This is the twenty-second story in my Legacy Universe. Normally, is is where I’d point out that the story could be read on its own, but in this case, it helps to have read some of the previous Legacy stories. A complete list of the Legacy stories will be provided at the end of the story as well as the order in which they were written.

Part 1

It was early afternoon but Julie Matthews was already exhausted. Julie was a young woman, just barely eighteen years old, but at that moment, she felt much older. She leaned back on the bus stop bench, let out a loud yawn, and then rolled several strands of her brown hair around her finger, while she waited for the bus to arrive.

This morning, she’d been forced to get up early so she could help open the restaurant where she worked. After getting up at four, then working a full shift, she was ready to just go home and crash. Of course, she knew that it wouldn’t be nearly this bad if she hadn’t been out late last night.

“I should pick one job and stick with it,” Julie told herself with another yawn.

Julie thought about her other job, the one she’d been out working last night. It was volunteer work of sorts, so unlike her job at the restaurant, it didn’t actually pay anything. However, she got to help people who needed it, while hanging out with her friends, so there was no way she was going to give that up. Unfortunately, she still had bills to pay as well, which meant that she couldn’t give up her waitressing job until she found something better.

Just then, Julie noticed a young man coming towards the bus stop. “Hey,” he greeted her with a faint smirk and an appreciative look. “You got a light?” He held up a cigarette.

“I don’t smoke,” she responded apologetically.

“Then, I’ll just take your money,” he announced, pulling a switchblade from his pocket and springing the knife.

Julie slowly stood up from the bench, not making any sudden moves. “Really?” she asked, looking around for anyone who could help her. She saw two other young men a short distance away, but no one else who was close. And from the smirks on their faces, they were friends with the one who was mugging her. “Do I look like I have anything worth stealing?”

“Give me your money,” the punk demanded. “And your jewelry.”

“What jewelry?” Julie asked, knowing that she had to call for help.

There was no one close enough to hear her if she yelled, or at least not close enough to come in time. However, when Julie called out for help, it wasn’t out loud. A moment later, she heard the responses as several voices from beyond offered their help. Julie listened to these voices, the voices of the dead, sensing their personalities and skills, then reaching out for the one she wanted.

Julie almost felt sorry for this mugger, since he had no idea that she was a developed, with the ability to channel the dead through her own body. This was why she was sometimes known by her codename of Channel.

The spirit used the link that Julie provided to come into her body and take control, while she slid into the background. She could still see and feel everything, and could even eject the spirit if he started to go out of control. But for now, she was more than satisfied to let this martial arts master save her.

“You are a foolish child,” the spirit announced from Julie’s body, while taking a completely different posture than what she usually used.

“Who’s the fool?” the punk demanded, waving the knife into Julie’s face.

Julie’s body moved more quickly than she could have done on her own, grabbing the mugger’s wrist and twisting so that he dropped the knife and screamed in pain. The man who controlled her body then snapped out several quick kicks into the mugger’s side, before driving him face first into the ground.

“JIMMY,” one of the mugger’s friends cried out in shock, right before both of them came running over, drawing their own knives. “I’m gonna kick your ass, bitch…”

“Cease your attack or face the consequences,” the spirit warned.

“We’re gonna fuck you up,” one of the men responded as he lunged forward with his knife.

The spirit didn’t bother to say anything in response, and merely moved to the side, grabbing the mugger’s arm and twisting until it broke. He followed this up by kicking the other mugger several times in the side and then in the back of the leg. In seconds, all three of the muggers were sprawled on the ground, where they remained when the bus pulled up mere seconds later.

“Thank you,” Julie told her spirit who had just saved her.

He gave a mental bow, saying, “It was a pleasure to put my skills to good purpose again. Thank you for giving me this opportunity.” And with that, the spirit faded back to where she had drawn him from.

Julie smiled as she climbed onto the bus, absently wondering if one of these spirits could help with her finances, so she wouldn’t have to keep working such a crappy job. After all, she could probably find some kind of financial guru to give her investment advice, or maybe even a pirate who’d tell her where he buried his gold. However, that could wait for later. Now, she had to get home and get some sleep, so she’d be well rested by the time she had to meet up with the rest of the Slackers.

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The large windowless room was cold, hard, and dark, with all surfaces being made of black stone. An empty throne, which appeared to have been made of human skulls, was placed in the middle of the room, dominating the attention of those who were gathered in front of it.

A loud ‘caw caw’ filled the air as two black ravens swooped through the
throne room, flying right past the small group of people who stood there waiting, and landing upon the back of the throne. The ravens both turned to look over the gathering, each clawing loudly before hopping off the throne and landing on the ground beside it. As soon as they touched the stone floor, each of the birds began to shift and change, taking human form.

To the right of the throne, Edgar Munin leaned on his black cane. He was tall and thin, wearing an old fashioned black suit, which almost looked as though it could have been worn in the Victorian era. His black hair was brushed back and his eyes hidden behind a pair of round sunglasses.

Alan Hurin was on the other side of the throne. Like Munin, he was dressed all in black, though his clothing more closely resembled a ninja’s uniform, with armored pads on each shoulder, which looked almost like layered fathers. A black partial helmet adorned his head, with the forehead piece resembling a raven’s head. And though most of his face was covered, a pair of glowing red eyes could still be seen.

Suddenly, a thick black smoke formed over the throne, spreading out and solidifying to reveal that an attractive young woman with blonde hair now sat there. She wore a costume that was purple and black, with pieces of gray metal armor. A gray metal skull adorned her belt while a chain hung loose from her side. A black cloak was wrapped around her shoulders with the hood draped down to obscure her face. Two metal broaches in the shapes of skulls held her cloak close to her.

Baron Nevermore had been a villain of immense and terrifying reputation, until his fortunes had turned and his soul had been trapped in a dimension which could only be described as Hell. But in spite of this setback, the dark sorcerer had escaped, acquiring a new body and another opportunity to achieve her goals.

“The time is upon us,” Nevermore announced. Though her features appeared young and innocent, there was a dark edge to her voice that was anything but. “The day we have prepared for is finally at hand.”

“As long as I get what you promised me,” an annoyed voice commented. “I’m no hired henchman. I have my own reasons for helping you.”

Nevermore’s eyes, which glowed a malevolent red, slowly looked over her allies, settling on the man who’d spoken. Force was tall and muscular, with blonde hair and handsome good looks. The former hero wore a blue and black costume, which resembled the blue and white one that he once wore. His costume had a stylized F on the chest and included a black cape and silver metal shoulder armor.

“Each of us has a reason for this alliance,” Nevermore stated. “Each of us has something to gain.”

“Force is motivated by pride,” a woman commented with a smirk, drawing Nevermore’s attention to her.

The Sinner was currently an attractive woman with long black hair, a tight black outfit with stiletto heels, and a long crimson coat that was open, so as not to hide her curves. She looked much more appealing than she had in her original body, though the same could be said of Nevermore herself.

Of course, the Sinner was correct about Force. The former hero had joined their alliance purely out of pride and ego. That made him easy to understand…and manipulate.

“Soon, you will have your revenge,” Nevermore promised Force. “You will show your former allies how powerful you truly are as you crush them beneath your heel, and you will make them pay for the way they turned on you.”

Force puffed up, smirking in eager anticipation. “Some of those assholes have had this coming for a LONG time.”

“Circuit Monger,” Nevermore announced, turning his attention to the robotic woman.

Circuit Monger’s body was entirely metallic, though female in shape. Most of her body was painted green or black though several parts were more of a dark gray color. Her face was one of the parts painted black which gave her something of an African appearance, an impression which was increased by the dark gray metal cables that came from the back of her head and hung down, looking almost like dreadlocks. At the same time, thin glowing green lines ran over her body, forming patterns similar to a circuit board.

The Sinner looked Circuit Monger over and smirked. “Gluttony is your defining sin.”

“Negative,” Circuit Monger responded in a flat voice. “This unit does not require sustenance.”

The Sinner just smirked at that. “Well, you do have some pretty big power requirements, but that isn’t what I was referring to. You consume information…data…and you aren’t ever satisfied.”

“The Sinner is correct,” Nevermore said as she stared at Circuit Monger. “Your craving for knowledge is unquenchable, but soon, you will have access to countless new sources of information.”

Nevermore turned her attention to Loki, a skinny young man who had a pinched face and black hair with a white lock in front. His costume was red and gold, with some black trim, and was adorned with a red cape. Loki’s left arm from the elbow down, was covered in red scales and claws, looking as though it belonged to a demon rather than a human. And in that clawed hand, he held a black staff.

“Not a fucking word,” he warned the Sinner.

“Loki,” Nevermore announced. “I promised you the opportunity to unleash more chaos and destruction than you have ever dreamt of. Soon, my promise will be fulfilled.”

“About fucking time,” Loki grumbled, though he clenched his staff more tightly and had a nearly manic gleam in his eyes.

Next, Nevermore turned her attention to a woman who was wearing a suit of red and white armor, which included a long red cape. She wore a red helmet with white trim, which covered her entire head except for her lower face. In one hand, she held a scepter, though her other hand held a length of chain. The other end of the chain went to the collar of a large black panther.

“Scepter,” Nevermore said. “To you, I have given freedom from slavery and power over the one who would have enslaved you.” Ebon growled form the other end of the chain, clearly not happy about this turnabout.

“Silence,” Scepter snarled at the cat, who immediately cringed back. She looked at Nevermore and responded, “You gave me the power you promised. I’ll fulfil my part of our deal.”

“And I believe, that leaves me,” the Sinner commented, buffing her nails on her coat.

“You swore service to my cause,” Nevermore agreed, “in exchange for power and your life.”

“And you gave me this nice new body after my last one was killed,” the Sinner responded with a smirk, taking a sexy pose. “I have to admit, I kind of like this one better. It’s so much more fun.”

“Regardless of your reasons,” Nevermore announced, “each of you has agreed to assist me in this venture. Soon, I shall have the power I require to achieve my goal, and each of you shall have what you were promised.” She paused at that and slowly stood up from her throne, slowly looking around her group of allies before announcing, “Now, go and unleash all the nightmares of Hell.”