The storm rumbled throughout the heights of the atmosphere, lightning crackling and burning through the air. The ground rumbled, and even now people were beginning to wonder if - perhaps - something was happening to their home. Buildings cracked to the very foundations, stones falling out of place and tumbling to the ground. People walking on the streets lost their balance, and some died to the falling bricks and mortar descending from the heavens. All the while, Azaroth spread his enigmatic body across the atmosphere. The automated fleet descending into the cloud coverage had no concept of what they were dealing with. Of course, neither did whatever creature who controlled them.
As they passed down through the crackling, destructive cloud that was Azaroth's current body they found their sensor arrays shorting out. Their electronic circuitry couldn't withstand the rapid rate of decay - and because of that they experienced advanced atrophy of their internal systems. Their slow, calculated descent turned into rapid free-fall. Unable to control themselves in the electronic storm that raged around them, they couldn't keep themselves from falling to the planet below. They, too, managed to wipe out several dozen of the denizens on the surface. Meanwhile, Azaroth continued to decay and destroy the planet. The storm raged on through the atmopshere, burning molecules with the fiery heat of his body. Below, the ground upheaved in chunks. Craters formed by the lifting of massive chunks of stome from the planet, which were then stretched apart.
They continued to pull at themselves, breaking apart and being torn apart on a molecular level. At the same time, the enigmatic nature of the storm converted the matter within the stone to something akin to food. He took in the sustenance provided, absorbing it through the very touch of his body. The Bio-Force powering his Val'garan might. It was like a dehydrated person, they needed water to survive and he needed the food this planet provided. Though, he wasn't really all -that- hungry to begin with. As he consumed, converted, and controlled his mind reached out across the endless expanse of space. A single word, a single command. One he knew would be followed, one he knew would never be ignored.
Tampering with the psi-link was not only ill-advised, it was brain suicide. If anything tried to interject themselves into the mental connection The Collective shared, they'd find themselves drooling, unable to stand and control their own bodily functions. It was through this link that the Val'garan, especially the great Herald known only as The Collective, communicated. And that communication was only that single, one word uttered across milions of light years.
"Come!"
It was not a word of urgency, or of need. It was a call to dinner, the ringing of the bell that called the kids in from their play. Even as the call stretched out across the Multiverse, Azaroth's body siphoned the atmosphere from the planet. By the time they heard the call, the planet was going to be long gone. Torn asunder and ripped to shreds by the vast power that Azaroth contained. Now, floating in the bleak expanse of space where a planet once stood, was nothing short of a horroifying monstrosity. It stood taller than the Washington monument, and its six arms reached out around it. His mouth opened, but no sound came out. Just a vast swarm of insect-like creatures, their wings flapping as the monstrosity's chest cavity cracked and broke, spreading its ribs apart.
It was not a word of urgency, or of need. It was a call to dinner, the ringing of the bell that called the kids in from their play. Even as the call stretched out across the Multiverse, Azaroth's body siphoned the atmosphere from the planet. By the time they heard the call, the planet was going to be long gone. Torn asunder and ripped to shreds by the vast power that Azaroth contained. Now, floating in the bleak expanse of space where a planet once stood, was nothing short of a horroifying monstrosity. It stood taller than the Washington monument, and its six arms reached out around it. His mouth opened, but no sound came out. Just a vast swarm of insect-like creatures, their wings flapping as the monstrosity's chest cavity cracked and broke, spreading its ribs apart.
His right hand shifted down, ripping a chunk of flesh from his right shoulder - that chunk of flesh released and fell beside him. Morphing and changing, growing into a blackened mass of mucus-like consistency. It stretched out and grew.
----------------------------
Meanwhile -
The ground rumbled as Isaak lashed out, the footsteps of the Cataclysm thundering across the blood-soaked plains. It was a full on battle, and the Val'gara were winning. Isaak Lindt moved with a fluidity bordering on graceful. His eyes watched everything, as a spike of elongated, hardened flesh tore through the skull of a would-be warrior. Beside him, a Mist-like body lashed out and grabbed another one. It soaked in through his pores, and immediately that soldier turned on his compatriots. A dozen or more fell to his blade before they took him down.
The battle-mages tried to fight them, they lashed out with great fires and powerful magicks. And yet, they fell short. They seemed to simply cease to exist once they got close. Sinuous red lines remained where the magic dispersed, and within moments the wizard's fell to the ground convulsing, burning under their own power. And then, mid-fight, the screaming was deafened by the call of their brother. They stopped mid fight, soldiers across the field saw this as a sign. They thought their chance finally came. One of them even went so far as to take the initiative.
He walked up on the crystalline structure of Caitlyn, her black body adorned with galaxies throughout. Not the semblance of them, not painted on mimicries that appeared to be a galaxy. No, her composite, crystalline body actually contained galaxies. Hundreds of them, miniaturized and contained. Her body was the home of countless peoples, a full dimension existing within the confinements of her body. The man rushed her, his sword swinging for her neck as she looked into the sky. The sword slashed at her, and slammed into her neck. The blade creaked for a moment, and then snapped against her body.
Without even looking, she reached out and grabbed him by the throat. Lifting him from the ground, she barely flicked her wrist and the strength behind it didn't just snap the other's neck, it ripped his head clean off his body. The others watching, as hopeful as they might have been, couldn't fathom fighting that level of power. They couldn't begin to think of any way to win. Riflemutants fired their guns, giant particales of bio-mass smashing through the faces and bodies of the foes. The Riflemutants didn't hear the call, but they could sense something changing.
And then, as if like a light being turned off, everything just stopped. For everyone. When the remainder of The Collective opened their eyes they were stood upon Azaroth's body. Isaak, Hellion, Caitlyn, The Chrysaor. The lower four hands were extended outward, palms open and facing upward. And in that blink of an eye the four appeared standing upon them. They didn't need to be told there was an enemy. The invasion, the machines touching the psychometric nature of the Enigmatic Storm, was underway. Yet, there couldn't truly be an invasion without a structure to invade.
Yet, they knew an enemy awaited.
As they passed down through the crackling, destructive cloud that was Azaroth's current body they found their sensor arrays shorting out. Their electronic circuitry couldn't withstand the rapid rate of decay - and because of that they experienced advanced atrophy of their internal systems. Their slow, calculated descent turned into rapid free-fall. Unable to control themselves in the electronic storm that raged around them, they couldn't keep themselves from falling to the planet below. They, too, managed to wipe out several dozen of the denizens on the surface. Meanwhile, Azaroth continued to decay and destroy the planet. The storm raged on through the atmopshere, burning molecules with the fiery heat of his body. Below, the ground upheaved in chunks. Craters formed by the lifting of massive chunks of stome from the planet, which were then stretched apart.
They continued to pull at themselves, breaking apart and being torn apart on a molecular level. At the same time, the enigmatic nature of the storm converted the matter within the stone to something akin to food. He took in the sustenance provided, absorbing it through the very touch of his body. The Bio-Force powering his Val'garan might. It was like a dehydrated person, they needed water to survive and he needed the food this planet provided. Though, he wasn't really all -that- hungry to begin with. As he consumed, converted, and controlled his mind reached out across the endless expanse of space. A single word, a single command. One he knew would be followed, one he knew would never be ignored.
Tampering with the psi-link was not only ill-advised, it was brain suicide. If anything tried to interject themselves into the mental connection The Collective shared, they'd find themselves drooling, unable to stand and control their own bodily functions. It was through this link that the Val'garan, especially the great Herald known only as The Collective, communicated. And that communication was only that single, one word uttered across milions of light years.
"Come!"
It was not a word of urgency, or of need. It was a call to dinner, the ringing of the bell that called the kids in from their play. Even as the call stretched out across the Multiverse, Azaroth's body siphoned the atmosphere from the planet. By the time they heard the call, the planet was going to be long gone. Torn asunder and ripped to shreds by the vast power that Azaroth contained. Now, floating in the bleak expanse of space where a planet once stood, was nothing short of a horroifying monstrosity. It stood taller than the Washington monument, and its six arms reached out around it. His mouth opened, but no sound came out. Just a vast swarm of insect-like creatures, their wings flapping as the monstrosity's chest cavity cracked and broke, spreading its ribs apart.
It was not a word of urgency, or of need. It was a call to dinner, the ringing of the bell that called the kids in from their play. Even as the call stretched out across the Multiverse, Azaroth's body siphoned the atmosphere from the planet. By the time they heard the call, the planet was going to be long gone. Torn asunder and ripped to shreds by the vast power that Azaroth contained. Now, floating in the bleak expanse of space where a planet once stood, was nothing short of a horroifying monstrosity. It stood taller than the Washington monument, and its six arms reached out around it. His mouth opened, but no sound came out. Just a vast swarm of insect-like creatures, their wings flapping as the monstrosity's chest cavity cracked and broke, spreading its ribs apart.
His right hand shifted down, ripping a chunk of flesh from his right shoulder - that chunk of flesh released and fell beside him. Morphing and changing, growing into a blackened mass of mucus-like consistency. It stretched out and grew.
----------------------------
Meanwhile -
The ground rumbled as Isaak lashed out, the footsteps of the Cataclysm thundering across the blood-soaked plains. It was a full on battle, and the Val'gara were winning. Isaak Lindt moved with a fluidity bordering on graceful. His eyes watched everything, as a spike of elongated, hardened flesh tore through the skull of a would-be warrior. Beside him, a Mist-like body lashed out and grabbed another one. It soaked in through his pores, and immediately that soldier turned on his compatriots. A dozen or more fell to his blade before they took him down.
The battle-mages tried to fight them, they lashed out with great fires and powerful magicks. And yet, they fell short. They seemed to simply cease to exist once they got close. Sinuous red lines remained where the magic dispersed, and within moments the wizard's fell to the ground convulsing, burning under their own power. And then, mid-fight, the screaming was deafened by the call of their brother. They stopped mid fight, soldiers across the field saw this as a sign. They thought their chance finally came. One of them even went so far as to take the initiative.
He walked up on the crystalline structure of Caitlyn, her black body adorned with galaxies throughout. Not the semblance of them, not painted on mimicries that appeared to be a galaxy. No, her composite, crystalline body actually contained galaxies. Hundreds of them, miniaturized and contained. Her body was the home of countless peoples, a full dimension existing within the confinements of her body. The man rushed her, his sword swinging for her neck as she looked into the sky. The sword slashed at her, and slammed into her neck. The blade creaked for a moment, and then snapped against her body.
Without even looking, she reached out and grabbed him by the throat. Lifting him from the ground, she barely flicked her wrist and the strength behind it didn't just snap the other's neck, it ripped his head clean off his body. The others watching, as hopeful as they might have been, couldn't fathom fighting that level of power. They couldn't begin to think of any way to win. Riflemutants fired their guns, giant particales of bio-mass smashing through the faces and bodies of the foes. The Riflemutants didn't hear the call, but they could sense something changing.
And then, as if like a light being turned off, everything just stopped. For everyone. When the remainder of The Collective opened their eyes they were stood upon Azaroth's body. Isaak, Hellion, Caitlyn, The Chrysaor. The lower four hands were extended outward, palms open and facing upward. And in that blink of an eye the four appeared standing upon them. They didn't need to be told there was an enemy. The invasion, the machines touching the psychometric nature of the Enigmatic Storm, was underway. Yet, there couldn't truly be an invasion without a structure to invade.
Yet, they knew an enemy awaited.