[center][img=http://i.imgur.com/EZQvIpV.png][/center] --- [center]Chapter 2: Dawn of the Oblivion Staff[/center] [hider=Chapter 2 Synopsis]After nearly two decades of searching, supervillain Sovereign Savage acquires the mystical artifact known as the Oblivion Staff: an ancient weapon of immense magical power created nearly a millennium ago. What Sovereign Savage plans to do with the staff will surely spell doom for the world; that is, not unless S.U.P.E.D. has been hired for the case.[/hider] --- [ Eastern Europe ] A freezing, howling wind fills the air, carrying along with it snow and debris. This time of year in this uncharted piece of wild territory in Eastern Europe, blizzards were commonplace and this one was particularly brutal. The recently deceased bodies - most likely killed by the violent weather itself - of people can be seen scattered around; their proximity being quite close to one another. A few hundred meters north is a cave in the middle of nowhere. Literally nothing of note exists surrounding this cave. Hundreds of meters in every direction surrounding this peculiar cave is nothing but barren, snow-covered wasteland. But within the cave itself, a powerful presence resides and it is this very presence that has been sought out by one man for a span of nearly two decades. Sovereign Savage was once regarded amongst the most feared of supervillains, but ever since his humiliating defeat at the hands of some no-name superhero years ago, he has become the laughing stock of the supervillain community. But no more will that be case. Not when Savage has acquired the object that he seeks within this cave. A small expedition team was currently working their way through the complex cave system. The clothes they wore matched those on the dead bodies from earlier, suggesting that these people are Savage's henchmen. With flashlights and guns in tow, the henchmen cautiously navigated the maze-like caverns. One henchman, instead of a gun, carried a radar-like device - most likely used to detect their sought-after object. "I feel like we've been going in circles." one henchman brought up to break the silence. No one responded to his observation so he continued to speak. "I swear I've seen that exact same stalagmite before-" the henchman was suddenly interrupted by one his colleagues. "Do us all a favor and shut up, would ya?" Suddenly, the henchman with the radar device, who was consequentially leading the pack, stopped walking; everyone behind him paused as well. Looking to the device, the henchman noticed something odd. "Strange, it says we're here." the henchman with the device muttered. Then, he got an idea. Without informing the others first, the henchman turned to face a rock wall behind him and began to push it forward. At first the wall remained stationary, but within a few seconds, it started to move back until a secret entrance was finally revealed. The henchman looked to the others with a confident smirk, "Bingo." Sometime later, the entire false wall had been destroyed with excavation machinery to reveal a hidden room. While the henchmen worked to clear up the debris and to begin their initial analysis of the object, the boss had finally arrived on the scene. Dressed in a heavy winter coat upon multiple layers of clothes, a man with slick, black hair walked into the room; a calm and devious grin present on his face. Seeing their boss arrived, the henchmen scientists stopped what they were doing to greet him. "It's as the legend says. I can feel its power from just standing here." one of the scientists reported to Savage. Savage walked up to the object's pedestal and became mesmerized by its haunting glow. It is mystical weapon said to have been created by a council of powerful mages. They called it: the [url=http://i.imgur.com/cwYYZZm.png]Oblivion Staff[/url]. Without hesitation, Savage took hold of the staff and held it up to his face to examine its beauty more intimately. "To be enveloped in its presence is one thing... But to wield its power is an entire different experience." Savage proclaimed. Suddenly, he aimed the staff at the back wall of the room and shot a magic bolt out from the staff. When the bolt collided with the back wall, it created a massive explosion that destroyed roughly half of the cave, exposing the outside world. The henchmen clenched in fear and shock at the staff's immense power but Savage grew a sadistic grin. He chuckled, "I will ensure that Utopia City and its citizens 'experience' the staff's power appropriately." [ Utopia City / Noon ] "You have to help us! You and your team are this city's only hope at this point!" a well-dressed man in his late fifties pleaded to someone sitting in a large leather chair who had the chair turned around. The room the two people were in looked like a briefing room, complete with a giant monitor tracking the public activities in Utopia City. Right now, there seems to be a situation transpiring within the downtown districts of the city. Enlarged mutant humans were causing all sorts of havoc around the city. Along with their display of incredible strength and speed, they could also fire energy beams from their mouths. There were numerous superheroes on the scene but they seemed to be struggling greatly against the enemy. The mutants seemed to have already caused the city hundreds of thousands in damages and that number will only grow larger by the second. "You see! The other heroes are losing this fight. At this rate, a third of the city will be leveled by dinner!" the well-dressed man proclaimed. Suddenly, the person sitting in the comfy chair turned around, revealing himself to be Ultiman. "Yeah, I know. It looks really bad. But these guys look boring as hell. They ain't gonna put a good fight." Ultiman responded, referring to the mutants. "Look, I'm offering a million in cash! Don't tell me that isn't enough to spur you and your team into action." the man said. Hearing the price, Ultiman's eyes widened considerably. "A million, you say?" "In cash immediately after the job is done." [ S.U.P.E.D. Tower ] Ultiman entered the penthouse suite of the S.U.P.E.D. Tower's living quarters floor - they normally use this suite as their living room space - where everyone had already gathered earlier. The ridiculously huge flat-screen television had been turned to Utopia City's premier news channel so the team could watch what was happening in the city right now. Although what the team members were actually doing could've been entirely different. In any case, Ultiman walked towards his teammates with a grin on his face. "Team, we got a job. A million-dollar job to be exact." he began before planting himself on one of the comfortable and highly expensive sofas. "The Director wants us to take out these mutant baddies. Pretty boring stuff in my opinion but, hey, I can't complain when he's paying a million in cash."