Nicholas was lying in bed. Anna and Haddie were sleeping on his left. Paige and the newly added Intergra was on his right. Mileena, Kitana, and Sindel were cuddling near his waist. A little further away but still on the bed; Sheeva, Tanya, Seras, Jade, Jessica Cruz and Emmylou.
They were forming a semi-circle, ready to attack anyone who would disrupt their sleep. They way the blankets hugged the bodies of everyone in bed it looked like the cover of some trashy romance novel. Until you looked at those that weren't on the bed. Those sleeping close to the bed looked peaceful even as they laid on top of each other, but the further they got from the bed the more sprawled out they got. Some even had looks of mental exhaustion. Signs of a rough night. Only the occasional adjustment for comfort served as proof that there weren't broken dolls.
Nicholas opened his eyes. He didn't get up, not yet. He looked at Anna and Haddie; he's known them longer than most. There was no real deception or manipulation in the relationship, and they still chose to love him. Then he turned his head in the other direction. Paige, still a vision of beauty. Then there was Integra, her clothes and posture hid the fact that she had quite the figure. She was surprised to learn the fact that she had fallen in love or at least had felt some form of it. Kitana, Sindel, and Mileena were hugging his waist, a form of the mother-daughter combo. Something that always proves amusing.
Everyone began to stir, a sign that it was time to get up. Of course, some recovered faster than others. They rose, got dressed, and began their routines to help speed along their recovery. Nicholas decided to walk around his realm before beginning his next outing. With new arrivals, both from his outing and the snares. Laura Croft had proven a delicious addition, but over the course of one night several more had arrived. Michonne off the top of his, several other ladies as well. The Animatronic was proving an interesting addition to his killers. There were other killers, each with their own style.
His mind drifted back to that tracker Diane had. The look on her face when Jessica revealed its purpose and how both of them had been captured on purpose. The device itself was being kept in the Doctors area. If he focused he could feel the remaining pieces of the anchor. Of course, at this time there was nothing he could do about it, he can't even determine how much time is passing back at that specific universe. As he wondered around he began to notice the changes.
When he first arrived, everything was dirty, twisted, meant to cause fear. Granted the upbeat music that played whenever he ran a trial really undermined the fear. But now, everything was cleaner more entertaining. This place was about improving the needed recovery and convincing new arrivals to lower their guard.
Well, except for the areas outside his tower. The killers still wander about for the most part only instead of making offerings when they encounter new arrivals they are meant to drive them out of their areas and into my waiting arms. Of course, not every area has a killer these days so there are gaps. He was stepping into one of those now. The Boneyard. Between the sand and the grave stones everyone naturally thinks its purely an ancient graveyard. However the tower was the real focus. At first the books were burned decorations, holding nothing of value. But now they're real. The sections were easy to figure out. The sparsely covered shelves on the bottom floor were books on places he's been too. The second floor, a little more packed, were books on those who called this place home whether they were killers or his... lovers? Partners? They were more to him than simple slaves or food but most of them didn't get to choose to come here. Prisoners may be more accurate but still doesn't feel appropriate for the amount of freedom they do have.
The third floor, a place only he had access to, was wall to wall full of books each of them dedicated to a place he could go too. However, six books stood out. They were on the bottom floor. They sat on six individual stands. Nicholas approached one. It was titled "The First Born." As he read its pages, he learned it was about a creature created by God, it took the form of a child but was too powerful and destructive for its own good. So, God locked it away and eventually created humanity. The child eventually found humans who could hear its whispers. It convinced an ancient Sumerian priestess to build a grand city on the backs of ten thousand slaves and to have her slaughter them all when it was done. Then there was a Roman governor, it was when the book began to describe an Archbishop from the Crusades that Nicholas recognized this story.
His mind went back to when he was a human working temp jobs. A coworker decided to help pass the time by talking about a game he had just beaten.
"Clive Barker's Jericho"
Nicholas immediately checked the other books; each one was about a game. A game with a horror theme and apocalyptic event tied to it. The Suffering, Evil Within, Dead Space, Nightmare Creatures, and F.E.A.R.
Obviously, some were scarier than others. And of course, the titles of the books weren't actually the name of the games, obviously. With the exception of "The Suffering" the titles were more about the monstrosities within. Dead Space had the title, "That Which Manipulates and Devours the Dead." Lengthy, correct, yet somehow not completely accurate. As Nicholas went back to the first book, he wondered why these six were on their own pedestals. There were plenty of books up on the third floor about scary games.
He got his answer when he got to the back. In essence, there were instructions on how to physically manifest its content into the current reality. Basically, if he were to toss this book, say into the universe of a place he already visited than the location would be swapped out with the city of Al-Khali and the massive ever growing storm that would consume the world if not sealed. And of course, he could take for himself anything or anyone who did get caught up in the swap or in the resulting storm. Of course there was a risk. While all he had to do was pour some of his energy to activate it, there were clear and simple instructions that would allow anyone to do that. If that was the case, then the resulting disaster would be wild and uncontrollable.
*ahem*
Just then he heard a voice and turned his head. Standing there with a nervous and subdue look was Zorin Blitz. She was holding one arm and her eyes were constantly shifting, like she was expecting to receive a beating at any moment.
Honestly, he hadn't really paid attention to her during his last feeding, just had his fun. Hard not too when the others were being more responsive. As he approached her, she flinched as he extended his hand. Then asked, "What did you see when you entered my mind?"
With a twinge of fear she said, "It wasn't what I saw, it's what I experienced. I was strapped to a chair my fath- a man, torturing me. Growing up in darkness day in and day out the same thing. I-." He comforted her and said, "That's enough." Then he saw a partial tattoo, a chainsaw with a deformed arm attached it looked in complete and faded. He touched it and it disappeared completely, no trace.
Zorin, stopped shaking, and started leaning into his touch. It then clicked fir Nicholas that Zorin wasn't reading his mind but experiencing the memories of the Hillbilly. Had she succeeded, then there would've been a complete tattoo of the Hillbilly. She might have even gained authority over him, of course anyone with the understanding of the concept of basic decency wouldn't be able to come out intact. Especially if the memories of the Hillbilly were actually melding with Zorin's memories. It would take a truly powerful mind to keep them separated. Then he thought about the Nemesis, Executioner, Dredge, and the Unknown. They weren't human, what would be the experience of going through their minds.
As Zorin left his grasp, he told her to go relax and recover. As she left, Nicholas could tell with the removal of the tattoo the associated experience was also gone. While she was free, she stilled remembered how she felt and was obviously grateful to be free. A slight twinge in his stomach told him he would need to leave for the next world soon. He let out a sigh, on the one hand he was growing stronger on the other that meant he would need more to feed on. If everyone he met instantly fell in love with him then it wouldn't be a problem, but it's not something that can be forced.
He summoned a door, his mind drifted back upstairs to the third floor. The books up there held information on worlds he never even heard off, but it would take decades to read even a quarter of them.
As he stepped through the door, on the other side was a rather large building in a forest. It seemed familiar, as he scanned his surroundings he saw a cliff edge overlooking the ocean. As he was about to walk towards the building. Nicholas heard a distinctive metallic click. And a familiar voice say, "I don't know who you are or how you got here but you so much as twitch than I'll put you down."
Luckily for Nicholas, summoning a crow to look behind him didn't require him to move. It appeared on a tree outside the field of view. Then he saw who was pointing a gun at him. The man was tall, wearing a black coat, sunglasses, body armor, and had a sword on his back. One word came to his mind, Blade.
Building in a forest next to a cliff plus Blade meant this was the headquarters for the Midnight Suns which meant this was a Marvel universe. But which one? Was it the game, the comic, or some variation. The fact that Blade did not look like Wesley Snipes meant this wasn't the cinematic universe. He tried to immediately have another search the Abby so he could get a clearer picture, but he couldn't. Which means his anchor was in there. Suddenly several other people came out of the building. Their outfits indicated that this was the game. Or perhaps a variation, since Agatha was alive and with streaks of white in her black hair instead of being pure gray. The Caretaker, Nico, Magik, Robbie, and Wanda were there looking like their game counterparts.
Caretaker stepped forward obviously about to demand answers. So Nicholas decided to arrange a little distraction. While he would love to collect from Marvel there was just no guarantee that he could right now. And since this group wouldn't be distracted by one of his killers. He had the Doctor, the Singularity, and the Knight show up. As if to confirm what he already knew, when they appeared music started playing.
[Open The Door - Longestsoloever feat DayumDahlai]
The combination of everything provided the window he need. Blade took his gun off him to face the new threats as for the others. Those that weren't paying attention to the killers were trying to identify were the music was coming from.
Nicholas ran, a blue hole opened up in front of him, but he managed to dodge it and made it inside. The noise outside indicated that Caretaker ordered Wanda and Magik after him. Realizing he didn't have the time he decided to check the chapel and belltower first. He made it to the chapel nothing stood out, there wasn't anything there that wasn't in the game. As he began to climb, he heard Wanda's voice say, "I think he went towards the chapel!"
He made it into the tower and quietly closed the door before climbing the stairs. At the top he saw it by the desk, the thing that didn't belong. As he approached, it looked lick the symbol that was used to track Hunter's alignment whether they chose light or darkness. Or at least half of it, it looked like it was only the light half of the symbol. It looked broken, like it was missing pieces. He picked it up, hearing steps coming up the stairs he immediately withdrew his killers and tried to break the anchor. But it was far stronger than it should've been. He summoned the Executioner's giant knife and swung down on the anchor with all his might. But it didn't budge, in fact it seemed all that energy was dispersed. Nicholas stood there holding the anchor in disbelief.
As he held it, he had to accept an uncomfortable truth. This anchor was incomplete and while it was incomplete, it was indestructible.