Reckoner's Journal

[DtMK]

Over a year ago, I created a character for the Dead Reign RPG in Palladium Books called The Reckoner. I based it on the open Megaversal patterns of the game system, allowing for the myriad of possibilities of other realities possibly crossing over with one another. I based it on the Rifter submissions created by Josh Hilden and Joshua Sanford, before the Dead Reign RPG book and its subsequent sourcebooks came out. You can find out more in the archives of my Myspace blog, or go to http://forums.palladium-megaverse.com/viewtopic.php?f=77&t=98711 to view his origins on the Palladium forum. With people posting survivor's journals on the Palladium boards and their blogs, I wanted to revisit Paul Blake, AKA The Reckoner, founder and CEO of Dead Reckoning Inc. here as an alternative. What if someone had a different perspective, on the outside of the world's scope, looking in, and trying to recruit aid to help more than one Earth dealing with the problem? The following are excerpts from a video journal that Paul records with his Archos, a multimedia device with many capabilities, including becoming a helmetcam and recorder with the proper attachments. I will add more to this journal as time goes by with future installments.

"Wow. If it weren't for keeping good time and a running calendar on everything, I wouldn't believe how much time has passed. I know the last time I wrote something here, I said I was busy for a year and a half. Now it's almost nine. Time moves differently between dimensions. It seems for the most part, a week away from my home equals a day there. Plenty of time to get some good done. Maybe it's also why my visions are anywhere from a few seconds to a week where I need to be? I dunno.

"Sorry, I realize I sound like I'm rambling and not making much sense. Then again, some people would say that about me, that I'm a myth, or a modern day Baron Munchhausen telling stories too weird to be true. Others say I'm some crazy Reaver mixed with a special effects guy showing off for people. None of that's true, but when you hear stories like mine, do people who are crazy think they are? Probably not. But I'm doing this to keep from going crazy.

"If you're seeing this, I want to tell you not to give up hope. I know it's been a while since the dead started getting up and walking, turning every day into a horror movie without a happy ending, struggling to survive. You're not alone. I know what it's like to be at the brink, wondering if there's any point to waking up tomorrow. But I'm here to tell you all that as long as you're still fighting, remembering, loving, living, there is hope. We WILL find a cure one day. It DOES exist. I know this for a fact. It has to be out there. Because it was found for MY home.

"I've been to many different places, many different Earths. I have visions of people that need me, and I go there. And I know that this isn't going to comfort some of you, but when I say you're not alone, I don't just mean survivors. I mean that I've seen more than one Earth that is currently infected and worlds where the dead reign. I know you've all heard the theories. A cure-all from The Benford Group. Some call it Unisane. Others, Altrucure. Some think it's some kind of super-flu, others a government funded germ warfare, others say it's black magic, others say that God has had enough and decided that it's time to unleash hell on Earth. I hate to tell you this, but I've seen proof that it's not just rumors, but there is a truth to each of them. And not in some giant conspiracy theory, but I've been to each world where each of the theories is actually true. There are no less than six different worlds where the dead reign. Counting my own home, at least seven.

"Thanks to myself and many other great people who fought against the odds, we found the source. At least for us. And we found a cure. We SAVED THE WORLD. The problem is, the cure doesn't seem to work on other Earths. In some, the infection can't have happened for more than a year if it will hope to work. Other places, the dosage needs to be far more to have an effect, even then it's not complete. Still others, it does nothing at all. But I'm here to tell you that I can hear your cries when I sleep, I go where I can to help as many of you as possible. I'm not completely alone, I'm recruiting others to try and help. On other worlds, this damnable infection hasn't happened at all. I'm trying to warn them, trying to prevent this curse from spreading to them as well. And as long as I live, your cries will NOT be ignored. I know there's a cure. There HAS to be. And I won't give up on you. So don't give up on yourselves!

"I know I sound nuts. But if you've seen what I've seen, gone where I've gone, done what I've done, you'd see that the crazy, the impossible? It's just as real as the waking nightmares outside your safe houses. There is hope. I can't believe that I have this gift...although sometimes it feels like a curse, if it's all for nothing. There are lots worse out there too. Trust me, count your blessings. There's a bigger picture, a cosmic tapestry that has its ugly and beautiful sides. I'm trying to knock the ugly back with the appropriate stick. Not to mention ammo and guns. I'll tell you more about my perspective and experiences later, gotta recharge this thing."

[DtMK]

After a few hours, the story continues.

"That's better, sorry about that. I'll try to answer some basic questions. Do I have powers? Yes. Problem is, with the zombies, they seem to crave living energy. My powers are psychic in nature, which according to some experts I've talked to, is a refined form of life energy. The raw form of life force supposedly appears to be the stuff that fuels magic. The zombies seem to sense this living energy and its quantities. The more people there are, the more they can see this energy like a glow. For those that have magic or psychic abilities, they come off as a greater beacon to the zombies. When you're not using your powers, you look like the equivalent of several people in one body. But when you use your powers, imagine turning on a spotlight at a lighthouse. Yes, it may help you all survive the moment, but it makes you a target. Fortunately for me, something about my nature seems to stay hidden from the zombies until I use my powers. Then, the dinner bell rings. You might as well be signaling for Fatman in the night sky with a spotlight in the form of a cheeseburger! The only way to guarantee your safety is if you either spend most or all your energy, or if you have a way to disguise your auras, because that seems to be what the zombies see and sense. To those in your parties who might feel like these people are freaks or monster magnets, they can't help it. But they DO have gifts that might help to act as an early warning system, offer healing to you and your people, or even defensive and offensive capabilities. Don't dismiss them, they could be the biggest asset you have. Just know how it works and go from there.

"What caused all this? That's a tough one, because I've seen a combination of both traditional science as well as magic involved. That's right, I said magic. Some wonder about if the government did it, some foreign power, some corporation. There are also death cults out there that claim this is their time. I've seen some pretenders, but there's one name at the center of the ones with any real influence: Brulyx. There are other death gods or weird demon names, but if Brulyx is involved, then there's a strong likelihood that they not only have influence, but a faction of their group had something to do with all of this. And I've found the weapons that they used for the most parts. The names are Unisane and Altrucure.

"What's the difference? From what I've been able to determine, the chemical is a broad based wonder drug made to help heal people. But there's some kind of enchantment involved as well. Unisane is the original name of the formula, but Altrucure is a more refined batch. I've seen the end result under close scrutiny. The end result has features of an 'energy arrester'. I'm sorry I'm not a tech head so I can't explain it like a doctor friend of mine. It channels the life force energy people call Chi, Ki, Prana, Magic, The Force, whatever you call it. It acts like a heat sink, only it focuses on this form of energy in living things as well as places naturally high in this power called Ley Lines. It transforms the cells of those exposed into something that craves it. Where do you think the miracle healing comes from? It transmutes this energy into cellular action, creating something that seeks it out, consumes it. Of course, the zombies not only consume it, but channel it as well. At least the Unisane borne zeds do, the Altrucure ones are a bit different.

"These creatures naturally seek out this energy in living beings, but also ambient amounts from the area around them. But it's worse. Imagine creatures that affect the environment around it, and I'm not just talking about the stink and decomp allowing plants to grow. Imagine that the supernatural is an environment, an ecosystem. Some places have higher amounts of raw energy, others less. I've noticed that the places that have more energy also tend to produce people that have higher reserves of it in themselves. It comes out as either psychic or magic energies, sometimes others like Chi or even what you'd call full fledged super abilities. I know how it sounds, go with me on this. Now imagine that these zombies are energy sponges, sucking up the energy all around them. Get enough of these, and they start to absorb the very nature and level of energy from the planet itself. Places that have no psychics, or very few? This is part of the reason. Normally when something weird, even supernatural happens, people start exhibiting powers as a defense mechanism. This is the other problem I've seen with Altrucure. You know how cigarettes stunt your growth? This stuff stunts your own abilities with this living energy! Even if you're not psychic, let alone someone that can cast spells, this stuff might help you if you take it now, but it reduces your future bloodlines' capabilities of ever manifesting it as well. It's gotten so bad that on some worlds, some beings that are considered full blown supernatural? Yes, I'm talking about dragons, angels, demons, etc. They're not as strong as they would be otherwise. And in some places, the drain is so bad, it takes twice the amount of mystic energy to get half the result. For the most part, I've seen psychics unaffected by this, but it makes them higher on the desired menu. Worlds where Altrucure induced zombies are highly present are literally sucking the magic, the wondrous, the chance for miracles and anything special in a good way from coming to pass. It's neutering the wondrous and the chance for anything more. In my professional opinion, Altrucure is the most insidious, destructive creation in all of reality.

"I've answered why I don't use my abilities more often, it attracts the zombies like moths to a bug zapper. Plus, every time I use my powers, there's a visible result. My eyes glow. Sorry, I can't help it. It's also the reason I sometimes wear sunglasses at night, I'm not trying to look cool. But there's a more damning reason I don't use my abilities unless I have to. In these worlds, there's no hope for the wondrous, the amazing, the special. Believing in any kinds of miracles like these would drive people nuts for the most part. At least, blind hope. I don't offer that. But the most damaging effect seems to be the effect it has on people. Sure, zombies and the walking dead are parts of their lives now. But if there were anything miraculous, it would have happened by now, right?

"Let's look at people's reactions to something out of the ordinary. Let's say I teleport into a hostile area in a blue flash, people see me mowing down zeds like a hot glowing blue knife through butter. The first stage of reactions typically are disbelief. They simply can't believe what they're seeing in front of them. The next is the reaction to the different, fear and this is too good to be true. Are you some kind of freak? A monster? What do you want from us? What's your connection to all this? Be careful in your explanations, if people start warming up to you, the next stage is either going to grasp at you and your abilities, like asking how did you get yours? Can I get them too? Please stay, this is a sign from God! You must be an angel! Can you answer our prayers while you're here? The other side of the coin is blame. Where were you? Why did you let this happen? Why didn't you stop all of this? My father just died! Why didn't you get here sooner? Then when you have to move on or your job is done, they either try doing or saying anything to keep you there, or they think that you're some kind of test, of trick and shouldn't be trusted. So go, get out of here and never come back! We don't trust you, demon! You OR your kind! If I see you or any other freak/demon/monster different from us again, I'll kill you myself! You will NEVER corrupt my people, my family!

"Needless to say, this can put a damper on your relief efforts, not to mention your own spirits and faith. But you don't help people for fame, or because you're trying to be top dog for a power trip. You do it because they NEED it, because it's the right thing to do. At least that's why I do it."

[DtMK]

Please feel free to tell me what you guys think, I plan on adding more in the future. I'm getting my muse back, so I want to write about my homeboy again!

[Ranger]

looks good.

[DtMK]

Thanks! More to come soon, and I thought this could make an interesting alternate perspective to people or characters from other settings encountering people from a DR setting, or them coming into it.

[DtMK]

"In the worlds of the zombie apocalypse, one key rule is don't be a hero. Never stick your neck out too far trying to help others, because there are more than enough creatures out there willing to rip your head off and use it as a chew toy.For most people, I agree. I also try not to get in over my head and use all I have to the fullest. But I can't help who I am. I've always been a bit psychic, but my powers didn't fully kick in until The Wave. And I know it may be corny to some, but all this happened to me for a reason. A leftover teleshield I threw up was used by a monster that could eat Cthulu and crap out Lovecraft brand fertilizer used it as a doorway to my world. It wanted to use me as a means to feed and convert others. It wanted to make me its herald, its harbinger of death. When I fought against it, something else heard my prayers. It awakened something in me, giving me the power to stop threats like this, no matter where the cry for help. I saw the line of giving up your humanity, and standing up for something bigger. I screwed up. I almost made things worse. I've been trying to make up for it ever since. I can't give up. If I don't answer the call for help in my visions, then I know that someone dies or worse. I will NEVER ignore a call for help, no mater what reality it comes from.

"Needless to say, this job gets lonely. I go from town to town, world to world, I make connections and friends, but it's too dangerous to have someone come along unless they can handle themselves. But after about a year of going solo, I thought about a world I visited when I was heavily injured and needed to recuperate. Believe it or not, I found a world with genuine, bona fide superheroes! Not the same ones like the comic books I grew up reading, but the archetypes were there. If there was ever a reality to find warriors willing to help, some like minded kindred spirits who aren't looking for glory or a payday, but to make a difference in someone's lives, it would be here.

"Here's a lesson for interdimensional travelers. I've gone to this world twice before, both times I encountered the local heroes thinking I was a bad guy. Apparently being loaded with guns tends to cause misunderstandings with people in costumes, despite the fact that you're both on the same sides! I learned my lesson and packed up my weapons when I headed to the biggest hub of heroes on this world, a city called Century Station.

"I also caught a glimpse of a bank robbery attempt in a vision before I arrived there. I was able to stop them, a few armed goons and a psychic with mind control powers wasn't much of a fight for me. Whatever other advantage was awakened in me against the supernatural makes me able to counter magic and psychic attacks. So there I was, the hero who beat and shot the crap out of some comic book rejects. The good news? I get a four digit cash reward for helping to stop them. The bad news? The cops take me in for having weapons without a license! I go along peacefully, telling them my story, but no one believes me. You have guys that can lift garbage trucks, aliens who shoot lasers out of their cavities and giant plant-men, but a guy from another earth where zombies took over? They looked at me like my head was sticking out of my armpit. Fortunately when some super-bozo tried tearing up the precinct and I 'ported out of my cuffs to help take the guy down, that seemed to change some minds. Nothing says 'let's give this guy the benefit of the doubt' like someone who can teleport and leave when they please sticking around insisting that I'm telling the truth and need help.

"It wasn't long before I was talking to the head mucky muck of their super-government and a member of their official superhero team, Apex of The Centurions. I've never seen the guy before, but he had a presence about him. You know the comic book of the super soldier with the shield he likes to throw like Xena? The guy that's a living epitome of justice and being all you can be? This is that guy here. I told them my story, even showed them my helmet cam footage. These people had no idea how to handle me. When I told them that I came from a place where a zombie plague broke out due to a supposed cure for cancer, Apex perked up. They said that they were recruiting potential heroes for something called Operation Overlord and could use my help, but I had to register. I didn't exist on this world, there was no record of me. So I didn't care if they knew my real name, who's it going to hurt? Notice I said real name and not TRUE name, it's something K'zaa warned me about for the future. There's a difference, I'll go into it later. So I made a deal with them. I told them I couldn't stay for too long, but I'd register and become an official superhero called a Cavalier. This is REALLY handy, so if I come back here with guns drawn, I'll have a license for all my weapons and clearance to work with the law next time I come back. Plus, I'll have a salary for time worked, so I'll have cash for food and supplies. In exchange, I'd help when I come back in regards to the supernatural and other associated threats. These people didn't seem to realize that for some, including Apex, I could sense that there was something more than human about them. I don't just mean stronger or faster, but something as supernatural as the zombies and other threats I've fought. This gave me an advantage against them, and I told them so. For a weeks service, I'd help them where I could. In exchange, I wanted to take a couple of their heroes with me and as many supplies as we could carry to help the others for a week there. They were hesitant at first, but I told them that in my experience, a week gone would be a day here. They could afford going twenty-four hours without someone for a week's work.

"For the next week, I fought alongside, and was one of The Centurions, the big dogs of this world's superhero community! My visions helped them, it was a workout and a half. I kept adjusting my aim to hit people in the hands, arms or shoulders who fired on me, fighting zombies gets you used to aiming at the heads. I was knocked around by cyborgs, fought ninjas, and full fledged supervillains. Some were out of my league, but there were some beings with less powers than I had fighting them, so I wasn't complaining. And the ones that I sensed as supernatural? They were really surprised when my guns were hurting them and they believed they were invulnerable. I think The Green Man pinched off some fertilizer when I hit him with a grenade launcher.

"Oh, and contrary to popular belief, I didn't come up with the name Reckoner. That was a wizard named K'zaa that I saved a while back after telling him that when I went after the assassins tearing up his town in a hit attempt, it wasn't going to be a slaughter, but a reckoning. When I took down most of them, the spell that hampered the magic in the area went away and K'zaa got a shot out, he turned the whole thing into a marketing ploy as the 'Night of Reckoning', and helped me come up with the name Dead Reckoning Inc. for a business if I wanted to recruit people. It also came in handy that he was selling weapons called the 'Reckoner' series based on my help. So everything clicked together.

"A week went by, and I fought alongside aliens, guys with magic powers and weapons, psychics, Guys in robot bodies, martial artists(sheesh she doesn't play, even when sparring), and Apex. We worked well off each other. When we had downtime, he was the most interested in my travels. He even told me people from the same world I met K'zaa on came asking for recruits for their war as well. I can see why people looked up to this guy. He was friendly, eager to help, the guy was like a juggernaut of justice and willpower. He had the power and weapons to back it up, we were both the gunslingers in our skills and place on the group, he didn't even mind when I schooled him in target practice. But the guy can bend steel with his bare hands and heal fast. He has advantages I don't and vice versa. I was starting to feel at home, until I awoke that seventh night with a vision. Someone needed help against zombies. I awoke and geared up, telling Apex, who never sleeps. The only ones who could make it were Apex and Psynapse. We geared up, and I 'ported us away.

"It took some adjusting for them, Psynapse was suddenly pulling out powers that made him the biggest target, and Apex was still strong, but not as much as he was. Whatever it was about this world, it sapped his strength. But not his will, healing, skills and arsenal. We routed the horde descending on a group holed up in a town home turned into a funeral home and crematorium of all places. When the smoke cleared, the levels of disbelief and questions started. The cover story I came up with was they were security staff in a bio-dome experiment when The Wave hit, so they were sheltered and cut off when everything happened. It was a lot easier than saying 'yeah, these are superheroes from another reality here for a week on an exchange program.' To make it easier than calling them their superhero names and not to compromise their secret identities, I thought about the easiest names for them would be from archetypes I read about. So instead of Apex and Psynapse, I called them Steve and Charles. Ten experience points to those who get the references.

"We were able to help the people with supplies, Charles helped with healing the wounded, and Steve and I covered people while we helped other evacuees get to shelter. We even fought off some bandits trying to push in Road Warrior style. Out of our direct actions, I'd say we actively saved three times the amount of people put in danger directly when I was fighting with The Centurions, and ten times the amount I could have done alone. It was weird. Apex always took point as the lead back in his world, but despite his expertise and training, he deferred to me here. It was my element. We were even able to get a sample of Altrucure to take back to have examined. If anyone could figure out a cure, it'd be the smartest people on his world, including one of his teammates. Unfortunately no amount of healing or medical aid we could give prevented a couple people there from dying from the elements, sickness and lack of better medical care. That's when the accusations started. Why didn't we get there sooner? Why did he have to die now? Can we take them with us? Steve did his best to calm them down, but even he was at a loss of words. I stepped in, relating to them, apologizing and one of the survivors reminded them the last thing they saw in their dying breaths were hope for everyone. They died with smiles on their faces, knowing that a miracle came. We did the best we could.

"Welcome to my world, guys.

"We had a funeral service, burning the bodies. Steve gave a nice eulogy befitting a soldier. I sang It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday' to honor them. I could almost swear that I saw Steve tear up, but superheroes don't cry, so you didn't hear that from me. We went to other places, helped as many as we could, smashed a bunch of zombie heads. Steve took watch while Charles and I rested, getting our energy back for the next day's fights and for the trip home soon. We talked by firelight, sharing experiences and stories to cheer up the kids we found. Steve asked me if this is what it's always like for me, the answer was yes. Only I normally do this alone. I saw a look in his eyes I've never seen before. Determined, caring, yet like something in him was about to break if not for something reinforcing his resolve. I could feel his emotions. They radiated like the sun to me.

"Eventually, we said some hard goodbyes to everyone we fed, resupplied with ammo, guns, told everyone they couldn't have a fancy set of wrist guns like Steve had, and went back to Century Station. As promised, only twenty-four hours had passed there. We all needed to crash, fortunately the other heroes held the city in check that day. It was the first time I heard anyone say that Apex went to his quarters to sleep when he wasn't badly hurt. The next day we gave reports, I showed them my footage. I asked if they could spare anyone to come with me, any new recruits or someone who knew what they were doing? The heads of the group backing The Centurions said that because of something called Operation Overlord, they were too busy recruiting other people for their work, and couldn't spare anyone. That's when Apex stepped up. He told everyone his experiences, pleaded with them. But it was falling on deaf ears. After all, it wasn't their Earth in danger. Chalk it up to a 'what if/worst case scenario' if they ever laxed in their pursuits of justice. My heart sank.

"That's when Apex quit.

"You heard me, he up and quit! He said it was unfair for me to be alone in this, and despite having responsibilities of leading two different groups of heroes, he'd be damned if I had to fight this all alone. He was willing to resign his commission to help me. I was shocked, and I felt hope light up in me like an explosion. I shook his hand while everyone stood in shock. And that's when I saw a vision of the future. My eyes glowed, everyone saw my expression change. When the glow died down, I told him no. He was needed here. They had the Altrucure, they could examine it. They could train other people to fight if the coming storm ever came here. I'd be back when I could. Apex was stunned and demanded to know why, what I saw. I took him into another room and talked to him privately, listening devices deactivated. That's when I told him what I saw.

"I saw a future, I couldn't tell when. maybe weeks, maybe months away. I saw him fighting with myself and others against the hordes. But between being bitten and exhaustion, he was getting sick. He had a bad sickness, and whatever it was keeping him alive was leaving him. It was the world, it sucked whatever strength he had keeping this in at bay away. I didn't have enough power to 'port him back here, so I did the only thing I could do. I injected him with Altrucure. And it would work for a while, but in the middle of a fight, I'd sense a great threat. Next thing I knew, he hit me, transformed into a zombie, with all his memories, powers, weapons, skills and a hunger that took over him like a junkie. I saw three possible outcomes. One, he kills me and goes on to become the leader of these monsters. Two, I kill him and am badly hurt, but I killed the greatest hero I'd ever met. I was broken inside. Three, we kill each other, and everyone we could have ever helped from that point on would be lost. All because he wanted to be a hero. All because he wanted to help ME. And I'd kill him once I put that poison hope in him! I was in tears at that point. I was lonely. I didn't want to fight alone anymore. But if I kept on that course of action, I'd be responsible for a loss I couldn't take. My job is to protect the innocent. And he didn't deserve this. He didn't deserve to die, not like that. If I was going to save his life, I had to let him go.

"He teared up too, and took off his mask. He hadn't told anyone on his team about his being sick, I promised not to, and to look for a real cure for him. I gave my word. We hugged, and he called me hermano...brother. He said if I need him, he'll be here. He'll keep this world safe, he'd never forget what he saw. He'd train others, prepare them, look for some that might be able to help me. Until that day, he said to keep the faith. I was that hope and faith for others, and reminded him that even in the end of the world, there's still hope against the darkness that threatens to swallow the light. I gathered my things and 'ported to someone else on another world that needed me. I hear that no one made Apex's resignation official, no one signed anything so it never happened.

"I did my best for a while, but I started to lose that hope. I knew there were heroes. I knew there were greater things out there than the evil I fought, greater causes that my own selfish loneliness. A few months later, I was at my lowest point. I found an old manor house with some weird steampunk gear in it, it could have worked but it used magic as its source, and there wasn't any here. I had gathered samples of both Unisane and Altrucure, thinking I could get them to their resident whiz kid and find a cure. But I wasn't strong enough to go back there yet. I had used up a lot of energy fighting to find food and meds, I was hurt. My soul was hurt. I saw the light, I tried to be it for others. Maybe I succeeded. But where was the hope? I couldn't feel it anymore. I fell asleep in the manor's lab, surrounded by the wondrous with no power source, the magic, the wonder bled out of it, out of this world. And maybe, I'd bleed out too. I slept, then had a vision. It was not only survival, but hope. I teleported to the source of it...home."

[DtMK]

I hope people are enjoying this, if you want some mood music, when it gets to the part where Reckoner's eyes glowed and his expression changed, do what I did and put on Far From Home by Five Finger Death Punch. Trust me, it's good tearjerker ambiance for a touching part in the story.

[DtMK]

Thank you BARQ! Your game sounds good, any chance you might do a journal of game recap here to tell people how powers and zombies mix?

[DtMK]

It's okay man, not everyone has the same talent for writing or anything else, I just thought your adventurers' accounts would make for a good story too. In my games, I also had Unisane be a drug capable of causing mutation and possible activation of metahuman abilities. It was nice to hear another party's take on it.

As for money, Reckoner later comes into a nice way of handling costs that I'll write about. In the meantime, he's making credits on Rifts Earth from being a spokesmodel for K'zaa's weapons in Stormspire, cash for time worked on Century Station with the Centurions, and something else coming soon. A world where the supernatural elements are destroyed tends to tick off beings with a stake in it, and like to help grant boons for any help in aiding those affected, or to find a cure for the affliction. Another reason to help is simply to find who or whatever caused this apocalypse, and to avenge those destroyed by their handiwork. Be it charity, cures or justice/revenge, someone's always willing to help good people do something they'd be willing to do for free anyway.

[DtMK]

My friend, this is a fantastic story. Holy cow! It's nice to see a different point of view on this. Instead of a survivor on a world infested with zombies, we've got an inter-dimensional traveller who has seen the apocalypse on multiple versions/realities of earth, and the effects that the outbreak has had on each. I even love how you talked about how the cure works on one world, but doesn't on others and the reasons it doesn't.

Please keep this up. I'm interested in seeing how The Reckoner and Apex continue to work with one another.

Thank you sir! Not to take away from your work at all, it's definitely good reading as well. I'm not sure about how much more Apex and Reckoner might work together in the future save for the upcoming Minion Wars, but I might go back and tell more about specific fights. And trust me, the world where the Reckoner comes from started out as one from the original Rifter articles, but the presence of another traveler apparently helped to alter the world's destiny, showing just how wondrous, how vast the universe really is. It's not just about the grit of survival of an individual, but of a species. If it falls, all that was great about it, aspirations to go to the moon again, to explore the cosmos, to see the next big thing in art, music, culture, those all would be lost as well. The next chapter will tell while Reckoner has been busy helping not only his reality as well as others, another group of heroes represented the pinnacle of hope and the brightest possibilities for humanity. With great lows, there are equally brilliant highs. That's why it's important to cling to hope, especially in the darkest days.

Sorry, I'm preaching. More to come in the near future!

[DtMK]

"Before going forward, I want to tell those of you checking this out that it's going to get weird. I mean, Alan Moore writing a new bible weird. I want to stress that what I say next and from here on out is not meant to insult your sensibilities or beliefs, I'm not about to openly diss most religions, except for those involving dark gods that demand sacrifices or who try to destroy the world with a demonic zombie plague. Got it? Your own personal beliefs and experiences are yours, as these are what I encountered. If you don't believe it and it makes you feel better, chalk it up as something that happened in another reality, something totally different from yours. It might as well have never happened. But it was real to me. Now that we've gotten that out of the way, on with our story.

"I 'ported strangely enough from one basement with strange gear to another. I saw a thin guy checking out the tech, reached out with contained vials of Unisane and Altrucure, and told him to get these to a scientist to look into. That's when I passed out. It's weird, I was battered, beaten, bloody and exhausted. But I felt at peace while I slept, a big contrast from where I was. No moans outside, no sense of danger, it was strangely comforting. I remember waking up in a hospital bed, and my wounds were fully healed! That's when I saw my rescuer and chief medical doctor on staff. The man was Captain Arthur Connelly, a prodigy kid who graduated MIT when he was twelve, he was a leading expert on environmental friendly tech. He converted a mobile oil rig into a giant hydrogen powercenter. Last I heard, he was going to explore the seas looking for treasure, elements for fuel sources, the kinds of adventures you'd need a 4.0 GPA to tag along for. The doctor was Jing Mei, a young, beautiful woman of Asian descent who smelled like a rose garden. My senses could tell that there was something else about her, the presence felt familiar. I could also tell that something about her was more than human. I was also getting a weird ping from Arthur too, I couldn't put my finger on it.

"I eventually got dressed with a freshly washed set of my clothes and hit the mess hall. I was on their ship called the Lazarus(how's that for an ironic kick in the junk?) and was enjoying who I met. Refugees from a ship that was smuggling people in from China illegally and rescued by this crew, old salt sailors, and even some strange mice. I kid you not, they were little mice, some of whom had little gear on and were standing upright! People were having conversations with them, even though the mice weren't talking, at least not with their mouths. I was about to wonder what was going on when one came up to me. I heard him in my head. I'm not kidding! He had a little, high-pitched voice and was talking to me just as clearly as a person! I gave him a little of my food, he thanked me and said he liked me before laughing and scurrying off. After everything else I've ever seen, a friendly mouse was bewildering. But there was a vibe from this ship. I could tell that people here had gone through a lot. But somehow, they endured. And they were in the care of the smartest man on the planet. Provided that he wasn't having any sinister reasons for his Secret of NIMH project, I wasn't going to jump down the throat of the guy that saved my butt. Eventually, I met up with him, and the rest of the crew.

"It turns out that the ship was preparing for its maiden voyage the day before The Wave hit. The crew were even able to help rescue a plane that crashed in San Francisco bay due to people collapsing from pain. Shortly after that, the crew were found by an older Asian man calling himself Dr. Po. The man claimed to know one of them from 'another life', and couldn't stay long due to something else following him. But he could give the main crew members an edge, he said it was an alchemical potion called Liquid Light, a super potion made to bring out the hidden potential and inner character of whoever ingested it. And according to what Po said and was confirmed by another of the crew, one of them had the biggest potential of all. Including the power to cure people infected with this disease.

"There was one crew member who took it but didn't stay with the crew, apparently he got in over his head. But the rest were Arthur, who was the typical skinny kid genius, but he craved knowledge and the ability to grasp everything that one could learn. When he took the potion, he had the power to see practically everything in the EM spectrum and beyond, for starters. As he told me, he was visited by a strange, abstract being called Zurvan that said he was slowly evolving into a Quadrian, a fourth-dimensional being. Arthur actually transported me and the gear he found himself. I don't mean with a truck or helicopter, he was another teleporter! Maybe that's why I honed in on him.

"Jing Mei was different too, a recently matured dragon! Apparently her people were responsible for keeping mystic levels normal in China, but this plague threatened everything. She was the healer and eternal optimist of the crew. It came in handy when they went back to China and found things other than zombies there. I'll get to that later. She was supposedly the 'Keeper of the Garden' on board, whatever that meant.

"Remember when I said that I didn't want to offend your sensibilities and beliefs? This next guy is the reason why. Cody Sullivan, code named Storm Tiger. An American born of both African and Japanese descent, he was the guy Po said knew from another life, and by that, he meant another reality. It turns out Cody wasn't just a good martial artists, but his family was special. REALLY special. How special? Well, you might want to sit down for this. it turns out he was one of the last of a very special bloodline. You might have heard of it, it was featured in The Da Vinci Code. Yep, THAT one. And he was far from a saint. I mean, this guy had his moments, but for the most part, he came off to me like an arrogant jerk. But he was brimming with power that I could sense.

"The one who confirmed Cody's bloodline was Cesar Cross, a man who was raised by the remnants of the Knights Templar to be a slayer of supernatural threats, and to be his watcher. The potion also awakened within him that he was an Earth-reborn angel, a dark skinned one he called a Necrosis. These two were brimming with power, the likes of which I never felt before. These guys could easily be up there with anyone I met on Century Station or Rifts Earth.

"The next member of the crew that was different was Knithe Aegis, and here's where it really goes Twilight Zone. She was an alien from a race called the Jeelon who've interacted with humans for millennia. They actually colonized a planet in our solar system in the same orbit as Earth, but on the opposite side of the sun. They've been keeping an eye on us and waiting for us to step up into the space and take our place alongside them in exploring the galaxy. She had a pilot friend named Sam who had his own gunship. It came in handy, trust me.

"There was also another named Kim Chung, another scientist and survivor from China who had a past with Cody. I felt power within her as well, but she kept it bottled up. I was told just don't claim to be a god around her and there wouldn't be any problems. Issues apparently dealing with the root of all this. Oh, remember the mice? They were genetically tweaked with parts of Arthur's DNA. It sped up their evolution and intelligence. But the weirdest had to be a huge black and white rat named Hun Tun. According to the crew, he was actually a living spell that was originally a tattoo on Cody's back, as well as a curse, but now he's been separated from him, given sentience and is on their side against this chaos. He didn't talk in your head, he spoke like a scholar! I think he had the highest magical concentration of anyone on the ship.

"So we have a super genius evolving into a time being, a dragon, a demigod, a human angel trained by the Knights Templar, aliens, talking mice and living spells. Is this hurting your heads too? Look, my world was for all intents and purposes, NORMAL. There were no super beings, dragons were relegated to myth, aliens were as much of a conspiracy theory as the Grail bloodline, and whoever heard of genetically engineered lab mice who could talk if they weren't in a cartoon? My world was plain, ordinary. I was lucky to have something awaken in me to help. But these guys? I almost felt completely out of my league with them! While I was away, going where I was called by visions, these people did the impossible. We all compared notes, and I was blown away! These people have done so much, looking for a cure, a means to cultivate it, how to quickly grow it, have been to the mythical mystic city Shambhala, found out that a demon was responsible for this outbreak, other demons wanting to cash in on its help came to help for their own war, got a plant capable of curing this strand of the infection if treated within one year, went to the planet Firma where Knithe is from, fought a great evil that threatened to awaken the living planet and turn it into another dark god, somehow redeemed its essence, got some special fertilizer from that world that can speed up its growth, and found a place to grow enough to cure the world. All while also getting trials that tested their spirits, and thanks to the Liquid Light, awakening more of their own abilities as they spiritually progressed. So much so that they were able to make a spell using their special plant as a key component to do a test on the zombiefied New York City.

"Oh wait, there's more. Yes, I said MORE. While we were gone, apparently other deific beings started popping up to help various areas. Tetsumon, son of Bishamon and Amaterasu was protecting survivors and slaying monsters in Japan. Shan Tung, son of the legendary Yin Tiger was in China. There were other members of the Grail bloodline holding down Europe. And the weirdest shocker? Apparently...you better sit down for this. Apparently members of the Greek pantheon heard the prayers of some people in the Greek and Italian communities of New York, rescued them and was protecting them in a luxurious hotel next to a cordoned off Central Park. In exchange for treasure and tribute, of course.

"You know, if it weren't for the fact that I fought the giant tentacle of an ancient world-devouring god, threw down with many flavors of zombies, saved a lizard mage on a post-post-apocalyptic world from super soldier undead and fought alongside of superheroes, this would almost be a level of BS that would be unswallowable. But I confirmed it, this was my home. And my vials of Unisane and Altrucure provided very important tools for the future. But there I was, on my home Earth, with beings that rivaled gods and legends. I would have felt useless, until I had a vision.

"Demon hordes, an army in giant floating warships, coming here. They wanted to destroy those that dared to cure this infection, who dared to bring hope. When I told them this, they started to ready themselves. It was happening at dawn tomorrow. I had enough energy to go get that special package from K'zaa, I already had some special goodies before. But now, I had the DR special, a rifle unlike any other! It combined magics of diabolism, circle magic, spell magic and techno-wizardry in a new way. Apparently K'zaa's little adventure with me awakened a slumbering spirit to create something special, plus he liked the idea of making a weapon that may one day have a hand in destroying the Lord of the Deep. Would you want to turn down that kind of advertisement if you were a weapon maker that forged Excalibur?

"I came back, ready to fight and was refreshed for the war to come. When dawn broke, it was unreal, the kind of thing you'd pay good money to see in a video game or movie. But it was happening. The ships came, beating their war drums. Winged hellspawn and monstrous demons came forth, prepared to wipe out any that dared oppose them, to dare undo this hellish curse. They expected some powerful, yet spent magic users. What they got was the crew of the Lazarus. Zues, now calling himself Zeus the Thunderer and several of his Olympian Club. And me. I didn't feel small compared to these beings anymore. When the hordes came, we saved lives trying to get back to normalcy again. Lighting was called down. Holy weapons clashed and sank into demon flesh. Guns blazed, claws were unleashed, the roars and war-cries of gods, dragons and warriors both human and not echoed through the concrete jungles. The demons thought they could route us with force of numbers and ferocity of attacks. They saw that both the heavens and Earth would take no more, and that hell would not win again. Blast after blast, spell after spell, the wrath of pantheons was unleashed.

"We won. We drove them back, at least the ones we didn't outright destroy and send back to whatever pit they came from. The city cheered, hope was restored to The Big Apple. About half of the people remembered what they did as zombies, others were mercifully spared that memory. This was the way things would be if we cured the entire world. But for a test, it was a proof of concept. I was completely spent, but it was for a good cause. It felt good to do all you could for something positive again. The cheers, the celebrations, the attempt to get power back to everyone and to make it a hub of 'normalcy' was number one. The Olympian Club decided to stay in New York to protect the people here while the Lazarus and I went to our next destinations. We had more to do, more of the special plant to gather and prepare, and other monsters to fight. For all the power of everyone on that ship, we all were building up to this moment. Now we could go on the offensive. Humanity had a chance thanks to divinity and hope working together.

"And if you think that was crazy, wait till I tell you what happens next."

[DtMK]

awesome D you have a damn fertile imagination. love the name of the boat, you can spin the best far fetched idea, and make it real

Thanks man! I really do appreciate it. Here's a little background about the Lazarus crew, I was actually running a game for players that a: wanted to be seafaring explorers, b: have a wide berth to see what they could do in an S.D.C. setting, and c: the one playing Cody wanted to be a zero level character, having his powers manifest in game to make it stand apart. At the time he was inspired by Naruto, but I told him I could do better than that! When he found out his cocky fighter was of THAT bloodline, he practically laid a brown egg in his pants!

I ran that game for a year, with it starting to near its end, I was in love with this game. The characters were epic, doing impossible things, saving the world, being the only heroes to do so and making allies while they were at it. Kim and Hun were originally roadblocks but the PC's befriended them, and they became incredible allies along with Tetsumon and Shan Tung. To help the game along, I made Paul/Reckoner as a version of myself, so a part of me could actually be in this world and help the players without stealing anyone's thunder. But I liked Paul so much, I've been him for various conventions, and the possibilities for crossovers in Palladium settings, other potential stories and future games is so rich for him. People's reactions with him have always been positive, even if they're focused on the gear I have for the costume. But it's unique, and a twist that I hope honors all the best potential in story telling, role playing, love of one's character and this way, I can honor Dead Reign in all its incarnations, as well as other Palladium settings and characters I love.

[DtMK]

Love all of the references in your work. Especially Hitchhiker's Guide. The mice are awesome!

Oh, the mice were fun! Before they developed telepathic speech, I had Jing Mei, who as a Chiang-Ku dragon, can speak all languages, act as a translator. The mice were learning about the world around them by escaping their lab, and watching the big box. When they found out from Arthur and Jing Mei it was a tv, they all spoke to each other, then the last voice was a squeaky little one saying "I like tv!" And that was his answer to a lot of things, so that one was named Likey. It was just a small detail, but it helped to shape the world of the game as something special and wondrous.

[DtMK]

"If you thought my last story was something, wait until you check this next story. After routing the demons in New York, we got some rest and had a feast alongside the Greek gods. That night, I had another vision, only this time Jing Mei was there seeing it with me. Apparently she was their resident oracle, and we found ourselves sitting in what looked like a smoldering crater in a countryside, and in front of us, a television. She'd never seen anything like this before, but I have. When K'zaa was about to be attacked, I saw the rampage of the super soldiers on a television like this one. I explained it to K'zaa, and he told me that his own visions were blocked from that time, probably due to something like the anti-magic cloud they conjured up. It's like I was able to tune into some device or some other force recording the future event, and this was how my mind interpreted the vision. We were in some cathedral, it looked like a war zone with bodies all thrown around. I saw someone in a monk's robe, I couldn't get a good look at his face. The we saw Cody lash out at this man, then a bright light. We were sitting in the remnants of whatever happened. And we heard monsters, demons and zombies coming our way. This wasn't good.

"Apparently Cody had a vision of sorts too, his father and brothers were killed when he was younger, and something told him where to go to find the answers. However, if he went on his normal courses of action, many would die, including other relatives. But whoever was responsible was among the others of his bloodline. He was on a mission now, but so were we. In a few days, the Autumn Equinox would happen, and with enough juice at the right place, we might be able to send the spell across the entire world. Our journey took us to the remnants of a Templar castle in France, and that's where we found a hidden underground complex, a modern stronghold that looked like a cross between the Sistene chapel and NORAD. It housed huge amounts of data both in hardcover and electronic data. If there would ever be a true apocalypse, this would be a database of all the knowledge in recorded history. Art, science, religions, if everything else fell, this place wouldn't let everything of mankind be erased. This is where the modern Templars and bloodlines were, along with refugees they've rescued. It also didn't hurt that it was the centerpoint of a powerful convergence of ley lines, I later found out about those here and other places in detail and what that meant. All I knew for sure was that I couldn't risk popping up a teleshield here for fear of something else coming through. That's where we met Jean Luc and Sarah Marie De Baptiste, twins and direct descendants of the Merovingian kings. There was some heated discussion when Cody confronted his extended family, apparently he was of...let's just say, a less than proud offshoot of the family involving slaves back in the day. All hell was about to break loose, fortunately restraint and realizing a fight here wouldn't do anyone any good here prevailed.

"We all caught up on our adventures, it turns out that Jean-Luc and Sarah Marie were almost polar opposites in their approaches. She was the healer and the one believing in love and peace, while Jean-Luc was the warrior, the firm hand, Old Testament style and leader of the Templars into their modern crusade. They've been able to route the forces of evil in the area, destroying the undead. When we told them we had a possible cure, they believed it was a blessing. Wouldn't be the first time I heard that, but this time it may actually be real. It approached midnight, in a few minutes it would officially be the Equinox. That's when the alarms sounded. There were men in armor attacking the compound outside. Worse, there was a second alarm. The place had a nuclear core, apparently bought on the cheap from the USSR when it fell, and it was going critical. The Lazarus crew went out to face them as well as to help get everyone out. Everyone started to evacuate the wounded and healthy from the facility, but I had a bad feeling. I stayed in the shadows of their control facility while Jean-Luc oversaw the operations, bracing for a breach while communicating to get that nuclear pile under control. In the center of their war room, several refugees had brandished weapons, and aimed them at Jean-Luc! I radioed to the others to get back here ASAP, it turns out Brother Thomas Besson, a believed ally for decades, was a Nega-Psychic and traitor, no probe could read his mind. The 'refugees' were actually militant soldiers with mystic capabilities trained to fight the supernatural, to be the bane of mages, all were loyal to a rival group that believed that this bloodline would bring about the apocalypse itself, one of the bloodlines heralding in a dark age, not one of hope. And Cody's return was that omen. Speaking of the man, he and the rest of the Lazarus crew were 'ported back here thanks to Arthur. We hit these guys hard, they weren't ready for all of us.

"I saw an injured soldier aim at Cesar's back while he was in front of Jean-Luc, I shot him to keep him from killing him. He didn't fall, and spun his gun around to me! I fired reflexively, aiming for the weak spot of all monsters...his head. It took several shots to bring him down. I've shot a lot of people, bandits, villains, but I've never killed anyone with a pulse before. I did it to save another hero protecting a royal bloodline. I still felt like a part of me was scratched inside, but there was no time. Brother Thomas admitted that he's the one who set up Cody's family to die, and Cody with them! This was Cody's call, what he did from here would set the tone for the rest of the world and humanity. He looked into this person's eyes, and a flash of purple light occurred. He saw that this man had a dead man switch implanted in a pacemaker he had, and attached to that, a suitcase nuke near the reactor. If Cody killed him, then this guy really would have set everything up to destroy everything. Instead, Sarah Marie, Jean-Luc and Cody called on their family, and they were heard. Brother Thomas was struck with a bolt from high above, and we were told that he was now cursed...with immortality. He was blinded, tongue removed, arms and legs crippled, and taken away to exist like that in their catacomb dungeon. Eventually the bomb was found and disarmed, the reactor stabilized and everyone brought back in. The priests heard my confession along with all the others who fought against their enemy and took lives. It was in a time of war, and our actions preserved the bloodline and history. Our sins were absolved. That night, we made our own raid on the opposing camp, and it was vicious. I ran out of energy trying to keep up with them, Arthur had to 'port us all back here. He could do it at will and I had to do more just to keep up. There was that fifth wheel feeling again.

"After some rest and preparation, the spell was cast at noon. The energy, the extra energy, the amount of people willing to give their energies, it helped. The spell started to spread across the world, but at every other area of ley lines and nexus points, the demons were prepared. They made their own anti-magics to block the spell. But for the most part it worked. Everywhere away from the ley lines, people were cured, an estimation of over half the world were cured of their zombification. Wounds were healed, people were finally getting the upper hand again, but the war was far from being won. Dr. Po showed up again, along with Sarah, the daughter of Mary Magdalene. Cody and others had visions of her before, long with other members of his family. There was news, new revelations about the mastermind of this evil named Brulyx and the scope of the war.

"It turns out that Brulyx was originally a powerful demon that almost conquered this world and reality long ago. It took a gathering of people, supernatural beings, even gods and their children to stop him. They died trapping him there, and all the deaths caused were an attempt to free him. It didn't fully work, but the doorway was weakening enough to send his own forces through. Worse, these other demons weren't all from him. Apparently there was a war between demons and devilish rivals between the hells that some beings were calling the Minion Wars. Given that Brulyx was a powerful demon, if his power were added to the forces of Hades, then the scales would be tipped in their favor. This disease was actually created from a spell and the essence of a Death Demon, a version of undeath even for demons, something that Brulyx had dominion over despite distance from Hades and the hells.

"Oh, it gets even worse. Through more information gathering, it turns out that Brulyx had apparently made some kind of deal with some greater force of even than himself. Brulyx being freed wouldn't just tip the scales of the Minion War, but he'd try to free whatever force it was that made him the equivalent of a god now. Speculation on various forces were thrown around. Ahriman, Satan, Kronos and the Titans, The Dark, The Old Ones, the problem is that no one knew for sure. Worse, since it took the deaths of powerful beings to imprison him, it was feared that if several of the heavy hitters like the Lazarus crew or these other children of gods were sacrificed, they could be used to open the door for Brulyx. Or the worst kick in the junk, even if we were able to somehow kill Brulyx himself, the death might be enough to free whatever it is that he's connected to, unleashing truly ancient evils that the cosmos isn't ready to handle! As Cody said, we couldn't win for losing!

"I remembered something that a young lady on the cruise ship I was on when all this happened gave to me. It was a replica of the secret seal ring of King Solomon. Legend has it that when his people were plagued by demons, he was given a ring that whatever supernatural being was stamped with it, had to obey the wielder. He even had imprisoned demons in wineskins and stamped them, so they couldn't escape. I suggested that if we have so much magic knowledge, maybe if we could do something like that to Brulyx's prison, maybe we could reinforce his prison somehow. The gang liked it, but the ring was lost, no one knew where it was and it was going to take more than a silver replica to do the job. That's when Dr. Po had revealed another reason he was here, to deliver more doses of Liquid Light to us for the coming fight. We'd need all our powers and advantages for the coming battle.

"Kim was given a dose, and her power was finally revealed. She was a nuclear scientist in China near Hong Kong whose parents died of cancer, months before Unisane hit the market. They insisted that their faith would help them, and whatever would happen was His will. Kim believed that faith in a false god is what killed them, and wouldn't forgive any she came across. When The Wave hit, the reactor she was working on risked going critical from people falling over in pain onto control panels. She had a sample of Unisane, and a voice told her if she wanted to survive, inject herself with it near the core. She did so, and became a being of energy and radiation. She absorbed much of the core and flew off away from Hong Kong, where she detonated over a part of the coast. That voice was Brulyx, wishing to use her as a weapon against Cody and the crew of the Lazarus, his greatest opposition, not expecting them to befriend her. The Liquid Light would let her keep her powers while severing the tie to Brulyx.

"I was offered a dose as well, and at first I wasn't sure. I remembered the people that went with the Lord of the Deep who gave up their humanity to become something other than human. I saw Cody's teth, Cesar's skin and wings, even Arthur's eyes were different than normal. I asked if I'd still be human? I was told yes. But for a weirder twist, Arthur said that Zurvan told him that to help us, he needed to add some of his blood to the dose that I'd take. He said it was part of the bond we had and how I found him. It could also help me to keep up with him and the others in teleportation. I trusted him when he said that. I agreed, then I took it. Suddenly I felt a huge surge of energy, I was surrounded with purple light, not the usual blue. I suddenly had visions of many people that needed me, and felt like I'd explode! Then I disappeared.

"I went to other worlds for a week, only a day passed to the guys back home. I found out what was happening to me. You see, Liquid Light is a super-potion that can mimic the power of other potions, creating a reaction not only with one's body and elements, but the nature of one's soul. Supposedly what it could do was also impart the powers of Enlightened Immortals like Po. Not all, but something specific. Cody had one where he could look into people's souls and see who they were, are and will be. Cesar was tapping into a power that let him know more about magic and dimensions. Arthur's focus was trying to see and know all, so he got a version of ubiquity, the ability to know and see all. What he got was a slow evolution into a Quadrian. I was already on that same path, given that I had visions in other worlds and have been there. But now, I was getting an upgrade. I ended up getting a couple of the powers that Arthur either had or hadn't evolved into yet. I suddenly had other psychic powers, telepathy, the power to get glimpses of the future, I could psychically remove sickness and perform surgery, I could read machines with a touch, virtually anything I came in contact with, I could read and get a bead on. My psychic energy got a huge boost to, and it recovered fast. I still had to spend my energy to teleport, but I could do more with it now, carry more with me, I could more accurately get where I needed to go, teleport objects and others I was twenty feet from, and the best part? I could fight and 'port at the same time now! Speaking of fighting, I got a boost for that as well. Arthur told about what it was like, how things and people seemed to move in slow motion now. When I got excited and into a fight, it's how I saw things too! I could even see the path of strikes, motions, it was like a light switch was turned on. I couldn't see through walls or all frequencies like him, I wasn't able to run any faster, but in combat, I was moving like a juicer! You couldn't sneak up on me. I used these new powers to help others, then returned. A physical by Arthur revealed that my free radical count was down, and that certain self-destructive genes in my system were turned off. In layman's terms, I was healthy and my lifespan was expanded. I'm not immortal, but this should offset the aging I'd go through between dimensions, not to mention surviving the Hundred Year War I'd have to go through if I wanted to destroy the Lord of the Deep.

"While I was gone, the crew decided. The Liquid Light might help us along with the Unisane and Altrucure I brought with me. He was examining them, and finding that the structure of the potions on the microscopic level resembled symbols and glyphs in circle magic. The best researchers of the Templars would try to find a way to counter these spells or even turn the enchantment against Brulyx somehow, while the Lazarus crew figured that it was time to try and find out more about Brulyx. Problem is, Po was gone again and this demon lord was fought and stopped before any modern written history. However, there was one place that MIGHT have the information we'd need, and perhaps a way to restrain him again. That place was actually on the Lazarus' original list of places to explore. With new information from Knithe on the proper coordinates, there was one place we could go to find the possible answers...the remnants of Atlantis."

[DtMK]

"After resting, restocking and checking in on the parts of the world that were now cured, I heard that Cody and Jean-Luc had patched things up between their bloodlines. It seemed that out of all these insane moments, forgiveness and hope were finally coming back in style. Radio, television, internet and satellite communications were coming back all over the world, people were asking about the cures in some areas and not others, but then realizing that it was truly the forces of good versus evil as the dead and demonic had dominion over some of the most mystically powerful areas on the planet. Some were saying perhaps the ones not turned were damned and that the end times were upon them, and everyone returned must have been saved. But when they saw many politicians and lawyers also returned, they started thinking it was geography or a move by the demons to stop the cure. In any case, people started to believe that all they went through wasn't for nothing. Now the rest of the world could marshal theirforces for the future.

"The Lazarus crew headed for the Atlantic, and they had a good idea where to start. A few years ago, satellite images caught a strange, floating island in the Bermuda Triangle area. And by floating, I mean in the air. Hundreds of feet above the water! When the crew cross-referenced things, they determined that the rise occurred during naturally more mystically potent days, so this might be the culprit. I was among the landing party along with the rest of the main crew. We say signs in various languages, and headed for a cave on the hill. That's when strange rock monsters rose out of the ground, and came near us. I could sense they were powerful and evil, I was about to pull out my guns and start blasting, but Knithe said she read something in the cave. She told us to lower our weapons and stated in several languages, we come in peace. Yep, that old cliche'. But funny enough? That's when they stopped, and a beautiful young island girl calling herself Melody appeared. She escorted us through a secret panel at the end of the cave, and what we saw was wondrous! A huge, cavernous city made for giant beings, parts of the wall gleamed with parts like polished mirrors. Then we saw what the giants were. There were huge, bat-like dragons flying and walking around. Not like the typical Western or Chinese dragons like Jing Mei, but they resembled the ones in Lord of the Rings that the Witch King rode. They roared and sang, and Melody changed into one briefly to announce our arrival before changing back. Apparently we were going to see the king of this place, our coming foretold upon passing the test.

"When we walked into the king's hall, it was even larger. And we saw why. The king manifested before us, easily two, three times the size of the others! His name was Oruk' Ra, the Wood Wyrm, so named because he was ancient, his scales resembling a redwood's bark. He told us that he was over twelve thousand years old, an initiate of magic the same way that Odin had been, and creator of something called The Daywatchers, a group that witnessed the folly of Atlantis, seeing that the people of this land unleashed the horrors of the world and drained the magic to drastically low levels when he was but a hatchling. Because of this, he created what may be the first environmental group in history. He said that magic was an ecosystem, and many supernatural beings required it to survive. Without it, they fed on other sources of it, like the energy of the living. Never again, he vowed, would he allow for the mystic nature to be practically destroyed by others again. When we first asked for his help, he welcomed us to explore and stay, but refused. Whatever happened now has raised the mystic levels somewhat more than in thousands of years. Unfortunately his wife had succumb to illness, and even his vaunted powers could not revive her.

"That's when Cody and I stepped up. Different reasons, but Cody believed that along with our cure, he could revive his bride, and I told him what we discovered about other worlds facing this plague, and the signs all pointing to Brulyx. He demanded that I show him, so I ported our group and Oruk'Ra once he changed to a smaller(and thankfully lighter) form. it was the same Earth I took Apex, their strength weaker, the air stagnant and stale according to the magically sensitive here. The hordes of zombies sensed us from the distance, and began to close the gap. With a little nudge from Oruk'Ra, I 'ported us back. He was extremely upset, but Cody offered to go with the king to help revive his love to help. The rest of us thought he was nuts, but as we waited, minutes later we heard a great trumpeting of roars echo through the chambers. The king and queen were reunited, and we had a triumphant banquet. The king offered help, as well as asking us for a favor.While Cody knocked down a brew that would give Godzilla a buzz out of gratitude, we told him of our plight and idea. Not only did he know where Brulyx was, but it turns out other members of the Daywatchers were on that world I took them to, as well as a few others also affected by the zombie plague. When we showed him our evidence of Unisane and Altrucure, he offered to use his vast magic knowledge while Arthur used science to re-write the genetic code of the formulas. Once done, it would alter the mystic absorption nature of the spell to whatever we placed on it. Once done, any mystic energy or prayer given to Brulyx would actually go to that area and not him. We mentioned if only we had the original Ring of Solomon. Well, guess what? HE had it among his treasures!

"He would allow us to examine the ring, but not to keep it. However, he would allow his granddaughter Melody to wield it, without the elemental stones attached to it as legend stated, to aid us in exchange for something else. This island was once a mountain top of the continent of Atlantis, which not only acted as a mirrored doorway and wall between dimensions, but a door to the lost continent with enough magic energy to open it. There was a powerful creature there, so powerful Oruk'Ra's power couldn't counter it. This also kept them from making any new settlements, buildings or anything of beauty there, the thing seems to live to destroy anything new or beautiful. The creature had in the past also seemed to be attracted to light, and sightings of a smaller, light creature were also reported. Could the two be related? In any case, the king asked that if we investigate and somehow find a way to imprison or stop the beast, that not only would he marshal his forces along with ours against the various demon outposts, but once cleared, we would be ambassadors to this new colony that perhaps all of us could live together in peace, man, alien, dragon. The crew agreed.

"Cody was smashed out of his gourd, so Arthur, Knithe, Cesar and Jing Mei, who felt a strong connection to this place, decided to explore. I said it'd be too risky to put all our eggs in one basket, so I'd hang back with Kim and the others in case they needed backup. It'd also come in handy if this were a double cross. They agreed. As long as I was on the ship and had items of theirs, I could scan it and keep an eye on them, even in another dimension. But honestly? There was a greater reason. I talked to Kim and Hun about it. This was their mission, what they trained for, what they wanted to do. If Knithe hadn't told me not to attack the rock monsters, I'd have blown our chances for the test by attacking them. Besides, I was feeling inadequate again. Okay, I got a power boost and am now the blood brother to the smartest man on Earth and who's becoming a Quadrian. But before all this started? I was a wannabe comedian, writer, a guy who wanted to be a voice actor in cartoons, who sings karaoke and am the farthest from the most qualified for being on an exploration ship! I've had my share of experiences, but all this? In just a few days, and on my home Earth? It was a lot to take in! I hunt monsters, and I find out that Kim was empowered by and being used by the head demon that unleashed this damned zombie plague on more than one world? I wouldn't have hesitated on emptying a clip on her a few days ago had I known...no offense. She said none taken.

"Kim said she saw things differently. I may not have been a warrior traditionally trained, no scientist or archaeologist, and perhaps at one time all I could have been was comic relief. But before taking the Unisane and being exposed to the radiation, she was a woman seething with hate, turned into a weapon. Arthur was a gifted genius, Cody a martial artist, Cesar a warrior trained by the Knights Templar, Jing Mei a dragon, Knithe an agent from another world. With the Liquid Light, their powers were expanded, if not brought into creation. Jing Mei wouldn't have become the keeper of the garden, Arthur wouldn't have begun to evolve, Cesar wouldn't have had the power to save people like he does, Cody wouldn't have survived this long, and even Hun manifested thanks to magic energy they encountered, becoming more than his original purpose. I've been doing what I do, manifesting my abilities under the most grueling circumstances, seeing other worlds, hearing people's cries for help, and being the embodiment of hope for them. My visions and aid helped in New York, helped warn Cody of the possible mess he'd have gotten us into, and even helped to expand the horizons of everyone here. Was this the ideal life I chose for myself? No, but it's the path that I'm on. Perhaps this was my destiny all along, bringing aid, comfort, hope, even cheer to other people in their darkest hour. Great, I'm the freaking Autobot Matrix now. That made her and the mice chuckle.

"She reminded me that it's not the first time that people of simpler and normally unqualified backgrounds rose to the challenge. Stories of simple farmboys becoming heroes, unexpected heroes rising to the occasion, my powers manifested without training, and without Unisane OR Liquid Light. And now, I'm a hero of this world trying to save it, just like the rest of us. That's nothing to feel inadequate about in the slightest. In fact, she was a bit envious. I smiled and thanked her. This woman was gorgeous, but I couldn't help but feel a sense of caution. I wonder if this is how newbies feel when they're being hit on by vampire wannabes in Goth clubs? I was shaken out of my funk when I started honing in on the rest of the gang exploring Atlantis. I was providing play by plays, and also saying that I may not be qualified for what they're doing, but maybe one day, when all the monsters are stopped, when my visions aren't cries for help, when we actually make a better world, how cool would it be to explore, to visit for the fun of it? To go to other countries, other worlds like Firma and beyond, other dimensions? Before all this I was a bit of a home body, sure I'd go on tour for comedy gigs but I was always a couch potato watching tv and hitting the net when it was still up. That seems like a lifetime ago now. I hadn't thought about it, but could I go back to that life after all this? I mean sure, I could still make jokes, but the inactive stuff? I might just be too bored with it. Besides, could I sit at home playing a video game or watch a horror movie and not think about how I could do it better than the star of the thing, and that they have the monsters all wrong? Huh. Weird thought. Anyway, back to monitoring.

"I saw ruins of various grasslands and pyramids, both Egyptian and South American in design. I saw wreckage in various areas, decayed items and bones, both human and draconic. Jing Mei paused, and said that one set she found were HER remains from another life! That's why she's had visions like mine, warning about possible destructive futures. This was the source. They cremated the remains and moved on. After getting to the tallest pyramid still standing, a strange white light approached. When it came close to Knithe, it took the form of a small, pale, sickly fairy. She said her name was Eliha, the Greek, and surprisingly, Atlantean word for Hope. She told them about the Darkling, the monster always chasing her, wishing to destroy her, because long ago she stopped it from harming others anymore, but without more magic, there was no way to do so. If they wanted to summon the beast, go to the top of the pyramid and use their light and magic. The crew did, and Eliha disappeared. After a few minutes of coaxing, they heard a rumble in the distance. It was coming.

"it was roughly ten feet tall, like a gaunt zombie shadow. The group rallied, firing guns, lasers, spells, magic tattoos, the beast took their best hits and kept coming. When they tried minutes later to speak to it, it asked them to inflict more pain, for it enjoyed the sensation! They tried to trap it, Cesar finally put all his energy into his strength to subdue the being, then Eliha returned. With all members, including Oruk'Ra and his people watching through scrying, we heard Eliha ask for magic, so she could send the beast away for a thousand years again. The dragons and crew of the Lazarus sent our energies to them through prayer, and we saw a vision of the past. An experiment to open several portals at once failed, creating a giant black portal spilling all the monsters and ancient plagues upon the world from the realms of nightmares. Finally a spell was created to close the massive rift, and it did so. After a thousand years, both spells awakened and became sentient. Without more energy, Eliha couldn't subdue the Darkling, the living portal of darkness. It was a retelling of Pandora's Box, and this was both the plague AND Hope itself! The small fairy grew to human size, glowing and healthy, and placed her hand on the monster. Both living spells disappeared, and the Lazarus crew did it again. They found and rescued the lost continent of Atlantis, and cemented allies with the Daywatchers!

"Science and sorcery were performed, replica rings of different materials like my silver Solomon ring were crafted, then exposed to Liquid Light. Bright flashes of purple light drew them to the original ring, and became empowered. The ring, according to Oruk'Ra, was originally used by the lost civilization that imprisoned Brulyx. If it could be used again with this concoction made to turn Brulyx's own energies against him, then the power of his own curse and cults on several Earths would fuel his own prison! It may not be the ending a lot of us hoped for, but this way we'd finally have a chance to imprison this monster once again, and for good this time. For if the ring's seal acts as a key, what happens if you used more than one? Our logic was that if one seal was the focus, then several could act as multiple keys for the prison, and one would need all the keys in order to ever free him or visit his realm if we needed to venture there. Either way, this would be a win for the good guys. Also, Oruk'Ra told me that he tried contacting his forces in the other realms where the dead reign. The magic has cut off many of them, if not starved out his people. He tried to rescue all he could, but the rest have died. For this atrocity, he offered me a small stipend to fund Dead Reckoning Inc. One hundred million Euro for each world where the magic had been drained from the worlds, to be used as I saw fit to aid, arm my people, purchase supplies, and there would be a bonus if I could find and stop the monster that refined the Altrucure. Apparently Brulyx cared so little for other Earths that he would destroy several to fuel his own powers and get away with it if he could. But this, this hiding his efforts on other Earths? It will NOT go unpunished!

"We coordinated with the Templars, The Brotherhood of Life and Tetsumon in Japan, Shan Tung in China, and the now recontacted military of other nations. We were going to coordinate our attacks together. They would summon their forces and attack the hot spots when we gave the signal that Brulyx's prison was shut. Any other deaths before that, and we ran the risk of the death priests and demons funneling more energy to Brulyx on Aurora island. In twenty-four hours, we and the rest of the world would be ready. Our next fight would be the big one. We were about to face the forces that unleashed the plague of the undead upon more than one world. Mortal and supernatural, alien and terrestrial, through science or sorcery, would unite to stop this once and for all. If we were successful, we would take back the world where the dead reign, and for all the lives ruined, there will FINALLY be a Dead Reckoning!"

On the mp3: Hell by Disturbed

[DtMK]

love the added story plot of atlantis, for this earth.

Thanks! I took pride in that part in my game. Just enough magic to allow that one place peppered with remnants of the Mirrorwall to allow a break there. An untouched Atlantis continent, the spells used both to damn it and to close the failed multiportal becoming living spells in an eternal struggle with one another, and the Ultucan dragons, faced with their own extinction, the keepers of it and the heads of an underground supernatural underworld, literally! People talked about Atlantis being the inspiration for Pandora's Box, so that's what made me choose that form for Eliha/Hope.

[DtMK]

And here is the final chapter of this story, Reckoning at Aurora.

"We were finally gearing up for the final showdown against Brulyx's forces. The island was once the remnant of an ancient society that faced him before. He was beaten by ancient gods, beings and the civilization historians would call the Lemurians. Entire cultures and names lost to antiquity, trying to stop this monster from taking over this entire reality, not just a single planet. It's funny, I thought all of this was a weird coincidence, like a comic book mash-up for a final showdown. But it looks like history's about to repeat itself. Either way, this was going to be it. And the stakes were even higher than we thought. Sam's sensors picked up a large ship in orbit above us. Tetsumon recognized it from stories. Even space faring races have legends of demons and horrors among the stars, and this was one. It was called a Demon Star, and who knew what it would do once the final signal was given. Tetsumon, Cody and Sam decided to focus on that threat. Natsu Yuki, the dragon that helped me when I first gained my abilities would help in Japan with the warriors and Brotherhood of Life. Kim wanted to help, but although her deal was severed from Brulyx, we feared that he might sense her approach, so we asked her to stay with the ship and provide backup if necessary.

"We easily dispatched the guards there, and descended down the stairs of the ruins. I touched the side, and had a vision of the past. Cesar being telepathic allowed everyone to share in it. The ancient wars with Brulyx, the taking of the temple of the race that defeated him, the head of the Benford Group really being an immortal servant of Brulyx called Gregius and his cult creating the ritual that caused all this. We saw it all, but Gregius was gone along with his acolytes. We snapped out of the vision in time to be confronted by a strangely beautiful, yet pale woman near the bottom of the steps. She said that we'd never stop her father, as many felt a presence trying to pierce our minds, but our resolve was strong. We fired upon her and let blades fly, she then had tentacles that resembled intestines com from her midsection. I could get more graphic, but if you've ever seen a Japanese horror game with sexual overtones, you'd get what vines were coming out of this venus flytrap. We concentrated our efforts, and the monster was struck down. As we entered the chamber, we saw other figures stirring. A gaunt man with the look of murder in his eyes, a powerfully built warrior in ancient armor covered in gore, a large assembly of undead draconic flesh stirring in front of a shimmering portal. This place was rich with mystic energy, so we saw something else. As the life left the woman's body, we saw an energy trail go towards the portal, and it expanded! As we feared, death caused the portal to be sealed. Death caused it to open in cracks, and the death of one as powerful as one of the Children of Brulyx, or us, would feed the magic of the portal! On the other side, we saw a huge, misshapen form like a large undead with piercing red glowing eyes. Brulyx watched on, as his children, mockeries of the Four Horsemen stood ready. Knithe realized what the consequences were, but Arthur was the one with the vial we had to pour on the portal. And his mind snapped at the horror that confronted him, and he launched himself at the undead dragon like a berzerker!

"Death magic, ancient swordsmen, attacks on our minds and bodies were launched. When one of us looked like we were in trouble, another covered them. We slashed, blasted, struck and cast our own powers at them, eventually realizing the most devastating action would be to turn their own powers against them. Grabbed weapons, redirected blasts of death, teamwork, all was used to keep the forces at bay while Knithe took the vial from Arthur, unleashing all the firepower he could carry upon the undead dragon. The gaunt one was struck down, and the cycle repeated! The energy made its way to the portal, and its size grew again! We saw a mesh of energy like bars on the portal dwindle! Once more, perhaps twice, and WE would be the keys to freeing the monster!

"One of the abilities Cesar gained was to create a small, childlike in appearance version of himself. He didn't have all of Cesar's powers, but strength was among them. As a joke, he called it Chibi Cesar. He was summoned to help hold the monsters at bay while Knithe poured the potion on the portal. Once done, a purplish hue came from the black portal, and the bars seemed to strengthen. As Knithe put her ringed hand upon the portal, the symbol seemed to work, and a ripple of energy shot through the portal, as it contracted. She shouted out, now we could stop holding back!

"We fought like angels form on high waging war against the abyss, and it was pretty accurate. My guns got a workout, as the ones of us not fighting the remaining monstrosities put the rings to the portal, and sealed it. Brulyx was continuing to fight against it, but as we dispatched another of his brood, the energy went to the portal. Only just as it had grown before, this time it shrank! As we destroyed the undead dragon, the portal once again shrank, as the rest of us joined in to use our rings as keys to strengthen the locks. He fired spells and attacks at our minds, which were still getting through. It looks like it would need more energy to stop this, so we radioed to give the signal to the other forces. To buy us more time, attacks were fired through the portal, but Brulyx shrugged them off. Chibi Cesar launched himself at Brulyx to wrestle him away from the portal, and more energy came forth from the world fighting back against the forces of Brulyx and the armies of Hades.

"With his hands full, he commanded his dragon to return, and it did, on his side of the portal! Spells and attacks were still getting through, but physical attempts to breach the portal weren't working for them. But it didn't prevent hellfire erupting from the monster's mouth, nor attacks to pierce our brains! The others continued to fire through the portal, but I saw little childlike Cesar, about to be ripped apart by the giant undead. I remembered the little girl left to die months ago by the frightened survivor at the hands of the zombies. It all came back to me again. Not again. NEVER again! And not this! I 'ported into the portal, in front of Brulyx, ordering him to release the child! At that moment, the dragon turned to strike me at my back, but the Lazarus crew struck it, knocking it back and out of attacking us. I shot Brulyx in the face with the DR Special, a magic gun that fired mystically or psionically powered beams of pure death from its barrel, enchantments making it specifically designed to harm the supernatural. In my hands, that increased its potency even further. Black and blue beams fired through the necrotic skull of this demon lord, this ancient dark god. The blast was enough to make Brulyx release the immortal child of Cesar, and we made our way back to the portal. Chibi Cesar reached the door first, but he couldn't get out! But as I grabbed him, I started to pass through the portal. Apparently the ring was acting like a key now, if you didn't have one, you couldn't pass. As I was exiting, we all fired attacks at Brulyx and his pet/child, and I fired the most powerful effect from the weapon, a sphere of mystically generated antimatter wrapped in a singularity, detonating and made to annihilate anything it touched. While it didn't completely destroy Brulyx or his dragon, it hurt them dearly. They unleashed a blast of mystic energy akin to a nuclear bomb, detonating everything around them, destroying and charring all in their near vicinity, fueling this death wave in our direction. It took a mix of the strengthening locks on the portal and our own energies to shield us from the massive attack. The portal seemed to be contained. It was no longer shrinking, but the field was stabilized and locked, now not only by one, but several times over by the secret seal rings of King Solomon! The prison was made whole once again!

"We were nearly all wiped out and exhausted, and we exited the cavern. It felt like a new, fresh breath of air, until Jing Mei and I both had a flash of coming danger, When we reached the outside, we saw several demonic ships approaching. Ancient black sailing vessels, floating carriers, even a giant monster walking towards us from the sea bed, its maw opening and unleashing winged demons approaching. We were worn down, more vulnerable than we had been in a long time. We were outnumbered over a thousand to one. Even with Kim igniting and flying to help us, taking the form of what she called herself Mo Feng, the Devil's Phoenix, we were in trouble. Remnants of Brulyx's demons and the forces of Hades were going to attack us, and possibly reclaim the keys to open and free Brulyx. This was our darkest hour, but we were told that the last vial of Liquid Light would help us, as Sam's ship approached from the sky to our location as Tetsumon covered him against the Demon Star. Sam took the vial, and an explosion of purple alchemical light engulfed us. Suddenly, we all felt the lives of every life we touched, every living thing we helped. They saw us in their mind's eyes across the globe, from worlds like Firma to Shambhala and other dimensions like the ones I had gone to. We were fighting against the death of hope, of life itself. And we felt their prayers, their light, their love, even as many fought against death itself. Above Earth, a huge ghostly apparition appeared. It was Orpheus, the spirit of the living planet Firma. It felt our struggle, and heard our cries for help. And that prayer out of gratitude would be answered. A gigantic beam of blue energy fired down, engulfing Tetsumon, Sam's ship and our area on the island. The beam was pure mystic energy, chi, life force, the power that binds the universe together. The other forces that many of us had in our hearts, the faiths that we all fought for and represented, heard our cries.

"When the light faded, it wasn't completely gone. All of us were renewed, our wounds healed, our exhaustion gone, ammunition reloaded, energy cells recharged. Those of mystic and chi natures were temporarily charged threefold, those of us that were psychic tenfold for this confrontation! And behind us, as we prepared to engage the hordes of hell, we felt the presence of our patrons and beliefs. Ancient gods like Isis for Knithe, the spirit of Orpheus, ancient Shinto and Chinese spirits, and I looked behind me, and saw an old man, a warrior king wearing a familiar ring. It was King Solomon, and he nodded. We all faced the hordes. Even Kim, who was atheistic, felt the love beaming through her. The hordes saw this vision as well. They saw rival pantheons, spirits whose followers have bled and died in wars against one another, united in spirit against this war. I felt something other than the love and faith flowing through us for our cause, I felt the demons. They thought they were fighting against weary mortals, supernatural beings, and even spent children of gods. Now they saw that a united front was prepared to fight, and we were their weapons. I felt something that I couldn't help but smile a wicked smile about. I felt the hordes of demons feel absolute holy terror. And that fear was justified.

"We all launched against the forces, mowing them down, striking at the vessels, some trying to retreat, but unable to move fast enough. I 'ported, guns drawn onto one of the floating ships, blasting as some demons ran, others attacked. While I struck them down, I felt something as I touched the ship. It was magical in nature of course, but besides needing a magical power source, the ship could teleport, as long as it was guided by a being who could teleport as well! That gave me an idea how to level part of the playing field. I felt the will of the captain, trying to steer the ship. I don't know if it was my own will, the extra power I felt or the fear we struck in his heart, but in this battle of wills, he lost. I doubt I'd ever have the power to try anything like that again, but I moved the entire floating ship! And the destination? Well, learning about ley lines and nexus points from the Templars came in handy, because I felt locations where the zombies tended to gather in order to feed. No one else knew why some places other than cities were so densely populated, but I could feel it. They were ley lines and nexus points, some larger than others. So I thought if these demons wanted to make people feel afraid and weak compared to them, it was time for a taste of their own medicine! The location: a super nexus point on the same Earth I took Apex when he lost his strength, the same one where I took the Lazarus crew and Oruk'Ra. But the specific place? Under the Arch in St. Louis! My hunch was right, the ship was powerful, but the lack of magic energy here caused it to surge in power, and crash under the arch. The demons on board were freaking out again, as suddenly they weren't as strong as they were used to, their magic was weak if it worked at all, and best of all? The ship was now being boarded by hundreds of thousands of zombies gathered there to feast on the strongest magic sources, the ship itself and the demons on it! I was picking off the ones trying to fly away, and any foolish enough to attack me. Suddenly the dead were getting their revenge on these demons. Looks like Hell decided not only to strike against the demons, but to revolt and feast!

"After some time, Cesar came to help me finish off the last of the stragglers, and I 'ported us back to the battlefield. The ships were being decimated, and some were disappearing entirely. When I tried to sense where they were going, they were returning to Hades. We had them on the run! Without Brulyx to support them and no other prizes to claim, they saw what this world was capable of. All over the world, mortal and supernatural creature fought to reclaim what was theirs. Unfortunately among the casualties, was Kim. She was building up to go critical, and couldn't stop it! Arthur 'ported her up in jumps to the Demon Star, and put her inside it as she unleashed a nova level explosion. The ship was destroyed. No space demons firing down death rays from orbit today. But when this happened, everyone felt her release, like she had finally made up for her sins and hatred. There's more to Kim's story, which I'll tell later. But after all this, all the forces on Earth resonated with us. The forces of evil were vanquished. We won!

"Shortly after that, several of the gods and their avatars went to the chamber of the Lemurians where Brulyx's prison portal was active. In witness to the defeated demon lord, the great spell was cast one last time. The cloud of hope and life spread across the globe, fueled by the extra energy of Orpheus even after its essence disappeared and allowing a loophole for the gods to be active in it as well. The cloud cured all the remaining zombies, healed the wounded, and even in the case of the recently deceased like Kim, brought them back to life. And for twenty-four hours, no living creature on Earth died. Man and supernatural fought together, hope and peace in the wake of the apocalypse reigned now, not the dead. The spirits of those that had died too long ago to be resurrected came to make their peace. Cesar wished to follow me to attempt to cure the other worlds, so we left. Shortly after that, so too did many of the other gods like Zeus the Thunderer and Tetsumon.

"The Earth had discovered that the supernatural was VERY natural. Places of traditional rivalries of religions and race were gone, such people fighting against a common evil. Firma contacted the governments of Earth, announcing that when we were ready, we could join them in the stars and take our place with them in the heavens. Arthur was busy helping with power demands, making an FTL drive based on the Phytinic gear we found at the Randolph mansion. A new golden age was seen, as this world had a future equally as bright as it was grim a short time ago. That's the world I have waiting for me at home.

"But unfortunately, it's harder to share the love with other realities. Our cure either doesn't do enough, or nothing at all in other realities. The basis for it seems different, and I still hear their cries for help. I feel like this might be the Megaverse's way of keeping us humble. We did the impossible, but we did it for our own home. For other places, help was needed, but we can't just do the work for everyone. We can help people help themselves. I came up with a slogan that seems to be the philosophy drilled in my head. If you want a miracle in your life, be the miracle for someone else. So I keep helping, I never know where my next meal is coming from. But I help where and when I can. I've got Kim helping me on one Earth, the rest like Cesar is exploring and finding out more in this Minion War the demons are involved in. Others still are acting as ambassadors, mentors, Arthur's still examining possible causes I bring back from other realities, still others have retired. They've earned a rest. With Oruk'Ra's funding, I've set up branches of Dead Reckoning Inc. on several worlds. Scientists, hunters, entertainers to keep people sane and feeling normal, trying to find the reasons why this happened, and their own cures. I'm even funding one expedition to find all thirteen of the legendary crystal skulls and gather them in a sacred place to help. In other places, we have the brightest minds working on reasons and possible cures. Still others who believe that God is punishing them, are trying to prove that humanity's still worth fighting for.

"I want to say that just because I may not be there doesn't mean I don't hear your cries, or am ignoring you. My abilities are tweaked, and my responsibility has gone up as well. As bad as it is, I've been fighting for the last few years trying to keep things from getting worse. Gregius got away from us, and is our world's most wanted, along with a genius we discovered named Dr. Alexander Stern, the man who refined Unisane into Altrucure! What's worse, there's someone matching his description on the other worlds where the dead reign as a higher up with each group! This guy's the one I have to stop, and I've encountered his experiments with both living and dead flesh, making even greater monstrosities. Now I see visions of this war, and countless innocents being caught up in it. Tetsumon's going back to some sector called the Bushi Federation to defend the people there. I'm seeing visions of demons in Century Station, so I'm coming back there soon. And I'm bringing a present, hermano! This cure should work, but if your powers are causing your sickness, it may come back one day. But this should cure what you have now, and keep you here for more years to come, brother! I WILL fight with you against this! Other forces are following the war to Rifts Earth, and even more locations. This is the next big threat that needs to be stopped.

"As far as those in the trenches, You're not forgotten. I'm trying to help with supplies and finding qualified people to help you in my absence, but I pop up from time to time. After seeing and experiencing all that I have, the wonder, the hope, I can't help but want to bring it to all of you. Just because we haven't found a cure doesn't mean there isn't one. And I can't guarantee that when it's found that it'll be nearly as spectacular or flashy as the one I was involved with, but it's real nonetheless. And I'll keep fighting to help you all until you're safe. Until then, I'm fighting to keep the bad from getting worse. I help people to help themselves, trying to keep people from dying or worse as in my visions. A lot of times I succeed. But I still fail too. It makes me fight even harder, and reminds me hat although I've fought alongside the children of gods, I'm not one nor will pretend to be. Despite my abilities, I'm still mortal, still human. And I'll do all I can to show that there's a brighter horizon once we get through this darkness. And for those of you wishing to harm life, men like Stern and Gregius, wannabe supervillains and despots, false gods, monsters, demons, world devouring ancient gods like Brulyx and the Lord of the Deep? I'm coming for you as well! Stop your evil, get out of this reality, and you might buy yourself some time, but it's coming. Your reckoning WILL happen! It's already overdue!"


This is the end of this current chapter's tale. But there are many more stories that can be expanded upon, more to come in the future. Who will ultimately win? That's a tale for another day.

[DtMK]

Thanks! And I plan on writing more in the future, I also have a point of view from Reckoner in the BtS thread called The Lazlo Test, you might like checking that out as well. And the class you're asking about is the Wanderer, it's in Rifter #18. I liked the possibilities for the class when I first saw it, and it all came together for Paul/Reckoner by making it a Sea Inquisitor as well. This way you have a Megaversal character, able to experience virtually any setting Palladium and home brewed games have to offer.

I like how he's evolved, his personality and many experiences up until his origin were based on my own in real life. I plan on making him part of my future Minion Wars adventures as well, and I'd love for him to one day participate in the big battle to finally take out the Lord of the Deep once and for all. In the meantime, he goes where he's needed, having adventures and setting up possibilities for others along the way.

[DtMK]

Oh, here's a link to my Reckoner's Journal on the BTS board.

http://forums.palladium-megaverse.com/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=112579

[DtMK]

I've been thinking of another story with a supernatural twist with The Reckoner. Would anyone here like to see it once I write it up?

[DtMK]

Wow, thanks! It's been a while since I've been in here, thank you arsonblade! I have a couple stories in my mind, one where Paul encounters something that he cannot stop, someone's eventual death beyond his control, a woman's love that makes him drop his guard, and the feeling hat another, malevolent force may be manipulating the circumstances.

Another story idea is a crossover featuring one of the worlds of Dead Reign, where Paul is working with a strange group of survivors, but the people seem strange, out of place. Are they mentally challenged? Did they wake up and miss The Wave? Or is the truth far stranger, with greater ramifications than anyone could ever guess? A possible Minion Wars tie-in.

Any thoughts on what you'd like to read? Anyone?

[DtMK]

I'll have to find time to make something. I have a few ideas. Reckoner's flirting with Death, trying to teach some unlikely people lessons in humanity, even a story that takes a cosmic slant that might show just why certain genres don't mix well.

[DtMK]

That's great! The Wanderer is a great class, and it's nice to see the potential for travel and adventure with them. Just be careful making a Teleshield on a ley line or nexus...