Young Bloods(IC, Reboot Open)

[Bentus]

The Nefarious Marionette!
San Diego

---

“Shit!” Vincent exclaimed, throwing his headset into the van’s dash in frustration. Gritting his teeth in anger, he sat motionless for a few moments as he waited to see if his anger would subside. It didn’t, and the mobster instead resorted to punching a clenched fist into the van’s roof, only receiving a sharp feeling of pain in his knuckles for his efforts. Watching as Vincent continued to seethe in his chair, Ray shifted awkwardly in the passenger seat. Stealing another glance out the window towards the bank, his mouth turned into a frown. He hesitated before speaking, wondering if it would be better to just stay silent rather than provoke the wrath of his friend.

“Vince, the Russians killed James.” The cocky sarcasm that normally accompanied the skinnier gangster’s speech was absent, a matter-of-fact seriousness creeping into his tone instead. Vincent sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose as he tilted his head back.

“Yeah, Ray. I know. I fucking know.”

Even if the extreme levels of violence had quietened down after the death of the Outriders, the Gang War that they’d started on the streets had never truly ended. If anything, the mob bosses of San Diego had only agreed to an uneasy truce to lick their wounds and reassess their options. But the different sides continued to prod each other, searching for weaknesses while amassing their armouries for the inevitable beginning of new hostilities. First the Young Bloods, then the Outriders, they’d skilled blood into the water, and now every shark wanted in on the action. Vincent and Ray had both seen the heaviest of the fighting, and they’d both lost people along the way. Shrugging as the silence wore on, Ray continued.

“And she’s not wrong, either. We’re not going to get another shot at a score like this.”

“Could you just let me think, for a moment?” Vincent snapped, scowling at his friend. Ray raised his hands in surrender, immediately zipping his lips and allowing for a silence to descend on the van once more. His brow furrowed with thought, Vincent tried to toss up his options. Making a move now would be risky: both because they hadn’t completed their recon, and also since they’d be facing heavier opposition than they’d expected. But he couldn’t deny the appeal of hitting the Bratva where it hurt. And if the two teens in there were planning to blow their cover anyway, they really might not have another chance at this mark. But none of that meant that he enjoyed having his hand being played for him.

Sighing once again, Vincent leaned forward and turned the keys in the van’s ignition. Not even looking towards Ray, he spoke. “I’m going to do a lap around the block before we pull up to the curb. Make sure everything’s loaded and ready to go - they’re going to need help carrying it all out of there.”

Grinning as Vincent greenlit the plan, Ray offered the other man a mock salute. “You got it, boss.”

---

Having popped the lock of the staff-only door with her threads, Lisette carefully slinked into the private section of the bank. Doing her best to stay low and stay out of sight, she peered over towards where the branch manager was leading one of the Bratva deeper into the vault. Narrowing her eyes, she couldn’t make out any of the conversation that was being exchanged by the pair. The bank manager was wearing a wide, friendly smile - doubtlessly trying to convince his client to reconsider his withdrawal - but the mobster appeared to be unamused by the other man’s efforts. Instead, he seemed to be on edge and impatient with their progress. Frowning, Marionette felt an uneasy feeling gnawing at her chest. Why would the Bratva have been acting so nervously? Could they have gotten wind of their robbery, somehow?

Whatever, it doesn’t matter right now. Whether they expect us or not, there’s no way that they’ll be ready for us. Grinning as the bank manager punched his personal code into the heavy metal door that sealed the main vault, Lisette watched as the sound of pneumatics and motors filled the room. Slowly, the heavy door began to swing itself open as a warning light silently flashed above it. Scanning the room, the girl only counted the pair of armed guards who manned their posts besides the door. Normally, their rifles would have been a serious deterrence to any criminals looking to get past them, but Lisette had dealt with worse. Activating the communicator in her ear, she whispered a message.

“Okay, Changeling. When you hear the alarms start to go off, deal with any Bratva or security out front. We’ll be in and out of this real quick, all lickety-split like!” That would happen when she forced the door open. But if they wanted to get away before any law enforcement arrived, then Marionette would need to make sure that only happened when she was leaving the vault.

Grinning in anticipation, the villainess silently counted down the seconds in her head until she knew that the door would automatically start to close. From that moment, she’d have seven seconds to kill the guards and get inside herself. Seven seconds where the sound of the door’s movements would mask her actions, as long as nobody got a shot off. Seven seconds before the door would lock once again and she’d lose her chance to get in easily.

Cracking her knuckles in smug confidence, Lisette readied herself to dart forward towards the two unsuspecting guards.

[Finland SSR]

Roy

Casimir Herman October 26th

---

Mizuma Ishiwara, the trickstery Selene!

---

It was... painful, to watch Roy and Casimir fight against villains this powerful, on the possible edge of life or death, while all Mizu could do was hide herself in the surrounding scenery, cast helpful illusions on occasion, and just hope for the best. Roy even had to sacrifice his advantage over Sky Sword to help her - the robotic villain apparently noticed her fleeing into the stalls and lunged straight at her, only for Nightshade's staff to stop him in his tracks - lacking his primary weapon, however, Roy was forced to go on the defensive. The illusion she had cast on Butcher Bird did little to help - the villain still tore through anything Casimir tossed at him, thrashing him across the room and turning the squad's most optimistic hero more and more desperate.

Both Roy and Casimir needed help. Mizu didn't even consider this to be a choice. If she can help both, then she will help both.

The girl suddenly leapt out of the stalls, transforming back to her normal self, and snapped with both of her hands, one towards Roy and the other towards Casimir. Both of them would have an illusion cast upon them - any and all of the pain they would feel would suddenly vanish, as if they were as healthy as they were at the start of the fight. It was not healing, and Mizu hoped that the two would realize that and not lunge forward recklessly - but rather a complete cessation of pain, to make sure that they can keep pushing on without any hindrance.

Immediately, the girl would dive back out of the battlefield - she wanted none of the two villains' attention to be set towards her.

---

---

October 26th

Renata Martinez, the heroic Stella!

---

"Huh?" Renata called out, the voice poking in having broken her focus on the screen instantly. That's... Ah, right, that's Whitney, the blonde trailing around in the tower doing stuff despite not being a part of any squad. A tired, exhausted Whitney with bags under her eyes, telling a story of working constant night shifts without a single word spoken, who plopped down on the sofa next to Renata and began asking about the images on the screen.

"Oh, uh, it's a team vitals tracker," the pink-haired girl explained after taking a sip from her cup of coffee and slightly leaning back. "The team buttons attached to our uniforms are hooked up to our bodies, they track anything which might be of concern and- ohhh that ain't good."

Ever since the start of the raid, the heart rate meter next to pretty much everyone was shooting up - and fast. Now, Casimir's tracker was registering that he was suffering some serious damage. Whatever the Young Bloods were facing off against, they must have some serious manpower backing them up to be able to dent one of the team's physical powerhouses. Ah, but Casimir's reckless enough that it could just be an accident. He returns from pretty much every mission wounded somewhere...

Wait...

"Roy?" Not just him, squad 2's trackers were reporting some trouble as well... "But... it's only been a minute..."

Taking a breath through her teeth, Renata rested her back on the sofa - mindlessly, her eyes turned to the TV in the distance, even though it showed nothing except the police surrounding the mall. "Do you have a bad feeling about this too, Whitney?"

---

The Nefarious Marionette!
San Diego

---

Marcella Salazar, the handsome Changeling!

---

Tipping her hat downwards to cast a shadow upon her face and so obscure it, Marcy sneaked through the corridors, slowly infiltrating through the main hall of the bank - keeping a low profile, making her way between numerous Roman-style pillars and assorted tables in complete silence, listening to Marionette's orders and awaiting the signal. Her task was simple - await for the alarm, then strike, and take them out. The Bratva brought several of their own to the bank, all still gathered by the bank tellers, and all of them had guns, either concealed or openly carried.

That was a hint that all of them were powerless, otherwise they might pose a serious threat to them.

"My pleasure," she stated, calmly, with a grin on her face. Suddenly, the alarm blared, its screeching sound rolling across the entire room, shaking the Russians into full alertness and getting Marcy to immediately lunge forward. With a flick of her wrist, she cracked open her parasol and moved it to the front - as soon as the bullets began flying, they bounced off the steel reinforced fabric and flew off to the sides. With superhuman speed, the villainess blitzed across the lobby, her parasol folding at the last second, right before it slashed across the neck of the nearest Russian grunt. He collapsed to the floor, clutching onto his throat, blood spilling through the fingers and coating them red.

Marcy did not stop, smashing in between the eyes of an another mafioso with the butt end of her parasol to knock them out, spinning to slam it across the face of another, then slicing across the shirt of a third, leaving a long, deep, bleeding wound whose sudden surge of pain knocked the man out instantly. Like a spinning tornado, the villainess tore through the mafia men quite easily, but she was forced to come to a halt as soon as she challenged the last one.

Her parasol ended up tightly in the muscular man's grip, not budging in and out - then, suddenly, a force of the exact same strength as her swing struck her in the ribs, sending the girl reeling back, gasping for breath and finally stopping a few meters away.

"What's your deal with us? Business or pleasure?" the Russian man spoke, surprisingly lacking the usual deep accent, and fixed his sunglasses. Marcy said nothing, only struck a slight frown and fixed her hat, slowly pacing around the superhuman, watching his movements and hoping for Marionette to return soon. The lobby sweep should have taken only a few seconds - now, what should have been an easy escape has become a battle.

---

October 3rd

---

The Great Floyd Tolson!

---

Oh hey, turns out that actually worked. One of the members of the gang of misfits - the purple haired girl, whose scythe seems to be the reason why Meridiana was cut up in three in the first place - suddenly did something to get all the pieces to reconnect. Which meant that Meridiana's screaming, pissed off head sped off straight towards the portal - Floyd didn't even bother to run after it, just watching it fly and then dip through the portal.

Now that every single piece of Meridiana's body was out of this dimension, the spell to keep the portals open could not be kept up - and so, one after the other, they shut down and closed. The hordes of demons roaming across the nuclear reactor and its surroundings remained, quite a few of them circling what used to be a battlefield between Meridiana, Megan and Hannah, but staying out for the time being.

"Oh no... Anyway," Floyd muttered, then spun the sword in his hand and sheathed it back. "I was only here because my contract with Satan forced me to. Well, one of Satan's dude bros who got banished to Hell alongside him, but, y'know, that's basically Satan. If any of y'all wanna go, I can just-"

One of the demons in the surroundings, in the shape of a mutated mammoth, having had enough of there not being any bloodshed, suddenly charged forward - Floyd did not even bother reacting and let the demon suddenly slam into him, dragging him along splattered on the demon's forehead - riding off into the horizon.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

Third of Fire
Day 5 of Green Light

---

Hadrians, for the most part, did not like the cold. Typically, this was not something most people in Adai would have to worry about, as their planet was a little warmer than Earth - not so much that it turned into some sort of molten nightmare world, but enough that their winters were mild and their forests and mountains were livable. But there were, of course, situations in which a normal person would come to grips with the cold, whether they wanted to or not. If a girl found herself outside in the wind and rain, her warmth would quickly be sapped from her body. If she tried one of those frozen alien desserts imported from Earth, she would undoubtedly feel the cold spread all over her head and begin to cause her a nasty headache.

And if her sister broke her nose, she would have to hold a pack of ice against it to reduce the swelling.

It had been two days since her first training session with Seristella, in which the aforementioned incident had taken place. After that, she had completely refused to see her sister for any reason whatsoever, though her blistering anger had since faded to a cold, quiet fury. There was the cold again, invading another aspect of a Hadrian's life. Anger... was not meant to be cold. Like passion, like joy, it was born of the flame, just like a voice was born from thunder. Fury was meant to burn bright in the face of injustice, not slowly lose all of its fire and fester, like an old wound.

And yet, fester it had. Was it infected? Was she?

It didn't matter. Ugly as these feelings were, they at least gave her something to focus on, something to distract her from what she truly didn't want to think about. A burning rusty nail to hold onto while trying to ignore that other terrible, searing pain inside her being, the one that had been with her since the day she set foot back in her planet, the one that had left her paralyzed the last several days.

The one that ran much deeper than her anger towards Seristella ever could.

Kirisvala groaned as she lay on her bed, pressing the rapidly melting ice against her face despite the almost unbearable sensation it produced, like it wanted to freeze her blood in her veins. That was the point, of course - to stop it, at any rate - but it didn't make the feeling any less unpleasant, and that just made her feel more irritation and anger than before. A vicious circle that she was all too happy to feed as long as it kept her darkest emotions subdued under a red cloud. Pain above to hide the pain below. An offering, or perhaps a sacrifice.

Didn't that make her time here, this whole journey, and also her, a failure? The entire reason she had come here was to control that, those feelings of rage and malice that blossomed like a rose in late spring and drove her to actions she didn't want to commit, actions unbecoming of what she wanted to be, the person that she needed to be for Mars and for her friends, a heroine. And she was doing the complete opposite now. But could anyone blame her? Faced with all of this as soon as she set foot in a place far from home that she had almost grown to hate in her absence, could anyone blame her?

Suddenly, there was a knock on the doors. The disturbance ignited a feeling of ill will in the girl's breast once more and she glared intensely at the twin doors for several moments, tempted to simply scream at whoever it was to leave her alone. She knew that only two people would think to visit her here anyway, her sister, whom she was yet to forgive for what happened, and Torvalt, whose words of wisdom and kindness she didn't want to hear right now, fearing the contrast would drive her out of her spiral and force her to confront her emotions. She did not want to see either of them, but instead of screaming, after a moment of hesitation she stood up and, still glaring, walked up to the door, one hand holding the ice to her face while the other grabbed one of the two knobs and slid half the door open.

"What do you-" She began, fully intending to raise her voice into a scream at the end of her sentence, but the words died in her throat as she saw that she had been wrong in assuming who had come to visit her. It was neither Torvalt nor Seristella. It was someone she had not seen in years.

He was tall, not as tall as Torvalt or as her sister, but taller than her by a good margin. Taller than Mars as well, she noticed. He had white hair, unlike her and her sister, short and well kept, though the black scales on his arms, which bore the same pattern, and the tiny red crystal on his forehead still suggested some form of kinship. His eyes were likewise red, and his horns, four in total, were thin and neatly curved back over his head, as if hugging it - two over the top, and two more around the sides. He stood in front of Kirisvala's door dressed in an elegant red robe, with long flaps over the shoulders in place of sleeves, fastened by silvery cords adorned with black tassels. His expression was polite, and it did not change one bit as he was almost screamed at, as if he had been expecting it already.

"...Ranny?" She spoke with clear uncertainty, as if she feared she might have the wrong person.

"Kirisvala." He replied with a nod. "I trust your stay has been comfortable so far? I would have come to greet you earlier, but I was in Adamaathal on official business, and did not hear about your return until yesterday." He explained himself, as if the sacred customs of hospitality were his responsibility. It left her confused. She had not seen him since her grandfather's death, but his bearing, and that robe...

"I see your sister has not been kind with her... teachings." The young man continued, causing the girl to focus on his words and lose her train of thought. "It is unfortunate, though I must still thank her for bringing you here safe and sound." He stated. "I heard from Torvalt that you have barely ventured out of your room since your arrival. I understand you must have a lot to think about. But if you need something to take your mind off all of that, would you like to take a walk with me? There is something I would like to show you." He spoke softly, offering his hand to her. Kirisvala was surpried to see how much he had changed in the past six, almost seven years, and wondered why he seemed to take a particular interest in her. Nonetheless, she had little else to do, and wallowing in her own misery was getting old. Thus, she took his hand.

"I would."

---

"You ready Kiris?" Seristella whispered into her ear as the two of them remained hidden up on the branches of a redbark tree overlooking a small clearing and the stream that ran through it. Below them was the preferred prey of the mighty mountain wolves as well as the Ranwynn clan that owned these lands, the great horned grazers. There was currently a herd of about a dozen below, oblivious to the coming slaughter as they drank peacefully from the stream, bleating and clicking their horns together as a form of social interaction. "Remember, no catch means no dinner tonight!"

"I know that!" The young girl whispered back. "I'm going to catch the biggest, plumpest of them, you'll see!"

A quick hiss coming from a nearby tree silenced both of the girls and put them on alert, as it was not only a request for them to be quiet, but a signal that they were about to act. The seconds trickled down as the pink-haired child looked on in anticipation, impatient to jump out and start her first hunt. She could already taste the delicious stew she was going to help prepare with her haul later tonight!

"Now!" Shouted a voice, and the sisters pounced on the grazers, along with over half a dozen other children and teenagers who had been lying in ambush on other nearby trees, including the leader of the expedition, a boy of 14 years of age who had given the order to attack.

The small troop of Hadrian children fell upon their targets with varying degrees of success. A pair of twins only a couple of years older than Kiris bumped their heads in the middle of the air and promptly fell to the ground, failing to reach any of the grazers. A girl just one year younger than her fell to the ground quite far from her target and promptly got up on all fours, chasing after it to no avail, as it was clearly much faster than her. Seristella herself didn't seem to play around - she dove straight for two of the younger creatures and quickly wrestled them to the ground. The leader, meanwhile, fell right behind one of the largest, juiciest looking grazers and, instead of trying to latch onto it, swiftly slashed at one of its hind legs with his claws, ensuring that it couldn't get away from him. The older boys and girls were clearly the most successful of the lot, as for many of the others this was their first hunt ever.

As for Kirisvala herself, she had tried to do exactly as she said: she had jumped towards the biggest, plumpest great horned grazer. Narrowly missing her mark, she nonetheless managed to sink her claws into its rear, latching onto it and holding on for dear life as it ran off into the woods in a desperate attempt to shake off its attacker and save its own life. The two quickly moved further and further away from the rest of the group, and Kirisvala could barely keep track of where they were going. Somewhere to the west, she reckoned, but the trees became a red and emerald blur to the sides and the same happened with the grassy dirt path beneath her.

"Stop it, you dumb thing! I need to get you back for dinner!" The girl cried out, to no avail, as the grazer bleated what amounted to a few colorful expletives. "Hey! Don't say that! I never met her but daddy said she was a very nice person!" She replied angrily.

Soon enough the two left behind the forest and continued running through the highlands, following the stream. While her sister or the other boy would've easily put down the grazer by now, the small six year old simply didn't have the strength necessary to wrestle it to the ground or adjust her position and grab it by the horns, which would also help in getting back. Not wanting to move too far away from her sister and their cousins, but also refusing to simply let go and lose her prey, Kiris tried very hard to think of what to do to end this situation. After a few moments, something finally came to her mind: she could use the same technique as her cousin. The only issue was that her grip wasn't great to begin with, and she'd have to use one of her claws to slash at the grazer's leg if she wanted to put an end to this.

Mentally preparing herself, the girl finally decided to act and released her left claw before swinging it at the creature's leg. She closed her eyes at the last moment, not wanting blood to get into them, but she could feel as her sharp fingertips sliced through the grazer's flesh. However, at the very same time, her other claw failed to keep its grasp, resulting in her falling to the ground and violently rolling forward several feet. When she finally came to a stop, she hurt all over, with several bruises across her body and a scraped shoulder. As if that weren't enough, however, the end of her roll led her to fall into the stream, leaving her hair wet and her clothes soggy.

The great horned grazer didn't fare much better. Kiris had clearly succeeded in slashing through some muscle, as the creature failed to continue moving in an orderly fashion after that, but it did limp for several yards before simply falling to the ground and rolling forward much like she had, smearing its blood all over the ground. Far from being in a prime position for retrieval, the goat ended up falling down a nearby ravine. All that trouble, and she wouldn't even get to bring it back for dinner.

Bereft of her prize, the young girl dragged herself out of the stream, plopped down onto the soil below, and started crying. She was injured and hurt all over, and she wasn't going to eat any dinner tonight. What was she going to tell father? He had been so excited when telling her of how well Seris had done during her first hunt, that she wanted to do the same to make him happy, but now she had gone and ruined it. And her sister was going to make fun of her a whole lot too!

She didn't know how long she sat there crying, but it had been several minutes at the very least. She stood up and was trying to wipe her tears away when she noticed the leader of their group leap out from beyond the trees on all fours and look all around before locking eyes with her.

"...Ranny?" She mumbled.

"Kiris!" He shouted at her before running up to her, coming to a stop next to the stream and letting out a sigh of relief. "There you are. My uncle would never forgive me if I lost his little sunshine out here." He spoke, before noticing that she was hurt and wet. "What happened?"

The girl's lip quivered and she seemed as if she wanted to break into crying again at the question. "I fell off." She said, before pointing towards the nearby ravine. "My prey fell down there. I couldn't catch anything... Seris said if I couldn't catch anything I wouldn't eat dinner..." She spoke, crestfallen.

"That is not..." The boy started, but quickly trailed off. Best not to aggravate the girl at the moment. "Don't worry about it, Kiris. The one I caught is big and fat, it will be more than enough for the two of us. How does that sound?" He smiled to comfort her.

"That... that sounds good." She sniffled and nodded. "Thanks, Ranny."

"Of course. Now let's get that scrape looked at." He replied, promptly tearing off a strip of his shirt and cleaning it in the river before using it to bandage Kiris' shoulder. "There you go." He said, patting her on the head, though she suddenly recoiled.

"Ow ow! Don't touch the nubs!" She complained.

"Oh, of course. They are still growing. My apologies." He said. "For now, let's head back. The others are waiting." He took her hand and began leading her back to the forest clearing. "By the way, you should know that the rule your sister mentioned is not real."

"What?! Really?" The girl questioned. "Oh she is such a... such a..." She trailed off, as if she was unable to find the right words to say to describe her sister's treachery. But all of a sudden, she bleated loudly, prompting her cousin to look at her in shock and then burst out laughing.

"Oh good dragon, don't say things like that Kiris!" He told her, still chuckling. "Your father will be very upset with me if you go back and say that in the hall." He continued. "Just don't think about her for now. Tell me, do you like bleat-bleat stew?"

The girl looked up at him and her eyes were wide, almost glowing with excitement. "Yes! I love it!"

---

After walking across the foothills for a few minutes, Kiris and her cousin found their way to a familiar building, albeit only in a sense. Hadrivan Temple was much changed from when she had last seen it before running away: the worn black stone walls had clearly been given maintenance, just like the crystalline vault above, which was polished to a mirror finish, reflecting the light of the sun. Tapestries were hung outside of the temple as well, depicting not just the Ranwynn sigil - an eye where the slit pupil was the blade of a large sword - but also the national emblem of Tortaris, the sun rising over the mountains. More were hung inside, depicting various myths and legends relevant to their regional identity and faith.

Also inside was something Kirisvala had not seen inside of it before: a crowd. There were quite a few people inside of the temple, at least two dozen. Most were children, but there were a few men and women among them as well. They were sitting on the polished stone floor of the temple, sitting on the ledges of the large open windows, leaning on the walls or simply standing near their friends or family. She noticed quickly that none of them were members of the clan, as they bore no physical resemblance at all, either in scales or in features. One of them stood at the front of the crowd, a bespectacled man with neat black hair and a large notebook, with a satchel full of books hanging from his shoulder.

As soon as the two Ranwynns walked into the main hall of the temple, where song and dance and prayer took place, all eyes were upon them, some children looking at them almost with awe. Noticing their entrance, the man with the glasses hastily walked towards a very surprised Kirisvala and her cousin.

"Lord Rannel! It is very good to see you. I would like to thank you again for approving this small excursion, I think it will be of great benefit to all of us. The children were very excited to leave the village today!" He spoke excitedly, putting forward his palm. Glancing at Kirisvala, he continued. "May I ask who your companion is?"

Rannel chuckled and pressed his own palm against the shorter man's in what was a traditional greeting. "Professor Eddaruna, this lady is my cousin, Kirisvala. She is not yet an adult by law or by rite, and lacks a teacher's license, but I have met none in my generation who match her knowledge when it comes to our cultural heritage." He spoke with a certain grace to his words as he placed a hand on the girl's shoulder, causing a hint of red to appear on her cheeks. "If it is alright with you, I would like to have her talk about the tales and stories we've all heard."

"Of course, of course, that would be perfect, the children would be very happy! The learning hall of the village of Toraven is in your debt, Lady Kirisvala." Eddaruna spoke cheerfully, respectfully bowing his head at Kiris before turning and heading to the singers' altar at the front.

The girl smiled at the teacher, but then turned to her cousin with concern written on her face. "Are you sure, Ranny?"

He smiled reassuringly. "Of course, Kiris. You loved talking about this stuff when we were young, didn't you? The only difference is that you are older and smarter now, and your audience is younger than you. A significant improvement, if you ask me." He told her, gently leading her by the hand to the altar.

Once the three were up ahead and all of the children and the few adults - undoubtedly some parents that tagged along out of concern or curiosity - had their attention on them, Eddaruna cleared his throat. "Alright, boys and girls, please say hello to our kind hosts, Lord Rannel Ranwynn and Lady Kirisvala Ranwynn." The teacher spoke, and the children promptly followed with a chorus of greetings that forced a warm smile out of the surprised Kiris. She noticed that the teacher had omitted a word, and recalled that her father had once taught her that only certain castes had clan names as opposed to simpler family names that required no preposition. She supposed these villagers were of no such castes - perhaps that was why the man didn't know better?

A little push on her shoulder courtesy of Ranny pushed her out of her own thoughts, and she noticed that an awkward silence had settled into the room. Slightly embarrassed that she'd let this happen, the girl cleared her throat and waved at the children. "Hi kids of Toraven! I'm Kiris, and your teacher as well as my cousin here wanted me to talk to you all about fables, myths and stories!" She said, attempting, and mostly succeeding, to put her usual cheer into her words, though it was taking quite a bit of effort in light of recent events. "Before we get started on that, do you have any questions?" She asked. Immediately, a little girl's hand shot up. "Yes?"

"What happened to your face?" She asked, prompting some of the children around her to giggle. Rannel himself let out a laugh, while Eddaruna sighed. Kiris herself was slightly surprised, expecting them to ask about her, or Ranny, or the temple, but she figured that was on her for not being clearer.

"Oh, um, this was just a training accident. Don't worry about me." She said with a sheepish smile on her face. "Now, how about you kids tell me what some of your favorite stories are? I'm sure your parents have told you plenty!" She spoke, and this time the boys and girl started talking immediately, with some even forgetting to raise their hands altogether.

"The Great Golden Howl-Howl!" A little boy said.

"I like Killer Koramel and the Salmon Squire!" An older girl spoke up.

"My favorite is The Little Prince and the Shaman!" Another girl added afterwards.

"Serisaeda and the Black Forest!" A boy pleaded. His voice stood out to Kiris amidst the chorus of requests.

"Serisaeda?" She repeated, locking eyes with the boy, who smiled and nodded enthusiastically. Kirisvala found her own excitement rising as well. "That's my favorite story too! Let's start with that one." She said. Some of the children were clearly disappointed, and one even openly booed her only to quickly be silenced by a flustered Eddaruna. Most, however, seemed content, and the pink-haired girl continued. "The story of Serisaeda, or Crystal Heart, was actually first documented some six hundred years ago, though some historians believe that the groups inhabiting these mountains have been passing down said story in oral tradition since much earlier than that." She began, smiling brightly as she noticed the enthralled expressions of many of the kids, knowing they had likely never suspected that one of their favorite stories could be so ancient.

"Serisaeda and the Black Forest is a story that tells us about the dangers of letting certain emotions like sadness, hate or contempt rule our lives, but what's interesting is that it is based on a real life historical figure that lived during..." The girl continued on, cheerfully going in-depth about the story's inception, themes and moral while keeping his audience captivated. While she had been nervous at first, she realized she was genuinely happy to do this.

For the first time since she had come back, she didn't think of her father at all.

[New Finnish Republic]

Red and Wyatt

---

“Alright guys, get your stuff. We’re heading out to the mall to check out what’s going on. Mike, you’re on crowd control and making sure the police don’t get hurt.” Bael started. “Red, you’re with me. I believe this is connected to the fight we had a few days ago. So be on your guard and more importantly, stick close to me. Buddy team and all that.” He said. “Expect an ambush.”

“Police duty. Got it.” Mike chimed in.

As Red made his way over to walk next to Wyatt, he couldn’t help but give a backwards glance towards where Mike was. Hidden underneath his helmet, his eyebrows remained furrowed as an uneasy feeling had begun to collect within him. “Are you sure we can afford to leave him behind? Even you yourself admitted we’re walking straight into a trap here. Hell, if someone has to do it, I could-”

Before he could finish, a scream suddenly rang out through the air, cutting Red’s voiced concerns short. Red’s eyes widened as he saw Mars spring into action in response to the screams, even as Roy frantically screamed at him to stop. These cries were left ignored, however, forcing the team’s leader to make the decision for the rest of them to follow suit.

“I don’t have a good feeling about this at all, Bael!” Red called out over towards Wyatt as the two ran inside with the other squads.

“You and me both, and honestly as much as I want to take them with us, I do think we need someone at the back to keep people away and let us know if something changes outside.” He explained, eyes darting side to side to be aware of all potential places they could be ambushed from. So far they were clear, but the sound of some screaming sent Mars head first in trying to save whoever it was. Before he even got the chance, a dark smoke appeared around them and teleported them across the mall.

Their progress was halted when out of the shadows a stranger suddenly appeared, his expression initially making Red think that they had somehow stumbled upon some sort of hostage. Covered head to toe in tattoos, a boy that seemed to be roughly the same age as them, walked towards the assembled Young Bloods with a look of amazement on his face. Red nearly was about to let out a sigh of relief, when he noticed both the tone of voice and posture shift within the strange boy.

A change Red recognized as a sign of danger.

“Bael, something isn’t-”

Before he could finish his warning, it was already too late, as the stranger had suddenly transformed into a brutish monster, a blue hue filtering from its body that gave a menacing aura to it. However, this wasn’t the worst of their problems, as before anything could be done to confront this threat, a new voice rang out, making it loud and clear that Red and Wyatt’s concerns had become a reality.

As a collection of individuals appeared out of shadows teleporting circles, Red instinctively reached towards his hips to retrieve his shock batons, unsure of what was going to happen next. From the looks of it, it appeared that they’d be forced into a head on assault against these new arrivals. Based on their appearance alone, it was clear to him that it wasn’t going to be an easy fight, but the team did have somewhat of a numbers advantage over them. In his mind, even though they had stumbled right into a trap, there was still a chance for them all.

That was, however, until Red suddenly felt himself dropping through the floor below into what appeared to be an empty void. A small startled cry rang out from his lips as he closed his eyes, only to open them to see that he was no longer standing next to the rest of his team, but instead alone in the midst of an unlit restaurant.

---

They were still together but not for long. There was a creature darting around the room and Red had already engaged it. “Don’t let them separate us! Stay close!” He shouted, then he noticed the temperature of the area drop quickly and continue to do so. He could already see his own breath.

The sinking feeling in his gut only solidified his suspicions: It was a trap, and they were specifically targeting him and Red with supers that directly countered them. The enchantments on his clothes were doing their best to ward off the cold, but it was meant for chilly weather, not directed ice blasts.

Frost covered the room as the temperature continued to drop and the cold eked past his enchantments. “Alright. Show yourself! We’ve gone through worse, we’ll get through you.” He challenged whoever was causing the ice.

The man appeared, blue skin, assumed to be ice, not wearing a shirt, ice crystals on his head and shoulder as more cool air dripped from his hands. “Sure. Don’t worry, the only pain you’ll have to deal with is crippling physical and emotional pain. No ice puns from me.” He said, pointing his hands and shooting a spray of ice crystals at Bael.

---

“A little lost there, hero?”

Red’s eyes went wide as he spun around in the direction of the deep growling voice behind him, only to let out a pained grunt as a massive fist impacted into his sides, sending him flying into the air and crashing through several rows of vacant tables. While his exosuit had done enough to keep him from being seriously injured, it was clear from the aching pain he felt that his injuries from the Gala had been aggravated from the punishing blow.

In a hazed state of mind, Red groggily got back onto his feet and looked back towards where he had been assaulted from, only to find that the hulking monstrosity he’d seen earlier had seemingly vanished into thin air. Red’s gaze narrowed as he glanced back and forth throughout the restaurant, completely at a loss at how such a large creature had managed to disappear without a trace. Activating his stun batons so that blue threads of electricity began to surge out their ends, Red warrily took several steps forwards, keeping his eyes peeled for any sign of movement in the dark shadows.

After a few moments of uneasy stillness, the sound of the wooden debris on the ground next to him cracking caused him to spin around and swing forwards with his right baton. Although it looked as if he was swinging through empty air in front of him, in the middle of his swing he felt the end of his baton impact into something solid. A moment later, a haunting screech rang out as several yards away a white hybrid creature jumped backwards into sight, baring its teeth towards Red as it seemed to be reeling back from the electric shock.

“Looks like you’re full of surprises,” Red spoke out to the creature, which Red realized at this point had been the teenage boy from before. A shapeshifter, he thought as he took several steps backwards from the still snarling creature. And a dangerous one at that. There’s no telling what else he can transform into. That first one can deliver punches like a cannon, and this one can turn invisible. Red glanced over to where the exit of the restaurant was located, taking careful measures to make sure he kept the now circling creature in the corner of his eye as well. There’s too many variables here. I don’t know if I can take him on by myself, especially if he’s got even deadlier tricks up his sleeve.

Reaching slowly towards his comm set, Red did his best to keep his voice steady as he radioed over towards the team. “It’s Mask. I’m cornered right now with the shapeshifter at one of the restaurants. I need some help right fucking now, or else-”

His words were cut short, however, as he saw the creature lunge forwards towards him. Before he had even time to react, a row of needle-like teeth opened up in front of him for a brief moment before clamping down onto his right arm.

---

Bael jumped behind the counter, overhearing Red on his com. “I think they’re doing this to everyone! We’re on our own!”

“Bingo.” Ice Pick shouted. “Nothin’ personal. We all gotta pay the bills. Rent’s a bitch in this city.” He taunted, icing over the counter and Bael’s lower half. “You’re a real big lizard. I definitely got a C in biology, but I do remember you all don’t like the cold very much.” He said jumping over the counter.

Bael struck Ice pick when he got within arm’s reach. The blow visibly cratered his chest and smashed him into the wall. “Gah!” He hissed and fell out of the crater he was slammed in. “Yeah. I heard and saw what you did to Butcher Bird. Broken nose, concussion, small skull fracture. Stronger than you look.” He said, one arm around his chest.
The ice shattered as Bael broke free, but he was met with another icy spray, this time covering him up to his chest. “Honestly, I kind of expected more from the way you laid out bitch bird. I wonder how your friend’s doing...”

---

Letting out a string of curses, Red felt himself falling backwards from the sheer impact the charging creature had collided with him with. With his right arm currently immobilized, he had little options left besides using his bare fists to pummel at the side of the creature’s head, landing blow after blow as it fell on top of him and began to pin him on the ground. However, its iron-grip on his arm refused to let go of him, instead biting down with even more force as its razored teeth dug deep into the armor. While it had yet to make any headway through the armor, Red could feel the crushing pressure begin to increase after every single punch he landed on its head.

Finally, Red managed to find an opening to exploit, as a momentary pause in its thrashing allowed him to land a precise jab towards its exposed eye. A pained screech erupted from the creature as it let go of its grip on Red’s arm, leaping off of him several yards backwards as it reeled in pain. Not letting the opportunity go to waste, he quickly lept onto his feet, taking a small moment to glance down at his right arm and notice the deep scratches that now ran up and down the armored appendage. This isn’t good, Red thought to himself as he reached down towards his waist to retrieve several of his rederangs from their storage areas. I need to get back to Wyatt and the others. I don’t think this is going to be something I can take on my own, not with what I’ve got on me now at least.

His options were limited, however, as he was currently positioned in a manner that the only clear exit was past the creature. Even if he managed to get past it, a row of metal gates in the entryway further complicated any form of escape, which meant he’d have to time his next move carefully if he wanted any hope of getting out of this current encounter alive.

Taking a deep breath, Red decided to risk wasting his few precious moments of advantage over his temporarily impaired opponent to reach back towards one of his back pouches, retrieving a grenade-like device out from within. Once he felt it in his hands, he took one last glance across the now decimated interior of the restaurant, doing everything within his power to memorize the layout of it before pulling the pin on the device and tossed it straight towards the creature. At the same time, he let loose one of his rederangs towards the gated entrance, a bright red flash emanating from its center.

In an instant, an explosion erupted where the rederang impacted, sending what little remained of the gate crashing to the ground in a twisted heap. As this happened, a billowing cloud erupted from the device he had first thrown, covering the entire area in a dense smoke that made vision practically impossible.

Rushing forwards through the cloud of smoke while relying solely on his recollection of his surroundings, Red put every ounce of energy into his legs as he made his way past where he had last seen the white creature. While he happened to bump into a few of the scattered tables left remaining on the restaurant floor, he had managed to reach towards where he believed was exit much faster than he had anticipated. For a brief moment, he thought that his plan had worked, already beginning to try and formulate a way in which he could reach the others before his opponent could catch up to him.

That was, at least, until a blue glow emanated from the cloud of smoke in front of him.

Smashing into his chest with the force of an oncoming train, Red’s vision went blurry as he felt himself ragdolling through the air uncontrollably, stopping only after he crashed into the metal counter of the register area of the kitchen. The impact caused all of the air to forcefully expel out of his lungs, a small whimper of a gasp escaping from him as the edge of his vision began to darken.

While at first he thought it was merely a result of the devastating blow, the sound of a high pitched ringing began to bring him back into consciousness as water began to gush out from the sprinklers above. Between the explosion and failed smoke screen, the fire alarm within the area had been set off, causing the already dimly lit area to be further obscured from the gushing water that poured out from above.

Reaching up, Red let out a pained grunt as his grip momentarily slipped from the now soaked counter, every deep breath he took seemingly to only increase in burning pain as he struggled to recover. A sudden current of air threatened to topple him once more as the thick cloud of smoke from before began to dissipate. The sound of a loud whoosh caught his attention as the strong currents continued until the smoke had cleared enough to reveal his opponent had transformed into a familiar bird-like creature and was using its massive wings to dispel the cover of smoke.

Landing on the ground, the creature morphed back into the human form of the teenage boy the Young Bloods had encountered before. A smug expression filled the boy’s face as he looked at Red, his head cocked slightly to the side as a malicious gleam flashed across his eyes.

“Trying to run away, are we Mask? I’m afraid you’re going to have to be much more creative than that,” he said, a mockingly scolding tone in his voice as he shook his head. “Although I can’t blame you. After all, I’m quite literally your worst nightmare. No matter how many tricks you think you have up your sleeve, I can adapt to everything you try to throw at me. So why not just be a good little hero and just give up already?”

Unseen to him, Red gave Abomination a snarling glare in response to his taunts. “Oh trust me, you haven’t seen the best of what I can offer yet, asshole,” he replied definiantly as he lowered himself back into a fighting stance. However, as confident as his words may have sounded, a sense of dread had crept into his mind as he realized that what Abomination had said was correct. He likely already knows every single move in my playbook, and I don’t have a single clue on what else he’s capable of, he thought to himself as he ran through what little options he had left. There’s no way he would’ve been able to see me through that cloud of smoke, so that means he likely has another form that allows him to track me even without a line of sight. Which means… Red’s glance momentarily passed by where Abomination was as he looked towards the exit, his gaze narrowing as the gravity of the situation fell onto him. Escaping isn’t an option any more. My only hope is to hold him off until help can arrive.

However, Red could already tell that the chances of this were slim at the moment. Through the panicked voices and shouts he heard over his comm set, it was clear that the scattered teams were all backed into corners as well. This was no doubt intentional on the parts of their ambushers, likely having devised their trap to intentionally place the various Young Bloods against opponents that were perfect counters to them.

“Well, that’s enough time for you to say your prayers. Now, let’s finish this, shall we?”

Abomination’s words rang out across the ruined remains of the restaurant interior, snapping Red out of his thoughts as he watched in horror as he saw the human before him suddenly begin to morph into something even larger than the glowing figure he had seen before. Standing so tall that its head nearly touched the ceiling above, an armored behemoth had taken shape. Smacking at its broad chest with its two pairs of arms, the creature let out a billowing roar that shook the very foundation of the building before finally stampeding towards where he was.

A mixture of emotions floated through Red’s mind as time seemed to slow for Red. Fear, despair, and most of all, regret all filled his heart, yet as he watched the charging beast come towards him through his water covered visor, another emotion began to filter through the cracks of the chaos in his mind as he reached down to grab a pair of his rederangs.

Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death...

Time continued on its slow path for Red, with every drop of the pouring water above seeming to become clear to him, as did the snarling expression that filled the brutish monstrosity that came towards him. Closing his eyes, he allowed himself to take one final breath.

...I will fear no evil.

With that final thought, his eyes snapped open as his rederangs soared directly towards the charging beast.

[New Neros]

Mark and Renata
A Finland SSR and New Neros Production

The target was humanoid, a robot programmed to counter Mark’s moveset and force him to use his physical abilities further to get accustomed to working without the use of his powers. It was the last in a long line of training for the day, and the young hero looked positively exhausted as the final automaton revealed itself. It wasted no time in cracking Mark in the jaw unexpectedly, Cosmic eating the hit and returning a series of punches and kicks, working the metal fiend over and dodging out of the way of attempted counters. One made it past Mark’s barrage and landed, an uppercut flinging his head and hair upward viciously.

Mark took the force and flew up in the air, gathering energy at his fingertips and pooling them together in his palm, jutting out his hands and unleashing a tidal wave of force to eradicate the training bot. Disabling itself, Mark floated down and sat on the floor, cursing himself quietly. “Damn it. No powers, hands and feet only. Idiot.” He stated to himself, punching the ground once to remind himself. He rose from his seated position and walked over to the line of chairs along the training room, grabbing a towel from his bag and wiping away the sweat from his face and body, thinking of what to grab to drink and eat to relax. He grabbed his bag and turned abruptly, ready to leave, when the one and only Stella seemed to block his exit.

“You blew up one too many training bots. The line has to be drawn somewhere, and I’ll say now is a pretty good time.”

The pink-haired heroine folded her arms, raising her chin, and remained in the middle of the door, glaring at Mark.

“And I had reserved that bot, too! What am I supposed to explode now?” she continued to complain.

Mark seemed a bit taken aback at the sudden outburst, looking back at the thoroughly destroyed training bot. “Ah, oh, um,” He sounded out, rubbing the back of his head. “My bad, I guess?” The apology was half-assed and the well-endowed Young Blood was clearly not going to accept it. “They usually have another one up and running in an hour or so but, I figure you want to start blowing something up right now.” He said with a sigh.

A quick smirk flashed across his face, opening his hands out to make a proposal to Renata. “I can help you out if you’d like to spar a bit. Powers, no powers, however you’d like. I feel like we haven’t really gotten to know one another, let’s change that with big explosions.” He thumped his chest a bit, “Besides, I’m a bit tougher than that robot. You can cut loose a bit more without breaking it. How’s that sound?”

“Really now?..” Renata muttered under her breath, shooting a glare and placing her hands on her hips. Now that she thought about it, it’s been quite a while since she last got to spar against someone actually fleshy - shooting practice with Mizu didn’t count, that wasn’t really a fair confrontation. Training bots were fine, but they had their limits.

“That’s how you get to know people. I’m more familiar with the method where you go out with them and have a fun time in the downtown, but if that’s closer to your language...” the girl continued and struck a smug smirk. “Sure, if you think you’ll be able to get out of here in one piece.”

Mark nodded quickly, “Where I’m from, you either fight and become friends or hate each other until you die.” He then turned to set down his gym bag and towel, rummaging through the pack to find a pair of training gloves. He slid them on his hands and tightened them with his teeth, “Figure we ought to start out safe, you know?” As Renata put her own gloves on and melted away the rubber on her fingertips to be able to project radiation more easily, Mark shifted his shoulders and stretched, making sure he was still limber immediately following his workout.

“No excuses,” He declared, “I just finished with a work out but that doesn’t mean a thing. If you want to warm up, that’s fine, too, but I’m ready to get into the action.” He walked away from the chairs and benches and went towards the center of the gym, extending out his hand to touch gloves with the heroine - only to receive no response from her folded arms. “I’ve heard a lot of interesting things about you, Renata.” Mark said, seeing that the word choice was somewhat poor. “I just wanna see how strong you really are,” He flashed a sweet grin, “I think you’ll give me a run for my money.”

Taking himself lower into a fighting stance, spacing out his legs and shifting his shoulders, putting his gloves up by his chin and tilting his point towards the teen, Mark nodded that he was ready to begin, “Tell me if you want to start without powers or if you want to jump into the fireworks right away.”

Renata could tell that the hero was trying to act oddly sweet towards her, though unsure whether this was something unusual for him or whether Mark treated everyone the same way. He was right in that the two of them really hadn’t crossed their paths before... Much like him, Renata moved into a battle stance, although hers looked far less like something a martial artist would assume, and more just her arms getting ready to charge up plasma blasts. Cracks and bolts of pure light would start to pop around her, forming the resemblance of an energy aura.

“Well, if you wanna see how strong I really am, then you shouldn’t even ask me to start slow...” Renata muttered under her breath. “Besides, starting slow is not really my style anyway.”

Suddenly, she swiped with her hand across the air, leaving a trail of white hot plasma which manifested forward as a crashing wave of light and scorching heat, straight towards Mark.

“Alright,” Mark managed to get off right as Renata attacked him, the wave of energy crashing into his frame and knocking him back. Taken completely off his feet, Mark landed ungraciously and rose immediately, bathing his body in an aura of energy as he prepared to counter Stella. Forming two orbs of concussive force in his palms, Mark cautiously approached Renata, launching himself suddenly forward, extending one hand to blast the heroine.

The intent was to distract, more or less, as the first hit didn’t need to land or cause damage, as Mark meant to fly past Renata and blast her from the back with his off-hand’s energy attack. His first blow exploded nicely, Mark having already gone past where Renata was, twisting his body around to line up his next shot, bracing his bicep as he poured more power into his left palm. Growing in size and crackling with energy, Mark let his attack loose with immense speed, firing it like a spiral beam towards Renata.

Faced with a sudden launch towards her, Renata crossed her arms and began amping up her passive radiation release, hoping to blast herself away as soon as her opponent came too close - Mark, however, went for a different approach. The first of his energy blasts struck her, its shockwave rolling past without making her budge. Already, she could tell that something about them was... different. Renata got a chance to experience what she felt more thoroughly when Mark let loose a beam of energy behind her.

Acting on a tried and tested instinct, the girl turned around and smashed a blast of plasma straight into the core of the beam - the two attacks collided with a powerful burst, rolling across the battleground. Its shockwave, detonating in Renata’s face, blew her away, sending her rolling across the ground for several meters. Even before she halted herself and got back to her feet, however, she could tell that the blast did not affect her as much as it perhaps should have.

If anything...

“...I feel like I could take on the whole world!” Renata yelled, smirking brightly, her hands now surrounded by a crackling mix of plasma and a new force. Not all of what Mark threw at her was electromagnetic radiation and so not all of it could get absorbed - but the parts that did felt so fresh.

The heroine suddenly launched herself to the air and aimed her right index finger at Mark, then fired off a series of narrow, energized lasers.

Mark blinked for a moment, eating the barrage of energy blasts from the heroine to the face, chest, and abdomen in rapid succession, lifting him off of his feet and forcing him back. “Good job,” He complimented, sincerely, “I honestly didn’t think you could absorb the Ultra Force like that.” He dug his heels into the training room floor, cracking some tiles as he turned his own powers up a notch, his mind formulating strategy and tracking the next series of events.

Dumb most of the time and relatively aloof, Mark could fight fast and fight well, and that was basically it. Not even really a planner or strategist when doing it, his instincts and training just happen to line up with how to win, almost by chance. Dumb luck, perhaps, but it rarely failed him. Mark jumped up his speed and rushed Renata on the spot, weaving his body through her laser-guided blasts and taking the fight physical to avoid charging the heroine with too much power.

Mark swiped his fist abruptly next to her head, intentionally missing the teen by a hair and harshly cutting the space near with his speed and power. The real hit came from his opposite knee, intending on using shock to decisively land on Stella’s lower ribcage. Before fully committing his power to the blow, Mark pulled back some, unsure if Renata could handle a hit from someone like him.

She wasn’t Wyatt, after all, but maybe the added energy could boost her physical durability, or something. Cosmic wasn’t often aware of what his fellow teammates could realistically do with their powers because he’s often ignorant, so opted to toe the line with caution. Still, he was ready to engage in some back and forth combos with Renata if she was willing to trade punches and kicks.

Even if not fully committed, Mark’s blow was powerful enough to send Renata back and almost knock her off her feet. Her feet slid across the ground before coming to a halt, and hand clutched onto her torso. She figured he was going to close the gap between them eventually - and with the stance he assumed after the blow, it wasn’t hard for her to guess that Mark was going to rely on melee from here on out.

Renata shook her head a bit and struck a faint smirk, then charged forward. Instead of responding to Mark in kind, however, she struck a feint. What was made appear like a wide right hook was actually hiding a plasma blast detonating straight at her opponent’s face.

The real gambit behind it, however, was the knockback from the blast, which Renata gave in to and harnessed to get blown back across the entire battlefield - having gained enough distance, the girl once again tapped into her replenished energy reserves to release several more plasma blasts Mark’s way.

Tough as nails and dumb as a brick, Mark ate the blast from Renata’s hook-turned-plasma grenade directly to the chin, staggering the hero slightly and engulfing his face in obscuring smoke. He charged his palm with energy, engulfing it in a vortex of spiralling forces, taking a firm step out of the cloud of smoke and launching the one-handed beam blast towards Renata, who was now much further than he anticipated. Having already experienced how much she can absorb from Mark’s attacks, the girl once again crossed her arms, blocking the beam and rejuvenating herself somewhat.

He then made no effort in dodging the blasts headed his way, opting instead to close the distance as fast as possible. Leaping forward, he no-selled several direct hits to the chest, which stung his skin and singed his clothing but did nothing to stop his rapid approach. He was fast, his reflexes impressive, but a tank and damage sponge all the same. He swung wide at Renata, too far to actually connect, but took a step forward to start applying close quarters pressure. “You’re good at this,” Mark complimented, “You have a nice handle on your energy blasts and when to use them. It’s a really important skill they teach you where I come from.”

“Well, I’ve been practicing as much as I can for the past few months...” Renata mumbled over her breath, blocking the first few of the incoming strikes with her own. Gritting her teeth, she opted to continue their song and dance routine - and so, she suddenly snapped her fingers, releasing a blinding flash of light at Mark’s face. Immediately, Renata then made a backflip to gain some distance, and spread her arms to the side, gathering plasma in both of her palms.

“Especially after that last mission!”

The girl clasped her hands into one, merging both plasma blasts into a single large, concentrated one, and released it forward in the form of a bright, scorching energy wave.

Slamming his eyelids closed, Mark turned his head away from the bright flash a bit too late, becoming blind from it and backing away from Renata to get some distance. He blinked several times to get his vision back slightly, snapping his head to attention as he heard Renata’s voice further away along with a signature crackling sound that meant the girl was forming an energy blast. Unable to see her, he could vaguely make out the two orbs colliding and forming out into a beam.

On instinct, he threw his hands forward in front of his chest and reinforced his arms, the beam slamming hard into his palms as his feet slid backwards. He charged his body to keep on bracing, curling his fingers to crush the ball of plasma, stopping his slide and holding fast to the attack. Without warning, he threw his right leg straight up from the bottom of the beam, his charged attack hitting Renata’s own and deflecting it towards the ceiling. “Well,” He answered loudly, “I haven’t seen what you can do before, but I like to imagine this is a big improvement.” He gave her a quick smile, before returning to a serious face.

Mark ran forward quickly, directly placing himself in front of Renata, zig-zagging at the last few moments in order to keep his feet fluid and free to respond and keep himself on track to hit her like a freight train. He sneakily charged an energy blast in his off hand, lunging forward to hit her wide with his right dominant hand, narrowly missing the gal’s head as he lined up the blast perfectly, keeping that hand close to his own body. “I’d say you're good with energy manipulation, maybe it’s time to get more hand to hand in.”

“I haven’t seen you in action outside the Tournament, either, but you’re pretty good, too...” Renata chose to answer the compliment with one of her own, taking a few heavy gasps to catch her breath and then threw her arms forward to defend against Mark’s sudden assault. Instead of a strike like she expected, however, an energy blast came her way - once again transferring some of the hero’s mysterious force to her, yet blowing her back regardless.

After a screeching slide across the floor, Renata came to a halt and then formed a faint grin.

“I’m sure you’d love to get some hand in hand... I haven’t had the best experience with that field, however.” she replied, then shifted into a slightly exaggerated boxing stance. “I’m not fully sure why, though, but I’ve been feeling really ecstatic this whole battle... So, come on, give it a shot!”

Mark nodded quickly, closing the distance between himself and Renata by casually approaching her, spewing forth an aura of Ultra Force with each step taken. “Well, I’m not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but I can tell you’re absorbing each blast I give you. I don’t have that power, but I’m not willing to feed the beast.” He gave her a smile as he stopped a few feet away, dropping into a foreign fighting stance. Taking a deep breath, Mark’s aura abruptly disappeared, he spread his legs apart and swung his arms down, letting his palms face the ground for a moment, before clenching them into fists.

He took a single step forward and shattered the tile beneath his feet, his arms already moving to attack Renata outright with a short upper-cut to the gut region. He was fast, absurdly so, but the way his eyes looked at Renata and around the heroine implied that he was moving much slower than he could, and reserved his speed for reactions. “Since the tournament ended, I’ve been striving to train my martial arts, and I really don’t have many chances, you know?”

The blitzing speed at which Mark’s blow came forth meant that it struck before Renata could put up any sort of defense - and so, she grunted and gasped for air, her body blown back by the uppercut and left staggered, clutching to the hero’s arm. And yet, despite the force behind it, she wasn’t as battered by the attack as she probably should have been.

It wasn’t just exhilaration she felt. It was a feeling of power, too, and that power was not just illusionary. All of the energy she absorbed from Mark was coursing through her veins, leaving her stronger, faster and more durable than ever before. At least before all of it is spent.

“...might be too late to stop feeding this beast.” Renata muttered, with a grin, and suddenly retaliated. With superhuman strength and speed, she pulled Mark’s arm over her shoulder, aiming to slam him to the floor and then smash a hastily gathered energy blast into his face.

Mark’s world inverted as his back smashed into the ground, cracks in the tile swarming out abruptly as Renata’s blast caught him directly as well immediately after. The Corpsman wasted no time in crunching his body, launching himself back upright at Renata, who seemed more than able to keep up with his movements and reaction times. Mark’s style was abrasive and unplanned, very street-oriented and without structure, he’d throw a wide punch and Renata would dodge and counter, Mark having enough reaction time to side-step or deflect the blow. That’s not to say Renata’s fighting style was any more professional - thrown into the fray, she acted pretty much entirely on instinct and the few lessons in close quarters combat she remembered from her youth.

“Nice movement, it’s good to stay in motion and keep trying to get in when you can.” Mark let a two-piece collide heavy into Renata in rapid succession, stepping back to avoid the counter as well. “Fuck it, I’m not some beat-up master or martial arts guru,” He said with a laugh, “I’m happy I can hit someone for a bit, you know?” Renata torched off and landed a firm series of blows to his stomach and chin, finishing with a hard spin kick to the side, winding Cosmic and staggering him. “URK!” He yelped, clutching his injured side, “That’s a bit more than the slap boxing I used to do in the streets, fuckin’ hell.” He took a painful, sharp breath, continuing to speak with his sparring opponent, “What’s next in your training session? Keep beating me up or do you have a set schedule?”

Battered, yet grinning, Renata stepped back, holding up her fists in a boxer’s stance and staring at Mark. She may have kept up a veneer of confidence, but even if the brawl was brief, it was enough to push the girl to her limit. All the Ultra Force in her body didn’t make her invincible, after all.

“I could go at this all day long, but if you’re spent so soon, then come here tomorrow,” the girl replied, snickering. “I’ve got all the time in the world to get stronger and surpass all of you lot - so sure, my schedule’s got enough time for beating you up.”

Mark returned the smile, “I do have things to do throughout the day, but I’m here almost every day, too, around the same time. I’ll help you get strong enough to spar with me for real,” He continued, packing his bag up and clasping Renata’s hand firmly and as a sign of respect. “It’s getting a bit lonely at the top.” He declared, limping away from the training room, leaving Stella to continue on her own, a working relationship now fermenting with fists and energy blasts.

[New Neros]

-Alexis Cain-

Nile Canaan | Mirage

He was patient and attentive, Nile listened to Alexis' thoughts, concerns, and opinions fully before offering his own take on things. He was good at such things, just knowing when to shut up and pay attention went a lot further than one would expect, especially when it came to relationships. Alexis was different than Nile, and came from a different background and past, they met by chance and simply hit it off, but precious little could change the fact that he was a former villain and she was a former vigilante. They were still human through it all, though, and both sought to do the right thing. Nile began quietly, "I know people who aren't even in capes and costumes who live double lives, it's an added stress that helps kill your liver faster."

"But the pain can be worth it, sometimes. Things happen for a reason, and that reason can be for no reason at all, and that sucks really hard. We have a good life here, some great kids, a great friendship, but I'm not going to stand here and tell you to not protect the weak and powerless for their sake or our sake." He moved closer to Alexis, taking her into a hug abruptly and holding her close, his sweat-smelling body and grease imprinting on her a bit, but he didn't care, he just wanted her to know she was loved. "I love you, and will support you through whatever you want to do. I know you came to ask me what you should do, to give you that direction, and I'm sorry that I can't give you that push. I need you to know that if you pick up the mantle again, you won't lose me or anything we've worked so hard to gain. In fact," He continued, pulling himself away slightly and planting his forehead on hers for a moment.

"If you go on a rampage again, I'll help you, because we need to be in this together."

[The Republic of Atria]

Squad 3 Vs the Warhounds, Part 2

Explosions rang shook the interior of the dining area as the pair of rending rederangs impacted against the chest of the charging Abomination, causing a black swirling cloud to briefly fill the air between the two. However, a moment later the behemoth creature cut through the smoky aftermath, the only evidence of Red’s attack being a dark scorch mark that now covered its chest. Red let out a disappointed scoff at seeing how ineffective it had been, but he wasn’t afforded much time to dwell over it as he spotted a blur of movement begin to head straight for him.

Doing a small flip towards his right, his eyes went wide as he saw a sharp claw-like tail now embedded into the steel countertop where he had previously been standing, the appendage having had no problems penetrating the metal whatsoever. Red’s eyes briefly widened as he realized that his exosuit was no longer going to withstand any sort of direct hit from this newest transformation, causing him to have to rethink his strategy on the fly.

Ripping out its tail from the metal counter, Abomination let loose another roar as it chose to use its arms as weapons on its next attack, clasping its hands together and attempting to deliver a smashing hammer strike where Red was. Red just barely managed to avoid the blow, the sheer force of the impact leaving a massive crater in the stone floor below. However, its attack was not yet over, as just when Red had thought he was in the clear, a blur of motion forced him to dive to the side once more. Hot metallic sparks filled Red’s vision as the sharp tail scraped against his right shoulder, the near-miss still being enough to leave a large gouge on the shoulder piece.

With little other options remaining, Red chose to dive between Abomination’s legs, using his momentum to roll several yards behind the lumbering beast as he activated another of his explosive rederangs. Another explosion erupted from where it had been, causing Abomination to let out another roar as its knees momentarily buckled from the force of the explosion. In a fit of anger and frustration, the beast attempted to turn around and attempt another hammer strike down where Red was, but once more he had managed to avoid the otherwise devastating blow.

For some time, the two continued in this high-risk game of cat and mouse, as Abomination attempted over and over again to crush Red with its overwhelming strength but being unable to keep up with the agile hero. Although its tail certainly proved to be an even greater threat, Red was able to barely hold his own against its attacks, suffering only the occasional glancing blow that was absorbed by his armored exosuit. To add to Abomination’s frustrations, Red was even able to dish out a small amount of punishment himself, using his superior mobility to take use his rederangs and other gadgets to target the unarmored joints of the creature. Although nowhere near deep enough to do any serious damage, the countless wounds that began to accumulate were beginning to take their toll.

The fact that Red’s mobility outweighed Abomination’s strength was something the latter seemed to eventually come to terms with, as after receiving yet another fleeting slash to its left leg, he finally decided enough was enough. After letting out a gurgling roar, Red watched with wide eyes as Abomination changed its form once more, this time into a lion-like creature armed with razor sharp claws and rows of curved teeth.

Before Red could attempt to try and assess the danger of this new opponent, it lept forwards towards him with speed unlike anything he had seen before. Caught off guard, he was unable to fully disengage from the attack, feeling as the sharp claws latched on to his right leg dug so deep his armor that he could feel the very tips of the claws beginning to make deep scratches into his skin. In desperation he attempted to slice at that paw that had him in its grasp, but his attempts were thwarted as the creature pulled back with a tremendous amount of strength, sending him hurtling towards the ground as the claws dug even deep into his leg.

It took only a moment for the beast to find its way on top of the now prone Red, immediately clawing and biting at the lesser armored areas of his exosuits that could do little to protect him from the razor sharp claws and fangs of the creature. As he struggled to hold back the creature and keep it from going for his neck, Red let out several pained gasps as he felt the claws digging into his flesh. A small yet growing pool of blood mixed in was beginning to form on the ground below him, specks of it splattering on the snarling face of the creature above as it snapped its jaws towards his neck.

With little other options remaining, Red practically slammed his right arm into the jaws of the creature, praying that what little remained of his armor there could stave off what would certainly be a death dealing blow as he reached for his waist. He didn’t have the luxury to make a choice in what he could use, so instead he chose to pull out the first object that his hand met. However, as Red felt his fingers wrap around an elongated handle, Red knew he had managed to choose correctly as he quickly pulled the object from its sheath. Glancing to his left, he spotted the perfect opportunity to use it, stabbing downwards with the sharp serrated blade of his combat knife into the stationary paw of the creature next to his head.

The creature let out a pained roar as it let go of Red’s arm, giving Red the space he needed to deliver a punishing elbow strike against the side of its head that sent it stumbling off the top of him. Crawling backwards until he found himself placed against one of the pillars that decorated the restaurant dining area, Red wobbly got up to his feet, his head feeling light and his limbs weak as the wounds he had sustained were beginning to make an impact. He felt a warm sensation of blood trickling down from the areas on his armor that had been ripped through, a momentary glance downwards confirming this as his black armor was now stained with large streaks of the red liquid.

Several feet away, Red watched as the lion-like creature transformed back into the human form of Abomination, who let out a pained gasp as he reached for the knife still embedded in his hand. Pulling it out, Abomination let out what sounded like a whimper as blood poured out from the wound. Although Red was certainly in no better shape, Abomination’s body was covered in countless scratches and scorch marks, with the most notable sight being his entire left side of his face beginning to swell up in a massive bruise from the last attack from Red.

Tossing the blood-covered knife onto the ground below him, Abomination looked up towards Red with sneering glare that showed nothing less than pure contempt and hatred. “I thought heroes didn’t do shit like that!” he screamed out in anger as his right hand rested limp at his side. Underneath his helmet, a weak yet defiant grin appeared on Red’s face as he tried to return to a fighting stance.

“Looks like you picked the wrong hero today, asshole.”

---

“Looks like your friend’s having a hard time.” Ice pointed back at Red and Abomination having their fight. “Holding his own better than I thought he would, but uh, don’t see him lasting too much longer.” He glanced over to Bael, who was looking quite out of it, like he was half asleep. “Hey, wake up.” He said, slapping Bael on the side of his head. “Don’t pass out just yet.”

Ice cracked and shattered as Bael latched onto Ice Pick’s arm. Holding him in place, Bael took an immense breath and opened his maw, letting out a blast of continuous fire for a solid ten seconds before he stopped and started gasping for breath.

“AAAAAGGGH! SON OF A BITCH!” Ice Pick screamed as the fire boiled away a chunk of his shoulder. Bael didn’t stop their as even though he was losing consciousness, his grip tightened onto his freezing forest and crushed, the front half of Ice pick’s arm shattered like glass and he fell back, thrusting his good arm back at Bael, unleashing an immense blast of icy air that coated Bael from head to feet in several feet of ice.

He didn’t stop either until he was sure Bael was stuck one and for all before crawling back to his feet. “Fucking overgrown lizard. Fuck what Ares said. If you die, you fucking die. Not my problem. ABOMB! Quick fucking around and finish him off! I already got the big one! This jackass doesn’t even have any powers!”

---

The sound of a distant screaming voice momentarily caused a pause between Red and Abomination’s fight, as the wounded villain turned to give his partner a venomous look. “Don’t tell me how to do my damn job!” he screamed back in response, his breaths coming out deep and strained as he slowly turned his attention back towards where the equally wounded Red stood waiting. Abomination let out a small chh from his lips as he reached up with his wounded hand and proceeded to wipe away some of the gushing blood on his now ripped t-shirt.

“I’ll give you credit where credit’s due, Mask. When I was told you were my target, I thought that I’d simply gotten the short end of the straw. But you’ve done ample enough to provide me enough entertainment for the night as well as a souvenir to remember our time with,” Abomination spoke in an ominous tone as he waved his wounded hand around for Red to see. “But I’m afraid my partner here is correct in saying that it’s time to end this. This is your last chance to give up now and return back to your little tower still breathing. Granted, I’m planning on breaking every goddamn bone in your body before then, but it’s still a better alternative to what I really, really want to do to you.”

Even as Red could see the edge of his vision begin to darken, the redhead didn’t hesitate for even a moment before replying.

“Funny, I was about to give you the same offer.”

Upon this response, Abomination’s expression went slack for a few moments as he seemed to be completely caught off guard from what he had just heard. These feelings were quickly tossed away, however, as a malicious smile filled the villain’s face.

“I can’t wait to see you regret those words, hero.”

And with those words, a massive roar echoed throughout the dining hall as Abomination shifted back into the form of the lion-like creature, charging forwards towards Red with tremendous speed. Quick to react, Red tossed his two rederangs in the direction of the oncoming Abomination, but it was equally as fast in its reactions as it gracefully dodged the projectiles and continued its trajectory towards where he was. Ignoring the pained sensation that the movement brought, Red raised his right arm and attempted to launch his entangling wires towards the beast’s feet. However, a flashing red warning indicator that popped up on his heads up display indicated that the device had been damaged in his previous scrap with Abomination, forcing Red to dive to the side as the creature swiped towards him.

Another rain of hot sparks filled the air as its claws just barely missed a direct hit and instead hit a glancing blow against the shoulder of Red, who was already in the process of sliding several feet away thanks to the slick wet ground. Reaching towards his hip as he slid, Red tossed several grenade-like devices towards Abomination before turning his head to the side. Abomination on the other hand, having turned around to continue its pursuit, was met instead with a blinding cascade of light as the stun grenades went off directly in front of its head.

Letting out a pained growl, the creature struggled to remain on its feet as it stumbled backwards blindly. Just as the slim rays of vision began to return to it, it was greeted with another series of devices, these ones being rederangs that flashed rapidly with an ominous red glowing light.

A surprised yelp erupted from the creature before it was enveloped in a massive blast that sent debris scattering across the room and fires to erupt all around. The depleted sprinkler systems could do little to stop most of these flames as the water from above came out as little more than trickles, leaving the entire area in a constant state of blaze.

Several yards away, Red took several deep painful breaths as he practically fell against one of the few remaining tables in the room, propping his arm against the wobbly surface as he struggled to remain upright while the black borders around his vision began to encroach further and further inwards. He was nearly at his end, not only in terms of his physical state but of his arsenal, with only a handful of mundane rederangs at his disposal and a single smoke grenade. This final surprise attack had been his last remaining gamble, having used up practically everything he had left in order to finally provide the final blow against this overwhelming opponent. And as the black clouds of smoke continued to billow out from where the explosion had erupted from, he briefly began to think that it had worked.

That was, however, a false hope.

With the billowing clouds around him obscuring his vision, Red didn’t even notice the stream of green liquid sailing through the air directly towards him until it was too late. Reeling backwards as he felt it smash into both his upper chest and face, Red let out a terrified scream as he realized that the metal armor that had thus far protected him so valiantly literally melting in front of his eyes. The searing heat coming from the now bubbling green liquid caused Red to immediately reach up towards his helmet and tossed it at his feet, a large gaping hole already having melted through what had formerly been the faceplate of his helmet.

His terrified screams continued as he looked down to see the green substance was beginning to melt through his chest plate, the multilayered metal alloys doing little more than slowing down the process as it breached through towards where his undersuit was. Having no other options, Red used the emergency disposal switch at his side to forcefully eject the entire torso region of his armor from his body away from him. He had been just in time as well, as not even a moment later several molten holes began to appear from the other side interior of the armor, eventually coming together to form a massive gaping hole that would’ve likely been the end result of Red’s own chest had he not rid himself of it. Even though he had managed to avoid getting into direct contact with the liquid, Red could feel his skin emanate a wave of pain as it had been burned from the acidic heat.

Red’s breaths came out ragged and panicked as he stared at the destroyed remnants of his exosuit. His attention was quickly diverted, however, as he heard a series of heavy footsteps coming towards him through the smoke. His eyes went wide as he caught sight of a burly fist heading straight towards his now exposed face, barely managing to duck underneath Abomination’s glowing transformation had returned. The assault wasn’t over, however, as just as quickly as the punch had passed over his head, a massive leg barreled towards him on a path that left no room for Red to dodge away. Like a gunshot the shin of the creature impacted into the side of Red’s ribs, sending him down onto one knee as his vision darkened even further. It was so bad for Red that he didn’t even see the third strike come down for him, only knowing it had come when he felt a fist crash into his right temple.

The next few moments were similar to that of someone turning a television screen on and off repeatedly, as Red would gain consciousness for a brief second, only to feel yet another devastating blow land and send him back into the darkness before being brought back once more. Every single punch, kick, elbow, and knee delivered to him resulted in what felt like something new being broken within him, with no mercy being shown as Red could do nothing in return to avoid the attacks, let alone attempt a counter offensive. He was at the mercy of Abomination, and at that moment the villain chose to show none.

After what was either seconds or minutes, the exact time unknown to the beaten and broken Red, the Young Blood was given a brief reprieve as Abomination lifted Red into the air by his left arm. Red could only see his opponent through the foggy slits that now made up his vision, all strength in him having long since left him as he helplessly dangled in the air.

Standing below him, the creature looked up at the broken Red with a look of satisfaction on its face. While it didn’t speak, Red could tell enough that it knew it had finally won. There were no more tricks up his sleeves, no more moves he could make to overcome the current obstacle, and no hail marys to fall back on. He had not just been beaten, but utterly destroyed, and Abomination was in no rush to stop basking in his glory at the fact.

That was until he felt a light smack hit his arm.

Glancing towards the source of the sensation, Abomination’s gaze narrowed as he saw Red slowly reach his free hand back and smash his fist against the muscular arms of Abomination. For a moment, Abomination could do little more than watch in stunned silence as he saw the hero he had clearly defeated still attempting to fight back, albeit with the strength of a toddler. However, as he watched Red slowly reach back once more, this sensation of astonishment was replaced with that of pure irritation and anger, causing Abomination to let out a roar tightened its grip on Red’s arm with one hand and grabbed ahold of Red’s body with the other.

And in one swift twist, Red was brought back from the verge of losing consciousness as a burning sensation radiated from his shoulder, letting out a pained scream as his limb was let go and allowed to limply fall down to his side, further worsening the pain. He didn’t even realize that Abomination had let him go until his back crashed onto the wet tile below, still writing in pain as he reached towards his shoulder with his other hand. His screams fell silent as he no longer had air within his lungs to scream, resulting in the crucially injured Red to let out horse whispers.
“Tsk tsk. This was all you had to offer me, after all of that big talk?

Although his words sounded like distant echoes to him in his current state, Red was able to see through the squints of his eyes the bottom of Abomination’s legs as the villain approached him in human form. A moment later, a fresh wave of excruciating pain erupted from his injured shoulder as the villain crashed down with his foot onto the area, digging in his heel and rotating it back and forth. This action caused the pain to become so great that Red felt himself slip into unconsciousness once more, only to be dragged out as Abomination repeated the heinous act once more.

This time as he regained his vision, Red saw Abomination squatting down beside him, his elbows resting on his knees as he looked down in contempt towards him. A small glimmer of light caused Red to look down towards the uninjured hand of Abomination, only for Red’s eyes to widen as he realized the villain now possessed his combat knife he had used before.

“Recognize this?” Abomination asked in a devilish coy voice, waving the blade around in the air mockingly in front of Red’s face. After a moment, the boy brought his hand up so that his chin rested on top of it, the edge of the blade hanging precariously next to his scratched and bruised face. “Now you see, I’m under direct orders not to kill you. And I am a man of my word, so I intend on keeping that promise.” As he paused, a sickening grin began to appear on Abomination’s face as he eyed the sharp serrated blade in front of him. “However, accidents do tend to occur in the heat of battle. A stray blast of fire scorches someone to ashes, a punch crack’s someone’s skull open, and sometimes-”

Red let out a sharp gasp as Abomination lunged forwards with the knife, embedding the weapon into his lower torso all the way so that only the hilt remained visible.

“-a blade goes where it shouldn’t.”

Red looked down at the blade now plunged into his abdomen, a feeling of both warmth and pain flowing from the area as he could feel the metal embedded within him. His remaining hand reached up shakily towards the hilt, but just as his fingertips began to reach the hilt, the final ounce of his strength depleted, causing Red’s hand to fall limply to his side as his vision turned completely into darkness.

Remaining where he was for some time, Abomination finally let go of his grasp of the blade as he returned back to his feet, albeit with more than a fair share of wobbliness as his body was clearly suffering from the effects of the now concluded battle. The villain looked down at the motionless hero for a few moments, watching as blood darkened the flooded tile floor below in silence.

“Let’s go, Ice Pick. Our job here is done.”

And with that, the two villains left the ruined remnants of the restaurant diner, leaving behind the defeated heroes without even a second glance.

---

Wyatt passed out. He wasn’t sure how long it was, but when the smallest amount of consciousness returned to him, he pushed with what little strength he had left, the ice around him cracking. Another push shattered it and he tumbled out and over the counter. “Come… On…” He muttered, glancing towards the outside area of the restaurant. At first he didn’t see anything, but then he saw Red with a knife in his back.

“Oh.... No… No no no…” He hissed, trying to force himself to stand or even crawl, but he was starting to black out again. “Red… I’m sorry… I’m so sorry...” He finished as he passed out again.

---

It wasn’t for some time until another figure approached from out of the darkness. Slowly at first, darting from shadow to shadow then gradually becoming more daring as they grew nearer and the harsh reality of the situation began to dawn.
“I’ve found Mask and Bael. They’re both hurt bad, seeing a lot of blood here.” Forge whispered into his comm as he surveyed their ruined surroundings.

“I don’t see their attackers though… Get someone to cover the rest of my route and prep the medics, I’m gonna make a run for them.” He added before thumbing the mute and marking a pickup location.

‘Just hold out a bit longer’ he thought to himself as he took one last cautionary look, then ran out towards his fallen teammates. ‘Bad was an understatement’he decided as he knelt beside Red, other than the already significant amount of injuries and impacts across his body, he was leaking blood from his stab wound fast and needed more than the quick patch up Forge could offer. Suffice to say that in a situation like this, removing the blade was the absolute last thing anyone should do and yet, with the villains unaccounted for, fights still raging on and every extra second spent in the open welcoming another assault, they needed to move and Mike couldn’t do that with a knife lodged inside of Red .

“Come on you paranoid asshat, I know you’ve got a trauma kit here somewhere.” He muttered as he searched through shattered compartments and pockets for anything close to a first aid kit. Breathing a sigh of relief when he found one mostly intact, he moved around to the still embedded knife and without the luxury of being able to hesitate, pulled it free in one sickening motion. From there it was a mad dash to ensure the blade was intact, the wound was cleared of debris and brushed over before haphazardly being stapled shut and covered by a tight, roughly wound bandage set to cover the worst of the bleeding but still needing to pass across parts of Red’s now mangled exosuit. Calling it a rushed job didn’t even begin to cover it, but Forge was already pushing his luck as it was. After tossing the bloodied knife to the side, he reached down and carefully picked up the fallen hero while doing his best to ignore the unmistakable pool of liquid underneath and focus on the task at hand.

Moving as quickly as he could with Red in his arms, Forge made his way towards their semi-frozen team leader before setting Red down beside him. ‘I hope you’re still in there big guy’ he thought to himself as he examined him for any significant injuries and let out a breath he didn’t realise he was holding when he found out Wyatt was still taking in air at least. Though whatever his situation, he also provided a very unpleasant option for the group.
“Sorry Wyatt.” He muttered before placing Red on top of him, closing his eyes and shattering the floor beneath them.

The whole process barely lasted a second, one moment they were there, and in the next, the trio were falling through the basement and into the lower levels. Wyatt hit hard enough to crack the ground and while Red’s fall was cushioned by him, the sickening squelch he made on landing did little to inspire confidence. Not wanting to risk being followed, Forge looked up from their landing and with a concentrated effort covered their escape root with misshapen clumps of rubble before standing motionless as he listened out for any potential signs of danger. As the seconds slowly passed by and the silence remained unchanged, Mike finally gave up on his watch and went back to his unconscious teammates. Red’s wounds were bleeding freely again and while mostly stable for now, Wyatt was far from looking out of the woods. Narrowing his eyes and checking the time, he figured that help would still be a while away and there was no way he could carry the others out without having to leave one behind. Making up his mind, he set about properly tending to their worst wounds and doing what he could to keep them breathing all the while biting hard into his lip and constantly checking the corners of his vision for any hints of danger. He didn’t know what had happened or how, but he knew that once the dust had settled, they weren’t going to let this pass.

[Absolon-7]

---

Casimir Herman October 26th

---

The swarm of feathers shot out towards Casimir like machine gun spray and he had no choice but to flick on his fly power to dodge the barrage. They shot past him penetrating the ground behind him like a pin cushion as he moved at blinding speed dodging them all until the swarm finally ended and his fly power passed. With the momentary inability of the villain to fly he jumped forward and hooked Butcher Bird's neck with his elbow and as his feet touched ground he he twisted his body around to pull the villain off the ground and slam him back first into the ground. Casimir raised a fist to slam it into the birdman's face.

"Now it's my turn! Reason number one why I'm gonna smash your face: I'm just better than you!," yelled out Casimir.

With empty eyes he glanced over to his feathers stuck to the ground away from them and he managed to telekineticaly pull several of his longer feathers right towards him which forced Casimir to back away as one sliced him across the back.

Strangely he felt no pain whatsoever. In fact, it was as if he hadn't taken any injuries at all during the entire fight despite such a thing not being possible. Oh! Mizu must've done something. She could make people feel pain so naturally she could take it away too. This was exactly what Casimir needed now that he had no other distraction. Meanwhile Butcher Bird seemed to be grasping at his head wincing in pain.

"That pounding your lizard friend gave me a few days ago sucks. I've been feeling nauseous ever since. The broken nose doesn't feel good either," said Butcher Bird, "But an injury is an injury. They all suck I guess."

"Fuck off!" said Casimir lunging towards him punch him in the knee.

While still low to the ground Casimir unleashed a combo of strikes into Butcher Bird's abdomen that forced him to lurch forward which was a prime opportunity to deliver a powerful uppercut the crashed into his jaw. The blow blasted away a jet of air in its wake scattering debris as Butcher Bird was flung into the ceiling crashing into it. The villain peeled himself off jumped right towards Casimir as a huge cloud of his feathers had gotten themselves unstuck and where now trailing behind him. With a flap of his newly feathered wings the birdman shot forward to tackle Casimir forcing both to crash into the ground. Butcher Bird tried grasping ofr Casimir throat but Casimir had grabbed onto both of Butcher Bird's wrists hoisting the villain off him as they struggled on the ground.

Casimir then maneuvered his knee to strike the birdman in his kidneys which brought on enough pain to give Casimir a chance to haul him off. Casimir then shot twin strands of webbing at Butcher Bird's ankles and spun him around in the air before throwing him into the store's counter off in the distance. In the brief moment on respite Casimir could feel how wet his back had become with blood. He reached back to touch the large gash the large feather had created but luckily it had somewhat clotted up. Casimir huffed out deep breaths as he turned on his team comm thankful there was no pain at all from it.

"Selene! You remember what we did to Iron Rhino back at the tournament?" said Casimir with a grin below his helmet, "Let's fucking do it again."

[Segral]

Whitney Alvord
October 26th

Whitney let out a mirthless chuckle at Pinkie Pie's question, eyeing the siren-filled TV screen as she did so. A massive...man-bird looking thing had just burst out of the ceiling, kicking around the vague form of a struggling Great Kabuto. She was almost concerned for a moment, at least until Casimir responded by flashing a thumbs-up at the hidden camera catching all of this, followed up with a knee to the face that sent both bodies tumbling back down from where they came. Blink once, and you would have missed it. Maybe she should've. It certainly would have saved her from the slight, involuntary cringe she made upon seeing the scene play out, and would've also saved her from knowing the truth, the one that she had been dreading all along: that this was a fight, and not an easy one to win.

Despite the second-hand embarrassment one could feel radiating off of the TV screen, Casimir's little stunt did break the tension in the room slightly, forcing a bit of mirth back into the previously mentioned chuckle. "Well, I guess that confirms it, doesn't it?" Whitney said with a sigh, leaning back on the sofa and spreading her arms across the back as she looked at the pink-haired girl sitting beside her. "I'm usually not one for omens or anything, but...someone leaving you a fan message in human blood? Hard not to have a bad feeling about it, sounds like more trouble than it's worth. Though, they seem to have it under control. The team's pretty tough, they'll make it out alright." she said with a hint of hopefulness, taking a shaky draw of coffee as she spoke. Ugh...this was getting worse with every sip, what the hell was this?! Weren't these South American beans supposed to be, y'know, good? What gave? It wasn't the creamer or sugar, she never added any of that crap to her cup. It was all full of oils, and thickeners, and additives, and trans fat...it was just safer to go black. There were only two components to this coffee; the beans, and the water. There was only one component that was completely foreign and untested to her; the beans, sourced out of some half-full bag of Arabica brand from "South America" that had been lying out on the counter, and tasted like horse manure that had been lying out in the open sun. Once her allowance for the week came, she'd have to book it to Jenny's. She always gave Whitney a few freebies from the coffee shop, even when it put her job at risk. Which happened far more times than Whitney would have liked to admit.

Wow, this coffee really was terrible. Too rich, too sweet, and no smoothness whatsoever. It was almost a relief when an icon on Pinkie Pie's screen began blinking rapidly, a red light pulsing in and out with a set of shrill, stuttering beeps. Gratefully placing the mug of coffee on a nearby side table, Whitney leaned over slightly to catch a look at Renata's screen, only to be met with a disorienting combination of names, numbers, meters, and symbols, all flashing in enough of a color variety to make Times Square look tame. With a bit of squinting and skimming, she was able to make out the names of all 23 active mission-goers, all sorted into neat Squads and accompanied by measures of body temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, and what she could only assume to be breathing rate. Squad 3 was dropping hard in all four categories. Whitney wasn't a doctor or anything (despite whatever Naja's perception of her was), but even she could piece together that Squad 3 had run into trouble. Serious trouble. Red's heart and breathing rates were spiking like crazy, and not at a gradual pace either. Puff looked even worse. Everything was going badly with him, from a dropping heart rate, to an oddly high blood pressure, to a body temperature eerily reminiscent of the average Everest climber. If she didn't know any better, she'd say the scaly guy was going through hypothermia. But that wasn't possible. This was a shopping complex, not Antarctica. Unless someone threw him into the McDonald's freezer, there was no way he'd even have a chance of developing hypothermia.

Still, it was a pretty uncanny coincidence.

The barrage of fluctuating vitals didn't stop there. Team 1 was also sinking up to their ears in shit, and Casimir was the first overboard. Clearly, his airborne battle had gone poorly, considering the fact that his own heart and breathing rates was mirroring Red's by practically trampolining up, only made worse by a nasty knock to his blood pressure. Red's vitals didn't seem to want to stop mirroring Casimir's, as his blood pressure immediately began to drop...along with everything else. Heart rate, breathing, everything, not stopping in the slightest, just continuing to slowly plunge further and further down. By this point, only one member of Squad 3 (some Forge fellow who she hadn't had the chance to get acquainted with yet) had something even resembling normal vitals. That wasn't even mentioning the rest of Squad 1 and Squad 2, both of whom seemed to be taking hit after hit, with no sign of any respite in the future. A quick look at the news report indicated nothing but peace and quiet from the outside, but just one look at this screen was enough to know that something far more sinister was brewing on the inside.

"Pink...Renata, w-what the hell is going on in there?" Whitney asked, her voice trembling slightly out of nervousness. She was way too tired to process all of this, let alone the question of why she was asking Renata for answers that she clearly didn't have. "I don't understand, w-why would Naja send the team into a situation this dangerous?!"

[Bentus]

The Amazing Ashen Moth!
October 26: Mission Night

---

“If anyone has a free hand...I could use it.”

Almost as soon as Roy spoke between ragged breaths into the comms, the sound of a rapid buzzing approached the duelling pair. Turning with mechanical disinterest towards the noise, Skysword was met by Ash’s closed fist slamming into his face. Having flown across the room to build up speed for the attack, the mutant put her weight behind the blow and quickly darted back to avoid any retaliatory swings. She glared at the robot as he stumbled backwards, acting confident even as she was surprised with how easily he seemed to shrug off her attack.

“Hey, you should leave my friend alone!” She threatened, hovering in the air defiantly. Skysword didn’t offer her a response, the illuminated iris in his metallic head focusing on this most recent annoyance. Turning towards the girl, the robot silently directed his attention towards her as it held out its sword.

Oh yes, now I have the attention of the villain. What uh...what was I going to do next? Her boisterous confidence wavering as she fell under the machine’s menacing gaze, Ash glanced around to see if there was anything she could use as a weapon of her own. Her eyes lit up as she grabbed onto one of the cheap plastic chairs that dotted the mall’s food court, and she held it up with a smug smirk, brandishing it like an improvised weapon. With this, she’d be able to parry Skysword’s attacks, and use her free arms to go on the offensive. But regardless of her preparation, Ash was surprised by how quickly the hulkiing robot suddenly leapt through the air.

Yelping in surprise, she had to jerk herself backwards to avoid the initial lunge and hurriedly raised her noble chair to hastily parry the robot’s flurry of attacks. Pushed onto the backfoot, Ash had to backpedal through the air as she struggled to keep up with the machine’s series of blows, before eventually stumbling backwards and glancing down to see that her chair had been reduced to little more than a stump in her hands. Her eyes widening at the furnishing’s noble sacrifice, the girl looked up to see Skysword once again readying to rush towards her. Crying out, she tossed aside the now-useless chair and turned to try and fly up and out of Skysword’s path.

“I would now also appreciate the free hand!”

Yoshiro Nakama
October 26: Mission Night

---

After falling through the portal, Yoshiro landed haphazardly among the scattered chairs and tables of the food court. Landing with a painful grunt, the telepath grimaced as she quickly moved to roll herself back onto her feet. They’d walked straight into a trap, and that meant that she couldn’t afford to be caught lying down - even if she already felt some bruises forming from the sudden fall. Hang on, shouldn’t there have been a crash? Blinking in surprise as she stood herself back up, Yoshiro’s mouth twisted into a frown as she became aware of the oppressive silence that surrounded her. She couldn’t hear anything, not even her own breathing or the beating of her heart in her chest. Instinctively, she tensed up in preparation for some kind of ambush and tried to reach out to her squad mates when she felt Alexis’ mental cry.

Acting swiftly to search out and grasp onto the rest of the girls’ auras, Yoshiro concentrated on binding them together into a mental link even as the trio of villains revealed themselves. She tried not to let herself worry about what might have happened to the rest of the team, but she suspected that they’d all found themselves in similar straits. Taking a breath, the telepath closed her eyes for a second as she pushed her thoughts out even further. Feeling her friends’ thoughts to one another and passing them between them, she tried to seek out the fainter auras of the other squads. They’d be better able to get through this if they could coordinate, and her squads’ communicators were next to useless while they were trapped in their cone of silence. There! Yoshi thought, recognising the flickering emotions of Roy’s aura not too far from them. Touching the boy’s mind, she pushed her own voice into his head.

Roy, we can’t use our communicators. We’re all still together, but there’s three villains here with us.

Having passed on an update to the team’s leader, Yoshiro was about to try and get a better sense on where everyone was when a sudden flash of light pulled her attention to the fight erupting in the food court.

Guys, I really need help!

Letting out a surprised gasp as she saw Angelica’s eyes staring down the barrel of the villain’s shotgun, Yoshiro felt her heart stop in the instant before Viv was able to redirect Buckshot’s fire. She wasn’t even given a moment to breathe a sigh of relief before the elastic girl was hurled effortlessly through the air, landing with a solid blow that must have been painful even for someone with her powers. But that didn’t stop Yoshiro from darting forward to join the fray.

Twisting around to lower her weapon towards the stunned Chicle, Buckshot’s earlier hesitation seemed to have dissipated as she squeezed the trigger when the barrel sat between the other girl’s eyes. A hail of flaming shrapnel ripped out through the air towards Vivana, but were stopped inches from her face as a faint barrier momentarily willed itself into existence. Stumbling slightly as she was caught off guard by the surprising force of the impact, Yoshiro didn’t stop her sprint across the room. Seeking to close the distance and catch the villain by surprise, the telepath let out a determined cry as she swung downwards with her staff. Putting her weight behind the blow while Buckshot was distracted, the cyborg instead simply lifted her metallic arm and allowed the strike to harmlessly bounce off its hardened shell.

The harsh blow sent a jolt through Yoshiro’s arms, but she couldn’t afford to let up now that she was so close to her opponent. Sensing a shift in the other girl’s aura, the telepath sidestepped the initial counterblow only to find herself on the backfoot as the trained cyborg’s body reacted faster and more precisely than she’d expected. Hastily lifting her staff as Buckshot swung her shotgun like a club, Yoshiro’s eyes widened as the arc of the villain’s swing shifted with inhuman dexterity. Unable to react in time even though she foresaw her opponent’s intention, it was all that Yoshiro could do to brace herself before she felt the shotgun’s hilt slam into her stomach and send her sprawling a few feet across the floor.

[Tomia]

Roy
As Skysword charged towards Ash its blade's path was once again interrupted by Roy's staff. "You're not touching her Wall-E", Roy said fiercely as he slapped back the sword. Skysword merely looked at him as if examining an unknown substance. Soon however the machine once again charged at Roy but the Youngblood was more ready this time. He predicted the low horizontal strike and jumped into the air. He used the blade as a launching off point and slammed his foot into the robot's face and with a satisfying crunch the machine flew back onto the ground.

"Ash come on let's finish this!" Roy shouted to his teammate before he was stopped dead in his tracks by a bullet that slammed into the floor right in front of him. He looked up and saw the woman with the hawk laying on top a tall shelf loading her sniper rifle once more.

"Would watch where you step. I've been told my shots hurt when they hit you. Well actually I haven't, hard to talk to dead people and all." She said taking aim once more at Roy as Skysword got back on its feet.

Shit!

Roy thought before offering a glance at Mizu. If he spoke out loud he would give away his thought he just hoped she understood what she needed to do otherwise this battle would be very short lived and so would they.

Angelica
"Yoshi! Angelica shouted as her friend was knocked back hard with the shotgun. Anger filled her mind, if she could speak she would shout in frustration but instead she forced herself to calm down and figure out a plan. She hated how much her friends were being attacked right now and not being able to know what happened to her teammates. She wasn't going to just sit around and get beat down on by these criminals. She needed to figure out a way to turn the tide but how... That's when a thought came to her. We're in a food court, come on Angelica how didn't you think of this. Freezer! With that thought Angelica when running over into the nearby McDonald's and it might of looked like to an observer that she was running away or hiding. However instead she forced her way into their meat freezer and instantly she felt a wave of power as she felt the freezing temperatures envelope her. She waited there for a minute before she couldn't risk waiting any longer. She ran out out of the room feeling the cold coursing through her.

She moved towards Buckshot who was once again locked in battle with Viv and Yoshi. This time however Angelica was no longer worried about the fire her gun spewed. Buckshot had a cocky look on her face but it didn't last long as Angelica raised her hands and a massive wave of ice crashed into Buckshot and sent her flying across the room and smashing into a table. Angelica advanced on her, intent on turning her into an ice cube. However before she could take another step a wall of ice formed in front of her and she turned around to see an ice covered man standing behind her with a cocky smile on his face. He couldn't speak but the message was clear, ice vs ice.

Angelica turned on a dime and suddenly two massive blasts of ice were slamming into each other, seemingly locked in a stalemate.

[Finland SSR]

Roy

Casimir Herman October 26th

---

Mizuma Ishiwara, the trickstery Selene!

---

Seeing that her illusions were actually helping turn the tide, Mizu smiled, her heart pounding ever so faster from the sight. Teamed up with Ash, Roy was finally putting a dent to Sky Sword, whereas Casimir stood up and charged back with a vengeance, starting to turn the tide against Butcher Bird. The comms lit up yet again, this time with the bug themed hero's voice. He called out to Mizu, offering to pull the same combo they had done to Iron Rhino back in the NASL Tournament.

"Wasn't that you and Mike, not me?.." Mizu muttered, confused, only to suddenly yelp and leap back at the sound of a gunshot. A new villain entered the scene, her weapon trained upon Roy and ready to fire. That...

...That's just going to kill them if it hits. When it hits.

Casimir needed Mizu's help. He might not feel pain now, but the girl could tell that he was drawing close to the limit. If he doesn't get help, Butcher Bird might just turn things around again...
Roy and Ash needed Mizu's help. Two deadly assassins are ready to lunge at them, and if she doesn't cover them with illusions, they won't get away unscathed. Or alive.

There was no chance of helping both at once here. Lending her hand to one would mean letting the other fend for themselves. Mizu had been suppressing the feeling during her whole career as a hero, even in the most intense moments of the Tournament or the battle against Blackout, but... the terror was growing too much to bear.

She's just a teen, fragile enough to die if any one of these villains strike her even once, burdened with decisions which may mean life or death for her friends. And so, when she received a choice, she chose neither.

"Aaah!" the girl screamed, running for her life and transforming into an inconspicuous basketball to hide in the shop.

---

Whitney Alvord
October 26th

Renata Martinez, the heroic Stella!

---

Could it get worse? Oh, yes, it absolutely could get worse. Squad 3 was the next to fall - or, rather, what was left of Squad 3. Whatever had just descended upon Red and Wyatt, it swiftly took down both. Red's everything spiked to the point of alarm, before it finally decayed to dangerously low levels, indicating that whatever had happened to him left him unconscious, whereas Wyatt's vitals displayed heat loss and alarmingly low heart rate, both signs of hypothermia.

They have an ice powers user out there. Either that or Angelica blasted him on accident.

Renata's thoughts immediately went back to their team's raid against a drug operation not too long ago - she fought alongside Wyatt, and much like in the mall, they had to face off against someone with ice powers. Even touching the ice left the Dra'Quinni completely immobilized, she had to use her heat powers to keep him conscious and make the villain sod off. It makes sense for the cold to be a lizard's weakness, but as long as she was there, she could help their team leader cope.

She's not in that mission...

Whitney's weak, shaky voice snapped Renata out of the trance - the pink-haired girl was clutching onto her face with her right hand, her nails digging into the skin out of a mix of frustration and fear. Why did Naja send the team out there, when it was so clearly a trap? Why did they have to repeat the "feat" of their namesakes?

Renata responded with the same idiom she used to repeat to herself. "A hero throws himself into danger so that others don't have to..."

Suddenly, the girl stood up from the sofa and began pacing around the room, her foot stomping across the ground, before she finally stopped and yelled at Whitney out of desperation:

"C-can we do anything?! Get the Stars to help, call an airstrike on that stupid fucking mall, or something?!"

---

Jan Sorok, the champion of Heaven!

---

With the gates from the underworld closed and their roars ceased, a silence began to set in across the nuclear reactor. A horde of demons is definitely intimidating, but each individual demon is hardly any tougher than a well fit human - and so, when all of their means of reinforcement vanished, the dispersed hordes were quick to melt. The San Diego police did much of the heavy lifting, but so did the ragtag group of heroes which had struck to decapitate the head of the invasion - quite literally, in fact.

Throughout the night, the howls of rampaging demons became more and more scarce, until finally, the last of them ceased after enough lead was pumped into the creature. Only the vast heaps of ash and charcoal now lying across the ground served as a reminder of the battle which had taken place here.

Away from the police investigating the power plant and trying to make heads of tails of what had happened, Jan touched down from the sky, landing in front of his team back in the surrounding city. The battle was tense and Jan hadn't done as much to help as he might have wanted to, but a bright smile was on his face regardless.

"You know, I expected this to go a lot more poorly back when the watch tower first went down..." the Virgil explained, only to suddenly shift his tone. "I-I mean, I'm not trying to say anything bad about any of you! Just that... we all barely even know each other's names, and yet we actually managed to work as a team, you know? Just like a team of heroes..."

[The Rebel Alliances]

Alexis Cain/Vendetta-San Diego

I gave a smile as I listened to Nile be both comedic and sincere at the same time. How the hell he manages that is a talent. But I couldn't feel he was being a little too optimistic about our chances at keeping a double life rolling. What we have here, as much as neither me nor Nile want to say out loud is far more delicate than what most families have. We are so much further away from the type of double life of a house wife going out for wild weekends without her husband knowing. I'm a ex vigilante who the world thinks is dead and he is a former villain. Heroes have to worry only about villain retaliation but if I go back to work I'll have those troubles along with the law hunting me again. Not to mention the last time I started a literal war on crime I had lost pretty much everything. My eyes met his as I leaned against the wall as I finally broke the pause in the conversation. If there was one quality I didn't deserve with Nile it was that no matter what I decide I know he will back my play. Not because we have a long history with each other but he just has this...calming presence about him.

"Thanks...I suppose I just needed someone to vent on ya'know? I'm gonna head up stairs for a while to think. Thanks babe." I leaned in for a very light kiss on the cheek, the slight taste of sweat and a splotch of grease almost making me regret it. Then pulled away and walked back into the house as I moved past the kitchen. I was on my way towards my room upstairs when my eyes caught a amusing sight of the kids playing in the backyard. I had to giggle at the sight of the kids bouncing at almost dangerous heights on the trampoline as they battled in a four way elimination match with Sarah on the ground as a referee. I took a moment to watch as Marcus did a nose dive onto the trampoline to roll out of the way of Kyle as he fell into a drop kick.

Leaving the backyard wrestling match I pulled myself upstairs as I had a few hours to kill before I either make a bunch of tv dinners for supper or just order delivery. Opening mine and Nile's bedroom door I picked up the remote and turned on the tv as I picked up the Xbox One controller, scrolled the menus until I found Gears of War 4 and then plopped myself back onto the bed, as I chain sawed enemies to death while my mind was wrestling with the idea of becoming Vendetta again harder than those kids are fighting over a plastic championship belt.

[Absolon-7]

The Wild Mizu has fled the battle

Casimir Herman October 26th

---

"Hold on wait I mean our former squad's opening move," quickly corrected Casimir as he spoke into the team comm however there was nothing but silence, "Selene?...Selene? Fuck."

Casimir's hope for a saving grace were dashed into the ground as Butcher Bird recovered quickly from the ruined checkout stand and burst right towards him. The birdman then transformed both hands into eagle like talons ripping apart his gloves as he swung one arm towards Casimir who knocked it back by hitting the wrist away with a backhanded strike. He returned a strike but Butcher Bird dodged beneath it and swiped at him which Casimir dodged by leaning to the side having only a superficial scar carved into his helmet. Casimir tried attacking again but the birdman kicked upwards at him and the crushing blow was blocked by Casimir's arm. The bug hero then returned his own knee kick right at Butcher Bird and the villain flapped away from it in time.

"You're pretty good at this," huffed out Casimir raising his fists in a boxing stance.

"I guess," muttered Butcher Bird with his arms dangling by his side.

"Pfft. Stick it up your ass you tool," spat Casimir.

Butcher Bird slapped his talon hands together and flapped forward like a great feathered spear which Casimir was prepared to strike down right before it hit. However, Butcher Bird stopped midway and instead turned his attack into another kick which Casimir smugly grinned at. An explosion of pain hit Casimir side as he looked downwards to see one of Butcher Bird's larger feathers embedded onto his side. The blade like feather punctured his side and the wound slowly seeped out blood as Casimir back stepped away. He clenched his teeth in a pained grunt as he could only watch as Butcher Bird stood in front of him kicking over a rock.

"Fuck you!" shouted Casimir as he threw a powerful right hook at the distracted villain. Butcher Bird ducked under it and flapped away once as Casimir swung again into a cloud of feathers that obscured his getaway. The villain jumped back before flapping over to send a kick at Casimir which was deflected by a quick push by Caismir's hands. As he landed on the ground he swiveled back to lunge at Casimir who was ready to pulverize Butcher Bird as he raised his arms up high in the sky. However, an immense gust of wind trailed behind Butcher Bird as he struck forward his talons to stab Casimir right in the neck. Casimir back flipped away in time for only the tip to scratch at his clavicle but the birdman rose into the air and circled around him. Casimir reached up for his throat to stem the blood from the light puncture on his clavicle but yet another pinion zoomed out of Butcher Bird's wing and stabbed into his upper thigh's side.

Butcher Bird then dropped down to rake his claws against Casimir but the bug hero jumped back again and dodged another talon swipe but the birdman suddenly threw forward a palm strike at his chin that sent him flying ways back into the store crashing into the wall as his helmet dropped below him. Casimir popped himself out of the wall right on time to block an incoming roundhouse kick but Casimir was baffled as the leg curve back too much to actually hit him. Like an oncoming train the scaly knuckled off Butcher Bird's backhand strike collided with Casimir's face. He was crushed back into the wall shattering it even more and he was left on the defensive as Butcher Bird let out an onslaught of blows that Casimir parried and deflected away. The greatest of blows came in the form of a tremendous slap across Casimir's face that send out a boom of air blowing away scattered debris and sports paraphernalia all around them as Casimir was thrown away like a pinwheel.

Shakily the bug hero stood back on his feet with the same boxing form as before as blood dripped down his forehead and onto his cheeks as is he was crying blood.

"Just give up already. You don't have anything to gain from this and neither do I admittedly," sighed Butcher Bird as he looked at Casimir in the eyes but strangely it was if he was looking past Casimir.

"I know that look in your eyes. Your fists have nothing in them. No matter how much you hit me with those empty fists you'll never be able to hurt me," snarled out Casimir.

"Not sure I get what you're getting at but it sounds alright," said Butcher Bird fixing up his bloodied hair, "I wonder how long its been since I gave off some impressive bravado like that."

"A man who abandons himself deserves to be looked down upon," gasped out Casimir hobbling one step forward.

This time it was up to Casimir to rush forward and deliver a merciless barrage of blows upon Butcher Bird with each devastating blow coming in faster and faster by the second. Casimir's arms where formless blurs as they smacked around the entirety of Butcher Bird's upper body like a bloodied ragdoll. Casimir back away before immediately returning to strike again and again in smooth motions as he pounded at Butcher Bird until he reared back to deliver the finishing blow. He slowly clenched his fist as he huffed out in anger at Butcher Bird. He didn't care at this point what happened to the villain. He'd kill him right then and there if it meant saving the rest of his team.

"Feel my wrath," breathed out Casimir as he launched his final blow.

CRACK

The entire room felt like it was spinning all around him and zooming in and out at the same time as he pitiful scream came out of Casimir's mouth. Butcher Bird let go of Casimir's upper arm which he had managed to grasp in time and he looked Casimir up and over as the bug hero watched in horror as his now broken arm hang downwards at an unnatural angle. Casimir fell to his knees grasping onto his arm as he straightened it out on his lap clenching his teeth as waves of pain rushed over him. He slowly shot webbing around the affected area to keep it straight.

"You see what happens kid," breathed out Butcher Bird slowly limping towards him, "When you get all hyper emotional that is."

Casimir looked up at the villain with complete hatred in his eyes. It was the drive behind that strength that made a man. It was the unyielding will towards adversity that proved who you really where but here was this poser with all the light gone from his eyes standing over him. Another wave of pain overwhelmed Casimir and strangely he found himself aching for his mom. It was a stupid desire afterall she had been dead for almost a decade at this point but Casimir just wanted to be held by her right now. How long had it been since he even had a broken bone? Years really at this point that is with the exception of that fateful final battle with...This wasn't fair. He didn't want to remember her or anyone else now. He needed to get up. He needed to rise against the pain and revolt against his supposed fate.

"Earth to Bug Boy," said Butcher Bird waving a talon in front of him, "Guess I'll tell Lady Hawk I'm done here."

"Don't call me Bug Boy!" yelled out Casimir as he reached over to grasp onto Butcher Bird's collar.

Casimir swung him up and over into the air before using his colossal strength to pulverize the birdman into the store's floor indenting a large crater all around them as the tremendous crack echoed throughout the room.

"I'll fight...I'll fight you until the end. I'll fight every last stupid villain in this stupid mall!" screamed Casimir in rage as he held up his bloodied fist, "You can't break me."

---

---

Viviana Couture October 26th

---

Viviana winced as she saw the flame shotgun aimed right towards her but the swathe of flame being cut short by a force barrier just inches away from her face was a welcome surprise. As Buckshot thrashed Yoshi around Viviana slowly got up sore from being smashed into the floor but the sight of the poor girl getting smacked to the flood by the shotgun made Viviana scowl in anger. She formed her hand into a giant brick and coiled up her arm immensely before letting it go like a spring. The block hit Buckshot right in the back sending her flying into the air and crashing into a kiosk. Viviana in a hurry ran over to Yoshiro to get her back on her feet.

"Come on we can take her if we team up," said Viviana with her voice trembling at the end, "If you get barriers around me in time I can smack her around till she give up."

Buckshot however wasn't done with them as she got back up and grabbed a grenade from her belt. She pulled out the pin with her teeth and chucked it right at them and the grenade exploded in a bright blue shower of ice. Viviana yelped as some of the ice clung onto parts of her which besides the bitter cold meant she couldn't stretch as much anymore.

[Segral]

Whitney Alvord
October 26th

"A hero throws himself in danger so that others don't have to". It sounded like the right thing to say. Mr. Blake had said something about heroes once in 10th grade English class, on one of the rare days where they weren't analyzing The Scarlet Letter. The hero was supposed to be someone who spit in the eye of Death and laughed in the face of danger, who beat adversity with their courage, their smarts, and their strength. In classical tales, the only thing that the heroes wanted was the glory, the honor, the women, the money, the fame. In post-classical and modern stories, they did brave, selfless things for the common good, even when that common good hurt certain people. But what happened when those "certain people" were the heroes themselves? If the best couldn't do it, who was in a better position to do it in their place? What could she do? Whitney was technically a hero as of three weeks ago, but she didn't feel like one in the slightest, most remote sense of the word. If she was a true hero, would she be sitting here on this stupid couch, looking to Renata for answers that the other girl clearly didn't have instead of finding them herself?

"Maybe if you were actually useful, this wouldn't be happening right now. You can play Chemist in your big, fancy lab? Congratulations! When are we gonna see you throw a punch, or use that little molecule-bending trick of yours for something besides 'team support'? You go through all of this trouble, jump all of these hurdles for 'something meaningful', and this is what you settle for?!"

The voice in her head was wrong, and she knew it. She wasn't the next Star Queen, she was Whitney Alvord, an ordinary girl who could do some extraordinary things every so often. Throwing herself into the field with everyone else wouldn't have changed a thing. If whatever was inside that mall could batter, bruise, and bloody twenty-two of San Diego's finest young superheroes, they could do the same to twenty-three, especially if the extra hero was a slow, bloated oaf like her. No, there was nothing she could do or could've done here, and nothing that she could do or could've done over there. She was powerless to do anything, anything to stop the disaster that was unfolding right in front of her eyes, on Renata's laptop screen. The computer had been roughly tossed into Whitney's lap as Renata had leapt up from the couch, stalking around the room as she tried to shout her way to a plan. Whitney knew that she wanted reassurance, wanted someone to tell her that things would be OK, but even still, she didn't respond, continuing to stare at the screen, biting her trembling lip down and involuntarily clenching her fist her side, fingernails beginning to dig into the skin of the palm with a biting, raw pressure. Anything to stop the trembling, the shaking.

Casimir's battle with that weird bird thing was clearly ending in a loss, his heart and breathing rate spiking up despite a slowly dropping blood pressure. He was one of the strongest heroes on the team from what Whitney had heard, and he was on his last legs, most likely gushing blood by the second. His girlfriend wasn't much better herself, her body temperature dropping rapidly, like Wyatt's had just seconds earlier. Everything was falling apart, by the minute. No, by the second. How long had it even been since the team had burst in through the front doors, ready to pummel, and oblivious to who would be doing the real pummeling? She didn't know, everything felt like a blur, a hazy blur from which she could barely string together a coherent sentence.

"I...I..." Whitney started, trying to answer Renata's cry of desperation, but struggling to find something even close to the right words. "I think...I don't...w-well......"

"Say something!"

"I...I don't know, Renata, I don't know!" Whitney finally blurted at last, her voice teeming with frustration. "Whatever's going on in there will likely be done and dusted by the time the Stars get over here, and we both know damn well that we can't call an airstrike. All we can do is...wait, wait and see, and hope it's not as bad as we think it is. Who knows, m-maybe they just got taken by surprise, or they've almost taken down whatever's in there, or, or..." she cast out wildly, in hopes Renata would finish her sentence for her, or some new possibility would come to her mind.

[Bentus]

The Amazing Ashen Moth!
October 26: Mission Night

---

Managing to escape from Skysword’s reach as Roy leapt in to intercept the robot’s swing, Ash was finally given a moment of breathing space as she hovered for a second in the air. Glancing around the room, she frowned as she saw that their whole squad had been caught in the sudden battle. Already, the scenes had devolved into chaos as the heroes and villains fought tooth-and-nail against one another, but it looked like they’d been able to overcome the initial surprise of the ambush. Narrowing her gaze as she watched Roy struggle against Skysword, Ash tried to find an opening that would let her dive back into the fray when a sudden crack echoed across the room.

Her eyes widening as the bullet ricocheted off of the floor at Roy’s feet, the mutant whipped her head around to see the shooter casually looking over them from her perch. Oh no, there are more of them? Looking around with an increased sense of urgency, Ash felt her stomach twist as she tried to count up her squad, only to come up one short. Where is Mizu? She thought to herself, concern and a growing sense of panic competing for attention in her chest. She’d been so focused on Roy and her own fight that she’d not even noticed where the other girl had gotten to. Concentrate, Roy will know what to do. Ash convinced herself. But how could he help the rest of the squad when he was suddenly caught between two villains all by himself?

Biting her lip, Ash’s mind raced as she tried to think of how she could help. She knew that she was vulnerable against opponents who could strike her at range, and the sniper would easily see her coming from her perch. Frowning, the mutant was painfully aware of how little time she had to figure out a solution when her gaze fell upon one of the light fixtures hanging from the room’s ceiling. In an instant, an idea struck her as the gears in her head rapidly turned. Flying straight towards the sniper would just expose her, but maybe her teammate could bypass that problem entirely.

Hardening her gaze with determination, Ash darted forward to slice at the cables that attached the light to the roof. Easily severing the connections, the large fixture quickly fell towards the ground. Glancing up towards the sound, Skysword’s optical sensor narrowed on the approaching object, and it broke away from its opponent just as it landed between them. Not wasting a beat, Ash flew down to the ground as she met the machine’s gaze. Acting fast, she called out to her teammate.

“Nightshade, I can hold him off! You can use the shadows!” Hoping that the man would figure out her plan, Ash turned her attention entirely towards the robot. She knew that it was fast, and she couldn’t afford to think about anything other than the coming fight if she were to stand a chance. But a hero would never shy away from doing what she had to in order to win, and the mutant had no intention of backing down now. With a confident cry, Ash pushed herself off the ground and flew straight towards her opponent, a pair of fists raised in the air behind her.

Yoshiro Nakama
October 26: Mission Night

---

Wincing as she took a helping hand from a concerned-looking Viviana, Yoshiro croaked as she responded to her squadmates’ concern.

”I’m fine.” She said, although she nevertheless still felt the blow that had struck her belly. Lifting her hand from where she’d been struck, she looked down to see that the outer layers of her uniform had been torn away by the blow. The silvery layer of nanoweave had even been exposed, and the telepath silently sighed in thanks for the material. Without it, she would’ve been suffering from a pair of broken ribs, or worse. Or if the woman had hit her where the reinforcement had been weaker…No, don’t think like that. You’ve got to keep your head in the game.

Listening to the other girl’s plan, Yoshi nodded firmly as she met her teammate’s eyes. “Yeah. I’ll keep you covered, Viv.” She said confidently, readying herself for another round just as something landed among them. In the split-second that they had before the grenade went off, the telepath threw up her hands to produce a barrier to shield herself from whatever came next. Thankfully, it was a blast of ice rather than a lethal detonation, and the shards fired in Yoshiro’s direction all impacted harmlessly on her shield. Viv however, wasn’t quite so lucky.

“Viv!” Yoshi called out, with concern in her voice as she saw her friend struggling to move as her rubbery body was chilled by the attack. Turning back towards their opponent, she saw the woman racing to seize the upper-hand, with a smug smile adorning her features. A pit formed in Yoshiro’s stomach as she realised that Buckshot had figured out that she could guard against her bullets, but the same couldn’t be said for when they were in close-quarters. Damn it, she figured me out that quickly?

Stealing one final glance towards Viv as she struggled to free herself from the ice, Yoshi didn’t hesitate for a moment more before she once again charged towards the approaching villain. Raising her staff, she stepped into Buckshot’s path and attempted to parry her incoming attack. Grimacing as she once again felt the other woman’s strength behind the blow, Yoshiro nevertheless fought to hold her ground. I’m not going to let you get to her. Even though Buckshot couldn’t hear Yoshi’s thoughts, she seemed to understand the girl’s intentions. The villainess' lips curled into a sadistic grin as she once again found herself in close quarters with the telepath. She offered the younger girl a sly wink, more than willing to tango with her once more, if that was what she seemed to want. In fact she was doubly willing, because now she knew where to hit her.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

October 3rd

---

---

Much to Megan's delight, things seemed to resolve themselves after she made sure to send the succubus' head back to hell where it belonged - for the most part, at least. Even as the portals fell apart and the foolish swordsman was carried away by one of his own allies, some demons remained in this realm, seemingly thirsty for blood even though they had no more reinforcements coming and the bulk of their forces had been destroyed or were lying in heaps of animated body parts on the floor. Oh my, these things really are stupid, aren't they? Well, doesn't matter.

Without a second thought, the girl once more brandished her mystical scythe to mow down the few demons that remained.

Fortunately, that didn't take very long at all, and several minutes later she, and the rest of their little demon hunting party, had made their way out of San Onofre and back to the city. They had curbed the demon invasion, stopped whatever plans the succubus had for the nuclear plant, and got out of there without running into the police, to boot. All in all, they had done a pretty good job that night.

Their de facto leader seemed to think so, too. As he landed nearby, he began talking about how their performance had far surpassed his expectations, and that they were just like one of the hero teams that were revered throughout the nation.

"Minus the recognition, that is." The purple-haired girl quipped. "But yes, we did a good job tonight. We should celebrate!"

---

October 8th

---

---

---

Hearing Casimir' challenge and seeing through his blatant attempt at masking his wounded ego through his typical haughty demeanor, Icarus raised an eyebrow. Getting into a fight, regulated as it may be, was certainly not among his plans for the day, though on the other hand he realized this was a pretty good chance to get in some extra exercise. After all, in the time after the tournament, Los Angeles had not seen too much action, a few big name villains had been up to their usual antics but he wasn't usually taken along on high profile missions like that - for the most part he was stuck cleaning the docks from Asian gangsters and rescuing their victims on behalf of Armorer. Plenty of action, but not much in terms of challenge.

Casimir, on the other hand, was undeniably one of the toughest heroes in the Young Bloods, largely thanks to his thick skull. While they attended school together he wouldn't have thought it difficult to take down the scrawny young man but he had known better for several months now. Of course, he was also much stronger than he was back then, before any sort of power awakened within him, before the ups and downs of his life kicked in.

What the hell, if nothing else this is a good chance to let loose a little.

Before he could voice these thoughts, however, Whitney interjected, asking about Renata. Casimir was prompt to reply that she was a member of the team, and Icarus nodded. "Yeah, she's one of your teammates, you probably haven't met her yet. She's... well, very impulsive, and she got into trouble recently. Someone else can probably fill you in better." He stated. After all, he was sure others had more complete information about what happened.

The blond boy then stood up and looked at Casimir. "Alright, get up bugman. The gym, outside, wherever you want. You know I'm not one to back down from a challenge." He said resolutely, gesturing at him to lead the way.

---

October 26th

---

---

Alexis eyed her robotic opponents warily. Three of them had showed themselves so far, but now that she knew that there were multiple of them hidden around the mall, she realized she had no guarantee that there were only three of them. What if there was another one? Five more? Ten? She was confident in her prized pet project's capabilities, but if there was enough of Automata out there, then...

It's no use worrying so much about it. I'll do what I have to.

Focusing on the enemy in front of her for the time being, Alexis ordered Oberon to turn its arms into powerful cannons and pointed them towards the two flying robots in front of her, glowing blue energy quickly building up within them. Before she could fire them, however, the first robot she had faced tackled her. Even lacking two of its arms and a head on its shoulders, it used its weight to throw her aim off and save its comrades, before holding onto Oberon with its remaining four arms and triggering a powerful explosion, destroying itself in the process.

Shit!

Her shields still had more than enough power to protect her, but even then the sudden drop in energy concerned the blonde girl. There was little time for worry, however, and instead of standing there in shock, she promptly rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding another energy barrage from the cannon-wielding automaton. Not intending to give her the opportunity to line up a shot, the other robot quickly flew towards her and grabbed one of Oberon's arm cannons. Growling - albeit she produced no sound - Alexis had her mech turn its free cannon back into a hand, which she used to grab the robot and hurl it straight towards its artillery-wielding counterpart.

The two robots went tumbling through the air, and the young genius finished them off with a full-power blast, causing a large explosion. That's three down.

And yet, the blonde girl felt no enthusiasm upon taking down those three enemies, knowing more might show up at the drop of a hat. The other girls were unfortunately not doing so hot, either - Viviana and Yoshiro were struggling to take down Buckshot, who had shown herself to be far more threatening than shown during their previous fight, and worse than that, Angelica had been separated from them and was locked in combat with another cryokinetic. So it's four on four, and we're getting our asses kicked even though one of them isn't doing anything.

The thought led Alexis to look at a distant table, where the white-haired teenager from before sat. She wore a set of headphones over her ears, and the way she tapped her foot, bobbed her head and moved her lips as if singing betrayed the fact that she was listening to music while watching the battle unfold. The young woman didn't seem to have a care in the world, and smiled at Alexis after catching her looking in her direction.

She's the only one here who can hear or speak. Alexis thought with a scowl on her face. That must mean she's the one behind this aura of silence. If I can take her down, we'll be able to coordinate with the other squads and start turning things around.

With that in mind, Alexis leveled Oberon's arm cannon at her, knowing a single blast would end it, as the girl had demonstrated no powers beyond the unnerving ability to steal all sound from an area. She didn't seem to worry, however, even as a blue energy blast flew towards her.

Suddenly, from above, yet another Automata swooped down right next to the girl, this time holding a strange blade in each of its six hands that it quickly assembled into the shape of a shield, just in time to protect its ally from the blast, which couldn't break through the shield. Immediately afterwards, the robot began running towards Oberon, prepared to fight and likely sacrifice itself like the others before.

Dammit! Alexis mentally cried out in frustration. Not one to give up easily, however, she commanded Oberon to retrieve one of its force blades from its back and charged at the incoming robot. With blinding speed, the pink mech sliced the robot in half before it had the chance to do anything, and an explosion ensued as the automaton self-destructed. And that's that. Now, where was I?

Looking back towards her original target as the dust settled, Alexis noticed that the young woman had an amused grin on her face, and was pointing above with her finger. Looking up, Alexis barely had time to move out of the way before an energy barrage hit the ground where she had been a fraction of a second ago. Two more robots had appeared, and Oberon was forced to keep moving to avoid getting hit - her shields could certainly take the punishment, but without an idea of how many more she would have to defeat, it was best to conserve her resources.

Realizing that she was heading towards Angelica and the unknown ice wielder, the genius girl frowned at first, preparing to change directions. However, she quickly noticed the large volume of ice Angelica was manipulating, something she had only seen before when they worked together to rescue Kiris from the clutches of Warwolf. An idea began forming inside the young inventor's mind, and she took a deep breath.

ANGELICA! Switch with me! She cried out in her mind, conveying her plan through their shared mind link as she continued to run towards her and Ice Pick.

[Galnius]

Mika, her room

When Mika had brought up music, she had honestly expected Jan to request some shitty christian band singing Kumbaya. Thus, she was fully prepared to pick on him and put in her own music. What happened instead was, well, out of any of her expectations.

The guardian angel, for some strange reason, took it upon himself to provide the music. He pulled a guitar out of God knows where and simply started playing. And he was good too. How the hell was she supposed to mock that? What did she do now that mocking was off the table?

"Damn angel boy." Mika paused, still trying to formulate some form of intelligent respond. "So is uh, is the guitar thing something you've always done? That doesn't sound like Hallelujah to me."

Mika pulled her legs onto her chair and crossed them. Her eyes closed and felt a bit relaxed, and calmer than shed been in a while. Was that a power, or just a good acoustic? She had some tracks that played acoustic for a more calming or sad melody, so perhaps it was that.


Once the song finished, Mika immediately got up. "Hold on a sec Jan."

Mika quickly moved and grabbed her own, unused, dusty acoustic out of a target messy closet. She had no clue how to play it, but maybe he could help.

"Alright, you seem to know your way around one of these things. I've had this for...maybe 6 years? The guy my mom is getting child support from got it for me for a birthday present, and its a shame to leave it in there to die with the rest of the crap. Wanna teach me?"

Mika strummed all of the strings just to test it out, and immediately cringed. "And uh, if you could show me how to tune it that would be great too."

---

Mika, Wonder Tower

"Yes Ash, new game."

Mika brushed off her friend's questions as she searched through a large library of music. She had a playlist somewhere just for this, but the folders of files were unorganized at best. Eventually she found it, labelled Folder #38. Perhaps she should rename it to make it easier to find...eh, later.

Within it was music a bit softer than what Mika generally listened too. P!nk, the acoustic version of the song Jan showed her, some slower tunes from her favourite bands, the top 3 love songs by hero/musical artist Beau Sonic, and the classical piece Canon in D made a relaxing soundtrack for two girls playing a dating sim. Well, normal girls. For all Mika knew Ash dated like a moth. Get knocked up, eat the father's head. Or was that praying mantises....

That thought made Mika realize how absolutely crucial this life lesson was. "No, nothing like pokemon Ash. This here, this is serious. It's going to teach you how to flirt, how to date, and how to not eat peoples heads. That last one is the most important. No eating heads in dating, no matter how tempting it is. Now, to start, talk to one of the boys. I personally always liked the awkward guy to start with. He's fun to tease, but maybe you'd like the james dean look alike to his left. Bit rough around the edges, but perfect to lead you on this mission."

---

Mika, lunch

"No, no, it's fine Astrid. I can explain the basics. See, Ash, if I take a picture, I can yank stuff out. Simple stuff though. Nothing amazing or too big. "

As Mika finished, Astrid had continued on. Mika grabbed some of the hair from the side of her head and she studied it curiously. "Huh, you think I'd look good in them? I've never tried long hair, too much work, but I guess extensions aren't real hair either. Still, the costume needs waist length....I guess a one day test wouldn't hurt. Thanks Astrid."

---

Angelica Dalin, Wonder Tower, October 24th

The aftermath of the previous mission left a good amount of the team annoyed in some way. Roy demanded a 5am training session, Mars seemed like he was still annoyed, and Andrew flipped Roy the bird after turning the corner while grumbling about not being allowed to get any sleep. Angelica didn't quite get what the issue was. In fact, she was more than fine with it. She stayed out of the spotlight, and managed to avoid springing what one of the squad leaders had called a trap over the comms. Angelica didn't even want to think about everything that could've gone wrong there.

But of course, once she didn't want to, she started thinking about it. The avian kid was strong, and could've simply taken Red's head off of his body. Or they villains could've set the whole building on fire, killing most of the civilians and heroes involved. Or other villains could've came....

Angelica turned on the faucet in her bathroom and splashed some cold water on her face. She could feel her heart speeding up and her hands were shaking pretty badly. She wasn't fully sure what was happening, but she figure it was probably stress. She just had to go to her bed and calm down.

However, the intrusive thoughts continued. She tried not to think about what could've happened, but the images and thoughts kept on assaulting her mind. What if there had been a bomb, large enough to leave a crater where the warehouse had once stood. What if Dark Star showed up. They had never caught her, after all. What if Necromancer....

Angelica's breathing was labored at this point, and her chest hurt from a sudden clenching. She tried healing it, and the pain subsided, but only for a split second. It quickly returned with the horrible, horrible images. Angelica got up, just to open a window and let in some air to help her breath better. However, her legs were far weaker than she anticipated, and she fell to her knees. Thoughts and memories of the day her previous self had lost her life permeated everything around her, and her fingers and lips soon grew numb. Angelica was convinced she was going to die there, on the floor, from a freak heart attack or something. She lost feeling in everything but her chest, and she curled up in the same, not a sound escaping her lips outside of sharp inhales of air from the pain a gasps, hoping and praying for even the slightest breathe. Her tears soaked the carpet, and she wished anyone would come in to help her, save her, stop her from being so alone.

Then, gradually, her breathing returned. Her chest began to hurt less, and she could feel her limbs. Angelica had no idea what had caused this, but just in case it had something to do with her return, she wanted to keep it quiet for now. Just for now, until she figured out what had caused her to be alive today. And if...Whatever that was happened again, well, she would deal with it. Somehow.

[Tomia]

Roy
Roy had been about to give up when suddenly Ash made a play and provided him an opening. By knocking down the light structure she not only distracted the villains for a moment but also provided Roy a opportunity to attack. He jumped on it moving into the shadows that Ash had created. Lady Hawk fired a shot at him but by the time it reached where he was standing Roy was no longer there. Instead he suddenly reappeared right in front of the sniper and slammed down hard with his staff. Lady Hawk blocked with her gun, but stumbled a bit on the container on which she was balancing.

Roy was confident he had the upper hand now until he heard a screeching sound from behind him and suddenly he found himself attacked by a large bird. It dug its talons into Roy's shoulder which caused a sharp pain and forced him to to turn away from Lady Hawk and instead focus on harshly slapping the bird away with his staff. He managed to do so successfully but that gave his foe the time she needed to reload and escape from Roy's clutches. She aimed a shot right at Ash and once Roy saw this his face flashed with horror.

"No!" He shouted as he raised his staff to block the shot. He proved to be a second too late however and a bullet fired true from her rifle. Roy could only watch in terror as it rocketed towards his squad-mate.

Angelica
Angelica was surprised when she heard Alexis speaking to her in her voice but as she continued her stalemate with Ice Pick she realized Alexis might have come up with a good idea. Ice Pick was clearly intended to counter her and those robots Alexis. If they switched that up they would have a clear advantage. With this in mind the ice hero used her enhanced state to build a a short wall of ice to temporarily block off her opponent before running over to Alexis. Alexis was heading her way too and was being perused by one of the machines. Angelica blasted the floor behind Alexis with ice and watched the robot chasing her glide along the ice right into the Angelica's waiting arms at which point she sliced off two of its arms with her razor sharp ice.

Good idea Alexis! Angelica shouted, temporarily forgetting the issues between them. In the heat of battle none of that mattered. Angelica managed to duck just in time as the enemy's tail waved menacingly over her head. She then quickly erected a ice wall to stop the machine's remaining three blades. The blades jammed into it and now Angelica had a clear opportunity. She blasted the wall hard with ice until it collapsed, slamming on top of the robot and crushing it. Sure enough however a new machine replaced it right away and this one seemed to be watching her warily as if it was determined to not make the same mistakes as its predecessor.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

Third of Fire
Day 5 of Green Light

---

The whims of the heart could be strange and unpredictable even to the most perceptive of observers. On the most impassible of beings it could slowly sow the seeds of unrest and lead them to kindness or contempt, and in individuals who were more open to the strength of emotions, the heart had the power to create and to destroy, to lead one down an unsuspected path and change directions at the drop of a hat. In this, it was not unlike the clouds, not unlike the waves, not unlike the weather that could be clear and sunny one moment and become an overcast downpour the next. The whims of the weather, indeed, were quite akin to the whims of the heart, sudden, uncontrollable, unpredictable. As a storm, as a hurricane, as a blizzard.

As a sister wronged who chose to forgive and to hate no more.

A couple hours had passed since she and Rannel had visited the temple, where they met with Professor Eddaruna and the children of Toraven. During those hours, she had not only felt the happiest she had been in a long time, but also relieved, in a sense, as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She had been very happy on Earth as well, that was true, and she had grown to love Mars and her friends - her second family as she had come to call them in her mind - but there was always a burden. A stain. There was always her unresolved feelings towards the family she had run away from, tucked away in the depths of her mind, but always there, always present. Not quite suffocating her, but still taunting her, a constant reminder of the dark feelings she harbored and the threat they represented to the joys of her new life.

She had felt none of that with the children, and that was enough to break the descending spiral she had been caught in ever since she had once more set foot on Adai. Just that moment of respite was enough to help her perspective change, to make her see things differently. She realized that a broken nose simply couldn't hold a candle to five years of ostracism, and if even that couldn't serve to justify her decision to hold a grudge against her father up until the moment of his death, then certainly the incident with Seristella was no reason to hate her, either. Who knew when she might lose her sister as well? The thought was more terrifying, and ten times more powerful, than the physical pain she felt.

It was for this reason that Kirisvala found herself in front of her sister's door after returning to Ranwynn Hall. Hoping for the best, and mentally preparing herself in case the best didn't come to pass, the girl took a deep breath and knocked on the twin doors.

"Go ahead. It's open."

Taking her cue, Kirisvala swung the twin doors open and walked inside, finding herself immediately nostalgic as she looked upon a room that was unchanged from when she had last seen it, years ago. Much like in hers, there was a shelf on the wall, but instead of being full of lore and arcane studies, Seristella's shelf was filled with the tall tales of the fiercest Hadrians in history, from the ancient warrior queen Koramaya az Taratel, to the legendary Meristhala, the Celestial Roar, and even their own ancestor, Morvathal of the Mountains, greatest of sages and conquerors - at least according to the lore written by his people. In addition, there were dozens of odds and ends on the shelf, most of them souvenirs, reminders of her little conquests: a grazer's horn, a great howler's fang, a griffin's beak. A handful of black scales sat untouched next to these, reminders instead of her defeats.

Near the shelf, propped against the bare wall, was a small collection of what seemed to be weapons, including a sharpened stick of red wood, a small crystal club and what appeared to be a slingshot fashioned from bone. All small, childish weapons from Seristella's youth, but ones she had used time and time again during hunts and whatnot - whenever she didn't feel like using her claws, that is. On her desk nearby were pieces of gear tailored for an adult, with the redhead's sword and chestpiece laid on top of it and the helmet lying on the chair, itself covered by her feathered cloak. The pale violet walls were adorned with scenes of historical battles as well as various drawings made years ago, usually showing her defeating this or that creature.

Overall, Seristella's room was nearly unchanged. It was something very strange to see, but it didn't take long for Kirisvala to remember that she hadn't been the only one of Teltesser's daughters to run away from home, nor the first.

"Kiris!" The redhead spoke, clearly surprised. She was by an empty section of the wall doing a handstand, though she dropped as she noticed who visited her, ending up sitting on the ground and turning slightly to face Kirisvala. She searched for words to say, but at the moment, they all eluded her.

"Hi Seris." The pink-haired girl said calmly as she closed the door behind her and smiled before sitting down in front of her sister. "What were you doing?"

"I was, uh, I was honing my body, and also trying to, you know, meditate a little." She replied, somewhat awkwardly, a far cry from the proud, bold warrior that she was. The redhead bit her lip before speaking again. "Listen, Kiris, I..."

"Let's put what happened a few days ago behind us, alright?" Kiris promptly cut off her sister, surprising her. Despite this, a smile remained on the younger Hadrian's face. "I know your intentions weren't bad, and you're my sister. I shouldn't stay mad at you, especially not now. You've been trying to help me and I appreciate it." She said sincerely. "I'm not mad anymore, so let's forget about it, okay?"

"Kiris..." Seristella mumbled, taken aback by her sister's kindness, by her forgiveness. A thin smile slowly appeared on her lips, but after a moment it was quickly replaced by a pained expression, the redhead looking off to the side. A few seconds of silence ensued.

And then, it was Kirisvala's turn to be surprised as she felt herself be pulled into a tight embrace.

"I'm sorry." The redhead said quietly. "I hurt you, I know I did. I don't want to but I keep doing it, it's like I don't know how to stop... And you don't deserve it, any of it. You're... you're so trusting and kind... I'm so sorry, Kiris. I don't want to hurt you. I want to help you, but I don't know how."

The words came out one after another in an almost frantic manner, Seristella's feelings pouring out of her. Kirisvala had come here fully intending to forgive her for everything, of course, but realizing that everything that happened had caused her pain as well, and regret, and sorrow, it was a revelation that made her feel sympathy even for the one who had wronged her. Closing her eyes, she returned her sister's gesture and hugged her tightly.

"I forgive you, sis. You don't have to worry about it anymore." She said. Then, after a few moments, she continued. "So... you don't hate me?" She asked. Seristella backed away and looked at her sister in shock, but was unable to say anything before Kiris spoke again. "I thought you did... not because of what you've done, but with all the things father said... I thought..."

Seristella shook her head. "No, Kiris, I don't hate you. I've never hated you." She said, before letting out a weary sigh. "I... admit it was hard, that after six years, the first thing he did was asking me to find you. It hurt." She looked down, recalling those feelings of disappointment, just a few weeks ago. "He loved you more than anything, that's obvious. But... he loved me too. He made sure I knew that, in his last moments." She stated as she looked up and placed a hand on her sister's head. "So I don't hold that against him, or against you. I love you, sister."

At these last words, Kirisvala smiled brightly and threw herself at Seris, hugging her once again. "I love you too, sis!"

Seristella kissed her sister's forehead and the two remained there in silent embrace for a while. Though it had been a struggle for them to reconnect after meeting again for the first time in six long years, at that moment they felt truly at peace with each other. A bond previously frayed was now reforged.

"Seris?" The younger of the two spoke, breaking the silence.

"What?" The older one replied.

"Is Ranny the new Watcher?" Kiris asked. After seeing how much his demeanor had changed - despite still being the kindhearted boy she knew in the past - and how the robe he wore was very similar to the one she had seen her grandfather wear so many years ago, she had begun to suspect it, though she had her doubts. He was only twenty-four after all, and one was not easily christened a Watcher at such a young age.

"Oh, that guy? Is he back already?" Seristella questioned, to which her sister promptly nodded. "Yes, he was appointed as the new Watcher almost by unanimous vote, thanks to father's endorsement." The redhead explained, before clearing her throat and speaking in a deep, solemn tone. "Sage Lord Rannel Az Ranwynn, Sovereign of Annriven, Watcher of Tortaris and the Obsidian Sea, and Head of the Ranwynn Clan." She recited, before letting out a short laugh. "Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?"

Kiris giggled. "Good dragon that is such a mouthful. I'm glad it's other people who have to say it."

"Right? Imagine how long the title must have been in the times of our ancestors. Heralds probably had to stop for breath." The redhead joked.

"So when did it happen? And you said father endorsed him?" Kiris asked, curious about her cousin's ascension.

"Just a few days go in fact. It's the reason he was away, he was in the grand capital to deal with the ceremonies and everything. You know how it is with our fancy traditions and all." Seristella gave a light shrug. "As for his endorsement, yes. I probably forgot to mention his role in all of this. I last saw him not long after grandfather's funeral, same as you. He went to live in Adamaathal with his father, but Torvalt told me that during that time, he acted as father's right hand, informing him of the comings and goings in the capital and helping him figure out how deep Telthalos' conspiracy went." She explained. "Before the sickness took him, father said there was no one he'd rather entrust with Annriven and the clan."

It was a lot to take in all at once, but Kiris nodded. "Makes sense. Ranny's always been super smart, I'm sure he'll do a great job."

"You're always looking up to him. What, do you have a crush or something?" Seris quipped, poking her sister's side.

"Stop it!" The pink-haired girl giggled. "He's my cousin, you weirdo. Besides, I've got a boyfriend that I love remember?"

Seris rolled her eyes playfully. "Ah yes, the fearsome human. How could I forget about his imposing presence and his dashing hairdo?"

The two laughed some more at their jokes and quips, but after a while of this, Seristella's expression turned serious. She held Kiris close while placing a hand on her head and lightly caressing it. "So, Rannel is the new Watcher and he just arrived from abroad. You know what that means, right?"

The corners of Kiris' mouth curved down, and she nodded. "A feast, right?"

Whenever the head of the clan returned to the ancestral hall after a journey to foreign lands, it was customary to hold a large feast where all the members of the family currently present gathered together to mingle, discuss recent events and fill in the patriarch - or matriarch if it were the case, though it had not been so for a few generations - regarding anything that might have happened in his absence. Kirisvala had a few reasons not to look forward to that. As a child, she loved them, there was so much food and she got to see her beloved grandfather again. But now? She knew very little of politics local or foreign, as they had never been her forte, and she had little information to share, having just arrived herself. The food was still a highlight, but it wasn't as enticing as before. And facing the rest of her family, whose hero she had scorned... it made her nervous.

"A feast, yeah." Seris confirmed, sensing her sister's worry. "It will be fine, Torvalt, Rannel and I will be there for you, and some relatives from abroad will be around as well - they weren't caught up in the conspiracy as much, so you should be comfortable among them." She stated. "Speaking of which..."

As if on cue, there was a knock on the door.

"Hello?" A girl's voice asked.

"Is Kiris there?" Another continued, remarkably similar to the first.

"Yes, she's here. Come in." Seris replied.

Kirisvala watched with curiosity as the twin doors opened, revealing yet another pair of faces she hadn't seen in many years. The two girls standing at the doorway were identical twins, with lustrous aqua hair - down to the chest in one, and only reaching the neck in another - and piercing green eyes. Their scales were black, and their horns were very similar to Rannel's, albeit each of them had three pairs, instead of two. They were Rannel's half-sisters, and she had lost contact with them at the same time as him, as the three had left the Ranwynn Hall to live with their father, and in the girls' case, their mother. Kiris noticed they had become very beautiful since then, and she couldn't help but wonder if Mars might think they were more attractive than her, with their lovely figures and their lovely smiles and...

She didn't have time to wonder about any of that for long, as the girls promptly ran up to her, dropped to her level and then caught her in the middle of a hug sandwich, as they often did.

"Kiris!" One of them cried out.

"It's so good to see you!" The other added afterwards.

"Maya! Naya!" Kiris greeted the twins, happily returning the affection given. They had been some of her closest friends during her childhood after all.

"Ranny sent us to make sure you-" The one with longer hair and the older by a short margin, Seramaya, spoke.

"Had some nice clothes to wear for tonight's fest, so we-" The younger, shorter-haired one, Seranaya, continued.

"Went looking for you until someone told us that you-"

"Were here with your sister. Come with us?"

Seristella chuckled at the twins' antics and waved them off. "She's all yours. Have fun, Kiris."

"Great!" The twins spoke in unison before grabbing Kiris' arms. They then started leading her out of the room and down the hallway to their own.

"What's earth like, Kiris?"

"You're famous there, right?"

"What's it like being a heroine?"

"Is it true that you have a human boyfriend?"

All these questions and more were fired at the pink-haired girl one after the other, and though she was in a great mood after speaking with the children of Toraven and reconciling with her sister, she still couldn't help but feel a little overwhelmed by the twins' sheer curiosity. Letting out a soft sigh, she smiled sheepishly at the twins and began trying to answer their questions to the best of her ability.

This is going to be a long evening.

---

The aroma of cooked meat and rich spices filled the air inside the great dining hall of the Ranwynn clan's ancestral home, and all members of the family currently present in Annriven had gathered together for the occasion, sitting on the floor around the wheel-shaped table, itself surrounding a blazing fire.

As was expected of any Hadrian feast, meat was the primary food provided, procured from various sources and prepared in various forms. Several types of swimmers and some cuts of wild grunter were suspended above the fire, enriched by the smoke emitted by the wood of a fruit tree from the far reaches of Tortaris. Roasted grazer legs were served in numerous large platters spread throughout the table, along with a variety of sauces prepared with different fruits for those who wanted to add a sweet touch to their meal. A large pot was filled with a stew made from generously spiced crower meat, mushrooms and vegetables, and several small swimmers and flyers were cooked whole and served in platters as snacks to be eaten in a single bite, organs and skeleton included - many enjoyed the distinct crunch as they bit down on the animal.

Of course, meat wasn't the only thing available. The bones of the many beasts that were hunted or slaughtered were not wasted, instead used in the preparation of a marrow soup or laid out for those who wanted to crack them open and eat the marrow directly. Roasted vegetables were available for those who wanted a different taste, as well as baked tubers stuffed with them and large mushroom caps stuffed with cheese. Milk-based confections and bowls full of red and yellow fruit were available for dessert, and there were various jugs filled with drinks made with milk or fruit, as well as several types of alcohol for those present who were seventeen years of age and older.

Kirisvala was not one of those people. She would not be for a couple months, and so her horn was filled exclusively with juice made from fresh mountain berries, her favorite when she was a child. Thanks to her cousins, she was dressed in an elegant red and white dress - they were only slightly taller and very similar in all other aspects, so the dress was a perfect fit - and currently sat next to Seristella, who had opted for a much simpler red robe instead. However, they were among people who were, essentially, strangers. After all, while Seris had arrived to Ranwynn Hall a few weeks prior, she hadn't exactly been a social butterfly, and Kiris herself had only spoken to five people since her arrival, three of them on that same day.

Rannel and his sisters were not with them - they were elsewhere around the wheel, surrounded by other, more prominent members of the clan as well as a select few guests of importance, all of whom seemed to be discussing political matters with the new sovereign while the twins happily chit-chatted with each other and some of the younger attendees. The area where Teltesser's daughters sat was much quieter, with a few people talking quietly amongst themselves and others simply focusing on the food laid in front of them. Few tried to talk to the two girls, and more than a few glares had been shot at them throughout the night. Moreso at her than at Seristella, she noticed with a frown.

I guess not being there for father is worse than serving a different clan...

"Hey, are you gonna eat that?" Seris spoke, bringing her younger sister out of her thoughts and pointing at the leg on Kiris' plate. The shorter girl simply shoved it her sister's way before taking a sip from her horn.

"It's yours. I prefer bleat-bleats on stew anyway, but they don't have any of that here... or any..."

The girl suddenly paused.

We don't have a word for pasta, do we?

"What are you thinking about now?" The redhead tried to say, though the words came out garbled, as she had just bit down on her newly acquired grazer leg, which had been promptly slathered in a spicy sauce made with tropical fruits.

<Oh nothin', it's just, didya notice how we don't have a word for pasta?> Kiris replied, inadvertently slipping into English. Most eyes within the room were suddenly looking in her direction, with some looking in amusement, some in confusion, and a few in open contempt.

"She hates her home so much she will not speak its language, it seems." An older woman scoffed, gray-haired and with large horns at the top of her head that curved in opposite directions, as if framing her face. A great aunt or something like that, if memory served, though after hearing her insult, Kirisvala wouldn't have cared if she was in the presence of Hadrimmelis herself. She tried to stand up, but her sister's claw on her shoulder stopped her.

"We can hear you, old hag." The redhead said coolly, before taking another bite out of her grazer leg.

"Have some respect for your elders if not for your family, deserter." The old woman scowled at Seristella, who didn't seem to lose her temper.

"Your tongue is sharp but your wit is as dull as your claws, auntie." She said with her mouth full, before swallowing and promptly taking a swig from her horn, which was filled to the brim with ale from Taratelmaat, founded by the ancient Taratel warrior queens and ruled by their descendants. It seemed that the matter would be settled with that, as the woman couldn't come up with a good response, but then Kiris stood up.

"What's your problem?! We never said anything to you!" She growled, glaring at her. By now all eyes were firmly on the two daughters of Teltesser.

"You dare ask after all that has happened?" The woman replied. "While you were happily serving the humans and speaking their tongues your father was taken by the sickness. You have no right to raise your voice at me."

"You're one to talk! You're one of the cowards who bent over for uncle while he destroyed everything this clan stood for!" The girl shouted.

"That's enough." A different person interrupted, his voice deep and bellowing. It belonged to an imposing man, tall and muscular, who sat remarkably close to the right of Rannel - he was a very distant relative, but she recalled him being a trusted advisor of her grandfather towards the end of his life. His hair was very dark, his eyes a bright red and his horns, growing out the sides of his head, pointed forward boldly. "Though I am not surprised to see the two runaway children make a scene, it is unbecoming of you to egg them on or follow in their footsteps, Koriva. Especially in a night such as this." The man continued, before turning to look directly at Kirisvala. "That said, you are indeed a troublesome child. You had best get used to these halls again, you will remain here to be disciplined until you reach adulthood. Your time abroad has made you unwise."

Kirisvala's jaw dropped to the floor, and a red haze began to coalesce in her mind and cloud her awareness. The words and grunts of agreement amongst many of the feast's attendees and the harsh words of the old woman Koriva all felt so distant she could barely hear them, let alone understand them. Her fists clenched and her body shook with anger. Discipline, he said, and the only thing that came to mind was her uncle's discipline, the isolation and ostracism that had driven her away from her own home in the first place, that sowed the hate she hated feeling.

"Is that so?"

Rannel's voice cut through the haze like a bright sword, and she looked in his direction, though the tears that had begun to well up on her eyes nearly blinded her, much like the rage in her heart. The Sovereign of Annriven, dressed in a black ceremonial robe, didn't stand up or raise his voice, his calm and dignified words echoing in the dining hall as everyone in attendance suddenly fell silent.

"Please, stand up." He spoke, looking at the man who had sided with Koriva during the previous spat. The man promptly complied, though his expression betrayed a growing concern. "Lord Steward Riaran az Ranwynn, as the highest authority of Ranwynn Hall in the absence of the head of the clan, it is your duty to uphold the sacred laws of hospitality set forth by the Goddess. Did you observe these laws when the eldest daughter of Teltesser arrived from her self-imposed exile?" He asked. There was no answer, but Riaran looked down, his earlier bravado having clearly abandoned him.

"Did you observe them when the youngest daughter of Teltesser returned to her rightful home?" Rannel asked. Once more, no answer. "Tell me, Riaran, does an individual clan member's decision to reside here or abroad lie within the Lord Steward's purview?"

"...It does not, Watcher Rannel." Riaran admitted. Rannel nodded.

"Your service to the late Watcher Zanatar and your dissent towards the rogue Telthalos are both greatly appreciated, Lord Riaran. However, in the future I would prefer if you were more mindful of your position, its privileges, and its obligations." The young ruler spoke, never once raising his voice or projecting anything but a calm aura, as befitting his name. "Now, since it will clearly continue to be a problem unless addressed, I would advise you, as well as Koriva and anyone else with similar intentions, to refrain from harassing a young maiden who left her home precisely to avoid this sort of treatment. She has suffered enough at the hands of her family due to Telthalos' corrupt ways, let us not repeat those sins."

Kirisvala observed the exchange, feeling both a rush of vindication upon seeing Riaran and Koriva shot down, and a sense of admiration towards her cousin, who seemed every bit as wise and dignified as she recalled her father and grandfather to be. But the rage in her chest had not subsided.

She looked around. Rannel's words had clearly impacted those gathered at the feast, and their eyes no longer reflected disgust or contempt. There were other things there now, several things. Pity. Sympathy. Respect. Curiosity. Understanding. Worry. Affection. Approval.

Kiris couldn't see any of it. Looking into the eyes of the others, she only saw her own hatred. She saw it in their eyes. She saw it everywhere.

After a long, heavy, uncomfortable silence, the girl buckled and ran away.

---

It was dark outside. The great sun Thalaskir had long set underneath the horizon, and only the smallest moon of Adai could be seen in the skies above. There was nary a sound but the ethereal howling of the eastern wind, the rustling of the trees and the sound of sandals hitting the ground as a whimpering girl ran through the mountains alone. After leaving the grand dining hall, she didin't stop, leaving through the great doors of Ranwynn Hall without allowing anyone to stop her, and then continuing to run away from that place, as she had done once before.

However, instead of running downhill while wiping her own tears, this time the girl ran in the opposite direction, uphill, towards the peak of the great pillar that Morvathal himself had claimed as his seat hundreds of years ago. She ran far away from her home and everyone in it, ran as far as she could before the side of the mountain became too steep for her to continue, and then fell to her knees, fists clenched above them.

With ragged breaths, the crestfallen Hadrian looked down, a shiver running down her spine. She had made her way up to where the wind was cold and bitter, and life struggled to take hold. Cold and lifeless it was, a far cry from the fire of her home, surrounded by food and drink and family, and yet she found that she did not feel as cold and lifeless here, by herself, as she did back there, with Riaran and Koriva and everyone else. It wasn't hard to see why, as their welcome was far from warm. But it was also because the memory of the way she was belittled and insulted only minutes ago gave birth to a fire all of her own, an anger that burned bright within her, that caused her to lift her claw and slam it into the rock before her over and over again.

Mean. Nasty. Foul. Petty. Vile. Stupid!

Kirisvala's scaled fist bore a hole through the rock, one that went deeper and deeper into the wall with each blow. Eventually, she tired of it and desisted. Who was the stupid one, really? The woman who insulted her and promptly went back to her scrumptious meal despite being reprimanded by the Watcher, or the girl who ran away from the feast and went to an inhospitable mountain to punch a rock?

The girl sighed, letting her arm drop to her side. Looking up and into the hole she made, she noticed a small glint of light coming from it. Momentarily surprised, she backed away slightly, allowing the light of the moon to shine fully upon whatever was beyond the rock, which turned out to be a black, reflective surface hidden away underneath. It had many names, but upon seeing it, she knew immediately what it was. Stone Mirror. Mountain Glass. Blackstone. Obsidian. The ancient stone was clear and polished, allowing her to see her own reflection in it.

On her lonely perch at the top of the world, she examined herself. What was she? She was a small orphan girl, with few members of her family that she could trust and a host of unresolved issues and ill feelings towards the rest. She was highborn, though that hadn't mattered when it came to the issues she faced at home, and did not matter after she had escaped from it, to a world where the circumstances of her birth had little meaning. She was broken in many ways, or at least, she felt broken. Splintered. Like a leaking container, that couldn't hold in her emotions when they surged. She was a magician of some talent, with skill beyond her year and yet with much to learn still. She was pretty, she supposed, she was nothing special compared to other girls like Maya and Naya but there must have been something about her if she got Mars' attention - then again, she had never been very good at judging her own appearance. Something that ran in the family, she was told.

She... wanted to be a heroine, and she had worked to that end, saved many people, but as time passed, she began doubting more and more that she was worthy of the title. Why did she want to be a heroine, anyways? She didn't know, she didn't have a good reason. The people around her, the ones she had called her friends, her second family, they all seemed to have such noble reasons to fight. Becoming like those they admired, fighting for justice, protecting the innocents. All good things, things she thought were important, things she wanted too. But they weren't the reason she fought, so what was it? Was it that the team was her family, like she always told herself? Somehow, that didn't convince her tonight.

Turning around and slumping against the wall, she sighed. She felt calmer now, but hardly better. The rage had turned to sadness. The fire was gone, but the pit remained. Holding her knees close to her body, the girl looked at the landscape before her. Far below, she could see Ranwynn Hall in all its glory, overlooking the sprawling city of Annriven below, the city which the legendary Mountain Sage himself, Morvathal, ruled from in his heyday. Its lights shone brightly against the mantle of darkness above, though as she had learned in the past, such a thing came at a price - the streets were safer thanks to the light, but in turn the stars were blotted out, the stars she had grown up with, the stars she so loved.

Quite a distance away from there, she could just make out the faint lights of a few sleepy little villages at the very edges of her vision, including Toraven, where the children she had met that morning were likely preparing to head to bed after a light, nourishing dinner. She was sure that she would receive a much warmer welcome there, in that small village, than in her own ancestral home, and whatever comfort the thought might've afforded her was drowned out by the irony. That in her grief she felt more at ease with people she had never met than she did with her own family... she couldn't help but wonder if perhaps she was wrong and they were right, if perhaps the problem was hers and not anyone else's.

No... that doesn't make sense... Ranny wouldn't side with me if that was the case...

The girl buried her head in her knees. It was all too bloody messy and complicated. She yearned for the days before her grandfather's death, when she lived happily with her immediate family - or, at least, for the past few months, where she lived happily with her team despite the dangers they faced. If Mars was here with her, he would comfort her, hug her and make her feel warm, kiss her and make her forget. She was sure of it.

Amidst her melancholic introspection, she heard a soft cry nearby, and looked up to see a pair of bright yellow eyes looking at her intently. They belonged to a young azure howler, a child from a race of majestic creatures that prowled these peaks, widely regarded to be the true masters of the mountain, as they had lived there long before the clan of the mountain sages was born, and many believed they would remain long after the clan was gone. Many others believed them to be only a myth, as they only rarely appeared before Hadrians, of the Ranwynn clan or otherwise, and so, scarce was the proof of their existence. Kirisvala herself had never been one to be skeptical of folklore, and now, she found herself before an unique creature.

"Hello little howl-howl. Did you lose track of your pack, or are you trying to get away from them like me?" The pink-haired girl asked, admiring the creature. It was not an adult, that much was clear - it was only about the size of a regular howler, nothing quite like the great hunters from the fables, but even so, it was imposing and regal in its own right. A blend of teal, azure and navy blue made for an intricate pattern on the creature's fur, and as it slowly approached Kirisvala, it became evident that its gait had a certain dignity to it, something the more mundane howlers of the mountains lacked. Walking up to her, the young predator lowered its head submissively, letting out a soft whine. The girl smiled.

"Aww, really? I'm a lucky girl then!" She giggled and reached out to caress the azure howler, obviously taking care not to harm it or make it uncomfortable. It seemed to be taking well to it, leaning its head on her hand. "You're such a good boy, aren't you? Thanks for showing up, I feel a little better already." She said. The creature seemed to respond in kind and leaned closer still, rubbing its head against her.

This continued for a few minutes, until suddenly the azure howler sprang to its feet and jumped away, disappearing in a teal haze that quickly dissipated. Utterly confused, Kirisvala stared at the air for a few moments before sighing. "So you leave too, huh..."

Before she could sink into melancholy yet again, however, a voice rang out through the darkness. "Kirisvala?"

Surprised, Kiris looked around and noticed Rannel climbing up a nearby ledge. "Ranny?" She mumbled. She refrained from asking how he had found her - it was common sense to any Hadrian, after all. He had taken her hand earlier that day, so it was no wonder he knew exactly where she was.

"I apologize for not coming earlier, I had to keep the situation under control before making my way here." The young sovereign explained himself.

"You didn't have to come..." The girl replied without much enthusiasm.

"Of course I did. As the head of the clan it is my responsibility to look after my family. And what kind of impression would it give if I allowed my clan to harass a harmless girl who wants to come back home?" He argued, though Kirisvala seemed too crestfallen to pay him much attention. Rannel frowned. "Kiris, I know you're hurt, but those feelings inside you, those grudges and regrets, they are like an infection. It will slowly kill you unless you bleed it out and purge it." He spoke, placing a claw on her shoulder. "You have been through a lot. Voice your pain and let it go."

"You don't know what I've been through Ranny." Kiris shot back bitterly. "You're like my sister, you weren't there."

"That is true." Rannel conceded. "But I am here now, am I not?"

It was a good point, and Kirisvala sighed. "I just... don't understand why some people hate me. I didn't ask for this you know? I didn't ask for any of it. I didn't ask for my uncle to seize power, I didn't ask for my father to side with him, I didn't ask for my sister to leave me. But I run away because I can't stand what things are like anymore and for some reason I'm the villain of the story? As if I didn't suffer like everyone else did, or perhaps more? How is that fair? How am I supposed to love a family that does something like that?" She lamented, tears welling up in her eyes. "I was a prisoner in my own home and a stranger to my own family, I'm not evil for running away! I never hurt anyone!"

A few moments passed in silence as the girl choked back a whimper and tried to calm down. "When I went to Earth, I kept telling myself that I didn't have to worry about that anymore, that I was safe and didn't need to look back, but everything I left behind was always there in the back of my head. When I found my friends and went to live with them, I was happy, but these feelings just... kept making me do things." She hugged her knees again, remembering when she had lost her temper against the vampires, recalling all those miserable days spent with Warwolf and the ill thoughts born there, and reliving how she had almost burned down a person, not to save her friends, but because she wanted to hurt him.

"And now..." She tried to continue, only to find herself interrupted as a sob broke through. "Now after a year I find out that my father always loved me, that all the things he did were for a greater good and that I'm the bad one for having scorned him and let him die. And I want to tell myself that I was right to feel all those things but I just can't! I keep trying to remember when my father neglected me under my uncle's orders but the only memories that come to my mind are the ones of when he raised me and nurtured me and loved me and it makes me feel so awful!"

By now tears were freely flowing down Kirisvala's cheeks, and sobs began rocking her more and more often as she brought her hands to her face. Rannel, who had simply sat next to her and listened to her as she vented, leaned towards her and placed a claw on her back, pulling her into an embrace without caring that she cried into the ceremonial robe. "That is because you loved him, Kiris, and love brings suffering just as it brings joy." He told her as he softly rubbed her back. "But you have to accept that pain and endure it in order to heal, and tears are part of that process. Mourn your father, accept that he is gone and let him go. I promise you will stop blaming yourself and heal in due time." He said.

As a pair of golden eyes keenly watched from the shadows of the night, the young Hadrian nodded weakly and wept for all things lost.

It was the first step of many on the path of healing, but... it was a start.

[United Kingdom of Poland]

September 10th
The sharp knock on her door was the last thing Wendy needed as she got ready to go to the location Orion had specified for her dead drop. Between everything going on with her mission to infiltrate Orion, the backlash from the world finding out about her past, and getting the tower ready for their trip to New York, she didn’t have time for any distractions.

“C-” she began to say, suddenly realizing she had a wig on. “Give me a minute!” hastily throwing off the wig and stuffing it in her closet, she went back to her door. She was surprised to see Yoshiro standing on the other side when she opened it, something being off about the other girl that she couldn’t quite place. “Hey Yoshi, what do you need?”

Standing in the doorway, Yoshiro seemed to be surprised when the other girl answered. Looking at her teammate, the telepath was initially at a loss for words. “Hi Wendy, sorry to bother you. I’m not interrupting anything, am I?” With a wary look in her eyes, she cast a quick glance over Wendy’s shoulder before forcing a smile onto her features. Despite the effort though, there was a pained tone behind her words. “I was just wondering if you had a minute to talk about something.”

A slight chill went down Wendy’s spine as she noticed the look in Yoshiro’s eye. She knew Yoshiro hadn’t been in the best mood since she’d been more or less kicked off the team by Naja, but this seemed something completely different. “Sure thing Yoshi, it’s no problem at all.” She replied, keeping up her own friendly facade as she went back into the room. “So what did you want to talk about?”

Following Wendy into her room, Yoshiro made sure to close the door behind her. Internally, she still hesitated as she tried to come up with something that could explain what she’d seen. But she’d already spent days going over the memories, and each time she came to the same conclusion. It had gotten to the point that she was certain about what she’d seen, but still clung to the hope that Wendy could offer some reasonable explanation. And if she couldn’t…well, that was something that Yoshi had done her best not to think about.

“Wendy, why were you meeting with Orion?” Yoshiro stated bluntly, forcing the words out before her own hesitation could stop her once more. She turned to Wendy, meeting the girl’s eyes as she tried to read her expression. “I…” Yoshiro paused for a moment, contemplating whether she should tell the whole truth of how she’d discovered the other girl’s duplicity before deciding against it. “I read Gaul’s mind earlier, and I saw his memories about you. Please, you’ve got to tell me what’s been going on.”

Wendy took a deep breath attempting to compose her, a thousand questions of her own rattling around in her head. She didn’t buy Yoshi’s explanation for a minute seeing as she hadn’t been out in the field by herself since theSscarab was removed from her head, and by her own admission Yoshi didn’t remember much from when her mind was hijacked. If Yoshi had already overheard her plan, who else might have?

“Yoshi…” She said, walking to her dresser and turning on the radio sitting on it to drown out anyone who might be eavesdropping. “Before I say anything, you need to promise me you won’t tell anyone else what I’m about to say. My life depends on it.” The telepath bit her lip as she thought about it for a moment, but nodded uneasily.

“Alright. Yes Orion, and Gaul specifically, sought me out to join their group on a part time basis. And yes, I did agree to it… but it's so I can infiltrate Orion and get info to take them down. I know what you're going to say, it’s too dangerous… I’m going to get myself killed… Roy and Naja both already read me the riot act for even suggesting the idea. But these guys are going to be a problem for us eventually and if I can get any intel or advantage on them, or even better yet figure out where they are so we can sic the team, Stars, and anybody else who wants a piece of them, it’ll be worth the risk.”

Wendy’s words were met by stunned silence. Standing motionless, Yoshiro struggled to wrap her head around what the other girl was saying. She’d hoped that she’d misunderstood something, or that her friend would have provided some excuse that would have set her worries at ease. But instead she’d adopted a hushed tone and revealed that she was secretly attempting to infiltrate one of the country’s most dangerous villain groups - alone.

“Wendy, you can’t do that!” Yoshi blurted out. Fears and concerns for her friend’s wellbeing, as well as the still-fresh memory of her own mistake of underestimating an opponent, shining through her words. But more than that, she pictured who would act first on the knowledge of Orion’s location. She had little doubt that the vigilante group being led by Titan - a collection of killers and murderers - would preempt any more legitimate hero action. She imagined what a clash between the two groups might be like, and what the consequences might be. If they fought, then what would happen to -

Yoshiro blinked, surprised that her thoughts had instinctively turned to concern for the so-called villain that she’d shared a mind with. She hadn’t seen Gaul since he’d helped them vanquish the Scarab, and she hadn’t heard much about him on the news lately. Her experience with the villain was not what she’d have expected, and she still hadn’t fully come to terms with the strange mixture of motivations and emotions that drove the man. He wasn’t a hero, not by a long shot, but he also wasn’t the heartless killer that she’d expected him to be. That Wendy might still think him to be.

Taking a breath, Yoshiro seemed to take a step back from her initial outburst.

“I mean, you can’t just do this on your own.” She said. “What happens if something goes wrong? Nobody would be able to help you if you keep us in the dark. I...I get why you might feel that this is important, but you shouldn’t feel like you need to go up against Orion by yourself.”

“I’m not alone Yoshi.” Wendy replied. “Roy and Naja both know about this, and Roy shadow’s me during all our meetings and dead drops. And before you ask about the rest of the team, we’re gaining and losing people faster than even I can check out their backgrounds, and of the people who are around, they’re either loudmouths like Cas and Renata, or worse are going to be like Mars and think they’re James bond and try to join me. Honestly you and Angelica are the only other two I’d trust not to make things worse. Yoshi, I’m not going it alone because I think I’m that badass of a spy, but because I know how serious this is and that keeping this on the down low is the only way I don’t end up dead.”

“And you need to be honest with me as well, Yoshi.” Wendy said. “I know enough about what happened to you, and where my stuff fits into that timeline, to know you couldn’t have run into Gaul since I had that meeting without any one else knowing about it.” Walking over to Yoshi, Wendy put her hands on her shoulders. “Yoshi, I need to know how you really found out about my meeting. If you have anything that can help me, you have to tell me.”

As the other girl stood firm and explained that this was all part of a larger plan, Yoshiro increasingly felt her earlier worries fade away. Instead, she started to feel stupid for having jumped in to try and intervene, having assumed that her friend was making a poorly thought out, rash decision in the heat of the moment. Stupid. That’s what you did, remember? That doesn’t mean everyone else would make the same mistake. Wendy sounded like she was taking plenty of precautions already, and Yoshiro even started to realise that she might’ve jeopardised things by coming to talk to her like this, rather than help like she’d intended. But then the tables were suddenly turned on her, when Wendy stepped forward and locked their gazes.

Caught by surprise, Yoshiro looked like a deer caught between a pair of headlights. Inwardly, she cursed herself for the slip-up. Her mouth opened and closed a few times, her mind desperately searching for a believable excuse that she could use to alleviate Wendy’s newfound suspicion. But after a few seconds, Yoshiro hesitated. Studying the other girl’s features for any sign of judgement or distrust within her look of concern, Yoshi’s shoulders slumped as she relented.

“I...uh...yeah, you’re right.” She sheepishly began, sighing as she wondered where to even start. “It’s hard to remember, really. Like a dream that you can only half-recall, which is what I thought it was at first. At some point when the Scarab was… you know… I tried to fight it. When I lost, I thought that I’d actually died. But instead, I sort of just woke up with Gaul. In his head like how the Scarab was in mine. He kept me a secret from the rest of Orion, and that was also why he showed up to help defeat her at the end of it. I think he’s different from the rest of them, even if he doesn’t know it himself.” Knowing that she was rambling on a bit, Yoshiro nevertheless bit her lip as she hesitated before continuing. “I also think that at some point I might have seen a map of their base. Nothing too specific, but just some details of its location. Maybe.”

“So it was like what happens to me when I jump into a machine.” Wendy replied, giving Yoshi a hug. “And if that’s all you can remember Yoshi that’s okay. We’ll talk to Naja in a little bit once I get back from the errand I have to run. Thanks Yoshi… for coming to me first and not spilling this to the rest of the team. I promise you I’ll tell them eventually, when it’s safe for me to do so.”
The telepath offered the other girl a faint smile, feeling a wave of relief as she seemed to accept her answer. Wendy’s understanding response was also appreciated, and she was thankful that she didn’t try to push for her to try and explain the whole surreal experience any further. Truthfully, Yoshiro still found herself struggling to piece together the fragments of what she’d gone through. It all felt jumbled sometimes: memories that were hers mixing with Gauls, mixing with memories doing things that...were done while she wasn’t there.

“Thanks, Wendy. I promise I’ll keep your secret safe, too. I’ve told Naja about Gaul already, but I asked her not to tell anyone else.” The girl shifted slightly, hesitating for a moment before she continued. “It just sounds crazy, even to me. And I’m still trying to figure it all out myself. If people found out, they’d just get worried - and they wouldn’t be getting the full story anyway.” Yoshiro’s face fell slightly, a thought striking. “Wendy, if you do figure out where Orion are, what are you going to do? If you go public with the information, you know that Artemis are going to try and attack them.”

“Yeah.” Wendy grunted. She wasn’t the biggest fan of Artemis either, especially after they had tried to threaten Naja into handing her over to them. “Honestly I was going to leave that to Naja. Trust me, I don’t want those assholes involved either. But we still have to tell someone about them because regardless of how you feel about them, Yoshi. Gaul might be some misunderstood individual, but he still killed people and the company he keeps are even more psychopathic than my parents.”

Yoshiro knew that Wendy was right. Even inwardly, she felt shocked at her own hesitation and concerns. Gaul and Orion were villains, in many ways they were the epitome of a particularly horrifying type of villainy: the type that has no qualms with killing and burning the world around them. And yet, a voice in the back of the telepath’s mind tried to remind her of how Gaul had helped her. He’d had every chance to reveal her presence and turn her over to his teammates, and yet instead he’d chosen to put his life on the line to fight the Scarab. She was under no illusion that he needed to be stopped and punished for his actions, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that there was also more to him than his villainous persona allowed him to show. She’d felt it. But none of that meant that Wendy was wrong, either.

Sighing in resignation, Yoshiro’s shoulders slumped. Slowly, she offered Wendy a nod as her expression hardened. “You’re right, Wendy. They have to be stopped, even if we have to worry about the specifics later.” Glancing up, she met the other girl’s eyes. “Just, if you’re going to be doing this, please be careful.” Yoshiro offered her a faint smile. “And never forget that we’re all here for you, no matter what.”

“I won’t Yoshi.” Wendy replied, giving her friend one last hug before Yoshiro left her room. Closing the door behind her, Wendy took a deep breath before putting the wig back on. One potential crisis averted, now onto the next.

[Bentus]

The Nefarious Marionette!
San Diego

---

The sound of one of the guards cursing caused the bank manager and his client to turn towards the commotion. Greeted by the sight of one of his guards crumpling onto the floor, while the other clutched at his bleeding throat, the bank manager’s eyes shot open with terror. Racing between the pair of dying men, Lisette wore a wide grin as she quickly closed the distance to her targets. While the manager was frozen with fear, the Russian mobster’s lips twisted into a frown as he reacted with a practiced swiftness. With one hand holding onto the duffel bag he’d brought to collect the deposit, he used his free hand to reach into his suit jacket and grasp onto the cold handle of his pistol.

He never got the chance to point it towards the approaching villainess, however. As he pulled the weapon from its holster, he only just caught the glimmer of something red flying through the air before he felt a sharp pain cut through his wrist. His gun hand continued on with its momentum, circling through the air as Marionette’s thread severed its connection to its arm in an instant. The Bratva agent didn’t seem to have the time to even properly react to the loss of his limb, his brow furrowing in confusion as he glanced at the freshly bleeding stump before turning back just in time for Marionette’s foot to connect with his temple and knock him out cold.

Recoiling in horror as he felt his client’s blood splatter onto his own neatly pressed suit, the bank manager’s stomach twisted in revulsion as the dismembered limb clattered onto the floor. Taking a breath, he was about to shriek in horror at the grisly nightmare unfurling before his voice was twisted into a gurgling gasp. Clutching desperately at his neck as a thread wrapped itself around it, the manager’s eyes looked like they were going to burst from his head as he gasped for air. Marionette offered the man a wink as she walked past, flicking her wrist to have her thread jerk upwards and lift him up into the air. She turned her attention away from the suffocating man, his legs kicking helplessly in the air, and instead scanned the room for her prize.

She was greeted by the usual assortment of neatly stacked wads of cash and gold bars that made up the bank’s reserves, though it was hardly the most ostentatious display of wealth that she’d seen. Either way, Marionette was far more interested in the large security box that the manager had unlocked for the mobster mere moments before she’d revealed herself. Greedily rubbing her hands together in anticipation, the girl swung the door open with expectations of lavish gems or stacks of stolen wealth, only to be greeted by a single, innocuous lockbox sitting innocently in the centre of the safe. The look of excitement wiped itself form Marionette’s face as she stared at the abysmal sight, confusion and disbelief taking their turns to flash across her features before she settled on anger. Turning around she loosened her thread’s hold on the bank manager and brought him gasping back to the ground.

“Hey, what gives?” She jabbed an accusatory finger towards the fearful man, a fury building in her chest as she felt like she was being played as the butt of some kind of sick joke. “Where are you hiding the rest of it?!”
Coughing as he was finally allowed to suck some air into his lungs, the bank manager shook his head tearfully. “Please, that’s everything! I didn’t even know what they were keeping in there - our policy’s not to ask!” As the villainess’ scowl deepened, he dropped himself onto his knees as he desperately raised his hands to plead. “You’ve got to believe me, I’m telling you the truth...I...uh...I’m sure it has to be valuable, okay? Whatever it is, they insisted on us taking the utmost precautions with its safety.”

The girl scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Yeah, sure. Or maybe it’s a red herring that’s meant to be a decoy for what you’re really keeping for them.” She took a menacing step towards the man. “The only way to know for sure is to beat it out of you, I suppose.”

“W-wait! I’m telling you the truth, I swear on my life.” The manager stuttered, desperately trying to say anything he could to ward off the crazed villain standing before him. “The box is sealed shut and protected by a code. A-and there’s a small charge on the inside to destroy the contents in case somebody tries to force it open!”

Marionette paused, stopping before snapping the man’s neck as she considered his words. Her hesitation caused the manager to breathe a sigh of relief, believing that he’d warded off his demise for at least a few moments longer. Mulling over the man’s information, Marionette supposed it made sense. Whatever it is...I bet it’s super valuable to the Bratva. She thought, buying into the logic as she spied a glance back towards the box. “Okay, I’ll bite.” Marionette offered. “How do I open it?”

---

Changeling and her opponent slowly circled one another, each eyeing the other superhuman as they tried to size each other up. Each was waiting for the slightest opening that would allow them to end the fight quickly, while knowing that to advance without fully knowing the other’s power was a risky gamble. With Marcy refusing to rise to the older man’s grunted question, a tense silence had descended upon the lobby. The staff members and customers who remained cowering and holding their breaths in an effort to avoid the wrath of either of the battling criminals. But the sound of hurried footfalls on the tiled floor broke the still air as a sing-song voice called out.

“Change-ling!” Marionette cried excitedly, wearing a wide grin as she slid around the corridor and emerged into the lobby. “You’d never guess what the Bratva were keeping in the -” The girl’s words trailed off as she saw the stand-off. Blinking, she cast her gaze between the two opponents. “Oh, actually - it looks like you’re still a bit busy?”

Before anyone could respond, a pair of tires screeched outside as a loud car horn blared through the walls. Glancing towards the bank’s entrance, Marionette’s eyes widened as she saw a van screaming towards the doors. The vehicle’s momentum caused it to smash effortlessly into the building, causing the civilians still inside to scream as dust and plaster were kicked up into the air. Inside the van, Vincent gritted his teeth as he was thrown around by the collision, only just managing to keep his grip on the steering wheel as he guided the vehicle into the shocked expression being worn by the superpowered mobster facing up against Changeling. With Vincent keeping his foot on the accelerator, the man could only lift his hands in a hopeless effort to shield his face before he was met by the sickening crunch of metal striking flesh and bone. Immediately slamming on the handbrake, Vincent managed to bring the van to a stop.

Shooting a furious glare out of the window, the mobster met Marcy and Lisette’s eyes. “Get in, the both of you!” He yelled, with the sound of distant sirens being all the explanation he needed for his barked instructions. “And y’all better have got something fucking good out of this.”

[Finland SSR]

Whitney Alvord
October 26th

Renata Martinez, the heroic Stella!

---

Of course, the situation in the mission just had to keep getting worse. By now, Renata simply stopped looking at it, even she could tell that it wasn't good for her emotions. Whitney's inability to respond certainly did not help, either - after a good minute of staying silent, she finally blurted out that she had no answer. Nothing which she responded to Renata with was surprising, except for a teensy bit of hope that maybe Whitney would pull something out at the very last second, she was supposedly quite smart, probably even a genius, too. You know, how it happens in TV shows and cartoons? Everyone's at the edge of their seat, the villain is about to win, there is nothing they can do about it, then the smartest character pushes up their glasses and reveals that he or she had been working on an unstoppable superproject under everyone's noses all this time...

That clearly wasn't going to happen here...

Electromagnetic radiation began to build up around Renata, manifesting as a tangible burst of heat, with cracks and bolts of plasma popping about here and there. Before she could throw all of that anger at something and likely blow a hole through the living room, the girl closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and sighed.

"You're right, all we can do is just watch."

The energy built around her receded, and Renata turned to her peer, forcing out a weak smile and saying:

"Try to keep your chin up, it's not your duty to go out there and get yourself in danger, after all. At least you've got nothing to blame yourself for. Me, on the other hand..."

Her expression changed instantly, and, grunting through clenched teeth, the heroine turned away. "It would have taken so little for me to not be where I am right now. And the whole team, too - y'know, I could have kept Bael warm, he wouldn't be dying of hypothermia right now, with him in battle we could have a whole chain reaction which turns the tide of this battle around, so on and so forth... But no, I had to be stupid and selfish, I'm locked here, and this is where we're at."

---

The Nefarious Marionette!
San Diego

---

Marcella Salazar, the handsome Changeling!

---

The beautiful dance of muscle and steel in the lobby ended up interrupted - fortunately, by the only person who was allowed to interrupt Marcy's fight. Marionette appeared once again, overjoyed, about to explain that she found something in the vaults of the bank, only to halt when she saw the ongoing fight. The villainess used the opportunity given by Marionette's appearance to thrust her parasol forward, striking her opponent straight in the shoulder, and then leap back while extending her weapon to control her descent.

That turned out to be the lucky thing to do, in fact, as their truck stormed straight into the lobby mere moments later, driving over the spot where Marcy stood seconds ago and crashing straight into the Russian superhuman. His powers may have been able to absorb and redirect Marcy's strikes, but a ton of steel slamming into him at eighty kilometers per hour was too much for them to handle. And so, that was the end of him.

Not the way Marcy would like to go out herself personally, buuut... it works.

The girl made her way to the mobster's corpse and pulled off his unbuttoned jacket in one fell swoop. It's gonna need to be washed, several times, but the powers were impressive and she could create a punk girl's costume with it accompanied.

Ah yeah, the size doesn't fit... that's gonna be an issue. Ah, but I'll figure something out.

With a playful grin, Marcy hopped into the back of the truck, spun the parasol in her hand for a second to show off, then placed it on her shoulder.

"Do continue, Lady Marionette. What did you find?" she suddenly spoke.

---

Mika, her room

Jan Sorok, the champion of Heaven!

---

Oh hey, turns out Mika actually liked it, she even complimented him on it. Of course, her inherent bitterness just had to seep through, commenting about how she expected him to sing Hallelujah and everything... Ignoring it, Jan put his guitar away to the side with a faint smile and explained:

"Not professionally, no... I just picked it up as a hobby before I died, and so I ended up taking it with me to the afterlife. And I'm really not that great at it, I just figured it out as I went..."

That wasn't all that Mika wanted from him which was related to guitars. Soon, the girl arrived carrying one of her own - and after she briefly explained how and why it ended up in her ownership even though she's never held much interest in playing the guitar, she offered it to Jan, asking if he can help her tune it. The Virgil blinked for a bit, then reached out with his hand. Even before he took the instrument to his hand, his telekinesis was already doing the work - tightening the strings, the screws and springs in accordance to the standard tune.

As soon as Jan picked it up and placed it in his lap, he brushed across the now finely tuned strings with his fingers.

"What do you mean? It's tuned pretty well to me!" he replied, then punctuated it with a grin and handed the guitar over back to Mika. "I don't know, I'm not that great at teaching these things... I have no clue where I would have to start if I was told to teach a person how to play the guitar. It's just not something you can learn piece by piece, you know? You either play it or you don't."

[The Republic of Atria]

Floyd just fuckin' leaves and we let him

Well, it turns out that despite all his and Zayda's effort, Floyd decided to hop on top of a demonic mammoth thing and just... Walked through one of the portals. While they all stood and watched. He was about to start shooting at the stragglers, but the police seemed to have it more or less under control. Seemed just shooting was more than enough to deal with the bulk of them. Which saved him a bunch of time in the workshop. "So uh, Zayda. Sorry about the whole bluff thing. Just had to bluff him enough that he wouldn't try to rush me while I set it up. Didn't tell you because I needed the fear to be genuine." He explained.

Zayda responded with a scowl. "Why are your people so stupid and reckless?"

Vince shrugged. "I mean. This entire thing was stupid and reckless, and YOU CHOSE to come along. So you're not allowed to be a jerk about it. So until you decide that you're done being reckless and dumb, suck it up."

Meanwhile, Jan floated down, claiming he expected it to go far worse, but they managed to pull it off. "See? Even the girl scout thinks we did okay. I mean, there was most of an army and king dipshit himself, and I whiffed a bunch of shots, but hey, we made it!"

Zayda sighed, wondering what part of her kept insisting that she go along with the insane human. She could probably just request that the humans take her to N'Toak and they probably would. Maybe. "Yes. I would say we did... Fine. All things considered." She spoke up.

"I wouldn't say we worked all that like a team. well, Zayda and I kinda did. Maybe you and Scythe girl, but I wasn't paying that much attention."

[Segral]

Carter Graystone

"...and I yelled 'Garuuuuuda....PUUUUUUUUUUUUNCH!'" exclaimed the man sitting across from him, slamming his fist into his open palm to punctuate the 'PUUUUUUUUUUUUNCH!' with enough power to make Carter's hair briefly flap up. The two of them were sitting cross-legged on yoga mats spaced a few feet apart from one another, a little berth formed for them at the center of the abandoned hotel gym. Just like yesterday. And the day before. And the day before the day before...it had been a lot of days since his first stunt. Every morning, Garuda insisted on pulling him from the warm, comfortable embrace of both the women of his dreams and the surprisingly cushy blanket and pillow that had come with his room, only drag him all the way to the gym to teach him the "fundamentals of transcendental and non-transcendental meditation". Lessons were one hour long, after which a very sleepy-feeling Carter was free to do whatever he liked, "whatever he liked" usually being breakfast, followed by either a day stunt, or, if there was no day stunt, a fall back into the embrace of his cushy blanket and pillow, and soon afterwards, the women of his dreams.

These days, there was only one.

His dreams had gotten so...weird lately, and not just for one freaky night either. It was day after day of the same dreams, and that same figure that kept staring right back at him, getting closer and closer with each collapse into bed. Sure, dreaming about...certain women wasn't exactly something new for him, but this wasn't anything like his other fantasies. Especially considering the fact that he could remember each of his new dreams in perfect detail. Crystal-clear. Since when was that supposed to happen in a dream? Seriously, he could picture it now if he closed his eyes, nodding politely as Garuda recounted some story about how he had kicked Black Mandarin hard enough to bust a hole in a cargo ship. The purple skies, the glowing, white moon hanging like some rocky lychee fruit. The field, full of waist-high, black grass, with almost no wind rustling it apart from a gentle breeze. And of course, the woman, Lady Sw-

Nope, too much thinking. If it was sending shivers down his spine, he didn't want anything to do with it.

Really, all he wanted to do was chill. He had been meditating, or at least, trying and failing to meditate for the past half and hour, until Garuda had decided to take mercy on his broken spirit and give him a short break. Carter should've been grateful for that. He should've been grateful for all of this. Who else his age could say that they had gotten the chance to not only meet the Garuda Punch guy, but train with him too? It was a dream come true, and it made Carter feel bad for how disinterested he felt to everything. He was sitting here, hearing firsthand stories of some of the greatest superhero battles of the decade from the man who had done it all, and all he could do was lie down in a corpse position on his mat and think about his stupid dream, a deep frown etching its way across his face as he stared at the ceiling.

"And, with that, the Black Mandarin, Southern India's great terrorist, was no more!" Garuda said proudly, clapping his hands together as if to applaud himself for his own act of bravery and valor. However, as he saw Carter's face, his smile dropped down into a concerned frown, hands slowly falling to his sides. "Something wrong, machan?" he asked in a concerned voice, clapping a hand painfully hard on Carter's shoulder. "You look a little worse for the wear."

Carter slowly began to sit up at Garuda's words, arching his neck slightly to get a crick out. "Wha? Nah, I'm just...tired or something." he said, before succumbing to a wide, gaping yawn and deep stretch upwards. "Didn't sleep great last night."

"Ah...I see." Garuda replied, eyes still locked on Carter's face, although with less of a concerned gaze and more of the same curious, maniacal glee that had been creeping him out for the past week and some. "Bad dream, or...?"

"Eh, sort of. It was nothing really, it was some stupid dream I've been having over and over. It's not even really a nightmare, or anything like that, it's just...weird."

"Many dreams are weird." Garuda countered with a growing air of excitement, slightly shifting his legs so that he could stretch them while talking. "I think over my dreams a lot, meditate on them. It can be helpful to mull over them sometimes, because dreams are reflective of our subconscious, all of the thoughts and emotions and desires that we can't even see!" he said, the glimmer in his eye and glee in his voice making him look like a kid let loose in the candy shop. "I know that sometimes it can be difficult to remember a lot of our dreams, I've practically forgotten every one of mine in the flashes and glamour of daily life, but sometimes, they're so strange and bizarre that they stick in our mind. Sometimes it's not even the rest of the dream, it's one little odd detail or sensation that makes it stick out, or two, or three!"

Carter scratched the back of his head in mild confusion, a look of concentration beginning to form across his face. "Well, uh...I don't really have anything like that." he said with a hint of bashfulness, his hand moving from his head to his chin and settling into a repetitive stroking rhythm. "Yeah, a lot of my dreams just go in through one ear and out the other, y'know? Out of sight, out of mind, there and then not, hot and cold. Really, I just don't pay attention to it much, too much in the day to do and see and think about...right?" he said in a growing rush, increasingly aware of the fact that he was sounding more and more like a babbling 14-year old girl by the second, but unable to shut his fat mouth until oxygen deprivation did it for him, forcing him to pause and take a massive gulp of air. "...I have been having one dream though."

"Oh!" Garuda exclaimed in mock-surprise, his bushy left eyebrow nocking up few inches at Carter's words. "Care to share, my straw-haired friend?"

"Er...it's really nothing." Carter said abashedly, blushing slightly as he averted his eyes away from Garuda's eager gaze. "It's...it's stupid, I don't even know why I'm telling you about it."

"Tell me, machan! Even stupid dreams have a purpose, I'm sure it's much more interesting than you believe it to be!"

"A-alright, can't hurt I suppose." Carter muttered, letting out a long sigh before beginning to speak, his brow furrowing as he dragged up his memories of the dream from some dusty closet in his brain. "It's...always night in the dream. You can't see any stars, but there's no smog in the sky, like in Delhi." he started, a quip that triggered a knowing chuckle from Garuda. "Everything's blocked out by clouds, but they're not a black, or a gray color. It's all...purple." he said, shooting Garuda a sideways glance to gauge his reaction. The other man's gaze was firmly locked on the ground in front of him, giving Carter the floor to keep going. "Yeah, everything's purple, except for the moon, there's always a full moon in the sky, the clouds make it look white. And pure white too, like snow. Everything around me is this huuuuuuge field, with long black grass that comes right up to my waist. Sometimes I see trees in the distance, but they're way off, basically smudges. There's almost no wind, just a light breeze, but..."

"But?"

"...It's cold. Really cold. At the start of the dream, it's not so bad, but as it goes on, it gets colder and colder, even through the breeze is still the same. The air is really...thick too, it feels like it's pushing me back when I try to walk, or even run. I push as hard as I can with my powers, but it barely helps me get any closer to the woman."

"What woman?" Garuda asked suddenly, his voice sounding...shocked? Upset? Why did he care about the ladies that showed up in Carter's dreams?

The blonde boy's face scrunched inwards at those words, . "I'm...I'm not sure. She just stands in the middle of the field, looking at me. She's covered in white, head to toe, like a bride in a snowstorm. I haven't seen her skin once, and I've had this dream like...six times, or something. Her dress is white, her gloves are white, she has a white veil too, you can't see a thing. I wonder if she's ho-"

"H-how do you know it's a she?"

"...Because she's wearing a dress?" Carter replied hesitantly, a look of mounting confusion beginning to form on his face. "Plus, she has a girl's voice, she doesn't sound like a m-ma...OK, you know what? This whole conversation is stupid, I don't know why I'm telling you all of this."

"I want to hear more, Carter." Garuda said in a stiff, urgent voice, hard and steely enough to make Carter fall silent for a couple of seconds, staring back at Garuda with a very "WTF dude?" expression. Even the Brown Wonder himself seemed to notice how weird he sounded, falling back down into a softer tone. "S-she...talks, to you?" he asked slowly, his voice cracking oddly at the word "talks".

"...Yeah. She does. I can hear her well, even without using my powers, since there's no breeze and all. She keeps telling me to 'come closer', and to 'come see her', a bunch of Dateline shit like that. I ask her what she wants with me, why she keeps telling me to come closer, but she never responds, just keeps telling me to come on over, usually sticking out her arm and doing something like this." he said, extending his own arm and flexing his knuckles to make the usual "come here" gesture. He was very familiar with it, considering the fact that it was most commonly used by pissed-off parents and coy girls trying to pick up a piece of ass. He was usually on the receiving end of the former, and dear Lord, if only he could be on the receiving end of the latter!

"Do you ever run towards her, like she asks?"

"Every. Single. Time. Not that it helps. I keep waking up before I can even get close to her. I'll trip on some rock and fall, or trip on my own feet and fall, or trip on thin air and fall. The falling makes me wake up, and then I can barely fall back asleep afterwards. It's like you said, it's so weird that it sticks, but this is...different. It's practically burned into mind, I can remember every little thing that I see, hear, smell, touch, taste, all of it. Eventually, I forget about it for a bit during the day, but then I go back to sleep at night and the dream comes right back!" Carter said with a frustrated sigh, exhaling heavily for several long seconds through his nose. "I'm going to be honest, I don't know if there's anything here for me to use for 'reflection', or 'internal examination', or whatever the hell it is you do. No offense."

"None taken." Garuda replied, offering a wan smile despite the growing look of worry in his eyes. "I'll be honest with you, for all of my 'reflection' and 'internal examination' that you speak of, I still don't have the faintest clue as to what your dream could mean. Really, only you can figure that out."

Carter let out a snort at those words, rolling his eyes slightly in the process. "Me? How am I supposed to figure out why the clouds are purple, or why the woman's dress is white, or why there's no wind? For all I know, I'm dreaming about a girl in a white dress I saw crossing the street the other day!"

"I sincerely doubt that if it was just about seeing a pretty girl, that your mind would go to the lengths it has to create purple clouds, white moons, and night-black grass." Garuda said dryly, before shuffling into an all-too familiar cross-legged position that made Carter give a loud, very obvious groan. "You groan, but this is exactly what you need! Meditating isn't just a powerful tool for your body's senses, it's important for the mind as well! If you can become more intimate with your mind, your internal mirror becomes more powerful, and so does your mental fortitude. I can't look within you to find your thoughts and desires, but you can, and if your mental awareness is fine-tuned and sharp, you can not only find the source of your dreams, but maybe even stop them altogether!"

"Seriously?"

"I've stopped many a dream over the years, child." Garuda chuckled, tousling Carter's hair aggressively enough for him to yelp. His face hardened almost immediately afterwards though, turning into something of a pitying grimace as he spoke. "I know this all sounds like absolute horseshit, and really, I understand. I believed it to be horseshit as well when I was your age. But I can say that, with certainty, it's the best thing that you can possibly do for yourself. I know you're 'retired' and all, but for the sake of this argument, imagine a situation where you desire to fight with your fists, but you're stopped by an enemy's telepathy, or possession, or emotional control. You fall over helpless, your knuckles itching for a blow, but unable to move even a millimetre. What if you could resist those mental attacks, push the influence away from your mind and instead smite your enemy with your itchy knuckles?"

"...It does sound appealing." Carter mused, the mental image of Yoshi flashing before his eyes in between blinks. Thank Jesus he hadn't asked her to spar, she would have wiped the floor with him in seconds! Even faster than that cocksucker Casimir had during that stupid training three-man-weave exercise. Now he really was itching for a blow, his right hand instinctively twitching and curling into a tight fist as a hard scowl began to form on his face. Potentially gaining the ability to beat the crap out of that Polish asswipe, and anybody else on his old team, was enough of an incentive to jump through these fire-coated hoops. It wasn't even just Casimir and Yoshi. At least 50% of the Young Bloods could deck him in no time flat, and even the ones that couldn't deck him had no problems outperforming him at every goddamn turn. Sure, he had hopped all the way across the Pacific for the opportunity of a lifetime, and an excuse to skip months of Physics, not for training, but when his paycheck was deposited and he was shipped back home to San Diego, to Thomsen Penitentiary, and was forced to watch Casimir and Jason and everyone else prance around, knowing full well that every single one could beat the crap out of him, the loser ex-teammate who couldn't handle the pressure? The mere thought of it was enough to make him put down his pride, dignity, and self-respect, all to match Garuda's cross-legged position on the ground, let out a resigned, gloomy sigh, and say the words that were likely music to the hero's ears:

"Alright, what do you need me to do?"

Garuda only gave a mischievous grin as he clapped his hands together three times, the sound echoing throughout the near-empty gym. In response, the lights suddenly dimmed, fading further and further until the entire room was pitch-black. Would this guy ever stop showing off? Seriously, it was kind of cool the first few times, but all of these magic tricks were starting to wear a little thin. Couldn't he at least give a little warning before he was about to do...something?

"What I would like you to do, Carter..." he piped up suddenly, the disembodied voice enough to cause the younger man to jump a few inches more than necessary off of the ground. "...is relaaaaax. Do you remember the fundamentals that we've been moving through over the past few days?"

"Kind of hard to forget it by this point." Carter replied irritably, throwing a deep scowl in Garuda's direction despite knowing full well that the other man could see just about as much as him. Which meant that, just like Carter, he couldn't see shit.

"Always with that razor-sharp wit, hmm?" Garuda shot back smoothly, likely still sporting that stupid grin in the dark. It was a miracle that his ultra-white teeth didn't glow in the dark. "Well, you sound prepared, so I suppose we should just jump right in. You know, the mind is like an ocean of cold, murky water, and the body is a hot, summer day. You feel afraid to jump in because the water is unfamiliar, it's scary, you can't see and you're afraid of contracting hypothermia! But once you come out of your cowardice and become a brave, courageous tiger, you leap into the water, and feel refreshed, and calm, and you realize that the cold ocean that you had been fearing wasn't that cold after all!"

"...Your point being?"

"My point being that leaping into your mind isn't a painful or terror-filled experience, it's just ever-so-slightly jarring!" Garuda exclaimed, somehow managing to clap Carter's shoulder even more painfully despite the pitch-blackness. "Give it a chance. Perhaps when you bathe in the waters of your mind, you'll find that it's a pleasurable experience. Or a soothing one. Or a cleansing one..."

"Alright, alright!" Carter interrupted, his voice practically pleading for the sweet release of death. Heaven, hell, or purgatory, he didn't even care, just anywhere but here. "Please, less bathing and more breathing!"

Garuda snickered in response, punching Carter's arm lightly. "I couldn't agree more, my friend. Why don't we settle into our breathing mantra, hm? Three seconds to inhale, three seconds of hold, three seconds of exhalation, three seconds of hold." he recited, a phrase that had practically been burnt into Carter's brain over the past week and a half. It was stupid, and he hated it, but it was pretty damn effective, and easy to remember. That was good, he liked easy things. Breathe in...hold...breathe out...hold. In just a couple of seconds, he had already built up a pretty effective rhythm, and gotten it synced up with Garuda's heavy gasps, so that if he slipped up, he could just listen to the old man's breaths and catch up. He would never admit it to anyone, especially not Swami Garuda to his left, but the breathing was...pretty nice actually, kind of comforting. His whole body was beginning to relax, all of the muscles finally settling down and unwinding with some ATP beer and their cute tendon wives and girlfriends. It was especially nice around his face, he could feel his throat, and his jaw, and his eyes all begin to soften and droop, and if he strained reaaaaally hard, it wasn't impossible to imagine that his blood was flowing a little bit smoother through them. He hadn't realized how sore his body had been. Between jumping off of motorcycles, shooting that stupid skydiving stunt twice, and that one time he had lost his footing while trying to jump off a live printer and took an abs-first fall into the nearest desk, it had been a rough week, but even that started to lift off of his shoulders as he continued breathing in and out, in and out, in and out, in the same, clean rhythm.

Unfortunately, Carter's inner peace was a bit like America in the 1920's; it was quick, peaceful, and ruined very quickly by persistent issues. In the 1920's, it was over-specu-something in the stock market and too many mobsters who couldn't handle life without hard liquor. In his time, it was Garuda's voice.

"Eeeeexcellent, Carter." came a drawl to his left, sudden and loud enough to completely throw him off of his breathing rhythm and cause his eyes to flutter in place. "Become aware of how your body interacts with the environment. Feel the floor supporting you from underneath. Feel the air that resides around your body, the borders it forms with your skin, and how those borders fluctuate as you breathe in and out. Feel the air that resides around your field, your telekinetic web, and how those borders fluctuate. Do you feel the fluctuations?"

"...Yes, I feel the fluct-ua-tions."

"Good. Now, cast your ears out for sounds. Not just the sound of my voice, or your breathing, but atmospheric sounds too. Tell me, what sounds do you hear?"

Carter took a deep breath at those words, straining his ears to find some sort of answer to Garuda's question. "I-I can hear...a hum. A hum from somewhere above my head, I think it's the lights. And...I think I can hear some noises coming from the outside, it sounds like...people talking." he said, before a sudden realization hit him. "It's breakfast time now, isn't it?"

"Very good, young one." Garuda replied, sounding slightly impressed at Carter's observations. "I had thought that our preparations would take a while longer, but it seems as if we are ready to start."

Carter's breathing mantra immediately stopped at those words, his eyes opening and his body turning slightly to face Garuda with a perplexed frown crossing his face. "Wait, what pre-"

"Now repeat the breathing mantra for five cycles, one minute in total." he plowed on, electing to blatantly ignore Carter's questions as he did so. "Once you've completed those cycles, open up your...air forcefield."

"What?!"

"Open your radar up to the world, and try to feel the different objects and textures of this room. If your mental focus is sharp and strong, like a Mughal's blade, you will likely have no trouble with this exercise!" he said cheerily, completely oblivious to Carter's growing indignation until he heard a spluttering noise to his right, what he could only assume was the sound of two lips struggling to string a sentence together out of sheer bewilderment.

"How...how..." Carter started, pressing into his temples with his thumbs in a vague, futile attempt to kill himself right then and there. "How...does that help me understand my dreams at all???" he shouted in pure exasperation, dropping his thumbs to his sides as he began to realize that his suicide attempt was clearly failing. "Seriously, I don't get any of this! I've been trying to 'internally reflect' and 'self-visualize' every day, and nothing happens! I don't even get what the point of all of this is! Why can't you just get to the point and teach something that's actually gonna help me, huh?!"

"Because, Carter," Garuda started with a maddeningly equal amount of frustration, as if lecturing a student who was falling short of his 'true potential'. "Mental fortitude comes in any forms. Sure, mental exercises and examination can develop your resistance against certain attacks, or help you read your own dreams, but before you can do that, you need to be able to focus and concentrate first. Would you jump inside the ocean fully clothed? No! You would remove your clothes and brace yourself first. If you can't even find the mental composure to complete the simple tasks I give you now, how do you plan to learn things that are 'actually going to help you'?!" he asked, the rough edge in his voice enough to make Carter shrink back slightly in fear. The other man seemed to sense how harsh he sounded, and softened his voice slightly, briefly placing a reassuring hand on Carter's shoulder before continuing. "Besides, strengthening your radar can't exactly hurt, can it?"

"I...I suppose it can't, no." Carter admitted, grumbling a stream of vague insults under his breath as he resettled into his cross-legged position, eyes sliding closed yet again. Thankfully, it wasn't exactly difficult to, y'know, breathe, and he had soon found his rhythm again, falling back into three-second phases and keeping a mental tab on his field in the process. It was starting to get tricky to keep his chest moving in and out as the layer of air around his body grew thicker and thicker, but he managed to push through, clearing through three cycles with ease. As he approached #4, time was starting to feel soupy and thick, dragging his breaths out to the point where he felt like he was going to pass out during every hold. He felt like he was floating, like his head was up in the clouds, with weird pins and needles and tingles moving up and down his body. Maybe if he didn't keep himself on the ground, his body would just start floating away, like some weird astronaut ghost. Was he high? Was this what being high felt like? He wasn't sure, and to be honest, he had other things to think about. Like how he was midway through his last cycle, and if he didn't get his shit together in the next six seconds, he was going to look like the world's biggest idiot. Here goes nothing.

Exhale...2...3......

Hold...2...3......

Release

He let the air field go, and the resulting input was nearly enough to send him swooning in a dead faint on his back. For a few seconds, he couldn't sort out what was what, and who was when, and why was how. Everything was a blur of sound and texture, all moving too fast for his brain to keep up with. It felt like his skull had been caught in a vice grip, a sudden weight first pressing in on his temples, and quickly spreading to the sides and back of his head, forcing everything down and turning it inside out and doing god knows what else to it. He had fucked up bad, and he knew he had fucked up bad, and that he had to pull back his field before he knocked himself out faster than Quick Shot on a bad day, but he couldn't grab onto it, latch onto the air molecules like he usually could. All he could do was bury his head into his arms in the hopes of drowning out the massive buzzing sound in his ears, oh God that buzzing sound was loud. He wanted to scream, but would anybody hear him over the buzzing? And his hands, and his arms, something was...gliding over it, whipping past it, making it burn. Was that the air? What in the name of Captain Quake's left pec was even happening to him, to his body?

"Alright, deep breaths, Carter." came a voice from the back of his head, a confident, reassuring one that sounded way smarter than him. "Now, you got into this mess by breathing in and out, so to me, it only makes that sense you get out of this mess by breathing in and out." the voice explained, practically giving him a pep talk to the hormonal cheerleader in him. He usually wasn't a big fan of pep talks, but maybe listening to this one wouldn't be such a bad idea. Maybe if he got his breathing rhythm back and calmed his body down a bit, he would be able to bring the sense back under control, slowly reel it in until it was manageable again. Three seconds, right? Yeah, three seconds. Breathe in...breathe out? No, that wasn't it, it was breathe in...hold...breathe out...hold. Breathe in...hold...breathe out...hold.

As his chest puffed in and out, the weight slowly began to lift off of Carter's head and the strength began to return to his limbs, giving him just enough leverage to begin pulling back the force. The rattling hums and buzzes in his ears were starting to muffle themselves. His skin was still raw and prickly, but at least it felt like skin again. After several agonizing seconds, he had finally pulled the airfield all the way back, leaving him back to "normal", or whatever that was. If trembling and sweating buckets like a food poisoned picnicker was normal, sure, he was normal. If slumping over onto the yoga mat underneath him with almost no energy in his body was normal, then yeah, he was normal. His body felt better and worse at the same time, and his mind was completely numb. Not even Garuda's concerned grunts to his left was enough to phase him.

"Are you alright?" the older man asked, his voice eerily quiet, maybe even a little bit nervous. He probably hadn't expected Carter to crumble like he had. He had probably expected that the great Aeolus, the seasoned young hero, would've been able to hold out against a few loud buzzes and some prickling in his skin. But of course he couldn't, like how he couldn't hold out against Kiris or the Polish fuck during training, or how he couldn't hold out against Inferno without freezing up, or how he couldn't hold out against Dante all those months ago, at the goddamn Zoo. Garuda was right; he was afraid. He was always afraid of everything, always running away as soon as things became difficult. Even now, sitting here in total silence, he wanted to run away, leave this stupid gym and make a break for his hotel room, where he could go right back to dreaming about purple skies and bird-women. But he couldn't. He hated this stupid meditation thing, but may Thunderstruck strike down his Grandma Ellen's grave if he was going to run away from this again, especially in front of one of his idols, one of the most powerful and important heroes in the world. He was going to see this through, whether his brain liked it or not.

"...Carter, it's okay if you want to stop. We can ju-"

"No." Carter said firmly, pulling himself back onto his ass with a Herculean effort and folding back into his cross-legged form. "Let's do it again. I know I can get it, just give me one more try. Please?"

Garuda sighed, sounding highly unconvinced by his desperate begging, but clearly resigning himself to the fact that Carter wasn't planning on giving up. "Alright, if you say so. Let's fall back into our usual state of awareness, do five breathing cycles, and try again. Try not to expand your field too quickly, let it slowly unfold so that you don't become overwhelmed."

"Yeah, yeah, I got it." Carter said irritably, practically slamming his eyelids shut with a tight huff, trying to push his breath back into its 3-second rhythm and get his body to relax. It was difficult, given the fact that he felt like he had just eaten a wave of overpressure to the face, but eventually, after what felt like an eternity of puffing in and out, he felt some of the pressure begin to lift off of his body. His heart began to stop jackhammering at the inside of his ribs, and he could even feel his trembling begin to calm down as the air rushed in and out of his chest. He was ready to slip into the first cycle, and he wasn't going to act like a filthy casual time; now, he felt poised, confident, ready to take on anything. Garuda would act the same way. His ideal self would act the same way too.

Breathe...hold...exhale....hold...

Breathe...hold...exhale....hold...

Breathe....hold....exhale....hold....

BREATHE....HOLD....EXHALE....HOLD....

BREATHE......HOLD......EXHALE......HOLD.....

Release

This time, instead of letting the field go entirely, he kept it close to him, extending it out and forcing the molecules to vibrate just a wee little bit. Almost immediately, a buzzing sound began to ring in his ears, giving him a temporary heart attack, but it was more like a "bee flying around your ear" buzz instead of a "tearing apart an eardrum" buzz. This was manageable, this was a decent decibel level. But where was it coming from?

Digging deeper, he pushed the field out even farther, circlo. The buzzing grew louder, but didn't even come close to making his ears bleed like last time. It wasn't even really a buzz, it was more of a sharp hum...a sharp hum that was vibrating from behind him, a little bit to the right as well. He could feel a bit of pressure on his temples again, likely from the field catching on some dumbbell rack or randomly placed incense candle, but he ignored it, pushing further and further towards the source of the humming. Within seconds, he had hit a solid, immovable mass, his radar basically blacking out as it touched the surface. The wall, it must be the wall. But there were other things sticking out of the wall, maybe that's where the increasingly loud humming was coming from. He felt his air pass over some huge objects, with a ton of gaps and struts and weird shapes that he couldn't even begin to make sense of. It was probably a leg press or something. But right next to the leg press was something much more simple and plain, and even getting close to it made the hum stronger. It was rectangular, flat and smooth at the sides and with what felt like tiny holes dotting the top. No, not holes. Slits, tiny slits dotting the top. It was...it was...

The AC unit.

That was where the buzzing had been coming from. All of this pain and suffering, for what? An AC unit? He almost wanted to laugh at the mere thought of it, but instead forced himself to just giving a little smile of satisfaction. Now what? He had all of this time, a big ol' field of air, and a room to explore, so why not explore it? He could start with the big, complicated contraption, see if it really was a leg press.

He shifted the air so that it began to flow over the weird machine, pulling and spinning around all of the bars and beams and structures. When he got a little more detailed and began to run the molecules directly over the surface of the object, he could feel two different textures, one forming a flat block on the top, and one forming what felt like an odd arch on the bottom. Was there anything on top of the first? He could feel two...stick-like things poking out on either side of the structure, small spokes jutting out from each one. And another stick, connecting the two others that were standing on either side. Oh, and two, large discs...with a stick in between...on top of a ladder-like thing...

Oh. It was a bench press. Duh.

What else was there to explore? Where was the ceiling, there had to be a ceiling somewhere. Just push the air field up, and he could probably find it. A little higher, a little higher, and yup, there it was, just as immovable and fat as the wall. Although, when he let the molecules flow flush against the surface, he could feel some grainy patches. It felt like glass, probably the lights that Garuda had magically turned down. He had seen a clock on a high part of the wall, right next to a long mirror, where was that? Move a little bit down, to the left, to the left some more, and he could feel the edge of the mirror, layered on top of the gym's padded wall. As he glided across the glass with his field, he could feel the top layer suddenly dip back into a new texture, one that felt like the back wall he had touched earlier. The clock must be close. Just a little bit of movement uuuuup...and, found it! He couldn't feel much of the inside, thanks to the layer of glass over the clock, but he could feel the edges, and he could feel the dome over the top. He had tried walls and ceiling already, maybe he should move onto the floor, check out the mat he was sitting on. Maybe he should map out the rest of the exercise machines, and maybe see if he could get the whole room, an-

*CLAP CLAP CLAP*

The lights suddenly blinked on, causing Carter to bury his face in his hands with a yelp as he tried to blink the glare out. The radar retracted back to his its usual skin layer, all of the sounds and little mental tags slowly disappearing one after another, leaving his mind oddly...empty? All he could hear was dead air, and all he could think about were his own thoughts. It was like somebody had clapped three times and turned the lightbulb on in his brain for a few, precious seconds, and now that the lights in the room were on, the glow in his head had disappeared. Of course, he was always glowing from the head thanks to his luscious locks, but this was different, this was internal glow.

He kind of liked it, to be honest.

"You'd best get going." Garuda said, getting to his feet with a dignified pat-down of his trousers. "I can already smell breakfast, if you don't run along soon, you might not get a table."

"Breakfast?!" Carter asked indignantly, twisting around to see the clock on the wall. It was already 9:30, a full half an hour past their usual closing time. He looked back at Garuda in amazement, his mouth hanging open slightly. "H-how long was I..."

"Thirty minutes. Your longest yet." Garuda said with a grin, offering a hand to pull Carter up onto his feet, which the boy gratefully accepted. "I kept quiet because I wanted to see how far you could go before your concentration broke. It was nice to not hear your quips for an extended period of time."

Carter blushed at those words, giving a sheepish, apologetic grin in response as he spoke. "Heh...yeah, sorry about that. I, uh...shouldn't have been so rude to you, you were just trying to help me out and all. I promise that I'll pay better attention tomorrow, and I won't throw any digs. Deal?" he offered, extending out his pale, calloused hand to the other man, who took it in both hands and pumped it twice, hard enough to nearly pop his shoulder out.

"It's a deal, machan." Garuda said, breaking the handshake to affectionately clap Carter on the shoulder, which he barely even minded this time around. "And apology accepted. I enjoy our little sessions more than you realize, it's nice to have a student for a change, instead of a 'colleague' or 'junior associate'. Someone to pass down all of my vast wisdom to."

"What, you don't have any kids or anything to teach meditation to?"

Garuda laughed slightly, running a trembling hand through his long hair as he did so. "No, no children for me. I'd love to have them, but I'm always so busy. If there's not a town to save, there's a public appearance to make, or a training session to partake in, or in this case, a film to shoot. I'd love to have kids, but what kind of a father would I be? They would barely see my face, and if some harm were to befall me? I couldn't bear to put them through it." he explained, his voice getting more and more morose until he couldn't seem to string his words together, only managing to give out a deep, long sigh. After a long silence, he finally cleared his throat, as if pushing out some lump. "Honestly, with how much you gripe and complain, you're basically my teenage son by this point." he said, flashing a thin smile Carter's way. "Now get to breakfast child, or else you'll be forced to gamble on the local hawkers."

"Alright, Dad." Carter shot back with his own grin, setting off towards the door while throwing a lazy wave behind his head, only to suddenly stop in place just halfway across the room, as if he had just walked into some invisible wall. Slowly, he turned to face the other man, offering him a grateful, slightly embarrassed smile.

"Thanks, Garuda. For everything, really, it means so much."

"You're welcome, son. You're very much welcome. Meet you at 11:00 for the shoot?" Garuda asked, eyebrows inquisitively raised at the younger man.

"You can bet on it. See ya later, alligator." Carter replied, turning on his heel and setting off towards the glass sliding door that closed the massive gym off from the hotel's main hallways. The doors slid open, but before Carter could go through them, he heard a voice echo from somewhere behind him.

"Carter! Sorry, one last question."

The blonde boy shot a look over his shoulder at the words, meeting Garuda's eyes from his place at the center of the room. "Yeah, what's up?"

"In your dream, the woman...did she ever...give you a name? A name for herself, that is?"

Carter's eyes darted back and forth across the room a couple of times at the question, reaching a free hand up to scratch the back of his head through the thick mane of hair coating it. "Uh...no, I don't think so. Maybe I don't remember it, but yeah, I'm pretty sure that she never gave a name...why do you ask?"

"Just curious." said Garuda with a shrug, before bending over to begin rolling up Carter's blue yoga mat. "You can head out now, I've got no other questions. Enjoy yourself, Carter."

"You too, I suppose." Carter responded with an equally dismissive shrug, before starting off in the opposite direction, quickly blending into a crowd of tourists that had come through the mouth of the hall that was beyond any gym-goer's line of sight. Within seconds, the door slid shut with a satisfying hisssss, leaving the room soundless and unoccupied by no-one, bar South Asia's most famous hero, of course. For every child wishing for an autograph and every journalist wishing for a photo-op, he was all smiles and flexed muscles, Garuda Punches and cheerful, preppy interviews. In this moment though, his eyes held no cheer, only weariness, and his smile had been replaced with a sad grimace. He didn't want to punch anything, nor flex a single muscle. He doubt he could so much as stumble through a interview. Was the whole personality, his public persona, a fake? An illusion? Or was this just Chatur Padhya, a man who had seen far too much for so few years on Earth. Already, he could feel age seeping back in to his face as he pulled a small flip phone out of his pocket, quickly flicking it open and booting up the device. Almost immediately, he directed the cursor to "Contacts" and clicked on it, revealing a short, simple list of names. In particular, he was interested in one; an entry labelled with the name "Rishi".

Upon clicking on Rishi's name, Garuda immediately brought the phone to his ear, and was in turn greeted by Rishi picking up after barely one ring had elapsed. "Garuda? What's the news?" came the voice from the other end of the line, a slightly nasal one with a bit of a Southern lilt to it that was still audible despite the grainy quality of the call.

"Rishi, we've got a problem." Garuda said in an urgent tone, his face now completely devoid of any of his its usual good cheer and humor.

"What, what is it? Did something happen to Randhawa?"

"No, not Randhawa...it's the boy. Lady Swan's got him."

"...He bhagwan."