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xp_logsIn the Triskelion, Wolverine, Nightcrawler, Dust and Spectrum join Iron Man against Nerkkod and Mokk.
Logan never expected to be at SHIELD HQ, much less with a written invitation. He'd have preferred if it'd happened when there wasn't an attempt to resurrect some Asgardians who wanted to destroy the world and the realms beyond. The sight that greeted them as they ran toward the intruders was chaos. Two of the Worthies and a group of shadow like things, Shades probably, were stalking toward the interior of the building while SHIELD forces and the Avengers were kept busy.
He motioned toward the breakoff group and angled toward them, hoping to slip behind them unnoticed but with no luck as the Shades turned to immediately engage them. He roared and stuck one immediately with his claws, watching it evaporate into grey mist.
Since her last encounter with the Dweller, Nica had been studying up on old X-Men reports and knew the Shades had once been people. SHIELD agents, most likely. Her stomach roiled at the thought and she followed Logan, taking to the air and glowing as bright as she could in an effort to disperse the shadow creatures. It only partially worked - they retreated, but gathered even more thickly around the two Worthies.
Nerkkod turned around as shades retreated backwards at the sound of claws swinging and people taking flight. "We've got company," he said, grasping his hammer tightly and raising it up in the air. He summoned electricity, and blue-white energy crackled and sparked up and down his weapon.
Kurt hung back a little as the lightning flashed around Nerkkod - not striking anyone, he noticed, or even coming near them - and watched the Shades and the two Worthies closely. Sooner or later, he hoped, there would be an opening he could exploit.
Sooraya had already shifted as soon as the first signs of battle popped up and was now using her higher vantage point to search for any opening. With the lighting flashing in the air an approach from above wouldn't work and it was the same for any direction they could see her coming. As close as possible to the ground it was then. As soon as she had reached that conclusion, she dropped to the ground, melding with the floor as close as possible as she inched closer.
"I knew I should have made a Thorbuster variant. No, Pepper said, he'll never be on the opposite side. Wish he'd mentioned the other step-children." Iron-Man was already tracking all of the targets, his combat algorithm feeding a complex mix of energy and missile attacks into the suit.
"We cannot let you pass," intoned the other Worthy, his accent revealing him as the French doctor, Paul Duval, as was. Now his gaze was stony and implacable as he looked at the small group. Unlike many of the other Worthy, his hands were bare. "Leave, lest you feel our wrath."
"We'd love to, only we were invited, unlike you," replied Nica. She was still working on the battle quips the rest of the them seemed to use so naturally, and she hovered above the other X-Men, waiting for the order. "No-one likes a gatecrasher."
The only reply was Mokk pointing his hammer at the group. Lighting exploded from it, streaking towards them. "Hold your useless words, child. Mokk only heeds the cries of battle."
Logan was already diving toward the side, out of the way of the blast of lightning. He hated getting electrocuted and that had been happening far too often while they were fighting this group. "Scatter!" he shouted as he felt the lightning make his hair stand on end and the air shiver around him. The ground seemed to roll under him and he hoped everyone else had managed to get out of the blast range.
Kurt had reacted as soon as he heard Logan’s warning, teleporting right up to the wall, where he looked to see what had become of the others.
As Mokk and Nerkkod were distracted by her team mates, Sooraya took her chance. She had to get those damned hammers away from them. She split in two, forcing herself under their feet and pulled out just as quickly so that Mokk went down on one knee and Nerkkod went to the floor entirely. Immediately she rose, wrapped a thick tendril of sand around each of the hammers and pulled with all her might.
Mokk's fist tightened on his hammer. "You think you are worthy, girl of sand?" he said. "Taste of my power, then!" And with that, he touched his bare hand to the sand running over the floor, concentrating. Where he touched, sand became stone.
Suddenly it was like one of her limbs was being squeezed between a rock and the road beneath her, but her instincts kicked in and small particles that made up her sand form began to move quicker and quicker, the sharp little edges biting into the stone and grinding it up. Soon Sooraya's entire form was vibrating from the force as it chewed through more of the stone.
Once she could free one tendril, she lashed out at any of the open skin she could reach, still as sharp as a knife.
"Did you miss #metoo?" Iron-Man touched down, pulling back his arms. The omni-blast from his chest caught Mokk square in the chest, breaking his hold on Sooraya. "This is a citizen's arrest for being publicly hammered." Six rockets smashed into Mokk, forcing him back further. "We're not prey any more. We're not cattle. Science has given us the fire of the God's and you will learn to respect it!" A repulser blast blew the man off the edge of the building.
Nerkkod got back to his feet, still gripping his hammer tightly. He'd summoned electricity earlier but had held back from releasing it; now he was pissed. "I've had enough of this!" He spun in a tight, fast circle, whirling his hammer around and discharging the built up electricity in random directions as he turned around several times.
In the chaos, Logan had worked his way back behind the two hammer wielding Worthies and was about to dart in and do some handiwork up close and personal when the lightning started being released again. He gritted his teeth in annoyance and ran in a low crouch, attempting to get past the lightning to knock some sense into the asshole holding onto the hammer. There were several close shaves as the lightning sizzled past him, but Logan finally was close enough to deliver several devastating punches to Nerkkod's back while he was facing the opposite way.
The Shades swarmed in as soon as Logan launched his attack, trying to pull him off, but Kurt leapt to his defense, punching and kicking and even whipping his tail to keep them back.
She wasn’t much use against the Worthy as far as she could tell, but the Shades were another matter. Light blasting from her fists, Nica dove towards Logan to help Kurt, each beam shredding the shadowy beings into wisps of darkness. Between the two of them, they seemed to be making headway against the attack, while Logan’s frenzied blows were slowly driving Nerkkod back. Things were looking up.
And then there was the roar of a very angry Worthy and Mokk reappeared, using his hammer to propel himself through the air. Thunder and lightning clashed around him as his hammer picked up on his fury. “Insects!” he roared. “You are!”
Sooraya had freed herself from the thick stone and rose to meet the angry Worthy. This time she focused and settled into her sandman form, matching her body closely, only being made entirely of sand. Still far shorter than the snarling man before her, she ignored the lighting and kicked out, first hitting him in the balls, then aiming two quick kicks at the back of his knees.
Asgardian armour was designed to protect the vulnerable areas, so the strike to his groin was ineffective. But the back of his knees was unprotected and he went down to one knee, catching himself on the hammer and using it as a brace. “Enough!” he bellowed, blasting the sand surrounding him with a full lightning blast.
With the force of the lighting, Sooraya was unable to maintain her sandman form and it exploded outward. Shaken, it took her a few moments to regain her balance and she quickly withdrew to gather herself.
A pair of rocket launchers unpacked from Iron Man's suit, and a dozen projectiles lashed out to encase the Worthy in a corona of fire. "Looks like-"
He was cut off by a guttural roar, one part pain, one part triumph. Incredibly, it echoed through the entire Triskelion and everyone who heard it paused in their actions to listen. The combatants were no exception.
Nerkkod paused along with the others, a gigantic grin spreading across his face as he realized what was happening. "Our brother has awakened," he exclaimed, raising his hammer high in a triumphant salute, before vanishing along with Angrir.
Dominion, Marvel Girl and Xavin join forces with Captain America against Angrir and Griethoth.
"I sense six in the immediate area. One friendly, the rest...not so much," Jean said as she, Garrison, and Xavin made their way toward the sounds of battle raging in the SHIELD vault. "Feels like they're under something's control. So we should probably go as easy as we can."
"They have magical god hammers. Can we ask them to go easy on us instead?" Kane said, following up towards the conflict.
“Do you think they’re in a listening mood?” Xavin asked, stepping into his wake.
"Greithoth, these pests are beginning to irk me." Angrir growled as he noticed the approaching group, narrowing his eyes as he recognized two of the approaching beings.
"They seek out their own destruction," replied Greithoth. "As does anyone who stands between the Worthy and what they seek." His voice sounded somewhere between regretful and resigned, but the tip of his hammer began to swing back and forth gently.
"This isn't your world. And it certainly isn't your country. So how about we finish this with you leaving quietly?" Captain America said, shield at the ready.
Garrison gave him a side eye. "Has that ever worked?"
"Vierville-sur-Mer. They helped refuel our vehicles before being marched off as prisoners."
"Fucking hell." Kane hissed in obvious admiration of Rogers.
"Unfortunately these people aren't that---" Jean said, quickly throwing up her own shield to protect herself as desktop computer was thrown at her by a Shade. The computer monitor exploded into sparks as it bounced off and skidded across the floor.
"Diplomatic," she said, knocking her assailant back into a nearby wall with a wave of her hand and a telekinetic blast.
"They must be here for someone. Got any guesses as to who?"
"It doesn't matter. Invasions are the same every time." Rogers joined the battle, knocking down three Shades in a heartbeat. "I want what you have. It's that simple. We stop them. It's what we do."
"He's right. Hold the line." Kane said, snapping a Shade in half. It dissolved into wisps in his hands.
Xavin stretched, reaching and curling around a Shade like a ribbon. The creature dissolved. “Ugh! That is so gross!”
Angrir ignored the destruction of the Shades, still chuckling at Greithoth's words. "Come now, you sound like this no fun at all.” Turning back to the fray, he swung his hammer towards the man with the shield.
Kane leapt over Captain America as he parried the blow, slamming both feet into the Worthy's face, sending him flying back.
"Remember me?" He hit the staggered god on the inside of the knee, forcing him off balance and making his strike go wide. "Run out of innocents to terrify? Ordinary people to bully?" A punch that could have snapped a car in half slammed into the godling's cheek. His follow up punch was blocked and an elbow to the chest sent Kane tumbling back a dozen metres.
They were gone. The people who were being mind controlled were more than just controlled...they had turned into something else. All that were left were vestiges. Shades of themselves. Fleeting souls and memories. That was what Jean had sensed before. The more she had tried to reach out, get through, hold onto them, the more the shades of who they before dissolved into whatever was left.
This thought distracted her a moment as she watched the shades disappear like vapor when they were hit. She closed her eyes in silent apology as she finished off the last Shade by smashing it against the wall with a telekinetic shield. She then turned her focus to Greithoth, the other Worthy, lashing out with a telekinetic blast to try to drive him backward.
Greithoth grunted as something smashed into him. Whatever it was, he couldn’t see it, but he shrugged and treated it as if a strong wind had suddenly caught him, leaning into it. His toes dug deep into the floor beneath him, deep gouges appearing, but he held, swaying only slightly as Jean's blast finally lessened in intensity.
Captain America's shield hit Greithoth with an almost musical sound, ricocheting off the back of the Worthy's head, angled off the ground and then caught Angrir flush in the back before bouncing twice and being snatched up by it's owner. While they had managed too slow both Worthy's down, it was becoming obvious, in the words of Nick Fury, that they were hopelessly, hilariously outgunned. He helped Kane stagger to his feet.
"This isn't working."
"No. If we've got any hope here, we need to get one off the board long enough to be able to focus on the other." Captain America said, shaking his head.
"Maybe a distraction? But what distracts a wannabe Norse God in a fight?"
Xavin usually limited their shifting to hulking out or stretching but that wasn't the only thing they could do. Just the most useful. They took a deep breath, focused down and in and Thor stood there. A slightly smaller Thor, sure but whatever. This hurt. This hurt so much. They wouldn't be able to hold it long. "Hey! Hey! You!"
Greithoth squinted slightly as he looked at whatever was calling him, and then a deep laugh rippled out of his chest. "God of Thunder," he laughed. "Of course you would join this fight. Though I think you choose the wrong side, for surely you are still worthy of your hammer? Maybe you could try this one if you can no longer find yours." And Greithoth threw his hammer at Xavin, not in anger, but a speculative toss, as if Thor would pluck it out of the air.
Xavin hulked, hard and fast, growing rocky skin. It wasn't enough. They flew through the air and went down hard. Everything hurt. The pain of shifting too fast, the impact of the hammer, the landing. It was too much and Xavin lay there, gasping and knowing they had to move, had to get up but couldn't.
A shadow fell over them, but then there came the unmistakable sound of the Hulk, a scream and a roar all at once. The shadow vanished, the two Worthy gone in an instant, leaving the space empty except for the First Avenger and the three X-Men.
Cyclops, Blink, Hellion and the Hulk are the last barrier between Skadi, Kuurth and the Dweller and the final hammer.
"Mutant cheesecake incoming!" Clarice yelled, reaching for her pouch of pellets as she fell through her own portal, the other X-Men hot on her heels as they arrived mid-battle. Immediately porting herself up to high ground as soon as the last X-Man cleared their arrival portal, she was already using her portals to get momentum on her pellets to spray as needed.
Julian would have rolled his eyes as Clarice vanished before him, but the scene below made them go wide instead. The battlefield was full of allies and adversaries- most notably Kuurth (nee Juggernaut) and the Hulk, who were being given a wide berth by all the other players as they rampaged across the arena. His attention was drawn to a familiar flicker of light on the far side of the chamber and his focus narrowed to only be able to see Tandy...no, not Tandy, the thing that had taken over her body. Anger welled up within him, sending waves of force out to rattle the nearby chairs so hard that they would have likely been pushed away if they weren't bolted down. Was it possible to hurt one without wounding the other? "She's here," he whispered.
Scott turned his head ever so slightly, resting his dark-eyed gaze on the younger man with a small nod, "If there was anywhere she was going to be it was here. So we've got another chance to get her back, we'll break through we always do." A flash of red heralded his entry to the fight, a blast of energy spearing out, flashing into the fight, "X-men, get in and split them up, remember, keep moving and keep them away from that hammer...and no-one touch it."
The portals opening and depositing additional beings, mutants, to the battle immediately attracted Skadi's notice. Their constant interfering presence needed to be dealt with, especially when they were this close to the completion of their task. Her Worthy should be more than capable of dealing with them, but the delay was unwelcome. She glanced toward Kuurth and Hulk delivering punches and blows against each other.
She wrapped a hand around her own hammer, feeling the surge of magic roll up her arm. She eyed the red blasts coming their way and how best to employ her own magic against the interlopers.
The new arrivals confirmed what Dweller expected, the hammer was nearby. Then Cul would be fully released and at full power. The demon took a step beside Skadi, around her eye the crescent moon was black as night. Dweller had warned Cul and his Worthy that the X-Men were meddlesome. Black smoke stretched out from her and towards nearby SHIELD agents, within moments their bodies crumpled to the floor and in their place a black Shade was standing. "Go get them." She said as the Shades took off quickly towards the oncoming X-Men.
There was one - one foe on this battlefield that called to Kuurth, that could hold their own with the Destroyer, and the armored man grinned, joyous and feral, as he charged towards a large green man just as tall and broad and muscular as he was. "Face me, jade warrior!" He called. "Face me in equal combat in this arena and we shall lay waste and bring fear to the millions of teeming weaklings assembled here!"
There was a simplicity in fighting that was rarely found in the rest of a day's life. It was always Hulk don't break that, Hulk don't punch him, Hulk no no no. No-one ever let him have any fun anywhere, but now...now this was fun. The green giant reached out a hand to grab the haft of the hammer swinging past him only to receive a punch in the face that rocked his head back a bit, leaving a lopsided grin on his features as he grinned at the strange armoured men that reminded him of Goldilocks, but for now it was time to draw his fist back and "SMASH."
Skadi frowned in displeasure as the collision of the two giants fighting for control of the battlefield sent Kuurth flying backwards. It was a setback they didn't need. These mutants needed to be stopped. She swung her hammer in a circle over her head, the lightning crackling from the once clear sky. They would be dealt with.
Kuurth's flight would help them too. His impact into the building wall had shattered a hole wide enough and in a location that would perfectly suit their purposes. "Dweller," she called, "we have access. I'll take care of the problems."
She aimed her hammer at the X-Men and unleashed the coiled lightning within. Thunder rattling the air shortly after with freezing sleet suddenly making an appearance and disintegrating sight lines. The sleet blew in wild, untamed gusts of wind, throwing the battlefield opposite Skadi into chaos.
One Shade followed Dweller as she made her way across the battlefield towards the opening. Seeing a familiar sight, she picked up the casing with ease and turned to leave through the opening once more.
Clarice didn't have a good sightline to try anything with her portals. In theory, she didn't need one, not when going to a vague destination somewhere, but in close quarters like this it made a huge difference, "Scott, can you get her?" she called, running towards them as best she could with the wind and sleet. "We gotta stop her!"
Everything happened so fast after that. Scott fired an optic blast in the direction of the Dweller, catching her in the chest and flinging her back. The woman’s body crashed heavily into the wall, knocking her unconscious. Around them, the Shades solidified and changed, becoming the hapless SHIELD agents who had been in the Dweller’s path, each dropping to the floor unconscious after the ordeal. The box in the Dweller’s hands dropped, shattered, and the hammer inside bounced once, twice… and then landed at the feet of the Hulk.
The moment hung, stretched into eternity… and then the Hulk bent and picked up the hammer.
A word from Scott brought Clarice to the unconscious Dweller’s side, a portal taking them both to the mansion. That was all there was time for before the energy wave catapulted through the room, knocking down all in its path… except Kuurth and Skadi. The noise that burst from the Hulk’s throat was one part scream, one part roar, despair and triumph combined. And when it was over, a green-skinned warrior stood there, clad in Asgardian armour, the hammer in his hand. He held Skadi’s gaze for a moment, then came and went down on one knee before her.
“Nul has awakened. What is your command, daughter of Cul?”
Logan never expected to be at SHIELD HQ, much less with a written invitation. He'd have preferred if it'd happened when there wasn't an attempt to resurrect some Asgardians who wanted to destroy the world and the realms beyond. The sight that greeted them as they ran toward the intruders was chaos. Two of the Worthies and a group of shadow like things, Shades probably, were stalking toward the interior of the building while SHIELD forces and the Avengers were kept busy.
He motioned toward the breakoff group and angled toward them, hoping to slip behind them unnoticed but with no luck as the Shades turned to immediately engage them. He roared and stuck one immediately with his claws, watching it evaporate into grey mist.
Since her last encounter with the Dweller, Nica had been studying up on old X-Men reports and knew the Shades had once been people. SHIELD agents, most likely. Her stomach roiled at the thought and she followed Logan, taking to the air and glowing as bright as she could in an effort to disperse the shadow creatures. It only partially worked - they retreated, but gathered even more thickly around the two Worthies.
Nerkkod turned around as shades retreated backwards at the sound of claws swinging and people taking flight. "We've got company," he said, grasping his hammer tightly and raising it up in the air. He summoned electricity, and blue-white energy crackled and sparked up and down his weapon.
Kurt hung back a little as the lightning flashed around Nerkkod - not striking anyone, he noticed, or even coming near them - and watched the Shades and the two Worthies closely. Sooner or later, he hoped, there would be an opening he could exploit.
Sooraya had already shifted as soon as the first signs of battle popped up and was now using her higher vantage point to search for any opening. With the lighting flashing in the air an approach from above wouldn't work and it was the same for any direction they could see her coming. As close as possible to the ground it was then. As soon as she had reached that conclusion, she dropped to the ground, melding with the floor as close as possible as she inched closer.
"I knew I should have made a Thorbuster variant. No, Pepper said, he'll never be on the opposite side. Wish he'd mentioned the other step-children." Iron-Man was already tracking all of the targets, his combat algorithm feeding a complex mix of energy and missile attacks into the suit.
"We cannot let you pass," intoned the other Worthy, his accent revealing him as the French doctor, Paul Duval, as was. Now his gaze was stony and implacable as he looked at the small group. Unlike many of the other Worthy, his hands were bare. "Leave, lest you feel our wrath."
"We'd love to, only we were invited, unlike you," replied Nica. She was still working on the battle quips the rest of the them seemed to use so naturally, and she hovered above the other X-Men, waiting for the order. "No-one likes a gatecrasher."
The only reply was Mokk pointing his hammer at the group. Lighting exploded from it, streaking towards them. "Hold your useless words, child. Mokk only heeds the cries of battle."
Logan was already diving toward the side, out of the way of the blast of lightning. He hated getting electrocuted and that had been happening far too often while they were fighting this group. "Scatter!" he shouted as he felt the lightning make his hair stand on end and the air shiver around him. The ground seemed to roll under him and he hoped everyone else had managed to get out of the blast range.
Kurt had reacted as soon as he heard Logan’s warning, teleporting right up to the wall, where he looked to see what had become of the others.
As Mokk and Nerkkod were distracted by her team mates, Sooraya took her chance. She had to get those damned hammers away from them. She split in two, forcing herself under their feet and pulled out just as quickly so that Mokk went down on one knee and Nerkkod went to the floor entirely. Immediately she rose, wrapped a thick tendril of sand around each of the hammers and pulled with all her might.
Mokk's fist tightened on his hammer. "You think you are worthy, girl of sand?" he said. "Taste of my power, then!" And with that, he touched his bare hand to the sand running over the floor, concentrating. Where he touched, sand became stone.
Suddenly it was like one of her limbs was being squeezed between a rock and the road beneath her, but her instincts kicked in and small particles that made up her sand form began to move quicker and quicker, the sharp little edges biting into the stone and grinding it up. Soon Sooraya's entire form was vibrating from the force as it chewed through more of the stone.
Once she could free one tendril, she lashed out at any of the open skin she could reach, still as sharp as a knife.
"Did you miss #metoo?" Iron-Man touched down, pulling back his arms. The omni-blast from his chest caught Mokk square in the chest, breaking his hold on Sooraya. "This is a citizen's arrest for being publicly hammered." Six rockets smashed into Mokk, forcing him back further. "We're not prey any more. We're not cattle. Science has given us the fire of the God's and you will learn to respect it!" A repulser blast blew the man off the edge of the building.
Nerkkod got back to his feet, still gripping his hammer tightly. He'd summoned electricity earlier but had held back from releasing it; now he was pissed. "I've had enough of this!" He spun in a tight, fast circle, whirling his hammer around and discharging the built up electricity in random directions as he turned around several times.
In the chaos, Logan had worked his way back behind the two hammer wielding Worthies and was about to dart in and do some handiwork up close and personal when the lightning started being released again. He gritted his teeth in annoyance and ran in a low crouch, attempting to get past the lightning to knock some sense into the asshole holding onto the hammer. There were several close shaves as the lightning sizzled past him, but Logan finally was close enough to deliver several devastating punches to Nerkkod's back while he was facing the opposite way.
The Shades swarmed in as soon as Logan launched his attack, trying to pull him off, but Kurt leapt to his defense, punching and kicking and even whipping his tail to keep them back.
She wasn’t much use against the Worthy as far as she could tell, but the Shades were another matter. Light blasting from her fists, Nica dove towards Logan to help Kurt, each beam shredding the shadowy beings into wisps of darkness. Between the two of them, they seemed to be making headway against the attack, while Logan’s frenzied blows were slowly driving Nerkkod back. Things were looking up.
And then there was the roar of a very angry Worthy and Mokk reappeared, using his hammer to propel himself through the air. Thunder and lightning clashed around him as his hammer picked up on his fury. “Insects!” he roared. “You are!”
Sooraya had freed herself from the thick stone and rose to meet the angry Worthy. This time she focused and settled into her sandman form, matching her body closely, only being made entirely of sand. Still far shorter than the snarling man before her, she ignored the lighting and kicked out, first hitting him in the balls, then aiming two quick kicks at the back of his knees.
Asgardian armour was designed to protect the vulnerable areas, so the strike to his groin was ineffective. But the back of his knees was unprotected and he went down to one knee, catching himself on the hammer and using it as a brace. “Enough!” he bellowed, blasting the sand surrounding him with a full lightning blast.
With the force of the lighting, Sooraya was unable to maintain her sandman form and it exploded outward. Shaken, it took her a few moments to regain her balance and she quickly withdrew to gather herself.
A pair of rocket launchers unpacked from Iron Man's suit, and a dozen projectiles lashed out to encase the Worthy in a corona of fire. "Looks like-"
He was cut off by a guttural roar, one part pain, one part triumph. Incredibly, it echoed through the entire Triskelion and everyone who heard it paused in their actions to listen. The combatants were no exception.
Nerkkod paused along with the others, a gigantic grin spreading across his face as he realized what was happening. "Our brother has awakened," he exclaimed, raising his hammer high in a triumphant salute, before vanishing along with Angrir.
Dominion, Marvel Girl and Xavin join forces with Captain America against Angrir and Griethoth.
"I sense six in the immediate area. One friendly, the rest...not so much," Jean said as she, Garrison, and Xavin made their way toward the sounds of battle raging in the SHIELD vault. "Feels like they're under something's control. So we should probably go as easy as we can."
"They have magical god hammers. Can we ask them to go easy on us instead?" Kane said, following up towards the conflict.
“Do you think they’re in a listening mood?” Xavin asked, stepping into his wake.
"Greithoth, these pests are beginning to irk me." Angrir growled as he noticed the approaching group, narrowing his eyes as he recognized two of the approaching beings.
"They seek out their own destruction," replied Greithoth. "As does anyone who stands between the Worthy and what they seek." His voice sounded somewhere between regretful and resigned, but the tip of his hammer began to swing back and forth gently.
"This isn't your world. And it certainly isn't your country. So how about we finish this with you leaving quietly?" Captain America said, shield at the ready.
Garrison gave him a side eye. "Has that ever worked?"
"Vierville-sur-Mer. They helped refuel our vehicles before being marched off as prisoners."
"Fucking hell." Kane hissed in obvious admiration of Rogers.
"Unfortunately these people aren't that---" Jean said, quickly throwing up her own shield to protect herself as desktop computer was thrown at her by a Shade. The computer monitor exploded into sparks as it bounced off and skidded across the floor.
"Diplomatic," she said, knocking her assailant back into a nearby wall with a wave of her hand and a telekinetic blast.
"They must be here for someone. Got any guesses as to who?"
"It doesn't matter. Invasions are the same every time." Rogers joined the battle, knocking down three Shades in a heartbeat. "I want what you have. It's that simple. We stop them. It's what we do."
"He's right. Hold the line." Kane said, snapping a Shade in half. It dissolved into wisps in his hands.
Xavin stretched, reaching and curling around a Shade like a ribbon. The creature dissolved. “Ugh! That is so gross!”
Angrir ignored the destruction of the Shades, still chuckling at Greithoth's words. "Come now, you sound like this no fun at all.” Turning back to the fray, he swung his hammer towards the man with the shield.
Kane leapt over Captain America as he parried the blow, slamming both feet into the Worthy's face, sending him flying back.
"Remember me?" He hit the staggered god on the inside of the knee, forcing him off balance and making his strike go wide. "Run out of innocents to terrify? Ordinary people to bully?" A punch that could have snapped a car in half slammed into the godling's cheek. His follow up punch was blocked and an elbow to the chest sent Kane tumbling back a dozen metres.
They were gone. The people who were being mind controlled were more than just controlled...they had turned into something else. All that were left were vestiges. Shades of themselves. Fleeting souls and memories. That was what Jean had sensed before. The more she had tried to reach out, get through, hold onto them, the more the shades of who they before dissolved into whatever was left.
This thought distracted her a moment as she watched the shades disappear like vapor when they were hit. She closed her eyes in silent apology as she finished off the last Shade by smashing it against the wall with a telekinetic shield. She then turned her focus to Greithoth, the other Worthy, lashing out with a telekinetic blast to try to drive him backward.
Greithoth grunted as something smashed into him. Whatever it was, he couldn’t see it, but he shrugged and treated it as if a strong wind had suddenly caught him, leaning into it. His toes dug deep into the floor beneath him, deep gouges appearing, but he held, swaying only slightly as Jean's blast finally lessened in intensity.
Captain America's shield hit Greithoth with an almost musical sound, ricocheting off the back of the Worthy's head, angled off the ground and then caught Angrir flush in the back before bouncing twice and being snatched up by it's owner. While they had managed too slow both Worthy's down, it was becoming obvious, in the words of Nick Fury, that they were hopelessly, hilariously outgunned. He helped Kane stagger to his feet.
"This isn't working."
"No. If we've got any hope here, we need to get one off the board long enough to be able to focus on the other." Captain America said, shaking his head.
"Maybe a distraction? But what distracts a wannabe Norse God in a fight?"
Xavin usually limited their shifting to hulking out or stretching but that wasn't the only thing they could do. Just the most useful. They took a deep breath, focused down and in and Thor stood there. A slightly smaller Thor, sure but whatever. This hurt. This hurt so much. They wouldn't be able to hold it long. "Hey! Hey! You!"
Greithoth squinted slightly as he looked at whatever was calling him, and then a deep laugh rippled out of his chest. "God of Thunder," he laughed. "Of course you would join this fight. Though I think you choose the wrong side, for surely you are still worthy of your hammer? Maybe you could try this one if you can no longer find yours." And Greithoth threw his hammer at Xavin, not in anger, but a speculative toss, as if Thor would pluck it out of the air.
Xavin hulked, hard and fast, growing rocky skin. It wasn't enough. They flew through the air and went down hard. Everything hurt. The pain of shifting too fast, the impact of the hammer, the landing. It was too much and Xavin lay there, gasping and knowing they had to move, had to get up but couldn't.
A shadow fell over them, but then there came the unmistakable sound of the Hulk, a scream and a roar all at once. The shadow vanished, the two Worthy gone in an instant, leaving the space empty except for the First Avenger and the three X-Men.
Cyclops, Blink, Hellion and the Hulk are the last barrier between Skadi, Kuurth and the Dweller and the final hammer.
"Mutant cheesecake incoming!" Clarice yelled, reaching for her pouch of pellets as she fell through her own portal, the other X-Men hot on her heels as they arrived mid-battle. Immediately porting herself up to high ground as soon as the last X-Man cleared their arrival portal, she was already using her portals to get momentum on her pellets to spray as needed.
Julian would have rolled his eyes as Clarice vanished before him, but the scene below made them go wide instead. The battlefield was full of allies and adversaries- most notably Kuurth (nee Juggernaut) and the Hulk, who were being given a wide berth by all the other players as they rampaged across the arena. His attention was drawn to a familiar flicker of light on the far side of the chamber and his focus narrowed to only be able to see Tandy...no, not Tandy, the thing that had taken over her body. Anger welled up within him, sending waves of force out to rattle the nearby chairs so hard that they would have likely been pushed away if they weren't bolted down. Was it possible to hurt one without wounding the other? "She's here," he whispered.
Scott turned his head ever so slightly, resting his dark-eyed gaze on the younger man with a small nod, "If there was anywhere she was going to be it was here. So we've got another chance to get her back, we'll break through we always do." A flash of red heralded his entry to the fight, a blast of energy spearing out, flashing into the fight, "X-men, get in and split them up, remember, keep moving and keep them away from that hammer...and no-one touch it."
The portals opening and depositing additional beings, mutants, to the battle immediately attracted Skadi's notice. Their constant interfering presence needed to be dealt with, especially when they were this close to the completion of their task. Her Worthy should be more than capable of dealing with them, but the delay was unwelcome. She glanced toward Kuurth and Hulk delivering punches and blows against each other.
She wrapped a hand around her own hammer, feeling the surge of magic roll up her arm. She eyed the red blasts coming their way and how best to employ her own magic against the interlopers.
The new arrivals confirmed what Dweller expected, the hammer was nearby. Then Cul would be fully released and at full power. The demon took a step beside Skadi, around her eye the crescent moon was black as night. Dweller had warned Cul and his Worthy that the X-Men were meddlesome. Black smoke stretched out from her and towards nearby SHIELD agents, within moments their bodies crumpled to the floor and in their place a black Shade was standing. "Go get them." She said as the Shades took off quickly towards the oncoming X-Men.
There was one - one foe on this battlefield that called to Kuurth, that could hold their own with the Destroyer, and the armored man grinned, joyous and feral, as he charged towards a large green man just as tall and broad and muscular as he was. "Face me, jade warrior!" He called. "Face me in equal combat in this arena and we shall lay waste and bring fear to the millions of teeming weaklings assembled here!"
There was a simplicity in fighting that was rarely found in the rest of a day's life. It was always Hulk don't break that, Hulk don't punch him, Hulk no no no. No-one ever let him have any fun anywhere, but now...now this was fun. The green giant reached out a hand to grab the haft of the hammer swinging past him only to receive a punch in the face that rocked his head back a bit, leaving a lopsided grin on his features as he grinned at the strange armoured men that reminded him of Goldilocks, but for now it was time to draw his fist back and "SMASH."
Skadi frowned in displeasure as the collision of the two giants fighting for control of the battlefield sent Kuurth flying backwards. It was a setback they didn't need. These mutants needed to be stopped. She swung her hammer in a circle over her head, the lightning crackling from the once clear sky. They would be dealt with.
Kuurth's flight would help them too. His impact into the building wall had shattered a hole wide enough and in a location that would perfectly suit their purposes. "Dweller," she called, "we have access. I'll take care of the problems."
She aimed her hammer at the X-Men and unleashed the coiled lightning within. Thunder rattling the air shortly after with freezing sleet suddenly making an appearance and disintegrating sight lines. The sleet blew in wild, untamed gusts of wind, throwing the battlefield opposite Skadi into chaos.
One Shade followed Dweller as she made her way across the battlefield towards the opening. Seeing a familiar sight, she picked up the casing with ease and turned to leave through the opening once more.
Clarice didn't have a good sightline to try anything with her portals. In theory, she didn't need one, not when going to a vague destination somewhere, but in close quarters like this it made a huge difference, "Scott, can you get her?" she called, running towards them as best she could with the wind and sleet. "We gotta stop her!"
Everything happened so fast after that. Scott fired an optic blast in the direction of the Dweller, catching her in the chest and flinging her back. The woman’s body crashed heavily into the wall, knocking her unconscious. Around them, the Shades solidified and changed, becoming the hapless SHIELD agents who had been in the Dweller’s path, each dropping to the floor unconscious after the ordeal. The box in the Dweller’s hands dropped, shattered, and the hammer inside bounced once, twice… and then landed at the feet of the Hulk.
The moment hung, stretched into eternity… and then the Hulk bent and picked up the hammer.
A word from Scott brought Clarice to the unconscious Dweller’s side, a portal taking them both to the mansion. That was all there was time for before the energy wave catapulted through the room, knocking down all in its path… except Kuurth and Skadi. The noise that burst from the Hulk’s throat was one part scream, one part roar, despair and triumph combined. And when it was over, a green-skinned warrior stood there, clad in Asgardian armour, the hammer in his hand. He held Skadi’s gaze for a moment, then came and went down on one knee before her.
“Nul has awakened. What is your command, daughter of Cul?”
