KnightofTempest
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Chapter 36
🕑 Added 2024-09-28 11:07:26 +0000 UTCAs I registered that I was in for another one of those conversations with the Jheri-Curled Asshole, I let out a sigh. The Beyonder gave me a smirk at that, which honestly felt like he was enjoying this a little too much. That was par for the course for the Omnipotent Disphsit, though. At least, it was par for the course for my interactions with him.
"So. You and She-Hulk. You know she's not going to be a long-term thing, right?" Prodded the Beyonder.
"Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up, Asshole." I groused.
"I will, thanks. Speaking of which, the fight with the Hood was something I very much enjoyed watching." Chuckled the Beyonder.
"Yeah, what was up with that? I thought he was still in his petty thief phase. I'm pretty sure he wasn't supposed to get the Cloak and Boots for another few years, and I know for damn sure he wasn't supposed to be able to do much more than shoot a few lightning bolts and fly using them. What gives?" I questioned.
"Another gift from the Beyond Corporation. What they saw out in the wider Omniverse has them more spooked than we'd thought." Admitted the Beyonder.
"Total Multiversal Collapse will do that, but spook them enough to risk a Dormammu Incursion? That I have a hard time believing." I frowned.
"About that, I've done a bit of following up on the Multiverse they went to. It seems to have stabilized into a single Universe. I was able to get a better picture of just what it was the Beyond Corporation found. Of course, nobody in that particular universe seems to remember just what happened. I had to go to an insane asylum to find someone who did." Informed the Beyonder.
"Wait, a minute. Total Multiversal Collapse? Stabilizing into a singular universe? With the only person who remembers specifics being in an asylum? That sounds awfully familiar. Did this guy in the asylum use the phrase 'Worlds died, worlds lived, and nothing will ever be the same' while telling you about the details, by any chance?" I queried, a sinking suspicion dawning on me.
"How did you guess?" Asked the Beyonder.
"Call it a hunch." I deadpanned.
So the Beyond Corporation decided to muck about traveling to other multiverses and landed in the DCU just as Crisis on Infinite Earths was happening? With the Anti-Monitor causing the DC Multiverse to collapse spooking them badly enough to try to accelerate people's development on Earth Six-One-Six?
"I can see you understand." Nodded the Beyonder.
"Yeah, I do. Problem is, the constant churn of Crises is a unique thing to that particular part of the Omniverse. As far as I'm aware, nobody over there can cross out their own Multiverse, or singular universe now, I guess. Why the hell does that have them so spooked? They've got to realize that stuff over there isn't likely to cross over to here, right?" I questioned.
"That is something that even I don't know the answer to. If I had to hazard a guess, however, they may have seen something over there that could allow travel between multiverses if used in a certain way. Without actually asking them, there's no way to know for sure." Shrugged the Beyonder.
"Why can't you ask them? I mean, they're the same kind of thing that you are. Rogue or not, there's gotta be some sort of communication you guys have with their group, no?" I queried.
"It's not that simple, unfortunately. There are rules to this sort of thing and now that the other Beyonders have taken me as one of their own, I'm being forced to follow them. One of the rules is that those who break the rules get shunned by the larger collective." Admitted the Beyonder.
"And the Beyond Corporation is all about breaking the rules, I suppose?" I asked.
"They're rogues for a reason. I'd just be prepared to deal with more Omniversal Travelers in the future if I were you." Nodded the Beyonder.
"Aside from Mors Cruentia, Planeswalkers, Wizards, Sorcerers, or Clerics with Greater Planeshift, and potential Dimensional Specialist Super-Scientists, you mean?" I questioned.
"Exactly." Smirked the Beyonder.
"Right, thanks for the heads up. Was that all?" I demanded.
"There was one other thing. I know you were planning to do a lot of Omniversal Travel in the near future. I'd keep that to no more than four jaunts a month for the foreseeable future if I were you. Somebody out in the Omniverse is looking to send you on a quest to test your wits, skill, and willpower. I think you know who I'm talking about. Any more trips than that are liable to allow them to pinpoint your location." Advised the Beyonder.
"Yeah, I think I know who you're talking about." I grumbled.
I'd just had to pick Baba Yaga for a drawback, didn't I? Why in the Omniverse I ever thought that a being like that would wait until I was sufficiently ready to come for me, I had no clue. They were a literal child-eater, after all. That doesn't exactly say great things about their sense of fair play.
"Yeah, and fair warning, as you are now, you probably won't survive their quest. You could refuse to go on it, of course, but then I think you know what happens next if you do." Intoned the Beyonder.
"Yeah, I get eaten." I muttered.
"You get eaten." Agreed the Beyonder.
"So, can you do anything to actually help me, instead of just dropping ominous warnings about stuff coming down the pike?" I queried.
"If I were you, I'd be prepared for a trip to Faerun. I've heard that this particular person has been fairly fixated on Myth Drannor recently, but also be aware that Ao is likely to enforce a bit of balance on you as you arrive, don't expect to be any stronger, faster, or tougher than a human could be, and don't expect to have any but the most basic of magics, though you'll still have a fair few advantages that no one native will, like being capable of casting arcane spells in full armor and bypassing various class restrictions and so on. I can't say any more than that for the time being, though." Informed the Beyonder.
"Understood." I affirmed.
"All right, I think you're waking up now, so here's where I'll be leaving you for now. I doubt we'll meet like this again until the Beyond Corporation makes another move or you run into an Omniversal Traveler from another multiverse." Cautioned the Beyonder.
"Right. Can't make it too easy on me." I huffed.
"What fun would that be?" Grinned the Beyonder.
Unfortunately, before I could answer that, the white bedroom dissolved around me and I found myself waking up. . .
XXXX
I jolted upright in bed, looking around to see that Jen was nowhere to be found. A note on the bedside table revealed that she'd had to leave for the Office. Apparently, she was due in Court today at noon for some big case involving the Roxxon Corporation. Something about preliminary hearings about illegal human experimentation. The note said I'd probably hear about it on the news. Honestly, given what Roxxon generally got up to, I wasn't surprised.
Instead, I got dressed and headed for the Roof Access. Jen's loft actually had one that she kept hidden behind some sort of abstract statue. I couldn't make heads or tails of the statue, it looked like someone decided to sculpt some sort of impressionist version of a half-bird half-man out of clay and then paint it a bunch of different colors. If I had to hazard a guess, it was supposed to symbolize justice or the enduring human spirit or something similar, but it all looked like impressionist nonsense to me. It was easy enough to move out of the way, though, and that was all that really mattered in this case.
I made it to the roof access and immediately began casting Apparition back to my Tower. As per usual, I was off the mark by a statistically significant distance, this time managing to apparate myself up a hundred feet in the air above my Island. I barely had time to do a Wile E. Coyote-like glance at the camera before plummeting down to the ground, landing on the soft turf of my Island with a whoosh of forcibly expelled breath and a cloud of thrown-up sod.
"Trying for acrobatics this morning, are we Sir?" Came Bartholomew's Voice from nearby.
"Piss off." I grumbled, pulling myself up to my feet.
"Oh dear, whatever happened to the best Ghost Butler in the Business?" Answered Bartholomew, dryly.
"Yeah, yeah, dry wit. Just have the shower ready." I groused.
"I do try my best, Sir. It does so help to pass the time. I take it from the lateness of the hour your date with Miss Walters was a success?" Asked Bartholomew.
"Oh yeah. A big success." I nodded.
"Very good, Sir. I hesitate to ask, but I'm detecting items of a demonic and extradimensional nature within your bag of holding. Should we be worried, Sir?" Pressed Bartholomew.
"Took these off someone trying to crash date night. Someone who shouldn't have them yet, but some people got spooked by something out in the Omniverse and decided to muck with the timeline." I sighed.
"I see. I shall prepare the Trophy Room, then. The Last Master of the Tower had protocols in place for the display of such. . .spoils. They will be perfectly safe and unable to spread their influence beyond the confines of the special crystal display case. I do have to say, I'd been wondering if you were the trophy-taking type, Sir. You neglected to bring anything home from that dust-up with the Omega Sentinels, after all, or your Jaunt to the Wizarding World, or even your time in Madripoor." Remarked Bartholomew.
"Actually, I do have something from the Wizarding World." I pointed out, fishing Alecto Carrow's Wand out of my bag of holding, along with the Hood's Gear. Bartholomew took the silver and black length of wood along with the Hood's Cloak, Boots, and Dagger, and nodded.
"Very good sir. It helps to have trophies in the trophy room. It allows the Tower to more fully attune to you as its master, you see." Responded Bartholomew.
"I thought I was already attuned to the Tower as its master?" I questioned.
"On a base level, that's correct, Sir. However the more attuned you are to the Tower, the more features open up. The Last Master had fully attuned to the Tower and had more than just what you see here, but an entire town with citizens, guards, and so on, along with a mystical menagerie, special retainers, a full prisoner ward, a dedicated portal chamber, and many, many other features. One might even say that by being attuned at the level you currently are, you are actually poorly utilizing the tower as a resource." Explained Bartholomew.
"Is that so? What do I need to unlock my first new feature?" I queried.
"These Trophies function as two out of ten required to unlock your next level of attunement, during which a new feature will reveal itself to you at random, Sir." Informed Bartholomew.
"And is there anything else I should know about this?" I asked.
"Yes sir, only that each adventure counts for trophy taking, so all these Demonic Items you obtained for foiling whoever it was that had them only count for a single Trophy." Answered Bartholomew.
"Right, I'll keep that in mind going forward." I nodded.
"Excellent, Sir." Responded Bartholomew before heading for the Trophy Room to install this stuff behind the protections he'd mentioned.
In the meantime, I was due for a shower, some food, and a change of clothes. Then, once that was done, I would head on over to Star Trek Earth to pick up the Phase Pistol Schematics.
I didn't know it then, but I would be in for yet another adventure just doing that. . .
XXXX
AN: All right, so here we get some more info on what scared the Beyond Corporation enough to start mucking with the timeline of Six-One-Six Earth. Those of you who guessed it was Crisis on Infinite Earths get an imaginary cookie. Of course, there's also the warning of potential future Omniversal Travelers from elsewhere in the Omniverse to go along with it, and the impending threat of Baba Yaga to deal with as well.
As for the rest of the Chapter, Jen tangling with Roxxon will come back on Jan in the near future as well. After all, going after the boyfriend is a tried and true intimidation tactic. Especially when the person that they'd otherwise have to go after is a Hulk. Mind you, it's not likely to go any better for them than attacking Jen directly would, but they don't know that yet.
As for the new Tower Stuff, I know it's not an inherent part of the CYOA, but it does give a little something that Jan can work on. I'm not beholden to a strict point count, after all. The CYOA just guides my writing, not enforces hard rules on it.
At any rate, the next chapter will be the first part of the trip to Star Trek Earth.
Stay tuned. . .
Comments
KnightofTempest
Not even Marvel seems to remember him because he didn't even play a role in JLA/Avengers. I think everyone just likes to pretend Amalgam never happened. I know I do. . .
Rockinalice
So the various Beyonders either noticed or didn't the existence of https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/Axel_Asher_(Marvel_Universe) Who's job it is to stop the DC and Marvel Universe from crossing over and to especially keep an eye on the Lord of Order Kismet and Marvel Eternity making sure they aren't sneaking across his Door to Bang or that Krona isn't pulling another Krona and casually taking over both Multiverses (I wonder if the Is collector and grandmaster still remember him)
