Before The SMSB: The Legacy of Mae

"*I'm L'smae. These are the Knights of Mae. We are Mae's legacy. And we're legendary.*"
―L'smae**[src]**
***Before The SMSB: The Legacy of Mae*** is the fourth prequel of a series of books of the story before 2029. It was released on March 31, 2018. It is the twenty-ninth installment of the D.I.T. Literary Universe and the seventh installment of Part Four: Truth Eternal. It was written by D. Isaac Thomas.

## Summary

With victory all but assured for the Dark forces, Dorphane Giles, Chief Enforcer of the evil Empire, dispatches NoHead followers L'smae and Mr. Formidable NoHead to Golgolod for a top-secret mission. Burdened by the knowledge that Sheriff Bladepoint may be mounting a powerful underground resistance movement, the two NoHeads must learn to put their differences aside and focus on a crucial focal point: Superhero University. Their only hope is to subdue the institution using either diplomacy or bloodshed, while the Dark Lord Mr. Stupid NoHead launches an evil agenda of his own.

## Plot

Centuries past, Baby Intelligence appears to the Knight Drimsé Ur in a vision. The vision also includes the instructor Steven Grande, Baby Intelligence's apprentice Lindsay Kellerman, and his friend turned enemy Thomas Meyer; all four of them would be destroyed by the NoHeads. In present time, "Mae" brings the Knights of Mae together and trains them. With his power finally recognized by Mae, Ratchet is dispatched to deal with General Ronald Koda, who used a private militia. After boarding a N-54-Fighter construction station over Australia and defeating a large number of both militia and robots alike, Ratchet finds the general, and defeats him in a fierce duel. Before falling out of the burning station, Koda predicted that Mae won't always be Ratchet's master, and that someday Koda will be instead. The Dark Lord is furious with his right-hand woman, Dorphane Giles, for failing to prevent an assault on the Imperial Palace and has sent her and her underling and rival, Dot Lodd, to steal it.

The book begins with the fragments of the Jade Sanctum which is now an ideal hiding place and safehaven with the members of the Police Grand Army being marched through the entrance. Sheriff Bladepoint stands with Roxanne Waterston and Joseph Abernathy in the top of a tower and watches his followers with a blank expression, musing that "[their] time is coming soon". While she is on her way to the Arithmetic Store in Superhero School, Bethany Donner runs into Dayo Stenberg, Erick Garfield, and Brian Calvin, who demand Donner beat them in a duel in order to get past. She floors them and performs a quick memory wipe before telling Antonio McSnake she's considering Superhero University within her future. At Golgolod, L'smae stands in front of the Entry Gates of the fortress. Finally standing up and returning inside, she spends her free time eating leftover celery soup and reading *Mutantry Most Wretched* intently. L'smae later stares at a portrait of herself in the Imperial Throne Room of the Imperial Palace. She starts addressing the portrait and swears the NoHead Empire will not die, and laments that Mr. Stupid NoHead's father would have been proud that he had come a step closer due to "the source [her allies] discovered". She is then startled by Mr. Formidable NoHead, who tells him that he suggests an all-out attack on the Order. He denies this idea, but before Mr. Formidable NoHead can argue, a boy named Drake walks in and says he might have found the suggestion to their problem. He changes her diaper and they go to meet Mae in Delaware.

After Sarah's death, Martin promises to swear allegiance to whomever wins the coming duel. Mae goes full force on the vulnerable baby, but L'smae defies the odds by almost literally turning the tables, striking Mae dead. Later on, she begins bonding with Ratchet, who assures her that her defeat of their controversial leader has inspired great admiration among the Knights. She also dubs Martin as "Mordo". She is called back for a meeting at Golgolod, in which Mr. Stupid NoHead learns that Giles and Lodd have been in a place called Viskaa, attempting to deliver the Almataffe, only for the Pyters to take it and lose it to the Krath. Angered, Mr. Stupid NoHead promotes Lodd in a higher place of power than his rival and resumes his research of the International Alliance. Giles rides her flagship, the *Damnation*, to Viskaa.

In order to develop her skills and focus, L'smae is ordered by Mr. Stupid NoHead to go to the Core to continue her training. Leeching off of L'smae's fear, a simulacrum of Lord Tempest began his attack. The girl successfully fends him off and destroys him, completing her Trial of the Muscle.

They attend Zygen's party, where Mr. Formidable NoHead stupidly blows his disguise, leading to the trio narrowly escaping capture and capital punishment by lava trap. Utterly helpless now, Zygen tells Lord Abalan he can take what he pleases from her, but Abalan already has and has her killed.

Meanwhile, Bladepoint travels to Thunder Quarters, while Gummi leaves to warn Lady Valora, successor of the deceased Galacosus, of their discovery. Bladepoint finds the ruins infested with Arboc and is ambushed by the undead Mr. Watson. The Olbaid overpowers and defeats Bladepoint and reveals himself as Verpus the Foul, who appears as an incorporeal being wreathed in ice.

Shortly after rescuing Koda, L'smae begins feeling drawn to the Core, where she encounters a bandit codenamed "the Egg" in battle with a soldier unknown to her, and aids the Egg. Before the program cuts out, the soldier reveals itself to be Keeko, L'smae's father, who assures her it is not too late for her to join the right side.

Meanwhile, Lady Valora, Lord Ressammes, Welkiziwan, and Defacles arrive at Thunder Quarters and free Bladepoint, sending him to safety with Waterston. They battle and defeat the *Dartus* and a formless Verpus himself, sentencing them to damnation. As the Council of Outcasts debates how to revoke their predicament, Waterston provides Bladepoint her sword before the two of them ride to Superhero University hoping to find Hell Burnbottom there. Dorphane Giles procures the Almataffe from the Pyters and takes its power for herself, promising that she will come for Mr. Stupid NoHead as she intends to reorganize the NoHeads to her liking. Before accepting her challenge, the Dark Lord tells L'smae to help mass his armies. A new friend named Xalvatrix grimly shows her footage of Mr. Stupid NoHead tracking Giles to Illiun and breaking into her tower, where a brief yet spectacular duel ensues, with the Dark Lord's sheer skill allowing him to match an Almataffe-enhanced Giles. As the citadel is set ablaze, the Dark Lord is crushed by a Jovian lunar body. Horrified, L'smae deserts the scene and rejoins the knights, believing her lord is dead. Now having her reluctant trust, Xalvatrix takes all seven of them to Superhero University, where their sworn enemy plans on going next. Meryll Orbach learns of this and forbids anyone's involvement, but is headed off in the cafeteria by the seasoned Miranda Butterfield, who enforces her retreat.

As Butterfield proceeds to gather the Superhero University community for battle, L'smae learns the Chief Enforcer has annexed ex-Imperials into the immense army based in the forest. After ordering Mr. Formidable NoHead to rally the Deaformas, Dorphane Giles uses the Almataffe to destroy the shield and a good portion of the fleet. Bladepoint seeks out Burnbottom, locating him in the Dark Tower but unable to prevent his escape thanks to the interference of Bethany Donner and Antonio McSnake. Bladepoint retrieves a flask from a dying Kade Coleman. As the NoHead military attacks, Zygen arrives in the host body of Lee Freeman and nearly completes her plan to have mosquitoes dominate the Earth. When Giles challenges her, mosquitoes converge and the Almataffe falls from her hand, allowing Zygen to unwittingly force her to endlessly relive her own death. Zygen attempts to use her prize to flatten the university, but is distracted by Drake's antics. As Garcia reverses Zygen's plague, she enables Dual to contain the Almataffe's power inside a vault. L'smae helps Kylee Garcia reconfigure the Shield of Virtue and they destroy the tyrant once and for all. With both the Dark Lord and Chief Enforcer out of the picture, the Knights of Mae resolve to meet up near Jalahassea with Hell Burnbottom, Mean King, and Susan Marshall when they encounter the International Alliance and Huntress joins them. They ultimately defeat Marshall and proceed into the unknown to continue seeking where destiny intends them to be.

## Reception

The novel received mixed reviews, with the general idea being that Thomas was trying something different by introducing an all-star collection of children not fighting forces of darkness, but otherwise forces of light, and that it was subversive, stylish, and comical, but also futilely approaching a nihilistic viewpoint that made it extremely cringeworthy. A user named “emmeline8” accused the novel of “shameless pandering”. Chris admitted that it was “an inch forward that could've been a mile”. Roxy Karparan was far more charitable in her regard for the novel, citing that *Who Will Hold Dominion?* was quirky, excellent, charming, and “proudly flicks off the staid establishment of the superhero genre”. Users also had mixed feelings about what the book did with Mr. Stupid NoHead. In spite of its reception, however, L'smae was very well-received, with many users eager to see more of the character in future novels.

## Gallery

Lsmae.jpgThe Mistress of the Knights of MaeL'smae witnesses Dorphane Giles betray Mr. Stupid NoHead.Lsmaemournsthedarklord.jpgL'smae mourns the Dark Lord.