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Post by Kroenen on May 1, 2017 17:35:19 GMT -5
Kroenen said nothing in reply to the massive woman before him, who could only be some pet of Von Doom's.
Even if he had wished to reply to her inquiry, he hardly had the time and found himself hurled backward into a building behind him.
This was inefficient.
He caught himself against the wall with his fingers and boots, holding himself there against the flat of it like a spider before sliding down to his feet again and cracking his neck back into place. His mask had been jammed in slightly, but still functioned. He gave it a slight turn to adjust it and dusted off his uniform.
With that, he swiftly drew his pair of swords from their sheaths on his scarecrow-like legs and spun them before him before settling into an offense position. The blades gleamed in the light and the HYDRA agents nearby offered a short cheer. Alles für Deutschland was engraved onto the blades down the sides. One of the more ornamental additions to his weapons he had never fully approved of, but his Führer had insisted upon it. Blood was often difficult to wipe clean easily from the engraving.
He spun like a top and leapt at the huge woman, slashing down at her neck and shoulders before leaping backward off of her and cutting at her Achilles tendons on her calves.
Nothing seemed to work. Stabbing might break his blades.
He leapt back away from her, settling into a defensive stance.
Kroenen still said nothing.
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Lord Doom
Neutral 
Doom's word is law.
Posts: 33 
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Post by Lord Doom on May 2, 2017 18:34:10 GMT -5
Doom was a man, a force of nature, who was not easily taken by surprise.
And yet this woman had done just that with the strength of her strike. He bullets did no harm to him thanks to his enchanted armor, but physical blows sent him staggering back a good four feet. Dazed from the onslaught, he gripped her wrist that held the pistol, but this did not stop her. Again her strikes overpowered him and sent him hurling back, her anger seemed to intensify her blows.
"The conditions..." Doom rasped as he regained himself, "Have changed indeed. I see you have altered our conditions yourself...not sending me the samples of the child's blood in full....keeping some for yourself? It is unwise to cheat Doom."
He reached a hand out toward the woman and his magic gripped her, lifting her into the air before him.
"HYDRA is weak," he growled, "HYDRA is broken. It is only because of you that it limps on. Without you, your puppet doctor and all the rest will scatter. All divided. All leaderless. And then the decay will set in and HYDRA will at last fall. It is-"
But his speech was cut short with Viper's kick to his middle, denting his armor in and sending him careening backward, falling onto his back.
She had....injured him....? Doom? The Lord of Latveria?
No. This would not stand.
Doom's eyes glowed green as he slowly stood, glaring back at the woman now more than seven feet's distance away.
"...you have witnessed the hell I bring with me," he growled, "Is it still your wish to stand against Doom? With what? Your weapons?"
He raised his hands slowly and the very rock around them solidified from the dirt and rubble, sending sharp spikes steadily every which way and in random order around them.
It was a show of power. A threat.
Even the earth itself obeyed Doom when he wished.
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Post by Madame HYDRA on May 11, 2017 15:11:56 GMT -5
Viper's fury burned hotter as Doom talked. No. She would not settle for this. HYDRA would not crumble. HYDRA had prevailed for years before she came along and it would prevail for years after she was gone. She would see to that personally. No, she would fight to the teeth if it meant keeping HYDRA on its feet, and by extension keeping her daughter safe from this monster in front of her.
As the monarch began to pick himself up, she rooted her feet and stayed her ground, clenching her fists as clumps of dirt and rubble began floating around her under the sway of Doom's power. She would not be intimidated by him. Even as the earth shot up in spikes surrounding her, she would not allow him to see fear. Fear she didn't feel. Had this not been an attack she had planned, she might have been terrified of catching the gaze of Victor Von Doom, but she would not allow him the satisfaction of seeing her as anything but an equal foe.
She pressed a hand against two spikes that jutted out at her feet and crushed them, a show that she would not be swayed by his threats. Not this time. She stepped over the rubble they left behind and slowly started marching toward him, venom in her eyes. As she made her way toward the monarch, her hands started sparking with energy, but it was raw. She had no real ability to control it. Then again, she didn't seem to notice it, either. Her eyes were trained on Doom. Not her hands. Not the carnage around her. Not the earth bending to the will of her adversary. Just the monster she was set to battle.
"I have witnessed much, Doom," she growled. "I have heard a great deal more." She bared her teeth, prosthetic fangs glinting in the faint light. "If this is how I get your attention, then so be it. But if you are no longer satisfied with our conditions, then you would do best to tell me to my face."
Her hands clenched into fists, and they were surrounded by a dark green energy. She lunged at him once again, swinging her fists in a calculated manner, with all of the training a proper HYDRA agent. Her movements were swift and precise, and the energy balled up in her hands was dangerously acidic. She moved in a way that didn't give him a chance to counter, though she knew it was only a matter of time until he used his magic to knock her back ... or worse.
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Post by Titania on May 11, 2017 22:26:27 GMT -5
Kroenen should have slammed into the wall, like any other person Titania punched. Instead, the little freak landed and splayed out on the brick like a spider before softly touching down on the ground. There was barely a scratch on him, aside from the dent in his helmet. All of this caused Titania to pause and re-evaluate her tactics with him. Of course, there wasn’t much in the terms of re-evaluation. Her method of fighting was simply brawling and punching. Most everything tended to be flattened or run off when she did that. Kroenen was clearly different in that regard.
With the addition of the blades…. that actually made the tall woman a bit confused. Hadn’t he seen her handling the hail of bullets and rockets just a few short minutes ago? Did he not realize how tough she was? Maybe he thought she was weak against being cut. Either way, his motions with his swords was almost hypnotic, and Titania found herself briefly entranced by his movements before realizing his speed and twirling was a distraction and the man was practically on top of her. He was fast and nimble, as well as being slippery as a snake. But, even with his speed, Kroenen’s swords were useless against her skin, and she watched him back away when his efforts failed. She smirked at that.
“What’s the matter? Mad that I got a tough hide? I thought you Nazi HYDRA scientists were supposed to be smart. Did you see how I handled the artillery barrage just now, or does that mask of yours make you blind,” she laughed. As she spoke, Titania carefully made her way closer to the man, trying to figure out how best to deal with him. “Fast and nimble. Like a bug. Guess I have to swat you then,” she muttered to herself as she looked around for something suitable. He would likely dodge just about anything she could throw at him, unless there were multiple items. “How about we test your reflexes.” With that she grabbed pieces of rubble and flung them at the masked man. She started out with small pieces, but she gradually increased the projectiles in size, weight, and speed, alternating in trajectory and throwing height and occasionally lobbing in a few smaller, precisely thrown bit of debris, aimed at his head and limbs.
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Post by Kroenen on May 26, 2017 13:54:47 GMT -5
Kroenen was gauging this woman as she spoke to him.
-She was quite large
-She was exceedingly strong
-She was prideful
-She was an enemy
These were all carefully and swiftly calculated into Kroenen's mind as the debris began to be flung at him. He would need to serve as a distraction until all other possibilities of stopping this woman were exhausted.
And so, he began to lightly leap onto the ever increasing, sizable pieces of debris thrown his way, lightly stepping on them as if they were rungs on a ladder to get toward his prey. She would perhaps keep all of her focus on him if this were done correctly.
He spun his blades at her face. Surely her eyes and other softer parts could not also be invulnerably. He deliberately missed, thinking of himself as a fly to a bear, but with greater purpose.
Kroenen shouted a command in German to the HYDRA soldiers around and sure enough, at his command, a tank of one of Madame HYDRA's contact's designs was uncovered beside one of the nearby hovels. It rolled toward the pair of them, intending to run over the woman. Kroenen kept his wits about him, landing on her shoulders and flipping off of her again to run his blades down her front as he did, making various attempts to stab at her as he did.
Only then did he recognize he had made an error.
The steel of his swords broke, snapped clean off after confronted with this.
He slowly looked up at the woman and tilted his head, curious what she might do.
He could take it. He was perfection.
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Lord Doom
Neutral
Doom's word is law.
Posts: 33
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Post by Lord Doom on May 26, 2017 14:22:47 GMT -5
The green eyes behind Doom's mask glowed even more fiercely as Madame HYDRA spoke.
How dare she take such a tone with Doom? He was not some common adversary.
He was just as his name said.
Doom. Always Doom.
And yet she had the audacity to come before him questioning his wishes for their little agreement? And on top of this had been using part of her payment in that bargain for herself?
This would not stand. Doom would not let it. He could not let it.
And yet his reply was stifled by the acidic fists of his opponent, which despite the magics he had bestowed upon his armor, he could not repel. He was battered to and fro by the strength in her strikes, grunting from the feeling of actual pain from it. Doom prided himself on planning for every contingency...and yet this had never entered his mind. He had so long believed that this woman's love for her child would keep her from treachery in their dealings, but it did not.
And now he was not fighting an ordinary woman.
The final blow sent him skidding backward, his armor scraping against the ground with a grinding creak.
He looked back at her, his eyes blazing as his mask melted away entirely, revealing his face. The scars, the scorching, the cavity where a nose had once been, the sneering, twisted lip.
"You DARE..." he growled as his magic created a false, phantom image of his mask over his face, "You have betrayed our bargain, you have proven this. Why spew your venom at me as if I was the first to break it? Perhaps I leave here now and retrieve your daughter, while you make your long trek back to your base in defeat?"
He stood and clasped his arms behind his back.
"Or we do indeed rework our terms. Or I destroy you utterly and leave your corpse for the ravens."
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Post by Madame HYDRA on May 30, 2017 1:16:19 GMT -5
To say that being able to knock Victor von Doom around did not swell her chest with pride would have been a lie. Viper was rather enjoying this side effect of her experiments. If she did not give him a chance to use his sorcery, he was nothing more than a man in some armor. This was wonderful news for HYDRA. He was a man, just like any other, when you could get to him.
Her daughter would be so pleased to find this out.
She approached him, ready to continue her assault on his person, when he turned and she saw a sight she would not have expected to see. His face. His horrible, disgusting face.
It disappeared under a phantom mask, but she could not escape that face and its permanent sneer.
She was left speechless, and it let her guard down, just enough that she was willing to listen.
Well, at least enough that she was willing to put a halt to her onslaught. For now. After all, she was a good soldier, and she would leave the option open if she was sure that perhaps talk might end badly.
"I broke no agreement," she hissed. "You got your payments in full. Four vials every month. That was the agreement. We extracted extra for my own purposes. You have no claim on my daughter's blood."
Her hands glowed a dark green again with venom that she could not control. She had no intention of attacking, but her anger was mounting.
"If you want to talk, let's talk. But don't you DARE claim that I was the one that broke our terms."
She took a deep breath and let it out, gritting her teeth.
"So. What say you? I call off my men, you evacuate yours from this land, and we meet on neutral ground to discuss our new terms?"
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Post by Titania on Jun 4, 2017 10:54:17 GMT -5
He was good and agile, Titania had to admit that. In fact, he was almost annoyingly agile. She wondered if fighting the little HYDRA girl would be like this. If it was, best to get in some practice then, wasn’t it? Titania chuckled, enjoying this little game. “I like how you’re keeping this fun, Kroenen. Moving targets are always more sporting than ones that stand still. Besides, you’re actually giving me a bit up an exercise. It will be a pity when I finally stomp your head into the ground.” However, she stopped laughing once his blades near her face.
The flinch was instinctual, causing her to step back and away, even though the strike was a miss. Doom had tested her limits, wanting to make sure that his general was indeed bulletproof, and his tests had been through. As far as she knew, even the softest parts of her body, including her eyes, were invulnerable. Still, her stumbling back and away was an involuntary reflex, one the she hated because it likely should Kroenen that she was afraid, which she wasn’t. Not against him. Not against any HYDRA agent. He moved faster, flipping again and again. He briefly landed upon Titanita’s shoulders,but as she reached up to grab him, the nimble man was gone again. She felt his blades stab at and drag down her body, but it did no good. They broke off against her, the snapping of metal bringing a smile to her face.
“Awww, what’s the matter? Did I break your toys? Don’t worry, I’ll do the same to you.” Unfortunately, Titania only had enough time to say that, as Kroenen’s bit of distraction worked. It needed to be noted that HYDRA tanks, along with a good number of German tanks in the second World War, were known for their speed. Before she knew it, Titania was hit by the massive armored vehicle and slammed firmly into the ground by its tank tread. The driver must have been an expert at operating the machine, as well as being a bit sadistic, as he managed to reverse the vehicle a few times, essentially grounding Doom’s general further into the rumble, rock, and mud, before coming to a halt, resting on top of her and offering no leverage to free herself.
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Lord Doom
Neutral
Doom's word is law.
Posts: 33
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Post by Lord Doom on Jun 15, 2017 3:08:17 GMT -5
Crossing his arms in a more imposing posture, Doom glared hard at his enemy.
"This land is mine to be taken," he growled, "It is but a speck to complete my conquest of the territory. As you say that I have no claim to your daughter's blood, nor have you any to this land. Not by birthright nor by conquest."
His words were briefly interrupted as he looked down at the town below, hearing the commotion rising.
"I see that your toys have bested my general for the moment," he said casually as he looked back to her, "And yet, Doom is not unreasonable. Revisiting our terms may be the more valuable recourse for both of us. There seems to have been a simple misunderstanding."
Doom moved closer to Viper, floating a few inches off the ground in lieu of walking.
"Your newfound abilities are impressive," he said, "But they alone cannot best Doom. You know this full well. And your rabble may vex me for an hour or a day, but against my empire which continues to rise there is no victory. Not for you nor any who stand before me."
He landed in front of her, letting his arms fall to his sides again.
"And so," he concluded, "If you will agree that this town is to become a part of my empire, then we shall discuss terms. In a neutral place, under cover of night. Merely the two of us. If you find this agreeable."
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Post by Madame HYDRA on Jun 15, 2017 14:17:26 GMT -5
Viper didn't want to agree to these terms. She didn't want to agree to any terms with this monster. But, she knew that refusing him would spell certain doom for HYDRA at this point in time. She couldn't have that. Not as long as she was given the choice.
She grit her teeth and bowed her head, hands losing their glow.
"I will concede this land to you, Doom." It took all of her energy not to spit the words out as venomously as she would have liked.
She looked at him, and she couldn't help the poison in her eyes. She hated him, but working with him was a necessity she had to be able to afford.
But she would not concede Europe to him. That much was certain in her mind.
She shouted orders for her men to stand down. She called a ceasefire, for as long as it would take to work out the details of a new agreement. She looked up at him, daring him to break the terms. All she needed was to be within arm's reach of him. That she was. If he ordered their demise, she would fight til the last breath to see him dead before herself.
That fire in her eyes, she bowed to him in respect and looked up at him. "I agree to your terms. The two of us will meet, alone. I'm sure we can come to terms that are agreeable to both of us."
Though, in truth, she didn't fully trust that they could.
She looked around at the dead surrounding them. There looked to be a good pile of bodies for Kroenen's work. "I hope you will allow HYDRA to see that the remains of the fallen are disposed of properly," she said, no hint in her voice that she was masking a greater purpose to the proposal.
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Lord Doom
Neutral
Doom's word is law.
Posts: 33
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Post by Lord Doom on Jun 22, 2017 19:28:45 GMT -5
Doom nodded and held up a hand.
Without a word, his troops ceased their onslaught and stood at attention facing the hill their master stood upon.
At this ceasefire, even the tank keeping Doom's general buried rolled backward off of her before settling into a resting position.
Turning back to Madame HYDRA, Doom considered her carefully.
He did not trust her.
But then...he did not have to.
This would all come to be his in time. He had foreseen that.
With a nod, he grasped her forearm in a firm grip of agreement. It added that he trusted her enough not to break his arm.
"We have terms, then." he agreed, "The dead shall be left to HYDRA. Doom would not defile those who have passed honorably on the field of battle at the whims of their masters."
He turned to look down at the field of slaughter once again. It was quite a mess. He anticipated some form of extended trap, yet this turned out to be far more prolonged than he would have guessed. Even so, at least something more reasonable had been agreed to.
For the moment.
Turning his gaze back to Madame HYDRA, he posed a question.
"Your doctor..." he asked, "I feel I have seen him before in paper clippings. No doubt he is of great value to you."
His eyes looked the woman over.
"Perhaps he is the one to be thanked for your...current state?"
Doom didn't know terribly much about this Dr. Kroenen who had taken up with HYDRA other than most had claimed he was mad. Some sort of monster.
Fortunately, Doom took an interest in monsters and as such had taken interest in this one who moved like a man. Perhaps he could be persuaded to join in his cause to spread Latverian rule...after all, if the doctor's quest for human perfection were as truly aimed as it had been rumored to be, Doom wanted nothing more.
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Post by Madame HYDRA on Jun 24, 2017 23:56:24 GMT -5
The HYDRA troops stopped their fighting when Doom's soldiers ceased theirs and stood at attention. They stood, confused, waiting for orders, and finally stood down when given the signal. Their Madame HYDRA was holding Doom's forearm in agreement, which seemed to be good enough for them. After all, they knew better than to cross their Madame, and they didn't want to risk crossing Doom either. The mixture of the two made for a perfect concoction of fear amongst the HYDRA soldiers.
Upon Doom's proclamation, they began to gather the dead. They knew what would become of them. The doctor had his ritual he wanted to perform, and these were just corpses for the pile. They didn't bother to count if it was enough. They didn't want to know. They didn't care to know. As far as they were concerned, as long as they weren't among the dead, that was all they cared about.
Viper, however, smirked, as Doom addressed her and looked her over. It might have made her uncomfortable if Doom were the type of man to have a wandering eye, but his curiosity was more scientific. Or, at least, she could hope it was.
"Actually, my current state is thanks to me. My doctor came around after the experimentation was completed."
She looked at Kroenen with a sort of scientific fondness that a friend might have.
"He is indeed brilliant, though. He has made human perfection his goal, and he has promised me an army of perfect soldiers." Of course, she wouldn't tell him that was what the dead bodies were for. "His methods are .... often frowned upon by most other scientists, but you? I have a feeling you might be interested in seeing him at work."
She allowed herself another smirk and clasped her hands behind her back. "Perhaps, if we can come to an agreeable set of terms, I might be able to set something up. If you are interested, of course."
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Post by Titania on Jun 27, 2017 22:44:12 GMT -5
No matter how invulnerable you are, tank treads moving back and forth over your head is never a pleasant experience. Titania was discovering that as the tank drove her face further and further into the rubble. Try as she might, she couldn’t seem to get the proper leverage to free herself from the machine. Then, all of a sudden she felt the tank retreat and heard its motor shut off. Muscles protesting, Titania managed to stagger to her feet. She looked worse for wear; uniform torn, hair loose and in complete disarray, and dirt ground firmly into her skin, but despite all of that, she was unharmed. Unless you counted her pride. The Grand General should never been seen in such a state by any of her men. Once this skirmish was finished, Titania had plans for a very long and very hot bath.
But those thoughts left her head as soon as she saw her lord and master shaking hands with the head of HYDRA. So that was why the tank stopped trying to plow her into he earth. But what had they agreed upon to stop the attacks? Her question was somewhat answered as she saw the living beginning to collect the dead. That sight was an odd one that disturbed her just enough to make Titania feel that it was prudent for her to be by Doom’s side during his conversation with Viper. Smoothing her hair as she walked, Titania quickly made her way up to the two leaders.
Upon reaching them, The tall woman eyed Viper carefully. She had seen some of what this woman had done during the battle, including the greenish blasts of energy that came from her hands; an ability she thought only Viper’s child had. “I was unaware that the bug’s power were contagious. I hope you have her in quarantine,” she sneered, her current mood clouding her judgement. Normally, she wouldn’t have commented in such a manner with Doom so close at hand. But, then again, being under that tank really pissed her off. “My lord, I would recommend against accepting any offer to see HYDRA’s mad scientist at work. He does more than just surgery and augmentation. I would have concerns over your personal safety.”
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Post by Kroenen on Jul 16, 2017 17:20:55 GMT -5
Kroenen remained silent as the tank dislodged itself from atop Doom's general.
She seemed so easily stopped, for someone so relatively unstoppable.
He made meticulous mental note of this as he clasped his arms behind his back and stepped out of the tank's way as it moved. He kept his glass-covered eyes on the General as she stood from what had been her prison, and indeed might have been for some time until he could devise a way to destroy her or put her to some use.
His eyes did not move from her as she dusted herself off and moved toward Madame HYDRA and Doom. Kroenen watched her. She did not look at him. Undoubtedly out of pride, but perhaps determination as well. She seemed fiercely loyal to her lord.
Interesting.
What had Doom done to achieve such absolute devotion? Had Doom given this woman her power?
Had Doom threatened to take it from her?
So many questions, so few answers.
But for the moment, there was work to be done.
His gaze drifted to Madame HYDRA's when he sensed her eyes looking at him. He could not hear what she was saying to her old enemy at such a distance, but Kroenen gave a short, curt bow to her before returning to the business of rounding up the HYDRA soldiers.
And of course, collecting the corpses which had suffered the least amount of damage.
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Lord Doom
Neutral
Doom's word is law.
Posts: 33
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Post by Lord Doom on Jul 16, 2017 17:34:11 GMT -5
Doom surveyed Viper's expressions as she spoke. The look she sent to her clockwork doctor.
Curious.
Had they known each other before this? Dr. Kroenen had been reported dead, the last he understood. But then again, Doom understood more things of more realms than most of his ilk.
He crossed his arms over his chest and nodded to the woman.
"That would prove education, I have little doubt." he growled, turning and looking up at his General when she spoke.
She had a fair point. Viper could easily set a trap. And yet, Doom's curiosity was brimming.
"I have minimal concern that the good Dr. Kroenen would prove an adversary to Doom," he replied, shaking his head, "But your recommendation is noted. Caution is ever prudent. You seemed yourself to be giving him quite a....what is it the Americans say....'run for his money'?"
He turned his attentions back to Viper.
"Tonight, then?" he asked, "At sundown. Over the Griktshtall Pass, there is a small place. A house of worship, I believe. It has been left abandoned for some time and extends outside of the borders of Latveria, and indeed your reach as well. That shall be our neutral ground. We require witnesses, perhaps, to bring together a final conditional agreement."
Doom gestured behind him up at TItania.
"I shall bring my General. She shall await outside, along with whomever you bring as your witness. I have faith that things shall be...decisive. We both wish an end to this conflict, do we not?"
He scanned Viper carefully, waiting to measure her response.
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