[TTOSTSCLT] Story

The Lord of Math surveyed his itinerary of characters for worthy candidates to combat Mutar. He was a potent threat to the continuum, and had to be contained, or so they said. But, if the other Lords were so set on settling this, he supposed he had a duty to select his own champions.

The battle for Earth was popular, but he preferred his more... private universe.

Synton rose to his mind for a moment before he shook the possibility away. This was something he had to approach with more reliability - and the thought of unleashing Synton on something as powerful as Mutar sent shivers up his spine.

He began considering other characters from her universe: the Hammer was an obvious thought, but his ambition was too great, and he may very well attempt to destroy the Arena completely, which could have dire consequences if the First Lord was still bogged down in Mutar's magic. Torvald and Epimor he dismissed; Torvald was a thrall of darkness and Epimor's sacrifice was necessary to hold the Hammer in check. The Synta, along with Iliad and Ha'el, were not made for this sort of thing...

As if an interruption, a glimmer caught his eye out of the darkness: Nami, ejected from his universe, freed from its Fate upon him. With the extra regeneration and utility from Dagon's nanobots, Nami would be a solid contender.

He pondered who his second champion should be - perhaps one from the future? He found one at random and cursed his luck. Another wizard. He sent them both into the Arena.

And now, sadly, his part was over. He closed his eyes again and watched.

Spoiler:

The Lord of Charm fumbled among her ideas, her writings. Too many and yet not enough to take this challenge. Each one showed potential but all ended up tossed aside. Frustration took over and the whole bookcase ended on the ground. The other Lords so clever, so brilliant. She? Her strengths elsewhere. Not in writing... yet perhaps that would be her strength? Yes. She pushed the mess aside and found her first choice. Small and petite. She would have no problem convincing this one, she was always curious and the beast within wouldn't object. The first cat took its leave.

-

Reality pulled her away from Yggdrasil's grasp into the Mother's. No thought passed through her mind before collapsing into the tall grasses, no Conflict had yet tainted this place and no gears turned for her. The Device fell against her and whispered promise of bloodshed to come. The Child of the Machine stayed asleep in the field, waiting for the first drop to revive her. The cat purred, kneading on her back and vanished for the second time.

-

Again the Lord shuffled through her works and found a half written book among them. She thumbed through it and found it acceptable but a problem arose. He would not willingly accept. Oh but... he would come one way or the other she supposed. From her cloak a small black cat stepped out and vanished. She dropped the book where the cat had once been and retired for the moment to wait their return.

-

The sudden sunlight caught him off guard and blinded him, keeping his kidnapper out of sight. When his eyes adjusted he found himself standing in the middle of a lush field but this did not register. Ahead the black and white feline sat smugly, its bright eyes cutting through him daring him to try and catch it. His anger stirred the beasts he kept captive to life and he ran to catch the creature. As his hands went to grasp it, it vanished and he found himself holding a broken fragment of.... something. He had seen many artifacts and objects but this resembled nothing he knew of. The creatures in the cloak grew disinterested with the feast of emotions over and left. All but one. The Dragon of Twilight brushed against the barrier, fruitlessly trying to reach the object. Ragnarok's head rang with the Dragon's desire to obtain it, whatever it was his prisoner wanted it more than it wanted freedom. This was enough to make him want to toss it but the appearance of the two brothers drew his attention away.

-

The two cats appeared and curled on to her lap, yowling for praise. "Oh my little kitties you did well." The Lord softly stroked each Universe Cat and continued to observe. So the games were finally starting.

Spoiler:

Until now, the human known as Nami had fallen prey to some unusual circumstances. He had suffered genetic mutations at birth that gave him incredible power and regenerative capabilities at the cost of being cursed with overbearing apathy and permanent baldness, as well as never finding proper clothing in his enormous size. Then, at the age of twenty-seven, an extremely unlikely series of events occurred that resulted in him nearly dying before being resuscitated under the authority of an experimental weapons research institution.

Based on knowledge granted to the firm by the Knifeman Guild, Nami was implanted with a multitude of mechanical joints and electromagical generators that sustained his body and provided unparalleled strength, creating a monster that towered eight feet tall and could cast bolts of lightning. One way or another, he became

So now, Nami calmly surveyed the battlefield stretched in front of them. He was standing in the forest of Belig Aimar with the three wizards Epimor, Hanson, and Synton. The Extemos fleet glowed blood-red in the distance as it began to burrow into the Earth, attempting once-and-for-all to destroy the God of Man. The Legion army between them cast strange shadows under the Hellish light, and from here he could just barely make out the massive silhouette of the Hammer, crucified in the midst of their camp.

However, they had already failed: behind him, Belig Aimar was engulfed in flames. Soot and ash fell from the once-great tree, and its power waned as charred branches crashed to the ground. They had failed, but there was still more to do.

Their Knifeman told them to wait here, and surely enough, like a ghost the Dark Culmination appeared in the clearing. The Earth’s power should have been capable of holding him back longer, Nami thought. It truly is dead.

The crystalline V that made up the Dark Culmination seemed to burn and writhe in the light, and the way it floated in the air suggested a simmering inferno waiting to explode. Its two eyes shone out accusingly like pits of vengeful embers.

Epimor also saw the Dark Culmination and called Hanson over to him.

A PITY THAT I AM TOO LATE TO TAKE THE YGGDRASIL MYSELF, it said. This was something Nami had not considered: if he was to protect Belig Aimar from the Extemos, then could the one who destroyed it done so for the same reason? To prevent the Extemos from utilizing it?

Epimor said, almost tauntingly, “I don’t suppose you’re just going to walk away?”, and Nami stopped his thinking. Before them was an enemy, and a powerful one at that.

His muscles strained as he pushed them past their limits, heavy metal limbs crushing into the ground as he barreled on all forwards to the alien – but with no warning, the Dark Culmination’s eyes flashed red and reality around him began to fall apart. The fires and the Extemos and the forest all fell away into blackness, and Nami had only the sensation of falling.

Where was he? Deep space?

He tried to spin to see around him, but everywhere there was oppressive darkness, pressing against his biotic eyes. There was no air, and if he didn’t move he could normally subsist for a few days on energies stored in an auxiliary compartment the Enforcers put somewhere one of his kidneys used to be. He’d actually vacated that compartment for a good luck charm of his, a close friend from Section D storage. He ejected it and called, “Annie, stay close to me,” he emitted through an electromagnetic spectrum he knew Annie could see.

The tiny shard of V, a memorandum of the Dark Culmination and named Annie, maneuvered itself in the vacuum until its glowing yellow eyes were looking at Nami’s. “I am sorry you were dragged into this. I do not know where we are – and I doubt one of the wizards can rescue us, but this is something I have never seen mention of in the archives. Without oxygen, I can last only barely an hour, and the Dark Culmination is most likely wreaking havoc. I don’t think we can escape this…” he trailed off as he looked past Annie into the dark infinity.

She spun quickly from side to side as if shaking her head and her eyes cooled to a gentle gold. I don’t care, she seemed to say sympathetically, Don’t worry. But he couldn’t help but feel responsible. How long would her energy last, so separated from the Hammer? Will she grow still or be cursed to float in emptiness for eternity, alone?

That is not something you need to worry about, the voice said. In his confusion, Nami tried to speak but failed for the vacuum. Calm down. This is not the end for you, if you wish it.

Nami paused a moment. This voice was not familiar to him, and how could he even hear it? Was it some sort of psychosis caused by his sensory deprivation in this place?

”Where” is not a word that can be used to describe you, the voice said. Anamaluch, the Dark Culmination, cast you into the empty Void, and – the voice cut himself off before he revealed too much. In any case, you are now lost. But I can rescue you.

Questions flew through Nami’s head. What was this being that was speaking to him? Why was it speaking to him?

There’s plenty of time for exposition, it said, and Nami saw the rate his reserves were being depleted slow down. More than that – the clock was even slowing, zeroing in on some arbitrary time.

You may call me a god, but I am not kin to any other gods you know. To you I am not like the powerful Men – and Women – who break the bonds of their Fate with their own strength. Neither am I like the God of Man, or the many other planet-lords who grant their peoples souls, hunted by the Extemos.

As for why this conversation is occurring… well, I’m afraid your fears are correct. There is something I would like in exchange. There is something of a threat to me – and to many universes, your own included. I would ask you, selfishly, to destroy it.

‘Is that something I can do?’ Nami thought.

I have it on authority far greater than my own. I do not know how you can accomplish it, though, whether by becoming even more powerful or only removing the threat, or some other means.

You will have to prove yourself, and you may die, but I am willing to reward you if you succeed, or even if you fail, if it is in my power. As you thought before, Annie is bound to the Hammer, and will perish, in time. I can prevent that.

Or, if you desire, you can start completely fresh – a new, vibrant world, or a calm one, for you to live as many lives as you wish, however you wish. I can write a story for you – I have grown fond of writing stories. Yours can be a gentle, fulfilling tale, or a discordant struggle where you achieve your dreams, or anything else you desire. I offer Utopia.

But I am getting ahead of myself. After your tumultuous life, I am giving you the courtesy of making this decision yourself.

The voice paused, and Nami asked, ‘If I refuse?’

I will find some other world to place you, where you must survive on your own. After a month or two, Annie will be severely weakened and then die a year or two afterwards when the Hammer is destroyed. I’m sure you’re aware that, even with your pre-bionic body, you would not be well-accepted in society.

Nami had always been an outcast mutant, and then… this. For a moment he considered declining, and returning to the norm, but something was driving him. Some unfamiliar ambition – and, of course, he couldn’t simply turn his back on Annie.

Very well, the voice said resolutely. Your new destiny begins today. Nami felt time begin again and felt an upward force in the Void. A tree grew, its branches spreading out and joining dozens of others in a lush canopy, and he realized that he was beneath it, and that he wasn’t accelerating but instead slowing down, gently descending towards the Earth – or the surface of some other planet, at least.

He tentatively took a breath and his craggy lips drank in the air, and he compulsively took a number of deep breaths before calming down. Then he realized he was free of the mechanical monstrosity that he had become! He ran his hands over his (muscled) arms, his familiar leather bracers fit well onto his wrists. He felt his face with his fingers and nearly cried with joy; he was alive again, human!

He clumsily licked his lips to wet them, the motion not practiced in months, and began to collect himself. Annie was motionless in mid-air, like an obsidian leaf forgotten by gravity.

I don’t know how, Nami, but she is the Key to your success. Annie looked at him with green eyes. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you to protect her. Good luck.

:D Annie happily spun around Nami several time as if looking him over before coming to rest just above his shoulder.

Nami looked around the forest, lost, and thought of what to do to find civilization, but he was still absorbed in his own euphoria. He laughed, and when he heard his natural voice instead of his grating mechanical synthesizer, he laughed again. For now, he’d just walk in any direction he felt.

A bolt of lightening hit the center of the field, sending off a silhouette of a hawk. In the middle of it all stood Captain Falcon Aeon, the Surging Hawk. He was one of the most manliest men of all time.

Everyone stopped what they were doing for a second just to see what was causing all the commotion.

"SHOCKING, isn't it? SHAZAM!" He sent a few sparks into the air just to show off to the new people he had just met. "Lightening bolt, Lightening bolt, LIGHTENING BOLT!!!" the sparks began to get slightly bigger now and slightly more sporadic. Nobody was really entertained or amused by his little display, but that wasn't his point. No, he had a more important mission at hand. His only purpose and desire at that point in time was to seduce every chick he could find. What is the point of having all these abs if no one was there to appreciate them, right?

Spoiler:

Graz'zt Turned his body as the man leveled his weapons at him. He had already chosen his mantle, repose. A wicked grin crept across the other mans face, and he began to laugh as he opened fire. “WHAT KIND OF IDIOT BRINGS NOTHING TO A GUN FIGHT?”
Graz'zt rushed around the man in a circle, moving as fast as he could, much faster than an average human. He dodged much of the cacophony of bullets taking a few grazing hits here and there, each a sharp and burning blow. The other man just kept laughing, bullet casings falling from his guns like rain. “YOU CAN”T RUN-“ and as the man yelled his guns ran dry, the sound of low clicks replacing the tearing thunder of bullets. “-Forever?”
Graz'zt dug in and rushed toward the man with the wicked grin. Graz'zt was wickedly fast and closed the gap quickly and still somehow the man had managed to drop his guns and pull a knife. “STAB STAB STAB” The man with the wicked grin lunged barely missing with each stab before Graz'zt finally found an opening. He lashed out with a viscous palm strike. The man barely seemed phased by the blow and began to raise his knife again just as a burst of blue energy tore free of Graz'zt’s palm, the stored energy from all the bullet hits, pushing the man away sprawled on his hands and knees. Graz'zt put on hand on the knob of the door still looking at the man with the grin. “ It’s customary for fighters to exchange names. Mine is Graz'zt” The mans grin grew larger. “That's a mighty fine punch you got there, Brother Cadfael. I'm Mr. Humor” Graz'zt only nodded before throwing himself through the door and shutting it firmly behind him.

As the brothers settled into the reality around them, They took in a lush grassy field. Tengeku landed casually, dusting off his shoes as Krotsu decided to get a taste of the ground, his feet bending over his head as you hear an audible crack, his body falling at a 90 degree angle to his head. Tengeku sighed, and picked his brother up, as he was cackling madly. He snapped his own neck back into place, and took a deep breath, smelling everything. The fresh grass, the clean air. It was unlike the polluted city he was used to. He felt he was free. But the freedom was short lived as he smelled something else. A light, flowery scent, but unlike anything else in this field. It stood out like a sore thumb. A pleasant smelling thumb. Tengeku was alert to the immense dimensional energy behind them. The two of them whipped around, staring at the male with a slightly puzzled expression, though Krotsu's was more hostile, a deep growl in his throat. Tengeku put his hand in front of his brother and sighed once more, pushing his glasses up on his nose.

"I do apologize for my brother, he's nigh brain dead. We have been brought here by some strange and malignant force, I do hope you
could help us find our way... somewhere? What might your name be sir? I am Tengeku, and this is my fool of a brother Krotsu."

Ragnarok exchanged glances between the two brothers, his tired expression not budging a bit. "Tengeku and Krotsu hm? Wisdom and strength. I am Ragnarok and unfortunately I do not believe I can help you as I too was brought here by a strange force." He gave a short bow with his introduction. The looming presence of the Dragon of Twilight reminded him. "I have a question for you, do you know anything about this?" He drew out the Device fragment, holding it before the two.


--

When the first bullet casing hit the group it rekindled the core inside the dormant robot. Turret sprung to life. She stood up in a series of jerks and rotation. Her eyes illuminated a bright blue and took in her surroundings.
"Unfamiliar." she declared. She turned her head to the side puzzled. "Low Conflict levels detected. Power at 10% and rising." She continued to ramble. She took a minute to process the information and when she found nothing of interest she decided it was time she explored the place herself. She stopped with the first step. Under her foot was the fragment that had landed on her back. She picked it up and examined it with an frighteningly evil smile. The blue glow in her eyes gave away to yellow. "How interesting."

The two brothers exchanged a look as the strange flower-man spoke. His name had a bit of a foreboding tone to Krotsu, but he shook the thought away. Tengeku went to speak, but his thoughts were cut off as Ragnarok presented the Device frament to the two. Tengeku could feel massive amounts of energy coming from it, but to Krotsu, it was simply a shiny thing-a-ding. They both came closer instinctively, Tengeku because of the massive potential, Krotsu because it was incredibly shiny. Before Tengeku could even ask though, Krotsu's stomach overtook his mind, as he bit onto the device fragment, to Tengeku's horror.
"ith thathes goo"
"SPIT IT OUT RIGHT NOW."
"wwvvhy?!"
"YOU DON'T KNOW WHERE IT'S BEEN!"
Krotsu did all he could to take more of the device into his mouth.
"MMRMFRRM A HRMMRR!"
"STOP THAT!!!"

The door flung back open. Mr. Humor wasn't going to let this new guy have all the fun by himself. Besides, Mr. Humor wouldn't mind having an ally like that. He hasn't seen anybody like that since Tombstone. Speaking of which, where is he?

The door led into a corridor that seemed to have no end. The door slammed behind the both of them.

"Hmmmm, must be the work of the Riddler," Humor pulled a random, little device out of his pocket and plugged it into the wall closest to him. He started turning nobs on the device until it started sparking. Eventually the poor little machine fizzled out, leaving Mr. Humor empty handed.

"What were you trying to accomplish?"
"The impossible, Friar Tuck! but it seems that somebody doesn't want that." Mr. Humor pulled out another device and tried again. This time he got better results. "So it seems I can't manipulate the world, but he has nothing to stop me from adding stuff." Suddenly before their eyes was a motorcycle with a sidecars.

"Enough of this," suddenly the computer exploded in Mr. Humor's hands. "This is not how you are suppose to solve my puzzle. Do it right or perish"
Mr. Humor laughed, "playing fair? You know that isn't my style, Mr. Serious! But just to humor you, I guess the monk and I will play your stupid game. Speaking of stupid games, why not just make a giant checkers board? At least that would be fun."
"I have had enough of your stupid comments, Humor. solve my labyrinth or I'll kill you now."

"I think we should do what he says," Graz'zt was worried of what the omnipotent voice would do.
"Don't worry, Brother Grabz-it! If anyone is going to kill us it is going to be me, damn it! ah-ha..hahahahahahaHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Graz'zt didn't like the idea of tagging along with this guy anymore

As Graz’zt and Mr. Humor took their first step forward, a figure seemed to materialized at the end of the hallway. Their minds struggled to comprehend for a moment the paradox of a character existing at the end of a hallway that had no end. Rather, Graz’zt’s mind struggled to comprehend it, while Mr. Humor’s did not try. Mr. Humor instinctively just raised his gun to shoot the figure, getting only a few dry clicks from his weapon in response.

The figure spread his arms wide, almost magnanimously. “Allow me to lay down some ground rules. This is a gentleman’s game. If you solve the labyrinth, you get my piece of the Device. If you fail to solve it, i.e. die, then I receive your piece. Any attempts to cheat will result in death. Understand, Mr. Humor?” The figure had somehow added a sense of the condescending to its monotone voice. Mr. Humor spat on the floor.

“Now, as this is both a puzzle and a gentleman’s game,” Mr. Serious continued, “The two of you cannot work together. Some might consider it cheating.” He shook his head as though this was the most inconceivable and unforgivable of sins. “You’ll just both have to walk your own maze.” The figure waved a hand in their direction, and the world began to change.

The greyness shifted, and Mr. Humor and Graz’zt found themselves pulled apart, slowly losing sight of each other in the distance. Just as knew walls began to rise above them, and new ceilings close them in, they heard the last of the figure’s voice in the distance, “Oh, and watch out for the Dead Ends.”
**

Graz’zt looked about himself, taking in the granite walls and the dimly lit shadows. With an almost flair for the dramatic, Mr. Serious had added old-style medieval torches to the sides of the walls, each spaced regularly from the last. After moving forward and around his first few corners, he came across his first choice. Would he go straight, or would he make a right?

**

Mr. Humor started walking before the ceiling even closed in over him. Before long, he found himself at his first major decision, and his trigger fingers itched with the need to avoid tricky levels of thought. Would he go straight, or make a left?

Ragnarok snarled very unlike a flower and tugged the piece to no avail. He had figured that this Krotsu character wasn't smart but this was.... well it was something and had no nice word to describe it by. He gave a stern flap of his wings, which had about tripled in size from frustration. "Spit it out!" He demanded smartly to the man twice his size. "Or I'll cut it out of your stomach!" He threatened the man infinitely stronger than him. To add to the verbal threat, which was obviously the smartest move to make when you have just introduced yourself, he threw his cloak open dramatically (there is no other way to do it) which briefly revealed the lurking Dragon inside of it. Honestly, he didn't want to go through with the threat because it would be a hassle and Ragnarok was not the kind of man who liked to do things of any kind, especially if it was a hassle or physical. For example; anything.