Master Chief - The Mountains (Banished Ambush)
His opponent was momentarily distracted by the bright light that just pinged in his face, yet just as Chief was about to take off with a sprint and leap to greet his opponent, Cortana's voice cut in again. "Chief, I'm reading a few dozen hostiles incoming on our position. Readings show that it's the Covenant."
Damnit, that put a huge dent into his plans. Instead, he remained planted as Shadow Link gave sort of monologue, going ignored by the Spartan who was instead scanning his surroundings, one eye on his radar. His HUD operated off of a single though, and when that thought crossed his mind, his radar's radius increased to 150 meters opposed to its usual 25. Better for outdoor environments like this, anyway. His opponent fled, conforming his body once again. John narrowed his eyes beneath his visor. Bogeys in from the north and south were closing in. Choppers, according to Cortana. Just perfect, those vehicles could tear apart just about anything by simply running over them. Crude, violent vehicles befitting of the Jiralhanae. "Might be a good idea to get to that Warthog now, Chief."
"Right." He agreed, and took off at a jog up the side of the mountain, the roaring of engines growing louder and louder as he neared his destination.
Finally, he arrived, climbing into the driver's seat and revving up the engine. The gas gauge said it still had half a tank. That would be enough. Peeling out, the Spartan began to cover a lot more ground than he had previously, but the sound of Chopper engines continued to only grow. They knew he was here. "How are they tracking us?" John asked. "I'm not sure, but... oh no..." Cortana hissed. "Damnit, I'm such a fool. Their defense matrix must have been increased a lot since we last tussled, they're probably tracing my signal from hacking into their battle net."
"Then pull out of it." John responded, veering past a thicket of trees, hoping to lose the Choppers as he veered this way and that.
Urban District
Once the televisions had flashed before the amalgamated cities, the residents had been told they were to be cleansed. Called demons. Attacked and destroyed for the simple fact that their age was over a specific threshold, regardless of who these people were. Their histories, their stories, their motivations... then came the second message. The mustached man declaring his rule, informing all those within that they belonged to him now, establishing himself as a dictator and beginning a war against the murderous children.
His logo remained on the screens for a good while, but when they flashed off and were replaced with their third messenger... fear began to grow tenfold. Would this nightmare never end? Would everything simply get worse and worse with murderers and dictators?
But this third messenger wasn't like the others. His ape-like face filled the screen, white fur covering his form, scarlet eyes glaring through each screen that wasn't destroyed within the city. "Humans, and any among you." He spoke, his voice deep, booming, and demanding of all their attention. "You have suffered long enough at the hands of these cruel, vile factions. This 'Warriors of Hope' and 'Eggman' clans disregard your value. Your worth. They spit on you. They think you cowards. They expect you to cry and fall on your knees before them. I have seen many like them before, and I have destroyed many like them before. Those of you, oppressed by those who think themselves superior!" At this, Decimus' voice began to rise in volume, thundering along the streets, demanding all eyes upon him. "RIIIIISE UP! ABOLISH YOUR ENSLAVERS! DESTROY YOUR ATTACKERS! LET YOUR VOICES BE HEARD! CRY OUT AS ONE, AND SHOW THESE FOOLS HOW HORRIBLY YOU HAVE BEEN UNDERESTIMATED! STAND BY YOUR FRIENDS! FAMILY! NEIGHBORS! SET YOURSELVES FREE!"
This seemed to be working, as people started to leave the homes they were hidden in, crowds gathering in mass along the streets, outnumbering the Monokumas, the brainwashed children, and Eggman's forces 100 to 1. A chorus erupted among them in their agreement with Decimus. He paused, seemingly for effect as the chorus erupted into a roar. The citizens of this city were done being pushed around. They were inspired.
"This is your moment." Decimus continued, and the roar died down so they could hear him. "This is your time. Take the reigns of your destiny. Set a fire in your hearts, and let it burn away this infection within your city. My name is Decimus. I command a faction known as the Banished. We will not stand in your way. We will support you, and allow you to live as you see fit. And if you believe yourself worthy? The Banished welcome all with open arms. Your legacy begins now."
The screens all shut off, and at that moment... chaos erupted.
@Nukas @Shen: King of the Mist @ArmedBlue @Captain Pokémon
Scorpion - The Mountains (Banished Shipyard)
The Huragok aliens were impressive specimens. The way they effortlessly assembled pieces of this ship together. It had only been a few hours since construction began, and already they'd assembled the husk of the ship. It was around the same size of Decimus' Corvette, but Scorpion had been informed by a Jiralhanae Chieftain that it was actually just the base for a much larger project. They were planning to finish this here before launching it into orbit to resume its construction there. Allegedly, this was supposed to be a new flagship for Decimus, and it was supposed to be massive.
Why had he chosen here? His response to Decimus had been that this place was at risk of attack, but Decimus hadn't lied. His Warlords had oversight handled. Three AA Battery Guns had been set up along the canyon they were positioned, making an enemy aerial attack basically suicide, and to top that off, three different shield generators had been placed around the shipyard, projecting an impenetrable shield around the location. Well, impenetrable to most. A being could walk through, but vehicles and weapons couldn't penetrate it. For the cherry on top, he'd been told that radar scramblers were being assembled all throughout the region to interfere with enemy sensors and keep their shipyard hidden.
So no, Scorpion leaned against a wall, arms folded over his chest. He had defeated Sub-Zero, but he didn't feel like he'd earned it. He didn't feel like he'd avenged anyone. If anything, he felt more empty than he had ever before. Killing Sub-Zero had always been his drive. Now the cryomancer couldn't die, yet even in his current form it should have been satisfactory. A trophy. A humiliating death.
No, there was something wrong about all of this. He never even considered it before, but... had Sub-Zero been honest with him? All these years, his excuses had never changed. His blame was always on Quan Chi and Shang Tsung, though more the former than the latter. Had he been honest?
Was Scorpion wrong?
Hanzo Hasashi pushed himself from the stone wall he'd been leaning against, glancing back at the ship to find it was speeding along, interior structures already being fitted together. He'd be surprised if they didn't finish by tomorrow with this sort of progress. He had other places to be, though his alliance with Decimus couldn't afford to be compromised. He had no allies here to fall back on, and the power Decimus wielded was terrifying. The pyromancer found the nearest Jiralhanae he could, and asked to speak with Decimus. He was directed to a tent-like structure where he found a Chieftain already speaking to the Banished War Chief himself.
When the Chieftain saw him enter, Decimus turned his gaze to Scorpion. His form was holographic, glowing with a blue aura. "Leave us, Artuuk." He commanded the Chieftain, who grunted before departing, shoulder-checking Hanzo on his way out. "Changed your mind?" Decimus asked, a grin stretching his weathered face, showing off those long, yellow fangs he possessed. "More or less." Scorpion replied. "Give me something to kill."
Decimus' grin only stretched wider. "In that case, I have the perfect target for you."
Sub-Zero - Banished Corvette
The world returned in a flash, and the cryomancer clutched at his chest before falling to his rear, shutting his eyes from the bright lights that glared upon him. Something smelled awful nearby. With a cough and a choke, Sub-Zero tried to squint around at his surroundings, and noticed a massive form smirking down at him. One of those ape creatures from before, this one sporting white fur and a scarred face, devilish eyes piercing into him.
"Sub-Zero, he called you." The ape stated. "Who?" Kuai Liang asked. "You mean Hanzo?"
"So that's his name. Interesting. I am Decimus, War Chief of the Banished, the right hand to Atriox." Decimus greeted, grinning down upon the confused form of Sub-Zero as he slowly started to rise to his feet, feeling incredibly weak. "Where am I?" He asked, voice somewhat slurred. "Aboard my vessel." Decimus stated. "We will bring you back to full strength in no time. We have much to discuss, Sub-Zero. I have much to offer."
