Raiden entered the warehouse like a shadow, slinking in the darkness, tracking the group of robed people between the tall aisles of tools and other carpentry supplies.
Despite being built almost entirely of metal, he managed to stealth hard enough to not be detected at all. He eavesdropped on some chatter the figures were exchanging.
"It snot damaged at all?" One asked in a thick midlands English accent.
"Hm. No cracks in its surface. The artefact seems to be totally intact." Raiden figured they had some kind of weapon at hand.
"Perfect." Replied a voice which cut through the air with commanding authority, "Lord Hades will surely be pleased with the proposition we have for him tonight."
Maybe it's a codename for their boss.. Hades. I wonder how strong he could be.
Raiden noticed a clearing where every aisle convened coming up ahead. There was a table, a lamp and five chairs. He decided to scale the colossal shelves to escape detection from these strange people.
As well he thought if I deal with these guys, I might have a guaranteed position here at Home Depot!
Raiden clambered as a majestic spider does right to a great space he could overlook the meeting. He looked down upon the round table, as the figures placed the object on the table and took seats.
The object was a circular, glowing blue orb, with an ornate golden stand on which it balanced.
They gathered around the orb, holding their hands out at it like a group of cub scouts at their summer camp. Maybe they'll break out the smores next.
"Hades! Mighty Hades!" Hollered one of the men.
"We summon you forth, from your domain which also happens to share your namesake!"
"He's right, 'Hades - the Domain of Hades'"
"We call upon your aid this full moon to put the next part of the plan to fruition."
The orb's glow became red, and a cold air filled the room.
"What is thine treaty with me?" Came a disembodied, booming voice,
"I haven't all day," it continued, "being lord of the dead is something I cannot easily leave unattended."
"Ah, our master has spoken to us!" Yelled the british man, ecstatic. This illicited a roar of joy from the other people, who then began to hi five, hug and jump up and down rowdily.
The voice seems annoyed.
"Like I mentioned. I don't have all the time in the world so if you would present to me your deal with haste, it would be greatly appreciated."
The cultists ignored the voice instead chattong to each other, and shouting discordinantly.
"I want the worlds wealth!" Shouted one.
"Magic power to rival Medea or Heracles!" Came another.
"A chicken salad sandwich!"
Raiden couldn't shake the feeling that his position had been compromised.
"SILENCE!" Yelled Hades. The cult went silent instantly.
"You're all seeming as incompetent idiots to me, unworthy of my presence. However, nearby, there is a great warrior. Whomsoever slays this warrior shall be my next champion. Begin."
Raiden decided to make this easier, and leapt down from his perch. He slammed down to the ground, his impact creating a crater in the flooring of the Home Depot.
The hooded people gathered around Raiden, seeming nervous and worried. He withdrew his sword, pointing it at them.
"Since you guys are a cult, I cannot be legally reprimanded for the actions I am about to do." Said Raiden, seconds before decapitating five people in a single swing. Blood trailed in the path of his blade.
The cult all rushed Raiden at once, who bounced into the air, putting his sword in the notch of his high heel and backflipping. This strange attack hit about four other robed figures, sending them sprawling, cutting them in a vertical way.
Raiden landed in a splits, immediately pulling off a sick breakdance which swept the rest of the gang off their feet and into the air.
He finally rose to his feet, facing what must be the leader of the cult, who suffered a gushing cut to the chest - his robes torn and hood removed.
this man had a bald and grotesque face.
Raiden walked towards the cult leader, each step echoing in the ambience of weak, halted breath.
Suddenly, the cult leader grabbed the red orb with both hands and rose it above his head.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING, YOU IMBECILE?" Hades shouted again, but his booming voice of order went ignored, for the cult leader took the orb, and cast it to the floor.
The orb in question shattered into a thousand pieces, and subtle red smoke rose into the air.
Raiden could not have wagered that this would open an evil portal to hell in front of him, but as the floor began to open up like the gaping jaws of a beast, he decided that was just what was happening.
Eager to get away from his wife for a while, Raiden performed a flashy somersault and backflipped into the glowing, firey gateway of death and destruction. Utterly disappearing within its depths.
He fell down into the darkness for quite a while, Watching the exit grow farther and farther away with each second.
MEANWHILE, somewhere on the surface.
Enter a room full of scientists and professors, crowding together like sardines, each carrying notebooks and shouting over each other, all standing below a bright lit stage. The repeated flashes of journalist's cameras would've made you believe there was some sort of lightning storm going on.
At the very rear of the room, a small group of men in black suits leaned by the doors.
Up on the stage stood two cryogenic freezing tubes. The glass was frosted over on both of them.
"Order!" Called the host. The procession was then silent.
"Within these tubes are the answer to war."
The frost began to melt away, revealing colour. One tube contained something red, and the other, something blue.
"They subsist on the blood of enemies. They can tear through entire armies effortlessly."
The frost had peeled away from the thick glass completely. Every man and woman in the crowd stood in stunned silence.
"Today, their first field test shall begin!" Said the host onstage. The men in black silently left the hall.
"And before I go, I'd like to thank all attendees for coming to be gracious test subjects!"
The glass tubes hissed, unlocking with a series of metallic clunks, while realization hit the crowd like a tonne of bricks.
By the time the machines began to move, it was already too late for every person present...