//------------------------------// // Chapter 6 - Heralds of Chaos // Story: Playing The Villain // by Northern Desert //------------------------------//    “Rainborg, how is Khârn doing?” Ahriman asked as he and Midnight walked into The Factory. It was renamed, because ‘Rainborg Factory’ was a terrible name. Thus, it was named simply ‘The Factory’. A eerie song played throughout the vast complex, instilling fear in any living ponies still there, either to work or to become a cyborg. The song was accompanied by a constant thump of a automated assembly line, a massive engine driving a large block into the metal below, forming it into new metal limbs and weapons. An occasional scream could also be heard from one of the many ‘Enhancement Rooms’ in the back of the Factory as prisoners were given new implants and turned into Rainborg’s personal cyborg army. Jason would hate it.        “Oh, hey Ahriman! Khârn's doing fine, the new arm has been fully implanted, and he shall be leaving shortly. I just need to oversee him for the next few days to make sure that it works perfectly. How are you and Midnight?” Rainborg replied, the cyborg pegasus flying up in front of them, covered in grease.        “Me and Ahriman are well, Rainborg.” Midnight answered, examining the assembly line. “We will be leaving for the Rainbow Falls Camp soon, so we came to collect you and Khârn. The Council demands we take action and rid Equestria of the Blood Alicorns as soon as possible, and wish us to send these letters to every nation specified. We will also be moving The Factory with us, so we can continue our creation of ammunition and weapons. As a side note, the Council requests that we send weapons to the Griffon Kingdom, so they can then deliver them to the other nations.”         “Geez, ever since you became a Daemon Princess, you've been all cold and calculating. I'm a cyborg with a emotion filter, and even I can tell.” Rainborg commented.         “We are fighting a war with the Blood Alicorns, and The War of Shadows, Rainborg. There is no time for pleasantries. Gather your equipment, get Khârn, and prepare The Factory for transport.” Midnight stated. Rainborg sighed before nodding. ××××××××××××××××××××××××××××× 2 hours later        “Glad to be out of that stuffy room!” Khârn said as he walked out of the Thunderhawk. Ahriman, Rainborg, and Midnight stepped out after him.        “Oh come on!” Rainborg complained. “The Enhancement Room isn't that bad!”       Before the group could do anything else though, Ahriman felt a familiar tug at the back of his mind. He sighed, collecting Midnight and the other two, before signaling Discord. The Draconequus appeared in front of him.        “Ahriman, buddy! How's it been? Claiming the planet for the Dark Gods still?” He asked, morphing into a redheaded girl with Chaos symbols everywhere. “Wheee tahke this plaahnet for Chaooosssh!” ‘She’ shouted, planting a flag with the Chaos Star emblazoned on it. Discord sighed before reverting back. “I hate Tzeentch for taking your memories. Now all my references are lost on you!” He growled.        “I'm being summoned by a Displaced. You remember our deal?” Ahriman explained, ignoring his prattle. Discord sighed before nodding, snapping his claws. Time stopped.          “Good luck in whatever universe you find yourself in!” Discord called after them as a portal opened up, sucking the four inside. ÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷         Teridax had not expected such a change in his plans, let alone that they would need changing at all.  Maybe it was due to his arrogant devaluing of the inhabitants of this world, had he truly assumed he could bully his way to the top with small schemes, a force of big scarier dragons, and throwing a few thunderstorms around?  Was Eris as powerful as he expected?  Yes, but she was far more capable than he had assumed. The question was how many of others he had underestimated. Going through his notes on the Equestrian obstacles gave him second thoughts, causing him to revaluation his plans and further notes on them.  He’d been looking at them with contempt and disdain, letting his inner misanthrope takeover and see them not as ponies, but human beings. This was unacceptable of him, that kind of attitude, and could lead to his defeat.  He would not become a cliche movie villain that loses do to petty revenge or miscalculated actions.  All of this time he saw himself as superior, and while that may be true...it did not mean that others were immediately inferior in every way.  Even the most brash of the Elements of Harmony could cause significant harm to him, both her loyalty acting as a tool to lead her into a trap could also become a tool of leadership and encouragement. “Alterations are inevitable,” The Makuta sighed, looking around at the empty room.  Ember was suppose to arrive shortly, her presence was needed in his next steps.  His magical map filed through dozens of different events and locations, the machine glazing over each one.  “While I planned on going solo on this...I think I may have been taking too much of a direct approach.” “You don’t say?” A familiar voice huffed, taking Teridax’s attention away from his research.  He tilted his head in both amusement and somewhat annoyance, getting told the negatives about yourself or your plans by your minions was degrading.   “I’m surprised we don’t have the whole nation of Equestria coming down on us,” The pink dragoness snorted, still ruffled about being turned into a statue.  “With both the shady dragon popping up to make a deal with Equestria about weapons mere days after they were confronted by a new threat.”  The Makuta straightened up a little at her assessment of my blunders. “You’re right--” Teridax tried to say, but was immediately interrupted by a shocked Ember. “Are you saying that I’m right about something,” She questioned skeptically, unsure if she was talking to the egotistical machine she grew to somewhat like, or some kind of replacement sent to test her loyalty to the world.  “And that you were wrong?”  While the expression could not be displayed through normal facial features, The Makuta gave her the impression that he was peeved at her comments. “I’ve been going at it all wrong,” He said, giving Ember Root a look that dared her to make anymore sarcastic comments before he finished.  When a second or two went by, and the dragoness remained silent, he continued.  “I’ve been up close and personal with some of my more major threats, it was probably the table incident that led to Eris pinpointing my location.  Here I am, in a world of magical and susceptible creatures just waiting to be misguided!”  He snapped his fingers, having the table behind him pop out various info-like cards of certain inhabitants of Equestria and beyond. One that seemed to stand out was on Nightmare Moon, the failed usurper of Equestria.  While her plan to take over Equestria was poorly constructed, Teridax could not ignore the power or inner intellect that she could show if her silly goal was not in the way.  Even if her plan had succeeded, he was sure she had a way to preserve Equestria through eternal night.         “So...I don’t know whether to talk that as an insult or not,” Ember Root sighed, giving up on her boss to admit some pros the inhabitants of her world had over him.  “But how do you plan on getting Nightmare Moon with Eris and who knows what is just waiting for you to step out of your bedroom--”         “Evil Lair!” Teridax interrupted, slamming his fist on a nearby table.  He had not adorned the room with lava, black spikes, menacing statutes, and other evil stuff just for people to call it a bedroom! “Whatever,” She huffed, giving the mechanical monster a tired look.  He had shut himself up since Eris came by uninvited, and when he had shown himself, it was only to give orders.  “What are you going to do!?  Hide and leave us in the dark until we too give up?”  Teridax remained silent, not moving as the dragoness began to pace around the room. “So what, someone is able to step up to you and you’re just going to run and hide?”  Ember Root challenged, her spikes standing up to full display.  She had planned and rehearsed what she was going to say to Teridax, how he had left them all questioning their future.  The didn’t rely on him for happiness, nor did they rely on him for strength… But they did rely on him for a plan.  Something to point them to a brighter future for them.  One where they would choose what would happen with their lives, not Celestia of Blackfang. “I admit...I’ve been distant from all of you,” Teridax finally said, walking towards the door that exited his place of dwelling.  “But I assure you, it has been through my need for silence, not fear, that I have remained alone.”  Teridax stared at the door in front of him, somewhat unsure of what will lie beyond it.  He knew that he could still turn back, attempt to return home. He could stop himself from being an abusive jerkass, taking his fantasies out on the innocent inhabitants of this world.  But he knew deep down that this was what he wanted...power, influence, and all of the other benefits that came with his arrival. However, that didn’t mean that he couldn’t choose how he would go about it.  He didn’t need to kill thousands or torture the innocents of the world, he was in a position where only those who proved to be the greatest should meet that fate.  That he was certain of. “I have found artifacts, Tokens if you will, that allow me to call upon powerful beings,” He said, catching the attention of the frustrated dragon.  He had informed her of the Displaced, what they were and both their faults and good deeds.  “As I said before, I have been going about this all wrong.  It’s time to stop pretending to be something I’m not, this malicious monster who sees only reason when bodies fall.  He failed, where I will succeed...through my own way of doing things.” Opening the door, Teridax made his way to the right of the inner sanctum.  Her heard the door close behind him and Ember Root trailing close by.  “What do you plan on doing when you summon these ‘people’? She questioned, unsure of her leader’s actions.  “You said that some were...unstable and could prove unreliable.  How do we best determine that those you call will prove useful to our needs?” “You said to me once that I need to ‘lighten up’ and have ‘fun’,” The Makuta chuckled, his memory of the dragon attempting to get out of work had always been annoying and yet funny.  “Those I plan on summoning will be useful to our cause, but I should atleast have some fun before we get down to business.  I think we should test out our little defense system, don’t you agree?”  She gave him a small smile as he asked about their project. They had constructed a series of puzzles, defenses, traps, minions, and all kinds of obstacles that Teridax had come up with.  Even some of the dragons pitched in ideas...although not all of them were effective.  But they had managed to set up a dimension hole of sorts on the outside of the village and inside the volcano that would teleport the intruder to a series of rooms created by The Makuta himself. “Should I also get the waivers as well?”  She questioned, a large grin emerging from her face.  “Wouldn’t want them to call some lawsuit on you.”  All participants in the testing of their defense systems had been briefed and required to sign legal documents that ensured that they were well informed and that they had personally agreed to participate despite the dangers. “Yeah, that might be a good idea.” Teridax mused, taking out a golden staff.  It was a strange object, the two demonic like horns coming from the golden rod would make anyone second guess those who are called to it.  “Just prep the first room, our friends are about to have a fun time…” With his last order given, a small cloud of shadows consumed the massive machine and took him away. ÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷     The two Displaced, as well as Midnight and Rainborg, walked out of the portal, scanning the area. A well lit room, with a reddish earthy floor lay before them.  The walls glowed as lava trickled down the cavern.     “Where is the one who summoned us?” Khârn asked, glancing around in slight confusion.  A small chuckle greeted the perplexed group.         “While I would happily greet you in person…” The voice responded, a blurry image forming in front of the party.  It was a single floating mask.  Black in color with two slits with blazing red eyes, it seemed to distort itself every once in awhile.  “But I am unsure of your intentions, should we come face to face.  Although it would be rude not to introduce myself…”         Shadows erupted from the hologram, pouring onto the ground and covering the floor.  “I am he who works in the shadows...a plotter and schemer, one who will bring a world under his iron fist.” The voice boasted, giving off a vibe of egotism.  “I am Makuta Teridax, and I have called you--”         “Would you stop with the monologuing and tell these guys what we want before they blow the crap out of this place,” As second voice took over, the noise of frustrated yelling could be somewhat heard.  After about a minute of what seemed to be struggling, the original voice came back online.         “Okay, you know what...I’m not restarting that,” The voice huffed, the mask slowly circling the group.  “How about you just introduce yourselves?”              “I am Ahriman, Warmaster of the New Black Legion, Herald of Tzeentch, God God of Change, and current ruler of the territories once known as Equestria. I control my world's entire military. As for my compatriots…” Ahriman introduced, letting his allies finish off.               “Midnight Sparkle, Daemon Princess of Tzeentch, Weaver of Fates, God of Sorcery.” Midnight followed up, producing her staff from the shadows.               “Khârn, known mostly as Khârn The Betrayer, Herald of Khorne, God of War, Hate, and a bunch of other titles.” Khârn shrugged. “I lead the dragon portion of the Black Legion. Also, don't let my title say anything about me, I rarely betray people.”                “Rainborg Cydash, Head of The Factory, our portable cybernetic and weapons manufacturing facility. Commander of the Pegasus, Griffon, and Cyborg armies of the Black Legion.” The cyan cyborg declared proudly.         “Tzeentch huh?  Warhammer, I presume,” Teridax guessed.  While he had not been too familiar with the game, some of its lore had come across him during his human days.  “And what do we have here?” He asked, his mask’s hologram floating around the cyborg pegasus.  “Rainbow Dash, is that you?  My oh my, Ahriman...you seem to have got your own little thing going for you.” The shadows that crawled on the floor launched themselves towards one of the walls, creating a small door-like vortex.  “I apologize for any inconveniences, but I seem to have run into a slight...problem.  Such a problem that I seem to need your help.  As I said before, I would enjoy meeting you in person, but I need to put you through a little...test.” The Makuta said, his voice setting of a giddy tone.  It had been a long time since he ran into something new...that wasn’t trying to kill him that is. “So, what do you say, pal?”  He seemed to goad his new ‘friends’.  “You feeling up to some good old fun?”  The lava flow in the room seemed to increase, but not becoming a thing of concern for the party. “Well, I do need to test out the new arm….” Khârn muttered, turning to Ahriman. “What do you think?” He asked the Sorcerer. “I suppose it would be worth it. Gaining a new ally is always worth the hassle. After all, if we were to ever meet an extremely powerful opponent, our allies could definitely be able to help. Add to the fact that he can use Shadow Magic, a very rare and extremely difficult to master type of magic. Alright, we will partake of your ‘test’.” Ahriman said, thinking out loud.         “That is just perfect,” Teridax said cheerfully, a pile of papers dropping onto the four.  “But first, you’ll need to sign these binding contracts that you know the dangers that you will have to go through and that in the event that one of you dies or is maimed, you won’t sue me...legal reasons of course.”                “Didn't know there was a government system in the multiverse…” Ahriman muttered, levitating all of his papers. Pens appeared, writing his name on all of them.         “You know lawyers...they always find a way!” Teridax laughed, old memories of a certain car came to mind.                         “Then they will have many problems with us.” Ahriman stated. “Considering we started a World War, corrupted Princess Luna, twice, destroyed countless cities, killed Celestia, the list goes on.” Ahriman chuckled. “That sounds like fun...but I’m more of a ‘behind the curtains’ kind of guy,” Teridax shrugged, but taking into account to ask about the way they went around trumping Celestia later.  “But at least I can keep my head down, no need for the multiverse to hate Makuta Teridax, right?”  He said genuinely, unaware of how bad a rep that his name actually carried across the vast universes.             “Tzeentch says there was a Teridax before you, who died after starting a multiversal war. So technically, your rep is already bad.” Midnight replied, signing all her papers in a similar fashion to Ahriman.         “Oh...so now I have to worry about other Displaced getting blood thirsty...great,” The machine huffed, collecting the signed papers with his shadows, sucking them into a dark pocket.  “By the way, I’ve gotta ask...what’s up with you and Dashie, if you are Ahriman’s Twilight Sparkle that is? I got the idea from the name.”              “Before Ahriman took over, I had been receiving dream visions from Magnus The Red, the non-displaced Ahriman's Primarch. He taught me how to use the Warp, and when Luna found out, I was arrested for ‘Use of Forbidden Magic’, even though the Warp is used in every form of magic. Magnus took control of my body temporarily, broke me out of prison, and led me to Ahriman. After a while, I was ascended to Daemonhood. As for Dash….” Midnight explained, turning to the cyborg.              “When Ahriman returned from his thousand year banishment to the Warp, he got the Griffon Kingdom to join him. Celestia used my friendship with a Griffon named Gilda to spy on the Griffons, and she returned, body broken and battered. When I confronted Celestia, she had me arrested for insulting royalty and some other bull. Afterwards Ahriman and Twilight convinced me to join them.” Rainborg finished. “As for the Cyborg stuff.. we met another Displaced, Rainbine Dasher, also a cyborg, who upgraded me. After a few years of upgrades, I'm now mostly mechanical. Oh, and Rainbine also hates me.”         “Well...my nonexistent heart goes out to you all then,” Teridax said, truly feeling a sense of pity for the Equestrians.  “We displaced bring many things to our Equestrias, good and bad, but it seems that this ‘Celestia’ did not deserve your loyalty.”  The dark vortex widened and it slowly drew those in the room towards it.  “But onto the games, or in this case...deadly challenges.  Don’t worry, I’ll give you hints along the way so you can get through.” Just as the Marines and their Equine companions entered the portal, Teridax chose to let them know of one last thing before they encountered their first challenge.  “Oh, and try not to shoot the defenses...they’re not automated, but run by my dragon minions.  You have no idea how many villains get themselves or their employees killed by some automated turret.”  With that last remark, the four universal travelers entered the unknown void. ÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷         The four members of the Black Legion found themselves in a long hallway, with a long iron passway with small platforms, lava under them to punish anyone who failed to make it across the sea of molten fire.  The walls had small tubes, which seemed to be fixated at certain locations.  The length that was between them and the door on the other side seemed to be three or four football fields in length.            “So this guy leads dragons too? I get the feeling me and him are gonna be good pals by the end of this.” Khârn chuckled, examining the hall.                  “Remember not to kill anything.” Ahriman warned. “Use either stun weapons, spells, or your fists, in Khârn's case.” “Okay, first level,” Teridax said, somewhat pumped to see how his new defenses worked.  “This one is pretty easy.  The panels, the ones that will keep you from taking a lava bath, are your only way to get across to the next door--and yes my winged friends, even you since I’ve got an electric field above--and those tubes you see, they're going to fire spiked bombs at you.”  The machine explained, using his telepathy to command his dragons manning the weapons to fire the cannons.         They fired at the platforms they were aimed at, upon impact they exploded and shrapnel danced around the area in which they were set off.  “But here’s the catch, they can only fire at one location and they take a while to recharge...which is where my employees come in...Greg, you there?” The Makuta called out, getting a shout in response from this ‘Greg’.         “Loud and clear!” The voice of Greg called out.  The simplicity of the name catching the four unawares.  It was not every day they got to get shot at by Greg the dragon...or for anyone to get shot by a dragon named Greg for that matter.             “And here I thought the Equestrian Multiverse always had weird names… oh well.” Khârn shrugged. “I suppose Ahriman is first, since he is our leader.”         “Greg took some time away from his lovely family to be in charge of this first level for you,” Teridax beamed, his mask’s eyes glowing a bright yellow.  “How’s the family, Greg?”  The Makuta asked the diligent Dragon. “Just fine, your Darkness, thanks for asking!”  Greg responded, giving a thumbs up to the hologram overlord. “Good, that’s good,” Teridax said with glee.  “You know, it’s hard to find the special someone that fills that little gap in your---SHOOT THEM NOW GREG!” Teridax shouted, the Dragon firing his cannon at the party.  Ahriman stepped forward, eyes forming the pattern of the Star of Chaos. “Shinra Tensei!” He yelled, and the cannon ball was repelled by an invisible force.         “....” Teridax remained silent, somewhat confused on what had transpired.  “It seems you have countered my Greg...I assume that this ‘Madara’ is responsible for that nifty little trick?” Teridax sighed, somewhat disappointed that his surprise attack didn’t have any effect.            Ahriman pointed to his eyes. “The Rinnegan, yes. He gave it to me in return for a viral warhead capable of killing all life on a planet before the virus itself dies out in five minutes.” He explained. “He also gave me a list of all Chakra based abilities.” “Sounds like a swell guy...although it does come into question on what he’ll use that bomb for,” Teridax mused, the platforms before the four moving horizontally and diagonally.  “Anyway, that’ll come in handy for you later.  As of now, the first level begins.  See you on level two.” The illusion seemed to distort and seemingly vanish from sight.  While Greg was still reloading, the other ten drakes prepared themselves for their opponents to make their move.            “Rainborg, show them your abilities.” Ahriman ordered. The cyborg pegasus nodded, before her body expanded, panels flipping this way and that. After five seconds, her fur and skin was replaced with ceramite armor plating, with two chainswords in place of her wings. She morphed her front left leg into a gun before leaping towards the first platform.         The dragons were shocked by the sudden transformation, reluctant to provoke the unknown.  That and Greg was still reloading, so only Jerry could fire upon her.  And so Jerry did, although his expectations on the cannonballs effectiveness waned as he saw the chainswords buzzing happily.  Rainborg flipped around, aiming her Eldar Shuriken Launcher at the incoming projectile. Six blue energy stars shot out, tearing through the cannonball and embedding the wall behind it, next to Jerry. Her arm switched again, forming a black gun, pulsing green as she hopped to the next platform. Jerry, the ever cautious dragon he was, chose to distance himself from the cannon and the cannonball.  The other dragons gave skeptical looks towards the cyborg, unsure whether they should even bother at this point.  Finally, Blazing Torch chose to employ the plot twist His Awfulness employed should they run into heavy resistance.  Flipping the switch next to him, all of the cannons became free to aim at any location.         With all cannons aimed at Rainborg, the dragons felt slightly more confident with their attack.  Of course they all fired at her, but forgot that they would not have enough time to reload should they do so.  But hey, they weren’t hired to think that far ahead. Seeing the mass wave of cannonballs flying at her, Rainborg cursed.             “Firefly, activate subroutines four and five.” She ordered to seemingly no one, before her other limbs began morphing. Her front right leg was now a glowing Power Axe, with her hind legs forming into a Lascannon and Power Hoof. She aimed her left leg, the Necron Energy Cannon atomizing a cannonball before burning into the wall. Her Lascannon opened fire, the beam of energy tearing through the cannonballs behind her. Her Power Axe sliced any from the front. The Power Hoof demolished any that got too close. Within minutes Rainborg was at the end, body returned to normal. Honestly, the dragons had come to the point where they knew that this was a waste of time for the four strangers.  With the thought of these poor guests losing precious time (and being scared shitless by Rainborg’s display of power) they chose to let up on them.  “Okay, we’ll let you four off easy, but remember that we’ll be waiting for a rematch!” Blazing Torch shouted, he and his compatriots scrambling out the room. Ahriman shrugged, tearing open a rift in reality  and walking through it, reappearing next to Rainborg. Khârn shrugged, leaping across the platforms. Midnight teleported.         Entering the next door, they were greeted with instant darkness and being reunited with their good old pal Teridax.  “That was probably hard, wasn’t it?”  Teridax said, somewhat embarrassed by the first level.  He needed to remember to fix the reload time on those cannons.  “The next level is a bit of a dosey...I don’t even know if I should let you guys do this, just when I was starting to like you.  Oh well, good luck on this one...remember, no killing and a quick tip, what you’re about to face will have one serious lacking, exploit that and you’ll win!”         With Teridax’s advice said, the party of four awaited what horrors that may await them.  What they were met with instead was both confusing and made them uneasy.  Before them was a room, with a comfy bed and fuzzy interior.  Sitting on a beanbag was a maroon metallic creature, lumpy spikes stick from his back.  And while they they couldn’t tell the exact expression due to its single look, they could sense an extreme lack of determination emanating from it.         “Hey,” The tired sounding creature said, his voice filled with boredom.             “So, you're the one we gotta fight?” Khârn asked, stepping forward.          “Oh mannnn,” The maroon machine whined, seeing his foe approach.  “I just want to go to bed...but I guess I have to do something.  My name is Drowsey, not that you probably care.”  Getting up, the machine stretched its mechanical limbs.  “I’m a Rahkshi...Dad, or as you know him as Teridax, said I had to fight or do something.  I was too busy napping to be listening.”             “Well, let's fight then.” Khârn replied, getting into a combat stance.         “Okay...I guess,” The Rahkshi sighed, taking out a staff that had two curved blades on each end.  “I’m the Rahkshi of Sleep by the way...so I can do this…”  Five astral like phantoms appeared, one being a familiar Draconequus.  “Dad said that you might be tough, so I guess I should at least try to put some effort into this…”  Each of the phantoms other than the draconequus were unicorns, and the four of them each targeted the group with bizarre spells. The one attacking Rainborg unleashed a torrent of flaming chipmunks towards her, another summoned a hail of anvils down onto Khârn, and both Midnight and Ahriman were taken on by twin ponies who each fired some kind of green goo from their horns.               Rainborg snorted, reforming her armor. She charged the chipmunks, leaping over them. A net formed around them, trapping them. Khârn grinned, pulling out his chainaxe, Gorechild, and revved the blade, the teeth screeching in hunger. He swung the axe, the entire thing as long as a human is tall, at the anvil storm, the teeth splitting the anvils in two with ease. Ahriman activated a shield spell, while Midnight blasted her enemies attack away with a spell.         “Ugh, you guys are just going to blast away any Equestrian force I send at you...aren’t you?” Drowsey groaned, looking at his defeated minions with little to no interest.                       “Actually, I'm immune to pretty much every type of magic.” Khârn said, before giving Drowsey a solid punch to the stomach region, badly denting the armor there while sending Drowsey flying.         “Ugh,” The Rahkshi of Sleep groaned, landing on the cold hard ground.  Looking up at the powerful opponents, he gave a child like shrug and got back up.  “You say that...and yet you’ve already been entrapped by my powers...not that you likely care.” The unmotivated creature said, the dent reforming with a loud pop.  “But you know what they say about heroes, right?”              “Did you honestly think we didn't notice?” Ahriman asked. “For one thing, space marines like me and Khârn  can willingly shut off portions of our mind, resulting in us not needing sleep. Midnight is part of the Warp, and is almost a god. And Rainborg is a cyborg.” With that, he tore apart the dreamscape. “And I am one of the Greatest Sorcerers in existence.” He forced himself awake, pulling out a bolter pistol while standing up, shooting the Rahkshi’s legs out from under him.         “Oh...well then I’ve got nothing,” Drowsey laughed lightly, he then crawled over to the bed and laid down.  “Well, this was fun...I guess.  Good luck with the next level...because what’s on the other is something you will care about.”  And with that small warning, the machine fell into a deep trance. Ahriman shrugged, before the group walked through the door to the next level.              “So, what do you think we will face next?” Rainborg asked the others.              “Well, so far we've faced an obstacle course that needs improvement via Heavy Bolter emplacements, possibly a Tyranid of some sort at the bottom instead of lava, and moving platforms. Then we faced a robot called a ‘Rahkshi’ that uses sleep spells. The pattern seems random….making us unable to guess the next level. This Teridax is indeed a pretty good planner.” Midnight commented.              “Indeed. He would make a great asset for our current situation in our world. And this test could be useful in our universe…. Especially when it comes to dealing with those ‘hero’ Displaced. Perhaps we can set up a morality test before meeting them, and if they prove to be too ‘heroic’, we can send them back.” Ahriman muttered thoughtfully, glancing at his staff.         “Heroic Displaced?  And here I thought we were a large collection of sociopaths...but I guess that depends on what one considers a ‘hero’.” The familiar robotic voiced butted in.   “Nice job with the last challenge...it will prove helpful to not be susceptible to dream magic when we go and take care of a small task.”  Some fumbling was heard, as if the Makuta were talking through a microphone, and the group heard his muffled voice yelling in the background.  All was silent for a few seconds, then they heard the thumping of metal and Teridax was back.         “I have no idea how these salesmen found this island,” Teridax grunted, somewhat agitated by the commercialism that seemed to hit the island after his small deals with Equestria.  “It’s that time of year again...Hearth's Warming Eve I think.  Kind of like Christmas or some other winter holiday.  But there I go ranting again…”         “That being said, I guess I should inform you of your next challenge!” Teridax said cheerfully, a door to the next room starting to shimmer into existence.  “Two more of my Rahkshi and their experiments involving the manipulation and advancement of the environment lay before you...just don’t trust anything that Lehrak may give you,we already lost three drakes to his latest beverage.”         With that warning given, the group of four found the surrounding darkness dissipate and before them lay an ocean of tropical trees.  A small wind swayed the trees’ branches back and forth and the noises of the local wildlife echoed throughout the forest.  A calmness taking over the mood of the area.             Khârn chuckled. “I don't think that will be a problem.” The group walked forward in a tight formation, watching the forest around them. Ahriman lead the way, Lightning Claws cutting their way through the forest if it got in the way.         Some the the dense forest growth hissed as it was removed from the traveler's’ path, and the faint noise of of growling seemed to come closer as more and more of the plant matter was demolished.  As they continued their way down a dirt road, the members of the Black Legion soon found themselves in a large clearing with a wooden picnic table standing proud in the middle of the path.         “Greetings, friends!” A cheery and feminine voice cried out, a mechanical figure emerging from the other side of the clearing.  Her body was similar to her sibling Rahkshi, but her body was green unlike Drowsey’s and she had brown arms and legs, her metal body hunched over as she walked towards the group.            “Greetings.” Rainborg replied, raising an eyebrow as her mechanical eye began scanning the Rahkshi. “So, what form of Rahkshi are you? My probability processor puts a 2% chance of Teridax using the same tactic, so I assume you have some other form of power?” “You’ve been walking in it since you came here, actually,” The Rahkshi replied cheerfully, pointing her staff towards one of the destroyed plant life, replenishing the plant back to its natural state.  “Welcome to my little jungle...well, half of my jungle anyway.” “Control over plant life. Noted.” Rainborg droned, before her eyes flashed. “Firefly, do not hijack my body! I didn't even know you could do that!” She growled to the invisible AI. “Forgive our friend here.” Midnight said, glancing around the forest again. “I am Midnight. We were told about you and your brother. What form of test are we entering here?” “Well...we may have run into a small problem when a certain Draconequus broke in,” The Rahkshi sighed, walking over to a recently blooming flower.  “Lerahk and I have been manipulating and growing all sorts of plant life from various parts of our Equus and others...unfortunately, my brother got a little too carried away when Teridax supplied him with draconequus blood...which is prone to cause random and sometimes volatile change.”         Turning back around, the Rahkshi seemed to scan their surrounding as though she was in search for something.  “My name’s Nightshade by the way...but the main issue you’ll be facing now is the plant life that you’ve managed to annoy by trampling through the forest,” She then used her staff and opened up the pathway ahead.  “Lerahk may be nearby, so watch out for him.  Oh, and I suggest you hurry up...because by the time we’ve been talking, those hungry little fellas may already be close, sorry!”         With her warning delivered, Nightshade used her staffs power one more time and cocooned herself in a flower yet to bloom.  The plant then took both of them down into the ground.             “Little fellas, huh…” Khârn muttered. “Well, we can take care of it! We got our abilities! I'd like to see some tiny little animal or plant beat us!” He boasted.             Ahriman sighed, before hitting Khârn's helmeted head. “You probably just jinxed us to suffer a bunch of giant daemon-plants. Keep your helmets on in case of Poison Joke.” He ordered, switching out into his normal armor. Pulling out his enchanted bolter pistol, the group walked down the path. Rainborg quickly swapped into her armored mode before following.         “That's them!” A squeaky voice shouted, the group turning to face their sudden guest.  What their eyes met was not some horrifying daemon, but a small venus flytrap-like plant with small leaves growing on its side and a large mouth with small, beady red eyes popping out the sides of its flat head.  “They're the mean ones I was telling you about!” it sniffed, giving off a small hiss towards Ahriman.            “So that's what she meant by little fellas…” Ahriman sighed, before examining the plant. “But looks can be deceiving…” He added, turning off the safety on his pistol.         “You think you can just come here, cut us to bits, and walk away like it’s no one’s business!?!” The strange plant questioned, purple liquid spraying from its mouth and melting away anything that it came in contact with.   Going underground, the creature then popped up in front of Ahriman and glared daggers at him.  “Who do ya think you are!?!” The multiple fanged creature squeaked, attempting to gnaw on Ahriman’s leg, but to no avail.  “You ain’t getting past me, ya hear!?!” it challenged.         Ahriman stared down at the plant trying to eat his leg. “I could burn you to ashes with a look, little bug.” He took off his helmet to reveal his eyes, which had changed into Mangekyo Sharingan. “Would you like me to prove it?”         “Matters little!” It screeched, now head butting the Sorcerer with its small head.  “We always adapted, always evolve!  We are change, never stopping, never ending!  Your puny fire would merely build our resistance, or path to perfection!”         “Never ending perfection!” More voices cried in chorus from beyond the trees.  “Non will stop it, non can stop it!”             “You are change?”Ahriman asked, his voice empty of emotion. “I have met the God of Change. You are pathetic, weak, and pointless little insects compared to him, and compared to me.” A dark wave of invisible energy pulsed from Ahriman's body, sending shivers down the spine and stem of anything that lived. “You remind me of another group I, or rather, the one I became, had met. They wanted nothing more than a perfection that didn't exist. And they were quite an annoying group.” The grass around his feet burst into black and blue flame, the essence of Change and his own personal Chakra stored within. “You would be wise to choose your next words carefully, plant.”           Khârn chuckled. “He’s right. These guys do sound like the Emperor’s Children Legion.”         “Per---fection impossible!?!” The planet cried in dismay, multiple voices giving off noises of despair at Ahriman’s words.  Looking around, the small plant seemed ready to move by and retreat and mourn for its lost goal.         “...but we are Chaos...Change,” It mumbled to itself, a small smile forming on its face.  “You are right!  We are Chaos, we are Change!  We cannot become perfect, for to do so would mean no change…”         “But then how does Chaos win?” It asked the four before it, sounds of trees breaking and leaves rustling could be heard all around the clearing.  “What is the point of Change, but to further elevate the world?”  Behind the small plant grew a creature of the small appearance, but its size was greater than the small mouthed plant, and it didn’t look like its growth was stopping.         “God of Change...does he always change?” It asked, humming to itself as it thought of its new goals.  “Can he win, or does his nature always lead to defeat...does our nature always lead to defeat?”           “He appears in many forms.” Ahriman replied, and Khârn rolled his eyes. “He Changes, he schemes, simply to do so. Chaos has no goal except to cause even greater chaos. His schemes counteract themselves, and he pulls at the strings behind us all. He is the puppet master, controlling all lives in the universe. To change is the goal of all creatures, and through it he will grow stronger. Even his defeats are parts of his plan.” The dark Warmaster concluded his rant, before glancing at the plant. “I am Ahriman, Herald of Tzeentch, God of Change, and the Weaver of Fate. I request that you allow me and my allies to pass.”         The plant simply gave Ahriman a toothy grin, tilting his head to one side in mock pondering.  More maws could be seen from all around the clearing now, multiple necks stretching out ever so slightly as they made their way towards the group.         “You seem like a great guy, you really do,” The fanged creature chortled, his size increasing as he spoke.  “But you’ve gotta understand that we want out of this place as much as you do...but that damn Lerahk and his poisons constantly counteract against out adaption ability!” Several of the heads hissed at the mention of the Rahkshi’s name, purplish liquid drooling from their mouth’s and burning through the ground below them like acid.         “However, if we were to say…adapt to your attacks,” the plant chuckled malevolently, thorns erupting from sections of his body and the voices of his fellow ‘friends’ seemed to increase dramatically.  “We could get past that pest, and after him we can deal with that god-wannabe!” The room was filled with the cackling of the sentient plants as their new idea came to life, but it was cut short by a familiar, if not unsettling voice. “For the love of all that is me!” The shimmering image of the Great Kraahkan came to life and appeared before the group and their latest advisary.  “Could you monologue any more than you already have!?!” The mask then turned to face Ahriman.  “I do apologize for this entire ordeal,” The Makuta groaned as he looked around at the snapping mouths of the hungry plants.  “Carnivorous plants weren’t exactly what I asked Lerahk and Nightshade to cook up here, but what can you do?” Giving a small chuckle at the anger he was gaining from the plants, Teridax chose to stir the pot a little more.  “While they can’t exactly be killed due to their rapid adaption to attacks, they do have a weakness just incase they chose to work against me!” “You will not interfere--” The lead plant was ready to interject the dark lord, but was quickly silenced when Teridax’s eyes glowed an unsettling red and the monstrous plant started to melt.                 “Good old heat vision.” Khârn said, examining the burnt plant. “Though we could have handled it. I mean, after dealing with a very….heroic taste, and just happened to be able to turn into an immortal and eternally adapting lizard, we developed a virus made out of the Warp itself, capable of nullification of the targets strongest abilities. Plus, Midnight has control of gravity.” He boasted, earning a hit on the head from Rainborg.         “Heat vision is best for toast...if I could have toast that is,” Teridax said, the sickening sound of the plant he had fried reconstructing could be heard in the background.  “And while I commend you on your, uh...confidence, I’m afraid that I may have made a dosey on this one…”             “Elaborate.” Ahriman ordered, erecting a shield around him and his allies in case of attack. It also went under their feet.         “One of the reasons I summoned you was so I could get my hands on something to deal with these weeds,” The Makuta informed, looking around at his traitorous experiments.  “So when you were teleported, I also copied your equipment...and tried to use it on the plants.  They ate the virus, one gulp and all...same with the bullets.  But since your friend just offered to perform some weeding for me, I suggest you get to Lerahk’s lab south and help him out.”              We don't carry any vials of it on us, so you probably got a piece of our medical supplies.” Ahriman stated, walking in the direction of the lab, followed by the others. “Midnight can produce the virus from herself, though slightly tiring in a universe without the Warp. As for the copying of our equipment, I would highly suggest you ask before doing so. For one thing, I doubt you had the actual materials to produce our weapons, especially not the armor, and sometimes our weapons have special enchantments. They were most likely of a failed batch.”         “Eh, the Map of Harmony is kinda iffy when it comes to doing things,” The bionicle replied as he watched his angry experiments attempt to eat through the constantly repairing shield.  “It’s able to perform certain task and alter reality through its connection with the Tree, but it really doesn’t like to do what it’s told to do.”         “LET US DEVOUR YOU!” The familiar voice of a certain annoying plant screeched as it bashed its head against the shield.  “YOUR RUINING THE PLAN!”             “Unfortunately, plant, my plans far outweigh yours. For example, I have to run an entire planet’s worth of soldiers, destroy the enemies attacking my planet, possibly turn a few to Chaos, and then destroy an entire space faring empire. And plus, even though you believe yourself to be of the same stuff Chaos is made of, you are not. You are only a plant with the slightly unique ability of adaptation. Of course, we could easily nullify that power and then burn the forest to the ground. So I have one warning for you. Get. Lost.” The Warmaster turned, brandishing the Mangekyo Sharingan and using it's illusion powers to show the little plant what would happen if it continued it's futile attempts at eating him. “Oh come on,” The plant chuckled nervously, giving the warrior another toothy grin.  “surely we can work something out, you don’t need that bucket of bolts after all.  I mean, look at him-” the plant then created a picture of Teridax by warping its body.  “he can’t even be a proper villain!  He had the chance to kill those meddlesome ponies and even those guards, but you know what he did instead?” “Let me guess.” Rainborg rolled her eyes. “He let them go.”         “Yeah, and he even faked those two guard’s deaths as well because he thought they were useful,” The create spat out more acid as he tried to stomach his own words.  “But do you want to know why he spared them, why he called you out here trying to throw these insane challenges at you and act all evil?”                “To test us so that he can tell if we can deal with his problem?” Khârn shrugged.                “Honestly, we couldn't care less if he acted all evil.” Ahriman raised an eyebrow at the plant. “But please, do continue.”         “Poor little Ahriman,” It cried in fake sorrow, giving a crazed laugh at the Warmaster’s words.  “You’ll always be the puppet, but you’ve accepted that.  Teridax can’t, and in order to break away from his strings he has to attack the puppetmaster.  But in order to do so, he has to shed blood, he has to kill!  And yet no matter how hard he tries, he never can!”             “Eh, he is just a rookie on being all evil. He will get the stomach for it. Eventually.” Khârn shrugged. “As for you, little plant, why exactly are you still following us? Didn't we already tell you to get lost?” “I’ll have you know, good sir, that I am a skilled villain!” Teridax interrupted, the shuffling of papers could be heard in the background.  “I even had Ember Root write a list of all of my evil deeds, alphabetical I might add!” “The most evil thing you ever did was trick Celestia to give you those bits by pretending to be some charity,” The plant deadpanned, giving the projection of The Makuta’s mask an unimpressed look. “And all you’ve done is waste my time and resources, you homicidal weed!” The robotic overlord retorted, electricity sparking from the mask.  “My plans simply take time and calculation, you simply want to eat stuff!” “Both of you, please.” Khârn chuckled darkly. “I have the memories, and portions of the personality, of the guy who killed most of his legion because they didn't want to fight in a deadly storm, has slaughtered thousands of innocents across a galaxy for the simple reasoning of ‘Blood for the Blood God!’ and who is so murder-happy he implanted a fucking kill counter to mark how many people he has killed! And right now it says over 18 trillion! And that was from my hands!” “Hmmm, you think if I make a religion around myself, people will commit whatever crimes I command?” Teridax questioned, already coming up with a couple of religious schemes. “But then you’ve got to organize it and then there’s paperwork…” The vegetated evil added in, bring up the downside to organized religion.  “Then you’ll have a dozen ‘priests’ attempt to kill you and act as your ‘voice.”         “True...but maybe if we put in certain regulations--BURN THE PLANT NOW WHILE IT’S DISTRACTED!!!!” The bionicle shouted, lasers launching out of his eyes and towards the many vines that were in front of the shield.              “Please.” Ahriman rolled his eyes, before black flames began burning away the foliage. And then began burning the rest of the forest. And didn't stop. “You don't announce your plan of attack. And the Amaterasu can deal with most of the forest.”         “AH, I’M ON FIRE!!!” The malicious plant screamed as it withered in pain as the flames burned away at its many heads.  “WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT!?!  DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH DAMAGE YOU’VE DONE TO THIS ECOSYSTEM!?!”         “Smokey the Bear will never know…” Teridax said, his eyes shifting to the side as he watched the wonderful carnage around him.  “Worm, I would consider destroying the forest with a bomb capable of wiping out a planet in five minutes or less, and then kill itself, just to get rid of an extremely tough weed such as yourself. This is a mercy compared to that pain. And I know how to make living, walking, immortal versions of it.” Ahriman glared at the smoldering plant.         “You win this time you eco-terrorist!” The planted growled as it started to burn away into ash.  “But this isn’t the last you’ve heard of Larry the Plant!  When I break free from this idiot’s pocket dimension--”         “--Which you won’t!”         “--I’ll come over for a friendly visit!” It pronounced, giving one last chuckle as his body burned away.  “Which will not be friendly at all...just incase you don’t understand threats!”              “Ah, but there won't be a next time.” Ahriman chuckled. “For the Amaterasu isn't a normal fire. It can only be stopped by me, and will burn everything it touches, even other fires, until everything is nothing but ash. It can burn for seven days and seven nights, so have a nice week.” Ahriman turned from the destruction, a cold smile plastered on his lips.         “I give it a week at most before the bugger finds out how to get out of it,” Another voice said and a green Rahkshi leapt down from the trees.  “but A for effort!”            “So I should bring out the Plague Marine?” Ahriman asked, getting ready to contact his ship.         “I think Lerahk can handle cleanup here, but thanks for the offer…” Teridax answered quickly, not comfortable with the idea of more multiversers coming by so quickly.         “Do you guys want a drink?” Lerahk questioned, pulling out a coconut with a strange purple liquid spilling from the brim.  “I’ve got the Kooooool aid!”             “Ah, fuck it.” Khârn took a drink, not caring about the possibilities of poisoning. Good old Astartes biology.         “Finally, someone who can actually stomach my masterpiece!” The Rahkshi shouted with joy.         “With that being said...I guess it’s time we finally met,” Teridax said, one last door appearing before the group.  “I’ll explain what I have planned once we meet up, until then enjoy the ride!”              “What does he mean by ‘ride’? And boy, that stuff is good!” Khârn asked, patting Lehrak on the back. “You would give the Space Wolves a run for their money!” “I’ll be sure to send you more later...as for the ride,” Lerahk looked around for any remaining energy of Teridax.  “Well, he made some kind of rollercoaster based off some ride he went on in Disney Land...I swear, the boss is always going from an evil nature to one of a child.  He calls it ‘humanity’, whatever humanity is anyway.” “Sounds like a typical human.” Ahriman said, stepping into the doorway with the others. “And Astartes have enhanced hearing.” Khârn quickly followed, leaping into the doorway while shouting in an Italian accent, “Let's a go!”         After leaving the vomit inducing ride behind them, the four members of the New Black Legion soon found themselves in a earthy cavern with lava dripping from the walls and pipes filled with magma that was being redirected all over the volcano.  Various pits of the hot lava could be found along the floor of the cavern as well, save the silvery liquid pit that sat next to a luxurious forge.             “So, this is where Teridax lives, eh?” Khârn examined the area. “Yeah, it looks like the kind of place he would live in.” “Technically, it’s where we used to hold our town meetings,” A voice said as a pink dragoness walked out of the entrance of another section of the volcano.  “But with all of his projects along with his ‘need for evil secrets’ he made it his personal room.” “Okay, so where is old Dark and Spooky?” Rainborg asked, glancing around. “Well hello to you too,” The drake retorted, giving a wave for the four to come towards her.  “He’s busy setting up his presentation, so I’m going to give you a tour around the base.  Ember Root by the way.” “Name cataloged.” Rainborg stated in a robotic tone, before switching back to normal. “So, Ms. Root, why are you following Teridax?” She asked.         “At first I tried to kill him, which I failed if you couldn’t tell,” She replied, walking over to Teridax’s forge.  “In my defense, he was acting like a total dick, which he still kind of is...but he let me live and promised our little colony a better life.”         Looking over her leader’s latest work, she examined some new techniques he had employed into a long barrel shaped weapon.  “He’s great at smithing and I respect that, so having him as a personal teacher will go a long way for me...but I guess when a magical robot walks into a bar and offers the world to you, it tends to draw attention.”             “Well, a giant armored soldier with an axe almost as long as he is tall that has indestructible teeth and can function as a chainsaw tends to draw more attention.” Khârn shrugged, examining the weapon. “That looks like a gun or something.”         “He’s taken an interest in the four of you,” She shrugged, putting the new weapon back where she took it.  “Your weapons, past, plans, all of it.  It’s good for him to see his own kind, or whatever he can consider his own kind anyway...especially after she made her little entrance into his life.” Her last words filled with venom.             “Oh, so he is interested in our weapons?” Rainborg asked, pulling out a cube. “Well, lucky for him we had this in transit mode!” Pressing a few buttons, she placed placed it down, watching as it unfolded into a metal door. “Presenting the New Black Legion’s transportable forge, The Factory!” She opened the door, before stepping inside, being sure to mute the doors with the ‘secret’ products.         “Well...that’s awfully nice of you to do for us,” Ember Root said, blinking in surprise at the sudden forge.  “But what does it do?”            “Well, let's see. Here, we have our cybernetic production line.” The enthusiastic Cybermare pointed to the side, where pieces of robotic limbs moved slowly on the assembly line. “Over to your left is our Bolter assembly line.” She pointed a hoof to the left, revealing a long line of mostly complete bolters, with mechanical limbs putting in the missing parts. “Up ahead is the ammunition production, and beyond that is my ‘special’ Robotic Testing Facility.” She concluded, pressing a few buttons. “There is more stuff here, but these should suffice for now.”         “Teridax will like this, I can see him spending hours working with this and his protodermis,” The dragoness said, turning back towards the entrance to the next room.  “But I feel like I should show you around the place, maybe get something to eat.”  With that said, she took off from Teridax’s workplace.             “Very well, perhaps we can discuss it with Teridax later.” Rainborg said, returning the pocket dimension to its cube mode. “I also have a template for the Bolter, albeit a previous version.” Rainborg followed after the dragoness, in turn followed by the others. “Perhaps we can make a deal with him?” She asked Ahriman.              “Perhaps….” Ahriman replied, examining the Protodermis Pool. “I would love to study the metals of this universe.”         “I’m sure Teridax would love to tell you about his ‘miracle metal’,” She replied, the group now walking outside the volcano entrance and over a well constructed walkway down the rocky side of the lair.  “He’s crazy about the stuff since he found it.  He also tested some strange glowing swords on them and said that the metal was, ‘tougher than he thought’”         “Interesting….” The Warmaster’s gaze lingered on the pool for a moment, mumbling something about metals, before returning to what was happening now. “Anyway, let us continue the tour. I will be certain to ask Teridax about the metal later.”         “Sure,” Ember Root shrugged, continuing down the rocky path.  “We have a great place to eat, if you four are hungry that is?”               “Generous as the offer is, I must decline.”Ahriman answered, “Me and Khârn do not require food or water to survive, Rainborg is mostly machine, and Midnight is a living, breathing Warp Entity.”         “Eh, I guess that’s a good reason not to eat,” The dragoness replied, slightly looking over one of the railings to see what was going on in the town.  “Everyone’s been a bit jumpy lately anyway, with our latest problem causing some massive panic to the town…”              “From the latent Chaos Magic in the terrain, I can only assume that a Draconequus is the source of your problem?” Midnight guessed, examining the town below with her Tenseigan.         “The mother of all Draconequui to be precise,” The drake said bitterly, shaking somewhat as she remembered their last encounter with the queen.  “Eris is like Discord, Teridax said you would know him, but on steroids powered by the sun.  She recently stopped by and turned us all into gold statues...which is her humor in irony.”            “Our Discord is a Greater Daemon of Tzeentch, known as a Lord of Change. If he wanted, he could probably wipe the floor with any of us.” Khârn muttered. “Not me though, because I'm immune to magic!”               “As our ally suggests, our Discord could easily destroy us. Lords of Change are the equivalent of a Minor God.” Ahriman added, eyes wandering across the sky.         “Eris basically created the Draconequui here,” Ember responded as she lead them over a less than safe looking bridge.  “She drags your kind--” she motioned a wing towards Ahriman and Khârn, “--from their world and reconstructs them into her own kind and wields magic said to be gifted by the creator herself...at least that’s what Teridax has gathered.”              “Still think one of the Dark Gods could mop the floor with her.” Khârn shrugged. “I mean, Tzeentch is a God of Sorcery, Schemes, etc, Khorne is immune to sorcery, Nurgle could probably make a disease to kill her, and Slaanesh… is Slaanesh.” He stated those last words with disgust.         “WHAT THE BLAZES DID I JUST SAY!” A clearly angry voice shouted as the group departed from the rickety bridge, finding themselves in a camp of some kind.         “Oh no…” The dragoness groaned as she heard the voice, knowing the source of the shouting.         “HOW COULD I HAVE NOT BEEN MORE CLEAR THAT NO ONE CROSSES THE BRIDGE WITHOUT BEING PROCESSED!” The same voice screamed as a white and grey Rahkshi leaped from one of the nearby boulders.  “WHO THE IN THE NAME OF ALL THINGS DARK ARE YOU FOUR SUPPOSE TO BE, THE MARCHING BAND!?!”             “Oh?” Khârn turned to the Rahkshi. “Well, I'm a Khornate. Khârn The Betrayer, Herald of the Chaos God of War Khorne, at your service. And who are you, the gate guard?” He replied, examining the Rahkshi.         “CHAOS GOD!?!” The Rahkshi yelled, a couple of drakes that seemed to be training wandered over to the scene.  Turning to Ember Root, the red eyes of the creature blazed with fury.  “WHAT DID WE SAY ABOUT RELIGIOUS MISSIONARIES AND PRIESTS!?!  YOU CAN’T JUST GIVE THEM A SKIP OVER ALL THE OTHERS, WE RUN A EQUAL SYSTEM OF ACCEPTANCE AND DON’T JUST LET ANYONE BYPASS THE REST!”         Turning back to the four visitors, the Rahkshi stamped his foot in unbridled rage and pointed his staff towards them.  “IF YOU WISH TO PASS THIS POINT, YOU WILL NEED THE PROPER PAPERS IN ORDER TO PROVE YOU ARE WHO YOU SAY YOU ARE AND THAT YOUR RELIGION IS NOT ONE OF THOSE MINDWASHING CULTS!?!             “Firstly, Rahkshi, I am neither a missionary or a priest. My title as ‘Herald’ means that I am the greatest Champion of one of the four Dark Gods. I am a warrior, and Khorne's ‘church’ is the battlefield. My main business is war, blood, fighting, killing, and destruction of my enemies. We don't use magic, relying only on our weapons. If anything, Khorne hates brainwashing. And as for proof of who I am, I will gladly show you my fighting ability.” Khârn explained, casually pulling out Gorechild, the massive axe burying its head in the ground.             Rainborg chuckled, before whispering “Ooh, this is gonna be good.”         “Okay, let’s calm down here!” Ember Root said nervously, stepping in the way of the two aggressive warriors.  “Kurahk...you’re yelling again, so please stop.  And our visitors are not priests--”         “THAT IS NOW CLEAR!” The now named Kurahk interrupted, giving off a small hiss when one of the other dragons gave a worried pat on the Rahkshi’s shoulder.  “THEY’RE CLEARLY WAR CRIMINALS, HERE TO OPPRESS US WITH THEIR IDEALS AND PROMISES OF GLORY ON THE BATTLEFIELD!”         Jumping back on the boulder, the creature stabbed his staff into the rock and growled at the warrior.  “YOU YELLOWBELLIED COWARDS PROBABLY ARM WRESTLE INFANT DRAKES TO PROVE YOUR WORTH!  I’VE SEEN FLYSWATTERS THAT COULD DOWN LEGIONS OF YOU MOUSEHEARTED FELINES!  I BET YOUR AXE IS THAT SIZE TO SIMPLY COMPENSATE FOR THE SMALL SIZE OF YOUR ****!”                   An extremely loud noise erupted from the group as Khârn's chainaxe swung up faster than the blink of an eye, and a second later one of Kurahk’s arms fell to the ground. “You were right about the War Criminal thing, and wrong on all other accounts.” Khârn growled, a dark and dangerous voice erupting from his vox grill, amplified by the one on his chest. “I have laid waste to countless armies for over ten thousand years, and have seen horrors such that a worm like you couldn't dream up in your worst nightmare.” His weapon came down again, removing the other arm. “My legion, the World Eaters, refused to fight our enemies due to a deadly Warpstorm. And you know what I did? I killed them. I slaughtered every soldier who didn't fight, and then went to fight our enemy. I am Khârn The Betrayer, and you would live longer to respect me.”         The Rahkshi remained silent, looking down at his severed arms and back up at the terrifying warrior repeatedly before halting.  “TIS A SCRATCH YOU HEARTLESS DOG!  YOU WANNA TALK ABOUT WASTING ONE’S ENEMIES!?!  MY DOG HAS A HIGHER KILL COUNT THAN YOU!  YOUR HORRORS ARE ABOUT AS TERRIFYING AS CARL’S COOKING!”  A faint groan of anger came from one of the drakes, who happened to be named Carl, “YOUR WARPSTORM SOUNDS LIKE A CHEAP ICE CREAM FLAVOR THAT YOU CAN FIND ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD!  I FEAR YOU NOT, WARRIOR OF CHAINSAWS! KURAHK OF ANGER IS INVINCIBLE TO YOUR THREATS!  I also want to point out that I’m single and have great communication skills--” he nodded towards Rainborg, “--SO HAVE AT THEE!”   The Rahkshi then proceeded to headbutt the chest of Khârn and kick his shins. A few slices from Gorechild and Kurahk was suddenly missing his legs and spikes, with the massive axe looming inches from his head, the whirling blades nicking his armored head. “You are a pitiful soldier, though I do give you credit for your tenacity. I'll allow you to live, for now.” Khârn growled, returning Gorechild to his back before continuing forward.         Kurahk turned his body from side to side as he attempted to turn around and face the departing Khârn.  Unfortunately for the Rahkshi, it was difficult to do much of anything when your limbs were hacked off.  Ember Root watched the scene with an unimpressed expression as she watched the Rahkshi of anger once again manage to piss off the dangerous ones.         “For the love of...you know what, I don’t care!” She mumbled, continuing on while the other dragons parted from the path of Khârn.         “YOU SEE YOU COWARDLY WHELPS!” The Rahkshi shouted towards the terrified group of drakes.  “THAT IS HOW ONE ANGERS THEIR ENEMY!  I NOW HAVE HIM ON THE ROPES....actually, we’ll call it a tie.  One of you put me back together please.  And also get me the number of that pegasus!”             “You know, I have never seen Khârn like that. Think it could be a problem?” Midnight asked Ahriman, using magic to quickly rebuilt Kurahk, with a small note  with some numbers on it tucked on its hand.             “Possibly. Then again, having Khârn The Betrayer, the original one, even  if just his memories affecting him, would be a great boon.” Ahriman replied.         “That guy needs fifty chill pills and twenty buckets of ice,” The now reassembled Rahkshi said, wobbling as he got back on his feet.  “I mean, I’ve never gotten someone that mad...but being the Rahkshi that practically emanates anger can do that to a guy.  Can I suggest some breathing exercises?”             “Khornate Berserkers are easy to anger, and if that Khârn was the full on Khârn, him being mad would end up being the death of a planet’s population.” Ahriman replied, forcing Khârn to calm down via the Warp.         “Sounds like a tough guy to deal with...but I guess I should let you guys pass,” The Rahkshi said, giving a small chuckle as he lead the three off the bridge.  “Drowsy was not joking when he said not to mess with you guys, but I had some fun...dismemberment aside!  We’ll have to do this again sometime, but I think you should head to the Temple south of here, that’s where Teridax is chilling.”             “I can teleport us there. Better than letting Khârn walk through the town.” Midnight stated, preparing her staff. “As a side note, Ahriman can create a meteor big enough to crush the area for a thousand meters, I can cut the moon in half, and Rainborg is a walking weapon. Just in case you thought to challenge any of us. And that's barely scratching our powers.” She added, glancing at Kurahk, before teleporting away, along with the others.