Season 1: Beginning of the End | Act 2: Freedom
Hey, guys! I am going to be making references to games and even have an addition of game genres, like a levelling system. Be wary, it will get a little deep at some point.
Disclaimer: I do not own Overwatch or Diablo 3, those belong to Blizzard Entertainment. I do, however, own any and all OCs as well as twisted plot/Canon.
Timing: Post Reaper of Souls expansion, prior Overwatch Recall.
Notes: I'm not sure I should keep with the whole "a chapter a day" idea, because it might mess around with my grades at school, but that aside, I think you should have this now.
Now, for the love of God, let this Fanfiction begin!
-= *Hammer vs Mace* =-
Li-Ming, straightened the last strap of her belt as looked at herself through the mirror, sticking out a leg in order to straighten out the Ascended Greaves upon her thighs. She looked at herself hard in the eyes after straightening her Espaliers to line up with her shoulders.
She decided to think in the manner she did when she took initiative with odds against her and all she fought for. During the time of New Tristram against Magdha, Caldeum against Belial, Bastion's Keep against Azmodan, Heaven against Diablo, and even Westmarch against Malthael! Each time, she had a particular set of thoughts going through her mind.
And this one was just as similar.
Follow the objectives. Shred your enemies in twain. Force them to fear you. Destroy the enemy's pride and defeat them.
It always worked, she smiled. She took a white coif over her head, and took another white cloth to wrap over her mouth and upper nose. Only her eyes were visible as she left the bathroom area in the shelter. She was met by strange looks, but she did not care.
She met Miguel in the designated spot on time. He gave her a look of confusion before strolling forward in a random direction, her following. His clothing was similar as to before, a dark brown shirt with black baggy pants. No, it was overrun by straps not lacking accessories across them. A small gun rested at his hip, a large one slid well into both of his hands, in which he carried across an open street, no opposition to speak of yet.
"What are some of your abilities?" questioned Miguel.
"Most of it is unexplainable," Mi-Ling said cautiously, "but I do have an ability even I question, and it is the ability to transform into creatures of either fallen glory, or just plain terror."
"They better be useful, Telekinetic," Miguel stated.
"I will try," said Li-Ming, "however, I am new to the concept of transformations. I will have little control of full transformations. I am well versed in martial arts," she assured, "and my...telekinesis...is admirable."
"Good," he sighed with relief, "at least you're competent enough."
She rose a brow. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing much," he smiled. She realized he was merely jesting, and the two had playful swaps of banter for the next few minutes.
-= *line break* =-
General Peterson sighed as she signed another piece of useless information handed to her by officer. She noted he did not like the burden placed on her either by the higher ups, but even he didn't have a say in whether or not she liked it.
What she'd like right now was a distraction. Even if it was more Talon operatives out there ready for them to decimate, she wouldn't mind. It'd be better than useless paperwork.
"Falcon to Overlord, over," came the static of the olden day communicators.
And there was her saving grace. Riley.
General Peterson quickly brought the communicator and pressed the button on it, answering, "Overlord to Falcon, report. Over."
"Falcon to Overlord, eh, girl's on the move with...Miguel Alcantara, I think there was a plan set up to where she gets him to their base, over."
Peterson took a moment to think this over. "What are they doing currently?"
He answered after a second's notice, "Just talking. They're gonna run into a few Vishkar soldiers in the area before the reach the base, though."
"Have your Augmentor record some of her abilities," commanded Peterson, "I want to know what she is capable of. Have Bucky scout the rebels' bases."
"Falcon copies all," he replied. "Over and out."
She set down the communicator, sighing and rubbing her face in frustration. It hasn't even been that long and the two of them have already reached that girl. It has been reaching dusk, and it was almost time to return to Trump Base in L.A. over with Captain Hodges and the rest of TF29.
She stood up and picked up the communicator, adding it to the motley of items on her belt, and strode out of the room. Picking up a more modern communicator by lifting a finger up to her ear and pressing, her HUD displayed the screen of those she could communicate with.
She quickly chose the guard over the five captured Talon soldiers and ordered them to move the Talon soldiers to her AC-430 on the base's airfield. She was going to have to formulate a plan as to what to do with South America.
Recent reports indicate that more Talon insurgents have dug in deeply in the other countries surrounding Brazil. They're up to something with the entire continent, and she didn't have enough solid evidence to send it to the POTUS yet.
She tapped her side twice quickly before making her way over to the airfield.
She was going to have a field day with this, wasn't she?
-=* line break* =-
It was in the dead of night most people would believe you'd have the perfect cover.
It was Li-Ming at the moment who began to regret that decision of that thought process immediately.
They hid behind the corner of a building, she peeking over with the small of her face to look after who was in the area. Several Vishkar officers in the black, baby blue and white uniforms stood on the far end of the small street, which was more of an alleyway.
This was the best way, however, it bottlenecked them inside, making it nearly impossible to make it through without at least a few injuries.
Several bullets ripped down the range that had been created for them, forcing her to turn back to the wall with Miguel at her side in a similar state of annoyance, but she knew it better than something that small.
Looking back, she could see three men step up in front of the cannons, which promptly shut off in order to see the next action through. She took this as a sign to move up, though realized as she brought Alcantara up to the next door, that this was an acceptable loss for the Vishkarians and possible Talon agents.
They weaved their hands together over one another creating a ball of red energy that promptly created winds in the area, kicking up dust and dirt as a red transparent wall appeared.
She recognized that type of arcane abilities: wards.
A one sided shield. This would be difficult for her. The three men stepped back as the cannons sped up again. Her shields could take on a brunt of attack for the next 20 yards, which she took advantage of as she grabbed Miguel and held him behind her, chasing the next move on.
Her shields took on the brunt of the attack and allowed them by with minor injuries. However, she noticed something simple as she entered the alcove. A black figure...
...then it rose an arm and the buttstock of a weapon made contact with her face, throwing her back a bit, dazing her, forcing Miguel to enter into an attack.
Li-Ming gracefully flipped up, and with the Wrath of the Crusader she stepped up against Leoric with, stepped in near the Vishkar agent and elbowed him in the face.
She heard the audible blow to his face, satisfying her need to vengeance against one who would dare catch her off guard. Several more soldiers poured through the doorway the first went through, pointing their weapons at Miguel, completely ignoring the Nephalem.
She had a pride, and they insulted it.
With the speed of a Monk, she flashed through the crowd, disabling a soldier by striking their weapon and arm into the wall, hit his pressure point under his upper arm, and proceeded to kicking the man several yards away with inhuman strength.
Spinning to her left, she made her way through the center of the alcove by breaking the knee of another soldier, causing him to spin and fire wildly upwards. The other two backed away from his wildfire, giving her the opening she needed.
Firing a few shots from his weapon, Miguel took the furthest one from the right off his feet after shooting him in the chest. The last soldier, turned his interest on Miguel in a suicide attempt, and that attempt became fatal as Mi-Ling then decapitated him with a familiar sickle.
"Dammit, Malthael," thought Li-Ming, "Why now of all times?"
"We need to get going!" he yelled, not noticing the mist overtake her arm in order to rid of Malthael.
"I'm trying!" yelled Li-Ming, looking back into the bullet-torn street, only for it to stop.
"What's happening?" whispered Miguel.
"Let me see," Li-Ming replied quietly, looking around the corner, only to notice a shadow around them continue growing.
Looking up, she then turned and tackled Miguel, before a large crusader bared his weapon against her.
"Peter?" she questioned loudly, only for it to chuckle.
"Whoever it is," Miguel said quickly, grabbing her and running, "it's not your friend!"
They ducked into a doorway within the alleyway, making it inside of a building as a large hammer landed.
This was gonna be harder than Li-Ming originally thought.
-= *line break* =-
James "Bucks" Buckless activated his camouflage suit, weaving through the rebels of the main base, searching through to find anything of interest.
There may have only been one thing, but most of the soldiers had this technology, most of the doctors had sonic technology that could help human healing. While it was slow, it healed them efficiently.
Lucio dos Santos had stolen company property and multiplied it so his rebels and doctors could have their respective abilities.
Bucks found a quiet place void of people and made way to it. Soon after he made it to a crate around the corner from several guards, crouching in the darkness the crates provided, the dark deepened by the dead of night. He deactivated his gear and lifted an old school communicator to his mouth, whispering into it.
"WS to Overlord, over?"
A short moment of static filled the channel quietly as he waited. In this time, he took a moment to look over the crate as he heard the pittering of soft footfalls from around the corner, and the language of a different tongue.
He saw a few soldiers approaching, not specifically to him, but in his direction. He would have to be quick.
A sputter from his radio indicated his call had been received and he quickly ducked behind the crate.
"Overlord to WS, over," general Peterson replied.
"This is WS, I'm in dos Santos' base. They're using the technology of the Vishkar corporation for his soldiers and doctors. Slow, but effective. Over."
Static reached the communicator again as he peeked over the edge of the crate. The rebels were dangerously close.
"Overlord copies all. Get out of there, WS. Over and out."
The soldiers heard that and looked into Bucks' direction, forcing him to pocket the communicator and activate stealth mode, quietly maneuvering towards them and knocking their heads together forcefully, his suit flickering in his attack.
He quickly made it out of the base undetected, yet they were in a frenzy due to his knocking unconscious of the guards.
This didn't make that woman Falcon was following in any less interesting, he mused.
-= *line break* =-
"FE FI FO FUM!" roared the paladin through a communications system that made his voice sound rather robotic, Miguel noticed.
However, Li-Ming seemed less amused.
Had the Barbarian been with her, Radriar would have surely murdered him for the insulting words. Instead, she was the one that took the Rage of Radriar and decided to channel it into the being of this...paladin.
She thrust two arms forward and a large ball twisted and amalgamated into her hands, a red, angry arcane beam burst forth from her hands and shot thickly through the paladin, as was intended. However, while the beam pierced through him, it did zero damage, thanks to the immunity shield posed over him.
She ended the beam and hid behind a crate as a hammer fell down, instantly sitting herself next to Miguel.
"Why would you stop?!" yelled he as the two of them sprinted further into the building.
"He's immune to my attacks!" she replied. "We must find the caster for the immunity ward or he will run us down!" She flipped graciously over a fallen hammer and continued striding forwards, grabbing the hand of a tripping Miguel. The impact destroyed the rhythm of his steps.
"DEUS HOC VULT!" roared the paladin, running forth faster than Li-Ming expected, her turning a corner upstairs.
"He's a paladin!" complained Miguel. "That was the war cry of a crusader!"
"What did he even say?!" questioned Li-Ming as they ran down the hallway after the steps, the paladin ripping through the floor beneath them and climbing up.
"'God wills it!'" replied Miguel as a large metallic hand reached into the room they were stuck in.
"Come here, boy!" roared the paladin as he brought his full form to bear through the ceiling and onto the second floor, crushing walls and ceiling away from himself as he burst through from place to place.
"Oh, God, he's after me!" yelled Miguel, to which Li-Ming quickly covered his mouth in pure anger, before the paladin followed the voice.
"You fool!" she yelled angrily, her right eye unknowingly flaring yellowish red. Miguel caught this, but paid it no mind for now. They would have a moment later for inquiries and other such things. For now, they needed to evade this paladin!
They found an exit away from the paladin's prying eyes, before sprinting forward in a cacophony of heavy footfalls from the Nephalem and Santos' right hand lieutenant. The paladin followed, soon watching them sprint up steps.
He did the same as before, breaching the ceiling with his hands and heaving himself up, large hammer at his waist before setting large metal boot to floor.
Li-Ming and Miguel brought themselves into a room and slammed it, before hearing a whimper.
The two of them swirled, weapons brought to bear in fear of a new enemy, only to see a man in the room, holding a cube roughly as large as his head floating between flesh.
Li-Ming quickly knocked the man out and disintegrating the annoying object, freeing them of the immunity shield around the paladin.
The paladin felt his shields weaken, his HUD blinking and screeching at him in beeps indicating that the shield had fallen. Taking a moment to grunt in annoyance, he brought his left hand over in front of him, hammer behind him as the armor over his triceps extended into a sharp edge.
The back of the suit opened, revealing two cylinders that thrust forward for a moment, blue flames igniting before a yellow hue of it burst forward from it. His feet left the floor as he charged through the walls into the very room that he knew the girl and Alcantara were in.
The two had heard this and instead exited the room through the wall rather than the door, before the door itself was torn from it hinges, walls crackled and buckled into nothing but ash as a large paladin strode through destroying everything in its path.
He overshot, and Li-Ming could overhear the curse, "SHIT!" before he was thrown through the wall and down into the alleyway, squashing multiple of the Vishkarians beyond the barrier they had set up for themselves. The augmented that had built the barrier squashed like bugs, barrier falling in their wake.
"Hmm," Miguel noted with a high-pitched hum of inquiry, "that works."
Only for the two of them to watch the paladin extend his arm once more and charge into the building with the same flame adorning his back, the building shuddering in response.
"Nevermind," Miguel said annoyed, before the floor beneath them buckled with the second floor, the fourth floor and above them also buckling in its wake.
The whole front of the building came crashing down, revealing the second half of the interior, Li-Ming and Miguel both being seen as they fell.
Mid-flight (or -freefall), Li-Ming had grabbed Alcantara and thrown him over herself, his landing gracefully on the ground away from her and the paladin.
"Go!" she commanded. "Return to Lucio dos Santos and send for me! I will take on the paladin myself!"
"Are you sure, M?!" he called, only to be given a stern glare before a prideful smile. "I will not tell of your abilities until you are ready!" he assured, running off.
"Best not," she mumbled, before turning to the hulking mass of metal.
"I will defeat you, little girl, and I will take Alcantara as a prize!"
"Little?" she questioned with a raised brow. "I don't think so. Malthael!" she called forth.
Light hearted and transparent mists swarmed her smiling figure as the paladin watched her grow three sizes, mist covering her once female body, only to reveal the Angel of-
Actually, Li-Ming noticed at the last second that this was, in fact, not Malthael.
-= *line break* =-
Leoric was many things. Mad. Insane.
Regretful.
He wished, oh, how he wished! for redemption! For that one chance to prove himself once again, to redeem him of the atrocities he did in light of an enemy he could not control.
Being inside the Nephalem had allowed him to see some qualities that he once had held for himself. Glory. A small pint of greed when it came to money for her. And even a large amount of pride she liked to protect, something Azmodan of all things could actually commend her for.
No, truly, Azmodan told him that he wanted to commend her for her pride that he had threatened all that time ago.
Now, however, Leoric had seen chance. A chance to redeem himself of his insanity as he floated within the expanse of dreamspace that posed itself within the Nephalem's mind. Once being one of Diablo's minions made you part of the Soulstone when you died, so Leoric understood as best as possible.
Now, Leoric was of his own, the Nephalem feeding him the power to redeem his paranoia back into proper sanity, severing his connection to the Demon of Terror. Not that he could rebuild the flesh of his body (Malthael might help with that, he noted), but he could rebuild a sound mind.
She had called for Malthael against this beast, but Leoric couldn't be without a hint of jealousy for the angel, having being called on when Leoric himself would fare a better chance. Angelic requilary may be one of the sharpest metals in all of Creation, but Earth was certainly not of the Creation they had known.
That metal, whatever...alloy...it was, certainly can hold itself against a blade of an angel. A mace was better suited against that armor.
Of course, like many kings, Leoric had an army, and he knew how to wield it well. He knew strategy, and he knew metal when he saw it. Albeit the armor here was a bit strange to him, he could tell of the composition and just where to strike.
Malthael may have a few aeons on Leoric's age, but Leoric knew metal. Progressive, that is. The angels were entirely tradition when it came to weaponry. Always of the same metal.
Of course, thousands of years worth of war waged on the Battlefields of Eternity certainly gave a small bit of recourse in discerning the strength of metals.
But it was the metal of man he spoke of. He knew Man had the capability to weave metal stronger than angelic and how to wield it better than any demon in the history of Creation.
That was why he believed he was more capable of fighting this paladin of metal!
That was why he was...confused as Hell as to why he was in the Nephalem's place.
"Meh," he hoarsely said, rubbing the chin of what was left of the bone, "a chance is a chance."
-= *line break* =-
The man inside the paladin looked on at the large skeletal figure posed before him, whose voice crackled like thunder and hoarsely made its presence known through the speakers of his suit, eyes scrunched and mouth wide in confusion. The skeleton ironically cocked his head left and right with his free left hand, popping several bones loudly.
A large mace was presented over his shoulder, the tarnished silver armor crinkling in response to the movement this...skeleton posed. A crown presented itself over its head, indicating nobility, or kingship.
The skeleton stared at him deep into his soul, the opening of his eyeholes into his cranium carving deep trauma into the paladin's brain, an almost sinister smile of an illusion showed itself on its lips with an almost ghastly smoke.
It hefted its mace off of its shoulder before holding it in both hands towards its right, before bringing it bear and with a large swing, sent the paladin through several buildings and into a street area, a sinister, hoarse laugh ringing in the paladin's fearing ears.
In pure anger, the paladin smashed its left hand into the ground to push himself up - small quake emanating from the hand - the right hand grabbing the hammer that had fallen a few feet from himself. Several high pitched cries came from around him and light colored mists appeared around him, coalescing into newer, smaller skeletons from the first, each holding a sword and shield, bow and arrow, or bare hands that pulled at him.
Strange strength was in those fleshless arms as they began to drag him back by the feet with ease, one in front of him wresting his mace from his hand. He let out a scream mixed with anger and pure horror as arrows clunked against his armor and swords were swung against the weaker parts of his armor.
How did they know?!
All of a sudden, the skeletal king from earlier came forth...well, it was more of an apparition. Several, really. Multiple swinging into the front of him with that ghastly smile once more, before the real skeletal figure posed itself in front of the paladin, a skeleton from beneath somehow holding up the bulk of the armor.
The mace was swung from beneath, flipping the paladin head over heels back into the ground behind him. Several skeletons were crushed in this feat, not that it mattered to Leoric.
"Unholy strength!" yelled the paladin. "Where do they get it?!" he demanded.
"Their regrets!" Leoric hoarsely shouted back at the now perplexed paladin. "Every one of these men are dead, but regret something or other! The more regrets they have..." he stated, before bringing his mace to bear once more, "the stronger they are!"
Spinning in three consecutive circles, Leoric had first swung low, beneath the knee in order to flip the paladin, the second at the paladin's back before it could meet ground, and the third hooked on his back once more before face met pavement.
He dragged the paladin and slammed him down near his weapon, behind Leoric's self.
The paladin stood, reeling in the hammer and extended his left hand, barrier field opening from it. Red shields appeared around a strange four pointed star from the paladin's arm, Leoric noticed. Leoric heartily laughed, before charging and striking at the barrier.
Leoric was caught off guard by the sheer bounce backwards, the shields turning off and a single hammer embedding itself into the Black King's back, catching his fall, but thrusting him over the paladin and into the ground, face first.
Leoric had a pride, and it was damaged by a nameless being who stood at his height.
Leoric slammed a hand into the pavement in anger, blue smoke coalescing around him as his mace was forgotten, forming a fist. He threw himself upward faster than what should be deemed possible with his hulking form, and threw a punch into the face of the paladin.
The paladin flipped as he was thrown, his feet landing properly onto the ground like a cat, his face to the side from the momentum of force carried through.
A single dent was on the head of the paladin.
The paladin charged forward, reaching Leoric with immense speeds, before Leoric, who was taught in the art of Royal Martial Arts, flipped the paladin over with its own momentum, losing grip on hammer, and sending them into hand-to-hand combat.
-= *line break* =-
Falcon could not believe what he was seeing.
Giant Skeleton versus Paladin?!
They were even the same height!
"Falcon to Overlord, over!" he yelled into the communicator.
"Overlord to Falcon, I read you," replied Peterson simply. "What's going on? Over."
"This is Falcon, we have a giant skeleton and a Paladin wrestling around on the streets of Rio de Janeiro, how copy, over?"
There was a moment of si- "What did you just say, Riley?" she broke formality in pure confusion.
"Girl, I mean what I say," he replied informally. "Sending footage...now!"
Another moment of si- "What the hell?!" came over the communicator. "Is that-"
"Yes, that is Target Mike November," he said. "She just turned into him! Just like she did to Reaper!"
"Understood," she said. "Why does she attack?"
"Cover so Miguel Alcantara can RTB," he replied. "Probably not a good idea to piss her off by taking the one person she was trying to protect. Looks like she's got pride."
"Roger," the general returned into proper etiquette. "Continue to follow Target Mike November and stay outside the base area, at least 50 feet minimum," she ordered. "Tell me how the situation develops. We still don't know who's good and bad in Brazil, over and out."
"Got it," replied Falcon without the communicator. She knew he understood.
He just didn't understand this.
-= *line break* =-
Soon after a small - or rather, large - scuffle, the Leoric had managed regain his fallen mace, holding the paladin above himself with one hand, about to strike with his mace.
As his mace was brought down, the paladin was able to curb the attack away from his face, reeling back and using the weight of his suit in order to overcome the large skeleton, using a spinning momentum to attempt slamming the skeleton into a wall and into a daze.
However, he was slammed into a wall, a small yell of pain escaping his lips as his back met wall, the two of them falling down into the ground, the mace of the creature sliding away from himself.
The skeletal being roared in small anger before shoving the paladin off, disappearing into several apparitions of smoke into the direction of his mace. The paladin brought up his hammer and readied himself for the next few attacks.
However, as they were surrounded by buildings, above skeletal figures fell onto the paladin, dragging him low. Skeletons rose from the asphalt of the ground - and while there was much effort to be put breaking through it, they still rose quickly to hold the paladin by his feet.
The King sprinted forward, reclaiming his former glory with a last swing of his mace, veering off the left to bring momentum from his right. As his mace sailed through the air the closest to the paladin, Leoric pushed himself back at the same time, strength and speed added to the mace as it brought itself into the face of the paladin, sending it head over foot into the building nearby.
A breath of fatigue brought itself from the depths of the lungless ribcage, smoke billowing from mouth. He put his left hand over his ribcage, reminiscing of the past. It seemed he was still human.
The ghastly smile appeared on his lipless jaw, but this time serene.
He soon fell to knee, mace falling from hand, the mists of his people turned skeleton coalescing around him once more, returning him to his original height, and then to the height of the Nephalem.
He lost the feeling of gravity as his form shifted to the right a small ways, down a hill, his vision blurring to black as he returned to the dreamspace of the Nephalem.
It was here he found solace, and it was in taking over the Nephalem's body that he found a chance to repay her.
He found his vision regained inside of her mind once more, her vision being regained as well. His flesh was over his skeletal body here, which made him happy for the first time in forever. A real smile washed over his flesh as he revelled in its feel.
He swore he would repay the Nephalem for allowing him this.
-= *line break* =-
Not like she fucking wanted it, though. It hurts like a bitch.
She let out grunts of pain as she tumbled down the hill, before finally stopping, breathing heavily.
She felt a warmth come up her throat, and she coughed into the side, the red substance known as blood littering the ground.
"Dammit..." she mumbled...
-= *line break* =-
"Heat signature ahead," said one of the rebels as Miguel followed. "Female, red clothing, wounded, ready to engage," he said almost robotically. But Miguel stopped them.
"No!" he yelled, "she's a friendly!"
He sprinted up to her, cradling her chuckling form in his right hand as he place his left hand over her right arm.
"Are you okay, M?" he questioned despite the pained laughter from her.
"It was a lot more difficult than I expected," she replied, voice almost hoarse. A red hue was on her forehead before it disappeared suddenly, Miguel noticed. Other than her seemingly regaining some spirit, she showed no chance of knowing that it was even on her. "Place the flask on my right hip to my mouth," she asked.
He nodded, reaching for it with his left hand and uncorking the bottle with a strange red liquid inside. He placed it at her lips and let her drink it.
She drank at it hungrily, and he pulled away for a moment. "All of it," she specified. He nodded, and slowly poured it into her mouth gently, letting the liquid be swallowed. "Thank you," she said, "cork it and replace it on my hip, then help me to your base."
"I will," he replied, doing just as she said. He slid her left arm around his neck and they slowly stood, her hissing in pain in her right leg, which hung and was dragged as they moved forward. Her left foot functioned perfectly, however, and they strode forward. "I will get you to an infirmary, M."
She nodded. "I believe..." she said slowly, "I'm losing consciousness..."
Her voice faded as her head fell on his shoulder. He flustered for a moment before hurrying to the base.
-= End of Chapter 4* =-
I DID IT!
BE HAPPY!
Comments:
Akshka (Guest): "Akshka:2 updates in one day you spoile me like it"
Reply: "You got it, buddy!" ^.^
And now, for the love of God, let the next Fanfiction begin!