The Time Stone, Third Edition (Extended Version)

BOOM! The ground shakes more and more as one intense bombardment after another kept exploding, decimating the infrastructure of the town. Rubble cascaded from the buildings and the roads were soon littered with fallen blocks and smashed glass and plaster. The three beasts were approaching, spitting flames and causing chaos in their rampant trail throughout the town. Cars careened off the road and passengers screamed in agony. Pedestrians wandered around running in all directions screaming at the immense horror as some watched the falling debris crush their contemporaries into bloody messes on the sidewalk. The sounds of pain and fear were permeated throughout the air. The three beasts roamed the town landscape rampaging stores and breaking through glass windows and stomping the stone cobble walkways as they roared into the mist menacing the town’s citizens. As Drax and his cohorts ran through the crowds, Drax recognized his coworkers coming out of a cab near the central square by a statue of an Ottoman prince. He saw Broad Staffnight holding a box with an object in it, and as he opens it, Drax began to walk faster towards him stretching out his hand. Roy and Marina look at him curiously. Drax began to run and Broad turned and saw him as he grabbed the item in the box and held it out in his clutched hand, a green emerald pentagonal shaped object.

“You traitor” screams Broad recognizing it is Ishim who will betray them as he now is running to them in pure putrid shock and horror, but however fast Drax ran towards his mentor, he could not run fast enough. The vision he saw in the castle has come true and now Broad stands before him with his arm extended up in the air twisting his hand holding the object.A beam of yellow swirling light emitted from the object twirling in both directions in the glistening sunlight, as the five orbs in the center of it shine brightly. A portal vortex bursts open in the sky above them.

“Oh” screams a woman running as the dragon jumped up and swooped down reaching with one of its heads and snapping at her, swallowing her whole. The beasts moved quickly as they drew close to the vortex spiraling wildly.

“Our destiny will soon be complete.” says Broad.

Mark’s eyes widened and his hands clasped before him with joyfulness so that he could maintain himself. “I can’t control my form any longer. I must join my people.” He yells and transforms himself to his natural form where his brown dark furry wings and snout appear tall form, with hooves, feet, wings, and hands.

“How do you do that so well?” says Liz.

“I have been here a very long time.” He flew off towards the other beasts. And the four of them recognized one another for a brief moment and stopped their assaults and danced around in a circle.

Drax stands still as he saw them and how they interacted apart from their attacks on humans; they were peaceful together if only for a brief time. He thought, if only the world could act like that. Then he saw Broad and Elizabeth nearby and the mystifying object in their hands. Broad moved closer with Elizabeth behind him, wearing the body armor like him and holding an arm canon. She fired it up into the air towards the beasts, a heavy white fireball projectile emerged and split the air in half as it sped upward, burning the hot flesh of whatever form it came in contact with. With a stern look she fired again and again. And as they approached the circle of beasts, the vortex came with them, tethered to the object by the stream of light and the air around it roaring brightly. The sinister duo smirks wildly as they approached the creatures above, who are so far oblivious to their approach. Drax saw this, something snapped in him, and he felt sorry for the beasts that were being targeted. As they were being burned by the weapons blasts coming from Broad and Liz below, and seemed helpless to defend themselves against such advanced technology, he realizes he has to act to help them. He saw how they could live in peace like people, and possessed some form of intelligence.He knew he had to stop Broad and Elizabeth, as he saw them firing up at the beasts that in turn raced around in confusion before figuring out how to retaliate. He then ran to them. Roy and Marina ran with him as well. The movements at the time seemed slow to Drax as he ran to Broad where he was holding the object, and Broad approached further, causing the vortex to spin closer. Satyr noticed the vortex approaching and spun out of the circle and flew out of its range, roaring so loudly the air shook and the structures that remained trembled. The vortex subsumed the three beasts that did not make it in time as they fell within its range once it came close enough. Drax ran to Broad and jumped up tackling him to the ground causing him to drop the object. Elizabeth backed up in shock as the two men wrestled on the ground.She saw the object land on the ground a few feet away and reached for it, but Roy ran over and grabbed it first. Liz then angrily tried to kick him. Roy moved and Liz tried to hit him numerous times with her fists and feet. As Roy dodged each blow, he fell back and was about to be stomped by her high heel.

Marina ran over and punched Liz in the jaw knocking her back, “you leave my brother alone.”

Drax and Broad wrestled on the ground back and forth “you fool, Milton. I trusted you.”

“I trusted you too, old mentor.” Says Drax as he gained the upper hand and rested atop his foe, swinging his arm back and looking at the glaring regret and eagerness in Broad’s eye. When he punched Broad in the face rendering him unconscious, the vortex faded after it had consumed the three beasts as transformed balls of light.The portal finally disappeared as the beam of light tethering it retracted into the object.

Satyr flapped his wings in the distance having observed the entire event and flew off, “there will be another time.” He flapped off flying into the distance of the cloudy sky above the disaster prone city.

Drax looks up at the fading lights and sighed. He reached for the object and looks back at Roy and Marina nodding in gratitude at them for their participation, but he then looks down in sudden relief. His head sunk then as he looks at the sky as the beasts were gone. He had succeeded at defeating his oldest friend and mentor turned foe with the help of some new friends. Even in having defeated Broad, Drax felt that he had lost the battle in a sense. Drax felt that in forgetting his hopes and dreams for the future, he has actually helped his old friend succeed. He wanted a quest and in having his dream fulfilled he lost a lot. He wished that things were different, but he knew destiny sometimes has in store for each of us what we can hardly even imagine.

In the nearby docks, a tall yacht designated the Crimson Tide sailed out, riding the waves. Aboard were Broad and Elizabeth sipping champagne wearing classic sailing clothes and sharing a platter of shrimp as men in white uniform serve them. There is a tall screen on the main mast arching downward and the same shadow figure silhouette as before, speaking in a crinkled tone.

“The Last Time is yet to come.” The voice echoed from the screen.

“We suspected as much” says Broad.

“You have passed the ultimate test, Broad Staffnight, and we anticipate you will enjoy the next task very much. It is the strongest pursuit and the greatest challenge.”