "I was just thinking of when Lex got that game and could not beat the end Boss. I want to be the one to spring it on him that he can practice with the real thing now." I could not help but laugh and then noticed something about her. "Birdie, I know you think you are normal, but there is a power about you." This remark caught her so off guard she simply said "What do you mean 'power'?" "You" I started to explain, "Have the right type of inbred conditions that are only manifested in a few beings. To know how to use this power you must first understand some things that will not only change your world forever but also probably scare the shit out of you too. If you are willing to risk insanity I can help you become as powerful as any one else here." Birdie just whistled and then a devil take all look came over her face. She leaned towards me and said, "I have taken on Gargoyles, mythical creatures, fanatics, and fae. I am a friend with sorceresses, millionaires, fairies, and immortals. What would I be risking with a little insanity?" With that answer I at once decided to start her education. "The key to your power lies in one concept. This concept would blow any normal persons mind but you just might be able to withstand it." I let this sink in for effect and awaited Birdie's reply. She merely gestured for me to continue with a fascinated look. "The concept is startling easy," I continued, "it is that reality is only what you know it is." She simply looked at me like I had said something that made no sense and was better off forgotten. And so I continued, "That means that what ever you truly believe down to the deepest part of your subconscious will become reality." To emphasize the fact I reached out mentally and turned our clothes into that of medieval garb, complete down to the dirt stains. Birdie gasped and I quickly changed us back into what we were originally wearing. She looked at herself again and opened her mouth to protest. I simply raised a hand to silence her and persisted. "This has been happening around you all the time and is manifested in many you already know. Elisa has routed her abilities in it through her love for Goliath and accomplished some so-called 'miracles'. This power is what drives magic and everyday life. You have the ability to adapt and consciously focus this talent. With concentration you can defy many things but I doubt you will get very far for it is human nature to need rules and boundaries. That is why 'science' exists; it is a near planet wide delusion produced unconsciously from human society." As this settled in I watched her expressions closely. A wide variety ranging from disbelievement to acceptance ran across her face before it settled in a look of hesitant aspiration. "So all I have to do is believe that something will happen, like in that movie the Matrix?" she asked. "Well, like in the movie you have to let it all go, but you have to do more than that. You have to believe down to your atoms in your goal." "Then I want an ice cold Bud light." Birdie said while reaching out with her hand. Nothing happened and Birdie looked like she once again believed that everything she heard was a lie. I looked at her and asked. "Is there any thing that you would like to be down to the bottom of your heart for the next thirty minutes?" Birdie looked startled then hesitantly answered, "Yes ... I was once temporarily a Gargoyle and would like to be so again, however that's just wishful thinking." To this I merely snorted and said, "In reality there is no wishful thinking. If you truly want it then let reality slide away and be a Gargoyle." Birdie took my advice and calmly relaxed then she shimmered and suddenly there was a stone female gargoyle clad in halter and loincloth with one very shocked expression on her face.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Castle Wyvern -sundown-
Small fissures appeared on the stone as if it was experiencing tiny earthquakes. Then the stone blew apart as the gargoyles awakened with a roar at the suns passage. After settling down from their stretch they assumed looks of sober anticipation. However when they headed for the hall they were met by a gargoyle that none had seen before. They just stopped and stared until at her until three of them finally had their memories click. "BIRDIE?!" Lex, Aiden, and Broadway a shouted together. This comprehension just confused the others more until the gargoyle in front of them suddenly disappeared and there was Birdie just standing there smirking. Hudson muttered something about sorcery and Birdie laughed before indicating them to step inside. When they entered the clan's hall expecting everyone to be there. However there was only Owen standing in the doorway. "The Xanatoses are in the battle room with everyone else. Mrs. Yale may I have a word with you?" was all Owen said. The last thing the clan saw while filing out was Birdie going to Owen and saying, "Oh, is the mighty Puck wondering where I picked up some tricks?"
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Battle Room
KKAAABBOOOOMM!!
"And that ladies and gentlemen is the power of a Cyberdemon's rocket." Said Doom. Every one but Xanatos clapped. He just sat there staring at the remains of his new Steel Clan robot and said, "But, but, that was the best armor produced. Just then they heard the doors unlock and opened. On the other side of the doors were the Gargoyles all with expressions that spoke of seeing too much in too little time to be shocked anymore. Xanatos beckoned to them to join them and be silent. The gargoyles skirted my clan with a few nasty looks before settling down. Doom nodded to them and continued the demonstration. "Now this" Doom said while lifting a BFG9000, "is one of the most powerful energy cannons to date. It is called the BFG9000, which stands for 'Big Fraggin Gun'." Doom then gestured to Xanatos and another Steel Clan robot stepped forwards. "The BFG9000 will eat up two whole energy cells while charging up but the results are quite satisfying." Doom explained. With that said Doom brought the laser sight to bear on the robot and flicked the safety off. Then the air was filled by a whine as the BFG9000 charged. The other clan started to get a little rest less and Xanatos stood to say something. All of a sudden the BFG9000 erupted with its characteristic-blinding ball of energy and half the people in the room jumped while staring at the robot. When the ball of energy reached the robot it exploded into flames and was hurled against the wall with such force it created a one-foot dent. As the smoke lifted everyone saw that where the robot had caught the blast in the middle there was only a hole clear all the way through. All that held the robot together was a couple strips of metal. My clan clapped while the others simply stared. As they recovered they all reacted differently. Elisa and Matt smiled in respect for the awesome weapon. Most of the gargoyles gapped at the damage done with awe. Hudson, the only who had not watched the show, noted Doom's skilled movements at putting away the gun and nodded like an old campaigner. Fox clapped at the show while Xanatos affected a slightly disgusted look and surveyed the robot. After we had all settled down again I decided to take the stage. I motioned Doom to sit and approached the crowd. "Ladies and gentlemen," I began, "you have just witnessed the finest military weapons developed this side of Hell. However I know some of you have magical powers that would let you negate these weapons." At this Xanatos and Aiden nodded while I continued, "I however have something else to contribute. I have decided to demonstrate my own meager skills in magic." This brought some confused glances from the other gargoyles but the people that had been practicing with me earlier smirked. I let my cape disappear and charged my energies. The crowd murmured while Aiden and Electra gasped as my energies enveloped me. It provided a dull glow around me. I conjured up a cyberdemon and put it in stasis. Then I turned and addressed the crowd. "Now the cyberdemon would usually take about four BFG9000 blasts." I announced. They mutter something among themselves and looked to Doom who just disgustedly nodded to its truth. "However a normal fae blast would not even phase it." I continued. "I on the other hand can draw on much deeper energies than the fae so I can create a better blast." I then drew up my strength and focused the energy in my hand. Some of them softly gasped as an eerie green ball of energy about the size of a softball formed in my right hand. I sent the ball at the beast and stood back to watch the effects. When the ball reached the cyberdemon it was engulfed in an explosion that rocked the entire room. The explosion however was also held in an area only directly around the demon and never reached anywhere else due to my mental control. As everyone's eyes cleared from the flare all that was left of the demon was some burnt marks on the ground and a red haze that lazily drifted down. They all sat down and after a moment there was an uproar of applause. "Now some of you may have seen the anime show Dragon Ball Z." I continued. "But if you have not I will show you just how powerful I can get." Lifting up a finger an energy ball no bigger than a golf ball formed above it. "This much energy," I continued, "will disintegrate a man. This much, " I said increasing the energy ball to the size of a basketball "would level the Eire Building. But this," the ball suddenly expanded to the size of a motorhome "would turn this planet into just so much dust." And then I just dissipated the energy safely and walked away. Goliath decided that since the demonstration was over it was time to talk and dragged Xanatos away before he could question me. Elisa, Angela, and Fox followed them out with knowing smirks. The ones left got up and milled around before coming over and talking to some of my clan. Lexington went over to Cyberdemon and looked him up and down as if to remember when he had seen him before. Aiden went over to Demona to chat about our escapades. Broadway and Elektra stood off to the side and studied every one else. And Brooklyn approached Doom with a mischievous gleam in his eye. I watched for a moment then decided that Lex needed a hint as to where he had previously seen Cyberdemon. I walked over and simply said, "Lex imagine him in a dark lit corridor with a couple Mancubuses around him." I could tell the exact moment the Lex figured it out by the way his eyes lit up like flares and he yelled, "But DOOM is a computer game!" Cyberdemon let out a hearty laugh and started to calm down the frantic Lex. I then noticed that Brooklyn was trying to sneak up on a nonchalant Doom who was inspecting the fighting ring. Brooklyn got within range and let an ill- fated punch go. Doom spun around with his usual speed and caught the punch in his hand. He just shook his head at the confused expression at Brooklyn's surprised face and said "Now Brooklyn, you should not try and sneak up on experienced warriors like that. It could have unpleasant consequences." Doom then reached up with his other hand, grabbed Brooklyn by the throat, and tossed him into the wall. Doom again shook his head at the foolish gargoyle. Brooklyn's anger flared as he regained his footing. His eyes blazed a white light as he roared and charged Doom. Doom just rolled his eyes and dropped into his combat crouch. Right before Brooklyn reached him Doom stepped past Brooklyn's defenses and let loose a tornado of punches. Brooklyn was caught off guard and quickly bawled over. The fight ended when Doom delivered a particularly wicked uppercut that sent Brooklyn back into the wall. As Brooklyn slid down the wall into a barely conscious heap an untouched Doom went over to dig around in his backpack. I turned and took in the varied reactions of the Wyvern clan. Electra and Aiden had stopped to stare in shock. Matt laughed heartily at Brooklyn's pitiful attempt at what he had been trying to accomplish all afternoon. Hudson gave a grim nod to acknowledge Doom's impressive skill. And Broadway and Lex were torn between ribbing their rookery brother and uniting to defend him. Turning back to the combatants I saw that Doom had retrieved a Soul Sphere from his stash in the backpack and was approaching Brooklyn with it. He pressed the artifact against Brooklyn and watched as the healing glow enveloped him. As the glow faded to nothing Brooklyn stood and gathered his wits. He focused on the smirking Doom and looked around dazed. Doom spoke up. "So Brooklyn, want another round?" Brooklyn gaped as the memory of what just happened returned and slinked off to his brothers' ribbing. Hudson was the first to regain his composure and went over to talk to Doom. They turned away to go over sparring moves and I went over Elektra and Aiden. "Hello ladies," I said as I drew near, "I am Wraith." Elektra took my extended arm in a warriors grip and Aiden looked up at me in puzzled silence. After introductions I queried as to what Aiden was so puzzled about. "You." She said blushing. "Really, and what pray tell about me is so puzzling?" "It is your magic." Elektra supplied for the timid gargoyle. "You used powers that we did not even know exist in this realm. Yet now you have not a hint of magic about you. How?" Aiden continued. "That is because I do not come from your realm or even Avalon. I come from a realm where magic does not exist." "WHAT?" "I come from a realm where magic does not exist." I repeated. "Why don't we go and sit down so I can tell you my story?" I offered and then headed for the table with two astonished gargoyles in troll. "I was fourteen when I first began my adventure." I told the two gargoyles. "That was in another universe where the battle between heaven and hell were decided by mankind's actions. When a Hellspawn came through a portal to Earth I was accidentally transported to hell. Once there I gained a suit of necroplasm armor." I changed my armor back into the original coloring of a Hellspawn. Aiden gasped and mutter "Spawn". "Yes I knew him but I am not him." I responded. "I became a being of unparallel power. Since I had not died I inherited both the powers of heaven and those of hell. As I learned how to use them I was forced to fight my way out. I was nearly killed but I used my newfound powers to move myself to another universe. Nozgarth." Adien recognized the name again and gasped. "Kain, you were Kain." I nodded and continued. "I was cast out of Kain's body by the death of the nine. I was once again banished to another universe and landed up in Oz." Aiden burst out laughing here and Elektra looked at her in a puzzled look. "As Kain I had learned much of my powers and I learned even more in Oz. However it was not fated for me to stay and so I took my leave. I had learned how to control my portals and from then on I went through universes learning how to use more powers. After a while I had learned how to control matter. I decided to return to my home universe and my life. However my society cast me out and I had Hell on my trails too. They sent a whole army after me and I had to negotiate the cities existence for my life. I turned the tables on them though by going to Hell and killing their god Malbosia. This created a huge cataclysm that upset the world. After that mess was sorted out I spent a little time in heaven studying their angeltech. There I decided to collect the technology of the universes and meld them together. I plan to take that technology and create a place of understanding and culture for all outcasts of society. However while my fleet was building I was ripped into another universe and have been wandering ever since." Elektra and Aiden stared at me as if I was insane. Elektra was the first to recover and said, "Ye mean to say that you can travel between Heaven and Hell?" I laughed at this and motioned for Lucifer. He walked over and stood behind me. "This is Lucifer and he is a certified being of Hell." I said with a gesture for him to seat himself after he changed into his demonic form. He sat and both Elektra and Aiden cringed at his frightening appearance. He blushed and changed back into his human form before offering his hand to the frightened gargoyles. After they shook and got over their shock the questions started. "Ye are truly from Hell?" asked Elektra. "I am afraid so." "But how are ye not like the ones that had previously come from Hell?" Lucifer squirmed and then settled down to tell them his story. After numerous 'WHAT?'s and 'Impossible!'s he finally finished. They were just about go into another round of questions when suddenly Broadway was sent into the table with amazing force. Elektra leapt to his aid as the rest of us got up and stood away from the wreckage. The others came over to help the dazed Broadway up. Matt and Doom were joking and the gargoyles looked like they had been ran over by a truck. I asked Matt what the deal. "Doom just put them all though their paces when they went in for a four against one brawl. Didn't even break a sweat." By this point Doom had Broadway and the others patched up. But before they could continue Goliath and company returned. They crossed the room and once again the two clans stood off. However this time there was considerably less tension in the air and then Goliath stepped forwards. Doom also stepped forwards to great him. They stood for a moment just staring at each other. Then doom took a step forwards and extended his arm. Goliath shook his arm in the warrior's greeting and spoke. "I great you Doom. I extend the hospitality of Clan Wyvern." "I great you Goliath of Clan Wyvern. I accept your hospitality for Clan HellAngels." I could not figure out what brought more smirks from Clan Wyvern, the fact that Doom was not daunted in the least by Goliath or the ironic wordplay of our clan name. The two leaders broke away and once again our clans mingled. Jericho went to the bar with Matt and the Xanatoses. Doom went joined the trio and Hudson in sparing techniques while Elisa and Goliath looked on in amusement. Demona guiltily approached a dazed Angela. Lucifer went to take up his story with Elektra and Aiden again. And so I was left alone for the moment. I decided to head over Elisa and Goliath to watch the sparing. Elisa was looking on with a snicker while Goliath was in a state of stunned silence as Doom mopped the floor with the other four gargoyles. I sidled up next to them and shook my head at their futile efforts. Goliath turned to me "By the Dragon, can anyone best that man?!" I drew Goliath's confused look when I laughed. "You're standing next to the only one who can alone in this room, but Demona and Jericho can if they team up and Lucifer would get a draw." He kept that confused look until I walked on the mat and called out to Doom. "Hey Doom, I think you've gone to far my friend. They believe you are untouchable." "Wraith you know damn well that's only because they can't fight worth jack." "So how about it, shall we show them a true brawl?" Doom contemplated this and then with nod he accepted my challenge. As I drew near he decided that due to our present surroundings we should limit our techniques. "Alright Wraith no necro armor stuff, no long-range weapons, no energy skills from you, and no berserkers from me. Does that sound fair." I consented to the rules and noticed that the others had all stopped to watch as Doom and I squared off. I slipped into a fighting crouch and saw that Doom paralleled me. I don't remember much after that because I had let my fighting instinct that had been ground into my very soul take over my actions. The only patches I remember are usually of either me or Doom being flung hard somewhere. Then the fight was over and I regained my senses. I stretched and took a mental survey of my condition. I was bruised all over and was severely exhausted. Doom on the other hand was out cold and looked like homemade hell. While I walked over to where Doom left his backpack I restarted the powers of my necro armor and the injuries immediately started to fade. I fetched a Soul Sphere and tossed it to the crumpled form of Doom. It healed him and I extended my hand to help him up. He took it with a smile and stood. "Now that was a damn good fight Wraith. Thanks for the exercise." I chuckled and walked back to the stunned crowd. I stopped before them and said, "So, who wants to take me on next?" The trio fled in the opposite direction much to the amusement of the others. "How about you Hudson?" I asked. "Och, nay, I've earned my sores already by Doom's hands. Goliath however has not gotten his yet." The elder said nodding to Doom and placing a hand on Goliaths shoulder. Goliath jumped and glared at his mentor. However he grudgingly stepped into the ring and prepared himself. I decided to be easy on him. "Goliath here are the rules. You may use anything against me but I will limit my powers only to what I am biologically capable of." With that I shed my cloak and straitened out to my full height. This daunted even Goliath since I was taller and wider than him, though not by much. Goliath launched him self in a tackle that would have flattened all but the strongest of beings. I decided to teach him a lesson and snared him right before he reached me. I swung him with his momentum and sent him flying into the wall with ground shattering force. He stood groggily and slowly regained his composure. From then on Goliath more sound tactics. Nevertheless this did not do him any good as I have innumerable black belts in various martial arts. Goliath did land some punches on me but they did little damage due to my massive pain tolerance. After I about fifteen minutes I grew bored and decided to end the match. When Goliath approached for his next run I stepped up, drove a knee into his gut with paralyzing force, and let loose an uppercut with all of my strength behind it. While normally my punches do great amounts of damage when I release all of my strength it is a whole different story. My upper cut sent Goliath through the wall and across the next room. He slid to the ground in an unconscious mess. I retrieve the last soul sphere and healed Goliath. He arose with such an expression of complete disbelief that everyone had a good laugh. But then I felt the growing stress in reality. I realized that my clan's presence had caused so much damage that it had triggered one of the probes the Messiah had released. And so marshaling all my clan to me I fixed the problem.