Opening File: The Dark Masters
Byproducts of the chaos Apocalymon had inflicted on the Digital World, the Dark Masters consisted of Piedmon, MetalSeadramon, Machinedramon, and Puppetmon. Before the DigiDestined arrived in the Digital World, the Dark Masters had successfully managed to defeat and seal away the four Sovereigns. Piedmon had also attacked the Agents' castle, where Gennai and his brethren were preparing the Digi-Eggs, Crests and Digivices for the DigiDestined. Although Piedmon slew most of the Agents, Gennai managed to escape in a Mekanorimon with the Digi-Eggs and Digivices.
The castle would later be taken over by Myotismon. The Dark Masters began their reign of terror throughout the Digital World while the DigiDestined were fighting Myotismon in the Real World. They reformed the Digital World into Spiral Mountain, with Piedmon's castle at the peak as their base of operations. When the DigiDestined return to the Digital World, the Dark Masters attack in a quick barrage, outmatching the children easily.
When Piedmon attempts to execute the DigiDestined, Chuumon intercepts the dagger, then Piximon sacrifices his life to hold off the Dark Masters as he casts away the DigiDestined. The DigiDestined manage to climb Spiral Mountain and defeat each of the Dark Masters with help from their old Digimon friends. As each Dark Master is defeated, his domain dissipates and reforms in its natural state on the surface of the Digital World. However, after defeating all four Dark Masters, the DigiDestined discover that the Dark Masters are not the true enemy, and that the far more dangerous threat is the Dark Masters' creator and master, Apocalymon.
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Opening File: Piedmon
Piedmon is the toughest of the Dark Masters, as well as the most cruel; he also has a sadistic sense of humor, often cracking jokes and laughing hysterically. He is a master of deception and trickery. Despite this, he respects his comrades and treats them as equals. Piedmon was created by Apocalymon long before the DigiDestined arrived in the Digital World, and was aware of the Agents' plot to bring the DigiDestined into the Digital World to save it.
With an army of Guardromon and Mekanorimon, he assaulted the Agents' castle and attempted to steal the DigiDestined's arsenal, but one of the Agents, Gennai, was able to retrieve the Digi-Eggs and Digivices intended for the DigiDestined and escaped in a Mekanorimon. However, Piedmon still obtained the Crests and Tags, and gave them to Devimon to hide. Devimon hid the Tags in the Net Ocean while he scattered the Crests around the Continent of Server. While the DigiDestined were fighting Myotismon in the Real World, Piedmon and his fellow Dark Masters were able to take control of the Digital World.
Piedmon lived atop Spiral Mountain, which consisted of areas of the Digital World that had been turned into a lifeless wasteland; he saw no need in specializing what kind of area he wanted aside from darkness. He observed his domain and monitored the other Dark Masters while they fought the DigiDestined using a TV-like device. After returning to the Digital World, when the DigiDestined first encountered Piedmon in the form of a clown, narrating their impending doom before revealing himself. From there, he easily defeated WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon because he had far more experience.
Before he could ask for 'audience volunteers' for their 'grand exit', Piximon rescued the Digidestined and sent them to MetalSeadramon's territory. He watched from his castle as each Dark Master fell until his Digital Wasteland was all that was left of Spiral Mountain. Before confronting the DigiDestined, he sent LadyDevimon, his personal bodyguard, to kill them, but she failed. He fought them and nearly killed WarGreymon, but Matt and Garurumon showed and healed WarGreymon.
The Crest of Friendship Because he saved himself for the end, MetalGarurumon and WarGreymon were able to gain experience from their fights with the other three Dark Masters and back him into a corner with their combined strength. To avoid a losing-battle with them, he turned them, along with Andromon and most of the other DigiDestined into inanimate keychains; only T.K., Angemon, and Kari escaped, while Mimi and Lillymon were elsewhere. He was briefly held off by Angemon, but then sent T.K and Kari off a cliff by cutting a rope they were holding on to. However, T.K was able to digivolve Angemon into MagnaAngemon, who easily beat Piedmon, and then turned everyone back to normal.
Despite Piedmon's efforts to counterattack with his army of Vilemon, the combined attacks of WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon blasted Piedmon right into MagnaAngemon's Gate of Destiny, which then sealed and dissolved, putting an end to the Dark Masters.
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Opening File: Iron Heavens
The Iron Heavens is a mega prison fortress/ship that unlike the majority of other prisons is actually situated in the sky, sitting on a small island with a large amount of Gravity Dust keeping it suspended in the air. The island was fortified into a prison, meant for transporting and holding dangerous criminals, either taking them to the special underwater prison in the North Pole or keeping them indefinitely. This prison was established by P.O.I.N.T. to house the special criminals they captured and to study any special powers or technology they captured along the way.
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Opening File: Aisling
Aisling is a fairy-like creature, a member of the now destroyed Tuatha Dé Danann, living in the woods outside of a village known as Kells. She is a protector of the forest, and doesn't like unwelcome guests. Her exact age is uncertain, but she was hundreds of years old by the time Crom Cruach was first sealed. An unspecified amount of time ago, Crom Cruach killed the rest of her people and his army of Bodach would swarm the forest surrounding Kells but for someone reason they could not enter.
The evil deity Crom would besiege the Kells, seeking to destroy for it had become a symbol of resistance against his reign of terror. Aisling would use her magic to try and protect the forest she lived in, trying to halt the spread of Crom's dark powers. However she was but a mere child compared to the rest of her kind and her powers could only keep a small part of the forest alive as Crom's powers grew. Fortunately before her people were destroyed they and the goddess Yeshmiyek created magical cane to use against Crom.
As the last of her kind since they had all been either destroyed or fled to the Other World Aisling waited until she could find someone worthy to hold the cane. Eventually she came upon a Shepard named Patrick who was one of the few who bravely stood against Crom and by the time the warrior known as Cu Chullain had risen to become a champion of freedom and justice in Ireland. When Crom was sealed Aisling remained in the forest to keep watch over the cave where his tomb was placed to ensure no one would ever find and awaken him. Unfortunately there was nothing she could to stop the golden tablets and statue meant to keep Crom sealed when Billiam Milliam enacted his plan to steal all the gold in the world.
She could only send out a warning and prey a descendant of the Shepard Patrick would find the magical cane and use it to stop Crom Cruach once again.
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Opening File: Morphogenetic Field
The word morphic comes from the Greek morphe, meaning form. Morphic fields organize the form, structure and patterned interactions of systems under their influence – including those of animals, plants, cells, proteins, crystals, brains and minds. They are physical in the sense that they are part of nature, it is a new science that is being explored. All self-organizing systems are wholes made up of parts which are in turn lower-level wholes themselves – such as organelles in cells, cells in tissues, tissues in organs, organs in organisms, organisms in social groups. At each level, the morphic field gives each whole its characteristic properties, and coordinates the different parts.
The fields responsible for the development and maintenance of bodily form in plants and animals are called morphogenetic fields. The existence of these fields was first proposed in the 1920s and this concept is widely used within biology. But the nature of these fields has remained obscure. It has been suggested they are part of a larger family of field called morphic fields.
Other kinds of morphic fields include behavioral and mental fields that organize animal behavior and mental activity, and social and cultural fields that organize societies and cultures. All of these organizing fields are different kinds of morphic field. Like quantum fields, they work probabilistically. They restrict, or impose order upon, the systems they influence. Recently it has been discovered that the Semblance of Hunter named Kurt Malcolm is able to emit sounds containing such fields and has been able to record them before selling them to better help his fellow Hunters and even help ordinary people.
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Xxx
"Legend, myth, history, fact. All these words circling around the idea of events that may or may not have happened. All stories are seen as true or false….But who says that can't be both? Why does one person believe in one story being real only for everyone else to say it is imaginary?" TOM wondered as the files closed. "Where do stories begin? Watching events in real life and choosing to pass them down to the next generation? Mere thoughts and ideas coming together in your mind until they form a story all on their own? Or is there something else at work beyond mere imagination that guides and drives us to create something that can be passed down to the upcoming generations to ensure you leave something behind that can last forever?"
Xxx
Rolf looked outside, feeling someone or…something was watching him. He spied something white hiding in the bushes and narrowed his eyes. "Excuse Rolf for a second."
He quickly got up and walked out the door, leaving his perplexed friends behind. He walked out of the restaurant and spotted what looked like a white wolf staring at him. After his experience with Fenrir Rolf was naturally on guard around anything resembling a wolf.
But for some strange reason this wolf gave off nothing to make him feel wary.
In fact he felt something else as he stared at it.
Some sort of…connection.
He could feel his cane vibrating and letting out a humming sound so he held it out to the wolf who stared at it. From the tip of the cane came a golden light that reached out and touched the wolf…
Rolf watched in stunned and mystified awe as the white wolf changed into a white mist…and then that mist took a humanoid form, clouds giving way to flesh and hair, a pair of green eyes appearing on the 'face' and a grey ragged shirt going down to her thighs with furry boots. Rolf was silent as the wolf turned into a mist and then into a girl with long white hair that reached down to the ground and forest green eyes.
The girl stared at Rolf…before falling over but Rolf quickly caught her, realizing who or what she was. "A Child of Danu."
Xxx
"She is a what?"
Everyone had watched Rolf change the white wolf into a girl and he quickly brought her into Pops' Diner, laying her on a table.
"A Child of Danu. A Tuatha de Danann." Rolf answered, staring down at the girl. "The very people who created this cane for the first Shepard who sealed away the evil Crom Cruach."
"The ones who made that magic cane?" Nazz questioned.
"Yes." Rolf nodded. "But Rolf thought they were gone. Destroyed by Bloody Hand Crom during his original rule of the Old Country."
"Guess this one survived." Bunny Bravo brought a warm cloth to the girl's head.
"So…She's a fairy?" Kevin asked, only able to recall a bit of what happened during the Crom Crises.
"In a way, yes but her people were worshipped and feared by the people of Rolf's country in the olden days." Rolf explained. "Rolf wonders why she has appeared now that black hearted Crom Cruach exists no longer."
"For one…" Everyone watched as the girl slowly sat up. "I guess would be to thank you for finally killing that monster."
Rolf quickly bowed. "Rolf is humbled to be in the presence of a Child of Danu."
"And the second would be to tell you not to call me that." The girl frowned. "We are…or were free spirits. Danu may have been considered our queen but she was a lot more free spirited and respected the wishes of her people…unlike that spoiled brat Oberon. So don't grovel like that. I can't stand people groveling."
"Sorry." Rolf stood up.
"And don't apologize either." Aisling snapped. "Every time that happens I have to hear 'Oh I did not mean to offend you' and 'I'm not worthy', 'Please don't feed me to your wolves'."
Everyone stared at Aisling after hearing that last comment.
"I thought fairies were supposed to be nice." Artemis whispered.
Aisling threw a sharp look at the archer. "I suppose you expected me to have wings, look tiny and only be able to talk through hand gestures as well. Is it any surprise why it's so hard to like humans?"
"So why are you here?" Abby asked, placing her hands on her hips. "And we can have name while we're at it?"
"My name is Aisling." The girl introduced herself and then pointed at a finger at Rolf's cane. "And I am here because of that."
Rolf held up his cane. "This?"
"I was that cane's caretaker since Crom Cruach was first sealed away. I watched over it and the cave that demon was sealed in, making sure no one was stupid enough to break in and try stealing from his tomb." Aisling explained, eyes narrowing slightly.
"And where were you when he broke out?" Capital G asked.
Aisling narrowed her eyes. "Who do you think sent the music box as a warning?"
"Wait, music box?" Rolf's eyes perked up. "It was you! You sent the music box that symbolized war and return of the evil Crom!"
Aisling narrowed her eyes. "Of course it was me. When that golden idiot stole the gold tablets keeping Crom sealed I knew I couldn't stop him. His magic and darkness would have killed me in an instant so I did the only I could do. I sent the music box as a warning and hoped that someone with the blood of the Shepherds would find their way back to the cave and find that cane."
Everyone was silent by that little detail. They had all believed it had been Crom who had sent the music box to the Hall of Heroes.
But in reality it was Aisling, sending a warning to the descendants of the original Shepard of Crom's return.
"So then why are you here?" Nazz finally asked the question everyone had been wondering.
"I am still the caretaker of that cane. I promised my friends I would watch over it and I plan on doing so." Aisling crossed her arms. "Any objections?"
"Wow. Sounds like Rolf is playing host for two." Kevin smirked at the surprised son of a Shepard who was already allowing Ed to stay with him.
"…A burden has been placed on Rolf."
Xxx
"Azarath…Metrion…Zinthos."
Her soul self-left her body and began its journey, following her empathic connection to the one she had sensed.
Beast Boy.
It was surprisingly easy to retrace her steps, following the trail her empathic link with her green friend had given her. Before Trigon was summoned to Earth Raven had left a small amount of power in all of her friends, including Beast Boy which had helped spare them the fate of being turned to stone by Trigon. This left a small link that she could use trace back to the place where she had ended up when Van Kleiss had abducted her.
He took her first.
Now he's taken Beast Boy and she sensed something was happening.
She could not allow this to go on.
She was putting a stop to this.
Xxx
Van Kleiss looked at the readings and they were promising. The green one had gone through several mutations as Biowulf and Skalamander worked to get him into the new containment unit.
Van Kleiss' Log: Day…I think I have stopped counting the days now.
Regardless my work continues in the new subject codenamed: Beast Boy. The Omnitrix I created through my AMAZO android has not only fused with the subject's DNA but is spreading through his body. The few times he shape shifts the device activates, detecting the problem and then repairs, returning him to his human form. These shifts are quick and unpredictable but show signs that not only will the device merge with him but will eliminate the need for a recharge unlike the one currently bonded to the other boy. If so he will be an extraordinary specimen with the DNA combination of over millions of species that not even the Tennyson boy has access to.
All the more perfect when my android scans his complete form with his DNA upgraded and stabilized.
End Log
Once he was finished Van Kleiss leaned back in his chair and considered his options. Right now he had a counter for the hero named Raven as he was sure he would come for him. Due to her powers he wasn't sure he was willing to risk fighting her until his android body was ready.
However she was not the only threat.
There was also the matter of the Legendary Warriors and the Royal Knight Omnimon to consider. He had already failed twice to kill Omnimon.
The first attempt was through General Skarr.
The second was sending the knight's own friend to kill him but he still survived.
He needed a force to act as counter to the small number of Digimon that had appeared, no doubt because of his own dimensional meddling.
Van Kleiss however had an idea who or what kind of counter he could have.
"Breach, time to open another portal for me." He said, facing the girl chained to his portal machine who gave him another nasty glare before screaming as the machine was activated again.
Xxx
"Gaia Force!"
"Metal Wolf Claw!"
The attacks blasted the ground in front of him, sending him flying into the air and caught in the vacuum of the Gate of Destiny. He screamed as he pulled into the gate…
Only for another portal to appear just as he fell into the Gate and no one noticed.
Xxx
"Perfect." Van Kleiss grinned as the new addition fell out of the portal. "AMAZO, stasis field."
The new arrival had no time to even process what had happened as pillar of white light surrounded him.
"Begin repairs on him immediately." Van Kleiss ordered, sitting back in his chair. "We can have a chat when he is all healed up."
As he sat down, a dark shadow phased through the ceiling of his lab and then phased through the floor.
"Hm?"
Xxx
Raven's eyes widened when she saw Beast Boy, or what she thought was Beast Boy in a large glass dome, strapped to a table as his body went through a series of changes.
Tentacles.
Giant muscular arms.
Hooves for feet.
Horns.
Wings.
Tail.
Extra arms.
Extra eyes.
Sometimes just one eye.
Sometimes no eye.
Fangs.
Plant like vines.
And the changes kept on coming until the device on his wrist glowed green and stabilized him again, shifting back to normal. Raven was immediately reminded of what happened when Beast Boy had been dowsed by the chemicals that altered his DNA and created the Beast. She reached out, entering the dome and settling over Beast Boy's head.
'Beast Boy…' Her hands touched his head.
She was overwhelmed by the sudden tidal wave of animal emotions and instincts. As a shapeshifter Beast Boy could take the form of any animal and with them came the animal instincts of any animal he changed into.
Only now she could feel so much more...
The device, it was spreading and altering his body, that much she knew.
But what she did not was how it was affecting his mind.
She reached out to him, connecting herself with his mind…
'Beast Boy, can you hear me?'
What she was a sudden flash of green light as billions of eyes, a few creatures didn't even eyes landed on her and she thought she was going to be swallowed by the endless hoard of creatures surrounding.
Only they did nothing.
"Who are you?"
Standing before her was a small, grey colored amphibian looking creature, staring up at her with eyes full of intelligence.
Raven stared back. "Are you one of the creatures created by the device on my friend?"
"Creatures?" The small one scoffed. "I am Azmuth, the creator of the Omnitrix. We are in your friends subconscious mind while the cheap copy of my Omnitrix is working on modifying your friend's body."
Raven kept her features calm. "Modifying him into what?"
"A curious form of something I never originally conceded when I first created the Omnitrix. The body of your friend, Garfield Logan or as you call him Beast Boy was originally infected with a disease that actually attacks the genetic code of the host it infects and rewrites it. To think a human of all beings would survive such a virus." Azmuth stated, rubbing his chin. "It's what allows him to shapeshift and keep him alive despite his DNA being unstable. Every time he morphs the DNA is broken down but the virus immediately reacts and repairs it as he enters a new form. Of course that says nothing for the serum that originally mutated the virus."
"What are you talking about?" Raven demanded.
"You really don't know your friend do you, Miss Raven?" Azmuth questioned, watching as Raven narrowed her eyes. "Yes, I know your name. Your friend's mind is open to me as I needed to know who was trying to create a copy of my Omnitrix. I learned his life and so I know him even better than you do. But I will humor you this one time."
Raven calmed any negative feelings she was getting from this Azmuth, especially from his attitude.
"You friend's parents spent years studying the virus that gave him his power. It is known in the language of the place it appeared as Sakutia or as you would say in English the Green Fever. As I said it attacks its hosts by genetically altering and attempting to improve their genetic code to such an extent that it proves fatal, well mostly fatal to humans. Animals can survive but their bodies are turned green and they become highly feral." Azmuth stated. "The side effect, no matter who or what is infected is that the hosts will turn completely green, hair, skin and even the eyes. Your friend was exposed to this virus and his parents introduced a serum to weakened it, forced it into dormancy but the side effect of the weakened virus trigged the mutation that allowed him to alter his DNA and mimic the genetic information of the animal life forms the virus had traveled through."
Raven was silent as she digested this information. So Beast Boy's powers had come from a virus that was carried by animals?
Not so much of a stretch considering her origin.
"As for what the Omnitrix copy is doing…It's evolving the virus." Azmuth continued.
Raven's eyes widened slightly. "What?"
"The Omnitrix copy carries the functions and programming of the original, including its ability to repair any form of genetic damage it detects. Only now the programming has recognized the unique but unstable genetic codes within young Garfield Logan and have begun the task of altering his DNA, enhancing and evolving the virus as it merges with him." Azmuth explained.
"Why is it doing this?" Raven questioned.
"Simply put, it is following its programming to repair damaged DNA but if it was doing that the obvious solution would have been to remove the virus and change him back into a human." Azmuth stated. "However since the Omnitrix copy is encoded itself to his DNA simply removing the virus as it merges would run the risk of killing him. So the copy, following the programming I set into the original chose an alternate method by evolving the virus as it merges with his body, allowing it to continue its work of rewriting his DNA and 'upgrading' it for the lack of a better word. It is also keeping him in a coma as it works to spare him from suffering the pain. That is why you cannot connect with his conscious mind."
Raven was now considering what she had learned. Beast Boy's powers came from a virus that the device attached to him was upgrading, forcing it to evolve along with his body.
She stared at Azmuth again. "And what do you want?"
"Me? I want to know who has copied my Omnitrix and what they plan to do." Azmuth answered sternly. "I can only surmise they want to mass produce it to create an army of shapeshifters to use for universal domination."
Raven could sense this Azmuth had no hostile attention so she reluctantly answered. "His name is Van Kleiss…And he wants more than to rule the universe. I think he wants to take over any universe he can get his hands on."
Raven then explained who Van Kleiss was and what he had been doing for the past month.
"Hm…" Azmuth narrowed his eyes when Raven was finished. "This is bad. To able to open portals to other universes but it seems he's learned how to duplicate technologies such as my Omnitrix along the way."
"Can you help?" Raven asked finally. "I don't want Beast Boy to become a puppet to him."
"I normally take no sides in disputes such as this…But I cannot ignore the threat of someone copying and stealing my work either." Azmuth admitted. "I can program the copy so that it will keep any nanites out of his body so that this Van Kleiss can't turn your friend into his pawn. I will also work to make sure Van Kleiss cannot tamper with the copy to take control of it or harm your friend but that is all I am willing to contribute."
"Fine." Raven will take any help that was offered. "My friends and I will be along shortly."
And with that Raven's soul-self left Beast Boy's body, returning to her own.
Xxx
"How interesting." Van Kleiss remarked, having watched the dark energy resembling a raven leave the green subject's body. "I think we will have company soon."
Xxx
"You wouldn't wear it until facing down an evil god and when someone comes to take it? You really are just like all the others, hoarding power to yourself and keeping others away from it!"
Hidekazu let out an enraged roar as he tore off his all his upper clothing, exposing his muscular chest as his Semblance activated, causing his skin to turn entirely black. Once his Semblance had covered his entire body Hidekazu now resembled a demon with fangs, pointed ends on his fingers like claws, and his eyes glowing magenta to match his Aura. His staff was also changed, becoming pitch black due to his Semblance affecting it as well as his body and looked even more deadly. He let out another roar and then charged at his new enemy with the intent of taking the helmet by force…
And becoming the next SAM-R-I.
He unleashed a series of hammering strikes at SAM-R-I who swiftly dodged or blocked the crime lord's Khakkhara. Genki jumped in, sheathing her sword in its scabbard and adjusted the Dust setting on her blade. She then swiftly slashed at Hidekazu, releasing a blast of wind that blew him away, sending him crashing through the wall.
"Amazing." Kimiko muttered as she and Dani watched the fight. "I knew they were both good but I've never actually seen them fight before."
"I have." Dani replied, remembering the battle on Avalon.
Hidekazu stood back up and glared at Genki and SAM-R-I with growing anger. Raising his sword SAM-I-R slashed through the air, releasing arcs of pure lightning at Hidekazu who spun his Khakkhara in front of him, using it to block and deflect the hero's lightning attacks. Once they were gone Hidekazu charged forward, aiming to slash at SAM-R-I's head with the buzz saw end of his staff…
BOOM!
Only for a blast to slam right into him.
Everyone stopped and watched as what appeared to be a robot landed in the courtyard with a cannon on its arm still smoking, telling them that it was the one who just fired that shot.
"What in the world-" Dani was cut off by an enraged roar. "No way! He's still alive?!"
Hidekazu was indeed still alive as he marched through the dust and the crater left behind by the attack. He pulled out two Dust shards, one yellow and the other white, and crushed them in his hands, sprinkling them all over his body and hair.
"What is he doing?" Dani asked.
"He's covering himself in Dust…" Kimiko's eyes widened. "Oh no. His Semblance can protect him-"
Hidekazu let out a roar as the energy from the crystals washed over his body, his hair turning into a mix of white and yellow while his iron black skin surged with yellow and white energy. Even his voice was warped by the infusion of new energy.
"In the old days Dust could be placed almost anywhere on your body and you could use it without so much as a thought. You could embed it in your weapon, clothes, and even into your skin and hair." Kimiko quickly explained. "It's dangerous but with the proper control and skills you can handle the sheer power of Dust. Hidekazu's Semblance covers him in thick skin tight armor which he can bolster with Dust added to it."
Dani was trembling a bit now, remembering that Dust could affect and hurt her even if she was intangible.
If his control over Dust was that good than…
'I may need to think more on learning how to fight without my powers.' The ghost girl quickly realized.
Fortunately Dani did not seem to be Hidekazu's target as he looked to the robot and held out his hands, releasing a blast of what appeared to be a mix of ice and lightning that collided with the robot…
Ice traveled up the robot's body, freezing it while at the same time electricity seemed to cause it to short out as it fell over, collapsing on the ground and shaking the temple and the surrounding area.
"Whoa." Both girls managed to steady themselves.
With the robot taken care of Hidekazu turned his glowing eyes back to his main opponents. In the time between Hidekazu being distracted and taking down the robot SAM-R-I had knelt down on the ground with his sword in front of him, gripping the handle with both hands. There was a great light from the sky and down came a beam of light onto SAM-R-I, imbuing his armor and sword with great power. Hidekazu quickly charged at his opponent to strike him down before it was too late…
Too bad that it already was.
SAM-R-I raised his sword and swung it, releasing a blast of blinding light that engulfed the entire temple. Once the light had faded Hidekazu had been blasted through the wall and had seemingly fled along with the rest of his gang.
And standing victoriously was SAM-R-I.
But he was staring at something when Danielle followed his gaze her eyes widened when she saw it was the same mysterious figure from before, sitting on a horse and staring with luminous green eyes before it vanished.
'That thing…' Danielle remembered the icy chill it sent through her. 'I think it was…A ghost like me.'
Xxx
"You purposely lured her there."
Double D nodded. "It was my only option. Speaking of I can see you are Gems like her."
"We're not like her." Pearl quickly denied. "We defend this planet, Jasper doesn't."
"She mentioned something like that." Double D sighed in relief. "At the very least she was likely to be heavily injured by that explosion. Though it is hard to say she survived or not."
"We'll search for her." Garnet stated. "Jasper cannot be allowed to roam freely with the power she has."
It didn't take long for the Gems and Double D to return to the former battle field, coming onto a burning crater.
And from crawled a severely scorched Jasper, having returned to her Gem form.
"She lived through that?" Amethyst whispered. "What is she?"
Jasper grunted as she managed to look up, glaring at Double D. "That…was a dirty trick."
Double D had Armatae immediately scanned Jasper.
Her form was not destroyed but it was heavily weakened by the blast. Curious…
"What is it?" Double D asked.
I am detecting residual energy associated with Dust gathering inside of her…I believe its possible she was made from surrounding Dust in wherever she was created.
"What?!" Double D gasped.
Jasper managed to stand back up and let out a small roar as flames circled around her body.
"Now what?" Amethyst pulled out her whip.
"No…It's Dust energy." Garnet whispered.
Pearl's eyes widened. "She must have been made from the Beta Kindergarten…And infused with the Dust from the surrounding ground!"
Jasper looked at her hands, feeling the power. It was surging though her…
And hurting her!
"GAH!" Jasper fell back to her knees. "This power…I remember it…Back during the war…It made me strong….Stronger than any other Gem before me!"
She struggled to stand back up but the surge of energy continued to cause her pain.
"What's happening to her?" Pearl stepped back, clutching her spear.
"It's the Dust." Double D stated, reading the scans Armatae took. "The Dust is affecting her ghost form…They apparently don't work well together."
"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Jasper let out a scream as the fire around her grew and grew until finally the fire engulfed her and caused her form to explode.
The Gems and Double D covered their eyes as Jasper exploded, creating a second explosion but one smaller than the first.
When it was over all that was left was Jasper's gemstone.
Garnet walked over the placed the gemstone in a bubble before sending it away. "…It's over."
Xxx
"Are you kidding me?!"
Bill Cipher couldn't believe it. He gave the orange She-Hulk all the power she needed to destroy Sixer's armor and she blew it.
Literally!
"Dust and ghost powers not mixing well…Talk about an unexpected and unwelcome twist." The triangle grumbled. "I might have been too quick to depend on her."
Things were not looking good on his end.
"I sent Ivy to take out the two Justice snobs. Nyx was supposed to take down Fire Flower but she's too busy playing with her food." Bill grunted. "She's becoming too much like me and Klarion. Normally that's good but it couldn't happen at a worse time."
He needed a new plan.
One to knock them off balance.
Narrowing his eye Bill remembered the other two involved with Jasper. "I might have to rope the new water boy into this and he has no clue what's going on that new rock he has for a head. The former tear drop on the other hand…"
Xxx
"Last call, everyone!"
With Aisling having been introduced things had calmed down back at Pops' with dinner almost ending. Everyone was talking, enjoying their finished meals and drinks and Pops even put on some music.
Johnny noticed a new barrel Pops had Bobo carry behind the counter. "Hey Pops, what is that?"
"This?" Pops chuckled weakly. "This is a gift from your Valkyrie friend."
Rossweisse smiled. "It's a special kind of wine that has been aged for thousands of years. Mr. Pops suggested I offer him a sample of any fine drinks from Asgard."
"And you gave him a barrel of alcohol?" Carl asked.
"Seemed the traditional thing to do. Though I am not sure if it is meant for mortals." Rossweisse said thoughtfully.
"Neither was rock and roll, now pour me a glass and we'll see how it holds up." Said an old man with a mustache and shades over his eyes.
Xxx
"WAIT A SECOND!"
Control Freak and Charlemagne Hunter leaned forward in their respective seats, peering incredulously at the screen in front of them.
"Is that who I think it is?" Charlemagne asked.
"It is!" Control Freak gasped.
"Movies, cartoons, alternate hero franchises and now this?!" Charlemagne flung his arms up. "He even showed up in that one movie based on that one badly done parody series that must not be named!"
"Yeah," Control Freak sighed dreamily. "Not even death can stop his cameos."
"You got dat right." Grim said, sitting further down the sofa. "You try to say 'no' to da Stan Man, man."
"Exelshior…" The old man on the screen slurred as he was helped away.
"Eeeee he said it!" Control Freak squeaked.
Xxx
"So how come any of us can pick up this stick while no one can pick that hammer up?"
Rolf had showed his cane to everyone and even allowed a few like Nazz and Jonny to hold it up before Kevin asked the question.
"Mjolnir can only be picked up by anyone who deems them worthy." Rossweisse answered.
"Oh come on." Kevin rolled his eyes.
"It is said in the history books." Carl pointed out.
"Whatever man, it can't be that simple." Kevin said.
"You think you got what it takes?" Johnny held out Mjolnir and placed it on the table. "Go ahead."
Kevin could see everyone's eyes on him and was never one to back from a challenge. "All right."
"Oh boy." Nazz rolled her eyes.
"This is going to be fun, right buddy?" Jonny asked Plank.
"This will be good." Abby whispered with a smile as Kevin grabbed the handle and pulled on it…
Utterly failing to even move an inch.
"Oh come on!" Kevin gritted his teeth as he pulled with all his strength.
"Good thing Eddy is not here to see this." Nazz chuckled.
Kevin finally gave up, let go and sat back down with sulky look on his face.
"Ha!" Wally walked up and grabbed the hammer next. "As long as we're trying…"
The blond Faunus tried his hand at lifting the hammer but had as much luck as Kevin did. "Come on you little…"
"How's it going, shorty?" Kevin asked with a small smile as Wally finally gave up.
"Oh shut up."
"Let's try, buddy!" Jonny said as he was next.
Plank suddenly changed into a wooden hand, thanks to Jonny's Semblance which surprised everyone. He then tried lifting the hammer.
"Lift with your legs, Plank!" Jonny groaned.
Carl was next, deciding to throw his hat in and had as much luck as the first three. "This is something I'll have to tell my professor."
Johnny face palmed. "Seriously?"
"What about you two?" Kevin asked the Ice and Candy Elementals.
"No thanks." Abby shook her head. "Got enough magic already."
"Yeah. I don't think ice and lightning mix well together." Nigel agreed.
"How about you, Ed?" Nazz asked the lovable lump. "Come on, give it a try."
Ed let out a small sigh. "Okay."
He walked over to the hammer and placed one hand on it, grunting as he tried to lift, barely moving it but he did better than the others.
"He moved an inch." Jonny pointed at the hammer.
"That's still a lot better than the rest." Nazz quickly pointed out with a smile as she patted Ed on the shoulder.
"Glad to see you are all having fun." The door opened and in walked Phil Ken Sebben. "Sorry I am late I had some last minute paper work to finish."
Almost everyone was staring as the mayor of GrimmFall walked over to the counter and accepted a cup of warm tea from Pops.
"Now, before we all settle down for the night I have some gifts for some of you before you go home." Sebben held out his Tablet. "Specifically a few special recordings that can be helpful to some of you down the road."
He first stopped with Nazz.
"Miss Nazz, the recorded sounds I give you contain a special field encoded to help simulate sunlight for your Semblance." Sebben stated. "I am sure it will help you greatly."
Nazz accepted the recording email she got from the mayor. "Thank you, Mr. Sebben."
"I am done yet. The next is for those training to become Hunters." Sebben said, emailing the next recording to Nigel, Abby, Nazz, Jonny, Johnny and Wally. "These recordings are meant to help strengthen the body with the encoded fields simulating fully body exercise along with recovery and can even allow for eliminating the buildup of fatigue producing toxins in the muscles and inhibit the production of proteins meant to keep muscles from growing past their genetic limit. I have also taken the liberty of adding some recordings meant to aid in mental development."
"How does weird sounds help?" Wally asked, playing one of them.
"These sounds are encoded with special frequencies created by a Hunter whose Semblance naturally produces them to influence the body, targeting specific cells, organs and tissues. They have proven to be very effective." Sebben answered with a small smile. "When I do not have time for the gym I use the one that simulates the full body workout and believe me it works. Now then, I believe I've wasted enough of your time. The kids from Peach Creek will be returning home through the Slider connecting GrimmFall to Peach Creek. It has been approved by the parents for use for the children."
"Finally going home, buddy!" Jonny happily hugged Plank.
"What about Eddy?" Nazz asked.
"We will be retrieving Mr. Eddy immediately." Sebben stated, deciding not to share what he knew.
Eddy standing before a pair of doors with an Infinity symbol on them as they open…
Xxx
The day after everyone ate at Pops' Moon Palace the heroes and Hunters were preparing for the mission against the Red Caps when Sebben met with them.
"Valhallen, Krunk, Living Bullet, excuse me for the this last minute change in plans but the three of you are being reassigned to a different mission." Sebben said to them surprising the group.
"How come?" Living Bullet asked.
"Since yesterday morning a quarantine at Black Mesa was issued and it has the military involved." Sebben said as he showed the group an image of a satellite on his tablet. "Last night an unscheduled launch at the facility was made and we found this satellite in orbit."
"What's Black Mesa?" Raven asked.
"They're a research corporation helmed by the U.S. government." Extor explained. "Like DexLabs they work in the fields of science."
"The military doesn't want Hunters and heroes involved in their operation but the emergency alerts that have been sent out and now this unscheduled launch has me concerned." Sebben explained. "I fear something bigger might be going on over there. Which is why I need the three of you to investigate the facility and report what's happening."
"You got it boss." Valhallen said before turning to Krunk and Living Bullet. "Alright boys, looks like we're heading on down to New Mexico."
"And Team REYN, I need you to look into a disturbance on a prison ship known as the Iron Heavens. There seems to be a prison riot." Sebben stated, looking to Ross who was oddly silent. "If you wish to take some time off I can arrange it. There are other Hunters on standby."
Ross immediately shook his head. "No, we're ready."
"Good because what happens next will determine how prepared we are for Van Kleiss."
Xxx
Name: Hidekazu Kobayashi
Species: Human
Aura: Magenta
Semblance: Iron Will
Description: Hidekazu's Semblance can harden his body's skin and tissue into a black iron like substance that is stronger and harder than titanium. Hidekazu can also infuse his powerful iron like substance into his 'Hageshi Fukushu' that can make the weapon many times more powerful than before.
Weapon: Hageshi Fukushu
Description: Hidekazu's weapon is called 'Hageshi Fukushu' (Translation: Furious Revenge). This weapon is a long and impressive looking dark pink and black metallic Khakkhara staff that can change to a Sniper Rifle with a silencer and also can activate a Buzz Saw Blade from the top of the staff. It can also activate an burning aura on the top of the staff with some Fire Dust in it and can make powerful attacks with it, but also can shoot many other dust like Ice, Lightning and Wind Dust.
()
Name: Kurt Malcolm
Species: Human
Aura: A mix of Black and Red
Semblance: Dream Seed
Description: Kurt's Semblance produces a series of sounds and vibrations encoded with special frequencies known as Morphogenetic Fields. These fields are able to target certain parts of the body, influencing and manipulating them. With a specific frequency these sounds can enhance the immune system, simulate a fully workout, enhance brain activity, cause the skin to regenerate from any kind of damage and can even work to improve a target's emotional stability. Kurt has recently begun recording the sounds his Semblance can make and selling them for use by fellow Hunters and ordinary people.
Weapon: Rapier