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What Happened in Portland


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Doctor Funtimes showed immediate alarm at Sam's shoeless state, wheeling on her in a flurry.

 

"Sammy! You didn't get any shoes! Now you'll get bit by something poisonous and your feet'll fall off and you'll have to walk around with no feet and—" 

 

Remington Springfield sighed from nearby. "Just get her some shoes," he said, speaking as if he hadn't been beaten for a lack of respect earlier.

 

Instead of a beating, Funtimes rewarded him with a giggle. With a wave of her hands, a small boulder became a pair of shoes.

 

The pinkest, brightest, shiniest shoes Sam had ever seen, stuffed to the brim with fluffy purple socks.

 

"There you go," Funtimes said happily. "Now you'll have feet forever."

 

Sam looked at the shoes, decided there wasn't a way out of it, and started pulling them on. "Thanks," she told the Doctor, who was already chatting with the white Epic.

 

"I think," she grumbled under her breath.

 

Standing up, she took a few steps around in them. They were actually somewhat comfortable, in an undignified sort of way.

 

Revolution stepped up beside her, smiling. "Just think of the defiance you express by wearing those shoes, Samantha."

 

"By drawing attention to myself?" Sam asked skeptically. "I already did that."

 

"No, no," Revolution replied, a glitter in her eyes. "An Epic must have died to create those shoes."

 

"How do you figure?"

 

"Why, obviously the Pink Pinkness exploded in a shoe factory."

 

Sam groaned, casting a glance at Lightwards. The necromancer was looking uncharacteristically cheerful this morning. It wouldn't do to let that last for long. "Let's save the wit for the Epics, Revolution."

 

 

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The lady Epic listened to Aldo, still seeming suspicious.

 

"Very well," she said finally. "You may escort us to your leader. But first, would any one like some tea?"

 

Before anyone could respond, she had pulled out a number of supplies suited for the most elegant of tea parties, only to then stand in the room silently for a minute.

 

Then, the furniture made an appearance. Lines and lines of ants carried chairs and a table into the living room, casting the illusion that the items were gliding into the room on their own.

 

Aldo let out a whistle. "Neat trick," he said politely, taking a seat across from the lady. "I must say, I am impressed--"

 

Cricket, however, was unimpressed. "Well rust this," she proclaimed, turning away from the dining room and retreating to the far end of the room. "No offense, lady, but last time we had a tea party was with Earl Greyback in New New England. The slontze tried to poison us."

 

"Forgive my assistant," Aldo cut in, shooting Cricket a look. "She's allergic to high society. What she's saying is that we have no intention of imposing on your tea reserves. Not in this economy. I'll merely partake of this bottle of scotch, if you have no objections."

 

He pulled out a tiny glass bottle from his own sleeve, swelling it back to full size with a flare of his hands. He poured himself a shot, then passed the bottle to Purple Phoenix.

 

"Would you care for a shot, my good man? I pulled it out of the private reserves of Emperor Apostrophe the Apostate. Terrible man with a wonderful taste in scotch."

 

 

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Backtrack enthusiastically breathed in the cool autumn air, kicking the ground to keep the swing in motion. The playground was quiet and still now, with not a soul in sight. There was a scattering of pancake crumbs in the grass, slowly being picked off by one or two grackles hopping about in the grass. Blood stained the grass beside a playground merry-go-round, with not a body in sight to explain its origin.

 

The history of the playground would have been a mystery to any other man. Backtrack squinted through his pink sunglasses and stared into the past.

 

At once, the playground was filled with the ghostly shapes of his spatial predecessors. They walked, they squirmed, they cried with tears they'd spilled yesterday. It was all clear to Backtrack: yesterday at around afternoon, this place had been packed to the brim with scared vanillas.

 

The reason for their packing was evident in the enormous specters that haunted the playground's boundaries. Enormous man-eating dinosaurs shepherded the people within the park, fiercely devoted to preventing any vanilla's escape.

 

Leaning against the merry-go-round was a crazed professor with a bloodstained coat and a bright green bowler hat. An old man was horrifically disemboweled at the man's side, screaming as smaller dinosaurs ripped into his flesh.

 

"I am the master of death," the professor was proclaiming. "I defeat it with a mere touch. If you you fear death, then fear me doubly so. I am the man who will rescue you from Death's tyranny."

 

Backtrack yawned and skimmed through the rest of the ghosts. He saw the shapes of humans move and cluster around him, but most of them were the same boring old mixes of terror and shock. There were a few worth noting, though--he was amused to see a perky Goth girl pointedly rolling her eyes at the megalomaniac professor, a hippie who seemed more intent on preening her hair then listening to the speech, a particularly seditious redneck who polished his rifle in front of an Epic, and a strange little man who rode a unicycle while wearing a Darth Vader mask.

 

Eventually, an insane alleged cannibal stood up at the merry-go-round and offered her own speech. It was as strange and quirky as the dress she wore, and involved her spiritedly making out with her boyfriend and causing pancakes to rain out of the sky. At the end, she picked the four people who payed the least attention to her speech and declared them her servants, and the Empire of Light's Epics left the area.

 

Backtrack watched and rewinded the past a few times, taking it all in. Tracking down this Lightwards fellow was the most fun he'd had in months. Epic battles in the suburbs, hijinks with a teleporter, shenanigans with a matter manipulator... this guy led a very interesting life.

 

Tilting his pink sunglasses away from his face, Backtrack stared up at the floating museum that loomed over the city.

 

Thomas Cardinal--alias Lightwards--it's about time we met.

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The guy´s map-meting was interrupted by a group of people popping up into the museum. At the head of the group stood Funtimes, smiling as much as always, the rest of the group looked a lot grouchier, though. Lightwards introduced them promptly referring to the people Voidgaze didn´t know as Funtimes “pets.” And at this point it´s settled who in this room feels how about Vanillas.

 

Not that Funtimes cared much, if anything she cared about the Goth´s, Sammy from her exclamations, which were rather unreliable, missing shoe and followed the rifle man´s advice to make a new one. After dealing with her most pressing matter she noticed Voidgaze, with the help of Traveller but still. "Is it—it—it's—Blueberry!"

 

Voidgaze smiled shyly and hesitantly raised a hand, “Yeah, it´s me…” Not giving her a chance to say anymore the Doctor got her boyfriend to teleport her over and hugged Voidgaze, leaving out a lot of happy gushing. Oh right, last time she saw me I died, awkward.

 

There was nothing wrong with being friendly and she didn´t dislike Funtimes but this much physical contact was unused to Voidgaze to say the least and the one hug she got last time wasn´t exactly enough to get her used to it. Completing her sense of déjà-vu Voidgaze gently struggled against Funtimes grip, again using her tassels to softly push against her face. Hopefully whity didn´t feel like this when I hugger her, I should ask Sightline to bring the cat up here... isn´t she technically Funtimes child?

 

Looking for help she turned her head to Sightline, who was having a conversation with Traveller, apparently he didn´t care. Another flow of worried rambling escaped Funtimes mouth. “Sorry that I worried you. I can resurrect so I´m not going to die anytime soon. How about you… introduce me to your friends?” Big eyed, Voidgaze shot Sammy a pleading look. 

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Nathan covered his panic with a laugh. Explaining Epic powers was one thing, but explaining an Epic power he only pretended to have--to an actual teleporting Epic, no less--was quite another. "The details are rather boring, I'm afraid. I just think of a place and I'm there." On a whim, he added: "So it's a good thing I'm rarely thinking about the moon."

Hoping that sufficed, he glanced at Funtimes, who was grinning as Voidgaze tried to push her back with the tassels of her cloak, looking to Sam for help. Odd, but not half as strange as the woman whose hug she was desperate to escape. "Sorry that I worried you," she was saying. "I can resurrect so I'm not going to die anytime soon."

That, not any effort on Voidgaze's part, finally drew Funtimes out of her personal space. She jumped, clapping her hands in glee. "Yay! That is amazingly full of amazing amazingness!"

She threw her arms around Voidgaze again, only to pull away at her next question. "How about you....introduce me to your friends?"

That did the trick. Funtimes ended the hug, took Voidgaze by one hand and Nathan by the other, said "To our friends, please!" and landed the three of them beside the other four. She released Voidgaze's hand and introduced them each in turn.

"This is Remington."

He nodded, but didn't reach for his rifle.

"And this is Sammy...and the Unicyclist.....and....you? I know your name is awesome but I don't know it yet."

"Revolution Sunburst Jones," the hippie said with a proud smile.

Nathan hid his shock and Remington raised an eyebrow. "Revolution Sunburst Jones," Nathan repeated slowly. No Newcago human in her right mind would use such a name. Not unless she fancied being dragged away for a slow death at the hands of Epics who found her name amusing in exactly the wrong way.

Funtimes clapped her hands to her cheeks, drawing in a long gasp. "That. Name. Is. Incredimazable!" Her hands were pulled from her cheeks and fluttered in excitement before Funtimes threw both arms around Revolution's waist as she jumped up and down, squealing in glee.

Finally, she pulled away. "Blueberry, these are my friends. They're awesome and have awesome names. Friends, this is Blueberry. She's neat."

Voidgaze simply looked relieved to be free from the hug.

Edited by TwiLyghtSansSparkles
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“An Epic you want dead? How unique. In this city, everyone wants an Epic dead. I know several people who want to kill everyone in Thoughtown, because they didn’t pass the test. Others want Lightwards or CorpseMaker dead, because they killed relatives.” The informant said, smiling at Max's request. He went over to a filing cabinet and pulled out one of the folders.

 

“This folder, contains every request someone has made of me. Each of them paid me cash to complete that request. I can hook you up with a Cell of Reckoners that Operates nearby. But doing so will be of considerable risk to me, if the Epics who hire me find out, they could very well kill me. So what can you pay me, for this request?” The man asked.

 

Max hadn't prepared a sum of money. "Everyone has an Epic they want dead, as you said. If you help me kill mine, I'll take care of yours too. If it is anywhere near my capacity, I will kill the Epic you want dead while I take the life of mine too. I will raise a rebellion among the citizens here and we will take away the power that the Epics hold. I've seen it happen. The people need only to get past their fear and then they have nothing stopping them. They are brave, the fear of death is the only thing holding them back. I know people are angry. They hate the Epics. That hate can be a fuel to rebellion. I've seen people stand up before. They only need organization and they need the masses and then they can be successful," Max said. "I can't provide you with a lot of cash, but I can promise the death of your Epic and the revolt of the people. Are you willing to take the first step? You have valuable information, information that could aid the rebellion immensely. You also have the capability of spreading misinformation to the enemy. These Reckoners, while I admit that they do good, don't engage the people. They don't take the necessary steps to improve life, they only take a few."

 

Max waited. He knew his speech would surprise the man. No one ever talked about standing up to Epics. Epics were powerful. He knew it was necessary if they were ever going to break the command that Epics had. If the man insisted, he had cash necessary. He hoped the informant would join him though, because otherwise, he might have to die. If word of rebellion got out, Max could die. 

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As Strongsteel and Mare followed behind Altermind, Strongsteel said, "So what's the situation with the other factions in the city? We've heard about Corpsemaker of course but I've also heard about a lot of new Epics in town, Lighthound and Funwards or somethings like that?" He was obviously new. That was an awful butchering of their names. Altermind almost burst out laughing as he thought of the pairings Strongsteel has just mentioned. That crazy happy lady and the arrogant professor? How ridiculous. The only one worse would've been Nighttimes or Funhound. That would be an awful couple. Voidgaze and his spies' reports about the man said that he was brutal and cruel. Funtimes on the other hand, was happy and insane.

After clearing his throat to help hold in his chuckles, Altermind replied, "Lightwards, Funtimes, Traveler, and Nighthound. An arrogant necromancer, insane matter manipulator, reserved teleporter, and creepy cruel strength Epic. For now, we have a temporary alliance with them. I met with Lightwards last night, and while he is arrogant and insufferable, he has powerful resources. We have decided to work together against Corpsemaker for now. Two of the Epics working with me are meeting with them now, discussing plans to meet. When it comes down to it, they are just as destructive as Corpsemaker and in the end, will have to be eliminated."

Altermind had spent some of the night and morning coming up with ideas of how to eliminate those Epics. He hadn't been too productive yet, but he wasn't going to stop planning. They were undoubtedly figuring out the best way to betray him as well.

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Soulswitch smiled as he entered the zoo, "Oh doing well, just joined up with an Epic, Penumbra a shadow manipulator like Nightwielder in Newcago, someone that strong's definitely worth joining. So I was hoping to get something a little more combat suited from you this time, got any griffins for sale?" A griffin? He was getting ambitious. The biggest Chimeran SoulSwitch had ever bought before was a skunk/rabbit combination. As Chimera opened his mouth to answer him, a bellowing voice shouted from outside the gate.

"WHO OWNS THESE MONSTERS!" A metallic voice boomed. A huge man in full metal armor and wielding a broadsword was yelling at them. He continued yelling, "I am Voidknight! Slayer of monsters, vanquisher of Epics, Knight supreme!" The knight continued. Slayer of Epics? This man was an Epic.

SoulSwitch said, "Well I suppose we'd better take this guy out first and then do business shouldn't we Chimera?" The Epic drew his revolver, disappeared and reappeared behind the knight. He shot at him and the bullets bounced off. Suddenly, Soulswitch was pulled to one side and fell on the ground. He seemed to be having difficulty getting up.

Chi summoned his wolf warriors and his lions. He called griffins and a couple unicorns. He absorbed for himself the exoskeleton strength of a cockroach. He whipped out his two sabers and charged the knight. His griffins arrived, swooping down. Chi pointed at one and yelled at SoulSwitch, relinquishing his hold on that one to let SoulSwitch take it over. Rumenes landed and charged Voidknight from behind as Chimera took a swing at his neck. He figured that that would be the weakest place. He sent the mental command for one of his lions leap at the man and plunge their claws into him.
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Parity laughed when the man swung open the door and yelled "Altermind and Corpsemaker send a lackey to fight me!?"

"I doubt they know you exist, and they definitely don't know who I am!" she shouted, as she took a step back.  The swarm of rats seethed towards her, so she tossed the black sphere at the mass.  Parity smiled when it exploded, tearing a hole in the horde, and watched as other rats fell dead where they were speared.  

 

She quickly drained her shirt to white, and tossed the second dark orb right above the man's head, which  exploded when it hit the wall.

 

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After Corpsemaker left, Mundivore walked around the hanger, examining each one carefully.  Eventually he picked a mech, not a tranformer, suited up, and went out to recruit more Epics.

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Jeff smiled at the offer of scotch from Aldo, for an Epic the man had rather good manners.
Well, I suppose I can't keep thinking of Epics as different, I'm one now after all. He thought, as he accepted the offered shot.
"Just the one then, my head's already killing me I shouldn't add to the problem." he said.
Marigold poured him a cup of tea as he talked to the Epic, he was still getting used to her being back, and being so different.
"So you've only recently joined up with Lightwards?" He asked of Aldo. "I was with him just yesterday when they raised the museum. It's probably best if I not go back until I've cleared some things up with them, but I am still interested in allying with the Empire. Might I ask you and your assistant to act as intermediaries?"
Given the state of the city he and Marigold only had two choices, leave immediately or join one of the alliances. Tensions were rising too quickly to be a bystander.

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Soulswitch struggled to get up from where he'd been pulled, he'd felt a wind pulling him as he fell, so a wind-manipulator of some kind?
Chimera seemed to be trying to get his attention as a pile of his creatures flew, crawled and ran towards the knight, gesturing towards one of the griffins.
Soulswitch nodded and in a blink had taken the animal, he quickly adjusted to the new body and held back to see what happened to the initial rush of what Chimera called his Chimerans.

A lion charged at the knight while Chimera swiped at his neck, crushing the armour beneath his hand, the knight rolled with the blow and regained his footing a short distance away, pulling his sword out and swinging it towards the lion, blood dripping slightly from his neck but it didn't seem to be a mortal wound.

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"I doubt they know you exist, and they definitely don't know who I am!" The woman shouted at him, throwing some kind of shadowy ball into his army which then exploded, spears of darkness stabbing many others, she threw another directly towards him.
His rats surrounded him, forming a living shield against the explosion, though several spears still pierced through them and stabbed him in his shoulders, rendering his left arm useless.
"How dare you! Insolence!" He screamed at the Epic, sending wave after wave of his rats at her, and pulling out a pistol with his working right hand and firing wildly towards her, most of the shots going far wide.

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Strongsteel committed the names to memory, he liked to know who the main players were, having something to remind him of what he could become helped him to get a grip on his emotions.
"You're allied for now though? So you're planning to destroy Corpsemaker with them? Have you started any offensives yet?" he asked as they made their way towards the east wall, he stopped every soldier they passed and touched their clothes briefly, strengthening them.
Cloth wasn't nearly as good as solid things for his powers, it wouldn't stop a bullet, but it would reduce the impact from any explosions.

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Voidknight rolled from Chi's blow to the neck, but he quickly regained his footing. Out of the corner of his eye, Chimera saw SoulSwitch get up and then take control of the griffin. As Voidknight stood up, Chi saw that his blow had made it past the armor, scoring a small hit in his neck. The cut wasn't enough to bother the man much, though. The Epic slashed toward Chi's lion who had been given the legs and speed of a cheetah and the sword cut right through its neck. The Lioneetah had already been in midair and hadn't been able to change its trajectory.

A sad, longing yell came from Chimera's mouth. He hated when one of his creations died. He felt like their father and no father wanted their children slaughtered. He was angry now. Voidknight had killed his son. His other children would take revenge. Rumenes charged into Voidknight from behind and toppled him. He leaped into the air to stomp Voidknight with his powerful gorilla legs, but right then was swept to the side and knocked to the ground, seemingly by the air. Chi stood back and took more fervent control of his Chimerans. A two-legged elephant with the arms and mouth of a bear lunged forward at the knight. She too was pulled to the ground.

Chi realized that he'd need to swarm this guy for his attacks to work. He commanded all the chimpanzee combinations he had created to run out and attack his face. He yelled for his bodyguards, two of which had the speed of a cheetah and four of which had the arms of a gorilla, and they rushed the knight as well. Chimera sent the Chimerans he wasn't using, the tigers and birds and griffins, back into the zoo proper. He didn't want any more casualties than necessary.
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"You're allied for now though? So you're planning to destroy Corpsemaker with them? Have you started any offensives yet?" Strongsteel asked as they made their way towards the east wall.

"For now, yes. Though I wouldn't trust them, particularly Lightwards and Nighthound, farther than I could nudge them with a finger. Both of us are only using the other to eliminate Corpsemaker," Altermind replied. Strongsteel stopped every guard they passed and touched their clothes for a second, seeming to strengthen them. Altermind nodded his approval. Here was a man who knew how to defend and how to help.

"We haven't started any offensive measures yet, but my emissaries should be arranging a meeting to discuss those matters. So far, I have only sent spies to check up on Corpsemaker and his group," continued Altermind. They reached the East gate, the one closest to Corpsemaker's domain, and Altermind said, "Here you can begin strengthening and steel-coating the wall." Mare had been quiet this whole time, hardly saying a word. "Mare, can other people ride your Shadow Mares?" He asked.

Mare spoke up, in her mild voice, and said, "Yes. Others can ride my Mares while they are in a corporeal state. I can't give them control though, so it'll take regular horsemanship skills to ride them." She was an intelligent woman. Altermind could tell. These two new recruits he liked a lot. They would be useful as well as good company.

"Noted," Altermind said. "Lieutenant Davis, find ten of our men who are the best horse riders. We may need them in the future." The soldier saluted and walked off to find any guards with riding experience.
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Strongsteel nodded and got to work, steeling himself in body and mind as he ran his hands over the wall, strengthening the brick and mortar, coating it in steel and then strengthening the steel as well, when he was through with it this wall would be completely impregnable. Using his power so strongly stirred up emotions in Strongsteel.
damnation Altermind, assigning me with this drudgery, I should be the one ruling this town, I can protect these people from what is coming, they should flock to me, not that egomaniac. He quickly shut down his train of thought. I'm doing this for others, not so that I can get praise, look at Pan, she's never asked for a thankyou, never wanted power, she just helps everyone she comes across.
He waged a war in his mind back and forth as he walked along the wall, this was going to be a long day.

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Soulswitch waited for an opportunity, Voidknight lay about himself with a sword, pulling Chimerans to the ground where he didn't just slash and stab at them.
Chimera tried to swarm him with several Chimerans at once and seemed to be having an effect, it seemed he could only direct his power into one area at a time and so he couldn't pull the animals away from him without also disrupting his own balance, they scored a multitude of hits on his armour, crushing it in several places.
Voidknight had abandoned his sword, in such close quarters it was useless. He was laying about with his armoured fists, pulling animals off him while he tried to pull down the larger cheetah hyrbids charging at him.
There!
Just as he concentrated on the pack of cheetahs and pulled them to the ground, Soulswitch dived as fast as the griffin could, scoring a hit on Voidknights head and taking his helmet off completely, clipping his scalp and causing a fresh bleed as the man's brown hair was freed, revealing a scarred 30 year old man.
The blow had dazed him enough that Chimera could attack him again, his Chimerans now took out chunks of raw flesh when they attacked instead of just armour, reaping a bloody vengeance on the knight for harming and killing their fellows.
 

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Voidgaze managed to get Funtimes to let go of her, or to at least to only grip her hand. Then she also gripped her boyfriend’s hand and they teleported away to the rest of Funtimes group. Luckily, they all still wore their clothes. Voidgaze used the introduction of the merry band to recompose herself.

 

The rifle man was named Remington, which meant he really was a rifle man, and greeted Voidgaze with a nod that she hastily echoed with her own, although half of it might have been a gasp for air. As expected Sammy was Sammy, a woman wearing Goth clothes, and the man on the unicycle was the Unicyclist… are they sure he isn´t some kind of Epic?

 

The last person was a woman with hippy clothes, whose name Funtimes didn´t knew, maybe they just meet? Then again she didn´t really know the name of the Unicyclist either. One way or another she introduced herself as "Revolution Sunburst Jones," appearing very proud of her name and rightly so, most Epics would be jealous of a name like that. Not that Voidgaze herself was, absolutely not... totally.

 

Her name garnered mixed response from the unknowing. Naturally, the most excited one came from Funtimes herself. While she jumped away to hug Revolution, Voidgaze took a step behind Traveller, anti-hug shield acquired.

 

After Voidgaze herself got introduced as well she raised a hand from behind Traveller and waved at the group, hesitantly at first and then with vigor. They all seem like nice people, if strange but I don´t think I get to complain on that accord. “Hello, I´m Voidgaze and I think she´s calling me Blueberry because I told her my actual name Rita Blue. I meet her in Corpsemaker´s bouncy bank and then I died, anyway, nice to meet you as well.” She pointed at Sunburst and the Unicyclist. “Are you two sure you aren´t Epics, I mean even the names of Traveller and Funtimes… why are they even calling Traveller the teleporter?” At the last part she trailed of and spoke in a barely audible mumble, further muffled by her covering her own mouth with a thinking gesture.

 

Deciding that she wouldn´t think of the answer herself, Voidgaze tapped Traveller on his shoulder and leaned in to him. “Say, didn´t Funtimes teleport on her own back at the bank?”

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Altermind watched in approval as Strongsteel ran his hands over the wall, strengthening it. Steel then flowed over the strengthened wall, further enhancing it. It would take a nuclear bomb to blow it up now, Altermind thought, somewhat seriously. He wondered how much of an exaggeration that really was. How strong could this wall get? They could definitely use this to their advantage. Enemies would have to scale the wall or come through the gate. The wall would be difficult to climb and attack from and the gates were too small for a large army to fit through. If only Strongsteel's power could be gifted, the entire perimeter could be strengthened and very quickly. Altermind would have to focus on the east and south borders and try to funnel any attacks to there.

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His Chimerans were doing well for themselves. They completely crushed Voidknight's armor in many places. He had abandoned his sword and had begun pummeling the beasts with his armored fists.

Voidknight had pulled a couple of the cheetah hybrids to the ground, and right then, SoulSwitch, in his griffin, dove towards the knight's head. His helmet was completely knocked off and SoulSwitch had scored a cut on his scalp. The man was around thirty and looked dazed from the impact. He was knocked to the ground as the chimps, lions, cheetahs, and couple of birds attacked him, gouging out skin and taking vengeance. Chi was not relenting his attacks. This man had killed his children and he would die for it.

Chimera called his creatures back and they retreated, leaving a mass of bloody flesh on the ground. Chi walked up to him and saw the man sobbing. "My name is Chimera. You killed my children, my creations. Prepare to die," Chi said. With that, he plunged his saber into the man's throat and his eyes glazed over.

Chimera sent his animals back into the zoo and called for a couple of vultures. They would eat the body and clean it up. Whatever they didn't, the rats would finish off.
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"Say, didn't Funtimes teleport on her own back at the bank?"

Nathan went cold. Voidgaze knew. An Epic, a real Epic, knew.

In that instant, Nathan saw the future. He saw Voidgaze spin him around with a friendly smile on her face. He saw her raise her hand and, once Lightwards' attention was hers, repeat her observation.

He saw Funtimes restrained by the tassels of a white cloak.

He saw Lightwards shoot him and raise him, again and again until Nighthound arrived to complete his penance.

Then a sliver--nothing more--of reason cut through that vision.

Voidgaze had asked. Not told. She had leaned in and whispered while his back was to Lightwards. Her tone was that of a genuine question, asked with a mixture of curiosity and concern. She had asked him. Not Lightwards. Not one of the many Epics at the bouncy castle that day. She was giving him a chance to deny it.

And if Nathan knew one thing about Epics, it was that he had to tell the truth.

"It was her idea," he whispered back, nodding at Funtimes. His girlfriend was still grinning at Revolution's name. "No one else knows. Lightwards--" He drew a breath and wished it were steady. Wished he could keep the pleading note from his voice. "He thinks it's real. It was her idea, I swear."

He stuffed shaking hands into his pockets, the heat of the jungle feeling more oppressive than ever, and waited for Voidgaze to announce his secret. If she calls dibs on killing me, maybe she'll make it quick.

Edited by TwiLyghtSansSparkles
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"Flashpoint, come to the Planning Room and show the woman in a nurse's outfit where the infirmary is," Altermind said over Flashpoint's mobile. He had just woken up and gotten ready. He was already on his way from his quarters to the Planning Room, so he just continued on his way as he replied.

"Yes, on my way," Flashpoint said. He walked through the halls of the old school and nodded to the guards. Fighting with them made him think of then differently. They really could be brave and they deserved at least some respect. He saw Al walking down the hall towards the kitchen. After a quick hello, Flashpoint continued on his way.

Flashpoint arrived right as Altermind was leaving the room trailed by two others, probably Epics. His boss gestured towards another woman in the room and Flashpoint went over to greet her. "Hello there. My name is Flashpoint. I'm to show you to the infirmary?" Flashpoint smiled and said. The woman wore an old nurse's uniform, giving away her status as an Epic. No regular person would wear such clothes.
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"Just the one then," Phoenix replied, taking his shot. "My head's already killing me I shouldn't add to the problem." 

 

The lady to his side poured him a cup of steaming tea, which Purple "Jeffy" Phoenix began to gulp down with enthusiasm.

 

"So you've only recently joined up with Lightwards?" he asked between sips. "I was with him just yesterday when they raised the museum. It's probably best if I not go back until I've cleared some things up with them, but I am still interested in allying with the Empire. Might I ask you and your assistant to act as intermediaries?"

 

Aldo took another shot of scotch for himself and smiled. "Absolutely--we were sent to retrieve one of Lightwards' wayward Warriors, but as she seems to have skipped town, we would be pleased to bear some good news to our esteemed necromancer."

 

"Right," Cricket said in a surly manner, unwrapping a candy bar she pulled from her pocket. "That's the thing about powerful Epics--you really don't want them to associate you with whatever's ailing them in life. Best to feed them a continuous supply of sunshine and lollipops."

 

 

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"And this is Sammy...and the Unicyclist.....and....you? I know your name is awesome but I don't know it yet."

 

Revolution smiled and took a step forward. "Revolution Sunburst Jones," she said simply.

 

The responses varied. Remington raised an eyebrow as he stared at her; Sam just gave her a grin. Lightwards' jaw dropped in complete bewilderment; Traveler looked completely taken aback.

 

Doctor Funtimes gave out a loud and dramatic gasp, her hands pressed against her cheeks and her eyes glistening. "That. Name. Is. Incredimazable!"

 

"Thanks," Revolution replied proudly. "I--"

 

The hug caught her off guard. Funtimes grabbed her waist like a clingy younger sister and started jumping up and down, letting out high-pitched squeals and giggles. Revolution did her best to laugh, but the embrace was sudden enough that her chief reaction was a gasp of surprise.

 

Finally, the jolly Epic pulled away, still gushing quietly. "Blueberry, these are my friends," she proclaimed. "They're awesome and have awesome names. Friends, this is Blueberry. She's neat."

 

Revolution brushed glitter off her shirt and straightened her ruffled hair. "Pleased to be of your acquaintance, Ms. Blueberry," she said finally.

 

 

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"Revolution Sunburst Jones."

 

Lightwards felt his jaw drop, but quickly replaced his shock with rage. She's lying. Revolution--why, that's not even a name!

 

Funtimes was entirely taken with the moniker, and quickly rushed to the hippie's side giggling like a young child and hugging her servant close.

 

It does explain how she's survived this long, he thought darkly. She's clearly adept at locating and pleasing the most powerful Epic in sight.

 

He turned away from the sight of Funtimes and "Revolution" hugging, only to find Traveler and Voidgaze close together, apparently whispering. He heard only a snippet of conversation as he stepped closer.

 

"...thinks it's real," Traveler whispered urgently. "It was her idea, I swear."

 

Lightwards frowned, but didn't speak. Calamity, were his allies already conspiring against him. Clearly that's what "thinks it's real" referred to; the thin veil of camaraderie that Funtimes and Traveler insisted upon. It was a hoax, a set up, a trap to leave him frenzied and alone... or was it a reference to the illusionist Altermind, who had no doubt cast his hallucinations in every shadow to watch him lay his plans...

 

He found himself absently rubbing at his chest, breathing heavily. His hand pressed against where bullets had penetrated a mere day before. He swallowed and regained control of himself.

 

It gets a little worse every time, he thought with a spike of fear. I can't let the deaths I've faced keep me from my goals. Paranoia is not my friend--at most, it is a very slippery ally.

 

"Might I ask what the pair of you discuss over there, all to yourselves?" he asked instead, trying to sound innocent. "I do believe this is a group meeting, and whispers are not conducive to trust."

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For a while Traveller stared at Voidgaze as if she told him that she was going to kill him. A bad question maybe? After he finished starring like a deer in the headlights, not that he stopped looking panicked, Traveller whispered back, "It was her idea. No one else knows. Lightwards… he thinks it's real. It was her idea, I swear." He sounded almost as distressed as he looked.

 

Why exactly did he even pretend to be the teleporter…? “Oh.” A small gasp escaped Voidgaze in realization.

 

"Might I ask what the pair of you discuss over there, all to yourselves. I do believe this is a group meeting, and whispers are not conducive to trust." Lightwards voice sounded behind her.

 

Voidgaze whirled around, throwing her arms up and trying to think of something. “Uh… names, we´re talking about names. Apparently Funtimes came up with the name Traveller.” In an attempt to appear honest, Voidgaze fixed her hair that turned into an unruly mess after her spin. Please, be a trusting person.

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Voidgaze suddenly spun all the way around, her hair flapping into an unruly mess as she did so.  “Uh… names," she stuttered, seeming startled. "We´re talking about names. Apparently Funtimes came up with the name Traveller.”

 

Liar. Lightwards raised an eyebrow, staring at Voidgaze furiously. And he had thought she would be more amiable than the other Thoughttown Epics. She was no better than any of them. No more sympathetic to him or his cause than Altermind.

 

He took another step towards Voidgaze, scowling deep into her eyes. "I would suggest you think very carefully before lying to me, Rita Blue," Lightwards growled softly. He let his voice rise higher, and raised his head to gaze at the others in the forest.

 

"I would suggest you all think carefully before lying to me," he proclaimed, fingering his pistol. A few nearby raptors seemed to sense his mood, approaching Funtimes and her group with mild hisses. "We are united in a single cause--or so I believed. Under my command, this Empire shall blaze its enemies to cinders. My orders will take Oregon by storm, and the rest of the world will follow forthwith. Anyone who stands by my side shall walk with me in triumph; anyone who whispers against me shall be burned into the dust."

 

He let his glare carry over the surrounding Epics. He was receiving varying looks from all of them--the merrier atmosphere from moment before had dissipated. He opened his mouth again--

 

"Tea and Twinkies, Lightwards," said Simon Regway.

 

Lightwards wheeled around on the Warrior, who stood vacantly with a tray of tea and pastries. The pastries were indeed Twinkies, with expiration dates from around the time Calamity rose.

 

Simon Regway pushed the tray closer to his master; Lightwards stared at him furiously for a moment.

 

I've gone too far, he thought with a sudden start. The last thing I need is a Funtimes rebellion right now.

 

He took a handful of Twinkies and faced the room with a nervous smile. "Ah... forgive me for my little tirade," he said slowly, trying to sound jovial once again. "You must understand, this Empire is of the utmost importance to me. Surely I can be excused for a little... defensiveness when it comes to maintaining its security."

 

Giving a chuckle, he tossed the old pastries to Voidgaze, Traveler, and Funtimes. "Let's have an open chat, shall we? No whispers, no conspiring. We're allies, at least for now--why don't we act like it?"

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Panacea took in Flashpoint's attire: black and silver with a cape typical of many Epics. She relaxed. It was usually possible to tell the cruelty of an Epic by their manner of dress, and Flashpoint wasn't dressed like the worst she'd seen. He could keep his hair from flying all over the place, at any rate. That was something.

"Yes, the infirmary. Thank you." She caught him studying her dress, modeled after those worn by Red Cross nurses during the Second World War, and smoothed her skirt. He walked, and she followed.

They turned down a spacious, grand hallway and Panacea caught another soldier out the corner of her eye. A rippled scar, obviously from a burn, covered one cheek. Her eye twitched. There was nothing she could do about it, nothing now....

"So. Altermind." She had to put the scar out of her head. "He seems all right."

-------------------------------

She didn't tell.

Voidgaze had his secret, his life, in her hands, and she didn't let go.

Lightwards caught the lie and charged forward, speaking in a hiss to match the raptors'. Nathan knew his panic was still splashed across his face, knew Lightwards would see it, knew it would only take a question or two to arrive at the same conclusion as Voidgaze--

Funtimes saw it first. Concern drew her lips into a brief frown before she reached for his tie and pulled him into the most passionate kiss he'd seen outside of romantic comedies. Lightwards went on about blazing enemies to cinders, but Funtimes was kissing him and her arms were around his neck and she was stroking his shoulders and drawing him closer and closer, if that were possible--

"Tea and Twinkies, Lightwards."

The kiss ended with a delighted gasp from Funtimes. "Twinkies! I love Twinkies! Do you love Twinkies?"

"Sure," Nathan managed. He didn't dare look at Lightwards for fear some lingering bit of panic still bloomed on his face.

Funtimes caught both pastries, glanced at the expiration date, and giggled before handing him an apple pie.

"Let's have an open chat, shall we? No whispers, no conspiring. We're allies, at least for now--why don't we act like it?"

Funtimes sat down cross-legged on the jungle floor, skirts covering her knees, and pulled Nathan down with her. "Yes! Let's talk about stuff!" She grabbed a branch from nearby, turning it to a polished wooden stick decorated with feathers and ribbons. "I have the Talking Stick, and I say I have the best boyfriend ever!"

Nathan chuckled and took her hand, wishing he could kiss her again. The declaration was a warning to Voidgaze, who knew his secret, and Lightwards, whose words were not as placating as they should have been.

Voidgaze knew. She knew, and she had kept his secret.

She would not let his debt go unpaid.

Edited by TwiLyghtSansSparkles
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Flashpoint himself wore black cargo pants and a black and silver polo. A black cape with silver trim hung from his shoulders. He had used to have one that reached the floor, but that was too easy to trio in, he had learned. This one reached his mid-calf. He noticed that the woman was taking in his appearance as well.

"Yes, the infirmary. Thank you," she said. Flashpoint began walking and she followed. As they entered the main hallway, the woman said, "So. Altermind. He seems all right." She seemed to flinch at the sight of a guard with a burn in his face.

"First, I'm sorry, but I seem to have forgotten to ask your name," Flashpoint said. "Yes, Altermind isn't too bad. Especially compared to some of the other powerful epics around town. Altermind, as long as you stay on his good side, treats people well and is pretty amiable. But don't get on his bad side."
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"Panacea," she said absently as another soldier passed, with a burn scar on his arm this time, most of it hidden by his sleeve.

She half-listened as Flashpoint gave her a small speech about staying on Altermind's good side. Those scars....there were more than there should have been. More than she expected from an Epic ruler with a good side. Her eye twitched. Was this standard? Did Altermind mete out punishments on a system, with burns as the standard for a minor infraction, the injuries traveling up a scale as--

"Did he get on Altermind's bad side?" She pointed to a guard whose burn covered his hand.

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The nurse, Panacea, told Flashpoint her name. He didn't know what it meant, but it was definitely Epic-y. Flashpoint nodded in respect to each guard they passed. As they passed another soldier, this one with a burn on his hand, Panacea said, "Did he get on Altermind's bad side?" She pointed to the guard.

Flashpoint's face and mood darkened. With a scowl, he said in a low voice, "No. That was Scorch. He is a fire Epic. He used to work with Altermind and I, but he defected to Corpsemaker. He was petty and violent. If anything displeased him, he tended to throw fireballs at it, whether or not it was a person."

Bringing up Scorch brought up bad memories. Flashpoint had always teased the Epic, but he had deserved it most times. He was rash and thought his fire could solve everything. Especially people. Flashpoint himself had sported a few burns in the past. He had learned how to listen for the edge in Scorch's voice that preceded a ball of flame. He had learned how and when to duck. Scorch had been rude and cruel. Flashpoint was glad he had left and he didn't have to work with the man anymore.

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Freeze enjoyed working for this Corpsemaker fellow. She had only met him briefly, and she didn't wish to see a lot of him. But there were many benefits. She could be alone and she was free to do what she wished. She had a nice room to herself, good food, and space.

Corpsemaker had had her powers tested. She assumed he found then suitable, since she was still around and still alive. She had decided to practice her powers more. Using the target practice room, she worked on her accuracy with her ice. After a few hours, she had improved quite noticeably. She had also practiced timing when she encased herself in ice. She found that a couple seconds before impact stunned the attackers the most and it gave her time to shoot off ice spikes at them.
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Murphy looked around the intersection. The gate of Thoughttown was supposed to be just up this road, but apparently his map was wrong. Broken Cities, Why does everything go wrong? His power was more annoying them helpful, except when he was bored. Where in Calamity is the Breaking place? CorpseMaker was having him make a delivery to Altermind. A rather unpleasant delivery. Still, he wouldn't leave his Employ, not while Streetwise was having fun. Apparently he was finding all the Informants and killing them or something.

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Gordon stared at the man. He wasn't talking about just an assassination, he was talking about a full on revolution. "Aw, what the Hell, I don't got that long of a Lifespan anyway. Alright then, sure. I'll hook you up with the Reckoners, if you take out some people for me."

 

the Door slammed open, and Kyle rolled in. "Gordon, we've got company incoming."

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"Scorch," Panacea repeated. It was an ugly name, one that matched the burn scars worn by his victims. She could look around and see what sort of man Scorch had been. A man who would disfigure a large number of soldiers because of some small problem that, given enough time, would disappear. An Epic who was too eager to use violence, too quick to maim and torture and kill. 

 

What kind of ruler was Altermind, to hire a man like that? 

 

Panacea wanted to run. She wanted to turn and flee Thoughttown, flee Portland, run back to The Dalles and pretend she had never left. Altermind had hired a monster, and he had given the monster enough free reign to scar a sizable portion of his army. Flashpoint's hatred of the man hadn't mattered. Scorch's time at Thoughttown only ended when he defected to someone even worse than he was, if the name CorpseMaker was any indication. 

 

Breathe, Pan. Breathe. 

 

She drew in a slow, steady breath, followed by another and another. Strongsteel was here, so she had to be here. No killing, he had said. Altermind had at least accepted his terms. He could be reasoned with, even if he hired men without reason. 

 

"How…." She paused to steady her voice. "How long did Scorch work here?" 

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The man, whose name Max still didn't know, stared, thinking for a moment before he said, "Aw, what the Hell, I don't got that long of a Lifespan anyway. Alright then, sure. I'll hook you up with the Reckoners, if you take out some people for me." Max was a bit surprised. He had expected some haggling, but this was a lot better.

"I'm glad you chose that. Sounds good to me. When can I meet these Reckoners? By the way, I'm Max, what's your name?" Max said.

Just then, the door slammed open, and another man came in. "Gordon, we've got company incoming." So Gordon was the informant's name. That would be good to know.

"Intruders?" Max said. The way the man had said company, he knew there was something about these "visitors". He whipped out his guns again, ready to shoot the next thing through that door. Gordon had decided to get him in contact with the Reckoners and was willing to work with the Black Fist. Now Max would have to help keep him alive.
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"Scorch," Panacea repeated. Flashpoint saw the anger mixed with fear and disgust in her eyes when he had explained the fire Epic.

"Yes, Scorch. A rash, foolish, cruel disgrace to humanity. The world would've been better off had he not existed. Even if he had just not received his Epic abilities," Flashpoint said.

Panacea spoke again, "How…." She paused for a moment. "How long did Scorch work here?"

"For a few years. I think it was four years. Calamity rose eight years ago and Altermind got his powers soon after and set up Thoughttown three years after Calamity. I began working for him almost from the beginning. Scorch was hired around a year later. Four years is about right. Altermind only kept him here because of his power's usefulness. He didn't like when Scorch injured his guards, but he didn't stop it from happening either," Flashpoint said. "Altermind did punish Scorch on occasion, when the damage was too much. The ability to shape fire was just too good for security purposes to pass up. Altermind almost got rid of Scorch, but realized how useful his power could be if controlled. Altermind may not make the best choices for the town, but he doesn't pass up assets. He's too smart for that."

Flashpoint realized he had kept rambling. He hadn't realized how much he had disliked Scorch until he had begun putting it into words. He also realized that while Altermind wasn't the best man around, he was on the better end of the spectrum of ruling Epics in Portland.

Edited by Mailliw73
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