The Ultimate Organization III

"Nice man," Nulix commented, "Mine is with an old guy out in the country, I'm gonna walk there, I'll be back in an hour or so. See ya."

 

OOC: Get Xardius something red and fast...he'll modify everything else so it won't matter...

BIC: Xardius landed heavily on the grass floor. He heard chuckling behind him, and he twisted to his feet.

There stood Azull the Illusionist, still very much alive.

"Before you ask, aren't you supposed to be dead," Azull said, wiping his mouth. "Let's skip the irony and just move on: I'm not."

"You're supposed to be dead?" Xardius asked, and Azull rolled his eyes.

"Yes, I killed myself killing Novice," he said, turning back to the castle rubble.

"Let me guess, Xane?" Xardius asked, walking closer.

Azull nodded absent-mindedly. "And your Guardian friends...They provided the means to escape...Ah, here it is."

"Means to escape? I don't get it," Xardius said, standing behind Azull and peering over at him as he dug on his hands and knees in the rubble, finally retrieving a beat-up bag.

Azull reached inside and pulled out a picture. Xardius looked at it and saw a beautiful woman with a small child.

"My wife and son," Azull said. "I've been trying to leave the Brotherhood for months now...ever since he was born. It's why I created the massive illusion I did, so in case this didn't work, I could revert."

"Massive illusion?" Xardius asked, feeling stupid.

Azull nodded, putting the picture back in the bag. "When I arrived on Asgard...That's when I cast it. I tried to tell Vecked, but I did it wrong, and Enigma messed it up."

"Why?" Xardius asked.

"Why did I tell Vecked or why did Enigma stop me?" Azull asked back. "I wanted to warn him in case I had to revert, and as for Enigma...he does things for his own reasons."

Standing up, he shouldered the pack. "Have a nice life, Lionheart."

"Sounds like you don't plan on me visiting," Xardius said, folding his arms.

Azull smiled slightly. "Maybe after the war. Just do me a favor."

"What?" Xardius asked.

"Scourge is..." Azull began, then stopped. "Stop Scourge. Atone for his sin."

"Huh?" Xardius grunted.

"You'll know soon enough I'm afraid," Azull said, turning and walking off. "See you around."

And with that, he disappeared.

Xardius shook his head, and thought about where to go next. "Enigma...might know what Azull was talking about..."

"Try Radiant Garden," the woman said.

Xardius grunted. "You still here?"

"Always," the woman said as Xardius opened a portal.

"Stop following me," Xardius growled, stepping through.

"Trust me, it's not voluntary," the woman sighed as the portal closed...

 

OOC: DAMN IT! How did Xardius know it was the Guardians and Xane anyway?


BIC: "See ya, then," Xane said, wondering why the hell Nulix would think that his free ship would not be a floating death trap. He walked out of the Gummi Shop and headed to the Bureau's Food Court. There he paid for some fish sandwiches and fries and Rice at Cap'n Jack's Fresh Seafood. Sitting, down he noticed Mellodia and Venture Jr having lunch nearby. Not feeling like picking a fight while he was eating, Xane munched on his food.

 

"I'm back," Nulix said, walking up to Xane, "What are you doing? Sitting here all miserable?"

 

"So, did you test out your deathtrap?" Xane asked, munching on some fries.

 

OOC: Lucky guess, Pirate...

BIC: Xardius walked into a battlefield. The UPA's second army facility was now completely in ruins. Xardius shook his head at the slagged buildings.

"Too bad for you," a voice said behind him, and Xardius turned to see Zaxor and Trent staring at him.

Zaxor continued. "You got here just as we finished...bad luck."

Xardius pulled out Chomper. "You punks feeling lucky today?"

Zaxor smiled. "I'd love to kill you, Lionheart...Shall we, Trent?"

"You guys are really cocky, y'know that?" Xardius growled. "Last time didn't go so hot did it?"

"Azull's fault, really," Zaxor said dryly. "His illusions were biased upon how he viewed me and Trent here. Since he dislikes us, we were severely underpowered. In fact, I could say that our power is now over 10 times what it was before."

"And...?" Xardius asked, cocking an eyebrow.

A vein pulsed in Zaxor's temple. "Who's cocky?"

"If you hadn't noticed, I rather have a reason for it," Xardius smiled.

"Zaxor! Trent!" Enigma said, stepping through a portal. "Back to work!"

"Too bad..." Trent said, opening a portal. "Next stop..."

As the two disappeared, Enigma turned to Xardius.

"Enigma," Xardius began. "I need to talk to..."

Enigma raised a hand, and the pavement below Xardius' feet exploded in white hot fire, sending him flying back...

Picking himself out of the dirt, he watched Enigma turn and open a portal.

"Don't bother getting up," Enigma said, and stepped through.

 

"I drove it over here, its real fast," Nulix said, "I got it from this older couple, Frank and Mary, real nice people, man. And yeah, it's a speed demon on the highway, it really is my type of ship."

 

OOC: Wait. So Enigma actually is our enemy? And when I fight Trent again, he'll be stronger, I'm guessin'?

BIC: "I still have to try mine out," Xane said, finishing his last sandwich. "I think I'll go now."

 

"Xane! Nulix!" A voice yelled from across. "Oh god, not him..." Nulix muttered as a grinning Lexx walked down tables. "The Ultimate Organization! How's my favorite group doin' today?!" Lexx yelled, walking up to them...

 

OOC: .........

BIC: "What?" Xardius muttered as Enigma disappeared into the portal. "You...can't just...get away with that!"

Reaching out, Xardius caught the tendrils of Enigma's portal and dove through his own.

Enigma turned as Xardius rolled through the portal.

Enigma shook his head. "You're lucky Scourge isn't here...He'd have had you killed...I will be more lenient. Leave. Now."

"Not until you tell me what's going on!" Xardius said, aiming Chomper at Enigma. "First, you help us, then you disappear, and reappear on the other side, then reappear on our side, then...Agh, I give up! Whose side are you on?"

"I do things for my own reasons," Enigma said. "It just so happens that they coincide with your side at times, and the Brotherhood's during the others. Do you have a problem with that?"

"You'd better make your issues coincide with my side right now," Xardius growled. "Tell me what I want to know."

"And what will you do to make me talk?" Enigma asked, his expression unreadable. "Will you fight me?"

Xardius readied Chomper. "If that's what it takes..."

"Then dance," Enigma said, and in an instant, he was next to Xardius, the dark crystal spinning in his hand...

 

"Lexx?" Xane asked. "Long time, no see. Uh...What's goin' on?"

OOC: Well, Dk?

 

Lexx smiled, patting Xane on the arm, "Our agents told me you were here..."

"Yeah, they would," Nulix muttered, "What are you doing here, exactly? I mean, the Dark Worlds ain't exactly businessman friendly..." Nulix said.

Lexx chuckled, punching Nulix in the arm, "That's true Nuly boy, but I thought we should really introduce an... official working relationship between you guys and the U.P.A."

 

"What do you mean by that?" Xane asked, his eyebrow raised.

 

OOC: Where's Xardius' ship, hmm?

BIC: Enigma was fast, Xardius admitted. Incredibly fast. He dodged around every one of his blows. But he wasn't attacking. He was too busy defending. In fact, the muscles in his jaw were bunched and sweat streaked his forehead.

He'd made a mistake. No one could beat him at 100%. No one. And he was operating at full power. The ground cracked apart around him as he powered up, moving faster and faster.

Enigma disengaged, breathing heavier than normal, though not as much as Xardius had thought, and spun the dark crystal.

"You are very skilled, I'll admit," Enigma said. "I haven't had to pull out this in a long time."

The dark crystal lengthened, then a flash of light as a black katana jetted into his hands.

"It makes no difference," Xardius said, charging in.

But this time it was the Lionheart who had made a mistake. Enigma moved even faster than before, attacking relentlessly, forcing Xardius to defend faster than he was capable. Small cuts quickly spread across his body, and Xardius skidded back, breathing heavily.

"I...can't...get past him..." he wheezed to himself, as Enigma began advancing on him. "He's nowhere near as powerful as me..." How am I losing?

"Perhaps you're right," the woman said. "But you still haven't figured it out."

Xardius gritted his teeth. "You again? I'll prove all of you wrong...I will win this battle."

Slamming Chomper into the ground, Xardius pulled out the long crystal from his belt.

Enigma paused. "Ah, the infamous Masamune. Already pulling out your last resort?"

The Masamune, the most powerful sword in existence, flashed into Xardius' hadns. "This is the end," he said, and flashed by.

He turned back towards Enigma, spinning the Masamune. Enigma turned to face him, the Harbinger steaming in his hands.

"Is that all?" he asked. "I expected more."

Xardius blinked. Only one person had ever survived that. And they hadn't been able to block it completely.

Xardius began having a sinking feeling that he was going to lose this battle...

Then Enigma was on him, and the Masamune was alive with fire, blocking the black katana back. Black against silver. Steel vs steel.

Then the death blow.

Enigma spun the Masamune out of Xardius' hands, and stabbed deep into his sternum. Pulling out as Xardius gasped, he kicked him into the wall nearest them.

Xardius fell forward. "No..."

Slowly, he began pulling himself up. "I don't lose...I can't lose..."

"Stubborn," Enigma said. "It won't help you any."

Swinging the Harbinger, blade beams erupted from it, crashing into Xardius and driving him into the wall, again and again and again...

Finally, Xardius slumped forward onto his knees, still refusing to give up even though the world was going dark...

 

"We... want to get in business," Lexx said, "Have you in the... Big U.P.A. picture, if you will. We just want you to get... missions from us, not make you a part of the U.P.A., just sponsor you as an independent. All you have to do is say yes, and do missions for us, missions you would do anyway like freeing the Dark Worlds from the Brotherhood's tyrannical grip."

 

OOC: Xardius' Gummi was bought earlier. It's in the garage. Though, I can't see any use for it if he's gonna die.

BIC: "How about this,.." Xane began" We'll talk after we finish these races."

 

Lexx chuckled, before standing up, "Clear the room!" He yelled. Several U.P.A. agents appeared and escorted everyone but Lexx, Nulix, and Xane out of the lunch room. Lexx turned back to Xane and Nulix, "Now... the U.P.A. controls these races inside out, you wanna win, we can do that, you want better ships, we can do that. Races are not the priority while we are at war, which I hope you understand cause' its something our enemy's understand, they understand it well. Now, if you sigh this contract we will not only pay you for you work, but we will also give you any other benefits. Now we are reaching a brink point in this war, an early one. Our weapon, the Virus, has been stolen. Luckily, the Brotherhood can't control the Virus as far as we know... anyway, we need a new top weapon, thats were you come in."

 

"I'm all for putting an end to the Brotherhood and the war," Xane said. "I'm on board...Except for one thing. I've already entered the race and signed up for it. I won't feel right knowing that it's rigged. It'll be a disgrace if we cheat like that, so I'll talk to you about it after the UO wins the race. Dig?"

OOC: Bah! Gotta Go! See ya!

 

OOC: True that...

BIC: Enigma shook his head. "You are perhaps the most stubborn person I have ever met. Everyone else by now has just accepted their fate."

"Yeah, well," Xardius coughed. "Comes with the territory."

"Do you understand now?" the woman said.

Xardius stared at her. "What?"

Enigma shook his head. "I didn't say anything..."

"Control, my dear friend," the woman said. "Control is the key. You have power, yes, you have the most power I've ever felt in anyone. But he defeated you with absolute control."

"I'm not done yet," Xardius said, slowly standing. "I'll win this fight..."

"You will?" the woman asked.

"You will, will you?" Enigma said, raising his sword. "And how will you do that?"

"I'll do it," Xardius said. "Just watch me."

The woman shook her head as Enigma did. "You'll only die, Xardius. Die."

Xardius leaned against the wall. "I...can't...die...yet..."

"Everyone dies," Enigma said.

"No you can't," the woman said. "That's why I appeared now. You know who I am...Let me help you."

Xardius stared at her, and Enigma blinked.

"You're not talking to me," he said slowly...

"What should I do?" Xardius asked.

The woman placed a hand on his chest, though it was a bit of a reach for her hand to cover his wound. Within an instant, it closed and power surged through him once more.

"This is your power," she said. "The power of the Phoenix. Use it. Don't let it use you. Control it. All at once. Defeat him!"

And there it was...all at once, the power crashing down on him, like so long ago, before he'd sealed it from the unbearable pressure. He saw his folly now; he'd put it aside instead of controlling it. He wasn't a true Phoenix at all; he was a fake that sometimes used its power.

And it was crushing him now.

"No..." Xardius growled, holding his head. "I hold you, not the other way around. Obey me....OBEY ME!"

The woman smiled as the air around them turned blistering hot, the castle that had once held Scourge blasted itself apart, and the area for miles turned into desert, blistering hot desert. Red wings erupted from Xardius' back, wings of fire. His eyes burned, and flames spat from his mouth, and skin.

"OBEY ME!" Xardius roared, and in the apocalypse of power, the Lionheart truly became what he'd claimed all these years: a Phoenix.

EDIT OOC: See you Pirate.

 

OOC: Bye Pirate.

BIC:

Lexx chuckled, "Nah man... I don't dig. I need this signed, now."

"We just need some time," Nulix replied.

"We don't have time, my friend, we don't have time," Lexx said, "Look, you want the race to be honest? I'll fix it so that the winner gets a twenty-thousand of this Dark world currency, alright? If you sign." Nulix sighed, "Alright man, relax. I'll sign."

***

Vecked watched Xardius in amazement. He had been hiding, not wanting to get involved in this craziness....