Eldritch Horror's Story

The changing rooms were a place where Atrix was harassed a lot as well, but through some manner of goodwill, or maybe it was the fact that Meeko was standing too close to the door and too far away from them for them to try anything to him as well, nothing ended up happening. This was not a guarantee to last, but for today it was halted.

After getting changed, Atrix came out with Meeko to the gym. He was doing everything he could to ignore them as much as possible...

And then, suddenly....the Gym Physical Development Teacher arrived.

"Alright. So, unlike the normal Gym classes others might take, this will be a lot more effective, but also a lot more extreme. Please keep that in mind. Now, first of all, I want to know what everyone is capable of. That is why..."

Suddenly, a warp gate opened up and a weaker class Eldritch Horror popped out. However, there seemed to be a barrier separating the end of the gym they were gathered at, and the rest of the gym, that prevented it from even noticing them.

"...I will see how you fare against this Eldritch Horror! Don't worry, its a weaker class, but don't let those tentacles get on you. Let aside the uncomfortable feeling, this one is not one of those Eldritch Horror's that just traps you in those tentacles....it will try to crush every single bone in your body, and turn you into paste. Now, we will be here to stop the fight if you get into danger, but...best be careful. This will be graded, but keep in mind this is your 'COmbat Ability' Grade. In other words, you can improve this grade, but you should try to aim for as high as you can. Now, first up...Atrix Akir!"

As he called his name, Atrix took a step forward and started doing some stretches. There was also a very faint, nearly undetectable by enhanced physical senses, and impossible to sense through magical senses, shadow watching from the distance holding a letter he recently received, but that was somewhat unrelated.

However, there was something else that, while almost as hidden as the shadow, would be a lot more prominent for Meeko. That was the air around Atrix Akir. When Atrix was doing his stretches, Meeko could catch a glimpse of his eyes...and see a determination. It was similar, but not the same, to his studying determination. It was...stronger...and was fueled by something deep inside him.

"Atrix Akir has obtained the bonus points!"

"Huuuuuuuh?!"

This was not Atrix that replied, but another student.

"Although you wont always have time, if you know a battle is coming, it is best to prepare for it as much as you can. First student to realize that gets bonus points".

Unfortunately, it seemed like those bonus points also drew him ire, but he completely ignored it...and stepped through the barrier.

Almost instantly, the Eldritch Horror attacked, launching all of its tentacles and it's teeth at him, along with it's tongue. It moved at a speed surprising given his physical makeup and size, and it had tenacity that even shocked the teacher a little. And it charged...

....at empty air? Atrix had just been there a moment ago, but now he was not!

"Spirits, bring forth the blades of judgement!"

Atrix had now appeared over him, having apparently jumped an entire two stories into the air. Thankfully, the gym was five stories tall. Additionally, seven spectral blades floated around him.

"Judgement Blades!"

All those blades shot into the tentacles, except for one at the main body. However, it sacrificed several tentacles to dodge the one lethal strike, and even dodged the blade's secondary movement Atrix had set as a trap, charging right towards him. Atrix quickly took out three marbles from his back pocket, and threw them at the Eldritch Horror.

"Grid, Figuration Nine!"

Suddenly, several beams of light shot out from the marbles and formed a grid. Even though there appeared to only be three marbles, the beams also reflected and refracted off empty air, and formed a containment grid to stop it's advance. Atrix had completely sealed it's movements...

"Gah!"

However, he then got hit with one of the severed tentacles, knocking him into the wall. His gym clothes seemed to absorb the damage, and his endurance was far better then his strength so he was able to not get disqualified. After that, he quickly summoned some sort of light or energy in his hand as the Eldritch Horror was finally able to navigate around the grid.

"Astroia!"

Small and tiny orbs of light shot out from those hands, leaving glowing trails as they sped. It did not look very powerful at first glance...however...

When they impacted, they all exploded, and vaporized the Eldritch Horror into nothingness.

"...well, I guess that is one way to prove combat ability, even if it was mostly power. The Eldritch Horror did outsmart him, after all".

Even though Atrix had won, the teacher still saw through Atrix's lack of experience. Even if he had power, the Eldritch Horror had set a trap for him, and outsmarted him despite being a lesser species. Atrix still got a great grade, but he was seen through completely by the teacher. He also requested they bring up another Eldritch Horror, since he didn't actually expect the first student to kill it.

Meeko felt the air around Atrix charge with determination as he stretched and got ready to fight the creature and he could see the fierce determination in his eyes. However even Meeko was oblivious to the shadow figure.

He watched as Atrix fought the creature. He was good, but it was clear he had rarely been in life or death situations, but it was also clear that he could handle himself should the need arise.

"Great job out there. For a first timer, that was awesome." Meeko smiled at Atrix

The teacher went down a list of the students with no noticeable order to it. Meeko watched as one student after another went up against the creature and most weren't able to kill it. One student in the group of those between Atrix and Meeko fights was able to kill the beast. Meeko took note that the beast was either a fast healer, or that there was a healing spell in play so that every student went up against a full powered monster. He also noticed that the monster learned from each students attacks and that if another tried to use the same attacks, they would fail. The teacher saw that Meeko was observing this and made note of it.

"Up next, Meeko Maow." the teacher called.

He stretched, as every student had after Atrix, before walking up to the barrier. His multi-colored eyes were filled with glee that bordered on giddiness. He looked as though he were about to play his favorite game. Some of the students were scared by that, other scoffed thinking he was being cocky. But Meeko had more fighting experience than most would have thought.

He walked through the barrier after making himself intangible aside from the bottoms of his feet and his claws. The creature attacked at him instantly. All the tentacles and teeth flailing at him as the students expected him to go flying across the room, the attacks simply went right through him like he wasn't even there.

Meeko started walking toward the creature as it furiously tried to land an attack. He held out his claws, scratching into the tentacles that flailed at him and injecting them with his neural toxin and the creature began to shriek in pain as the poison began to attack the pain centers of it's brain. Meeko stopped right in front of the creature's body, it was still trying to hurt him to no avail as his toxin took hold causing even more pain. He reached up to the creature's chest making his right hand intangible and reached into the creature's chest. He found a pulsing organ and he realized it was the heart. He grasped it in his hand and made his hand tangible once again. He pulled the heart out through the beast's chest. It let out a horrifying sound before falling down dead.

Through the whole test he remained eerily calm. The teacher made some marks on the paper. "Staying calm under pressure, good job. Having a plan ahead of time, also good."

"Thanks." Meeko smiled and gave the teacher the heart. "Here you go. I think the science lab might be able to use this."
He took his seat again and he watched the other students face the creature.

"CONSUME! DEVOUR! CONSUME!"

Suddenly, a tear within the veil of reality opened up in the sky, and pouring down from above were numerous Eldritch Horrors led by Azethoth, in an attempt to consume reality. They would devour the people, the objects, time and existence itself. They would...

"Knights! Hold back the main forces! Charge through and destroy the Elder God!"

"Destroy the mortals!"

Azethoth and his forces immediately got engaged by one of the most powerful defense forces in the universe, the Dragon Knights. Riding Dragons, they wear enchanted power armor, both the knights and the dragons, and have enchanted laser and energy weapons that let them hold their own. Their dragons were already capable of tearing into starships, but this has let them pull off some extremes.

The battle for the fate of the multiverse had begun!

Responding to the threat Mauhasinan Death Gliders ripped though the sky. Thier Light cannons blazed to life beams of pure light energy blasting into the horrors as they came forth.

On the ground Mauhasinan troopers set up defense turrets while the Priestesses raised up light Shields to cover the troopers as well as the natives. It was a mad rush to get the defense going those Priestesses and troopers not setting up defense where shooting into the invaders.

"Keep them off the civies! Show them the power of the Light!" Shouted Nephthys as she joined the defense.

"Simeon. Do you think we should get involved?" Phaidra asked. She hoped he said yes. She had been itching to put her Berrettas to good use. It had been so damn long since she had a taste of combat, since she got to hear the sound of heads splitting with the pull of a trigger.

"Not yet. We don't make any moves unless Diana gives us the word." replied Simeon, who was sitting with one leg crossed over his knee. He watched with a straight face as the sky ripped open before their eyes, allowing the horrid creatures from some other plane to spill out into the world they had come to call their own--Origin.

Phaidra grit her teeth in frustration and pounded her fist on the table. This earned her a cutting glance from Simeon, who lifted his glass of champagne above the white cloth as the table shook. "This blows. All she ever wants us to do is recruit and train. What's the point of gathering all these forces and training them if we aren't ever going to use them?"

Simeon kept quiet. She did have a point, but it wasn't his place to question Diana's orders. He just followed them. That was his place. So for now, Simeon stayed in his seat and watched as the city's defenders rose to the challenge presented by this invading forces.

As the valiant Origin Defense Forces and the allied Mauhasinan forces held their own, Azethoth's cracks began to spread throughout the universe, as Eldritch horror began to appear all over across time and space in the Multiverse.

Azethoth himself was a super powered entity capable of consuming entire galaxies, an Elder God from a time before the Multiverse existed. He was intent on consuming everything, from Origin, to the Mauhasinan Homeworld, to Terra, to all over.

And his Eldritch Horrors continued to spew out, attacking anything and everything they could. In particular, one large Eldritch Horror seemed to appear, closing in on the Mauhasinan forces with barriers up and planning to ram right into them...

...and yet, this was stopped by a strange power that rose up from the back! A large blast of magical energy not only pierced the beast, but even sent it flying away outside the city limits so the corpse would not land on the Mauhasinan troops. Perhaps they were so considerate as to thank them for helping the civilians during this strange invasion.

And for the record, Origin had supplied them with books detailing the usual monsters and what not, so had they read them they would know this was unusual even for Origin. In fact, this event would have a lasting impact on the entire Multiverse. And for those who realized, they would be able to guess why it was happening today.

It was Halloween, the day of mysteries and the night of mayhem.

Phaidra impatiently tapped her fingers on the smooth mahogany table in front of her as she watched these horrific creatures run amuck. A curse escaped her rosey lips, which had taken the shape of a pout as panicked pedestrians hurried past them. She could hardly believe what she was hearing! Was Simeon really going to sit here and let innocent people die in front of them? Ridiculous!

"I swear, Simeon. You're always so fixated on following Diana's orders that you can hardly think for yourself. You might as well tie a leash around your neck." Her words were harsh but she knew they were the truth. She didn't believe in sugarcoating the advice she gave. Especially with Simeon, with whom she'd been working for some time now. They were past the bullshit niceties that people used to lessen the impulse of truth's impartial hand.

"It's as if you don't care for anyone but yourself."

"Are you finished? Your rancid breath is making it really hard to enjoy my drink." answered Simeon matter-of-factly. He was, as always, aloof. To maintain this level of indifference in the face of some sort of extra-dimensional invasion and a barrage of scathing remarks required an astounding degree of self-control. Or emotional damage. In Simeon's case, it likely was a messy combination of both.

"Although your nigh-pathological aversion to authority prevents you from seeing it, there is a benefit to law and order. It's what separates us from mere beasts and barbarians."

Simeon shook his head with a sigh. He knew she would never get it. They were just too different. Sometimes it made him wonder why Diana had chosen them to be partners in the first place. The truth was that Simeon did care about the people around him. What he wouldn't give to join the fray but his respect for the hierarchy of their order outweighed his desires and personal sense of responsibility.

He threw his head back to finish his drink. The crunch of breaking bones coupled with an unsettling howl signaled that another of the city's finest had fallen. He sighed again.

"Perhaps a call to HQ is in order." he said.

Simeon fetched his phone from his pocket and dialed the number he had in mind. "Yeah. Put Diana on. It's urgent."

...

"Yes, Simeon?" chimed the voice of Diana Sævildottir from the other end of line. Her voice was as smooth as a velvet cloth, yet it possessed an air of superiority that incited anyone who heard it to stop and listen.

"There's an attack on Millenium Plaza. Class 5 threat at the very least. With your permission, I think it's best that we join the fray."

There was a brief period of silence before Diana spoke again.

"After thinking it over, I've decided to grant your request. Based on your description, this seems like a suitable event to announce our rebirth. I'll be sending a small regiment of Galguta to assist you."

"Oh, and Simeon, show them what we're capable of."

He thanked Diana and ended the call. Phaidra practically leapt from her seat when he told her the details of his phone call.

"About time. Let's show these ugly bastards that they picked the wrong city to invade." she exclaimed and rose to her feet.

A grin appeared on her face as she was overtaken by an ebullient spirit, birthed from what seemed like an eternity of quiet anticipation. She was finally going to get to flex her muscles in combat, and she didn't intend to waste time doing so. Small dots of blue light began to shine around Phaidra as she employed her abilities. These speckles seemed benign and unimportant at first glance, but those who could detect sources of magic and other arcane energies would promptly discern that these were not ordinary collections of luminescent particles -- yet they sported a different "flavor" from the magic typically used on Origin (and other worls as well).

Guided by the woman's will, these elusive particles coalesced and birthed two rectangular handguns. They were plain in design, comprising charcoal gray bodies with silver trimmings. The only thing that stood out about them was the engraving of the Greek letter Omega on the sliding of each weapon. She took aim at a group of those repulsive creatures that approached them, snarling and groaning all the way, fired more than a dozen gross rounds in the span of a few seconds. The two handguns roared with deafening pops as its potent "bullets", crafted from the strange blue particles that seemingly appeared from thin air, mangled the vile beasts before they could reach them.

Trails of thick, bile-colored blood splattered on the ground and nearby tables. Careful not to get any of the ooze on her clothes, Phaidra quickly sidestepped a glob of the stuff as it came her way. Then, she moved on to the next one.

Simeon stretched his fingers wide to produce a large bowie knife from the same particles that his companion manipulated prior to him. He gripped the blade tightly and rose to his feet, casting his gaze across the city plaza that had been changed into a battlefield. The sounds of conflict electrified him to his very core. So, he sprinted toward the nearest group of eldritch horrors. They were attempting to rip a man apart by his arms and legs. Simeon could see the terrified expression on the man's face as he glanced in his direction. Although his fear had rendered him a mute, it was obvious that the fearful look in his eyes was a cry for help.

And help he did. Unlike Phaidra, Simeon preferred dispatching his enemies with melee weapons in a practice he dubbed "close-contact work". He put his skill with bladed weapons on display by lodging his bowie knife square between one of the monsters' eyes with a powerful throw. Then, he summoned two more to beleaguer the remaining creatures with a virulent combination of stabs, slashes, and physical strikes. One by one did he hack down the preternatural grotesqueries that came before him, and his enjoyment of the battle grew with every successful kill.