09-25-2016, 05:14 PM
The decline in quality had been noticeable between tiers, but the jump from the third to the fourth levels of Coruscant felt the most jarring. Zedd found himself much less impressed with the Imperial verse at this point, knowing that the Emperor was only displaying absolute control of a smaller area, and the other stories had scum running loose in his own domain. It was tempting to utilize the outlaws instead of the Imperials, but he knew he’d do far better working with the mightiest force.
“So, what do you think, Zedd?” Laci questioned from behind her freshly replaced Stormtrooper helmet. She continued to adjust the armor a bit as they walked, having thrown it on in a hurry.
“I find it humorous that the ’great’ Emperor does not have his own basement in order,” Zedd scoffed as they walked.
Knox shot a glance to Cade, who simply shrugged in response. There was no telling what this guy was talking about. Laci had only been inquiring about the plan of attack. Zedd caught their attention as he stopped across the street from their destination, and they formed an unorganized pack behind the prime.
“Wait here and intercept anyone who flees,” Zedd ordered. “Cover all the exits.”
“You’re going in alone?” Grace asked, the skepticism apparent in her voice.
“Of course,” Zedd responded as he marched forward without another word.
The Stormtroopers shuffled off to find a less visible spot, as this tier was far less welcoming to them than the higher ones. Lord Zedd, meanwhile, felt no such reservations. He marched straight forward, keeping a tight grip on his staff as he approached the building. He paid no mind to attention he garnered from the bystanders on the street. A bouncer stood by the door, and he didn’t have to strain his eyes to spot the demonic prime’s approach.
The man stepped forward to intercept Lord Zedd, but the prime had already raised his staff. A lightning bolt shot from it and struck the man in the chest. The bouncer sailed backwards and hit the door, forcing it open. Zedd never broke his stride as he stepped over the body of the bouncer, and entered the building. There was already a large group of patrons standing to meet the threat that Zedd posed, but that didn’t faze him either.
“Hello, cretins,” Zedd addressed the crowd that was focused entirely on him. “Which one of you is ‘the Bulldog?’”
There was an eerie silence. Zedd braced himself for the ensuing violence that normally erupted from such moments, but he was a bit surprised to see a man in a heavy trench coat walk forward from the crowd, laughing as he did. Zedd couldn’t resist the urge to let out a cackle, either.
“So, you are the peasant I’m hunting,” Zedd said as he sized up the man. Pale skin, bland hair. Truly, the man blended in.
“Yes, I go by ‘Bulldog’ in many circles. I’m impressed you found me so quickly,” Bulldog confessed. “It’s a bit of an honor to have one of Doctor Gero’s bioweapons sent to apprehend me.”
“The good doctor wishes he could craft something like me,” Zedd instantly replied. Whoever the hell that was, anyway.
“A prime, I would assume then?” Bulldog looked almost disappointed by that news. “Another hopeful Imperial lackey. I suppose these are your proving grounds, just as much as theirs.”
“Call me whatever names you prefer,” Zedd abruptly shouted. “I have little time or patience for such trivialities. You, Bulldog, are coming with me to the upper tiers. Your little recruiting and initiation scheme has come to an end.”
“Do you want to know why I’m so effective at this?” Bulldog asked, a grin plastered on his face as he spoke.
“Did…did I ask?” Zedd answered, taken a little off guard. “Because I don’t.”
Bulldog suddenly tossed a glowing orb of Omnlium from his left hand, and caught it in his right. As soon as the rainbow shaded substance make contact with his skin, it dissipated into his hand once more. Zedd understood what that meant, even as a recent arrival in the Omniverse. It was still an unimportant detail.
“Because I can bring in the fresh meat all day long,” Bulldog finished his explanation.
Maybe that would be intimidating to any other person. Maybe Bulldog just wasn’t as menacing as he thought. Either was possible, but Zedd continued to not care. His response was to raise his staff once more and unleash a lightning bolt into another criminal’s chest. The man flew backwards with a gurgled scream, and the others in the room looked down in horror as the man gave his final, pained breaths. That was how Zedd preferred to get into one’s head.
Bulldog ordered the remaining patrons to attack, though they were truthfully already in motion by the time the command left his mouth. Zedd, too, was in motion. He swung his staff around and tripped the nearest man to him, then stabbed the bladed end at the next closest. The others quickly surrounded him, stabbing and attacking with whatever tools they could.
As he watched the scene unfold, Bulldog took a few steps backwards. There was no organization or order to it, it was just a clear cut brawl. Still, they attacked Zedd with everything they could. Chairs were broken over the red monster, and broken bottles and knives stabbed into him. None of it hindered the being. Zedd systematically slew each and every one of them in turn with skilled movements of his staff. Soon, there only remained two primes.
“Were they all summoned by you?” Zedd taunted as he approached the Bulldog with the same casual gait he moved with before, as though he’d not just slaughtered a full room of people. “A man’s minions are a reflection of himself, I’ve always said.”
With Zedd seemingly exposed and open to attack, Bulldog rushed forward and materialized a sword in his hands. He stabbed it forward, but Zedd swatted it aside with his staff, then quickly grabbed the man by the throat. Bulldog gasped from within Zedd’s steel grip, but continued to smile.
“The possibility of endless power, but no clue how to use it,” Zedd continued to mock his foe.
Bulldog’s smile became just a bit wider, and then there was the sound of a gunshot. Zedd looked down to see that his abdomen had been pierced by a powerful handgun, clutched tightly in the Bulldog’s other hand. The man tried to laugh from within Zedd’s grasp, but found that he couldn’t. His smile vanished as he looked up at Zedd’s visor. The wound appeared to be barely an inconvenience for the dark lord.
Zedd hurled the man to the ground causing him to drop both of his weapons. Before he could recover, Zedd stomped on the man’s back, eliciting a roar of pain and agony. As the four Stormtroopers entered the bar, Zedd paced around the downed man, so he could tower over his head. He ignored his frustration that his orders weren’t followed for the time being, and instead basked in the fact that he had what he needed.
“Well, Bulldog,” Zedd announced to the downed man. “As much as it pains me to say something so frivolous, you are under arrest in the name of the Empire.”
“So, what do you think, Zedd?” Laci questioned from behind her freshly replaced Stormtrooper helmet. She continued to adjust the armor a bit as they walked, having thrown it on in a hurry.
“I find it humorous that the ’great’ Emperor does not have his own basement in order,” Zedd scoffed as they walked.
Knox shot a glance to Cade, who simply shrugged in response. There was no telling what this guy was talking about. Laci had only been inquiring about the plan of attack. Zedd caught their attention as he stopped across the street from their destination, and they formed an unorganized pack behind the prime.
“Wait here and intercept anyone who flees,” Zedd ordered. “Cover all the exits.”
“You’re going in alone?” Grace asked, the skepticism apparent in her voice.
“Of course,” Zedd responded as he marched forward without another word.
The Stormtroopers shuffled off to find a less visible spot, as this tier was far less welcoming to them than the higher ones. Lord Zedd, meanwhile, felt no such reservations. He marched straight forward, keeping a tight grip on his staff as he approached the building. He paid no mind to attention he garnered from the bystanders on the street. A bouncer stood by the door, and he didn’t have to strain his eyes to spot the demonic prime’s approach.
The man stepped forward to intercept Lord Zedd, but the prime had already raised his staff. A lightning bolt shot from it and struck the man in the chest. The bouncer sailed backwards and hit the door, forcing it open. Zedd never broke his stride as he stepped over the body of the bouncer, and entered the building. There was already a large group of patrons standing to meet the threat that Zedd posed, but that didn’t faze him either.
“Hello, cretins,” Zedd addressed the crowd that was focused entirely on him. “Which one of you is ‘the Bulldog?’”
There was an eerie silence. Zedd braced himself for the ensuing violence that normally erupted from such moments, but he was a bit surprised to see a man in a heavy trench coat walk forward from the crowd, laughing as he did. Zedd couldn’t resist the urge to let out a cackle, either.
“So, you are the peasant I’m hunting,” Zedd said as he sized up the man. Pale skin, bland hair. Truly, the man blended in.
“Yes, I go by ‘Bulldog’ in many circles. I’m impressed you found me so quickly,” Bulldog confessed. “It’s a bit of an honor to have one of Doctor Gero’s bioweapons sent to apprehend me.”
“The good doctor wishes he could craft something like me,” Zedd instantly replied. Whoever the hell that was, anyway.
“A prime, I would assume then?” Bulldog looked almost disappointed by that news. “Another hopeful Imperial lackey. I suppose these are your proving grounds, just as much as theirs.”
“Call me whatever names you prefer,” Zedd abruptly shouted. “I have little time or patience for such trivialities. You, Bulldog, are coming with me to the upper tiers. Your little recruiting and initiation scheme has come to an end.”
“Do you want to know why I’m so effective at this?” Bulldog asked, a grin plastered on his face as he spoke.
“Did…did I ask?” Zedd answered, taken a little off guard. “Because I don’t.”
Bulldog suddenly tossed a glowing orb of Omnlium from his left hand, and caught it in his right. As soon as the rainbow shaded substance make contact with his skin, it dissipated into his hand once more. Zedd understood what that meant, even as a recent arrival in the Omniverse. It was still an unimportant detail.
“Because I can bring in the fresh meat all day long,” Bulldog finished his explanation.
Maybe that would be intimidating to any other person. Maybe Bulldog just wasn’t as menacing as he thought. Either was possible, but Zedd continued to not care. His response was to raise his staff once more and unleash a lightning bolt into another criminal’s chest. The man flew backwards with a gurgled scream, and the others in the room looked down in horror as the man gave his final, pained breaths. That was how Zedd preferred to get into one’s head.
Bulldog ordered the remaining patrons to attack, though they were truthfully already in motion by the time the command left his mouth. Zedd, too, was in motion. He swung his staff around and tripped the nearest man to him, then stabbed the bladed end at the next closest. The others quickly surrounded him, stabbing and attacking with whatever tools they could.
As he watched the scene unfold, Bulldog took a few steps backwards. There was no organization or order to it, it was just a clear cut brawl. Still, they attacked Zedd with everything they could. Chairs were broken over the red monster, and broken bottles and knives stabbed into him. None of it hindered the being. Zedd systematically slew each and every one of them in turn with skilled movements of his staff. Soon, there only remained two primes.
“Were they all summoned by you?” Zedd taunted as he approached the Bulldog with the same casual gait he moved with before, as though he’d not just slaughtered a full room of people. “A man’s minions are a reflection of himself, I’ve always said.”
With Zedd seemingly exposed and open to attack, Bulldog rushed forward and materialized a sword in his hands. He stabbed it forward, but Zedd swatted it aside with his staff, then quickly grabbed the man by the throat. Bulldog gasped from within Zedd’s steel grip, but continued to smile.
“The possibility of endless power, but no clue how to use it,” Zedd continued to mock his foe.
Bulldog’s smile became just a bit wider, and then there was the sound of a gunshot. Zedd looked down to see that his abdomen had been pierced by a powerful handgun, clutched tightly in the Bulldog’s other hand. The man tried to laugh from within Zedd’s grasp, but found that he couldn’t. His smile vanished as he looked up at Zedd’s visor. The wound appeared to be barely an inconvenience for the dark lord.
Zedd hurled the man to the ground causing him to drop both of his weapons. Before he could recover, Zedd stomped on the man’s back, eliciting a roar of pain and agony. As the four Stormtroopers entered the bar, Zedd paced around the downed man, so he could tower over his head. He ignored his frustration that his orders weren’t followed for the time being, and instead basked in the fact that he had what he needed.
“Well, Bulldog,” Zedd announced to the downed man. “As much as it pains me to say something so frivolous, you are under arrest in the name of the Empire.”
![[Image: zedd2018.png]](http://epiqz.com/mysigs/zedd2018.png)