Chapter 13
The day was late in the afternoon at the kingdom of the Slane Theocracy. In the capitals palace, the Captain of the Black Scripture was walking down one of its many gloomily lit hallways in lightly shuffling armour coloured mainly white with gold outlining it.
With red eyes, he mulled over the meeting that had just taken place with the six Cardinals.
'So the Cardinals wish to simply observe. It makes sense in observing whomever can defeat that vampire, but why not actively look into this 'Ainz Ooal Gown' who claims to have defeated Nigun?' he thought, clutching his spear tightly. 'Before Nigun left, he was given a miracle of the gods [Dominion Authority], the least we could've done is recover that relic-.'
Shlick….shlick…shlick
Before he could think any further, a light shuffling and clicking noise drifted from down the other end of the hallway. Before too long he spotted a teenage girl leaning against the wall, around 18 with hair white as snow reaching just above her chest while covering the sides of her head outwardly.
She wore a long sleeve on her right arm and a single shin guard on her right leg both same colour as her hair. A light arm gauntlet black as the shadows covered her left arm that while she wore a stocking of the same colour on her left leg. Illuminated by the candle lights she fiddled with a small cube with numerous coloured squares.
"Is that a rubix cube?" he silently called. "Haven't seen one of those in ages, Zesshi."
Zesshi cranked her head in his direction, showing the left side of her hair to also be black as shadows. Her eyes were dulled in boredom, one white and the other black.
"I could always get on side, but anything beyond that was a true test of patience," she monotoned, turning her attention back to the cube.
"Of course, that's the point~. Another trial from the Six Great Gods," he replied, stopping next to her. "In the past 6 centuries, few have passed it."
She lightly scoffed at the boring piece of information he shared.
"So…what's so dire that it called for a gathering of all the cardinals?"
"You got the report same as the rest of us-."
"-Didn't read it~. It's easier to ask someone who knows the situation," she replied, turning a few more slides and getting one side mostly of one colour. "Your last mission was to subjugate the Catastrophe of the Dragon Lord, right? I'm assuming seventh seat; Thousand Leagues Astrologer's prediction was faulty~."
We ran into trouble," the captain said, tone becoming more serious along with his expression. "A powerful vampire. It murdered Cadran and Beaumachais and severely injured lady Kaire so we retreated."
"Myrid Barrier and Divine Chain dead, huh? We just can' seem to keep the 9th seat filled," Zesshi mused, turning one last slide and completing the orange side of the rubix cube. "So….who do you think is stronger, me or that blood sucker?"
"You are of course," the captain answered without hesitation, but internally doubting his own reply to some degree.
"….I see," she sighed, losing interest to the whole topic. "That's disappointing~. I thought it might be able to defeat me. Come to think of it, I hear the Sunlight Scripture was whipped out too."
"It was. A caster named Ainz Ooal Gown has claimed responsibility. Though we can't confirm since no bodies were left behind."
"I see. So he's strong-."
"-Hard to say. The Sunlight's captain lost to the Blue Rose once."
"Of course Nigun was outdone be those harpies….. Why is it a strong man so hard to find, Captain?" she whined, rubbing her belly. "It doesn't matter if he's hideous, inside or out. He could even be inhuman for all I care. Best me, and his seed would be all I need. Our legacy would be a child of unmatched strength, oh they'd make mommy proud someday~."
While Zesshi giggled to herself, a little sadistically, the captain was a little in thought.
'Unbelievable…. She's the secret ace of the Black Scripture and strongest in all the Theocracy and all she can think about is losing to someone then having sex with them. If she lost on the battlefield humanity might as well have lost with her. Like I'm one to talk though, I can't find any woman who's strong and meets the criteria to be my spouse.'
While internally complaining, the marching of metal from the outside drew his focus to the windows aligned the opposite side of the hallway.
The Captain walked over to a nearby arch window and peaked outside. Out below, a dozen soldiers were marching in formation in the front courtyard, 3 by 4 to a bigger group numbering in the 50's or so with a horse by their sides.
They were also lined up in military formation dawned in pale armour on their shoulders, shins, lower arms and back. Over half of them were comprised of mages while a good third of them were equipped with close combat weapons.
"Seems the Cardinals have already started mobilising some of the Holocaust scripture," he began speaking aloud, but Zesshi was flat out ignoring him and was back to fiddling with the cube. But the captain continued anyway. "During the meeting, it was brought to light that a town North of the capital called Daigel is about to be under siege by an outside force. It hasn't been confirmed if it's an opposing kingdom, but as the anti-terrorist branch, a portion of the Holocaust soldiers are being redirected from the war with the elves to assist in defending."
The Captain turned back around, hoping for a little interest from Zesshi. But as expected she wasn't caring much for the matter. He was considering telling her that if the Holocaust scripture fails, the Black scripture was next to mobilize, but he didn't want to get her all excited only to crash. She might even go on a rampage to satisfy her pent-up excitement.
Giving a light sigh of defeat, he continued walking down the corridor.
'Thousand Leagues Astrologer is still on her mission, isn't she? When brining back that new recruit from the Re-Estize kingdom I hope they don't have to pass through Daigel. It'd be problematic if we lost a god-kin as talented as her.'
Interlude: Thousand Leagues Astrologer
The sudden call of Thousand Leagues Astrologers name all three of them turn their heads towards the street it had come from. With chestnut hair tied into a side ponytail, Aurita came running down the street clad in tight silver armour with silver knee long high-heels. Including a double handed sword hanging from her waist, a cape, burgundy on one side with bright red on the underside was flapping as she sprinted.
She was accompanied by a pair of Slane Theocracy military mafic casters, also in silver armoured robes wearing pale cylindrical helmets with a filtered hole in the front. Typical armour for their kingdoms magic casters.
"Haa-haa.., what is with me trying to find you all the time~," she panted coming up with a smile before skipping to a halt, the casters halted with less elegance. "We now have a game plan for defending the city. We'll need you, Laurissa and Garmadon to come with…me….to ….deff… IT'S YOU!"
At a moment's notice, Aurita had gone into a side-on defensive stance with a hand on her hilt.
"Oh, I remember you," Alex began with a look as though he had an epiphany. "You're the girl I spared from that group in the forest of Tob. You're looking way better than I remember."
"Yea, it's me. But why are you here? It hasn't been three days yet."
"I said I would bring calamity to the entire kingdom in three days. I didn't say anything about not making a start with it."
At this point, Thousand Leagues was anxious, a nagging feeling was eating away at the back of her mind while slowly putting the pieces together. "..Urrrghhh-Aaarrghhh! Are you saying that Alex here is the one who declared war on the Theocracy!?"
"That's exactly what I'm saying, please move away from him you three!"
With her reasoning for being so 'uperty' clear for everyone, the accompanying guards went in to attack formation with their hands raised in front of them ready to cast offensive magic.
"…You really have no idea, do you?" Snap
With a snap of his fingers, Shredder, still perched on Alex's shoulder and a little bit drowsy become fully focused after giving a stretch.
"Ngyaaahhhh~."
Shredder gave the cutest raw that also seemed menacing at the same time. Moments passed, and the earth they stood upon deeply rumbled, ever growing. The people around were reacting to the tremors the same as the party, looking to the ground while their feet were wide spread as though ready to make a dash for it.
"Evlybody, pe-leaze move byarck~," one of the guards instructed to the startled citizens in the most exotic voice imaginable.
"What the hell did you do, Alex?!" Garmadon yelled, panicked, towards his brother who acted as though nothing of importance was occurring.
"….What I have to…" is all he said.
Suddenly the earth at their feet erupted with so much force, boulders of the road they stood upon were flung to give way to a something rising from beneath.
"Get back!" yelled Aurita, grabbing Thousand Leagues by the collar and dragging her back.
Laurissa made it to safe distance beside the two. Before them the pillar with dirt brown skin swayed, as though a blade of grass in the soft breeze. There was a loud crunching sound of rock from above and it rained pebbles. It was an earth eater.
Earth eaters are a species related to common farm worms. Though unlike those worms, earth eaters evolved after relying on a diet of large animals, the nutrients and magic within vast quantities of soil and solid rock. Through their evolution, they developed skin tougher than steel, five jaws at their mouth which close in like a flower on their unfortunate snack around the middle. Crushing it to death.
"IT'S A MONSTER!"
"AAAARRRRGGHHH!"
"Mommy~!"
In panic, the onlookers scrambled to their feet in an attempt to flee. The pair of magic soldiers stood their ground, trembling slightly before assuming their previous casting stance.
"[Summon magic; angel]," a large circle filled with light appeared in front on the ground of one of them and platinum helmet with a golden halo and red visor rose from it.
"cough-cough-[magic multiplication] [shockwave]," after clearing his voice, a pair of red circles in one another appeared before the hands of the other and a series of clear pulses were blasted at the worms body.
The earth eater was then sliding back down into earth, Thousand Leagues saw that Alex was at the craters edge. Completely unfazed by the broken chunks of earth he stood upon or the continuous aftershocks of the multiple [shockwave]'s, as though it was natural for him. Alex held Garmadon in one hand by the scruff of his shirt. He must've grabbed him amidst all the confusion.
"So, I'm guessing this is how your opening attack went in the previous town, am I right?" he croaked in Alex's grasp.
"It is, but how do you know I lead the charge?" Alex responded.
"thc… When I first heard of the attack from Thousand Leagues over there, I thought 'hey, this is just a part of the story'. But I then got a gnawing feeling in the back of my head. Not once, out of both the seasons I watched was there any mention of the Theocracy being invaded. Given they're on bad terms with literally every neighbouring country on the continent, but not once have they been attacked by an army of animals. Plus, animals aren't all that smart on their own, but give a motivated tactician with a means of controlling all of them and bam, instant army with a variety of strengths~."
"But that still doesn't explain how you knew it was me~."
"Easy, your motivation is to change the religious system in this world, what better way to start off than wiping out the biggest religion first. A clean slate. I mean…that's what I would've done."
"Then why didn't you?"
"Because I don't want to be genocidal hypocrite who thought 'hey, let's kill a whole bunch of people to get back home before considering all my options'!" Garmadon bellowed.
"You don't know what it's like!" Alex yelled. "I've had to kill so many people all on my own, and I have considered all my options! You may be having the time of your life being here, but not me because I actually want to go home!"
Extending out an arm, a dark mist formed in Garmadon's palm before solidifying into a black box with a pair of metal studs sticking out one end with a blue spark zapping between them.
"But I can't have you committing genocide," clutching the box tightly, Garmadon rammed it at Alex's neck but before making contact, Alex gripped Garmadons wrist, twisting the box out of his hand and flinging him round before being rammed into the ground back first. Still holding firm, Alex snatched the box from mid-air.
"-Gah-dararararagh~!"
Garmadon screamed as the box's studs slammed into his chest, sparks flying as his body spazzed uncontrollably.
"Sorry, James. But I'm not letting you stop me," Alex monotoned standing above the unconscious body of his brother, the box he held disappeared in a minor array of pixels. "And with only half of your abilities you're no more of a threat to me than Clementime was to Ainz-."
"[Confusion]!"
A yellow bolt rocketed at Alex, in a split second he dodged narrowly missing his head.
"Attack him."
At the command with a sword of light, the summoned angel rushed Alex who raised his hand against it. Suddenly the angel was unclosed in solid ice before it could react and smashed into the ground, shattering into pieces.
"You two are annoying," he declared in annoyance, raising his hands with a pale blue orb manifesting in each while bending his legs. "But your military position will come in handy."
In a split second he pounced and in what seemed like a single step, Alex had travelled several meters and slammed his palms into their chests.
'So fast!' Thousand Leagues yelped internally.
"Soul merge!"
Both the casters pulsed pale blue while frozen still. After the blue auras disappeared, Alex removed his hands and stood before them, unafraid.
"I-e thynk reet n-coughcough…sorry, couldn't stand this dudes way of talking," the one with the exotic accent spoke. "Anyway, we should be going around spreading the word of Christ in with this bodies."
"Hold on, WHAT are you talking about!?" Aurita yelled. "Are you turning you back on the six gods for this false religion?"
They trio turned to her before giving a blunt answer. "Bingo, and right now we aren't the casters from before, but copies of Alex here with the memories and body of the casters. So there."
"So….He's made more of himself?"
"Yep, later," at the remark the two bolted down the street yelling out random words like 'Jesus' or 'Adam and Eve'.
"What the hell…."
Alex faced Shredder who was comfortably seated on the ground beside him while scratching his ear "Shredder, continue the second phase. We've wasted enough time already."
At a moment's notice, Shredder's once sky-blue eyes turned to deep red before going black as night and his blood orange fur became dark orange. He grew in size at the same time, fangs and claws alike growing longer, the white splodges turning purple. Thousand Leagues felt a magical pulse throughout the air from it.
"reeeeeyAARRRGGHHH!"
A trembling roar, sending chills down spines, echoed from the crater as the earth rumbled once more but with an ever-growing presence of a trampling hoard towards the surface.
A hand with skin dark as leather, fingers thicker than a humans' and a palm bigger than Thousand Leagues' head gripped the edge of the crater. The pavement crumbled underneath and a bull's head twice the size of an average one quickly followed, eyes ablaze, saliva dripping from grinding chops and deep brown horns curved in. It unveiled itself to be a towering minotaur.
With charred coloured fur growing from its back, rear elbow and waist down, the beast stood upon a pair of freshly muddy hooves. There was a forest of thicker fur below its turned in knees growing over its hooves. The fact that it had fresh mud on it possibly meant the tunnel it had come from was just as muddy.
"Now go, you mindless beast. Wreak havoc upon this town as you did the last," Alex commanded, standing up to the minotaur.
Unexpectedly, it landed onto all fours and suddenly charged into the 'Quill Saloon', destroying it entirely with wood crumbling under its own weight and dust being thrown up as it toppled. Bloodied screams cried out before being gurglingly cut off.
The trio stood in bewilderment, a human had just commanded a demi human, a monster, and it followed without any rejection. As though a soldier following its generals orders.
"Well what are all you lot doing down there? Get up here and HELP!"
They all snapped from the now pile of splinters towards Alex, who stood by the edge of the crater yelling into it.
Clap-clap!
"Hup to!"
On que, the head of a two-horned black python slithered out with the same eyes as the minotaur. On order, the serpent slithered into the nearby alleyway between two houses. Suddenly all manner of creatures erupted from the crater, as though water being forced through a bottle neck. Wolves, giant arachnids, serpents, lizards, rats and a few more minotaur's came forth, surging in every direction.
The stampede hurdled towards the them with the intent to kill.
"[Levitate] and [fly]!"
At a moment's notice, Thousand Leagues cast her levitation spell on them all and they shot up above the wild torrent.
"That was close," she sighed in relief. The shattering of class windows and the gurgling screams of more deaths in the distance howling heavily in the air.
Thousand Leagues was in shock, she was part of the Black Scripture which can be put into situations which others would deem horrifying. But not once has she ever been put into a situation where mass genocide was happening right in front of her eyes, it was always her and the scripture against powerful foes.
They all looked out at the view of the town, there were rising pillars of black smoke and the tops of buildings crumbling to the ground.
"How could things get this bad?" Aurita asked aloud. As though to answer her question, three earth eaters erupted from the ground in separate locations further away before sliding back in. In no time flat, more screams were heard from where they appeared followed by clouds of dust.
"T-there like battalions, waves being deployed in different areas at a time so as to draw our attention to one only to have another popup elsewhere," Thousand Leagues observed.
"Well done, I'm guessing you're the smartest out of the lot."
Back to Alex, they saw that he stood on the ground looking up at them. Garmadon still lay unconscious by his feet with his mouth hanging open and a bit of drool running out.
The hole had stopped pouring monster, and while some would take that as a good sign, others would consider the hordes already loose in the town.
A light tap on Thousand Leagues arm drew her attention to Laurissa.
"Make me an opening," she whispered while gripping her estoc.
Thousand Leagues gave a nod before turning back to Alex.
"Why are you doing this? Our nation doesn't pose as any threat for the 'control dimension', and nor to you. So why?" Thousand Leagues called.
Around him the air condensed with mist and sparkled white, mostly around his feet where the ground began freezing over but under both boys. Suddenly a pillar of ice erupted from the frozen ground to bring Alex level with the floating trio. Garmadon remained unconscious at the base but was sitting up with his back to the ice.
The street below them hadn't been broken by the act and was instead surrounded by fresh mist.
"You ask why?" he asked in a composed voice, taking a step forward while reaching a hand out to undo a pair of buttons on the cloak just under his collar bone.
An ice path with supports from the top side of the pillar came to be just in time for him to place his foot down.
"It's because I must. If you were listening I want to go home. To do that I need to destroy the misplaced faith people have in false deities. Your kingdom is no exception."
Tossing the cloak aside, a set of silver armour was revealed with a pair of gauntlets hanging by his hip while on the other hung a sheathed sword with a golden hand guard and an emerald in the hilt. While in its scabbard, the sword looked like a golden cross with an emerald top.
Snuggly gripping his body, the armour had a sapphire imbedded in its chest with jade vines reaching out to it from under his arms and thick shoulder guards. They looked like upside-down bowls coated in steel with green vines growing from under them.
Alex continued walking towards them with even more ice forming for his path. As he came closer, Thousand Leagues reached her arm around her back while holding three fingers so Alex couldn't see.
"So why don't you use that 'soul takeover' thing you used on the two soldiers to persuade him, or even us for that matter?" Thousand Leagues called as Alex unclipped a gauntlet and slipped his hand into it.
'Two fingers.'
The palms of the gauntlets were covered in black fabric with steel plating between the knuckles and over the top. "Cuz I really don't want to kill off my own family-."
'One finger.'
"-you, on the other hand, completely expendable."
At this point, Alex's focus was now more on Thousand Leagues than it was on the other two.
'Zero.'
She took this opportunity and hurled Laurissa as though pitching a stone using the [levitation] spell. The girl became a streaking blur of pink and glittering light heading for Alex.
In a split second before Laurissa struck into Alex, red sparks danced across Alex's body again and in another Laurissa was snatched out of the air before being hung by her ankle held in one armoured hand.
"Really, a surprise attack?" he asked nonchalantly, lifting Laurissa up with ease till he was looking down at her in the eyes. "You really should think outside the stereotype-."
"[Flow acceleration]!"
At the sudden chant, Laurissa swung her estoc at Alex's chest plate but harmlessly ricocheting off his armour with a loud Ding! But she didn't let up, letting loose a barrage of jabs at the underside of his elbows, wrists, armpits, abdomen and where ever the armour was without a doubt weaker.
"Garrghhh!" Alex gasped in pain, releasing his hold on Laurissa, but it was in that moment that she grabbed the ice ledge, swung down and used the momentum to carry herself right back up to deliver a pound under Alex's jaw with her heels. Crunch! "Durgjh..~"
Laurissa sailed through the air above him until landing on top of the ice pillar and assuming a counterattack position with her legs bent and both hands on her handle. She dashed at Alex still frozen in position after the kick with jaw fractured and dislocated. Laurissa ran her estoc though his neck and out the other end with a coating of bright red blood running across it.
The atmosphere began dying down, but just as it did more red sparks danced around Alex's open wounds and enveloped his mis-formed jaw.
Instantly recognising the phenomena, Thousand Leagues yelled out. "Laurissa, get away from him! He may have the same regeneration as Garmado-!"
She was immediately cut off as Alex grabbed the estoc just past the hand guard and held firm. Laurissa tried yanking it out to no avail before abandoning the weapon and retreated to her original position.
Alex turned to face her frozen like a statue with his jaw clicking back to place while pulling out the sword from his neck with ease. Just as it came out, Alex though the estoc at Laurissa like a dart. She snatched it from the air but Alex had used the distraction and dashed behind her with a drawn executioner sword gripped in both hands.
Executioner swords have the same width from the base to their curved head instead of the traditional point.
"Too slow!" he yelled about to bring the blade down but was halted by the pillar they stood upon suddenly shaking. The frozen ledge shattered under its own weight and while everyone followed its decent it was battered away by another rapidly rising pillar with sparks of black and white dancing as it rose.
This one was much larger than the ice and made of black metal with a pair of dark red streaks racing down the sides from the base of a largely rounded mass atop.
"JESUS!"
"[Agility boost]."
Laurissa and Alex both leapt away at the last minute before the rounded mass opened to a hand in a clunking sound and slammed onto the pillar, shattering it underneath while gripping it. A second larger mass with enormous spikes jutting from it began rising behind the first heading right for Thousand Leagues and Aurita.
Projecting her magic forward, the pair bounced in the air backwards, towards the roof of a nearby house that was still miraculously standing. She deactivated the spell and landed on the tiled roof, Laurissa landed next to them with a light thud, the martial arts she used earlier now worn off.
They all turned back and beheld a giant, clad in black metal, arms far wider than that of any carriage with massive spikes rising from shoulder guards. Its head was hugged in black metal with a red ring wrapped around its forehead, crimson eyes beamed from a face resembling that of a crow's skull.
"And now things just got real!" boomed a statically familiarly loud voice from the giant, the earth booming as it took steps to stand before them, crushing rubble underfoot.
The building they were on top of was double storied, elevating them just below its waist. It was so friggin HUGE!
"Since when could you make something like that, Garmadon? You've never done it before!"
"Oh I've always been able to do this, just never had enough time to mentally picture it," came the voice resonating through the air, the head turned to look down at them.
'….So that's how it is..' Thousand Leagues thought, thinking back to all that he'd previously made before. 'The reason why he'd make handheld weapons more than ones like these was because they're larger to imagine. That and his physical prowess more than made up for it.'
"So you've resorted yourself to your mecha LEGO creations. They'd certainly give you a boon in any fight!" everyone turned to Alex who stood on the ground alone. "Too bad I was there when you made it all, so I know all the weaknesses on this behemoth!"
"And I yours," spoke Garmadon. "It took me some time, but I now I'm sure. Vosdulite granted you the abilities of your fictional character as well, didn't she?"
"You guessed it!" suddenly the ground erupted at his feet and vines thick as trees rocketed at all of them in a mass.
The vines dove straight into the appendages of the mecha, burrowing through them and out the other end. Laurissa and Aurita were able to leap out of the way. But being a mage, Thousand Leagues didn't have the agility to leap out of the way, nor the time to cast any flight magic to get away.
Karraachk!
A cloud of dust erupted from the rubble of the crumbling house as the vines buried themselves into the building before retracting.
"That mecha of yours maybe powerful in overall strength, but it's sorely lacking in the speed department," Alex finished, one of the vines curled under his feet, lifting him up while he stood as though on a pedestal. "Wha~?"
Getting a better view though the dust as it slowly cleared, the red and black colour pattern with shoulder spikes of the robot was then revealed with its back turned. Roots were still impaled in ligaments and limbs, twisted all over.
"Don't be an idiot James. You said it yourself, 'this world isn't real', so who cares if a few key aspects are changed. At least we can go HOME!"
Still on the roof, shielded by the mech, Thousand Leagues laid sprawled on the tiles with a mixed expression of shock, fear and relief. The giant swayed slightly with creaking metal. Blue pixels were leaking from the holes in its body where the vines impaled like blood leaking from wounds.
"…B-but why….?" she asked in dumbfound confusion.
"Don't get the wrong idea, Thousand Leagues Astrologer," boomed the static voice. "I stand by what I first said and think that the Slane Theocracy are a bunch of religious pricks who need a good beating…,"
"Then why-."
"But it's because you're a bunch of pricks that need a good beating that I won't sit back and let someone else do it. The only one I believe to have the right to do it in this world, is Ainz Oal Gown. That's what I've been wanting since the end of the first of the season."
"Th-thanks?.." she responded a little unsure and confused by the sudden declaration.
"That's all well and good!" Alex yelled from behind, still atop his vine pedestal with swirling vines at the base. "But your interests don't matter if you can't do anything about it!"
Suddenly, a mass of vines entrapped the top of the mech before coiling around it. Amidst it, six lights shone a bright orange.
The giant flayed back and began waving violently, grabbing at the vines and tearing them off. But the multitude and mass became too much and eventually had the whole thing tied up in so much vegetation it looked like a tree without leaves, slowing the mech's movements.
Boom!
Just as it stopped moving, the back exploded out and a hole through the vines and into the mech was opened. Garmadon appeared, hoisting a large metal pole with him before leaping out himself with the pole held high.
Before falling too far, a pair set of four wide blades stacked on top one another, snapped open then rapidly rotated in opposing directipno. In no time they were a blur and Garmadon glided down towards Thousand Leagues.
"Bam, Marry Poppins is here!" he yelled while gripping on for dear life before landing with a clop on the tiled roof.
Garmadon's black cloak had been burnt up to his waist, shoulders and a chunk from the front while outlined with fizzling glowing embers. He was also burnt on the forearms, but not too badly.
"What did you do?" asked Thousand Leagues as he dropped the mechanism, which disappeared into blue pixels.
"I won't go into details….," he said, the enveloped robot began pixelating and the mass of vines began leaving its captive only to combine together behind it. "…But I used some dynamite to blow a hole in the back which I then used to get out from. Though I kinda forgot to create cover until just before it went 'kaboom'."
He patted down his burnt cloak before taking the piece of the fabric off himself, gritting his teeth when the fabric touched his burnt skin. Without the cloak covering it, Garmadon was in his burnt and bloodied stained white shirt.
"Man, and I really liked this thing too," he groaned, wrapping it up into a ball.
"THOUSAND LEAGUES!" Suddenly Aurita landed on the roof with Laurisa and grappled her into a bear hug. "I thought he'd killed you."
"Sorry, but are you talking about me, or the kid over there on top of something out of 'Men in Black 2'?"
Back at Alex, the dryad was now fully formed and looked like a giant twisted tadpole thing with its legs where its arms should be. A mouth that could swallow a tanker hung agape with bloody red soil at the back and three orange eyes in a cluster on either side of its head behind the mouth.
Atop its head stood Alex with an excited grin and with Shredder in his beast form beside him.
"Hey, James, bring out that robot again. I didn't get enough of a 'Pacific Rim' thrill out of it~!" he called out with a voice trembling slightly in excitement.
Thousand leagues stared intently at Garmadon, half expecting him to make a cocky remark before going in to the fray. But to her surprise, he shuffled back with a twitching smile on his face.
"D-dam~," he cursed under his breath in shaky whisper.
No one understood what the matter was, this kid wasn't nearly this afraid when he first stood up against Alex, nor the vampire that would've made mince-meat out of them all with her bare hands. So what was different this time?
"Gar-James, can I call you James?" Thousand Leagues asked in a whisper.
"For the duration of this conversation, I don't care if you even call me 'Jelly Legs'," he answered back.
"Whatever. Are you okay? You weren't like this when you shot Laurissa, fort in the bar or against that vampire. So why are you so afraid?"
"…I..It's quite simple. When I fought Shalltear, I had close to a million lives in me. But now I've just got the one. If I had my shard in me I'd be able to do something," he hissed with venom.
'A million lives?!' Thousand Leagues shrieked internally. 'So that's what I sensed from that shard, lives! Wait, could this then mean that it acts like the 'Jewel of death' Zuranon uses? Utilizing the mass collection of energy to….. no that would be death. The 'Jewel of death' thrives on energy of the dead given off by fresh corpses. In contrast to that, I felt actual LIFE. It's a long shot, but this may go further to prove to Harold that he isn't from that cult.'
"Fine, you can have it," she responded, rummaging through her bag. "But first, you're going to tell me what that shard really is, or I'm breaking it."
"Hah! You won't be able to break that shard even if you put a buzz saw against it~," he said before letting out a sigh of defeat, running metal fingers through his hair while hissing between his teeth. "Fine, it's a philosopher's stone, happy?"
"…"
"…"
"…A what?" Thousand Leagues asked in dumb confusion.
In this new world, philosopher stones weren't something wildly known. In terms of alchemy, alchemists focused more on potions that'd buff people's health, exp, chances of survival, the works. Due to economical demand and wars, big businesses never really bothered looking into the miracle elixir for immortality.
"A phil-osi-phers stone," Garmadon slurred intuitively.
Thousand Leagues was about to retort but was immediately interrupted. "So that's what's holding you up! That PS really is big now that I see it."
Alex was holding an eye shut with a pair of fingers over his eyelid.
"Take a look at your feet. You know what this is, James," he yelled, pointing at them.
They all looked down to their feet. Just hidden behind Laurissa's foot was a small grey skinned lizard, the size of a brick, with eyes glazed over in a deep crimson and a blue tongue flicking in and out.
"A lizard-."
"Get rid of it!"
Garmadon bolted towards Laurissa, snagging up the reptile and tossing it off in a random direction.
"Someone wanna tell what that was?" called Thousand Leagues.
"It's one of Alex's abilities," Garmadon responded, coming back. "By closing at least one eye, he can see through the eyes of any animal he's made contact with in the past. Last I checked there's no range."
"Then….that would mean he could have eyes everywhere," Aurita said, shocked at the ability.
"~That's not even the worst of it~."
"You know I'd love to stick around and play 'catch-up', but I'm afraid I've got some unsavoury business to attend to here!…Mass slaughter of unbelievers and all," Alex yelled, with a little detest in his voice for the last part. "I'll make it so the animals won't harm you, James. Everyone else though, total goners."
"Wai-What!?"
"Later," at the send-off Alex almost instantaneously turned into a bolt and disappeared from the vine pedestal with faint red sparks buzzing in the air. Shredder was gone too.
"Was that teleportation?" Laurissa asked.
"Nope," Garmadon replied, giving his right eye a little rub. "He just moved so fast you couldn't see him."
Suddenly the tiles they stood upon began clattering. In the moments they'd been distracted, the dryad serving Alex had divided into a mass of snacking vines that snacked to the base of the building. The rest of the dryad was smaller than before with only two glowing eyes on either side this time and slumped down a random street on its viny appendages. Laruissa and Aurita glared over the edge.
"The vines are grinding away at the building and coming up!" yelled Autrita back in strong concern. "We gotta move!"
"Have your shard back, James," Thousand Leagues said, grabbing his hand and shoving the crimson gem into his hand. The sheer size and shape of it was enough to make it look like a shining dagger.
"Previous conversations over, can you please go back to calling me Garmadon."
Laurissa and Aurita were already making a bolt off the roofs ledge.
"[Agility boost]."
On their chant, both their bodies pulsed in a dull orange aura before literally soaring through the air, landing on the roof of a nearby building. It wasn't as stable as the previous, hell not even in one piece considering half of it was in rubble.
"Heh, I can do better," Garmadon boasted, gripping the shard in trembling metal fingers with the tip hovering just above his heart.
Interlude: Garmadon/James
'Oh jeez, what the hell am I doing?!'
Starring down at the tip of the shard, wobbling just above my chest, my hand was shacking in fear.
'Vosdulite said there was a chance that getting my shard back would kill me. Even if I'd live, I'm not delusional enough to inflict self-harm like before. Guess power can make you go crazy-.'
"GARMADON!"
"HaH-."
Shank.
Thousand Leagues yell shocked my train of thought and set my muscles into reflex mode. Next thing I knew, it felt like I was back in my fight with Albedo. A stinging pain in my chest pounded away, coupled with a swelling urge.
Cranking my head down, I saw that my hand was still clutching the shard, though said shard was now a third in my chest and I could feel a bit protruding from my back. Blood running between my fingers, I trembly removed my hand with a twitch pulling at the corner of my lips.
"I-I'm s-sorry," Thousand Leagues trembled in horror at realizing what she'd done, raising her hand ready to cast magic.
"E-eheh," I slightly giggled as the swelling urge took control and the shard pulsed a bright red, followed by dancing red sparks at the wound.
"Heya…eeehehe….neyahhaha-haaaahaha!"
Uncontrollably bellowing in laughter, the shard drilled into my chest on its own with sparks in its wake in excruciating pain as broken ribs and heart melded themselves back.
"Aah-hah~~tfff~ ooh this feels gah-REAT!"
The hole closed shut and my body thickly pulsed in red all the way to the tops of my fingers and the reaching into the depths of my sockets.
Interlude: Thousand Leagues Astrologer
"[Flames]," Thousand Leagues was gripping onto her extended wrist as flames burst out at the vines coming at them.
It had only been a few moments since Garmadon had gone into his daze, but the vines took that moment to launch themselves at them. She'd originally prepared to assist Garmadon, but the current issue was more pressing.
With each passing moment, the building they stood on become less and less stable.
Thousand Leagues wanted to get all these suckers in one go, but she didn't specialize in offensive magic as much as reconnaissance.
"We're coming Thousand Leagues!"
On the other roof, Laruissa and Aurita were about to leap to her aid.
"No don't!" she protested, burning a couple of vines that went for her ankles. The rooftop was becoming more and more like a garden of these things.
"Why not?!"
"This building's becoming more unstable with each passing moment. A little extra weight could send this us all crumble to the ground with it-[Flames]!"
As though to prove her point, the building gave a dreadful shudder, violently lurching to one side.
"But you're not strong enough for full out attack magic. Those vines will overrun you eventually-!?"
Fwoosh!
In an instant the surrounding vines exploded into flame, burning to cinders in no time.
"~That's true as hell~," rose a mocking voice, topped with arrogance.
Thousand Leagues struck round to face Garmadon.
"It's about time you did something useful," she remarked, flames dying and leaving ashes.
"Oh shut up, you're the ones who held me back," he said, flexing his metallic fingers before opening them. A slight spark buzzed in his palm before becoming a solid green ball with a pin in the top. "But I guess I can be as benevolent as to forgive you."
'….Benevolent?'
Garmadon pulled the pin and through it over the roofs edge. Before she knew it, Thousand Leagues was swept up in Garmadons arms like she was some kind of princess with his knees bent.
"Wha-w-w-what in the world are you-Whahh!"
Before she could even finish, Garmadon had leaped off….no, rocketed off the roof with a massive amount of force. So much so that the entire roof was shattered under the force.
Booom!
An explosion erupted from where the ball had been thrown by the base. That was the last amount of force the structure could take before buckling under its own weight to one side and crushing an unfortunate pack of wolves below.
The two landed on the next roof where Aurita and Laurisa were, crunching the tiles under Garmadons feet before grinding to a halt on the medium bit of roof left. It shuddered slightly from the impact until calming slightly.
"That was a close one," remarked Aurita as she and Laurissa swiftly moved over to them. "In my opinion you took way took long."
"Well it was this idiots fault by just standing there while laughing his head off," gestured Thousand Leagues towards Garmadon while still being cradled in his arms. Her heart was pounding in her chest from the sudden thrill she'd just gone through. "Now let me go, I could've flown out of there just fine without your help. Or don't you remember what happened in the bar before you murdered someone."
"Hey, don't patronize me," he protested, letting Thousand Leagues down. "The guy broke my nose and was about to turn my head into jelly. It was self-defence."
"We were there, remember? We could've healed you before you died—what's wrong with your ear?"
"Huh?"
Garmadon reached up to his left ear to ear to give it a feel only to draw his hand back with the lump of flesh in hand in a puddle of blood. It looked like it was melting wax.
"Well this can't be good," he assessed as the ear in his hand quickly turned to much and blood flowed down the side of his head. "-Bluurrghg-!"
Suddenly he cupped his mouth with his right hand as Garmadon gave a dreadful cough. Keeling over onto his knees, blood sprayed from between his fingers with another gurgled cough.
"Aarrggh!" everyone screamed at the sudden action.
"Wh-what's going on?" Aurita stuttered as both she and Laurissa knelt down next to him. "Is this supposed to happen?"
At this point, Garmadons' hair and the skin on his arm began looking like melting wax too. Even the metal arm resembled playdough.
"[Middle cure wounds]," Thousand Leagues chanted. "I don't know, this is a first for both of us."
As a pair of green circles in one another spun into action before her outstretched hands, Garmadons' body was enveloped in green light. But instead of healing him, the action seemed to accelerate his deterioration. His right arm and lumps of abdomen flesh melted off with a splat, followed by his stomach slipping out as a fleshy bag.
"I…..i….it's rejecting me-cough."
"What do you mean it's rejecting you-?"
Krooom!
Suddenly the building they were on violently trembled, shacking everyone off balance. Laurissa peeked over the edge.
At the base of the building where a door should be, stood a heap of dark, short-cut fur with toned muscle. It pulled back with rocks breaking as it did, a bull's head looked up.
It snarled upon seeing the pink haired girl and then burrowed deeper into the building.
"A minotaur's burrowing into the building. It won't hold," she addressed, turning back to the trio.
Garmadon was now but an almost completely melted candle at this point. His face was half drooping and half missing as he tried to stable himself with his remaining arm. The other two were trying to support him but the force they applied ended up pushing more flesh off him.
"….dd..don't thi…nk I'm…dguone..," he gurgled before every vein under his skin suddenly exploded, leaving a maze of dripping vines all over him. With his mouth agape and filled with blood, he lifelessly keeled over face first onto the tiled roof with a solid splat before melting away completely in a pool of red, white and silver.
Alex's Abilities:
Much like Garmadon(James), Alex possess a ruby shard within his heart that has an almost identical ability of molecule manipulation. Unlike the other though, this shard enables its user to manipulate a far superior area with greater force, though as a drawback it can't affect molecules on the quantum level. This results in him being able to create massive phenomena of fire and ice, but not lightning.
Alex's healing, speed and strength are also biproducts of the shard's ability to manipulate molecules by supplying energy to his own cells, accelerating them and his rate of healing. With the superior force exerted, Alex is both faster and stronger than Garmadon.
The fact that his shard stimulates his cells increases his mental processing and kinetic vision, though he's unable to perceive lightning fast speeds the same as his brother.
Another ability he has is one that's opposite to Gamadons. By closing an eye he can see through the eyes of any living thing he's touched in the past, he doesn't even need to be near them to see. And yes, if he closes both eyes he can see through two separate beings.
His main ability is what one would consider as a terrifying piece of magic. He's able to duplicate and merge souls, by duplicating and merging his own soul with another, the victim will be completely subjugated by it. In case any are wondering, all those affected by this share the same emotional pattern as the original, but they don't share a collective mind. This has also been done with Shredder.
In addition of merging souls with other souls, he can infuse magic into duplicated souls to give them temporary physical form. In other words, he can create clones of an individual by using their souls as the base. However, these clones are temporary and will diminish after a period of time. They cannot merge with other souls while in physical form.
Shredder's abilities
Shredder is an animal created by Vosdulite based on Alex's fictional character he made. Originally, he had no will of his own until Alex fused his soul with Shredders'.
Shredder has two forms, one where he's a small fluffy fox-like creature, while the other is a vicious beast resembling a saber-tooth tiger and is much stronger and faster.
His main ability is animal control. If it has low enough intelligence, Shredder can manipulate it like puppeteer with its puppet. Normally, he can spread his influence in a couple mile radius, but it can be amplified by using animals he bites under his influence as antenna. By biting an animal, he can increase his rate of control on them, which is why he could control Hamsuke before. The drawback is that his control can only work on animals in the first place.