A year of fighting and running. The population was low. Azul fought on instinct, as his rage was vented. Just enough control to not hurt innocent people. And that was kept in check by his Path power running rampant. The power wrapped around people that were trying to survive while keeping their morality still.
"Raahhh!" Azul yelled as he sent a concussive shot through the last Sentinel. He jumped on top of it ripping out its software and absorbing it into his node. "Ha..ha..ha..ah." His breathing labored as the dark haze left him finally. D.G. cells finally absorbing enough to come back on line.
"I.. Have finally calmed down. How long have I been fighting. Where the hell am I?"
Bass: One year you have been fighting. 6 months you have been destroying things exclusively. In the physical Plane. You stepped into the Physic Plane at one point and ripped it apart as well as devoured several of the Denizens there. A couple of decades there. The Chaos Gods tried to run rampant. But you intuitively crushed them as either Obelisk the Tormentor or Bahamut Dragon form. I believe a large number of psyches have been added to your Millineuim Eye.
System: The User has regained control. Calculating rewards.. Points have been awarded. Companion limits have been lifted. Followers' limits have been lifted. Reconnecting all severed Bonds.
"Aaaahhhhh!" Azul let out a soul-crushing scream. Not all of his connections lasted when he came here. The Chaos Gods showed no mercy in trying to get him to fall completely. But it didn't work. He held on and he kept a bit of who he was. "You bastards better cough up some power!"
System: Everchosen has gained power from the Chaos of his soul. + 3 to all stats. A reminder was given to Companions and Followers.
System: User skills can no longer receive full bonus of stats due to D.G. cells. Proficiency gained in all skill checks. Confines of typical User has been broken. Locking away under %&*^
"Well, that is just nice." Azul looked around and saw the devastation. "Not all from me, that is for sure."
Bass: Take the chance to align your memories. It has been a non-stop roller coaster for us.
"For us?" Seeing as know one was around, Azul talked freely. The connection to Hilda let him know she kept tabs on him but did not interfere. She sent images during his darkest times to bring him back from hurting an innocent.
"Yes. Us my Khan." Skarlet left from his pores. She had a hard look in her eyes. A kindness could be seen as she looked at him for a moment. "You are back to normal. That is good. Another year of this and I might have lost myself."
Another form came out as well. It was Onyx looking more than pleased with his mental state of return.
"Sorry. Are you two ok?" Another part of his mind already talking with Bass on how he was doing.
"Oh, I am fine. I have been training my willpower when I am not taking care of you. We had a few close calls. But you always come out on top. So that is great to watch." Azul wrapped them in a hug and was about to apologize but they stopped him.
"It is my job as your bodyguard." Onyx added in.
"You are a Khan, do not apologize!" Skarlet said with a frown. But her biotic strands let him know it was much appreciated to hear. "Haaah you're right. Also, you are also mine. I will not let you off the hook as they say." Skarlet lifted up and took off her clothes. "If you are still sorry, then do not tell me no again."
"Not no... But don't you think we should get indoors or wait?"
"No. Waited long enough. I want a taste of the body I have protected." Skarlet did not take no for an answer at all. "I need to rest for a long time after this."
Bass: I am going to.. Yeah, rest as well.
"I will let you two get to it." Onyx returned to her former state. Her biotic strands assaulted Azul sense of reason. Getting rid of any inhibitions he may have had. 'Enjoy your self, my User.' She was deeply satisfied in everything she had done.
.
Few Days Later-
.
Azul had a very happy party now. Skarlet resting inside his blood stream content as can be. She was not kidding about having to rest. It would be a few weeks before she woke up. If not longer. Onyx doing mostly the same. Azul finally notices she made for he never sweat. But he was always hydrated.
"Heading to you now Bishop." Azul said over comms. He was on all fours running in his Wolf. One of the boons of what happened. As well as full synch with the statues and the part of himself from the future. Defintely gave him more aggressive as well. But more control over certain powers than ever. The ability to turn people into Laguz was great. 'Never thought I would miss being a wolf so much. Then again, my dragon form is not good for stealth.'
Bishop: Understood. Good to have you back to normal. Then again, you made for a great target for the opposition.
"Heh, no problem." Azul felt the presence of a few people up ahead. Mostly their fears before anything. Moving up, he observed them closely. Bass hiding in his hair scanning the area.
Observe: Refugees x34 Level 6
Status: Hungry, Afraid, Desperate
"Mutants halt!" A Sentinel flew overhead. The thrusters from its feet, kicking sand up as well as the weaker people. "You will comply with the law."
"We are not mutants you tin can!" One of the refugees yelled. He threw a rock in defiance. Knowing it would do nothing but it made him feel better. "Blasted scrap of the MRD! It is your fault the Earth is like this!"
"God please help us!" Another cowered. Already giving up knowing it would not end well for them. More doing the same. "First the mutant revolt then the Sentinels going crazy!"
"These people are still so hopeless." Bass said. "We have come across them before. The group was much bigger then. That young man has come a long way. The rest are bottom feeders also people who attacked unarmed mutants. Only three of them are worth the clothes on them."
"Really now?" Azul had a wicked idea as his magic spread out slowly. Wrapping them up for indoctrination. All but the young man and the three Bass mentioned lost a good bit of themselves. "Make him a bird Laguz. A Hawk and the rest all can be Hawks as well."
"Turn the others first. And the 4 last!" Bass exclaimed. Azul listened and did just that.
"Ahhhh!" The cowering man screamed first as he became a large bird. The others following suit afterward. The four looking on horror but also at the Sentinel still. "Noooo! I am a muteee!"
"Please no!" A few others started to cry. But not all of them. Five immediately attacked the Sentinel. The Biotic strands from them conveyed one thing. Angry!
"Caaaw caww!" They screeched and squawked. Fresh talons cutting into the Sentinel. They may not have been the best but the enthusiasm was enough to make up for it.
"Ugh!" The young man and the other three changed next. Slightly larger than rest. Wind magic swirling around them. "We have to do this togethor!" He yelled. His voice booming compelling the others to follow his lead.
"Woosh!" As his voice passed over the others, a bit of calm returned to them. As well as power. Circling around in a swarm, they picked the Sentinel apart in seconds. Exposing a power cell. It was an older model and not one of the new ones. Which was fortunate.
"Detonating no.." The Sentinel voice command went off.
"Ha!" Azul fired a concussive shot. Completely covered in water. It hit the power cell and cooled it rapidly. "Humph!" With a crush of his teeth, it was destroyed. The flock of Hawks looking at Azul in wonder. He was a very large wolf. His bright white fur noticeable as he shimmered into vision. The bending light spell dissipating.
"Are you the same as us?" Another refugee asked. Slightly timid but felt a small sense of trust towards Azul. 'HAve I met this wolf before? Impossible?' He shook his head landing.
"Yes and no." Azul sat on his but looking them over. "Congrats on becoming mutants. You now have the strength to fight back. To survive."Channeling his Pather power, he made them all land and return to human form. "It will be ok for most of you."
System: Persuade Check 40 Neutral
A few nodded but some were still lost in the throes of the change that happened. Self-hatred was a terrible thing. But Azul took pleasure in it. It was after all people like that, who pass the bill to allow Sentinels to become a thing. To gain so much power so quickly.
Pulsing energy entered him as the power of the Everchosen grew stronger.
"Is their a cure!?" A female voice cried out. She was relatively old but received strength from the transformation. "I do not want to be a mutant."
"It is not that bad old timer. I feel great."
"Because you are a fool!" The old woman yelled. "This is against God!"
"Pfftt." Azul snickered. Coming from a wolf it was quite weird to see. A quick check revealed that the mutants in this game were natural. Not like one of the comics and the one movie that stated the government made them from experiments. Still one of the dumbest things. Considering Apoclapsye the first known mutant on earth most times and the ancient Warrior people Wolverine was kind of, from one iteration anyway completely debunks that. "Dear child, mutations have existed in people since crawling out of the primordial muck."
"What would a beast like you know!?" She yelled at Azul. Seeing him change into a man didn't change her mind. "Just another devil spawn mutant."
"Oh, you wound me." Azul mocked her openly. grasping his chest a little. "If you stop and think about the genetic differences in cultures as well as the ever-growing problems in children these days, it is all forms of mutation. But hey, do not let me bother you. If you do not like it, just kill yourself."
"What?!" The old woman took a step back. The others going wide-eyed.
"If you do not like it, just kill yourself." Azul's voice was soothing as he spoke calmly. "You will hurt know one really doing so. All your pain will disappear and you will have freedom. if your god disapproves of what you have become so much, he or she will forgive you."
"Schup!" A dagger appeared in his hand. The eye of Tzeentch on the pommel.
"I..." The old woman gripped the dagger and held it her neck. One of the people went to stop her. But Azul raised his hand commanding them to hold.
"Do it. If you have such little faith in everything just end it. I can promise you, another life is waiting for you." Azul's eyes glowed dangerously as he spoke. "Peace in death. Before rebirth if you are lucky."
"I do not want to die!" She threw the dagger down and it disappeared. "Suicide is not the answer! I will change the World myself if I have to."
"Hahaha, that is the spirit." Azul grinned. He touched the old woman's neck and infused her with magic. Her clothes changed as she gained robes. "The ability to heal the heart is something extraordinary. Do be careful."
"Ahhh." The old woman moaned more than anything. A youthful appearance met everyones faces. "What are you?"
"A very bad man. But also one of the many devils & gods. that exist" Azul smirked. It was starting to become a habit. He felt to alive and would take a while to calm himself completely. He was reveling in his power and could feel the change in his Pather Power to new levels. "Well, time to go."
"I am Tyson." The young man that stood out before said. "can you not do that again?" The others nodding agreeing with him. "We are few in number already."
"No promises." Azul shrugged. Speading his magic he did a mass teleport.
"Bwoop!" They left no trace behind.
After a few moments, a Rift appeared. Out stepped the Trickster. He was not alone. Galtana stood to his side. Both looking worry.
"This is troubling indeed." The Trickster said.
"Possibly, but in the end, he did save them." Galtana waved her hands around checking over several things. Mostly the strength of the World itself. "No World shards left. Besides the one. Not enough to keep it stable much longer."
"The World was always a lost caused because of that User. Not much we could have done when finding out." The Trickster shook his head. He accepted the outcome of the World already. "Even if he would have come here ok, I doubt things would have been any better. Might have been worse. He has cleared a lot of the Sentinels out on his own. The people of the World just had terrible Growth on their own."
"I was just counting on him to do the unbelievable." Galtana looked up the sky. Her eyes showing a series of numbers. She was calculating how much longer the ozone layer had before it collapsed. "Tch, so much power taken from here. The War is getting worse."
"Plans are in motion to help it go better."
"You better not get Azul involved. He said it himself that.." Galtana stopped seeing the grave look on the Avatar's face. "What happened?"
"I am not the one who is pulling him into the War." The Trickster said distressed. "Other Avatar's have taken notice of him. I do not know who yet specifically, but they are trying to bring him into it full scale."
"To what end? He is not controllable. They should leave him be. He will kill them happily." Galtana typed away at a screen to send some feelers out. A few Quests popping up for several Users in various Worlds. A quick check over Azul's screen made her stop. "Shit! He opened his next Pather power already!"
"That may be why." The Trickster turned to enter a rift. "Do not exceed your authority, things were close last time for you." If Galtana heard, she made no gesture of it. The Trickster left with a smile on his face. 'You have "grown" well my friend. Soon Galtana, you will rise to the ranks as the strongest Administrator. Opening the door for you to do so much more.'