Boratz

Chapter 17: Battle on the Beach The walls and floors shook on the massive luxury cruise. Trembling with each step, Nuala wondered if unleashing the terrifying Octalus was the right choice. After reaching the bow of the large ship, the elvish princess tripped onto a pile of bloody skeletons. Her eyes began to swell as tears rolled down her cheeks. She could feel the pain and terror of the countless victims that were aboard the Argonautica in their final moments. Pushing herself away from the horror, Nuala ran as fast as she could away from the feeding ground. She eventually found herself close to the deck of the ship. The cool night air pressed against her pale skin as her yellowish eyes searched for a way off the ship. While running along the ship, her gaze fell upon the vessel that had brought the hardened mercenary to the Argonautica. The elvish princess felt a small sense of relief once she saw the full view of Deathstroke's boat. Slipping and sliding over the rain-soaked floors of the lower deck on the Argonautica, Nuala fought with every ounce of strength that she had to get to the mercenary's boat. After grabbing onto the cables that connected the two vessels together, the elvish princess sensed a presence near her. She glanced over and saw the battle-hardened assassin. It appeared as if he was lunging at her. Nuala screamed as she slipped back onto Slade's boat. Once her yellowish eyes adjusted to her surroundings, she saw that the cruel warrior had lost his battle against the Octalus. Slade reached out his hand for the elvish princess to grab. Nuala looked at his hand and then glared into his single blue eye. She could see the pain in his eye, but then she saw the many lives that Deathstroke had taken over his lifetime. She then felt the assassin's desire for her to have mercy upon him. "Help! Please!" Slade spit out through the agonizing pain. Knowing that this assassin's ruthlessness was no greater than the Octalus, Nuala shook her head. "You deserve no mercy, Slade Wilson!" Nuala cut through the cables that connected Slade's boat to the Argonautica. The boat fell back into the ocean. The elvish princess turned away as Slade was consumed by the Octalus. She rushed over to the controls and struggled to gain control of the assassin's boat. After finally getting control of the boat, Nuala drove the boat as far away from the Argonautica as she possibly could. Despite escaping the horrors that were on that ship, Nuala knew it was only a matter of time before her brother's allies would get word of Slade's demise. Her piece of the Crown of Bethmoora would not be safe until she found the island that her father had spoken of all those years ago. Sailing over the crashing waves, Nuala did her best to steer the boat toward the direction of the island. Her attention soon shifted away as the radar screen caught onto something rather large lurking deep within the ocean. Her thoughts immediately went back to the Octalus. There was no way that beast was able to escape the Argonautica that fast. Despite her growing fears, the elvish princess dud everything she could to make sure Slade's boat could power through the raging sea. Suddenly, the boat shook with an incredible force. Nuala fell to the floor and quickly pushed herself to her feet. Slade's defense systems automatically started going into operation as the deafening sounds of cannons started to fire off at the unknown creature. Nuala covered her ears and closed her eyes tightly. For a brief moment she began to panic, but the elvish princess soon found herself back at the boat's controls. Despite the large creature being in close pursuit, Slade's boat managed to be fast enough to evade the unknown threat. There was a spark of hope within the princess. She could see an island on the corner of the radar screen. Realizing that she was approaching the island from her father's stories, the princess realized that she would need to find a way to escape this beast once and for all. She grabbed onto the controls as tight as she could. Sunlight started breaking through the darkness as she approached the island. The closer she got, the rougher the waters became. Sharp rocks surrounded the mythical island. Her yellowish eyes caught a glimpse of the beach ahead. She took a deep breath and stepped away from the controls. The princess ran to the top of the boat and dived into the waters that surrounded the island of legend. She hoped the terrifying beast from the ocean's deepest pit would chase after the out-of-control boat. Once Nuala swam to the surface, she heard the boat crash into a series of rocks. A fiery inferno soon followed with a powerful explosion. She soon swam the rest of the way toward the beach. There was no sign of the Octalus or any other form of life. With a deep sigh of relief, Nuala felt as if she was finally safe. Once she reached the island, she slowly crawled along the beach. She took a moment to enjoy the sun shining down upon her. She felt safe, but the moment of peace quickly faded. In the distance, she could hear the sounds of several other explosions. She even made out the treacherous sound of gun fire in the distance. She thought she had escaped man's reach, but the elvish princess realized that she was wrong. Her father was wrong and mankind had found its way onto this legendary island. Nuala collapsed onto her knees as a feeling of hopelessness overtook her. Despite wanting to preserve all life, the princess soon started to feel that maybe her brother was right. Those thoughts soon faded once she remembered all the beauty that she had witnesses in her life. She knew that most creatures were capable of darkness, but they were also capable of bringing light upon the world. Nuala pushed her hands against the sand and started to rise to her feet. Her yellowish eyes started to look over the island of legend and a smile formed across her pale cheeks. Even if the humans found their way to this island, Nuala would make sure that the Crown piece of Bethmoora was kept safe. Soon the ground started to shake beneath her feet. The water on the beach started to rise as she saw a large shadow approaching the mythical island. The air in lunges had escaped her mouth once she realized that the beast had found her. Suddenly, she saw red claws break through the surface of the ocean. Her yellowish eyes widen as a creature emerged from the ocean. This beast was not the Octalus that she had encountered on the Argonautica. This was something else entirely. It was much larger than the terrifying monster that plagued the luxury cruise that she had escaped from. This horror of the deep started making its way onto the beach. The giant sea monster unleashed a screeching roar that caused her blood to run cold. Nuala covered her ears from the unsettling roar and fell back on her bottom. She started pulling at the sand behind her as she crawled toward the tree line. While glancing back at the trees, the princess hoped that she could escape from the sea monster's wrath. Her eyes then caught sight of a young child standing in the trees. It was a young human girl, a native to the island of myth. Nuala glanced back at the approaching sea monster and then turned her attention back to the young girl. With all of her strength, Nuala pushed herself to her feet and ran to the young girl. The princess wanted to protect the girl at all cost. As her arms wrapped around the young girl, Nuala's abilities caught glimpses of the girl's village. There were other creatures that had dwelled upon the island. Nuala then realized that this sea monster was known by the villagers as Ebirah. Nuala let go of the little girl as another roar pierced throughout the island. She felt the ground quake as a stomping sound was fast approaching. Despite the terror that Nuala was feeling, she could see the calmness in the young girl. With her telepathic abilities, Nuala could see that the young girl was not afraid as she felt protected by the island's protector. Nuala took a step back as she saw another large beast jump over the trees and land onto the beach. This large creature stood between them and the giant sea beast. The princess watched with widened eyes as the island's protector stood high up in the air and started pounding his chest with extraordinary fists. The creature unleashed a powerful roar as it stood before the horror of the deep. Nuala could hear the young girl muttering something under her breath as she gazed upon the massive creature. Nuala took several breaths as she started to kneel down toward the young girl. The girl was muttering a name that Nuala had never heard before. This was the name of the island's protector. The young girl was muttering the name over and over again. It was the name of her people's king. This creature was the king of this island. It was a name that was a legendary as the island itself. This creature was the king of Skull Island. This creature was Kong... ************************** This takes place on one of Skull Island's beaches. It is shortly after the events of Vinny vs. Them! Kong - is between what he was in Kong Skull Island and Godzilla vs. Kong Ebriah is at full size

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Chapter 16: A BOOM in a Lost World Deep under the sea and crossing over the ocean floor, the majestic Ulysses moved with an incredible speed. From within the vessel, a great many of the crew members laughed and traded jokes about what they would discover. For Milo Thatch, this was more than an adventure. He almost felt it was his life's purpose. In fact, he felt it was his family's purpose to discover the fabled lost city of Atlantis. In recent years, he had heard about the heroics of Aquaman and his kingdom below the sea and the many exploits of Namor along with his underwater kingdom. Despite this knowledge about the ocean, a great many in the academic community considered Milo and his family insane. Milo wanted to show the world that Atlantis was a part of the world's history and still a part of the world today. Thankfully, Preston Whitmore provided Milo with the opportunity to search for the legendary city on a journey of a lifetime. Despite setbacks before the expedition even started, Milo became acquainted with the rest of the crew. In the journey under the sea, he even started growing close with the many different crew members. He learned of the setbacks before he was even recruited on this spectacular journey. The original man that was to lead the expedition had been hired by someone else. One of the crew members, Dr. Joshua Sweet made a joke about their original expedition leader joining up with a group of space mercenaries. Another crew member, Audrey even swore on her family's lives that she saw Commander Rourke and Helga leaving on a space ship and heading into the great unknown above the clouds. While Milo heard the stories and listened to the jokes, his mind continued to circle around the lost city of Atlantis. As the vessel traveled along the sea floor, Milo heard shouts that they were getting readings up ahead. Milo fumbled around to get to his feet while other crew members raced to see what was happening. All around the Ulysses, there were ships from different eras scattered throughout the ocean floor. Milo's mouth dropped open as he looked over the countless ships. "It's a graveyard!" One of the crew members exclaimed while seeing the wreckage. The radar caught movement of something large. With their eyes looking out at the wreckage, the many crew members tried to get a glimpse of whatever it was that was moving throughout this horrific sight. Suddenly, the large moving object started rising up from the deep at an incredible speed. Wilhelmina Bertha Packard said that the radar showed the object moving closer to them as it was rising up from the deep. While looking out at the dark waters surrounding them, the crew could not see anything. The Ulysses shook violently as the object made impact with the underwater vessel. The vessel spun out of control as crew members raced to get it steady. Bertha shouted that the object was continuing to rise up to the ocean's surface. Milo caught a glimpse of the creature as it continued to rise. It was unlike anything he had ever seen in his life. The large beast moved as if it were chasing some sort of prey on top of the water. "Maybe it is going after another ship!" Milo exclaimed while trying to fathom what he just saw. "Whatever it is, it caused some pretty nasty damage to the engine!" Audrey screamed over the radio. "I think I can fix this but we need to get it on dry land!" "Wait, we are not even close to where we need to be!" Milo screamed. "Settle down kid, we will get there when we get there!" The expedition leader yelled. "We will surface and find the nearest island. Let's do our repairs and pray we don't run into whatever that thing was again." As the Ulysses rose up from the ocean floor, the unique vessel slowly made its way to the surface. Shooting up over the water, the crew struggled to maintain the integrity of the ship. Bertha shouted that a large ship appeared on the corner of the radar screen. With all the chaos and damage that was sustained to the Ulysses, the expedition leader told his crew that their priority was to find the nearest island in order to repair the Ulysses. "What if that thing that collided with us is attacking that ship?!" Milo cried out. "Better them than us!" The expedition leader snapped. "They may need our help!" Milo shouted. "We need to help ourselves, Mr. Thatch! If we don't repair our ship first, then we will all die!" The expedition screamed while trying to maintain order in the Ulysses. As the vessel traveled through the raging storm, Bertha said something from underneath her cigarette smoke that brought hope to the crew. "It looks like there is an island picking up on the radar." The elderly woman's monotone voice was soon drowned out by several cheering crew members. Despite the high energy in the vessel, the expedition leader knew that they had to make it to the island quickly. Milo stumbled back and looked over some maps of the area. A strange feeling started to simmer in the pit of his stomach. There were no recorded islands in this specific area. Before he could voice his concerns, he heard the expedition leader shout out that they had made land fall. The expedition leader soon gave orders to several of the crew members to assist Audrey in the repairs. A few of the metal doors of the Ulysses opened up to the world above the sea. Rays of sunlight started to shine into the vessel. Several crew members ran out of the ship to see what they could find outside of the ship. Audrey and some of the engineers of the ship analyzed the damages to the outside. They were all amazed by what could have caused this amount of damage to this large vessel. Even though they were astonished by the damages, they immediately got to work on repairing the Ulysses. As for some of the other crew members, ship's the mineralogist and excavation expert gazed over the beach with widened eyes. He quickly ran to look over the surrounding sand and rocks. He muttered several things under his breath as he began taking samples. The expedition leader glanced over at Mole and was about to give him an order but shook his head with a sigh. "Mr. Thatch and Vinny, you're with me! We're going to search this island for any resources or supplies! Dr. Sweet, you're in charge until I get back! Oh, and make sure Mole.... Well make sure Mole doesn't wander off too far." The expedition leader ordered while picking up a rifle from one of the crates. "You sure we need that!" Milo said as he pointed at the weapon. "Trust me, Nemo, it's better to have something than nothing. That's why I am bringing these!" Vinny said with a smile while opening his bag of explosives. "Uh, what?" Milo said in disbelief. "Mr. Thatch, we don't know this island. I'd rather be prepared." The expedition leader said while hiking forward into the nearby woods. Vinny followed close behind while Milo stayed back for a second. He glanced off in the distance and saw the storm clouds surrounding the island. It was as if the island was shielded by the storm. Milo shook his head and ran to catch up with Vinny. While trying to catch his breath and adjust the large glasses over his eyes, Milo said, "My name is Milo by the way." "What?" Vinny asked while chewing on the end of a match. "Oh, uh before you called me Nemo. My name is Milo." Milo replied as he put out his hand for Venny to shake. Vinny quickly reached into his pocket and pulled out a small piece of dynamite. Instead of shaking his hand, Vinny placed the small piece of dynamite into Milo's hand. Milo immediately dropped it onto the ground and lunged back. "Relax kid, it's one of my small ones. Think of it as a sparkler." Vinny laughed. Milo shook his head and rubbed the back of his head. He gave off an awkward smile while Vinny continued to follow behind the expedition leader. Milo soon ran back up to Vinny's side. "So, what's your story?" Milo asked. "My story?" Vinny responded. "Yeah, uh how did you become a demolition expert for an expedition such as this?" Milo asked. "I just like to blow things up! Well, eh I guess full story is my family owned a flower shop. We would sell roses, carnations, baby's breath, you name it. One day, I'm making about three dozen corsages for this prom, you know, the one they put on the wrist, and everybody, they come. "Where is it?", "When is it?", "Does it match my dress?" It's a nightmare. Anyway, I guess there was this leak next door of gas or what. BOOM! No more Chinese laundry. Blew me right through the front window. It was like a sign from God. I found myself in that boom." Vinny recounted as he had done many times before with others. "I started doing different jobs and eventually found myself in a handful prisons. Mr. Whitmore busted me out one day from this one nasty prison. Hired me, and well, here I am." "Oh... That's interesting." Milo said while adjusting his glasses one again. "Nah, you want to know what is interesting. Some of these plants and flowers have been extinct for... Well for a long time. A very long time." Vinny said while pointing down at some of the vegetation. "How do you know that?" Milo asked. "Like I said, my family owned a flower shop. They had us know anything and everything about flowers before we could even walk." Vinny replied. Before Milo could respond, the expedition leader yelled for them to hurry up. Vinny and Milo ran up to the expedition leader. They stood before what appeared to be an entrance to a large cave in the ground. Taking a large swig of water from his canteen, the expedition leader knelt down to look over the cave. He wiped sweat from his forehead while glancing over at Vinny and Milo. "Stay here." The leader ordered. "I'm going to take a quick look inside." Vinny nodded while leaning back against a tree. Milo looked curiously over the entrance of the cave. There was something that caught his attention as the expedition leader walked into the cave. Milo gazed upon what appeared to be markings that were etched into the cave's entrance. He leaned in close and almost gasped. The markings were symbols from an ancient language. It was not Atlantean but it shared a great many similarities to the ancient race. While exploring this large, the expedition leader's eyes wandered in all directions. There was a strange stench in the air that filled his nostrils. The cave was warm and humid. There were markings that were carved into some of the cave walls that dated back thousands of years. There was a strange substance on the ground that caused the expedition leader's boots to become stickier with every step that he took. His eyes then fell upon something that almost caused him to fall back in terror. There were skeletal remains scattered throughout the cave. He recognized many human bones but what really caused him to stumble back were the much larger bones. There were skeletons that appeared to be almost as large as a house. "What the hell?" He mumbled under his breath. Suddenly, he heard a rattling sound from within this terrifying graveyard. Several of the skeletons and bones fell over as a shadow emerged from deep within the cave. The leader's mouth dropped opened as his dark eyes widened with pure horror. He stepped back on a human bone which cracked under his foot. He looked down at his feet and then glanced back up at the black shadow. In a panic, the leader turned around as fast as he could and ran. Running through this strange cave, he slipped in the sticky substance that cover the ground beneath him. His arms and face became covered in a sticky dark ooze. He pushed himself up and grabbed his rifle. The leader glanced back and saw the black shadow closing in on him. He screamed out as he pointed his rifle at the black shadow and fired his rifle. The leader turned around and ran back in hopes that he would be able to see the rays of the sun from the outside world. Despite the heat and the agonizing humidity that pressed against his skin, the leader ran as fast as he could. Lines of sweat ran down his face. His eyes burned with the sweat that drained down into his eyes. Tears ran out of his eyes and over his cheeks. In the distance, he could see the sunlight at the entrance of the cave. He could almost make out the two figures of Vinny and Milo looking into the cave. His heart pounded fast with each step that he took. As he ran closer to the light, he could see Vinny and Milo more clearly. A smile formed across his sweat covered cheeks as the sunlight pressed against his face. Before he could yell out what he discovered, he felt an agonizing pain come across his entire body. Milo and Vinny almost staggered back as they saw the expedition leader being picked up off the ground by what appeared to be large mandibles. Vinny's eyes widened as the match that he was chewing on fell out of his mouth. Milo watched in terror as the expedition leader was being devoured by a large ant. Vinny quickly grabbed Milo's shoulder and pulled him back. He nodded at the young professor, "Yeh, we got to go!," Vinny yelled as he pulled Milo out of the cave's entrance. "What about..." Milo said as he looked back at the giant ant finishing off what was left of the expedition leader. "If you want to stay, be my guest!" Vinny shouted as he pointed his thumb back at the large ant. Milo followed Vinny through the woods. They could hear the clattered trees from the large beast from behind. Vinny grabbed Milo and slammed him against a tree. "Hey, Marlin, get back to the crew. Tell Sweet and the others about this thing!" Vinny ordered. "Again, the name is Milo. Uh... Wh... What are you going to do?" Milo asked while struggling to catch his breath. "I'm going to see if I can add exterminator to my resume." Vinny smiled while stepping back with his pack of explosives. Milo looked over the large pack and then back at Vinny. He shook his head and then disappeared into the trees. Vinny reached into his pocket to take out another match. He slipped the match in between his lips and smiled. "Let's see what you got!" Vinny said while reaching into his pack of explosives. ****************************** The battle takes place in a large forest area. Vinny is armed with an assault rifle and a pistol. He also has a large pack of dynamite, grenades and other explosives. There is only one giant ant. This takes place during/after the events of Deathstroke vs. Octalus.

Another great set up. Sorry, it has been a while since I've commented. I've tried following this arc as well as rating and voting. It's been a bit busy the last several months. I've been trying to get back in the swing of things. As for the match, I got to go with Mickey on this one.

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Chapter 15: Deep Rising With the cold winter temperatures pressing against her skin, Helena continued to run for her life. This person that was after her was fast and Helena could tell that she was dangerous. She knew that she had to find a way to get her off her trail. After sneaking into a construction area, Helena climbed up to one of the upper areas. Braddock was not far behind her. As soon as the ruthless assassin reached the upper area of the construction zone, she could not see her target anywhere in sight. Jo Braddock let a few steady breaths while taking out her karambit blades. Her dark brown eyes scanned the area as she searched for Helena. As she walked around, Helena suddenly jumped out from a hiding place and lunged toward the assassin. The young archeologist was able to push Braddock off the upper story and down into a pit below. Helena smirked once she realized that she was safe. She ran away from the construction zone as the assassin struggled to climb out of the pit. The young adventurer made it onto the ship and chuckled as it departed from the dock. She glanced back at the shore and saw the outline of the assassin standing at the docks. Helena waved at the assassin as she walked inside the boat. She was curious to meet with the contact that was supposed to get her to Morocco. Once Helena walked down into the lower part of the boat, she saw a bald man with a nice suit sitting back in a chair. His eyes gazed upon Helena as she stood before him. "You seem out of breath, Ms. Shaw." The bald man said as he leaned back in his chair. "Had a bit of a run. I... Uhhhh.... Wait.... How do you know my name?" Helena asked with an astonished look after remembering that she gave a false alias to her contact. "I know everything about you, Helena Shaw. I also know that you have an artifact that you wish to sell in Morocco." The man replied. "Who are you?" Helena asked. "My name is Lex Luthor, and I am here to tell you that there is no need to sell that piece in Morocco." The man replied with a smile. "Are you here to kill me?" Helena asked with widened eyes. "That would not make for good business." Lex replied while pouring himself and Helena a glass of wine. "I am here to purchase that relic off of you." "How much?" Helena asked as her eyes narrowed. "More than you would ever get in Morocco." Lex responded while handing her the glass of wine. Helena took a sip while Lex told her the amount of money that she would be paid for the piece of the crown. The young adventurer almost choked on her sip of wine while the numbers went through her mind. She reached into her pack and then slowly handed the piece of the crown to Lex Luthor. "Congratulations, Ms. Shaw! You are now one of the wealthiest women on the planet." Lex replied with a smile while taking the piece of the crown. The boat soon made port not far away. Lex watched Helena disappear into the world. His assistant Tess asked why he let her go. Luthor simply nodded and responded, "She could always be of some use at a future time." Lex then followed his assistant to a helicopter nearby. He had a meeting to catch, and he did not want to be late. The helicopter landed on the pad at the top of his building. Lex walked down toward his office and sat down at his desk. It was only a matter of moments before the meeting would begin. The smell of sulfur filled his nostrils as he felt a presence in the office with him. A hint of green smoke moved around his desk while the lights in his office started to flicker. "You're late, Maleficent." Lex said as he turned his chair around to face the Dark Fairy. "You spared the thief. Why?" Maleficent asked with a look of disdain. "She could be an asset. What of your assassin?" Lex asked. "I do not tolerate failure. I turned her into an insect and crushed her with my foot." Maleficent replied with a cold smile. "Hmmm. That is lovely. The second piece has been acquired and the Council will be thrilled about the success." Lex replied. "Success? Nauda was captured by that Spider-Man! How is that a success?" Maleficent asked. "Nauda was never a major asset to the Council's plan. We have the second piece, and the final piece lies with his sister. As you made clear to the Council long ago, their life force is connected. When one of them dies, so will the other." Lex replied. "Cleaning up a loose end." Maleficent said with a smile. “A loose end that was never important to our plans. We only needed the Crown. We only need the Golden Army. Nuada was just a means to an end.” Lex responded. Now that the second piece of the crown has been acquired, Maleficent plotted on how they would be able to retrieve the final piece. While her mind wandered, a confident Lex poured himself a glass of scotch. He pressed the glass against his lips and glanced back at the Mistress of Evil. The brilliant CEO of LexCorps already had a means of finding the final piece to the crown. Before the Dark Fairy could ask Luthor what he had planned, Lex had slowly made his way around his office. He pressed his fingers against a screen and an image appeared before the Mistress of Evil. Maleficent's yellow eyes gazed upon the image before her. She rolled her eyes with disgust as her attention soon turned backed to Lex Luthor. The CEO of LexCorps stood with a confident smile plastered across his cheeks. He took another sip of his scotch before breaking the silence between them. "I am going to acquire the services of Deathstroke the Terminator." Lex said as he sat down in his chair. "I don't trust him." Maleficent moaned while glancing back at the image of Slade Wilson. "He is one of the best on the planet. He will get the job done." Lex replied confidently. "That is not what I am worried about." Maleficent responded as her yellowish turned back to Luthor. "He will try to take the crown for himself." "Not if he is paid enough." Lex replied. "I will see to it that he finishes the job and brings back our prize." "Then do what you must." Maleficent sighed. “Hire the Deathstroke.” There was no place on Earth that felt safe for Princess Nuala. After escaping her brother's grasp after the death of their father, Nuala ran as far as her legs could take her. With her piece of the crown of Bethmoora safely in her possession, she felt that she would have to do whatever it took to keep it away from her brother. In her journey across the world, she felt the pain that her brother was experiencing. Nuala felt to her knees once she realized that Nuada had been defeated in battle. The elvish princess soon pushed herself back to her feet once she realized that her brother was not vanquished. Nuada had merely been beaten in combat. With her psychic connection to her brother, she saw that he was in the custody of the humans. Nuala let out a sigh of relief as she experienced a moment of peace. That peace soon crumbled away once she remembered that Nuada was not working alone to acquire all the pieces for the Crown of Bethmoora. Before her father's death, Nuada spoke of an alliance that he had made with the Dark Fairy and her allies. Despite Nuada's defeat and imprisonment, Nuala had to keep running. She could not allow her piece of the crown fall into the wrong hands. As her yellowish eyes peered out onto the world around her, a small grin formed across her pale cheeks. She saw beauty in the lives of all those around her. The mere thought of what devastation the Golden Army could bring upon all this beauty made Nuala sick to her stomach. The elvish princess ran as fast and as fast as her legs would take her. There was nothing in this world that she felt would be worthy enough to possess the Crown of Bethmoora and so she decided that it was best not to ally herself with the humans. After finding herself at the feet of the oceans, the elvish princess knew there were only so few places to hide in this world. Watching over the crashing waves, she remembered her father telling her stories of an island that was hidden from the rest of the world. It was an island of myth and legend that was untouched by the corruption of mankind. An island that was its own world that was lost in history. Perhaps this lost world would be the perfect place to hide from the darkness that was after the crown. While searching for ways to travel the oceans to the South China Seas, the elven princess found that a luxury cruise would be setting its maiden voyage across those same waters. Remembering her father's stories, the lost world was not far from those very waters. She felt that if this ship was able to get her close enough to the island itself, then all she would need to do is find way to get the rest of the way there. Nuala snuck past security and found a way to blend into the shadows of the ship. As the princess tried to make herself comfortable on board, her thoughts started to dwell on the ship's name, Argonautica. The ship then set sail across the open seas. Laughter and music could be heard from all around while Nuala kept herself hidden. She was rather lonely at first and even contemplated on making herself known to the other guests. Despite these thoughts, Nuala knew it was best to keep herself hidden from any of those dangers. One fateful night on the Argonautica's journey across the seas, the ship's navigation and communication system was disabled. While the crew worked on trying to repair the different systems, something from the ocean floor started to rise and rammed into the ship. Stranded in the night, the laughter from the many guests soon turned to screams of terror. Naula's yellow eyes widened in horror once she realized that something was slaughtering the man guests on board the ship. From within the shadows, she could sense an ancient beast lurking around. A cold chill ran down her spine as her telepathic abilities saw into the creature's mind. For centuries, this soulless beast had claimed the lives of countless ships. While her brother would have admired what the creature had done to the countless humans throughout the years, Nuala was sickened by what it had done. While the creature hunted for the elvish princess, Nuala was able use a magical elixir to take control of the Octalus. She knew that the elixir would only control the beast for a long, but hopefully it would give her enough time to find a way to the island. Before Nuala could find one of the life rafts, she sensed another presence board the Argonautica. Her breath nearly escaped her body once her telepathic abilities saw the mind of the man that boarded the ship. This man was a ruthless warrior that hunted a great many targets for several years. He was dangerous, far more dangerous than anything Nuala could handle on her own. Nuala realized that she was not on her own. With her temporary control over the Octalus, she was not alone. She knew that she did not have to face him alone. ***** Once he remotely disabled the navigation system and communications to the cruise ship, Slade Wilson started making his way to the Argonautica. To his surprise, the ship was dead in the water. After climbing on board, all he could hear was the wind pressing against the ship. The vessel was eerily quiet as Deathstroke started walking around the ship. There were no signs drunk passengers stumbling around or crew members rushing to repair the disabled systems. While walking through the ship, there were no signs of life anywhere that he could see. In fact, he could see blood stains all throughout the ship. Perhaps this elf princess that Luthor hired him to take out would prove to be a worthy adversary. The seasoned mercenary also found that debris was scattered throughout the ship. It was as if the vessel had rammed into something large. It was if the ship was completely abandoned but there were no lifeboats missing from the ship. He knew that the princess still had to be on the ship. "Come out, come out wherever you..." Deathstroke said while trying to taunt Nuala. Nuala heard the seasoned warrior taunting her. She had no desire to see more death on this ship. "Please, just leave me alone! I do not want this! I do not want violence!" She begged while staying hidden from the assassin. From underneath his mask, a smirk formed across Deathstroke's cheeks. He looked over the blood stains that were left behind. "That is ironic..." Slade chuckled. The mercenary shook his head while continuing his search for his target. "But I do have my orders... Although, if you are capable of all of this, then I might actually have a worthy opponent with this job." Knowing she could not plead with this warrior; Nuala felt her stomach turn. All her life, she sought peace. She sought to maintain the beauty of all life rather than live for war. With the remaining control that she had over the Octalus, Nuala decided to unleash the ancient beast onto the seasoned warrior. She knew that it would be her only chance of escape and the only way of keeping the Crown of Bethmoore out of the reach of Nuada's allies. Tears started to run down Nuala's cheeks as she unleashed the Octalus. ********** The battle is taking place on an abandoned cruise liner. Deathstroke is armed with his sword, ballistic staff, 2 grenades, a pistol, grappling gun, and a machine gun with a grenade launcher, and a submachine gun. Octalus is at full strength and is actively hunting for Deathstroke.

Hope you all enjoy

Chapter 14: In For A Penny "Fortune and glory..." That is a line that Helena had heard several times in her childhood as she watched as father's mind deteriorate. Before his mind failed, her father often recounted his adventures with her godfather, the great Indiana Jones. She heard the stories of Indiana fighting the Nazis to retrieve treasures from history's greatest moments. The one treasure that Basil found himself obsessed with was the Archimedes' Dial. He believed that it could locate fissures in time and ultimately allow mankind to travel through time itself. Long after Basil passed away, Helena found herself on an adventure with the great Indiana Jones himself. They discovered the other half of the Dial and even traveled back during the time of Siege of Syracuse. Shortly after bringing Indy back to their time, Helena found herself in more adventures. Despite her globe-trotting adventure with her godfather, Helena sought out her own fortune and glory. She and her young companion, Teddy found themselves getting into all sorts of trouble. Unfortunately, this trouble led to another adventure across time. The young archeologist found herself trapped in an unfamiliar world. She was not trapped in the past, but found herself in our time. While technology and medicine had advanced, the young woman found that the issues of war and hatred had continued to plague mankind. She found herself alone in this unfamiliar world. Her only friend had stayed in the past. While seeking to find a way back to her time, Helena discovered that the world had changed greatly. This was an age of heroes. From billionaires flying around in metal suits to aliens from the stars above, the young adventurer was astonished by what became of the world. That astonishment faded once she had heard about Captain America. She had heard stories throughout her life about his battles with the Nazis and even HYDRA. She was disappointed in the sense that Captain Steve Rodgers had never returned to his time in the past. In her heart, Helena felt that she would be trapped here in this strange new world until the end of her days. Rather than be mope about the predicament that she found herself in, the young adventurer decided to make the most of it. She would continue her pursuits for fortune and glory in this vastly changing universe. In her search for fortune, the young archeologist learned of a professor that had studied under her late godfather and another professor by the name of Dr. Trevor Bruttenholm. This professor had found the location to a relic that was lost in history. This relic was the one of three pieces that formed a crown that held power over the mystical Golden Army. Helena was intrigued by the thought of this ancient relic. She thought the idea of the Golden Army was nothing more than a silly fairytale, despite the ever-changing world around her and all that she had seen. A small smirk formed on the side of Helena's cheek at the thought of what that piece of the golden crown would bring on the black market. After finding the Professor in Ireland, Helena followed Dr. Mignola to an airport. The professor kept the piece of the crown in a secured case gripped tightly in his hand. While sitting back in her seat on the plane, she kept a watchful eye on Dr. Mignola. Despite his exhaustion, he had that case gripped tightly in his hands the entire flight. His gaze barely broke away as the plane flew over the oceans. Helena found it fascinating this Professor was certainly dedicated to his recent discovery. It was the same type of dedication that she had seen in her father and Indiana. While keeping a watchful eye on the Professor, Helena enjoyed a glass of champagne and leaned back in her seat. She figured that it would be a while before she could find the right opportunity to take the case without being noticed. Helena's brown eyes wandered around the cabin while many thoughts raced through her mind. Perhaps there would be an opportunity in New York to take the piece of the crown. After the plane landed, Dr. Mignola met with some colleagues at the airport. Rather than heading for the university or even his apartment complex, he went to a storage facility. Helena was able to keep a safe distance away to see the Professor lock the crown up in one of the storage units. The young adventurer took to the shadows as Dr. Mignola has left the facility behind. She then quietly sauntered toward the storage unit. "Damn..." She muttered under her breath while her dark brown eyes looked over the lock on the storage unit. She realized that would need to find a way to break into the unit. With a sigh, she walked away from the unit. Helena would have to return later with the right tools to break into the unit. After walking outside of the facility, the cold winter air pressed against her cheeks. She looked around in all directions as memories of New York came flooding in her mind. She shook her head as thoughts of Indiana Jones started flashing through her head. Helena had a funny feeling that she could not quite shake off. The young archeologist was able to acquire tools to break into the unit. While heading back to the storage facility, the young woman heard sirens in the background. She watched as people raced to the edge of the street and looked up at the skies above. Suddenly, a figure in red and blue swung high above the streets. Her dark brown eyes widened as she realized she had just seen the Amazing Spider-Man swinging over the crowds. She heard someone shout that there was an apartment complex that had become engulfed in flames, and the hero was heading there to help anyone that he could. Helena paused for a moment by what she just witnessed and then continued on. To her surprise, the storage facility was close to the apartment complex that had caught fire. With a few more curses under her breath, Helena felt it was best to wait until morning to break into the storage unit. She had hoped that the emergency vehicles would be long gone by then. With the early morning, news came of the passing of Dr. Mignola. While Helena felt that it was an unfortunate tragedy, she knew that it would be the perfect opportunity to break into his storage unit and take the crown piece. She certainly had to do it before authorities came for the storage unit. "Blast!" She grumbled under her breath after prying open the storage unit door. No wonder the dear old professor felt comfortable leaving the piece behind in that storage unit. He had rigged it with different traps and combination locks. With her experiences with treasure hunting, the young archeologist was able to disarm some of the traps but the hardest thing to do was to decipher the combination locks. It took several hours but she was able to open the safe. She sighed while wiping away a line of sweat from her forehead. As a smile formed across her cheeks, Helena reached into the safe and wrapped her finger the crown piece. "Lovely..." She muttered while placing the crown piece in her bag. After stumbling back, she heard voices from outside the storage unit. Helena's eyes peered out from within the storage unit and her brown eyes widened with shock. She saw that same red and blue superhero from the night before. The thing that caused a chill to run down her spine was the creature standing at the other end of the hallway. It was a pale creature with long white hair. She gasped as the pale creature charged toward the Spider-Man with an unusual looking sword. "I believe that is my cue to leave." Helena whispered while starting to run in the opposite direction. She could hear the grunts and chaos from the battle between Spider-Man and the pale creature. After running down into the lobby and making her way into the cold winter air, she almost screamed by the crashing sound of glass from above. Spider-Man and the pale creature crashed onto the ground. The pale creature slowly pushed himself up, but he soon became entangled in webs. With police sirens blaring in the distance, Helena was able to disappear into an alleyway. After looking over her contacts, she realized that she could sell the piece at auction in Morocco. "I haven't been to Morocco in ages!" Helena chuckled. "Hopefully, I won't run unto Jonesy this time." Meanwhile... After learning of Nuada's defeat at the hands of the Spider-Man, Maleficent was overcome by rage. Her blood boiled while her hands shook with anger. She had sent Diablo to the storage facility to see if he could find the piece of the crown. Once her trusted raven returned with the news of the missing piece, the Mistress of Evil unleashed an unsettling scream. Her rage soon subsided once she learned that the piece was not in the hands of any of the Council's enemies. From one of her sources that deals in rare antiques, the crown piece was taken by a woman and to be auctioned off on the black market. With the magic instilled in the crown, Maleficent was unable to track down the rare piece. Despite this setback, the Mistress of Evil had resources all over the world that could help her in obtaining the second crown piece. With her dark magic, the Dark Fairy casted a spell to summon an ally that could assist her in retrieving the crown piece. As the room filled with bright green flames, a figure appeared out of smoke. The figure collapsed to her knees and started looking around in all directions. This woman took several steady breaths as her dark eyes met the Mistress of Evil. With a swift movement, the dark woman with blonde hair took out a karambit blade. She lunged at the Dark Fairy with the blade gripped tightly in her hand. Maleficent chuckled as she raised her hand and a green smoke wrapped around the woman. The blonde-haired woman, was trapped in the green smoke. Maleficent circled around her as her sinister laugh started to fade away. She glanced into the dark brown eyes of the woman with the karambit blade. "No need for violence, Ms. Braddock." Maleficent giggled. "At least not yet, anyway." "What do you want, Maleficent? Why am I here?" Jo growled as she struggled to break free from Maleficent's magic. "I need to acquire your services." Maleficent replied with a sickening smile. "You could have just sent a text." Jo replied. "And take away from this delightful interaction." Maleficent said as she waved her through the air. Jo stumbled back as the green smoke faded. She slowly put her karambit blade back into her knife's sheath. "What do you want?!" She snapped with a piercing gaze. "Well, well... You certainly are an angry one..." Maleficent chuckled. "I need you to track down a thief and retrieve what is rightfully mine." "What did this thief take from you?" Jo asked. "That is none of your concern, I'm afraid. My sources have informed me that her name is Helena Shaw and she is going to try and auction off my property to the highest bidder." Maleficent replied. "I kind of need to know what I am taking back for you, Mistress...." Jo said with a smirk. "Or I may not be able to get the right piece of property." "Huh... Very well then... She took a gold piece that is part of a crown. Kill her and take the piece back. Then I will reward you with a great many treasures." Maleficent replied. "Where do I find this Ms. Helena?" Jo asked. "She was last seen in New York City. My understanding is that she is trying to leave the country. Make sure that does not happen." Maleficent replied. "As you wish, Mistress." Jo said with a grin. Within the City that Never Sleeps, Jo Braddock found herself surrounded by holiday shoppers. She could feel the disgust deep in the pit of her stomach as she walked past the mindless crowds. After receiving a new job from that witch, Braddock had set her sights on a penthouse that she had in Manhattan. She was going to reach out to her contacts across the city in hopes that she could track down this Helena Shaw before she escaped the city. As she walked through the street, she could hear news broadcasts from within surrounding businesses about the recent heroics of Spider-Man. The mercenary rolled her eyes at the mention of the Webcrawler as she pushed herself through the holiday crowds. Despite the frigid cold temperatures, she saw several New Yorkers dressed as different costumed vigilantes. The mercenary shook her head while heading to her penthouse. She knew that she would have to be discreet to not gain the attention of one of these costumed freaks. After walking into her penthouse, Braddock pressed the buttons on the remote. The news played in the background as she walked into the kitchen. She put on a pot of coffee while she waited for a phone call from her contacts in the city. It was not long until her phone started ringing. She was told that her target was found in the city and her location was sent to Jo’s phone. A cold smile formed across Braddock’s face as she rose to her feet. The mercenary walked back out into the cold streets. Jo followed the coordinates to the docks on the other end of the city. She could hear construction nearby and caught of glimpse of some of the construction. While heading toward the docks, she saw the outline of a woman up ahead. The woman turned and glanced back at Jo. Their eyes met for a moment. Jo grunted as the woman ran off into the construction. “Damn!” The mercenary hissed as she started chasing after Helena Shaw. The cold temperatures pressed against her skin. Her dark eyes scanned in all directions as she tried to find her target. She then saw Helena running into the construction area. The docks were close by and there was a boat waiting by the docks. Braddock had to stop Helena before she escaped on the boat. ******************* This is not a straight up fight. Helena Shaw is trying to escape Jo Braddock in a construction zone and get to the boat at the docks. Jo Braddock is kill Helena and retrieve the crown piece. Helena Shaw has a bag with one of the crown pieces to the Golden Army, tools, and a taser. Jo Braddock has her two karambit knives.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, everyone! I hope you all enjoy

Stave VI SCROOGE'S DEATH SCROOGE was dead to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that. The difference in his death and that of his former partner, Jacob Marley, was that Ebenezer Scrooge was surrounded by many that he had inspired in his later life. Scrooge found redemption on Christmas Eve night and set out to spread joy rather than continue his life of greed. Scrooge was surrounded by family and friends in his death. The chief mourner was his nephew, Fred but a great many others had come to mourn. Oh yes, a great many others came to be by his side to celebrate the life of Ebenezer Scrooge. Ebenezer Scrooge was as dead as a door nail. There was no doubt about that. He was as dead as Jacob Marley. The mention of his funeral brought a great many emotions through all that had known him. Scrooge had found peace and redemption in his later life. While Marley was bound by chains to wander the world in his death, Scrooge was at peace. As mentioned, he was surrounded by family and friends in his death. He was not lonely in the end. His nephew, Fred signed the burial of the register along with the clergyman, the clerk, and the undertaker. The funeral of Ebenezer Scrooge saw Bob Cratchit along with his family. Even Tiny Tim came to pay his final respects. Scrooge had left a great deal of his estate to his nephew, but he had spread out the remainder of his wealth among a great many. From Bob Cratchit and his family to the those less fortunate, the old Scrooge had left a great bit for everyone after he passed away. While a great many gathered to mourn Scrooge's passing, they were overcome with joy that he had found peace later in his life. A joy that many that had known him prior to his redemption found rather inspirational. Even the ghost of Jacob Marley came to see Ebenezer Scrooge be laid to rest. The mention of Scrooge’s funeral brings me back to point that I started from. There is no doubt that Ebenezer Scrooge was dead. While a great deal of his life was like that of another man that had died, Scrooge and Marley had different paths in the end. This must be distinctively understood that Scrooge was in fact dead or nothing wonderful would come from the story that is to come. The story that was the life and death of Ebenezer Scrooge had followed the ghost of Jacob Marley. Fred was left in charge of Scrooge's manor, the young man only wished to continue to bring honor to his uncle's legacy. The former home of Ebenezer Scrooge became a warm haven for widows and the fatherless. Even in his death, Scrooge continued to impact the lives of many. His contributions and impact in his later life brought hope to the city around him. There were more than family and friends that came to mourn him in his passing, the city came to pay its respect the man that found redemption on Christmas. With Scrooge Manor becoming a haven for the widows and the fatherless, Fred also set out to make it lively and festive around the holidays. Surrounding trees were decorated with ornaments that caught the eye of all who sauntered by. Carolers lined up to sing the glorious songs of the Christmas season while the former home of Ebenezer Scrooge became a beacon of hope and holiday joy. Bob Cratchit continued the business that Scrooge left behind. Rather than become overwhelmed with greed, Cratchit sought to use the business for the good of mankind. After Scrooge's redemption, Bob was delighted to see his young son grow into a young healthy man. The generous Ebenezer Scrooge even became a mentor of sorts to the young Tiny Tim. Despite Scrooge's final wishes for those that he left behind to donate their money to those in need rather than spend it on his funeral, Tiny Tim saw it fit to leave a single rose on his mentor's coffin. Hymns were sung as Ebenezer Scrooge was laid to rest. There were many tears that were shed for the old Scrooge. The stone that was placed over his grave became a reminder of his life's journey. His gravestone was a reminder to all that came to visit that redemption is possible for ages. After the mourning crowds had departed, the young Tiny Tim stayed behind to look over the gravestone of Ebenezer Scrooge. The young man shivered as he wrestled to find the right words to say. His voice trembled and shook as he muttered a fitting line that he had shouted all those years ago on Christmas Day. "God bless us everyone..." Stave VII THE HAUNTING OF JACOB MARLEY MARLEY'S ghost watched as the friends and family of Ebenezer Scrooge paid their respects to his old business partner. Still bound in the chains and locks that he had forged in his greedy life; the ghost of Jacob Marley felt a single lock come undone after Scrooge's passing. In Scrooge's redemption, Marley found that there was a chance for him to find peace even after death. Underneath his locks and chains, the ghost of Jacob Marley listened to the muttering words of Tiny Tim. With those muttering words of Tiny Tim, who was not so tiny anymore, Marley continued his journey around the world. Traveling far, wide, high, and low; the ghost of Jacob Marley sought to right the wrongs that were done to those in need. From as far as the east is from the west, and the north is from the south, Jacob traveled all over the corners of the Earth. In these endless travels, Jacob saw the worst that mankind had to offer but also saw glimmers of hope in different people. As he had offered a chance to his friend all those years ago, Marley offered the same for others in his travels. Little by little, more of those cursed locks had come undone. Time became a stranger to the old ghost of Jacob Marley. Days had become weeks, and weeks turned to years. After a while, Marley had all but forgotten the days and weeks. Despite the passing days, Marley always remembered the coming of Christmas. In his endless travels across the globe, he would often find himself at the foot of Scrooge's grave. The constant reminder of that gravestone gave hope to the tortured spirit. In his journey for peace and redemption, the wandering ghost of Jacob Marley had encountered many corrupt men and women. Cries of terror from kings and queens followed Marley all throughout the world. The evils of greed from all corners of the world became haunted by the wandering ghost of Jacob Marley. Little by little, the chains that Marley had created in life continued to loosen their powerful grip. The Ghosts of Christmas followed the wandering Jacob Marley in his long journey. The tools of the corrupt varied in each place that Marley traveled to, but the greed was all the same. At the turn of the century, the tools of the greedy changed drastically. The world saw wars that spread across the globe and the horrors only grew worse with the passage of time. Jacob Marley was nearly free from the locks and chains that bound to this purgatory. The old ghost of Jacob Marley visited the grave of Ebenezer Scrooge for what he had hoped would be the final time. He hoped that he could break the final lock to the cursed chains and finally find his own redemption. While the years since his own death has become a blur, Marley still remembered the words of Tiny Tim, "God bless us everyone..." even though, Bob Cratchit and Tiny Tim had long passed away, Jacob Marley remembered them in the Christmas Carol of Ebenezer Scrooge. During his many travels, the wandering spirit had heard of a town that was under the control of an evil man. Even though this despicable man controlled it with an iron grip, the residents stood together with the hope of a better tomorrow. There was a rich history amongst the people in the town. The town was full of many people with wonderful lives. Jacob Marley traveled across the seven seas to and to the upper parts of the United States. Up ahead he could see the sign for the town that read, "Welcome to Bedford Falls." While roaming the snowy streets on Christmas Eve, Marley heard the sweet melody of Auld Lang Syne from within one of the homes. A large crowd gathered to help a man in need. From within the singing crowd, the wandering ghost could hear the soothing jingle of a ringing bell followed by a young girl exclaiming to her father, "Look daddy, teacher says, every time a bell rings an angel gets his wings!" The ghost of Jacob Marley soon realized that an angel helped the man in this home realize that he had a wonderful life as he was surrounded by wonderful friends. He also realized that his journey did not end here at the home of George Bailey. No, this Christmas Eve night was far from over for the town of Bedford Falls. Jacob Marley set his sights on the miserable Mr. Potter. Stave VIII IT'S A MISERABLE LIFE POTTER was furious over the news that he had received on that late Christmas Eve night. The town of Bedford Falls came together to help George Bailey. For Mr. Potter, George Bailey had been a thorn in his side for far too long. His hope was that warped, frustrated young man would find himself in jail before the year's end. These hopes and plans ultimately failed with the residents of this town banning together for that idealistic young man. The old man Potter was angry indeed. His plans crumbled before his very eyes on that dark and snowy night. He spat and grumbled under his breath once he heard the sweet tune of Silent Night playing on his radio. The richest and meanest man in the country threw a paper weight from his wheelchair to destroy the radio. He had no desire to hear the joyful Christmas songs that played on the radio. In fact, Mr. Potter would see to it that this would not be a Merry Christmas for the town of Bedford Falls. His mind started to run once again to form a new plan on shutting down Bailey Brothers Building and Loan once and for all. The old man Potter wheeled himself over to his desk. His desire to obtain more wealth was no longer the only thing that was driving him. His heart now desired complete control over this town, and to see the fall of George Bailey. The old man planned out a scheme that would for sure give him what he wanted. After feeling the cold chill of the winter air pushing against his neck, Mr. Potter screamed for his assistant to warm up his office. Despite hollering for his assistant, Mr. Potter's eyes did not move away from the papers that were piled on his desk. The cold winter air slowly crept over to the old man's arms and legs. Mr. Potter hollered again for his assistant to turn on the heater in his office. Once again, his eyes did not leave the papers that he had on his desk. Soon after, the cold chill had completely taken over all parts of Mr. Potter's body. He looked up and screamed at the top of his lunges for his assistant. Spit and drool ran down his lips as he looked around his office. There was no sign of his assistant anywhere in sight. Mr. Potter was all alone in that cold office, or so he thought. The warped, frustrated old man found himself looking around in all directions. There were no sounds or carols that could be heard from the outside. In fact, there were no lights shining outside at all. The lights in his office had started to grow dim and the only sound that Mr. Potter could hear came from a faint knocking at the door. Mr. Potter's voice became a faint whimper as he called out to his assistant once more. The only sound that could be heard was from that knocking which became louder and louder. The old man's eyes widened as the door tore open and he saw the ghostly image of terror itself wander into his office. A grisly image of a tired soul that was bound in chains and locks came before him. This tormented spirit dragged along money boxes and padlocks that were forged in a life that had been wasted on greed. The old banker leaned back in his wheelchair with his eyes widened with fright. "What are you?!" Mr. Potter cried out. "In life, I was a lot like you. In life, my spirit never rose beyond the limits of money-changing holes! In death, I was doomed to wander without rest or peace, incessant torture, and remorse. I have seen your greed and evil for far too long. I am here to right the wrongs of your evil deeds! I am here to stop your pursuit of senseless power!" Jacob Marley screamed. "I... I… I will never stop!” Mr. Potter stuttered. The old man raised up his head and stuck out his chest in defiance. “I will have control of this town!" Mr. Potter yelled with confidence. ******************* Can the ghost of Jacob Marley either stop Mr. Potter from destroying Bedford Falls or even find a way to redeem him? Or will Mr. Potter continue his life of greed in his pursuit to take over Bedford Falls?

Honestly, I have not read any of the Alex Cross books. I've seen Along Came A spider and I think I watched the one with Tyler Perry once late at night. I liked the idea of adding serial killers and antagonists to the website in the event someone wanted to do a detective against a particular villain or whatever other ideas people could come up with With that said, I think I remember Michael Sullivan was supposed to be a pretty physical killer while Sanji was more of a kidnapper that wanted to pull off the crime of the century. Ruskin was a serial killer that posed as a detective or something like that. So I'd say Sullivan probably takes it.

Hope you all enjoy

Chapter 13 Tis the Season While in the middle of the holiday season, a great many had gathered together for meals. Families from all around the world had decorated their homes for the holidays. Businesses put up massive displays for the hordes of shoppers that they were sure to expect. Cities and towns hung up lights across the streets to commemorate the festive season. Flames cracked from within fireplaces behind the colorful stockings that were hung up on the mantles. Trees were decorated with ornaments of all kinds while presents sat nestled under the limbs. With all the tragedies and horrors that were taking place around the world, a great many had longed for this year's holiday season. Many had gathered for parades to celebrate the season in hopes of finding a jolly good time. As the holidays fell upon the City that Never Sleeps, many had gathered to watch up in the skies above. Despite the cold and frigid temperatures that surrounded them, this crowd had gathered to see if they could catch a glimpse of the one that had become a hero to the surrounding neighborhoods. With sirens blazing through the streets, the crowds cheered as they saw the red and blue figure swinging high above them. Swinging from building to building, the one that had brought so much hope to the people of New York had made his way towards the chaos. Despite what newspapers and the media had reported about this being, the crowds knew all too well that Spider-Man was a hero. As firetrucks and ambulances raced through the streets of New York, the Amazing Spider-Man pushed his way forward through the cold winter weather. Despite the blaring sirens, the Webslinger could hear the panic from up ahead. As the Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man swung around a corner, he saw the source of the panic. Fire and smoke had overtaken an apartment complex that stood high over the streets. The raging flames had kept the first responders at a distance. Despite their efforts with high power water hoses, the intense flames had become uncontrollable. The fire chief watched as his crew tried to push forward with their best efforts. While they continued to fight the raging flames with the city's water, the crew was unable to make their way past the intense heat. After landing on the dark pavement, Spider-Man made his way toward the older fire chief. The wrinkled eyes of the fire chief glanced back at the red and blue superhero. He then turned his attention back to his crew. Before Spider-Man could say any words, the fire chief yelled out that there were a few poor souls trapped on the upper levels. The fires were too intense for his team to get close to those levels. Without a second thought, Spider-Man raised his hand and shot a web close to the apartment complex. He swung up high in the air and made his way closer toward the upper levels. As he swung closer toward the burning building, he could feel the scorching heat press against his skin from within his suit. The roaring flames had started to drown out the sound of the deafening sirens. Peter jumped through one of the upper apartment windows that had been shattered from the chaos. From within the apartment complex, the smoke was heavy and the heat was almost unbearable. Despite the blistering heat and the thick smoke, Peter pressed forward. The building shook violently as the flames popped and cracked. With his Spidey-senses going off, Peter quickly ducked down while a pipe spewed out a powerful steam. As the floor beneath him started to shake, Peter's eyes widen as a large crack formed beneath him. He leaped up to the ceiling as the floor crumbled into the inferno below him. Crawling across the ceiling, Peter moved until there was a safe space to drop onto the floor. He screamed out for the remaining souls that were trapped in this hopeless situation. Through the roaring flames, he could hear the faint cries for help from down the hallway. Knowing that time was of the essence, Peter rushed to the sound of the faint cries. As part of the ceiling collapsed, Spider-Man jumped to the side of the hallway to avoid being crushed by the burning debris. Despite the dangers that surrounded him, Peter was determined to rescue the people that needed help. He burst through the door that was at the end of the hallway. Peter could hear the cries coming from the bedroom. He could see that the floor in the living room had collapsed and had fallen down to the flames below. With sweat running down his spine, the Webslinger shot off a line of webs onto the wall closest to the bedroom. He slung himself forward until he made it to the sturdy ground on the other side. Peter glanced back and saw the flames rising up above the hole that he had just crossed. He knew that going back in this direction was no longer an option. Spider-Man hoped that the room in front of him had another means of escape. The Amazing Spider-Man knocked the door to the bedroom wide open and he quickly gazed over those that were trapped inside. Crouching down near the window, he saw a mother and her young daughter. Their eyes were swollen from the tears that were running down their faces. Peter glanced at the window and realized that they had tried to escape down the fire escape, but it had torn off from the apartment complex after the fire had become uncontrollable. He put out his hand and assured both of them that they would be okay. Peter steadily made his way to the mother and daughter. The mother scooped up her young child and placed her into the arms of the hero. Peter wrapped one arm around the young girl and told the mom to hold on tight as she wrapped her arms around Spider-Man. Peter shot out a line of webbing out of the window and leapt forward. Just as he swung out of the room, he felt the fire reaching out for them as the room became engulfed in the flames. After landing on the cold pavement below, paramedics and firefighters rushed upon them. A desperate man broke through the grips of first responders to get to his wife and daughter. His face was an absolute mess as he sobbed. He threw his arms around his wife and daughter while crying uncontrollably. As paramedics wrestled him away to check on the mother and daughter, the young father turned to Spider-Man. Through the whimpering and the sobbing, he thanked the hero for what he had done. Peter could only nod while watching the fear in the father's eyes slowly fade away. He knew that this man had become overwhelmed with the idea of losing his entire world. As the young man followed his wife and daughter to the back of an ambulance, Peter stumbled back and overheard the fire chief talking to one of the police officers. He had heard some things that caught his attention. There was one poor soul that did not have make it out of the fiery inferno. "I've never seen anything like it! It's like the fire had a mind of its own." The fire chief said while wiping the grime off his face. "From what the fire investigator told me, sounds like the fire might have started in the 2nd floor from an apartment that belongs to some Professor at Empire State University. No sign of him that I can see." The officer said as he shook his head. "Poor sap probably got trapped in there. We won't know until it is put out." The fire chief replied. "Who was the professor?!" Spider-Man shouted as he thought about all the professors that he came across at the University. "Looks like his name is Mignola. Professor Mignola. From what it looks like, he teaches archeology and ancient studies." The officer replied as he glanced over some papers. "Hey, thanks Spidey for the assistance!" The chief smiled. "Don't think we would have been able to get everyone out without you." "It's not a problem! Thank you both for what you all do for the city of New York! You are the real heroes!" Spider-Man exclaimed before shooting his webs up in the air. The surrounding crowds cheered while the Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man swung over their heads. As he moved through the cold winter air and high over the city streets; Peter could not shake the feeling that there was more to this than just another fire. He had seen fires before, but this was something else entirely. The Webslinger thought about the mutant Pyro but quickly dismissed it as it did not seem like something that he would do. He then thought about asking Dr. Connors about this Professor Mignola tomorrow after class as he did not have much knowledge about the archeology and history department. Suddenly, a realization fell upon the red and blue hero. Peter had an assignment that was due tomorrow for Dr. Connors' class. The Amazing Spider-Man quickly shifted his course back to his rundown apartment. He knew that he would have to stay up all night in order to finish this assignment. After his last several papers were turned in late, Peter could not afford another late assignment. As soon as he got into his apartment, Peter started working on his paper. With each passing hour, the young college student made progress but still had a ways to go before being finished with this report. His eyes grew heavy as the clock continued to tick away. A small smile formed across his cheeks once he finished the paper. He let out a giant yawn before leaning back in chair. His moment of relief quickly faded once he realized what time it was. Peter jumped to his feet and raced out of his apartment. He swung high over the city once again in hopes that he would not be late for Dr. Connors' class. The early rays of the sun pressed against Peter's mask as the view of the campus started to form. With festive decorations hanging over the many different lecture halls, the semester was slowly winding down to an end with the approaching Christmas season. Peter quickly changed his clothes and rushed to the classroom. The young college student was able to throw his paper on Dr. Connors' desk and rushed to his desk. With a sigh of relief, Pete leaned back in his seat. While reaching into his bag for his textbook and notebook, a boyish smile formed across Parker's cheeks. Peter looked up and saw his Professor at the front of the classroom. Dr. Connors' dark eyes were glaring down at his desk. Pete could tell that his Professor was reading over his paper. Dr. Connors then looked up and glanced over at Peter with a scowl. Their eyes met for a brief moment before Dr. Connors turned his attention to the rest of the class. An empty feeling formed in the pit of Peter's chest as Dr. Connors began his final lesson before the final. As Dr. Connors' lesson at reached its conclusion, Peter listened in on the instructions for the final exam. After the class was dismissed, Peter rushed down to meet with his professor. That same scowl returned to Dr. Connors faced as Peter came up to him. "I would say a congratulations are in order, Mr. Parker for finally getting an assignment to me on time." Dr. Connors said while packing up his stuff. "Thank y...." Peter said before being interrupted. "I skimmed over it, Peter. It was good work but I have done this long enough to know when a student does something last minute. You have the makings of brilliance and yet you are lazy." Dr. Connors said as he finished packing. "I am sorry, Dr. Connors!" Peter responded. "Listen, I will grade it fairly but if you want to succeed then I want to see more of an effort. The final is next week. I expect you to be here on time." Dr. Connors replied while walking toward the door. "Hey, Dr. Connors, I heard some of the other students talking about a professor that passed away last night in a fire. Did you know him?" Peter asked. "Yes, the staff received an email about the passing of Dr. Mignola. He was a Professor of Ancient Studies. I did not know him personally, only what I heard about from reputation." Dr. Connors responded while walking alongside his student. "The other students seemed pretty shocked by it all. What kind of reputation did he have?" Peter inquired. "He was an archeologist. He studied under a Dr. Henry Jones and a Professor Trevor Bruttenholm. In fact, I heard he just got back from abroad with a significant discovery. That is about all I know..." Dr. Connors responded while he shook his head. "Listen, Mr. Parker, I think your concerns should be on the final and not about an unfortunate accident that happened to a professor that you did not even have." "Yes sir, you are right. I will concentrate on your exam." Peter said before watching Dr. Connors disappear into the crowd. Peter stood back and started thinking about the fire the previous night. He started to think of this discovery that Dr. Mignola found and if it had anything to do with the fire. The young hero started to make his way to the History and Ancient Studies building where Dr. Mignola's office was located. While walking through the building, he saw several students gathering around Dr. Mignola's lecture hall. Peter was able to sneak his way past the crowds of mourning students, and snuck into the late Professor's office. His eyes looked over the countless papers that were stacked on his desk. There were chalkboards full of markings and maps scattered all over the room. "Oh boy..." Peter said under his breath while looking around. He knew that if there were any clues, they would be nearly impossible to find in all of this mess. Since he did not know exactly what he was looking for, the young Parker took a step back. He felt his spider sense tingling as he looked around the room. Despite his tingling senses, there were no signs of immediate danger. The young hero knew that there more to fire than a simple accident. He continued searching through the late professor's office. While Peter searched the office for clues, there was a dark force that was watching him from afar. Hidden within the shadows, an ancient warrior that had been forgotten by mankind was looking over the young student. This warrior, a royal prince of a race of creatures that had been forgotten in time, had been watching Peter since the previous night. The son of King Balor who ruled over the Bethmoora Clan had gritted his teeth while he watched Peter's every move. Prince Nuada had spent many lifetimes in exile, but had since returned with a plan to overthrow humanity once and for all. After learning that Dr. Mignola had discovered one of the pieces of the Crown of Bethmora, the elvish prince had devised a plan to unite the crown once again. After confronting the professor in his apartment, Nuada slaughtered the human in his bedroom. After learning that the professor had hidden the piece of the crown somewhere else, the elvish prince started to grow furious. In a fit of rage, he set the room ablaze with dark fairy dust. As he watched the building become engulfed in flames, his attention soon turned to the web-slinging hero that rescued some of the pathetic humans that were trapped inside. With the red and blue hero catching his curiosity, Nuada was able to track the young hero to his rundown apartment. While looking over the young hero in his search for answers, Nuada felt a sinister presence lurking behind him. The elvish prince growled while tilting his head back to glance at the entity that had appeared. His eyes locked onto a creature of ancient evil. "What do you want, Maleficent?" Nuada hissed. "You were to obtain the second piece of the crown. You still have yet to obtain it!" The Mistress of Evil growled. "There's been some complications. That human hid it away from his home. You told me it would be there!" Nuada roared while he turned toward the Dark Fairy. "I simply told you that the dear old professor would have it somewhere close to his heart. I never said that he would have hidden it under his bed!" Maleficent responded with a cold smile. "I do not even know why I bother with you or your allies. I have heard that you even allied with humans!" Nuada hissed while looking upon Maleficent with disgust. "A means to an end but you are too foolish to understand." Maleficent replied. "How dare you speak that way to me?!" Nuada shouted. "Calm yourself, boy!" Maleficent screamed. "You will have your place over this world, but I need you to finish what you started. Find the second piece of the Crown. Kill the spider if you have to, just as you killed your own father." A sickening grin formed over the pale cheeks of the Mistress of Evil. "Make no mistake, Mistress..." Nuada spit out while glaring upon the Dark Fairy. "Before this war has reached its end, I will slay you, and my Golden Army will slaughter your allies like cattle." "Do not threaten me, child!" Maleficent cried out. "You are nothing! You would still be rotting in your exile if it was not for the Council! We brought you here. We gave you what you needed to kill your father and we gave you what you needed to find the pieces of the Crown! If you dare threaten us again, we will lay you to waste!" Nuada smiled as the Mistress of Evil faded into thin air. He turned his gaze back to that of Peter Parker. His pale cheeks formed a sinister grin while he noticed Peter finding something in the mess that was left by the late professor. The elvish prince watched as the young Peter became excited over what he had discovered. "You have no idea what you have gotten yourself into, Mr. Parker." Nuada muttered under his breath. Meanwhile, Peter found what appeared to be an address for a storage unit on the other side of Manhattan. The webslinger knew in his heart that he needed to find out what caused that mysterious fire. Peter stepped back and looked over the office once again. "Might as well go take a look." Peter thought to himself as he snuck out of the late professor's office. The webslinger climbed up to the top of one of the study halls and quickly changed into his costume. With a shot of his web, Spider-Man swung high over the city once again. As he swung over the city, he could hear the infamous New York traffic down below. After swinging past several familiar buildings and landmarks, the young hero saw the storage building up ahead. Spider-Man crawled into the building and started walking past the many hallways of different storage units. There was an uneasiness in the pit of his stomach as he walked down the long and quiet hallway. It seemed as if it were too quiet as he followed the numbers to Dr. Mignola's storage unit. He soon stumbled upon the unit, but found that it had been pryed open. Before Peter could examine the unit, his spider sense tingled with a powerful surge. He glanced back at the end of the hallway, and saw a pale figure in dark clothing standing there at the end. "Who? What are you?" Spider-Man asked as he raised up his hands in a defensive position. "I am Nuada, elvish Prince of of the Bethmoora Clan." The pale figure responded as he slowly started to make his way closer toward the webslinger. "You... You killed that professor." Spider-Man said as his spider-sense continued to let out a powerful warning. "He took something that belonged to my people. I am going to get it back." Nuada replied. "So, I thought you guys were supposed to be small, orange, and have green hair!" Spider-Man shouted. "What?" Nuada stopped and asked with a dumbfounded expression. "Wait... I'm sorry, those are Oompa Loompas. Aren't elves supposed to be nice and jolly in the North Pole! Building toys for Santa and spreading Christmas cheer!" Spider-Man said sarcastically. "You are a foolish boy, Peter Parker." Nuada hissed. "Uh... What? How do you..." Spider-Man asked before being interrupted. "You fight for these mortals, for these filthy humans, and for what? I have watched how they treat you. They would rather destroy you just like the monsters that they are. They are not worth protecting." Nuada said while getting closer to Spider-Man. "Mankind has been a plague of this planet for far too long, and I am going to purge this beautiful planet of this disease." "You tried killing innocent people! You tried killing a woman and her daughter! You are the monster!" Spider-Man yelled while clinching his fists. "You call those things innocent!" Nuada chuckled. "They are wretched stains of this world. They will be forgotten once I have wiped out humanity." "Well sounds like you are going to be on the naughty list for sure this year!" Spider-Man shouted as he prepared for battle. Nuada pulled out his sword and spear. "You know nothing of this world, Peter Parker. I will slay you just as I have slain countless others before you."

That would be a fun idea. I've wanted to try and do an arc or series like that. A lot of my recent additions were cops and serial killer types.