Violent Delights
Chapter 1 - Many Times Before
It started with a voice, a cold, digital warning that sliced through the silent void of space, blasting from every screen and speaker imaginable.
'Realm wide alert. ISO–8 radiation has reached critical levels. Isolate and lockdown immediately. All are in danger. No where is safe.'
Knowhere? Safe? That celestial skull was always a bit of a rough neighborhood, but 'safe'? That got my attention.
Naturally, being the Summoner, I didn't wait for an invite. I zipped through the Battlerealm, hoping to find the source of this bizarre distress signal. What I found was... well, let's just say 'safe' wasn't the first word that came to mind. More like 'apocalyptic garage sale.'
Knowhere was trashed. Blaster marks, sword slashes, the kind of damage you'd expect after a particularly rowdy Guardians of the Galaxy poker night – except, you know, deadly. Then, a voice behind me. 'Did I startle you?' Aegon, always the picture of calm, even when the world's falling apart. 'Tragically too late,' he said, surveying the wreckage. I had a feeling 'tragically too late' was about to become 'tragically just in time.'
We followed the sounds of explosions and unhinged cackling – always a good sign – and found the Guardians, not fighting some cosmic threat, but each other. Rocket was ranting about 'purple flames' and a 'sky-lady on fire,' Drax was ready to rumble, Star-Lord was trying to play peacemaker (badly), and Groot was... well, Groot. 'I am Groot!' Yeah, thanks for the update, buddy.
Aegon, bless his inquisitive heart, wanted answers. 'Who did this?' he asked, as if anyone in that chaotic mess was listening. Then, he noticed the strange crystal formations growing amidst the destruction. 'Curious and horrifying,' he muttered. I was thinking 'curious and horrifying' was becoming the theme of the day.
Just as Aegon was about to launch into a full-blown existential crisis, Mantis showed up, twitching and muttering about pain and fear. 'Sleep,' she said, and Aegon dropped like a sack of rocks. Classic Mantis. She was all smiles and sorrow, babbling about 'ancient, endless, and pure thought.' Basically, she was super emotional and wanted to turn me into a crystal paperweight. We had a little disagreement.
After subduing Mantis and getting Aegon back on his feet, the distress calls were still blaring. Wakanda, New Manhattan, Asgard – everyone was under attack. Aegon, glowing like a disco ball, declared the ISO-8 was the key. 'Like a magnet,' he said, before announcing we were headed to Krakoa. Because, why not add a mutant meltdown to the party?
Krakoa was a warzone. Storm and Gambit were throwing elemental tantrums, Cyclops was yelling for Jean, and Magneto, the master of dramatic entrances, decided we were the problem. 'Insects! Virus!' he yelled, tossing metal shards like confetti. Apparently, he'd seen a 'light and terror' intruder and decided we were the backup dancers.
Things escalated quickly. Magneto, convinced we were corrupting mutants, lifted Aegon into the air and declared war. 'Those who are a threat to mutant kind must be destroyed,' he boomed, leaving me to deal with a very angry metal-bender.
So, here I am, stuck between a rock and a magnetically charged hard place.
Chapter 2 - Out Brief Candle
After the Magneto meltdown, Aegon, bless his sparkly heart, decided a tactical retreat was in order. Apparently, facing a metal-bending mutant was enough excitement for one day. We found ourselves on the edge of another battle-torn landscape, distress beacons still blaring. But then, a new voice cut through the chaos: Reed Richards. 'This is a priority prerecorded message,' he announced, sounding surprisingly calm for someone in the middle of an apocalypse. 'Report to the Baxter Building with extreme caution.'
'Trap or last hope?' Aegon pondered. I was thinking 'definitely a trap, but let's go anyway.' So, we headed to the Baxter Building, only to find the streets oddly deserted. The calm, of course, was short-lived. A twisted symphony of destruction filled the air, and Aegon, ever the optimist, declared, 'We are too late.'
Manhattan, once a beacon of hope, was now a superhero mosh pit. Spider-Men were duking it out, Asgardians were getting pummeled, and Aegon, bless his patience, decided this was the perfect time to focus on his ISO-belt. 'Keep watch,' he said, as if I wasn't already dealing with a city-wide brawl.
Then, bam! A fist hit me like a rockslide. Turns out, it was the Fantastic Four, looking less than fantastic. Sue Storm, Johnny, and Ben were all there, radiating rage and confusion. 'Nobody is OK,' Ben grumbled, and Johnny was threatening to melt everything. 'There's a song looping in our heads,' Ben added, 'like a damn ad for minty fresh gum.'
Aegon, bless his diplomatic soul, tried to reason with them. 'This is a corruption of the ISO,' he explained. Johnny, however, was more concerned with Aegon's 'sparkly pal' messing with the crystals. 'When I don't like things, I torch them,' he declared. Classic Johnny.
The bickering was epic. Ben and Johnny were at each other's throats, Sue was trying to play peacemaker (badly), and Aegon was hoping their arguing would buy him time. 'Keep them arguing,' he advised, 'it may buy me time.' Easy for him to say.
Then, just when I thought things couldn't get weirder, we arrived at Times Square. Avengers were throwing down, Captain America was shield-tossing, and Hawkeye was unleashing a flurry of arrows. And then… Maestro showed up.
'About damn time you got in the fight,' he growled, knocking Tony Stark's Hulkbuster suit into the next block. Apparently, he'd been resurrected by a world tree and was feeling particularly chatty. 'Behold,' he said, pointing to the sky. Floating above us was a being made of light, crystal, and pure malice.
'I am Isophyne,' she announced, 'the living ISO-sphere.' Apparently, she was the 'protector' of the realm and had decided to 'restore' it by turning everyone into rage-fueled crystal monsters. 'I am not a pet,' she clarified, just in case we were confused.
Maestro, bless his dramatic flair, explained she was the 'attack dog' for the realm's 'owners.' And apparently, we were all trespassers. Isophyne rambled on about 'gifts' and 'blissful purifying transformations,' while Tony Stark, now back in his Hulkbuster, decided to join the party.
'Maestro!' he yelled, 'I get all dressed up to smash a Hulk and you think I'm only going one round?'
Maestro, ever the strategist, suggested we find some 'privacy' in the tunnels below. 'Summoner, hold back the trillionaire playboy,' he instructed. Because apparently, dealing with a cosmic crystal lady and a pissed-off Tony Stark was just another Tuesday.
So, here we are, knee-deep in cosmic chaos, with a talking crystal lady, a resurrected Maestro, and a Fantastic Four meltdown. What could possibly go wrong?
'Trap or last hope?' Aegon pondered. I was thinking 'definitely a trap, but let's go anyway.' So, we headed to the Baxter Building, only to find the streets oddly deserted. The calm, of course, was short-lived. A twisted symphony of destruction filled the air, and Aegon, ever the optimist, declared, 'We are too late.'
Manhattan, once a beacon of hope, was now a superhero mosh pit. Spider-Men were duking it out, Asgardians were getting pummeled, and Aegon, bless his patience, decided this was the perfect time to focus on his ISO-belt. 'Keep watch,' he said, as if I wasn't already dealing with a city-wide brawl.
Then, bam! A fist hit me like a rockslide. Turns out, it was the Fantastic Four, looking less than fantastic. Sue Storm, Johnny, and Ben were all there, radiating rage and confusion. 'Nobody is OK,' Ben grumbled, and Johnny was threatening to melt everything. 'There's a song looping in our heads,' Ben added, 'like a damn ad for minty fresh gum.'
Aegon, bless his diplomatic soul, tried to reason with them. 'This is a corruption of the ISO,' he explained. Johnny, however, was more concerned with Aegon's 'sparkly pal' messing with the crystals. 'When I don't like things, I torch them,' he declared. Classic Johnny.
The bickering was epic. Ben and Johnny were at each other's throats, Sue was trying to play peacemaker (badly), and Aegon was hoping their arguing would buy him time. 'Keep them arguing,' he advised, 'it may buy me time.' Easy for him to say.
Then, just when I thought things couldn't get weirder, we arrived at Times Square. Avengers were throwing down, Captain America was shield-tossing, and Hawkeye was unleashing a flurry of arrows. And then… Maestro showed up.
'About damn time you got in the fight,' he growled, knocking Tony Stark's Hulkbuster suit into the next block. Apparently, he'd been resurrected by a world tree and was feeling particularly chatty. 'Behold,' he said, pointing to the sky. Floating above us was a being made of light, crystal, and pure malice.
'I am Isophyne,' she announced, 'the living ISO-sphere.' Apparently, she was the 'protector' of the realm and had decided to 'restore' it by turning everyone into rage-fueled crystal monsters. 'I am not a pet,' she clarified, just in case we were confused.
Maestro, bless his dramatic flair, explained she was the 'attack dog' for the realm's 'owners.' And apparently, we were all trespassers. Isophyne rambled on about 'gifts' and 'blissful purifying transformations,' while Tony Stark, now back in his Hulkbuster, decided to join the party.
'Maestro!' he yelled, 'I get all dressed up to smash a Hulk and you think I'm only going one round?'
Maestro, ever the strategist, suggested we find some 'privacy' in the tunnels below. 'Summoner, hold back the trillionaire playboy,' he instructed. Because apparently, dealing with a cosmic crystal lady and a pissed-off Tony Stark was just another Tuesday.
So, here we are, knee-deep in cosmic chaos, with a talking crystal lady, a resurrected Maestro, and a Fantastic Four meltdown. What could possibly go wrong?
Chapter 3 - Violent Ends
With the city still a chaotic mess, Isophyne, apparently bored of the destruction, decided to take her crystal-sprouting show deeper into New Manhattan. We followed, because apparently, we’re gluttons for punishment. Down in the subway tunnels, we found Aegon and Maestro, mid-argument.
'No more secrets or games,' Aegon declared, sounding surprisingly assertive. Maestro, ever the king of dramatic pronouncements, talked about 'gathering strength' and 'influence.' Then, Reed Richards, bless his stretchy self, joined the party.
'It's quite the day for new beginnings,' Reed chirped, handing Aegon a vial of swirling goo. Apparently, he'd whipped up a nano-tech inoculation for the new ISO-radiation. 'Works wonders,' he said, as if we were discussing a new shampoo.
Maestro, unimpressed, wanted to skip the science lesson and get to the destruction. 'Destroy the source,' he declared, because subtlety is for losers. Aegon, ever the optimist, suggested we try 'reason and peace.' Maestro, of course, had other plans.
'My plot is already in motion,' he announced, 'and shall guarantee safety… for those who survive it.' Reed, bless his curiosity, wanted to know more about this 'plot,' which apparently involved gathering villains and artifacts. Because why not?
Maestro, being Maestro, talked about 'sacrifice' and 'cold calculating sacrifice.' Reed, bless his moral compass, was concerned about the whole 'merciless' thing. But Maestro, ever the pragmatist, just wanted to get on with the destruction. 'Destroy the threat,' he said, 'and then perhaps we can speak of morals.'
Aegon, bless his sense of danger, declared Maestro a threat. And then, Maestro decided I was a thorn in his paw. 'The destruction of the Summoner would be a rallying cry,' he announced. Because apparently, I'm a motivational speaker for villains.
After I dealt with Maestro’s little outburst, Reed suggested we form an alliance of convenience. 'It buys us time,' he reasoned. Maestro, ever the drama queen, vanished into the tunnels, promising to 'ready his forces.'
We followed the crystals and found Isophyne floating above the Daily Bugle building. 'If J. Jonah Jameson existed in this multiverse,' Reed mused, 'he would make an absolute meal out of this news opportunity.'
Isophyne, apparently tired of our presence, wanted to skip the pleasantries. 'Would you attempt to converse with a bacteria infecting a wound?' she asked. Reed, bless his scientific curiosity, said he'd at least study it.
Isophyne, unimpressed, launched into a dramatic monologue about her 'founders' and their 'paradise.' Apparently, we were all 'power hungry intruders' corrupting their perfect realm. Reed, bless his sarcasm, suggested her 'gifts' were just causing violence.
'You corrupt my message,' Isophyne declared, just before I, you know, defeated her. Apparently, even cosmic crystal ladies have bad days. 'I do not understand,' she muttered, 'I do not fail.'
Reed, bless his philosophical side, suggested she was just imperfect. Isophyne, in a moment of existential crisis, phased into the Battlerealm, promising the return of her founders and our imminent doom.
'Summoner,' Reed concluded, 'train up your team. This is far from over.' And honestly? I was starting to think he was right.
Keywords:
Marvel Contest of Champions, Event Quest, Isophyne, Maestro, Reed Richards, ISO-8, Battlerealm, Baxter Building, Fantastic Four, Avengers, Knowhere, Guardians of the Galaxy, mutants, Aegon, Magneto, Mantis.