“That was…” Dan rubbed his eyes as the vision of the galactic world tree faded to stardust. The strange energy it had gifted Sekot and the sapling still tingled through his cells. Forests from the vision had appeared around them. Mighty, silver oaks. They even sprouted from the depths of the symbiote ocean, great pillars of wood that stood well above the surface.
“Amazing!” May walked toward the sapling. It had grown over ten feet tall, and still inched higher. “I think that was the real Yggdrasil, the origin of that seed!”
“Maybe…” A slight frown touched Dan’s lips. He actually didn’t really know where the system got his rewards from. ‘System…’
[All rewards are pulled from the cosmic chaos. Items are seized the moment before they would have naturally been destroyed. Summons are given a choice at the moment of their deaths. They may escape their fate, in exchange for service.]
‘Why haven't they mentioned anything…’ None of his summons spoke about such a deal. They all had no idea how they came to be under his command.
[This moment is generally forgotten, or repressed, by summoned servants. Only Victor Von Doom and Merlyn retain their memories of interacting with the system.]
Dan sighed as he watched the world sapling stabilise at fifty metres tall. At least they were given a choice. It wasn’t a fair one, but it was better than he’d thought. He would probably choose service over death, in the off chance he got a master willing to free him.
“Look, it already has little, unripe fruits!” May floated into the branches for a closer look. She brushed her fingers over their firm, pearl-white skin. “I bet they’ll be delicious when they're ready to harvest!”
“Probably,” Dan laughed and shook his head. They would have to find a willing test subject, before either of them tried the things. “But that’s a problem for future us…” Dan rose into the sky and whistled for Bear and Stormy. “Let’s go set up the gate and collect the Count, then I need to have words with a certain slime…
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“We’re going to test these symbiotes in the field,” Thaedus flexed his hand, still unfamiliar with the sensation of the Venom clone on his skin. “Allen, Goku and I are going to engage an isolated Viltrumite, with the rest of you in reserve on the scout ship.” He let his eyes travel over Robot and Atom Eve, until they settled on Mark. “Your job is to jump in and pull us out if we become overwhelmed.”
Mark opened his mouth to speak, but nodded instead. He set his shoulders, clearly interested in the actual combat. Goku leaned in and sized up the older teen, a glint of interest in his eyes.
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“We should spar, once the mission is done,” The Saiyan patted Mark on the shoulder and staggered the boy to the side. “You look like someone who wants to fight!”
“Focus, Goku…” Eve sighed. Dan had left her a difficult task. Goku obeyed her every order, but he also acted on impulse too often to be trusted alone. “This is going to be a difficult battle, so pay attention to the briefing.”
“Alright…” Goku’s face cramped as he turned back to Thaedus. “But it won’t be any fun if we all target a single fighter… are you sure we can’t go one at a time?”
“This isn’t a game, little monkey child…” Thaedus rubbed his temples. “We will be set against one of Viltrum’s best warriors, you are not ready to face Conquest alone.”
“Is he really strong?” Goku leaned forward, a light in his eyes. “So far none of you guys are as powerful as my friend Etrigan…”
“Be that as it may,” Thaedus sliced a hand through the air to silence the Saiyan. “For this first battle, we shall work as a team, understood?”
Goku looked to Eve, who nodded her head. The young Saiyan heaved a dramatic sigh and also nodded his agreement.
“Alright,” Goku thumped his fists together. “But I still think it’s a waste of a perfectly good fight…”
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“He has returned…” A smiling mask turned to face the stars.
“How is that possible?” A seconded veiled figure, confusion etched into her mask, tilted her head.
“The thing inside him, it carried him back…” a sad face sighed, before a mask of anger interrupted her.
“We should have killed him, now even the world walls cannot hold him…” The heated woman balled her hands into fists.
“Be calm, Sisters,” A black robed priestess, her mask a picture of serenity, raised her hands and silenced the others. “The relic will be charged again soon, and we shall try again.”
Silence drifted over the group of five, united in their interest in the skies above. Ten eyes stared unblinking, each filled with a similar image. An obsidian skinned figure, stylized ‘S’ on his chest. He descended toward the surface of a forbidden world, smug satisfaction on his face.
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The Force reached out, whispered. Sweet promises of rest, relief from his burdens and pain. Existence had turned on him. For a brief moment, he stood at the doorway to his dreams. A precipice that he’d longed to cross. Now… now, he slinked through the void like a worm, barely alive.
‘I will return, reclaim what is mine…’ Sidious’ consciousness flared, an overflow of wrath as he pictured the Man in Black. ‘Everything you love will burn…’
He would claim new flesh, something strong enough to hold until he found a worthy vessel. The bases he’d constructed for emergencies were best left abandoned. This foe had many servants, the machine intelligence would likely find his trail if he retreated to familiar ground.
‘When I return, none shall dare to stand against my…’ Sidious paused, a new voice in the undertones of his mind. The quietest whisper, they painted a detailed picture in his mind. ‘Who are you…’
He stood on a lush, green world. Peaceful animals waddled into clear rivers, a utopia of life and balance. Sidious flexed a pair of reborn hands, the body of his youth. A laugh carried on the wind, a note that drew his focus to a strange scene.
A woman in white, seated in a wondrous courtyard. One hand trailed into the fountain beside her, while her face lay hidden behind a veil of hair. Sidious took a step forward. If the woman hadn’t triggered a warning from his core, he would have rushed to the black waters. This was a force nexus, stronger in the dark side than anything from legend.
“I am the Mother,” The Woman raised her head and let her hair fall aside. An abomination, more mouth than face, creaked open in an unstable laugh. “Come child, we have much to discuss, and all the time in the world!”