Well, I read this a while back, and 

Prologue

Manabu and Kobashi exited the bar, feeling pretty 
damn good about themselves as they leaned against 
one another in a drunken stupor. 

Ahh.  Quality people.

Actually, I think I know these guys.

They sang loudly 
and off key, causing passersby to give them a wide 
berth rather than having their ears assailed in such

a painful way. Likewise, the men�s reputation as 
members of one of the most violent local street 
gangs meant no one would tell them to keep it down. 
The men might meet the request halfway by ripping 
the person�s ear off so they wouldn�t have to hear 
the racket.

Considerate of them.

Kobashi nodded. �There were only two things that 
could have made the day more special.�

�What?� Manabu asked.

�More money and more women.�

�Who can�t use more of them?�

Kobashi considered that. �Rich gay guys.�

Hey, as David Geffen could doubtless tell them, even
rich gay guys can always use more money.

�I saw something over there. Let�s check it out.�

"Hey--look!  Gravestones with our names on them!"

The two headed down the dead-end alley, the alcohol 
in their system making them feel invincible. 

As well as convicing them they were incredibly
handsome, intelligent, and articulate.  And great
company.

As they drew close enough to make out the figure, 
both men came to an abrupt stop. It was a woman, by 
far the most attractive they had ever seen. Her skin

was dark, as though she had a perpetual tan, and a 
cascade of platinum locks flowed luxuriously down 
her back. She had an upside down triangle tattoo in 
the center of her forehead and two marks on her 
cheekbones, though the odd marks did nothing to 
detract from her looks. She wore a tight green and 
black body hugging, off-the-shoulder outfit. The cut
was low at the top, showing off a scandalous amount 
of bosom, and high at the hem, showing off her long,

black stocking clad legs. Tall thigh high green 
boots completed the ensemble.

Gee, wonder who that is? ;-)

The woman was such a beauty she stopped both men in
their tracks. Each of them felt an animalistic urge
deep in their souls as they stared at her. 

"Hey, Kobashi--you suddenly want to circle a wooly
mammoth for some reason?"

Sorry.  Couldn't help myself.

The woman spoke in a throaty purr. �I see thou hast
impeccable taste when it comes to beauty. However, 
there is but one of myself and two of 
thee. Perhaps it would behoove thee to discuss 
amongst thyselves who is the more worthy of my 
attentions.�

Okay, technically, 'thyself' is singular.  But then
again, this isn't Shakespeare--it's a Lee-style
Shakespeare-riff.

A haze came over the men�s eyes as she spoke to 
them. The two lifelong friends turned on one 
another, snarling and attacking, neither holding 
anything back. They were like two rabid dogs locked 
in a life and death struggle as they pummeled each 
other ruthlessly.

For some people, this would have been remarkable.  For
Kobashi and Manabu, it was Saturday.

Seeing a victor emerge, the woman walked up to him 
and purred, �Thou art victorious, mine champion. Now

come, and allow myself to bestow upon thee the favor

one such as yourself deserves.�

Oh, that CAN'T be a set up... :-D

With the kiss delivered, she slipped out of his 
grasp and admired her handiwork. �Truly thou should
be grateful, for after one kiss from Urd, the 
Enchantress, thy mortal life would be meaningless 
from that point onward. Now thou can enjoy the 
moment for the rest of eternity.�

Urd laughed to herself as she strode from the alley,
leaving the statue of Wataru Kobashi behind.

Yep.  One ironic fate, fit to order.  Well, it
couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

As Urd walked the streets of Midgard, she took in 
her surroundings with a disdainful eye. Once again 
the mortals had changed everything in the seeming 
blink of an eye. 

Might I suggest changing that phrasing?  It sounds a
bit off to end a sentence with 'eye' twice...  Maybe 
change the first sentence to end 'with a disdainful
air'.

She had no more interest in common everyday mortals
than she had for insects, especially ones that had 
nothing useful to offer her.

Umm--which ones?  Mortals or insects?

Her estimation of them went up slightly. While no 
mortal, no matter how much he worked out to improve
his strength, could hope to match even an Asgardian 
grandmother, their efforts provided many of them 
with aesthetic physiques. She briefly considered 
making a half dozen of them her playthings before 
recalling her purpose on Midgard.

"What's she thinking?  We're weightlifters!"

She indicated that the men should follow. Every one 
of them did so, surrounding her as they openly 
basked in her presence. The women in the gym were 
left to stare in disbelief at what had happened.

Wow.  Either her magic is more powerful than she
realizes or she hit one of the only straights-only
workout clubs in the world...
 

Business at the furniture store was down, and she 
needed the commission.  Circus performer or 
eccentric millionaire, money was money, no matter 
who was giving it to you.

Oh, I don't know about that...

Ringmaster: "You will give me a sofa of rich
Corinthian leather for five hundred down, and no
interest for eight months!"

Princess Python:  "You know, we could just steal
it..."

Ringmaster: "Silence, whelp!  There is a--style to
these things!"

They were quickly at the woman�s side, obeying her 
in ways Kaori was envious of. 

Kaori: "I want to be the one who decides who lives and
who dies, damn it!"

She vowed that as soon as the current crisis was 
over, she�d be phoning her Uncle Peter in the United

States. He dealt with SPBs all the time on behalf of

the government. He�d tell her what to do to bring 
this scum, human and mutant alike, into line.

Something tells me it will involve large clunky
robots...

Likewise, she was forced to wear a bra instead of 
her standard chest wrap. She still wasn�t used to 
looking down and seeing those bumps of flesh 
impeding her view. Before, she would wear her chest 
wrap until she went to bed. Admittedly, letting her
breasts free of their tight confinement felt good, 
and bras were actually pretty comfortable, but it 
felt awkward. At least she wasn�t some top heavy 
tart, like that Elektra bitch. Having a chest that 
large would have driven her crazy. As it was, 
she thought her breasts were shaped just fine. Not 
too big, and definitely manageable. They were the 
ideal size. It was just their notable presence that 
threw her off.

I was trying to think of some way to convey my
feelings on that last passage, but really, I don't
think the proper words actually exist. So, allow me to
say--brilliant...

Manabu shot him an irritated stare.

"an irritated glance" might fit the situation a little
better.  But that's your call.

All twenty member of the gang 

All twenty members of the gang

stood transfixed as it grew in size until it 
stretched wide enough to touch each wall of the 
narrow alleyway.

May I suggest "both walls" instead?  

A black gauntleted hand emerged from the coruscating

energies, like a man trying to pull free of water. 
The fingers flexed twice, then curled into a fist. A

second hand emerged a moment later, followed by the 
being the hands belonged to.

The figure was two and a half meters high and almost
as wide. It wore thick black and gray armor that 
covered every inch of its flesh. Despite the armor, 
it was obvious the figure had an inhumanly powerful 
physique that no amount of lifting weights could 
produce. The helmet the figure wore was wide and 
tall, like a paint can, unadorned save for a pair of

red glows that emanated from slits where the 
figure�s eyes should be. The helmet was so wide it 
sat flush with the shoulders of the armor, making it

appear the figure had no neck. Two tiny horns bent 
upward from the brim of the helmet. Between that and

the crimson glows, it gave the figure a demonic 
appearance.

Gee, wonder who THAT is...? ;-)

People walking down the street were forced to stop 
momentarily as the entire block shook violently 
once, that stopped. 

, then stopped.

When nothing aftershocks followed, 

When no aftershocks followed,

Ukyou was in the middle of the one involving rope, a
chair, and a feather duster, when she heard the 
teacher call her name. 

Hmmm.  I thought these were revenge fantasies...

A boy next to him said, �Sit down, Daisuke. You 
always try to use that pick up line on new girls and

it never works.�

�At least he didn�t ask for her measurements this 
time,� a girl toward the front grumbled.

Daisuke: "Hey!  When you say it that way, of course it
sounds bad!" *back to Ukyou, in an attempted suave
voice*  "But seriously, for me, the most erotic part
of a woman is the boobies..."

�Yeah, that�s the one. I think he controls hawks.�

And somewhere, Sam Wilson cries...

�No, it�s not hawks. He uses boomerangs with gadgets

in them.�

And somewhere, Fred Myers cries...

�No, it�s an energy sword.�

And somewhere, half of the characters created in the
80s and Dane Whitman cry...

She held nothing but hatred for Ranma, and 
he had the audacity to make her feel gratitude 
toward him. 

That bastard. :-D

The whole room gasped, including Ranma, who just 
stared at Ukyou in befuddlement.

In addition to gaping, I may gather.

However, in a display of complete lack of 
coordination, 

However in a display of a complete lack of
coordination,

�I don�t even want her measurements anymore,� 
Daisuke said.

"Well, okay, I MIGHT be willing to accept them as
recompense, but after that--no date!  Or only coffee. 
And maybe a bagel."

While she could understand some disapproval from the

class, the irate glares she shot her way 

While she could understand some disapproval from the 
class, the irate glares being shot her way 

OR

While she could understand some disapproval from the
class, the irate glares that were shot her way 

Several well built men carried a bed with a woman on
it. 

May I suggest 'Several well-built men carried a woman
reclining on a bed.'

I do not know what the trouble is, since I can 
barely sense your presence,

If you're going to do fake-Shakespeare speech, do it
right.  'I can barely sense thy presence,'

Better to have too much firepower on a false alarm, 
like their confrontation with Leap Frog (whose sole
power was bouncing around on a pair of springs in 
his frog costume), 

Is his son trying to redeem the mantle as the Fabulous
Frog-Man yet?





Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Mousse stopped �reading� the Braille law books he 
was perusing for an upcoming test and temporarily 
turned off the audio signal on his card. 

Just wondering--are you aware that mainstream
Daredevil can read even non-Braille books with his
fingers?

What was it about life that she kept ending up in 
situations where she felt like crying?

Urrr... that IS life, I'm afraid...

It wasn�t like any other Asgardians would dare defy
the All-Father�s Imperial Edict. 

Except for Loki.  And maybe the Executioner.  And
Hela, her too...

Urd said, �Thy weaponry and stance 

Urd said, "Thy weapontry and stance...

Though yours might also be right.  Gotta love the
vagaries of grammar, eh?

As one students, body builders, and policemen all 
rushed at the target of the Enchantress� ire.

As one, students, bodybuilders, and policemen all
rushed at the target of the Enchantress's ire.

Though the 's is optional, and these days, I'm
probably fighting a losing battle...

Satana Satanadana (Urd still wondered how that could

be pronounced �Mara�) 

Aren't we all?


Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Daredevil felt a sense of pride that he was better 
than so many of his fellow Avengers. One of these 
days he�d prove it to the annoying egotist, Captain 
Japan.

As opposed to himself, of course, the likeable
egotist.
 

No one could control his mind, no matter what their 
powers were.

Unless they had a method that wasn't the slightest bit
vision-based of course.  Then he was in trouble.

An ordinary man would have never fallen victim to 
the ambush. 

Urrr--did you mean to say "An ordinary man would have
fallen victim to the ambush."?


Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

After conjuring a minor wind to blow away the haze,
the Enchantress turned a bemused smile upon the 
warrior. 

Was her smile "bewildered" or "lost in thought"? 

I'm sorry--it's just that everyone uses this one wrong
and it bugs the hell out of me.

�At last, I hath found thee, oh most handsome of

gods�

Urr--trust me, it's 'I have'.  

�Enow.� Urd silenced the mirror and replaced it in 
the hole. �Thor, surely thou dost not find my form 
repellent.�

"Thor, surely thou dost not find my form repellent?"

That probably wasn�t the best of recourses, since 
some exiles not only survived those harsh realms, 
but they would found their own kingdoms in those 
places of exile, and then raised armies to seek 
revenge on Asgard. While Asgard always won, there 
was usually a feeling of irritation when some 
criminal turned their punishment to their advantage.

When asked why he continued to do it, Odin generally
coughed something about "destiny" and changed the
subject.

�I have decided I am the Realm Eternal�s Executioner

and that�s that!� The figure strode forward, hammer 
held menacingly before it.

"So, nyah!"

Rather, at long last the name of Skuld shall be on 
everyone�s lips as the greatest of gods, while the 
Thunder�s name will be quickly forgotten, like some
god I cannot name, since they be forgotten.�

In another dimension, Laritides, God of Negotiable
Real Estate glanced up.  "Did anybody feel a chill?"

On a more serious note: while the god of Thunder's
name...

�Thou are not the only one capable of creating 
fissures in the space time continuum. 

fissures in the space-time continuum.  

The Anti-Mjolnir 3005 shattered into a hundred 
pieces, 

Wait a minute... wasn't that the Mjolnir 3005?

Curious as to what such a powerful, belligerent 
warrior must look like, Hawkeye turned to look at 
him, wagering he resembled a giant ape in human

form.

That's actually a pretty good description of Skurge. 
I love Kirby's work, but subtlety was never his strong
point--his good guys look good, and his bad guys look
bad.  Which is both his limitation, and his strength.

A girl fell out of the hole in the bottom of the 
armor, landing solidly on her behind.

Hee.  I was expecting that.

�What the hell?� Hawkeye said, mostly to herself.

The girl, who appeared to be in her early teens, 
rose to her feet. Her hair was long and raven black,

and fell to nearly her bottom. 

Urr--I think you meant either 'feet', or 'waist'
there...

�Be forgiving to mine sister, Thor. She hath been 
through much of late and is distraught.

She hath been through much of late and is distraught."



An excellent chapter which sets up a nice mystery that
I expect you're going to explore later.  Brilliant work.

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