Young Bloods(IC, Reboot Open)

[Zarkenis Ultima]

---

Kirisvala nodded happily at Roy upon hearing his comment on her enthusiasm and then listened attentively as he supported her and said that it was time to get going. Needless to say, she was pretty hyped about beginning the climb, and waited expectantly for Roy to gather the supplies and for everyone else to get ready so that they could start moving, bouncing from side to side on the balls of her feet as her tail twirled wildly on the space behind her.

Their walk towards the mountain took them through the forest, the very same one where she had gone to fight Carter earlier, and so, she obviously scaled up the first tree she came across with the aid of her claws, not bothering to come back down for the rest of the trip to the mountain. The following twenty minutes were spent darting from tree to tree, using their boughs to vault herself into the distance and occasionally also swinging from vine to vine like a jungle dweller; she had the urge to let out a primal shout once or twice, but decided against it to avoid alarming her teammates.

Only until the group made it to the edge of the forest did Kiris finally descend from the trees, reluctantly at that. But what little sadness might have entered her as a result of having to come down was quickly washed away when she saw her upcoming challenge. All in all, it wasn't very big for a mountain, but that didn't take away her excitement. She was about to conquer her first Earth mountain, after all! Without answering Roy's question, she ran up to the foot of the mountain and began scaling up the rocky wall, her claws sinking into the stone without too much resistance. She quickly moved up a fair distance, before reaching a suitable ledge on the side of the mountain and sitting down on it, looking back down at the rest of the group with a happy smile on her face.

"I'm fine with either!" She shouted down while cupping her mouth with her claws. "If you decide to go inside I'll catch up!"

[New Finnish Republic]

Brianna Erickson

Brianna nodded at Alexis's comment on having "Red" join their ranks. It appeared that the young man she had found unconscious previously was indeed him, and while finding him in such a state put some doubts in her mind, Alexis made it clear that his talents were exceptional. If her feelings about Alexis had been correct, it would make sense for her feelings on this boy to be correct as well.

Brianna followed her gaze towards the clock, and was taken back at just how late it was. Alexis seemed to think similar, as she began to get up from where she was.

"You are in charge of our planning from here on Nick. Figure a way to get us into the prison and out of the docks in one piece as well. I suggest we use this calm before the storm to rest up, eat and prepare. We have a big night ahead of us."

And like that, Alexis disappeared into the bathroom. Brianna raised an eyebrow at this, thinking that it was possible she had taken Marionette's earlier words to heart. As amusing as it was, she hoped that in the future she would be able to not take things from such people so seriously. While she was nowhere near as silly as most females were in today's age in regards to appearance, she herself at least knew how to take care of herself. Brianna assumed Alexis was probably the same, although she admittedly kept...strange company.

This company happened to be the young man in front of her, who was rolling his eyes at Alexis's direction while he reached into his pocket for a cigarette. Placing it in his mouth, he paused before lighting it up, glancing in Brianna's direction. Reaching once more into his pocket, he retrieved another cigarette and offered it towards her.

"Smoke?"

Brianna shook her head.

"I appreciate your gesture...Nick, but I do not wish to join you in your endeavor."

The boy simply shrugged his shoulders, returning the offering back into his pocket before lighting up his cigarette. He took a long drag, holding it in for a few seconds before slowly letting the smoke billow out of his mouth. Brianna had to admit, he did not seem anything hero-like whatsoever. His eyes were sunken with dark bags underneath them, and he seemed to have a constant look of either annoyance or boredom. While she would trust Alexis's judgement on her company, Brianna just could not see what she saw in him. If he was indeed a warrior, he gave no indication of ever being worthy of Valhalla, that much she could tell.

Glancing once more over to the clock, she realized that it was likely too late to make it back to her own apartment. At least, that was, if she wanted to avoid getting caught up in trouble. Considering that it seemed like she was going to need every last ounce of energy for what was to commence, she decided she'd have to stay here. Her mind made up, she locked eyes with the boy in front of her one more time, who replied with a confused raised eyebrow as he saw her staring at him.

"Um, if I may be so brash, may I request that-"

Nick raised his hand to cut her off.

"Couch is all yours."

Brianna, not knowing what else to say, simply nodded before heading over to the couch. It was clear that Nick had spent quite some time on it, as when she sat down it sunk nearly to the springs below. While she had slept on worse conditions before, she admittedly was missing her comfortable bed back in her apartment. However, she would never insult a host in such a manner, so she chose to simply do her best to try and catch some sleep.

---

Walking up to Nick's apartment building, Brianna held her chin high as she came back delivering the feast before her. Three large cups of "Coffee" and "Donuts" rested in her hands, food items that she had recently become accustomed to. While she thought there were many things wrong with this modern world, one thing she never could complain about was how good their food tasted and how easy it was to obtain it. And due to her immortality, she never had to worry about gaining weight and becoming fat from this food, as her form remained as it had been for over a thousand years.

With said feast as well as fresh clothes and a shower she had taken at her apartment before grabbing the food, she felt almost giddy at what was to come. Finally, the moment she had been searching for for all of these years had arrived, and she was not going to rest until her ultimate goal of redemption was complete. She was sure that her comrades would likewise become inspired with such a feast, which is why when she opened the door she kept a large smile on her face.

Her smile soon faded, however, as there was nobody around to greet her. Confused, she placed down the food and drinks on a nearby table, and first thought that the others had possibly left without her. However, after a few moments of silence, Brianna suddenly heard the sound of snoring coming from one of the rooms. Glancing at the clock, she saw it was already nine in the morning, so she could only wonder why they were still in bed. There was too much work to be done for them to be sleeping in this late!

Letting out a frustrated puff of air, she marched over to one of the rooms. Slamming the door behind her, she was prepared to begin yelling at whoever it was before she suddenly let out a high pitched squeak as the person previously asleep rose from their beds. Equal parts confused and drowsy, Nick raised an eyebrow at the girl standing in his room. A yawn escaped his lips as he spoke up.

"What are you -yawn- doing Brianna? It's too damn early for this. And why are you covering your eyes?"

Brianna merely pointed a finger while keeping her other hand over her eyes. Following her finger, Nick looked down only to notice he was wearing nothing at all. He stood still for a few seconds, his sleep-deprived brain trying to figure out the problem until it suddenly dawned on him. When it did, he too let out a startled scream as he dove back into his sheets to cover up his exposed areas. It was too late, however, as Brianna had seen more than enough.

"You perverted brusi!"

In a split second her spear, Véurr, appeared in her hand. Nick, realizing he was about to become a human shish-kabob, raised his hands up from the sheets pleadingly.

"I'm sorry, I'm just not used to company, and sleeping like this is comfortable!"

Before Brianna could decide on whether to accept his excuse for his perverted act, the door behind her opened, a sleepy-eyed Alexis popping her head into the room to see what all the noise was about. When she saw a now once more exposed Nick being held up at spear-point by a pissed off looking Brianna, her eyes narrowed.

"I don't care if you guys are fucking, just keep it down in the future."

Closing the door, Brianna and Nick remained frozen for a brief moment before they both shouted back.

"Neinn, þú est rangr!"

"You've got it all wrong! It's not what it looks like! I would never-"

Nick's words were cut short as Brianna stared back at him, daggers in her eyes. With a small whimper, Nick retreated back to his sheets. After a few seconds of contemplating whether murdering her newly acquainted comrade, she decided to just leave the room, much to Nick's relief. Returning Véurr back to its normal form, she made her way back to the kitchen, where Alexis sat sipping on the coffee Brianna had brought.

Brianna joined her for breakfast, and after a few minutes Nick joined them too, this time fully dressed. At first Brianna refused to look at the boy, but after several moments of awkward silence, she let out a frustrated groan before locking eyes with him, who stopped mid-bite of his donut.

"So what is our plan for today, Brusi?"

---

*Brusi = He-Goat

*Neinn, þú est rangr = No, you're wrong!

[The Republic of Atria]

Amir, Cass, and Mars? That's an odd group composition. The teamwork exercise seemed rather odd. They had to go into the woods and grab some plants and berries. Which wouldn't be too hard with Cassandra on the team. She could likely identify most of what they were looking for and then they just had to collect it all and bring it back. Not exactly the team building exercise that he thought would bolster them to work together. Though he'd speak his mind next time they needed to practice. Though maybe this was just to help them get to know each other a little better? That could be it. "I didn't think we'd be having to do botany in superheroics so I'm kind of at a loss here." He replied to Amir. "We should get started soon. Looks like everyone else already left to get their hunts started." He noted when he saw the other few groups left.

He didn't know too much about his team now that he thought about it. Cass was some sort of butler robot. Very machine like. He had to wonder if she would be able to pass the Turing test? It would probably be mean to ask, so he opted against it. Amir seemed interesting. More skilled with magic than he was. Maybe they could swap notes at one point. Though he had to figure Dra'Qunni magic and human magic were more than a little different. Mars was the one he knew the most about. Thought the amount of times they had spoke could be counted on one hand. "Well. I guess we should at least try and make this a team building exercise and try to get to know eachother. So let's give a fact about ourselves to eachother. I'm sure you all know my name. My fact is that me and my family have to use bolt cutters to trim our claws and talons."

[Finland SSR]

The Great Floyd Tolson!

---

Standing immediately next to the front door of Johnny's house and listening to all the drama and childish arguing taking place, Floyd started to spaz out and wonder how he even managed to get involved in this situation? Joining forces with a cocky Thomsen High senior to run around punching various chads in the school? Floyd hasn't even visited that school for many years, though he still remembered the layout for the most part.

His pondering soon reached an obvious conclusion - he's here, joining forces with this Johnny guy, because he was promised fighting. Am I really that predictable? Seems so. Maybe he should go find a hobby...

Floyd didn't get time to think about that, though, as suddenly, Johnny burst out through the front door, sending and receiving a few final remarks to and from his father before leaving the house entirely.

"Finally, that melodrama has been dealt with," the swordsman muttered, discarding his cigarette and stepping on it before starting to walk forward. "Why'd you even need permission on anything from a non-powered person is beyond me, but whatever. Let's go before we're late."

The ride was an alright, recently polished Mercedes, stationed on the other side of the street. As soon as he sat down in the driver's seat, however, Floyd noticed that he knows jack about how this car works - after all, he only acquired it about an hour ago. Regardless, after a few seconds of searching, he finally managed to start the engine, and the car moved forward.

"So," Floyd muttered. "I suppose you've got at least a bit of a clue of who we're gonna try to shove to a locker room, right?"

That's not how kids today talk at all, Floyd.

[Turmenista]

The Great Floyd Tolson!

Johnny Swift

---

"God damn, dude! How fucking long does it just take someone to say "yes" when I ask them something as simple as 'can I go to the party,' huh?!" Johnny sighed as he stepped out the door and walked down a small path to the man's car. He was almost halfway through with putting on his green army jacket when he immediately identified who was at the Mercedes at the front gate - Floyd Tolson.

Floyd was a friend of Johnny's that - fuck it, quite honestly, Johnny wasn't really sure how they met in the first place. Maybe it was on the internet or at a cafe or something like that, or in one of his little escapades outside of the house years ago, or maybe he might've been a babysitter. He didn't really care either way, since, after all, Floyd was his best bet of getting out of the parties intact. The man apparently had superpowers, like him, which made the whole idea of going in with backup all the more comfortable for him. The good thing about Floyd was that he didn't really question things much, according to Johnny, at least. If he had the chance to have a good fight, he'd take it.

Definitely the kind of guy I need, Johnny had thought well before he actually picked up the man.

"Finally, that melodrama has been dealt with. Why'd you even need permission on anything from a non-powered person is beyond me, but whatever. Let's go before we're late." In response, Johnny paused, slightly confused but even more entertained as he chuckled, pulling his black aviators (who the hell wears sunglasses out in the middle of the night??) as the Brit mentioned the argument from earlier, and subsequently brought up his father as he put out a cigarette on the ground.

Johnny himself was considering on taking one out himself, but he was neither in the mood nor in the health to do so, so he simply just kept his hands in his pockets as he walked over to the man. "Why I'd need permission?" He scoffed. "Well, my dad's a Vietnam war vet. I don't know how but he's got a metric shit ton of money as well. Everyone owes him a lot of respect - including me - but sometimes, it seems like he's being a colossal dictator over my life. Mostly without the -tator. At the end of the day, he's my Dad, he taught me everything, from how to walk to how to ask out a girl. But that's a topic for another day. For now, let's try not to be late. You'll know which house it is - the big one near the school with all the cars and lights out front."

Their method of transportation to the event was a boring, silver Mercedes that had seen better days, which made Johnny all the more skeptical of the ride being able to get them there in one piece. Of course, he could literally just walk over to the house from his own house, but a car, regardless of it being a Lambo or some run-down hooptie, made the publicity part of this about 100x more important. Both of them knew this well, and, while a Mercedes was good, Johnny obviously expected something better.

During the ride to the house, Floyd spoke up once more, the two making sure to keep an eye out for any houses in the neighborhood with an unusually high amount of cars parked outside and people inside blasting music. Despite his anachronistic dialogue, Floyd still had managed to get the question across. "So, I suppose you've got at least a bit of a clue who we're gonna try to shove to a locker room, right?"

"I wish school was in - well, I don't," Johnny began, quickly correcting himself. "But I kind of wish it was in, y'know? Just for the pushing people into lockers feel. Heh." He leaned back ever so slightly in the seat as the Mercedes cruised down the neighborhood. "Anyways, our first guy is some.. jabroni.. named Brock Spencer." Even saying the name caused Johnny to shudder a bit. "You'll know exactly who I'm talking about if you see him. Big black dude, star football player - the American kind - and an Energy manipulator. He shoots lasers from his hands. The plan is, we kick his ass here, and the entire team sees how much of a weak bitch he is, praises us for our awesomeness. He's only the tip of the iceberg, though."

[Scotatrova]

Diego Belcourt

Diego stood just inside the spill of shadows cast by the tall willows that bordered the old hotel. Anyone standing three feet away would have not seen him. He might have been a ghost, or a layer of the deepening twilight shadows. Only his mind was in motion, and that was a howling firestorm of rage and frustration and self hatred. Despite all logic to the contrary, his mind kept shrieking out that he was responsible for this. No, that wasn't quite right. He was sure that there was someone being held inside. After he'd left the bounty hunters, he had gone racing to get here. Now Diego was at Shadowland, and now he knew the full horror of things. White Bear had taken over the old hotel and turned it into a killing ground. There were single pits all around the building, and a cluster of larger ones out back in an enclosure made from a line of trade wagons and a circus tent. There were dozens of guards, so Diego had backed away and now stood watching from the edge of the woods.

There were clear signs of a struggle and drops of blood. Diego's mind ground on itself, lashing him for not seeing this sooner. The Hendricks clan was moving in because of Charlie's death and because Diego's parents were dead. It was a double power vacuum, and White Bear was making his bid to fill it. Diego didn't yet know Ol' Jack or how he would fit into this, but he and White Bear would make a formidable team. There were plenty of sorcerers who could make a serious stand againt White Bear, but only if they were a unified front, and that was a million miles from likely probably because of White Bear and his family's use of the dark arts and evil, ancient magic. Rage was building in his chest, and he could feel his body start to tremble. He wanted to scream. He needed to give a war cry and go charging into the hotel and defeat White Bear and as many of his people as he could. That would feel good, it would feel right, it would also be suicide...and it probably wouldn't save whoever they captured. Rage was sometimes a useful ally in the heat of a fight, but it was a trickster. It made everything seem possible.

He needed to go in there cold. So he closed his eyes and breathed in and out slowly, letting the rythym vent the darker emotions from him. Guilt and rage, hatred and fear were pathways to weakness and clumsy choices. With each inhalation he made himself think of happier times, of things that had filled his heart with peace, hope and optimism. His future. Rescuing Theo. Training with his parents. Laughing with them in the sunlight. Eating apple pie in the cool of the evening. They were simple memories, but their simplicity was the source of their power. As Diego remembered smiles, laughter and Theo's goofy jokes, the rage began to falter within him. As he recalled the promise he made to his mother as she lay dying in his arms, that he would protect himself, his resolve rose up in his mind like a tower of steel. He stood in the shadows and found himself again. He found the Diego Belcourt that he wanted and needed to be. He took another breath and held it in for a moment, then let it out slowly. He opened his eyes and he made himself a promise. "I do this one thing and then I'm done. I do this and then I go back home." Diego adjusted himself. If there had been anyone there to see his face, they would have seen a boy at peace with himself and the world. And if they were wise, they would know that such a boy was the most dangerous of all opponents, even though he didn't look it. One who fights to preserve love rather than perpetuate hatred. When he moved, he melted into the darkness.

---

The door to the dusty room opened, and the two men, Digger and Heap, came in. The two thugs looked at the wires that had been torn down from the ceiling fixture and at the hole in the wall, which was bigger than it had been and revealed broken laths. Piles of torn plaster littered the floor. Steven and Veronica were covered with plaster dust. The two men cracked up laughing.

"What'd you two morons try to do?" asked Digger between brays of laughter. "You try to chew your way outta here?"

"Yeah," said Steven with a sneer. "We were hungry."

Heap laughed, but Digger hit Steven across the face with a backhand blow. Steven saw it coming and turned with it, a move his brother had taught him to shake off some of the power of a hit. It made it look like Steven took the blow and shook it off. Digger and Heap exchanged a look. "Tougher than you look boy," murmured Digger, getting up in Steven's face. "You make it out of the pits with your whole skin, you and I might have to go behind the barn and dance a bit. Bet you ain't nearly as tough as you think you are."

"Save it for later," warned Heap, and they all turned as Ol' Jack entered the room, followed by a stranger who was taller than the old man and more massive than the two men. The man's face was a ruin of melted flesh. One eye was a black pit, and the other as blue as lake water. He wore heavy cloak of white bearskin. Even though Steven had never seen him before, he knew at once who this was. He had heard all about the stories. White Bear.

"So, this is Samuel Belcourt's son and Allison Bane's daughter," said White Bear with a grin. "Two remnant children of the great Belcourt Dynasty. Well I'll be a dancing duck if they ain't cute as puppies, the both of 'em." Heap and Digger chortled and Ol' Jack smiled his ugly smile. "Figured you'd want to have a word with them before we get started," murmured the old man.

"Oh yes indeed," said the man, and he entered the room. Beneath the cloak of bear fur he wore hand-stitched leather pants and moccasins. His bare chest was marked with large burned patches. He wore at least a dozen necklaces of oyster shells, beads and feathers, and he had silver rings on every finger. He stood in the center of the room and exuded so much personal power that he appered to fill the place, dwarfing the others. Only Ol' Jack seemed undiminished. The big man grinned at Steven and Veronica. "You two know who I am?"

"White Bear," said Veronica

"That's right," said the big man, obviously pleased. "But do you know who I am?" The two of them stood still.

"I'm the old medicine to save the world from itself. I'm the immortal White Bear, born in fire and born of fire." He glared at them for a long moment, and then he cracked up laughing. The other men joined him, and the four of them laughed at a joke neither Steven or Veronica understood. Finally White Bear dabbed at a tear at the corner of his remaining eye. "Okay, okay...so that's the public relations line. That's what we tell the rubes to get them all excited. Works pretty well too. Misinformation and disinformation make the world go round."

"What are you talking about?" demanded Veronica.

"Call it a campaign strategy," replied White Bear. "You always need a good campaign strategy if you're running for office."

Steven narrowed his eyes. "Running for what office?"

"Chief badass of the whole network of warlocks," supplied Digger.

"In so many words," agreed White Bear. "Y'see, when we heard your uncle Mason Belcourt was killed, we figured it was a ripe moment to come in and make some changes. Time to stop screwing around with the silly rules they got in nowhere places. Charlie was getting ready to do that too, but he was...um...reluctant to make his move with Mason in the mix."

"That's because he was afraid of uncle Mason!" snapped Steven.

The smile flickered on White Bear's face. "Boy, you don't need teeth or both eyes to go into a pit. Say another word about Charlie and I'll do you ugly before I feed you to-"

"Bear," said Ol' Jack quietly. It was all he said, but it stopped White Bear for a moment. The big man nodded and took a breath.

"Yeah, okay," he said, but he fixed his wicked eye on Steven. "Charlie wasn't afraid of nobody on God's green earth you little snot. He was a man of honor, and he showed respect to your family. Not fear...respect."

Steven didn't want to make things worse, so he said "Okay, I understand that."

White Bear gave a single, curt nod. "Mason Belcourt may have been a pain in my butt, but he was a warrior, and I won't put the lie to it and say he wasn't." Heap and Digger grunted in agreement, and even Ol' Jack nodded. "But Mason's gone, and this ain't his concern no more. That means it's fair game, and what was Charlie's is mine by right, and so I'm moving in and taking over. I got big plans for this area. Big plans." White Bear smiled at him with burned lips. "See this face? Mason did this when he set fire to Shadowland. Nearly killed me."

"Uncle Mason was-"

"Hush boy," snapped Ol' Jack. His smile had not returned and the unsmiling version of him was even more frightening. "White Bear's face is his face. Warriors have scars, and his scars are between him and Mason. That's not the reason you owe us a blood debt. No...the reason you two and that bastard Diego are going to pay, indeed must pay, is because your family attacked Charlie and his men. That alone is crime enough to flay the flesh from your bones."

"But he-"

White Bear suddenly stepped forward and grabbed a fistful of Steven's shirt and with a flex of his huge biceps lifted him completely off the floorboards. He breathed right into Steven's face. "They killed Charlie. I don't understand it, because Charlie was a powerful man and a great warrior, but somehow they blindsided him and killed him." He spat full in Steven's face. "Your family killed my brother."

White Bear swung around and slammed Steven against the wall. Veronica screamed and rushed the big man, tried to claw his face, but Heap and Digger each grabbed an arm and pulled her back. With that, he flung Steven across the room so that he crashed into the far wall and slid down in a heap. Veronica tore free of the bounty hunters and ran to him. Steven coughed and moaned softly as blood trickled down from his hairline and left ear. White Bear stood above them, his chest heaving, his face alight with hatred. Worse still was the look on Ol' Jack's face. It was as if his features were lit from within; his eyes burned with fire and an absolute madness that was more frightening than anything Steven had ever seen before. He and Veronica huddled together and stared up at the preacher as he stalked across the room and bent over them.

"Your family killed Charlie Hendricks," whispered Ol' Jack. And then the man whispered four words that made the whole world spin.

"They killed my son."

The words had hit Steven harder than the beating White Bear just gave him.

"What?"

"How would justice survive in the world if I let you go unpunished for their crime? How would that make the world right again?" said Ol' Jack icily. Steven tried to say something, anything that would make those words untrue, but then Ol' Jack straightened and turned away. "Enough, take them to the pits."

[Finland SSR]

The Great Floyd Tolson!

Johnny Swift

---

The Great Floyd Tolson!

---

It took Johnny a while to head straight to the point and explain who is going to be their first target - he just had to place a flat joke in there first - but he got around to it eventually, pointing out Brock Spencer as the man. That was not a name Floyd had ever heard of, for obvious reasons, but judging from the way Johnny articulated his name and description, he was going to be a real treat.

Not long after Johnny placed the dot on who this Brock person was, the Mercedes stopped in front of the target location, a large, three-story house close to the high school, with a bunch of expensive (and not so expensive) cars lined up, and various sounds and lights coming out through the windows. And something you could only barely call music, but then again, Floyd was listening to it from quite a distance. The party has already started, it seems.

"I don't know about you, but calling an adult to beat up the school's big kids for fame sounds like a terrible plan." the swordsman muttered while stepping out of the car, then immediately added. "Well, for you, not for me. By the time they come back from CPR to gain revenge, I'll already be on the other side of the globe."

Regardless, Floyd did not back down, and instead put his hands into his pockets, casually walking towards the front door of the building - only to stop a few seconds later and turn back towards Johnny, speaking:

"Hey, mind if I ask you somethin'? As far as I recall, there's been a new superhero team formed up from your school's students recently. 'Young Bloods' or whatever they call them. You know any of 'em?"

[Tomia]

Wyatt gives home gardening and personal hygiene tips

Mars couldn't help but smile at Wyatt's comment. He was actually pleased with the group composition, he liked Wyatt and Amir, having become close friends with Amir in particular since joining the team. As for Cass, while Mars thought she was nice he had to admit he still found himself uncomfortable her sometimes. "You know Wyatt, I could probably build you something better suited for that. I haven't done anything like that before... But I could always give it a try." Mars said, trying to make conversation as they walked into the forest. As he looked over the list of things they needed to collect, he was very confused. He hadn't heard of any of these plants before. The first one listed was simply named, "White Wisp" and it's description wasn't much more helpful. "Sorry to interrupt Wyatt, but I think we might be close to our first task. Our sheet says that this white wisp usually resides at the top of tall pine trees. Well, there's a lot of those around here. Anyone want to maybe climb one, see if they they see a white wispy flower?"

[Bentus]

Yoshiro
An Island somewhere in the Pacific

---

Yoshiro couldn’t help but smile at Alexis’ comments, although she shook her head in mock dismay at the onslaught of puns that accompanied them. She offered Angelica a pained expression, as if the word play was doing her more harm than the blows from their earlier encounter. Silently, Yoshiro wondered if Alexis had managed to evoke a small smile beneath that purple mask. The tech wizard’s relentless extroverted pursuit of chiselling down Frost Bite’s shell was definitely a goal that she could get behind.

“Whoa, hold on – what are you doing?” Yoshiro exclaimed as Alexis suddenly stepped closer towards her, holding up one of her gauntlets as she did so. She winced as the green light touched her wounds, having half-expected there to be some kind of pain. Instead, the aches and knots in her muscles seemed to dissolve away, with a cool soothing sensation spreading to wherever Alexis’ gadget touched. Unconsciously, Yoshiro let out a relieved sigh as the pains disappeared and her wounds began to heal. Once Alexis was all finished, she cautiously tried rolling her shoulders and stretching her legs.

“Wow Alexis, I feel incredible! When you wind up with a fortune, remember the rest of us little guys ok?” Turning towards Angelica, Yoshiro lifted her fists in a mock boxing stance, throwing a few fake punches to add to the display. “Nearly feel like I could go for a second round. Not that I ever had you on the ropes back there, Frost.” The telepath smiled sheepishly, her embarrassment returning somewhat with the realisation that – even fully healed and recovered – she still wouldn’t stand a chance in hell. “Where did you learn to fight like that, anyway? You’re absolutely amazing.”

[The Flutterlands]

Andrew Marks

Andrew smiled upon seeing Luminous and was getting more eager to learn from him. He was disappointed though, to find that Mar was my there. Turning to Nile, however Andrew gave him a greeting. Though, the snake boy also gave him a confusing look. “Albino? I'm not albino.” Andrew said, stroking his boa constrictor gently, “I have dark gray scales of you can't tell. I know because I see myself in the mirror through Rango’s eyes.”

His caretaker nodded and placed both hands on his shoulders. She certainly wasn't as trustful towards the men as the boy was. “I am Margaret Cartwright.” She greeted herself, “I am Andrew’s personal caretaker and among the staff of St. Martha’s Home. I wish to supervise Andrew while he begins his training. I may not be his mother, but I will watch over him like my very own son.”

[The Knockout Gun Gals]

The Great Floyd Tolson!

---

"Chap. If you've come to this planet thinkin' you can get by without money and without running into fights every once in a while, then you should probably go back to Peacefull Furry Neverland Planet or wherever you're from." he stated, smirking. "Let's set it straight, - I ain't no hero, but I'll give you a test drive of what Earth's all about."

Within the span of an instant after finishing the word "about", Floyd would suddenly lunge forward at massively superhuman speeds in order to try to graze the giant cat's arm and stop behind his back.

Leo Hanskimida

Leo was aghast and surprised that humans are capable of delivering this kind of attacks. Then again, his short trip before he was here confirmed that not all humans are like this. Only some of them have the real capabilities of doing something like this. And it's not clear how to determine which ones with powers and which ones without powers. Leo took the lunge forward from Floyd pretty...normal, to be honest. The man's good, but he faced worse.

"Not bad, human! Try this!" as he lunged forward to Floyd, after Floyd lunged forward at him first.

---

Carter Graystone

"WHAT!!" he half-screamed as she finished, barely even caring about his group. "W-what is this?! ARE YOU FECKING KIDDING ME!" he continued at the top of his lungs before kicking a sizable rock, and receiving a toe stub in the process. Continuing to mutter words such as "firewood", "coconut", and "fuck" under his breath, he hobbled over to the group, a slight expression of pain twisting his face.

"Well...food shouldn't be a problem. You know, it's a tropical island, bananas, mangoes, coconuts, something like that? Might be some fish in the lagoons and stuff. Anyways, I guess, let's embark on our great firewood collecting adventure!" he promptly said before hobbling towards the beach...and promptly toppling over. Quickly flushing, he scrambled back up to his feet. "Uh....pretend you didn't see that."

Park In-hyun

Pretty sure she couldn't unsee that. She chuckled, slightly. "No, no, no, it's...not kind, okay," she did however, attempted a failed attempt to covered up her chuckle. That chuckle was more of a thing that...well, rude. "Sorry for my...sudden rudeness. It...won't happens again," though she doubts about it. Tropical island with fruits and fishes. "You know, unless one of us can climb trees, we probably should stick to collect sea creatures. Fishes, crabs, anything under the sea."

"Also we probably should start collecting firewoods, as well. I volunteered to get animals, by the way. I think, I can do one with my superhuman speed and strength. Just need to aim well with sword or with pistol," she ended it up.

[Finland SSR]

The Great Floyd Tolson!

---

"Chap. If you've come to this planet thinkin' you can get by without money and without running into fights every once in a while, then you should probably go back to Peacefull Furry Neverland Planet or wherever you're from." he stated, smirking. "Let's set it straight, - I ain't no hero, but I'll give you a test drive of what Earth's all about."

Within the span of an instant after finishing the word "about", Floyd would suddenly lunge forward at massively superhuman speeds in order to try to graze the giant cat's arm and stop behind his back.

Leo Hanskimida

Leo was aghast and surprised that humans are capable of delivering this kind of attacks. Then again, his short trip before he was here confirmed that not all humans are like this. Only some of them have the real capabilities of doing something like this. And it's not clear how to determine which ones with powers and which ones without powers. Leo took the lunge forward from Floyd pretty...normal, to be honest. The man's good, but he faced worse.

"Not bad, human! Try this!" as he lunged forward to Floyd, after Floyd lunged forward at him first.

The Great Floyd Tolson!

---

Just as expected, the initial slash was not lethal or crippling to the catman - Floyd certainly didn't try to kill his prey so quickly, yes, but the knowledge that his new opponent was not going to drop dead after a few strikes was satisfying regardless.

After stopping in a screeching halt behind the catman, Floyd instantly turned around, only to witness that his opponent had not flinched even a bit and was already charging towards him. Great... The swordsman's mind immediately went through a few hypotheses: He's running at me to attack in close combat, so either he has no gimmicky ranged powers, or they are secondary to his physical strength. Either way, that's good for me.

The incoming punch was massive and fast, but telegraphed regardless - Floyd opted to run towards the catman again, this time aiming to use his relatively smaller size to his advantage. He'd move to duck under the incoming fist and try to strike the catman with the full force of his body in a tackle.

[The Knockout Gun Gals]

Leo Hanskimida

Leo was aghast and surprised that humans are capable of delivering this kind of attacks. Then again, his short trip before he was here confirmed that not all humans are like this. Only some of them have the real capabilities of doing something like this. And it's not clear how to determine which ones with powers and which ones without powers. Leo took the lunge forward from Floyd pretty...normal, to be honest. The man's good, but he faced worse.

"Not bad, human! Try this!" as he lunged forward to Floyd, after Floyd lunged forward at him first.

The Great Floyd Tolson!

---

Just as expected, the initial slash was not lethal or crippling to the catman - Floyd certainly didn't try to kill his prey so quickly, yes, but the knowledge that his new opponent was not going to drop dead after a few strikes was satisfying regardless.

After stopping in a screeching halt behind the catman, Floyd instantly turned around, only to witness that his opponent had not flinched even a bit and was already charging towards him. Great... The swordsman's mind immediately went through a few hypotheses: He's running at me to attack in close combat, so either he has no gimmicky ranged powers, or they are secondary to his physical strength. Either way, that's good for me.

The incoming punch was massive and fast, but telegraphed regardless - Floyd opted to run towards the catman again, this time aiming to use his relatively smaller size to his advantage. He'd move to duck under the incoming fist and try to strike the catman with the full force of his body in a tackle.

Leo Hanskimida

Floyd seemed to be good and tactical-minded in his approach to combat, considering how beautiful his combat style is. Time to test how strong Floyd is. He was able to dodged his attack, but the second he delivered a tackle to him, it was mere. While Leo did fall from the tackle, it was more because of his element of surprise and him being surprised and not prepared to stand his ground. A falling out on his part. "Agh!" he fell down and yelled, but it did gave him the push to...well, pushed Floyd, in the form of trying to pushes him to the direction of the wall.

Leo also fell under hungriness. He could feel it as he was hungry more than ever. He should finish this fight soon.

[Turmenista]

Johnny Swift

---

The Great Floyd Tolson!

---

"Don't worry a bit, Floyd," Johnny tried to reassure his babysitter - er.. extra muscle.. as they pulled up to the house. "Half the kids here got connections, and I got you. College kids, older siblings, criminal accomplices and dealers, you name it. Me walking in here with you won't be that weird. Trust me."

Brock Spencer's house was a large, three-story building that epitomized the classic "Frat House" trope, but magnified it to 11. While Johnny's house was expensive, but modest in size, Brock's little castle was flamboyantly expensive, like most of the other houses in the area. Expensive cars and not so expensive cars lined the streets leading up to the house, so, honesty, they were lucky to have even grabbed a parking space at all. The duo could hear loud music thumping from the house as they exited the car, along with various flashing lights, laughing, and screaming. The walk there itself was something to behold too: before they even made it to the front door, they had to pass through a gate, manned by what appeared to be a bouncer (but was really a member of the Football team.) He looked at Floyd and Johnny suspiciously, then, eventually, let them through.

Johnny scowled at the man as they passed through and walked down the path towards the house's front door. Floyd stopped midway and inquired about Johnny's knowledge of a certain superhero team, the 'Young Bloods,' who apparently went to Thomsen High. He shook his head, only to correct himself. "Well, I remember seeing 'em at this party, but that was like in May or June. Never talked to any of 'em. They may be here, though. You never know, man."

Eventually, they made it to the front door, and to anyone with sensitive hearing, the thumping and vibration of the music would be virtually unbearable. Johnny turned to Floyd as he stepped to the side, letting two girls in as he looked back at his accomplice.

"We gotta lay low for a while in here, make it seem like we're having the time of our lives. If we go straight for our man, he'll know what we're here for. Let's find a place to meet up after a few minutes, then we'll go for him."

He opened the door... and the two were immediate blasted by the loud music and lights of the hedonistic rave currently going on in the background. Through the thumping and epilepsy-inducing flashes of light, and through the screaming and laughing of dancing, possibly drunk or drugged up partygoers, Johnny could immediately make out the sound of... bongos? What the hell kind of song are they playing...? Whatever.

He motioned for Floyd to follow close behind him, then, index and middle finger extended, pointed towards a door with a very obvious sheet of paper taped onto it, the bold words of "PLEAZE DONT CALL 911 THESE ARE SCREAMS OF PLEASURE" visible all the way from the entrance. "Meet up there! 15 minutes!" He shouted over the music, but to anyone with poor hearing, it would only seem like he was mouthing the words. "But don't go in there! I'll find our man!"

The 15 minute timer on his phone went up and, reluctantly, Johnny found himself gradually moving away from Floyd and merging more into the throng of people on the dance floor. His eyes locked onto the back of a football jersey, the white letters of "SPENCER, 1" visible right on the back, but before he knew it, the figure was heading up the stairs, and Johnny was face to face with a girl - albeit a pretty one - that he did not want to dance with, but did anyways.

"Hey, pretty." He said to her, intentionally trying to sound like an idiot. She only pulled him closer - uncomfortably closer, two hands locking around his waist as she grinned slyly.

Hopefully, Floyd was faring much better than he was right now.

[The Rebel Alliances]

Alexis Cain/Raven

With all of us sitting down at the table in the kitchen I was clearly the least awake, with a yawn I dipped a donut in the cup of coffee before I took a bite and stared blankly at the simple breakfast. That is before my attention was of course drawn to Briana who in turn placed her intimidating stare squarely on Nick. I blinked emptily at him until he finally sighed with those bags under his eyes suggesting that maybe he did not sleep as well as he let on and began detailing the plan for tonight. "First the plan for the docks is rather straightforward. True to her word she sent us the address in a text message. I have been scouring camera feeds for hours and I have not found any signs of obvious traps. Of course, I will obviously continue monitoring the area throughout the day, to ensure that the scary doll girl does not try to sneak anything in on us." He then took a breath. "So far, as far as the pick up is concerned, it looks like that is going to be the easy part, but I will be keeping eyes on the two of you at all times just in case and perhaps one of you should keep back in reserve if things get ugly, but I'll leave that to you two." Nicholas then took a deep drag of a cigarette and exhaled a line of smoke and then tapped some ashes off onto the floor before taking a sip of coffee.

"Now for the fun part. I have taken the liberty of switching some numbers around in a uniform delivery service and we should be receiving two Police uniforms in the next few hours. Also-" He then got up and walked over to the computer and woke it up from sleep mode as he brought up a window where both my own face and Briana's were shown, except with different names and....as Police Officers?

"Also, welcome to San Diego's finest. I made up two falsified police IDs for the both of you. This my warrior ladies, is your way in. But this is where things get harder. But first, get used to your new names, at least for today." He then pointed his cigarette at me. "Amanda Sterling." And then to Briana. "Bethany Gates." He then brought up another page.

This one with a written transfer order showing a Mug Shot of Red's face.

"This here is a falsified transfer order for the target. And guess who the escorting officers are? Thats right, I am a genius. But there are a few possible wrinkles in this plan. First, we have no armored car to make the pick up in. As you are actually not officers there is only so much I can do to get you a legitimate ride in and out." I was firmly awake by now. And he continued with his step by step plan.

"This here is a armored prisoner transport vehicle. Armored to withstand bullets from small arms fire and even medium rifles. You will be hijacking one at this location. This is a delicate operation, if the drivers get out that they have lost the car then we are screwed and your covers are blown. I wont tell you how to deal with that, but you may want to consider at least knocking them out. From there, you will be simply driving to the prison, going in and picking up the package and hopefully, if we are lucky then no one will look too deeply at the falsified orders or you identities. These are good, really good covers but not perfect. It is possible for it to raise red flags and all hell breaks loose. But this is the best plan as a frontal assault to get him out is suicide." He then snuffed the cigarette and then looked us both in the eyes.

"Now pay attention, because this is very important. If everything goes according to plan, then you will simply drive the truck straight to Marionette. But if anything goes wrong, you will detour to this warehouse, in it there is are two motorcycles stored. Now, one of the two of you, will stay in the truck and drive away from that warehouse first. Meaning you will be playing decoy. The other two, meaning one of you and this Red, will be using the motorcycles to meet with Marionette." His voice then went to a low tone.

"I should not have to say that whoever is the decoy...has a very low chance of survival." Then as the moment passed. He leaned back in to his chair and gave us a moment.

"Now, do both of you understand this plan? Because I am not going over it again."

[Finland SSR]

The Great Floyd Tolson!

---

The Great Floyd Tolson!

---

Floyd weakened his sense of hearing immediately after the two stepped into the gigantic rave, so much so that the massive congregation of sounds being blasted at him and Johnny sounded as loud as the average television, and as such, he looked over the party with an indifferent look on his face. Lots of dancing. Lots of scantily clad women. Lots of drinks being passed, ingested and spilled. Lots of moral degeneracy. Ah... feels like home.

Unfortunately, lowering his hearing had a repercussion on poor Floyd - because of it, he couldn't hear anything what Johnny was saying to him, and thus it was only thanks to the teenager's finger pointing and phone timer setting to 15 minutes that he realized that he was supposed to meet his "ally" over there after that specific amount of time.

Alright, so he has 15 minutes of spending his time in this rave before they get to the meaty stuff. With his hands placed in his pockets, Floyd slowly made his way through the dancing crowd which, to him, felt more like pushing through a tentacle monster - hands on both sides would attempt to pull him in for a dance, and maybe for a regret nine months later, by pulling on his neck and elbows. And every single time, they'd feel as if they were pulling on an immovable object. Who could have known that Floyd would end up needing his demonic super-strength to avoid being pulled in by thots?

To start out the party, Floyd reached the long table of snacks and took a glass of punch - but, much to his surprise, the punch tasted like garbage. It's as if they got it from a dollar store or something. But everything else is so lavish... What, did they ran out of money right before buying punch or something?

Well, now that he's taken a sip from this glass, he might as well finish it...

Floyd's eyes caught Johnny, dancing with a promiscuous girl and clearly unhappy about it.

Or maybe I won't need to finish it... After all, there's a punch dumpster right there.

Pushing through the crowd of tentacles yet again, as carefully as he could to not drop the punch, Floyd finally reached the beauty and the beast, walking behind the former, and suddenly placed the glass on top of her head, bottom up. Of course, not too suddenly, else he might have broken it.

"Sorry, I needed to discard the piss-water you call punch somewhere," Floyd spoke and immediately backed down from the scene, making sure to keep his hearing turned off.

The Great Floyd Tolson!

---

Just as expected, the initial slash was not lethal or crippling to the catman - Floyd certainly didn't try to kill his prey so quickly, yes, but the knowledge that his new opponent was not going to drop dead after a few strikes was satisfying regardless.

After stopping in a screeching halt behind the catman, Floyd instantly turned around, only to witness that his opponent had not flinched even a bit and was already charging towards him. Great... The swordsman's mind immediately went through a few hypotheses: He's running at me to attack in close combat, so either he has no gimmicky ranged powers, or they are secondary to his physical strength. Either way, that's good for me.

The incoming punch was massive and fast, but telegraphed regardless - Floyd opted to run towards the catman again, this time aiming to use his relatively smaller size to his advantage. He'd move to duck under the incoming fist and try to strike the catman with the full force of his body in a tackle.

Leo Hanskimida

Floyd seemed to be good and tactical-minded in his approach to combat, considering how beautiful his combat style is. Time to test how strong Floyd is. He was able to dodged his attack, but the second he delivered a tackle to him, it was mere. While Leo did fall from the tackle, it was more because of his element of surprise and him being surprised and not prepared to stand his ground. A falling out on his part. "Agh!" he fell down and yelled, but it did gave him the push to...well, pushed Floyd, in the form of trying to pushes him to the direction of the wall.

Leo also fell under hungriness. He could feel it as he was hungry more than ever. He should finish this fight soon.

The Great Floyd Tolson!

---

The sudden tackle seemed like a success, but Floyd fully expected to to not be over yet - after all, he had his hopes for this fight being interesting - and this expectation was proven right. The catman dug to his heels and suddenly began pushing back towards the swordsman, this move catching him unprepared. Floyd's feet were not fully connected with the ground, thus, even with as much pressure as he mustered, he did not have enough friction to stop the offensive. It didn't help that the floor was a little slippery...

His physical strength seems to be comparable to mine. Well, for now. While his feet were sliding across the room and trying to stop the catman's push, to little avail, Floyd himself grabbed onto the opponent's furry torso with his left hand, then began scanning the opponent's arm for weakpoints - cracks, joints, whatever. And soon he found one - the joint between his upper and lower arm, which is the elbow in humans, but god knows what in this guy's species.

Hoping that the catman is distracted by pushing him across the room, Floyd swiftly raised his sword to send it towards the elbow with superhuman strength, aiming to incapacitate the whole arm then and there.

[Scotatrova]

Diego Belcourt

Steven and Veronica fell into darkness. Neither of them screamed, Steven was too furious, and Veronica...well, Steven didn't know what she was feeling. Steven waited for the crushing impact at the bottom of a long fall, but his feet struck something soft and yielded. He hit and bounced and spun, and only then did he crash into the dirt. Behind him he heard Veronica rebound and then thud down. There was enough light to see, and as Steven sat up painfully he saw that just below the hole was a sloppy stack of old mattresses, positioned to catch their fall and keep them from shattering their legs.

"Very considerate of them," Veronica muttered

"I don't think they care much about us."

"No, really?" replied Veronica sarcastically.

They got to their feet to look around. Nothing, and not much light. The pit wasn't circular, and they could make out tunnels leading off into six separate directions. White Bear squatted at the edge of the pit, grinning in a way that made his burned face look like a monster out of a nightmare. "Here are the rules," he growled. "If you're paying attention, you might have guessed that this isn't a straight pit fight. There are tunnels and side passages and a few surprises cut every which way. Some of them are dead ends, and I do mean 'dead.'"

"Ha ha," said Steven.

"You might have also guessed that you ain't alone down there."

Steven expected Veronica to say "No, really?" again, but she held her tongue, so Steven supplied the sarcasm. "Well, we figured that."

"Watch your mouth, boy," snapped White Bear.

"Really?" he said, and like how it sounded. "What are you going to do? Beat us up and throw us in a pit?"

White Bear seemed to chew on that and apparently decided that Steven had a point.

"You were starting to tell us about rules," prompted Veronica

"Yes indeed, little cutie. My dad placed a church bell down there. It ain't easy to find, but its there. Find it, and ring it, and you get a free ticket out of there."

"Until when?" demanded Veronica. "Until tomorrow? And then the next day and the next till we're dead?"

"Nope. This is a real deal, straight up and hand to God. You ring that bell and we pull you out of there and out you on the road. You walk free."

That seemed to catch Veronica off guard, and she turned to Steven. "Is he telling the truth?"

"I...think so," Steven said quietly. "What's he got to lose?"

She grabbed him and gave him a fierce hug, and in a tiny whisper filled with enormous emotion said "We're not going to die down here."

"Hey!" yelled White Bear. "When you two are down, can we get a move on?"

Before Steven let go, he whispered "We can do this. Find the bell, and get out."

Ol' Jack leaned out over the edge. The smile on his face was truly vile. It was filled with everything polluted, corrupted and unnatural that could show through smiling lips and now twinkling...gray eyes. He stepped back and torches were placed in stands mounted on the rim, and their light turned the maze into a dim eternity of dirty yellow shadows. Veronica suddenly grabbed Steven's arm, and he turned to see that the shadows were not empty. Things moved down the twisted tunnels. Stiff figures shuffled toward them through the gloom, and they heard the low, hungry moan of the dead.

Steven pressed Veronica against the wall as the first of the dark shapes moved toward them. The pit they were in was thirty feet across, with large blank sections of the wall intersped with side tunnels. The torches were too high to reach. "Mattress!" Veronica blurted, and they rushed over to the stack of rotten old mattresses and began dragging them toward the tunnel with the dead. Steven squatted and upended one and used it to block them from view. "Might not stop them." he warned. "Better than nothing," she grunted as she dragged another one and pulled it upright. There were only three mattresses, but they nicely blocked half the tunnels. "Maybe it'll confuse them, slow them down." Steven jerked his head toward one of the open tunnels. There was no movement in that one, but torchlight spilled down from another opening around the far bend. Steven pulled Veronica inside and they peered to see if White Bear could see them. "I think we're good," whispered Veronica. Immediately she pulled out the tails of her shirt and reached inside her clothes. Steven did the same, and they knelt down and placed several hidden items on the ground. When the guards had locked them in the empty room, they had thought that the two teenagers were helpless, but they were taught never to be helpless.

While waiting for White Bear to come and take them to the pits, Steven and Veronica had looked at what the room had to offer: an old light fixture, crumbling plaster walls, a window. Now on the ground in front of them they examinded what circumstance had provided. They had thin narrow strips of wood and lath, several yards of copper electrical wire, and long pieces of jagged window glass wrapped in torn pieces from their shirts. All their pockets were filled with plaster dust. There was a loud moan from around the bend. One of the dead had reached the end of the first tunnel. Steven hoped the wall of mattresses would confuse them. Every second mattered. "Hurry," breathed Veronica. They placed layers of jagged glass between strips of lath and used the wire to bind it in place. Steven wrapped the wire around as tightly as he could. Veronica used a piece of glass to cut strips from their pants to make pouches and put the plaster powder in them. Veronica took the make shift glass hatchet and used more strips of her pants to bind the laths from end to end. Steven took the pouches and tied loose knots in them and put them in his pockets.

There was a soft thud as one of the mattresses fell into the main pit. A second later a white hand grabbed the corner of the mattress wall and a lifeless face moved into view. Black eyed and black mouthed, it moved past the obstruction, then turned to them and moaned. It was answered with more moans behind it. Steven and Veronica snatched up their weapons and began backing away. There was another flurry of moans. This time, the sound was behind them, coming from another tunnel. Steven turned and saw three dead stagger around the far bend, their faces painted yellow by torchlight. There were eight shuffling through the main pit now, and more coming out of the side tunnel, but still only three in front of them blocking their easiest line of flight. "Steven," whispered Veronica, "we have to try."

"Okay," he said, but his throat was dry. "Let's go." Hatchets in hand, they raced forward. There were two men and a woman in the first pack. The closest one was a wild-looking man wearing the bullet filled remains of a carpet coat. He bared his teeth and lunged at Steven, but just as the white hands were to about to get him, Steven jarred right, parrying the grab with his left hand, then he pivoted and chopped down on the back of the dead man's head with the hatchet. The layered chunks of glass bit deep into the weak area at the base of the skull. It was a good hit, a solid hit. The monster pitched forward. At the same time, Veronica broke left from behind Steven and threw herself into a tight shoulder roll right under the reaching arms of the second monster. She came straight up out of the roll, pivoted on the balls of her feet, and slashed her hatchet across the back of its knees. The withered tendon parted like bad string, and it started to fall. Veronica rammed it with her shoulder, and the creature crashed sideways into the third so that the two of them fell.

"Go!" Steven yelled, grabbing the shoulder of her shirt and pulling her. One was down for good, one was crippled, and one would be able to get back up, but the important thing was that for a moment the three of them sprawled in the middle of the tunnel, creating a temporary roadblock. They rounded the bend and skidded to a halt as two more lumbered toward them. A side tunnel broke right, and Veronica started to go that way, but Steven didn't like it. There was no light at all down there. The closest undead was an enormous fat man in the shreds of a blue hospital gown. Veronica tried to dodge and kick, hoping to break the man's knee, but her aim was off and her foot rebounded from the monster's thigh. It swiped at her and she had to leap backward to keep from being caught. Steven tried the same kick and hit the knee, but the fat man's leg wouldn't break. As it wheeled on this new attacker, a second, a prissy looking woman threw herself on Veronica. Veronica screamed and brought her feet up just in time, catching it in the chest and in the gooey mass of her entrails. It scrabbled at Veronica's shirt with white fingers and kept darting forward to bite.

Steven was too busy to help. The fat man shambled toward him, its bulk blocking the narrow tunnel. It pawed at him as Steven chopped at it with the hatchet, knocking bloodless chunks of flesh from its face and chest. With a final scream of wild rage, Veronica swung her hatchet and buried the long glass spike in the woman's eye socket. The monster reeled back, shuddered and then fell, tearing the handle out of Veronica's hand. Steven stopped trying to get away and instead put one foot on the wall and used it to launch himself at the man, hitting it in high on the chest and driving it backward with both hands. The monster's heels hit the other and he toppled backward, with Steven holding onto its shirt all the way to the massive thump! It never stopped grabbing for him, and the creature was immune to the shock of the impact beyond a shudder than rippled through its layers of dead fat. The creature bit down on Steven's ragged shirtsleeve and began shaking the way a terrier shakes a rat. Steven hammered at it with the hatchet until he tore through the remaining tendons of its face and the lower jaw simply fell off.

Steven gaped at the monster for a moment, then threw his weight sideways and went into a sloppy roll that nonetheless brought him to his feet. As he turned he saw Veronica working her hatchet back and forth to free it from the dead's eye socket. It came free with a dry glup, and the two of them were running again. Veronica threw him a single, crazy smile of triumph as they ran. "Is she enjoying this?" The impossible thought banged around inside Steven's head. White Bear was laughing with a deep chested rumble, thoroughly enjoying the show. As they ran past another opening, Steven shot a quick look up and saw Ol' Jack. He did not know the man well enough to read the subleties of his expressions, but what Steven saw at that moment required no interpretation. It was a look of pure, malicious joy. "Why?" Steven wondered. "We're winning." When they wounded the next bend, the question was answered in the most horrible possible way. The next corridor was a dead end that ran twenty feet into a black wall.

There were at least a dozen undead in there. But that wasn't what made Steven slam to a halt and stare in abject terror. It wasn't what pulled a scream from the deepest pit of Veronica's soul. The thing that plunged the world into absolute nightmare was the huge creature that rose up before them in the dark. A great and terrible monster. Bigger than any they had faced, it was massive, corded with muscle and covered with scars from countless battles as a human. It wore a leather vest from which the tip of hundreds of sharp steel nails jutted out like a terrible cactus. Iron bands studded with steel points circled its neck and wrists, and a skullcap of gleaming steel covered its head and tapered down the neck to prevent any injury to the brain stem. When its lips curled back, Steven and Veronica could see that someone, some madman, had filled its teeth to razor spikes. Even all that, from its size to its fearsome armament, was not the worst thing about it. It was Veronica who spoke the words that made it all beyond horrifying. She spoke its name. "Charlie Hendricks..."

[Zarkenis Ultima]

---

---

"Calm down there, Yoshi Balboa. I oil and polish used goods, but I don't fix or replace broken parts." Alexis said to a rather spunky Yoshiro as she patted the older girl in the back, before leaning closer and whispering directly to her ear in as serious a tone as she could manage. "She's ex-KGB. Has put down more elite FBI agents than years you've lived, I wouldn't mess with her if I were you." She said quietly. It was obvious by her words, though not by her voice, that she was kidding, but either way she took some distance from Yoshiro before the other girl was able to question anything, casually trailing behind Angelica and using her head to gesture at Yoshiro to do the same. "Come on, we don't wanna keep Blizzard Wizard waiting."

Soon the group reached the lake, and, having been walking close behind Angelica, the blonde techie saw the lake and let out a whistle. It was certainly huge, and for a moment the girl wondered if it might be better for the lake monster they had to catch to be larger, so that they could spot it sooner, or smaller, so that they'd have less issues subduing and transporting it. Over the span of less than a second, though, she physically shrugged, reaching the conclusion that it was useless to speculate like that when they were so close to the damn thing. Instead, she jumped onto the speedboat right after Frostbite, hearing the girl's comment and chuckling.

"Oh, oh, I call First Mate then! Or parrot. Yeah, it would be fun to be the captain's parrot." The girl stated, before clearing her throat and making her absolute worst impression of a talking bird, starting her sentence with some sort of bizarre screech. "Captain, let's put that monster in a block of ice!" She said, before breaking out into laughter at her own silliness.

"No, but really, is that feasible? I mean you can control ice." She asked after spending several moments calming down.

[New Finnish Republic]

Brianna Erickson

---

Brianna sipped on the heated beverage before her, letting its contents fill her with a sense of ease. It was nothing close to the mead served in the dining halls of Valhalla, but it was probably the closest she'd ever get to it. Glancing over to Alexis, she seemed to still be tired as she let out a large yawn in between her sips of coffee. Brianna raised an eyebrow at that, knowing that it was Alexis who likely got the most sleep out of this group. She could only fathom that she wasn't used to getting up this early due to her usual schedule of crime fighting.

As Nick began, Brianna did her best not to scowl at the young man. While she knew this morning's...incident had been her fault, she was still furious that this man had the audacity to sleep in such a manner with two women in his midst. Yes, it's his fault, not mine, that I had to see all of...that, Brianna reassuringly nodded to herself.

"Also, welcome to San Diego's finest. I made up two falsified police IDs for the both of you. This my warrior ladies, is your way in. But this is where things get harder. But first, get used to your new names, at least for today."

Brianna stared at her new name, Bethany Gates. While it was acceptable in terms of concealing their identities, she wished he would have chosen something much more heroic. While she had long gotten used to her current identity, she always thought that it lacked any power to it. These mortals had become so odd over the countless years she had observed them, from going to naming their clans over their family's heirloom sword or shield to naming themselves over flowers. Flowers! Brianna shook her head as Nick continued explaining their plan.

When Nick was finished, Brianna couldn't help but at least respect the amount of planning he had done. Sure, it was practically screaming for something to go wrong, but given the time they had as well as the resources, Brianna supposed she couldn't have thought of anything better. Well, she could have, but that would have required a massive army to siege the main gates. It would have been glorious, but probably futile for what they were trying to accomplish.

"Now, do both of you understand this plan? Because I am not going over it again."

Brianna narrowed her eyes at Nick.

"Coming from you, it's probably the best we can get, Brusi. However, it should do.""

Her eyes slightly softened as she glanced over to Alexis.

"If it comes down to needing a diversion, I shall volunteer. While this city may be new to me, I have had my fair share of evading those who wished for me to be dead."

A smug toothy grin appeared on her face.

"Besides, you should know that I can hold my own in a fight."

Looking over to the screen on which still remained a photo of this "Red", Brianna stared at the young man's face for quite some time. While the young man was holding a single finger to the camera, a gesture Brianna had learned over the years to be one of contempt, she could tell that this was not a man who would do what he was accused of. Even through the screen, she could see his eyes were filled with innocence, buried underneath a mountain of guilt. If he was indeed one worthy of Valhalla, she would not let him lose his opportunity rotting away in some prison.

Turning her attention back to the others, she let out a small sigh as she leaned back in her chair.

"So then now we wait?"

[Turmenista]

Johnny Swift

---

Needless to say, Johnny wasn't very pleased to find himself separated from his only ally in such a pressing situation. The girl in front of him - as pretty and innocent as she may have looked - was obviously very drunk or very high, and Johnny wasn't in the mood to participate in a drug and sex-fueled orgy anytime soon. Especially not here.

Basically, his only option right now was to uncomfortably wriggle away from her and try his hardest to gain some distance, which was a Herculean task all by itself thanks to the her vice grip on him and the rather cramped space that they were already in. The background music being unbearably loud didn't help his situation out at all.

Her hands were locked around his waist like fishing hooks reeling him closer to her, and while her own hips were swaying and rocking to the beat of whatever song was in the background, Johnny's hips were locked tight like a column. Or, at least, he tried to make them as tight as a column, but she wasn't too happy about his reluctance to dance.

She moved her head closer - dangerously closer to his - then whispered into his ear something about a "room" - his face immediately flushed with heat, considering it didn't take a big brain to figure out what exactly she was referring to. Luckily, before she had the opportunity to move him away from the crowd and towards certain doom, Floyd had come to the rescue, brandishing a cup of punch in his hand as he made his way slowly, but surely, towards the duo, stopped for a moment behind the girl, and then turned the cup upside down on the top of her head.

"Sorry," he heard Floyd say over the booming music. "I needed to discard the piss-water you call punch somewhere." As she reacted to the scene, mouth agape in shock in preparation to sling some expletives towards her assailant's general direction, she let go of Johnny, allowing him to backpedal away from her with the speed of a moving car, and then, right after pushing another male partygoer into her, quickly reorient himself towards Floyd. The two stepped away from the scene without a scratch, for the most part, and the party went on as planned. The only thing left was a slightly irritating and sticky feeling on his pants and arms, but mostly the latter, from the fruit punch spilling partially onto him.

He grumbled under his breath, smelling the punch. It smelled like a blend of cat piss and Kool-Aid, so, honestly, he didn't blame Floyd for spilling such a shitty-tasting concoction onto the girl. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, immediately checking the timer.

4:59. 4:58. 4:57. Had 10 minutes already passed that quickly? It seemed like only 2 minutes had passed in here - is a Time Manipulator in here? Is that even a thing..?

He tapped Floyd's shoulder, gesturing towards the stairs which had been the last place he saw their target. They still had a few more minutes on their timer, but that didn't matter now. What mattered now was finding Brock, and also grabbing some food. The unfortunate thing about super speed was that it made him perpetually hungry and thirsty, and, as far as he knew, all he had to eat and drink earlier was an energy drink and a hot dog from the local fast food joint. He wasn't in the mood for some stupid party food like wings or chips, so, as the two ascended the stairs, his eyes began to scope out the second floor.

It was theoretically a wide, flattened lounge with appliances like a bar, several couches, and empty tables, giving it the impression that it was more of a "chill" area - but this was false, all thanks to the large amount of people - presumably Brock's friends, all around the area. The good thing was that the music was a little less deafening, so Johnny could at least hear himself trying to think.

Johnny scoped out a bowl of seemingly candy atop one of the tables, and, without thinking, stuffed a small handful of the candies into his mouth, then immediately regretted the decision and spat out the laced sweets into a nearby trash can. The room suddenly began to spin on an axis that it normally should not have while Johnny began to see and hear things he should not have, and before long, he found himself stumbling back into the arms of Floyd, who caught him right before he would've embarrassingly fallen flat into his ass on the floor.

Only, he throught this was Floyd, until his vision stopped going out of focus and he realized that a stranger that had caught him and was currently laughing her ass off. His feet were asleep big time, and, seemingly, they were being lifted up from underneath the floor.

What the shit...? What the hell did I eat - and where is Floyd? What the fuck kind of party is this...?!

"You look like you're really messed up!" The girl, seemingly regaining her composure, set Johnny down onto one of the couches, and, like a complete idiot, Johnny looked up at her, scowling at the black-haired teenager as he began to speak in very slurred words. "FffffffffhhhauuukyuuuCleraa. Whyreyouhere?"

"The same reason you're here," his ex-girlfriend chimed, placing her father cold hands onto Johnny's temples and waiting. Almost instantaneously, he began to feel relieved of most of the "fucked up" effects from eating whatever he just ate, but still seemed to be a little out of the loop and dazed as she pulled her hands away. "To party."

"No... no.. because.." Johnny stopped midway, weakly pointing at her in a mocking fashion. "I'm here with my friend.. Floyd, and we're going to beat the shit out of Brock Spencer.. ok? So... please put your witchcraft someplace else, and allow me to return to my devices. Thank you... _witchbitch."

A disgusted look appeared on her face as she scoffed, evidently not hearing his last. "I was wanting to talk to you about something..-"

"Na... nah... text me. I gotta beat this kids ass.. sorry.. we gotta. Heh.."

"Just let me know when you're through with this." she scowled at him, and before he knew it, she was one with the crowd again. Why a member of the so-called Weirdo Clique (and her, at that) was at such a... mainstream party, was beyond his comprehension, but then again, he couldn't think straight right now.

Feeling a little bit better than before, Johnny swept his legs out from the couch and stood up, albeit a bit wobbly, and began to walk once more. All that mattered now was finding Floyd, finding Spencer, and scoping something out to eat that wasn't laced with psychedelics.

[United Kingdom of Poland]

While the rest of her group seemed to relish the idea of hiking a mountain, Wendy didn’t. It wasn’t that she was out of shape or couldn’t complete the climb, she just wasn’t as experienced with this like Roy and Kiris were. About the only good thing about this assignment she could think off was the fact that she would be working with Roy, and even that was tainted by the fear she’d just end up dragging him down.

The trip to the mountain didn’t make things any better. Kiris had immediately scampered off into the jungle, and while she had been nice enough to not add her own calls to those of the jungles native wildlife, her movements through the canopy still put her nerves on edge. Every so often she’d fin herself huddling next to Roy, and had almost grabbed his hand at one point but managed to restrain herself.

By the time the group had finally made it too the mountain, Wendy’s nerves were sufficiently frazzled that Kiris’s entrance sent her jumping more than a couple inches. Looking up at their challenge, and watching as Kiris effortless climbed to one of the mountain’s ledges, Wendy felt her stomach do a couple summersaults. “I’d rather try the interior route.” She told Roy. “It seems like the easier of the two compared to trying to keep up with her.

[The Republic of Atria]

Wyatt gives home gardening and personal hygiene tips

Mars couldn't help but smile at Wyatt's comment. He was actually pleased with the group composition, he liked Wyatt and Amir, having become close friends with Amir in particular since joining the team. As for Cass, while Mars thought she was nice he had to admit he still found himself uncomfortable her sometimes. "You know Wyatt, I could probably build you something better suited for that. I haven't done anything like that before... But I could always give it a try." Mars said, trying to make conversation as they walked into the forest. As he looked over the list of things they needed to collect, he was very confused. He hadn't heard of any of these plants before. The first one listed was simply named, "White Wisp" and it's description wasn't much more helpful. "Sorry to interrupt Wyatt, but I think we might be close to our first task. Our sheet says that this white wisp usually resides at the top of tall pine trees. Well, there's a lot of those around here. Anyone want to maybe climb one, see if they they see a white wispy flower?"

"Thanks but it's fine, really. It's not a big deal and bolt cutters last a long time." He replied as they came to their first item. A flower by the name White Wisp. Located on top of a larger than average tree. "Speaking of claws, I can climb trees pretty well. I'll go. Plus if I fall I can fly. Kind of." The forest wasn't the densest. Just barely enough room for him to spread his wings out. Wyatt sunk his claws into the bark of the tree and scampered up quicker than he thought he would. Thankfully he ignored his mother's nagging to trim his claws. Doing that would have made this much harder. As he neared the top, he saw a branch with white flowers. Had to be the one he was looking for. Not too many white flowers grew on trees to the best of his knowledge. He positoned himself on the slightly higher, but much sturdier flowerless branch.

Unfortunately the branch didn't appear to be that sturdy and likely wouldn't support his full weight. He though for a moment. He could just use his powers to just cut the branch down, but that seemed kind of overboard for just getting a single flower. He could jump and cut off a much smaller branch. Just jumping and ripping one out would almost certainly destroy the flower. Wyatt let out a sigh. There was plenty of height for him to start flying and land. Assuming he didn't smack into a tree trunk or branch on the way down. Come on. You've faced actual supervillains without your powers. You can make a jump. The trees will not hurt nearly as bad as they would have if they noticed you. Part of him realized that maybe Naligura was shielding him even then. He readied a knife construct and jumped, slashing off a small branch with a few flowers and then dropping like a stone for a second before his wings caught some air.

Wyatt manged to gracefully glide around the tree he climbed. While he tried to stay away from any branches, he grossly underestimated his wingspan. One of which snagged on a branch, the resulting momentum swung him directly into the tree. Which he slowly crawled down, somehow managing to keep the flowers almost perfectly intact. "I'm okay. I think." He said as he reached the bottom. "I hope these are the right ones. I wish I brought my phone with me."

[Scotatrova]

Diego Belcourt

Charlie Hendricks loomed in front of Steven and Veronica. All six feet and six inches of him. One eye was a milky pink, and the other, once as blue as his father's, was black and dead. His skin, once the color of creamy white, had turned the color of a mushroom, gray-white and blotched with fungus and decay. He snarled and took and lumbering step forward. It was grotesque. It was bad enough that Charlie had not fallen a thousand feet to smash himself to ruin at the base of the mountain. It was worse still that he had become one of the monsters he used to reanimate. What was far, far worse was that Charlie's own father and brother had brought him back, armored him like a gladiator, and put him down here in the shadows to be their pet monster. Their angel of death for a new and corrupt Eden. Steven understood few of the mysteries of any religion, he knew with perfect clarity that this was a sin that could never be forgiven.

Charlie Hendricks took a lumbering step toward them. Steven pushed Veronica back. "God..." Veronica's voice was small and fragile. Steven let out a bellow of fury and swung his hatchet, trying for a killing shot through the eye socket. Instead the glass blade dug into the front of Charlie's cheek, punching through the sinus. The other undead in the dead-end tunnel moaned with hunger, and shuffled forward, but Charlie's massive body blocked the way. With a feral growl Charlie lashed out and knocked Steven sideways into the wall. The glass blade of the hatchet snapped, and the handle fell from Steven's fingers. The blow was so fast and strong that for an insane moment, Steven wondered if Charlie was somehow still alive. It was impossible, though. No, this thing was dead. Still, it was fast, too fast, and powerful.

Steven slid to the floor. Charlie bent down, grabbed Steven's shirt and pulled him off the floor. Razor teeth glimmed like daggers in the torch light. As Charlie pulled him close, Steven could see the gleaming tips of the nails that covered the monster's body like a porcupine. Steven raised a knee and managed to get the flat of his shoe against the monster's lower stomach, the only area not covered by the nail vest. He kicked out, trying to squirm out of the grip with leverage, aiming blasts to dislocate the jaw or break the neck. He tried every trick and spell he had been taught. The nail heads scratched him, and soon Steven was bleeding from a dozen shallow cuts. Charlie's big head darted forward, and his razor teeth bit down with devastating force, but not on Steven's flesh.

Suddenly Veronica was there, squeezing in between Steven and the monster, and she rammed her hatchet up into its mouth. The rows of teeth chomped down on the weapon and crunched on glass and wood. Charlie flung Steven away and grabbed Veronica instead. Steven crashed to the ground again. Pain exploded in his shoulder, numbing him all the way to his fingertops. The others tried to reach past Charlie to get to Veronica. Wax-white hands poked through the crooks of Charlie's elbows and reached over his shoulders and around his sides, clawing at Veronica's shirt and hair. In their attempts to grab her, they were also pulling her into the nail vest. Steven saw the broken hatchet, dove for it, and came up with the splintered wood in his right hand. Veronica still had her hatchet buried into Charlie's mouth, and he was actually trying to chew his way through it to get to her. Steven rushed to Veronica and looped his bad left arm around her waist while he chopped and pounded at the white hands with the hatchet handle. He broke fingers and wrists and some of the white hands flopped away, now useless to their owners. One creature had a solid fistful of Veronica's hair, and Steven couldn't shatter its wrist, so he did the only other thing he could do. He used the remaining pieces of glass and sawed through her hair. She sagged forward, but Charlie still had her.

Steven rammed the sharp end of his hatchet handle under Charlie's chin. He drove it with such force that it punched through his mouth and pinned his jaws shut. At least for the moment. Veronica brought her knees up and aimed her feet just below the nail vest, then kicked out with all her force as Steven pulled with all his. They burst free from Charlie's grasp and fell backward. Steven hit the ground first and Veronica landed hard on top of him, driving most of the air from his lungs. For the moment, Charlie ignored them and clawed at the wooden spike that sealed his jaws shut. The others pushed forward to get past him. "Dust!" Steven croaked, and Veronica tore a pouch of plaster dust from her pocket and flung it at them. The dust exploded into a white cloud that swirled thickly around the creatures. Steven didn't know if the powder would do anything more than distract them for a moment. They had thought to use it against Digger and Heap, but for now it gave them a slender doorway of time. Veronica grabbed Steven's wrists and hauled him to his feet, slapped his shoulders to spin him and then shoved him forward, keeping her hands on his back as he stumbled away.

White Bear bent down into one of the pit openings, grinning like a ghoul. "Run as fast as you want, but there's no way out." Veronica pivoted and flung one of the pouches at him. White Bear got his hand up to block it, but the pouch flapped open and he was showered with white plaster dust. He reeled back, coughing, gagging and cursing. White Bear wheeled on Steven and Veronica with a murderous glare. They ran from under the pit opening, vanishing into the shadows. They heard more in front of them, and they realized they were running back to the main pit. They scrambled into a turn. Behind them Charlie Hendricks was shambling toward them, the spike of wood no longer pinning his jaws shut. That left the dark side tunnel. "No lights." Steven said. Veronica chewed her lip, looking up and down the corridor. The front of her shirt was dotted with drops of blood from where the tips of the nails had cut through her clothes and into her skin. Pain twisted in her mouth as she said, "No choice." They ran into the darkness.

---

Ol' Jack stood next to White Bear, both of them scowling down into the pits. "This is taking too long," said the old man.

"Kids are pretty good," replied White Bear. "I'm actually starting to enjoy this."

Ol' Jack snarled, "They should be dead by now."

"Lighten up dad...Charlie's got their number. Those kids are Happy Meals, you'll see."

Ol' Jack leaned closer still. "You listen to me boy, if they find that bell and we have to let them go then-"

White Bear laughed deep in his chest. "Dad, for a man of faith you could use some more for your own kin. I got everything under control and..." His words trickled down and stopped as he realized someone at the back of the hotel. Ol' Jack whipped his head around to see a figure standing on the porch. He had a long, red scarf that wrapped around his neck and slung over his back.

"Belcourt," murmured Ol' Jack, then he threw back his head and bellowed the name. It echoed all around the arena. "Belcourt!" Beside him, White Bear grinned like a happy ghoul. He stepped forward and pitched his voice. "Well, ain't this just a treat? Come to watch the fun and games, Diego?" He laughed, and the guards laughed with him.

"Why am I here?" answered Diego with a faint smile. He spoke loud enough for them to hear him. He held out a copy of his bounty sheet. "It's pretty clear that you wanted me here."

"That's true enough," answered Ol' Jack. "You and your pack of sinners."

"By that you mean my cousins, Steven and Veronica?"

"Sinners all." Ol' Jack nodded.

"Where are they, Hendricks?" Diego demanded.

"Oh," said Ol' Jack, not looking at the pits, "they're waiting for their chance at redemption."

Diego crumpled up the bounty sheet and dropped it off the porch into the dust. "This is between you and me. Leave them out of it."

The man spit on the ground. "This is between your family and mine. They killed my son. Don't pretend you don't understand that Diego Belcourt. It was your parents who made it about familes. You owe me a blood debt."

Diego ignored the jeering catcalls of the guards. He locked his eyes with Ol' Jack. "Charlie dealt the cards, Hendricks, don't you pretend he didn't. He ran around like everything was his personal kingdom, and he didn't care who got hurt as long as he got what he wanted. He was a parasite, a thief and a murderer."

"You don't dare-" began White Bear, but his father touched his arm. "Let the boy have his say. Then we'll see what justice wants from this moment." As he said it, he let his eyes flick towards the pits.

Diego walked toward the edge of the porch. "Years ago, Charlie and his thugs tried to raid Carlsbad. That was my home, my family's home. Everyone respected them, except Charlie. He never respected anyone or anything...but things didn't work out so well for him. My parents gave him and his men a chance to walk away. They didn't take it. Later, when it was just Charlie kneeling in the dirt begging for his life, they let him live because he swore to them, swore to god above, that he'd change his ways, that he wouldn't do that sort of thing again. That he wouldn't hurt people again. They let him live Hendricks. They showed him mercy, but as soon as he slunk away he started back up worse than ever."

"I've heard that story before," said Ol' Jack. "It was a lie then, and it's a lie now. No one ever beat Charlie in a fair fight."

Diego ignored that. "Two years ago, Charlie opened up a new Shadowland, and he went hunting for the one person who might tell where it was. You've heard of her. The Lost Girl. To find her, he broke into a family friend's home, and beat that woman to death. You know what happened next."

"Yes, I know. Your parents laid false charges on Charlie, then they went out and ambushed him in the woods and killed him when he wasn't looking."

"False charges? I know what happened. Charlie asked for what he got, and my only regret is that it wasn't from my own hand."

"Yes...that hell-spawn father of yours, that devil's imp, managed some trickster ambush and killed my firstborn son." Ol' Jack took a threatening step toward Diego. "You had your say, such as it was. Now hear me on this, Diego Belcourt. Your time is over. Your family's reign of corruption, bullying, terrorism and murder is done. I call a blood debt on you and yours, and like a farmer who burns a whole field to kill an encroaching blight, I will burn the name Belcourt from this world. Your sins against my family are uncountable, and so I curse you and yours for all generations. Anyone who stands with you falls with you. So say I and so say mine." Silence owned the moment except for the constant low moans of the dead strapped to the chairs under the giant circus tent.

---

Down in the pits, Steven whispered, "What's happening?"

"I don't know," said Veronica. "We have to let Diego know we're here!" Behind them the shadows were filled with hungry moans.

"Don't make a sound," Steven whispered. Calling out to Diego was a good plan, but not at the moment. Not unless Diego was right there to help them climb out, and from what Steven heard, that wasn't the case. If they called to him now, it might be a fatal distraction to Diego. Steven and Veronica felt their way along the walls of the tunnel. It was absolutely pitch black. Even the torchlight from the main corridor faded and died within a few yards. They fought to keep their breathing as silent as possible, listening for the scuff of a shuffling dead foot, or the soft moan of hunger. Except for the powder, they had to weapons left, aside from their magic, which wouldn't be a good idea currently, and Charlie was still out there along with fifteen monsters. Maybe more. Time was running out.

---

Diego Belcourt sighed. "I tried," he said, shaking his head. He lifted his hand and energy slowly started to course around it and him. All around the arena the guards, already alert, raised their weapons, edged forward and pointed guns at Diego's heart. He ignored them as he straightened his arm and pointed his hand at Ol' Jack and White Bear. Light gleamed in his eyes and sparkled. "Hear me on this," Diego said, his voice clear and strong. "You've spoken your piece and you've laid your curse, Hendricks. Now hear mine. Not a curse...but a promise. I speak to everyone here, so listen to what I have to say. Walk away," he said. "Lay down your weapons, and walk away. Shadowland is closed. Walk away."

White Bear stared at him. "Says who?"

"Says the law."

"There is no law."

Diego's eyes were fixed on White Bear. "There is now."

Ol' Jack snorted. "You have no right. You have no power. The Hendricks clan is the only power, now and forever."

"Walk away," Diego said again. "Last chance. Everyone here gets a pass if you walk away. Except for Ol' Jack and White Bear. To use their words: If you stand with them, you fall with them. Walk away."

"You're a fool and a madman," declared White Bear. "You come here alone and make some kind of brainless grandstand play." He gestured to one of the guards, a beefy man. "Take that stupid amulet of his away and drag his ass over here." The guard racked the slide on his shotgun and grinned. "Absolutely, boss."

Diego raised his hand, pointing it at the approaching guard.

"Last chance," he said to the man.

"You're freaking crazy, Belcourt," said the guard.

"Your call." Diego dropped his arm and said "Bang."

There was a sharp crack and the guard was plucked off the ground and flung backward. He landed on his back, gasping, eyes wide, blood pumping from a dime-size hole in the center of his chest. Diego blew across the tip of his finger as if he really shot the man. Ol' Jack and White Bear were frozen in place. "I warned you," Diego said, his smile gone now, his voice suddenly harsh and bitter. "You should have listened." And then the attack began.

[Absolon-7]

Post-Cassandra Sparring

Well...Casimir has sure learned a lot from his fight with Cassandra to say the least. Elena now had split them into teams for some team scavenger hunt. His teammates where Angelica, who he really hoped would open up during this mission, Alexis, who was...fun, and finally Yoshi, who he didn't really know but he got the really sweet-type personality vibe from her. They were supposed to go catch some "Lake Monster" which he thought was absolutely ridiculous. Cryptids didn't freaking exist since they're all nothing but hoaxes. While his team gathered on the beach he mostly stayed out of their chit-chat. He felt pretty tired from his fight with Cassandra and he wanted to take it easy until their task started. While he mentally relaxed himself, Casimir payed attention to the girls in his team.

Angelica would definitely be on his "do-not-ever-cross-in-any-way list" because she was definitely someone who could take there of themselves. Which he actually greatly admired of her but it looked like there was more to her. Some kind of soft underbelly to that hard exterior of hers that maybe one day she'd feel comfortable enough to reveal. Alexis was just a lot to deal with buut in an awesome kind of way. He liked her blunt and silly sense of humor that was really appealing to him which meant she'd be great to play video games with. He could just imagine the saltyness they'd make each other feel. Yoshiro he really didn't have a clue about. She was very pretty and somehow knew his favorite coffee but that was it.

The group made their way to the lake and boy was it big. Casimir thought to himself how come he had never heard of this island before. If it was big enough to support a lake this size it had to view-able from a goddamn world map. How strange, he thought to himself. Angelica was the first to the boat and proclaimed herself captain and was followed by Alexis taking the first-mate position. He let out a chuckle from their goofing around and wanting to join in he let out his own contribution.

"I'll be the powder monkey then guys," he chortled while giving himself a thumbs up, "But shouldn't we get some bait to lure it out first. If we don't have something to draw its attention then we'll be waiting around all day. Anyways this "Lake Monster" is probably some big eel or catfish and they're pretty dumb so we don't have to have that complex of a plan."

[Finland SSR]

The Great Floyd Tolson!

---

Not long after the two of them escaped from the thot attempting to pull one of them into the tentacle crowd, Johnny motioned Floyd to follow him towards the staircase to the second floor. The swordsman raised an eyebrow at the venture. Wasn't their plan going to be breaking into the locked room with the 911 sign on it? Oh well, out of the two of them, it was Johnny who had any clue what was happening right now, so Floyd decided to follow him.

The second floor was far enough from the rave that he could safely turn his hearing back to normal, just in case he needed it for communicating with Johnny. And boy he did. The youngster immediately went for the candy bowl, began swirling around and tripped right into a nearby woman's arms. Right, so those are drugs. Don't mind if I dooo... Floyd walked up to the bowl whistling, keeping his eyes locked on the window, and showed a few full handfuls of the stuff into his pocket. Just in case he needs it.

Meanwhile, Johnny and the woman appeared to have had a history together, and the fact that the latter shoved the former into a couch and pressed into him forced Floyd to let out a sigh. I'm gonna be saving his ass through this whole party, huh? Fortunately for him and his sanity, before Floyd could reach the meeting and pull the woman away by the neck, she walked away by herself, and once the swordsman finally reached his "ally", the kid seemed to have been searching for him as well.

"I've got to ask, Johnny," Floyd spoke, keeping his voice low to not be heard by anyone else - not that it was hard to achieve, seeing as the music was still pretty damn loud. "When's the last time you Americans have had a school massacre? Because if it's been a year and nobody's prepared, I could probably reach that Brock guy in the center of the crowd after only cutting down, say, six people..."