A beast of burden (OPEN)

[Clash]

A single man walked through the main gates, he was tall and wore an officer's uniform from another time, another world. The man was quite striking, roughly 7 feet tall and with long hair and a stubbly beard on his face, blonde. His piercing green-blue eyes were like the sea in a storm and he had a massive bludgeoning weapon slung over one shoulder. He walked through the city without any care for who saw him, his coat catching a breeze and swaying slightly. This place was a toilet. It smelled, it was dirty, and he wanted to take a dump in it then wash his hands and leave. But someone had said this place was supposed to be the bomb, full of strong people.

Clash only saw the toilet that failed to hold his attention, his nose wrinkled as if he'd caught a foul smell.

"This world is such a massive disappointment... First that paradoxically boring little Podunk, now this crap-hole? ANYONE OUT THERE?" His voice echoed through the streets as he turned his head left and right, looking to see if ANYTHING was alive in this place. His hair caught in the wind and blew slightly as he sighed and kept walking, heading for the center of Jherrazad.

[Ayen]

The rebuilding of Jherrazad has been a long and exhausting task despite the extra hands provided by Z-Rah’s army but they were determined to get this place back in top condition before their meeting with the major nations of Jherra. Miracle, leader of Crystal City (formerly known as Aircano) set the whole thing up but Ranko didn’t expect it to change anything. Ranko needed the tower to keep her once divided nation united and Vulture was too power-hungry to share anything like this with anyone. The whole thing would prove as one big waste of time but The Red Devil had too much honor to turn down such an audience. If anything it would give them an idea of what condition the others were in after the supernova. Crystal City was the only one that didn’t want war. Moon Valley remained silent and Hallowton remained indifferent. As always.

Alexander’s attention was then drawn to a man yelling from the heart of the city, out in the old dirty rotten streets. Cautiously the knight of Ranko’s moved towards his position and motioned for some foot-soldiers to remain at a fair distance in case he proved hostile. Kaso was busy with trainees back in the castle and Ranko was still preparing Z-Rah for the inevitable confrontation with Isafaro and Crystal City for the Downward Spiral. The tower that held the keys to all their fates. Alexander now stood before the man and spoke.

“Identify yourself.”

[Clash]

"My creators gave me a name, but I preferred Clash. You can call me that, and until I get your name I believe 'insect' will do for you and the fellow bugs you brought."

He shifted the mace on his shoulder, his voice with a slight touch of arrogance to it. "Tell me, Insect, Is this the kingdom of Jherrazad? Home of Lady Ranko? This clearly cannot be the right place... It's barren, fetid, and lacking a good deal of what the brochure promised." He had a sneer in his voice as he lowered his heavy morningstar, letting it loudly thud onto the ground as he leaned on the great weapon. "Now what am I to do? I came to see about joining the most powerful army in this land and all I find is this massive slum?"

[Ayen]

Where others would have grew angry and reacted, Kaso in particular, Alexander, much like Lady Ranko, kept a cool demeanor allowing the words of Clash to flow through him and he stood unphased by it as he spoke.

“This is Jherrazad.”

He gave no signal for the soldiers to move in so they remained on standby until further notice. The people around them had forgo rebuilding until they isolated any threat this being may cause now that Jherrazad was not in the state he would have hoped for.

“I am Sir Alexander. This place saw a great battle, many lives were lost. Now those that are left rebuild what was taken away.”

[Clash]

"I've seen battlefields..." That was to himself, though not caring enough to say it under his breath, letting Alexander and his soldiers hear. "You got lucky, from the looks of it." He tilted his head to one side, looking at his soldiers. A bunch of little toy knights behind him, did he think they would be anything more than fodder for him? Clash chuckled and looked at the man, he certainly looked like a knight, then again Clash had killed a lot of knights.

"So I hear this place is run by a woman named Ranko, where is she?" He rolled his shoulder slightly, as if working out a kink in the joint. "I'm sure she'd like to see her newest recruit, I'll even go out of my way to help put this place back together, for what it's worth." Clash looked at the knight, he gave his name, he wasn't insect anymore. Well, everything was an insect to Clash, but at least this bug had a name. Alexander would be a good messenger for Clash, he made note of him, and would remember this one.

"Go tell her that Clash seeks an audience, that I've come to join her, and I'd like to negotiate terms of service."

[Ranko]

Sir Alexander opened his mouth to reply to the man’s words but before his voice could enter the air another’s took its place and became known to Clash’s ears.

“I am Ranko.”

Alexander turned around to see The Crimson Devil herself approaching their position. Immediately upon the sight of her arrival did the man get down on one knee for her until he was motioned to get up to his feet and stand by her side while her red eyes looked over the “self-proclaimed” new recruit of her armies. One glance and she could already tell there was more to him than that human shell presented.

“Negotiate.”

[Clash]

Clash felt it. Like someone giving him a sharp poke in the Adam's apple mid breath, he choked. That woman letting her presence be known had that much of an effect on his human form. A form created and sculpted by the greatest minds he had ever snuffed out in the image of a great deity. He cleared his throat, damning his body under his breath for this betrayal. When dealing with someone you'd let rule you, you cannot show weakness, this tell could ruin his first impression. A delicate time, no slip ups! He regained his composure as quickly as he could.

"Ranko, nice to meet you." Smooth, Clash...

He hefted his mace again, crossing his arms while trying not to get the damn thing in his face. She held the respect of all these demons, and they certainly seemed quite tough. Well as tough as those insects could seem to Clash. He turned his head back to Ranko, a looker but that cold stare meant she wasn't giving him anything other than the job he wanted and some orders to follow... and probably a hard time if he asked for anything else.

"Long Story Short I'm a shark. I'm also one of the most powerful entities on this world right now and I'm making your job easy by applying for work rather than making you beg me to side with you. Preferable something ending in "Eneral" and with lots of shiny medals and a nice office."

Clash stretched entire body, arms held up as he seemed to effortlessly heft his mace. He gave a small yawn and cracked his neck before continuing "Care for a demonstration or should I just get to work helping put your city back together?"

[Ranko]

Ranko continued to stare at him, sizing him up. Clash wouldn’t be able to interpret a single emotion on her face, nothing about those current features betrayed their owner even to the tiniest of details. They were so hollow that long-term exposure to it would make you honestly believe she was wearing a mask. Even the people that knew her for the longest time could never tell what she was thinking and they normally never would unless she decided to make it known in one way or another.

“You will address me as “Lady Ranko” from this moment forward.”

Ranko could tolerate Adam addressing her casually when they were alone but as far as the rest of the world was concern, she was Lady Ranko and that was a title she has enforced for centuries. Even General Koma Iz Vulture wouldn’t think of addressing her as simply “Ranko.” For now, nobody took this shark’s claim seriously but there were ways to separate the doers from the talkers.

“Alexander, find Z-Rah and bring him here. I wish to see a demonstration.”

“Yes, my Lady.”

Alexander bowed his head and then took off to find the demon known as Z-Rah for the demonstration. Ranko’s eyes remained on the shark-man as she decided to find out more about him while they waited.

“Where do you hail? What world do you come from?”

[Clash]

Clash looked at Ranko, he had to go all mortal combat on one of her goons to prove himself to her. Then again he was wearing this human facade... How would she react to his true form? Very few of the beings here would appreciate the beauty, the splendor, of Clash's true form. Lady Ranko seemed interested in his homeworld, he decided to describe how he left it.

"My home is unimportant, when I last saw it the lands were smoldering and sparking cinders and the waters discolored with blood and pollution. I'm still not sure how much of that was my fault. I believe it looked quite nice before I was born, but that's a past I doubt we'll see return."

He gave a small chuckle, his heavy shoulders shaking slightly and the shark-insignia and decorations moving slightly, making an illusion that they were moving, swimming on his coat. He tilted his head. "I have been to a fair few worlds, though this one has held my interest slightly longer than others."

[Ayen]

“A great light from the east, darkness from the west, both made siege for the Promise Land.”

Prophecy or history? It was unsure if the demon known as Z-Rah spoke of past events or foreshadowed things to come but either way his words would not go unnoticed as he hovered mere inches above the ground towards The Crimson Devil and the shark being. Z-Rah recognized this large piece of a much larger puzzle in the universe by remembering the essence of the one from his world. A world lost yet lived on through those that did not belong.

“But the land could not be found!”

Suddenly behind him did the demon hover, pouring toxic fumes inside the breath of Clash, looking to poison him as Ranko was already in a gas mask and the area has been cleared in a matter of seconds that were impossible.

“Let him know that the remnants of the Council remain!”

Z-Rah spoke of this Clash’s counterpart that now took residence in the land of Utopia but knew full well that the message would go unheeded. For the cyborg sharks could not co-exist in the same area long enough before they seek out the question that would plague their minds upon meeting.

Which is superior?

[Clash]

Clash coughed loudly, wrapping his hands around his neck. He gagged as his eyes grew bloodshot, his body trembling as the poison started to course into his veins with each ragged breath. This guy wasn't gunna fight fair, why should Clash offer him an advantage with this form? The sound of heavy metal slabs scraping together filled the air as Clash's body suddenly split open and began to unfold outwards while folding in on itself at the same time, his ragged coughing growing deeper and becoming heavy panting and growling. The metal plates clicked together quickly, his vital organs protected and encased in fractions of a millisecond, his arms and tail unfolding as well as his metal teeth revved and eyes glowed red.

"YOU HAVE AWOKE THE GREAT BEAST OF THE DEPTHS."

The twenty foot long, metal plated abomination wrought by the Reich so long ago now turned, facing towards Z-Rah, his tail sweeping in a huge motion, almost coming into contact with Ranko, Alexander, and their party. However his motion sent the poisonous gas billowing through the air, dispersing it harmlessly. His massive metal claw curled into a fist and game down hard, like a meteorite with all the force and fury of armageddon behind it.

"NOW YOU FEEL THE UNDERTOW!"

[Ayen]

Clash was correct. Z-Rah wouldn’t play fair, but what good did fairness have on the field of battle? Very little when one realized the forces they will be facing in the near-future. Jherrazad false sense of honor would one day be their undoing but it was no concern of Z-Rah’s. One expected to hear the great fist of the large metal shark connect with the body of the demon, but like a ghost, the arm went straight through Z-Rah’s body and didn’t appear to have affected him at all. A small ray of green light shinning from his center for a brief moment, blinding the large shark temporarily as Z-Rah repositioned himself accordingly.

“What was undone cannot be melded.”

Green streams of electricity shot out from Z-Rah’s fingertips, upon hitting the metal of Clash it started to manipulate it through magnetism, looking to bend the shark in ways it was never meant to bend all while Z-Rah never had to touch the opponent physically by hand.

“It can only escalate.”

[Clash]

The punch phased right through Z-Rah. Well crap. If Clash's brute force wouldn't work here... That's really all he got. Then he was blinded, swinging his tail wildly and this time truly risking to strike Ranko and her cohorts. The magnetic field suddenly projected grabbed him, pulling at his joints but at least here his raw power could shine through. Though electricity was a major weakness of his counterparts, something unknown to the gargantuan shark, it was less of a hindrance to him. He felt the sudden strain, the pulling, his body trying to move and distort. He gave a low chuckle and braced himself, metal-weave muscles under his armor and still living flesh suddenly pulling back and straining.

"Your powers are strong, but my Kung-Fu is best!"

Clash simply turned, though clearly fighting the magnetic hold. The crackling bonds striking against each other as the marionette resisted his string. With a wild thrash to one side he tugged the bonds though they were real, causing bolts of electricity to splay from the 'bonds'. The great shark's eyes glow bright red, his powerful lasers charging.

"You put a little flash in my eye... they want to repay the favor!"

With that snide remark an instantaneous blast went off, the air hissing as two red lights appeared, flashing their bone-splintering heat at Z-Rah, hoping his ethereal powers couldn't match the speed or heat of Clash's laser vision. A risky gambit once more relying on his considerable brute power but both a way to show off his powers and try to break those bonds.

[Ayen]

An impressive show of power that would not go unnoticed by The Empress as both she and Alexander got as far away from the blast as they can. Meanwhile Z-Rah’s lower half was consumed by the heat vision but his legs simply phased right on through, moving just quick enough to keep his upper half out of its trajectory as he continued his advancement towards Clash.

“We are repeating history.”

Z-Rah then reappeared behind the shark, the magnetism was successfully negated but Z-Rah started to manipulate the air around them. Causing oxygen, moisture and iron to react with each other to begin the process of rusting Clash’s metal, making it easier to break and therefore easier to destroy. Once the process began they would continue without Z-Rah having to keep up the manipulation manually.

“Their greatest strength is their greatest weakness.”

[Clash]

Clash groaned, feeling the rust eating through his metal skin. This stuff is naval grade! It should take more than this to rust through him... But alas he could feel his body weakening, his metal plates starting to wither and crack as he rusted away. He turned and broke into a charge towards Z-Rah, mouth opening as the rust spread over his body, metal teeth revving as though he planned to simply scoop him up into his jaws.

Then he changed.

Within a split second that massive metal shark body flew apart, rusting plates loudly and painfully scraping together as he folded in on himself, his human form appearing with the metal plates vanishing. With massive mace in hand and the momentum of his battle charge Clash swung the huge mace at Z-Rah, carrying the momentum in a huge golf swing that threatened to hurl Z-Rah back.

"I'm a shaaaaaaaaaaark! I'll make you suck my greatest strength!"