In The Room with Hammurabi

By Chaz Hamilton and Hammurabi

ID #s : 22349 and 22430

Hello, Sentinel Readers. This is Chaz Hamilton, back with another of my In The Room interviews. This time my efforts come with a twist. 

We aren’t in a room at all.

Today, I'm coming from just outside one of New Amsterdam’s police departments where I have been told that Hammurabi was sighted bringing in a new batch of miscreants. I’m going to try to get a word with this reincarnated king from ancient Babylon.

If anyone is familiar with the adage ‘an eye for an eye’, you can thank this ex-ruler for it. His rule as the sixth king of the Babylonian people brought a variant justice that focused on offering compensation to the victims of crime.

The police, while grateful for his service, have struggled with his contributions based on complaints over his use of excessive force and non-compliance with modern law. I'm looking forward to having a conversation with this hero, because from the point of view of citizens of New Amsterdam, this hero is bringing a well-deserved hurt back to the criminals around town.

Hold on, there he is coming out of the front doors.

Chaz: Mr. Hammurabi. I’m Chaz Hamilton with the Sentinel News. Can you spare a moment of your time?

Hammurabi: For what purpose. I have a great deal to do today.

Chaz: I wanted to ask you a few questions to help the citizens of the world get to understand you and your definition of true justice. A brief interview.

Hammurabi: Shamash’s wisdom should be shared. I will speak.

Chaz: Thanks for taking the time to talk to me. How should I address you? Hammurabi? King Hammurabi?

Hammurabi: I was taken by surprise at your request to interview me. I was unaware that knowledge of my return had spread. Hammurabi is the correct form of address. I no longer rule Babylon, but also your modern world has lost its sense of piety and humility. A ruler's name should be sufficient. They should be obeyed, but not worshiped.

Chaz: Thank you, Hammurabi. The world must be quite different than how it was back in the days of Ancient Babylon. What do you miss the most?

Hammurabi: The world has, indeed, changed much. An innocence has been lost. People, as a whole, no longer fear divine retribution and it has emboldened their excesses. Likewise, people are less of a cohesive community and less likely to regulate the behaviors of their neighbors.

Chaz: It sounds to me that you’re a big fan of local neighborhood watches, in that case.

Hammurabi: If a community does not participate in their own protection, they invite the lawless to rule them.

Chaz: You originally ruled your people until 1750BC. Is there anything you do like about the modern world?

Hammurabi: The common people are better protected, food is abundant. and there are organizations that aid the victims of misfortune.

Chaz: Tell me, and our readers of the Sentinel, more about the code that you live by?

Hammurabi: Shamash, god of justice, delivered the Talion to me and I had it inscribed for all to see, that each would know the requirements upon them. The Talion has been described as the law of retribution, I have heard it described as an eye for an eye. In essence, it is the belief that the victim of a crime has a right to justice and that punishment should be appropriate to the crime committed. If fear of the law should prove insufficient to deter those who would do wrong, the proper exercise of law should prevent a repeat occurrence.

Chaz: Hammurabi’s Code is quite different from the laws of the world today. Has there been any trouble between the justice you hand out and the modern law enforcement institutions?

Hammurabi: I have been called in front of the courts of your land, but no earthly judge is able to speak against Shamash when in his presence. A judge interprets justice and Shamash is justice personified. The Anunnaki, the children of Anu, are protected from such blasphemes. In the court room, a judge would be physically unable to deliver a guilty verdict unless I violated the law in the eyes of Shamash. Such is the nature of being blessed by the gods.

Chaz: I see you were with the 5th Precinct CODE BLUE for League Wars: Haunted Heroes. How did you enjoy the experience?

Hammurabi: The experience was confusing. I am still unsure who was brought to justice or what crime was committed.

Chaz: League Wars are kind of more the Olympics of superheroes than fighting for justice or a crime.

Hammurabi: What are these Olympics you speak of?

Chaz: The Olympics. Big sporting event. Based on Greek competitions. Oops, that came after your empire, sorry about that. Back to your code. How would you punish a man with no hands who steals by using telekinetic powers now that Morphons have enhanced people with abilities?

Hammurabi: In all cases, the punishment should fit the crime. Since he steals with powers of the mind, his mind should be damaged enough to prevent the use of such powers.

Chaz: Ouch. Remind me not to get on your bad side. Do I want to know the punishment for a bad interview?

Hammurabi: I don’t know. Do you?

Chaz: Uhh, let’s skip that question. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon are still considered one of the wonders of the world. What were they like? How much did you pay your groundskeepers?
Hammurabi: The Hanging Gardens were constructed about a thousand years after my reign.

Chaz: Oh, I’m sorry. Ancient history wasn’t my best subject in college and I’m kinda winging it here at the moment. Ha-ha, get it... ‘winging it’... a joke because you’ve got wings… I’m going to have to do so much editing before this goes to press.

Hammurabi: I did, however, initiate several irrigation projects involving canals. Primarily, I would use those who could not pay their debts and sold themselves or their children into slavery. After three years of labor, they would be freed.

Chaz: That sounds about the same as my years of internship at the Sentinel. What was the first thing you ate after being resurrected?

Hammurabi: Lamb stew. Many of the fruits and vegetables available here were familiar to me, as were beef and pork. The preparation though... I was greatly surprised by the cheeseburger.

Chaz: Now who doesn’t like a good cheeseburger. Food of the gods, am I right? And speaking of gods, who is Anu?

Hammurabi: Anu is the sky father. Ki is the earth mother. All other gods are descended from them.

Chaz: Are there other Anunnaki?

Hammurabi: There are many children of Anu and Ki. The eldest being the most powerful. Enlil, god of Air would be considered as the ruler of the gods, followed closely by his brother, Enki, god of water. As the youngest of the Anunnki, I have the least power. Each child was conceived for a specific purpose. I am closely linked to Shamash, god of justice. You might say that he is the embodiment of justice and I am his enforcer.

Chaz: What are your plans as a hero?

Hammurabi: To bring about the rule of righteousness in the land. To destroy the wicked and the evildoers so that the strong should not harm the weak.

Chaz: Thanksgiving is a holiday we just observed. What are you thankful for?

Hammurabi: I am thankful for the trust and confidence the gods have placed in me. I am humbled to receive their blessings and I strive to be worthy of their attention.

Chaz: Do you have a favorite superpower?

Hammurabi: Electricity was unknown to us, except in the form of lightning, so I could never have imagined the benefits of electrical generation. Even at non-lethal levels, it has a debilitating effect on wrong-doers that makes them easier to capture.

Chaz: Are there any heroes that you admire and would like to team-up with?

Hammurabi: I joined 5th Precinct CODE BLUE because they understand that enforcing the law can be brutal and messy. I would team up with any hero who is willing to use extreme force to protect the weak. I have no tolerance for those who believe that coddling criminals will keep people safe.

Chaz: I’m sure there are hundreds of questions I could still ask, but I don’t want to take up too much of your time. Thank you very much for speaking with me.

Hammurabi: You are welcome. I pray I have brought some insights to your readers. Anyone who is wronged deserves justice in equal measure to their suffering, and if any villains hear the words I speak here today, I want you to know that you will reap what misfortune you have sown.

Chaz: I’ll get that message out there for you, Hammurabi. Can you give us any hints as to your next mission?

Hammurabi: I’m going to lay my fists upon scum of the earth who have mishandled and mistreated children. They will find my touch to be very unpleasant.

Chaz: I don’t think anyone will argue with that. Best of luck with handing out more justice, Hammurabi.

Sentinel readers, I hope you enjoyed my chat with Hammurabi. I know I’m going to be behaving myself from now on. See you next installment of In The Room.

Chaz Hamilton, signing off.

Continue the Story

L.U.C.I.

Krystal typed rapidly on the virtual keyboard projected in front of her. As she did, she was joined by Ace, Darkstar. Seneka, and Maggie, each with their own V-keyboards and assignments.

The new HQ complex for Legacy of Spawn was nearing completion, and each of them was focused on their assigned task.

Krystal, with her multiple disciplinary skillsets, had what was undoubtedly the most difficult task. She was creating the Artificial Intelligence that would control, maintain, and defend the entire complex. It would be able, via satellite-uplink, to control the vehicles, sensor Nano-drones, and robotic workers charged with building new facilities and maintaining the complex.

That is, it would once she eliminated these last few programming glitches. She'd been testing code, eliminating unnecessary looping lines, fixing small errors that cropped up as she put each subsystem through its paces.

Finally, as she re-coded the final section, she felt that the system was ready for initialization and activation.

Pressing a final sequence to bring the A.I. online, Krystal spoke to the others.
"I believe we are ready... everyone's access files are active... and I incorporated the nano-drone technology we recovered from the New Orleans incident, so all we need do is speak to her to convey our needs, or call up one of the V-keys, and type it.", she told them.

"LUCI... activation code 8329581-Alpha...", she spoke clearly.

"Legacy Unimatrix Computerized Intelligence is active... Hello, Krystal... how may I assist you today?", the computer intoned in a very proper British accent.

Krystal leaned back in her chair, looked over at Pendragon, winked, and gave a small sigh of contentment.

"LUCI...", Pendragon said with a chuckle, "...please set up to record The Masked Singer."

"Acknowledged, Pendragon... would you care for me to download aired episodes as well?
... and I suppose you'll want popcorn...", said LUCI. 

(meanwhile-appearing on Krystal's virtual display... "What am I? an over-engineered DVR?”)

Continue the Story

Heroes Rising Fiction: Strange November Part 13

Quark sat up in the back of the BADGE shuttle with Chase and Gar on either side. He looked like he had the world’s worst hangover as he downed a large bottle of vodka.

Chase said, “Good thing we found that abandoned liquor store in Reykjavik.”

Quark groaned, “I have never been so out of my head. I don’t know what happened. The last thing I remember was the fight at Fort Knox. No, wait... I remember a chair and a lot of pain. I heard voices, or really another voice in my head.”

Nova asked, “Who was in your head?”

“Lady Phoenix. She was...” Quark looked up, sorrow in his eyes, “scared. She is terrified. But, she isn’t there now. I feel normal. Okay, well, as normal as I can be this low on booze.” He took another swig.

“How did you know to create those turkeys?” Gar asked.

“Turkeys… turkeys…” Quark gasped. “Then, that really happened! I knew heroes would need help, so I gathered up the ambient morphons in the air and transformed them into something tangible. I guess I was thinking about Thanksgiving and all.”

“Whatever you were thinking, it seemed to help.” Nova turned back to the holographic image in the middle of the shuttle. A scientist waited to be addressed. “Update on the solar situation?”

“It’s getting much worse. The Mythics are providing enough light and warmth to help the evacuations. But, they’re losing power quickly. I estimate we have less than five hours before they can no longer help us. That won’t be enough time to reach everyone.”

Nova said, “That’s why we’re going to stop this at it’s source.” He flicked the screen away with a swipe of his hand. “Chase, Gar, get ready to head out, I’ll need you to help lead this battle from the ground and air. I will be here, monitoring things.”

Quark said, “wait, what about me? I...” He stood up to protest being left out, but wobbled and flopped back into his seat. “I think I will help observe from here.”

Nova looked back at Quark, “Good idea.”

Quark reached over and held both Gar’s and Chase’s hand. “Here, one last blast before you head out.” He lit up a bright blue and that sparkling energy covered them. He let go of their hands and said, “give ’em hell.”

Krampus, still as tall as a building, stood in worship of the glowing red ruby. His hands held out, he called to it. “Why do you steal the light, my lady? I will bring you a worthy host to return through.”

“I need not a host. As I gather the power from the sun, I will remake myself.”

Krampus frowned, “But, my lady...” a blast of energy stopped him. Turning, he swatted at a pair of heroes flying directly for him. “PATHETIC PESTS. HOW MANY TIMES DO WE HAVE TO DEFEAT YOU!”

The shuttle landed on the island of Surtsey, the side doors immediately opening with Gar and Chase both racing out. Heroes of all stripes returned, each with a new aura of energy around them thanks to the turkeys they had all found.

Gar spread hid wings and ran hard. Once he was moving fast enough, he lifted off and swooped up into the skies. Chase dodged left and right as heroes came bounding across the ground.

The moment the heroes came close enough, the ruby blasted out that red power. Waves of energy spread over the armies of heroes. This time, it did not instantly throw them away. Sunspot led several other heroes who grounded themselves by standing firmly on the black pumice. Each returned the onslaught of red energy with waves of orange, white, and yellow energies coming from their hands. The ruby’s power diminished, and the heroes bore down on both enemies.

The voice from the ruby yelled, “STOP THEM, YOU FOOL!”

Krampus launched himself at the throngs of heroes. He lashed out with his massive, clawed hands, kicked at them with his enormous feet, and fought with all the strength he had. This time, though, they were overwhelming him quickly.

Gar flew down, with Fiero and Hotwings right behind him. He led them toward Krampus’s face. With a quick turn, he swooped back up, grabbed one of Krampus’s horns and yanked his head back. Hotwings nailed Krampus in the cheek with an energy blast while Fiero shoved him with a massive telekinetic push. Krampus stumbled back, shaking the Earth as he struggled to stay upright.

Gar let go of the horn and flew down. He yelled at the heroes on the ground, “GET HIM DOWN! WE NEED HIM DOWN!”

Half the heroes on Surtsey focused on the overwhelmed Krampus. Energy bombs. Laser beams and other various projectiles hit the unbalanced enemy, and he fell. The shaking of the ground stumbled more than one running hero, and the flying heroes broke away for a moment to regroup.

Like the Lilliputians ganging up on Gulliver, the heroes stormed the fallen Krampus. They almost had him when he suddenly slammed the ground with both arms, causing an even greater Earthquake. In the moment of confusion, he flashed and was back to a normal human size. With speed to match any hero, he zoomed through the heroes, nailing one after another with well-placed punches and swipes of his deadly claws. Men and women flew away from his blurry onslaught, blood and bruises left in his wake.

Gar recognizing this attack from his encounter in Australia. He watched the blurry enemy zipping around the heroes, out matching their attempts at stopping him. With a surge of that temporary power, Gar sped down and hit the ground right in the path of Krampus. Both Krampus and Gar met in a body slam, each flying away from the other in uncontrolled tumbles.

Krampus lay on his back, a little winded for the encounter. Heroes were ganging up on him again, at least those who were the least injured in his speed attack.

“I can still fight the lot of you!” Krampus pushed himself up. However, just as he was about to his feet, he was met by waves of water. Then a giant green hand grabbed him.

Midgardsormr rose from the waters, glowing in that aura. He towered over the heroes and held Krampus in his hand. “TIME FOR A REMATCH!”

Krampus struggled for a moment, then suddenly also grew to his enormous size. “LET’S GO!”

At that moment, a massive explosion was followed by a huge fireball. The ensuing shock wave was so great that it threw even Krampus and Midgard clear into the waters.

Gar, laying on the ground, looked up at the blazing light and gasped, “no!”

Moments before:

“No, focus on the ruby! Destroy it!” Chase called out as she led a smaller band of the heroes.

Heroes threw everything they had at the glowing ruby hanging in the sky above the island. Arcane heroes were focusing all their power in a spell to encapsulate the ruby, hoping to cut off its ability to draw power from the sun and Mythics. Others blasted it with energy and basic weapons.

Furious Squirrel ran next to Chase, his guns ready. “How do we fight a rock?”

Chase said, “We break it. That’s our only option.”

“Will it be enough?”

Chase shook her head, “I have no idea. But, I’d rather try than let the sun go dark.”

“True.” Furious stopped and unleashed a volley of laser blasts from his pistols at the ruby.

“FOOLISH MORTALS!” The ruby bellowed and blasted hard waves of red energy at them.

Krystal Fae held up her hands, and a barrier formed that blocked this energy from hurting them. The power thrown against her barrier shoved her across the ground and caused her pain. The Wizard joined her and cast his own barrier. He said, “I can sense incredible magical power coming from that ruby.”

Krystal said, “I know. Push it back.”

Krystal Fae and the Wizard both fell as the ruby blasted even harder. A red bolt of energy came from the ruby, targeting both of them. Suddenly Maleficent, The Wizard’s dragon, landed in front of them and absorbed the blast. She then unleashed her own blast of magical energy right back at the ruby.

Chase came over and helped Krystal to her feet. Krystal said, “we can’t contain it with magic, and our powers, even enhanced, aren’t enough.”

All at once everyone jerked when a blaring sound cut through the battle din. The screeching chords of a guitar sliced through the air. The ruby stopped blasting energy and even screamed.

Chromatic Death wailed on his weapon of choice as he yelled, “Can’t handle the power, can ya!”

Everyone paused at the sight of the stopped battle. Chase suddenly realized what he was accomplishing. “GO! GO! Attack it now!” She rushed for the ruby, throwing her power enhanced blades. All the other heroes regrouped and attacked with all their might as Chromatic kept the ruby rattled.

There came a flash, then an enormous explosion that sent a ball of fire right back at the heroes. Maleficent covered as many as she could with her body, Krystal Fae and The Wizard helped protect many others. However, a few were extremely close and disappeared in the blast, including Chase.

Krystal lowered her hands, her ears ringing and her face burning with the residual heat. Part of the volcano had been destroyed in that blast. Heroes were strewn everywhere, most already gathering themselves, a few still down. Fires burned across the pumice. There was no sign of red energy, or even red light.

“What’s this?” She reached down and picked up a ruby shard, only it had gone completely black.

“LOOK!” Shinobi yelled out.

Sunlight broke through the clouds and bathed the world once again in its life-giving glow. The sky was blue again, the eternal night washed away. But it wasn’t the sun or sky that caught everyone’s attention at that moment.

Krystal watched the unbelievable as Chase strode out of the deepest part of that blazing fire. She seemed unharmed and even smiling. “Chase?”

Chase laughed and then laughed harder, her voice growing from a normal tone to a deep, echoing volume. Her body broke out in a fire, her hair turned red, and her clothing changed in the flames. Her face was the last to change, she was Chase no more. There stood a malicious-looking Lady Phoenix.

“Ah, physical form. It has been too long.” She held out a hand and Krampus lifted out of the waters and flew toward her. “Come, my pet. Our powers shall be Legion.” And she vanished in a ball of fire.

Continue the Story

Heroes Rising Fiction: Strange November Part 12

 Heroes flooded over the small volcanic island of Surtsey. Krampus took a barrage of weapons fire, superpowers, and direct punches. Lord Dragon swooped and spun around the heroes as he used their aid to fight his enemy.

Drift, as a shadowy figure, zoomed across the field, then took physical form and threw a pair of large blades. Drift became shadow again and spend up toward Krampus as Lord Dragon slammed him in the face. Using the opening, Drift attempted to throw another blade right into Krampus’s exposed neck. At the wrong moment, Krampus slapped the blade out of the air and in the same motion, hit Drift. The shadowy figure crashed to the ground as a puff of smoke and then regained his physical form.

“How the hell did he do that?” Drift groaned as other heroes ran by in the thick of this combat.

Skelanimal yanked him to his feet, “He’s an immortal mythic thing, duh.”

“SKELANIMAL!” Drift punched him in the face and then gave him a swift kick to the gut.

“YOW!” Skelanimal stumbled back, holding his abdomen. Just before Drift stuck him with a blade, he yelled, “I’m with the good guys!”

Both waited as a series of explosions rocked the island, then Drift said, “Likely story.”

“It’s true. Spirit of Halloween set me free, but I have to help my old league fight against Krampus.”

Drift glared at him, “I don’t have time to figure this out. You turn against us and I will...”

“I know, I know, stab me, punch me, whatever.” Skelanimal ran away, heading directly for Krampus.

Drift transformed into a puff of smoke again and went for the giant beast the heroes were facing.

Nova watched the action from inside the hovering shuttle, the holographic screen showing him footage from a drone while Chase and Gar both watched out windows.

“Looks like Krampus is a little overwhelmed.” Nova said.

Gar watched through the small window for a moment and then said, “He is really strong. They need help.”

Chase materialized her blades, “Gar, let’s go down there and give them a hand.”

Nova watched the holo-screen, “I agree. We bring Krampus down first.”

“YOU WILL LOSE!” Quark yelled from the back seat, then said, “MY BUTT IS A BLUE LIGHT BULB!”

Gar asked, “What?”

Nova waved a hand, “He’s just too sober. Don’t pay attention to his ramblings. Get down there.”

“TURKEYS, GET THE TURKEYS. MAKE YOU FAT!”

Chase went to press the button to open the door, but Gar stopped her. “Gar?”

Gar had his eyes on Quark, “Turkeys?”

Quark bellowed, “TURKEY DINNER, TURKEY DINNER, GATHER ROUND. ONLY WAY TO BEAT HIM IS TO GO AND EAT THEM, YUM YUM YUM!”

Nova asked, “Gar, what is going on? Get out there before...”

Suddenly the shuttle rocked to the side, and sirens blared. A red wave of light filled every window. Then several thumps banged into the hull. Chase let out a shriek when she saw a hero crash into the shuttle.

The robot pilot announced, “Alert, alert, impact warning. Heroes down, heroes down!”

Nova looked back to the screen, “Oh, god!”

Moments before:

Krampus swiped and punched, kicked and stomped. Heroes fought with all their strength, and he was keeping up with them.

Crimson Guardian raced across the ground, came to a skidding stop and used the energy to throw something like a football. Zen, his legs and wings tucked, flew through the air and smacked right into Krampus’s face.

“Stupid hairball!” Zen flicked out his bladed flippers and stabbed Krampus in the right eye.

“YAH!” Krampus reached up for the pest, grasping at his own eye.

Zen spun around, slicing deep into the monster’s eyelids. “How ya like that!”

Krampus smacked himself in the face, then pulled the little nuisance off. He held Zen in his enormous fist and was about to crush the life out of the heroic Penguin when Midgardsormr suddenly nailed Krampus in the gut with a fist. In a fluid continuation of motion, the giant serpent hit the hand holding little Zen.

Zen flew out of the hand and was caught by a passing hero before he crashed to the ground.

Krampus looked up at the monstrous serpent now his size, “Oh, mighty world eater. You lost to a pitiful little Dragon, what makes you think you defeat me?”

Midgard grabbed Krampus by the horns and yanked his head forward, bashing him with his own head. Krampus stumbled back. Midgard yelled, “I WILL REPAY YOU FOR USING ME!”

Krampus reached up to go after Midgard when a dozen blasts of energy hit him. He didn’t have time to respond before Midgard had him by the horns again, throwing him into the side of the volcano. Krampus lay there, rocks trickling down his shoulders. That onslaught truly dazed him. Heroes focused all their efforts and raced to finish him.

Just then, the powerful, disembodied voice from the ruby said, “ENOUGH!”

The light they had ignored for Krampus became a burning red blast. Waves of red energy exploded out. Heroes of all sizes and powers were thrown away as leafs in a storm. Even Midgardsormr was tossed clear off the island into the frigid ocean waters. Some heroes attempted to return to the fray, but the booming blasts of red energy acted as hurricane winds against them.

Drift held tight to the ground as that energy poured over him. He wanted to turn to shadow, but was certain it would only allow this to send him even further away. Looking up, he saw white blinking lights on every hero. A signal was coming to their BADGE comm units; retreat.

The BADGE shuttle sped away from the growing power. Nova observed the holo-screen.

“Good, the heroes are helping each other get away.”

Chase said, “What just happened?”

“I don’t know. Obviously, we focused on the wrong villain.”

“How could we fight both? Krampus was hard enough.”

The screen changed to an emergency channel, Santa looked at them through the holo-screen. He was haggard and laying on the snowy ground. His voice strained as he said, “Nova... this is bad... she is... stealing our light, our power. We won’t be able to protect the Earth... from the darkness.”

“What is happening?”

“My energy...is so low...I can’t...” He passed out and his comm signal ended.

Nova ordered, “Global image, NOW!”

The hologram turned into the globe again. The little light dots around the planet were all flickering and growing dim. Only one dot grew, the one over Iceland.

Chase asked, “What do we do now?”

“I don’t know.”

“TURKEYS! GET THE TURKEYS! GOOD FOR A GROWING HERO! HAHAHAHA!” Quark yelled out.

“Can you quiet him down back there?” Nova asked Gar. The holo-screen suddenly popped back on with a map of the earth. Thousands of dots appeared all over the place. Nova huffed, “What now?”

A robot from the station came on, “Alert, Director Nova, strange activity detected across planet.”

“Explain!”

The image changed to dozens of pictures of large turkeys walking all over the place. Each was glowing wild colors, some flashing, others sparkling. The robot reported, “Unknown fowl appearing across the planet. No direct threat. Unknown origin.”

“Turkeys?” Nova leaned in to look at the strange birds.

“EAT THE TURKEY IF YOU WANT DESSERT!” Quark yelled.

The robot continued, “Creatures exhibit strong morphonic signatures.”

“Morphonic signatures?” Nova stroked his chin.

Gar suddenly said, “That’s the answer!”

“What?”

“Quark is trying to help us. Back when I fought Krampus, a turkey appeared and when I touched it, it turned into mist and strengthened me.”

Nova frowned, “You aren’t making much sense.”

“No, he is.” Chase said, “same thing happened to me. A wild-looking turkey appeared, touched me, and gave me a boost in power. I think Quark is trying to help, even though he has gone a little more nuts than usual.”

Nova looked back at the screen. “Morphonic powered turkeys... that might work. If these things enhance super powers...” Nova clicked on his communicator and put in the all-contact signal. “Heroes of Earth. I know this is going to sound strange, but it’s our only hope. Glowing, colorful turkeys are wandering all over the planet. Get them. They will give you greater strength. Find them all and then get back to Iceland. No time to waste, MOVE!”

Continue the Story

Heroes Rising Fiction: Strange November Part 11

 The members of the WMD league muttered and raged inside their special holding cells. An especially large cell held Midgardsormr with many extra restraints and anti-arcane devices. None of the heroes were very coherent, other than screaming about destroying the world.

“Would you guys just shut the hell up? I’m try’n ta sleep!” Skelanimal yelled.

Midgardsormr’s voice echoed down the hall, “I WILL EAT THIS WORLD!”

“Oh, give it a rest, you big lizard!” Skelanimal turned over and put his hands over his ears. “Stupid plan, stupid league, stupid Krampus, I... what’s that?” An orange glow shined on his cell walls. Turning over, he saw Spirit of Halloween smiling at him. “Oh, it’s you. Uh... sorry about fool’n you and stuff.”

“A good trick you played on me, not something done so easily. But danger you bring upon the Earth, by giving wickedness a new birth. Payment for your crimes must be made, I will free, the world you will save.”

“Okay, enough poetry. What’s up?”

Spirit cackled and flew out of the cell. His voice now boomed throughout the station. “I free thee, League of woe, to the Earth you shall go. Summon heroes far and near, save your base, end the fear!” He spun around and that orange mist blossomed out.

All the members of WMD that had been bewitched stopped their writhing and screaming and spent a moment waking up. Their cells unlocked on their own, the restraints fell to the ground.

Spirit said, “Time for penance has come, do your best, may the battle be won!” Then he vanished.

“Who dares to shine a light brighter than mine!” That disembodied voice bellowed from the glowing ruby.

Chase, still laying next to the fallen Quark, looked up and saw something strange on the horizon. A light glow rose like the first rays of sunlight. Yet, another joined it on a different part of the horizon. Then a third.

Krampus reached down and snatched up Chase. “Worry not, my lady. It is time to become whole again.”

“Let me go!” Chase dug her blades into his arms again, but it did no good.

On the ground below, Gar drug himself across the broken earth, reaching out for help. “Quark... please, help... wake up... Quark.” He could see that Quark was still breathing, but unresponsive. “Quark. Please, wake up... he is going to kill Chase.”

Suddenly, something exploded above them and Krampus stumbled back. His enormous feet shaking the ground.

Gar turned and gasped, Lord Dragon had plowed into Krampus and was now breathing a torrent of flames at him.

“CHASE!” Gar saw she was still in Krampus’s claw.

He mustered the strength to stand, but couldn’t get airborne. He ran across the quaking earth, but he could not manage flight.

“STOP, YOU’RE GOING TO KILL HER!” He yelled at the raging dragon.

All at once, a giant, green and purple turkey appeared in front of Gar. He skidded to a stop and frowned, “What... the?”

“Turkey dinner, turkey dinner... hahahaha.” Quark was awake and singing madly.

“No time!” Gar swiped his hand to knock away the bird, but it exploded in a flash of light and he felt something enter him from it. An amazing new strength blossomed in him. He beat his wings and took flight without having to run. He swooped up and over as Lord Dragon blazed against Krampus. Krampus punched Lord Dragon and was then suddenly struck by a writhing tail. This caused him to lose his grip on Chase and she fell. Gar flew under the arm, over the dragon, and caught her mid-air.

Gar landed with Chase near Quark. “Are you okay?”

Chase fell to her knees next to Quark, breathing heavily. “I… I think so.” Suddenly she held her arm up as a giant explosion came from Lord Dragon against Krampus. “Looks like we’ve got help.”

“We need to get out of here. Quark, can you transport us... Quark?”

Strange Quark lay on the ground, looking around with wild eyes. He fixed his eyes on Gar and blurted out, “DUCKS ARE EATING MY SPAGHETTI!”

“Quark?”

“HAHAHAHAHA, DUCKS ARE FUNNY!”

Chase shook him, “No time for weirdness!”

His eyes cleared, and he looked at Chase, “Boy, no wonder Gar likes you, you are pretty. TURKEYS!” He flopped back to the ground.

All at once Gar jumped over them, covering both with his body and wings. A wash of fire spilled over the area. Then came an enormous thud as something hit the ground. Gar slowly lifted his wings, and they watched Lord Dragon smolder on the ground.

“Lord Dragon!” Chase called out.

Krampus reached for him. “Enough, old man! You lost your pearl, you are less powerful than I!”

Quark laughed and then yelled, “GET THE TURKEYS!” A huge blue, sparkling turkey blocked Krampus from getting to Lord Dragon.

“What is this?” Krampus stopped, a little stumbled by this oddness.

Gar gasped, “Hey, I know! This helps.” He reached out for the bird.

However, the bird reached over and pecked Chase. When it did, the bird popped into a strange spray of mist and flooded into Chase’s body.

“What’s going on?” Chase wiped her hands across herself, trying to get this off.

“No, it’s good!” Gar said.

“What?” Chase looked up, but then yelled, “WATCH OUT!” Krampus reached for them. She materialized one of her blades and threw. It flew with a glowing, rainbow colored sparkling energy. When it hit Krampus in the palm, he lurched back and screamed. She looked at her hand, “how... did I do that?”

Gar said, “Don’t know. But that turkey gave me a boost... for a moment. Use yours!”

Krampus reached for them again. Chase materialized her blade and threw, this time nailing him in the shoulder. The giant monster lurched back and nearly fell over. He screamed in pain.

“How are you doing this!?” Krampus bellowed.

Chase materialized both her blades and threw them right at his face. He swiped his head to the side and used his horns to deflect them. She materialized them again, only this time there was very little sparkle left. “The power is fading.” She threw, and they merely stuck into him, not doing any harm.

Krampus reached down for her, but Lord Dragon bit his arm and pulled him away. Krampus grabbed the dragon with his free hand and ripped him off. Lord Dragon was flung through the air, but turned the wild motions into flight and came back with a mouth full of fire.

Just then a shuttle flew down and landed on the rock. The door was shoved open by Nova, who stood at the side, brandishing his gun. “GET IN!”

Gar scooped up Quark and followed Chase across the shaking battlefield toward the shuttle. Both dove in as Nova fired at Krampus with his weapon.

“All in?” Nova asked.

Chase said, “Yes.”

“Good.” Nova jumped back in and yelled, “Let’s go.”

The shuttle lifted off and then suddenly lurched to the side. The robot announced, “Executing evasive maneuvers.”

“Obviously.” Nova held the walls to keep from toppling.

Chase said, “This is not good. Krampus and... whatever that thing is...is too powerful for Lord Dragon to take on. We have to help.”

Nova gave off a clever smile. “Trust me. He’s not alone.”

Gar smiled and pointed at a window, “Look, heroes!”

Chase looked out the window to see hundreds of heroes flying by. The Wizard rode his dragon near the shuttle so he could wave to them.

“The Wizard!” Chase said, “but... he was part of the team Krampus brainwashed.”

Nova smiled, “Looks like Spirit of Halloween had other plans. He’s not happy to have been used. He released them from the brainwashing and from their cells. They have gathered heroes from all over the planet and are coming in to help fight Krampus.”

Gar smiled, “Good. That will stop him.”

Suddenly Quark yelled out, “HAHAHAHA, THEY WILL FAIL. TURKEY TURKEY DINNER! HAHAHA. THE HEROES, THEY ARE NOT GOING TO WIN!”

Continue the Story

Heroes Rising Fiction: Strange November Part 10

Chase floated in this darkness, neither falling nor flying. It was like being in space, or what she imaged it would be like. A hand reached out and took hers. It was Gar.

“Chase.” He spoke, but his voice was miles away.

She answered him, but even to her own ears, the sound was distant. She pointed toward Quark. Gar got the message and left her to get a grip on their friend. Wrapping an arm around his chest, Gar took hold of Quark and then reached back for Chase. He moved his wings and flailed his legs, but it wasn’t so easy to move in here. Chase reached back for him, their hands almost touching at the fingertips.

Suddenly they fell across a cold, hard ground. It was like waking up from a bad dream, but their hands were still outstretched toward the other and Gar still had Quark about the chest.

The first thing Chase noticed was the warmth. It had been cold where they were, now there was a strange warmth. Yet, she knew she was outside. Sitting up, she found the world an odd darkness. It appeared to be nighttime, where the world should be bathed in a placid moonlight. Yet, that moonlight was blood red, not milky. Not too far away was the source of this light, a ball of red energy, swirling around.

“Stop dawdling! Get to your feet!” Krampus scared her from behind.

She looked back and found him holding his sack, glaring down at all three. “What... where am I?”

“Not your concern. It is time for the sacrifice.” He grabbed her by the arm.

Gar suddenly grabbed Krampus’s wrist and pulled him away from Chase. “LEAVE HER ALONE!” He went to punch Krampus, but was thrown away.

Chase fell back to the ground and then got to her feet. “I’m not going down without a fight.”

Krampus laughed at her. “If the living statue is no match, what do you think your chances are... human?” He stomped toward her.

“As good as I can make them.” She materialized her magic blades for the first time in months. With a quick flick, she sent them toward his eyes.

Krampus quickly hit them away and grabbed her with both hands. “Nice try.”

“I’m... not done...” She struggled against his grip. Both blades reappeared in her hands and she stabbed them, one in each of his arms. Yanking back, she dug them through his flesh. This caused actual pain in the Mythic and he let go of her, throwing her across the hard, rough ground.

“DAMNABLE CHILD! I WILL ENJOY SACRIFICING YOU!” He lunged at her.

Gar sped across the ground and body slammed Krampus, both tumbling away. Gar landed on top of Krampus and pinned him down with his legs. He then punched him repeatedly. “LEAVE... HER... ALONE!”

All at once, Krampus grew in size by five stories. Gar was dropped to the ground. “Typical mortals! I am a GOD AMONG YOU PATHETIC BEINGS!” He swiped across the ground with a massive claw and sent Gar smashing through the pumice of this volcanic island.

Chase cowered near Quark, her blades ready. She knew they would do little good, but it was all she had. “Quark... come on... wake up. You’re the only one here who might stand a chance.” She pushed and nudged Quark.

Krampus watched this and then let out a boisterous laugh. “You think that creature is any match for me! His mind is gone, his life will be spent soon!” At that moment, Gar returned, flying right for Krampus’s face. Krampus caught him like one might catch a baseball. He then slammed Gar into the ground at his feet. “STAY DOWN, INSECT!”

“Gar!” Chase looked over, hoping Gar had not shattered under that impact.

Gar lay there, dazed, but still moving.

Krampus turned from them and held his enormous arms out in worship of the glowing light. “My lady! Respond to my call!”

That disembodied woman’s voice answered, “Who calls upon me?”

“It is I, the one who has brought you back, Krampus. Join me, be my ally, help me rebuild Legion in our image. Let us bring terror across the galaxy. Let us rule all creation!”

Nova sat next to EB in a BADGE shuttle as they zoomed across the darkening skies over Earth.

“Are you sure?” Nova asked.

EB answered, “I have no doubt. I sensed this power, this energy, for some time. It seemed so familiar, yet I couldn’t put it together. Now I know who this is.”

“Is she dangerous?”

EB gave Nova worried eyes, “More than you can possibly imagine.”

The robot pilot said, “Director Nova, incoming communication.”

“Put it through.”

A holographic screen appeared in front of Nova. A scientist spoke to him, “Sir, temperatures across the world are dropping rapidly.”

“How much danger are we in?” Nova asked.

“Hard to say. It can’t be good. However, we have never experienced a situation even remotely like this before. The sun disappearing is not something we could plan for.”

Nova asked, “what can be done to protect the population?”

“We don’t know. World leaders are already moving people into safe places. But, I doubt there are any prepared safe places for such an event. And, this doesn’t account for the population in areas that cannot be reached easily or who do not have a safe place near enough to save them. Sir, we could be looking at a massive death toll in a matter of hours if this isn’t fixed soon.”

EB hopped over onto Nova’s lap, “BUDDY, BUDDY, BUDDY!”

“Not the time!” Nova shoved him off.

EB hopped right back up, “No, it IS the time. Look, outside. LOOK LOOK LOOK LOOK!”

Nova pulled down the small shutter and looked to see Quetzalcoatl flying next to the shuttle. On his back was a large spider and Maneki-Neko.

“What the?”

Just then that spider creature jumped off Quetzalcoatl and flashed into the shuttle. The spider transformed into what looked like a traditional African tribal shaman.

Art by Fabien Kong

“Hello Director, long time.” The man smiled.

Nova frowned, “Anansi?”

“No time for reminiscing, Director. We know what’s happening. This world will perish in a short time. We can help save it, but this will leave her to the heroes.”

“What do you mean?” Nova asked.

Anasi pointed out, “Look.”

Nova watched as Maneki-Neko suddenly jumped off of Quetzalcoatl and held up her golden charm. It grew to an enormous size and beamed light. Quetzalcoatl flew off, his body already growing in light.

Nova asked, “Computer, show me a world live map.” The hologram changed to a globe composited with all the footage from BADGE satellites. Small points of light appeared all over the planet.

Anansi said, “It is all we can do. We cannot replace your sun forever, but long enough so that your world does not die while you deal with this darkness. Go. Stop her.” He flashed out of the shuttle.

EB hopped up to Nova’s lap again and gave him a friendly punch in the shoulder. “I’ll take care of North America. You...save the world.” He blasted off in a white blur, leaving the shuttle by means that Nova couldn’t figure out.

Continue the Story

CRYSTALS - HOW THEY WORK AND WHERE TO GET THEM

by Togoode/Shinobi (PID# 12205)

So, you’re new to the game and in search of power but you’re a free or budget player. 

What do you do? 

First, knowledge is power. Familiarize yourself with the game tabs; study the powers and the gear pieces. Crystal power cards do not have upkeep like bux card powers and are supplemental powers that add to your power counts. 

 

Next, study each activity within the game. Start formulating a plan. 

Don’t be shy... ask questions. 

There are plenty of folks in the community glad to help in the Heroes Rising Players group. 

Now, how do you get the power to compete? One way you can acquire power cards and gear is by harvesting crystals.

You should understand that crystals are continuously growing on each player's farm and never stop growing. Secondly, anyone on your friend's list can harvest your crystals as well as their own. So, if you have say, 30 crystals on your farm and you come back to check growth and those 30 are gone, don’t worry, they weren't stolen, they were only harvested for you by another player and placed in your crystal bank. You can earn up to 5 crystals per farm you harvest depending on the size of the harvest. Getting free crystals just for helping your friends is pretty nice.

Game Tip: While starting out, the best tip I could probably give is to save up as many bux and Crystals as you can and have more than you need before you really start to buy in the store.

There are several ways to find and harvest crystals. The first place to look is on your own crystal farm located on your profile page. Notice the timer in seconds to grow your next crystal. You can do the math, no need to waste time watching that timer. Move on to the next place to harvest crystals on your friends' profile pages and harvest their crystals in the same manner. 

You can access your friends' profile page from the friend's tab and also by hovering over and clicking the player’s name on the battle page. Having friends in the game makes you stronger. Friends share some of their strength with you but more importantly at this point, more farms to harvest. The more farms you harvest the more crystals you add to your crystal bank. There are other ways to harvest crystals, but how you ask?

You can gain a lot of crystals by competing and winning in Fight Club. For every XP point you gain by winning, you will also be rewarded with double that in crystals. That can be hundreds of crystals. You want to be competitive so you can win more to get more crystals and eventually work your way up the ladder to winning medals and MP. Here is where all that study, familiarizing, and planning comes in handy.

Game Tip: Gear slots open up as you progress. Power cards are great but gear is king. Knowing what opens and what is available will help you budget and have a small advantage over other players. So, your first gear slots will open up to you as follows: at level 2 you get a ring slot, at level 3, a head slot, at level 4, a boot slot, At level 6 you get a slot for leg gear. At level 8, you get the all-important core slot opened to you and finally an arm slot at level 10 and more as you progress. Put the best pieces into those gear slots to build your best fighting suit(s).

Game Tip: Each game piece is color-coded to a specific element icon. The elements are Tech, Mental, Elemental, Magic, Supernatural ad Physical. For example, all tech gear has a green border around the gear. The more pieces of the same element you can match together can give you extra points for doing damage.

You have studied the gear and saved up crystals. Buy the best gears you can and play around with building suits but save enough crystals to buy crystal power cards. They become available to purchase with crystals starting at levels 40, 44, 46, and 48 respectively under the powers tab. Buy in bulk. It’s always a better deal.

You will also need crystals to help your league grow your HQ at the appropriate time.

Of course, if one is able to and so inclined, one can purchase Morphons with real dollars and buy a mix of crystal and MP cards and gear and become supremely powerful, but in the beginning, it's best to just grind and learn how to navigate the game and how the powers work together so you can spend those MP points wisely.

Plan well and spend your crystals wisely, build your strongest suit(s) and don’t forget, ask questions. 

I’ll be seeing you on the battlefields.

Continue the Story

Heroes Rising Fiction: Strange November Part 9

 Lord Dragon sat before a small shrine dedicated to his late wife. Small paintings of her decorated the elegant memorial. Five piles of melted wax remained from the long-since spent candles. Only a tiny shaft of light creeping through a meager opening near the door allowed light. One would assume he was merely a statue, a memorial himself to the mighty leader of the Mythics.

Suddenly a red glow filled the room for a moment. Crusted layers of gathered dust fell from his clothes, cobwebs broke that had grown between him and the ground. He slowly sat up and looked at one of the ancient paintings.

“My lady?”

Color returned to his face as he took in deeper breaths.

“It...it cannot be.”

Suddenly his body transformed into the fabled Dragon and he burst out of the room, splintering the door as he crashed through it.

Santa flew in a circle around the sparsely populated island. People stepped out into the snow around their villages to see him go over. Some children waved with eagerness. He smiled and waved back, but his eyes were ever scanning for signs to lead them by.

Gar flew up and grabbed the side of his Sleigh. He put a foot on the runner and leaned back, letting the Sleigh carry him for a moment. “I cannot find anything. I asked people if they knew. No one did.”

Santa shook his head, “I doubt it will be obvious. And, under this fallen snow, it might be near impossible to see anything from this far up.”

“I did get one clue.” Gar said. “One fisher said a volcano erupted, but then stopped. He said it was not a normal eruption.”

“Ah, but Gar, there are so many volcanoes around this area. And, they hardly are predictable.”

“We could at least look.” Gar said.

“Yes, lets...” Santa paused, “what was that?”

Gar almost asked when a red wave struck both of them.

Santa gasped, “It cannot be. I sensed it.”

“What was that?” Gar felt himself.

“I know where they are.” Santa turned the Sleigh hard, changing course that took them directly across the Island toward a smaller island in the south-western corner.

Moments before:

Krampus let go of Chase and ran for the floating Ruby. He was ready with his sack to cover it once again. In the corner, the chair still poured energy into Quark, who screamed, laughed, and made all sorts of strange animal sounds.

Just when Krampus was about to reach the Ruby, it burst with a brilliant wave of red energy. He flew back hard, crashing through tables and computer equipment. Chase was pressed against the wall. When she looked up, there, floating in the room, was Strange Quark. His body had changed to a deep red hue. The chair he had been sitting in was now scattered across the floor in hundreds of pieces. In his eyes was a strange glint, like that of a deep greed mixed with fury.

“It is time.” Was all he said.

Krampus reached out, “no...it’s too soon...”

Quark reached out for the ruby, “I do not hear the words of the pathetic.”

Taking the ruby in his hands, he held it before him, pressing it between his palms. A red aura encompassed him, floating around the room like a horrible red fog. Quarks eye’s grew brighter as he gripped the ruby. His voice boomed with two distinct voices. One was his, the other a woman’s.

“It is time! I SHALL BE MADE WHOLE!” A glowing light shone between him and the Ruby. The room shook, lights burst, the computers exploded, the walls cracked. Outside, the volcanoes on and near this island rumbled and belched out smoke as they spewed lava.

Chase held her arm up to her face. She could no longer stand the heat and pressure against her. It felt as though her bones would crack, but not before it seared her skin off. Whatever was happening, this was going to end her life. She looked to the only other person, but Krampus was gone. Only his sack remained on the floor.

Just then the doors on the other side of the room were ripped off and two figures came in. Chase saw the first and instantly recognize him.

“CHASE!” Gar screamed as he came flying through the room.

The Ruby became a ball of light, Quark was dropped to the ground, and everything exploded. The last thing Chase saw was the shadow of a statue leaning over to protect her.

Nova paced in the Operations center while dozens of videos played on the screen, each muted. They were observing the rescue and recovering in Tokyo, and related news broadcasts. They also had several news broadcasts talking about the strange seismic activity near Iceland. The robots were processing all the data, looking for connections.

All at once, EB slammed into Nova. The doors of the elevator were still opening from where he had arrived.

“BUDDY!”

Nova huffed, “What is it?”

“Something terrible is happening, down on Earth.”

Nova let out yet another sigh, “Yes, I know. We stopped WMD, but...”

“No, something's worse. I can sense it.”

Just then a loud alarm blared in the room. In fact, this alarm rang throughout the station. All the screens shut off and changed to an external view.

“Warning, Warning, solar activity! Danger, Danger!” The computer called out.

“REPORT!” Nova yelled.

The alarm silenced as a Robot answered, “Solar activity critical. Temperature of the sun has decreased.”

“Decreased? What? How?”

“Unknown. Readings are contrary at this time. Need more data.”

Nova was about to give an order when another robot stated, “relevant data. Energy spike on earth.”

“Energy spike? Location.”

“Icelandic island, Surtsey. Energy, unknown. Reaching critical levels.”

“On screen now!”

The view changed first to an orbital view, where they could see a red dot on the planet. The view changed several times until they were now looking over the Icelandic area from a drone. A brilliant red dot of light blazed near the southwest corner of the country.

“What the hell is that?”

Chase’s body felt heavy. Her arms wouldn’t respond to her thoughts, and she wasn’t even sure she had legs. She forced her eyes open and looked up at darkness, with blurry red light coming around it.

“Chase! Chase!” A voice called her name, a familiar voice, one she found great comfort in.

“I... I know that voice.”

The darkness moved, more of that red light came through and caused her to clench her eyes shut again.

“Chase, come on, wake up!” He held her, his hands so cold and rough, yet gentle.

His hand touched her bare skin on her arm, and memories flooded her. She relived a past she had forgotten. She saw herself with Gar, Quark, Nova. She recalled the fight with Jinn, the League Wars she had helped organize, the space station, everything. His touch activated her super power, and she traveled through history with him, remembering who she really was.

“GAR!” She came around quickly, lurched forward and wrapped her arms around him.

“Chase!” He held her, wrapping both his arms and wings around them.

“I had forgotten everything. It was like being in a horrible dream that I couldn’t wake from. Oh, I am so sorry for what I did to you, to everyone.” She never wanted to let go.

Suddenly, a fresh voice said, “No time for that. We have to get out of here.”

Gar let go and moved aside. The first thing Chase saw was a brilliant, ominous red light and swirling red clouds overhead. As her eyes adjusted, she then saw Santa holding Strange Quark’s body. Both were in terrible shape.

“What’s happening?” Chase called out.

“I don’t know! It isn’t safe here! We need to go!” Santa turned to run for his Sleigh when that red light blasted out a wave of energy. Santa fell over and Gar was shoved back.

Suddenly, a powerful female voice spoke over the din. “I am complete again! I am whole! I am supreme! There shall be no other light than mine! All will bask in my glory alone! I SHALL DARKEN THE SUN TO PROVE THAT NO OTHER LIGHT IS GREATER!” The skies above slowly dimmed, the land lost most of its color. The only remaining color was the reflected red glow from the ball of brilliance lifting higher into the sky.

“GAR! WE NEED TO LEAVE!” Chase cried out, but he didn’t respond. “Gar?”

Suddenly a cloth flew over her, and she fell in darkness. It was as though a void had absorbed her. Then she saw Gar tumbling out of control. Next, falling down above her was Strange Quark.

“What just happened?” Her voice trailed off into a distant echo, lost in this terrible void.

Continue the Story

Heroes Rising Fiction: Strange November Part 8

 Skelanimal jumped to his feet when he watched Midgard go down. He backed up, getting away from the edge. “Oh, crap. This ain’t good.”

Tapping his communicator, he called out, “Krampus. I’m gonna need help. My team is down. I ain’t got anyone to transport me back. Krampus?” There was nothing but fuzz.

Heroes moved away. Zooming off or boarding their vehicles. A few remained to work with the authorities on cleanup and rescue. Some also worked with BADGE to bring in the WMD members.

“Okay, so they’re busy, that’s good. I just gotta find...” he fell over when a boot hit him in the face. “ow!”

Nevets landed on the roof, ready to fight. His black dog zoomed to his side, a strange aura of shadow around the creature.

Skelanimal laughed, “Oh, I can deal with you.”

Suddenly he went flying forward after a kick to the back. A sword flew through the air and stabbed his loincloth into the rooftop, pinning him down. Shinobi stood there, another sword ready. “Go ahead, Skelanimal, try. I can have a dozen heroes over here in a matter of seconds. And, this time, you don’t have any extra power to help you.”

“Crap.”

Chase gagged and fought as Krampus pinned her to a wall, his claw around her throat. He growled at her, “WHAT DID YOU DO!?”

“I...I...” She tried to answer, but he was preventing her words.

He suddenly threw her away, slamming her against another wall. “I should have known you would betray me? How long have you known your true identity?”

She coughed and held her throat from the pain. “I...I don’t know...who I am...Just that...you have me trapped. This... this isn’t right. I had to help.”

He let off a little smile, “Help? Ha! You merely interrupted the distraction. That league attacking Tokyo was nothing compared to what is coming.”

She pulled herself up by use of the wall and said, “I don’t know everything about me. But, I will stop you if I can.” With a burst of motion, she threw her blades at him.

Krampus calmly caught each one, inches from his face, and then crushed them. “How pathetic. You are good. But, your skills are in thievery, not taking on a god.”

“You’re no god.”

“Soon I shall be. And many worlds will fear me as much as they once feared Legion. Now, I will allow you to live, that you may bear witness to my greatest triumph.” He turned from her, heading for Quark.

Chase stood there, unable to process this. She was completely free to move around, but she couldn’t do anything to stop him. He was far too powerful. All that remained for her was to sit here, in the darkness, and watch him destroy the world.

Skelanimal flew back against the wall of the same BADGE cell he had spent so much time in. All at once an arm hit him in the back and shoved his bony face against the metal surface.

Nova, holding him in this merciless position, yelled, “WHERE ARE THEY?”

Skelanimal fought against him, but found Nova stronger than he expected. “I ain’t talk’n”

Nova pressed harder, “You are lucky this cell is still being repaired. You would be in a world of pain.”

“I can handle it.”

Chromatic Death approached, “Woah, dude, you get’n serious. I like it.”

“What do you need?” Nova asked.

Chromatic said, “Oh, we just put all the WMD in special holding cells. Telepathic heroes are work’n to help them.”

Nova shoved harder on Skelanimal, just for the sake of his anger, “anything else, Chromatic?”

“Not bout them. But, I do have an idea with this one.”

Nova asked, “what?”

Chromatic worked his guitar for a moment and then said, “Can ya hear this?” He played something.

Nova said, “no.”

Skelanimal said, “Ow!”

Chromatic smiled, “Yup, the report on this scumbag said he’s got better hearing. Thought this might help. Hey, bonehead, I’ll stop this when you start talk’n,” He began a steady strumming that was amplified by his power.

Nova frowned as Skelanimal squirmed. Suddenly the glass surfaces on monitors and in the light fixtures popped and shattered. Several of the security robots reacted in strange ways, and a warning siren beeped.

Skelanimal whined and cried, finally yelling, “MAKE IT STOP, I’LL TALK, JUST MAKE IT STOP!”

Nova dropped Skelanimal, who flopped down on the floor in a pile. Chromatic stopped his guitar and leaned back against a nearby wall. “He’s all yours. I’ll just stick around to make sure he keeps talk’n”

Gar flew beside Santa’s sleigh, both gliding along over the frozen north. The bright sunlight above made the white world below glow with amazing brilliance. After a long distance of this traveling, the ice broke up and gave way to crystal blue waters. A few boats watched in awe at the spectacle above them.

“Where did Nova tell us to go?” Gar asked.

Santa swooped around him, “Iceland. That’s all Skelanimal knew. He said it was the WMD base, but we would need their help in finding it and they are in no shape to talk right now.”

“So, we search an entire country?” Gar asked.

“Well, Iceland isn’t exactly a large country.” Santa snapped the reigns and his sleigh shot off. Gar beat his wings and picked up speed to follow.

Chase held the side of a table, sporting some injuries from being thrown across the room. She wanted to find something like a knife or blade to throw. Even if he killed her for it, she had to injure him, to slow him down. Do something.

“What are you doing?” She whispered.

Krampus towered over the chair where Strange Quark was bound. He flicked switches and activated special power cords. “This is a little treasure from the days of Legion. Back, during their long reign of power, they came across people worthy of being part of the core of their villains. However, these people were too noble, too honorable to accept the offer to be members of Legion. They created this through study of psychic energies. It alters a person, changes them to indulge their most evil desires. I have changed it so it will not only turn a person to their darkest passions, but make them obedient to me.”

Chase slowly walked toward him, “You...you used that on me.”

“Good, very good. You do have some logic in you.”

“This desire in me to steal, to hurt people... that thing did this to me.”

Krampus stood back as the machine became active. “I only enhanced what was already in you. If you embrace this, you can join me and be a part of a new order.”

Chase thought about this for a moment and then watched the energy of the chair pour over that strange blue man. He woke up and started screaming. His eyes went wild, his body changed color over and over. The surging pain exploded out as horrible cries of agony.

“STOP!” Chase begged. “You’re hurting him!”

“I know. I don’t care.” Krampus pushed a lever, and the energy intensified.

Chase covered her ears in a futile attempt to block the sounds of this poor mans screams. She knelt down behind the table and wished she could run from this. Tears fell down her face as she desperately wanted to know who she was and why he wanted her. Why she was so important that he used her to bring about this horrible ending. Chase wept, blubbering out an inconsolable pain in her.

Suddenly, buried deep in her mind, she heard a voice. “Chase, you are not the person you once were. You are a hero now.” Who said his to her, she didn’t know. But, she knew it was the voice of someone she cared for, someone who she trusted implicitly.

“I am a hero.” She said through her tears. Then she understood something. If she was a hero, then her skills were meant for good now. “If I am a thief, then a thief I will be.” She jumped up and grabbed the sack with the ruby in it.

“NO!” Krampus saw here and reached out his claw. His sack nearly flew from her hands as he drew it toward him.

She grabbed it by the cords and yanked right back.

All at once, the cords loosened, and the sack flew back to him, while the ruby fell free. Chase jumped to grab it, but was caught in a wave of red power that exploded out from it. Even Krampus stumbled back by this surge. The Ruby did not fall. It hovered in the air, beaming a brilliant red glow.

“NO, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!” Krampus called out.

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Heroes Rising Fiction: Strange November Part 7

 Krampus worked carefully at his station. The ruby was now three parts, all the shards were combined to these three. He used special tools to push two of the sections together. When they met, the blending process began and the cracks between them slowly sealed.

“How goes the battle?” Krampus asked.

Chase, standing at the monitor, watched dozens of videos. “They have taken down most of the enemies. I think only that big serpent remains, and he’s not going down.”

Krampus chuckled, “Midgardsormr at his fullest strength is more than a match for Earth’s heroes. They should have sealed him away long ago.”

Chase looked back at him with a timid worry on her face. “But... they will stop him?”

“I don’t know, I don’t care. If they fail to bring him down, she will.” He nodded toward Strange Quark.

Chase was about to respond to that when she caught the mistake. “She?”

Krampus didn’t respond to that. He merely held out his claw and his sack flew over to him. “It is almost ready. Keep your eyes on that battle. I want this done while they are still fighting.”

Chase turned back and watched the monitor. The heroes were teaming up on the giant serpent.

Furious Squirrel used a pair of blasters to shoot at Midgard from the ground. He slid under a swoop of a giant tail and then threw a snaring rope at the monster’s arm. The rope wrapped Midgard’s wrist and then two powerful magnets stuck his right arm to the ground. Midgard roared and swiped at Furious with his left hand.

Krystal Fae blasted Midgard’s wrist, causing it to miss Furious by a few inches. She then pushed both hands down and used that same magic to hold Midgard’s left hand in place. Other heroes fired at him and threw objects at his head.

Fiero led a team of telepathic heroes to the roof of a building. Several heroes with telekinetic powers flew by, taking up positions near the raging serpent.

“Ground team, you ready?” She spoke into her communicator.

Kid Chaos answered, “We’re ready. Better get this show on the road, I don’t know how long the others can hold him.”

Fiero tapped a new command and then spoke so that every communicator in range could hear. “GO!”

All the psychic heroes blasted Midgard in the head with their unified attack. The one thought conveyed was to suppress the alien power controlling him. For a moment he stopped writhing and looked like he was coming around. However, at the wrong moment, he freed his right hand, hit Krystal with a well-placed strike, and then slapped five heroes out of the air. Two flung right into the group of psychic heroes. The distraction was too much, and their attempt failed.

Kid Chaos’s voice came through to Fiero. “It didn’t work. He stopped us too soon.”

“We can’t do it.” Fiero admitted. “I saw his mind. This isn’t entirely the foreign power in him. This has tapped that dangerous part of him. We have to beat him down further.”

“We... AHH!” Kid Chaos and his team had to run when two buses sailed toward them. He came back through, huffing as he ran. “We.. can’t... he’s too... strong. We... might have to... destroy him...”

“That may not be possible.” Fiero admitted.

Chase watched this battle, her heart in her throat. She did not understand what they were doing, but she knew it was a failure. If Midgard wins this battle, he won’t stop with Tokyo. She wanted to do something, to go help, to warn BADGE, but she didn’t have the ability to do this. One wrong move and Krampus will end her right there.

There came that thumping again. Under the floor, something was fighting hard. She had been hearing this for some time. Krampus refused to explain what was down there. But she knew it had to be important. He had gone down there when they first arrived and prepared… whatever this was.

Turning away from the monitors, she causally walked down the computers and examined them like she was strolling through the park looking at flowers. When she happened upon the schematics of the base, she took a moment to check all the cameras. The last image was that of a cave with artificial lights planted in the rock. A creature slithered under the ground, flailing around, slamming into the walls and the metal ceiling. There were small devices emitting an energy net over the room. Chase had seen these before, back when she last broke into BADGE’s main vault. Arcane suppressors.

“What are you doing? How goes the battle!” Krampus looked at her.

She turned, her heart racing. “Oh, it’s still raging as you planned. Nothing new to report. Don’t worry, if it ends or something big happens, I’ll let you know.”

“See that you do.” He held the remaining two parts of the whole ruby and put them inside his sack. Then he continued working with his head and arms inside the sack.

With him covered, this gave her an opportunity. She tried the authorization code he had given her, but it didn’t turn off the suppressors. With a trembling gulp, she checked the systems down there and traced the power back to the main junction on the second floor. It was her only hope, and she wasn’t even sure if this would do anything to stop Midgardsormr or Krampus. She flicked a switch, put in the code, and the power on two levels shut down, including all the power to the cave. The camera stopped sending the signal, and the thumping stopped.

“IT’S DONE!” Krampus called out as he sat back.

Chase turned, terrified of what he was about to do to her for what she had just done. Yet, he was thrilled. A red beam of light burst from inside the bag, making a strange noise. He grabbed it quickly and tied it shut.

At the same time, outside, the nearby volcano erupted with a small spout of fire and smoke as a Dragon blasted upward into the sky.

“What was that?” Krampus looked around.

Chase, failing to appear casual, said, “how..how should I know?”

Krampus glared at her, “what have you done?”

“Nothing.” She stepped back, palming a blade hidden inside her sleeve.

He was nearly on her when he looked up at the screens, a rage filling his eyes. “What! THIS ISN’T POSSIBLE!”

Midgardsormr tore through downtown Tokyo, wrecking every building he got near. Heroes attempted to mitigate his destruction by fighting him, but it was a futile battle. Some heroes had used their fullest strength, bent on killing this creature. Some remained hopeful they could subdue him and bring him to his senses. Both sides were losing the battle.

Shinobi landed on a rooftop near Fiero and Krystal. “We can’t stop him. He’s getting stronger.”

Fiero said, “His mind is more shadowed than the others. Whatever was done to mess with them was three times as strong on Midgard.”

Krystal added, “added to that is his already volatile temperament.”

Shinobi readied his blades, “we will have to take him down, if possible. I... what is that?”

They all looked up to see a Dragon flying toward Midgard. Five balls of magical fire were unleashed and plowed into the serpent. Midgard stumbled back and then roared. As he was about to grab something to throw at the dragon, it slammed him in the chest and pushed him back two city blocks.

“Maleficent!” Krystal gasped.

“Who?” Fiero and Shinobi said.

Krystal laughed, “The Wizard has a pet dragon... or really, he’s her pet most of the time. Anyway, that’s her. If anything can go toe to toe with Midgard, it’s Maleficent. And, by the looks of it, she’s pissed.”

Shinobi clicked on his communicator. “HEROES! HELP THE DRAGON, GET MIDGARD DOWN.”

Fiero clicked her communicator, “Psychic heroes, get ready. We might have one more chance at this.”

Maleficent and Midgardsormr fought an epic battle of magic and might. Maleficent’s power and pure rage matched Midgard’s fury and power. He threw her into a building; she slammed him into a bridge. With one well-placed attack, Maleficent got Midgard by the arm and threw him over and slammed him face first into the pavement of a street. Dozens of heroes blasted him. Several used sticky substances to glue his hands down. One wrapped her entire body around his neck and squeezed. Maleficent slammed hard against his back. Finally, after all the punishment, Midgard began to fade.

Fiero and the team of Psychic heroes launched their mental attack one more time. For a moment, Midgard lashed about in resistance. However, this time, he could not fight back. His eyes closed, and he fell asleep. Finally, his body shrank back to the human size he normally attained and a special set of the arcane cuffs were slapped on him.

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To Tug or Not to Tug, that is the Question-

by Timebender #10897
A lot of people are getting disenchanted with the tug of war events. Perhaps I am biased because I have always been on the winning side of these events (which is pretty odd really), but the way I see it the events are an investment.
You are investing something like 30 to 60 battles over a 2 or 3 day period to get a card worth at least 40 morphons, and you get another such card if you are on the winning side. That adds up to something like a morphon every 1.5 battles. That seems better than you get anywhere else in the game (except possibly in Raids), and that is if you lose.

People need to remember this is a Game, and while winning is fun good sportsmanship matters. The point of the game is not always to win, but rather to enjoy yourself and relax a few hours a day.

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Heroes Rising Fiction: Strange November Part 6

The east side route out of Tokyo was a mess, with road material scattered everywhere. Cars, buses, trucks, and a few train cars dotted the landscape. Citizens had already been evacuated while the battle ensued. The Wizard blasted spell after spell, destroying more property and sending police, military, and heroes flying everywhere.

Dracomeander ran head-long at The Wizard. Time slowed slightly as he blasted into his super-speed. At just the right moment, he jumped up to deliver a fire fueled fist to The Wizard’s face. Suddenly a portal opened, and he went tumbling through. He rolled across the pavement, slamming into a piece of broken asphalt. Zen, the Penguin, lost his footing and fell down.

“Watch it, you oaf!” Zen barked.

“Sorry, he caught me off guard. How the hell did he catch me while I was running that fast?”

“He’s a wizard, you dolt. Now, get back to it.” Zen picked up a rock and threw it at The Wizard.

Dracomeander jumped up again and ran toward The Wizard. This time he faked him out and side stepped another portal. He went round and round the man, creating a funnel that sucked the oxygen out.

Another voice yelled, “Keep it up!”

Dracomeander glanced up to see the leader of Times Arrow League, Timebender. The hero jumped over a large piece of asphalt and then tumbled under a random blast of magic. Finally he jumped up and time suddenly slowed down. Everything in the area moved to a crawl, even Dracomeander. Timebender slid on the ground toward The Wizard and deftly snapped a cuff on his left wrist. Then he yanked him around, pulling his arm behind him, and snapped the second cuff on the other wrist.

Time returned to normal, and Dracomeander skidded to a stop. The Wizard had both hands held behind him, his face pushed to the ground. He screamed and twisted his body around, yelling various magical words. Nothing happened.

Dracomeander held his knees as he huffed and puffed, “How’d you do that?”

Timebender struggled to keep The Wizard down. “Special arcane cuffs. BADGE had them made for Jinn, but they weren’t going to be strong enough.”

Zen waddled over and said, “Strong enough for this jerk. Take him to jail.”

Timebender leaned over and looked at The Wizard, “He’s foaming at the mouth. And... where’s his dragon? Doesn’t he usually have that dragon with him?”

“Who cares.” Zen stated and then waddled away, “I’m going back to the water. Gonna see if any people are out there still.”

Timebender pulled The Wizard to his feet. The Wizard howled and said things no one could understand.

“Let’s take him in.” Dracomeander said.

Skelanimal sat on the edge of the building, watching the glorious carnage below. He laughed when Midgardsormr threw The Closer through a building. Then he almost fell off the side while cheering as Hotwings plowed Fiero into a street.

“This is just too good.” Skelanimal held onto the edge while the entire building shook as Midgard stumbled and crashed into the neighboring structure. “Woah, I may need to move.”

Fortunately, Midgardsormr regained his footing and grabbed two flying heroes and threw them across the city.

“THAT’S RIGHT, SHOW THOSE HEROES WHO’S BOSS!” Skelanimal waved his hands in the air like an overexcited football fan.

Pavement spewed as Hotwings shoved Fiero down a street. Both winged heroes were locked in combat. She unleashed a blast of energy that threw him away. Sloughing that off, he came in for a direct smash to her head. She grabbed his hand at the last moment and threw him over her, crashing him into the pavement directly behind.

“I won’t kill you.” Fiero said as she pulled herself up. “But, I won’t let you kill others.”

Hotwings rolled over and then stood, flexing his wings. “You’ll have to do better than that.” his tone was grim, almost thirsty for more punishment.

Fiero held out her hands, “Trust me, you haven’t felt my true power yet.”

Hotwings dashed toward her, his fists ready to pummel her. She held still, with her eyes closed. Suddenly, Hotwings slowed down. At the moment he reached her, he was no longer ready to fight. He swayed, groaned, and then his eyes cleared up. He looked around for a moment. “What... where am I?”

Fiero strained, “This...is so strong...I can’t contain it for long...” She focused all of her mental powers at him.

“YAHHH!” DaMon ran at Fiero and slammed her with a bare-knuckled fist to the side of her face at point-blank range.

Fiero hit the ground, face down. She had just pulled herself up when DaMon got her in the side with a well-placed boot to her ribcage. She flipped over and landed on her back, her wings bent in painful angles.

Hotwings returned to his delusional state. He screamed and joined DaMon in his next strike on the fallen angel. Suddenly, two hands appeared out of the shadows of their feet. Each grabbed an ankle on both heroes. DaMon and Hotwings fell face down. DaMon flipped over and heel smashed the ground where that hand was, but it had already slipped through the shadow. Then an arm came out of the shadow under DaMon’s head and wrapped around his neck. He was yanked down, gagging as he struggled.

Fiero, sitting up, held out her hand and hit Hotwings with another mental attack. The winged hero stopped again and swayed. She held the other hand at DaMon and focused. She grunted out, “Midnight-walker, let go. I need you up here.”

The arm slipped back into the shadows. Then, near a wall behind Fiero, a purple hero stepped out of the shadows.

“What are you doing to them?”

“Dunno. But, it’s working.” She strained to hold their minds. “Cuff em, now!”

“Oh, right.” He pulled out the special BADGE hand cuffs and locked them on the wrists of each enemy.

Fiero let go of them with her mental power and sat back, breathing heavily after that stress. Both heroes returned to their psychotic state quickly. She panted and said, “Glad you were there.”

Midnight-Walker said, “everyone is so focused on Midgardsormr. I saw you get hit by Hotwings and followed the shadows here.”

“Thanks. What about the others?”

“They’ve got The Wizard, that’s all I know.”

Fiero used his hand to get back to her feet. She pulled out her BADGE communicator. “We’ve gotta get these guys to a transport and then find the others.”

Nova watched as the battle raged in Tokyo. He had never expected to be sending heroes after heroes. They focused most of the cameras on the battle with Midgardsormr. This was going to take some serious work to bring him down.

A window opened at the bottom right corner of the screen, Fiero spoke, “BADGE, we have DaMon and Hotwings, come get them.”

Nova looked back at a robot. “Signal the retrieval unit, lock onto Fiero’s coordinates.”

“Understood.”

He looked back to find Fiero still there. “Anything else to report?”

Fiero said, “I have discovered something. I used a mental attack I normally use to control a villain by messing with their minds. However, when I hit Hotwings and DaMon, it was like I was hitting a separate mind within theirs. There’s a powerful force in their heads causing them to do this. I was able to dampen it for a moment, but it took all I had to just keep it controlled long enough to bring them down. The moment I let go, that power reasserted itself.”

“This could be the answer we need. Gather the psy heroes and lead this charge. We have to stop WMD before they level Tokyo.”

Fiero added, “Or we level the city stopping them.”

“Exactly. Now, go.”

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