Merchants of Death

Chapter 24





The army of Silverymoon was simultaneously struck by rockets, machine gun fire, sonic cannons, napalm, radiation cannons, and even small arms fire from security personnel in the building. Hundreds of Knights in Silver died in the first minute as they were shot, irradiated, blown up, set on fire, and had their eardrums burst. The Spellguard mages fared a little better, protected by their wards and defensive spells, but they still lost over thirty spell-casters to the first enemy salvo.



A few more minutes of losses like that probably would destroyed the whole army. However the people from Silverymoon refused to give their enemies such an easy victory.



A giant wall of golden light shimmered into existence over the invading army, shielding them from further attack as enemy fire was deflected by the magical barrier. Saving the knights and mages from the technological fury that Imperious Industries had been unleashing on them.



High Mage Alustriel Silverhand slumped as she finished casting the spell, her epic feat of magic leaving her feeling drained and weak. The soldiers and mages closest to Alustriel looked at their leader expectantly, assuming that she would follow up her defensive spell with an equally impressive magical attack based on their experience with the Chosen of Mystra.



But the High Mage simply shook her head in response. For she was cut off from her goddess, and lacked her usual strength.



~I doubt that I could cast any but the simplest of spells right now~ Alustriel thought, hoping that her full powers would return if she rested for a minute, and that none of their enemies would sense her weakness.



“Attack now...capture their citadel for the sake of Silverymoon” the High Mage commanded in a raspy voice. Knowing that regardless of her present weakness her troops were still strong.



*****



Imperious Dakar had learned a great deal about Silverymoon from the contacts he had made on Toril, so the technomancer felt like he had a rough idea of what the Knights in Silver and Spellguard were capable of.



He knew that he had to keep the invading army out of the Iberian portal facility at all costs. His own security personnel were lightly armored (for the most part) and would probably fare badly against the heavily armored and armed knights in close quarters, especially if it devolved into melee combat.



Besides most of Dakar's security personnel hadn't been recalled from Terra One yet, and Imperious didn't really have enough manpower at the moment to properly defend the building if the knights got inside.



“How can we be sure that these soldiers are from this Silverymoon place?” a technician in the Command Center wondered aloud as he stared at his monitor.



“I recognize the flags and armor” Dakar replied distantly as he stared at another screen. Evaluating the various threats in his mind.



~Hopefully the leader of Silverymoon did not come with her troops...if half the rumors about her are accurate she is almost as powerful as The Phoenix~ Dakar thought.



“What is Omega Squad's E.T.A.?” Angelus asked the technician manning the Command Center's communication console.



The technician looked up at the dangerous cyborg looming over him and said nervously “they didn't give an E.T.A. Sir...they just said that they would get here as soon as possible.”



Angelus repressed the urge to reach down and throttle the man. Knowing that it wasn't really his fault and that killing the technician would be counterproductive at this point.



“Keep calling until you get an answer” Angelus commanded.



“I am more concerned by the fact that the Iberian military hasn't responded to this invasion of the capital...is it because some of them think the Lera with the invaders is the real one?” Dakar asked seriously, too worried to bother with his thuggish accent for the moment.



“We should never have let the Mind Flayers appoint that incompetent fool Francisco Defense Minister” Angelus said angrily.



“Probably...but its too late to do anything about it now...I'll contact the President and ask her to send troops to deal with the invaders” Dakar replied, as he mentally reached for the elf woman masquerading as President Chrissy Lera.



But Dakar couldn't feel Gennifer Lera's presence. It felt as though she had left the city, or simply died.



There was little to no outward sign of what Dakar was thinking, but Angelus knew the technomancer better than anyone else did, and he sensed something was wrong.



“What is it?” the cyborg asked.



“I need to investigate a problem at the palace” Dakar replied, considering how best to get from here to the Presidential Palace with the portal facility under siege.



As Dakar was leaving with his familiar Udragoth the technician at the communications console reported “sir urgent news from the Security Ministry...they say they have captured a demon known as Kimie Li.”



“Good” Dakar said with a grin, knowing that Li was an old friend of Chrissy's, and that the demon could serve as a valuable hostage at this point if more direct measures against the necromancer didn't work.



*****



After Imperious Dakar, Selene, and their Mind Flayer allies had taken over Iberia they had added Kimie Li's name to a list of potential troublemakers. The people on this list were supposed to be arrested on sight if they ever attempted to enter the country.



Kimie Li and Chrissy Lera had not spoke in years, but thanks to his insights into the necromancer's mind Dakar knew that Chrissy still cared about Kimie (she was just too proud to apologize for her part in their breakup). Despite the common perception of demons as being completely self serving Dakar considered Li trying to rescue Chrissy or aid the necromancer in some other way a legitimate possibility and wanted to be prepared.



Thanks to that preparation Kimie Li and the people she had brought to Iberia were now being held in a facility that the Ministry of Security used for detaining suspects. Prisoners of a ministry that Dakar now ran in all but name.



But Kimie refused to be intimidated, assuring the disguised Christopher Lera and her employees that “everything would be all right.” Knowing that it would be all too easy for them to panic, and that that would just make things worse.



Christopher, whose current form was that of a petite human woman, wasn't so sure.



Kimie, Christopher, and the thirteen employees of Sinful Li Produced that had come with them to Iberia were being held in a large room. The room was bare except for a long table with a dozen chairs, and it had no windows and just one (steel) door.



They had not been tortured or even interrogated, but in a way that made things worse. They all had a vague idea (especially Christopher) of the kinds of terrible things that the Ministry of Security could, and often would, do to prisoners. Making them wait for something to happen just let the anticipation and fear build.



Christopher knew that their captors were doing it deliberately, that it was a tactic the ministry often used. But somehow that didn't make her feel any better.



The person sitting next to the Minister of Foreign Relations began to cry. She had started working at Sinful Li Produced because she wanted to get rich and didn't mind having sex on camera. This sort of thing wasn't in her job description, and made her feel so scared and sad she felt like peeing herself and then hiding in a corner.



“Shh...it's okay...its okay...we will be all right” Christopher reassured the porn star as she laid a comforting arm around the woman's shoulder.



“But Nikki...what're they gonna do to us” the 'actress' whimpered.





Christopher almost corrected her companion, but then she remembered that she was currently operating under the name Nikki Veil, and that Kimie Li was the only person here who knew who and what she really was.



“Nothing...I am sure that this is all a big misunderstanding” Christopher finally replied.



“No it is not” a new voice said.



All the prisoners looked towards the door and saw a Mind Flayer and two zombie soldiers enter the room. The zombies were expressionless beneath their armor, but the illthid's white gaze swept over the group of prisoners disdainfully, before finally settling on Christopher.



“How long has it been dark elf?” the Mind Flayer said, as his facial tentacles quivered with anticipation.



Christopher had trouble telling illithids apart, but something seemed very familiar about this one. Causing her to gasp in surprise “Evacmora.”



“Yes Christopher...but things have changed since we last met...your mother is just a puppet and my kind rules Iberia now” Evacmora gloated.



Evacmora had worked with Christopher in the past during a series of difficult negotiations. The other side had a telepath so Christopher had needed one too. Evacmora had been quite helpful and Christopher had even recommended him for a promotion. But the Mind Flayer was apparently incapable of gratitude.



Kimie Li attempted to defuse the situation, standing up and approaching the Mind Flayer as she said calmly “there's no reason for anyone to get upset...we just want to return home...and were perfectly willing to-.”



“Silence demon whore” Evacmora interrupted with a slap, hitting Kimie as hard as he could across the face.



“You may have disguised your form but you cannot hide the shape of your mind from me Christopher...you and your family will serve us now...but unlike your mother there's no need to keep you and this scum alive” Evacmora bragged. Focusing all his attention on his former superior and completely ignoring the demon he had just hit and insulted.



*****



Kimie Li liked to say that she was a lover not a fighter, and most people who knew her would agree with that.



Li preferred negotiation over confrontation, solved most of her problems with seduction, wit, or money, and was more likely to play a submissive than a dominant in the adult movies she starred in. Kimie even tried to make herself appear shorter sometimes by making those around her wear extra tall high heels or through similar tricks.



Kimie Li was so good at making others see her as sexy and somewhat silly that people tended to forget just what she really was. That this smiling actress and businesswoman was also the daughter of a balor and a strong demon in her own right.



No one was more surprised than Evacmora when Kimie growled and punched him in the head. Hitting the Mind Flayer with enough force to cave in the side of his face and send his body flying across the room to hit the wall with a sickly crunch.



The two guards tried to respond, but Li charged them and smashed their heads together before they could do anything. Destroying machinery and undead flesh in a burst of broken metal and gore.



Christopher Lera and the employees of Sinful Li Produced stared at the carnage in shock. Trying to process how the normally nonviolent and self indulgent Kimie could kill three people so efficiently.



“THE DOOR'S OPEN...COME ON LET'S GO LET'S GO” Kimie yelled urgently.



When her companions just continued to stare at her in shock Li said in a more normal tone “or would you rather stay here and be tortured...their not going to be happy when they see the dead squid-head.”



That got through to the demon's companions. They rushed through the door and started running.



*****



Sophie Frost had continued to mentally wail, drowning her mother in her grief and leaving Emma Frost all but useless as far as the battle went.



~SHUT UP~ Emma Frost eventually shouted (telepathically) at her daughter.



Sophie shut up, the words hitting her with the violence of a blow.



~I'm sorry baby but we don't have time to grieve right now...so just be quiet for mommy all right~ Emma continued in more soothing tones.



~All right mother~ Sophie whimpered mentally, feeling helpless and infantile in a way that she never had before (despite her current form).



Emma Frost stood up and realized that she was still clutching Celeste's severed head. She tried to put it down but found that she couldn't. Realizing a moment later that her unborn telepathic daughter's influence over her body was preventing her from letting go.



~Sophie that's not Celeste anymore...its just a corpse...and we can't keep carrying it around everywhere~ Emma gently told her daughter.



Sophie relented and the blonde regained full control of her limbs. Putting Celeste's head on the ground with a profound sigh.



As Emma stood up straight she realized that a lot soldiers were watching her curiously. She decided to ignore them and adopted an imperious air reminiscent of her old White Queen persona as she asked the nearest mage “where is Lady Alustriel?”



Emma Frost followed the directions the wizard gave her and found Alustriel Silverhand near the rear of her army.



Storm was with her, and appeared to be consulting with the High Mage as Emma approached. Looking at her former enemy with concern as she said “Emma I am so sorry about your girls...you don't have to fight right now if you don't feel up to it.”



Continuing compassionately “I would have stayed with you except-.”



“You don't have to mother me Storm...besides you are even less qualified to do that than I am...now where are She-Hulk and Mystique?” Emma interrupted rudely. Irritated by Ororo's condescending (as she saw it) compassion.



Storm was silent for a second, offended by the way that Emma was insulting her and throwing her kind words back in her face. Then telling herself they had no time during a battle to worry about such pettiness.



“Mystique is attempting to sneak into the facility so that she can open a gate and let our soldiers in...She-Hulk is acting as a distraction so that the guards won't notice” Storm replied coolly.



Emma nodded and then turned to the High Mage, asking briskly “can you do any more big spells like the energy wall your majesty?”



Alustriel still looked tired, but not as exhausted as she had right after creating the magical wall. Replying with a hint of her usual charisma and power “not right now...but our forces remain strong...and I think I could cast more epic spells later today.”



That wasn't what Emma was hoping for, but it was better than she expected.



“Storm there is no further need to hide our forces or worry about navigating through the city...hit the building with everything you can without wrecking this army” Emma told the wind rider.



“Sounds like a good idea” Storm agreed.



Then Storm said in a softer tone “Emma I know that you and I have never been friends but I am truly sorry about what happened to Mindee, Celeste, and Phoebe...I always liked those girls.”



Emma just nodded, feeling a lump in her throat as she watched Storm use a gust of wind to fly into the air.



~Its a pity we were never friends...I think she could have been a good one~ Emma thought as she watched Storm. Then Frost looked away as she focused on the battle once more.



*****



Storm clouds started to rapidly gather over the portal facility, then powerful burst of lightning shot down from the clouds to strike the building. Spellguard mages were also showing initiative as they struck the enemy fortress with fireballs, meteorites, cones of cold, and all manner of magical attack.



It would have been obvious to someone much less intelligent than Imperious Dakar that walking or even driving out of the portal facility was dangerous. Dakar himself was all too aware of the risks involved.



It would have been convenient if the technomancer could simply teleport from the building to the Presidential Palace. But the devices and spells that kept the mages among the enemy forces from teleporting in also stopped him from teleporting out.



So Dakar launched the fastest vehicle in the portal facility. Which looked like a large armored helicopter but was actually a modified hovercraft.



A section of the roof opened up to let the hovercraft out, closing as soon as the vehicle ascended into the sky. A bolt of lightning shot out at the military flyer, missing it only thanks to the pilot's quick reflexes.



But it couldn't miss the next lightning strike, a burst of electricity that struck the vehicle near its fuel tank and destroyed it in an explosion of flame and red hot fragments of metal and plastic. Then the flaming wreck fell from the sky, crushing an unlucky knight beneath its ruined frame.



~I am glad that I decided not to ride in the prototype~ Dakar thought as he sneaked out a side door of the portal facility. The vehicle he had sacrificed providing enough of a distraction for him to do so unnoticed. Then the technomancer, his familiar, and a few soldiers teleported to the Presidential Palace.





*****



The magical barrier Lady Alustriel had created was about six feet directly above the majority of her soldiers. This meant that only the portal facility's automated weapons that were more or less on street level (which the majority of them were not) could strike at the army of Silverymoon.



The few mages inside the facility had tried counteracting the High Mage's spell, but all their attempts had failed. Such epic magic was beyond them.



This left the job of fighting the Spellguard and Knights in Silver to the few Imperious Industries security personnel left at the portal facility after the majority of the security forces had gone to combat the V.S.A. on Terra One.

The unlucky corporate soldiers were getting an idea of how outmatched they were as the She-Hulk charged them.



Roughly seven feet tall, green skinned, and bulging with more muscle than most of the soldiers involved in this battle, She-Hulk was a fearsome sight as she runs towards her enemies. Her long legs carrying her towards them with frightening speed.



The Imperious Industries troops shoot at her from their positions in or near the building but it has no effect. Bullets bounce harmlessly off her green skin, and even explosives do little more than shred and char her clothing.



The Jade Giantess is so good at distracting the security personnel that Silverymoon infantry and cavalry are able to approach the security forces relatively unmolested. Soon the poor corporate soldiers were being pierced by enchanted arrows and struck with magic swords.



But the worst thing for them is the green warrior woman. Smashing at least one of the guards with every blow and crushing all their weapons in her super-humanly strong hands.



She-Hulk knocks aside the guard standing in a doorway and is about to enter the building when a metal fist seems to appear out of nowhere and strikes her in the face. Hitting the powerful woman hard enough to force her back a step.



Its the first time anything on this world has hit She-Hulk hard enough to cause her pain, and she pauses for a moment to study her new enemy.



The figure was even bigger than she was, its entire body covered in black armor, with a huge helmet shaped like a samurai's and glowing blue goggles for eyes. As She-Hulk watched panels all over the creature's armored torso slid open, revealing dozens of little missiles, that were immediately fired at the gamma powered warrior.



“ANGELUS” She-Hulk heard someone behind her angrily shout just as the missiles struck her. Moving too slowly to avoid the powerful little explosives.



*****



Angelus watched on the main screen in the Command Center as She-Hulk was blasted backwards by Angela's attack. Wondering how his clone would fare against a foe as powerful as the green warrior.



It might seem odd to outsiders that Angelus would send someone into battle so quickly because he considered them quite expendable AND a valuable military asset, but it made perfect sense to the ruthless cyborg.



However regardless of his faith in his clone 'daughter's' power Angelus knew that even if she was as powerful as him she could not prevail against the invaders alone. Angelus just hoped that Angela could buy them time until reinforcements arrived.



*****



The Mind Flayer looked at the room where Kimie Li and her companions had been held. Staring down at the mangled bodies of Evacmora and his two guards. Wondering how the Ministry of Security's own security could have failed so badly.



Then the illithid telepathically contacted his superior, reporting hesitantly ~sir there's a problem...the prisoners appear to have...escaped.~



*****



No guards tried to stop Imperious Dakar and his group as they entered the Presidential Palace. In fact he saw few people at all in the normally bustling government building.



The distinctive piles of dust and clothing that Selene tended to leave behind were scattered everywhere. The few people he saw were simply lying on the floor and moaning, a quick telepathic scan confirmed that their minds had been psychically attacked, rendering them little more than vegetables.



Before long Imperious, Udragoth, and the dozen Epsilon units that they had brought with them made their way to the President's office. Stopping before the receptionist's desk in front of it.



Dakar leaned down and saw the receptionist sitting under the desk.



The busty dryad appeared to be in shock, clutching her legs to her chest and rocking back and forth. Not reacting at all to the sight of Dakar's scarred face.



“What happened here Willow?” Dakar gently asked the dryad.



“Selene and her girl came back...they came back...and then they killed everyone...so I hid...but Selene's girl found me here and said...they...they were saving me for later” Willow Rothschild whispered as much to herself as to Imperious Dakar.



Then the dryad seemed to see Dakar for the first time as she started to silently cry. Tears running down her face as she asked “can I go now?...I don't like it here anymore.”



“Of course” Dakar replied, curious as to how the dryad planned to leave, considering the fact that she couldn't go far from her tree.



Willow got out from under the desk and grabbed the large pot her tree was in. Almost bowing under the weight of the heavy plant as she walked away. Powered more by desperation and fear than anything else.



“Resourceful girl” Dakar murmured as he watched the dryad walk away.



Then Dakar stared at the doors to the President's office. Asking himself ~do you really expect me to just walk in Selene?~



*****



Selene, Esme Cuckoo, and Gennifer Lera waited expectantly in the Presidential office. The old witch's magic hid all three from Dakar's powers, but Selene had no trouble seeing the technomancer.



The computer at the president's desk relayed an image from the security cameras of Dakar, Udragoth, and their robotic warriors. Allowing Selene to watch their every move.



The psychic vampire turned away from the computer screen to gaze fondly at Gennifer Lera. Happy about the fact that the same spells that had transformed Gennifer into a mirror image of her daughter also allowed Selene to utterly dominate the mind and will of the dark elf sorceress.



The false tyrant smiled placidly, ready to attack her mistress's enemies at a moment's notice. Yet still completely convinced that she was Chrissy Lera, even though the real Chrissy would never submit so easily.



Esme was more confident. Lounging in a chair with the kind of innate arrogance that was only surpassed by people like her mistress.



~Dakar has no idea how powerful me and mine are...once he comes in here he will die~ Selene thought.



Then the glamorous old witch gazed at the monitor again, and uttered a curse so ancient and vile that it briefly distorted the very air around her.



“What” Esme said as she rushed to her mistress's side.



“He's gone” Selene said as she pointed at the monitor. Her magic and psychic abilities failing to detect the technomancer and his companions either.



Then Selene remembered something important about Imperious Dakar. Something she had seen one of the few times that she had glimpsed directly into his mind.



If an enemy really wanted Dakar to be somewhere, he usually chose to go somewhere else.



*****



Marian Casta had just run off to attack what appeared to be the cyborg that had all but killed her, and her lover Chrissy Lera was about to join her when the necromancer suddenly stopped in her tracks. Held fast by a haunting voice.



~Come to the Presidential Palace...come to your mistress.~



The words seemed to emerge from Chrissy's very soul, and the necromancer could no more deny them than she could consciously control the blood flow in her brain. Even her great arrogance and will power were as nothing against this summons.



Then in a flash of light she was gone.



Lady Alustriel watched as the dark elf sorceress teleported away.



The Chosen of Mystra had been denied her greatest powers on this world. Nevertheless a trace of her divine intuition remained, and that intuition told her that something very bad had just happened.



*****



The paladin of Silverymoon's scream was cut off as Angela tightened her armored fist, crushing his head and then throwing the mangled corpse at his outraged comrades. Then barely dodging a blow from the She-Hulk that probably would have cracked armor.



Angela was getting worried.



While she was definitely causing her green skinned opponent pain with some of her attacks, nothing she did seemed to really hurt She-Hulk. Bullets, explosives, fire, and even radiation appeared to have no lasting effect on the super strong woman. But the one time that She-Hulk had managed to hit Angela (so far) her punch had dented the supposedly all but indestructible armor.



~And now these stupid knights won't leave me alone~ Angela thought as another group of paladins charged her.



Angela had no way of knowing it but the ordinary knights were ignoring her. It was clear that regular weapons couldn't hurt her so the paladins in the Knights in Silver were focusing on her, because most of them had magic weapons of some kind and their own supernatural forms of attack.



The regular knights were trying to sneak by her so that they could assault the positions of the few Imperious Industries personnel left. The guards had finally brought out some machine guns and other heavy weapons, so it was basically a contest of superior firepower versus overwhelming numbers. At least until the Silverymoon mages started throwing fireballs and other magical attacks at the guards.



~Our boys are getting slaughtered~ Angela thought as she saw a machine gun nest blown apart by a flight of fireballs. So distracted that she was hit by a figure wearing beautiful bone white armor.



“DON'T IGNORE ME ANGELUS” Marian Casta screamed. So angry that she didn't even notice that Chrissy had disappeared from her side.



Even with her enhanced strength Marian Casta was still not strong enough to actually hurt Angela. But She-Hulk was, and when the cyborg focused on Marian She-Hulk punched Angela hard enough to lift the armored female off her feet and launch her back into a mounted paladin.



Having over half a ton of armored elf land on it killed the poor horse instantly. But the Paladin was not so fortunate, his legs were crushed beneath the weight of his mount and Angela, leaving the man in unbelievable pain. But the holy warrior refused to give up.



He swung his enchanted sword Avenger as hard as he could at the enemy in the fearsome black armor. Cutting through armor and into flesh before the cyborg could react.



“THAT HURT” Angela said in surprise as she looked at the wound in her arm. Punching the paladin so hard that his heart was instantly crushed.



“That hurt” Angela said in a more thoughtful tone as she picked up Avenger. Staring at the sword as she thought ~it must be very powerful magically...nothing else could so easily get through my armor.~



The cyborg looked from her new sword to the She-Hulk. As the dangerous green woman charged at her Angela readied herself. Then when the She-Hulk reached her Angela thrust out with her sword.



The strike was more powerful than any the paladin had ever been able to deliver, powered by the great strength of Angela's bio-mechanical limbs. Avenger's magical blade sank deep into the flesh of the She-Hulk and emerged out of her back. A look of utter shock on She-Hulk's face as she was wounded more deeply than ever before. The horrified expression dimly reflected on the gleaming surface of Angela's mask.



*****



Angelus watched with satisfaction as Angela stabbed She-Hulk again and again. His clone doing her best to kill the powerful green woman.



Then the brutal security chief saw something he liked a lot less on his security monitors. Something that looked just like one of his security personnel sneaking up behind his few remaining guards and slitting their throats. After that the apparent traitor's entire body seemed to shift, becoming blue in color, with red hair and yellow eyes, its generous curves unmistakably feminine.



~The shapeshifter~ Angelus thought in outrage as Mystique opened a door. Waving to attract the attention of the other invaders and let them know that they could come inside the building now.



*****



Chrissy Lera appeared on the front steps of the Presidential Palace in flash of eerie green light. Her shapely black body clad in a simple wizard's robe as the necromancer's protective pseudo-spirits took form around her, looking as though she had an aura of angry ghosts.



The dark elf sorceress's mind was dominated by one thought, an idea and command from the very depths of her own soul (yet spoken in someone else's voice). This thought was repeated over and over again in her mind.



~Find Imperious Dakar inside and kill him.~



*****



After Kimie Li and her companions had escaped from the Ministry of Security they had wandered the streets of Neroka. The demonic businesswoman thought that the best thing they could do at this point was to find a good hiding place.



But Christopher Lera and her employees thought differently. Once the shock of seeing Li kill someone had worn off they were all overjoyed to find themselves with such a powerful defender. Most of them were suggesting that the group fight its way to the airport (with the understanding the Kimie would do most if not all of the fighting) and then fly out of Iberia on the company plane.



But Kimie Li had to disillusion them.



“Listen...yes I'm very strong, immune to a lot of things, and damn near

un-killable...but I can't do magic, have no psychic ability, and am not immune to blunt force trauma.”



“Hell I can't even fly even though both my parents could...I am really considered the runt of the litter by my succubus momma and balor daddy” Li confessed in an even more bitter tone.



Her comrades were silent for a moment. Then 'Nikki Veil' asked “but Kimie if you're invulnerable who cares if you can't do magic?...we can still fight our way to the airport.”



“I am NOT invulnerable...I can just generate a new body when my old one dies...besides I thought you wanted to find your mom before leaving” Kimie replied sharply.



The currently human and female Christopher shrugged her small shoulders with a sigh. Replying wearily “that was before the Mind Flayers knew who I am and why I'm here...things are different now...even if you were as powerful as a balor we couldn't fight the whole country.”



Ordinarily the porn stars and other employees with Li would wonder what the hell Kimie and 'Nikki' were talking about if they overheard a conversation like this. But they were so scared and agitated at the moment that they barely noticed the odd conversation their boss was having.



The group was standing in front of the a Neroka store that sold pastries of some sort. The usually busy street was deserted, all the shoppers scared away by the battle that was occurring a few blocks away.



Kimie entered the pastry shop, thinking that she could at least get something to eat now. The rest of the group meekly followed, having no idea of what to do at this point themselves.



The smell of the various desserts and breads made them forgot their fear long enough to realize that they were hungry. But even though the sign said OPEN no one appeared to be working.



However after briefly searching through the store Kimie found the manager hiding behind the counter. The old man appeared scared, and seemed to get even more terrified when he saw a big red demon staring down at him.



“Excuse me sir we would like to buy something” Kimie said in passable but heavily accented Chinese. Trying to smile reassuringly (but showing a disturbing amount of fang as far as the old man was concerned).



“Take whatever you want...just leave me alone” the frightened old man whispered.



“Sir I just want to buy some fo-” Kimie began to say.



“LEAVE ME ALONE” the manager wailed.



Kimie stepped back, and then calmly told the others “take whatever you want guys...the owner says its on the house.”



The hungry entertainers and support staff gorged themselves on sugary sweets. Even Christopher (who had thought she was too upset to eat) consumed a few muffins. The manager stayed behind the counter the entire time, wishing that the strangers would just leave, assuming that they were with the group that had invaded his city.



As they left the store and walked down the street the group heard the sound of fighting. They edged forward a little to investigate, and something big and white flew through the air to ram into Kimie at high speed.



Hitting the strong demon hard enough to knock her off her feet. But Kimie recovered almost instantly, pushing the armored figure off her and snatching away its helmet (intent on punching whatever had knocked her down in the face).



Revealing the fair face and blonde hair of Marian Casta.



“MARY” Kimie yelled in shock.

“KIMIE” Marian gasped at the same time.



*****



Angela had thrown the annoying white clad fighter as far as she could. Now she was unleashing the sonic cannon built into her armor on the knights in front of her. Crushing the knights gleaming armor and smashing their bones with destructive bursts of sound.



With most of the portal facility's other defenders dead the female cyborg had to fight the army of Silverymoon alone. But it wasn't all bad for Angela.



Now that the She-Hulk was apparently dead there was no one left on the Silverymoon side that could fight her toe to toe. Moreover her force field (that Angela privately admitted she should have been using all along) was able to protect her from virtually everything that the soldiers and mages of Silverymoon could throw at her.



With her great height and bulk, fearsome armor, and the transparent bluish sphere of energy surrounding her, Angela resembled a nightmare version of the Knights in Silver in their shining armor.



The cyborg fired off another wave of missiles from built in launchers, killing dozens of soldiers in fiery explosions that sent fragments of flesh and metal in all directions. A Silverymoon sorcerer responded by shooting a massive fireball at Angela, but it just harmlessly impacted on the armored female's force field, scattering flames all around her.



“Pathetic weakling” Angela said in her mechanically altered voice as she shot down the sorcerer. Drawing on Angelus's memories and experiences as she fought, thinking to herself ~now I understand why he boasts and brags during battle...this smack talk is kind of fun.~



Angela charged towards towards a group of cavalry, building up enough momentum to kill the horses and their riders on impact. Her shimmering blue force field smashing through armor as easily as flesh and bone.



After killing seven riders and their mounts, Angela shot a wizard at point blank range with her laser, watching as the destructive burst of light seemed to vaporize his head. Then she looked around, and realized that the entire army appeared to be converging on her.



“I can take all you weaklings on” Angela loudly boasted, her mechanically deepened voice making the words sound all the more ominous (though Angela privately had some doubts).



Then the cyborg found herself unable to move.



*****



What appeared to be a big black robot had already taken down over fifty of their people, and even though it was essentially fighting the whole army at this point it seemed to be winning. Emma Frost knew that she had to do something.



If it had really been a robot Frost probably couldn't have done that much about the powerful enemy. But when she telepathically probed it she detected a living mind.



It was a strange mind, both seemingly young and old at the same time. Full of memories that seemed half foreign to the central consciousness and thoughts that appeared to use machine logic. Completely dominating it would take time, even for a telepath like Frost.



But Emma Frost didn't need to completely dominate Angela's mind. She only needed the cyborg to do one thing.





*****



The experience was unpleasant for the young cyborg elf, she felt as though something was burrowing into her head. Certain that she was under the effect of magic or telepathy.



Then a foreign thought was sent from Angela's brain to her armor (which enjoyed a direct neural link). Turning off her force field.



~SHE'S VULNERABLE NOW...TARGET THE BLACK WARRIOR BEFORE SHE CAN RECOVER~ Emma Frost telepathically shouted at everyone nearby.



Angela heard the message too, and knowing the danger tried to turn her force field back on. But the power of the telepath stopped her from reactivating her defenses.



Moments later Angela was simultaneously struck by a dozen fireballs, over thirty lightning bolts, and a seemingly endless amount of magic missiles. As the mages of Silverymoon tried to capitalize on her helplessness.



*****



The cybernetic armor that Angela and Angelus wore was extremely durable. The armor plates were made of materials like steel and titanium, while the whole complex machine was strengthened and protected by Imperious Dakar's magic. However, despite its many strengths the armor was not invulnerable.





The first attacks after Angela had been forced to lower her force field had made cracks and dents in the surface of her armor. It looked as though some of the sections had actually started to melt from the heat of repeated fireball and lightning attacks, and the other sections of armor weren't much better off.



Yet despite the massive damage she was starting to take (for the armor was as much a part of her as her skin) Angela took no defensive or offensive action. Held immobile by the power of Emma Frost.



Angelus watched on the computer display as the mages of Silverymoon did their best to kill his clone. Attempting to destroy her through concentrated magical firepower.



Knowing that unless he did something she would die, and that then there would be nothing to prevent the invaders from storming the building in mass.



~Omega Squad is still at least a few minutes away and Angela will die if I don't act now~ the male cyborg thought.



Angelus looked at an image of the woman known as Storm on one of the other monitors as a plan began to form in his mind. Wondering just how valuable she was to the enemy's cause.



“Target her with all the automated weapons on the building that can point upward” Angelus ordered his subordinates as he pointed to an image of Storm.



“But sir she's too small and fast a target for our weapons to effectively target” one technician protested, showing remarkable bravery (or stupidity) by openly contradicting his dangerous boss.



But Angelus had other things on his mind as he replied “that doesn't matter...she's not the objective...release the gas...Beta Five dispersal pattern.”



*****



Angelus had been holding the large supply of nerve gas stored in the building in reserve. Partially because he was worried that if he used it too early the enemy mages would find some way to counter it. But mainly because he was afraid of poisoning his own troops (Angelus was brutal, but wise enough to know that if you started murdering off your own soldiers in bulk they would probably desert or rebel).



However most of his defending soldiers were dead at this point, and the enemy was on the verge of storming the building. Angelus had decided that he couldn't afford to hold anything in reserve now.



*****



A wave of soldiers and mages seemed to be enclosing Angela, eager to finish off the cyborg that had killed so many of their comrades. So intent on their task that they didn't notice the many little canister being shot out from the Imperious Industries building. Canisters that began to release large quantities of colorless, odorless gas.



Then people throughout the army began choking and (almost immediately afterward) dying. Over a hundred and fifty died in the first minute or so.



“POISON...their poisoning our noble soldiers” Lady Alustriel realized aloud. Horrified that the enemy was using such a vile weapon against her army.



The High Mage's magical wall was actually making it worse (as Angelus had guessed it would). It was too perfect a barrier, preventing even liquid or gas from going through it. So that the poison gas could not really rise up into the air as it was released, the nerve gas could only spread out (poisoning more and more of Alustriel's people in the process).



They stopped attacking Angela, too busy trying not to die to continue their effort to kill her.



Angela's weapons were all but destroyed, and over half of her armor's systems were malfunctioning. Fortunately her air supply was still filtered, so she was able to flee back into the portal facility without being poisoned.



The High Mage watched the dangerous cyborg escape, wishing that her people could have finished the armored female off before this latest disaster. Though that was a distant concern next to what was happening to her troops.



~Me and our stronger mages are warded against virtually all poisons but the poor soldiers are not...I must stop this now~ Silverhand thought.



The beautiful sorceress raised her hands, trying to call upon her full powers as she cast another epic spell. Knowing that she couldn't let her present weakness hold her back now.



The air seemed to faintly shimmer with a golden light as Alustriel's magic purified it. Cleaning away all toxins, impurities, and disease carriers. Making the air (at least briefly) utterly clean and pure.



Then the High Mage collapsed, falling to the ground as the people surrounding her stared at their usually strong leader in shock. Gasping out “storm the castle now” just before losing consciousness.



*****



Angelus glared at the monitors, his fierce scowl hidden beneath his mask.



He had hoped that the Silverymoon mages would remove the magical wall in order to get rid of the poison gas. Going so far as to order the technicians controlling the facility's automated weapons to prepare to fire down at the foreign army again on his signal. Thinking that the fact that most of the weapons were currently targeting Storm might give them a false sense of security, so that they would be willing to temporarily lower their defenses.



But the impenetrable magical wall remained in place. The poison gas had killed many of the enemy, but not enough to eliminate them as a threat.



Now the foreign troops and their allies were invading the portal facility and there was relatively little Angelus could do to stop them.



~I thought Dakar would have come back with Iberian reinforcements by now...I may have to destroy this facility just to deny it to the enemy and wreck their army~ Angelus thought as he studied the situation.



“Sir Omega Squad is arriving in the portal room now” one of the technicians reported happily.



“Good...tell them to be ready for battle immediately...the enemy will not leave this building alive~ Angelus commanded. Already imagining just what he could do to the Silverymoon forces now that the soldiers of Omega Squad were at his disposal again.



*****



Storm's weather based attacks had visibly damaged the portal facility. Many of the automated weapons on the outside of the building had already been destroyed by her lightning strikes and the debris that she kept hurling against the facility with powerful gusts of wind.



But while Storm had wrecked dozens of automated machine guns, missile launchers, laser cannons, flamethrowers, and more exotic weapons, the building seemed to have an endless supply of more. For the arms dealer Dakar had spared no expense creating the defenses of the most important Imperious Industries facility on Earth.



Nevertheless, Storm was clearly coming out ahead in her battle with the building. While she had caused heavy damage to the facility its weapons had not even been able to touch her. Because its weapons were designed to target aircraft or enemies on the ground, and she was much smaller and more mobile than that (and the powerful winds holding her aloft knocked down any projectiles before they could reach her).



So despite the fact that the sky was filled with missiles, laser beams, sonic bursts, liquid poison, and even more exotic agents of death Storm remained untouched. Using her mastery of the winds to evade or blow away every attack.



But the black weather witch was paying so much attention to what was going on around her that she didn't notice what was going on at ground level. Accidentally blowing a gust of nerve gas (just as Alustriel's magic was purifying the air of it) up at herself as she dodged another missile strike.



Then inhaling the poison as she breathed a sigh of relief.



“By the goddess what is this!” Storm gasped out as she had difficulty breathing. The world going dim around her as the poison spread throughout her body. Losing control of her powers as her brain started to shut down.



The strong winds Storm had summoned were now more of a danger to her than anyone else. Smashing the X-Man into the side of the portal facility with bone shattering force, reducing her beautiful brown body to a ruined wreck.



Then Ororo Munroe plummeted to the earth, but it didn't matter. Because Storm was dead before she hit the ground.



*****



After her confrontation with Emma Frost and Ororo Munroe The Phoenix had withdrawn from the material planes. Trying to get away from the source of its pain.



Only a small (but significant) part of the Phoenix Force was human, yet the godlike entity hated the feelings it had recently experienced to its core. Wondering why people were so miserable when you tried to make them happy (by whatever means necessary).



Now The Phoenix rested in a place beyond what mortals commonly referred to as space and time. Its dreams giving shape to the nothingness surrounding the woman-god.



However, there was still a connection between Jean Grey and Ororo Munroe. For Storm and The Phoenix had been intimate on a level that went far beyond the physical.



When that connection was suddenly and violently severed Jean Grey woke up and screamed.



*****



Since exposure to gamma radiation had transformed her Jennifer Walter's inner demons had become quite real.



Whenever the She-Hulk became very sad or depressed she reverted to her weak and vulnerable (not to mention significantly less attractive) human form. But something worse happened every time she got really angry.



A different personality emerged, far more crude and base than the real Jennifer Walters had ever been. A creature only interested in eating, sex, and fighting. A powerful beast that wouldn't hesitate to destroy anything (or anyone) that got in her way.



Angela thought that she had killed She-Hulk, never realized that it would take far more than a severed spine or ruptured organs to permanently put down something like what Jennifer Walters had become. That the most significant thing she had done was to make her enemy very very angry.



The creature opened her eyes as her organs healed and her spine shifted back into the proper place. The magically inflicted wounds healing so completely that there was not even a scar. Getting up and looking at the battlefield like a predator. Searching for the one that had wounded her.



A knight that had not yet entered the portal facility saw his fallen comrade (that everyone had assumed was dead) get up and rushed over to her side. Yelling questions as he approached her.



But the sound of his voice annoyed the green woman, so she knocked him aside. Hitting the poor knight hard enough to cave in his armor and send him crashing through a wall. Twitching for a moment after going through the wall and then lying still as his organs shut down.



The savage She-Hulk had never even bothered to look in his direction. Entering the portal facility in search of the black clad warrior. Her simple mind assuming that Angela had entered the building because that's what everyone seemed to be doing.