Difference between revisions of "MVR Round 2 P4"

Revision as of 01:14, 17 June 2021

With Guardian Merrow Rivenlight, Fury, Warchild, The Floating Man, and Sammy sent to Folia to rescue the hostages from Mogul, Remnant 9 Lucius "Brickhouse" Cassidy has been sent to the Champions Universe to investigate a potential Remnant. However, this Remnant is unlike any other.

R9

Marcel Franklin Soni.

According to the reports by Sammy and Merrow, Marcel is a super in Millennium City, currently working as a hero for UNITY as well as the Champions along with a large multitude of other heroes. The nature of Marcel's powers are healing based, and apparently, he's able to manipulate his life force.

Unique to Soni, is that he is an otherworlder, just like me. One who is not from the Champions Universe. When Soni arrived to Millennium City, he was whisked there along with his classmate, Cybil Chase. The two were given powers by a mysterious apparition, but at some point, Cybil's powers corrupted her. Marcel is now at war with Cybil, and from the looks of it, that war continued well on into the future, where Cybil tricked Marcel into making love, and ended up with Cybil becoming pregnant with two children.

Lena Soni and Fraser Soni.

And from there, my investigation of these two had begun.

I sat on Pariah, as the blade continued zipping across the country to Millennium City. It has been eight years since my fight against Prime Aspect Mogul, along with my brothers. We lost viciously. So hard, that Arman of all people abandoned who he was and left us to get stronger.

When Merrow told us that Arman had left, she was devastated. It hurt me so much to see her in that state. And it hurt me also to know that Arman, the guy who stood for righteousness and honour, the guy who was our moral backbone and was always true to himself no matter what, decided to turn a 180 into the darkness.

I clenched my fist as several black and red spikes protruded from my forearm.

From that battle, Mogul told us that he was interested in our power, and gave us ten years to prepare. Not like it mattered. We were all destined to be slaughtered. Even the seer at Corinth confirmed it.

But even so, even if we were going to fight a battle we could not win, we had to do our best to hit him as hard as we can.

Because if we aren't around, who will stop Mogul?

No Paladins.

No Guardians.

No Acadians.

Mogul would be free to rampage not just his world, but all the worlds, in all the multiverses.

Me and the other Remnants are all that stand between Mogul and ultimate destruction.

I noticed a big billboard, advertising a man called James Harmon. I was here.

"Pariah. Halt." I commanded, as the blade stopped. I leapt off of it as I held out my hand. The blade spun and I caught it, strapping it to my back.

Lena Soni and Fraser Soni. Sister and brother. From what my sources could gather, they were at war with each other. Despite being siblings. While Lena wanted to follow her father's footsteps in being a hero, Fraser decided to take after his mother, and become a villain.

Convincing Lena might be easy. But convincing Fraser will be a whole different story. I'd have to ruffle him up a bit.

I took a deep breath and focused.

APEX HUNT.

My eyes became bestial as my senses heightened and my heart rate went up. I began searching. Hunting. For Lena and Fraser's signature.

Weird. I wasn't sensing Fraser's signature anywhere. Or Lena's. Could it be that they were time displaced? I never honed down my Apex Hunt ability to that degree. It took two years to discover it, and another year to develop it to the level it is today.

If I could find Marcel, maybe I could pinpoint where Lena was.

I shifted my hunt, and pinpointed a young healer near Westside.

"Found you."

I leapt into the air as I calculated my trajectory. Closing in fast on a young man wearing a leather jacket and black goggles. He was in the middle of fighting a powerful foe alongside three other heroes.

I cocked my fist back, as I waited for the monster to raise its head.

Bingo.

I slammed my fist down, so hard that the creature's skull buckled and a shockwave blasted the windows around apart. The creature slammed into the pavement as it went limp. Marcel and the other heroes stared at me as I got to my feet.

"Marcel Franklin Soni." I said.

"Hero Name: Mason. Is that right?"

Marcel hesitated, as he cladded up into his armour and charged an attack. The other three heroes did the same.

"Who are you."

I raised my hands.

"I'm not here to fight. I just want to talk."

Marcel raised an eyebrow, but one of the heroes became cocky.

"You took our kill. And now you're making demands? Someone oughta teach you a lesson."

The man stepped forward. He was wielding two swords. A dual weapon user.

Just like Arman.

My chest hurt momentarily.

I kept my hands raised.

"I don't want to settle this with violence, sir. I'm just here to speak to Mason."

"Settle with violence? Are you threatening a hero?"

I narrowed my eyes.

APEX SCAN.

The Champions Universe follow a certain metric to gage out a fighter's abilities. HP. MP. Level. And Class.

Judging from this guy, he had around 15k HP. 120 MP. Level 40. And was a melee.

My battle intuition was telling me that this guy was geared to take damage, and to deal damage as well. Most likely the type to duel other heroes.

"No. That's not what I mea-"

The hero didn't give me a chance to finish my sentence, as he instantly ripped a chunk of rock from the ground and hurtled it to me. I dodged it, as he lunged forward with a flying kick. But I dodged it too.

Okay. Fuck it. I'm not going to play pacifist any longer.

I spent many years learning to control my temper, but I guess some people were an exception.

I leaned back and continued dodging as the hero's swings became more and more aggressive.

"Stop dodging! Hey!"

There wasn't much he could do. Maybe if he was fighting me from eight years back, he would have gotten a hit in. But I doubt he would have been able to break through my invulnerability.

But now, I was a whole different beast.

My evolved reflexes continued to dodge the hero's strikes, as the other two joined in. But none of them were able to land anything.

I brought my foot back and slammed my fist into the ground, as I summoned my Quasi Organic Spike Clad to rip through the cement and send spikes into the air, piercing each hero and sending them hurtling into the air. The heroes crumpled to the ground one by one as they went unconscious.

Marcel aimed a blast of poison at me and fired, but I stopped it with the palm of my hand.

"Enough, Mason. You can't hurt me."

I closed my fist and extinguished the flame, as Mason stumbled back.

"What.. do you want. I'll comply, as long as you don't hurt my friends."

I sighed, trying to calm my nerves.

"Like I said. I just want to talk."

"Broken... builds..." One of the heroes muttered deliriously.

"Uh. Will these guys be okay." I muttered.

Marcel nodded. "Yeah. They'll come to eventually. If you want to talk, come with me. I'll take you to the Sanctum."

We walked through jungles and vines in an old arcane region of Vibora Bay.

"Where are you from, Lucius?"

"Classified. Sorry." I replied.

"It's cool."

Marcel continued walking.

"But I can tell you're not from this universe."

I paused.

"What gave it away?"

Marcel tapped his temple.

"You don't have a Level. When I try to see your stats, it just gives a blank. You're rated a Cosmic. Despite walking around like a hero. That's a dead giveaway that you're abnormal."

"Oh..." Shit. Merrow never mentioned this part of going undercover.

"But that's okay." Marcel smiled. "I'm an otherworlder too. So I understand. It usually takes a lot to make me surprised."

Marcel spoke too soon, as the moment he opened the door to his hideout, a beautiful young woman was standing at the table, inspecting some books. She was wearing thigh high tights which brought out her curvaceous figure and a leather jacket, similar to Marcel. A pair of dark blue goggles hung around her neck.

"D- Dad...?" The girl muttered, her teal eyes wide as she dropped the book.

Marcel froze at the door.

"Who the hell... what are you doing in my hideout?"

The girl put her hands in the air.

"N- No! It's not what it looks like. Oh god. I've made a mess. I'm- I'm-"

"You're trespassing. I'm calling the police."

"No! Please. You have to listen to me." The girl ran forward to try to latch onto Mason, but Mason pushed her back.

"What are you trying to do? You stepped into this place unannounced, trespassed on this sacred property. You're lucky I haven't decided to blast your head off!" Mason shouted, as the girl recoiled back.

"M- Marcel... I..." The girl's voice broke, as I noticed her eyes were starting to get teary eyed.

"And calling me Dad? What kind of sick joke is this? Are you accusing me of being unfaithful to Cybil?!" Mason's voice got louder, as veins began to appear on his head. He was getting really upset, and the girl looked like she was about to cry.

"Hey. Calm down Mason. I'm sure there's a reason why she's here-"

"You stay out of this Lucius! You have no idea how important this place is to me! To Cybil! To us... to..." Mason gasped for air, as he rushed forward and tried to dust off the books and realign them. The girl began to shudder, no doubt attempting to conceal her sobs.

Mason turned to the girl, as she gasped and jumped in terror. But I stood in front of her and put distance between the two.

"Mason. You need to calm down."

Mason's hands powered up with green energy.

"Don't. Stay out of this."

"Or you'll what, Mason? Attack me? You're facing a Cosmic threat, you said it yourself. Can you fight a Cosmic all on your own as a mere healer?"

Mason fell to his knees, as tears streamed down his eyes.

He was finished.

The girl and I watched as Mason walked back to the desk and dejectedly put the books back.

"Do what you want. But please. Just... don't touch these things. They're really important to me. I'm... I need some time alone."

I sighed, as I turned to the girl, who rushed out of the hideout in tears. I followed her as I found her sitting on the ground, knees to her chin as she sobbed.

I knew who she was. Just from how she called Mason "dad".

So that made one of the two I needed to investigate.

"Lena Soni?" I asked.

Lena stopped crying as she sniffled.

"How do you know my name?" Her voice was hoarse.

I knelt down in front of her and pulled out a tissue from my jacket pocket. Lena took it and blew her nose.

"My name is Lucius Cassidy. I know you're going through a lot right now. But I need to have a word with you."

Lena stared at the ground.

"What do you want? I never disclosed my name to anybody, yet you somehow figured it out. I'm guessing you're not from around here."

"No, I'm not. And neither are you, Lena."

"I know that." She muttered.

I stood up.

"No. I don't think you really understand what you are."

Lena shot to her feet, her eyes turning demonic as blue energy surrounded her body.

"Excuse me? I know why I'm here. I don't need some peasant telling me I don't-"

Lena's eyes widened as she stopped herself.

"S- Sorry. Old habits."

"It's okay."

Lena took a deep breath.

"Lucius. I know what I am. I'm time displaced. My father, Marcel Soni. I was whisked back to his timeline along with my brother. I'm here to save my Mom from herself and turn her back to the path of the light."

If only that story was all there was to it.

But as I looked at Lena more and more, I could see it.

It made no sense.

That day when Merrow assigned me to the Champions Universe.

It was because she spotted something. And during my eight years, I learned to evolve my senses past its limit. To the point where I had something similar to Lightning Reflexes. I could sense things no other human, being, Remnant could sense.

And with Lena, I could sense it.

I work with my brothers to find others of my kind. With the help of Merrow, Skylar, and Kyrael's Inquisition.

But when I was told there was a Remnant here, I couldn't believe what I was hearing. It took using Apex Hunt to see it for my very eyes.

I looked at Lena's teal aqua eyes. So dazzling, just like Mason's. But her face, beautiful and kind. Innocent like an angel, just like her mother.

She looked nothing like them.

There was no way she could be like them.

She was a girl.

Who she came from, was it possible? Was it possible for one to be a different gender from its creator?

But that feeling. My senses. They all pointed to her.

"Lena Soni." I said, as I reached out and put my hand on her shoulder, as the last of her sobs went through her.

Lena looked at me, as I took a deep breath.

"You are a Remnant of Decen, Lena. You are my sister."

R9

She slapped me.

I hadn't forgotten that day. When Arman had told me that I was a Remnant. I had responded aggressively, violently, and threw him into the ring to fight. At first, I always thought that was just because it was who I was. An angry, temperamental, egotistical teenager who always had a chip on his shoulder.

Turned out being confrontational was a common trait thanks to Dad.

"Creep!" Lena exclaimed, as she leapt back and made distance. Her body began to emanate darkness similar to how Sammy used his powers.

"Lena. You need to calm down." I said, but she was not having it.

"Me calm down?! You're the weirdo who's claiming I'm your sister! What would that make Fraser?"

"It's hard to say." I said, as I bolted backwards, dodging several of Lena's Ebon Ruins as she began firing them at me relentlessly.

"There's a chance he could be a Remnant or not. Paladin Decen's soul could have entered him too. But if he wasn't, he'd still be your brother. Meaning he'd be a stepbrother."

"Gross!" Lena yelped, as she phased out of the darkness and slammed me in the chest.

"I- Yeah. You got me on that one." I muttered, as Lena continued her barrage on me. She didn't land a single hit, but I was not getting anywhere with her.

I let my power course through my veins, as my corrupted arm began to glow red at the cracks. Red electricity jolted from my body as I shot forward and grabbed her wrists, pinning them against the wall as Lena gasped for air.

"Lena. That's enough. There's no benefit in me trying to do anything to you. I have a fiancee and I'm happy. I don't need this."

Lena began to stop struggling, as she started to calm down a little.

"Can I trust you enough to let go?" I asked, as Lena reluctantly nodded.

Lena led me to a quiet sector in Renaissance Center, behind Club Caprice, as we sat on a bench. I watched as a couple of heroes took to the skies, others in flying vehicles, and some were straight up bounding around with their super jump without a care in the world.

"That's a... badass looking sword." Lena said.

"Yeah. Its name is Pariah." I took the sword out of the sheathe and inspected it.

"Can I hold it?"

"It's too heavy for you."

Lena smirked. "Bet."

"Your funeral." I said, as I handed it to her, but I didn't let go as she took the blade.

"Be careful, Lena." I told her.

"Lens."

"What?"

Lens looked at me with those teal eyes.

"My name is Lens. That's what Defender and Witchcraft call me. I don't... like being called Lena."

"Oh. I'm sorry Lens."

Lens smiled, as I let go of the blade. Immediately, the sword slammed into the ground and sliced through the concrete as Lens yelped in surprise.

"What the hell?!" She exclaimed as I snickered.

Lens tried to lift the sword but she wasn't able to make it move.

"What is this made of?! Neutronium?!"

"Celestial Steel."

Lena let go as I walked up to Pariah and picked up the blade, mounting it back on my shoulder.

"Celestial Steel?"

"Yeah. It was a material made by the old gods. In the town of Amod, the sword was used to kill celestial beings. It belonged to my- our eldest brother. Until it broke in two. This is half of it."

I could tell Lens was still uncomfortable with me saying I was her brother. I decided to drop it for now.

"If half of the sword is that large already, I can't even imagine how large the full version is."

"It was a hell of a sword. It's seen some crazy battles."

Lens sighed, as she sat back on the bench. She was dressed casual. A black wool top, jeans, and a pair of brown fur boots. Her long brown hair sat neatly on her shoulders. In many ways I could see why she would automatically assume I was some pervert who wanted to try things with her. She must have gotten that a lot.

If she came back with us, I'd have to keep her away from Sammy at all costs.

"You okay?" I asked.

Lens closed her eyes as she ran her hand through her hair. A habit that I had too back when my hair was long.

"Look. I still don't believe you're my brother. I've lived my whole life being trained to hurt others by Mom. I know for a fact that we don't share the same parents. But... if such a possibility were true..."

Lens rolled up her sleeve, revealing a tribal black tattoo on her forearm.

"That would make Fraser family to you too. I know I'm not in the right place to ask you this, since we just met. But before you take me back to the Remnants, there's something I need to do first. And... I could really use your help, Lucius."

"What do you need my help with?"

Lena clenched her fist, as the tattoo on her arm began to glow blue.

"I need to defeat Fraser."

Beep beep. Beep beep.

Lens pulled out her phone from her pocket.

"Cosmic."

"Cosmic?"

Lens put the phone back and tapped a module on her belt, as her outfit changed to the gear she was wearing back at the Sanctum. A crimson leather jacket, shoulder pads and black tights. A pair of blue goggles appeared around her neck.

"Very Mason." I commented.

Lens smiled, but it looked pained.

"Yeah." She whispered.

"I'm sure Marcel didn't mean the things he said. He's probably been through a lot."

Lens straightened her back, her face getting a little brighter. "Yeah. He has. I'm not giving up on him. I'll become a hero just like he is and save Mom."

Lens and I made our way to Irwin to teleport to one of the Cosmic battles, but Lens stopped me.

"Wait. You're rated a Cosmic threat right?"

"Yeah. Is that bad?"

Lens nodded. "You'll stick out, like a sore thumb. I'm surprised you haven't been caught already, walking around as one."

"Are Cosmics really that bad?"

"It takes around forty to fifty heroes to take one down, and that's assuming we have a mix of hero types. So yeah. They're pretty terrifying. There's only three major Cosmics we fight since they seem to like causing trouble. Kigatilik, Qwyjibo, and Teleiosaurus. There's also other Cosmic threats like Grond, but he's been pretty tame lately. And now there's you."

Lens pointed at me.

"Great Lucius Cassidy. The Arbiter of Poor Fashion Sense."

"That's hurtful."

Lens laughed as we made eye contact. Lens stopped and looked away as she brought tapped on her phone. Instantly, my vision lit up with stats.

"I've never tried this before. But since you're friendly with us, there's a chance I could lower your power just by setting you as a sidekick."

"You can do that?"

Lens nodded. "Mm. But you'll be weak as hell though."

My stats began to decrease as the sidekick system changed my power, adjusting it until I found myself fighting at a small percentage of my power.

"There." Lens said.

"You're now a Level 40 like me. With less than average abilities."

"Thanks... I guess..." I muttered. I didn't like how the power that I spent so many years learning to grow was just suddenly chopped away like it was nothing. But at least now I could help out with Lens' issue with Fraser, without letting other heroes in on our business.