Natty

Absolute Comics - A Multi-Fandom Singular Universe Roleplay

|| S.W.O.R.D. Station Two, Orbiting Earth - 2:04 p.m. EST

The room is silent except for the low hum of ventilation. Ben sits alone at the metal table, shifting uncomfortably in the fold-out chair provided to him. His hair is messy, and the oversized ravager garb he’s wearing had begun to stink slightly. Truth be told, his entire body probably stank right now. Understandable given he’d spend the last week or so crammed in a barely flying badoon transport shuttle. Such conditions had become the norm for him over the last few years, although he had a feeling it probably wasn’t the best look when one was about to be arrested.

At least he still had the Omnitrix, though. The device sat tightly on his wrist. His eyes kept glancing down at it as he weighed up his options. He had a couple of different options for getting out of this situation, although given he was sat here with full access to one of the most powerful devices in the universe, Ben had a feeling that his captors were probably someone who knew how to deal with a rampaging tetramand.

He didn’t have a chance to test that theory as the door across from him slid open with a hydraulic hiss.

The sharp click of heels on metal echoed through the room before the woman even stepped fully inside. Ben immediately knew she wasn’t some lowly grunt when he saw her. She moved too much authority. Her green hair tied back, black coat crisp, and tablet glowing in her hand. She didn’t even give the boy in front of her a glance as he took her seat across from him, her eyes fixated on her screen.

It took Ben some concentration not to gulp. Instead, he lifted his chin slightly and tried to appear brave.

“You were found drifting in a derelict vessel on the edge of our patrol grid.”

Her voice was cold and commanding. She didn’t even have to shout. All Ben could think about was his old principle.
She continued.

“No ID. No transponder. And broadcasting a Plumber distress code.”

Ben’s eyes flickered. “You picked that up?”

“We did,” Brand says. “But the Plumbers haven’t operated in years. Their files are sealed. Their bases abandoned. Their codes obsolete.”

Ben leaned forward slightly. What the flark did she mean by obsolete? His mind raced. His grandfather, Max, had filled his head with stories of his old days in the Plumbers, a galactic defence force for the planet. Sure, they hadn’t done too much since before he’d been born, but he’d seen a few of the old bases all those summers ago.

“They weren’t obsolete when I left. Who even are you?”

“Director Abigail Brand. S.W.O.R.D.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Sword? That’s… subtle.”

Brand ignored the comment. She merely tapped on her tablet before turning her eyes towards his wrist.

“And then there’s that.”

Ben glanced down to follow her gaze but kept quiet.

Brand didn’t wait for a response, though, before she began to scroll through whatever information was in front of her. “It’s emitting energy signatures we’ve never catalogued. Genetic data from dozens of species. Some hostile. Some extinct. Some… beyond classification.”

“It’s not dangerous,” Ben stammered. “Not unless someone makes it dangerous.”

Brand’s expression didn’t change. “We’ll decide that.”

Her tablet pinged softly. She paused, glancing through whatever she had clearly just been sent. Then finally, her eyebrows lifted a fraction.

“Well,” she murmured, “that explains a few things.”

Ben watched her carefully. “What?”

She read aloud.

“Benjamin Kirby Tennyson. Age fifteen. Reported missing at age ten. Multiple Plumber‑level incident reports. High‑risk extraterrestrial encounters. I remember reading some of these before. You were on the ship above Rushmore. And…” She stopped again, eyes narrowing at a line on the screen. “Oh. Your grandfather is Max Tennyson.”

At the familiar name, Ben’s posture shifted. This could only be good news. Everyone loved Granpa Max. Right?

“You know my grandpa?”

Brand’s mouth tightened. Almost a smile. “Only the stories.”

Ben smirked faintly. “Yeah. He’s good at those.”

It was at this point that Brand finally set the tablet down. A flicker of hope filled him.

“So. Benjamin Tennyson. Where have you been for five years?”

Ben exhaled. “Off‑world. I left Earth to fix the Omnitrix. Things went sideways and then... I got stuck out there. I’ve been fighting, surviving, trying to get home.”

Brand folded her arms. “You expect me to take your word for it?”

Ben sat up straighter.

“I’m the kid who saved the universe. I beat Vilgax. I stopped the Forever Knights. I protected this planet more times than I can count.”
He leant back, letting a smile escape his lips. “So tell me, Director… are you going to let me go home or not?”

Brand’s brow furrowed. Only slightly, but enough. She stood without answering before moving towards the door. Ben found himself in silence once more.

|| S.W.O.R.D. Station Two, Orbitting Earth - 5:15 p.m. EST

Ben sank into the couch in the station’s lounge, the cushions swallowing him in a way that felt almost unreal after months of sleeping on metal, stone, or whatever patch of ground hadn’t been trying to kill him. He tugged absently at the drawstrings of the S.W.O.R.D. hoodie they’d given him. Navy blue, soft, with the agency’s logo stamped on the chest like they were a sports team instead of a secretive government organisation. The matching joggers completed the look. He still wasn’t sure if the whole thing was meant to be comforting or intimidating, but the idea of a government organisation having merch amused him more than it probably should have.

He still smelled faintly of the soap from the shower. A real shower. Hot water. Steam. A drain that didn’t lead into the vacuum of space. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d stood under running water without worrying about rationing or filtration or alien parasites. And the sight of a normal, rectangular, boring bar of soap had nearly made him emotional. He hadn’t known how good it would feel to scrub months of intergalactic dirt and grime off his skin until he’d watched it swirl down the drain.

For the first time in a long time, he felt human.

The lounge was quiet, lit by the soft hum of overhead panels. A set of metal shutters covered the large viewport on the far wall. Ben stood, stretching out the stiffness in his shoulders, and crossed the room. He hesitated for a moment before running his fingers along the control strip.

The shutters parted with a low mechanical sigh.

Earth filled the window.

Hanging beneath the station like a painted marble, he saw the blue oceans swirling with white clouds, continents edged in gold by the rising sun. It looked close enough to touch. His breath caught in his throat. He’d been told he was allowed to go home, under S.W.O.R.D.’s watch, of course. Some kind of provisional release or agreement between Brand and whoever still had authority over Plumber archives. He hadn’t caught the details. The moment they’d said the word home, his brain had stopped processing anything else.

Five years.

Five years gone. Five years of running, fighting, surviving. Five years of wondering if he’d ever see this view again.

When Tetrax had come to offer him a lift to the creator of the Omnitrix, Ben hadn’t thought twice. A trip across the universe was the trip of a lifetime. Little did he know that as soon as the creator, Azmuth, had finished his work and they were on their journey home that they’d get attacked by space pirates. He had found himself trapped in an escape pod and accidentally jetisoned to the nearest planet, and that was the last he’d seen of the diamond-coated form of Tetrax. He didn’t even know if he had survived the pirate attack.

What followed had been a gruelling couple of years of travelling across the far reaches of space in an attempt to find a way home. He’d had fun on his adventures, of course. He’d saved people and their worlds. Fought alongside other well-intentioned individuals. Even had a talking raccoon help him configure master control of the watch. But even through it all, the thought of finally making it home was all that fueled him. Hell, he would have even settled for some of Grandpa Max’s insect and fish-based “Protein Surprise”, or an argument with his dweeb of a cousin.

And finally, it was all over.

A soft chime broke the silence behind him.

Ben turned as a uniformed S.W.O.R.D. officer stepped into the lounge, posture stiff but not unfriendly.

“Tennyson. Your shuttle’s ready.”

Ben nodded, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. He grabbed the duffel bag resting by the couch and slung it over his shoulder.

He took one last look at Earth before following the officer out of the lounge, heart pounding with something he hadn’t felt in a long time.

Hope.

|| Ailanna Prime, Edges of deep space - 5:34 p.m. EST

The medical chamber was dim, lit only by pulsing green biolights embedded in the walls. Machinery hummed in steady rhythms, pumping fluid through thick tubes. Figures in sealed suits moved around a massive form strapped to a reinforced slab. They were precise. Clinical.

The creature’s skin twitched.

As one of the workers leaned in to adjust a restraint, a stone‑like arm snapped upward with impossible speed, crushing the worker’s throat in a single motion. The body dropped. Alarms blared. Lights flickered violently.

The creature’s eyes ignited, burning red, ancient and furious.

Vilgax rose from the slab, fluid cascading off his armour-plated skin as his spare hand moved to rip the tubing from his body. He inhaled a deep, rumbling breath that vibrated the chamber walls.

His voice rolled out like a war drum:

“Where is Tennyson?”

Absolute Comics - A Multi-Fandom Singular Universe Roleplay

B E N 1 0
B E N 1 0

^{"It's hero time!"}

C H A R A C T E R P O R T R A I T C H A R A C T E R P O R T R A I T _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ C H A R A C T E R S U M M A R Y C H A R A C T E R S U M M A R Y _________________________________________________________ Benjamin Kirby Tennyson _________________________________________________________ 15 | American S U P P O R T I N G C A S T S U P P O R T I N G C A S T _________________________________________________________ [+] A L L I E S ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ◼ Max Tennyson - Ben's grandpa and mentor. Max used to be an agent for the Plumbers, an organisation from the 80s that dealt with extra-terrestrial threats. ◼ Gwen Tennyson - Ben's cousin. During their road-trip many summers ago, Gwen found that she was gifted with mystical abilities. In the years since, she has been attempting to refine these abilities. A N T A G O N I S T S ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ◼ Vilgax - Galactic Warlord who once waged war amongst the cosmos. Years ago, he fought Ben for the Omnitrix. Ben defeated him in the conflict, destroying his ship and sending it flying into space. ◼ Forever Knights - Modelling themselves after the knights of the Round Table, the Forever Knights are a secretive order of alien-hating zealots who hoarded extraterrestrial weaponry and hunted anything not born on Earth. ◼ Kevin Levin - A mutant with the ability to absorb the powers of anything he touches. He and Ben formed a rivalry after encountering each other years ago. Current whereabouts unknown. ◼ Abigail Brand - Director of S.W.O.R.D., Earth’s primary defence and intelligence agency for extraterrestrial threats. She’s a fiercely pragmatic leader whose loyalty to the planet outweighs her loyalty to any law, alliance, or moral line. - P O S T C A T A L O G U E P O S T C A T A L O G U E _________________________________________________________ XX - Post Name -

C H A R A C T E R C O N C E P T C H A R A C T E R C O N C E P T ___________________________________________________________________________________ Ben Tennyson was just an ordinary kid, about to embark on a summer road trip with his Grandpa Max and his cousin Gwen, when his life changed forever. A blazing meteorite tore across the sky and crashed into the woods. When Ben explored the impact site, an alien device clamped onto his wrist: the Omnitrix. With the ability to transform into a range of alien heroes, Ben spent the summer travelling the country and fighting threats of every kind. He faced Dr. Animo’s mutant creations, an unstable power-stealing mutant named Kevin, and the Forever Knights, a secretive order of alien-hating zealots who hoarded extraterrestrial weaponry and hunted anything not born on Earth. What Ben did not know was that the crash that started it all was no accident. Vilgax, a galactic warlord obsessed with conquering the universe, had attacked the transport ship carrying the Omnitrix and tracked it to Earth. When he finally struck, Ben barely survived the encounter. The battle triggered a catastrophic overload within the watch, and to stop it from detonating and destroying half the universe, Ben launched himself into space to find a way to shut it down. That was five years ago. One crisis after another left him stranded on the far edges of the galaxy. He grew stronger, fought new enemies, and travelled alongside smugglers, rebels, a trigger-happy raccoon, and a talking tree. It was the adventure of a lifetime, but all he wanted was to go home. His chance finally came when S.W.O.R.D. detected his drifting ship entering their territory. But returning to Earth is not the relief he hoped for. The world has changed since he left, and new threats and old enemies await him. P L O T ( S ) & G O A L ( S ) P L O T ( S ) & G O A L ( S ) __________________________________________________________________________________ I loved Ben 10 as a kid and enjoyed seeing him grow as I did. As such, I always wanted to have a go at writing him, especially in a singular universe setting like this, as I feel he is perfect for collaboration with other heroes, both cosmic and earthbound. It also gives me a great opportunity to make use of some new alien forms based on this universe. Ben is definitely a character who does well in a grittier setting, as shown throughout the sequel series, so that's definitely something I intend to touch on here. Organisations like S.W.O.R.D. make such a good foil for idealistic heroes like Ben, who aren't fans of being managed. Especially by morally ambiguous characters like Abigail Brand. On top of all of this, Ben is a very easy character to do some good classic "monster of the week" adventures, with his large roster of heroes being a great way to mix up the action. My stories will definitely be earth-bound for the most part, although I do have more cosmic-scale plans for Vilgax, which I intend to build up in the background.

_{__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________}

Absolute Comics - A Multi-Fandom Singular Universe Roleplay

B E N 1 0
B E N 1 0

^{"It's hero time!"}

C H A R A C T E R P O R T R A I T C H A R A C T E R P O R T R A I T _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ C H A R A C T E R S U M M A R Y C H A R A C T E R S U M M A R Y _________________________________________________________ Benjamin Kirby Tennyson _________________________________________________________ 15 | American S U P P O R T I N G C A S T S U P P O R T I N G C A S T _________________________________________________________ [+] A L L I E S ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ◼ Max Tennyson - Ben's grandpa and mentor. Max used to be an agent for the Plumbers, an organisation from the 80s that dealt with extra-terrestrial threats. ◼ Gwen Tennyson - Ben's cousin. During their road-trip many summers ago, Gwen found that she was gifted with mystical abilities. In the years since, she has been attempting to refine these abilities. A N T A G O N I S T S ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ◼ Vilgax - Galactic Warlord who once waged war amongst the cosmos. Years ago, he fought Ben for the Omnitrix. Ben defeated him in the conflict, destroying his ship and sending it flying into space. ◼ Forever Knights - Modelling themselves after the knights of the Round Table, the Forever Knights are a secretive order of alien-hating zealots who hoarded extraterrestrial weaponry and hunted anything not born on Earth. ◼ Kevin Levin - A mutant with the ability to absorb the powers of anything he touches. He and Ben formed a rivalry after encountering each other years ago. Current whereabouts unknown. ◼ Abigail Brand - Director of S.W.O.R.D., Earth’s primary defence and intelligence agency for extraterrestrial threats. She’s a fiercely pragmatic leader whose loyalty to the planet outweighs her loyalty to any law, alliance, or moral line. - P O S T C A T A L O G U E P O S T C A T A L O G U E _________________________________________________________ XX - Post Name -

C H A R A C T E R C O N C E P T C H A R A C T E R C O N C E P T ___________________________________________________________________________________ Ben Tennyson was just an ordinary kid, about to embark on a summer road trip with his Grandpa Max and his cousin Gwen, when his life changed forever. A blazing meteorite tore across the sky and crashed into the woods. When Ben explored the impact site, an alien device clamped onto his wrist: the Omnitrix. With the ability to transform into a range of alien heroes, Ben spent the summer travelling the country and fighting threats of every kind. He faced Dr. Animo’s mutant creations, an unstable power-stealing mutant named Kevin, and the Forever Knights, a secretive order of alien-hating zealots who hoarded extraterrestrial weaponry and hunted anything not born on Earth. What Ben did not know was that the crash that started it all was no accident. Vilgax, a galactic warlord obsessed with conquering the universe, had attacked the transport ship carrying the Omnitrix and tracked it to Earth. When he finally struck, Ben barely survived the encounter. The battle triggered a catastrophic overload within the watch, and to stop it from detonating and destroying half the universe, Ben launched himself into space to find a way to shut it down. That was five years ago. One crisis after another left him stranded on the far edges of the galaxy. He grew stronger, fought new enemies, and travelled alongside smugglers, rebels, a trigger-happy raccoon, and a talking tree. It was the adventure of a lifetime, but all he wanted was to go home. His chance finally came when S.W.O.R.D. detected his drifting ship entering their territory. But returning to Earth is not the relief he hoped for. The world has changed since he left, and new threats and old enemies await him. P L O T ( S ) & G O A L ( S ) P L O T ( S ) & G O A L ( S ) __________________________________________________________________________________ I loved Ben 10 as a kid and enjoyed seeing him grow as I did. As such, I always wanted to have a go at writing him, especially in a singular universe setting like this, as I feel he is perfect for collaboration with other heroes, both cosmic and earthbound. It also gives me a great opportunity to make use of some new alien forms based on this universe. Ben is definitely a character who does well in a grittier setting, as shown throughout the sequel series, so that's definitely something I intend to touch on here. Organisations like S.W.O.R.D. make such a good foil for idealistic heroes like Ben, who aren't fans of being managed. Especially by morally ambiguous characters like Abigail Brand. On top of all of this, Ben is a very easy character to do some good classic "monster of the week" adventures, with his large roster of heroes being a great way to mix up the action. My stories will definitely be earth-bound for the most part, although I do have more cosmic-scale plans for Vilgax, which I intend to build up in the background.

_{__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________}

Age of Marvels - A Marvel Comics Roleplay [CLOSED]

<Snipped quote by Natty>

Given that the current event is going a bit slow, I'd be willing to jump on board. And besides, I'm sure it'd be amusing to have Magik interact with someone feigning magical abilities like Mysterio xD

@Mintz

Cool! I'll shoot you a DM at one point soon to discuss things! This next week has gotten busy for me so I may not be able to much until next weekend sadly!

Age of Marvels - A Marvel Comics Roleplay [CLOSED]

Is any New York based hero up for possibly collaborating at one point soon? The Hood is very much on the board for people to interact with if they want a minor villain to fight. Figured this would be a good villain to give Magik an opportunity to collab with some non-magically based characters

Age of Marvels - A Marvel Comics Roleplay [CLOSED]

The warehouse was in a much different state upon Illyana’s return. As her stepping disc faded into nothingness, she found that the candles and their many holders that made up the former ritual space were in pieces around the room, as well as beautifully drawn circles and symbols that had once taken up the majority of the floor had now been smudged, leaving the floor looking like a Jackson Pollock painting. You’d think it was a bloodbath if you didn’t know it was fortunately just red paint.

The focal point of the room now, floating above precedings, was a luminous polyhedron, that seemed to spin slowly in place. Its edges glowed a rich orange, with its triangular sides translucent enough to just tease a hulking mound within. It took Illyana a few seconds to realise it was a figure within, giving a slight jump as whatever it was slammed a scaly black hand against the walls of its prison.

The slam didn’t go unnoticed, with it also catching the attention of the warehouse’s other inhabitants. They shrieked in terror from against the wall where they stood cowering, before being quickly silenced by the man who stood before them.

"This is not a toy.” Doctor Strange drifted effortlessly through the air above them all, his cloak billowing behind for dramatic effect. He was dressed in his oh-so-familiar blue robes, with his usually finely swept-back hair now a mess atop his head. He certainly didn’t look happy.

Gripped firmly in his left hand, and pointed accusingly at the college students before him, was what appeared to be a leather-bound tome. Its brown cover was embellished in gold, yet even from here, Illyana could see that the book had a sickly aura to it. She’d seen many books like this in her time. From both Strange’s library, as well as her previous master’s.

"If a single crack opens between here and hell again, this thing will come right back.” He didn’t even need to raise his voice. From the authority and anger that he held as he spoke, even Illyana was slightly worried. “And that time it'll have your scent."

“But… But we tried to free them?”

Evidently, some of them were braver than she had expected. Strange however was unfazed by the comment, merely shaking his head as he crossed his hands behind his back.

"Yes, tried and failed.” Her mentor stated in frustration. “And they are not kind to those that fail them."

As if to prove his point, the polyhedron behind him racketed from side to side, as the beast within seemingly dived forwards into the glowing panels, as if ravenously trying to lunge for its prey. The shining construct lurched forwards as if it would break apart, before finally returning back to its place as if nothing had happened.

Shouts and cries once again erupted from the small group, with even the outspoken one from before backing down and joining in. Illyana however could only attempt to stifle a chuckle, her eyes fixated on the hand motions that Strange was doing behind his back, his fingers fizzling with the same orange of the prison momentarily. Like all magicians, the man had his party tricks.

Satisfied that the group were scared enough, his hands moved back into view, before he pointed at the wall behind them. Instantly the brick wall they were cowering against began to shift, with the bricks quickly rearranging themselves to create a doorway into the cool air outside.

“Now go.” Steven boomed. “I don’t want to see you again.”

They didn’t need to be told twice, and within only a couple of moments, they had scarpered to safety out through the hole, the stampeding of their legs growing quieter and quieter.

As the bricks began to put themselves back into place, Illyana finally decided to step out from the shadows and into view, her hands giving a slow clap to her mentor, who at this point was looking extremely smug with himself.

“Vell done. I don’t think the ginger one vill be sleeping for a week.”

Strange smiled in response, turning towards her.

“Thank you. Thank you.” He made a mock bow towards her. “That acting class I was dragged along to in college finally paid off.”

She smirked, turning to face the demon in the glass shell before them.

“It’s not true vhen?" She asked, tilting her head slightly to get a better look at the creature. She recalled that it looked remarkably similar to the one she had just fought herself.

"Oh not at all” He confirmed, taking a step towards the construct, waggling his hands in preparation. “But figured a magical Scared Straight might do wonders for that crowd."

She nodded, failing to understand the reference he was making. He continued, not noticing.

“No, once you do that incantation we practised last week, they’ll go right back where they came from with no memory of their time here. Simple”.

Yet as simple as it sounded, Illyana’s face quickly paled at his words, as the realisation hit her.

“The encantation worked on the other one right?” He asked, his back now to her as orange lines of energy began to encircle his outstretched arms.

Her mind returned to the sight of carnage after the train carriage hit the beast. How she’d seen the scraps of fabric from its cloak. The chunks of flesh. And then her leaving, believing he was done. How wrong she had been.

“Of course.” If there was one benefit of her time in Limbo, it had made her into a decent liar.

☠

“I know what I saw Parker. I’m not crazy.”

The two subway workers moved down the tunnel in unison, their flashlights engulfing it in light ahead of them. John King, the man who had just spoken up, stood to the rear of the two, shuffling nervously.

“Bullshit John.” His cousin scoffed loudly as he took the lead, marching on forwards. “I swear to god if I skipped out on seeing Sara for nothing I’ll..-”

“Relax man” John juggled momentarily to catch up. “That thing is definitely still down here, and if we find it, we’re fucking rich!”

Parker let a smile move over his face as he turned back to John.

“Then we never have to work down here again!” He proclaimed, slapping his arm around him.

“Hell yeah.”

Their conrobbery was interrupted as a low roar echoed around them from ahead.

The two moved frantically. John aimed his flashlight around wildly, searching, whilst Parker’s hands moved to the back of his jeans.

“Why the fuck did you bring a piece, Parker?” John cried, pointing towards the weapon in his hands.

Parker merely brushed him off, stepping forwards, the firearm raised. His steps were steady. His breathing was quiet.

Then he saw something ahead of him on the ground, slumped on top of the tracks. It took him a moment to realise it was literally more than a heap of cloth. He crept forwards to inspect it, his eyes continuing to dart around the tunnel before him as he did so. It was only once he was upon it that he finally looked down upon what he had come across.

He was indeed right in that it was a piece of cloth, however, upon deeper inspection, the blood-red fabric seemed to be neatly woven into some sort of cloak.

“What the hell is this?” Parker Robbins asked aloud, his hands running over the cloak’s scarlet hood.

Age of Marvels - A Marvel Comics Roleplay [CLOSED]

Planning on spending my day tomorrow writing :)

Age of Marvels - A Marvel Comics Roleplay [CLOSED]

Illyana held firm as the subway worker stumbled away into the darkness, harnessing the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak as best as she could in order to keep her prisoner at bay. It squirmed viciously from side to side, the bands searing around the demon’s limbs and singing the cloak that covered him. Despite her efforts, she knew she was working on borrowed time here; the demon was too strong to be held for long. All she needed was enough time to get it alone.

She still wasn’t entirely sure which layer of hell this demon had escaped from. Her mentor had sensed the presence of a rift to the underworld opening and had Illyana portal to the scene of the crime immediately. Rather than a creepy old cult as she had expected, it turned out to be the result of a group of ill-advised college students stumbling across an old tome and getting too curious for their own good. Thankfully they’d been quick enough to stop a full gateway to hell opening in downtown Manhatten, however one or two of the bastards had still slipped through.

Strange had deemed her ready enough to chase after this one herself whilst he dealt with the other. However, as she stood here wrestling with it, her mind was filled with nothing but doubt.

It was this doubt that finally caused the fiery tendrils to finally break. The demon roared as it lurched forwards, wrenching its arm free which it then used to claw away the rest of its entrapments. Illyana stumbled backwards as her spell faded, her usual emotionless face now sporting a look of terror. She lurched her staff forward as the demon turned towards her, letting loose a bolt of radiant energy from its tip.

It ducked with ease. Despite its size, it was fast.

She fired again, taking a step backwards. Another miss.

The demon grew closer.

Before she could fire a third, her foot struck the track below her feet, causing her to fall. She let out a shriek as her back hit the metal of the ruts, yet before she could react further, she caught a flash of the creature’s red cloak above her. It was making its move. She barely had enough time to move the body of her staff in front of her, before the demon lunged down at her. The beast’s claws bore down on the obsidian rod, with Illyana using all of her strength to keep it raised and the creature off of her. It snarled down at her as she held it back, the stench of its breath wafting over her.

Her body ached as the beast weighed down on her. Just like before, she couldn’t hold the demon for long. Nor could she cast another spell whilst in such a state.

Thankfully she came equipped with other gifts.

Taking a breath, the floor beneath her illuminated in a warm yellow glow, as she sank downwards into the floor.

As the demon slumped downwards onto the tracks in confusion, the yellow light illuminated once more from the tunnel’s ceiling from which Illyana began to fall. Her body spun as she moved through the air as she focused. The radiant energy she had been blasting from her staff began to build once more, with the forked prongs of her weapon glowing in light.

Then as she neared her target, she swung.
The crack of impact was shattering, thunderous. The demon was launched down the tunnel several metres, scraping along the floor before colliding heavily against a wall, the bricks around its impact beginning to crumble immediately.

Illyana felt her heart leap a little. She’d done it! Yet, as quickly as the beats rose, they once more sank, as the demon’s body quickly began to stir once more. It launched out a fist from beneath its cloak, angrily striking the wall behind it. Letting out a roar, it lunged from where it sat, bounding up onto all fours before beginning to race towards her.

Illyana froze as it moved, not knowing what to do. If that last strike hadn’t done much, what else could she throw at it?

As if to answer her question, the screeching whistle of a subway train echoed from a nearby tunnel.

Gritting her teeth and saying a silent prayer, she opened another stepping disc. The distant screech of the subway train’s wheels was no longer distant, as the locomotive erupted out of the yellow light and into the tunnel. The demon had no time to move as the train rocketed through him, with the racketing of the carriage covering up the sound of its body being ripped to shreds.

Illyana simply watched in stunned horror as the train somehow managed to gain balance on the track and race away down the tunnel, quickly leaving her alone in the darkness. Her eyes took in the bloody carnage that seemed to be what remained of the beast’s body. A chump of darkened grey flesh. Shreds of red fabric. It was certainly gone.

She leaned forwards, hand resting on her stomach as she fought to catch her breath again after everything, her heart still racing. She could only pray that her actions weren’t about to cause a massive collision somewhere down the train line.

Age of Marvels - A Marvel Comics Roleplay [CLOSED]

Now that Christmas is done I have some more free time! Hoping to have a post or 2 up this week to finish off my first introductory arc!

Age of Marvels - A Marvel Comics Roleplay [CLOSED]

Normally this time of night on a Friday, John King would already be three pints deep at his local dive bar, swapping the same old stories he always repeated and reminiscing on the same exes he also moaned “got away.” Sadly rent was on the up, meaning less time for drinking away his problems, and more time begrudgingly working all of the overtime he could muster. As a result, tonight the lowly engineer found himself down in the darkened subway tunnels beneath New York City, his hands tinkerings with one of the signalling posts, as the sounds of clattering train carriages rocketed the tunnels around him.

Normally the work itself wasn’t too bad. He’d spend some time on each signal, chatting leisurely with his partner, yet today he had been abandoned. So instead he worked alone, headphones in and blaring music into his ears, as he audibly grumbled about his plights in life.

It was because of this that John was too distracted to hear that something was currently moving down the darkened train tunnel towards him.

The being moved slowly, keeping to the darkness as it eyed its prey. The hiss of its tongue escaped from under the blood-red cloak that encapsulated its body.

John continued to work away as it crept closer, his eyes fixated on the multimeter in his hands. He was oblivious.

Closer and closer it moved. A low growl began to echo as the glint of teeth began to pierce out of the darkness below its hood.

Closer and closer until it was ready.

John let out a gut-wrenching scream as a burning erupted from his back, as the beast began to sink in its claws. He fell, agony sweeping through him as his both seized up. He barely managed to turn his head up to look at the monstrosity before him. The pair of rolling, mad eyes; the pig-like snout, twitching and quivering in his direction; and the drooling mouth, saliva
hanging in slippery ropes from yellowish fangs. Whatever this beast one, it seemed to stand tall on its hind legs, with one muscle arm emerging from the confines of its cloak, his scythe-like claws now dripping in what he could only imagine was his own blood.

And it was hungry for him.

He struggled backwards as fast as he could, fighting through the pain as it towered above him, stepping forwards menacingly. It was enjoying this. Enjoying the hunt. Wiping the blood away with the cloak, it readied itself to strike.

Yet before it could swing, a shout echoed around the corridor. Over the sounds of the trains in the neighbouring tunnels. Over the sounds of John’s screams. Piercing their ears as if reality itself was shouting.

The tunnel illuminated a fiery red light as bands of crimson energy rocketed towards them from the darkness. They withered like snakes around the beast, ensnaring the creature’s raised arm and its upper torso, tightening as they burned into its skin. They overwhelmed him immediately despite their strength. It tried to lunge forward against its victim but found itself stuck in place.

It roared, shaking its body from side to side as it attempted to turn and lay eyes on its attacker.

It didn’t take long for her to step into view, however. She moved confidently despite her small frame. Her hair was a mess of blonde, with a scruffy fringe covering the entirety of her forehead. Her clothes followed suit; a torn band t-shirt and ripped jeans, topped off by a pair of dusty military boots.

At a first glance, there wasn’t anything too intimidating about her. That was if it weren’t for the obsidian staff she hand clutched within her hands. She pointed it forward with a fury, with the end blaring in a combination of vibrant reds and oranges, the crimson bands themselves originating here. They were hers to control, and thus, now was the beast.

Momentarily, her eyes flicked to the left, where John still lay in a now growing puddle of his own blood.

“Run.” Illyana Rasputina ordered. “This demon is mine.”