Samantha Maxis (born Samantha Nictis) was the biological daughter of Nictis, and the adoptive daughter of Ludvig Maxis and later Daniela Knight. She appears as a supporting character within the Arc 2 universe sagas of the Roach Chronicles.
During the events of Dark Solace within the Eternal Despair saga, Samantha ultimately met her demise by the hands of her own father, who had tearfully sacrificed her life in order to break the seal protecting the Dark Scepter. As she died in Nictis' arms, she forgave her father and told him that she still loves him before dying.
History[]
Early Life[]
In 1934, thousands of years after the Cursed Realm's creation, Nictis created a daughter, Samantha. However, despite his love for her, Nictis deemed the Cursed Realm too dangerous for him to raise her in. Using his powers, Nictis sent Samantha to Germany, where she would be found and later raised by Ludvig Maxis, who would hide the fact that she was adopted from her.
Post-World War II[]
Following World War II, Edward Richtofen, the second-in-command of Ludvig Maxis, had kidnapped Samantha in secret and brought her to the Moon in order to experiment on her upon discovering her hidden Aetherial powers. There, he preserved her within the MPD within the Chamber of Repose for safekeeping following his experiments, intending to eventually possess her body to gain control of her powers. Samantha would remain cryogenically frozen within the MPD for decades, with only Richtofen knowing her whereabouts.
Rebirth of Gruntijackal[]
Decades later, Richtofen, along with Xarcoh and Gruntijackal returned to the Chamber of Repose, where they opened the MPD. There, Richtofen and Xarcoh were able to transfer Gruntijackal's soul into the MPD, allowing him to possess Samantha's dormant body while her soul was sent through the MPD and into the Chamber of Waking within the Aether. There, she began to recontruct her body with the use of the combined light and dark energies of the Aether. However, following the Yin Blade's destruction, the balance within the Aether was shifted, allowing the dark energies to overcome the light and fracture the Aether. This caused Samantha's restoration process to be corrupted, fueling her with the dark energies of the Aether, to which she soon gained control of after Gruntijackal's link with the Aether was severed.
Day of Judgment[]
Five years after Gruntijackal's rebirth, Daniela Knight, Jacob Roberts, Patrick West, and Dr. Samuel Higgins would travel to the fracturing Aether, where they discover Samantha within the Chamber of Waking, who had just finished recreating her body with the use of the dark energies of the Aether. Blinded by the powers of the dark energies, Samantha attacked the heroes, forcing them into battle. After a brutal fight, the heroes were able to use the Key of Union to cleanse Samantha's soul, thus restoring her.
Samantha would go on to explain to the heroes on her past, revealing that it was Richtofen who imprisoned her in the MPD on the Moon. After her story, she revealed that they heroes could now restore the universe from its fracturing state. Using the Key of Union, the heroes plugged it into the device Samantha was in, causing the device to glow white. This caused the Aether to restore itself, and within a blinding light, transported the heroes and Samantha back into the now restored Green Mountain. With the universe restored, the heroes celebrated their victory. With no other home left for Samantha since her time has chronologically long passed, Daniela ultimately decided to adopt Samantha as her daughter.
The Hands of Destiny[]
Following the sudden return of Gruntijackal, Richtofen, and Xarcoh, they attacked Green Mountain in an attempt to lure out the heroes. Samantha was ordered by the four to stay at Higgins' underground lab while they dealt with the villains. However, when they returned, Higgins was missing from the group. Daniela sadly told Samantha that Higgins was killed by Richtofen, saying that if they wish to revive him, they must procure the Lamp of Destiny for the villains and bring it to their base at the Temple of Terminus.
Searching through Higgins' research on clues regarding his final words, the four discovered that he was referring to the Library of Divination, an ancient library in the realm of Divination, which could be accessed through interdimensional travel. Seeing his notes pinpointed the location of a test site regarding this topic, the four set out to the test site, revealing it to be the now overrun Area 51 in Nevada. Entering the base with ease due to the zombie outbreak, the team enters the labs, where they are successful in utilizing the experimental Ravish weapon to open a gateway to Divination.
At Divination, they discover the hidden vaults in the library, where they discover the dark prophecy regarding the Emperor of Destiny and his goal to use the powers of Dark Creation to rewrite destiny and conquer all of reality. As they read the deciphered the prophecy, The Librarian appeared, now freed from Gruntijackal's influence. After The Librarian explains his role and purpose, the heroes then explain their predicament, causing The Librarian to realize that the dark prophecy was beginning. Giving them the prophecy of the lamp to the heroes, The Librarian tells them to "not look forward or back, but down", saying it will help them in the catacombs before using his powers to teleport the heroes away to the Catacombs of Destiny, the resting place of the Lamp of Destiny.
At the Catacombs of Destiny, the four are able to decipher The Librarian's quote, ultimately discovering the Lamp of Destiny within a secret compartment underneath the central fountain. However, Xarcoh appears and grabs the lamp. As the heroes get up, they question why Xarcoh was here, saying that they were going to bring it to them at the Temple of Terminus. However, Xarcoh reveals that there has been a slight change of plans, revealing that the three villains discovered a flaw when they first made the arrangements for the meeting at the temple; if the heroes got the lamp, they could easily have used it then and there at the catacombs to save Higgins and stop the villains. Using the lamp, Xarcoh creates a gauntlet-styled weapon. The heroes question what it was before Xarcoh reveals that it is the all-powerful Gauntlet of Ataraxia, a weapon forged by an ultimate evil in another distant timeline, saying its powers could easily overwhelm the heroes before engaging them in a fight. Xarcoh proves to be a difficult opponent, due to him utilizing the gauntlet's powers to his advantage. Eventually, after a long fight, Xarcoh is able to weaken the heroes by blasting them with the gauntlet. Saying that his mission is complete, Xarcoh teleports himself away. Knowing that the end is near, the heroes prepare themselves for one last final battle.
A couple of days following the disastrous mission at the Catacombs of Destiny, the heroes return to Higgins' bunker in Wyoming, where they begin to make preparations for the final battle. As they made their preparations, the entire ground shook. The four hurry out of the bunker, where they see the Temple of Terminus in the skies above. The skies themselves started to become disoriented to resemble space itself. Knowing the Gruntijackal has started the ritual, the four take their stuff before reaching the vehicle depot, where they secure a helicopter and proceed to fly up to the temple.
The four heroes soon land their helicopter on the outside balcony, which served as the main entrance to the temple. Richtofen and Xarcoh appears, telling the heroes to give up, or face the wrath of the Emperor of Destiny. When the heroes refused, Richtofen then explains that the temple will merely become their eternal grave before snapping his fingers. This triggers the temple's emergency response system, creating an army of zombies in order to face the heroes. Xarcoh and Richtofen soon enter the temple before sealing off the main door. However, the heroes are able to open the door into the temple and proceed inside. There, the heroes are able to find a way to gain access into the ritual chamber by overriding the main door.
Upon entering the chamber, they see Gruntijackal performing the ritual. As the energies of the Dark Creation circle around Gruntijackal, the heroes attempt to stop the ritual, but are stopped by Richtofen and Xarcoh. A fight against the two villains begins in the ritual chamber, with Gruntijackal becoming untouchable in his chamber due to a forcefield he was able to create with his growing powers. After the battle, Xarcoh drops the gauntlet, while telling Richtofen that the ritual will succeed, no matter the cost. As Gruntijackal nods to his generals, Xarcoh grabs Richtofen's arm and the two jump into Gruntijackal's forcefield, destroying both of them, but causing both of their energies to be absorbed by Gruntijackal. With this added energy, Gruntijackal is able to complete the ritual. As the forcefield around him is disabled, Gruntijackal begins his ultimate transformation into the Emperor of Destiny. Gruntijackal soon backs up into another room behind the ritual chamber before sealing the door with the use of his Dark Creation powers.
Knowing they have to stop Gruntijackal, the four discover the ultimate weakness to the Dark Creation energies; the Ravish's energy beams can weaken the Dark Creation energies and absorb them. Utilizing this, the four use the Ravish to break the seal, where they enter the room. There, Gruntijackal's transformation into the Emperor of Destiny was completed. As the Emperor of Destiny announces his newfound powers, he challenges the heroes to a final battle. A long and ruthless fight ensues, with the heroes utilizing the Ravish to siphon off the Emperor of Destiny's power bit by bit. Eventually, enough of the Emperor of Destiny's energy is absorbed, causing the stability of the Emperor of Destiny's physical form to begin to weaken severely. In an attempt to reclaim his lost power, the Emperor of Destiny steals the Ravish from the heroes and absorbs its essence into himself. This however, proves to be a fatal mistake, as the combined energies of the Ravish's powerful ammunition and the Dark Creation within the gun proves to be too much from the Emperor of Destiny to handle. As the Emperor of Destiny is reduced to nothing but a ball of energy, Gruntijackal can be heard screaming as the ball launches into the ceiling and out of the temple before exploding, finally ridding the universe of Gruntijackal and the Dark Creation energies once and for all, as well as undoing all of the evil caused by Gruntijackal.
As the heroes celebrate their victory, the temple around them begins to collapse. This forces the heroes to flee from the temple and return to the balcony. Along the way, Patrick discovers the discarded Gauntlet of Ataraxia and picks it up. Upon reaching the balcony, the heroes discover that their helicopter fell with a chunk of the balcony. As the of the balcony collapses, the four heroes are sent falling down to the ground below. Patrick soon gets an idea and tells the others to bunch up. As the heroes cling onto Patrick, he raises the Gauntlet of Ataraxia into the air and begins to power it on. Soon enough, the ground approaches, and the four collide into the ground, ultimately dying as a result. However, the Gauntlet of Ataraxia soon finishes powering up in Patrick's hand and activates, ultimately resurrecting the four and healing them of their wounds. The four heroes soon rejoice over Patrick's actions before retreating into Higgins' bunker just as the rest of the temple's debris lands nearby.
A few days later, the heroes return to Green Mountain with the Gauntlet of Ataraxia, where they find Higgins' body was now in the middle of a field as a result of the Emperor of Destiny's destruction. Using the gauntlet, Patrick resurrects and cures Higgins of his wounds. Higgins soon congratulates the heroes for their actions, saying that they did what he could not.
The Greatest Threat of All[]
Nearly a week following the destruction of the Emperor the Destiny, Higgins enters his lab, where he introduces Roach to Jacob Roberts, Patrick West, Daniela Knight, and Samantha Maxis. Higgins explains they were studying the Gauntlet of Ataraxia, which was formerly wielded by Xarcoh, one of their greatest enemies. Roach soon explains that the gauntlet belonged to Ataraxia, explaining the gauntlet served as a prototype for the Infinity Gauntlet. Patrick explains to Roach that the Gauntlet of Ataraxia was powered by three power sources and shows him the gauntlet on the table. Upon closer inspection, Roach notices a secret compartment within the gauntlet. Upon opening it, Roach discovers the purple Power Stone within it.
At that moment, Ataraxia enters the room with the nearly completed Infinity Gauntlet, revealing that he already knew the location of the Power Stone, explaining that he used it as the primary power source for the Gauntlet of Ataraxia during his experiments, but never removed it upon seeing that it gave the gauntlet its extra powers. Roach quickly blasts Ataraxia down with his own powers, ordering the four to escape with the Gauntlet of Ataraxia.
As the four heroes run through the city, they have a run-in with the other heroes on Main Street. Seeing that they were Roach's friends, the four explain that the Gauntlet of Ataraxia contained the Power Stone within it. Suddenly, the other villains appear, ordering them to surrender the gauntlet. As Patrick puts the gauntlet back on his arm, he tells the villains that if they wanted the gauntlet, they were going to have to pry it off his arm before the heroes charge into battle. A long fight begins, each adversary equally matched. However, the heroes manages to defeat most of the villains. However, Ataraxia teleports to the battle with the use of the Space Stone, revealing the weakened Roach. Ataraxia explains that if they wish to save their friend, they must hand over the Power Stone, otherwise he would kill Roach.
Roach attempts to explain to the heroes that protecting the stone was more important than him, but Ataraxia proceeds to throw Roach onto the ground. As Ataraxia prepares to kill him with the Infinity Gauntlet, the heroes ultimately decide to give the Power Stone to Ataraxia, much to Roach's despair. As Roach weakly crawls towards the heroes, Patrick removes the Power Stone from the gauntlet and throws it to Ataraxia. As Ataraxia places the final stone into the Infinity Gauntlet, his physical appearance drastically changes, all while taunting the heroes to run.
At Higgins' lab, the heroes are desperately attempting to heal Roach by repairing him manually. Higgins soon unveils an experimental power core he created, saying it could help regenerate his soul until he got his strength back. After inserting it into Roach, the ground shook, causing some of the heroes to fall onto the ground. Chris realizes that Ataraxia has begun his new reign of terror, saying that with the Infinity Gauntlet, he was practically unstoppable. As Higgins and Ben help Roach up, the latter explains that even though it may seem impossible, he believes that they could defeat Ataraxia all together, explaining that there is never a task too difficult, and that there is never a sacrifice too great. Motivated by Roach's words, the heroes form the "United Heroes" and begin to formulate a plan to defeat Ataraxia once and for all.
After some time of planning, the heroes exit the lab, where they see a massive dark storm forming in the skies above the world. The heroes then spot Ataraxia using the Infinity Gauntlet to destroy an entire building with a powerful blast from the Power Stone. The heroes catch Ataraxia's attention, demanding him to give up while he still had the chance. Ataraxia sadistically laughs at this comment, saying that he controls all aspects of the universe, saying that no one would dare to stand in his way before teleporting away in a beam of golden energy. As the heroes look around, Ataraxia appears higher up in the sky, using the gauntlet to thrust into the ground below, sending out a powerful shockwave, knocking down the heroes and creating a small crater where he landed. Roach then orders the heroes to scatter across the city in order to preoccupy Ataraxia. As the heroes scatter, Ataraxia comments to himself that the fun is just about to begin.
"Athena", Daniela, and Samantha find themselves near the town square, where Ataraxia teleports to with the Space Stone. Ataraxia tells the trio that they are making his job much easier and attempts to blast the three with the Power Stone, but they dodge the beam. A struggle between the trio and Ataraxia begins, with the other heroes soon joining in on the fight. As Ataraxia begins to charge up the Infinity Gauntlet for his most powerful attack, Roach charges Ataraxia and pushes against the gauntlet just before Ataraxia can send a beam of energy out. As the two struggle, Ataraxia says his efforts are hopeless, saying there is nothing that could be done. Roach then cheekily replies that this was merely his ultimate endgame, ultimately giving the signal to fire. Higgins then fires the crossbow, with the arrow landing on side of the gauntlet. As the beeping of the arrow intensified, Ataraxia could only watch in shock as the arrow exploded, knocking the two backwards and ripping the gauntlet clean off of Ataraxia's arm. As the gauntlet laid on the ground, now heavily damaged, the two crawl towards the gauntlet. However, the other heroes tackle down the weakened Ataraxia, holding him at bay.
As Roach weakenly stands up with the damaged Infinity Gauntlet, he tells Ataraxia that is reign of terror ends. Ataraxia then chuckles to himself, saying that they have no idea what they've done. Roach then discovers a secret compartment within the gauntlet, revealing a time bomb. As the countdown reached 30 seconds, Roach furiously used the gauntlet to fire a combined beam of all six Infinity Stones towards Ataraxia, ultimately killing him once and for all. With little to no time left, Roach desperately tells the heroes to take cover. The heroes flee as Roach drops the gauntlet and attempts to take cover, but the explosion knocks him clean off of his feet, sending him flying into a brick wall. As the smoke settled, the Infinity Gauntlet laid in pieces on the ground, with all six Infinity Stones shattered in pieces around the gauntlet. The heroes rush to Roach's aid, who was laying on his back. As the heroes gather around him, Roach pries open his chest, revealing the damaged power core, which had a large piece of shrapnel within it. Roach then thanks Higgins, saying that if that power core wasn't there, Roach would have surely perished. The heroes then celebrate their victory as the people of Green Mountain return to congratulate the heroes for their heroic actions.
Sometime later, the heroes gather at Higgins' lab, where they destroy the Gauntlet of Ataraxia. Roach then does a toast, saying that their combined efforts as one were able to finally put an end to the ancient evil of Ataraxia and saved the universe from his dark wrath. The heroes then threw a massive party, where they celebrated their victory. After the party, Higgins finalizes a teleportation device, saying that it should allow SEAL Team Five and the four Eclipse Army soldiers to return to their own timelines. Higgins then hands Roach and "Athena" smaller handheld devices, saying they could allow them to return to this timeline through the teleporter. After everyone finished their goodbyes, the heroes soon returned to their own time periods.
The following night, Higgins has a horrible nightmare in the middle of the night, regarding Nictis. As a mysterious mask flashes in a bright beam of light, Higgins jerks up from bed, saying to himself that he must prepare for the inevitable and warn the others.
Eternal Despair[]
During a new zombie outbreak, Samantha would be unknowingly reunited with her biological father Nictis, who was searching for both the Dark Scepter and her. After being taken from Novus during their first direct confrontation with Nictis, Samantha reluctantly joined her father and his quest to search for the Dark Scepter at Castle Solitude in Røvær, Norway. Upon discovering the Dark Scepter within its chamber, Nictis discovered that the seal protecting it could only be broken when fueled with the blood of a sacrificed love one.
Horrified by this, Nictis would only begin to weep when Samantha also made this realization and attempted to flee. However, Nictis stops her and thrusts a blade through her stomach. Distraught by his actions, Nictis somberly apologizes to his dying daughter, stating that his actions were only to protect the universe from evil, asking his daughter for forgiveness. Sensing his actions were indeed pure, Samantha forgave her father before dying. His hands covered with her blood, Nictis banged on the seal in anguish; recognizing the sacrificed blood, the seal retracted, allowing Nictis to claim the Dark Scepter. Novus soon entered the room, where they found the dead body of Samantha while Nictis still weeped over her. When questioned by Daniela what kind of father he was, Nictis bitterly responded with "remorseful" before teleporting away, leaving Novus to grief over Samantha's death.
Rebellion of Realms[]
Despite fulfilling his mission, Nictis found it incredibly hard to enjoy it knowing his daughter was dead by his own hands. This grief would continue to plague him during his rule over the Accursed Realm and his subsequent war with the Rebellion of Realms as they sought to reclaim their universe from Nictis' rule. During the final battle against Novus at his palace in Berlin, Nictis told the heroes that destroying the Dark Scepter would ultimately cause Samantha's death to be in vain.
Boss Rush[]
Samantha is mentioned by Nictis following his defeat during the Boss Rush tournament as a member of the Thirteen, explaining that he was pulled away from her following his resurrection with a reflection body by the Grandmaster. Before fading away to rejoin Samantha in the afterlife, Nictis apologizes to Novus for everything he did to them.
References[]
| |||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||