Welcome to Nexus Prime!

[Balthazar Shadowbane]

When joining this topic - This topic is for Balthazar, Kaira, and Zanya and Lucen(If he wishes to make an appearance). However, I'll leave it open for others to join if your character could realistically be placed here or if you have some association with our characters.

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"Don't disappoint me, Balthazar."

A dark voice commanded menacingly from within the shadows before disappearing from sight. Balthazar turned from where the dark one instructed his plans, and set off on the path given to him. He pulled the veil of his hood over his head, hiding his face from the peasants as he roamed through the streets of Tartarus. The black city smelled of sulfur and death, and had an attitude to match. The festering grime of the people boiling and overflowing with their sins. As he made his way into the bowels of "the Underworld", the stench of sulfur became persistent although Balthazar hardly noticed anymore.

Once he reached the sixth level of the altar, he reached his hand out over the bloody basin in front of him. Glistening crimson orbs were forged into the altar, and began to glow vibrantly as the hooded man began pouring souls from his arm into the basin. Hollowed screams began filling the room as he triggered the effects of the basin, a reflecting skull shimmering through his face as a light smirk played on his lips.

"This world will fall to ruin soon, Father."

Once he was finished emptying the souls he wished to discard, he set off once more to a room located a floor above him. Balthazar walked across the dusty, darkened room and crouched as he pulled a small lever hidden behind a stash of old ruined books. A secret door way revealed itself just in front of him, and the man entered to have it close behind him shortly after. The smaller compartment of a room had a series of strange symbols written over the walls, some appeared written in blood. Balthazar placed his hand on the larger crest located in the center of the wall, and it began to illuminate with a deep blue aura. This sapphire aura consumed him until no remnants of him remained and he was transported immediately to an entirely different location.

"Lucen's skills prove useful after all, I'll have to thank him when next we speak."

The dark reaper said as he looked around at his new destination, a similarly shadowy room with no signs of life. However, he knew that was not the case as blue flamed candles began to ignite within the room revealing a rather large opening with a dark altar in the center. "Is that you girls?" He asked before giving off an amused laughter as he strolled across the room towards the altar.

[Kaira Magnas]

Kaira stepped out when she was called, emerging from one of the few corners of the room not lit up in blue from the many candles that had ignited around the room. She drew a firearm from the inside of her coat, instinctively pointing it toward the new arrival, then slowly lowered it once she recognized him as more than a walking target.

More than an immediate walking target, at least.

"Oh. It's you," she said sourly, holstering her weapon again. The soul-stealer had some entertaining ideas, if they could even be called his ideas, but the man himself left a lot to be desired. Why else would he have come to a place like this without wanting to burn it to the ground.

Kaira shot a disgusted look at the black altar at the heart of the room as she thought of this. Monuments to undefined evil were the most meaningless creations she had ever seen. A true "altar" would be thrown together out of body parts and wreckage in the middle of a burning wasteland. Or a machine that made a new building explode every time it was used. Death, destruction, strife, and the horrible shock and upheaval that came with them to shake the normals out of their stupor and left them crying and praying that they could survive the night...they were things to be done, not worshiped.

But of course, she was getting ahead of herself. The prospect of such things being done on a larger scale was why she was here, and why she would have patience with this man for the moment. So she walked into the light and approached the altar, though she kept her distance. She had no plans of humoring the intentions for which the black altar was built. Instead, she scanned the monument before her, looking for stress points and fractures in the stone, searching out places where a well placed bullet or plasma blast with her powers would shatter the altar. Maybe it would be this meeting, or maybe the next one, but sometime in the near future she would walk out and leave a ruin behind her.

"You know I hate this place, soul-stealer," she said, finally addressing the man again. "What do you want?"

[Zanya Petras]

The sound of heels clacking on the stone floor could be heard as another female stepped form the other side of the room, and out of the shadows. Zanya had her arms crossed and under her mask she gave a distasteful look towards him just as her sister had. Since she was amongst someone who was more of a commoner than herself, she wouldn’t give him to opportunity to speak to her without it.

That would just be obscene and she didn’t want her high class beauty to be ruined by his face viewing hers. This whole place was unnatural, which made her feel uneasy in the first place. Out of all the places to be it had to be in Tartarus, one of the many trash balls of this putrid planet.

The pillars that were nearest to her were covered with dark moss and vines that wrapped around them. The vines were slowly growing longer around the pillars and onto the ceiling. If she was going to be here then she wanted something close to her that she was comfortable with. Zanya looked over to her sister, who was looking at the altar, then back to Balthazar.

“I would also like to know what it is you need from us.” Zanya said with a hint of irritation in her voice.

Not only did the location bother her, but the man did as well. She didn’t know a whole lot about him, and as far as she knew, he was just a watered down Thanatos. However, his words did interest her quite a bit so she gave him a chance to be in her presence. Zanya stepped closer into the light tapping her finger on her arm. She didn’t want to waste time if he wasn’t going to say anything that wouldn’t help her own goal. That was the only thing she really cared for.

“So speak quickly…” She continued to speak with a slight snap. She was sure, since her sister didn’t like this place either, that Kaira would like to leave as quickly as she did. Besides, she wasn’t known for being patient with others.

[Lucen Godsent]

~Hym of the Ultimate~

"Patience is a virtue, Ladies..."

The silky tones of the Machine God caressed the room in the most effective ways, it rippled through the air and bounced off the walls. He strode into the lit portion of the room with grace and dignity born of great arrogance. His golden yellow hair rolled down his shoulders with several strands falling perfectly over his face. His cybernetic crimson eyes passed between the gathered organics around the alter, a male and two similar looking females. A smile graced his features as he dipped his head in greeting to his allies.

Machinus crossed his well muscled arms across his broad naked chest as he moved to lean against one of the many pillars. Before he did so a whirring sound filled the room, followed by the clicking of three of his loveless orbs releasing from their housings on either side of his spine. The free floating attack and defense system was one of the former scientist's greatest achievements. Reaching up with one hand Machinus the God born from Machines ran one hand through his hair before turning his attention to Balthazar.

"I hope I'm not intruding, I was quite interested in what was to be discussed on this wonderful evening..."

In truth, Machinus knew there could only be one thing to discuss. Their plans for the future were moving into motion ever so slowly. While the two sisters craved destruction and chaos Machinus believed the soul-stealler had a more subtle and calculated approach. Despite his own plans for Nexus, Balthazar had proved useful and allying with him had proven to be mutually beneficial to both of them. The Loveless orbs continued to float around him and the pillar, detecting no threats for the moment. He didn't think any would arise either, but he so enjoyed showing off the perfection that he was. He returned his gaze to Balthazar and nodded his head and smiled.

"Please Continue, friend."

[Balthazar Shadowbane]

The dark reaper watched as the two chaos twins made themselves known and approached the altar. The blue flames from the candles brightened as they spoke, and Balthazar listened to their complaints patiently. Just before making his reply, he was cut off as another familiar face appeared before them. Of the three people before him, Machinus was the only one that truly made him feel uneasy, although he'd never show it on his face. He reached back and grasped his soul-stealer and swung it in front of him, letting the heavy curved blade rest on the floor as he rested both hands on the base of the weapon.

"Glad you could join us, Machinus."

Balthazar said with the same calm tone as before, his gaze shifting from Lucen to the twins once again. His face was now more visible due to the flickering light of the candles. He leaned forward testing the strength of the scythe as a hollowed skull reflection appeared over his face, giving off a grim and terrifying expression. His silver hues pierced the small veil of darkness from his hood as he stared at the twins with a stand offish gaze. "I don't know what I've done to provoke such a distasteful greeting from you two but I assure you, I wouldn't have gathered you here for a weekly update." Balthazar said sarcastically with a seriousness in his eyes, before spinning the grip of his weapon causing the scythe's blade to spiral on the stone floor. Breaking his gaze as well as the tension before speaking again. "I have a facility in Outer Haven that needs attending to. I have a subordinate there but I hardly trust him to run the operation smoothly so I'll be needing one or both of you to go there to oversee things. Call it intuition but I feel that your presence there is very much needed."

The man lifted his weapon and reholstered it onto his back before reaching into the pouch on his side, withdrawing a black egg sized stone. Balthazar walked to the altar and placed the onyx stone in the ritual basin before casting a glance at Machinus. "I normally wouldn't ask you to directly involve yourself with my.. current operation but I am in need of your assistance if you'll provide it. There is a man in Argos by the name of Nathan Storm, he's a valuable individual and according to my sources he has the ability to transfer power from one individual to another. Since he's an illusive man and I'll be tied up in the Outer Haven, I would ask that you do me this small favor and bring him to my facility beneath Tartarus." The dark one requested as he took a step back from the altar and awaited their individual responses. He slid his hands into the pockets on his robes and watched as the onxy orb began to glow with a dark purple aura.

The sound of tortured souls and lost spirits echoed from the haunted rock as it emanated an ominous glow. His metallic hues watched the stone attentively before returning to the chaos twins.

[Kaira Magnas]

Kaira let out a harsh laugh at the soul-stealer's request. Though he phrased it as something he needed them to do, she knew better. The day this man could force her to do anything without getting plasma bolts through every weak point in his body would be a sad day indeed. Of course, she knew he was more than capable of killing her or worse, just as easily. It would all come down to who made the first move.

Of course, she had no intention of making that first move just yet. The soul-stealer still had his uses, and she wasn't yet capable of dealing with the repercussions of offing him at this stage. Besides, there would be a right moment eventually. But for now, she would play along, and enjoy the ride to the best of her ability. How fortunate it was that allying herself with him hadn't yet grown as old and stagnant as the city he called a home.

"I don't know what I've done to make you expect anything else from me," she said, shooting the soul-stealer a sour look. "Nor do I know what I've done to cause you to assume I have so few irons in the fire that I can be sent on an errand. I still have business to attend to here, and I'm sure it's of the sort that would interest my dear sister as well." She cast a glance sideways at Zanya, fully expecting a similar response from her. If that wasn't the case and she somehow did think attending to the trash heap dweller's toys was more appealing than the Apple of Discord, then that was no longer Kaira's concern.

"But if it means setting your 'intuition' at ease and getting out of here, I can send the Iconoclast to attend to your facility. If you're looking for me of all people to act as oversight, then he should do just as well."

[Zanya Petras]

Zanya’s eyes moved to the new arrival known as Machinus and her eye twitched from his presence. She scowled at him and his worlds. That…thing made her sick to her stomach and made her want to destroy him then and there. He was an inorganic waste of space and his arrogance made him that much worse. She shifted her body slightly to be closer to her plant life which made her go more into the darkness. Once she received her goal then he would be one of the first to go.

Returning her gaze back to Balthazar, Zanya listened to his request quietly. Even if she didn’t enjoy this company, she still had class and wouldn’t stoop down to a commoner’s level of interrupting someone. However, his request was a rather simple one she thought. Retrieving a “Nathan Storm” and bringing him to Tartarus and also look over a facility in Outer Haven. Zanya put her arms down by her sides and tilted her head giving an unsatisfied look.

She wasn’t going to do something like that; do his dirty work for him. Besides, he didn’t mention anything about getting a reward in return. Hearing Kiara speak first, she heard and answer that she expected her sister to give. Zanya had an idea of what kiara was speaking of when she mentioned a matter that would interest Zanya. It was in her best interest to go with the choice that would help her out the most.

“You don’t really think that either of us would do your chores for you, do you? Especially for nothing.” She answered in a form of a question.

“I see no point in wasting my time with this.”

[Lucen Godsent]

The Machine God considered the request put before him by Balthazar. He stayed silent as to allow the two women to offer up their responses first. As he expected such a request was viewed as beneath them. Conceit was such a curious thing, they thought themselves so superior to others that to help their allly with his request was stupid. Little did they realize that to be asked to do such a thing was probably important to their plans. This was one of the many reasons he could not tstand organics, they were such putrid beings. So imperfect and flawed, these two in particular were shining examples.

"Of course, friend. I'll take care of this Nathan Storm since our friends here aren't so... inclined. A pitty they can realize that our sucess will be a combined effort..."

He flashed a showy smirk towards the siiters, it dripped with sarcasm and in a way dared them to do something about his obvious attemtpt to get a rise out of them. His Loveless modules swireled around his person and he turnedd back to face the soul stealer.

"If that is all, dear Balthazar, I will take my leave of you and the ladies... I have preperations to make and subjects to monitor..."

[Balthazar Shadowbane]

Balthazar remained vigilant standing behind his requests despite the girls' diligently put defiance. The dark soul gave off a smirk as he felt a small rush of relief pass over him at Machinus' words. "Well I'm glad to see that I still capture your respect Machinus, It's greatly appreciated." The hooded monster man returned his attention to the twins before shaking his head in disappointment. The onyx stone in the center of the altar began to dim as the hollowed screams died down. The tortured shouts were replaced by low growls and a collaboration of vicious roars. After one final monstrous echo, silence fell over the stone and the glow disappeared all together.

The soul-stealer collected his thoughts before making his retort to the two chaos girls. "You call them chores, I call them necessary steps toward our goals. And I'm not omnipotent, I can't be in all places at once you know." He paused for a moment as he examined the silent stone, reaching for what appeared to be a small wand from his robes. "Any and all help would be appreciated, but I never said this was for nothing did I Zanya?" The reaper remarked as he brought his cold silvery gaze upon the female. He burned a symbol into either side of the stone before placing it back onto the altar and returning the stave to his robes. "I can give you all the information I have regarding the apple of discord. Hell, I might even know where it is. And I would be more than happy to return the favor if you two would assist me. I don't care how it's done so long as it is done, I want that facility secured."

Balthazar remained silent for a moment to let his words root firmly in their minds. As Machinus expressed his desire to set off on his way, The soul-stealer nodded and replied. "I'll leave you to it then. I'll rendezvous with you in Tartarus after you've retrieved Nathan, then we can discuss your 'preparations' in greater detail.." Balthazar bowed his head respectfully at Machinus before returning his attention to the chaos twins, awaiting their reply.

[Kaira Magnas]

'Our' success? 'Our' goals? Kaira laughed harshly at the words of the mechanical man and the soul stealer. What either of them knew about any goals other than their own could fill a teaspoon, or a thimble, or whatever that metaphor was supposed to be. If one world leader sought war, and another sought peace, the same battlefield could be a part of both of their goals. The reaper's apparent inability to understand this made him a good enough toy to play with, but he was starting to wear out his welcome. Kaira had already been working on changing the game in subtle ways, but it would be some time before she saw the final results.

And what results they would be. Whether she succeeded or failed, survived or died, the end result was sure to be a thing of beauty. The soul-stealer could have his world of ruin if he wanted, but why not give the survivors some hope of rebuilding? After all, what fun was it to kill everything off, or subject everything remaining to eternal, stagnant torment when you could give them hope only to strike it down? The beauty was in the change. That was true chaos, something that the reaper could never fully understand.

"How cute of you to try to pay us in information we already have," she said in response to his...offer? It sounded like an offer, at least. "I've already had someone find the location of Apple of Discord for me. You'd be amazed what people in this city would do, and for what prices. But you'll have your precious facility looked over. That soulless heretic will suffice for the task. Should I tell you how to contact him, or do it myself?"

She smirked with grim amusement. The Iconoclast would probably attack the reaper on sight if he didn't know how to approach him. It was something she could conveniently forget to tell him if she so desired, just to see what would happen.

[Zanya Petras]

Her eyes were on this needy soul-stealer as the screams died down. He kept spouting how he couldn’t be everywhere at once and that he could give them the location of her precious apple. Zanya scoffed quietly at him trying to make her to be the fool in this situation. “Don’t try to belittle me because you weren’t able to choose your words carefully. Just remember to explain yourself fully before you start asking things.” Zanya waved him off with a disinterested look on her face feeling absolutely bored with this person already.

Zanya smirked at the machine as he followed Balthazar’s bidding as a good little doggy would. It’s sarcasm and obvious notion to get their blood boiling made her roll her eyes. “Putrid robot…” Zanya said with hate in her voice. She had no patience for that garbage’s games and just wanted to leave this place for a more productive scene. She felt a weight lifted from her shoulders as that ‘thing’ left. She stepped forward once it was completely gone. Her gaze turned to her sister as she laughed at Balthazar and mocked him in her own way. Having her little slave thing do this task seemed more suitable than her or Kaira going and wasting time. Neglecting to tell him of its violent nature was a clever thing for her sister to do and Zanya held a small smile.

“As they say, there is more than one way to skin a cat and we have found the other way of skinning that cat, sir.” Her voice showed a hint of amusement as she looked right back at the male before her. It was laughable that she was even thought of doing this disgusting work for this lower being.

The only people who actually mattered in these plans were Kaira and herself. Anyone else was just a stepping-stone and if they were to interfere then they would know what real power was. She knew that with their combined strength the world would beg and scream for their lived. Zanya was beginning to feel giddy from the thought of those tortured souls. She would make sure that her hunger would be fed one way or another.

"You should be so lucky that we've graced you with our presence in the first place."

[Lucen Godsent]

The Machine God dipped his head in acknowledgement to Balthazar before moving away from the pillar. He scoffed in an amused manner at the responses he got from the spoiled twins. How narrow their vision was, how little they knew of what was to come. He'd make sure they were among the first organics to die a painful death. The loveless modules swirled around him in one revolution before forming a triangle in the air, an orange and black energy field opening between them. Beyond the field nothing was visible, the destination of the android remaining unknown.

"I'll deal with this Nathan Storm swiftly. I'll take much pleasure in capturing this organic. "

With a smile Machinus jumped backwards through the portal. It made a loud "Thwump" noise as it proceeded to pull in on itself, the loveless orbs passing into the energy field before it disappeared.

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Machinus landed with a thud back in the room of rising waters, hidden in the city of Atlantis. The water that ran up the walls had always amazed him and also centered him at times. He walked through the many marble pillars to the raised dais where his throne sat. He sat upon its smooth marble and became lost in his thoughts. So much was being set into motion, so much that still needed to be accomplished. He would start by catching the Organic for the soul stealer, that would be the beginning of what was to come.

[Balthazar Shadowbane]

Balthazar nodded as the mechanical god exited the room through his usual means, unfortunately leaving him alone with the twins. The dark one's thoughts became hazy as he felt a sudden head ache coming on, his brows furrowing in annoyance as he rubbed his temples. After the two had finished their little speeches of insistent rebellion, the reaper's expression became calm and he retorted in his usual tone. "Believe whatever it is you want to believe, Nobody here is forcing you to do anything, I for one wouldn't dream of such a thing. If no other reason than to simply avoid the baggage that would come with you two if I attempted to control you. On the contrary I rather enjoy you both doing your own thing, separate from me. I don't like mindless drones but I do like loyalty to at least a respectful level." As he finished his last sentence, his silvery eyes began to glow as an ominous dark shroud surrounded him like a vapor. The same skull reflected through his face, an evil omen embedded just beneath his skin.

Truth be told, the soul-stealer most likely had enough firepower within him to take down the chaos sisters. However, even though he hated to admit it, he needed them for more reasons than one so for now, he had to play their game. Balthazar enjoyed their company and their way of doing things, when they weren't acting like ornery teenagers. As Kaira explained she'd send a lackey to do her job, frustration swelled within him and only got worse when Zanya decided to throw her meaningless two cents in. "Do it yourself, I don't have time to contact your henchmen. Give whoever it is, that stone on the altar. Call it "insurance" if you will, not that I don't have blind faith in your fully capable pawn. I just need peace at mind the job will be done, tell him or her to remove the seal to activate it. Now if you'll excuse me I have some recruiting to do.." He finished as he lifted his scythe from the ground and spun it swiftly before holstering it on his back.

Balthazar turned on his heel and began walking toward the darkness corner of the room, turning for a moment to speak once more. "Knowing where it is and actually getting the apple are two different things. Tell me something ladies.. If you don't need me, then why are you here? Why bother speaking to me at all if your time is so precious? Our goals aren't that fundamentally different, and a little solidarity goes a long way. We can all benefit from cooperation, and respect isn't that far fetched of a request in my eyes. Food for thought.. Until we meet again Kaira, Zanya.." The dark soul said nodding at the two before the darkness consumed his form, he appeared to change into a dark mist and literally sink through the floor beneath him.

[Kaira Magnas]

All of the soul stealer's words, all of the many words that there were, grated on Kaira. Did he ever like the sound of his own voice. For all his insistence that he was happy with them doing his own thing, he still seemed to be under the assumption that they were his subordinates. That was never something Kaira had agreed to. He was right that their goals, at least on a broader, undifferentiated scope, were essentially the same: to tear down the world as they knew it. That was the only reason she had agreed to work with him in the first place. Never for him. And certainly never as an errand girl. Whether he would understand that now, or when he was breathing his last, just may be what determined how long he lived.

The sarcasm of his words wasn't lost on him either. Undoubtedly disappointed that they wouldn't be dealing with his errand on their own, he had chosen to express his faith in the manner of humorous insincerity. Kaira almost laughed too, but for different reasons. "Don't worry your little skull over it. He would certainly do a better job overseeing a whole complex than some marauder off the streets." After all, if the soul stealer's other departing friend was the god of machines, then the Iconoclast was almost certainly their devil figure.

She waited until the soul stealer had disappeared through the floor before answering his parting question. It wasn't as if she had no answer, of if she had to put any great amount of thought into it. No, she knew exactly why she put up with him. Whatever claims he made of their cooperation, she could sever ties at a moment's notice. The Iconoclast would be instructed to mention him if he failed and was interrogated, but not her. And if they ended up failing in the end and she hadn't killed him herself yet, she would make sure he took the fall.

But that was not what she said. No, what she said was much simpler, much sweeter to the ears, and at least a little less indicative of what was to come. What she said was "Because you do your job well. As well as you wish we would." She gave a wry smile as she spoke.

What job she meant, she wouldn't say.

She approached the altar and took the soulstone on it, stuffing it unceremoniously into her jacket. "I suppose I should see to my, ahh, subordinate about defending that one's precious toys," she said, turning back to her sister. "You don't have to come, of course. I know how you despise his kind."

[Zanya Petras]

The way that Balthazar talked so much about respect showed how annoyed he was, which satisfied Zanya. Really though, she didn't have to respect him to get what she wanted. It was actually funny how he enjoyed making those speeches of his. She just tuned out most of his nonsense anyway; not like it mattered so much to her.

Before she knew it, the soul-stealer was gone. Melting through the floor and leaving her and Kaira alone. The air felt lighter now at least, and she looked to her sister as she spoke of tending to to the little trash so that they wouldn't have to do the babysitting themselves. She was happy that she didn't need to deal with that thing either, it was good to have someone understand how she felt about that. Nodding to Kaira, she put on a small smile.

"Thank you, I should be heading out too. I have a couple of errands to do; not to mention the feeling of this place bothers me." Zanya told her sister as she rubbed the sides of her arms a little feeling uncomfortable.

Since she was in such a disgusting place it would've been in her best interest to leave as soon as she could. The plants that surrounded the little space around her slithered back to the depths of the darkness not to be seen again. Zanya started to walk to the entrance to the place but not before turning back to her sister. "Goodbye for now, until then safe travelings." Saying that, she waved to Kaira and left only leaving the sound of her heels against the concrete filling the air.