Stars over the Omniverse

[Storyteller]

This post occurred prior to Dante's Abyss and leads directly into FW's 'Sign Up' post

The Future Warrior was ushered into a room at the back of an imperial safehouse. The pair of space marines gestured her into the compound with a jerk of their thick necks before returning to guard the entrance.

Unsure of what to expect, the blue warrior strode down the metal hallway until she came to a little metal door that slid down with a lovely pneumatic hiss. Once she was over the threshold, the Future Warrior was startled slightly when the door slid shut with a loud bang that jiggled the steel frame. At the same time, the track lighting in the room flashed on to reveal what appeared to be, for all intents and purposes, a modernized blacksmith’s work studio. Racks of tempered steel armor and weaponry hung from the walls and glistened in the fluorescent lights. A few anvils decorated the center of the room, whilst a large industrial furnace sat idle on the far wall of the forty-foot chamber.

“H-hello?” Graowr asked as she walked to the center of the room and poked at one of the large anvils. Atop the massive chunk of steel was a large blacksmithing hammer, and given the old saying, the blue fighter took a quick glance around before wrapping her hands around the shaft of the tool. “HNNGH” Despite its size, the weight of the hammer was enough that she found her arms jiggling like jello as she tried to hoist it from the anvil.

“You’re not metal enough,” a gruff voice barked from the left side of the room, eliciting a yelp from the Future Warrior.

Releasing her grip on the hammer, Graowr spun to see that a large ‘man’ had stepped out from an opening that had appeared on the left wall of the chamber. “Hey,” she muttered, lifting a hand to wave at the metal-coated man as he lumbered down from the handful of steps to glare at her from across the room.

At nearly seven feet tall, the figure had the appearance of an older man. A large white beard draped halfway down his massively broad chest. In fact, the chest was the body, with only a pair of wide metal feet beneath a body that resembled an armor-plated mailbox more than anything else. Smithy's hands were oversized gauntlets adorned with red accent paint and studded wrist guards, and instead of arms, they were connected to his massive frame by large chain-links. The unkempt white beard was complemented by a balding head of white hair adorned with a small golden crown.

“You are the one they sent to me?” The machine-man barked as he lumbered toward Graowr. He reached over her smaller figure and scooped up the hammer. “What are you?” He asked as he rested the hammer over one of his metal non-shoulders.

“Graowr.”

“You work for the Empire? You’re the ‘operative’ they sent me?”

“That’s me!” The Future Warrior said with an enthusiastic expression as she glanced around the room. “You’re a blacksmith?”

“I am Smithy,” the metal pseudo-man barked before he walked over to a tool rack and set the hammer down next to a few of its family members. “And I have zero interest in exchanging pleasantries with a tiny rubber girl.”

Graowr shrugged her shoulders and glanced around the room one more time. In the extra light, she could see that most of what was hoisted onto the wall racks fell into the spectrum of ‘weapon of mass destruction.’ Large melee weapons and a variety of guns and artillery that looked designed for intercontinental or even intergalactic battle. “So you make weapons?”

“No pleasantries,” Smithy grumbled as he retrieved a small device from the wall. It was a little projector that created a three-dimensional image of a tiny star. “You are familiar with the star pieces that fell into the Omniverse a few years ago?” The Future Warrior’s blank expression gave Smithy his answer, and after grumbling something under his breath, he continued. “They are powerful artifacts. They had them in my universe. They fell shortly after my arrival, so I can only guess that they are ‘inspired’ by the same relics I sought prior to be absconded to this place.”

“What are they for?” The Future Warrior asked.

“Here? I don’t know,” Smithy responded as he powered off the projector and set it back onto the rack. “In my world, the Star Road had the power to grant wishes and shape reality. I will be blunt,” he paused as he glanced over to another shelf. The majin followed the smith’s gaze to see that he was staring at a large sword that seemed to have a face for a guard and a decorative horned skull as a pommel. “I tried to harness the power of the stars. Like this Omni creature, I used to live in my own realm. I used to be a god… I wanted more. My hubris was my undoing,” he scowled—his stiff visage contorted in something halfway between grief and rage. He turned to look at the blue warrior. “The stars must be reunited.”

“What do you expect them to do?” The Future Warrior asked, still unsure of what she had been roped into by the Empire.

Smithy grinned the wide, open-eyed smile of a genuine maniac as he lifted his gauntleted fists to the sky. “I have no idea. Power? The heart’s desires? The unknown?” He lowered his hands and stared at her. “The Kingdom hoards one of the pieces, and there’s no telling how many have fallen into the hands of their operatives or wayward adventurers. They must be reunited… through force or blackmail or whatever chicanery is at our disposal. The Empire cannot risk their power falling into the hands of rogue elements or vile nations.”

The Future Warrior, mind still swirling with thoughts, simply nodded her head. “h’okay,” she muttered as her scouter suddenly let out a notification ping. “I have something…” She added as she placed it on the side of her head and opened up the notification. It was a forwarded email about some kind of battle competition – guts, glory, prizes – all the things that people love to punch other people about. Her eyes widened a little and a small smile spread across her face as she detached the scouter and smiled at Smithy. “I’m glad we had this talk, but that was the Empire. They have a new assignment for me.”

The smith scowled, seeing through her childlike attempt at masking the truth. “The star pieces.” He reiterated. “Do not forget, rubber girl. For better or worse, you are all that they’ve given me thus far… so I must rely on you to be my force.”

“Uh huh!” The Future Warrior declared cheerfully as she nodded her head and made her way to Tier 1.