The Life of Valor (Grave x Kat)

Scott sat down and waited for Jessica to join him.
"So, how did the training go? How did you and Grace form the armor?"
The process for the two of them had been completely different from his own experience, and he was interested in learning about it.
 
Jessica thought a moment. "Well, I think all in all it was just that we needed to trust and understand each other completely. Know how each of us thinks, know how each of us feels, be completely open to each other."
 
Jessica shrugged. "It's hard to explain... we kinda just... focused on each other and letting each other into our memories and not hiding anything. We kinda just... explored each others minds."
 
Scott nodded.
"I see. That's definitely a unique way of doing things."
He guessed that in the end what formed a full set of Voltari Armor was trust, and trust was gained in many different ways.
"So, what should we do now? What do you think is next for us?"
 
Scott nodded.
"I suppose that's all we can do."
They left the cafeteria and said goodbye to their friends. Using a Fire Path, they were back home and on the couch. They would return to work the next day, resuming their normal life. However, neither of them knew that nothing about the next day would be normal.
 
Scott smiled at her.
"I love you, too."
He kissed her cheek and watched TV with her until they got tired. They then went to bed and got up the next morning. Scott was cooking breakfast when Jessica came in.
"Good morning, babe."

Far away, something was changing in the universe. A dark figure hurled from space to the planet Earth. After landing, it stood up in a humanoid form with a jet black body. Slowly, it formed a cloak around itself and its eyes grew red. Turning its head, it smiled, white teeth showing under the red eyes.
"Destroyer...Revenge..."

The cloaked figure began walking forward. It seemed guided by some instinct, moving across a land it did not know. Its long fluid strides never hesitated, nor did it pay attention to those around it. As it entered Scott's neighborhood, it found his house. Standing across the street, it seemed to be waiting for him. It would wait for as long as it took for The Destroyer to face it.
 
Jessica smiled. "Morning love." She sat down at the table then tensed as she felt Grace do so. "Jessica, there's something outside."

"Some...thing?" She asked aloud. "What is it?"

"I don't know... I just feel.... evil radiating from outside."

Jessica nodded and looked to Scott, standing up as she donned her armor piece by piece. "We've got company."
 
Scott turned around and had a puzzled expression on his face as Jessica started conversing with Grace. Valor scanned the outside and felt an intense power outside. It wasn't entirely evil, but it had evil intentions. It was unlike any power he had felt before, but in sheer volume, they were dealing with an enemy in the same class as Satan. This was the fourth of the top four within the cosmic order, standing with God, Satan, and The Destroyer. This was the Universe Personified.

Scott turned to Jessica and a determined look was on his face.
"Jessica, I need you to stay here. That enemy outside is like nothing you've ever seen before. He's a cosmic force and could easily kill you. I'm going to have to use my Destroyer form and hope it will be enough."
Scott then thought of something.

"Actually, no, don't stay here. Go to Alan and tell him that the Universe has come for its revenge. We always knew this day might come, but we didn't know when."
Scott knew that Jessica would most likely refuse to leave his side, but this was a matter of extreme importance. If something happened to him in this battle, Alan and Chiang would have to mobilize a counter offensive.
"Please, Jessica, the entire Earth is at stake."

Scott knew that the Universe Personified would attack without mercy. It would not care how many people it killed as long as it ended him. Scott would have to protect everyone as well as himself in this battle.
"After you let Alan know, you can come back to fight with me. We just have to make sure we contain him first."
There was a lot riding on their shoulders this time, and Scott had to make sure that no innocent lives were lost.
 
Jessica opened her mouth to protest when he said to stay here then frowned a bit but nodded as she was told to go see Alan. She called out to him mentally to have a portal opened and hurried through.
 
Scott was relieved when Jessica left to go to Alan's dimension. This fight was going to be on a whole different scale from any fight before, and he wanted her safely away for as long as possible. After the portal closed, he used the Quick Armor skill to put all of his Destroyer armor on at once. Taking a deep breath, he headed outside to confront the Universe Personified. The being grinned and then began to change shape. The cloak molded into Caucasian skin, and his hair turned black while his eyes turned dark brown.

For clothing, he chose a black T-shirt, black jeans, and black boots. It was a natural choice for one who preferred the pitch dark.
"I've been waiting for this moment for a long time, Destroyer. You may call me Omega, for I was the darkness before the light, and I am the darkness to which all light returns."
"You will never snuff out all of the light, Omega. Your eternal darkness ended long ago."

Omega smiled and darkness began to ooze from his body.
"What has once ended can begin again. I am the Universe, and my darkness is eternal."
Scott flared his aura and locked them both in an impenetrable cage of light.
"Your darkness will not touch this world."
"We shall see."

As Jessica entered his dimension, Alan appeared before her.
"Jessica? What's going on?"
Whenever Scott or Jessica showed up in his dimension alone, there was usually trouble.
 
Jessica looked up at him, her eyes worried but determined. "According to Scott 'the Universe has returned for it's revenge.' Scott's probably already started fighting it."
 
Alan's eyes went wide, and for a moment he was speechless. Closing his eyes, he blew out a sigh.
"So it has begun. He must have waited until the Destroyer appeared before making his move."
He contacted Chiang telepathically to pass on the news and so that he could seal off the dimension. If Scott somehow failed to stop him, they would have to do everything they could to stop him from spreading his darkness across existence.

"Hmm, so he has dubbed himself Omega. It is an appropriate name, as his darkness alone existed before God turned on the lights and filled the empty void of existence with life. If Omega has his way, all life will be smothered in darkness and only he will live once more. He was very angry when God ended his eternal darkness, and the two fought for a thousand years before God defeated him and put him to sleep for what was meant to be eternity. But now he has awakened once more, and Scott must be the one to put him to sleep for good."
Alan sighed and rubbed the side of his head.

"But that won't be an easy task. Omega is powerful enough to fight God on an even footing, so Scott will have to use the full power of his Destroyer form in order to win. On top of that, Omega is not confined in Hell like Satan is. He is a threat to Scott's own world and every other. Billions will die if we don't stop him quickly."
Alan opened his eyes and looked at Jessica.

"I suggest you stay here for now and use your power to keep Earth 1's barrier closed. You're no match for Omega and Scott would have to worry about protecting you instead of focusing all of his power on him. Even I, the God of Fire, am no match for him. The best thing we can do is try to contain Omega's darkness."
Alan knew that his suggestion would most likely fall on deaf ears, since Jessica would want to be at Scott's side if he was in danger. But even so, he felt it only right as her mentor to try and give her sound advice.
 
Jessica frowned a bit, slightly irritated that she was being made out as weak and unable to help Scott, but, if what Alan said was true about Omega... she really couldn't risk getting in the way. "Fine." She said simply and headed to where he directed.
 
Alan gave her a sympathetic look as he noticed her frown. He knew that she had worked very hard to achieve the full Armor of Grace, and he knew that she was very powerful in her own right. But Omega was on a whole different level, and she didn't have the protection of being a cosmic entity.
"Even gods can't fight Omega, so don't feel bad. You have become very strong and should be proud of yourself."
He let her go to where she could use her power to help hold back Omega.

Once Jessica was gone, he closed his eyes and took deep breaths. His Fire Aura flared up and he focused on his power coating the dimensional walls of Earth 1. Chiang was already doing the same thing, and the two had together formed a double layer of protection. Once Jessica and Grace added their combined power, there would be three layers of protection. Against even cosmic entities and other gods this strategy would be near foolproof, but to the Supreme Four of the Cosmic Order, even this would be a minor obstacle. If Scott failed to contain and/or defeat Omega, there was little they could do against him.

Back on Earth 1, Scott pitted his infinite Destroyer power against Omega's own infinite power. The dark pressed against the light, and their energies clashed with each other's. Though they both stood perfectly still, a battle so intense that it could destroy all of existence was being fought.
"Do you honestly think that this cage can hold me forever, Destroyer?"
"If it must, it will."
Scott knew that each passing moment that he spent in his Destroyer form meant more time spent unconscious in his mortal form, but he would stay like this forever if it meant protecting all that lived from Omega's all-consuming darkness.
 
Jessica and Grace worked together to fuel up their energies and guard the first barrier to Earth, their auras flaring up in their signature Magenta and Azure Blue combo. It created a strong energy wall between them, this realm, and the barrier to Earth, guarding it against any darkness that might try to seep through.
 
Scott and Omega continued to clash their energies against each other, neither one gaining ground. The former sought to move the Destroyer Aura Cage onto the latter, but the latter was still pushing too hard, forcing him to focus everything on keeping back his darkness. Omega was not possessed of infinite patience, and needed a way to break the stalemate.
"You want to know something funny, Destroyer? This isn't the first time that our powers have clashed."
"What do you mean?" Scott asked, puzzled.

Omega held up a hand and a ball of darkness appeared there before turning red.
"That's--" Scott began, his shock keeping him from finishing the sentence.
"Yes, this is Blood Magic, the primary weapon of several Grymwar chieftains, including the one you defeated, Dulzak. Actually it is just a highly watered down version of my own darkness power. Mortal beings could never use my darkness without being consumed by it, so I changed it into a power that they could use. From there, it was only a matter of finding a race savage and ambitious enough to use it."

"The Grymwar," Scott said as the shock wore off and the pieces fell together.
"Yes, but the process did not go as smoothly as I had hoped. The ancestors of the Grymwar you know were too savage, and the strongest males destroyed each other instead of becoming conquerors. The fearful survivors sealed their bodies and my power away, but I knew in time that it would be discovered again. When the more intelligent and civilized descendants found my Blood Magic, only one took up the power and proclaimed himself the leader. My mistake had been trying to give power to all of the Grymwar at once rather than to just one, who became known as a Blood Saint."

"Why Omega? Why did you involve mortals in a battle of immortals?"
"That's a question you should be asking God. He was the first to involve you, a mortal, in this by choosing you to become His Destroyer. I felt it beneath me to use my power to destroy a mortal, and so I simply gave power to other mortals who would do the job for me. Unfortunately, I miscalculated their effectiveness and my Blood Magic lost to your emerging Destroyer power."

Omega laughed coldly.
"But, all was not lost, for I had two back-up plans just in case Dulzak and his army failed to destroy you. Both were fortuitous chance discoveries, the first being that a Voltari named Jukei would crave power. After his own attempt to seize power on Kasha failed, I guided him and his dying host to the planet Grym, where a heretic named Vizharr sought to gain power. I removed Jukei's soul from the fool Kashan scientist, who expired shortly afterward, and implanted it into Vizharr, who became the new Chieftain. However, it would take time for them to gain a full set of Jukei Armor, and in that time, I used another pawn in their stead."

Scott clenched his fists.
"Blood Wolf."
"Yes, you recall the glowing red claws that could cleave through your Valor Armor. You should also recall his ability to turn the moon red in order to strengthen himself, as well as his telekinetic ability to control and transform his pack. All of these abilities came directly from me, turning an average werewolf into a truly dangerous foe. Sergio Gregori was all too eager to accept my power after he was nearly killed by Solaris."

"But once more your plan failed."
"Yes, but I didn't truly expect Blood Wolf to succeed where Dulzak failed. I simply needed to buy time for Vizharr and Jukei to complete their training. To that end, I decided to talk Satan into trying to turn Nirvana into a tenth realm of Hell. The thought of torturing your souls for eternity in addition to this conquest was impossible for him to resist, and so he began the invasion. I truly did not expect you to defeat Satan, but the time it took to do so allowed Vizharr and Jukei to complete their training."

"All of which amounted to nothing."
"Yes, and of all my pawns, I regret losing them the most. Having an Anti-Destroyer would have been such fun."
"Yet you would have betrayed them. Your mad scheme to return all to darkness would leave none alive, not even your pawns."
"The end to my eternal darkness was the true madness, for nothing in the light is nearly as beautiful!"

Scott could only shake his head.
"Your evil knows no bounds, Omega. Perhaps you are worse than even Satan himself. I pity the men that you seduced with power only to cast aside in the end. I may not be able to destroy you, but I won't rest until I stop you for good!"
Omega laughed in insane glee as two balls of darkness appeared in his hands.

"You are too weak to ever stop me!"
Throwing down a ball of darkness in front of Scott, a vision of Jessica being shot in the head by a mugger flashed before his eyes. It was brief, but the vision caused Scott to recoil back a step. This smallest of openings allowed Omega's darkness to surge forward and envelop him like a mummy. A great pool of blackness opened up and he began sink as Omega piled layer upon layer of darkness upon him. Scott began using the Destroyer Drilling Fist of Valor to pierce the darkness and move upward, but he would never get out if someone didn't distract Omega.
 
Jessica, seeing this occur, leaped into action and descended to Earth, standing before Omega, her passion for Scott and the universe flared up as she connected to Scott on a new level and took on her new, purple and silver Destroyer form. "I'll make you pay for that." She said as she went to attack, throwing a Shining fist of Grace in his direction.
 
Scott felt strangely as he drilled through Omega's darkness. He could feel a warm and familiar energy tapping into his Destroyer power. An image of Jessica and Grace appeared before him, and he smiled, as did Valor.
I knew that they would come through for us.
Of course. They're the finest women around.

Scott broke free from the darkness, landing next to Jessica in her new Destroyer Armor.
"Wow, babe. You look great."
You are more beautiful than ever before, Grace.
Omega, who had blocked the Shining Fist of Grace, seemed perturbed for the first time.
"TWO Destroyers?!" he shouted in anger and disbelief.

Scott began charging up his Destroyer Fist of Valor.
"You mocked my love for Jessica, calling it weak. But now, Omega, you will be defeated by that love! "
Scott and Jessica charged forward, their combined fists slamming through Omega's darkness after he involuntarily drew back in fear.
"DESTROYER FIST OF VALOR!!!"
"DESTROYER FIST OF GRACE!!!"

The two ultimate fists connected with his face and there was a terrible, inhuman scream. A few moments later, Omega was gone, his darkness going with him. Scott turned to Jessica, and as their armor vanished, he moved toward her. Having both used the Destroyer form, they would both need to be unconscious for a while in order to recuperate. As he fell, Scott wrapped his arms around Jessica and she went with him. His last thought before he went unconscious was that he wanted to wake up with Jessica in his arms.
 
Jessica was breathing heavily from the new experience once their foe was defeated but smiled at Scott happily, soon passing out with him in his arms. Though they were unconscious, Jessica felt connected to Scott, and Grace to Valor, the whole while, things felt... whole...
 
As Jessica and Grace laid together unconscious, the Shadow Force appeared to take them to Shadowgreen. After a couple hours in the medical wing, they awoke and were the recipients of congratulations all around. Images of Alan and Chiang appeared in the hospital room.
"Today, love overcame darkness. There is no greater victory than that."
"Chiang is right, you both have achieved a fine victory in this battle and in life."

Scott had a sad expression on his face.
"What troubles you, Scott?" Chiang asked, "This is a time for joy, not sorrow."
"It's just...Dulzak, Sergio, Vizharr, Jukei...All of them had lives that Omega just threw away."
"They made their own decisions, Scott, and those decisions cost them their lives."
"Yes, but those decisions were heavily influenced by Omega's manipulations. They may well have chosen different paths had he not intervened."

Chiang thought it over, and saw a determined look in Scott's eyes.
"What will you do?"
Scott stood up.
"I'm going to Heaven, and I'm going to ask God to return them to life. Knowing the truth, I regret killing them with every fiber of my being."
Chiang and Alan nodded and opened a portal to Heaven, which glowed white before them.

Jessica grasped his hand, not to be left behind in this endeavor. The two stepped through the portal, and it closed behind them. They ascended a stairway, and the pearly gates of St. Peter opened before them. As they walked down the street made of clouds, Scott breathed in the sweet air. This truly was a land where no pain, sorrow, or fear existed. As they approached the gate leading to God's throne, a man appeared.

"I hope you are just visiting and not here permanently, Scott."
Scott studied the man, who seemed familiar and yet could not be placed.
"I...am sorry. I don't know you."
"Yes, I look quite different now than when I was the Metal King."
Scott's eyes widened as recognition took hold.

The former Metal King of Hell smiled and extended his hand.
"My name is now Martin King."
Scott grasped his hand and beamed.
"But...how did you come to be here?"
"You defeating me saved my soul and allowed me to break free from Satan's grasp. God forgave me my sins, and in the blood of Jesus Christ, I was baptized anew into a human being that will watch over humanity with the rest of you for all time."

The two hugged, and Jessica was moved by the affection between them, shedding a tear. Scott took him by the shoulders and smiled.
"I am so happy that you are free from Hell's clutches. I wish I could talk, but I have three men that I must do the same before."
"Of course. The next time you return, we shall catch up."

Scott and Jessica proceeded to God's throne through the gate, where the man himself sat with a smile.
"Ah, Scott, it is a pleasure to see you and Jessica. I know why you are here, and I must ask why you would take such drastic measures for your enemies."
"Because they were used by Omega. They were manipulated into the choices they made."
"Yes, but they were well on their way to making such choices long ago."

God extended His right hand, and an image of Dulzak appeared.
"Dulzak was bloodthirsty and violent from a young age, traits nurtured and embraced in his culture."
"But that culture was created by Omega's meddling. The Grymwar were not cruel before him."
"No, but getting Dulzak, who was raised in this culture, to change his mind about violent conquest will not be easy."
"Doing the right thing never is."

"Perhaps, but even if you can succeed with Dulzak and Vizharr, Jukei is another matter entirely."
The image of Dulzak was replaced by an image of Jukei as he was prior to VAWS.
"Jukei was not raised within a violent and savage culture. Quite the opposite, actually. Jukei is simply a sociopath, intelligent and cruel, having no conscience about hurting people to get what he wants. Such people can only be cured by their own decisions, not by logic or reason."

"My plan is simply to explain the whole story to them, the truth about Omega. What they choose to do when they know all of the facts is up to them. However, I will not kill them again, for what I did was wrong, too. Even if they choose to do evil, I want them to live to have the chance to choose good someday."
God smiled a proud, fatherly smile.
"You are everything the Destroyer should be, Scott."

Snapping his fingers, all three of Scott's slain foes were returned to their planets of origin in their own reformed bodies.
"Enjela will keep an eye on Jukei and keep him in line while you meet with Dulzak and Vizharr. I hope that they will choose better paths as you imagine."
Scott bowed his head.
"You are truly a benevolent and wise God. Thank you for giving them a second chance."
Scott and Jessica left, returning to Earth via a portal that God opened.

Back at their home, Scott turned to Jessica.
"I have to go to the planet Grym...alone."
Jessica was ready to protest, but he raised a hand.
"No, listen. These people have been my enemies practically my whole life, but I understand them. I want to face whatever comes without distractions."

Jessica understood that no matter how safe she was, he would always be concerned for her because he loved her.
"Okay, but please don't be gone too long. I'll miss you."
Scott kissed her deeply and hugged her for several minutes. A Fire Path opened behind him and he stepped through. Jessica would protect the Earth in his absence, and there was no one better to leave it to.

---------

As Scott stepped through to the planet Grym, he looked around once more at the miles of desert. The destruction here was also largely Omega's fault, as the bloodthirsty warriors he created had turned a once lush jungle world into almost pure desert. Walking a familiar path, he passed through the last of the jungle on his way to Grym City. Even from miles away, Scott could hear the celebration as the people realized that their last Blood Saint had been resurrected. He sighed as he realized how heartbroken the people would be to know that their religion of thousands of years was simply a cruel manipulation. He would have to be extremely careful here if he wanted to keep things peaceful.

Scott walked down the street and into the arena where Dulzak and Vizharr were standing. They both represented major concepts in the history of the Grymwar, and a hush came over the crowd as their greatest enemy appeared. The tension was palpable, but Scott had wisely chosen to appear without armor. Raising his hands in surrender, he remained calm.
"I come in peace. I don't want to fight you anymore."

Dulzak regarded Scott for a long moment.
" ...You wanted us to live again. Why?"
"I want to tell you the truth about your history. Your people have been deceived for thousands of years."
Dulzak laughed.

"Bold words...Scott. But do you have any proof of this supposed 'great deception'."
"I have all the proof you could ever want, a confession from the deceiver himself."
Dulzak was quiet for several moments.
"...Let me hear this confession."
"Are you sure you're ready?"

"My patience is wearing thin, Scott."
Scott willed for Alan to place a sort of video of Scott and Omega's conversation. Dulzak was treated to the entire truth, and his mouth fell open in shock. He trembled as the weight of the truth hit him.
"No...By the Blood Saints, it can't be!"
But it was, and in his soul, Dulzak knew this.

When the conversation ended, Dulzak had to get himself together. Realizing that everything you thought you knew was a lie was a terrible burden. At last, however, he got his bearings. Casting aside his sacred staff, he turned to his people.
"My people, Scott speaks the truth. We have been deceived from the very beginning, and the deceiver is Omega. He used us as pawns to destroy Scott!"
Everyone was stunned into silence.

Dulzak explained the truth to much wailing and anger. Vizharr was equally enraged at being duped. After many hours, however, the pain subsided and the healing could begin. Over the course of weeks, the religion built on Omega's lies was abolished. Those once venerated as Blood Saints had their bones buried and their altars torn down. As the last Chief ordained by Blood Magic, Dulzak destroyed his staff and abdicated his position, handing power over to Vizharr, once considered a heretic but now vindicated by the truth.

Over the course of still more weeks, Scott helped Chief Vizharr and Advisor Dulzak dismantle the rest of their former empire. Afterwards, the three went to Kasha so that Empress Enjela could teach them how to be a peaceful and industrious people. Former enemies were now allies, and Jukei was even cleansed upon knowing how his lust for power had been used against him. Enjela could handle it from there, so it was time for Scott to return home. As he left the palace, he savored the pure joy of ending a centuries old conflict in the best of ways. When he was done, a Fire Path opened behind him, and he stepped through to return to Earth.

-------

In the weeks that Scott was gone, Jessica had kept the peace on Earth. She had missed Scott terribly, but she stayed strong for him. When he stepped through the door, she tackled him to the floor and gave him a kiss that blew his socks off. Then they had sex right then, neither able to resist the craving. Laying together on the floor, they were happier than they had ever been. They were free now to live normal lives without fearing any immediate threat.

Scott and Jessica returned to Valor Investigations and began living a normal life as husband and wife. Valor and Grace became a couple and eventually had children to fill the void left by Grace losing her own children. The Shadow Force took up the fighting to protect Earth so that Scott and Jessica could have a break. Alan, Chiang, and God continued to perform their duties. In a blessed moment, however, two miracles occurred. Jessica's mom was resurrected to live with her father, and Jessica was made immortal, so that she and Scott would never again be apart, their love to survive eternally.

(Creator's note: This story did not include four important characters in Scott's story: Eric Coverdale/Spirit Rider, Lithuel, Kenjiro Akiyama/Lone Wolf, and Marcus Trelawney/Existence. They were intended to be included, but I did not get the chance to use them.)

(This RP is complete.)
 
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