The VIP room fell silent, then came a discordant bang. Glasses and drinks tinkled softly in its wake, like the delicate children of silence gathered into its arms. Every head craned and turned towards the source of the jarring noise, a small hushed buzz slowly filtering back into the room as guests whispered and murmured amongst one another.
Light fixtures around the room dimmed to an almost sunset colour and intensity, the faint purples and pinks refracting onto small diamonds that lined the lights themselves. This omnipresent tone mingled amongst the dark shadows in the corners and amongst the mingling VIPs. Several meandering, lonesome, figures who had been caught in surprise as they ventured towards the buffet quickly broke away from their destination and re-joined the lingering crowd around them as the sound well wishes and greetings began proliferating.
Various voices joined the intermingling greeting to tonight's central figure... Tony Stark's joined the choir as perhaps one of the loudest whilst others such as Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent hung in the background, potentially weary of direct spotlight. Grindelwald swirled his glass as he sat down at a recently emptied table, their previous occupants acting like sycophants who had just found a new cult to join. Doom and the Asgardians merely reserved their greetings and their kind words for when Freya herself was past the nattering chattel of the mortals and idiots.
Freya, adorned in a shocking midnight black dress with many rubies accentuating her figure, stepped past the remainder of the crowd. They split much like the ocean did for Moses in the bible, their well wishes only being observed and responded to with a laxidazical smile and a minute nod of her imperious head. As she stepped past the annoying buzz of high-society her shoulders relaxed minutely as her women, who had been splayed around her in a circle; for support, softly placed their hands upon her shoulder to communicate their love of her.
Finally, the focal point of tonight's party had arrived and she was more resplendent than many had ever imagined her being. For many this was their first time meeting the new 'royalty' of Australia and as with all things, this would be the last time for some of these people. None of that affected Freya however as she silently walked up the raised marble platform which bore her Yggdrasil-themed throne, its addition an admittedly last minute addition that was pitched to her by Artoria... That this 'sale' had been made in the midst of their lovemaking was neither here nor there.
"Freya..." Victor Von Doom stepped forwards as she made it half way up her throne's dais. His metallic mask and green robes hugged his form and face creating a rather eerie contrast to the luscious surroundings.
"Victor. It is good to meet you again. I hope the evening has been pleasant?" Her voice was even, barely modulating to different tones, as she held out her hand for a handshake; a gesture quickly reciprocated by the King of Latveria.
"It has been, intriguing. The company could do with a touch of an upgrade, but otherwise, you have done well." Freya's right eye twitched a centimetre at his condonement of the company she kept, but it was quickly smothered with a cordial smile as she gestured for them to walk the rest of the way to her throne.
Their conversation turned to the more mundane pursuits of governance for a few moments as the various screens within the room alit with bright blue and white light, the classic logo of Warframe springing to the forefront, whilst a waiting signal rotated before the symbol.
"I am intrigued as to the, scope, of this reveal Freya... Previously you have made the game Star Wars and that manifested into reality. Could this, be the same...?" His tone was heavily controlled, much like Freya's own, catching her slightly off-guard as she attempted to regain poise by inspecting her throne which they were now astride off of.
"Possibly... We shall have to wait and see? Shan't we?" Though his face was hidden behind his irreverent mask, the frustration was almost a tangible aura around the man as he softly tsked and swished his cape in a rather theatrical display of drama.
"Then I will have to wait then." His words wrung finality into their conversation as he stepped away, his boots clanging against the marble gratingly as many guests stepped to the side to let him pass. Many of them swore at the man earning a glare from him and resulting in them flinching.
Freya simply shook her head in exasperation as multiple thrones slowly rose out from the marble dais that her own at upon. All of them were beside and below hers' and mimicked many of the patterns her own throne displayed. Each one had a unique symbology however... One for each of her wives. Two sat to either side of the Yggdrasil throne as the other two sat just a single level below her and in front. To many this would display the power position of her women, their place within the 'household' so to speak... But to her, they were all her wives and would forever be equal.
Artoria was the first to sit upon her throne; to the right of Freya's own. The mythical Excalibur burned with radiant light on the back of the regal throne. Magic thrummed within it like all the others. Said magic created a tapestry that was equal only to scant few artists through history, Michelangelo being the first to come to mind. Excalibur itself was truly at her side, but this moving, living, mural truly represented the radiance of a grand cause. She was the one true ruler of England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and Avalon... The true King of the Isles and the King of Magical England... And additionally, the Head Queen of Australia, Wife of Freya Odinsdottir nee Bragisdottir.
Susan Storm, Sue for short, now the champion of Death and wife of Freya Odinsdottir nee Bragisdottir sat upon her own throne. Upon it was the shadowy and etheric depiction of death and life within magical mural. The reaper's scythe clasped tightly by the bright white lilac of life, dark and light mirroring each other and balancing one another out. She smiled towards Freya as her fellow 'sisters' also sat.
Yuna Al Ghul, daughter to Ra's Al Ghul, slowly descended into her own throne as she scanned her surroundings with her newly acquired Phoenix senses. Her throne had crossed Desert Eagles surrounded by strawberries and the winged symbol of a phoenix in flight... All upon a background of Earth itself; as seen in space. It seemed almost a statement of her ambitions, her goals, not that any of the riff-raff could truly interpret them besides the most intelligent. As she eased back into her resplendent orange and gold throne her eyes stopped upon Odin and Frigga, darting back towards Freya and motioning to her.
Lastly, Hela Odinsdottir, stepped up the dais and nodded to Freya before briskly and domineeringly turning on the spot, only to follow the rather sharp action with a soft decline into her throne. She had all the poise of a warrior meeting another on a battlefield, the poise only truly matched by her nervousness at all of the political undercurrents that she so despised... Her throne didn't so much as contain a mural, but instead was the artwork itself. It was carved to be in the shape of a particular wolf from Norse mythology, a small mural of her holding a sword aloft and high into the sky shining through the glimmering black gloss of the wolf-like carving. Artistic depictions of light swept from her sword and encompassed nine different realms, their names etched in small Asgardian script along their edifice.
Amidst all of this grandstanding Freya raised her hands and thusly created other dais that the two other monarchs could sit upon. Who would force Odin, King of Asgard, and his wife to sit with the mortals and other 'powerful' figures? He was above them in importance and connection to her, thus he and his family were given thrones. The other throne was created for Victor, who nodded to her silently in appreciation, his former dramatics smoothing out into quiet contentment as he took his spot in the higher echelons of what he considered society. Other chairs and seats soon followed, rising from the floor much to the surprise of the VIPs. Many fainted or looked on the verge of entering into a panic attack but fortunately for them they were guided to their tables and given drinks in due course.
Now the night could start...
...
And start it did. The entire Stadium quietened as the screens that were spread throughout dimmed to a pitch blackness. Blackness clung to everyone like cloth to dampened skin, the tension grating upon already frayed patience.
Then the blackness itself faded, leaving the image of Freya sitting upon her throne with her wives.
"Welcome everyone, to the reveal for Yggdrasil Interactive's and my own game, Warframe!" Shouts and raucous applause met her words as small chants of her name started to boom around the stadium. Similarly, on Xandar and many planets throughout the Galaxy, people chanted her name and celebrated the release of new entertainment.
"I am glad that you all enjoy my games and wish to play more... But now is not the time for me to natter on about the emotions you all bring out within me, now is the time to release this bad boy to the entire galaxy!" More shouts followed her statement, underpinned by laughter and some good-natured ribbing.
"Are you all ready for Warframe!?" Massive cheers and shouts boomed across planets, space and the stadium she herself currently sat. She repeated her question once more to an even more stellar reaction, entire sections of Asgard thrumming with expectation as they awaited the reveal of this intriguing game.
"Very well then... How about we start with what the game is...!" Freya clapped her hands and the entire stadium floor alit with magical energy.
The stadium and therefor the entire broadcast itself was awash in her power as a visually realistic image projected into the open air of the stadium. Silence swept through every watcher as they witnessed the vast expanse of space-time. Swirling black and white paradoxes swirled endlessly within a realm of utter emotion and feeling. Three massive robotic serpents slithered amongst the clouds much like a garden snake might slither upon the ground, though these creatures did not make hissing noises but instead the mechanical roars of dragons and plasma weaponry.
With a jittering flicker the entire images was scratched away as a giant bell tolled in the distance; or at least that is what it felt like from the audiences perspective. Suddenly a robotic figure with a rather arrogant dress slammed his hand upon the arm rest of his chair.
~AGAIN!
The world warbled and warped as everything returned back to the beginning... A female operator slowly sat up as fire smothered her senses and burned around her. Everything was reds and oranges as the somewhat close sound of radio chatter echoed out from the end of the ship opposite her.
With controlled movement she attempted to push the metal crate off of her pinned leg, her breathing spasming as pain washed over her. The crowd was aghast with the movie-like quality and were simultaneously enraptured to the story so far. Many people cried out for her to move, the sounds of radio getting ever closer to their perspective; a useful trick of illusion and thaumaturgy used by Freya. Just as the radio chatter got closer and the blue outline of the figures' armours reached the screen the pinned character grimaced and grunted in effort, her body turning into sparkles as she phased and teleported forwards onto her feet.
She stumbled on her fractured leg as the sound of unpronounceable English screamed towards her, the figures entering opposite her and raising their weapons. At this moment the video slowed and the words: 'Grineer- Bio-mechanically modified soldiers' slipped onto screen before they vanished and the scene returned to normal.
"Cwease Imwediately!"
"Stway Swtill!!!"
Their armour's natural wheezes and hisses interrupted their speech and stunted their already meagre communication skills, much to the enjoyment of everyone watching. But as laughter filled the galaxy from this form of speech the operator grimaced and phased backwards this time, her body rotating around a corner just as the impact of hundreds of incendiary rounds scorched the metallic walls. The operator limped as quickly as her injury allowed and slammed buttons along the way, covering her retreat with airlock-tight doorways and bulkheads.
The transition between hilarity and seriousness was snappy and jarring to the crowd as they realised that these guys, though funny sounding, were the bad guys and definitely had some firepower. Many entered hushed conversations wondering how you were supposed to defeat enemies like that.
As she continued to run the bulkheads behind her ruptured open. Robots with flesh bodies but computer cores for heads poured into the newly created holes, rending the remaining parts of the ship into nothing but an amalgam of metals and violent chemicals. Gun fire sounded behind her and yet she still ran, the energy beams from the new force grating everyone's ears as they whined at a very high pitch.
The operator turned a corner, just managing to dodge an energy blast that continued on until it splattered with an acidic pop against the bulkheads before her.
"Well... Shit..."
Many people laughed at her seemingly dry sense of humour, her voice sounding like velvet and yet kitting with enough gruffness to convince most that she was definitely a soldier.
The sounds of fighting echoed behind, the Grineer and other enemy fighting one another as she carefully dragged herself down the corridor, heading towards a doorway aptly named: Warframes.
Excitement was billowing at the title on the door, the entire screen focussed upon those words before it followed her once more. The room was pitch black, a small light flickering in the background every few seconds as the dull red glow of something human shaped stood slumped before her.
"Better hope you ain't all that damaged yet, Dagath..." Whispered echoes of the Warframe's name surfed through the galaxy as they all watched on as the operator moved forwards towards the ominous red glow.
She reached her hand out and sparks began manifesting around her form, like the coronal mass injections of the sun itself. Her velvet eyes closed confidently before her entire body seemed to fade into nothingness.
Tension was at full blast through the audience now as all they saw was the ominous red glow of this 'Dagath'.
*BANG*
With an explosion light filtered into the chamber, the red glow fading into nothingness as those same robotic people stepped in; their faction name appearing on screen... 'Corpus'.
"Where is the warframe!?"
"I-It was here district manager!"
"Then... Where, is, it?"
A whirring sound of muffled hymns or chants rebounded off the walls as the eerie red glow returned, but this time in a circular pattern. Then with all the force of a thousand horses these motes of light began spinning and flung themselves at the Corpus figures, screams and blood spouting through the room as their remaining light sources displayed the horrible gore of their defeat.
Spark emerged and the red glow of Dagath emerged once more, painting the operator's face in evil crimson hue.
"Shitty remnants from the Orokin, with the same penchant for greed." She spat as her visage morphed hundreds of times, a singular voice echoing in the background, almost absently... ~AGAIN!
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