05-08-2017, 12:51 AM
The devil hunter released a bated breath his chest had unconsciously been holding in. The dust had settled, and every enemy was revealed to have been put down in short order, fodder and mastermind alike. Picking himself off the ground, Dante's hands swiped over his clothes, dusting off grit and debris from the sudden detonation of the enemy commander. Everyone looked a little worse for wear after the battle (Dante and his coat seemed especially charred), but they all seemed in good health otherwise, thanks to Regal's devices. Zedd's plan had ultimately worked out, much to the liberators' relief- all except the former overlord himself, of course.
Only one matter left demanded to be addressed: the Dark Chip over the ominous remains, shining and animated like loot begging to be grabbed. The liberators knew better- even Zedd himself, who bore no intention to use it on himself. The other four surrounding him were arguably more adamant about not being a victim to Nebula's tools, especially for the sake of playing a lab rat. So those four came to an unconscious agreement; if the conqueror so dearly wanted to make use of this dark power, he should do so himself.
Allowing him to do so, however, might not end up being the wisest of decisions in hindsight. Only time would tell, though.
Curiously, not a one of them exchanged further words. Desman had started walking, then Jak, and in due time all five of the liberators were pressing on to the factory's double doors. The hands of Nebula were expecting them, and so these warriors could only march forward with conviction: a group determined to go beyond what their enemy expected.
The double doors of the facility were pushed aside with a creak, and the team was bombarded not with weapons, but stench. Rank scents of oil, metal, and pollution practically fogged the atmosphere of the main factory floor. Not a creature lay in wait, the only life being the droll of fluorescent lights and outdated machinery. The obvious path seemed straightforward enough- no need to split the party to find the core. A cacophony of footsteps echoing off each other provided all the noise of the liberator team as they moved ahead.
It didn't take long to locate what they were presumably looking for: a large portal, forged from material and debris of the factory. The structure competed with the Omniverse's own gates in design, but the ambient vortex of swirling darkness outed it as something else entirely.
As Zedd raised his arm, the Liberator Aide on his wrist went off in alarm. The radar of the device became fizzled and distorted, as if the device itself were being interfered with. A voice alighted instead:
"Warning: Dark power concentrations at overwhelming levels. Accurate scanning capability exceeded. Exposure will have unpredictable results."
The overlord looked back up, witnessing Jak follow Morene headfirst into the dark portal. Dante and Desman both had hesitated upon hearing the message, though still poised to move in. They exchanged glances while Zedd uttered some alien curse.
"Uh... hm. That could be bad," The devil hunter offered in admission. Hopefully said results would not include long-lasting or permanent effects.
Unperturbed but still quite annoyed, Zedd waved his staff to shoo aside Dante as he stomped forward. "Then we will exercise caution, and think before acting!" The mastermind grumbled, forcing himself through the portal with a triumphant stride.
Dante wanted to say the statement was ironic, coming from Zedd, but the certainty of it seemed lost.
Only one matter left demanded to be addressed: the Dark Chip over the ominous remains, shining and animated like loot begging to be grabbed. The liberators knew better- even Zedd himself, who bore no intention to use it on himself. The other four surrounding him were arguably more adamant about not being a victim to Nebula's tools, especially for the sake of playing a lab rat. So those four came to an unconscious agreement; if the conqueror so dearly wanted to make use of this dark power, he should do so himself.
Allowing him to do so, however, might not end up being the wisest of decisions in hindsight. Only time would tell, though.
Curiously, not a one of them exchanged further words. Desman had started walking, then Jak, and in due time all five of the liberators were pressing on to the factory's double doors. The hands of Nebula were expecting them, and so these warriors could only march forward with conviction: a group determined to go beyond what their enemy expected.
The double doors of the facility were pushed aside with a creak, and the team was bombarded not with weapons, but stench. Rank scents of oil, metal, and pollution practically fogged the atmosphere of the main factory floor. Not a creature lay in wait, the only life being the droll of fluorescent lights and outdated machinery. The obvious path seemed straightforward enough- no need to split the party to find the core. A cacophony of footsteps echoing off each other provided all the noise of the liberator team as they moved ahead.
It didn't take long to locate what they were presumably looking for: a large portal, forged from material and debris of the factory. The structure competed with the Omniverse's own gates in design, but the ambient vortex of swirling darkness outed it as something else entirely.
As Zedd raised his arm, the Liberator Aide on his wrist went off in alarm. The radar of the device became fizzled and distorted, as if the device itself were being interfered with. A voice alighted instead:
"Warning: Dark power concentrations at overwhelming levels. Accurate scanning capability exceeded. Exposure will have unpredictable results."
The overlord looked back up, witnessing Jak follow Morene headfirst into the dark portal. Dante and Desman both had hesitated upon hearing the message, though still poised to move in. They exchanged glances while Zedd uttered some alien curse.
"Uh... hm. That could be bad," The devil hunter offered in admission. Hopefully said results would not include long-lasting or permanent effects.
Unperturbed but still quite annoyed, Zedd waved his staff to shoo aside Dante as he stomped forward. "Then we will exercise caution, and think before acting!" The mastermind grumbled, forcing himself through the portal with a triumphant stride.
Dante wanted to say the statement was ironic, coming from Zedd, but the certainty of it seemed lost.
Quote:598 words.