Scene 6:
Outside the crossbeam window is a picturesque scene, green trees, a garden in bloom, birds chirping, inside sitting at the large oaken table looking outside is a young teenage girl in a grey robe, her darker straight grey hair lying limp on her back as she dips her tired head slowly eating a bowl of colorful cereal, her eyes barely open. As the door opens she shoots back a look of surprise, calming down as she sees the woman who has entered the room is only her older sister, Rhudra. Which for the sake of this being a fanfiction, quick description, pale, long black hair, striking dark blue eyes, likes to dress all in black with red accents, a smart yet dominating look; one would easily mistake her for a vampire. In fact some days, or rather nights, she is a vampire.
Rhudra stands by the counter looking down at the girl who had been calling herself ExZelia save instead she addresses her as, "What did you do Zelia?"...Zelia, princess of Stratalia, daughter of the sorceress queen Holly Lia (Hollia), and the ancient dark sorceress Rhulan whom gave birth to her (long story...mostly involving a wild party and special growth spells). At any rate what is important here is that Zelia is trying to eat her cereal and pretending she didn't hear the question.
Rhudra crosses her arms, "What did my adorable little sister do last night?"
"I'm tired," says Zelia.
"Well, obviously," says Rhudra looking through the cupboards, "what is with these weird cartoon character boxes?"
She turns around looking at what Zelia is eating, "and what are you eating?"
"Cereal," says Zelia scooping some colorful balls out of the milk with a spoon.
"Cereal...as in grains? Grain soup?" asks Rhudra.
"It is fruit flavor enriched grains," answers Zelia, "in milk."
Rhudra makes a face, "fruit-grains in milk...soup..gross."
Zelia *giggles*, "I've seen you drink warmed pig's blood with lemon wedges."
"Not with these taste buds," says Rhudra, "my vampire form's taste buds are totally different. Besides where would you even the idea to eat something like that?"
"Earth," answers Zelia nonchalantly.
"And," says Rhudra, "which Earth were you at last night that has your mana drained down to next to nothing little sister?"
Rhudra sits at the table with cold pastry brick she barely gnaws on.
"Don't tell mom," says Zelia.
"You're mom-dad, or my mom-dad?" asks Rhudra getting a *laugh* out of Zelia.
"Either," says Zelia pushing the bowl to the side and flopping her head down, "I did something stupid."
"You can tell me sis," says Rhudra.
"I...I was on this new Earth I found. It has super heroes and I was stopping some bank robbers. I accidentally killed them so I revived them, but I panicked and went waaaay overboard. I used that big revive spell, the one for reviving like a small army or a dragon...on a handful of goons...probably anyone else for four city blocks too...no way I'm going to get away pretending to be a small time hero doing good deeds after that."
"Then don't go back there," says Rhudra, "if you're worried about some local super villain or super hero getting on your case because you're more powerful than them, then just stay here. Go on normal adventures. Or you could go with me..."
Zelia shoots her a look.
"Oh right," says Rhudra, "that didn't work out last time. Maybe in...ten years...maybe a little more, but let's get off the subject of my empire and back to you galivanting around on some random super hero Earth again. You know proto-humans are fragile, especially for those in our family."
"I know," says Zelia dragging her bowl back over, "but that's why I want to help them, and its..nice, you know...to help people. To be praised for helping them, saving their pets from trees, putting out fires, rescuing them, just doing good; not just going on adventures for fun or being praised because my parents rule a kingdom or...stuff from old history books about them. But just...you know."
"Not really," says Rhudra, "but its important to you kiddo. However try not to go overboard okay, and if things get too dangerous.."
"Heh," laughs Zelia, "I already have a return spell in place, ended up using it last night...but sis...there is something else."
Zelia's more serious tone makes Rhudra raise an eyebrow.
"I sensed her there too, mom and aunt Akiko's daughter, the Doll Collector. I tried to find her and see why she was there but when I did..."
Zelia looks into her bowl at the little floating fruity grain balls and stirs them a little, "I was attacked by vampires; I thought they were some of yours so I sun flashed them but...they were vaporized by it. I got out of there right away...but..."
"I don't even know where this place is you are going," says Rhudra leaning back and taking a bite out of the pastry in her hand, "definitely not mine. But that means you have left a body count kiddo, so whatever evil, undead, monster or whatever our freaky older half sister is up to its probably something you want to steer clear from. Don't forget last time, those people involved with that stuff are dangerous."
Zelia raises an eyebrow and forces a half smile, "like you?"
"Hell yeah," says Rhudra, "I'm crazy dangerous, you know that, anyone else messing with my cities and I'm totally ruthless and...never mind. I remember when I was your age kiddo, all I wanted to do was get out of the castle and explore. So just be careful okay."
"I will, and...thanks sis."
"No problem, just one more question...is that fruit-grain-milk soup...cold? Are you really eating a cold soup made of crushed up fruity bits and grains in milk...and it reeks of pure sugar. We are getting you a pine orange, that will wake you up, and mana root with gobglarkus breast meat stew; that is what you need to get your mana back up, not nibbling at...that."
Scene 7:
(assuming some not mentioned here scenes involving Maxima and Dabbler thinking they'd located the strange portal signature that pops up every time ExZelia did as cross-referenced against the magic network; and instead encountering a freaky human sized marionette dressed like Alice in Wonder Land who spit knives at them as a hypnotized woman was lured to walk through the portal, maybe working along side some other Grrl Power characters that if we tried to write about them would feel as stiff and unnatural as scenes 1-3 did, so let's just move along here).
"Okay that should do it," says Dabbler, "I have coded the magical network to detect the foreign energy signature of the portals made by this entity."
"You should have come to us sooner about this," says Maxima addressing the vampire emissary.
"It is not a human concern," says the vampire.
"A human was abducted," growls back Maxima with a dagger eyes sneer.
"and we got a hit already," says Dabbler.
scene 8:
In the middle of the night a top a downtown building the entity known as The Doll Collector stands there, the brilliance of her wedding dress like form contrasting against the drab surroundings as her long slender hand strokes the side of the head and long curly hair of a woman standing before her. Blue light emanates from the Doll Collector's hand, cascading over the woman, her dress becomes a white Victorian dress with gold leaf trim, her skin becomes hard and her joints smoothly, fading in and out like a cheap television special effect, into ball joints like those of a complex marionette. Her eyes become solid like glass with clicking eyelids.
"My souvenir," whispers the Doll Collector.
"Move in," comes a call over a walkie as three vampires (two men one woman), jump out of the shadows to the Doll Collector's right, a large grey werewolf to her left, and a scythe wielding Valkyrie descends from above.
The woman collapses to the ground like a lifeless doll, one foot falling under the dress of the Doll Collector, her body dragged quickly under the dress. The Valkyrie flies down from above preparing to attack. However the Doll Collector calmly raises her hand and points, a brilliant flash of blue light blasts into the sky, one would be hard pressed to imagine they heard a scream inside the thunder this blast emitted.
The vampires spread out and charge, there are loud *bangs* as each is hit by an invisible force and thrown back. The werewolf circles around back behind the giant moving plume of alternating darkness that passes for hair and for some reason charges head on into that hair, vanishing inside it.
Some distance out Maxima, Dabbler, and Sydney *Dabbler inside Sydney's bubble* see the energy blast.
"They started without us, how rude," remarks Sydney.
"Halo take Dabbler to the rooftop, stay bubbled and keep your distance, I have someone to intercept."
Maxima flies high into the air, spotting something amidst the clouds coming down. Between her speed and thanks to his durability she is able to catch the werewolf in freefall.
"A..a portal," he says in disbelief.
Upon landing beside Sydney and Dabbler, Dabbler not in the bubble like she was told but taking a strategic high ground and scanning the Doll Collector with her magic, something she couldn't do from inside Sydney's magic blocking force field bubble. M
Maxima stands back and watches as the werewolf tries to re-enter the fray, between him and the three vampires they keep being hit by invisible forces and being thrown back.
"It has some kind of invisible defenses," hisses one of the vampires.
"No she doesn't," says Maxima leering, "she's moving super fast."
Maxima looks up at Dabbler, "got anything useful?"
"Only that, that isn't alive," says Dabbler, "at least not traditionally, that whole body is cloth, white painted shadow cloth to be precise, a very durable malleable armor used by some high ranking demons and gods, only a lot of it, I can't say for certain that isn't an animated doll made out of the fabric. Except the hair is definitely a dimensional rift, and..."
She looks up as the Doll Collector looks between them, the mask being turned as if hidden in the darkness behind it was a flexible bird's neck.
"some...thing, giving off a strong mana signature right inside the head area."
"and the tentacles?" asks Maxima.
"tentacles?" replies Dabbler.
"She keeps whipping these four with long black tentacles shooting out from under the dress."
"Oh, didn't catch that, re-evaluating, and I conclude something is inside all that wearing that humanoid shaped shadow cloth as a costume."
"Super heroes," says the Doll Collector, "so much more interesting than vampires and werewolves. Come and play with me."
She turns to the three members of Arch-Swat, ignoring the four she had been fighting with.
"Don't ignore us!" shouts one of the vampires as he charges only for the Doll Collector to vanish and reappear right in front of Sydney.
"What a cute little dolly," says the Doll Collector placing her hand on the shield, her hand morphs into a large claw, the blue of the shield turning red and parts around her claw tips starting to bend inwards.
"Back off!" shouts Maxima striking the Doll Collector in the gut sending her flying back.
Just as Maxima is about to ask Sydney is she is okay, her shield healing, two massive purple crab or armored spider like legs depending on how one looks at these unnatural appendages, shoot out from under the dress, the dress extending in length to stay covering what is underneath and reaching the rooftop, the two legs grip the roof top preventing her from going over the side.
"What fun," says the Doll Collector, her hands folded in front of her as she rights herself on the roof, the two giant legs retracting quickly into the dress.
"Got a good scan that time," says Dabbler, "that's an eldritch..."
"As in eldritch abomination, horror, Lovecraftian great old, elder...god?" asks Sydney.
"Sure," says Dabbler, "a being from the spaces outside of regular space, I do believe I have talked about them before, I could reiterate."
"Less talking more fighting," says Maxima as the Doll Collector is now hovering a few inches off the ground, the light in its eyes far more brilliant and its hands now giant claws.
"Getting real Parasite Eve up in here," comments Sydney.
Maxima charges to the Doll Collector's right side and Dabbler to her left. Maxima grabs an arm attempting to pull her down but the arm only stretches surprising her, she lets go to dodge a tentacle swiping out from under the dress and is hit by a stinging pair of blue beams fired from the eyes, Dabbler meanwhile summoning up a torrent of flames that are sucked into a now open mouth. Dabbler grimaces and cuts off the spell, "mana drain...again."
Maxima and Dabbler leap back to Sydney.
"Okay I have an idea," says Dabbler, "you four are going to need to help. I have a spell just for fighting something like this but I need time to charge it."
"Five minutes?" asks Sydney, "need Maxima to get her into a full Nelson?"
"I feel that is another reference I am not getting, but sure, five minutes should do it." replies Dabbler.
Just as the the four monsters and three super heroes are about to continue fighting, the Doll Collector raising her hand and the lips of her mask curling up in a smile a voice shouts out, "Stand back!"
Another portal has appeared and from it the spiky silver haired, odd grey armor wearing superheroine ExZelia has appeared, and she flies in and does something the four supernatural beings had failed to do, she manages to punch the Doll Collector in the face. The Doll Collector hovers back a bit, the lights in her eyes dimming.
"I'm ExZelia nice to meet ya," says the girl back to the heroes, "word of advice, the only part of the Doll Collector you can hit and do any damage is her mask. Anywhere else and you're just punching pillows."
Sydney's eyes go to the Doll Collector's giant pillow breasts for a second with that comment.
"ExZelia," says the Doll Collector, "come to play with me again have you?"
"Hold up," whispers Maxima as ExZelia battles the Doll Collector, however now there are no super speed whipping tentacles, no claws swipes, and while new the energy beams she is firing from her eyes are telegraphed, growing brighter and flashing quicker before each shot, which doesn't even damage the roof top when it misses.
ExZelia is shooting fire balls from small red sigils before her hands but now they are hitting the Doll Collector rather than being absorbed.
"Wait a damn minute," growls Maxima the ice in her tone even making Dabbler and Sydney wince.
In the blink of an eye Maxima has grabbed ExZelia from behind pinning her arms and lifting her off the rooftop.
"Hey!" shouts ExZelia, "let me go!"
Maxima glares at the Doll Collector whose eyes are now glowing bright and hands return to being claws.
"I thought so," says Maxima, "what is your game? You two know each other don't you?"
"What?" says ExZelia, "let me go, let me go, let me go right now!"
The Doll Collector is looming, Maxima walks slowly towards the four vampires.
"Uhhh," starts Sydney but the look Maxima shoots her might as well be screaming (shut up Scoville!).
"Talk," orders Maxima, "that fight was staged, people have died, your friend there abducted two women as well."
"Four," says one of the vampire men, "counting the two sentient dolls from our custody."
"The wish gem dolls were always mine," hisses the Doll Collector, "and what if I have taken two willing souvenirs as well."
She looks over at the vampires and back at Maxima, "hypocrite."
Maxima's grip tightens on ExZelia, "I wasn't talking to you."
She looks down through ExZelia's spiky hair, "I'm talking to you kid, what is your game? You go around playing superhero, you killed six vampires and nearly killed seven humans; and your friend here is abducting and turning people."
"Let me go!" shouts ExZelia kicking futilely at Maxima's legs.
"How about this," growls Maxima, "I'm sure these vampires here would love to talk to you themselves in private."
"Release her!" growls the Doll Collector, eight giant armored spider legs shooting from under her dress lifting her up, a giant pair of shadowy demonic wings erupting from her back, or through her ethereal hair, the mouth of her mask opens inhumanly wide and several glowing blue tentacles curl out from it.
"You're no better than they were!" shouts ExZelia her eyes tearing up, "let me go! let me go right now or else!"
Maxima's lips curl in frustration as she stands between the vampires and the frightful form of the Doll Collector, "I am asking you a simple question, just answer it or else!"
ExZelia looks up at the Doll Collector, over at the werewolf, Dabbler, and Sydney, and the vampires, tears in her eyes, her arms hurting in a way she has never felt before, her back and neck hurting, she can't take it. She shoots her head up and screams, a sound like a shrieking bird as red and purple light shoots from her mouth to the sky surprising Maxima. The beam strikes a point about twenty feet up and spirals out into an ominous looking portal.
The portal moves, sliding to a vertical stance at the edge of the roof top.
A powerful voice shouts from the vortex as a silhouette of a tall woman with long hair and wearing a cape appears, "Release my daughter!"
Blue sparkles of light flash around ExZelia and the next thing Maxima knows she is holding nothing but air. Inside the cloud like vortex ExZelia can be seen, the tall woman looking her over, hugging her, and sending her further into the vortex.
"Uh...everyone," says Sydney point at the Doll Collector, who has reverted to her standard form and is now sitting down on the rooftop, hands in lap, watching the portal.
"That...can't be good," comments the werewolf.
The figure in the vortex steps out, the vortex closing behind her. A tall pale woman, with mid-back length blood red hair, glowing blue eyes, wearing a black tight outfit with a cape that is black on the outside, red on the inside.
"A vampire?" asks one of the vampires.
The woman is glaring at Maxima, "You hurt my precious youngest daughter, you made her cry, and you made her fear for her life. Why?...Who are you to do these things?"
"I am Maximillian Leanders leader of Arc-Swat and these are enforcers of the Twi..."
Maxima stops and glares at the woman.
"Caught onto that quickly I see," says the woman.
"I've encountered spells like that before," says Maxima, "who are you?"
"I am the Celestial Sorceress," says the woman, "normally I'd play along, however...I'm kind of pissed off right now so.."
In the blink of an eye the woman vanishes, in slow motion Maxima would be said to dodge just in time not to get punched right in the face, her own attempted strike to the woman's mid section dodged as the woman leaps into the air attempting a flying round house kick which Maxima dodges and she attempts the grab the woman only for her to curl into the air, upside down and strike Maxima in the abdomen. Maxima grabbing her leg and flying into air only for the woman to curl up backwards and kick free...this and a few other awkward moves only to very durable individuals who can also fly could perform occur, however to onlookers it would only be a blur of movement.
High in the air Maxima backs up a bit to try and assess this combatant before going in for a right hook, however this time the woman blocks with just her left hand, feeling much stronger than a second ago.
"You are holding back," says the woman, "I can sense it, afraid the backwash of energy will harm your friends and allies? I'm not."
The woman *zips* and appears on the roof top.
Maxima flies down just as quickly between her and her teammates.
One of the vampires shouts, "We are not spectators!" and charges only to suddenly explode into dust after a short distance.
"Anti Vampire mines," says the woman, she flicks her index finger in the air sending a blue energy wave in all directions, illuminating a large number of air born spheres forming a dome around the vampires, "surprised that didn't happen sooner. I placed those the second my youngest daughter showed up here."
"What?" snaps Maxima, "then you were watching everything?"
"Indeed," says the woman, "my precious youngest daughter likes to play super hero. I have to say your aggression surprised me. Influenced by something perhaps, or are you just like that I wander. A bit extreme."
"You just killed someone," snaps Maxima.
"A dead body is someone?" asks the woman, "any who, why not ask your friend there the pseudo-demon, she's been scanning me since I got here. Of anyone's chances of doing any damage to me"
"Dabbler," says Maxima.
"Well," says Dabbler, "its like she's wrapped up in high level defensive spells, the kind you'd see used on fortresses not people, the amount of mana needed to keep even one of these running is staggering."
"and that," says the woman, "is just my defaults.
Maxima smiles and cracks her knuckles, "and you've never fought anyone like me I bet."
"Presumptuous," says the woman, "however,"
The woman turns her back to them, the Doll Collector bows low and speaks, "Great mother of us all."
"Mother?" whispers Maxima.
"Oh, I get it," says Sydney, "that's why she was holding back, the two of them are sisters and...that's their mother."
"Yeah, I got that Scoville," says Maxima.
"You, sorceress!" shouts Maxima, "your daughters are responsible for multiple deaths, assaults, and abductions."
"This one," says the woman, "is an adult, your grievances with her are with her alone."
Her eyes glow bright, "However that is no excuse to terrorize my teenage daughter!"
Everything shakes, a mild earthquake.
"This is going no where," says Maxima, "you are coming with us to answer a few questions."
The Doll Collector stands putting them all on alert, but it merely turns and vanishes into thin air.
"She got away," says Maxima.
The woman turns and waves her hand in the air creating a blue portal, "we are done here mortals."
"Not so fast!" shouts Maxima grabbing the end of the woman's cape, the edges of the cape glow blue and Maxima has to let go as they slice her hand, a little of her blue blood trickling out.
"That was a mistake," hisses the woman, 'you want a fight? So be it."
The woman snaps her fingers and the anti-vampire mines vanish, "Come at me, with all your power, lets leave this city a dead ruin, a monument to divine wrath."
The woman pauses, seems to take a deep breath and smiles, "Okay fine, how's this then."
She suddenly takes off into the air flying away.
"Get back here!" shouts Maxima in pursuit.
The woman leads her away from the city out over the forest, Maxima charges up an energy blast and throws it, the woman turns and with one outstretched hand stops the blast, it shrinks, being absorbed by a black dot before the woman's palm.
"I do not know," says the woman, "how or if your world classifies super powered beings. However I have known many super worlds across the multiverse; you are clearly what many would classify as an S class or high A class perhaps. I however."
She points to the sky, across the state most would see this, many recording it, the night the sky turned into upside down blood red waves filled with black spike covered tentacles, "I am an Omega class. You want terror, to fear for your lives, if I so wanted I could erase that entire city, burn your forests with a hurricane made of fire, freeze or boil your oceans. However why should others suffer for what you did. So here is my parting gift."
The sky turns back to normal and the woman charged a small dark red electric dot of energy at the tip of her index finger, points and the shot goes right through Maxima's shoulder. As Maxima grabs her shoulder she finds herself also loosing altitude, her power stats shifting randomly, her mind fuzzy and she blacks out.
When she comes to Dabbler and Sydney are there; several hours later. She is told the woman carried her back using telekinesis. There is no wound on Maxima's shoulder or even in her palm, told the woman healed her.
Maxima stands up, the supernaturals are long gone. She examines herself, "what the hell happened back there?"
Dabbler summons a magic sigil that shows some images showing showing ExZelia except her hair is darker grey, straight, wearing grey robes and a little silver tiara. The woman with blood red hair is there except in a red and black royal robe wearing a golden tiara and another woman they hadn't seen in a white robe with light brown hair up in a bun wearing a silver tiara..
"You aren't going to like this boss," says Dabbler, "but...well, I ran some facial recognition spells across my adventurer database, mainly worlds big on magic who hire adventurers for various magic related monsters problems, and well...the Doll Collector came up as a monster, eldritch as expected, however these other two..."
"Put put a fairy tale princess in an arm lock," pipes up Sydney, "and got in a fist fight with the queen of a magical kingdom\."
"pretty much," says Dabbler, "no telling what crazy store houses of magic they were using or kinds of spells. Suffice it to say, you definitely weren't the first time she fought someone like you."
"I get that," says Maxima sneering.
"Had a counter measure and everything. Totally lead you on."
"That will be enough." scowls Maxima.
"I left myself open," thinks Maxima, "never even considered anything could go through my defense fields and skin like that. Felt like it sent my nervous system into shock...an allergic reaction maybe. She didn't seem any faster or stronger than me, her magic gave her the edge and..."
"Um, Max," says Sydney.
Maxima pinches the space between her own eyes and *sighs*, "I was bluffing Sydney. Besides you saw how that kid reacted, some kid, magic princess or not, going around playing superhero, putting people's lives at risk isn't something we can let go. Especially considering that monster going around abducting people and turning them into dolls held back against her. I suspect way it addressed that...queen...was more to do with being summoned than famial relations. A kid wants to play superhero, summons some monster that no one else can handle, but it has to hold back when she fights it, right in front of the most famous superheroes in the country. Sounds suspicious right?"
"when you put it that way," says Sydney.
"It is possible," says Dabbler, "according to the adventure log this Doll Collector is a mysterious entity that rises up from its own dolls filled pocket dimension. Nothing here about being the offspring between a sorceress and another eldritch being; not that, that doesn't happen. Sorceress gets frisky with all those tentacles, real tempting."
"That will do," says Maxima examining her shoulder again, "we need to report this. When ExZelia pops up again,"
"Oh right that," says Dabbler interrupting, "check this out, her real name is Zelia, just Zelia."
Sydney purses her lips, "Sooo, her superhero name is Ex-Zelia, as in Ex her real name. Like if I was ExSydney or you ExXuriel or Maxima ExMaxima...wait...that kind of works."