Welcome back to The Dark Order. Last time did not exactly end well, as the spy in the Gilded Resistance was revealed to be General Goldix himself, now going by his corrupted name, Mindflayer. And even with the newly emerged Dragnarok, Mindflayer managed to defeat the entirety of the Gilded Resistance, seemingly crushing all hope of stopping Darkblood. But is this so? Read on to discover...
(Our story resumes not in Artisans Plains, but on some sort of beach, where Mindflayer soon arrives, waiting with his captured prisoners for someone or something to arrive.)
Mindflayer: Come on, come on, come on! Why is he always late?!
(As Mindflayer bemoans his contact being late, Dracia slowly regains consciousness before realizing everyone has been captured, and that she's unable to move or to speak despite not being bound by anything, nobody is. Needless to say this catches Mindflayer's attention)
Mindflayer: Ah, you're awake. Didn't expect that, considering even your old man is still out. Enjoying your stay on Scale Cove? Nice beachfront property. Riptide's lucky to get this place. (Realizes she can't respond) Oh that's right, you can't talk unless I let you. I bet you're wondering how that's possible. Simple. While you were all unconscious, I activated my abilities. In terms of motion and voice, you're all puppets without strings unless I decide to use you. Unsurprisingly, even your old man proved easy to control. (As the ground starts shaking) Ah, finally, he's here. I have a feeling you'll like Riptide. Assuming he doesn't drill you into oblivion. Just kidding, he's only going to drill the rest of your worthless friends. You're just in his custody until Lord Darkblood himself comes to claim you.
(And just as Mindflayer makes that remark, we see exactly why the ground is shaking, as now, arising from the sea is a massive structure, resembling the Helicarrier if it were a tower, wrapped around a familiar obsidian obelisk. As the structure finishes rising, a dark blue drake emerges from an entrance, one with teeth like a shark, covered in sea urchin barbs, and clearly built for living deep underwater, as the literal gills will prove, as well as a hell of a scar, no doubt from his brother's slash.)
Mindflayer: Riptide. Glad to see you finally made it.
Riptide: Enough small talk, Mindflayer. Do you have the prisoners or do you not?
Mindflayer: Straight to the point as ever. Yes, they're all here. Including the girl.
Riptide: Excellent. Lord Darkblood will be most pleased.
Mindflayer: I don't care what you do with the rest, but the girl is to be kept alive at all costs. And so is her family. I have a feeling Lord Darkblood and Lady Wildblaze will want to see them personally.
Riptide: I am fully aware of the Master's orders. Worry not, I have briefed Arielle of the situation. She will be watching them personally.
Mindflayer: How is Arielle anyways?
Riptide: She's got a bit of snark to her, but she obeys the chain of command as any good soldier should.
Mindflayer: I strangely expected nothing less. (Checking the time via position of the sun) Well, I'll let you take it from here. I have things to do, errands to run and all that.
Riptide: We all know the only thing you have to do is plan your Conquest. Now that Synapse has the machine operating at peak efficiency and all.
Mindflayer: Got me there. Alright, I'll leave things in your hands. Feel free to drill the rest into oblivion.
Riptide: They will be made useful to Lord Darkblood, of that you may have no doubt. (Scratching his gills) Now I must cut this chit chat short, I have been out of water too long.
(Without another word, Mindflayer leaves, the effects of his power slowly fading as Riptide snaps his fingers, revealing Rain, Nico DaSilva of XCOM, the Winter Soldier, and Aqualad, who simultaneously round up the prisoners as Riptide takes up Dracia, Goldix, Blaze, and Dragnarok himself, bringing them into the tower as Dracia loses consciousness again from the panic of being under Mindflayer's spell. Once all are aboard, the tower closes up and sinks again. When Dracia does regain consciousness again, she awakes in a room deep underwater, not to mention being filled with water itself, no doubt to accommodate the other figure in the room, a dragoness with scales of violet and the same blue hue as Riptide, only slightly lighter, with a dolphin like dorsal fin extending out of her back, and wrapped in a green cloak, playing a harp.)
Arielle: (Seeing Dracia has awakened) Ah, good, you're awake. Wasn't sure if you were dead or not.
(At this point Dracia realizes the figure is actually communicating via some sort of telepathy, as her mouth never actually moved.)
Arielle: No need to worry, you're not going to drown. You're actually in the only air pocket in the room. Hence the whole telepathy thing. Hard to communicate between water and air.
Dracia: (Finally recognizing the figure) Auntie Ness?!
Arielle: Ness? Please, I haven't gone by that name in years.
(With that, we flash back to the final battle of the Element Guard, where Hydrar is forced to battle his own brother, a battle we have seen thrice already, and recall does not end well at all, with Hydrar and the Element Guard defeated. But now we see Hydrar's corruption in much more detail, now seeing a purple dragoness forcefully clad in a white gown, Dragnarok's sister Ness, is there as well, seeing Hydrar being infused with the necessary dark energy to turn him into the vile Riptide. And once Riptide's transformation is complete, he is released from the wall he was chained to.)
Darkblood: Rise... Riptide, and claim your prize.
(Seeing Ness is there, Riptide pulls the water out of the atmosphere, infuses it with Dark Aether, and then forces it into Ness, resulting in the purple and blue scale pattern as she almost drowns in the dark water, before we transition back to the present, where Arielle stands telling the story)
Arielle: He considers that near drowning a proposal. Surprisingly though, he's much more of a romantic than that would lead you to believe.
(As soon as Arielle starts mentioning Riptide, the door opens, as Riptide enters the room. The minute Riptide enters the chamber, Arielle snaps to attention and salutes.)
Riptide: At ease, Arielle. (Seeing Dracia is awake) Ah, good to see she's not dead.
Dracia: Uncle Hydrar, you've got to snap out of this!
Riptide: Oh please, little one. You've tried that with just about everyone haven't you? Has it worked? No, because you fail to realize the Element Guard of your world is long gone here, and they are NEVER coming back.
Dracia: No. I refuse to believe that! There has to be a way to undo this! It worked on Grandma, why can't it work on all of you?!
Riptide: (Gagging) Your sheer optimism is making me ill. If it weren't for orders to keep you alive, I would have drowned all four of you by now. But you and your family are under protection. (To Arielle) Where are the rest of them?
Arielle: The group was separated into individual cells, awaiting Lord Darkblood's arrival.
Riptide: Excellent. Do not let them out of your sight. This girl has taken out all the towers but mine. I will not take any chances with her running loose. Return to your post.
Arielle: (Returning to attention and saluting) Yes, sir!
(With this assurance of compliance, Riptide leaves the room leaving Dracia to struggle in her literal bubble as Arielle watches on.)
Arielle: Oh don't even try to escape. You won't get far, unless you want to drown that is.
(With that, Arielle swims out of the room. As Dracia continues to struggle, the bubble she's trapped in starts to move. And slowly but steadily she gains control over it, eventually able to move out of the room she's in, as Arielle carelessly left the door open. Knowing it won't be long before her absence is noticed, Dracia starts searching the hallways, looking for her friends and family, before ultimately stumbling upon Goldix, Blaze, and Dragnarok, running into the bubble containing them so quickly that they merge.)
Dracia: (As she runs) Mom! Dad! Goldix!
Blaze: (Hugging Dracia as the bubbles merge) It's so good to see your okay, sweetheart.
Goldix: Now that we're back together, we need to get the others and get out of this place.
Dracia: Not quite yet, Goldix. I saw another one of the towers before I woke up in this bubble. We can't leave this place standing
Dragnarok: That obsidian obelisk? I saw it too. You'll have to fill me in on the importance.
Dracia: They're holding up Darkblood's palace. Take them down, we take it down. Presumably.
Goldix: If what you told me is true, there's 12 of them, yet this would only be number 11.
Dracia: Working on that one. Right now, we've got to get the others, take this place down, and get out of here.
(Just as the plan appears to be consolidating, the door opens, revealing the Winter Soldier in scuba gear. Closing the door behind him, he sticks his head into the bubble and removes his helmet)
Winter Soldier: (Noticing Dragnarok looks ready to tear his head off) Don't worry, I'm on your side.
Dracia: Sure didn't seem like it when you were abducting my friends.
Winter Soldier: You mean the Gilded Resistance? Don't worry, they're fine. Riptide doesn't start any sort of drills until noon. It's only 10:00. We've got two hours to get them and get out of here.
Goldix: Wait, how are we so sure we can trust you? You're working for Riptide!
Winter Soldier: Only to get close so I can kill him. What? Did you really think the Gilded Resistance was the only force against Darkblood? They were the biggest, but there was always resistance. You don't just go conquering worlds without someone trying to undo what was done. Believe me, this vendetta against Riptide is personal.
(With that we flash back to what looks like the final battle of Avengers: Endgame, only instead of Thanos and his armies, the newly restored heroes of the Marvel Universe are fighting Riptide, who appears to have allied with Doctor Doom, as evidenced by the armies of Doombots on the ground instead of Chitauri soldiers. And it doesn't look like the good guys are doing too good, seeing how most of the Avengers, X-Men, and other heroes and villains of Marvel are... well, dead. The sole real exception is Captain America, armed with his shield and the hammer Mjolnir inherited from a deceased Thor, continuing to battle Riptide and Doctor Doom atop a deceased Galactus, while we focus in on the Winter Soldier, aiming at the scene from a distance with a sniper rifle.)
Winter Soldier: Riptide allied himself immediately with Victor von Doom, better known as Doctor Doom, upon arriving, claiming he admired his ruthlessness. Together, the two of them made quick work of just about everyone. Steve and I appeared to be the only ones left. I was armed to take a shot from a distance. When Steve gave me the cue. One flash of lightning later, and I took the shot.
(Now we see the namesake bolt, and the Winter Soldier fires one shot straight at Doctor Doom, the bullet piercing the Latverian dictator's helmet as well as his skull, killing him instantly. Riptide sees this shot and fails to notice Captain America running up and hitting him square in the face with Mjolnir.)
Riptide: You really fail to see the inevitable don't you?
Captain America: Come on then, show me what you've got. I can do this all day.
Riptide: Then today shall be your last.
(And true to his word, Riptide strikes into Captain America with all the fury he can muster, shattering Mjolnir on the first blow before pinning Steve to the ground under a weight of water under his command, as Riptide steals Captain America's shield and starts slamming it into the super soldier, breaking the shield in half before embedding it in his neck, killing Steve Rogers instantly.)
Riptide: And thus, this world's defenders fall.
(But before Riptide can collect Captain America's head, the nearby corpse of a Celestial starts to move, before Iron Man bursts through the head and fires a repulsor blast at Riptide, knocking him off of Galactus' corpse)
Iron Man: You throw another Celestial at me, and I'm going to lose it.
Riptide: Looks like you were more than resilient then I expected.
(Now the final battle begins, Riptide vs Iron Man. As you would expect, it doesn't end well for Iron Man, as Riptide uses the water in Iron Man's own blood in desperation, and snaps his neck with it before ripping his head off, removing the Iron Man mask with it.)
Riptide: The last defender of this world. Pathetic.
(With the story told, we transition back to the Winter Soldier in the present day, telling the story.)
Winter Soldier: Ever since then I've been trying to get my revenge on Riptide for what he did to my world. Miles and a few of the others went with the Gilded Resistance, but something about that general threw me off, so I chose to infiltrate directly. And thus, here we are.
Blaze: If it means anything, I trust him.
Dragnarok: As do I.
Goldix: Seems we're all in agreement.
Dracia: We are. Okay then, we need to make a plan.
Winter Soldier: Riptide is weaker when he's out of water. If we can get this place to rise out of the sea again, we should be able to take him down much easier.
Dracia: Okay, here's the plan then. You get us to the surface, we'll go locate the rest.
Winter Soldier: I can take you to them. The regular cells are below us. That's where your allies should be. (Grabbing his scuba mask) Stay close to me.
(With that, the Winter Soldier puts his gear back on and escorts Dracia and company out of the cell, when he's suddenly stopped by Arielle)
Arielle: What are you doing here, soldier?
Winter Soldier: Ma'am. The prisoners had managed to escape and consolidate their efforts. I caught them while on my rounds. I'm taking them to get their air pockets separated before returning them to their cells.
Arielle: Good. Lord Darkblood will be here to observe noontime drills and collect these four. Get their bubbles separated swiftly.
Winter Soldier: Yes, ma'am.
(Satisfied, Arielle leaves the scene, leaving the Winter Soldier to continue his escort mission into one of the nearby elevators.)
Winter Soldier: That was too close.
(As soon as the elevator doors shut, they open again, dropping us on the main prison floor, where the rest of the Gilded Resistance sits in their bubbles, save Frieza, Baraka, and Harley Quinn, who are floating at the top of their cells, having been drowned for presumably refusal to comply with orders, while everyone else is left in a state of hopelessness as Winter Soldier enters the corridor, and locks it down so the water can drain out, destroying the air pockets holding everyone. As soon as the doors to the cells open, Sulfur quickly rejoins the members of his party.)
Winter Soldier: I won't be able to keep this place sealed off for long, get your team and get a plan together.
Harry Mason: A plan? You really think there's anything we can do at this point? Our leader just revealed he was one of them the whole time.
Fugitoid: Logically speaking, there is nothing we can do. General Goldix was the only one of us who even came close to equaling Darkblood in power. Without him, we have no chance.
(As this idea sinks in for many of the Gilded Resistance, Captain Cold just looks sickened by the atmosphere of defeat. But before he can speak up, Sulfur does)
Sulfur: So what?
Dracia: Yeah, Sulfur's right! Just because we don't have this world's Goldix doesn't mean we should just give up!
Captain Cold: (Taking that as his cue) The kids are right. So what if Goldix is one of them, that means we just lay down and die? Not happening. Giving up isn't in The Rogues' vocabulary.
Gohan: We've each faced down way worse odds in our own worlds, so why should this one be any different?
Miles Morales: We were all deceived by darkness before, some of us worse than others, so let's take this as motivation to put it down.
Smoke: If we give up now, the sacrifices of those we've lost will all have been for nothing.
Splinter: Agreed, Tomas. We cannot dishonor our fallen like this.
Abe Sapien: You can count me in.
Nightwing: Same with me.
Jasper: Was there ever any question I'd take up this fight?
Kevin Levin: You've got my vote.
Nite Owl: And mine as well.
Harry Mason: (Seeing the hope in the room) Alright, you convinced me. It's not like we've got much else to lose.
(With this, we see the Gilded Resistance has been regalvanized, but just as everything appears to be going normal, one of the doors opens, allowing Nico DaSilva of XCOM into the room, where he immediately takes off his helmet, revealing he's on the same side as the Winter Soldier)
Nico DaSilva: Then I'll make 12.
Winter Soldier: Nico. Good to see you're on our side.
Nico DaSilva: With what those bastards did to Will? There was no way in hell I'd ever fight for them.
Dragnarok: Then it's decided. We will strike down this "Dark Order" here and now. (To Dracia) You and Sulfur have been in this realm longer than any of us have, so we've decided to leave this mission in your hands, Dracia. Make us proud, sweetheart.
Dracia: I won't let you down. Alright then team, our first priority is to take this place down, then we siege Darkblood's castle. So we don't have a moment to waste. (To the Winter Soldier) Where are the controls to raise this place?
Winter Soldier: End of this hallway. I'll get us up top, you guys take out the rest.
Dracia: Alright then. Let's do this!
(With the Resistance reformed, we transition to the main hall of the prison, where Riptide and Arielle are overseeing a massive group of their troops in front of the central obsidian obelisk.)
Riptide: Is this everyone?
Arielle: Yes, sir. Or at least it will be once Barnes and DaSilva arrive.
Riptide: They were supposed to be here already. Where are they?
Arielle: DaSilva was rounding up the prisoners and Barnes recaptured the girl and her family, intending to separate their air pockets.
Riptide: That shouldn't take as long as it apparently has.
(As soon as Riptide realizes something is up, the entire structure starts to shake as it rises from the sea, draining the water out of the room, allowing the newly reformed Resistance to start their attack as the Winter Soldier takes aim in the surrounding balconies, sniping the soldiers one by one as the rest of the Resistance finishes them off)
Riptide: So, Barnes and DaSilva are traitors.
Arielle: They shall be punished for their treason, sir.
Riptide: Get on it.
(With that, Arielle is just about to enter the battle. Seeing his opportunity, the Winter Soldier takes one shot, and just like with Doctor Doom, hits Arielle square in the head, though she somehow can still fight, confronting Winter Soldier on the balcony he shot her from)
Winter Soldier: That green cape was always such a nice target.
Arielle: You will die for your treason Barnes!
(Seeing Arielle is distracted fighting the Winder Soldier, Riptide rushes into battle against the Resistance to avenge her, and in the process does manage to shatter Peridot and kill Cyrax before Nico DaSilva puts a few bullets into him, distracting him long enough for Dracia to steady her concentration and fire a beam of Aether through the obsidian obelisk. But unlike last time, her sheer determination to finish this battle causes her retain consciousness as the entire building collapses. Seeing everything collapse around them, the Resistance flees as the entire structure crumbles to rubble, in the process sending massive amounts of water through a chasm, before we see Captain Cold has created an ice raft on the water. With a moment of clarity, Dracia actually sees where they are, seeing the destroyed ruins of Darkfang on her left and Artisans Plains on her right.)
Dracia: Wait, this is Dark Gorge, isn't it? If this place is supposedly infinitely deep, how is it filling up?
Nightwing: That's one thing the General didn't lie about. This place was made from the Source Wall. But what he didn't say was that the Source Wall has let people through it before, violating that infinite status. Looks like it wanted us to get through.
Dracia: (Looking straight ahead, and seeing the outline of an obsidian obelisk in the sky) Looks like the 12th tower is up ahead. It's been receiving the energy from the other 11. Next stop, Darkblood's palace.
(As the Resistance floats down the now flooded Dark Gorge, we transition to Darkblood, Wildblaze, and Mindflayer discussing something over the console of the world-hopping machine)
Darkblood: Once Riptide brings us the girl, our plans will resume as planned. Mindflayer will finally get his Conquest. (To Mindflayer) And for your integral role in capturing her, you shall be rewarded greatly, my young apprentice.
Mindflayer: (Bowing in submission) I am undeserving of such honors, my lord.
Darkblood: Nonsense, young one. You not only brought the girl to us, but removed many of the insurgents plaguing my rule all in one fell swoop. For this, you are to be rewarded. First, your Conquest will be on a world of your choosing. (Gesturing to the world-hopping machine) Browse the located coordinates, find one that intrigues you. And once you do, you may claim your second prize, long deserved permanent access to my harem.
Wildblaze: Well, save Toxica, Synapse, Tempest, and myself.
(Just as the group is celebrating what seems to be their triumph, the entire palace begins to shake, as outside, Riptide's base falls unseen by any of them)
Mindflayer: What was that?!
Darkblood: (Realizing exactly what it was) Impossible. She can't have!
(And as Darkblood realizes what is going on, Necromancer enters the room with urgent news)
Necromancer: (Taking a knee) I'm afraid she has. Riptide's tower has fallen.
Darkblood: Leaving only ours to keep this place afloat at all. This place will come crashing down if that meddling girl isn't stopped.
Necromancer: And that's not all. She's apparently galvanized the captured Resistance members.
Mindflayer: After I spent so much time tearing it down!
Darkblood: (Thinking it over) The girl has proven to dangerous to continue living. The threat she poses outweighs any benefit she could have as one of us. This much shows it. (To Necromancer and Mindflayer) Gather the rest of the Order, have them assemble their forces in the Witherlands. The girl is not to get up here. See it done.
Necromancer and Mindflayer: Yes, my lord.
(With that, Necromancer and Mindflayer leave the room, following the orders of Darkblood)
Wildblaze: This may be our final stand.
Darkblood: Do not worry yourself, Wildblaze. She will not defeat us. We have gone through too much to get to this point. She will not undo 25 years of work. The Multiverse will bow before us, regardless of this girl's meddling. (Clenching a fist) I shall have her head mounted to my throne, as well as those of her pathetic family. (Slamming his paw to the ground) They may try to destroy us, only to find such a plan was suicide.
(As Darkblood readies his forces for final battle, our tale ends for today)
And on that note, we will wrap up for today. Now to address the whole Ness is Arielle thing. While that seems to be a reference to The Little Mermaid, it kind of is and kind of isn't. It's more a reference to a character of the same name in Shakespeare's The Tempest, with the name of that play's female lead, Miranda, also being in consideration. Well, looks like things are building up for a climax. And there's a reason for that. I can confirm that the next chapter is going to be the end of The Dark Order. So be sure to tune in for the epic finale! Same time... same channel!