Superheroism 101

Superheroism 101 is the thirteenth episode of Ghostverse Adventures, premiering on January 13th, 2019. It's focused on Volta and Kaori as the former teaches the latter the art of superhero work as they go after agents of Tobura in Neolight Station. Meanwhile, Tobura herself, alongside Zomok, travel to the remains of Jalgor to piece together a weapon.
==Plot==
The episode opens with a shot of the skyline of Neolight Station, with Volta and Kaori sitting on the side of a building. While Volta is wearing her usual superhero equipment, Kaori seems to be wearing a new outfit that's colored red and grey, with Astrium chunks coming out of her shoulders. Volta looks towards her, smiling.
Volta: Nervous? This is the first day of us working together as a superhero duo after all.
Kaori: A bit. It's nice to finally be in a city again though after the journey from Earth.
Volta: I'm just glad Taikari gave us a place to stay to begin with. I'm sick of being cramped up in a ship.
Kaori: Anyways, what's the plan? Do we just sit up here?
Volta: In these moments, what I'd usually do is scour the internet and the like for criminal activity, then travel there.
Kaori: You are aware that I have different powers from you, right? I can't travel through the internet.
Volta: Oh, I planned for that.
Volta hands Kaori a small box of sorts as she looks at it, clearly curious.
Volta: This is what I call a "Digiporter". Made it myself. Essentially, it lets me convert any living being to computer code and temporarily keep them in here. While I normally use it for detaining criminals, and even did so with my brother, I can also use it to bring you where you can't normally go.
Kaori: That's really clever of you Volta. So when do we get to fight bad guys?
Volta: Just need to wait on-
At that moment, gunshots can be heard at street level as Volta leans down. Two hooded figures seem to be running off with a crate of some sort.
Kaori: Go time?
Volta: Go time.
Kaori taps the box in Volta's hand as she turns into code and enters it. Volta, smirking and kissing the box, puts it on her belt before leaping downwards, towards an electricity cable. Turning into electricity on impact, she traverses the cable towards a street corner, where the hooded figures are running.
Figure 1: Still got the Astrium?
Figure 2: You bet. The Mistress is gonna want all of it.
Before the two figures can run off however, Volta emerges from nearby, and even releases Kaori from the box. The two of them get into fighting stances, with Kaori's seeming a bit less "ready" than Volta's.
Figure 1: Who the fuck are you two?
Volta: I'm the Vyrus, and my partner here is...
Volta looks towards Kaori, as if she needs to say her superhero name. The two thieves patiently wait, tapping their feet. After some time, Kaori looks up, grinning intently.
Kaori: ...Geoform.
Figure 2: Well, we have no time for this. We have an important delivery to make.
Volta: One that you stole, correct? We heard the gunshots.
The two figures visibly tense up before lowering their hoods, revealing that they're both zombified humans, albeit they still look somewhat good rather than simply being shambling corpses. They brandish hand-mounted guns before shooting at Volta and Kaori. While the former is blocking the shots with electrical energy, the latter is going more upfront with the fight. She transforms one of her arms into a ball and chain made of Astrium before thrashing one of the zombies with it, sending them flying. She then transforms her arm back into a regular one before firing off a blast of reddish energy at the zombie again. However, he runs out of the way and seems to be surprisingly nimble.
Meanwhile, Volta is going toe to toe with the other zombie, managing to land a punch right to the head. She then prepares a blast of electricity and fires it forward, taking out the zombie. However, she turns back to Kaori and notices her fighting style. Smirking in admiration, she fires off another blast of electricity at the zombie, though it misses. He then attempts to run away amidst the confusion.
Kaori: After him!
As Volta and Kaori depart, the camera pans over to a hooded figure watching them from a roof. They then walk away from the camera mysteriously.
----
The next scene depicts Tobura meditating within her throne room, skulls floating around her. She seems to be quite engrossed in the moment, closing her eyes and communing with the energies of death itself. Within her mind, she is speaking with the death god Koreku again, the one who resurrected her. While she is alone within a dark, empty void, Koreku's voice can be heard booming through the area.
Koreku: I have to admit, I am growing...weary of your tactics Tobura. Despite what I said about it not being his time yet, you've still attempted to murder the swordsman.
Tobura: I mean, he is a threat to our plans and has to go. Plus we came real close last time.
Koreku: Fate will often change its course to prevent something from happening earlier than expected.
Tobura: I do not care for what fate desires. Fate is often disappointing.
Koreku: Very well. Your resistance may be your undoing Tobura.
Tobura stops meditating as the skulls fall to the ground. She then gets up, and looks around the room solemnly to herself. She had recently begun to grow resentment towards Koreku and his dominance over the souls of the dead, believing that he was taking the good ones and leaving her with sloppy seconds.
She thirsted for more control over her situation. As Zomok entered the room via a sliding door, she walked over to him, grinning intently.
Zomok: The meditation went well I assume?
Tobura: I've had better. Made me only further desire more power for our cause.
Zomok: Ah yes. Koreku continues to hold you back.
Tobura: Mhm. But I have a plan.
Tobura snaps her fingers as a portal emerges in the room. Looking at it, she smiles before turning back to Zomok.
Zomok: What is this?
Tobura: The key to the next phase of our plan. Follow me.
Tobura and Zomok walk through the portal as it closes, before the camera cuts to a shot of them standing on blackish-green terrain. Above them, floating islands and waterfalls of green lava can be seen, along with massive rifts in the sky.
Jalgor.
Tobura: This planet is Jalgor. Torn apart during the war between the Circle of Shadows and the Vanguard of Spirits, it's nothing but a wasteland now, one ripe with magical energy.
Zomok: And what do you intend to do here?
Tobura: I'm here to ransack the Citadel of Anguish north of here for any artifacts left behind. And maybe even resurrect some new followers.
Zomok: That's a genius idea. This wasteland should have plenty of bodies to utilize!
----
Volta and Kaori are rushing through the streets, towards the zombie. As he darts around a corner, they follow, before Volta trips over a box in an alley. Kaori looks to the zombie, then back to Volta, helping her up quickly as the chase resumes. Eventually, the zombie enters a warehouse of sorts, with Volta and Kaori looking towards it in awe.
Kaori: Standard superhero trope: the villains retreat into a warehouse.
Volta: What I'd usually do here is sneak in via the electricity cables and then eavesdrop from a ledge.
Kaori: Shouldn't it seem less formulaic than that?
Volta: Shhhh. Now get in the box.
Kaori rolls her eyes as she enters Volta's box again, before Volta enters a stray electricity cable nearby, travelling for some distance before bursting out. She then lets Volta out as the two of them watch what's going down on the warehouse floor: the zombie from earlier and a skeletal figure are contacting Tobura via hologram.
Zombie: Another buttload of Astrium secured Mistress. We'll send it through via portal right away.
Tobura: Excellent work. We near the required amount for the Venaral invasion. Those animal keepers will have plenty of beasts for us to resurrect.
Skeleton: What should we do in the meantime?
Tobura: Keep getting more Astrium, duh. I'm busy right now.
The transmission ends as Volta and Kaori look towards each other, whispering.
Volta: Preparing for an invasion? We need to stop this.
Kaori: We're stopping a war now? That's not what superheroes usually do.
Volta: Let's deal with this.
Volta and Kaori leap down onto the ground (with the ominous figure from earlier barely visible), towards the duo of undead. The skeleton visibly collapses due to the impact, but reforms himself (albeit with an arm where his left leg should be and vice-versa).
Skeleton: Really? Superheroes?
Kaori: You bet your ass we are.
Zombie: Well you're on our turf now. And we've made this warehouse our...base of sorts.
The zombie snaps his fingers as a horde of shambling, mindless skeletons rise out of the ground, surrounding the duo. Volta and Kaori seem visibly shocked, but then something extraordinary happens.
A staff rockets through the skeletons, before flying back to a figure in the shadows. They then step out, revealing a humanoid entity with a simple robe of sorts, and a robotic visor that conceals their head. They then put their staff behind them, spinning it as flames emerge on either side, before jumping and slamming it into the ground. A wave of fire takes out more skeletons.
Volta: This guy seems like he's on our side.
Volta and Kaori begin to join the fight, tearing through their enemies. The figure with the staff seems to continue to be a powerful fighter, even creating portals that let loose pure magical energy forwards. Eventually, the trio reach the duo of Tobura's servants.
Zombie: Well, uh...
The skeleton whispers something in the zombie's ear as he turns back to the trio.
Zombie: We have...other plans to attend to.
The zombie and the skeleton attempt to run out of the warehouse, taking the crate of Astrium with them, but they're stopped in their tracks by the individual with the staff, who seems to be emitting waves of energy from their hands to stop them. They then approach the undead duo.
???: What you two are doing disgusts me. Leaving the battle before it's over.
The mysterious figure seems to have a masculine voice of some sort, abeit it sounds roboticized, likely due to his equipment. Volta and Kaori stand by in curiosity.
Skeleton: It's called survival instincts. We-
The figure snaps their fingers as the duo's necks break almost instantaneously, their bodies falling to the ground. Volta and Kaori are in awe at the individual's power.
Volta: Who...who are you?
The figure stares back at Volta and Kaori, before sheathing his staff.
???: You can call me...the Spiritwalker. A warrior who fights with the blessings of the spirits themselves.
Kaori: Sounds kinda edgy.
Spiritwalker: Not really. I've been training for years and only now have I decided to reveal myself to the world.
Volta: So why'd you help us?
Spiritwalker: The emergence of the undead has been seen in my visions. And you two will play a part in that conflict.
Kaori: I see. So it's like some prophecy or something?
Spiritwalker: Kinda, but not really.
Volta: Alright then. Me and Kaori might as well get to the rest of our superhero duties.
As Volta and Kaori depart, the Spiritwalker watches them leave, before nodding.
Spiritwalker: They're growing stronger than ever.
----
Tobura and Zomok are standing in front of the ruins of the Citadel of Anguish, with ruined Doomuli war banners around the base of the citadel. As they walk into the entrance, Zomok eyes the banners with intrigue.
Tobura: Doomuli must've been here before us.
Zomok: Those insolent pests have been quite the enemy of ours. Hiding underground and all.
The duo enter the citadel, noticing the corpses of former Circle of Shadows-loyal warlocks. Tobura closes her eyes as she senses the magical energies of the citadel, before opening them.
Tobura: The citadel reeks of death. Many souls were lost here.
Zomok: So do we begin the resurrection?
Tobura: Not quite. There's something on the top floor we need.
Tobura finds an old elevator, slamming the buttons of it with her elbow as it starts up. She and Zomok then take it to the top floor, both of them folding their hands and whistling as they ascend.
Zomok: You had a good day?
Tobura: I've had worse.
The elevator dings as the door opens. Before them lies a destroyed door, and a large, damaged crystal.
Tobura: I thought it was destroyed...
Tobura rushes towards the crystal as Zomok follows.
Zomok: What is this crystal?
Tobura: The Heart of Kalnar. The object the Circle of Shadows sought to use to bring about a new age of darkness for the galaxy. Here it's been...chained up and damaged.
Zomok: So what're you gonna do with it?
Tobura: Patience. There's something else that should be in this room...
Tobura turns behind her, noticing the remnants of an axe on the ground. Viewers with a good eye will recognize it as the axe of the Soul Grazer, known as Vorsalach. Tobura picks up the remnants of the axe, admiring them.
Tobura: Such a weapon could've been used better. It's a shame that the woman with the golden sword tore it in half.
Zomok: This place must've been the site of a massive battle.
Tobura: Oh, it was. But first...
Tobura throws the remnants of Vorsalach into the Heart of Kalnar, with them sticking into the crystal rigidly. She then closes her eyes and wraps the crystal in necromantic energy.
Tobura: Death, grant me strength...let a new weapon be born from the remnants of these!
A flash of energy consumes the room, with Zomok covering his eyes due to the blinding light. It eventually recedes to reveal a massive scythe floating before Tobura. Magical energy coarses along the tip, with Tobura grasping the scythe and gripping it tightly.
Zomok: What a weapon.
Tobura: This scythe is the key to the next step of my plan. Observe.
Tobura calms her mind, strengthens the grip on her scythe, and pushes out her free hand as it begins to glow blue. She then slams it onto the ground as a wave of energy stretches out beyond her, across the whole of Jalgor. At that point, the camera shows bluish ghosts rising from the ground as they move to her location.
Tobura: I call this technique the Soul Gather. The scythe was needed to channel its powers. And now...
Tobura snaps her fingers as the souls enter her scythe. She then tosses it from hand to hand as she snickers.
Tobura: ...we can transport souls and bring them into a new body.
----
On the way out of the decrepid, abandoned warehouse, Volta eyes a nearby room with an open door. She then motions for Kaori to stop walking as the two of them sneak inside. On the ground is a giant device of some sort, with prongs coming out of it.
Kaori: This thing looks weird.
Volta: Hold on...I'm sure it'll have some sort of function.
Volta turns into electricity as she enters the device, with Kaori standing by, arms folded. After some time, Volta emerges as the device turns on.
Kaori: Took you shorter than expected.
Volta: Hopefully that isn't a bad thing.
A hologram emerges from the device, with Kaori hitting the lights so that the couple has a better view of it. One folder can be seen labeled as "Invasion Plans", which Volta taps. It then shows tons of manuscripts and blueprints, with the duo carefully analyzing them. The words "mass resurrection" and "Venaral" can be seen.
Kaori: These are some fairly detailed invasion plans.
Volta: Seems like they intend to attack this Venaral planet and resurrect its inhabitants as undead.
Kaori: That's horrible. We need to stop it.
Volta: How though? We're just two superheroes, not soldiers. We can't just-
Kaori puts her finger up to Volta's lips, smirking.
Kaori: May I remind you of the contacts we have?
----
Back on Jalgor, Tobura and Zomok are continuing to navigate the ruined wastes of the planet. The green lava waterfalls continue to fall from floating islands into rivers, and portals are constantly opening and shutting. Clearly, this was a broken, twisted world.
Zomok: So what do you intend to do with the scythe mistress?
Tobura: It's the centerpiece to our success on Venaral. With the scythe's power, every enemy soldier we kill grants us one new warrior, on top of me being able to resurrect our fallen troops.
Zomok: Can I have one?
Tobura: No.
Zomok: Aww...
Suddenly, the duo approach a small camp, where a large group of cyborg krexxon are attempting to construct a large device of some sort. Tobura smirks as she approaches the structure, with Zomok following closely behind. Upon coming in sight, the krexxon drop their tools, grab their weapons, and prepare to fire on Tobura.
Krexxon 1: This is Doomuli territory you WITCH!
Tobura: Is it now? I have more of a right to be here than you foreigners do.
Krexxon 2: Open fire. These abominations have no right to exist.
Tobura: Or do we?
Tobura grasps her scythe before planting it firmly into the ground, sending out a massive shockwave that roots the enemy krexxon in place. She then snaps her fingers as their bodies explode in blue energy, with some of the energy entering Tobura's scythe as she snickers, with Zomok looking in awe.
Zomok: What the FUCK was that?!?!
Tobura: I call that the Soul Bomb. Using the scythe, I can latch onto the very lifeforce of our enemies, and snuff it out in one blow.
Zomok: That's broken.
Tobura: Hence why I intend to use it my friend. Now let's pack up. We've got an invasion to finalize.
----
Volta and Kaori burst through the door of an apartment, with Taikari and Keraniza drinking coffee at a table, and the others playing Super Smash Bros. Ultimate on a nearby Nintendo Switch. They then all turn towards Volta and Kaori in curiosity.
Volta: You WILL NOT believe what we just ran into.
Taikari: Hoo boy. This better be worth something Volta. Last time you said it was just some petty thief. Honestly, you can be-
Volta: It's not like that. You remember that lady we ran into on Jigoka?
Taikari: A bit, yeah.
Kaori: Well, she seems to have more power than we thought and a planet known as Venaral is due to be invaded. We have to stop what's going on!
Keraniza: We can't sit idle again Taikari. We have to stop this.
Taikari: Alright. But if this is a full-scale invasion, we'll need more than our little group. Call up Yikkal.
Vor'nal: The Vigilants team went off the grid due to Yikkal's little pilgrimage, remember?
Taikari: Damn, you're right.
Kaori: Is there anyone else you can call for?
Taikari simply smirks.
Taikari: I know some guys.
----
A door is being knocked on as Felton and Trent jolt up from their couch, with Trent dropping a glass of water in the process.
Trent: Holy hell. Use the doorbell for christ's sake!
Felton: I'll get the door.
Felton opens the door as Taikari and her group are outside. He has his mouth agape in response, with Trent walking by.
Trent: So, who is-
Trent notices who's there, and has his mouth agape as well. Taikari then chuckles in response, hugging the two of them.
Taikari: How you fellas been doing?
Felton: Been good. Bored a lot lately though.
Volta: Well, we have a proposition for you.
Kaori: How does stopping another planetary invasion sound?
Trent: I'd be down for that. Felton?
Felton: What he said. Minus the Felton bit. Just let us pack first.
As Felton and Trent head deeper into the house, Taikari and Volta stare at each other in satisfaction.
Volta: That's it? Birds? Are you fucking serious?
Taikari: I never said that's everyone we're bringing with us. I know some other contacts who'd be down to help.
The scene fades to black.
Category:Episodes
Category:Ghostverse Adventures