Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe, Once Upon A Time, Smallville, League of Legends, Cursed or anything else you may recognize. I only own Jason Stark and any other OC's.
Thank you to everyone who has favirouted, followed and reviewed this fic so far.
This chapter will show where our heroes ended up, and some interactions will be explored.
Power of Magic: Thanks for the review. Yes, the first two were from the past, and the rest are all future events. I am well and staying safe, and I hope you are as well.
OmnipotentAbsoluteUIGodzilla: Thanks for the review. Wait and see.
PotCFan101: Thanks for the review. Glad you enjoyed seeing Jason with the Avengers and Oliver. You welcome on the heads-up. I won't spoil who the villain is, but let's just say that you will love who I have in mind.
Super Shadow 2018: Thanks for the review. Glad you are enjoying Ezreal, and we will see more of him in this series. Thanks for the suggestion on Pennywise, though not sure if I will include him. I like Pennywise though, he's creepy.
matthorserider40: Thanks for the review. Oh yes, those visions are all setting up future storylines. Yes, Jason and Mulan will reunite at the end of this story.
Aragorn II Elessar: Thanks for the review. Glad you liked the visions and they will play roles in the future. Just a heads up, there are some League of Legends champions mentioned, so I'd recommend you Google them. Enjoy the chapter.
Chapter 9- High Noon Gothic
Timeline-5, unknown location.
"What happened?" Ollie asked as all looked around at the desert.
"Dude, it's a desert, did you miss it?" Ezreal joked.
"We were knocked into a portal." Nimue replied.
"Wonderful. Do you know which universe we're in now?" Jason asked, dusting off his clothes.
"I have a feeling I might know, but I'm not sure at the moment." She replied.
"Great, so now what?" Hook asked.
"Follow me. The Skrulls are in this universe, but their trail is faint. I can still trace it, but the further they are from us, the harder it is." Nimue said.
"And how do we track the Skrulls?" Marc asked.
"Just wait." Nimue replied, closing her eyes.
"Is this really what the superhero business is like?" Ezreal whispered to Jason.
"Yep. Crazy as hell."
"Damn…"
Nimue opened her eyes and looked towards the hills in the horizon.
"I found the direction they traveled in." Nimue said.
"Which is?" Talos asked.
"That way." She pointed to the hills. "We need to move quickly."
"Well, lead the way. I'm already getting hot out here and I have a higher level of durability than most people." Jason said.
True enough, there was a sheen of sweat covering his face. The others weren't in any better condition.
Nimue turned and walked towards the hills, the others following.
Later.
All continued walking across the desert, their footsteps getting slower.
"Nimue, are you just walking us around in circles?" Chris asked, annoyed.
"I know exactly where we're going!" Nimue snapped.
"Well it doesn't feel like it." Chris sighed.
As they walked, Jason turned his eyes around to see a dust cloud moving towards them.
"Is that normal?" he asked.
All turned to see the dust cloud and Nimue's eyes narrowed. "Not at all."
Several men riding horses moved out of the dust cloud, galloping towards them.
"Raiders! Run!" Nimue shouted, turning and sprinting, the others following.
Ollie turned back and fired an explosive arrow which sent several raiders flying.
"We need to hold and fight; otherwise they'll run us down and kill us." Jason said grimly, turning and brandishing his sword.
With a defiant roar, he charged straight at the raiders.
"Hell yes!" Ezreal cheered as well, forming an arcane bow as he charged alongside Jason, the others soon joining.
Leaping, Jason stabbed the first man in the chest, before ripping his sword out and chopping a second man's head off in a spin motion.
Ezreal fired a bolt of energy that killed one man while Nikolia slid on the ground and leaping up, knocked one man out.
Nimue chanted as a pillar erupted from the ground, knocking several riders off their horses. Leaning down, Nimue punched one out.
Just then, a rumbling sound was heard and unholy words were heard in the air. Everyone was confused by it, with the exception of Nimue who paled.
"RUN!" She roared, turning and sprinting away. The others traded concerned looks and followed her.
"What the hell is going on?!" Chloe demanded.
"Exactly that, Hell!" Nimue shouted back.
"What the fuck does that even mean?!" Jason asked.
"I'll explain later. For now, just shut up and run!"
Everyone ran, with Ezreal teleporting every now and again to pick up the pace. As they ran towards a collection of caves, Nimue finally stopped.
Ezreal almost collapsed, out of breath.
"What was that about?" Ollie asked.
"I know now which Timeline we are in." Nimue said grimly.
"Which is?" Chris asked.
"To the rest of the Omniverse, it is called the High Noon Gothic." Nimue replied.
"High Noon Gothic?" Jason frowned.
"In this universe, the year is 1864." Nimue explained.
"Wow, so we went from 2500 to 1864. What a change." Ollie commented.
"But unlike the Old West, there is one particular change that sets it apart from all other universes and Timelines." Nimue said.
"Which is?" Marc asked as all looked at her.
"In this Timeline, humanity destroyed Heaven at the start of the century." Nimue said bluntly.
"You're joking right?" Hook asked as all stared at her with dropped jaws.
"No I am not. The New World became infested by Devils and Demons because as Heaven was destroyed by early settlers in the United States of America, human souls can only go to Hell and later overcrowd it, allowing the Devils to come to the land of the living to join the already existing Demons." Nimue explained.
"Seriously? Heaven was destroyed? How does that even work?" Jason asked.
"Honestly, even I don't know." Nimue shrugged.
"And all the Angels were killed?" Ollie asked.
"Down to the last." Nimue said sadly.
"Are Angels that easy to kill in this universe? Because I know Angels, and they are a hardy bunch." Jason said.
"Well I have no idea." Nimue shrugged.
She then turned to face the others. "There is a town close by, where we can stay for the night while I work on tracking the Skrulls."
"What town?" Marc asked. "Are they friendly?"
"Depends. This is the Old West. That means that they will either help us, or they will kill us." Nimue replied.
"Wonderful." Chloe sighed.
Later.
Jason, Nimue, Ollie, Chloe, Ezreal, Nikolia, Chris, Hook, Marc and Talos walked into a town. It reminded all of them of some movies of the Old West, with small houses built of wood.
"This place only has two streets." Ollie noted.
"Yep. This town as no name." Nimue said.
"This is weird." Chris shook her head.
"Get used to it." Nimue said to her.
As they walked into the town, they received strange looks from the locals, obviously confused about their choice of clothes.
"Always wanted to go to the Old West." Jason grinned.
"Be careful what you wish for." Nimue warned while Jason simply chuckled.
"So…what happens now?" Talos asked.
"Now, we need to find a place to stay for the night, and we set out at the crack of dawn." Nimue said simply.
"Lead the way then." Jason smirked. Nimue walked towards a building with the words 'Saloon' written on it.
Pushing the doors open, all activity inside stopped as everyone turned to stare at the heroes.
"Who are ya'll?" the bartender asked, looking at them.
"Just travelers, passing by. You reckon you have a room available?" Nimue asked in a Texan accent.
"Sure we do. You got cash?" the bartender replied.
"As a matter of fact, I do." Nimue said, pulling several rolls of cash from her pocket.
"Do you just carry that around with you?" Marc asked.
"No, but I can conjure it." She shrugged.
"Rooms 3-7." The bartender said, pointing upstairs.
"Let's just go." Nimue said with a tired sigh.
Later.
Jason sat at the window overlooking the town. Hearing footsteps, he turned to see Nimue walking towards him, and she looked tired and she stumbled.
"You should sleep." Jason said quietly, trying not to wake the others, all of whom were fast asleep.
"I can say the sane for you." Nimue smiled.
"Nerves I suppose. Years and years of constantly getting ambushed while I sleep makes it hard to do so." Jason shrugged.
"I know the feeling." Nimue agreed as she sat next to him.
"Do you even know how the Crisis will end?" Jason asked after a few moments of silence.
"I don't," Nimue said apologetically. "But if every hero in the Multiverse unites, then maybe, just maybe, we stand a chance."
"I know some brave and powerful people, and I'm sure together we can do it." Jason said.
"You sure?" Nimue asked.
"If we go down, then we go down together." Jason said firmly, looking at Nimue and she saw a burning passion in his eyes. A burning passion that would never be extinguished.
"Shouldn't you two be asleep?" Ezreal asked. Jason and Nimue turned to see him looking at them curiously.
"Can't sleep." Both said at once.
Ezreal let out a small laugh. "You remind me of Sara."
"Really, how so?" Jason raised an eyebrow.
"She's a fierce warrior. Pretty hot. Always willing to help out anyone, even her enemies. She never backs down from a war, and always fights until she just can't get up anymore." Ezreal replied.
"Well, that's Sara for you." Jason chuckled.
"What is this Crisis you guys were talking about?" Ezreal asked.
Jason and Nimue traded looks. Eventually, both nodded and turned back to face Ezreal.
"There is a Crisis coming. One said to destroy the whole Multiverse." Jason began.
"Oh boy!" Ezreal said with wide eyes. "Seriously?"
"Yes," Nimue nodded. "It is going to take every hero in the Multiverse to fight it, and even then, I am not sure we will all survive."
Ezreal looked at her before his eyes hardened. "Then I'm gonna help you fight it."
"You are?" Jason asked.
"Of course I am! If this threatens the whole Multiverse, then I'm gonna do everything I can to fight it. And it's not just me. I'm sure others on Runeterra will also do so." Ezreal replied.
"Who?" Nimue asked.
"My buddy Ekko, my girl Kai'Sa, Sarah Fortune, Katarina and others." Ezreal replied with a smirk.
"I'm glad to hear that." Jason said.
Nimue looked at them both. "Even I can't tell where the journey will end. But I know where to start."
"I agree," Jason nodded to her. "I tried carrying the weight of the world by myself. But I only have two shoulders."
"That's true," Ezreal agreed. "A friend of mine said to me 'Life's a game made for everyone. And peace is a prize.'"
"No man is an island," Nimue said to Jason. "None of us can do this alone. I tried fighting the good fight by myself, and I am paying the price for it."
"What happened?" Ezreal asked.
"I'd rather not say." Nimue said, and Jason and Ezreal wisely kept their mouths shut.
"So what happens now?" Jason asked.
"We ride out at dawn to find the Skrulls. Get Mulan back and hopefully live to see another day." Nimue replied.
"Then let's sleep, so we are fully awake when we actually fight the Skrulls." Jason said.
"See you later." Ezreal nodded.
The next day.
Jason and Ollie walked out of the saloon together, both dressed like cowboys, having gotten them from the bartender.
"Now I can die happy." Jason grinned, looking at his outfit.
"Reminds me of the Magnificent Seven." Ollie agreed, straightening his hat.
"Let's go, we need to move." Nimue said, walking up to them with 10 horses. A large hat framed her face and she had two pistols strapped to her side. A long coat blew in the desert wind.
"Where did you even get the horses from?" Ollie asked.
"Went to a ranch downtown. A man was selling them." Nimue shrugged.
"Let's do it." Jason laughed, jumping onto a horse.
"Before we start, does anyone know how to ride a horse?" Nimue asked.
Jason, Marc, Ezreal and Hook all raised their hands. "Wonderful."
"Try not to fall off." Nimue said to Ollie, Chloe, Talos, Chris and Nikolia.
"We'll try." Chris said sardonically.
Nimue jumped on her horse. Straitening out her hat, she kicked the horse into a gallop, riding out of the town, the others following, though Ollie, Talos, Nikolia, Chris and Chloe were slower due to this being their first time riding a horse.
As Nimue looked out into the distance, she saw flames rising.
"High Noon Hecarim is coming." She said, her eyes glowing as she looked further, seeing a half man, half horse beast marching.
The creature was writhed in flames, with a huge scythe in its hands. Its flaming eyes held nothing but pure malice and hatred.
"It is coming for us." Nimue said in realization.
"What's coming for us?" Ezreal asked.
Nimue looked out to the horizon and uttered two words.
"The Devil."
And this begins the second arc of this story.
So now our heroes have ended up in another skin-Universe, this time being High Noon Gothic.
Personally, I find High Noon Gothic to be a very compelling universe, and the short stories set in that universe are awesome.
Hope all enjoyed the back-story for the universe and more of its denizens will show up as well.
And hope all enjoyed the interactions between the characters. Character interactions are always a key element in my stories, and are probably one of the most important things.
Next chapter will continue the arc as we head ever closer to the climax of this story.
Hope everyone enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter. Stay safe ya all!