Advent of the Nexus: The Only Way Home

Zada savored the last drop then did one of those large all over stretches people do when still sitting before getting up. He cracked a few joints and walked over to pan, his pack already in place and ready.

"I guess I am ready as I will ever be. At this point, I will let you lead me into Hell, good sir.

"Not much preparation to do, came prepared."

Shade stood up and stretches a little himself then walks over to Pan and Zada.

"Hell sounds awfully nice, always looks warm in all those pictures wouldn't mind going there myself."

"Sorry folks, but Hell is a lot nicer than our current destination. We'll be entering the Abyss of Nonexistence to do battle with a god. And by we, I mean you two. Guides don't fight, they lead. That's my policy, and I stick to it."

Pan pulls out his butterfly knife, expertly flicking it open. Holding it firmly in his left hand, he holds it up and stabs it into one of the walls, dragging it down towards the ground. Nothing happens.

"Give it a sec."

A stream of what appears to be liquid gold flows out of the gouge in the wall, turning to golden threads weaving together to form a door on the spot the knife cut.

"Follow me, gentlemen. The die is cast. We are entering into the interval between fixed eternity and fleeting time, the place where the rules don't apply. The Abyss of Nonexistence, sometimes referred to as Limbo."

The door opens and a blank whiteness exists on the other side. Pan walks through the door, vanishing into the whiteness without a trace, golden hair, eyes, guitar and all.

"Never knew butterfly knives could doo that. Well see ya on the other side Zada."

Shade walks right into the gouge after Pan shielding his eyes from the golden glow and out to the other side.

"Well while were fighting I'll make sure you got a nice lawn chair to sit on and some refreshments."

"No place TO sit, good sir."

Spread out before them was a vast blank whiteness. A place of existence hidden by the eternal void. In the center stood a figure that was all too familiar to Shade. Garm Plasmal, assassin of legend and one-time host of Omega.

Zada was a black dot in the vastness, almost quiet literally, not enjoying but curious as to the figure in the room. He glanced over at Pan, who seemed his usual self and then over to Shade, who seemed to recognize the figure. The dude definitely looked quite well traveled.

"Well, hello there. Come to take a shot at me?"

The assassin, who should have been long dead by the time the world he came from had ended, asked them rather carefreely if they came to this plane for the only logical reason there could be. But it was clearly not Omega who stood before them.

"Oh, I suppose you'd be looking for the Great Ender of All Worlds, my lord Omega, correct?"


"These two certainly are. I'm just a guide. I suppose this would be the first 'crossroads' in our journey, gentlemen. Come now, make a choice."

Pan suddenly sounded a lot more polite and businesslike. It was odd. His golden eyes shone with a light of interest, yet his words and actions showed now hint of it.

"Fight or flight? Or possibly a third option? I do take requests."

Zada lookd at Garm to back at Shade and to pan a few times, thinking until he had a question. You refer to Omega as your master. But do you still act as guardian of sorts?"

The question was somewhat direct, he wasn`t sure if he wanted to fight the man or not. He kept a steady gaze as he waited for a response, either from the man or shade.

"Of all people it has to be you, of course it can't the others no has to be you. I'm thinking I should have brought a lot of your famous brew Pan. I vote we slaughter him, scratch that I vote we beat him up torture him THEN slaughter him."

Shade snapped his fingers and created a few purple fireballs which orbited him occasionally flaring up. He grinned rather menacingly at his old acquaintance.

"A guardian? No no no, you seem to be misunderstanding something. Shade, old friend, have you told them nothing?"

Garm sighs, shaking his head with mock disappointment.

"I thought you would have mentioned it to them beforehand. Or at least told them about the Order. I'm disappointed in you, vile mage. To answer your question Zada Z'Aay, I am not merely an acolyte of Omega. I am Omega, a formless god which brings about the end to all things, hosted eternally until the end of all time within the body of my most faithful servant, Garm."

The assassin's hair turned white, his eyes red, and a blade bearing an Omega symbol as a hand guard formed in his right hand. In his left, a round buckler with the same symbol stamped on the front. His skin began to turn to red scales and his shirt tore to shreds when scaly wings erupted from his shoulders.

"Fear. Anxiety. Despair. Joy. Laughter. Peace. War. None of these matter to me. For I bring an end to all things equally and without mercy, longing for the day when I too may finally come to an end."

The shadow of a giant six winged dragon flickers behind him for a moment, a mere glimpse at but one of his true forms.

"I AM OMEGA! Stop me if you can, foolish mortals."

Zada drew his sword, doing a flashy spin motion as it set to it's final position in his hand, a back hand style((similar to dual blades or holding teh sword hilt first with the blade back)) bringing it up in a defensive position and holding up his left hand flat palmed.

"If you wish to be purified, that is your own death. I am quite willing to do this peaceably."

Zada breathed in and out, a deep calming breath that sent his focus up, his eyes narrowing as he stared down Garm.

"Purified? I am a god, good sir. There is no good nor evil within me. I simply end everything. This body is no longer the entity once called Garm. It is a mere vessel for I, Omega, to fight against you. Shade understands what I'm saying. Pan too; yet I get the feeling you think I am Garm and that I've been possessed by some dark spirit. Ah, but I digress. Too much talk, not enough of you dying."


"On the path to victory, there also exists places where defeat must happen to continue along the way."

Pan steps back after saying this, not getting involved in this fight, as he said he would not.

"Vessel or not. God or spirit. As far as I am concerned, as long as my eyes can see you, you can be purified from your path. Dead, sealed of weakened to a pulp, I'll take it. Shade, what do you propose we do?"

Zada at this point really did not plan on doing much, maybe releasing the next form of his shield. Pan's words had him thinking. This Garm...Omega obviously was just toying at them at this state, his power still felt recognizable, enormous but feasible. This was not the dragon that he assumed would haunt him for a some time, not yet. He tightened his grip and went into a more defensive stance, his feet light.

"They really didn't ask any specific questions about you and I really didn't think we would ne meeting you so soon. But enough talk yes, shut up and turn back into the Garm part of you so I can put a permanent end to him."

Right in front of Shade a long black scythe materializes which he grabs and casually swings with his left hand. His right controlling the fireballs.

"Well then shall we end our qualms?"

"You choose to doom the world rather than try to save it? Very well. Fight Garm then, knowing that you have just caused the deaths of trillions."

The hair changes back to a black color, but the weapons and the draconic transformation remain.

"I hope you didn't think that I need Omega to use this power. Otherwise, you won't live to regret your choice, Shade."

He readies the sword and shield and adopts a very solid stance.

"En Garde, scum."


Pan is quietly standing behind Shade and Zada, a somewhat disgusted look cast at Shade for a brief instant of time, almost seeming to be an illusion. Dooming an entire world for a petty grudge didn't endear his customer to him, but he was still a customer, so all he could do was grin and bear it.

Zada stopped and re-sheathed his sword on his back. If shade wanted to be reckless and possibly get himself killed, he had no reason to join in. At this point it was just grudge fight, and he had no qualm in it. But no he was curious. If Omega and Garm were one and the same, either Omega had been lying to him, or he had left the party, and they would have to go on the hunt, no chance to weaken him, plenty of time for him to accomplish what Omega had his heart set on. He sat down cross legged, watching as the two engaged in their fight. He was still toying with to or not to help Shade, how much value did this man really bring?

"Reckless not really do not underestimate me I am not the same as my dear friend Night was though we do share many of the same attributes. Also the end would have come anyways even if we did stop you, there is always an end is there not? And do remember Garm my God was and is that of death and destruction, why should I oppose Omega here?"

A slight flick of his right hand sends all the fireballs rocketing towards Garm. With another flick a dozen more appear at his side and with a final flick darkness spreads out from his shadow and forms a figure well known to Garm. a Tormentor. Wearing heavy armor and brandishing a large two-handed sword.

"Come now Zada are you not gonna join this little fight and learn a little about you opponent or did you not listen to the one and the same thing little omega spoke about. Up you go do not waste a perfect learning experience, couldn't have you blinding charging at omega and dying within seconds now could I? Underestimate Omega and you will die believe me I have seen him and action and I would rather not die so soon."

((?))

"Nor am I the same as I once was. If you thought I was a tough opponent then, just imagine how long I've been training since, Shade."
With a fast slice that barely stayed within the limits of what was believable from a human, even considering his draconic form, a shockwave sliced through the fire balls and didn't seem to be stopping. It faded after scratching the front of the Tormentor.
"You'll have to give it your all if you want to beat me. Remember Shade, I was the most normal and human-like of us all when it came to fighting capability. It would be embarrassing for you if you failed now."

((Dont ? me pengy))

"Yes turning into a giant dragon makes you far more human than a non-human like myself. You know your a lot more arrogant than Night was and he has serious ego problems one of the reason I slept most of the time... I love how threatening people assume the Tormentor is."

Shade sends the next volley of fireballs at Garm this time though the back few arc around Garm and explode in to many faster and smaller fireballs. Then of course he created another volley right afterwards and noticed, seemingly for the first time the large weapon the Tormentor had.

"So I will assume that as you are Omega's permanent and most loyal follower then Alpha's host remains the same?"

Garm calmly uses his wings as encasing shields from the fire, taking advantage of his draconic features, considering his mostly human form was only altered to bear the wings, organs, and skin of a dragon.
"I'm arrogant because I'm dead. There's really nothing else to fear; the next time I fall in battle my soul shall extinguish from existence. That would certainly please you, now wouldn't it? And, no, Alpha's host has changed a great many times since the one you met. My sister did her duty and has passed on to a peaceful existence outside space and time with all the other souls who weren't locked away in, say, a volume of black magic."
Garm rushes in to the Tormentor, bringing the Omega Blade down on it after slamming the Omega Shield into it's face.