Chapter 4

The Flag ship seized moving beside the moon of the planet. The armada was behind awaiting instructions. In the throne room, Mastema and Kalibak stood to the left and right of Darsied, and in front of them on one knee were the seven furies that were summoned to join the excursion. There are currently 15 Furies in total. The rest were ordered to stay and safeguard Apokolips. 

There was Bernadeth current Leader of the Female Furies, Granny Goodness' personal warriors, Bernadeth was a treacherous hag, wielding her fahren-knife that burned her victims from the inside. She was the most intelligent of the Furies and often regarded as Granny's right hand. As the sister of Darkseid's servant, Desaad, Bernadeth was both notorious and feared by the masses of Apokolips. One of the first Furies to be recruited, Bernadeth hated being led by others. Mastema personally found her annoying but she's useful and his father is amused by her cruelty. She was 5'10 with fair skin, black hair and brown eyes.

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Big Barda is the second in charge of the Furies. Barda was bred at a Gestation Lab in Apokolips. The genes for these breeds were provided by a selected few of Darkseid's choosing based on the qualities he desires the most: cruelty, avarice, ruthlessness, etc. She is 6'2 with tan skin, blue eyes and black hair. Some follow a philosophy of speaking softly and carrying a big stick. Big Barda does not. Instead, she lives up to her name with her awe-inspiring height and power as well as the impact she leaves on her enemies.

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Bloody Mary as beautiful as she was deadly. Bloody Mary is an energy vampire that enjoys sucking the life out of her victims. She is 6'0, with pail skin, red hair and red eyes. 

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Lashina was raised as a warrior in Granny Goodness' Orphanage,she is the field leader of the Female Furies. She was known to employ a number of whips and lashes. She is a towering 6'6 with fair skin, blue eyes and black hair. 

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Mad Harriet was raised in Granny Goodness' orphanage and was noticed by Granny for adoring the feeling of torture and pain. One of the first members of the Female Furies, Mad Harriet served Darkseid despite her insanity.She is 5'10 with black eyes, yellow skin and green hair.

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Stompa was born on Apokolips and was taken in by Granny Goodness. Trained and tortured in Granny's orphanage, Stompa's strength, ruthlessness, and loyalty promoted her to one of the founding members of the Female Furies. She is 5'10 with light brown skin, dark brown hair and brown eyes.

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Lastly was Gilotina. Her name is taken from her special ability which allows her to chop through almost anything with her bare hands. However, she is also an expert in Swordsmanship. She is 5'11 with fair skin blue eyes and platinum blonde hair.

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Darsied's eyes were glowing ominously. Even though he was just sitting there his presence caused dread and fear to creep up the spin of those who gazed upon him. But to those who knew him. He was excited. How could he now be, he was closer to acquiring Anti-Life than he had been in years. But even if he didn't the old gods on this planet would cure his boredom and give him a good fight. He glanced at Mastema who nodded and took a step forward. Holo images of the landscapes and the people were brought up.

"I deployed several drones to take images of this world but also to seek out indigenous live forms. And I've discovered several things. The first and most important is which of the Old Gods we are dealing with. And I think you'll be quite pleased with this father. " said Mastema with a smile.

"It's not the Asgardians you destroyed a few years back since they haven't reformed from their Ragnarok cycle yet. It is the.....Olympians. Which I discovered when my drones infiltrated one of the areas saturated with old magic and hints of divinity, a place called Themyscira."

Images of the island were brought up, as well as images of women dressed in armor with bows, swords, and spears reading for war.

"It's an island nation home to only female warriors that worship the Olympians as their patron deities and are led by Queen Hippolyte. They are currently in a war-ready state. Preparing ships and heading to a specific mass of land no doubt at the request of their gods. Their military is primitive but they are blessed by their gods so some level of caution is advised"

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The images change and bring up an underwater kingdom protected by a force field.

"This is Atlantis an underwater kingdom that also worships the Greeks but only Poseidon and his family. Which makes sense considering they are in his domain. It is further divided into city-states like Poseidonis, Tritonis, Venturia, Shayeris, and others. They possess an advanced military that is a combination of magic and technology a true marvel that will be studied at lengths soon. Most of them can only breathe underwater but a few can breathe on the surface as well. Those that can breathe on both land and in the sea show higher body density than the rest of the species so they must possess greater strength. Their current leader and king is Orin II son of Orin I "

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Mastema tapped a few buttons and changed the images again. 

"Now most of the surface has been conquered by a man called Genghis Khan. A warlord that has the largest army in the world. But what is most impressive is the physiology of him and anyone descended from him. The scans didn't show exactly what it was which means currently it's an unknown but it's mostly likely a mutation in the genome caused by radiation or some other energy source. What effects it has on him and his bloodline besides the gene they possess that other humans do not is also unknown but it would be wise to be cautious."

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"As for the Olympians, since they haven't been that active, and infiltrating their domain would take some time I dug through the mother box database for info on past encounters. The Olympians came into being from the effects of the Godwave energy spilled forth from the creation of the Fourth World. Now there are many minor gods, demi-gods, and creatures. But the biggest threat is the 12 main gods. Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Hades, Demeter, Hestia, Aphrodite, Hermes, Apollo, Ares, Artemis and Athena. The domains among them are diverse and each should be treated with caution should they interfere with the conquest of this world. The most combat-oriented are Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Ares, Apollo, Artemis, and Athena. The most dangerous in a combat scenario is Ares. Ares is the God of War in the Greek pantheon. He is the son of Zeus, the ruler of the Greek pantheon, and his wife Hera. As a god with a domain in war, he will become stronger the longer the conflict goes on. So the best countermeasure is to either neutralize him as fast as possible or contain or seal him away from the battlefield. His sister Athena is another factor as she is the goddess of defensive war and wisdom. And will most likely be the strategist should the old gods intervene. Zeus controls the Sky, Poseidon the Sea, and Hades the Earth a fearsome combination but also immensely strong on their own. Finally, the twins Apollo and Artemis rule the Sun and the Moon respectively. Both possess domains in archery so they will mostly like to provide cover fire and will become stronger during their time of day." he paused and let that sink in. Kalibak was just smiling, excited to face any stronger opponent let alone a buffey of them.

Mastema took a step back while still typing away on his holo keypad. Darksied leaned forward. "We attack tomorrow, failure will not be tolerated. Is that understood?"

"Yes Lord Darksied" x7

"Good, now go prepare" 

After the Furies left leaving Darkseid with his sons.

"The high-breeds are ready father. The Pandora pillars are ready"

"Good, you shall continue to observe the planet. Should the Old Gods move I shall sense it. Deploy the pillars an hour before starting the invasion"

"I see, you want the pillars to create fear. Since the inhabitants will not know their function fear of the unknown is the most logical response."

"Exactly"

Kalibak started cackling with glee while caressing his hammer Mastema made for him.

"Soon" he chuckles"Soon I shall bathe in blood"

And to his outburst, Mastema smiled and his eyes glowed red. He agreed soon they would bring DOOM