Expanding the DarkR Web: Mount Mitchell

General Summary

At Socrates’ request, Sean Rogers (The Last Silver Avenger) had been working to identify and locate other resistance fighters. However, the task became quite laborious for him due to the extra care necessary when searching beyond the DarkR web’s layer of security — which is only provided near Millennium City. Toward this aim, Sean approached Socrates with a list of radio tower locations at the highest locations in Eastern North America which could be “easily” infiltrated — and a DarkR device installed, thereby expanding the reach of the DarkR Web. Socrates cross-referenced this list with additional variables to further ensure it would not be noticed by Dr. Destroyer…or Algorithm. With that, the New Champions assembled — also including the newest “recruit” Daisy — to make the trip to Mount Mitchell. Daisy was introduced to the team by Reggie (aka Blue Wave) as the group escaped from the NexHuman Asylum. Her situation seemed complicated by the type of experiments that had been conducted on her by the scientists at NexHuman, reshaping her into a Dragon. But with Reggie’s conviction, the team accepted Daisy…with some caveats, of course. Nonetheless, the Mount Mitchell trip seemed like a good first “test”. The objective was to implant the DarkR device…without being observed and then return to Homestead. But the team immediately encountered trouble. As observed through Nemesis’ keen magical eye, the five “workers” surrounding the radio facility were not, in fact, employees…but were witches in disguise. When Ghost (being difficult to see at night) attempted to place the DarkR device on the highest tower, the witches immediately attacked her. Even their combined witchfires were no match for the impenetrable flying star-force. But one of the witches was able to grasp onto Ghosts mind, forcing her to crush the DarkR device…but astonishingly, Ghost resisted the command and threw the device away quickly into the hands of Wildthing. A battle ensued against the witches alongside their summoned demon, but the New Champions were collectively stronger than the young witches. Even still, they fought back fiercely — one grasped onto Wildthing’s mind, giving her the same instruction to “crush the device”, but Wildthing resisted with a ferocious hiss… Faust was the last to break free of the mental illusion being maintained by the witches. But when he saw through their ruse, he noticed their demon, a familiar foe from prior encounters. Unafraid of the beast, he flew directly into it. Ghost joined in, grasping the demon’s scythe and easily snapping it in two pieces. The beast leapt onto the tower, but the Ghost and Faust were too much for him. Their joint efforts sent the demon reeling toward the ground…but his fall could not keep up with the coordinated pummeling of the New Champions attacking him mid-descent. Ultimately, the demon plummeted into the ground, which opened to receive his unconscious body into the pits of hades. With the witches now unconscious and the demon dismissed, a stunning NEW HERO landed on the ground. He had been fighting amongst the New Champions and introduced himself: "Well met, fellow Heroes! I thank you for your assistance in this battle! I am the Lord Magus, Sisuthros Valagerian, Last Defender of Illyria, Spear-Breaker, Warden of the Rainbow Streams, and Keeper of the Fractal Reality of Yee. I am come to this place, caparisoned for conflict, to corral these credulous cretins that conjure cacodemonic forces. I see you came for other purposes... but still acted for the good, when even raised itself... Well met indeed! We should reason together. But first, we should be leaving…and taking these dabblers for interrogation." The session video is available below. The story continues on Tuesdays at 8PM central.