“Greetings, Thragg,” May drifted forward, posture relaxed as the Viltrumite peeled himself free of her runic blockade. “My friends call me May, but you can address me as Empress… it seems you’ve recently assaulted several citizens and friends of the Kryptonian Empire.”
Thragg shook his head as she projected her words into his mind, eyes focused on the barrier that folded down around them. May’s spell enclosed them both in an orb of light, a thousand kilometre space that prevented his escape.
“I’m afraid that Krypton doesn’t stand for that kind of behaviour, so now you’ve got a choice to make,” May’s eyes glowed with the power of magic and fire, a spillage of energy that coloured her biofield with countless prismatic rainbows. The vision of a tree took shape at her back, a mirror of the Yggdrasil that grew on New-Krypton. “You can either come along peacefully, or you can come along violently… it’s up to you.”
Thragg’s eyes bulged, jaw clenched tight in rage as he raised his fists. His choice was expected, a man who held an intergalactic empire with less than a hundred of his kind would not surrender without a fight. May’s lips turned up in a smile. It had been a long time since she’d felt a sense of challenge, but Thragg’s iron will had raised her blood.
Even if the man had his limitations, his speed and durability were incredible. A flick of her fingers and the tree at her back expanded, its translucent form solidified into reality. Countless branches whipped out, silver-green tendrils that speared in Thragg’s direction.
Fist met wood as the Grand Regent counter attacked, silent waves of force that entangled the Yggdrasil and carved him a path forward. May let her ki spill forth, fused into her biofield alongside her magical power.
The rainbow light of her aura distorted, each colour separated by a thin band of sunlit yellow. Driven forward by a rush of combined energies, May pushed aside Thragg’s fist and delivered one of her own.
A ripple travelled across the Viltrumite’s body, delivered by her knuckles as they turned Thragg’s breastbone to powder. Ribs cracked and split, twisted by the wave of enhanced kinetic force.
The Grand Regent’s face paled, his body launched backward until the barrier brought him to a sudden stop. Blood welled from his lips, a fountain that trickled into the vacuum and crystalized to crimson ice.
“Your species is truly remarkable, but you’ve grown arrogant in your power,” May waved her Yggdrasil forward, branches extended to take hold of the wounded Regent. Thragg continued to fight, his movements slowed by more than half. “Viltrumites and Kryptonians are alike in many ways, so alike that it should be natural for us to become allies… your leadership has turned the Empire of Viltrum into something we cannot abide, a leadership that ends today.”
May darted forward between the countless branches, until she was face to face with Thragg once more. A casual duck carried her under his outstretched limbs, fists blurred. She lashed out with a vicious combo, elbows and knees driven into the Vitrumite’s flesh.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Bones cracked, splinted arms and shattered legs. May finished with a kick that severed Thragg’s leg at the thigh, before she sent out a symbiote clone to wrap up the pain-dazed Viltrumite.
“I imagine that the Coalition will want you, but I’d like to give you a better option than eternity in a comatose state,” May gripped Thragg by the neck and prepared a phantom jump. Thragg’s word held great influence over the remaining Viltrumites, something that Krypton could use to its advantage. “Now come on, you’ll need a few days in the healing tanks before we can have a proper chat.”
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“So, how did you do it… were they actual clones? Physical holograms?” A moustached, bright eyed man pushed around Captain America’s back, hand extended toward Dan with a smile. “The name is Howard Stark, a friend of the Super Twins over there.”
“Neither one,” Dan accepted the handshake and returned a small smile of his own. Cal had already reported Howard's easy conversion to the cause, the lure of Krypton’s tech was too powerful for the genius to ignore. “I just moved from place to place, very-very fast.”
“Afterimages… that’s incredible!” Howard’s eyes went beyond bright, a fire of interest that almost made Dan laugh. “How did you stop the atmosphere from destabilising? With the speeds needed to make so many visual copies, you should have created a hurricane that blanketed the Earth!”
“Natural talent,” Dan chuckled as he released Stark's hand. He had no plans to reveal the nature of Kryptonian biology to the world and the others were under orders to keep silent as well. “Now I need to get going, but if you’re interested I can send you a recording of today’s events…”
Dan glanced skyward, ear turned as an ultrasonic purr carried through the air. It seemed that Stormy had awoken and was on the way to finish his assigned task. It was time for him to do the same. One hand waved in Logan’s direction, the grasp of his biofield extended to hoist the resigned fellow into the air.
“Kara, Cal, you two stay here and help with any clean up and restoration efforts,” Dan floated skyward, aimed for the coast. “Bring Mr. Stark along when you finish, we’ll have a lot to discuss about the future.”
Dan pulsed forward, a series of accelerations that left Logan’s howls behind. They crossed the ocean in seconds, at the east coast of America before Wolverine could empty his lungs. The skyline of New York opened up before them, a cityscape that was quaint compared to the ecumenopolises of his home galaxy.
“Keep it together, Logan,” Dan shook the mutant as they drifted towards a county outside the city’s limits. A vast manor dominated the view below, centred in an extensive plot of land. “We’re about to meet your first potential ‘student,’ and one of the most powerful budding telepaths on Earth.”
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Tap-tap-tap
Buried under the fortress of his blankets, Eric wrapped his pillow around his head and groaned. Light peeked through the threadbare weave of the donated fabric, a sign that the sun was on the rise.
Tap-tap-tap-tap
“I’m up, I’m up!” Eric sighed as he kicked free of his warm nest and squinted into the light. Early morning rays filtered in through the window of his room, on the third floor of an old apartment converted for the influx of refugees. “What time is it?”
Eric blinked at his empty room, his expected mother nowhere in sight. He was supposed to start school in a few days and today was the day to go shopping for supplies. From the build up of the light, the sun had only just crested over the horizon.
Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap
The glass on his window shuddered, vibrated as a small figure batted at the frame. Eric’s narrowed eyes relaxed into a smile as she scampered forward and opened the way for his familiar guest.
“Meow!” Stormy hopped into the room, tail raised with an exaggerated flick and he pranced onto the unmade bed. He turned and presented his collar, where a sealed envelope was neatly tied. “Meow-meow!”
“Hey Stormy, is that letter for me?” Eric reached out as the cat nodded. The envelope fell away without effort, as did the wax seal with a stylized ‘S.’ “What is this…”
“Eric, it’s time to wake up!” His mother bustled into the room, a smile on her thinned features. “It’s time to have breakfast, then it’s off to… what is that cat doing here?”
His mother moved forward and stroked Stormy’s head, a smile on her face. She glanced at the discarded envelope and its seal, then back to the cat.
“It seems he’s brought us a letter from our rescuer…” She leaned in over his shoulder to read for herself, while Eric returned his focus to the paper. “This is… you’ve been invited to a special private school… Krypton Academy, a school for gifted youngsters!”