The gala was ostensibly a show of making connections under the veneer of a charity event - where Heroes could bump shoulders with the high and mighty from all echelons of society in the hope of picking up a sponsor or three, where talents could be scouted and allegiances made, all under the guise of those at the top deigning to drop a few scraps to the proles beneath them. But anyone who was anyone in attendance across the vast hall knew damn well what the real point behind the event was.On the

“We’re home, mom!” Pierre called out as he slipped onto the couch. “Monty and I are just gonna chill in the living room and play some games for a bit, okay?”

“Sounds good to me, honey!” Came the response from the other room. “Hang on, I can get you some drinks!” The woman behind the voice would appear a moment later - a tall, beautiful gemsbok woman in a T-shirt and yoga pants, setting a pitcher of lemonade and some cups onto the table. “Just remember to keep them on the coa

For untold centuries, the myriad realms of the universe had hung in the balance, bound by the tentative truce that was Mortal Kombat - epic battles between valiant champions that determined which realm would subsume which. For centuries, the bloodthirsty warriors of the nightmare realm of Outworld had reigned supreme in these tournaments, devouring realm after realm into itself… until its immortal emperor had set his sights upon the lonely little world of Earthrealm.Time and time again, Earthr

Even when it wasn’t being occupied by the monarch that it was built to seat, the Great Throne was an imposing construction in its own right. Rather than wood or precious metals, it was carved from a single enormous pillar of marble, set firmly upon the engraved floor of the throne room but rising above all who came to parley with the king who sat in it. The low-set seat alone was wider across than a couch meant to seat five people and piled with cushions the size of mattresses, while two grown

Logically, Jirou knew that she had to act, to do something about the impossible sight taking place before her very eyes. Logically, she knew that she had to put a stop to this lest she lose one or both of her classmates and fellow Heroes. And yet the sonic heroine couldn’t move so much as a muscle, couldn’t find the willpower within herself to do anything but simply stare like a frog transfixed by the beam of a flashlight as she merely bore witness to the mind-boggling feat of gluttony befor

The Purple Empress’ hulking form loomed behind the rank and file of Her subjects’ legions like a mountain range of earth-shattering brawn and wobbling orchid flesh. Each of Her massive strides sent a tremor through the earth with a boom louder than any war drum that rang out even over the unearthly scraping of Her colossal war-club against the ground as She dragged it behind Her… although really, calling it that was something of an understatement. The thing was originally a vast stone colu

Even at its most peaceful (for what little that meant in such a nightmarish place), Warnado was never quiet - the screeching and flapping of Gremwings, the rumble and groan of ancient mega-machines, the whoosh of wind under dragons’ wings, the voices of Dramen, Gangryn’s screams when one of his inventions went wrong and Dreadwing’s resulting howl of fury. And now, a new noise had joined the constant cacophony - the churn and gurgle of a glutted gut roaring out for more prey.“Mmmnph, so m

Jersey, Kiva decided as she munched on a hoagie, wasn’t quite as bad as she had initially assumed. The atmosphere was smoggy, trash was everywhere, it was rare to get a minute’s peace of mind with the constant traffic, and the people were loud and obnoxious… but truthfully, it wasn’t too different from the struggling cities of her time. Here at least, there were still some trees left, the sky wasn’t quite as fogged with smog as it would be in a few centuries, and there wasn’t much co