Azreal2156

Hey what’s up peeps. If anyone is interested in doing simulations then shoot me a message. Peace ✌🏽

What’s up DA. So the first simulation that me and did so well, we decided to another one. Personally for I enjoyed this is a lot and Mark is a beast of a writer and is super creative. Seriously this dude has skills so check out his page.

Brackus, Sellia and Deimos all belong to Mark.
Enjoy it guys.


Some time has passed since Brackus last  encounter with Graves and his team. Brackus has dedicated his time to being a better father to his children especially to his son Deimos and daughter Sellia. The 3 are in a courtyard where Deimos is training Sellia in battle techniques as Brackus keeps a watchful eye. Brackus looks over to see the sun setting and is enjoying the scenery when it’s interrupted with a bright flash of light. The family of 3 cover their eyes and when the light disappears, Brackus sees a familiar face. 

The primordial known as the Chronicler hovers above him. “Brackus the Sinner. Spending some quality time with the family I see?” Brackus seems unamused by this sudden intrusion. “I was, then I was interrupted by your visitation. Dare I ask why you have entered my domain unannounced and unwarranted?”

Chronicler, in turn, doesn’t appreciate the disrespectful tone from the conqueror. “I do not need to announce my presence to anyone, especially to you. Your authority extends to this realm and it’s people, not over me.” He regained composure and spoke instead of what his original reason for coming was about, “Tell me, Brackus, have you ever thought about what is beyond your tiny “domain” within the infinite seas of the multiverse?” He asked with his familiar inquiring voice.

Brackus seems to know where this conversation will go and turns to his children. “Deimos, take Sellia inside. You both shall wait for me to call for you.” Deimos is unsure of his father’s reasons. “What? Father why must we…” but Brackus does not allow for backtalk. ”Now.” He commands. Deimos and Sellia could feel the authority he gave in his word, a chilling familiarity that had been absent recently but has made a nerve racking return now. Both of the youths went inside.

Brackus returns his attention to the Chronicler, “I need not wonder what exists out of my grasp, I only ever hunger for it.” Chronicler keys in on Brackus’ answer. “So it’s power you seek. May I ask what would you do if you attained the power that even surpasses the gods themselves?”

Brackus barely has to think of his response, “If I were to reach such a level, I would have fulfilled only one half of my life goals.” He says with certainty. “And what would be the other half?” Chronicler inquires. “Quite simply, create more offspring to expand my kingdom.” Brackus replies.

Chronicler then, almost excitedly, tells him of his reason for coming. “There is a way to attain this power, but it will not be easy. There are others that come from other realities who also want what you desire. The question is now, how far are you willing to go for it?”

Brackus gains a more serious expression, “If what you speak of actually exists, then I would continue on until my blood becomes dust, my bones splinter, and all obstacles have been torn down.” He declares. “There is something called the God Armor. It was forged before the existence of the omniverse. With the birth of Batreyus, it was lost within the omniverse until it was found by a being named Raoh. For many eons he ruled many universes until his defeat at the hands of Batreyus. Now a being called the Overseer has possession of it but will not use it. Instead he is having a contest of sorts and whoever is to be victorious of this contest will be rewarded this armor. I was sent here because you were invited by the Overseer. I personally do not think this armor belongs in the possession of anyone but that is not my decision to make.” Chronicler explains.

“This “Overseer” has invited me? Am I to assume he has been watching me?” Brackus asks, considering the possibility of being observed by an unseeable entity of such high stature somewhat unnerving. “He watches the omniverse in its entirety. A responsibility given to him by myself and the other Primordials. We do not think we are worthy of such a task. It had belonged to the Lifebringer, but she was...taken from us. Only when Batreyus has achieved his full infinite potential of power will that duty become his to bear. There is much you do not know, Brackus, but I have a feeling you will learn much in this contest.” He elaborated.

“If this contest is nigh, take me there. I do not wish for the inferior swarms to delay my ascension.” Brackus firmly asked, wanting no future delay. Chronicler obliged, “Very well. There will be an audience there as well as cosmic beings and my fellow Primordial brethren. Come, Brackus, let us be on our way.” Chronicler simply snaps his fingers. Instantly they are transported to a dimension that was specifically made for this contest. Brackus can sense the power contained in this foreign place. The air itself crackles with primordial energy. 

“Here we are. The contest will begin shortly. In the meantime, I suggest you get a good look at your opposition.” Chronicler advises the armor clad alien. Brackus looks out over the mass of individuals in this space. Many are but insignificant and foolish creatures that will meet their ends here. There are however some that deserve Brackus’ attention. The one that he can sense as his biggest threat is a large, red, demonic entity with a muzzle covering his lower face. “You’d be wise to temper your pride around him, Brackus.” Chronicler warns, sensing Brackus’ shift in focus. Brackus doesn’t break eye contact as he asks “Who is he?”

“That is Ruin. He has laid waste to many worlds. He is here on behalf of his master. The invitation was originally for him but felt this was not worth his time or power, so he sent Ruin to “represent” him in his absence.” Chronicler informs, also looking toward the red monster. “Does he bleed?” Brackus asks with a serious tone. “That is for you to find out. Come.” Chronicler begins to usher him away. As they leave, Ruin turns his head quickly to make eye contact with Brackus, sizing him up as well.

“The Overseer is watching but you will not see him until he wants you to. The Primordials and I will be watching just over the arena. You and the others will be addressed by Baraxsus the tamer. He was a former herald of Raoh and is very familiar with the God Armor. For purposes of this tournament, he will be a “referee” and will not be competing. It is time for you to gather with the others in the arena, Brackus.” Chronicler explains as he and Brackus walk along. Chronicler leaves the conqueror when they reach their new destination. Brackus stands amidst the crowd as Baraxsus stands on a platform for everyone to see, ready to give his speech.

“You have all come here seeking a great prize. A prize only one can claim. This contest will determine who has the attributes necessary. For those that are unable to rise above, the only thing awaiting you is death.” Some of the competitors look between each other as though this is the first they are hearing of this. “More specifically, at any given moment during the fights, you will be at the mercy of your opponent. I will only intervene if your opponent continues attacking after you declared surrender. Otherwise, you are on your own. Weapons are allowed. Powers are allowed. You however can not call for assistance from other competitors or spectators. If any of you wish to withdraw, now is your only chance.” 

A couple of the weaker ones wisely leave, but the majority of prideful idiots remain. “Then it is settled. Those of you here are hereby declared combatants. You may all take your leave, tomorrow will be the start of the matches.”

As the crowd is leaving, The Chronicler is there to greet Brackus. “What are your thoughts so far?” Brackus gives him a slight side glance before looking back ahead to watch the others leave. “I think there is going to be a lot of death here.”

“That is the understatement of the millennium.” Chronicler quips to himself. Their chat was interrupted by a large man with red hair and beard, wielding a powerful hammer in hand. “Chronicler, apologies for the intrusion, but the other Primordials have called for a meeting.” Chronicler seemed to be expectant of this news, “I see. Thor, this is Brackus the sinner. As you might expect, he has come to compete.” Chronicler introduces. The two warriors look each other over, neither sure what to exactly make of the other. Brackus however breaks the silence. “You are the Odinson, yes? I’ve met variants of you before.” Thor gives a light chuckle, “I see you have met those frauds.” 

“Met and, on occasion, slain. Always spouting some such drivel of lacking honor. If they put more effort into thinking than swinging their hammers around, they may have been more effective warriors that wouldn’t have been so easily manipulated by their trickster of a brother.” Brackus clarifies, wanting to at least have Thor view him on equal footing.

“HA!!! As I said, friend, they were frauds. Mere copies of the original. My father and I were the first, but my father wanted mortals to worship his name all throughout the multiverse, so he bestowed power to select beings and had them use his name just so they could worship father. Sorry, my friend, but you have only bested a pale imitation of me.” 

Brackus was not appreciative of what he felt was light mockery, but he had to maintain composure, especially in a scenario where intimidation was still a key strategy. “As much as I would enjoy fighting the real Odinson, it seems we must save our bout for another time. There is a mass of…” All three look to the general population of competitors. “them...to unfortunately deal with. I do hope they don’t expect mercy, they will find none facing me.”

“They knew what fate awaited them when they accepted the invitation.” Thor acknowledged, also being aware of the foolishness of the majority here.
“We must take our leave, Thor. Brackus, I suggest you get a good rest tonight. I will see you tomorrow before you enter the arena.” Chronicler advises. “Farewell, Brackus. May your battles end in glory.” Thor bids his goodbye and leaves.

Brackus goes to where he thinks the sleeping quarters are. Upon entering a room, he sees 3 other competitors have already claimed it. This room though is rather luxurious and Brackus finds their presence here insulting. One of them is quite upset at this uninvited guest, “Oi! Get lost, this is ours!” Brackus closes and locks the door behind him, “Is it now?” 10 minutes later, a female alien wearing a formal uniform walks down the hall with a hovering cart of food. She knocks on the door that Brackus entered. The door slides open and Brackus is there without his armor.

“Good evening, sir, I have brought your…” Her sentence was cut off when she looked past Brackus into the room and could see and smell the blood. She looked back up to him with scared eyes. “Don’t mind the mess. How about you join me for a while?” Brackus spoke with soft and enticing words. The girl was understandably nervous “I-I think I’ll…” Brackus cut her off, “No need to be afraid. Anything that happens here will be something you desire.” Just like that, an overwhelming calm washed over her as her face went blank and she entered his room. Brackus pulled the cart in as well and the door closed.

Hours passed and all seems well. Brackus is in his bed with his guest, both are  sleeping when all of sudden, Brackus senses a new presence in the room and jumps out of his bed. Standing before him is Baraxsus the tamer. “Don’t even think about attacking me or I’ll send you back from whence you came.” Baraxsus threatened.

“What is the meaning of this?” Brackus demanded, angered by being ordered like this. “You have killed outside of the arena. They deserved to die in battle, not in their beds like dogs. I expected better from you. Be grateful the Overseer still wants you in this tournament, for I wouldn’t hesitate to purge you from this reality. Speaking of purging, there is something that must be dealt with now.” Baraxsus turns to look at the girl. He lifts his hand in the air and the girl is floating off the ground. The girl's stomach starts to glow as a ball of blue light appears. The ball of light floats to Baraxsus' open hand. He closes his hand and crushes the light. “Leave girl.”
The girl runs out. “You are here to fight, not to spread your plague.” Baraxsus growls at Brackus.

“For the record, I didn’t kill anyone. They died of terminal stupidity.” Brackus deadpans. “I care not for your foolish reasoning. This is your only warning. Pray I don’t speak to you again on the matter.” Baraxsus leaves Brackus’ quarters. He falls asleep only to be woken up a few hours later by the Chronicler. “Eventful night I see.”

“I’d label it as troublesome, considering how no one here has a proper concept of privacy. Our officiate has a negative view of me it seems.” Brackus tiredly spouts. “Hard to blame his viewpoint seeing as how you haven’t been here a day and you’ve already stained your hands red and attempted to bed someone.” Chronicler reminds. “If he finds my behavior so abhorrent, then he must think birds singing or fish swimming is despicable.” Brackus alluded. “I’m not here to take sides, merely to recommend saving your energy for the contest. All too often does comfort breed complacency.” Chronicler says, trying his best to remain neutral in both position and expression. “It is hardly comfortable for me here. Those 3 meat sacks were lucky I gave them quick deaths considering one had the audacity to try and prod me.” Brackus groans.

“You will get your chance soon enough to demonstrate your prowess in battle on worthwhile adversaries, I can assure you. But do try and at least act like a higher being in the meantime.” Chronicler gestures for Brackus to follow. Brackus gathers his gear and goes to the main arena. Once there he is greeted by 2 fighters already going at it in the center. One uses knives while the other is using nothing but his fists. Rather expectedly, the knife user kills his opponent. “How droll.” Brackus says to no one as he walks into the fray.

An all out frenzy seems to have overtaken the arena, the lesser fighters doing their best to kill while not being killed. On the other side of the arena, Setback is dispatching several enemies at once by using his speed. He runs blitzes across the arena but unknown to him he’s getting closer and closer to Brackus, who breaks the neck of another opponent before tossing the body aside. With over 200 bodies in this arena, getting the numbers down to a manageable size was obviously the first thing to do. Those watching all this are... rather underwhelmed, but that is to be expected of what is no better than a culling. A large guy steps up to face Brackus, who barely pays him any mind.

“You there!” The challenger yells, catching Brackus’ attention. “Hm?” He looks over to see who shouted. “You killed my brothers, didn’t you!” The challenger accused.  Inside his helmet, Brackus gives a blank stare, “I’ve killed many people, you’ll have to be more specific.” This enrages the guy enough to charge headlong toward Brackus who just swipes his axe at him, cutting his tiny head from his body. “It is always the loudest that are the most moronic.” Brackus thinks aloud to himself. Brackus catches someone familiar out of his peripheral vision, someone that was with Graves’ team. “You there.” He calls. 

The being known as Setback turns and almost immediately regrets doing so. “Oh dear.” Using his speed, Setback runs in a sideways maneuver while taking out his staff to fire consecutive energy blasts at Brackus. The blasts are easily blocked. Setbacks stops in his tracks and looks at Brackus. He runs at him full speed and jumps right at Brackus but is caught in midair by his telekinesis. Just as Brackus raises his axe, Setback is able to extend his bo staff to hit Brackus right in the face. Setback is dropped and runs off to figure out a new plan.

“Hmm. How inconvenient.” Brackus’ thoughts were interrupted by someone hitting him in the back with a spear, which didn’t make contact because of his telekinetic field. Brackus reaches back with his metal hand and crushes his assailant’s head. Brackus is making quick work of some of the fighters but then he hears a loud boom that catches his attention. He looks over and sees the monster Ruin taking out numerous fighters himself until they both lock eyes as Ruin rips an enemy in half. Ruin let’s out a growling chuckle as he motions Brackus, taunting him closer. Brackus makes his way towards his target, focusing only on Ruin, knowing he is the most dangerous threat here besides Brackus himself. He is so focused that he did not notice that Setback was running towards him. Setback stops right in front of Brackus with his hands in the air and says “Stop.” Brackus is caught off guard, “Stop? Why would a god listen…” Setback screams out in a mighty voice “The World!!!”

With that, Setback has stopped time for 5 seconds. But those 5 seconds feel like an eternity. 5...4...3...2...1 

“a mere mortal. Hm?” Brackus is confused by what just happened. Before he can have another thought, Breakthrough hits Brackus with a thunderous punch. He increased the gravitational field around Brackus so he was pulled toward him, which in turn made the punch have a greater impact than his normal punch. “Take that you ugly shit. Great job little buddy.” Breakthrough congratulates his friend.
“Thank you for the assistance, my friend.” Setback humbly replies. Breakthrough and Setback are about to make another move when a familiar thunderous voice breaks through the sounds of battle. “Everyone Stop!” Baraxsus yelled, his voice echoing all through at the arena.

Brackus gets back to his feet, more annoyed than injured. He looks back and up to Baraxsus. “Breakthrough and Setback have violated the rules.” The tamer announced. “What?!? How?” Breakthrough shouts in disbelief. “You two aided each other in battle. That is grounds for an automatic disqualification.” Baraxsus tells them sternly. Breakthrough looks over at Brackus, glaring, “You got lucky, you ugly bastard. I was just getting warmed up.” Brackus just looks back to Setback and Breakthrough, both could practically feel his angered stare through his helmet. Baraxsus raises his hands and both Setback and Breakthrough are sent back to their world.
“The roster has been thinned, only 20 of you remain. Random rankings will be assigned and a proper tournament can now be formed. I congratulate those that have made it this far, but do not think that what comes next will be as easy.”

With his speech given, Baraxsus calls an intermission. Brackus was in a gathering hall of sorts, leaning against a wall as most other fighters stuffed their faces. He could not lose at any cost. Looking around though, it is clear that the stock of the remaining fighters is certainly greater. 

Ruin is at the opposite end of the room giving Brackus an unyielding stare, a man in white that crackles with electricity calmly enjoys some wine, a huge guy gorges on an assortment of meat. Brackus takes careful note of each. Given how there is still some fodder in the ranks, he’ll most likely get to see at least a small amount of what they are capable of.

“Scoping out the competition?” A sudden voice asks from next to Brackus, who was aware of the approaching individual. “Obviously. And I suspect you are doing something similar. I believe your subordinates got removed earlier, yes?” Brackus asks the now identified General Duos. “Former subordinates. They work for Graves now. I wasn’t surprised they got removed.” Duos corrected. “Probably for the best. It would be a shame if, say, I had to rip their spines out of their bodies. Wouldn’t you agree?” Brackus again tries to get a rise out of someone, but Duos is not one to fall quickly to either anger or such basic tactics. “I would, but that’s war and they knew what they signed up for and so does everyone else here. I am glad they’re safe however.” Duos smiled.

Brackus is rather impressed. “Hmm. You’re more collected than I expected.” Duos looks at him, “I’ve survived many battles, been in many wars. I’ve seen enough deaths that the concept itself has lost its significance to me, but I’ve never killed for competition, at least in this type of setting. I guess we’ll see how far I’ll go. Good luck to you, Brackus.” Duos walks off in search of a drink. Brackus is left to his thoughts, “Intimidation tactics won’t work here. Shame. I suppose standard evisceration will do.” A gong-like sound resonated through the hall, signaling everyone to return to the arena for the 1v1 matches. Unsurprisingly, every major fighter got paired with a weakling. Brackus smirked in his helmet.

Core, Superion and Duos all cleared past their opponents without issue. Next is Ruin and his opponent, who towers over him and wields a large battle club. “Begin!” Baraxsus declares. The hulking brute charges at Ruin, who just stands still. The large opponent swings his massive club right at Ruin's head. The club hits with so much force, it sends a shockwave throughout the arena and is felt by the other fighters. As the  smoke clears, Ruin is revealed to be standing just as he was, leaving the colossus both confused and terrified. “How...how are you still standing?!” In one swift motion from Ruin, the giant’s head is sent flying and lands in front of the other fighters. Ruin just turns around and walks off. The large fighter Core is so perplexed he was practically compelled to ask aloud, “Um... what the hell was that?” His eyes never leave Ruin. “Ruin advances to the next round.” Baraxsus announced.

Brackus is up next, across from him stands and alien with 4 arms, each ending in a boney spike. “You ready to die?!” The creature rhetorically asked with a psychotic grin. Brackus cares little for anything this creature brings to the fight. “Begin!” Baraxsus’ booming voice calls. The four-armed alien runs full speed at Brackus, who just stands there with his arms behind his back. The alien plunges 2 of its spikes into Brackus’ exposed neck. Then he goes into a stabbing frenzy, severing Brackus’ head from his body. The body falls to its knees, the alien takes a few steps back and looks to Baraxsus, beaming with manic pride. “Come on then! Say it! Say I advance!”
Baraxsus only gives him a grim reminder, “I cannot declare a win unless one opponent is unable to fight.”

That confused the alien until Brackus’ metal hand gripped his shoulder. He looks back and sees Brackus’ body with a monstrous animalistic head taking the place of his severed one. He doesn’t get a chance to scream as the head bites down and ripped off everything from the neck up. Brackus’ real head grew spider-like legs and crawled over to his body. Once close the body reached down to grab his head and re-attached it to its proper place, the secondary head melding to the stump of his neck and pulling everything back together. “Brackus the Sinner is victorious and advances to the next round.” Baraxsus announces, some of the other fighters feeling a bit unwell from seeing the gore.

“All remaining fighters will rest tonight. The final battles come upon the morrow. Prepare yourselves.” Baraxsus advises all that remain. The combatants leave for their quarters to think about their strategies for tomorrow. A familiar face greets Brackus at his quarters. “And how are we feeling?” Chronicler greets. “Have you no one else to pester?” Brackus asked, which seemed to rouse a small chuckle from the primordial. “Tomorrow will be quite interesting to say the least. It’s shaping up to be you and Ruin at the end of all this.”

“I suspected as much. If need be, I will endure a thousand deaths before I yield. One way or another, I will rip his head from his body and display it as my mantle piece. No one will keep me from my destiny.” Brackus tells with absolute conviction. “I imagine nothing less from you, Brackus. How will you spend the rest of your evening?” Chronicler asked.

“Dreaming.” Was Brackus’ only answer. Chronicler seemed somewhat confused by his response. Brackus elaborated, “I have foreseen it, Chronicler. The shape of things to come once I have ascended. It will be beautiful. No more wars, no more pain, no more fear. There will only be them and there will be me, the one and the absolute. Do not fret, you and your brethren will be left to your own devices, I owe that to Batreyus as a token of friendship. But the mortals, across all existence shall know only me. My name brings absolute joy, my visage causes celebration and my words will bring peace.”

The usually stoic Chronicler practically breaks into laughter, “You think just because you ascend to godhood that your power will be greater than me and my brothers? Ha ha ha. Clearly you have not met Obelisk Ha ha ha. You have a lot to learn, child. We Primordials know the secrets to the armor so we know how to destroy it. But I admire your vision and your “dream”. Good night Brackus and good luck tomorrow.” Chronicler teleports away. Brackus stares at the spot where Chronicler left, he seems to ponder. “There is still a greater peak to climb then.” With that, he retires to his bed and dreams of his absolute perfection.

Chronicler teleported from Brackus’ quarters to where his brethren had gathered. He is met by his brother Tyberius, the Primordial God of all energy. Out of the all Primordials, Tyberius is the most respected and perhaps the most feared. “Is all well, brother?” Tyberius asked. “At present, yes. It seems Brackus has great plans once he acquires the armor. Grand ambitions to spread his empire until it stretches all across the multiverse.” Chronicler muses. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say he sounds exactly like Raoh and we know what happened when he was in possession of the armor. Is this wise to have him still compete, brother? Would it not be wiser to just snuff out his existence?” Tyberius asked, voicing his concern.

“Wise? No, but we must see how this plays out tomorrow. When will be the next time something this interesting happens in our part of reality?” Chronicler rhetorically asked with a slight smirk. Tyberius seems unconvinced of his brother’s reasoning. “I know we vowed not to interfere, but these stakes are quite high, all things considered.” Chronicler put a hand on Tyberius’ shoulder, “Do you trust me, brother?” 

“Of course I do.” Tyberius answers with certainty. “Then all will be well. Just enjoy the matches with the rest of our kin.” Chronicler told him, easing his brother’s worries whilst doing so. The next morning has arrived and the fighters have gathered in the arena, waiting to see who there are matched up against. Baraxsus stands again on his platform, “Behold your opponents.” Baraxsus waves his hands and a large holo-screen appears beside him, showing the matchups.

Duos vs Core 
Ruin vs Superion 
Brackus vs Power Dragon

“The first match will be Duos vs Core.” Baraxsus announced. Brackus stands on the sidelines to watch the match take place with the others. “Both fighters meet in the ring.” Baraxsus ordered. Both fighters entered the ring, eager for the match to start 
Core smiled as he stood before Duos, “You know there’s still time to surrender.” He taunted. “hmph... another talker.” Duos retorts, unimpressed by his smug attitude. “Begin!” Baraxsus roared to signal the start.

Without hesitation Duos moves with incredible speed, hitting Core right in the gut, followed by a huge left hook to the jaw. The punch sends Core flying back until he hits the opposing wall of the arena. Core slowly gets back up, smiling. “Heh, that’s the first real punch I’ve felt throughout this contest, but you gotta do better than that to stop me.” Core cracks his knuckles while a blue crackling energy rises from the ground and moves all over his body. “Now let’s see how you do when I get serious.” Core hits the ground with such force that the landscape of the entire arena changes. Duos loses his footing and before he can regain his balance, Core hits him with a punch that sends Duos flying. Core leaps that same distance to catch up with his opponent. 

Duos crashes to the floor. Core makes use of the opening and leaps at his downed adversary. He swings with another punch but Duos evaded it and gets behind Core, putting his arms around to perform a slam but to Duos’ surprise he cannot move Core 
“Ha! I’m locked onto the ground. There’s no way you’re moving me.” Core headbutts Duos and quickly turns around to hit him with another thunderous punch that sends him soaring away again. Core then looks at the remaining fighters on the sidelines. “Hope you’re all taking notes because this is what you’re up against.”

Brackus continues to observe, looking for even the smallest flaw in either combatant. Duos seems to be the physically weaker of the two but rarely do the inhabitants of this universe ever just come at face value. His focus then drifts to his future opponent, Power Dragon. He will be sure to make a spectacle out of his demise.

Duos gets up and is in quite a bit of pain. He sees Core walking towards him. Duos activates his wrist blades on one of his gauntlets and energy shield on the other.  Duos shoots a rapid fire concussive energy volley at Core, but he just keeps walking. Duos decides to charge in but quickly ducks low to hit Core’s shin with the energy shield, bringing Core to one knee. Duos takes a swipe at Core’s face with the energy blade and is met with crushing disappointment when the blade bounces off Core’s skin. “What the hell is he made of?!” Duos questions in his mind. Core grabs Duos by the ankle to swing him over his head and slams him to the ground. 

“Do you give up yet?” Core asked, looking a bit bored now. “hell... hell no.” Duos defiantly answers. Then he has a sudden realization, “Wait, his lock on ability... if I can get him off the ground, I’ll have a chance.” Duos gets back up, his body is cracking with blue energy, an energy that Core himself is all too familiar with. “Wait, is that..?”

”Damn right it is. Now we’ll see who is stronger.’ Core, visibly angered, charges at Duos. Both collide and lock hands. Their strengths equaled each other perfectly. The very ground beneath them breaks as it shakes from their struggle. “So, your power is to duplicate others abilities.” Core concludes. “Wrong. I duplicate and amplify powers.” Duos smugly corrects, making Core adopt a look of concern. “What?!” Core exclaims in worry. Duos pushes Core back. Duos then stomps on the ground where Core is standing and lifts him up so that his lock on ability is canceled. Duos hits Core with a massive punch that sends Core crashing into the dome above the arena and slamming back into the ground. Core is straining himself to get up. Duos walks over to see that Core is badly injured. At this point he feels pity for him.

“Give up, punk. The fight’s over.” Duos tries to reason with him. Core even has to struggle to speak, “...no....way I’m... giving up.” Duos finds his stubbornness maddening. “Come on, you punk, don’t make me do this.” He warned. Core looks him in the eye, “do..it.”

“If the fighter does not give up then he must be killed. These are the rules.” Baraxsus reminds Duos from his platform. Duos picks up Core and is ready to deliver the final blow, but knows he can’t. “No, I won’t kill him. I surrender.” He let’s Core down. “what are... you doing?” He asked, spitting out some blood. “Saving your life, punk.” He looks up to Baraxsus, “I won’t kill him. That damn armor is not important enough for me to take this man's life, especially when he’s a hero on his own planet.” Duos announces with absolute certainty. “Are you certain this is what you want?” Baraxsus asked. “Yes, now send me home.” Duos confirmed. With a wave of his hand, Baraxsus sent Duos back to his reality. “Idiot.” Core cursed to the banished Duos.

“Due to forfeit, Core has advanced to the next round. Considering the extent of his injuries though…” Baraxsus was saying until Core interrupted, “I’ll... be fine.”
Baraxsus allowed Core to continue. “As you wish. The next fight will be Brackus vs Power Dragon.” Baraxsus announces.

Brackus enters the ring, Power Dragon stands across from him with an excited face. The warrior in the orange gi stretches a bit before he shouts to his opponent. “Show me what you got!” Brackus is not amused at all. “You’ll die screaming.” Brackus growls. “Begin!” Baraxsus’ voice echoes. Power Dragon flys in, right arm cocked back for a punch. Once in range, he delivers his strike, only for it to meet the metal wall that is Brackus’ chest plate. Power Dragon moves back a bit.

“I do hope your strategy isn’t to just punch me.” Brackus asks with a bored voice. “Pff. I’m just testing the waters.” Power Dragon replies, keeping up his happy attitude. He then puts both his hands together and a blue orb of energy forms. “Dragon’s Soul!” Dragon yelled out. He shoots his hands forward, unleashing the energy. Brackus remains still as the blue light engulfs him. Power Dragon feels slight exhaustion from using so much energy for that attack, but a few deep breaths is enough to ease him. He remains on guard, he knows as well as anyone else here that Brackus wouldn’t go down so easily. His fighting instincts are telling him to evade but he can’t see anything. That’s when he feels this invisible force surround him and lift him off the ground. He is pulled through the smoke and into Brackus’ metal hand. 

Brackus violently slams the orange clad warrior into the floor. He then grabs a leg and whips him from one side to the other like a dog shaking a chew toy. One last throw buries Power Dragon into the marble floor, his face covered in cuts and lacerations. His teeth practically turned to dust. Brackus is not done with him yet. He lifts his opponent from his hole and freezes him in mid-air. He takes his axe from his back and cuts Power Dragon’s legs off at the knees. Power Dragon barely has the strength to scream.
 
Brackus then grabs Dragon’s face and throws him to the floor again, his chest down. Brackus plunges the spear tip of his axe into Dragon’s back, the blade facing his head. Brackus stares intensely as he telekinetically pulls Dragon back to him, his axe blade cutting through his chest, neck and finally his head. Brackus raises the bisected corpse for all to see and lets out a mighty roar, the sounds ringing all throughout the stadium like a great beast.

“Brackus moves on to the next round. Next is Superion vs Ruin” Baraxsus announces. Superion and Ruin both enter the arena. Superion knows this will be his hardest task in this tournament. Ruin stands and does not move. Silent as always. Baraxus calls for them to begin. He shoots beams from his eyes that hit Ruin in the face but it does nothing. Superion flies with the speed of lightning towards him and hits the monster flush to his jaw. Ruin’s head turns just a little from the impact. Superion is momentarily shocked but regains his composure and flies straight up. “Let’s try a different approach.” Superion says to himself. The arena is quickly covered in thunderclouds. Ruin looks up to see Superion glowing with energy. With a quick motion of his hand, hundreds of lightning strikes hit Ruin with pinpoint accuracy. The arena is bathed in the glow of white/blue energy. Superion stays in the air to see the aftermath. The ground is covered in smoke but a figure can be seen. The smoke clears and Ruin is still standing. 

“How... how is this beast still conscious?” Superion is perplexed. Unexpectedly, in a deep gravelly voice comes from Ruin, “I hate magic.” Ruin jumps from the ground with speed that even the god of lightning couldn’t react to in time. The monster slams right into Superion and his momentum carries them until they hit the dome of the arena and shatter it. Superion is almost unconscious from the impact but Ruin grabs him as they fall to the ground. “Not yet.” Ruin lowly growls.

Ruin grabs Superion by the throat and has his other hand cocked back but holds still. They get closer to the ground and right before impact, Ruin throws his massive fist right to Superion's chest just as his back meets the ground. The impact destroys the entire arena. The dome shatters even more. Debris and smoke are everywhere but Ruin can be seen holding Superion as he’s about to deliver the death blow but somehow Superion with his last bit of strength speaks. “...I..... surrender…” was all he could get out before he lost consciousness. “The match is over! Ruin advances.” Baraxsus calls, stopping Ruin from completing his kill. Ruin is displeased he could not finish his opponent. He takes Superion and throws him in front of Brackus and Core as he walks past them. 

“There will be a brief intermission so that the arena is repaired. You three may take this time to gather yourselves.” Baraxsus advises. Brackus looks on at the destruction caused. His face may be hidden, but those of keen senses can tell he has doubts. “Having second thoughts?” Chronicler asks as he appeared next to Brackus. “Never.” Brackus answered bluntly. “There is no shame in withdrawing.” The primordial tries to reassure his associate. Brackus just starts walking away. “There is for me. As I said, even if I must die a thousand times, I will be the only one remaining.” 

After only an hour, Baraxsus called them back. “Fighters, please report to the arena.” All the fighters come. Core is not looking very good. “I... I can’t continue. As much as I would like to, I just can’t. I’m not at 100 percent and against these 2 I need to be that and more. I would just be in the way. I’m withdrawing from this competition.” Core admits. “Are you sure this is what you want?” Baraxsus asked. “Yeah, I’m sure.” Core confirmed. “Very well.” With a wave of his hand, Baraxsus sent Core home. “That just leaves you two in the final bout. Fighters in position.” Baraxsus says to Ruin and Brackus. Both fighters step into the ring, staring at each other with murderous intent. The entire arena can feel the bloodlust.

“Surely you must know you won’t survive.” Ruin warns the armored conqueror. “I don’t need to survive to win.” Brackus spits back. “Begin!” Baraxsus roars to the two fighters. Upon the signal, Ruin sped forth and delivered an obliterating punch to Brackus. His armor may have remained pristine, but the sheer magnitude of the impact went right into his body, shattering all the bones in his chest. Brackus impacted into the opposing wall, his arm, legs and neck broken like twigs. Ruin waited and was somewhat surprised by how short it took. Brackus emerged from the wall, his limbs snapping back into place with sickening cracks and pops. He staggered early on but returned to a normal stride by the time he got back to the main ring, once again standing before his opponent. “Hit harder next time.” Brackus growled.

“A healing factor.” Ruin does something unexpected. He walks away from Brackus until he reaches the middle of the arena. Brackus is waiting to see what Ruin’s next move is. Moments pass and Ruin stays in place. At this point it’s getting annoying for Brackus, “Unless your plan is to bore me to death, make your next move.” He demanded. Ruin does not engage. Under all that mass is a calculating mind. Ruin knows Brackus' healing factor will be difficult to overcome. One thing Ruin does have is patience. He keeps his back turned on Brackus and still says nothing.

“Enough of this!” Brackus shouted. He takes his axe from his back and throws it at Ruin. Ruin counters by simply spinning around and catching the axe in his hand. What surprised him was that the point of the axe actually pierced his skin. “How interesting.” Ruin mused to himself. Brackus pulls his axe back to him. Ruin’s wound heals almost immediately. “It seems we are both fast to heal.” Brackus surmised. “It would seem so. That axe of yours is quite interesting. There are only a few things that can pierce my skin.”

“Then it will make stripping the flesh from your bones all the easier.” Brackus threatens, his words laced with venom. “Let’s test that claim then.” Ruin counters. The red monster charges Brackus again but this time Brackus stops him with his telekinesis. He takes his axe again knowing this is an enemy he cannot toy with and swings at Ruin's neck until it makes contact, but it doesn’t cut all the way. Instead it only cuts to the bevel line. Brackus is confused for a second. “You seem surprised. I said your axe can pierce my skin, but under that is something entirely different. The further you cut into my body, the tougher I get.” Ruin, using his incredible strength, starts to push and move against Brackus' telekinetic hold. Ruin reaches for the axe and pulls it from his neck. Brackus calls back his axe. 

“I grow tired of you toying with me.” Brackus angrily growls. “And I grow bored of your weakness.” Ruin spits back. That word alone snapped something inside Brackus. He flew at Ruin at surprising speed. He tackled the red giant. Ruin was pushed back slightly but still caught Brackus. “Touched a nerve I see.” Ruin gives his best impression of a chuckle. He then slams Brackus into the ground. “If you're smart, you’ll stay in that hole and forfeit.”

“I cannot yield. Not when I’m so close. My purpose is eternal.” Brackus says as he gets back to his feet. “As is mine. Let’s see how that armor of yours holds up, shall we.” Ruin lifts Brackus and does a huge thunderclap on Brackus' ears. As Brackus is holding his head, Ruin then pulls back his massive fist and this time hits Brackus with double the power he had before. Brackus is sent into the dome above and comes crashing down to the arena floor. 

The HUD inside Brackus’ helmet flickers for a moment before correcting itself. He picks himself up and shakes off some rubble again. “Activate Pandora algorithm.” Brackus says to his helmet. Ruin sees his foe stand. “He’s not moving. He’s most likely waiting for me to engage. His entire fighting style is based on counters. Let's play his game.” Ruin thinks to himself and charges in.

Brackus can see his opponents moves, even the moves beyond that. He counters the first few feral punches, which gives away Ruin is just pushing Brackus for retaliation. Brackus instead delivers more refined kicks than Ruin was expecting, pushing the giant back some. Brackus, remarkably, gets into a martial arts stance. The form is enough for anyone knowledgeable in the field or in the study to see what it is. “Ah. The Tai Tzu form. Fitting given his frame.” Chronicler notes from his viewpoint. “His technique is better than mine, but that was expected. Strength is still on my side. Let’s see what his moves are exactly.” Ruin thinks to himself.

Ruin charges, throwing haymakers. Brackus is blocking everything Ruin is delivering. Brackus blocks and counters with several straight punches to the chest and backs up to gain some distance. “I see your style of fighting has changed.” Ruin compliments. “Adaptation is key to victory.” Brackus dryly answers. “ I agree. Too bad you have to rely on your tech to help adapt and not your true instincts. You think I didn’t hear you give a command to your helm? You pretend to be this great warrior but all you are doing is revealing how weak you really are. Here I thought you were a worthy opponent.” Ruin barrates. 

“My worth in your eyes means little to me. I came here to answer my calling. And to do that I must kill you. By any means necessary. Now end your pointless words and fight me!” Brackus demands, wanting to enact his final plan. “Then come and get me.” The red monster just stands waiting with his arms spread wide. Brackus accepts the invitation and charges, turning his left fingers into blackened claws, jumping up and plunging one into the monster’s eye. Ruin, ultimately, is unmoved and grabs Brackus’ body around the midsection and throws him to the floor.

“Really? That was your best move? I thought I was disappointed before but this is a new low.” Ruin admits, feeling underwhelmed. “It was the only way.” Brackus says, sounding oddly weak. “What was that? I couldn’t make out your pitiful excuses while your head is in the dirt.” Ruin spits. “There was...no way...either of...us was...to beat the other. So...there was only...one...solution.” Brackus speaks as he breaks apart into indistinguishable black muck. Ruin seems confused, that’s when he felt his injured eye sting. He reached up and when he looked to his hand, the blood was black.

“What...what did you do?!” He grabs Brackus by the throat. “Our goals align, but our individuality prevents us from achieving them. I merely... removed that.” Brackus finishes falling apart. Ruin staggers, he holds his head in pain as he feels something inside him. “Ilk! I can heal! You’re nothing but a disease to be cured!” Ruin roars, but the familiar voice of Brackus speaks in his mind, “There is no me or you, only we.” Ruin falls to his knees as black lines race outward, covering his body in tribal style tattoos. His head alters shape, horns reminiscent of Brackus’ helmet sprout up. His transformation ends. The new being stands. No more Brackus, no more Ruin. There is only... Brackus the Ruiner.

Baraxsus is outraged, “Stop! What have u done?!” The monstrosity looks to the tamer, “We’ve won. Give us our prize.” But Baraxsus will not comply, “No, I cannot. Just because you have merged does not mean anything. You will not claim the armor.” The being now known as Ruiner looks angered by this refusal, “You deny us what was rightfully earned? Two have entered, one remains. That was the deciding factor. If you do not fulfill your end of the arrangement, you must be punished for it.” Ruiner warns.

“This.. this cannot be.” Baraxsus is in a bind. “Give us our prize.” Ruiner repeats, more seriously this time. Ruiner awaits what is owed to him. Baraxsus looks to the Primordials that are overseeing this. “What say you?” Chronicler speaks for them. “We can not intervene in this determination. But at the fundamental level, one does remain.” Baraxsus with hesitation moves aside to reveal the armor. Ruiner can feel its power. Little by little he moves closer. He is about to possess that which he has desired for so long when he’s hit. Ruiner hits the arena floor destroying it entirely. The combined entity has been hit by some of the most powerful beings in existence and yet this was different. This feels as if a part of him is missing... destroyed somehow. Ruiner painfully looks up and sees the great destroyer himself, Batreyus. 

Chronicler turns to his fellow primordials, “I said we could not intervene, I said nothing of Batreyus.” He smirks.

Back in the arena, Batreyus approached the great terror. “I can’t let you have that armor.” Ruiner is furious beyond comprehension. “No. No No NO! NO!!! We will not allow you to deny us!! We will achieve our destiny!!” Ruiner let’s out a mighty roar that radiates with burning hatred and power. He hits Batreyus with his monstrous strength in the face but Batreyus doesn’t even budge. “What? No! YOU WILL NOT DENY US!!!” Ruiner’s hand turns into black blades but can’t pierce the skin of Batreyus. His blades then turn to black ooze to go into Batreyus’ eyes and ears. Still, Batreyus doesn’t move. “Why isn’t it working?!” Ruiner yells. “You cannot corrupt something that is corruption itself.” Batreyus ever so calmly informs.

Batreyus puts his hand on Ruiner's chest. “One no more.” A red light engulfs Ruiner as he screams in pain. The red light fades away to reveal Brackus and Ruin are separated lying on the floor. “What happened?” Ruin looks up, “Batreyus?!?!  You’re here?!” Ruin gets up backs away from Batreyus. “Baraxsus take the armor and leave this dimension.” Batreyus orders. “But the Overseer…” Baraxsus argues, though Batreyus will have none of it. “Now, Baraxsus!” Baraxsus takes the armor and leaves. 
Batreyus looks down at Brackus. “Are you alright?”

Brackus is still on his back, looking upward. “I could see it. It was...the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.” Brackus is so enraptured by his vision, tears start to fall from his eyes. “And it has been taken from me.” He looks to Batreyus in sadness, “Why have you done this to me? I could have made everything perfect.”

Batreyus looks to his friend, “You would’ve made everything perfect according to your vision and that in itself is imperfection. I’m sorry, Brackus, but you cannot wield such power.”

Brackus gets to his feet, squaring up to Batreyus. He pulls back a fist and goes to strike but he puts no force behind it. He just hits Batreyus with nothing but emptiness and defeat. Brackus is... lost. He pulls his equipment back to him. His helmet forms back around his head, covering the blank look of sadness that has etched its way there. He begins to walk away. “Chronicler...send him home.” Batreyus orders. Chronicler simply nods and waves his hand. The familiar surroundings of his home appear in front of Brackus, but he is too into his thoughts he doesn’t even notice it and continues to walk. Brackus doesn’t notice anything until he hears his son Deimos. “Father?” Demo is called.

Brackus turns to his son. “Are you alright? Where were you?” Deimos asked, worried something had happened. He has never known his father to be someone to be so down. Brackus walks to his son and surprisingly embraces him. “Uh…” Deimos was beginning to feel uncomfortable. “Son, if there is ever a dream that you know you can make real, pursue it until it is so, and never let it die once you have it.” Brackus warmly advises his son.

Several  months have passed since the tournament. Brackus is looking at his city as the sun sets. A familiar being appears behind him “Beautiful, isn’t it.” Batreyus asked. “As close as I can make it.” Brackus spoke fondly, still looking out into the distance. “I sense you still have sorrow in you.” Batreyus pressed. “Aye. When you devote your life to a singular goal and have it ripped away from you in a brief instance while you were so close to achieving it, it leaves a scar on your very essence. And knowing it was you who had done this wrong to me, it filled me with a great rage... and a great sense of betrayal. I hated you for so long, I’d say I still do to a lesser extent. But... I may in fact owe you thanks. The great dream I could see, one where I alone stood atop all creation, it was...cold. Even if I had power so great it rivals yours, it only brought with it absolute loneliness. No more children, no more empires, just...me. And that is pathetic.” Brackus monologues, his wisdom from his experience evident in every word.

Batreyus smiles slightly, “It is lonely and I’m glad you understand why I did it. The God Armor was given to Baraxsus not too long after the tournament. The Overseer and the Primordials felt he was best suited for it. It may not be evident, but I do envy you in some way, Brackus. Your life is one of potential and challenge. You exist in a state of challenging and being challenged. You may see that as a weakness but it is something few of my realm ever get to properly experience.”

Brackus
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Chronicler
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Core
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Superion
www.deviantart.com/azreal2156/…

Breakthrough
www.deviantart.com/azreal2156/…

Setback
www.deviantart.com/azreal2156/…

Thor
www.deviantart.com/azreal2156/…


Raoh
www.deviantart.com/azreal2156/…

Baraxsus
www.deviantart.com/azreal2156/…

Duos
www.deviantart.com/azreal2156/…

The Primordials
www.deviantart.com/azreal2156/…

Ruin
www.deviantart.com/azreal2156/…

The Overseer
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Batreyus
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So me and did a simulation where his OC Brackus enters the reality that my characters are in. I haven’t done too many of these but I can honestly say I enjoyed this.  So if u can take the time and read this through and I hope u enjoy it. Peace ✌🏽


Brackus arrives on Earth, outside of a city but close enough to see it in the distance. He immediately feels the unique energy of this universe and finds it quite desirable. Though he must first gain an understanding of his surroundings. He cloaks himself and goes toward the nearby city. Upon observation he is rather disappointed by what he sees, nothing but average people going about their day. Then he senses something, someone of power, a meta-being and seeks them out.

   Elsewhere, Strike Down receives an energy spike via his equipment and realizes there has been a tear in this reality. Fearing the worst, he informs Graves and part of the team, in this case being Graves, Blockade, Cataclysm, and Pathfinder who teleports them to the source of the tear. They see nothing but Blockade is drawn to the point of where the tear occurred

   Brackus is drawn back to his original entry point to this reality. Still cloaked he sees a team of unknowns down below, most likely responding to the energy disturbance such a portal would create. He takes great care in analyzing each person of the team best he can. He identifies 2 as potential threats. He also takes note of the female in the group, considering her potential for assimilation. He gently defends to the ground for a closer inspection.

   The team can’t see anything but Cataclysm feels the air moving in an unnatural way. He also starts to feel heavy yet silent footsteps on the ground since Cataclysm’s senses are in tune with the 4 elements on Earth. In a sudden move, Cataclysm raises a large mass of dirt in order to reveal the cloaked enemy. Brackus de-cloaks as it is currently irrelevant. He proceeds to remove the dirt from himself telekinetically, “I was unaware I was in the presence of children who throw mud. I do hope there are those amongst you that use actual words.” Brackus announces to the group.

   Lt. Graves is very observant. He didn’t become field commander just because of his power. He speaks to his team “He’s a telekinetic and most likely is a telepath. Activate the suits' mental shielding.” Graves then turns to their potential enemy, “ We are a government response team for meta-human threats. You only get one warning to stand down. Identify yourself and your intentions.” He announces.

   “What do I want? Hmm. As it stands, I require information. This world is new to me. It’s energies and inhabitants are...exotic.” Brackus truthfully admits to the team. Many don’t find his words convincing. Brackus then focuses on Blockade, “And perhaps I can find some...companionship while I’m here.” The multiple mouthparts of his helmet click together as he speaks the last part, a clear tell of what he really implies.

   Blockade smiles back. She’s always ready for a fight. Graves knows a battle is about to start. He tells his team to get into formation with just hand signals and tells them to get ready. “This is that warning I mentioned. Stand down!” Graves yells with authority.

   “Stand down? A human has no right giving orders to a god.” Brackus retorts, seeming insulted at Graves’ demand. Brackus removes his axe from his back, the fighters take their respective stances. However, Brackus throws his axe skyward. The momentary confusion from the strange move allowed Brackus to grab Cataclysm telekinetically and pull him in. Before he could counter, Brackus delivered a crushing punch to the man’s face with his metal fist.

   Cataclysm is sent flying into a building and seems to be knocked out. Graves barks out orders to team “Attack formation 21!” Pathfinder teleports the axe to the moon. Graves hits the enemy with an energy blast but it’s only to distract so Blockade can get close to hit him with a thunderous punch.

   Blockade punches through the smoke with great force, only to connect with metal. The smoke swiftly dissipates to reveal Brackus had caught her fist. Brackus lets out a low growl, almost as though it were a laugh. He whips the girl to the ground with enough force to bounce her off the dirt. He kicks her away. Pathfinder reactively opens a portal in her path to slow her down and brings her to Graves. She isn’t injured but her wrist is potentially sprained. A bang then grabs their attention. Above them appears to be a meteor but as it draws near they can make it out to be the enemy’s weapon.

   Graves gives them the order to scatter as the axe crashes down like a missile. Again, no one is injured but going by the crater, it would certainly have done some damage. The axe rises from the hole and flies back to its owner. Graves is surprised but only for a second as the axe comes back, but he sees the potential damage it may have and realizes their foe is powerful, even more powerful than all of them combined. Time to be smart.

   “There’s an energy field coming off his armor but I can’t tell if it’s protecting him or if it’s something else.” Blockade informs. “Do you think u can disrupt it?” Graves asks, needing clarification. “Maybe but I have to get in close and right now, he’s not really giving us many openings.” Graves thinks for a moment, “Then I’ll get you one.” He says confidently. At that moment Graves rushes toward his opponent at inhuman speed. Brackus may have anticipated the hit but he was unable to properly dodge nor predict the force that could come from this creature. Graves’ hit sent him flying away from the city, a well calculated move. Brackus crash lands near the edge of a forest with a great collision.

   The impact of his landing was of such force his left arm snapped in two places and his head spun around. Graves managed to catch up to his opponent only to find the mangled body. He looks over it unimpressed, “Heh, god my ass.” He’s about to relay this to the others when Brackus’ body stands on its own. The broken arm snapping back into a proper form. Then he manages to twist his head back the right way. “I must say, that was quite the hit. Though such brute stratagem will yield few results.” Brackus monologues.

   “Heh, I didn’t think it would be that easy, but I did get you away from the city and that was a priority. I can tell you’re holding back, trying to gather information, so let’s see how you deal with this.” Graves begins to charge up energy in his body.

   “And thus the flaw of humans raises its ugly head.” Brackus says to himself as he merely opens his arms wide, inviting Graves to attack. Graves obliges. He delivered his mighty blow, the resulting explosion scorched the area for nearly a mile. The dust clears moments later, just enough for Graves to make out his opponent is no longer where he previously stood. Graves stays on guard, knowing it can’t be that simple. He hears a whistling sound, something just out of his sight is moving at great speed.

   It stops. That is when he is struck with a searing pain in his leg. He looks down to see the tip of Brackus’ axe piercing through his calf muscle. The axe pulls away, forcing Graves to drop to one knee at ease the pain best he can. “I was hopeful for a moment.” Graves looks up, gritting his teeth angrily at the owner of that condescending voice. “I thought that you were clever, that you wouldn’t fall into this cycle of insanity that so many others I’ve faced fall into. Yet here I stand, proven wrong.” Brackus monologues.

   Graves smirks, “Yeah? Or maybe it’s called buying time.” He quips. That’s when Brackus is struck across the side of his helmet by Blockade. Behind her is Pathfinder. Brackus regains his footing and composure, “Well now, that is more like it.” Brackus’ mouth parts open wide enough for his long black tongue to snake out and lick his razor-sharp teeth in excitement before quickly closing up again.

   Graves then yelled out “NOW!” Just then, 3 portals open up. One below Brackus, one behind him, allowing Blockade to jump on his back and disrupt his energy field, and one above to let the massive Gigaton through, who was charged up with his own explosive attack. Brackus tries to move but is unable to as Pathfinder is holding him still with his telekinesis. Gigaton hits Brackus with Blockade still on his back. All 3 are teleported away to the Grand Canyon where the huge explosion is set off.

   Gigaton helps his comrade to her feet once they’ve done each other. Some distance away, Brackus gets to his feet with some effort. His mechanical arm is...glitchy. He tries to move it but the fingers don’t move right. His helmet also seems to be slightly damaged. He makes a quick decision and removes his metal arm, regrowing a new one in its place. He then checks his shatter device. It still seems functional, at least well enough for what he needs. He cloaks himself again, his target on his mind.

   Blockade and Gigaton look around for their opponent but can’t see him. Graves and Pathfinder don’t have any better luck from their more elevated position. Graves does manage to spot Brackus’ arm discarded by the wall of the canyon.

   His wondering of why it’s there is pushed aside when Gigaton is thrown away by an invisible force and Blockade is stabbed through her right shoulder. Brackus reveals himself once again, his fingers lengthened into black blades that have pierced the heroine’s flesh. Black lines trace outward from the wound. Blockade punches Brackus away but she has little strength to do so. Graves rushes to her aid. Blockade is doing her best to not scream but the pain only gets worse as whatever this stuff is moves around in her and it’s going toward her brain.

   Brackus capitalizes on their concern and attacks again. Kicking Graves away and grabbing Pathfinder, slamming him into the ground with a vicious brutality before discarding him. He looks back to Blockade, her right eye becoming black with a yellow iris. Graves recovers and launches himself at Brackus. He is acting more reckless now that Blockade is in danger. Brackus holds out his hand and catches him mid-air. “I suggest using that brain of yours logically before you make a fatal mistake.” Brackus warns.

   “Bastard! What did you do to her?!” Graves demands. “At the moment, something that can be undone. Though if you irritate me further I can just as easily turn her brain into ground meat.” Brackus informs the trapped leader. Graves looks to his wife, who looks back to him with some worry on her face as she tries to keep it together.

   Graves makes the tough call, “Pathfinder, shut her mind down now.” Pathfinder does so and also uses his telekinesis to pull Graves away from Brackus. Just as Graves gets pulled away, Strike Down appears with Cataclysm who were both cloaked thanks to Strike Downs tech. Cataclysm hits Brackus with an ice beam to freeze him in place. As Brackus is frozen, Pathfinder releases several telekinetic energy blades to cut Brackus up.

   Brackus slows dramatically. His mind racing with any idea he can think of. Any ice he manages to break off, Cataclysm replaces. Strike Down keeps his guns trained on the alien. “Say the word, boss and I’ll light this freak up like a damn Christmas tree.” Strike Down boasts to Graves. Graves looks back to Blockade, noticing the “infection” continuing to spread. “Pathfinder, get that crap out of her.” He orders. Pathfinder nods at his leader's command and tries to remove Brackus’ corruption but whatever he pulls on the remainder only burrows deeper into her flesh. “Sir, it is too risky for me to extract it. I may inadvertently cause permanent damage.” He explains.

   Graves looks back to Brackus, glaring daggers at him. He gives a sign to Cataclysm to ease up for a moment. “Strike Down, if he moves, blast him.” He orders. Strike Down grins, “You got it!” Graves gets right up in Brackus’ faceplate. “Now you listen to me, we beat your sorry ass and we can do it again. So when I LET you out, you are going to get your alien b.s. out of my wife. And if I think for a moment that you are going to try some shit, your ass is going back into the deep freeze. Got it?!” He sternly tells Brackus, who didn’t respond but didn’t have to.

   “Let him out.” Graves orders Cataclysm. Though reluctant to do so, he creates fire to melt the ice. Strike Down still has his sights trained. Finally free of the ice, Brackus regrows his missing limbs and cracks his neck. He looks at the group, almost as though he is seriously contemplating another assault, but the advantage he has is fleeting. He walks over to the unconscious woman, “I feel as though I’m getting the bad part of this deal.” He says which only annoys Graves. “If I heal your woman and my only reward is being frozen again, then why must I comply.” Brackus asks.

   “You piece off..!” Strike Down was about to shout out but Graves held his arm out to stop him. “Are you saying you want to be left to roam free?” Graves asks, thinking Brackus can’t be serious. “As I said before, I only seek knowledge. Aside from those present I have not engaged in any hostility. Even when I first arrived I had plenty of time to do whatever I desired in a population center, yet it is untouched. And just as you said, you’ve already bested me once before.” Brackus elaborated. Graves seemed to seriously consider his offer.

   “There’s a problem even if we “let” you roam free. There are more powerful beings that are most likely aware of your presence and they won’t hesitate to send you back and keep you from returning to this reality. One in particular concerns me more than anyone else. What information do you seek anyway?” He asked the alien.

   Brackus seemed almost excited to tell him, “It is rather simple, Graves. I seek a queen. Or rather, a queen for this reality.” Graves and the rest seem rather underwhelmed by his reasons. “You’re kidding, right?” Graves asked. “Not at all. Despite appearances I am a benevolent father, seeking to expand my family. It is my purpose, my eternal mission.” Brackus proclaims. “And seeing as my initial pick is... taken,” He gestures loosely to Blockade, “I must find another.” He finishes.

   Graves really doesn’t like that answer. “So what you’re saying is you want to spread your infection, is that right?” He asks with some anger. “You misunderstand. What is happening to her was from an attack but a queen accepts my gift willingly, their desires fulfilled. And if it puts your mind at ease, a can promise to not cause further disruption for the humans of Earth. I am a god of my word after all.” Brackus clarified.

   “Are you seeking a queen to take back to your reality? How will u go about seeking a queen?” Graves pressed. “I only seek one for this realm as my “representative” shall we say. As for my Queen specifically, I am drawn to beings of power. Though I may never find one that comes close to my dear Esdeath, I will find a suitable candidate for this realm.” Brackus informs.

   “Night Raven, stand down.”  Graves contacts his final team member, Night Raven,  who was positioned 10 miles out, her sights steady on Brackus’ head. “We may be able to help with whatever information you need. But you cannot harm anyone. Now please help my wife.”

   Brackus looks back briefly, as if trying to identify this “Night Raven” but he prefers to focus on the task at hand. He stands over the fallen Blockade and holds out his left hand. Within seconds a black fluid flows up to his hand from her wound, assimilating into Brackus’ skin. The lines recede from Blockade’s body. Brackus steps back now that he has finished his work. Brackus flexes his hand a bit, noticing a slight green shimmer that fades just as quickly as it appears. Graves is relieved, “Thank you.” he holds Blockade close. “Now down to business.” Just as Graves was about to finish, a bright light appeared before the group and an almost ethereal voice was heard.

   “Brackus the sinner, your presence here has created a disturbance that must be rectified. Thus, I must help you on your quest.” Brackus is rather surprised at the sudden arrival of this being. “Who are you?” He asked. “I am known as the Chronicler, and your intrusion into this reality has made my task somewhat interesting. Though I must admit for all your boasting, the fact that Earthlings have gotten the better of you does lower my overall opinion of you.” The entity elaborates. Brackus does not take kindly to being talked down to but keeps calm.

   “That being said, I am interested in your quest and will assist you. I have a pantheon of knowledge to share, but heed this warning, if you try in any way to double cross me or this reality, my “son” will not take kindly to that and will deal with you personally.” The entity warns with great seriousness.

   As if on cue, Strike Down’s equipment goes haywire. “Boss! We got a huge energy signature heading this way fast!” They all look up and the sky turns red, crackling with Primordial energy, crackling like from raging thunder. “Shit. This wasn’t what I wanted. I said your presence would grab the attention of certain beings.” he looks towards Brackus. A black and red figure hovers down and lands next to Chronicler. He looks at Brackus and says nothing. “Brackus, this is my “son” Batreyus. We will be aiding you in your quest, provided you abide by certain rules.” The Chronicler introduces.

   Brackus examines the newcomer with reserved intrigue. “Your son seems quite powerful.” Brackus remarks to the Chronicler. “He is no less than a god. Make no mistake, unlike you, he has no limitations.” The Chronicler reminds. Brackus holds his words, understanding where he stands currently, though he still keeps the air of superiority. “I see, and what rules do you speak of?” Brackus asked.

   “I will provide you information for what you seek in a queen and nothing more. You will not engage in battle with anyone even if it’s for knowledge. You will only stay for one Earth month and must return to your reality without exception. You are allowed to stay on Earth under the supervision of Lt. Marcus Graves himself. I feel both of you could learn a great deal from each other. Any questions?” The being of knowledge states.

   Brackus and Graves shared a brief look at one another. “In the event I actually find my queen, what fate awaits our offspring?” Brackus asks, his paternal instincts slightly showing. “Your offspring may return with you to your reality where they will remain. Batreyus, anything to add?” The Chronicler asks. Batreyus only answered with a stern “No.” Brackus ponders for a moment. “I agree to your terms, Chronicler.”

   “Very well. You will return with me to my home and let Lt. Graves and his people gather themselves and help with damages that have occurred. Tomorrow you are free to seek your “queen” with Lt. Graves by your side. I also want to pick your brain to see how reality differs from ours. That is only if you are willing to give that information.”

   Brackus gives a small chuckle, “Unlike my kin, I will indulge your desire of knowledge. Though I may need to repair my equipment first.” Brackus retrieves his mechanical arm. He reabsorbs his organic right arm and attaches the mechanical one to its proper place. Testing again, he finds that the fingers are still not functioning properly.

   “Worry not.” The Primordial God waves his hand in the air and all of Brackus equipment was as good as new. “There, perfectly reconstructed.”

   Brackus looks over his equipment speechless. “How...how does one attain a power such as that?” Brackus looked to the almost heavenly being, craving an answer. “Temper your desires, Brackus. I’ve seen what that type of hunger brings. A mortal that possesses such a level of power would inevitably succumb to entropy or madness.” The Chronicler warned.

   “Now let us be off so the Earthings can properly complete their task.”
Graves walks up to Brackus, “I don’t like you. I don’t like what you did to my wife or my team. But… I appreciate you helping my wife even if it was your fault to begin with. I do hope that somehow we can work together with no more issues in the future.” Graves extends his hand for a handshake. Brackus is hesitant for a moment but still shakes his hand. “Do remember, Graves, if not for your team I would have bested you.” Graves gives a little smirk, “Whatever you have to say to make you sleep better.” He quips. Without noticing both still kept their grip on the other, neither wanting to yield. “If you two could conclude your archaic squabbling, I’d prefer to move this process along.” The Chronicler voices, making both men release their grip at the same time.

   “I too have to go. There was something I was dealing with 4 galaxies away. After I’m done I’ll return home to see how things are going.” Batreyus announces before he flies into the air with earth shaking power. Night Raven appears behind Brackus thanks to Pathfinder. She walks up to the armored alien. “ I had you in my sights big guy.” She casually says as she’s chewing gum. “Just one shot is all it takes.” She shoots him with a finger gun. “Raven.” Graves slightly groans at his teammates' antics. “See you around maybe.” She says as she passes him.

   “I suspect we’ll be seeing a great deal of each other. Though most likely at a much closer distance.” Brackus says suggestively. “Piss off, space perv.” Raven flips him off as she walks next to the rest of her team. Brackus looks to Graves, “I like that one.” “Everyone does.” Graves knowingly says with a bit of a smile. “Brackus, shall we leave now?” The Chronicler calls. “Lead the way.” Brackus says as he follows the god.