(AN: I am officially back from vacation! It was a pleasurable two weeks of family camping in the middle of nowhere, and I am back at it once again. Aside from 500+ work emails waiting for me, I received another raise and another week of scheduled training. I will be out of state the week of 11/10 for training on Microsoft Teams' phone systems. Yay…☹)
---3rd Person POV, Great Crusade Era---
Blankly staring out over the Nucerian wasteland before him, a disgruntled city guard let out an annoyed sigh. He had been waiting for an enemy attack at the western gate of the fortress city for the past five days. While the guard had been initially ecstatic about getting to fight, after days of seeing only tumbleweeds… his patience was at its end.
"I am sick of this shit!", City Guard 1 howled, slamming the butt of his spear onto the stone roadway. "It is abundantly clear to everyone that our intelligence was faulty. The Eaters of Cities do not have the balls to attack Lord Maestro's stronghold. Kill the fools who wasted our time and get back to business as usual already!"
"Hold on, you mean to tell me all this time we have been waiting on those bastards to show up?!", City Guard 2 spat, slamming his mace into the heavy laser battery tower next to him. "Last I heard, our allies had them pinned down on Mt. Fedan Mhor. Their pathetic rebellion should be snuffed out any day now."
Enraged by this revelation, City Guard 1 turned to his superior for an explanation. Feeling his intense gaze, the commander stopped woodcarving for a moment to scold him.
"Listen, welp, unless you have a death wish, I highly recommend keeping your grievances to yourself. Our lord has executed men for less…", the commander remarked, resuming his work. "In case you have forgotten, it won't be just you who will suffer the consequences either. Your wife and children will become Lord Maestro's newest playthings."
As the disgruntled man's anger quickly extinguished, the commander called up to the men on the wall for a status update. Scouring the horizon with their binoculars, they spotted several dust clouds in the distance.
"Several battlewagons inbound, sir. They are flying Lord Carrigan's colors.", City Guard 7 reported, noticing the occupants were frantically waving their arms. "Bet they want to bum some more booze off of- "
Before he could finish his statement, a pack of gigantic wolves made of ice appeared from within the dust clouds. Rapidly advancing on the fleeing group, the ravenous beasts began ripping men out of the vehicles and devouring them whole.
"Why in the hell are they leading those things here?!", City Guard 10 screamed, looking at the range finder. "ENEMY SPOTTED!! TEN MILES OUT AND CLOSING!!"
"You dipshit, they are twenty miles out. The horizon is directly behind…", City Guard 7 began before noticing his range finder said the same. 'How is that possible?'
Turning his attention to what he believed was the horizon, the guard spotted faint traces of movement. Unable to make sense of what he was seeing, he ran over to the telescope for a better look. When he got it focused on his target, an unearthly scream came out of his mouth.
"MOUNTAIN-SIZED STONE GIANTS INBOUND!!", City Guard 7 shrieked, falling onto his backside as urine seeped through his pants. "RUN AWAY!!"
A nervous laugh escaped his colleagues' mouth as he stepped forward to see for himself. Just as he pressed his eye to the eyepiece, the sky overhead suddenly darkened. Looking up to see what was happening, he did not have a chance to scream before a skyscraper-sized boulder flattened all of them.
As more boulders hammered the fortress, sirens shrieked, and the city rapidly descended into chaos. The city's defenders scrambled toward their defensive positions, only to feel the ground lurch and rumble violently beneath their feet. Uncertainty became panic; the weak of heart among them collapsed to their knees in sheer terror.
"I… I cannot do this!", City Guard 27 cried out as a boulder flew overhead. "We should flee with our families while we can. This city is done for."
"There will be no talk of desertion, do you hear me!?", his superior roared, lopping his head off with a swing of his axe. "Stand and fight for- "
A chorus of loud snarls erupted as several blood-drenched wolves sailed over the wall in front of them. In a flash of panicked motion, the commander abandoned his post, violently pushing his men out of the way to ensure his escape. The stunned subordinates stood frozen, only breaking their stupor to follow the fleeing commander; it was too late. The wolves tore into them with vicious efficiency.
'No one told me monsters were involved; fuck that shit! I don't get paid well enough to face such terrifying creatures.', the commander thought, continuing to run as his subordinates' screams slowly disappeared. 'Their sacrifices should buy me enough to grab my valuables and get the hell out of here.'
"A commander who abandons his men when the going gets tough is nothing more than a coward.", an Eternal named Virako remarked, appearing before him.
Taken entirely by surprise, the commander crashed into Virako, landing flat on his rear. He instantly scrambled up and, trusting his superhuman power, hurled a desperate haymaker at the Eternal's face. As the large fist slammed into Virako's chin, the Eternal merely smiled, watching the commander's hand turn to pulp against his jaw.
"FUCK!!", the commander screamed, staggering backward as he cradled his wounded hand. "Who in the hell are you?!"
"Save your breath…", Virako remarked, seizing him by the throat. "Tell me where Maestro is, or you can spend your final moments with my friends here."
The ice wolves he had been desperately fleeing now slowly completed their circle, their chilling presence causing his sphincter to tighten. With escape impossible, the officer meekly submitted to Virako's demand. He pointed toward a building on the city's edge—a structure resembling a monastery temple—and insisted that it was Maestro's home.
"The ornate structure at the city center is nothing more than a ruse. If the city were to be overrun, the enemy would make a beeline there, giving Maestro time to escape.", the officer asserted. "Now that you have your information, please let me go!"
"Mercy for Maestro's allies was never an option…", Virako remarked, his eyes glowing red. "I will make this quick, though."
With a blinding flash of heat vision, the Eternal incinerated the man, reducing him to a pile of ash. Since their target was eliminated, Victor's magical creatures resumed their search while Virako transmitted his findings to his colleagues. Once the team was fully informed, he immediately departed to assist with the civilian evacuation.
---Maestro's Palace---
Comfortably situated on his throne, Maestro watched his collection of beauties dance for his amusement in slave bikinis. With a casual wave of his hand, he beckoned three of his favorites to his side. Breaking away from their peers, the women calmly strode forward, their eyes devoid of life.
"The new Mark VIII Halos of Subservience are working flawlessly, I see.", Maestro commented as the women knelt before him. "The three of you must be screaming inside those pretty little heads of yours right about now. You are in the same situation Banner was in all those years ago: helpless passengers trapped inside your own body. If you had just accepted my rule, things would not have had to come to this."
Seizing Emma Frost by the throat, Maestro gleefully hoisted her into the air. Slowly applying pressure, her body spasmed uncontrollably as her survival instincts kicked in. Unable to overcome the machine's grip over her mind, this was the most her body could manage.
"Come now, surely the great Emma Frost can do better than this. HAHA!", Maestro cackled as tears streamed down her cheeks. "After I break your proud spirit, you can look forward to spending your days as a whore in the red-light district. Don't worry, most of these pretty faces will follow you there once I grow bored of their presence."
Abruptly letting her go, Maestro proceeded to playfully punch her in the gut. Laughing like a madman as she slammed into the far wall, he commanded the injured woman to rejoin her peers.
"Do not worry, Susan and Valeria Richards, you will not be joining them. I have other plans for the two of you.", Maestro remarked, turning his attention to the two other women. "Since I can't have my revenge on Doom and Reed, I will have to make do with you two."
(AN: Before anyone gets their panties in a bunch, this Valeria is in her twenties.)
Lustfully fondling their supple breasts, Maestro was about to sneak a peek when the palace began to shake. Annoyed by the interruption, he angrily rose from his seat to find out what was happening. Before he could take a step, though, a boulder tore through the building. As the throne room's roof vanished, the sound of blaring alarms and terrified screams filled the room.
"The information we received was accurate. Maestro is here.", Thena relayed over the radio. "He is holed up here with- "
Upon seeing what Maestro was doing to her cherished allies and friends, Thena flew into a blind rage. Drawing her blade, the Eternal dove toward the stunned monster at breakneck speed. With her sword raised, she attempted to take his head but narrowly missed her mark.
"You stupid bitch! How dare you destroy my beautiful city.", Maestro spat as the minor gash on his neck rapidly healed. "Betty, why didn't anyone notify me that we were under attack?"
Waiting a moment for his handcrafted AI to respond, Maestro repeated the request again as he batted Thena away.
"Waste not your paltry breath, imbecile. Your pathetic construct of artificial intellect has ceased to function, by MY design.", Victor stated, landing a short distance behind him. "Thena, you shall relinquish this simpleton to my capable hands. Direct your efforts towards the preservation of your comrades; their fates shall be examined by Doom after I am done with this imbecile."
An icy cold shiver ran down Maestro's spine as he slowly turned around.
"No… This… This cannot be.", Maestro said, clenching his fists. "YOU SHOULD BE DEAD!!"
"Did you genuinely delude yourself into believing that Doom, in all of his resplendent glory, would succumb with such pathetic ease?", Victor countered, confidently strutting toward him. "Behold, the epoch of your utter ruination is now upon you, as decreed by Doom!"
Maestro, consumed by a blinding rage, threw a wild, uncontrolled haymaker at his foe. Victor responded with casual contempt, phasing clean through both the punch and the green monster. He clamped a vice-like grip on the back of Maestro's neck, then, without visible strain, hoisted him into the air.
"Such pathetic frailty offends Doom's sensibilities.", Victor spoke in a condescending tone before flipping him overhead and slamming him through the floor.
Momentarily turning his head toward the Eternals as they evacuated the prisoners, Valeria and Victor's eyes met.
"Uncle… Doom…", Valeria tearfully choked out before fainting from mental overexertion.
"Fear not, my dear Valeria. Doom shall rectify this pathetic state of affairs.", Victor spoke up before jumping into the hole he created.
While Victor and Maestro duked it out, Thena and her colleagues spirited their friends out of the city. As they flew above the sprawling horde of ice wolves and stone giants, the Eternals were awestruck by the power of Victor's magic. Not only were they slaughtering Maestro's loyalists, but they were also guiding the innocent to safety simultaneously.
"Agamotto was not exaggerating about Victor's magical prowess…", Ikaris remarked, paying close attention to the situation on the ground. "I cannot recall an instance where a Sorcerer Supreme successfully pulled off such a complex spell. Strange attempted equally complex spells in the past, and it always fell apart spectacularly."
"Yes, I am well aware…", Thena remarked, trying not to laugh as she recalled those days. "Moving on, Phastos, do you think you can disable the devices mounted to their skulls? We could use some extra hands evacuating the city and searching for other captives."
"Haha, heck no!", Phastos stated, vigorously shaking his head. "These units are based on the Butcher's Nails we were shown earlier. They are wired to several parts of the brain, so a careless misstep will kill them or turn them into vegetables. Our best option is to wait for Victor to rewind the damage."
Unsatisfied with his response, Thena and a few of his colleagues were about to chew him out when Luxion appeared among them. A bit surprised to see him, they asked Luxion if he needed something from him.
"You can disable these stupid things?! That is wonderful- ", Sersi said before the group came to an abrupt halt. "Victor told us he would take up Doctor Doom's persona to draw Maestro's attention away from us, but why are you talking like him too?"
(Luxion)
Taken aback by this news, the Eternals were unsure what to make of it. When Ikaris went to share this discovery with Victor, he discovered his communicator was bricked.
Begrudgingly accepting his command, the Eternals quickly descended upon the safe zone to deposit their charges. Heading back out immediately, they periodically checked in on the robot to see how things were progressing.