Dabbler is sitting on the couch looking at images in her spell sigils of the Aesperian royal families.
Sydney raises an eyebrow, "How are you doing that? Did you make an interdimensional uplink cable with super advanced alien technology and magic?"
Dabbler narrows her eyes, "No, I downloaded as much as a I could while the portal was open. Their world luckily also has a magical information sharing network...and a technological one as well. They seem to focus as much on science as magic, fascinating."
"Anything useful?" asks Maxima entering the room.
"Not much," says Dabbler, "aside from what I already deduced that you manhandled their princess so one of their queens showed up to manhandle you."
Maxima *glares*, "When we fought it was too a standstill, so how''d this magic queen do what she did?"
"Its not that surprising," says Dabbler nonchalantly, earning an even worse glare from Maxima, "what I mean is these types, these queens, kings, imperial house overlords, and assorted titles who rule over these magic focused pocket dimensions are usually some magic user who either was born with or obtained immortality; or at least an indefinite life span, and spend that time researching magic in all its forms. As I said when this...Rhulan Roko naka...if I am translating their language properly, showed up she was wrapped up in high level defense spells. I'd say after your little hand to hand combat session she realized how strong you were and went for an overkill spell. I definitely got the impression that making you feel pain was her primary goal, especially given she healed you right after and left."
Maxima looks between them, "and no one tried to stop her from leaving?"
"She took you down," offers Sydney, "we were kinda in shock with that whole strongest super on Earth being carried back to us...deal."
"I saw what spell she used," says Dabbler examining a photo image of Rhulan dressed in black and red robes with Zelia whose hair is down and dressed in grey robes along side the mystery woman in white.
"You recognized it?" asks Maxima, "can you do it?"
"Only if I want to lose another arm, or some years off my life," says Dabbler.
"Explain," orders Maxima.
"Chaos bullet," says Dabbler, "a short ranged albeit very fast moving projectile made up of chaos...I don't believe your language has a word for it, I suppose the closest approximation is energy, however that is woefully incorrect to discern its true nature of distorting, corrupting, changing, or even destroying all physical matter and energy in its path."
"It does what now?" asks Sydney.
"In short," says Dabbler, "a deadly spell that is a sure fire kill on most opponents that aren't extra dimensional beings. However a spell like that normally comes with a cost, destroying the matter and energy around where it appears, including the caster's own hand or if smart their wand, staff, or other channeling instrument; or else a spell like that will absorb the caster's life energy."
Maxima remembers the fight, Rhulan just turned and pointed, no sigil, no incantation, no sign it hurt her in any way either.
"Didn't look like it bothered her at all," says Maxima, "you sure about this spell being that?"
"Don't doubt my knowledge of the theumian arts," says Dabbler, "I know a high level, avoid it or die, spell when I see it. That was definitely a chaos bullet. But hey, you're tough, you survived it, even without healing you'd...probably...have recovered. As to how she was unaffected, well she was wrapped up in defensive spells. As hard as it is to imagine an anti-chaos field could have been in those layers. I definitely detected a mana drain, and several types of defense auras, so much that she'd have to be sitting still for a few good minutes to get past all the static they were causing being active at the same time."
Harem teleports in, "Hey Max, Arianna and Faulk want you in the conference room."
"Is the intercom broken?" asks Maxima.
"Its hush hush and I saw them come in so Arianna sent me."
"I'll be up in a moment." replies Maxima before turning to Dabbler, "see what else you can find, if we have to fight them again I want to be prepared next time."
Outside the conference room Arianna intercepts Maxima, "Before you go in there, officially we are treating this incident as an alien trespassed in our country without invitation or approval by our government or any individuals therein and you discerning that a very real threat to your team and civilians was not a threat to said interloper so interpreted the situation as the unauthorized alien being a probable culprit behind the threat so acted on that to apprehend and question them while trying to remove the threat."
"Yeah," says Maxima raising a brow, "that was all in my report,"
"Good," says Arianna as they open the door to see Fault talking with the same woman in white from the images Dabbler was looking at standing there with ExZelia, who like the images her hair is down and a darker shade of grey and her outfit one of grey robes instead of body armor.
The woman bows her head slightly, "Greetings, I am Holly Lia of the house of Lia, a queen of the Ravashira Empire upon the world of Aesperia."
"Lt. Colonel Maximillia Leander" replies Maxima looking between her, ExZelia, and Faulk and Arianna.
"Given the circumstances," says Faulk, "her highness here has agreed to treat this incident as a private matter."
"Indeed," says Holly Lia dipping her head towards Faulk and back to Maxima, "after speaking with my daughter here,"
Zelia looks away sheepishly as Holly Lia continues, "as well as Rhulan and your own authorities it is clear to me that my daughter trespassed onto your world and upon learning of a clear threat to your people opted to not inform you of that threat and instead...SHOW OFF, knowing this threat would not harm her."
Zelia mumbles something under her breath.
"What was that?" asks Holly Lia.
Zelia *sighs*, "I said I was distracting her, you know how she is, she'd stop taking the fight seriously, treat it like a game, and after they retreated she'd go home."
Holly Lia *sighs*, "We discussed this, you can't keep doing this. I don't know how far her patience goes, she's playing nice now but...we can discuss this later in private."
"Speaking of," says Maxima, "what or who exactly was that, she was referring to your daughter here as her sister. I was under the impression there was a connection. Sounds like I was right."
"Colonel," starts Faulk.
"Its alright," says Holly Lia, "an explanation is in order. Indeed they are half sisters by way of Rhulan, however she has no direct affiliation with my nation or even my world. The individual calling herself the Doll Collector is a hundreds of thousands of years old eldritch entity; neither I or any power upon my world has any jurisdiction or authority over her. Not even Rhulan. She has shown a reluctance to attack members of her family in earnest, however I personally find her unstable and her actions abhorrent. However, and this plays into my frustration with my daughter here, we have no desire to invite her ire or attract any conflict with her to our world. A piece of advice however, as my daughter stated she is easily distracted and grows bored rather quickly. She won't refuse a challenge to play a game, however make that game something tedious enough and she may lose interest in your world entirely."
"Sounds familiar," thinks Maxima looking at Faulk, both thinking the same thing to discuss this with Zephan as it sounds like the behavior of some fairies and related entities.
Holly Lia *sighs*, "However as I was saying before upon reviewing all the information available I can understand why the situation was suspicious to your people. We would like to prevent any further conflict between our peoples."
Faulk turns to Maxima, "you are dismissed Colonel."
As Maxima is leaving she overhears something about potential trade relations, and making arrangements to speak with their government and possible heads of industries. Something that makes Maxima imagining Deus would salivate at, having trade with not just an alien world but one with high levels of magic.
*part 2*
-a week later-
"We have a situation downtown!"
Maxima, Stalwart, Anvil, Hiro, Dabbler, and Achilles are called to action. Maxima is looking on her phone at that morning's news report, which had been live at the time. Standing atop a pile of smashed up cars was a pale woman with mid-back length dark straight black hair, piercing blue eyes, and wearing a black tight pants, and a short sleeve black top.
She yells at the camera, "Bring me that gold plated bitch Maxima! You want to twist my baby sister's arms?! I'll twist your fucking head off!"
She proceeds to hold out her hands summoning twin lightning bolts to strike into her palms causing the reporters to duck for cover. The bottom of the screen scrolls the words, "electricity, Maxima's one weakness, what will Arch-Swat do?"
Maxima rolls her eyes and turns it off, allowing that false rumor to perpetuate has thrown off a few opponents since the fight with Vehemence but letting the world think it is her kryptonite is kind of annoying as it means constantly having to deal with opponents trying to zap her. She is sure a good number of them have figured out it doesn't really work that way.
"So much for trade with these people," says Maxima, "Xuriel, do you have anything on who this is?"
"Not really," says Dabbler, "the magical network established thanks to participation with the Twilight Council is still testing their lines; however given the strong family resemblance I'd say this one is also related to the one you fought and judging by her words is referring to ExZelia."
"I picked up on the resemblance," says Maxima, "that's why we're going in strong."
"wasn't that like over a week ago?" asks Achilles, "weren't we doing some trade merchant or whatever thing with these people."
"Still in talks," says Maxima, "some representatives of theirs are meeting in D.C...today."
Maxima, Stalwart, Achilles, Anvil, Hiro, and Dabbler have arrived and standing at the base of the pile of trashed cars.
"Brought your goones to watch you get your ass kicked huh!" shouts down the woman a top the cars.
"Who are you and what is this about?!" calls up Maxima.
"Oh you want a title, a little back and forth proper etiquette? Fine, I am Rhudra Rokonaka, Empress of Vormse. I heard about you manhandling my little sister you gold plated golem. So I'm here to kick your ass in the name of our family's honor."
Before Maxima can say anything else Rhudra levitates a car and sends it flying down, Stalwart catches it and sets it down.
"Are you insane," declares Maxima, "your queen is right now in talks with our country's president."
"My queen?" muses Rhudra looking between the six heroes, "You must mean Hollia. Did I say I was here as Princess Rhudra of Aesperia? No, now perk up your pointy ears goldy, I said I am Empress Rhudra Rokonaka of Vormo, that is an entirely different planet. Besides, this isn't politics, this is a personal matter."
Maxima narrows her eyes remembering Holly Lia's words, "a personal matter".
"And you went after innocent people?" asks Maxima.
"Huh?" says Rhudra, "oh this little show, I didn't harm your squishy little human subjects, this was just a show of force to get your attention. Now..."
Rhudra holds out her hand charging an electric ball in her palm, however in the blink of an eye Maxima is on her, getting her into a hold. Rhudra smiles and the two of them jet into the sky, spinning around. Into the clouds lightning flashes from all directions striking them, Maxima is forced to increase her defense, lowering her strength enough for Rhudra to break free.
"Thunder Cannon!" shouts Rhudra blasting an electrified plasma beam from her hand which Maxima does her best to block with her arms, gritting her teeth.
Maxima charges and strikes, Rhudra tries to block with one hand as Rhulan had but is forced to put her other hand behind it, gritting her teeth and with an electric flash she pushes Maxima back. The two of them exchange blows, blocking the other each time. Rhudra displaying a flight speed advantage, however none of her blasts, punches, or kicks is really phasing Maxima.
Down on the ground however Dabbler's ears perk up followed by a shout of, "Incoming everyone get back!"
The air its self is slashed open, four rips into a watery waving darkness in the fabric of space and time, another slash comes through and another via giant elongated white blade like claws, the torn fabric like distorting is large and from the shadows the Doll Collector emerges, in full daylight even with a cloud cover her appearance is striking; this twelve foot tall ethereal giantess with the moving cloud of darkness descending from her head passing for hair sticking out even more in defiance with the natural world. As she steps through the torn portal just ghosts out like a hologram being slowly turned off, or a game graphic fading away.
"And we have this again," says Dabbler, "okay, avoid the hair its some kind of dimensional distortion, and...I have nothing else."
The Doll Collector raises her claw and brings it down at Stalwart who easily dodges the rather slow moving strike. Hiro ducks to the side and goes in for a punch only to get smacked back and crash into a lamp post. A long glowing waves of shades of blue with waves of purple and small hints of other colors such as greens beneath the surface tentacle is visible in the air and pulls back under the dress.
Dabbler narrows her eyes, "oh yeah and there are tentacles under the dress.
Achilles walks up to the Doll Collector who brings her right claw down, stopping just above his head, the lights in the eyes of her mask actually narrow, her hand shifts to a smaller more human looking hand as she points her finger at him, a sudden shockwave and Achilles is sent back kicking up asphalt as he is buried in the street like a cannon ball.
"I gotcha," yells Hiro leaping to the rubble as Stalwart and Anvil goes to grab the arms only to be lifted up and thrown at the pile of cars.
Dabbler summons six sigils in front of herself and unleashes a barrage of wind blades.
"Dabbler!" shouts out Anvil leaping down, followed by Stalwart.
The Doll Collector is unphased by the attack.
"Its not human," says Dabbler, "take the gloves off and fight for real or its going to kill us; that thing is an eldritch."
Achilles' head is free of the rubble as he spits out a rock.
"What like Cthulhu?" asks Anvil.
"Sure," says Dabbler, "if that is a being from outside the normal universe with tentacles, shapeshifting, and psychic powers whose body is more a mental projection than physical."
"Yes," says Anvil.
"Oh," says Dabbler, "then yes, you are fighting Cthulhu."
"Awesome," says Achilles as Hiro pulls him free of the rubble.
"Such ugly toys," says the Doll Collector surprising them, "Where is the little cute dolly I saw before? I want to play with that one."
Dabbler summons another sigil releasing a stream of blue flames. The Doll Collector erects a light blue sigil before her left hand that is absorbing the flames. As Anvil moves in from the right side the Doll Collector shoots out five threads from the tips of the fingers on her hand hand, past Anvil, hitting five separate cars with a blue energy cascading out from the threads around the cars like an aura and bringing them forward, smashing around Anvil. Stalwart goes in low for the body as Hiro goes in high for the mask. A black hair like tendril shoots from the cloud of hair and entangles Hiro as a tentacle from under the dress smacks back Stalwart.
However in a quick blow Anvil charges free of the cars and and punches the Doll Collector square in the abdomen, Dabbler using a wind blade that actually surprises her a little actually makes contact with the mask knocking her face to the side a little as though there is a head hidden in the darkness to hit. The Doll Collector flings Hiro to the side with the hair tendril and retracts it, Hiro manages to stop himself while spinning in mid air before hitting a nearby building, missing it by only a few feet.
The Doll Collector makes a fish and strikes down at Anvil, who barely moves from the blow. She hits her a few more times before Anvil returns the favor sending the Doll Collector back by ten feet.
"Not as much as I was expecting," says Anvil.
"Is it just me," says Achille, "or is she getting bigger, and a wee bit faster as we fight?"
-meanwhile up in the sky-
"damn it," thinks Maxima, "why are my flight speed and ground speed two separate things. If we were on the ground this would be over by now, obviously she's more used to fighting people mid-air."
As if demonstrating this very fact Rhudra created energy platforms at slants in the air kicking off of them to build up more speed while shouting, "Shan, kan, gra!" with a sudden burst of speed striking Maxima in the gut. However Maxima follows up her in close strike with an elbow to Rhudra's upper back and an upper cut to her gut. Pissed off Rhudra holds her hand to Maxima's face and unleashes an electric blast. The blast does little but the flash of light was enough for Rhudra to back off.
Rhudra *huffs* and *puffs* while thinking, "Okay, a lot tougher than I thought, slower than me but damn."
Rhudra looks down and smiles. She stands straight and points down, "While you've been fighting me goldy those friends of yours you left on the ground are fighting a losing battle against the Queen of Puppets."
Maxima glances down seeing Hiro trying a hit and run having to dodge hair tendrils, Anvil and Stalwart actually weaving around dodging tentacles and Achilles who is being swung around by the Doll Collector like a club now and futilely trying to wrestle her hand into submission. Dabbler's spells much like on the roof top are both having little affect, and she is having to dial back on using anything big given they are in the city and there are a few civilians recording, among which are a few news crews.
"This isn't over," says Maxima disengaging and charging to the ground.
"Out of the way!" shouts Maxima, prompting Stalwart and Anvil to step aside.
Maxima gets in real close and unleashed an energy blast right into the Doll Collector's chest causing her to drop Achilles and float back nearly thirty feet. However rather than look harmed the Doll Collector shows no signs of damage; however her mask is blushing; her claws shrink down to regular arms and hands. She raises her right finger tips to her lips and curls her left arm under her breasts. She looks at Maxima, then away, and back again, blushing harder. She twists in the air, her dark hair enveloping her and then twisting out of reality.
"Woah," says Dabbler, "what did you hit her with?"
"Enough apparently," says Maxima.
"No," says Dabbler, "I am super charged right now, she was pouring out sexual energy just now. Whatever you hit her with cranked up her horny meter to over ten."
Maxima looks at her hand with a raised eyebrow.
"Its not over yet," says Rhudra floating down, "I don't know how you just did that mortals, however I..."
Rhudra stops and looks at the sky, "But...I was...they...wait seriously you did..."
Rhudra looks at Maxima, who can tell she is staring at her left shoulder with a skeptical glance before *sighing*, "Fine"
Rhudra turns back to Arch-Swat, "Apparently Empress Rhulan already considered this mattered handled and due punishment given. Don't think this is over goldy, next time I won't go so easy on you."
With that a blue portal appears and Rhudra steps through.
"Boss," says Achilles, "you not going to stop her?"
"No," says Maxima, "this situation is a bit too sensitive. Besides I showed her why you don't pick a fight with me."
Maxima recalls Rhudra looked to be somewhat exhausted.
-epilogue-
A few days later Maxima finds one of her room walls unfurling in a completely impossible and down right cartoonish manner as though they were curtains, beyond which is a colorful land. Maxima is ready to fight even as a troop of tiny toy soldiers march out blowing trumpets and despite not being visible in the weirdly colorful space appearing from the wall via a ripple appears a five foot woman in an ankle length wide brown dress with white trim, her entire outfit a cross between the dress a doll would wear and a maid outfit, her straight brown hair tied back in a white bow. It is clear however this person isn't human as her elbow and wrists are ball joints. She is holding a white card and bows to Maxima while handing it to her.
"Greetings Ms, the mistress would like to invite you over for tea. I have been instructed to deliver this with the instructions, you need only set a tea cup upon the card and tap your tea cup three times with a silver spoon and the magic will bring you to the mistress."
"Mistress?" asks Maxima crossing her arms, "and who might that be?"
(she asks knowing full well)
"Why, the great Queen of Puppets," answers the human sized living doll.
"The Doll Collector," says Maxima.
the living doll's lips curl up in a wide smile, "Why yes, the mistress is known by that title as well. She eagerly awaits your reply."
With that she and the soldiers vanish like ghosts and the wall returns to normal.
Maxima holds the odd card with a lace trim and a rainbow pattern that appears in the light at certain angles, "Not exactly the lead I was expecting."