Character Spotlight: Victor Darksong

Victor Darksong is the leader of a crew of deadly mercenaries called, The Darksiders. He's cruel, ruthless, and has the fatal skills to back up the attitude. Of course, he wasn't always like that.

Victor was once nothing more than a greedy galactic treasure hunter. He was in competition with several others just like him. Greed is a dangerous ally, and one of them tipped him off to an artifact hidden at the heart of a giant asteroid. Victor went right after it, not realizing that the trip was meant to end him.

The Hangman's rope is an intelligent artifact that has a horrifying way of choosing who it will bond to. It wraps itself around the person who finds it and ignites them in supernatural flames. Those who do not survive, it doesn't find worthy. Victor had one saving grace when the rope wound up on him. Victor is a half demon. While the rope still horribly burned and scarred him, he survived the process and the rope settled to be wound around his midsection. To say the least, Victor was a changed man.

The power of the rope made him realize a new calling. He hunted down the person who sent him to the rope and thanked him before killing him. After that, he gathered a team of mercenaries and became one of the most lethal paid killers in the galaxy.

Victor had a scarf made and enchanted to act like the rope. While not intelligent, the scarf can shatter stone and is very good and blocking attackers. Both items can grasp and throw objects or people. The rope has a near armor piercing quality when it attacks in a straight jab. Anything the rope grasps, burns. While Victor enjoys using the rope for an assorted number of attacks; his favorite is strangulation. Victor can also through fire bolts from his hands or eyes.

Victor is a cunning leader and strategist. He hand picked the members of his team based on their abilities. Nothing is done on his team without a specific reason behind it. Should a mark survive or escape, Victor considers it a personal matter to hunt them down. Few mercenaries are as tenacious.

Victor and the Darksiders are in my novel, Chessmen: Opening Moves. (Click on images for larger view)

Character Spotlight: Viro of the Chessmen!

With the long null state that this blog wound up taking, I thought long and hard about how to manage my time and still bring good things here for you. Well, I think you'll enjoy the Character Spotlights, giving you and inside view to the characters of GZ. Today, we're looking in on a member of the Chessmen. You can check out his adventures in my novel, Chessmen: Opening Moves. It's available on Amazon. (Click on images for larger view)

Yes, that pic is of Viro, but he didn't always look that way. Viro was an astronaut sent on a mission to investigate a new energy source on a distant star. Unfortunately, the energy turned out to be a strange radiation that overtook his ships controls. As the radiation flooded his craft, he was headed for a nasty crash landing. Overwhelmed, he blacked out.

The next time  he opened his eyes, he was surprised to find out that he still lived. While his own people were unable to save him, another race of beings was nearby. The Cyborians had nothing to fear from the radiation so they intercepted his craft with a powerful tractor beam and pulled him to safety. But the damage had been done. In order to save his life, he had to be put in a containment suit. They warned him, should that suit be breached, the intensity of what he had become, could wipe out all life on any given planet. The very thought made him wish he hadn't been saved at all.

Viro couldn't return to his people. He preferred that they believe him to be dead. So he took to wandering the spaceways, trying to figure out what to do with himself. In his travels, he discovered that he could force some of his viral power out of his suit and  that it would do whatever he commanded. This made him think that there was some better purpose for him. He just needed to find it. Eventually, he came across the planet, Chyssia and befriended a member of the Royal Guard named, Haley. He joined the Royal Guard and now, with the Chessmen, fights to protect their orphaned Princess.

The viruses Viro can emit will literally do almost anything he can think of. He can dissolve solid steel into a puddle. He can override the computers of a starship. He can even heal wounds or possibly regrow someone's missing limb. Even with all the practice he has had, Viro is still working out all the things he can do. His only limit is his energy levels. At times, he must rest and recharge. He is sustained by energies of the universe around him or by dissolving items with his power to absorb.

Viro's containment suit is a powerful suit of armor. It can withstand heavy damage and gives him some extra strength. He can fly through space and lift a thousand pounds.

While his face can be seen inside the green fog within his helmet, it is thought that there is very little left of his original body. Some think what he's been through is why he's so sarcastic and surly in nature. Haley will say not to let it fool you. Underneath it all, Viro is a caring person and devoted to the Chessmen and the Princess completely. Of course, if you ask him, he'll tell you he's often annoyed with the antics of Chessmen member, Major Xeroh.

While you won't find a more serious member of the Chessmen,  you won't find one more unshakable in purpose either.

Time for a new update

So much has been going on that it's been hard to keep up. Sadly, things like my blog here got neglected in the process. How much can you put on your plate along with what life gives you before you get too busy for your own good? It's not hard to do. I'm a chronic multi-tasker and it gets me in trouble.

But a whole lot is going on in my life and GZ is just one great part of it.

On May 10th, I attended the first annual bookfest here in Monroe. The assortment of authors in one place was great. They even came from near New Orleans to where we are in the Northern part of the state. There were several religious/inspirational authors, maybe two other fictional authors and one who wrote of a life after Vietnam. There was one who had a historical look at one man's life here in Lousiana. It was a fine combination of people.

Quite a few people came by including a couple of local friends and I think some new interest was created. The only drawbacks I give the day are that it was HOT. My dear wife has quite a sunburn. Sadly, the crowd was also sparse. I had really hoped to see more people at the Rivermarket. Some people folded up and left early which is a big NO NO in the agreement with the market. I folded a few things up in the last hour, but remained available to sign my books and talk to people until 4 as advertised. Once the day was done, my wife and I were both exhausted. Forget cooking dinner, we went home and ordered a pizza.

All in all, it was a good day and I met some incredible people.

So what about GZ Legends?

Honestly, I'm not sure. I am writing the second storyline and the first is compiled with new edits for the book, Chaos Rising (coming very soon!) but I have to decide what I can most reasonably do with the time on my hands. I have a lot and I mean A LOT of artwork to do for the card game coming up. I have Chessmen 2 still in writing stage and another book of short stories to compile. And it's not just being a one man band, life itself has stepped in. My son has needed me and I'm about to be a Grandad for the first time. I don't think I've ever had so much happening at one time ever in my life. It's quite amazing.

The next thing to come out, should be Chaos Rising if all goes according to plan!

So it's time for me to get back to building and get the activity rolling again! Stay tuned, you never know what's going to happen next!

GZ Legends 82: The Fate of Stormy Knight

           

 Anubis seethed as he watched Sandstorm and Electrode fall victim to the violent magic of Stormy Knight. His Egyptian form trembled as his body was still held in stasis by the cursed ring on his finger. His friends all lay about on the ground or were sealed in the transparent cylinders. The looming hand of Chaos overshadowed them all and drew close enough to close its giant fingers over them. He could see the cruel madness and euphoria in Stormy’s eyes from where he stood motionless. The desperation of a bleak and hopeless situation washed over him. But then there was that glimmer of a thought. He realized one thing he had not tried that should only be used in the darkest of hours. It would only be his third time using that power and the first time summoning it on purpose. He stared hard at Stormy, willing the villain to turn toward him.

            “Look at me!” Anubis thought hard, hoping that Stormy might read his mind just a little. “Look at me, you raving psycho! I want you to see this coming!”

            Anubis reached deep within himself for that glimmer of hope. Just like the control of his lance, he didn’t need to physically move for this.

            “Guardian.” He thought and the ground trembled. The throne cracked down the center and Stormy turned towards him.

            Stormy locked eyes with the Egyptian hero and slowly realized what was about to occur. His eyebrows raised in alarm, but it was too late. Then all the sound in their world stopped. Anubis and all of his allies vanished from view as the grand platform shook and trembled. The floor cracked where Anubis had been standing.

            Guardian.

            The throne shattered like exploding glass and Stormy could hear his own voice howling in the sudden maelstrom.

            Guardian.

            A great Egyptian sarcophagus, a hundred feet tall, erupted from the floor and shined on high. The hand of Chaos paused, suddenly unable to move further forward. The sacrifices were no longer in place.

            Guardian.

            The sarcophagus spider-webbed with cracks all across its surface and its likeness to the true god, Anubis. As it exploded open the cosmic groan of a voice could be heard.

           

“GUARDIAN OF THE DEEAAD.”

            The giant spirit of Anubis uncrossed its arms and spread them wide, holding a rod and scepter. As it did both times in prior appearances, all of the harm done to allies of Anubis who had fallen, was returned to whence it came. That meant, all of the agony, all of the injury, and all of the desperate strife were returned to Stormy Knight.

            The hand of Chaos fell back away into the abyss. Following its lead, was the flailing and screaming form of Jonathon “Stormy” Knight, last seen vanishing into the great palm of that hand before it vanished altogether.

            Light flashed and then there was nothing. Nothing felt like eternity.

            “Hah…ee..mm?” The voice was so very far away. He couldn’t make out what it was saying. “Um on, eem. Ayy uh!” He thought he felt a breeze on his face. Was it a breeze? Where was that light coming from?

            “Hakim!” Nightfall shouted.

            Anubis’s eyes snapped open and then squinted in the glare of the midday sun. A chance glance around him revealed the open wreckage of what used to be a red brick building. Nightfall leaned over him, shaking him awake. Doctor Vampire and Sandstorm stood above him.

            “Okay, quit shaking me.” Anubis groaned. “I’m going to be sore for a week.”

            “You saved us.” Doctor Vampire said with a smile. “You saved the world, and the very Balance itself.”

            Anubis looked to his hand. The cursed ring was gone.

            “With all of Stormy’s magic gone, we ended up here.” Sandstorm said. “That ring crumbled to dust.”

            “It was all we had left. I wasn’t even sure it would work.” Anubis groaned as they helped him to his feet.

            “Well it did work. And you know what?” Nightfall said.

            “What?”

            “You’re not a rookie anymore. Now turn human so I can kiss you.”

           

“You know, that’s a great idea.” So Anubis turned to the form of Hakim. Sandstorm and Dr. Vampire turned to help their other friends.

            All of them awakened to find themselves returned to Earth in the area where the alleyway once led to the Chaos dimension. They helped each other up and dusted each other off. Even Galose was freed from the device that took over his armor. Atomizer and Dreamseer held hands as they looked out at their newly freed world. The nightmare was finally over.

            But isn’t there more to the closing of this story? Yes, yes there is. There is more to all of this tale, but you will have to catch it in its full compilation coming soon.

            We hope you’ve enjoyed GZ Legends in its first run. Catch the compilation in the coming book, Chaos Rising, coming soon.

            

Also be sure to check out the links in the upper right to further explore the GZ universe.

GZ Legends 81: Sandstorm vs Stormy Knight

           

 “We can’t just let him do this!” Electrode said to his partner. “We have to do something.”

            Sandstorm gave Electrode a look known all too well. It meant to have patience. It meant that he had no intention of being idle at all. Electrode knew better than to press his mentor any further on the issue. He just turned his electric gaze at Stormy and clenched his fists.

            “Don’t blame your friend here.” Stormy sneered. “There’s nothing he can do. Oh, I just felt that. You just tried to convert the air around me into fire. I’ve been watching you for far too long. I’m not going to allow that.”

            “I was just checking.” Sandstorm said.

            Stormy suddenly stepped back and swung upward with his enchanted cane. Blacktide took a direct hit as he tried to tackle the villain and was knocked unconscious.

            “And trying to distract me.” Stormy added. “Now look. Look upon the majesty that is Chaos! And that’s only his hand!”

            The hand of Chaos presented itself in form larger than the Rotanian flagship. A thousand men could easily fit in a fingertip of the dark technological wonder they witnessed. Searchlights spun in random locations and lights shined from all sorts of locations across its metal surface. Sandstorm never considered the philosophy that the embodiment of Chaos would be technology. He could see mounted weaponry attached in hundreds of locations. He couldn’t imagine a battleship big enough to tickle it, much less scratch it. In all they had faced so far, this looked to be the thing they could not stop.

            “Ah, now you know true despair, Sandstorm. Your elemental powers are useless. Never mind what you want to do to me. What could you possible do to him?” Stormy gloated.

            In the locked Cyborian armor, Galose’s brain sped through code to deactivate the device that was shutting down his systems. The entirety of a Cyborian’s armor is controlled through mental command, faster than fingers on a keyboard could ever be. Even so, the device worked with blinding speed. Galose’s mind had to be faster than his own operating systems. A series of invasive code entered his life support systems and he blocked it. Then he intercepted another sequence of code. The tedious pushing match of hacking programs continued where all anyone could see was the motionless Cyborian.

            The area trembled as the hand of Chaos became clearer and clearer in view. Sandstorm locked eyes with Stormy after catching the slightest of movement from the corner of his eye. It was unexpected and beyond their hopes.

            “What do you get out of this?” Sandstorm asked.

            “Whatever he gives me. I’ll likely rule what’s left of Earth. Total destruction isn’t his style.”

            “And what’s his style?”

            “He’s going to kill the remaining gods of the Balance of course.” Stormy laughed. “Weren’t you told about the War of the Gods?”

           

“I’ve heard a couple stories.” Sandstorm moved so that he was between Stormy and the coming hand of Chaos. He kept his eyes fixed on those of his enemy.

            “Now what are you trying to pull?” Stormy chuckled. “Do you think you can block him somehow? All of your elemental power wouldn’t have a shadow of a chance.”

            Anubis stood paralyzed by the magic ring and deeply enraged. He found himself watching helplessly as Nightfall was summoned and knocked down. As soon as her body hit the floor, he glanced down at his bladed lance, lying a few feet from him. At first, nothing happened. Then, with all his concentration, Anubis made his lance roll just an inch. That was the movement Sandstorm had caught with is peripheral vision. Anubis continued to concentrate.

            The hand grew closer and closer. In moments it would be able to close into a fist and swallow them all forever. Next, the technological god, Chaos would be fully free and set loose on the universe. Stormy smiled and Sandstorm could take no more of his gleaming teeth. Stormy leaned confidently on his cane.

            Sandstorm lunged with a straightforward punch aimed right at Stormy’s shiny smile. Electrode took cue and lunged in as well. And explosion of force threw them both backwards and down to the cold hard floor. Stormy laughed for a second before his expression changed to surprise. He spun on heel just in time to see Anubis’s lance penetrate the marble throne with an explosion of sparks and fire.

            “NOOOO!” Stormy howled. “My power source! You skewered it! Impossible!”

            “Stormy!”

           

The villain turned back just in time for Sandstorm’s fist to connect with his jaw. A busted lip sprayed a red mist as Stormy stumbled backwards.

            “Shut up!” Sandstorm said.

            Stormy spit some blood from his mouth and spun his cane in hand. “Oh, you fools! Do you think I can’t fight you on my own?” His voice boomed and eyes glowed. The gems in the silver skull of his cane glowed as well. “I will still win! I can still kill you!”

            Sandstorm could feel greater control over his powers since the throne was damaged. He moved in on Stormy and formed his fists into stone. Electrode threw a bolt of lightning that was easily cast aside by Stormy’s cane. Sandstorm’s attacks were met with near perfect martial arts blocks and counter strikes. If he hadn’t converted completely to stone, being struck back and forth on the head with the cane could have killed him. Stormy forced Sandstorm back and knocked him down again.

            As he picked himself up, Sandstorm made a gesturing nod to Electrode. It was the kind of signal that suggested a new target. Electrode nodded and launched his next barrage of lightning at the broken throne. It was immediately clear that Stormy could feel it as he cried out in rage.

            “Let me show you what some real magic can do!” Stormy yelled. “HELLBOUND TRAIN!” Stormy struck his cane on the ground and a spectral ancient locomotive came rushing through the area. It hit both Sandstorm and Electrode, pinning them to the ground as the cars ran over them. The power of that spell felt like their bodies were being torn apart at a molecular level. Sandstorm had never known such agony. At this point, he was certain this was it.

GZ Legends 80: Chaos Rising

            

Stormy ran his white gloved fingers over the skull end of his cane as he spoke. “You know, Chaos Drones, Hounds, and especially Serpents are very hard to come by.”

            “If you didn’t want your toys broken, you shouldn’t have thrown them at us.” Sandstorm said as he stood stiff and clenched his fists.

            “Perhaps. Watching you struggle with them was amusing in its own right.”

            “Come out from behind your little force field and we’ll see who struggles.” Anubis growled.

            “In good time. But first, I see that we are missing a few people.” Stormy snapped his finger and Nightfall, Atomizer and Redeagle appeared near their friends. “That’s better.”

            Redeagle instantly drew his pistol.

            “Don’t shoot! There’s a barrier.” Electrode warned.

            “You obviously want to tell us about your sick plan.” Sandstorm said. “So quit wasting our time.” All the while, he applied his elemental senses to the area around him, looking for a weakness to exploit.

            “You’re all here for the final act. You were supposed to die, but that hardly matters when I get to sacrifice all of you to him.”

            “You think we’re going to let you release Chaos? That’s what this is about right?” Anubis said. “We’ve been told.”

           

“Yes. And a grand remaking of the universe will soon begin. You see, the last time he was free, he nearly killed all the gods of this universe. He nearly erased the definitions of good and evil. Insanity and beautiful madness spread like a glorious disease. Everything I’ve done, to this point, has been to upset the balance enough to free him. Oh, you look skeptical. What I did, didn’t make sense to you? That’s the beauty of it. Chaos doesn’t have to make sense. It doesn’t.  I started with a global catastrophe and blocked out the sun. Imagine the terror around the world? It triggered lawlessness, looting, and more. But then I needed some very centralized effects to gain enough weight to tip the scales of the balance. So I destroyed the greatest force of good in one of the largest cities in the world, New York. The New York Police Departments were wiped out in a single night. What a crushing blow. With them barely functioning, murder and mayhem could run rampant, as you all saw. You remember having to fight looters and Professor Zombie’s creations? The fact that you could stop them didn’t matter. They provided the death toll needed to keep this whole wheel moving forward. Of course I needed more. So I had the greatest icon of this country taken by siege. That would be the White House of course. Politicians don’t count much for cracking the balance, but he hopes of people that get downtrodden, perfect.”

            “So everything was just to do as much damage as you could, even if it didn’t succeed in destroying everything?” Electrode said.

            “Exactly. The living hurricane, the 7 artifacts, every single challenge you’ve faced so far, meant to do damage that wouldn’t otherwise be done. Whether or not it killed any of you, would merely be a bonus. You were meant to come here. You were meant to be sacrificed to Chaos.”

            “I think we’re going to surprise you.” Atomizer said before he suddenly put a hand to his forehead.

            “Your powers are triggered by mental command, Atomizer. My mystical neural net will prevent you from blowing up so much as a toothpick.” Stormy said proudly.

            “Okay, that’s it! Wait! I can’t move!” Anubis dropped his lance and stood rigid in place.

            “That’s from my gift given to you at the beach, Anubis. You assumed it was part of your armor and gifts, but you’re too new to have realized it wasn’t. My magic ring will keep you from doing anything but watch your friends die. It was so easy to slip it on your finger. You must learn to pay attention, but you won’t live to use the lesson.”

            Nyhtwulf lunged forward but collapsed to the ground, holding his ears in agony. Stormy stood up from his throne with cane in hand.

            “That horrifying pitch in your ears and brain is something only you can hear, demon. You can’t even stay intangible.” Stormy stepped down from the throne.

            Blacktide’s body suddenly engulfed in swirling shadows from his power as it overloaded and strained is ability to control. He dropped to his knees trying to hold it all in.

           

“You better hold on tight, Blacktide. You wouldn’t want to kill all your friends. That would almost be like when you killed your parents. Oh, I know, it was an accident. That’s what you tell yourself anyway.” Stormy took another step towards the remaining friends.

            “You’ll find me more difficult to deal with.” Galose said as he stepped forward.

            “I doubt it.” Stormy tossed a small device at Galose who instinctively caught it. All systems suddenly went to static. Readings weren’t working and multiple systems were starting to shut down. “That’s a little gift from the Maker. It’s designed to shut down any form of technology; even of the mighty Cyborians. Before you can override it, your armor will be dead.”

            Stormy stopped in front of Sandstorm, Electrode, Nightfall and Redeagle.

            “Well? What is the great and powerful Sandstorm going to do?”

            “At the moment? Nothing.”

            “Really? Fascinating!” Stormy shot a bolt of energy that hit Nightfall and knocked her out instantly. “Even if I start hurting your friends?”

            Redeagle attacked. His powerful swings were blocked effortlessly. Stormy spun and drove the end of his cane through the agent’s midsection. Stormy fixed his eyes on those of Sandstorm as he gave his cane a jerk and dropped Redeagle to the floor. Electrode almost moved forward, but Sandstorm put a hand on his shoulder.

            “Don’t.”

            “But…”

            “Don’t. He’s tapped into the powers of all the other people in those cylinders. They’ve amplified his abilities beyond our reach.” Sandstorm said as he held Electrode back.

            “Very intuitive, Sandstorm. You’re exactly right.”

            From the swirling abyss a great shadow formed of a hand that made them all seem like ants in comparison. Stormy smiled.

            “He’s coming.”

GZ Legends 79: Stormy Knight, Villain Extraordinaire

         

  “Let’s assume it’s just like the other creatures here. Keep it busy. This one’s on me.” Sandstorm vanished into the air.

            “Okay! Aim at its eyes and mouth!” Electrode said as he fired a barrage of lightning at the creatures double set of red eyes.

            “Partner, see if you can reach that thing’s brain.” Blacktide suggested as he powered up for a new attack.

            “Let me run in real quick, I got an idea!” Anubis charged in as the beast reared back from incoming attacks. Galose fired at it to keep its attention, but it quickly noticed Anubis standing right under its chin. “Well, come and get me!”

            The creature snapped at Anubis with its mouth and two lines of teeth, but the hero was ready. He held up his lance and propped its mouth open. The blades of the lance sank into the roof of its mouth. The great serpent threw its head back and howled in pain and rage. No matter how it tried, the lance of Anubis could not be broken. It angled its mouth back toward Anubis and spewed green bile that he narrowly avoided. The acid venom sizzled on the pathway.

            “Don’t you know spitting is bad manners?” Anubis shouted. “Open target, guys, lay it on!”

            As attacks battered the creature it spewed at them again. This time the wave was stopped by a force field created by Anubis. He wasn’t going to have it spitting on his friends. It was still hard to hurt the creature as its lashing head made for a difficult target.

            Nyhtwulf flew in over top of it and plunged an intangible fist into the top of its head. He had to remain partially tangible and it convulsed from his life force and brain wave disrupting powers. Unlike Anubis, Nyhtwulf felt no difficulty flying. He wondered if it was because he was intangible or from another realm himself.

            Galose shot three of its teeth out and kept his targeting locked on the gaping jaws. He didn’t want to go with his highest firepower for fear of hurting allies. The punishment the beast could take amazed him. Something else bothered him too.

            “I’ve lost Sandstorm’s life signs!” Galose said.

            Blacktide took a turn with his disintegrative powers while Anubis protected him from an acid bath. “Are you sure?”

            “Do not worry!” Nyhtwulf shouted from atop the things head.

            Lightning danced between the creature’s teeth in bright flashes.

            “We’re pouring it on but it’s not going down fast enough!” Electrode said. “If my partner is going to do something, I wish he’d get to it!”

           

If Sandstorm could hear the conversation, he wouldn’t be surprised. He found it hard to hear anything after going down the beast’s throat. In the form of air, it was an easy feat. He moved into the depths of the monster but avoided going into its lungs. Instead he stopped between the lungs and stomach. As an elemental, he could sense and control the aspects of all four elements. So far, every living thing he had ever encountered had one element in common; water. So, much like the day he merged with a living hurricane, he merged with the giant serpent. With vast senses, he could feel and detect every molecule of water throughout the creature’s body.

            Another aspect of Sandstorm’s power involved converting one element into another at will. I would be no effort to change all the water in the creature’s body to fire or earth. In this case, he chose earth. But earth has many aspects beyond simple dirt.

            From the outside the convulsions of the creature slowed to tremors as it suddenly found it difficult to move. Nyhtwulf flew back to his friends.   

 

            “There is change.” He said to them. “Watch.”

            They no longer needed to attack the creature. It couldn’t attack them anymore. The red of its mouth slowly turned gray. Its flickering tongue froze in position and its eyes went dull. The blood in its veins slowed like hardening concrete. Organs shut down and froze in place. But there was one more element to convert. The beast was breathing. It couldn’t even take a last gasp as its lungs turned to stone.

            From outside, popping sounds could be heard as stone began to crack from under armor-like scales. Sandstorm had one last trick.

            “Anubis, we will need a shield.” Nyhtwulf said.

            Anubis barely put one up in time to block the flying debris as the serpent exploded in all directions. Great chunks of its body flew away into the swirling abyss around them.

            “Explosive personality.” Anubis mused. “Serves it right for trying to puke on us.” The Egyptian hero held out his hand and caught his lance as it flew back to him.

            Sandstorm’s body formed out of the air where nothing was left of their opponent. He looked around him and far out into the swirling colors.

            “No more!” Sandstorm shouted. “Deal with us yourself! Where are you?”

           

“You needn’t shout.” Came a voice from up ahead of them. “I’m right here.”

            The scene ahead of them shifted like a mirage and an enormous platform appeared. Jonathon “Stormy” Knight sat in a white marble throne with his skull head cane leaning on the side. Behind him, against a wall, a line of man sized cylinders could be seen. Inside each one, they could see one of the heroes that had allied with them before. Doctor Vampire and all of his Strykeforce Guard had been captured as well as all of Calibur 5 from Florida. From the bottom of the cylinders, thick tubes converged to the back of the throne.

            “No way!” Electrode said.

            Without further hesitation the heroes attacked. Lightning, metron blasts, disintegration waves, and a bladed lance closed in on Stormy, but stopped short. As they all closed in on the platform, Stormy laughed.

            “Anubis isn’t the only one who can make force fields. Calm down. We have so much to talk about.”

             Stormy’s smile unnerved them all. They realized that they had no idea what they were facing.