SENTINEL BONUS FOR SEPTEMBER & ON-GOING CONTEST

HAPPY QUACKTEMBER 2024!

The monthly bonus for Sentinel editorials and Fan-Fiction continues this month with the usual editorial bonus for reviews, commentaries, game guides, gear talk, and origin stories.

This on-going fan-fiction theme (prompt) is "WHAT IF..."
That's right: it is an open-ended prompt and you are free to interpret it in any way you want. Just be sure to post your entries to the Fan-Fiction forum with the following in the title: "FAN-FICTION CONTEST: WHAT IF" and the title of your entry. Please also add a link to your entry in the Sentinel page so that we can monitor all entries.

REWARDS:

PLATINUM: 7 Strange Fiction cards (only reserved for EXCEPTIONAL submissions)

GOLD: 5 Strange Fiction cards

SILVER: 3 to 4 Strange Fiction cards

BRONZE: 1 to 2 Strange Fiction cards

These rewards go out after the end of each month and are IN ADDITION to the usual Sentinel rewards from Daniel Andrade for published entries.

Here are the categories/prompts:

Category One:
REVIEWS/COMMENTARIES of ad hoc and regular events, including fan-fiction role play, etc.

Category Two:
GAME GUIDES, GEAR TALK, and other editorials about game mechanics.

Category OPEN:
"WHAT IF...";
What is your origin story? How did you end up in the Heroes Rising universe?
(And any other Fan-Fiction.)

REMINDER:

Post your submissions to the Sentinel page as usual for Categories One and Two. To enter the OPEN CATEGORY post your entries to the Fan-Fiction forum with the following in the title: "FAN-FICTION CONTEST" and the title of your entry. Please also add a link to your entry in the Sentinel page so that we can monitor all entries.

Yours Quackily,
SQ

Continue the Story

A MESSAGE TO THE LEAGUES OF HEROES RISING

(ID: 37153)



Greetings heroes!

This is a message from Mallard the Duck from Fowl Players, your brand new neighbourhood team of heroes set out to bring about a quacking good time come next league wars. We couldn't get our act together for this LW but next time if you see us, "Duck!!!"

Remember, if you think there is a duck somewhere out there, at any time, somehow watching your every move, you're not wrong...

Continue the Story

League War August '24: The Preamble

Another season of the crown jewel in HR PVP play is upon us, and it's the first one since the Multiverse collapse. Congrats to the players who struck gold in Multiverse play - we understand it was an epic time for anyone with the Infected or Bomb Squad labels, so condolences in advance to their opposition as they face an even more hyper-powered set of characters than before.

The announcement of enhanced NPC leagues and the potential 3x league opponents for superior leagues immediately led to speculation - since proved correct - that WMD's senior squad would be placed in such a division. The after effect of such was of course, Super Freaks now going to D2 and potentially a shakeup of division groups down the line. As it is, D2 has all-regular leagues, with WMD's junior-but-probably-second-strongest overall squad looking for revenge against Colony 51's top team.

The Poison league got the unexpected chance to match up against another 3 NPC leagues in D3, giving them a real shot at a second league title in recent times.

The next few divisions are expected to be pretty straightforward for the expected champs - Angels of Sorcery, 5 Fingers, Infected, Pain, Bomb Squad, and Suffering are pretty much locks. Commission are probably the biggest threat to break things up.

D10 ought to be Bomb Squad 2's for the taking but Raiders have made some moves in recent times and could pose a real threat. Meanwhile 9PO - recently revealed as a WMD set of power minis - is probably too strong for its competition in D11.

SOB's Nest of Vipers will certainly claim another title in D12 with Free City posing a possible obstacle, while in D13 Los Jefes are primed to reclaim a championship title. D14 could be competitive between Ivalice and One Love Crew, but D15 is certainly a tossup.

D16 features some pop-culture referenced teams without any title pedigree to speak of, and similar can be said of D17.

Finally, the bottom division sees Team Cobra heavy favourites over the power minis of Sins and Tiny Trouble.

Good luck to all teams as they chase titles or valuable Treasury points in their quest to gain strength for the battles ahead.

Continue the Story

THE WEIRD on his first league war

(ID: 37145)



My first weird league war!

It's been a whirlwind of a time since I started in Heroes Rising not long ago. I've had a few solo events, Fight Club battles, and KOTM climbs, but this is my first LW with my league, Freaks of Nature.

Our first round is with an NPC league, Stormbringers, and boy, do they look stormy indeed. Their leader, the Conductor, looks like some kind of electricity wielding power nut, or a crazy lightning-making dude. The rest of his team look normal enough, but who knows what secrets they hide.

Our other opponents include ♆SOB♆SOCIETY OF MEMBERS OF DISMEMBERED ♆SOB♆. No idea what they're going to be like, but I'm pretty certain ~\\\\ PAIN inc. ////~ is going to be a pain to deal with.

Going to need a lot of physical (and mental therapy) after all this!

I am, and will always will be, The Weird

Continue the Story

LEAGUE WARS ARE HERE!

Are you ready for LW?



Registration ends soon, so be sure to click to register and lock in your leagues.

The schedule with timeline is as follows:



The Sentinel is calling for editorials, live updates, and commentaries on the event and all published entries will be rewarded as per usual with 2 to 5 bonus Strange Fiction cards given to the most entertaining write-ups featured.

So get those creative juices flowing and post your submissions to the Sentinel page asap!

Continue the Story

Heroes Rising Fiction: Stone Age Part 16 Finale

 Krystal Fae and Alex left the docking bay and found their way into the mess hall. Torrik got up from his table and hurried over to them.

“I’m glad you’re here.” He greeted them.

Krystal smiled. “I thought you would be. You’ve sent me five messages asking when we would be back.”

Torrik said, “I’m so sorry I used such a powerful sleep spell on you, Alex. I didn’t know it would stick for so long.”

Alex shook his head and gave a shooing motion with his hand. “Don’t fret. Three days of sleep did a lot of good. I haven’t felt this refreshed since before the baby was born.”

Krystal said, “I was far more worried. I tried every counter spell I know. What kind of magic was that?”

“Old wizard spell. I don’t know too many wizard spells, but the ones I know are powerful.” Torrik gestured for the lift. “I assume you’re here to give a report to Nova.”

“Yup. What little we can tell him.” Krystal stopped at the door and swiped her BADGE authorization card.

Torrik asked, “What does it look like on the ground in Africa?”

“Pretty messy.” Alex stepped into the lift with Krystal and Torrik. “The earthquakes and fissures shredded a ten square mile area. The ground consumed entire forests and several small volcanoes erupted.”

Krystal added, “Fortunately, once Antaeus’s powers were no longer causing the problem, the volcanic activity receded back into the deeper parts of the earth. So, no more lava threats.”

Alex said, “The ground has suffered extensive destruction. Almost no plant or animal life to be found. And the stress on the natural fault line has set all the seismic sensors on alert. It will take some time for things to settle down.”

“The people are also still struggling. So many people were kidnapped from their homes. We also know that many people lost their lives. We don’t have exact data. All the people working for Antaeus underwent brainwashing. They remember little to help identify who was executed. This is going to take a long time to sort out.”

Torrik waited as the doors opened and then stepped out with them. “I wish I could go down and help. I could use my own magics to help clean up the rocks and ground and encourage plant growth.”

Krystal said, “I, too, wanted to offer help. But, people are feeling nervous around there. Magical beings running around scares them. A satyr and a fae aren’t as welcome right now as you might think. But, in time, they will give us the chance.”

Torrik asked, “So, did you find anything out about the spheres for Nova?”

Alex frowned. “How did you know we were... “

“I’ve been running investigations for two centuries in Yohan. I realized what you were up to pretty quickly.”

Nova, standing in the front of the monitor of the room, called to them. “Are you going to report or not?”

Krysta and Alex walked down with Torrik behind them.

Torrik said, “I just came to let you know I’ll be working with the ATLAS team for a while, helping run things for a few days.”

“Thanks. Arx needs some time off.” Nova said, “Now, what about your report?”

“Do you want to do this in private?” Krystal asked.

Nova said, “Torrik knows what you were up to, and I suppose his critical mind could be of use. So, let him in.”

“Fine.” Alex started, “We found little. We know no more about what is inside those spheres or why they are out there. But we are now certain they are behind people gaining new powers.”

“What makes you so sure?”

Krystal said, “Deductive reasoning. We explored thirty of those spheres. Every location had a massive increase of people with morphonic powers.” She snapped her fingers and a computer data chip appeared. “Here, I did a correlation map.”

Nova took it and plugged it into the computer nearest them. On the monitor were thirty small icons, each with a city name under it. Nova pointed to three of them and they opened up to show a simple map of the city where the spheres denoted and red dots around them.

“What am I looking at?”

“Each read dot is a person who discovered their powers after those spheres appeared. In every city, with no exception, the numbers show an extreme difference between the zones further away and nearer to the spheres. There is no question they are causing the powers to manifest. How and why, we still don’t know.”

Alex said, “We were going to explore further and continue with a new angle for this investigation when we were caught up in the Antaeus situation.”

Nova said, “This isn’t enough to force Renn Tech to allow us access to their technology. I want you to get back to this investigation. You’ve done exceptional work. Keep at it. We need to crack this.”

“After some rest, we’ll get back to it,” Alex said.

Nova saw a strange look in Torrik’s eye. “Do you see something?”

“Not about this map. But, an idea. In my world, people can’t learn magic unless they’re born with the innate ability. And, there are different types, elemental elves, witches, satyrs, wizards, pixies... and others.”

“Where are you going with this?” Krystal said.

“Are people born with morphons?”

“Not that we’ve found. People gain powers from having morphons infuse their bodies.”

Torrik pointed at the map. “There are hundreds of dots in that city alone. But, I’ve been in this Paris before, I know it is full. There are hundreds of thousands of people. And I know more than a few hundred pass that sphere every day. Why aren’t they all coming down with powers?”

“I don’t know.”

Torrik said, “You might investigate the possibility that people are born with something in them that grants them the ability to use morphons. That could help.”

Alex asked, “In what way?”

“Any information is good information in an investigation. Knowing more about how morphons cause powers can only give you help in finding answers.”

“Good idea. I’ll talk with Dr. Henderson about this,” Nova said.

Torrik looked at the screen. “Oh, look at the time. I have to help the trainees in ATLAS work through that Antaeus simulation.”

Krystal asked, “When do you think Arx will be ready to get back to work?”

Nova answered, “soon. He needs to be with her for a while.”

***

Arx sat down on the same stone bench in the arboretum, where he first confessed his true identity to Adrianne. In quiet sadness, she was already sitting on the bench, looking at the ground.

“Do you want to talk?” He asked.

She said, “The therapist says I should talk.”

“What do you want to do?”

“Cry. But, I can’t. It’s like my body is tired of crying and won’t let me.”

He reached over and took her hand. “I know how it feels.”

“How?” Her tone was bitter, as if no soul in the universe could know how this feels.

“As Arx, the celebrity villain, I threw an aircraft carrier at Los Angles. The video recording I, unfortunately, saw caught the screams. I got to hear the hundreds of people I crushed. There is a memorial in the Heroes Hall to the hero who gave his life to save the city from my last petty act. I get to see his smiling face and hear people remember him. I cried like a baby when I heard those screams. I cried when I saw that hero’s face. I cried in my sleep, I cried in my therapy, I cried all the time until I felt my body simply ache instead of crying. I still dream of the babies that probably died, the families torn apart...sorry, this is not the time to talk about this.”

She gulped back the dryness and then said, “No. I get it. You know pain like I can’t, and I know pain like you can’t. But, in a way, we both understand the pain in a way most of the others here don’t. It helps. I don’t feel alone.”

He leaned over and took her around the back with an arm. “You aren’t alone. And you can hold me any time you feel lost and abandoned. I was so alone with my pain and there was no one there to hold me. I want to hold you and keep you from feeling loneliness.”

She buried herself in him, pushing her face into his left shoulder as her body shook in deep sobs. “Does it ever go away?”

Pressing her up closer to him, he said, “No. But, in time, you learn that life will go on. That you can live, and that the sadness is not something wrong, it means you care. Right now, you can break, fall apart, and be utterly sad. I will hold you and keep your pieces in my arms so you never lose them when you are ready to put yourself back together.”

She broke out in sobs again, crying out, “I miss my brother.” Arx held her to him and let her weep at what she has lost.

***

“AGENT JUSTIN!” A BADGE agent ripped open the flap on the tent Justin slept in.

Sitting up in his cot, Justin groggily said, “Do you know what time it is?”

“Sir, we have an emergency.”

“At four A.M.? What is it?”

“The remains are missing?”

“What?” He jumped out of bed.

She led him outside to an energy barrier. BADGE scientist stood outside the barrier holding sensor equipment. This was ground zero of the battle with Antaeus.

“I see nothing? Is someone attacking?” Justin asked.

She said, “No. We came to start the morning scans and found none of Antaeus’s remains present.”

“None? There was a square mile of dust and rocks left behind.”

She said, “All of his remains carried a specific energy signature. We can’t find a scrap of him out here. It’s like someone has removed him down to the last atom.”

“Who could do this? And why?” Justin asked.

Continue the Story

Heroes Rising Fiction: Stone Age Part 15

 Antaeus stomped with his behemoth foot and the ground shook across a five-mile radius. The quaking overtook heroes who were running or walking. Flying heroes buzzed by him, showering his stone form with blasts of energy. Nothing seemed to get through as he laughed at their onslaught.

A hero rushed toward him, transforming into a cheetah as she went. She was able to jump up and bound off of rocks, limbs, and other heroes instead of being rattled by the shaken earth.

“Not today!” Antaeus bellowed, and a hole opened where she was about to land.

With a sickening crunch, the earth consumed the poor hero in a massive slam that buried her remains in an instant grave.

Swinging down to hit the ground with his fist again, two strength heroes rushed in and caught his fist, holding him in place.

“NOW!” One yelled and they both used their super powers to fling Antaeus over them and slam his enormous form into the ground.

A quick bounding woman jumped up and flung her hands out, throwing small globs of purple goo. When it reached Antaeus, it puffed into massive mounds of sticky substance that bound his arms and legs down.

“FOOLS! I AM THE EARTH!” He bellowed, and the world shook yet again, this time with giant spikes of rock jutting up all over the place in random attacks. Several heroes suffered gruesome evisceration. As heroes contended with the prickly ground, Antaeus ripped himself free of the goo. He got back to his feet, a wicked laughter on his lips.

Arx stood to the side, giving orders and listening to the reports as people said what they were experiencing while fighting.

A hero reported from the middle of the fight. “We just lost Giga Morphina, and Thunder Flare was cut in half by a spike.”

A man yelled through his comm, “We need someone like Midgard. He would pound this man into rubble!”

Arx said, “We don’t have anyone like Midgard. He was one of a kind.” The Earth shook again, and he had to keep his footing. Once that passed, he said, “All ground heroes, pull back. Get to a safer location. We have a back-up plan coming in! Once he is tethered, take him down.”

“What?” a voice asked through the comm.

“You’ll understand when it happens. Just pull back. I don’t want any more deaths.”

Adrianne, waiting with Arx, asked, “What is your backup plan?”

“He’s coming in now.”

“Will it kill Wynn?” she asked, still hesitant to say this.

Arx said, “We have no choice but to use whatever is necessary.”

“There has to be another way.”

Arx said, “He has already taken so many lives and he won’t stop. We have to put him down for good.”

She said, “I... I can’t. Please, I know it doesn’t make sense, but I can’t watch him die today. Take him to the station, get him away from the Earth. Maybe that will stop his powers. Do something... just don’t kill him.”

Arx wanted to launch into a sermon on the mass murder her brother was guilty of. However, his mind flashed with all those news reports of what he did before, how many people he killed in L.A. when he was Arx the villain. If he said Wynn should die, then he should also face execution.

Just then, Furious Squirrels dirigible flew over them. A massive chain weapon blasted out from the front of it and wrapped around Antaeus several times. A blast from the energy weapon followed this, stumbling the bound enemy back a few steps.

Arx clicked his comm. “Heroes. Bring him down, but don’t kill him. I... “

A purple blast of light flew over him. Krystal Fae said, “Sorry, he doesn’t get mercy.”

“NO!” Adrianne cried out.

A green blast of light hit Krystal, and she slammed into the ground. That green light continued to glow around her as it lifted her up and then flung her back against several trees.

Mama Pepo, battered and disheveled, stood off in the distance, controlling this display of wicked magic. With Krystal Fae recovering on the ground, Mama Pepo muttered her magic and a green fog rolled out from her.

“Stop her!” Arx ran for the old woman.

Krystal spoke a word of magic, and a purple flash of light shoved the cloud to the ground. Another blast hit the old witch. Pepo was far sturdier than expected and withstood the attack. She returned with a counter spell of her own. The two magical beings fought back and forth with one another. Each was moving so fast that Arx couldn’t get close enough to be of any help.

Krystal threw a bolt of magic and then yelled, “I have her! Stop Antaeus!”

Arx looked back and watched Antaeus struggling against the exotitanium chains they had bound him with. Speaking into the comm, Arx ordered, “Heroes, bring him in. I want him lifted off the ground and moved as high as possible.”

Flying heroes joined by the Dirigible flew over the writhing Antaeus. They tethered him with energy bindings and more cords. The heroes who could lift him off the ground carried most of the energy bindings while attaching the chains to the dirigible.

Like a toddler tantrum, Antaeus started flailing his legs and body around, kicking the ground and screaming in fury. Each time his heel met the earth, rocks exploded up, or the ground quaked.

“Stop him!” Shinobi punched his fists into the ground and tried to use his own powers to stop the onslaught. The quake rushing toward him stopped, but then an explosion erupted under his feet and threw him through the air.

Heroes struggled and more than one started fighting him again as before, but it was all worthless. His flailing made the quaking earth break and shatter. Great fissures were forming. The ground consumed forests, and cracks that broke deep into the mantle spewed up lava.

Krystal dodged a blast of magic, as well as several random rocks, and was about to reply when Mama Pepo staggered and stumbled with the shaking earth. The ancient witch took up a firm stance and was ready to continue her fight when a fissure formed under her feet. All she left was a look of horror as the world swallowed her and the fires of the mantle extinguished her evil.

Arx fell to the ground and held the earth for dear life. He couldn’t get back up, it would only bring him down to his knees again. Antaeus fell back to the ground, all the energy bindings broken, only the massive chains still binding him. His psychotic rampage grew exponentially by the moment.

Nova’s voice came over his comm. “Arx, what’s going on? We’re reading a class 10 seismic reading. The East Africa Rift is about to split apart.”

Arx rolled across the ground and then kicked a boulder away from hitting him. “Antaeus is going to destroy this world. We can’t stop him.”

“You have to!”

The shaking and quaking slowed down and then stopped. A new silence filled the area, only cut by an odd whistle.

Arx slowly rose, resting on his knees. A bright blue glow glistened off everything as one hero hovered in the air, weeping as she emit a beam of cold blue light. Adrianne held out one hand and touched Antaeus’s heart with her power. The monster, still on the ground, was hardly moving. His stone body had become dark, with a thick frost growing in places. His head fought hard to turn, but did so that his eyes could look at his sister in both terror and utter disbelief. In an instant, his rock body exploded into billions of shards of earth and dust, scattering his remains across the fractured land he once ruled as a god king.

Adrianne remained in the air, a goddess of ice stoically hovering as she observed the results of her actions.

“Report!” Nova’s loud request made Arx jump.

He said, “Antaeus is dead.”

“How?”

“I will get back to you on that. Arx out.” He clicked his comm off, while Nova protested. With tender, timid steps, he approached her. “Adrianne?”

She lowered to the ground, her glow dimming with each second. She let herself sink into a half laying position, resting her hands on the earth with tears running down her face. “What have I done?”

“You have no choice. We would all have died.”

She whispered, “He was my brother. I loved him. I... I killed him. What have I done!” She started wailing and sobbing.

Arx knelt down and held her extremely cold body in his arms, knowing no words could help her right now. All he could do was let his heart beat with hers. Arx understood this pain uniquely. He was the monster once. He took innocent lives for fun, and now he knows exactly how the pain looked in all the minds, hearts, and souls of those left behind. There were no words to help, they simply do not exist.

Continue the Story

Heroes Rising Fiction: Stone Age Part 14

 Nova stood before the large view screen in Operations while the robots monitored every sensor focused on Africa.

“All sensors are showing nothing out of the ordinary.” 10915 stated as it processed the collected data.

EB zoomed in and stopped with a paw up as a salute. “All heroes and BADGE agents are currently enchanted with an anti-brainwashing spell. Sir!”

“Stop saluting. That isn’t a BADGE thing.”

EB smiled, “It should be. It should be something unusual, not what everyone else does. Or, what if it was a secret handshake, or dance... ooh, a dance. Like the bunny hop, and everyone has to know it and do it before every official meeting. No, even better, a song with cool lyrics and a great guitar solo...”

“Is this conversation necessary?” Nova muttered.

“Just trying to make BADGE more interesting.”

“Alert: Contact missed.” One of the communication robots announced.

Nova said, “Report?”

“Scheduled contact has not been made.”

“Then send a request.”

There was a pause and then the robot stated, “Pilot robot reports no contact with agents since the departure of the shuttle.”

“Get me the ATLAS team members and the leagues in the area.”

“Contacting. “

A buzzer echoed in the room and the geological map of Africa had several red dots appearing with warnings. The computer announced, “Seismic activity rising in designated area. One hundred million people in danger zone.”

“I want boots on the ground! Activate all leagues and ATLAS teams. MOVE!”

Moments before:

Mama Pepo walked around the trio of fallen people. They were face down, simply breathing. Antaeus chortled as he stood over Adrianne.

“I told her not to come back unless she wanted to join me.”

Pepo looked back at him with a critical gaze on her wrinkled face. “Do you have feelings that will interfere with your plans? She is your sister.”

“She hasn’t been my sister since I became more than human. She has betrayed me and even brought BADGE goons to hunt me down. They are all fools, and she will join my ranks with your help.”

Mama Pepo smiled and leaned over Arx. She swished her hand in the air and a green cloud formed. “This one is resistant to my powers, but he will succumb. Your sister is already under my control.”

“What about that one? I’ve never seen a superhuman with goat's legs before.”

Pepo moved over Torrik and touched the horns on his head. “This one isn’t human. I don’t know what he is. There is great power in him, but I cannot connect to him like the others. No matter, he fell, he will rise under my command soon enough.” She did the same, swishing over him and let the cloud form. Once it was in place, she stood and walked back toward Antaeus. “Your army is powerful, and you need to be ready. BADGE will not give up now that we have captured even more of their agents.”

“I have a legion of human shields. BADGE won’t cut down women and children. Even if they do, they will be surprised by the army of morphonic humans under my control.”

“Good. Now... AHHHH!” A vine grabbed Pepo by the leg and yanked her off the ground.

More vines sprung up and picked Antaeus up as well, holding him aloft.

Torrik pushed himself up, his eyes and horns glowing with a golden hue. “Thanks for letting me sense your powers up close. Now I know what I’m dealing with.”

“WHAT THE HELL!” Antaeus struggled against the growing vines.

Mama Pepo called out a few words of magic and a blast of green energy shot at Torrik.

He put both arms together and deflected the attack with easy. “I have been fighting dark magic users for years, trained by the best in Yohan. You’re an ancestor of one of the few witches who stayed behind when the rest of the magical kinds left this world long ago. There is real magic in you mixed with this morphon stuff. A bad combination, but nothing I can’t fight.” He side stepped another blast and then threw his arm out. A new vine grew out of those around her and wrapped her face to keep her from speaking. “Enough word magic.”

A blast of energy hit Torrik in the back, and he staggered forward. Turning, he had Alex dashing toward him with an anti-morphon gun. “Oh, great. Good thing I don’t use morphons for magic. Here, enjoy a nice rest.” He whispered something in the wind and a blue energy hit Alex in the face, who skidded to a stop and flopped over, fast asleep.

“My minions are nothing compared to me. No one can stop me!” Antaeus struggled, and the ground beneath Torrik shifted and shivered.

Torrik wobbled, but kept his footing. “Nice. Your control is impressive.”

“Glad for the review. Now, try THIS!” Antaeus yelled and a fissure split under where he was dangling and sped toward Torrik, attempting to swallow him.

Torrik stomped on the ground just as the fissure got to him, and he stopped it. “I’ve fought rock golems, sand golems, and earth elves. Don’t bother.” He flipped his head back and his horns glowed extra bright. Several hundred vines joined the first batch and plants nearly mummified Antaeus.

“As for you.” Torrik casually approached Pepo and put a hand on her forehead. “I know exactly how to stop you.” Pulling his hand back, he spoke a spell and a green ball of energy came out of her as her eyes rolled into her skull. With a motion like squishing a bug, he destroyed the ball of energy. She screamed under the vines and a cloud erupted out of each person in the area that was controlled by her power.

Arx groaned and pushed himself up. “What... what happened?”

Adrianne got up to her knees and held her head. “I could hear everything. But I couldn’t control my body.”

Arx looked around in the early morning light. The people scattered all over the area were in the same state of bewildered awakening. Men, women, children, and even the guards who worked for Antaeus.

“It’s over,” Torrik triumphantly announced, but his announcement was cut short by screeching old women and then yelling men.

“What’s happening?” Adrianne asked.

Antaeus laughed, “Insurance. My followers weren’t just obedient, but also had a deep connection with me. This could not control the super powered, but it could control the normals. The power that enchanted them tied their very souls to it. Now that you took away the control, Mama Pepo’s spell will rip their bodies apart. Give me back control or watch thousands of innocents die.”

“WYNN! NO!” Adrianne cried out.

“I AM NOT YOUR BROTHER!” He struggled, the vines around his body snapping and ripping apart.

Torrik ran over to Mama Pepo and yelled, “Stop this!” She cackled under the vines around her face, delighted at his fury.

Arx said, “BADGE Will send a legion after you, Antaeus. Free these people.”

“It’s too late. I can’t free them and I won’t try. I want to watch BADGE endure this suffering, knowing they could have avoided it if they just let me be.”

“Your a monster!” Adrianne said.

“Your a traitor.”

Torrik spent a second watching Antaeus freeing himself and then at the agonized people. He glanced back at Arx. “Take him down. I’ll give you time.” Without explanation, he rushed into the thick of the writhing mass of innocent victims and got to his hands and knees. His body emitted a glowing white light that spread out. The people stopped crying and wailing, but they were still in obvious pain.

Antaeus hit the ground when the magical vines all evaporated. The earth trembled at his impact and he stood, growing in size as he got back up to his feet.

“If I can’t have this world, I will destroy it. I am the Earth, I am the heart of this planet. I can rebuild it in my image. You will rue the day you tried to stop a GOD!” He was now several stories tall, and the ground rocked and cracked at his steps.

When Antaeus reached down to crush his sister, Arx body slammed his massive hand, deflecting it, and then quickly grabbed her and bolted. “We have to get help!”

“It’s too late. BADGE can’t get here fast enough.” Adrianne said.

A blinding blast of energy hit Antaeus, followed by dozens of smaller bolts of power. A tree flew by and nailed him in the head while a dirigible blasted out missiles.

Nova’s voice came over their comms. “BADGE to ground teams. This is a full alert. Arx has lead, follow his orders. GO!”

“How did they know?” Adrianne watched hundreds of heroes spilling out of rifts and aircraft.

Arx laughed, “BADGE watches over this planet for a reason.” He clicked his comm, “All heroes, focus all your attacks on Antaeus, the big stone guy, hard to miss. Bring him down. ATLAS team alpha, I need a civilian extraction at my location. Bring medical teams. All other ATLAS teams, you’re on civilian watch, get to nearby towns, cities, and any other inhabited location and evac. MOVE!”

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Heroes Rising Fiction: Stone Age Part 13

 

Only the hush of the air conditioning and mild beeping of the pilot’s equipment made any sound inside the cabin of the BADGE shuttle. Arx was next to Adrianne, with Torrik behind them. Each sat in a captain’s style chair while Torrik required a bench with his goat-like lower body needing more room.

“So... any thoughts on the mission?” Torrik ventured.

Arx said, “I have activated the ATLAS members nearest our landing site. We will go in and see if we can find Krystal and Alex first. As long as you can inhibit the brainwashing element on us, we can force this Wynn and Pepo to listen.”

“Are you sure they will listen?” Torrik asked. “Brainwashing isn’t their only power. This Antaeus... or Wynn... is apparently strong enough to cause earthquakes. And a witch has more magic in her arsenal than just mind control.”

“I just need a chance to speak with my brother.” Adrianne said her first words since they left the station.

Arx coldly asked, “Do you think you can convince him to stop being a tyrant?”

“I know Wynn, at least I did once. There has to be something in him that is kind and will understand.”

“Let’s hope you can get through to him,” Arx said.

Torrik said, “So, the plan is to go in, see if we can free Krystal and her husband while you two attempt to change our enemy’s mind.”

“That’s about it,” Arx replied.

“Okay, well, I’ll prepare the counter charm to be placed on you two.”

Adrianne asked, “Are you sure it’ll work?”

“No.”

“No?” Arx blurted out.

“Magic, including your morphon style magic, is complicated. I’ll be using a more broad spell to counter her magic, but I could get wrong. However, don’t worry. This will probably work.”

“It better work, or we’re in trouble.” Arx said.

“Now, give me a few moments. I’ll have to concentrate and I won’t be able to hear you if you talk to me.” He put his hands in front of him and a blob of energy formed between them as he focused his eyes directly into the magic.

There was that silence again.

After a few moments, Adrianne whispered, “Thank you.”

“For what?” Arx asked.

“For convincing Nova to give my brother a second chance. I was so scared that no one in BADGE would listen to me. Wynn might be an egomaniac some days, but he’s still my brother. He taught me to ride a bike, punched the bullies that pulled my hair, and even scared away a few creeps that wouldn’t take no for an answer. There is a good man under all that brash arrogance.”

“You know full well why I said what I said. I believe in second chances because I was given one, and I have put my heart into being a better man, even when people refuse to see it.”

Adrianne looked down at her tangled up fingers as she said, “Look, Arx, what I said back there. I...”

“Ready.” Torrik looked up and held up both hands, each filled with this energy. “Hold still, this might feel funny.” Without warning, he put his hands on their heads and they had a wash of warm energy rush over their bodies.

“Oh, that’s making me feel dizzy,” Adrianne said as she leaned to the side with his hand still on her head.

Torrik said, “It can do that. It won’t last. Just breathe normally and imagine a peaceful place, and your mind will relax.”

With a quick release, Torrik let go and sat back down. “Wow, that was harder than I remember. Then again, I’m better with nature magic than normal magics. How do you feel?”

Arx said, “I don’t know. I felt the warmth on my skin, but not inside me. Is that normal?”

“No. You should have felt something in your head. Dizziness?”

“Nope.”

Adrianne said, “I’m still a little dizzy, but it’s passing.”

The robot at the helm announced, “Landing in three minutes.”

Torrik said, “No time to ponder this. Let’s hope it works.”

The shuttle jostled for a second and then the engines cooled down.

Torrik jumped up and went for the door. “I’ll scout ahead of you. This is my specialty.” He leapt through the door with the grace of a deer. Arx could see him almost vanish into the brush, his nature magic camouflaging him in the tall, brown grasses.

“We shouldn’t let him get too far ahead.” Arx got up and went for the door.

Adrianne stopped him before leaving. “I want to say this now, in case something goes horribly wrong.” She pulled him closer to her. “I didn’t run from you because of you. I was ashamed that you revealed your pain to me while I kept such a dark secret from you. Arx, you are a goofy, sexy, brave, honest hero and I think I love you.” With that, she gave him a passionate kiss.

With a goofy smile, he looked at her. “Really?”

“I’d prove it with a lot more kissing, but we don’t have time. My brother is out there and I have to save his life.” She went through the door ahead of him.

Sorting his jubilant excitement and his focused determination, he gathered his senses and clicked his comm, “Arx to the African Atlas team, you have your coordinates. Stay there until I signal you. I have landed. Going in to inspect the situation.”

***

Dried grasses crunched underfoot with each slow step. Arx lowered himself as much as he could and watched Adrianne in the distance. A glorious moon set on the horizon while warm rays of first light broke in the distance. Twinkling stars dotted the cool night sky above.

“Torrik?” Arx whispered as low as he could.

The grasses near him wavered, and a figure appeared in them. Torrik tapped his head near his eyes and then pointed forward. He walked slowly ahead. With each step, he would blend further and further into the grasses until he was once again invisible.

Arx lost sight of the moving grasses and was again wondering with their satyr guide was. He found Adrianne nearly laying on the ground.

“Do you see anything?” He whispered.

She shook her head. “My brother is stone colored. In this light, he’ll be almost invisible against the ground.” She returned his low tone.

Both nearly screamed, but held their voices when a hand met each of their backs. Torrik stood behind them and said, “I found Krystal. She is just ahead. Follow me.”

He walked around them and then led them without vanishing into the brush. Shapes of shadowed people sleeping on the ground came into sight. Hundreds lay in an area twice the size of a football field. A monument stood before them, a huge stone throne with torches around it.

“Look at all those people, that throne. Did my brother do all this?” Adrianne asked.

“Can’t say for certain, but it fits what EB said.” Torrik replied. He then pointed, “Look, that guard standing there.”

Arx saw a familiar form in the deep shadows. “Krystal.”

“What do we do?” Adrianne asked.

Arx said, “She is by herself. I think we can sneak up on her. Torrik, do you think you can break the mind control on her?”

“Not sure, but it is possible. If I can’t, we can capture her and take her back to the shuttle. Have her returned to the station.”

“Good plan.” Arx looked back, “Adrianne, stay here and watch our backs.”

Torrik blended into the grasses again and walked around the area to get closer to Krystal. Arx chose a more direct path, hoping to get her attention and let Torrik have a clear shot.

“Krystal?” Arx whispered in a louder tone.

Her head snapped to the side, and she pulled up a weapon. “Who goes there?”

It saddened Arx to see a gun in her hands. This was just not her, “Krystal. It’s Arx, your friend. Come on, we need to get out of here.”

She pulled up a walkie talkie and pressed a button on it, but before she could speak, a vine sprung up out of the ground and yanked her arm down. Her weapon and walkie both flew free from her. More vines trapped her, wrapping around her mouth and binding her to the ground.

Torrik stood over her. “Hey, Krystal. Time to come back to us.” He held up his hands and cast a spell. A cloud of pinkish purple energy hit her head and dissipated. “This isn’t right.” He tried again. “I need to know more about this magic. I can’t get it to break.”

“Then we take her back to the station.” Arx said.

“ARX!” Adrianne came running toward them.

He turned, and then the ground shook. He fell over.

Antaeus walked toward them, stomping as he moved. Each stomp created more tremors. “More BADGE pests.” He made a great big stomp, which created holes in the ground that were meant to absorb all three.

Arx jumped out of the way, recognizing this attack from the visions EB translated. Torrik went down, but then jumped clear out of the hole right away. Adrianne went down and then Arx quickly pulled her free with a yank of his hand.

Arx stood strong before Antaeus. “This will end. BADGE knows of this operation and the power behind it.”

“Wynn! Please stop this and turn yourself in. You can’t win.”

He looked over at her. “I’m so much more than your pathetic brother. And you’re hardly my sister. I would offer you the world, but you run to these people instead. A traitor is no sister of mine.”

“Brother! Please!”

Arx said, “The full force of BADGE will be on you if you don’t listen to your sister.”

Antaeus nodded. “I knew it would eventually come to that. Fortunately, I have my force of powered humans, which will include you three.”

“No likely.” Torrik said.

A green fog rolled in around them. Flecks of green light raced through it like lightning in a summer storm. Mama Pepo approached from behind Antaeus, that fog rolling out of her mouth and hands.

“This won’t work on us!” Arx proclaimed, but then fell to his knees. “It can’t... work...”

Adrianne fell over and gasped and gagged. “I can’t... think... I don’t know... Torrik... please...”

Torrik fell on his side and grasped at his throat. “No...it...it is...too strong.”

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