Ouroboros - Part I - The Return

[MaligneFamily]

Originally Posted by Ultimo X:

Ultimo X's hidden lair, Present Day

Christopher Pierce, aka Ultimo X set on a chair in the large hall that comprised most of his private sanctum. He looked at the various screens, spewing information about the current status of the Rogue Isles. The information varied from intercepted comm reports to various villains doing their menial tasks around unaware. On any normal day these kinds of news would even amuse him, but not today. These past few days were tense to say the least, with the uprising in the Corruptors of Paragon and Lord Paragon's return. While he knew about the uprising for some time, Lord Paragon's return managed to scatter his plans and even caused him some minor injuries. Sitting in his chair, he looked at the screens without any interest, grumbling quietly while several small medic bots repaired his fractured armor on his left hand.

"Dammit!" Ultimo yelled out suddenly while lifting his left hand and striking a small console beside him, smashing it to pieces and scattering the medic bots on the floor.

"You really should try and let them fix your arm" a woman's voice said, apparently coming from a nearby dark corridor.

"I'm fine." Ultimo replied, ignoring the woman. He used his right arm to lift his left arm back to it's place on the chair arm.

"You shouldn't be so serious. The plan still worked and everything turned out as we planned... with a small exception..." she said in a voice that sounded almost as if it was mocking him.

Ultimo turned his head to face that woman, his face with an expression that would make many lesser villains fleeing for their lives. The woman stepped out of the shadows and walked towards him. When she got close enough to him, she leaned down.

"You know we are on the same team" The woman said, moving closer to him. "We got what we wanted didn't we? We got rid of those overgrown egomaniacs, and you would have even remained unharmed if it wasn't..."

"Exactly!!" Ultimo shouted, forcing the woman away from him. "It would have been perfect if it wasn't for Maligne. I didn't count on him actually finding that artifact before me. And using it's power that willfully without proper conditioning... Who does he think he is?!" Ultimo said, lifting his hand up once more.

"Shhhhh, try and relax" The woman said while crouching down, picking the remains of the medic bots off the floor, and putting them on a nearby table. "Try and calm down, everything turned out alright. There were a few exceptions, but it's nothing we can't overcome... together..." She said quietly, an expression of sick enjoyment splattered on her face.

Ultimo loked at the woman for a few seconds, as if he was sizing her up, and finally said:
"Your right of course. Fine, take care of my arm, I need to go over the memory recordings again, I need to see what I missed." He then moved back on his chair, distancing himself from the woman.

"Of course" She said, picking up a device from the table and moving towards him. She pressed the device against his damaged arm, and proceeded to operate the device on it, slowly mending the fractured metal alloy, all the while with a calm expression on her face.

Ultimo ignored her and closed his eyes. He concentrated on his memory database, recalling back two months to the last official Corruptors meeting held by Lord Paragon. There he announced his departure, disguising it with an vague excuse. Unlike most of the Corruptors, Ultimo knew about the real reason for some time now, but until now hasn't made any progress in the matter. Arcane magic was never his strong side, but anything offering unlimited power was fine by him. He continued to focus, moving forward in time to the next meeting, now held by other leaders.

The Corruptors of Paragon base, one month earlier

Almost all the faces around the table looked hostile, each faction pointing fingers at another. While the group was divided into several factions, a few of them were always prone to "over-heating". Most of the time Lord Paragon was able to console both sides, but in his absence, they were at each others throats like kids. Ultimo always found it amusing how little it took to get them monologuing. He set there listening to the shouting and glanced to his right. He looked at Swindle, his "faction ally" and could feel she was thinking the same thing. They both smiled at each other and Ultimo stood up. He opened his hand and struck the solid rock table with his open palm. A loud sound echoed through the massive hall, bouncing off the walls. He had managed to get everyones attention.

"That would be enough of that" he said with a serious voice. "Now slowly, and ONE AT A TIME" He said as he saw several villains preparing to speak.

"Who are you to speak to me like that?! Who the hell do you think you are?!" Ultimo noticed that he didn't mind him shutting his entire faction up but then again, "Emperor" Xanatos was never the most compassionate leader.

"As you know, in Lord Paragon's absence, the one who who runs these meetings is Swindle. So, if you please..." Ultimo said as he gestured to his neighbor to take the floor.

[MaligneFamily]

Originally Posted by Swindle:

Clearing her throat, a woman stood up from her chair to begin the meeting. Only a select few know her as Alexis Cole, while the rest only know her by her villainous moniker, Swindle.

“Thank you very much Lord Ultimo X” Swindle said in a calm demeanor, doing her best to keep her composure despite the level of open hostility displayed in the room. It couldn’t be helped though, with Lord Paragon taking a leave of absence egos are bound to run rampant and collide. The more unruly members definitely would not let an opportunity like this pass by and have probably already made plans to seize control, too bad that she and Ultimo X wouldn’t allow any of that to happen, or let it go too far out of their control.

Swindle was no fool, no far from it. She did her best to make sure that the odds were always stacked in her favor before taking on any venture, and if things did go sour she made sure that she had a backup plan or two on hand to bail her out. When Paragon appointed her and Ultimo X as interim leaders during his absence she knew that a big target was being painted on their backs.

“Now as everyone knows base completion is running behind schedule and we’re not even close to having full base operations. Also our current funds are not at what I would like say an “optimal” level. Necessary steps must be taken in order for us to bring everything up to speed…”

“Necessary indeed” came a cold remark from the group

“What was that Emperor Xanatos?” Swindle replied in a stern manner

“You heard what I said. Ever since you and Ultimo X have been appointed leaders things have gone from bad to worse. None of us have, as of yet, seen any benefits from this venture since we signed on. Hell! Things were just as bad when Paragon was in control and right now I don’t see any signs of improvement from your leadership. While you have us playing home and garden with this decrepit rundown hole in the ground there are others reaping the rewards from the opportunities we let pass by,” Emperor Xanatos said with a venomous tone.

Agreeing murmurs were starting to rise from the group.

“Now Emperor Xanatos, if you could please wait…”

In a rage Xanatos slammed his fist on the stone table and began to yell “No I’m sick of waiting, I’m sick of doing something for nothing, and I’m especially sick of taking orders from a third-rate tin man and a mind reading b..!”

Before Emperor Xanatos could even finish his remark he was lifted in the air and slammed violently into the ground. Emperor Xanatos was a person who always flaunted the powers he had at his beck and call. Letting people know just how easily he could take them out if he desired to do so. Being violently smashed into the ground is something he could just shrug off. However Swindle was just not in the mood to take any more crap from him. While she used her telekinetic powers to slam his body into the cold hard stone floors of the meeting room. She also accessed his mind and started to rip apart some of the mental barriers he had placed. Soon some of his fears, humiliations, and insecurities began to flood his mind. Xanatos was writhing on the floor having the worst nightmare of his life. While some watched Xanatos twitch on the floor others noticed that Swindle’s body was shaking; everyone could tell she was angry, very angry. It took her best efforts to regain her composure and not lose total control of the situation, the one thing she did not like doing.

“Would anyone else care to continue this conversation?”

Silence was the only reply that came from the group.

“Now I know that most of you are impatient and unhappy with the way things are, it doesn’t take a mind reader to see that, but however if you are patient and willing to see this endeavor thru to the end I promise you that the rewards will be beyond anything that you can imagine. I guarantee that you will all get what you so rightfully deserve and so much more. All I ask in return is your loyalty and trust in our guidance at the matters at hand.”

More murmurs were coming from the gathered group, thinking over the events that have currently unfolded. Before anyone else could get a chance to say anything else, Swindle quickly spoke “Good, I’ll take this as an agreement and the matter is now officially closed, meeting adjourned.” With that said Swindle left the meeting hall, and if anyone could have seen her face behind the mask she wore they would've noticed a very sadistic grin.

[MaligneFamily]

Originally Posted by Praetor Anubis:

Praetor Anubis sat in silence as he watched Swindle walked out of the Corruptor’s meeting hall. Praetor looked around the hall, though the meeting had adjourned many members were still locked in discussion over the issues at hand. Praetor stood up and headed out of the room. The theatrics of politics had never interested him, he found them to be a distraction and somewhat absurd. As long as he was allowed to cause destruction and death throughout Paragon and the isles he was quite content.

Praetor thought about heading to the engineering labs, his armor was in need of a tune up. As he walked through the halls of the Corruptor’s base he couldn’t help but continue to reflect on the Corruptor’s current situation.

With Lord Paragon taking his leave of absence a power vacuum had been left in his place, those now dissatisfied with the current state of affairs were making their voices heard. All the cowards waited until his leaving to vie for his power…pathetic.

Although Lord Paragon left Ultmio X and Swindle to take charge in his stead, Praetor knew they were scheming, now is the perfect time to try and shift the balance of power within the Corruptor’s and those two would never let an opportunity like this pass. Emperor Xanatos was definitely bound to cause trouble sooner or later; he was never pleased with Lord Paragon’s leadership. Bosch and Poison? were unknowns to Praetor, he did not know them well enough to make any predictions about their possible actions. In his eyes Praetor was one of the few who were content with the current power structure and loyal to Lord Paragon.

Praetor entered the engineering room and brought up his plugged into one of the terminals to get a full diagnostic read out on his armor. Looking over the scree it looked like there was a lot to fix; with the current situation now was not the time to be caught off guard with defunct power armor.

As Praetor continued to study the screen he saw Bosch and Emperor Xanatos walk past the entrance to the room, they stopped to talk outside the door. Praetor made a mental note of this and went back to work, but listened carefully. If Bosch and the Emperor were thinking of working together to try and take power, the situation just became more dangerous.

“Look” said the Emperor, “All I am saying is think about it. The great potential of the Corruptors is being squandered under the current leadership. If we can wrest control, we will be able to do so much more”

Praetor didn’t hear Bosch make a response.

“Just keep that in mind” said Xanatos.

Praetor listened as there were footsteps and the two went their separate ways. Praetor then went back to work, chaos was brewing and destruction would surely follow. Praetor loved destruction.

[MaligneFamily]

Originally Posted by Ultimo X:

Ultimo X sat quietly in his chair with his arms crossed for quite some time after Swindle made her exit. He enjoyed moments like these, an atmosphere of chaos in the room, so thick that it felt like it was pushing down on the rest of the group. He looked around the table at all the members, most in heated discussion with a few just sitting there with grim looking expressions on their faces. Finally he turned his attention to the last group, those who he liked to call Emperor Xanatos' "lap dogs". They were gathered around him, trying to help him to his feet, only to watch him stumble back down. He suppressed a laugh and pushed his chair back, getting up and making his way out of the hall. When he came close to the exit he turned around, sending one final glance across the hall. There he noticed something interesting, there was one more individual who was looking with intense concentration at Emperor Xanatos.
Ultimo noted that the expression his eyes made was not that of hate, but as if he was sizing him up. Bosch was known for his pride in his own strength, but this could mean good things for Ultimo himself, if he could play his cards well.

As he exited the hall and proceeded deeper down into the base he came into a long hallway. Once he made sure he wasn't followed he turned to face the wall beside him, pushing a certain point in the wall. Without making a sound the wall split in half and opened a way to a secret room. As he walked into the room the wall closed behind him, leaving Ultimo in complete darkness.

"I trust you weren't followed" said a woman's voice.

"Please, don't underestimate me. Now, have you managed to calm down already?" He asked, still in utter darkness.

The lights suddenly came on, revealing a small square room, containing several chairs and a few screens showing certain "sensitive" areas of the base. In the back of the room set Swindle, her hand on the light switch.

"Ahh you know me too well" Swindle uttered in a mocking voice.

"How is the Emperor doing?" she asked with a voice that almost came off sincere, but he knew that the expression behind her mask was nothing but that.

He turned his back to her, turning to look at the screens as he said "He will be ok. I just wish you had let me hit him".

"I stopped you for a reason" Swindle said. "I couldn't let the meeting become a fist fight. If you had hit him it might have started a full scale war".

"And a psychic punch makes less of a sound then a physical one" Ultimo said, turning his head to look at her.

"Exactly" she said, pointing her finger at him. "You may be an incredibly intelligent guy, but when it comes down to it, you always rely on your strength".

"I just know where my strength lies" he said, turning back to the screens. He continued to observe them silently for a few seconds.

After a short pause Swindle finally said "So, what is scurrying through that twisted mind of yours?"

"So you finally decided you have had enough of him, have you?" Ultimo asked calmly. "What makes you think I am planning anything?"

"Honestly I would be surprised if you didn't have a plan already brewing" she said.

"You psychics and your lack for personal privacy, if you already looked into my mind, you wouldn't need to ask me that would you?" Ultimo uttered, slightly raising his voice.

"Nothing psychic about it, your easy" Swindle said, with a hidden grin on her face.

"Well, there are times when you can't plan ahead throughly enough as you would like. I do believe we are approaching such a time" he said.

"So do tell, what do you do when such a time comes by?"

"Quite simple really, to have the upper hand you must observe all the details you can, and when the moment presents itself, be the first to make it."

"And do you know what it is we are looking for?" she asked.

Ultimo suddenly noticed something on one of the screens. Even he was surprised to see it. He thought it would have taken more time for the moment to present itself, but then again as he just said, you must be the first to act.

"I do believe it would be something like that" He said, pointing to one of the screens.

Swindle got up from her chair and moved closer the screen.

"Does that mean what i think it means?" She asked.

"I might very well be" Ultimo said.

The screen showed two villains standing outside the engineering room of the base. They were engaged in conversation, although it seemed very one sided. After a short while the two went their separate ways.

"Well now, what do you think that was all about?" Swindle asked, the sound of laughter almost clear in her voice.

"I'm not sure, but i know how to find out".

"Oh really? and how would you do that" she asked.

"If you had been as observant as i am, you would know that by now" Ultimo uttered, slightly teasing her.

"Fine, i'll leave it to you. Make sure to inform me later on, we need as much time on this as we can".

Ultimo turned towards the door, looking at the screen beside it. When he was sure the corridor was clear, he pressed the panel to open the door and left the room. He proceeded to make his way to the engineering room. If those two were really going to make their move this soon, he wouldn't mind being the one to finally kick them out. He had as much as he could take from them. When he arrived at the engineering room, he concentrated on what he planned to say and entered the room.

"Oh Praetor, i didn't expect to see you here. Doing your weekly maintenance checkup?" Ultimo asked the man standing infront of him.

"Ultimo... yes, i thought it would be wise to... seeing as..."

Ultimo suppressed a grin, he now knew that Praetor Anubis had heard that conversation, but was unsure as how to bring it up. He saw him coming into the engineering room before the two got there, but he wasn't sure if he had heard everything.

"Always a good idea." Ultimo replied with a tone that could easily have been adequate to a talk between a father and son.

"Listen Ultimo, I know Lord Paragon put you and Swindle in charge for a reason, and..."

Ultimo knew that Praetor was smarter then that, and that he knew Ultimo and Swindle weren't just Lord Paragon's lackeys, but he found it sufficient to continue that line of conversation.

"Lord Paragon thinks very highly of you too" Ultimo said, as he saw that Praetor was hesitating.

Praetor Anubis looked at Ultimo and finally said "Then I think there is something you should know..."

As she sat in the room, Swindle looked at the screens, trying to see what it was that Ultimo noticed that eluded her. When she saw Ultimo leaving the engineering room along with Praetor Anubis, she couldn't help but laugh.

"Of course, nicely done"

[MaligneFamily]

Originally Posted by Praetor Anubis:

Praetor Anubis and Ultimo X walked out of the engineering room, talking as they walked.

Praetor stopped briefly and turned to Ultimo tapping the side of his own helmet. Although he was unsure of the specifications of Ultimo’s armor he bet that, like his own, it had a com system. Ultimo nodded to Praetor who scanned for open frequencies until he found the one Ultimo was operating on.

“Can you hear me?” asked Praetor over the com.

“Quite well.” answered Ultimo, who had started down the hall again.

Praetor brought up his armor’s communications HUD and began to run an encryption program on the channel. In a base full of power hungry villains privacy was a problem.

“Its safe to talk now, the channel has been encrypted.” crackled Praetor’s voice over the com. He continued to follow Ultimo down the hall.

"If Bosch and the Emperor are really going to make a move against Swindle and I, things may get ugly..." said Ultimo without looking back at Praetor.

Praetor knew the question Ultimo was hinting at and replied without hesitation. "If those two decide to do something that foolish you can count on my support. You know where my loyalties lie. Since Lord Paragon left you and Swindle in charge in his stead my services are now at your disposal."

Part of the response was a lie, Praetor knew Ultimo and Swindle had their own ambitions for power and his loyalty was still solely to Lord Paragon. But Lord Paragon definitely would rather he take up arms against Emperor Xanatos then Ultimo and Swindle. Praetor trusted that Lord Paragon had a reason for naming Ultimo and Swindle as his replacements.

“Good…So tell me what do you think the chances are that Bosch will side with the Emperor?” asked Ultimo.

“My dealings with Bosch have been limited, I know he is powerful but I have no knowledge of any of his ambitions. He is a mystery to me.” Praetor replied. “I can not be sure what will happen.”

They reached Corruptor’s main command center. There were a few other Corruptor’s on duty in the room. Ultimo and Praetor walked in and went about their own business acting as if they were just going about every day business. They wanted to act as inconspicuous as possible. They didn't want anyone in Bosch's or Xanatos' camp taking notice that they knew something was up.

“If he does side with the Emperor then he will most likely take a few members with him.” said Ultimo over the com.

Praetor sat down at the security and acted as if he was checking the systems performance. “The battle lines will be clearly drawn. The various groups within the Corruptors make their voices heard. There should not be any surprises when the time to choose sides comes.” He stated. “Now my Lord if you will excuse me. I must go finish up repairs in my private quarters. I plan on being prepared when the moment finally presents itself.”

“By all means, go ahead. You won’t be of any use to me unless you are in optimal condition” replied Ultimo, who did not even look up from his fake work.

“Oh and give Swindle my regards. And tell her to stay out of my head.” added Praetor as he walked out of the Corruptor’s command center. He then disconnected from the private channel. Praetor would finish up his final repairs in his own workshop. Privacy was very important when working on his armor, he felt too vulnerable at such times.

[MaligneFamily]

Originally Posted by Abyst:

Abyst remained sitting in the meeting hall, listening to the quarreling factions long after the meeting was adjourned. The din of accusations and threats echoed off the stone walls, and blended with the crackling flames of the numerous torches in the room. Abyst wondered how many times this scene had played out before in these halls, and how many more it would play out in the times to come.

Only a short time ago had the Herald of Oblivion joined with the Corruptors of Paragon, and it was much too soon for him to align with any of the factions. Abyst sensed Lord Paragon's might when the two had met, and considered him a worthy peer. But there were many others of worth in the Corruptors, as well. Though Lord Paragon had left Ultimo X and Swindle in command during his absence, it may well be a test of loyalty or competence, as much as trust in their abilities. No, he had to watch and learn, and act when the time was right.

Abyst rose, and walked out of the meeting hall. Only a few individuals remained, mostly underlings arguing over which Lord would win in a fight. Despite his promotion to Defiler in the Corruptors of Paragon, Abyst did not have to deal with any challengers as he had expected. It seemed the looming confrontation between the Lords had everyone's focus, and Abyst was no exception. Indeed, only a fool would ignore such a conflagration waiting to happen. The winds of chaos were blowing, and soon there would be changes. Changes which could be to the Overlord's benefit, if he chose the correct path....

[MaligneFamily]

Originally Posted by Lord Paragon:


Order.

Perhaps in the course of Lord Paragon's absence, it had fallen into disarray. The very forces of anarchy and greed were threatening to tear apart the increasingly maligned organization. And there was no Lord Paragon to be found...

But is it gone?

Aranea's Choice

Aranea was up in the dead of the night. Pacing through his quarters in the Corruptors base, he seemed to be expecting someone to be there soon enough. Perhaps he is troubled, or nervous, or in thought. Whatever the situation may be, there was somebody else in his room watching his every step...

*Knock* *Knock*

Aranea quickly walked to the door, opening it with uncertain conviction. Before him stood Emperor Xanatos, ruler of the sect in the Corruptors known as the Destroyers.

"Hail Aranea," he said in a booming voice, still able to display the arrogance that he is known for.

"Hello Xanatos. Why have you requested my audience?"

Smiling at the blunt question, the Emperor said, "Why merely to wonder what your thoughts were on the little outburst of our internim leader that did occur during today's meeting..."

"I have no views."

"Now now, Aranea, you need not worry of repercussion. I merely wish to know how you think that such hostility should be dealt with."

"And I repeat, I have no views."

"Oh? Perhaps you support the tyrants that we do have in power... Perhaps you like the thought of them using your powerful abilities. Is this what you mean, Aranea?"

"I follow no man, I merely do the job enlisted to me by whoever is in power."

"Oh? So if my power is superior to that of our incompetent leaders, you will have no choice but to follow me? Or perhaps am I to expect no opposition from you."

Aranea thought for one second, glancing past the Emperor into open space...

"I will follow the one in power. This discussion is over."

Emperor Xanatos looked maliciously into Aranea's darkened eyes.

"I will be in power, and you will bow down soon enough. Swindle and Ultimo are merely pawns for an equally incompetent leaders. I advise you to not stay in the base soon enough, unless you wish to make a desicion. Good bye Aranea," he said, slamming the door on his way out.

Aranea stayed planted to the spot in which that he had been during his conversation. A chill went down the back of Aranea, perhaps due to the very presence of another's finger going up it.

Light Cry, or rather Sniha Sadhari, had long been in the service of Lord Paragon, yet nobody was ever fully aware of her presence. But perhaps that was precisely the point when she was the most trusted of Lord Paragon...

Behind Aranea, a goddess appears, her face enchanting like those of ancient Hindu texts. Perhaps it was just a hallucination or a figment of a demented mind. At the glimpse of her, she vanishes in the well lit room.

A soft delicate whisper emerges inside of Aranea's trembling body well after she's dissappeared:
"Lord Paragon watches all..."

[MaligneFamily]

Originally Posted by Swindle:

Meanwhile…



Watching Ultimo and Praetor leave the engineering room together on the monitor screen Swindle couldn’t help but think of the upcoming events. Her assault on Emperor Xanatos was going to definitely be the catalyst for the upcoming storm headed their way. No doubt that Xanatos has already started his plans to secure his army, and when he felt the time was right he’ll make his move and strike at them. However Xanatos was the least of her concerns, with Xanatos, his purpose in Swindle’s scheme was just to gather up the people who would stand in her and Ultimo’s way. Then it would be a matter of eliminating them in one masterful move. However it is Lord Paragon who is the real threat to her and Ultimo’s plan, and with Lord Paragon it would be a whole different story. When they make their move against him, everything had to be perfect, there can be no room for errors, it has to be a flawless execution from start to finish. Like Ultimo had said all details have to be observed and this meant that nothing can be left to haphazard guessing and sloppy workmanship.


With that in mind Swindle started to pull up the base schematics on a computer terminal and started to go over the blueprints and designs to see if there was anything that she overlooked. Despite what everyone thought, the base itself very close to full functionality. Thankfully everything inside the base could be controlled from their secret control room where she and Ultimo X were able to create and maintain the illusion of a base running at bare minimum. What everyone didn’t know was what the purpose of all those base renovations were for. The old ruins contained a secret, a secret so powerful that it could tip the balance of power in favor of whoever possessed it. So far Paragon kept most of the details of what this secret was to himself. Only offering new information to Ultimo and Swindle when the situation called for it.

"God d**n it" cursed Swindle under her mask

If she could she would love nothing more than to jump into Lord Paragon's mind and rip out the information out of his skull, but two things kept her from doing that. One, it would tip Lord Paragon off to her treachery and two, one time Lord Paragon allowed her access into his mind, needless to say recalling the experience still makes her shudder.

However that was beside the point Swindle felt certain she was close to uncovering it all. With each wall coming down, steel tile being laid down, electrical wiring being set up. Hidden and sealed off portions of the old ruins were being discovered and each discovery lead to the possibility of finding and unlocking this secret. If someone got too close to their plans she or Ultimo would cover things up with an excuse here or a threat there but however it still didn’t eliminate the possibility that the others might have already started to suspect something and if that were the case it wouldn’t take long before someone would start to put two and two together. Swindle only knew one thing for certain, that in order for her and Ultimo’s plan to truly succeed. They would have to find and unlock the secret of this ruin before Paragon’s arrival. However her train of thought was interrupted when an alarm on one of the terminals went off.

“d**n it” she muttered to herself.

She had forgotten that Lord Paragon wanted a status report after each meeting. He wanted to make sure that everything was running smoothly and nothing was out of place out during his absence. Not sure as how he would react to her assault on Emperor Xanatos, but she would have to do her best to convince him that everything is still normal, well at least as normal as things get around here, and that all is under control. Taking a quick view of the video terminals to make sure that no one was around the entrance to the secret room Swindle took her leave. Making sure that no one was around as she closed the entrance she went off to make her report to Lord Paragon.

[MaligneFamily]

Originally Posted by Aranea

The Mind, Such a Terrible Thing...

It was the same ol', same ol' crowded room, angry people, no direction.

Amidst the accusations and boisterous threatening, there in the back, as always, as Aranea. Proud and tall and most importantly.

-quite- nobody took the time to notice him, as was his preference. That way nobody noticed he was entirely not paying attention. The meeting itself was taking place in the main meeting chamber of Ouroboros, a heathen name which he held in disdain, though he probably would've disliked it all the same if they had simply called it, "the base." The so-called meeting had been taking too long already and was starting to irk Aranea. Didn't take much for that to happen though, he rarely could stand to stay in one place for long. He longed to be back in the old days, when he knew every rock and tree of the Isles, and noticed any changes over time. Unlike now where he hardly recognizes any of his former stomping grounds and has to get around under his own power like some kind of grotesque mite.

Back when he had wings...

But thinking of such things only bored him now and he didn't care to reminisce anymore. So with a patience that could wither down a stone he watched the events play themselves out. Ah, there was the Herald of Oblivion, a powerful newcomer. And the Hook-Hand was there, along with Yellow Shellhead and the Big White One, Bosch was his name.

Oh now it might be interesting, one of the surrogates Lord Paragon left in charge, White Shellhead, was attempting to exert whatever control the group would allow them, he noted it wasn't much. As the other one of them tried to speak, Orange Head angrily interrupted, probably wanting to steal some thunder or the like. A smile scratched across his face as The Psyker Woman quickly sent out invisible tendrils of her power over the table and threw him towards the ground in a most humbling manner and left what must have been some frighting image in his brain to keep him shut up. probably deserved it, he liked attention too much
in araneas opinion

Not much worthwhile happened after that and when the convention was adjourned he left quickly, wanting to go out and cause some activity outside. It wasn't to be though, on his way outhe crossed the entrance to his seldom used chamber and almost didn't notice a shred of aged parchment his door.

"I desire an audience wit you. rendezvous here privately in the evening gloom." and at the bottom corner was a burned X mark. Aranea didn't understand fully what it meant and wouldn't have cared too anyway normally, but since the Lord paragon had been gone for so long he had grown bored and decided to wait and see this out.

Hours Later
Aranea was surfeited to his limit and even more so than that, he was angry that he had allowed himself to stay as long as he had. Taking to pacing around his sparsely filled quarters, he finally crumpled up the note from earlier and tossed it onto the only other object in the room, his much beloved crate, the container that held an unknown large number of identical copys of the Arachnos vest that he was prone to wearing. One of the gifts he had personally received from the Spider Monster, no his name was Recluse, when he talked Aranea into returning to his post and once again guard the island chain like he had so long ago. The other was his name.

Snapping his mind back to attention was that were the trash ball landed he almost thought he heard movement.

Nevermind that though, there was nobody there.

Knock Knock
Finally! He moved swiftly to the entrance to finally satisfy his curiosity. Opening the thick door, he nearly hissed, Orange head!

"Hail, Aranea" he said in his overpowering voice.

It took all the years Aranea used in holding his emotions inside to keep from doing anything he knew he'd get in trouble for later, he didn't want to see this guy now and feeling slightly

Jaundiced, he answered, "Hail."

Bah! He just kept asking questions and wouldn't leave, but Aranea had already allowed him inside.

The creature was persistent though and kept hounding him, Would he do this? Would he do that?

Who did he follow? Like it was his business anyway! Paragon had told him long ago to keep the allegiance unrevealed and that was the way he kept it. But then the thoughts crept in, Paragon has been away a long time... those flunkys he empowered when he left were insulting to him and unworthy...

Perhaps this guy wouldn't be so bad a change. He finished his end of the discussion with an ambiguous, "I follow the one in power." and left it with that.

Obviously not the response he was looking for, he left in a huff, slamming the solid door shut on his way out.

Thinking of what a waste the night had been he started to go back about his business when, there it was- the movement again.
Through his impervious armour he felt something he hadn't in a long time - anything at all.

It sent a chill through his back as he realized something was indeed very wrong. There was a presence in here! The room lit up and the was an image that appeared as a face and spoke to him, no it wasn't speaking to him, but in him!

His mind felt like glass breaking, sending terror racing through him - even the Pyker Woman Paragon left in charge was unable to do this to him! and the all it did was leave a few words etched in his brain,

"Lord Paragon watches all..."

[MaligneFamily]

Originally Posted by Ultimo X:

As he sat quietly in his lair, Ultimo looked at the screen in front of him with complete disdain. This past week he spent almost all his waking hours sitting there, going over hundreds of blueprints, comm reports and recorded video surveillance. He analyzed every piece of intelligence he had, constantly reforming his plan. Ever since he and Swindle found out the Emperor Xanatos has aligned himself with Bosch, both of them were pulling all of their resources together. With every passing day the lines were becoming clearer. He avoided coming to the base of the Corruptors, since he knew he had a big target on his back. Although strong in his own right, alot of villains were more prone to attacking him then Swindle, and any such attack would start the inevitable conflict. He couldn't allow the mayhem to start until he was completely ready, a plan already making it's way in the background, unseen.

As they decided, while Ultimo was away from the base, Swindle was in charge of providing him with specific information. One of the crucial parts of the plan was to secure ahead of time the names of the people who could be trusted, whever it was to follow them for Lord Paragon's sake, or was it their own desire to "extract" the problematic factors of the group. As such, Swindle did what she could to discern one's allegiance. So far they had a short list of supporters, most out of fear from Lord Paragon. Those few were informed of the events going on in the background. Ultimo didn't reveal all the details, he just made sure that they will be ready when the time comes to follow his and Swindle's lead. Ultimo recalled meeting her later that night a week ago, when Swindle returned after giving her monthly report to Maligne. She was furious to say the least, barely holding herself from attacking several unsuspecting corruptors who passed her by. She made it clear to him that Paragon was keeping tabs on the events in the base, if only by proxy. He then let her know about the apparent alliance between Bosch and Emperor Xanatos.

Ultimo saw a way to give them the upper hand in the matter almost immediately, but he wanted to make sure he had a way out, should something unaccounted for present itself. He needed to be certain that the both of them will have enough time and support to stabilize the group in the aftermath.

As he sat there, he felt an ever growing shadow above him. The only factor that could ruin everything was Lord Paragon's return, and what he might bring with him. Ultimo himself had no luck so far and unlocking the ruins beneath the base, and being away from the base made it even more impossible. He was unsure what progress Swindle made herself, but he assumed it wasn't much more then him. Assuming anything more would be optimistic, and that line of thinking wasn't like him. He knew that their window of opportunity was getting ever smaller, and that they needed to make their move soon. Emperor Xanatos was already moving around the base as if it was his own, interpreting Ultimo's absence as fear. He will soon find out...

Suddenly a small red light lit up on a panel to his right. He moved his hand and pressed it, opening a comm channel.

"Yes? What is it?" He asked, feeling angry for the sudden interruption.

"Sorry to disturb you. Should i call again when your feeling better?" answered a voice, mocking him.

"What is it? You know we have specific times for conversations, and now isn't that time." He said, anger heard clear in his voice.

"I think you should drop by the base."

That remark caught him off guard. She knew very well he avoided coming to the base for a reason, but for her to say something like that...

"Did something interesting happen in my absence?" He asked calmly.

"No, not yet, but it is going to"

Ultimo moved slightly in his chair, coming closer to the comm panel. This could mean only two things: either she had decided that the right time had emerged, or that they weren't the first catalyst.

Swindle knew of the plan already, since he made it a few days ago, and he trusted her judgment not to start anything without him being there.

"Very well, i'll be there shortly." He said, clicking the light again and ending the conversation. He then got up to his feet, and made his way down the hall.

When he got to the door he turned around, his hand on the wall. He took one last look around the room, his base of operations, and quietly turned around and exited the hall, making his way to the base of the Corruptors of Paragon.

[MaligneFamily]

Originally Posted by Red Switchblade:

Sitting quietly amongst the sparse foliage of the north end of St. Martial, Kevin DeSantis trembled with aniticipation as the psyhic emanations he'd waited on for so long had finally come to a head.

"Well, I got out just in time." He smiled to himself, petting a minature fly trap in his palm. "You know, of course, little one, that I wouldn't have been much use amongst the chaos, right?

Don't give me lip about acting dishonorable! What's power without control? The group fell asleep without Maligne pushing everyone's buttons. Power fell into a vacuum. Now the King is back and the court is ruffled by his presence. They grew soft and complacent in his absence. Not my scene. I can feel it now - chaos, anger, betrayal - and it excites me. What I'd hoped for is now in motion, without being in direct line of fire.

But what do you care, little one, you are but a mere plant..."

He unfurled his fists and planted his palms firmly on the ground. Moaning softly, tendrils of purple energy trickled into the grass roots about him as he channled his consciousness into the Earth. Travelling like lightning through the night sky, his mind streaked through the dirt and foliage to find its way to the Corruptor's base.

Shapes, colors, flashes of images both horrifying and amusing buzzed into his view. The Emperor was there, so was the robot. Another was coming. He sought out harder, but could not perceive clearly what else was afoot. There was another mentalist, the female he'd taken so much interest in but never known - but her trail was stifled by a desire not to be read so strong it rivaled her rage. Anger emanated from these figures so strongly that back in St. Martial the blacklash caused his nearby vegetative minions to wilt. Kevin retracted his mind, sweating with intense pleasure.

His stitched mouth cracked a weak grin.

"Many are angry, but there are a choice few whose temperament can stay the course of war. If they desire to move on the opportunity, I can be of assistance to them. Perhaps it is time I made my services better recognized."

He replanted his hands to the ground and made an attempt to contact Abyst.

"Hello, old friend."

[MaligneFamily]

Originally Posted by Gaia/Righteous:
These people. he thought to himself as he flicked through the local paper. Though he heard every arguement and grumble about organization or planning nothign was getting done. The Other wanted release to attack them to put them behind bars but he was in control and that was where things were going to stay. The artifact whispered promises to him in his mind. Its tendrels had spread through out his body empowering him even more. With each passing day he mastered the flames and became more complete. The Other would remained caged and eventually destroyed.

Chaos raged around him and arguments continued. He blocked it all out. Then abruptly stood up and left the room. Making sure to slam the door as loud as possible. His eyes glowed that eerie green casting a light ahead as he walked down the darkened corridor to his assigned room. Pulling out the book the artifact had been hidden within he once more began to read while the fire formed a ball in one open palm. He rolled it absently and flicked a page of the old book. Muttering to himself.

The door creaked open and a form stood there. . .

[MaligneFamily]

Originally Posted by Abyst:

Deep within the sanctuary of the Seekers of Oblivion, Abyst sat upon his throne, brooding. Though he had designated quarters in the Corruptors of Paragon's base, the current turmoil made such quarters less useful than they might otherwise be. Here, he could contemplate and plan undisturbed by the others. Well, mostly undisturbed.

"Hello, old friend", a familiar voice spoke from everywhere and nowhere.

"Hail, First Victim," Abyst spoke, aware of the presence around him. First Victim had a strange type of psi-talent, which seemed to link him to the earth and plant life in some peculiar way. Such things were not Abyst's domain, and he remained wary of them. "There are few who might interrupt my thoughts, and find themselves welcome. Speak, my ally, for you have the ear of Abyst."

"These are tumultuous times, yet offer an opportunity for those prepared to grasp it." the disembodied voice of First Victim spoke.

"Indeed. And perhaps you have come to speak of such an opportunity? Emperor Xanatos intends to act soon, that much is obvious. I do not see how this is of benefit to me."

"Are you aware that Emperor Xanatos is a Praetorian? Surely that is of interest to the mighty Abyst..."

Abyst sat silently a moment, before responding. "I know not of these 'Praetorians'; of what relevance is it?"

"The Praetorians are the 'mirror-images' of this world's superpowered beings, who come from the primary 'mirror-image' dimension. Heroes of this realm have their villain equivalent amongst the Praetorians; likewise, villains have hero opposites there. But within the Praetorian domains, the villains of the world dominate. They have likewise spread to neighboring dimensions due to their might. Such success - such power, surely offers some advantage to you."

"And so you wish me to ally with the Emperor Xanatos, in exchange for these secrets? That is a dangerous proposition, without knowing how the battle lines will be drawn in the coming conflict..."

"No!" Victim's voice said with emphasis, "Quite the opposite! After the Emperor has been weakened by whatever conflict is to come, you will be able to capture and deliver him to me. In such a weakened state, I will be able to pry the secrets of the Praetorians from his mind. In exchange for your aid, I can divulge such secrets as might be of benefit to you within your own realm..."

Abyst laughed a mighty laugh, which boomed off the stone walls of his throne room.

"You know me too well, First Victim! Were I not convinced you were just as interested as I in such an outcome, I would question your motives. So be it! We shall act against the Emperor when the time is right. But make no mistake, he is a being of no small power, and has many supporters of his own. When the time comes, we must move swiftly."

"Ah, my large, grey friend, I knew you would help me. I shall be in contact..." the voice faded into nothingness, leaving Abyst alone once more.

And what would the other Lords of Corruption think if the Emperor disappeared? It was obvious that Swindle did not care for him, after the events of the last meeting, but what about Ultimo X? Or the others... Poison and Bosch? And Lord Paragon, upon his return.... Regardless, if the Praetorians had dominated their own realm, then they would surely have secrets that would be of great aid to Abyst. Now all that remained was the opportunity to strike....

[MaligneFamily]

Originally Posted by Swindle:

Meanwhile...


Swindle was working on one of the consoles in the secret room typing away at the keypad. As she awaited the arrival of Ultimo X she couldn’t but help feel the excitement building up within her. All the time and effort that was spent on the secret excavation of the ruins was finally going to pay off. Absolute power was going to be within her grasp and all the glory and prestige that came with it would finally become reality. Just then a figure entered appeared from the shadows.

“You had any trouble getting in?” said Swindle as she was typing away on the console. Not paying much attention to the person entering the room but more to the information being displayed on the terminal she was working on.

“Please, despite what Emperor Xanatos thinks of himself I’ve got more power at my beck and call than he does brain cells in that thing he calls a head. Getting inside this place without his notice is nothing but mere parlor tricks for me.” Smirked Ultimo

“Nice to know that you hold Emperor Xanatos in such high regards.” Said Swindle in a sarcastic manner

“If you don’t mind I believe you said that you had something urgent to discuss. Right now my time is a very precious commodity to me and I do hate to squander it on something as frivolous as discussing Xanatos.”

“I do apologize you’re absolutely right let us get to the matter at hand.”

Typing a few things on a keyboard the lights in their secret room began to dim and a holographic 3-D image of Ouroboros base came into view. Still typing on the keyboard the image became larger as it started to zoom in on a particular point.

“Notice anything?” said Swindle; this was presented more as a statement than a question.

“Aside from the same dull image of our great meeting room I really don’t see anything. If you don’t mind Swindle please get to the point.” Ultimo said with a tone of annoyance in his voice.

“Of course.” Replied Swindle as she continued typing on the keypad. Just then some other images started to appear on the holographic image. They started to arrange themselves in a particular pattern. As Ultimo viewed the images take shape a smile began to form on his face.

“Paragon you magnificent bastard.”

“I see you noticed the same thing that I did.” Said Swindle

“All this time, the searching he made us do has been nothing more than a wild goose chase when what we’ve been seeking has been right under our noses all along. I don’t know whether to be furious or applaud him for this.” Ultimo said as he began looking over the holographic image displayed before him. “Oh well either way I’ll still enjoy seeing the expression on his face when I remove his still-beating heart of his chest. Do we know the extent of the excavations that Paragon has done himself?”

“No unfortunately with Xanatos keeping a heavy eye on us. It makes it very hard to do some personal investigations on this. I recommend that we solidify our alliances and possibly add more to our ranks before doing anything further.”

“I agree, do you have anybody in mind?” replied Ultimo

“There’s Abyst, I think he would make an excellent addition to our ranks. Although I’m not sure as to where his loyalties currently lie but I’m sure I can find out and if need be possibly persuade him that it would be more beneficial to ally with us over Xanatos. There are others as well, and we might also have to hire outside help if the situation calls for it.”

“Whatever is necessary, I just want everything ready before Paragon’s arrival.” Said Ultimo as he continued to stare at the holographic blueprints of their base.

Just then a voice began to speak from the speakers within the room.

“As do I my dear Lord Ultimo X.”

“Xanatos” came a venomous reply from Swindle

Just then a metal panel came down from the wall blocking off the hidden entrance to the room. Then all the screens in the room began to flicker and then an image of Xanatos’ face appeared on all of them.

“I guess this would be the part were I would say it was great worth working with both of you and that you’ve all been great adversaries but honestly that would be a lie. I do however have to thank you for doing all this work for me. If it’s any consolation I’ll tell Lord Paragon that you all said Hi before I send him to Hell to meet both of you. Oh and Ultimo don’t worry about not being able to see Paragon’s expression. I’ll be sure to take a picture and bury it with your remains.”

Just then Xanatos’s image disappeared from the screens and the number 45 appeared in its place and began to countdown.

“Hmmm, two weeks earlier than I expected looks like you won the bet Ultimo.”

A chuckle escaped from Ultimo’s lips

“I do have to give Xanatos credit, but however it’s about time I show him just how things are really done around here.”

Moments later a small explosion rocked thru one of the halls of the base.

[MaligneFamily]

Originally Posted by Praetor Anubis:

The room quaked beneath Praetor Anubis’ feat as an explosion shook the area outside of his quarters. The lights began to flicker, one of the power systems must have been damaged, and Anubis calmly stood up and reached for his helmet. He sighed to himself as he removed his external re breather and put his helmet on, switching to armor’s internal life support system. Anubis hit the panel on the door and causing it to slide open revealing a dark and damaged hallway. Anubis stepped into the dark, with only the red glow from his cycloptix and the light from the connecting hall at the opposite end cutting through the darkness. He stood their and activated the cycloptix’s night vision revealing the extent of the damage from the blast. Power lines that were once hidden in the ceiling now were now exposed, some hanging limp and broken like dead snakes. While surveying the damage his com beeped, informing him of an incoming message. He accessed his com system and read the message that scrolled across the lower corner of his visor: “CHECKMATE”

Praetor Anubis grinned as he spoke to himself in the darkness. “So the pawns are called into action, what an interesting game of chess this will turn out to be. It is time to do my duty.”

“You know talking to yourself is often considered a sign of insanity.” whispered a hushed voice. “It’s no wonder then that I often have long drawn out conversations with myself.” An ear piercing sadistic laugh echoed in the darkness.

Praetor Anubis knew the owner of the voice and remained unnerved as he scanned the darkness and saw nothing, despite the night vision. “Is it safe to assume that you have come to grace me with your presence on behalf of Emperor Xanatos?”

“I’ve come to paint the walls red with your blood, you rotting corpse!” echoed the enraged reply.

Anubis spun around knocking an incoming sharp spine aside with one of his armored gloves and he stood facing his assailant. Psychoquil stood with his spines fully extended from his baggy red and black robes. The faint glow from Pyshcoquil’s visor revealed his sparkling white maniacal grin of razor sharp teeth. Just as his name suggested Psychoquil is quite mentally unstable, the product of a genetic experiment gone awry. He and Praetor Anubis had always been at odds ever since he had come into the Corruptors with Emperor Xanatos’ party. The two just did not see eye to eye on many things besides who should lead the Corruptors. But he was dangerous, quite the capable killer.

“I am saddened to inform you that I do not think your wish can be fulfilled. My blood runs black due to the fact that it is negative energy that powers my organs, including my blood cells.”

“Shut up and die you smug bastard! I shall feast on your rotted flesh when I’m finished with you.” Pyschoquil screeched lunging towards Praetor Anubis.

“You overestimate yourself, runt!” shouted Anbuis as he put up his hands and let loose a torrent of negative energy that slammed into Psychoquil stopping his advance and knocking him onto his back.

“Pathetic” stated Anubis as he waved his hand and tentacles of negative energy rose from the ground attempting to ensnare Psychoquil.

Psychoquil jumped to his feet and quickly cut the protruding tentacles. Anubis took aim and fired several blasts of energy in the annoyance’s direction. Pyschoquil dodged each one. “Such speed” Anubis thought to himself.

Anubis right arm shook with concentrated negative energy as he waited for his target to stop moving and found his chance as Psychoquil let loose a wave of spikes towards Anubis, one of them piercing his shoulder. Anubis let loose his own attack and took of in turn catching Psychoquil in the chest and knocking him back a few feet. Anubis then took off flying toward his recovering target, crashing into him and slamming into the wall at the end of the hall.

“Get…off of me…you…FILTH!” shouted Psychoquil as he exploded with spikes that Anubis dodged narrowly as he flew back. He touched down to the ground as Psychoquil walked out of the crater in the wall brushing himself off.

“I have some people that I must meet, so if we could finish this…” said Anubis calmly as he stared at his opponent.

“I didn’t know you were so eager to die. But that’s fine with me!” responded Psychoquil as a spike protruded from his arm and he rushed toward Anubis.

Anubis stood still as Psychoquil charged him. Hopefully what he was thinking should work out perfectly; continuing to waste time in fighting this pawn would only prove detrimental to his main objectives. Psychoquil slammed into Anubis, the spike went right through his armor impaling him. Dark tentacles then burst from the ground ensnaring Psychoquil and so he could not get out of arms reach of his impaled victim.

“I look forward to seeing you in hell Praetor Anubis.” whispered Psychoquil as Praetor Anubis put clamped his hand over the demented mutant’s face. “Looks like we die togeth—“ Psycoquil was cut short as his head was plastered all over the hallway’s back wall by a point blank blast of negative energy. It was no use trying to leech life to heal this wound, it was too big.

“As always you fail to grasp the situation.” Anubis grunted as he pulled Psycoquil’s limp spiked arm from his stomach. “I will not be following you to the afterlife this day. It is not my time yet, hopefully, Anubis will agree with me.” He said as he staggered towards the back wall and dragged his hand through Psychoquil’s blood and then some of his own that was spilling onto the floor.

Weak, Anubis fell to his knees as he drew an Ankh made of his and Psychoquil’s combined blood on his upper torso armor. He then reached over and did the same to Psychoquil’s corpse.

“Anubis, I offer you this fresh, sick soul as proof that I continue to act as your worldly agent and continue to repay you for your gift.” Anubis spoke more softly as he was loosing blood fast and growing weaker. He drew a large Ankh of combined blood on the floor with the eye of Osiris inside its loop. “Aid me and continue to allow me to spread death in your name.” spoke Anubis as he collapsed onto the large Ankh.

As he laid in the darkness he felt his wound begin to close and his strength returning. Tendrils of negative energy washed over him covering him almost completely. Praetor Anubis got up to his as the tendrils peeled away revealing the changes that had taken place. He looked himself over his armor had changed color and was black with gold accents near his upper arms and knees. A tattered black cape hung from his shoulders and his armor had been repaired, there was no whole from Psychoquil’s final blow. Anubis unlocked his helmet from his armor and lifted it off revealing a mouthless black face with gold tribal markings. Tendrils of energy poured from his eyes.

If he still had a mouth he would be grinning. “Much appreciated my God.” He turned around, lifted off the ground and took off towards the main hall. Praetor Anubis had to meet the rest of those still loyal to the Corrputors in there. Of course loyalty was a loose term as Ultimo and Swindle were not acting out of loyalty to Lord Paragon, but for now he was their tool to be utilized during this rebellion. In Anubis’ eyes Emperor Xanatos was much more of threat than Ultimo and Swindle’s ambitions. He was sure Lord Paragon would agree given the current circumstances.

[MaligneFamily]

Originally Posted by Tarbs/Kitten's Rage:
Rage purred softly as she watched some of the Rogue Isle’s less talented residents make fools of themselves on VillianVision. Some of the posted video clips of homemade movies outright made her laugh. Some random villain awkwardly trying to learn to use nunchakas; running out of talent and cracking himself on the forehead for an instant K.O. Others like the rookie villain cat that set her own tail on fire trying to torch a building, and the necromancer who’s summoned minions rose from the ground under his feet and knocked him over. Some of the posted videos were blackmail and smears; others were just security camera footage and the random tourist in the right place with a camcorder. Some were good for comic relief; all were good for information. Of all the things Rage used most, it was information. Information is power, above all things. Information is also what Rage used in plotting her schemes.

“How goes the research?” asked a voice in Rage’s head. A voice belonging to IceRayven, Rage’s mental companion.

“Pretty good.” Rage thought back. “You should see some of these idiots. I mean really…if you have an fire aura…STAY AWAY FROM FLAMMABLE OBJECTS!…duh!” Rage laughed out loud at the thought of that particular video. “I have managed to get some useful info on other villains, some heroes, and a lot of so-called hardened installations. Some managers ought to be pulling their hair out at some of these surveillance videos. Besides what’s on-screen, you can really learn a place’s layout and intricacies if you look.”

“Well, what do they expect with the morons they hire into the R.I.P.?”, asked IceRayven, bringing another good laugh out of Rage.

“True enough,” she replied “True enough. How goes those psychic barriers you’ve been working on?”

“Pretty well for what I can protect. I’ve been able to hide and shield myself and all of your true motives for being in the Isles and in the CoP. I’ve also been able to plant false memories about said motives so others won’t suspect anything. I will say though, there are some powerful psychics in the isles and a couple in the CoP who have severely tested my camouflage.”

Rage nodded, more to herself and IceRayven than anyone else. “I suppose they will be pulled from my mind eventually, but above all else hide yourself by any means necessary Rayven.”

“I fully plan on doing that. Although what will others do when they find out? Just doing your own thing all the time is suspicious in itself. This little spat growing in the CoP has those said psychics probing your mind on a daily basis. Something big must be growing to cause that much activity,” IceRayven replied, with more than a hint of worry in her voice.

“Bah!” Rage thought back. “They think too small. CoP is just one group. There are hundreds of groups in the Isles. You’d think they would want to run them all. Besides, Lord Paragon will be back soon enough. Then things will settle down again. Typical villains, when the leader leaves for a bit they all trip over themselves trying to take the power themselves.”

Just then the door to her workshop burst open. A startled Rage fell backwards out of her chair while instinctively reaching for her arm to summon her robot bodyguards and forcefields. No threat made the noise, only one of Rage’s drones, Dufus the First. “LADY RAGE!! LADY RAGE!!” Dufus yelled, the drone’s artificial voice bouncing of the walls, “YOU”VE GOT MAIL!!!”

Rage sat, tail twitching and fury rising, on the floor as the drone ran up to her and presented a small stack of mail. Rage snatched the stack and shouted back “HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU TO KNOCK BEFORE YOU ENTER!! EVEN IF YOU DO HAVE THE ACCESS CODES!” with a rage much like her namesake. IceRayven, initially taken aback, was howling with laughter in Rage’s mind. “Oh shutup you!” Rage thought as she picked herself up off the floor and dusted herself off.

“Maybe someone should post that on VillianVision, with your cat-like reflexes” IceRayven replied, howling more. “I’m suuuure other’s would appreciate it as much as I did”

Rage fumed at both at her drone and her mental companion for a few seconds before screaming as loud as she could. Out of breath, she panted for a moment and then started laughing herself. “I suppose if you can’t laugh at yourself…” she said outloud and started rifling through her mail. “Let’s see, junk…junk…junk…you know I think my next master plan will be to devise a way to destroy these people who send out junk mail. I mean, what the hell do I need a Mastercard Gold for when I can just steal the money I need?” IceRayven got a laugh out of that one too.

“If you do that, the populace might just consider you a hero you know…”

A muffled explosion caught Rage’s ear. “That sounded like it came from within the base,” IceRayven said.

“Probably some rookie blew up their lab again,” Rage giggled.

“I don’t know, that didn’t sound right….”

“You like saying that,” chuckled Rage as she went to go pick up her toppled chair.

“Maybe, but then again…I’m usually right,” replied IceRayven in a completely serious tone that stopped Rage mid-step.

Digesting that thought for a moment, Rage nodded to herself, summoned her robots with her armband, and walked over to her personal armory. As she input the unlock code she thought to IceRayven “Too true my friend. A second sense with a second sense. Yes you are usually right.” As the doors finished opening, Rage reached in and grabbed her pulse rifle and an energy pack that she quickly snapped into place. A quick pump on the precharger brought the weapon to life with an electric whine that brought a smile to Rage’s face.

The sound of metallic steps and hydraulic hissing announced the arrival of her robots. “Boys,” Rage addressed them, “power up and get those sensors running. Full assault mode. Exception status, IFF to quick disconnect mode.” Her robots quickly carried out the commands and began full combat preparations, upgrading existing weapons, mounting missile racks and photon launchers, and all kinds of “goodies” as Rage would say. When they were finished, her close support robots began projecting force fields around the other robots and themselves.

“Upgrades are complete, sensors to assault configuration, uplink to command unit established, diagnostics complete on all units” boomed the deep voice of her commanding assault class robot. “We await your operational orders Lady Rage.”

Purring softly, Rage popped her personal force field and checked the connection to her forearm command unit. She smiled as the display blinked to life, showing readouts from her robot’s sensor suites as well as her own rifle’s close range sensors. Living or dead, visible or invisible, not matter what it was, nothing would escape her array of sensors.

“A little over a minute” IceRayven said to Rage, “Still too slow in an emergency”

“Better than five minutes like it used to be.” Rage thought back.

“True enough. I’m retreating to the ‘shelter’ to handle mental defense if needed. Good luck.”

The lights in her workshop flickered out a moment before her emergency standby generators buzzed to life and brought power back to her workshop.

“Aye, and to you too...for both of us. This could be…interesting. Looks like you were right, as always.” Rage replied as she put on a very serious face and made for the door to her workshop. A quick check of the small hallway showed it clear, and Rage headed down the hall, her robots following closely behind.

[MaligneFamily]

Originally Posted by Abyst:

Abyst sat upon his throne in the Seekers of Oblivion sanctuary. Through the Mystic Axis, he watched the events throughout the Rogue Isles. The myriad groups vying for power, both great and small. The many Destined Ones going about their business, working toward their own ends and yet, in the end, aiding Lord Recluse whether they willed it or not. Abyst knew that soon, he would have to confront the Lord of Spiders, but not until...

A mystic alarm sounded, and he directed the Axis toward the Corruptors of Paragon's base. Within, he saw chaos; some kind of explosion had devastated a portion of the base, and fights were breaking out between villains. The mix of arcane ruins and technological equipment only added to the contrast and chaos of the scene.

"Hmm... it would seem they have chosen to act sooner than I had expected. Not an entirely unpleasant turn of events.." Abyst spoke, considering his next move.

"Of course, it's about to get a lot more unpleasant for you..." an unknown voice echoed, as a wormhole appeared in his throne room, disgorging three individuals.

"How dare you enter my throne room and threaten the mighty Abyst!" his voice boomed, as he stood up from his throne. Abyst's aura began to shine brightly, as he called upon his powers. "You have made the mistake or riling the Archlord of the Dark Sun, and it shall be your doom!"

At that, the largest of the three intruders engulfed himself in flames, and conjured forth a flame blade as he stepped forward. It looked similar to the Behemoths of the Circle of Thorns, but clearly had more power at its call. The smallest of the bunch, encased in power-armor, launched a volley of energy bolts at Abyst as the other two advanced, the fiery brute charging. Abyst let the bolts impact him, their force largely deflected by his auras, and moved to counter the flamewielder. As the flame blade descended, leaving a trail of embers in its wake, the Herald of Oblivion stepped aside to avoid it and delivered a heavy blow to the back of the brute, knocking him off-balance.

"Pathetic fools! You shall not live to regret your intrusion!" Abyst spoke with malice, as he slammed his foot down upon the ground. The tremor knocked the flaming beast and the other down, but the energy-hurling third hovered in the air and unleashed a second volley of energy at Abyst, knocking him off balance.

"Our massster demands your death! Ssso sshall it be!" the reptillian attacker hissed in defiance. Hmm... Abyst knew this one, named Cold-Snap. He was a known loyalist to the Emperor Xanatos. Abyst's thoughts were disrupted as Cold-Snap muttered an incantation, and the Herald felt sluggish, as though a force were pulling against him.

"Yesss! Ssstrike now! He isss weakened!" the lizard shouted, as the Behemoth closed in, his flames roaring.

"Bah!" Abyst struck a mighty blow, staggering the flaming beast. Again and again he struck, devastating the burning foe. The Behemoth breathed fire upon Abyst, but the Archlord did not relent. Thunderous punches shook the very air as they impacted upon the fool who had dared to attack Abyst.

"Do something!" the small power-armored attacker cried, as he blasted Abyst once more. He pressed some buttons on his suit, and Abyst felt weakened as some of his energies were passed to the Behemoth. Cold-Snap intensified his incantations, and Abyst felt himself slowing under the pressure of amplified gravity. No! He was Abyst! His will would not be denied!

Unleashing a mighty roar, Abyst's aura amplified in intensity. "Behold the immaculate fury of Abyst, which shall be the greatest and last pain you shall ever know!" The dark form of Abyst was surrounded by a mighty golden aura, so intense as to be almost painful to look upon. That was the face of death.

Abyst unleashed a mighty blow upon the Behemoth, who had managed stagger to its feet. The impact caused a minor shockwave, and sent the flaming brute through the stone wall of the throne room, landing in part of the lab next door. Abyst grabbed one of the loose stones and hurled it at the attacker in power-armor, who narrowly dodged it. The stone slab shattered as it hit the ceiling, leaving a crater and causing a rain of stone fragments and dust below.

"No! Ssstop him!" Cold-Snap cried, as he called forth his strongest incantations. He sent blast after blast of ice shards towards Abyst, but the Herald's aura was too strong, and the fragments were either deflected or shattered against him harmlessly.

The power-armored attacker flew in low as Abyst approached Cold-Snap, and let loose a tremendous blast of energy. Abyst staggered to the side, then turned and let loose a mighty blast from his chest-maw. The solid beam of power was deafening, as though the radiance of a sun had been focused into a beam. It burned and shattered the stone where it hit. The armored attacker tried to flee, but Abyst was too fast, the beam incinerated him almost instantly. Only charred pieces of his armor survived, as the blast ceased.

Cold-Snap had run, but Abyst took a mighty leap and landed in front of him, turning and backhanding the fleeing dominator. The lizardman flew backwards, crashing into one of the Oracle's stone arches. As Abyst approached him, an explosion of flames came from the hole in the wall. Moments later the Behemoth stepped back through, his flames roaring in fury.

"GRAAAARR!" the beast shouted as it launched towards Abyst. The Herald of Oblivion met the beast mid-charge, their fists slamming into one another.

"You have only succeeded in giving me the pleasure of slaying you again, worthless beast!" Abyst shouted, as he slammed his fist into the creature's side. It stumbled, and Abyst struck again, slamming against the side of its head. The fiery brute swung at Abyst, but he caught the flaming fist in his hand and held it.

"Not good enough" Abyst spoke, and struck a mighty blow in the creature's chest. The beast stumbled, no longer strong enough even to strike back at Abyst. "And now, you die." Abyst lifted the creature, and slammed it down upon the ground, cracking the stone. The flames of the beast died out, as its magma-like blood leaked from numerous wounds.

"And now, for you!" the Herald said menacingly, as he advanced towards Cold-Snap. The lizardman had recovered, but was now bereft of allies. In desperation, he summoned for an ice blade, swinging at Abyst as he approached. The grey brute merely caught the blade in his hand and shattered it, as he grabbed Cold-Snap's throat with his other hand.

"gak... the Emperor... kaff... will triumph!" the lizard choked out, as he was lifted off the ground by Abyst.

"That is all I needed to know" Abyst spoke menacingly. "Jack! Deal with this... thing." Abyst shouted, as his auras began to fade. "I shall gather my energies, and then see what transpires at the Corruptors' bastion. Emperor Xanatos will pay for this..."

"As you wish, Master..." Jack of Skulls emerged from the shadows, as two grave knights drug Cold-Snap's unconcious form to the cells. Jack looked over at the dead Behemoth and muttered in his grating voice, "I can use this...". Some Acolytes entered to move the body and begin repairs, as a few more stones tumbled from the hole in the wall.

Abyst merely sat upon his throne, brooding and furious. First Victim would learn of this...

[MaligneFamily]

Originally Posted by Red Switchblade:

First Victim had in fact already learned of this. Having been savvy to the idea that the Emperor would strike back, or rather first in this case, the cunning DeSantis had already grown his trademark surveillance weeds within both the Seekers' and Corruptors' chambers, due partly to lack of a good fall season on TV (which he can only listen to, anyway), and the remainder largely motivated by interest on whose side to join when a winner was clear.

He didn't expect the neutral Abyst to be the first one attacked, however. He watched with great interest as the disngendered beast tore flesh and pride apart at the seams with blow after blow to the underlings, his rage piling high until it seemed that a missed punch could destabilize the entire compound. Grinning within the restraints of his stitchings, First Victim deployed his favorite of all toys - the Unforseen.

As Abyst watched his lackeys, and his lackeys' lackeys, drag away the bodies of the failed coup, a strange rustling came from the back corner of the room. Abyst pretended to ignore it, but listened closer. It drew nearer and nearer, until the breath of a new foe was so near it aggravated his maw. Leaping to his clawed feet, he turned around and threw a right hook so mighty it shattered his foe's skull upon impact, spewing blood and bone across the floor. The headless body fell to the left of his throne in a heap, defeated and humiliated.

As Abyst stood over the wrecked corpse of this unknown fourth assailant, he felt a sudden chill. He looked up at the ceiling, expecting some sort of hole from the frenzy producing a draft. But there was none, and he boggled for a moment before returning his gaze to the floor. His assailant was gone, but the blood and bone remained.

"Please... don't hurt meeeee! I am but the messenger... the messenger! The master wants to meeeet you...!"

Abyst, still fuming and rageful, searched for the location of the voice. Peering intently at his throne, he soon noticed a discrepancy in the coloring, and struck once at it, lightly. The creature howled and fell to the floor, revealed. Abyst roared a mighty "BAH!" and tore its arm from its socket, clubbing it in the face not once, but twice. the creature skidded to the other side of the room and hit the wall with a sickening thud, painting a trail of red on the way. Without missing a beat, Abyst continued the assault with a swift kick to the creature's midsection, caving in its ribcage.

"Tell your mighty Emperor that his business with me is naught!" Abyst roared, the gears of war in his head beginning to turn. He turned around, and was face to face with the creature once more.

He threw another mighty jab, but was surprised to find it deflected easily, his weight shifted to the right. He growled venomously, and came back for a haymaker. Finding himself unable to hit the foe, he breathed heavily. It was in this moment that the creature made itself clear.

"Emperor? Nooo.... The Emperor is our enemy.... enemy! I know how you feel, I have felt your rage, and in turn you have imparted your powers to meeeeee.... My master is not the one you seek, my master is the Keeper of Weeds! The one you know, trust. The victim, victim!" The creature howled, rubbing its arm and chest.

Abyst receded a moment, allowing his aggressive stance to drop.

"You have been sent by First Victim?" Abyst snarled, ready to re-engage if necessary.

"Yesss! My master, the victim, he needs to see you. Soon, in St. Martial! Yessss, soon he needs to see you. Says it's important. Sent Unforseen, it was so important" The creature flicked its foot and scratched the floor with his spikey growth.

"Why didn't he just tell me himself?" Abyst stated, calmer.

"He sent me this message, he did! He said... 'I wanted you to be ready, in the event of the Unforseen. Glad to see you are up to the tassssssk.' "

Abyst groaned, and sat back down in his throne. Unforseen vanished from plain sight.

[MaligneFamily]

Originally Posted by Ultimo X:

Chaos reigned through out the Corruptors of Paragon base. Fights were taking place in almost every hall, corridor or unused room. Those few villains who weren't informed of the events to come were making their way out of the base. Soon the only ones left would be those ready to fight for whatever purpose they believed in.
In one such corridor, dust was just settling down from a recent explosion. The hallway was damaged severely, the walls broken revealing previously concealed power and communication lines. Glass from broken lights was scattered all over the floor, while what few lights that were still in their place pulsed with a feint red glow. Over then the sound of a few fragments of stone falling to the ground, there was no sound.

As the dust settled in the hallway, two figures appeared seemingly out of thin air, slowly taking shape.

"Well that was interesting" said Swindle, laughing as she spoke

"I suppose only you could find something like almost getting blown to kingdom come amusing. In any case, we should make haste. Even Xanatos wouldn't honestly underestimate us that much to believe that kind of attack would get rid of us. We should be ready for a few visitors." As he spoke Ultimo lifted his hand and pressed a panel on the right side of his metallic shell.

"Well then, we shouldn't keep the dear Emperor waiting" Swindle said with a venomous tone

Before either had even taken one step, a feint sound creeped into the air. It started as a soft humming, but it kept getting louder and louder.

"Company?" Ultimo asked as he turned to his companion

Taking a moment to concentrate Swindle said "Four of them."

"Anything special about them?" Ultimo asked calmly

"Nope, just your every day average enforcers" said Swindle with a grin.

"How unimaginative. Fine, let's at least have some fun with them" Ultimo said, a sick smile coming to his face

"Well now, thats very unusual for you. You usually try to separate business from pleasure. I keep forgetting what you are really like when it comes down to fighting."

"I have my methods. In any case, let's start." said Ultimo as he raised his hand and placed it on Swindle's shoulder. With a click on his chest the two disappeared from sight, Ultimo's cloak making the two completely invisible. There they stood, waiting for their welcoming party to arrive at the scene. Within seconds they appeared around the corner, looking intensely at the wrecked corridor.

The four stood there for a minute, gauging the damage. Ultimo suspected that they were reluctant to preform this certain job for their leader, and probably only accepted it out of fear, and after being assured of the power of the explosion. Looking at their faces, expressions of anxiety on all of their faces, he could feel his excitement rising.

"Are you getting any bio signatures from the wreck?" asked one of the larger flunkies. He was dressed in black from head to toe, with the only exception his eyes, which were covered by a steel plate. He was addressing a smaller female, one who was in a average looking powered armor.

"Nothing yet, it looks like were in the clear."

"Bah, like those two could do anything" said the largest of the group, nothing more then a mindless brute, sticking his chest out in a false sense of pride. Ultimo turned his eyes to the last of the group. He was standing at the back, against the wall, and was the calmest of the group. Ultimo looked down at what he thought was movement only to see his shadow moving oddly on his own, slightly merging with the shadow the wall casted. Ultimo noted all of this and slightly moved the hand he still had on Swindle's shoulder. The movement was not enough to break contact, but enough to make her aware that he was going to move.

"There is no room for that kind of false sense of security, not at a time like this" said the shadow-manipulating villain

"Pffft, i would have loved to fight Ultimo X. I never much saw him as a lord to begin with" said the brute

"You should be careful with what you wish for" said Ultimo as he removed his hand from Swindle's shoulder. The two appeared before the group, both with smiles splattered across their faces. They reveled in the looks of sheer horror growing on the group's faces. Ultimo enjoyed the moment as he noted to himself how effectively a person with no eyes expresses true horror.

"Please, to think that kind of measly bomb could kill us" said Swindle, her eyes with a look that immobilized the group with sheer terror.

"I actually found the timer a bigger insult" smirked Ultimo. "If it was me i would have had the countdown start at 3."

The two laughed, knowingly letting the group get to their senses. They would had no fun with them frozen in their place like that, and such complete disdain usually motivated enemies to reassure themselves. There was no feeling of superiority in Ultimo, as he was not one to underestimate his enemies, but he new he had already won. These pawns were only sent to try and slow them down, and even wound them if they could, both were doomed ideas from their conception.

"Fine, we'll just have to take you down here and now" said the blind man. "Get ready!!"

"Should i take care of them?" asked Swindle calmly, looking at the group intensely.

"No, you check on the others' progress. These lackeys... are MINE!" said Ultimo, taking a step forward. Swindle merely motioned with her shoulders and moved to the side, leaning against the wall and closing her eyes.

Ultimo crossed his arms and looked at the group. All of them were sizing his up, trying to figure how best to take him down. He knew they had no idea about his powers, since he rarely ever engaged in any actual fights, and those rare few never left any witnesses.
They stood there for a few moments, either side making any movement, waiting for a sign. As a loose piece of wall fell and hit the ground, Ultimo moved his arms.

"Get him!!" yelled the leader. The woman jumped forward, standing in line with their leader, as both of them prepared to attack. The woman's gloves shined bright with a red aura and the man took a deep breath. Ultimo moved one step to his left, focusing his attention for the right moment. As both of the villains let loose their attacks, the woman sending a sizable blast of energy and the man a scream which echoed through out the corridor, further destabilizing it, he made his move. As the blast approached Ultimo the brute yelled out in victory only to stop a moment later as the attacks went clear through him. At the same time, the woman flew to her left, crashing into the wall and making a large dent in the wall and the man rose to air, grabbing his throat and seemingly chocking.

"Did you really think it would be that easy?" said Ultimo as his image suddenly appeared next to the leader, his hand around his throat, holding him in mid air, looking down at the brute. The brute hunched, seemingly in focus calling for his powers. An eerie black light surrounded his body as he rightened himself and sent a punch aimed squarely at Ultimo's chest. With a twist of his wrist Ultimo snapped the man's neck and threw him towards the brute, hitting him and sending him off balance, crashing to the floor.

"How pitiful. I was expecting at least some challenge from you. Oh well, not every wish has a tendency to come true. I suppose i should finish this.'

"We aren't done yet" said the woman, slowly rising to her feet and pushing herself from the wall. She was dazed and struggling to find her breath, as it seemed that his punch broke a few of her ribs. In response to her determination the brute pushed the leader's dead body off of him and got to his feet. She apparently was finally able to get some air as she let out a scream and began to collect all her energy to a single blast. Electricity was surging through out the armor as it began to shutdown, all of it's remaining power diverted to her glove. At the same time the brute began to move again, and charged towards Ultimo with all the speed he could muster.

"Pathetic" Ultimo muttered as he easily avoided the brute's punch, grabbing his forearm. He used his momentum and threw him to the left, straight towards the woman as she let loose her attack. The bolt caught the brute in mid air, within a feet away from the woman, causing an explosion which sent both of them flying. The woman crashed back into the wall as the brute hit the opposite wall head first and collapsed to the floor in a sickening thud. With those three down he turned his attention to the last member of the group, which had cleverly concealed himself when the battle started.

"Come out come out where ever you are" said Ultimo mockingly. Suddenly the villain appeared out of thin air directly ahead of him and sent his now clawed hand across his chest. The sound of metal hitting metal echoed through the hall as sparks flew off the point where the two met. Ultimo let out a small laugh as he grabbed his opponent's head with both his hands and turned it around, breaking his neck. As the last of the attackers fell lifeless to the floor Ultimo stood there, lifting his head and closing his eyes. Reveling in the moment he went over the fight and calmed himself. Once he was ready he turned around and approached his companion.

"Status?" he asked calmly

"They got your massage. Those who are loyal to Lord Paragon... or us... are on the move. It seems like Xanatos made a fair assessment of our allies and had company ready for most of them, but to no avail" said Swindle with a smile

"Then we should get going as well. We wasted enough time with these minor annoyances. The rest can meet us on the way" said Ultimo as he raised his hand to his chest. He rested it on the X mark on his chest and pushed on it. The mark gave in and moved slightly inward.

"What is that for?" asked Swindle

"Insurance" said Ultimo simply as he began to move down the corridor, towards the main hall. Swindle looked at him for a moment, and with a smile on her face moved to his side as the two made their way.

Meanwhile, in Ultimo's base a soft clicking sound was heard as the back wall of the hall slowly split in the middle, revealing a large hidden room. As the wall slid into it's place small red lights started to light up all over the room, like fireflies on a moonless night. At the center of the room a large cylinder rose from the ground, spewing a bright white light on it's surroundings. It opened as a beautiful woman encased in metal stepped out. She stopped after a few feet and rightened herself, lifting her head and opening her eyes. She took one look around the room and hit the floor with her heel, prompting a smaller cylinder to rise and removed a large rifle from it. She placed the gun on her shoulder as she calmly said: "It is time. MOBILIZE!"

[MaligneFamily]

Originally Posted by Righteous/Gaia:

As the door to his room creaked open Rightious made ready to defend himself. The explosion that had rocked the base had un-nerved him and he looked around wildly.

In the doorway stood a giant metal form. It put out an arm with a large blaster on the end of it and fired at him. He did not have time to react. The strange energy that it spat out surrounded and engulfed him. It left him feeling cold and empty as he hit the floor in a heap.

Another blast of energy disentigrated his armour. Try as he could he could not summon the flames that were his to command. He tried shouting the artifact's activation word but even his voice was silenced. Patriot Guard raged inside his mind trying for release and to help him but that persona was trapped too.

With a loud CRACK! the assasin bot finished the job and rolled off. A hole the size of a dime began to leak blood and an odd hot green vapor from Rightious' chest.

[MaligneFamily]

Originally Posted by Abyst:

Abyst advanced down the hallway of the Corruptors' base. Various panels and conduits were disrupted, some aflame with smoke filling the hallways, others shorted out and lying lifeless. Cries and shouts echoed down the corridor, as the factions finally fell upon themselves in a frenzy, seeking to avenge slights and gain ground in the great pecking-order of villain life. Even the mystic energies which fed the older parts of the base had been disrupted, leaving some of the ever-burning mystic torches dark, and causing various engraved runes to lose their power. None of this mattered to the mighty Abyst at present, as he had a single purpose here. First Victim had sensed that one of the lower-ranking members, Lord Rightious, was in peril. More importantly, this one had knowledge and abilities that would aid First Victim with his plans to kidnap Emperor Xanatos, and as such, the Victim had urged Abyst to save Lord Rightious.

A shower of sparks erupted from a wall panel, bringing Abyst's attention back to the present. He was near the quarters of the lower-ranking Corruptors, most of which were empty by this point. The flickering lights and embers from destroyed circuitry played an intricate dance of light and shadow, making the stone corridor seem almost otherworldly. A chaotic and hellish vision, but Abyst had seen worse. Abyst had done worse.

Ahead, a metallic form rounded the corner, its eyes glowing a sharp red, piercing the darkness with its gaze. It paused only momentarily, as if to consider the grey beast before it, then quickly raised and fired a large, arm-mounted blaster. Abyst's aura flared, as the power of the Dark Sun deflected the energy bolt. The blast hit the wall nearby, causing a spray of stone chips.

"Pathetic construct. You are no match for the Herald of Oblivion!" Abyst growled as he tore a chunk of stone from the wall, and hurled it at the robot. The robot opened fire, sending several more bolts at Abyst as the stone impacted its chest, causing it to reel backward. Abyst charged, quickly closing the distance as the robot's blasts were deflected or absorbed by Abyst's aura. Clearly it had not been sent after him; its weapons were not adequate to counter his defenses.

Abyst grabbed the mechanoid's arm-blaster, crushing it in his grip, as it extended a blade from its other arm. As it drew back to strike, Abyst backhanded the robot with his mighty fist, sending the head flying. The robot began to move erratically, its control circuits no longer present to direct it. Abyst lifted the body of the crippled construct, and hurled it down the hallway. The robot impacted with the stone floor with a mighty crash, various pieces coming apart as it tumbled and skidded further down the hall.

Looking around, Abyst did not see any other aggressors - fortunate for them - and proceeded down the hallway. Ahead, a door was blast open - the door to Lord Rightious' quarters. Stepping into the doorway, Abyst's silhouette blocked most of the paltry light. Still, he saw the unconcious form of Lord Rightious upon the floor, his armor shredded by energy blasts - no doubt the bolts from the very same robot which Abyst had dispatched. It seems Emperor Xanatos had judged well those who would oppose him. Fortunately, he had gravely misjudged their strengths, and such would be his downfall.

Kneeling over Lord Rightious' fallen form, Abyst summoned forth a healing artifact. Not enough to grant full recovery, but sufficient to stabilize the dying Rightious, Abyst unleashed the artifact's healing magic. Lord Rightious merely groaned, still unconcious, but he would not perish this day. Abyst lifted the fallen Corruptor, and made haste from the Corruptors' base, lest he be caught in another fight and lose his prize.

[MaligneFamily]

Originally Posted by Ultimo X:
Emperor Xanatos stood in the main hall of the Corruptors of Paragon base surrounded by his lackeys. As he paced around the hall nervously he surveyed his minions. He was waiting for reports from those he sent out to take care of the few usurpers who were loyal to Lord Paragon, but they refused to present themselves. A few minions were already unconscious on the floor, a reward for bringing unwanted news to his ears.

"WELL??!" the Emperor yelled out, turning his head to the largest group that stood close together. The lackeys looked at each other with sheer terror in their eyes until finally one of them stepped forward.

"Well sir..." said a small armor clad minion, "...we tried but we can't raise them on the comm... it might be prudent to... well considering..."

"GET TO THE POINT!!"

The minion shook in his place, while slowly gathering the strength to speak. He finally raised his head and spoke: "Well... considering what they were up against... they might have... well..."

Without notice Emperor Xanatos grabbed the minion by his throat, lifting him closer to him. As he pleaded for mercy the Emperor powered his aura, burning the minion inside his armor. With one last cry the minion went limp and stopped moving.

"Now then... what is the current status!?" He yelled, letting go of the minion.

As the Emperor moved closer to the large group he stopped and moved his head. He thought he heard a feint sound, possibly coming from a weapon. As he focused his attention he heard it, along with the rest of those in the hall. A battle was taking place just outside the hall. The sounds of gunfire and explosions was heard clearly, accompanied by the occasional dying scream of someone. As quickly as the voices started they disappeared, leaving the hall in complete silence.

Suddenly a loud bang was heard, diverting everyones attention from the Emperor. As they looked for the source of the sound a second bang was heard. This time, most were able to locate the sound. One of the doors leading to the hall was being hit by something. As a third strike rang across the hall, every single villain there readied himself. The room was filled with sounds of machines powering up, flames erupting, swords unsheathing and general magical murmurs. The Emperor turned to the door and focused his gaze on it. He clutched his fists, getting ready to take care of anyone who dared to come face him and his servants. With one final strike the door gave way, flying apart. One large piece landed infront of the Emperor, several feet before him. As he looked at it he saw that it wasn't a part of the door, just one of the few guards that were posted outside the door. He was horribly crushed, his body broken all over as it seems he was used to hit the door, a sort of battering ram. As the Emperor turned his gaze to where the door once stood, two figures appeared through the smoke coming from the hall.

"Ah darn, it seems they got some dirt on my clothes" said Swindle laughingly, hes arms crossed across her chest.

"Honestly, you took your sweet time with the door. I would have had it open within two hits"

"Ah well, you can't deprive a lady of her fun. Oh look, it seems as though our dear friend has started the party without us" said Swindle with a venomous tone.

"Glad to see you two decided to drop by. However, this is no party for you, though there very well might be one very soon" said the Emperor with a smile splattered on his face.

"Please don't try to intimidate us. Every action you have taken so far has shown a complete lack of strategy and even worse, a complete underestimation of our abilities. I'll be happy to show you just how grave a mistake that was" Ultimo said, taking a step forward.

"That's as far a you go. As for strategy... if all those behind me are beneath you, how about just one more?"

As he uttered those words one villain stepped out of the crowd. All those around him turned away, giving him all the room they could. Ultimo looked at him and suppressed a grin. Bosch was no laughing matter, but trying to use him as a trump card... it might have worked, if only Ultimo was a complete idiot.

"So Bosch, you really decided to put your trust in that fool? I told you, you cannot trust him" Ultimo said looking at the huge metallic man.

"There is no point in begging now Ultimo. He knows his place" the Emperor said with a grin.

"I can speak for myself" said Bosch looking down at his "ally" in his booming voice. "Suffice it to say, this arrangement is enough for now. I wouldn't trust either of you in any case, but the circumstances demand action. Besides, i could always use your armor for what ever parts i can find."

Without warning Ultimo started laughing at the top of his voice. All eyes were on his as he futilely tried to stop himself. Even Swindle looked at him with slight doubt in her mind. As Ultimo composed himself he grinned and said "As much as i figured, so that's what he promised you? I suppose that is the best he could come up with."

"What is your point?"

"My point is a simple one my friend... i'm not wearing an armor."

"What kind of idiotic statement is that? Of course your in armor!!" said the Emperor, his face covered with a hateful expression.

Ultimo moved his arms and crossed them behind his back. The time was growing near, and Swindle needed to be ready. He trusted she noticed to where he was manipulating the conversation, and indeed he soon got his confirmation in the sign of a mental massage that simply said "I'm ready".

"Let me elaborate, and i'll do it slowly so i don't lose you" said Ultimo jokingly. "This is a mere shell, my powers are not derived from some ill-designed armor or gadgetry. Moreover, if you had indeed opened my prison so to speak, you would have probably died along with me, and a fair share of the rogue isles. I'm afraid the Emperor has already betrayed you."

"IS THIS TRUE!?" yelled out Bosch as he turned to face the Emperor.

"No, i had no way of knowing. In any case you can still have your fill with whatever remains of his lackeys."

"You promised me his armor, along with shared power of the Corruptors of Paragon. Was that a lie also?"

"I never lied to you! So i misjudged his abilities. We still have more then enough to share. Just follow me for now and we can..."

"YOU SMALL INSIGNIFICANT WORM!!! HOW DARE YOU TALK DOWN TO ME!?" yelled out Bosch in anger, prompting several of the minions behind them to take a few steps back.

The Emperor was clearly angry. No one was ever allowed to talk to him like that and not pay with his life, but Bosch was insanely powerful, and there was no reason to attack him now.

As everyones focus was on those two, Ultimo moved his hand slightly, still firmly behind his back. He focused on the two, awaiting for what was to happen. Suddenly without notice Emperor Xanatos' body erupted in a fiery flash and his right hand lit up, bursting with energy as he sent it to Bosch face. The punch connected, sending a shockwave across the room. For a moment it seemed as if time froze, with everyone immobilized in awe. As the Emperor drew back his hand Bosch clutched his fists. Bosch' metallic face seemed distorted, even less human then it was before considering it was made of metal. As the Emperor stepped back Ultimo turned around. Out of the hallway he and Swindle came through emerged several villains. One of them stepped forth in a black armor with gold accents.

"Your late Praetor"

"My apologies, i was met with opposition on the way, but i managed to find the rest of our allies along with a few new additions" Praetor said with a mouthless face. "What is the situation? I see you haven't had the need for us yet"

"Nor will we need to anytime soon" Ultimo said as he turned back around.

"What do you mean?" Praetor asked.

"Just watch. It's not every day when a mortal sees true bloodshed"

As Praetor looked deeper into the hall he was shocked at the image his eyes catched. He had never seen Bosch like this, but why was it directed at the Emperor? What did Ultimo and Swindle do? As he stood there in awe Bosch began to move. For someone that big he was extremely quick, moving in an instant. The Emperor leaped backward, putting his minions between him and Bosch as he yelled out orders. Soon an enormous battle ensued, engulfing the entire hall with an overpowering sense of death. Ultimo and Swindle turned around and exited the hall. As they passed Praetor and the new arrivals they stopped.

"I would suggest you to follow us. This place is not for us right now."

That statement was enough to break the shock that immobilized most of the group, and they moved to join the two. Only Praetor remained standing there. As he watched the fight one thought crossed his head

Checkmate...

[MaligneFamily]

Originally Posted by Abyst:

The swirling blue energy of the base's entry portal surged, as a mighty form was disgorged. Abyst, the great Herald of Oblivion, materialized inside the Corruptors of Paragon's base, alert for any threat. It had been but a short while since last he had visited, in a hurry to save Lord Rightious. After escaping the base and delivering Rightious to First Victim's care, Victim had informed Abyst that a scene of carnage was unfolding within the Corruptors' base. Recalling the plan he and First Victim had formed, the grey beast hurried back to take Emperor Xanatos while he was weakest. According to Victim's spy-vines - something Abyst had not noticed until recently - Bosch had turned on the Emperor, resulting in no small amount of devastation. It seems that the Destroyers of Paragon did not limit their destruction solely to Paragon City.

The base was still in great disarray: panels ripped from walls, sparks and small fires from exposed conduits, magical discharges from disrupted rune-patterns, and the smell of death. However, the sounds of fighting had died off, and Abyst knew he must hurry if he were to gain the secrets of the Praetorians.

Abyst turned the corner, his mighty steps thumping on the stone floor as he made his way into the Corruptors' main hall. Inside was a scene of carnage; bodies lay strewn about, blood and blast-marks scarred the walls, and even the great stone table had been split asunder. Fragments of Bosch's distinct black-and-white armor were scattered about the hall, though the robot himself was not to be found. Descending the stairs further into the hall, Abyst noticed the numerous supporters of Xanatos that numbered the casualties, including some that he did not recognize. In the middle of the hall lay the Emperor, half-buried under a slab from the stone table. Approaching cautiously, Abyst realized that Xanatos was unconcious... or dead. Tossing aside the remains of the table, Abyst lifted the fallen Praetorian and made haste to the exit. Once Xanatos was delivered to First Victim, then the Overlord would know all he needed to know about the Praetorians. Abyst would have smiled, had he been capable of it...

[MaligneFamily]

Originally Posted by Red Switchblade:

Heaving the limp Emperor's body up high and letting him hang by his ankles, Abyst made haste to the exit with the spoils. Careful not to damage the Emperor against his protruding body spikes, he carried Emperor Xanatos like a sack of Christmas toys. Jolly Saint Abyst, however, would not be climbing any chimneys. As the dust settled and the smoke cleared, he made for a hasty exit to the portal.

Turning the corner, he swiftly came face to face with Ultimo and Swindle.

"Hello there, Mighty Abyst!" Ultimo thundered as he looked the grey beast up and down. "It looks like you've found something to your liking... or is there something you haven't shared with us, O great Advocate of Neutrality?"

Abyst stopped dead in his tracks, not sure now whether the truth or a lie bore him more merit. In his time to decide, however, the doubt he exuded befell Ultimo and he advanced closer in a tense posture.

"Abyst? Where exactly... were you going to be heading with this body?" Ultimo asked in a playful, almost condescending tone. He took the Emperor from Abyst's grip and threw him carelessly to the floor. Abyst gazed into the eyes of his comrade and said nothing.

"You know the punishment for treason in our ranks goes far beyond death, do you not, Herald?" Ultimo folded his arms and peered intently.

"You do not understand. He is my enemy." Abyst began softly. "And he possesses secrets far beyond anything we can imagine. His people conquer... dimensions. I must conquer mine. I require his knowledge." Abyst's voice became more adamant now. "This is not treason, this is torture I plan. Pain unto life, until his secrets become mine! I must have his knowledge!"

"And how do you plan to get that, Herald?" Ultimo boomed back.

"First Victim has the..."

"VICTIM!? That two-timing deserter thinks her can make allies with us again after abandoning his seat on the Council! How rich!"

A rock fell from the ceiling and plinked onto Ultimo's helmet. Looking up, he saw the body of Emperor Xanatos nearly fully encased in vines disappear into the upper eschelon. Enraged, he began to charge a massive punch and pursue his prize, but found that he could not, due to viney restraint. Swindle attempted to wrest control of the vines, but found the psychic force too contentious to bear any progress.

Abyst is no traitor, Lord Ultimo. Forgive the misdirection, but I knew there would be no other way to persuade you to understand my, or Abyst's for that matter, need to get inside this bastard's psyche. The Emperor is broken, defeated - what more you could do with him I cannot say aside from mutilate and torture him. I have the means to glean his dimensional warfare tactics and apply them to great benefit when it comes to Abyst - and there's a certain set of information about his counterpart, the ice-slinging hero boyscout that is of great use. But to argue with you has proven as effective as slapping a brick wall with a wet noodle at times, and so I took initiative. I am willing to make this deal fair, so if you'll allow me a moment's reprieve I will return to you something that you've lost.

Descending from the ceiling came the mostly regenerated body of Lord Righteous, whom he deposited in Ultimo's now-unrestrained arms.

Any time there is someone in dire need of help, call upon me. I can extract you from anywhere there is earth.

Abyst stood there, dumbfounded, watching Ultimo and Swindle react in simulacrum to voices he could not hear.

Ultimo turned to Abyst and said "So, you've finally chosen a side. Where do we go from here, hmm?"

Meanwhile in the northern reaches of St. Martial, First Victim began to inspect the mind of the Emperor. Owain Venomdrinker looked on, amused and delighted.

[MaligneFamily]

Originally Posted by Swindle:

After watching First Victim’s vines come and whisk Xanatos away to God only knows where. Swindle was not in a jolly mood, despite First Victim’s pledge of aid and his some what plausible explanation of his actions, it did little to ease her concerns. Information was power, and the knowledge that could be gleaned from Xanatos would most definitely come in handy in the events to come. There was much that could be gained from her own personal interrogation of Xanatos, but now that opportunity has taken from her. Feeling her anger rise, she tried her best to maintain control over her emotions but it was no use. She let out a physic scream that flung various pieces of debris around and destroying what ever objects that came within its reach. Ultimo, still holding Lord Righteous in his arms, and Abyst just stood by calmly watching Swindle let off some steam.

“You two!” Swindle shouted to some low-level ranking lackeys idling by the hall

“Yes Ma’am” came their nervous replies

“Take this man to the infirmary and place him in a recovery chamber.” She pointed to the unconscious Lord Righteous lying in Ultimo’s arms. “And when you’re done with that I want you to clean this mess up. So help me if it’s not clean when I get back. I’m going to skin you both alive and turn your hides into a trench coat.”

Gently taking great care not to drop Lord Righteous and further agitate Swindle. The lackeys took Lord Righteous off of Ultimo’s arms and quickly carried him off towards the infirmary. With this being done, Swindle stormed down the hallway.

Ultimo turned to Abyst “If you please excuse me, we’re going to have to continue our reassessment of loyalties at another time, but in the meantime I have to make sure that my partner doesn’t do anything brash in her current emotional state.”

Abyst just smirked as he watched Ultimo go off in pursuit of Swindle. Amused by what he saw, he knew things were going to get very interesting around here and he just couldn’t wait for the real fun to begin.

Moments later Ultimo was able to catch up with Swindle.

“Feeling a bit wound up are we.”

“I’m not in the mood Ultimo.” Snapped Swindle as she continued to walk down the hallway

Grabbing a hold of one of her shoulders Ultimo forced her to stop and turn around to face him “So you say, but I know you. Even with these turn of events you still have a way of gaining something from nothing.” was Ultimo’s reply

There was silence between the two, each staring each other down and accessing the recent events that had occurred in their heads. Swindle was the first to break the uneasy silence.

“Although I couldn’t use my psychic abilities to control Victim’s vines. They didn’t exclude me from using it on Xanatos before he got, how shall I say, carried away. Although our contact was brief, I was able to grab something. With Xanatos, I’m not sure if it’s truly reliable however with proper research I’m sure I can validate its usefulness.”

However before anything further could be discussed between the two, Swindle’s comm. link went off. Agitated by the interruption she pulled a small device out of her pocket and pressed a button to respond to the beeping noise it was making.

“This had better be good, or so help me I’ll turn your mind into pudding.”

“I’m sorry to interrupt but we managed to round up some remnants of Xanatos’s faction and have them detained. Currently awaiting further orders on what to do with them.”

“Further orders! What do you think I want you to do with them, throw them a tea party! Exterminate the whole lot of them, and make it as painful as possible.”

“Delay that order!”

Swindle just stood there and stared in shock at Ultimo’s command.

“Sir, what was that, I thought I heard…”

“Don’t make me repeat myself toady, Swindle and I will be there in a few moments, but for the meantime make sure that none them can escape. Break an arm or leg if you have to but I want them alive when I get there.”

There was silence for a few seconds but the lackey managed to reply back “As you command Sir.”

Putting the comm. link back into her pocket Swindle was still shocked by what Ultimo had just said.

“Care to explain.”

“Nothing much to it, with all that has occurred I think you and I could use a little entertainment.”

There was a brief pause but soon interrupted when Swindle couldn’t help but laugh. The outlines of a twisted smile could be seen on her mask.

“You know Ultimo when you’re right, you’re right. I could use a good laugh or two.”

“Of Course my dear Swindle. We will have to discuss what you managed to grab from Xanatos’s mind at a later time but right now I think I want to test out the so-called medicinal effects of laughter.”

With that being said, both Swindle and Ultimo walked off.

[MaligneFamily]

Originally Posted by Xanatos:
First Victim glanced over the restrained body of Emperor Xanatos as Owain Venomdrinker looked on. Oh how he was looking forward to delving into the mind of the once proud Emperor. A man who had conquered countless worlds and fought many of Paragon's greatest heroes to a standstill. As he began to probe the villains mind alarm bells started to go off in his head.

"What the hell?" said the telepath.

The Emperor slowly opened his eyes, yawned widely, and effortlessly broke free of his restraints. He nodded politely to Owain before turning to First Victim.

"So it was you...hmm" The praetorian looked puzzled, "I always thought Overbite was the one who been plotting against me..."

Before the telepath could respond, Emperor Xanatos attacked, sending him crashing to the floor with a myriad of energy-based strikes. He continued to rain down punches on the villain until he stopped moving. Owain looked on. Amused.

"I can't believe he thought I would have use for a traitor," said Owain as he motioned for his men to move the unconscious telepath out of the room. "Throw him in whatever river is nearest."

Emperor Xanatos smiled as he watched the soldiers carry away his former comrade. It was so hard to find adequate villains in the Rogue Isles. Emperor Xanatos was concerned with one thing only - competition. He fully intended to take over the Rogue Isles and use it as a base of operations to conquer the rest of the planet. The only problem was that many other inhabitants of the Rogue Isles also had the same ideas.

And so he had formed The Destroyers of Paragon over one year ago. Assembling some of the most powerful