"Obsession is a state in which mind is denied the freedom of seeing things objectively."
-B.K.S. Iyengar
********
What makes a Ruler?
Long had Artoria pondered this question. Had she been a valid rule because she drew Caliburn from the stone? Because she was the heir of Uther? Because she had been strong enough to conquer Britain? Because she had inspired her people with an ideal?
And why had her rule failed?
She was not the King Arthur from Proper Human History. She was the Artoria who had laid down Excalibur to pick up Rhongominyad. She had slight memories of her Saber form, but the clearest memories came from the 'What if' of her existence.
What if she had survived Camlann?
What if she lived long enough to lose her humanity and become more goddess than a woman?
What if King Arthur hadn't died with her kingdom?
In a world where the King of Mages tried to burn away humanity, he would offer such a being a Holy Grail to create one of his singularities. The Lion King would try to preserve the memory of humanity as if they were bugs in a display case. Such a being would not understand them anymore.
Artoria had the memories of such a timeline, but that was not wholly who she was in this summoning. She was that woman, that creature, but she was also the Artoria who picked up the Holy Lance and still died on that hill, returning the Tower to the Reverse Side with her death.
A Servant was not a ghost. It was not the spirit of the fallen that came back to haunt the land.
A Servant was originally a Heroic Spirit. A story. A legend made real. Part of that was the soul of the being the Servant was based on, but a considerable portion was the stories told about that soul.
A man's legend warped and changed with time, growing more potent with every telling. The more famous, the more significant their impact on history, the greater the Heroic Spirit.
A Servant was a facet of that greater whole, a container made of only a portion of that tale. A story that focuses on only one aspect.
Artoria, the Servant summoned by Mikael to the Island over a year ago, was a mixture of three aspects.
Her Lancer version, an example of a wise and mature leader. The 'What If' of a perfect king.
The Goddess Rhongominyad. A goddess of justice, born from a melding with the Holy Lance, dedicated to an ideal so entirely that nothing human was left.
And a third, much smaller but still significant aspect.
That of a Ruler, an impartial judge with no wishes of her own but a pure desire to abide by and enforce the rules.
That her Ruler aspect came about by her desire to play cards dressed as a bunny was immaterial.
The one unifying trait, the core of this version of 'Artoria Pendragon,' was a dedication to impartial justice.
Usually, she focused much more on her Lancer aspect. It was as close as she could get to being 'human' again.
All three made up who she was.
She had focused on that in her time with the Justice League. Not combat or heroism as many others did, but diplomacy. Negotiation. The establishment of the Rule of Law and the results that followed.
From Rule, Law.
From Law, Justice.
From Justice, Peace.
That was who Artoria was.
When Mikael had approached her with his plan to have her officiate this dispute, she had warned him.
"I will see justice met. No matter the guilty party."
Artoria trusted her husband enough to believe he was innocent. Sir Mikael had her complete confidence. His code of honour was not her own, but he would stoop so low to kidnap a newborn and its mother from their beds.
But a Ruler must be just, and justice does not care if you love someone.
Mikael had given her that smirk of his that always made her chest warm and had told her he expected nothing less and would be disappointed if she compromised her beliefs for him.
Her heart, her mind, and her soul told Artoria her husband was innocent, but she was prepared to set that all aside to once more pick up the mantle of Ruler.
To be impartial. To see justice done.
No matter how much it hurt.
If only others could appreciate her sacrifice.
"This is unacceptable!"
Unsurprisingly, the hero, Cyclops, was the first to voice his disapproval.
"Why?" Her husband asked guilelessly. "I thought you would appreciate it?"
"Because it won't be fair." The dark-skinned mutant, Storm, stepped up to her leader's aid. She didn't look as angry, but her countenance was chastising. "She is your wife. Even if she tries to be neutral, she will still favour you. And if you are guilty, she will still side with you."
A part of Artoria was offended. She had promised to be impartial, so she would be. It was as simple as that.
That part of Artoria, the one who wanted to rise to the mutant's challenge, was squashed mercilessly.
She was not here to answer challenges. She was here to see justice done.
"I have invited others to join me," she intoned, looking at Superman and Captain America. She had chosen those two partially because she knew each of them, having worked together with them before, but primarily because of their reputations as moral guides in this world.
Captain America might serve the PRT, but he was well known to be a moral guide for the entire organization, acting as a shield that prevented it from going too far in its efforts to control the Super population.
Superman was not only a key figure in the Justice League, he was the poster child for heroes worldwide, not just in America. In fact, the Kryptonian was known to have sided against the US when it tried to overstep its international boundaries thanks to possessing the greatest concentration of Supers in the world.
While Artoria would retain the final verdict, their opinions would be respected and considered before she rendered judgment.
Not that she would need it, her Lancer side thought. She fully expected her husband to convince them of his innocence.
"They didn't just lose their family," Cyclops snarled. "Neither did you. You could be involved in the kidnapping, for all we know."
"It is because they are uninvolved that I asked them to join me," Artioria intoned, staring at the red visor impassably. "We came here as an act of diplomacy. We will be the arbiters of such. If you cannot agree to such terms, any other terms would also fall on deaf ears. You will accept this ruling unless you wish to cease all efforts to find peace."
It was the bitter and sad part of justice.
No matter whether you were in the right or wrong, it all needed to be backed by strength.
Justice does not descend from the heavens.
Justice is enforced.
The mutant looked like he would protest some more, but Captain America approached him covertly and whispered in his ear.
"Trust me."
That was all he said, and Cyclops, looking like he swallowed a lemon, looked at the Kryptonian, who nodded back.
"Fine," the new father bit out, standing back as the two heroes approached her.
Artoria nodded to them, and they took their positions beside her and looked out over the room of heroes with her.
Clearly, nobody but her Family had expected things to go this way.
Mikael and Melina stood a ways away from everyone else as the heroes started to spread through Ehangwen's Great Hall.
"Cyclops." Since she didn't know who here knew his actual name, she would use his Nom de Guerre. "You have accused Mikael of taking your wife and your newborn son from their beds last night."
"Because he- They did. Both of them. I saw them."
Despite his evident rage, Artoria remained unfazed.
"This is not a trial." She said simply. "This is a diplomatic meeting. I am laying out each side's position so we may have a firm basis to talk. Guilt, or lack thereof, can be determined later."
There was some nervous shuffling in the room as the heroes whispered amongst themselves.
"Ah, damn," Iron Man said loudly enough for the whole room. "And here I was hoping to see him in handcuffs."
"I'm not the one who where's the handcuffs," Mikael joked back with a waggle of his eyebrows.
Artoria was glad she was acting as a Ruler for the moment. It would not do her image as an impartial agent of justice if she were to flush red in embarrassment at the memories her husband's words brought to mind.
Who knew Diana had such... proclivities?
"Mikael!" Artoria chastised, drawing his attention. She noticed that Cyclops had been about to yell at him. "You will conduct yourself properly, or I will force you to."
Her husband quirked an eyebrow, a slight smirk on his lips, but he nodded.
They both knew nothing in this world could physically force him to do anything he didn't wish to. He could ignore matter, people, and power entirely. He was as Free as he wanted to be.
Except if she ordered him to do something, revealing his weakness to those he bound to everyone present.
Yet, Artoria hadn't. Her words had been carefully chosen so as not to be an order.
Just as she must be impartial, so must she refrain from leveraging her position or the benefits thereof to fulfill her duties.
That, and she never wanted to partake in the 'training' the others participated in to combat her husband's fear. Artoria never again wanted to be in the position to determine her spouse's fate.
"Yes, dear," Mikael said, a note of sarcasm in his voice but complying with her words.
Artoria narrowed her eyes at the man but turned her attention back to Cyclops.
"You have a reason for the accusation? Speak it and present any proof you have. After, we will hear the other side. Once both sides have established common ground, talks will go from there."
Artoria looked at Superman and Captain America for their input on this format. They nodded, pleased that there was actual discourse rather than the usual banding of accusations.
She had repeatedly heard Diana complain about how often her original Justice League had been forced to fight other heroes because of misunderstandings or heightened emotions.
Cyclops did not look pleased, but with the reassurance of his comrades and encouraging looks from the other heroes, he spat out his story between glares at her husband and fellow wife.
As she listened, Artoria couldn't help but furrow her brows. From the telling, she could understand why the man was so angry and so ready to accusation. From the story alone, it left little in the way of defence. Everything matched what these people would know about her husband, from the powers used to the behaviour. The image he had crafted for the public was being used very well to frame him.
But that was all it was: an image.
None here but her and Melina truly knew Mikael.
They saw the jokes but didn't understand that he never made them at truly inappropriate times, not touching specific topics in the least. He had a sixth sense for his audience.
They saw the multiple wives and thought him lustful, but didn't understand just how loyal he was or how he fought with Emma about gaining another lover.
They saw how his wives were loyal and backed his actions but didn't understand that they felt no issue voicing disagreements at his efforts if necessary.
Somebody had played the part of 'Mikael' and 'Melina' but only knew of their superficial characteristics.
Even ignoring her feelings, listening to Cyclops's story had Artoria the Ruler ready to end this farce now, declare Mikael, Melina, and Raven innocent, and point out that this was obviously the work of any number of shapeshifters, Masters, or psychics this world had to offer.
But this was not a trial. This was a meeting for diplomatic purposes. This was about more than convincing her of what happened; it was about reaching a settlement. Both parties needed to achieve a balance.
As the tale, the X-men leader shaking in rage, Artoria looked at the heroes, sweeping her eyes over all of them in turn.
"Is anyone or anything able to corroborate this tale." She was confident Scott was certain about what had happened, but she knew there were plenty in this world who could have implanted a false memory, so hard facts would go a long way to verify the truth.
"As Cyclops said," Strange said, stepping forward and waving his hands. An image of the room in question hovered in his hands. "The room was undisturbed. The door was still locked, as were the windows. I did find traces of magic but was unable to recreate the scene. The Elden Lord is known to inhibit such spells."
"Anything else?"
Nobody could provide any other proof or outside views that Cyclops hadn't already mentioned, so Artoria looked to her lover.
"Mikael. Present your argument as well as any proof you have."
All eyes were on her husband, who had remained silent this entire time.
A miracle.
Not that his quirks weren't evident by the fact that he had pulled out a recliner from nowhere and was sitting in it, his legs raised and Melina on his lap. A fake pipe was between his lips, and bubbles escaped it with every breath.
Ever since Cyclops had started his story, his eyes had been on the ceiling, his fingers drumming against the arm of his seat, and his tongue stuck out slightly like he did whenever he was thinking about something.
Melina poked him in the cheek when he said nothing for a second.
Mikael blinked, refocusing on the room and all the eyes on him.
"Sorry," he apologized, pulling the bubble pipe from his mouth and smiling as he put it away. "Got lost in thought for a moment."
"Answer the question," Artoria said sternly. While she appreciated his calm attitude, his antics would not convince the people here of his innocence.
"Obviously, I didn't do it," he said with a roll of his eyes. "But we all wouldn't be here if you didn't think there was a chance I was guilty."
"Because you took them!" Fed up with Mikael's nonchalance, Cyclops raised his hands to the side of his visor and prepared to blast the man. Storm grabbed his hand and shot him a look.
Artoria approved.
No matter whether he believed Mikael guilty or not, attacking someone during a diplomatic meeting was foolish.
"After the convention," Mikael continued, nodding at Iron Man like he hadn't been interrupted. "Thanks for the stage, by the way. Anyway, after the convention, I returned home. My Family and I had some things to discuss after Miss Frost's... bold words, as you can imagine." There were a few smiles as Mikael joked lightly. "'Happy wife, happy life' is much more important when you have a dozen wives and you'll live forever. After dinner, I spent the rest of the night... engaged with a few. While they can and will testify on my behalf, I didn't think anyone would believe them, so I left them behind before I came today."
"Who, exactly?" Captain America asked. "And you should have brought them anyway."
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
"If you want to hear about my sex life, I'm fine with it," Mikael shrugged. "But Priscilla is a bit shier. We can see about setting up a meeting later should this end peacefully."
"We will want to interview her," Superman nodded. "We will keep it to appropriate subjects."
"Anyway, as I said, you all think there is at least a chance I took Madelyne Pryor and her son, or so many wouldn't be here. I've spent this entire time trying to think of a way to prove my innocence. The sooner I do that, the sooner we can focus on the most important thing. Finding the victims."
A few of the heroes shuffled awkwardly.
Artoria understood their discomfort at her husband's gentle rebuke. Every moment they spent here was a moment they weren't looking for the kidnapped woman and baby. It was an odd trait she had noticed about this world's heroes while working with them.
If there was a figure, a villain, they could focus on, they would. They focused more on 'beating the bad guy' than fixing the underlying issue that led to the bad guy in the first place.
There was a reason for this, of course. Most villains tied their plans to their well-being, and stopping them usually led to fixing the problem. And punching a guy out was way easier than solving systematic and cultural issues that led to villains.
It was a trap of a mindset, in her eyes.
Artoria had been shocked that she currently held the record for most diplomatic agreements officiated in the entire Justice League despite only having been on this planet for a few months. While this was partially due to the turbulent nature of these times, it also showed that heroes focused more on disasters and villains rather than the state of the world as a whole.
"I am no super genius," Mikael shrugged his shoulders. "No Batman or Reed Richards or Tony Stark," Iron Man visibly preened at the compliment. "I can only think of two things that might help prove my innocence. Sorcerer Supreme, you said you sensed magic in the room? Were you able to determine the spell or type of magic used?"
"No," Stephen Strange shook his head. "The traces were too faint and fragmented. Whoever did this made it untraceable."
"That would be my first point." Mikael's hands lit up, his right with flames and his left with starlight. The heroes tensed, but he kept them facing toward the ceiling, so they settled down to watch them wearily. "Can anyone sense these spells? Their type, power, or anything at all?"
"No," Strange said with a frown. "What are they?"
"A simple fireball and glintstone pebble," Mikael said as he released both spells. A tiny comet blasted toward the ceiling, plinking against it with a clink. The fireball was slightly more impressive but dissipated in contact with Ehangwen's ceiling.
As if her Hall could be marked by such pitiful spells.
"What about these?"
The heroes recoiled at the visual representation of his power.
His left hand held a lighting bolt, pulsing with yellow power so bright it seared the retina.
He held a miniature sun in his right hand, glowing an angry orange as rings of fire surrounded it.
Two phantasmal heads of a dragon floated above him, each twice his size, as their jaws glowed with waiting Ruin.
A select few heroes, including Strange and Superman, stared in horror at the Blue Moon that rose behind his back.
Clad in the clear regalia of his power, enough to wipe a continent off the planet, Mikael smiled at the heroes.
"It's like there's nothing there," Magik said, a slight Russian accent in her voice as she stared at him with wide eyes. "Not even an illusion. Just nothing."
"That is the first thing I can think of to prove my innocence," Mikael smiled as he dissipated his spells rather than release them. Artoria was confident she and her Hall could withstand them, but the heroes would surely perish in the exchange. "I don't need to cover my tracks. If I don't want people to feel my power, they won't. A trait unique to my Family and me. We would never have left traces behind. Someone trying to frame me would not be able to imitate that, so they did the best they could."
"You can choose to," Strange narrowed his eyes, clearly trying to figure out the mechanics of this ability. "I have felt Lady Ranni's power before from that same spell."
"Sure, when she was trying to scare you off," Mikael rolled his eyes. "You know, the last time you all thought I was going to do something malicious? How'd that work out?"
"Mikael," Artoria warned him, and he held his arms up in mock surrender as the heroes shifted awkwardly at the reminder.
"Anyway, if I was trying to leave a false trail, why would I spend the effort covering my tracks? Just cast a spell you all can sense."
"You mentioned two theories to prove your innocence," Superman prompted. "What is the second?"
"Motivation," her lover deadpanned. "Who. What. When. Where. Why. Four out of five is not enough. Even if I were guilty, which I am not, we still have to answer the 'Whydunit?' don't we? In a world with shapeshifters, psychics and magic, the why is the only concrete question we can focus on. Everything else can be faked. So why would I want the victims, and more importantly, why did I take them then? Why not wait for a better time, when the mother and child were alone? Why did Squinty see anything at all?"
"Because you didn't think I would shake off your spell," Scott snarled. "Because you wanted the Phoenix Force."
"But Melina has the Phoenix Force already," Mikael pointed out.
"Which you knocked us out to take," Iron Man pointed out. "You clearly have plans for it."
"I did nothing," Mikael said innocently, hand over his heart. "And it wounds me that you would think so. Neither did my wives. Instead, you should be thanking us. We stopped the real person trying to become the Phoenix Host. Odin."
There were confused glances traded around the room as the heroes, particularly those not knowing about the Phoenix incident, wondered what Sir Mikael was talking about.
"Were you aware why the Phoenix Force, why I, came to earth in the first place?" Melina asked the room, speaking for the first time. Her left eye glowed with fire as her red hair danced like a flame. "It was to become one with Life, with Mikael." Mikael waved at the room, an awkward smile on his face. "Your efforts would not have stopped me. I was aware of the ritual you were attempting and its inevitable failure. Should it have become a hindrance, I would have burned you all from existence."
Strange looked put out but remained quiet as the Phoenix Host continued to speak.
Artoria kept her focus on Guardian. He was the unexpected twist in their plans today, and he had not taken his gaze from the kindling maiden since this meeting had started.
That had changed when she mentioned the goal was Mikael, and now he was focused on her husband with a laser-like intensity.
She didn't know his details, seeing as Mikael hadn't briefed them on his abilities, but he had to be powerful based on her husband's initial reaction to him.
Though why he immediately disregarded the alien while also being on guard was odd to her.
"I ignored you because you are irrelevant," the Phoenix continued, and Mikael whispered a low 'harsh' at the words. "Odin incapacitated you and begged me to join him to heal Thor. He promised to aid me in becoming one with Life. Melina, I, provided a better offer. We left. Not one action taken against any of you."
"Point Break is hurt?" Iron Man asked, worried over his friend. "When? How?"
"No idea," Mikael shrugged. "We've been looking for a way to reach Asgard for a while to talk to ol'one-eye but haven't found one. Does anyone have a Bifrost we can rent? I promise to bring it back in pristine condition."
There was a clamour of noise. Thor was well-regarded by almost the entire hero community. The old thunder god wasn't without his issues, but his bombastic attitude and willingness to aid pretty much anyone was always a pleasure to those who knew him well.
Artoria was the arbiter, however, and needed to drag the topic back to why they were here.
"Aiding the Asgardians can be discussed at a later day," she intoned. "As can the details of what truly occurred that led to Melina becoming the host of the Phoenix. We are here for a more pressing issue. Mikael has presented a quandary. Can anyone provide a motivation that might be attributed to him for the act you accuse him of?"
There was a beat of silence, as people exchanged looks. Some still looked unconvinced, but the vast majority were giving the matter serious thought.
These were not a rabid crowd of civilians. They were heroes, and a large part of their job was thinking critically to determine right from wrong.
Could the Elden Lord be guilty of the crime? Certainly. He'd remain a suspect until the truth was discovered just because he had the power to do the deed.
Was there enough doubt to justify a peaceful resolution now? Yes. Mikael had cast enough doubt that many heroes wouldn't feel comfortable attacking them outright as they might have done when they first met.
Cyclops looked like he knew the public perception had shifted. He was looking around the room, fists clenched. Even his fellow X-men shot their leader apologetic looks. They were more invested than the other heroes, but they also didn't want to attack a possibly innocent man.
And that was what this meeting was truly about.
It was to determine whether violence between the X-men and their allies was to break out against Mikael and his Family. If it was, they brought the muscle they could gather. If it wasn't, everyone present would be up to date on the facts and ready to begin the search in earnest.
"As nobody is able to answer the question, and we have heard both sides, we shall now proceed to discuss what actions are to follow," Artoria intoned seriously. "Irrespective of any further arguments, the priority must be on recovering the woman and child. I trust this is not up for debate?"
"Rescuing them is our first and only goal," Superman said, looking at Mikael. "If you don't have them, we must find them."
"I trust we can work together now?" Mikael asked, looking around the room. Apart from Cyclops, who still looked angry, many nodded or voiced their agreement. The Flash even gave a thumbs-up. "Good. Then I can tell you all about my theory."
All the attention focused on him as he held out his hand. An illusion appeared in front of him. A red-haired, green-eyed woman in an X-men suit.
Cyclops choked.
"This is Jean Grey," Mikael said, gesturing to the illusion. "And this is Madelyne Pryor." Another woman appeared beside the first illusion, looking almost entirely identical. "A failed clone of Jean Grey."
"What?!" Scott Summers asked, his voice a shocked whisper.
"It's no secret I've travelled the multiverse," Mikael shrugged. "This knowledge comes from a parallel universe, so do not take it as gospel truth as things are always different, universe to universe. However, in that universe, Madelyne Pryor was an attempt to clone Jean Grey, powers and all. It was a failure, and the clone never attained true life. Until Grey died and the Phoenix left Earth. As it did, it gave a spark of life to the clone, allowing it to live. That is the same in this universe, correct?"
"It is," Melina nodded. "I felt a fragment of my former host and chose to give it a spark in her memory."
"Here is where things become unverifiable for the moment, but likely," Mikael looked around the room. "The man who cloned her, Nathaniel Essex, placed her in Cyclops' path, hoping they would fall in love and marry. He is a geneticist and believes their child would be an extremely powerful mutant. Tell me, Cyclops, why did you name the boy Nathan?"
"Maddy..." Scott sounded completely unbelieving. No, he didn't want to believe it. He didn't want to believe his marriage was based on lies. "Maddy said it was her dead father's name. That doesn't prove anything!"
Artoria noticed Superman place a hand to his ear, an almost invisible speaker speaking to him as the Kryptonian's face fell.
"I don't think Pryor is conscious of this fact," Mikael said, some sympathy in his voice. "She is being manipulated unconsciously in ways that favour Essex. In that other timeline, he was correct. Your son goes on to become Cable, an incredibly powerful mutant."
"You think this Essex took the woman and child and is trying to frame you?" Strange asked, rubbing at his goatee.
"Is this the same Nathaniel Essex that built Essex Corp?" Iron Man asked. "I've met him at last year's gala. We talked about Supers. How some powers are inherited, and others aren't. That's all I know about him."
"That's the guy," Mikael nodded. "He also goes by Mister Sinister." A few heroes snorted at the name, but Artoria didn't know why they laughed. 'Ice-man' was not the most creative Nom de Guerre either. "My current theory is that he discovered the Phoenix returned to Earth, retrieved his clone and the child for experimentation, and set you all against us. He probably hoped we'd fight and Melina would die or become the Dark Phoenix. Then, he could use Pryor to become the new host while he keeps the child for his studies. My Family is looking for him, but he is not at his registered address, company, or anywhere else we can find, which is suspicious."
"So we're supposed to take your word on all this?" Cyclops denied. "We're supposed to believe some random guy is the mastermind and that none of what I saw was true?"
"Look," Mikael let out a sigh. "I get it, you're mad. I would be, too. But think, man, think! Why wouldn't I have killed you or taken you as well? Why were you able to see anything in the first place when I can make things invisible? Why was it that the only word you could understand was Phoenix? I can speak literally every language. Ever. Of all time. Why would I use the English word if I was already speaking a different language? Almost every civilization in this universe has a word for it because of the Phoenix Force."
To demonstrate, Mikael listed over thirty different ways of saying the name. From human tongues worldwide, which even Storm corroborated were correct, to some words that were clearly invented and spoken with non-human biology.
"We have been set against each other," Melina said softly, standing from Mikael's lap to look at Cyclops even as he continued increasingly incoherently saying, 'Phoenix.' Artoria was sure he was just having fun now. "I can hear your thoughts. You know this to be true."
The X-men looked like he was vacillating, looking from the Phoenix Host to her husband, fist clenched.
Then he sagged, the fight leaving him.
"I just want my family back," he said in a broken whisper.
"We'll help you find them," Mikael said with a smile, standing and putting away his recliner as he finally stopped his recital.
"Then settlement has been reached," Artoria asked the room. "Everyone will exhaust their best efforts to find the woman and child. Whether Sinister is behind this plot or not, we will work together without conflict until more information is discovered. This is my judgement. Superman?" The alien nodded his head in agreement, still focusing on his earpiece. "Captain America?"
"That is for the best," the first Avenger also agreed. "I would also volunteer my help searching for a way into Asgard. If Thor is injured, we may be able to help."
"Then let us disperse so we may find the victims," Artoria stood from her throne, dispensing her mantle of Ruler.
It was like a weight had been lifted.
While other Rulers considered it but a class one could be assigned, Artoria took the duty seriously when it was entrusted to her.
Now that she didn't have to worry about it, she allowed herself to feel all the emotions she had suppressed.
That had gone both better and worse than they had hoped.
Artoria hadn't dismissed Ehangwen yet; her husband still had a plan.
Instead, she surveilled the room. While many of the heroes were conferring, especially about Thor, Essex, or where and how they'd search for the kidnapped victims, a few stood out to her.
Guardian was approaching Melina, pulling her to the side for questioning.
The X-men huddled together, supporting their leader and discussing where to go from here. Artoria noticed Magik pause mid-speech as every X-men got a vacant look in their eyes, which was expected when speaking telepathically. They were probably talking with Xavier.
It was Superman, however, that drew her attention.
"Mikael," Superman said lowly, hand still at his earpiece as her husband looked at the man. "Essex Corp. In the other world, were there any side effects to their medicine?"
"What medicine," her husband asked. "You're going to need to be more specific. In the other world, the company was a front, sure, but it also operated without issue for years. Just because they made something doesn't mean it's bad, though it's definitely worth a second look. I also know dozens of 'medicines' that were actually some sort of biological attack. Do you have a name? Extremis? Miraclo? Xperience? The techno-virus? What specifically is it?"
Superman frowned as he listened to the voice on his communication device.
"Batman says it is called Sanguine? Made to replicate Elixir's power. A mutant that passed a few years ago."
"I know of Elixir the mutant, but the name doesn't ring a bell. Ominous as fuck, though. Definitely sketchy. My family recently raided their offices. We haven't gone through the data yet, but once we do, we will give you guys anything we find-"
Mikael's words were cut off by a blast of red energy from a furious and snarling Cyclops.
At the exact moment, Emma's voice resounded through Artoria's head.
'I found Pryor.'
Even as the X-men attacked, Artoria smiled.
Looks like the plan went off perfectly.
********
While Amy and Victoria's first instinct had been to retreat as the building collapsed, the Amazons had done the opposite.
If there was any proof of their relation, it was that Donna, Diana, and Hippolyta had all lunged at a different vine, swords drawn to try and hack the plants to pieces.
Their swords bit deep and would have severed the entire trunks had the thorns not jettisoned themselves like bullets to try and pelt the attackers with needle-sharp precision. All three women were forced to abort their attack to protect their eyes, yet the plants still drew blood as the small projectiles pierced the barest layer of skin.
With an experienced eye, Amy noted that the thorns were strong enough to pierce Amazonian skin but not muscle. None of them were significantly hurt.
Penelope, in contrast to all of them, had a different priority. When the very first vine emerged, she dove for the table, grabbing the book and wrapping it in her arms to defend it. She took more damage than the other Amazons by virtue of not wearing armour and focusing more on the book than herself.
It happened in a split second, from the vines' initial appearance, the counter, to the counter's counter, to the house collapse.
"God damn it, Vicky!" Amy shouted as she took to the air to escape the grasping vines as they tore the building apart. Three were enough to destroy the newly built edifice, each at least five times her width, covered in thorns and sharp enough to pierce stone.
"What?" Her sister yelled back.
"What did you do?"
"Why do you think I did anything?" Glory Girl cried in her defence.
"Pattern recognition."
"Gah." Amy felt supremely smug about the way her sister faltered in the air at her rebuttal.
Despite the unprovoked attack, Amy wasn't worried. Even ignoring her new Kryptonite biology and the fact that she had spent considerable time and effort giving her sister the same, whoever was doing this had attacked an Amazonian village with Wonder Woman there.
And boy, did the Amazons look pissed.
The alarm sounded, great horns calling all the guards back to defend their new home as more vines, trees, and even the grass rose to try and kill the Amazons and their guests.
Amy fired lasers from her eyes, their power nowhere near the strength of Superman's or even Supergirl's as she had absorbed less sun rays, but they were enough to burn away a few smaller plants reaching for Penelope, who remained curled around the book.
In the opening, Vicky flew down, picking the priestess up by her robe and pulling her into the relative safety in the sky.
The priestess hadn't been cowering or defenceless as she might have looked. As Glory Girl brought her closer, Amy could hear her chanting a spell.
The air shimmered, a great dome coming into existence for the briefest of moments as the air superheated.
The grass, sharpened into blades, and the leaves, tearing through the air like sickles, ignited in flames as the Amazonian called upon Hestia's Hearth to burn away the intruders.
The vines, roots, and trees survived. Scorched black, they remained whole despite the conflagration as they continued their assault on the women of New Themyscira.
"My thanks for your aid," Penelope said as the spell finished its work. She was flipping through the book rapidly. "I could not allow Lord Mikael's work to be destroyed. Ah!" The priestess' eyes suddenly lit up, and a smile filled her face as she continued to flip through the book. "He 'wood' not wish it so."
Amy and Vicky shared a worried look. Had the woman hit her head?
Amy touched the Amazon, only to find her in perfect health.
"What are you looking for?" Glory Girl asked the priestess as the Amazons fully took up arms, shearing through the grasping plants with the ease of a thresher.
"'Trees and the Many Ways Nature Wants YOU Dead. Yes, YOU specifically.'" The two sisters shared another worried look, and Amy checked again for a head injury. "Lord Mikael dedicated a section of his work to the dangerous flora of this land. I do not remember any that can cause spontaneous growth, but I may have missed something."
"You did not," Wonder Woman said, flying up to the trio. "This is not the work of the land itself but of an interloper. Look beyond the mountains to the north."
Amy did so, squinting her eyes. It took her a minute to understand what she saw, initially thinking it was simply a wooded mountain.
Then she realized that none of the mountains she had seen since arriving had been wooded.
And mountains didn't move.
"Di?" Victoria asked wide-eyed. "What am I looking at?"
"A plant elemental," Diana sighed. "THE plant elemental. Swamp Thing. My counterpart told me he had invaded this land but had kept to himself. I know not why he attacks now, after over a month, and why here, but if we are to preserve this valley, he must be stopped."
"Ok," Glory Girl said, psyching herself up. "How do we do that? You fought this guy before, right? Threw him in the birdcage? How'd you do it last time?"
"With great difficulty," Wonder Woman grimaced. "Killing him is impossible. Even if his body is rendered to ash, he will simply regrow from the nearby plants. Last time, the entire league fought him, and we only stopped him by magically lulling him into a spiritual slumber."
"This time will be even more difficult," Penelope said grimly, book open in her hands. "He has gained the aid of the flora of this land. I see Miranda Blooms. They can spew poison, Rot, and cast magic. The ents are little more than walking trees in comparison, but the greatest threat is that main body."
"Not the army of plant creatures marching towards us?" Amy asked sarcastically. It was surreal to see an entire horizon of green move towards you in a tide. The vines had been chump change, a distraction so the Amazons wouldn't notice the army at their doorstep for as long as possible. Which didn't need to be long since the wave of plants was approaching at startling speed. "Good to know. I thought this would be boring."
"Tomb Mould, Lumenflowers, Coldblood Flowers, Fulgurblooms, Poisonblooms, Green Blossoms, Arteria Leaf, Bloodrose," Penelope listed off plant after plant she noticed, her face growing graver with every second. "Simply being that things present for long will be deadly. It will be immune to poison and the usual herbicide-type spells. Fire, lightning, cold. None of those will work. It will reconnect everything as soon as it is severed. And..." Penelope had looked grim but determined until she saw the 'head' of the massive creature. She breathed out the word in awe and terror. "Scarlet Aeonia."
"Like..." Wonder Woman asked, staring at the red flower head with wariness.
"From Lord Mikael's memory," Penelope nodded. "The remnants of a god's descent."
"We shall evacuate," Diana ordered at once. "Glory Girl, open the portal. We shall return to the US."
"We will not!" Hippolyta ordered as she approached the group, every Amazon behind her.
Amy got a look at the remains of the village. Every building had been destroyed, but not a single life had been lost that she could see. Every plant had been torn to shreds, burned or turned to mush, unable to regrow.
"Mother!" Wonder Woman protested, but it was Donna who explained the order to her older sister.
"The patrols," the young woman said simply, staring at the army of trees. "We cannot leave till they return."
"Do not forget, behind us is Lord Mikael's home. I will not allow our hosts to be surprised by a foe because we fled instead of defending our new home," Hippolyta said, raising her sword.
"They can take care of themselves," Diana protested.
"And so can we."
"Shit!" Glory Girl swore, letting go of Penelope, who started flying under her own power. "I got an idea. Hold that thing off for like five minutes!"
Then she was gone, flying south as fast as she could.
Amy facepalmed.
So much for leaving once the guards got back.
"Five minutes?" Hippolyta smirked. "Penelope! Raise the wards to full power! We have five minutes to kill this thing. Let's show these girls what it means to be Amazons!"
Their war cry shook the mountain.