Strikeforce: Morituri Part One "the Mortals" Is Completed

[megamania]

STRIKEFORCE: MORITURI
SEGMENT 009
“Evil”

The three men were all in a thick cold sweat. Their eyes were dark and the pupils dilated to near impossible limits. Their hands shook visibly and they nearly dirtied themselves when the tall gaunt Templar called to them.

They had to report to the Maestro…the Brute Master.

The room was dark. It was lit by small pin-lights similar to candles. The men knew he was here with them. They could feel his eyes on them.

In a dark and deep growl they each heard- “Report.”

Lee stepped forward on unsteady legs. “The..The beasts of Malar are dead.” His Adam apple nearly breaks trying to swallow within his tight body armor.

“Really…?”

A large wall of darkness moves within a corner. “I had ordered the three of you to hunt down and kill them. And so they are dead. Why does this surprise me?”

Suddenly the large 10ft by 8 ft frame of the Brute Master rushes up to them. The three men collapse to the door. The Master leans heavily over them. His green is a sickly green with warts and thick veins stretched over impossibly large muscles. “I commanded you to kill them for only one reason and one only- To feed my pets! YOU LACK THE SKILLS, THE ABILITY, AND THE LUCK TO KILL THEM! DO YOU TRY TO LIE TO ME!!!!!” He roars into them. He reaches down to Lee and with only the movement of his wrist, he backhands the scout leader. It is done hard enough that several pieces of him strike the far wall. “WELL?”

Kirby, damp and soiled, stutters a reply. “We…wwwe found them …found them that way.”

The Brute Master stops..turns his head as if to hear him better. “You found my favorite pets dead?” NARRRAGH! He screams then grabs Kirby by his head. With his free hand he grabs the legs and gives a tug. The head separates from the body easily and will a splash of crimson. The Brute Master spits down into the torn neck causing a violent splatter and bulge to reach the deadman’s stomach. He then forces the head (upside down) back onto and into the body. Anger abated, he merely lets it go.

David remains. He is covered in blood and spittle. “FIND OUT WHO KILLED MY FAVORITE PETS OR I WILL NOT GO AS EASY ON YOU AS I DID THE FIRST TWO!!!!!!!!”

The Templar walks in, leaving the door open. David is shoved through by the sheer vocal force of a great “OUT!” given by the Maestro. A great evil grin can be seen on his face as the door recloses.

“That makes the thirteenth guard of this week sire” Says calmly the Templar.

“Hee hee…slow week” sneers Maestro. “If what they say is true, the new wave of heroes are here. See to it that I am informed immediately of any further incidents. I so hate heroic surprises.”

“Anything else Sire?”

“Hmmm. I need some stress release. Give me some entertainment.”

“Will it be one girl or two this afternoon?”

“All. I can start again tomorrow.” With that said, he turns and lumbers to his inner sanction.

The templar waits a moment. A hint of a cruel smile appears on his face. He loves his job.

 

[megamania]

Its early yet but any thoughts on the story thus far? I'm always up for input.

 

[Look_a_Unicorn]

Its early yet but any thoughts on the story thus far? I'm always up for input.

I think it's lacking something... more updates!
I'm enjoying what you've written so far though.

 

[megamania]

STRIKEFORCE: MORITURI
SEGMENT 010
“Sin City”

Everyone needs a breath mint.

Jim Addards and Jean move through the crowd trying to take in the city. They arrived here late in the afternoon after dealing with the Creatures. Vander, Christina and The Captain did well stopping them and Storm Wielder ended it quickly. Megamania’s pride was hurt. He had seen many things in his lifetime, but magical shapeshifting monsters was never one.

However, this is not what has dampened his usual sarcastic mood. For the past fifteen minutes, they have held up by the thick crowd. The crowd was here to see and bid on slaves. The slaves were of men, women and even children. CHILDREN! The ****ing bastards! Jim is close to blowing their cover by breaking it up but Jean calms him. The anger is visible in her eyes also but she is here to end it by stopping the Maestro and retrieving the artifact they are here to get.

The rags they wear smell of BO and Dung. Jim has seen smaller cats when looking at the bugs on the rags. They retrieved these from a cart owned by people entering the city.

Sin City is made up of a large shantytown surrounded by armed guards. The landowners have decent homes. From there, there is the palace. Maestro’s home. The Brute Master himself. It is gold lined and massive. Jean looks at the statue created to look like him. She memorizes the entire image looking for weaknesses and other advantages. He appears to be an Ogre or mutated human of 10ft in size and possibly girth! Solid muscle. He wears light armor. Being careful to not be seen, she reads the caption below.

Maestro
Ruler of the World
And the Ultimate Being

Arrogance. The most common weakness of evil.

They move further away from the crowd towards the area their contact is supposed to be. They were told little of whom the contact is. The Contact is a freedom fighter from outside of Sin City. The contact had direct ties to the heroes of the world. The contact was overlooked by Maestro and his forces as too weak to amount to any threat. Over Confidence. Another tool to unlock his power Jean thinks to herself.

They reach the building they searched for. The Quiet Star. It is a bar with rooms to rent. They go inside. Jim notices the most common element of the seedy bar. Everyone takes note of new comers within making eye contact. He can feel their eyes on him the whole time.

Storm Wielder nods to an empty table near the back and they go to sit down. They now sit and without making direct eye contact, watch and evaluate everyone in the bar. The one bar keep is a mutant of some sort. His skin is albino and has black pupiless eyes. Jim thinks radiation or natural mutant, Jean thinks Orcish blood or influence of wild Magic. Either way, he may have a different appearance but he seems harmless.

Jim notes a blonde in her forties or possible earlier fifties. She looks graceful and fit despite the crowlines on her eyes and creases on her mouth. A few men stand up and leave blocking his view for a moment. She is gone. Her drink only remains. Realizing he is girl watching, Jim begins to scan the room again.

From behind him he hears “I seem to have misplaced my drink. Can you buy me another?” A black gloved hand rests on Jim’s shoulder. Both turn and see the blonde. She is dressed in torn and disgusting looking leather jacket. She sits down.

“I am Yelena Belova. Some know me as a member of the Russian Resistance; others know me as the Black Spider. May I sit?

 

[megamania]

does anyone want to see how this ends?

 

[Look_a_Unicorn]

does anyone want to see how this ends?

I do!

 

[megamania]

good enough...it's time for combat.....

 

[megamania]

STRIKEFORCE: MORITURI
SEGMENT 011
“The World of Bar Fights & Gunfire”

“The Russian Resistance? There is still a Russia?” asks the curious Megamania.

“”The Motherland has seen better days. She suffered greatly during the “Week of Fire” when the missiles were launched. 10 million people died in Russia on that week alone. The mutations killed another 2 million until Psion-X arrived. They helped Russia deal with mutations and their dangers. By doing do they escaped The Brute’s first rages. Champions that did not die from the war died at his hand. The Adventurers, The Defenders of the Arcane and the Psychic Four all died soon after. But enough about my world. What of yours? My contacts say you and your comrades are not even from my plane of reality. Why help me? Why help Russia? Why do any of this? The blonde says.

Her eyes burrow into Jim’s. He recognizes the training common to the Russian KGB and later “Home Security Agency” or HAS for short. He tries his best to ignore the hostilities…. after all- it is a different reality for him.

“I was promised a night with Pamela Anderson, Britney Spears and Jennifer Lopez.” He says not helping himself.

Jean gives him a cold stare before answering. “I was promised a second chance by a Goddess that can give me that chance. Also, I feel offended by this Brute. He seems to be nothing more than his name implies.”

“He is that and so much more.”

“We have company.” Megamania quietly says without turning his head. He motions with his thumb to look to his right and back. The Black Spider sees him first. “Gee-Joe of the security staff.”

“Gee-Joe?”

“He comes here often looking for trouble makers and people whom don’t belong. Like yourselves. I saw your display at the slave stand. He may have also. We need to go.”

As the three of them get up so do five other bar patrons. Everyone else quickly makes out the scene and moves away from them. The Albino bar keep ducks down but grabs his powered “peacemaker” if need be. It thrumms in his hand impatiently.

“Hold or Die” yells the first man. As he reaches for an object at his hip.

Megamania pushes back his chair. It crashes down with him still in but he continues to roll away from the table and chair. The Black Spider leaps up (nat 20!) and clings to a beam and moves to its side placing it between her and the four new security officers. Storm Wielder stands defiantly and begins to talk quickly and in a strange language. Then before the Spider and Jim’s eyes an icy wind blows in through the door and blasts into the head guard. He has become the center of a snowstorm in the bar in the middle of a desert wasteland. In a slow and quiet disbelieving voice all Jim can say is “ho-ly…S***.”

The snow covered and cold security officer draws a weapon similar to Jim’s and fires it at the cause of his discomfort. The effort places him squarely on his bottom as the floor has been covered with ice…very slippery ice. The shot goes wild (nat 1). The other four fire their weapons on her. Three shots clearly miss. The fourth strikes but is repelled by a green field of unseen energy (Bracers of Def+8) and ricochets off and strikes the glass bottles by the bar. The white barkeep begins to thump his club on the floor. Each strike seems to charge the weapon as it begins to glow.

A wide smile crosses Jim’s face. This world he understands. The world of bar fights and gunfire. He fires off three shots. Two strike one man. The third misses. The Spider fires energy from her ring into the leader. She is nearly invisible in the deep shadows of the beams overhead. The Storm Wielder intensifies her small snow squall. The leader is now finding his metal bracers and belt sticking to the floor as ice builds up. He can not even move his sidearm anymore as it is frozen into the floor also.

The guards know they are overmatched and assume they face the Psion-X team of freedom fighters. If they fail to kill them, their brutish leader certainly will. They open fire onto the weather witch again. The shots are wild and not well aimed as the men are looking for cover while firing.

Megamania corrals them into a corner firing away. Two more hits rip into their bodies. The Black Spider finishes off the leader then crawls around the beam to get a fix on the other four. Jean breaks her concentration and the howling winds calm down. “Why did you kill him? I had him frozen and thus pinned. He could do you no more harm.” Her fierce eyes look into the darkness above trying to locate the Black Spider.

The four men fire onto Megamania hoping to hit him. One shot goes over his shoulder barely missing his head. He turns to see the hole in the wall to better judge the power level. “Oh Great- Kinetic Photo Blasters.” He turns back and concentrates better on his attacks.

“Hmmmm…right eye socket. Bang. You’re dead. Left eye socket. Bang. You’re dead.” He turns to fire on another security officer but finds a thick fog rolls in suddenly. “Aww Common! Do you have any idea what these guys can do?!?”

“Or have done” replies the Russian from above as she fires into the fog where the security men were. She fires but hears only the splintering of the wooden table near her target. “It’s time to leave!”

The one guard tries to call for help but the cold and sudden humidity has damaged his communicator. The other goes to fire on the voices but hears a voice from the bar. “Enough! You’re only going to destroy my bar by firing that thing in here.” All the man can see in the thick fog is a glowing object resembling a rod or bat.

Outside, the Black Spider crawls through the open doorway and onto the side of the building. Megamania and the Storm Wielder are already gone. Each are lifted by high winds and taken high away from the conflict.

The Black Spider catches up with them a few buildings away. She is cursing in several languages, and glares at Jean before addressing Megamania. He now is wearing his facemask.

“I hope your comrades are better behaved and understand what we face. Now…about how we get into the palace.”

 

[Look_a_Unicorn]

Hey, you made at least one Story Hour addict go WOOHOO!

 

[Look_a_Unicorn]

*bump*