The "From The Pages Of..." Comics Universe RPG

[Carnage27]

"Holy water?" My eyes cross...

Spoiler

"..Holy crap! You drank for the Grail?!"

The mens' grasp on Dr. Jones loosened slightly, and the archeologist's eyes narrowed, "How the hell do you know about that? That was classified above top secret."

But the kid was right, and Jones knew it. If these things really were vampires, the small traces of the divine from the Cup of Christ that were surely circulating in his body would repel them.

"Yea, I drank from the Holy Grail. The thing saved my fathers life, and I saved it from a group of Nazi sympathizers who planned on using it to somehow reincarnate Hitler."

He stared daggers at Felix,"That enough proof as to me not being a vampire?"

The other man simply nodded, and the others backed off.

"That's better. Now I want answers," he said pointing at the others. "Like what's going on, what's the plan, and how the hell did you know I drank from the Holy Grail?"

 

[Johnny Blaze]

Ray flicks his cigarette into the snow as he and the boys take aim with their proton guns.

"Light 'em up!"

The weapons burst to life, proton streams burning into onrushing vampires.
The bloodsuckers hit by the particle streams, screamed in agony as they burst into flames. Within seconds, their bodies bursting into nothing but ash and charred bone.

Liz, surrounded by a nimbus of fire, concentrated on a group attacking Hellboy. Within a matter of moments, the vampire assailants erupted in flames screaming as they were turned to piles of bony mush.

The remaining vamps retreated back into the Alaskan night, leaving the heroes to collectively catch their breath. Liz ran up to Hellboy, helping him up and checking if he was all right.

"That was more fun than the Fourth", chuckled Peter as he slung his proton gun over his shoulder in triumph.

"Like I always said...we got the tools, we got the talent!"

Ray smiled as he lit up a fresh smoke and surveyed the scene. Peter and Winston were talking amongst themselves, and Egon carefully inspected the puddle of goo that was once a vampire that Liz fried.

Ray took a deep drag of his Marlboro and walked towards Liz, Abe, and Hellboy.

"HB, always a pleasure. How are you and Abraham holding up?"

 

[Byrd Man]

​

Then

What was left of John Farson's army rode towards Jericho Hill, some 500 wheels from Mejis, the place Roland had met and lost his true love Susan Delgado.

It had been two years since the fall of Gilead, Farson had been slain in defense of Gilead. For now, the outlaw known as Rudin Filario controlled Farson's army. Steven Deschain had been killed by an assasin just a few days prior to Farson's raid. Now, his son wore the huge guns with the sandalwood grips.

The boy who had won his guns four years earlier now stood before a group of fifty gunslingers as they prepared for the Affiliation's last stand.

"Gunslingers! Even now as we speak, what is left of The Good Man's army is riding to Jericho Hill in hopes of putting an end to The Afilliation. It has been two years since my own father was slain in the fight, but yet to this day I still fight in his name and remember his face. I beg that you remember the face of your father as I have this coming day."

Roland turns as the sound of stampeding horses catches his attention.

"Here they come!" He cries as he removes the huge guns at his side.

"Today, we will remember the faces of our fathers whos guns we now bare. Hile, Gunslingers! To me!"

With those words, Roland Deschain and the last Gunslingers of Gilead rode to meet the army of John Farson.

None of them, not even Roland, knew that this would indeed be the last stand for both sides as all save one would leave that day with their life.

Now

The waves of the Western Sea slapped against the shoreline as the weary gunslinger stopped in front of his quarry, the man in black now sat in front of him.

"Walter O'Dim." He said in his cracked voice.

"We will have words."​

 

[Catman_prb]

Edit: Piece of **** hype

 

[Catman_prb]

Edit: Piece of **** hype

 

[Catman_prb]

Edit: Piece of **** hype

 

[Catman_prb]

Now​

The waves of the Western Sea slapped against the shoreline as the weary gunslinger stopped in front of his quarry, the man in black now sat in front of him.​

"Walter O'Dim." He said in his cracked voice.​

"We will have words."​

"Will we, gunslinger? Will you speak with me, man to man, Roland Deschain who can trace his line back to Arthur Eld himself?" the man in black said, making his seat on the hard rock beneath him.

"What do you believe you've accomplished by chasing me here, gunslinger? If you wished to kill me, you wouldn't waste your time mixing words with me, you would've used your fine looking guns and shot me in the head. Or have you forgotten the face of your father, or whatever you crazy kids call it," Walter O'Dim said, coughing into a small square of black cloth.

"What is it you want from me, Roland, that you would see your gillie die to get it?"

 

[Byrd Man]

"What is it you want from me, Roland, that you would see your gillie die to get it?"

"My path, wizard. Ka dictates that you hold my way and my future." His right hand drops to his gun by instinct, a killer born and bred.

"You will show me the way to the Dark Tower, do not ask how I know this, for even I am not sure. Your cards hold the future and my way."

 

[Catman_prb]

"My path, wizard. Ka dictates that you hold my way and my future." His right hand drops to his gun by instinct, a killer born and bred.

"You will show me the way to the Dark Tower, do not ask how I know this, for even I am not sure. Your cards hold the future and my way."

"And you think that I would gladly give up the secrets of the ether to your low browed self. Do not fool yourself into thinking that I am some mere conjurer of tricks whose palm can be crossed by silver," the man in black said, withdrawing the old deck of cards from his robes.

"Remember this, and remember that you owe me a favour," Walter O'Dim said with a ghost of a smile playing about his lips.

 

[Byrd Man]

****ing hype!

 

[Byrd Man]

**** me!

 

[Byrd Man]

"And you think that I would gladly give up the secrets of the ether to your low browed self. Do not fool yourself into thinking that I am some mere conjurer of tricks whose palm can be crossed by silver," the man in black said, withdrawing the old deck of cards from his robes.

"Remember this, and remember that you owe me a favour," Walter O'Dim said with a ghost of a smile playing about his lips.

In a blur of motion, the gun on his right side is out of the holster and spinning around his finger.

"I would sooner kill you than be in your debt." He says as he stops the gun and points the long barrell at Walter's cloak-hidden figure. His bright blue eyes show no hint of bluffing or deceit. What Roland says is true, but he will not put his chance at seeing the Tower at risk.

You see, Roland is what a young man, himself suffering from addiction, in the not so distant future will call a "tower junkie". He wouldn't hesitate to kill his own mother to see the tower. Come to think of it, killing his own mother is something that he very well did do in his quest, but that is another tale we will save for another day.

"Aye, but since Ka dictates that you must show me the way, I must oblige."

Gently putting the gun back into its holster, the Gunslinger sits down across the man in black.

 

[Carnage27]

-edit-

 

[Catman_prb]

"Aye, but since Ka dictates that you must show me the way, I must oblige."

Gently putting the gun back into its holster, the Gunslinger sits down across the man in black.

The man in black shuffled the deck, grinning like a wolf at the Gunslinger. He spread the cards out, inviting the Gunslinger to choose twelve cards. Walter O'Dim organised the cards into four lines of three cards. He flipped the first card.

"The Fool," the man said "That's you,"

"The Two of Wands. The Fool shall go on a journey,"

"The World. The Fool's journey shall take him far and it may yet break the cycle,"

The man in black collected the first three cards and threw them away, keeping an ever watching eye on the gunslinger.

"The Popess. The Fool will meet the two-faced woman,"

"The Knight of Coins inverted. The Fool will meet the comedian,"

"The Page of Cups. The Fool will meet the witch-boy,"

The man in black collected the next three cards and similarly discarded them, the smile still lingering on his face.

"The King of Swords. The Fool shall have a great enemy, whom he shall know before the end,"

"The Magician. The Fool's second enemy manipulates,"

"The Devil. The Fool's obsession shall be his final foe,"

Again the man in black gathered the cards and threw them away with the same robotic movements, the wolf grin fixed to his face.

"Death. The Fool shall know change,"

"The Hanged Man. Is the Fool upside down, or is it the world?"

"The Ten of Swords. The Fool shall bring destruction down on those who follow his ka,"

The man in black collected the last of the cards and threw them behind him. Then, whilst he kept his eyes on the gunslinger, he flicked his sleeve and drew forth the little stack of twelve cards which he placed on the ground in front of him. He took one last card from the deck and laid it crossways over the twelve cards.

"And binding all of them, as it binds everything, is the Tower,"

 

[Byrd Man]

The man in black collected the last of the cards and threw them behind him. Then, whilst he kept his eyes on the gunslinger, he flicked his sleeve and drew forth the little stack of twelve cards which he placed on the ground in front of him. He took one last card from the deck and laid it crossways over the twelve cards.

"And binding all of them, as it binds everything, is the Tower,"

The gunslinger remained silent. His eyes fixed on the last card, the Tower. For that was his quest, his obcession.

"You tell my future, Walter O'Dim. But how do I know that you speak true, or you are lying through your teeth?"

 

[Catman_prb]

The gunslinger remained silent. His eyes fixed on the last card, the Tower. For that was his quest, his obcession.

"You tell my future, Walter O'Dim. But how do I know that you speak true, or you are lying through your teeth?"

"Because, Roland my boy, does a truth not hurt more than a thousand lies?" the man in black asked wryly.

 

[Byrd Man]

"Because, Roland my boy, does a truth not hurt more than a thousand lies?" the man in black asked wryly.

The gunslinger nodded. Suddenly, a sense of weary fell upon him.

"You speak true, wizard. After all, it is indeed my destiny to reach the tower. I saw it, In Maerlyn's godsdammed grapefruit." He said as he did his best to stifle a yawn.

He was glowing sleepier by the second, no dobut some sorcery on Walter's behalf.

 

[Catman_prb]

The gunslinger nodded. Suddenly, a sense of weary fell upon him.

"You speak true, wizard. After all, it is indeed my destiny to reach the tower. I saw it, In Maerlyn's godsdammed grapefruit." He said as he did his best to stifle a yawn.

He was glowing sleepier by the second, no dobut some sorcery on Walter's behalf.

"Sleep gunslinger," the man in black said "You have a long journey ahead of you,"

 

[Eddie Brock]

COLE MCGRATH

"Hey, Cole, you mind giving the tube a little juice?" Zeke asks. He's seated on the couch, looking as comfortable as ever. We're back on his rooftop pad. It was the only place we could think to go after the quarantine. It's a hell of a climb, and we outfitted it with mannequins in a bogus attempt to deter any would-be thieves.

I reach out a hand casually and fire a jolt of electricity to the battery sitting next to the TV. It sparks to life, as does the television. Steamboat Willie comes on. Zeke is satisfied. I'm still staring at my hand. These powers, they can be scary as hell at times, but I think I'm starting to control them. And I think I'm getting more powerful.

"Hey, look at this!" Zeke announces. The image of Mickey Mouse is replaced with static. Random images flash. "Oh, it's that 'Voice of Survival' guy!"

I know who he means. "The Voice of Survival" is an anarchist who pirates the television airwaves from time to time. Zeke loves him because he tends to share Zeke's crazy conspiracy theories. Me? I don't know what to make of him.

The Voice's broadcast catches my interest as he begins to speak of "conduits," citizens who were granted unusual powers after the explosion. Zeke immediately turns to look at me. He's thinking the same thing I am. I'm not alone. The Voice cries out against the conduits, explaining that many of them are responsible for the gangs that run rampant through Empire City. I'm only half-listening.

"Jesus, somebody's got to do something." I know what Zeke really means. I can tell because he's not looking at me. He's looking at my hands.

I look out over the city. It used to be beautiful. Now, it's an urban wasteland. "Zeke, I wouldn't even know where to begin," I reason. Zeke's always had delusions of grandeur. But now he wants to make me out to be some kind of superhero or something.

"Well, try blasting some of these suckers with your electricity," he suggests, motioning to the mannequins strewn about the rooftop. I can tell he's serious. He can tell I'm curious. "C'mon! You said it yourself. You said you felt like you were getting stronger."

I did say that. And I do believe it. But is this why I have these powers? To help restore Empire City to what it used to be? I aim my palm at the first mannequin. Regardless of how I choose to use these powers, it's going to be useful to know how to subdue criminals. Self-defense is the single most important thing in this city now.

My fingers twitch, and a blast of electricity - much like the one I used on the battery - leaps from my hand, nailing the mannequin in the face. It collapses, dropping the secondhand clothes we adorned it with. The faceless head is burnt and smoking. Zeke's going wild. I'm just staring at the mannequin.

I'm becoming something different, and I don't know if there will be any turning back.
​

 

[Byrd Man]

"Sleep gunslinger," the man in black said "You have a long journey ahead of you,"

"No....I......can.......not....." Was all he said as his eyes closed and his head slumped.

 

[Catman_prb]

Angel, Buffy and (reluctantly) Spike walked through the deserted streets of Barrow in a stony silence.

"Remind me again why the others stayed behind?" Buffy asked quietly.

"Research," Angel whispered. Spike glared at the pair and Angel rolled his eyes. This would've been an awful lot easier in a town that was actually deserted.

"Perfect," Buffy muttered "More alone time with my favourite vampires,"

"Speaking of which," Angel said, hefting his sword up as a group of vampires came running around the corner. He swung it in an arc, beheading two fairly junior vamps in one motion. He brought the hilt of his sword into another vampires neck, knocking it back. Beside him, he was aware of Buffy staking her way through the mob. Angel continued with his tactic of beheading and he was fairly sure Spike was doing something approaching the same. A couple of minutes later all that was left of the mob was a large pile of dust in the middle of the road.

"Well that was suspiciously easy," Angel said as the dust settled.

"If they're all like this we shouldn't have a problem," Buffy said, wiping the remains of a vampire off of her top.

"If I know Marlow, he's keeping his biggest and best lieutenants by his side with all the captured humans," Angel said.

"I know I'm going to regret asking this, but why?" Buffy asked.

"An orgy of blood," Angel said grimly.

"I was right, I do regret asking," Buffy muttered.

"Over there," Angel said, pointing at a group of figures up the road a little. The trio hurried over, weapons ready to strike at whatever the town of Barrow had to throw at them next.

"Hellboy?" Angel asked, frowning.

"And those ghost guys off the tv," Buffy said, equally confused "and a fishman,"

"That's Abe. What's the BPRD doing here?"

 

[wiegeabo]

The mens' grasp on Dr. Jones loosened slightly, and the archeologist's eyes narrowed, "How the hell do you know about that? That was classified above top secret."

But the kid was right, and Jones knew it. If these things really were vampires, the small traces of the divine from the Cup of Christ that were surely circulating in his body would repel them.

"Yea, I drank from the Holy Grail. The thing saved my fathers life, and I saved it from a group of Nazi sympathizers who planned on using it to somehow reincarnate Hitler."

He stared daggers at Felix,"That enough proof as to me not being a vampire?"

The other man simply nodded, and the others backed off.

"That's better. Now I want answers," he said pointing at the others. "Like what's going on, what's the plan, and how the hell did you know I drank from the Holy Grail?"

"Uh......."

"Chuck's an analyst with the CIA," Sarah says falling back on our cover story for use when someone knows we work for the government. Or I let it slip what I can do...It actually happens more often than you'd think.

"He knows all about...really...weird and obscure facts..." Casey tries to fill in.

"Yeah...it's sort of my thing. I just um...never realized the Holy Grail was real."

"Holy Grail?!" everyone says in unison. Dr. Jones and I just stand there.

Felix looks at both of us. "You mean...Last Supper...King Arthur...Round Table Holy Grail?"

"Um...I guess that was classified pretty high..." Good for you Chuck. Once again you've proven you haven't leaned how to keep your mouth shut.

 

[Byrd Man]

​

Falling prey to Walter O'Dim's magic, the gunslinger falls into a deep sleep.

"Did-a-cham, dad-a-chuck, dod-a-chee, no need to worry; you have the key!"

He slowly opens his eyes and looks around in awe. He's in the middle of a massive city, twice as big as the ancient city of Lud.

His jeans, shirt, and boots have been replaced by a dark blue suit. His cowboy hat, replaced with a dusty old fedora.

For reasons unknown to him, he walks down the sidewalk. As he goes, he feels a since of purporse and magnatism drawing him farther and farther down the street.

"Sorry." A tall man in glasses says as they bump into each other. The man wears a tan jumpsuit with strange words written on them. Words the gunslinger cannot fully understand.

He continues his journey down the road marked as "45th street". He quickens his pace as the sound of singing comes from somewhere off. A glorious sound.

He runs faster and faster on his southeastern path. The path of the beam, for all things serve the beam praise the man-jesus.

As he runs, a red haired man in shabby clothing calls to him.

"See the turtle of enourmous gurth! On its back, it holds the earth!"

He continues running, faster and faster. He comes to a stop outside a vacant lot. Inside, he can hear the sound of singing.

Walking into the lot, he feels the power and energy coming from the lot.

His eyes fixate on the item in the center of the lot.

A red rose, standing perfectly in the middle of the lot, all the garbage and weeds scattered in the lot seem to gravitate towards the rose.

Going down to his knees, the gunslinger crawls towards the rose as it calls to him.

Gently touching the crimson pedals, the rose opens up to him. The center of the rose is a bright yellow, the brightest yellow he had ever saw. Brighter than the sun, brighter than a thousand suns.

All around him, the voices of the dead called and sung in a heavenly choir.

Inside the rose he saw it, the second time his whole life he had come across a glimpse of it.

A giant tower, a dark as night, surrounded by a magnificent field of roses.

The Dark Tower.

That was the gunslinger's quest, that was his purpose. Not just the tower, but the rose. The tower had to saved, the same was true of this rose wherever it laid. While the tower was the key to his world, this rose was the key to all the worlds.

"Did-a-cham, dad-a-chuck, dod-a-chee, no need to worry; you have the key!"

Just like that, his eyes snapped open.

"Ahh!" He screamed as his hands went towards his big guns at his hip. He meaned to kill Walter once and for all.

Except where the man named Walter O'Dim sat, only bones remained. From the looks of things, the man in black had been dead for years now.

Then how long had he been asleep?

Taking his dark hair, the Gunslinger noticed streaks of gray in his once jet black hair.

The man in black had done his job, the gunslinger had slept and given the forces of the red more time to go about their task.

He stood up off the stand and rubbed his aching back. Putting his gun back into its holster, the gunslinger continued walking down the beach.

There was work to be done and worlds that needed to be saved.
​

 

[Johnny Blaze]

The Commander's eyes narrowed as he leaned forward in his throne.

"What was that?"

The viper swallowed the knot in his throat as he tried to remain steady as he replied to the Commander.

"We...were unable to retrieve the package."

"Ah, that's what I thought you said", Cobra Commander leaned back in his seat, looking down at the two soldiers standing at the base of the steps leading up to his throne. This was his ornately decorated audience chamber, a place where he could remind his underlings just who ruled Cobra.
The two vipers were part of a mission, a supposed secret mission, in which they were to retrieve a vital piece to the Commander's doomsday weapon.
To say he was angry at their failure was an understatement.

The Commander pulled out his sidearm and shot the viper in the head.
The other soldier jumped in fright at the shot and remained frozen in shock as two of the Commander's guards silently strode up and removed the body.

"Go on", the Commander bade the surviving viper.
"Why were you unable to secure the package."

The Commander waited to hear the inevitable reply of "it was the Joes", but that answer never came.

"It was weird. Some sort of group of freaks. They were all cat-people, dressed up like superheroes. One guy, the leader, looked like a lion. Carried a big ****ing sword-"

BLAM!

Smoke slowly wafted up from the barrel of the Commander's gun as the guards gragged the body of the viper away.

"Destro", Cobra Commander shouted as his second in command strode up to the throne.

"Yes, Commander?"

"Prep the jet for departure", Cobra Commander stated as he got up from his throne.
"I want Zartan and his Dreadnoks, along with Storm Shadow and two squads of our heavy assault vipers, to meet us in the hanger in ten minutes."

"Sir?"

"I'm going to retrieve the device myself. And if these cat-people show up again, we're going to skin them alive."

"As you wish, Commander", Destro saluted before leaving to carry out the Commander's orders.
Cobra Commander, followed closely by her personal guard, exited the thrown room and began the walk towards the hanger bay.

 

[Carnage27]

"Uh......."

"Chuck's an analyst with the CIA," Sarah says falling back on our cover story for use when someone knows we work for the government. Or I let it slip what I can do...It actually happens more often than you'd think.

"He knows all about...really...weird and obscure facts..." Casey tries to fill in.

"Yeah...it's sort of my thing. I just um...never realized the Holy Grail was real."

"Holy Grail?!" everyone says in unison. Dr. Jones and I just stand there.

Felix looks at both of us. "You mean...Last Supper...King Arthur...Round Table Holy Grail?"

"Um...I guess that was classified pretty high..." Good for you Chuck. Once again you've proven you haven't leaned how to keep your mouth shut.

Analyst my ass, Jones mused to himself. There was something fishy about the kid, but he couldn't worry about that now.

"Yea, I drank out of the Holy Grail. I'll tell you the story on our flight out of this hell hole," he said as a reply to all the questioning stares.

"What's the plan here? Apparently I'm immune to these freaks, but you guys aren't. Do we have any idea how to kill these things?"