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What Happened in Corvallis


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"Let's clean up those bodies;

Don't let those corpses get you down!

Come on everybody,

Let's get them buried underground!

 

So, dig those holes, and drag those stiffs, and let's get on our way,

Cuz' once you clean up those bodies, we'll have made a better daaaaaaaaaaay!"

 

Princess Genevieve Oprah Ornatia Delicious finished her latest musical number with a flourish.  Looting and burying the corpses left by the latest epic attack was taking longer than she would have liked.  Usually by this time, she was almost done her morning rounds and ready for her daily spa appointment.  The princess could hardly understand how whatever fuddy duddy of an epic who had caused this mess could be so inconsiderate.  Didn't he or she realize that she had more important things to do than clean up other people's messes all day? 

 

"Sebastien, I'm taking a break.  Would you be a dear and see me inside?"  Sebastien nodded obediently, and then turned his horse to follow the Princess's as she headed to the nearest house.  Once they arrived, Sebastien dismounted, stretching one hand up in the air so that the Princess would still be sheltered under her umbrella.  The sight of him, reaching to keep the umbrella in place while standing there, drenched in his suit, was rather comical, and the Princess couldn't help but laugh. 

 

Nonplussed, the Butler knocked smartly on the door and cleared his throat.  "Announcing, her Royal Highness, Princess Genevieve Ornatia Oprah Delicious, Princess of Corvallis, Damselle of Dancing, Cutie of Cleanliness, and Sparkler of Sanitation."

 

"Very good Sebastien!"  The Princess always enjoyed hearing her titles listed.  "Once the door is answered, be a dear and keep the workers on task?  I know those badgers can be rather disagreeable, so be sure to keep someone handy to bear the brunt of their claws and teeth if you feel the need to correct their mistakes."

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Blossom gritted her teeth and closed her eyes out of frustration, grabbing the handhold above her head as the limo swerved. She had heard that vanillas would often feel a bit disoriented after Chase left their bodies, and she always felt a bit remiss that she'd never be able to experience the phenomenon first hand, but currently it was just a tad annoying. Sparing a glance for the woman seated across from her, the girl was struggling just as much as she was. Good. It wouldn't do for a Queen to be seen as weaker than a vanilla.

 

As the driver finally got a grasp on his wits, Blossom looked to the clock. It was 11, and in half an hour Bubbles would be leaving bunker beta to get to the Drop Point. Given what was happening, and where it was happening, Bubbles needed one of her sisters to travel with her, since the road wouldn't be very safe.

 

"Step on it please, driver. I'm in a bit of a-" Blossom was cut off as Chase re-entered the driver.

 

"Miss me much?" Chase said. Blossom held back the urge to roll her eyes.

 

"Mm, yes. Next time give us fair warning before just jumping out. I think our guest here nearly vomited on me," Blossom offered an insincere smile to the vanilla woman. It was going to be fun taunting her. "But as I was saying to the driver before you joined us again, please step on it. We need to get to the broadcast station quickly so that I can go and escort Bubbles to the Drop Point."

 

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"Rainmaker, it's an Epic. Shoot them." Chase's voice in her ear.

 

Buttercup couldn't help but smile. Finally. Time to shine. Still floating in the air, she took one last glance at the helicopter with Cornucopia in it. "I got this," she said to the Queens. Taking care to not give herself away, she took off slowly, gradually gaining speed to avoid a burst of light. She couldn't, however, avoid the light that trailed her, but that couldn't be helped. She needed speed.

 

Zipping after the van, she caught up no problem, flying parallel with it a few hundred yards away, the fields of crops blasting by underneath her. Positioning herself a little further ahead of the van, she pulled a quick turn, racing towards the highway, and crashed fists first into the side of the vehicle, T-boning it.

 

Her body tumbled with the van as it barrel-rolled across the road and eventually over the barrier, bursting off the high way and into the fields. When the van finally came to a stop on its side, Buttercup groaned as her bones reattached and her skin re-knit itself. When her arms became usable again she lifted herself out of the crevice of the van, floating over to the passenger side door, which was facing the sky. Punching through the door, she ripped the piece of metal out of its hinges and flung it away. 

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Iconoclast whistled to himself as he drove away. He could hear a helicopter buzzing away overhead, even over the light patter of rain on his roof. 

 

"Today has been a good morning", he thought aloud to himself, "Where to now, I wonder....."

 

He was just considering his next move when suddenly he heard a whoosh coming from the side. Turning, he saw nothing but a flash of green before his world upended. Everything was a blur, the world span, a titanic crashing sound pierced his ears. The impact itself broke his neck. As his van tumbled and crunched through the field, his bones broke and his flesh mangled.

 

Finally he came to a stop.

 

Iconoclast blinked in surprise. He was half trapped in the twisted chassis of his van. He had certainly not expected that. Were they so careless as to not even check who he was before trying to kill him? Thoughts raced through his head. A flash of green... Buttercup herself! Running was pointless if she could fly, and he had already healed too much to believably pretend to be a dead vanilla. Could he fight her? No, he wasn't ready to confront any of the Queens directly yet. He would play with them a little more. Time for an exit.

 

He squeezed his eyes shut, and concentrated hard. Focusing on every molecule in his body, he weakened the bonds between his cells. It would take a few seconds but-

 

Suddenly the passenger door was ripped off of its hinges, and there she was- black hair, and furious green eyes. Iconoclast smirked. "Tell Rainmaker that she won't have a populace left to enslave for much longer. Toodles."

Without breaking eye contact, or letting his eye contact slip, he punched himself in the chest with all the strength he could muster, and his weakened cells fell apart. In a second, his whole body disintegrated.

 

......................................

 

In the dark, underneath Corvallis, sat a humble rat. This rat, a fat, furry thing, was contentedly nibbling away, along with a number of its fellows, on a huge piece of meat that had found its way into their home. The rat swallowed, and took another bite. And then another. The rat, being a rat, never quite realized that it had taken the same exact bite three times in a row now.

 

Suddenly the piece of meat, what a human would call an arm, began twitching. The rats scurried away, only now realizing that there was something wrong with this piece of meat. Cuts, sores and missing chunks began regenerating, and soon the arm looked as if it had just been amputated. The arm continued twitching and writhing as the bloody stump began extending, re-growing muscles that had been somewhere else not long ago. The growth was slow- only an inch or so of new flesh every dozen seconds, but the pace would increase. 

 

And then Iconoclast would rise once more.

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Kenshin had settled down with a nice cup of tea, reflecting about Buttercup’s offer. It would not be a bad position, a henchwoman’s henchwoman, not the most glorious by far but still valuable in a town like this. The security line of work would also put her into more honest situations better suited to her temperament and away from the stagnant serenity that had been forcefully pulled over the population of Corvallis, an ailment that was already in the process of being bloodily purged from the town. What would her alternative be anyway, continue to wander around the wasteland in search for a better place?

 

During her musing she absentmindedly glanced out of the window a couple of times. A troupe had gathered around the corpses and putting up a show around the dead bodies. It was without a doubt the most saccharine looting of bodies she had ever witnesses, with small birds combing through pockets and humans putting on a musical number as they moved the corpses underground.

 

In the middle of it was a woman coordinating the effort. She was riding a horse and wearing a dress that appeared to be ripped straight out of the clichéd image of a fairytale princess. It was effectively impossible to determine if that Epic just had a downright impressive amount of audacity or if she was simply the fruit of the happy mentality that had infested this place.

 

Once they knocked on her door and strung together a rather colorful list of titles Kenshin couldn’t help herself but assume that it was the latter. Still she would should at least try to be a proper host.

 

Nonetheless, Kenshin signaled her servant to open the door. She herself stood a bit further down the hallway, creating a sheathed katana in her hand, leaning on it similarly as one would on a cane. Once the timid girl opened the door Kenshin greeted her visitor, “Welcome… princess. I am Kenshin. Is there anything I can help you with?”  

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Gelliton’s mobile buzzed. Conjuring a tendril of gel, she picked it up and brought it to her ear. One of Rainmaker’s underlings spoke into her ear, telling her to help secure one of the recent interlopers in Corvallis. Suppressing the urge to destroy the mobile that had interrupted her peace, Gelliton grudgingly agreed to fireproof Converter’s prison. She hung up quickly, and, sighing in frustration that Rainmaker couldn’t keep control of her own city, prepared to leave. She passed several moping servants on her way outside; despite the fact that she had threatened to flog any servant she saw moping, they still moped, and in plain sight of her no less. Discipline couldn’t be allowed to get to slack, so she drafted several tendrils of transparent gel, and whipped each servant she encountered who wore a downcast expression. After a few of them were flogged, the rest looked much happier. Gelliton smiled, satisfied that she could keep discipline in her mansion, even without the help of epics like Euphoria, who had demonstrated that she couldn’t be trusted. 

 

She searched the street carefully, always on the lookout for red cars, and then drafted a springboard of shining red gel under her feet, which she used to push herself through the air, propelling herself several streets over, closer to Converter’s prison. The gel didn’t take her as far a she would have liked, the rain was weakening her gel’s consistency. When she landed, a cushion of ballistics gel enveloped her, softening the impact. After several more launches, and many complaints about Rainmaker’s decision to make the day overcast and rainy, Gelliton reached her destination, a large mound of ice, which contained an incredibly dangerous epic capable of converting energy through all of its forms, though thankfully she had to do it consciously. She tried to approach the prison, but was stopped by strong winds blowing outward from the prison, which Rainmaker’s assistant had failed to inform her of. She tried to make a wedge of gel to protect herself from the wind, but it blew away her ballistics gel, and gel that hardened with pressure became too solid to move.

 

Pointing to an epic she vaguely recognized, she spoke " You.  Is there anything for me to do while I wait for Rainmaker to grace us?"

 

" Just wait over there," he said pointing to a general area a few hundred feet to the left of the cage.

 

She barely restrained herself from attacking him, instead drafting a tendril and stabbing it into the ground. If only he were alone. Disrespectful minor epics.

 

Instead, she resigned herself to a long wait before Rainmaker deigned to appear before her and fix the winds, taking several seconds to draft a chair out of pressure sensitive gel coated with her ballistics gel and sitting down.

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"Oh Kenshin, what a delight to meet you!"  The Princess waived her hand, motioning for Sebastien to leave.  Before he closed the door behind him, the Princess hummed, summoning two of her birds to her side.  One, a meadow lark, landed gracefully on her outstretched finger, while the second, a humming bird, hovered obediently at her side.  

 

 

"I hope that I have not inconvenienced you in the slightest darling, but working in this, dare I say, dreadful rain has been exhausting.  My delicate skin just cannot put up with such intolerable conditions.  You understand?"  As she entered the home, the Princess absent-mindedly brushed her hand against nearby walls and surfaces, making already well maintained materials shine and sparkle.  "Normally I would look for a pleasant meadow or hollow tree to take my nap in, but as you can, napping outdoors in these conditions simply wouldn't do.  My little friends here should be able to look after me just fine, so just show me to the nearest divan or bed, I'll freshen up a bit, and then be on my way!"

 

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By the time Rainmaker arrived at the scene, finding Buttercup standing over the overturned van, glaring angrily into the interior.  Approaching, Rainmaker expected to see the corpse of whatever epic had been causing such a nuisance.  Mid-Day bubble drop was approaching quickly, and Rainmaker still wanted time to prepare before greeting some of the new residents.  Once that was over with, she resolved to leave her underlings to fix whatever messes arose.  She was Queen of this city after all, and if she wanted a relaxing afternoon, Calamity help her, she would damnation well take it.  

 

Drawing near to the van, Rainmaker was surprised to see it was empty except for what looked like a pile of dust or ash.  Her skin glimmered as her gaze shifted to Buttercup.  "Since it's doubtful you've randomly acquired to power to disintegrate your foes, am I to believe that the epic driving this van has escaped you?"  

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Atrophy yawned as he listened to Rainmaker's broadcast. Boring, boring, boring. 

 

The servants had all gathered around to watch- attendance was mandatory, after all. They all seemed at least a little bit more interested than Atrophy- his gaunt face and sunken eyes the very picture of apathy.

 

The broadcast finished and the servants looked at each other, mumbling quietly amongst themselves. Atrophy yawned once more, stood up, and stretched. "And now, mortals, the time has come for you to return to your menial tasks and pointless endeavours. And someone go ask around for a new book for me. Preferably the next book in the Inheritance Cycle, but any fiction novel of any genre will suffice to entertain me, no matter how poor the penmanship."  The servants scattered around to their tasks, and Atrophy sighed contentedly. 

 

A servant, Bronwyn, approached him, bowing her head and avoiding eye contact. "Excuse me master, but I was planning to go get the ingredients for lunch and dinner today. If I may ask, what would you like?"
Atrophy considered the question, stroking his pointed chin. "As demeaning as the requiring of sustenance is for me, I do enjoy the taste and texture of chicken curry. I haven't had that since before I came here. Tell me human, do you know how to cook curry?"

 

Bronwyn hesitated, and replied, "Well, I never have before, master, but I-"

 

"Then find someone who can or learn. Be a darling slave and go fetch those food prerequisites, would you kindly?" Bronwyn nodded and quickly made her exit. 

 

Atrophy settled down and continued reading. Another peaceful, quiet morning in Corvallis. 

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This princess Genevieve really didn‘t act like she belonged into this world, now that even birds were flocking around her. However, she just strengthened her image of a fairytale princess, one out of the sanitized version that is. Kenshin wondered what would happen if someone forced her to wear a shoe that was too small for her feet to actually fit into, biting into her flesh and only leaving them a bloody mess. Probably badly, given that she couldn’t even handle a bit rain, as it seems.

 

From there she proceeded with an appalling mixture of arrogance and ignorance. Acting as if it was natural that Kenshin should volunteer her a bed, something she certainly wouldn’t just volunteer to a random stranger that just finished pillaging bodies. Her walls suddenly starting to sparkle on top of their already well maintained cleanness was also a not appreciated slight. Still Kenshin kept her face stoic. She would probably avoid a good deal of trouble if she just told her to leave her home but who knows what kind of connections a self-absorbed Epic like her had for them to not already having been knocked out of her head. Furthermore, proper hospitality was a matter of pride for her.

 

“I’m afraid I can’t help you with a place to rest,” Kenshin said, “but if you don’t want to move back out to the elements I could offer you some refreshments.”

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Watching from a distance Cornucopia couldn't quite make out the details, the Van had been stopped certainly and it didn't look like anyone else was moving in it, Rainmaker had flown in to deal with the matter so Cornucopia resolved to do another lap of the fields on the off chance she'd missed on of the cretins who had waged a war in the middle of her fields.

Having satisfied herself that all the creatures were either dead or captured she released the civilians she'd captured, they should probably be interrogated about what had happened but she doubted they'd learn much. The story had seemed pretty obvious.

Now how to deal with the bizarre creatures? If she let them free of the vines they'd cause more needless mayhem, she didn't even want to shift the bindings in case they started tearing up her plants again, but how would they move them or interrogate them if they were rooted to the ground by vines?

Hang on wasn't there some Epic who could weaken people? Aniseed? Alacrity? Apathy? Yes that sounded about right.

She switched her phone to one of her servants numbers, something like this needn't bother Rainmaker, the bubble would be due to come down soon so she'd be busy enough without needing to micromanage who took care of these... things.

"Get in contact with that Epic, the skeleton one, Apathy or whatever it was." She said curtly.

"Of course my lady, will you be returning to the Arboretum to meet him?" A cool male voice answered from the other end.

"No, tell him I'll meet him at whatever abode he's in now, he'll be needed for some work." She said before unceremoniously hanging up.

The events of late had shaken her, the city was becoming far too unruly, and now she'd have to deal with an Epic, a male at that and likely one with a huge sense of self importance. Somehow male Epics seemed to be like that almost universally. For that matter so did female Epics but at least the queens of Corvallis did it with some grace.

Sighing deeply she told the pilot to fly to the city and land as close as he could to wherever the Epic was.

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Atrophy's brow furrowed as his phone began buzzing. He was getting a call? No-one ever called him. Nor did he care for them to, truthfully.

 

Reaching into his pocket, he withdrew his mobile and tapped it, answering the call. "Is there some reason for this call?" He asked testily. "I am in the middle of very important business." An exciting scene had just begun in his book.

 

A calm, male voice replied, "Excuse me sir, I assume that I am speaking with Atrophy?"

 

"Most definitely. Now if you would be so kind as to get to a point....?"

 

The voice, barely shaking as a vanilla's should have been, continued. "I am speaking on behalf of Queen Cornucopia. My mistress requires your assistance."

 

Atrophy frowned. "Assistance? Assistance with what?"
They never required him- thankfully. Most Epics, well people in general, detested him and preferred to have as little contact with him as possible. A situation that Atrophy was more than happy to maintain. 

 

"Queen Cornucopia did not inform me, as it was not relevant for either myself or you to know."

 

Atrophy sighed. "Very well, I will help her with whatever little task she needs me for. Where does she want me to go?"

 

"She said that she will come and pick you up."

 

"Here? When?"

 

"Immediately, sir." As the servant replied, Atrophy heard a helicopter in the distance, getting closer. He had heard it pass nearby not long ago, and had been faintly aware of it hovering over the north-eastern fields since. The sound was getting louder- soon it would be on top of him.

 

Atrophy sighed, and terminated the call. Well, at least he could thank her for the lovely greenery now. Hopefully this task would not detract from his leisure time overly much. He was a busy, busy man.

 

The skeletal Epic rose, and informed a servant in a nearby room that he would be gone for an unknown period of time, but would return as soon as possible after serving one of the Queens. Exiting the house, Atrophy waited in his front lawn, playing idly with a flowery bush, while the helicopter descended onto the quiet street, rotors now a deafening roar. The door facing him opened as the helicopter hovered mere feet above the ground, and a human leaned out, gesturing for Atrophy to come. rolling his eyes, the walking skeleton slowly made his way over to the copter and climbed in. Waiting for him was the regal Queen who supplied the city with all of its resources.

 

"Queen Cornucopia," Atrophy smiled, bowing slightly as he sat down. "What a transcendent morning to be conscripted into menial tasks at short notice on. Oh, and thank you for all the greenery- the view from my windows is quite pleasant."

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Was that... sarcasm? Cornucopia thought briefly as she was greeted with a seated bow. Dismissing the notion she replied as graciously as she could.

"You're too kind, but think nothing of it. Beautifying the city is simply one of my many enjoyments."

Pleasantries gotten through with (she hoped) no awkwardness she proceeded to the issue at hand.

"I'll get to the point then, some kind of... creatures have been apprehended in one of the fields, they're feral and with some kind of enhanced physical capabilities so we believe them to be part of an attack on the city by an unknown Epic. They've been restrained for now but moving them in their current situation may prove difficult so I'd like for you to sap their strength and perhaps assist in a little bit of, shall we say, forceful interrogation?"

Cornucopia planned on doing most of the interrogating herself, even if she got no useful information from the things she wanted to see them writhing, she needed to be the one who punished them for attacking one of her fields. But still, perhaps this Atrophy as someone had corrected her would enjoy assisting. His abilities might help in any case.

"So to that end we'll be taking you to the fields for a while, the city of Corvallis thanks you for your cooperation in this matter and will ensure that you are duly compensated for all efforts you make on behalf of the city."

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"I'll get to the point then, some kind of... creatures have been apprehended in one of the fields, they're feral and with some kind of enhanced physical capabilities so we believe them to be part of an attack on the city by an unknown Epic. They've been restrained for now but moving them in their current situation may prove difficult so I'd like for you to sap their strength and perhaps assist in a little bit of, shall we say, forceful interrogation?"

 

 

Atrophy nodded thoughtfully as the helicopter rose into the sky. How interesting. First the riots yesterday and now an attack by some creature-spawning abomination of an Epic? If this Epic was successful in its attack, Corvallis would fall and his simple, carefree lifestyle would vanish. It would be unbearably tedious finding a new place with comparable services, certainly no other city in Oregon would do.

 

"So to that end we'll be taking you to the fields for a while, the city of Corvallis thanks you for your cooperation in this matter and will ensure that you are duly compensated for all efforts you make on behalf of the city."

 

Atrophy bowed his head slightly once more, and replied. "Creatures? How bothersome. Very well, I can perform all of those tasks. I'm indeed quite curious as to the... nature of these creatures. But do not enlighten me just yet- it would spoil the surprise."

 

The rest of the short trip proceeded in silence, with Atrophy sitting motionless, deep in thought as he considered other options for places of residence should Corvallis grow too restless for him.

"Portland? No, the gangs and turf wars bore me. Bend? Hmmm.... no, all the mining sounds unsightly and dusty. Astoria? Potentially, but all the diamond was just distasteful last time I visited. Salem? A strong possibility, although the idea of competing in hedonistic blood-sports isn't too appealing."

 

Eventually the helicopter landed in an open patch of asphalt, and looking out the window Atrophy could see many bodies- both living and dead. Vans too were parked in orderly lines nearby, with larger and more imposing armoured cars scattered around, the insignia of the Corvallis Security forces emblazoned on the side. The door flew open, and a servant appeared to help Queen Cornucopia descend to the ground. Another offered a hand to Atrophy, but without looking he weakened the servant's arm muscles and the hand dropped away on its own.

 

An armoured security officer, a captain, approached the pair, and bowed to both of them in turn. "Queen Cornucopia, the rebels remain secure in the field. I sent some men to interrogate them, but the traitors merely growled and hissed. We are also scouring the field to look for survivors, and have begun questioning the survivors that we have already found. Shall I have one brought to you?"

 

Before Cornucopia could answer, Atrophy raised a hand. "Excuse me, Captain Terra." Atropy chuckled at his joke, and then again at the puzzled look on the officer's face. The base rube didn't even know that terra in Latin was earth, so he had just been denigrated as Captain Dirt. "My wit is lost on these simpletons"

"Uh... yes, sir?"

Atrophy smiled coldly. "If you would be so kind, please prepare your men and vehicles to receive these... creatures, as prisoners. I think a sensible plan would be for you to take me to each one, I shall weaken them, and then their restraints can be cut away and they can be moved, so that the Queen here does not need to follow us around for the next hour. I reason that that is a more efficient use of our time and resources." 

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Buttercup just stared at the ashes slowly falling onto the inside of the van's door. She had tried to grab the Epic, but he disintegrated before she could reach him. Hearing a soft whistle in the wind, she turned to see Rainmaker landing a few feet away, approaching. Buttercup side stepped away from the van so Rainmaker could peek in.

 

"Since it's doubtful you've randomly acquired to power to disintegrate your foes," Rainmaker asked, "am I to believe that the epic driving this van has escaped you?"

 

Buttercup shook her head. "No, this disintegration seems to be one of the Epic's powers. He turned to dust immediately after delivering a final message, said that Corvallis will run out of vanillas soon. I presume he means to see them all changed into those...things."

 

Buttercup punched the van in frustration. "Him committing suicide like this means he likely has a means to regenerate. We should keep these ashes in case he needs them, specifically, for the regenerative process." 

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Cornucopia smiled serenely at Atrophy before replying.

"Unless you want the offending limb to be removed from the rest of your body, I'd suggest you avoid cutting any of my plants." She said, retaining her smile. "I need to oversee their treatment in any event, but I'm sure you won't object to an hour of my company."

The captain scurried backwards from the two Epics, unwilling it seemed to get in the middle of any potential arguments.

A wise man then, perhaps he should be promoted. She thought idly before returning her icy stare to Atrophy.

Given that the offenders attacked one of my fields I'd really like to begin their... interrogation as soon as possible.
One hand reached idly into a pocket, thumbing the collection of seeds she held there.

Rose bushes should give a nice effect, and the bodies nitrogen levels should give them some lovely coloring. And I have been in the mood to add some a splash of blood red into the garden somewhere.

She lifted one arm lightly into the air, arching an eyebrow along with it.

"You may escort me now, Mr. Atrophy."
 

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"Unless you want the offending limb to be removed from the rest of your body, I'd suggest you avoid cutting any of my plants." Her smile never wavered- what an impressive woman! Atrophy thought to himself. "I need to oversee their treatment in any event, but I'm sure you won't object to an hour of my company."

 

Atrophy smiled back. He would object to any amount of time with anyone, but that was a thought best kept to himself.

 

"You may escort me now, Mr. Atrophy."

 

"Excellent, let us be off." He bowed, and walked off, leaving her arm hanging. She followed soon afterwards, a soldier at her arm.

 

Atrophy gestured to the captain and several nearby officers, "Lead us to the nearest creature. I am quite thrilled to discover the nature of these things." Although his tone of voice betrayed little emotion or excitement.

The officers obeyed, and the captain replied, "Well sir, they appear to be-"

Atrophy weakened his tongue, and the officer sputtered in surprise as his words died on his lips. "Don't.... don't spoil the surprise, you rube. Lead us in silence." The captain solemnly nodded, his mouth clamped shut. 

 

The captain lead the pair of Epics through the field, many of the plants damaged and ruffled, several bodies scattered around. Many were in body bags and in the process of being taken away, but others had not been attended to yet. They bore terrible wounds, as if they had been clawed and mauled by some ferocious beast. Or beasts. Atrophy 'hmmmed' in interest.

 

A few minutes later, they reached the first creature. One officer pulled back a plant, and Atrophy stepped through the gap to behold the object of his conscription.

 

Thick vines sprouted out of the ground and held it still, pinning its arms and legs together like an asylum resident in a straight jacket. It looked human, in shape at least. But its face, and its eyes..... The man, if it was still a man, twisted in his restraints. Its head whipped back and forth, snarling in rage and hatred, wild eyes glaring at everyone around it as it tried to free itself. His black hair was matted with blood, and his face was covered in scratches, bruises, and more blood. Particularly his mouth.

Atrophy smiled. "I can see why my assistance was required. You chose the right Epic." With that, he raised both his hands, and reached out with his power. He weakened its arms, hands, legs, and neck. And then its mouth- especially its hungry, blood-stained mouth. Its muscles failing, the creature slumped. But its eyes were as alert and as hateful as ever.

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Atrophy had, somewhat rudely, declined her offer to allow him to escort her. Narrowing her eyes at his back she called another of the officers over to escort her through the battered fields.

Atrophy did at least prove some usefulness by silencing one of the other officers with his power when the man was about to start babbling.

That could come in handy, and he doesn't talk much. I wonder what it would take to get him in a butlers uniform. She idly imagined as they strode along, her hands occasionally brushing a plant that had been badly damaged to restore them.

They finally came upon one of the creatures that was still alive, thrashing about inside of its restraints, up close it looked more like a beast than a man, mouth frothing slightly as it snarled at them.
 

"I can see why my assistance was required. You chose the right Epic." Atrophy remarked as he deadened the limbs of the creature with little effort.

Well a little confidence isn't a bad thing either. Cornucopia mused before reaching into a pocket.

She pulled out a small seed, striding forward so that she was next to Atrophy she held her hand out, a tiny piece of the vine separated and gripped onto the seed tightly before springing for the creatures mouth, it wasn't large enough to cause suffocation but she doubted it would be pleasant as the vine surged forwards, moving rapidly down the creatures throat and esophagus before depositing the seed in its stomach and withdrawing back the way it came.

Slow and steady does it.

A small trickle of her power was all that was needed, she could feel the seed begin to sprout, roots coursing not through the soil they should be but a mix of partially digested food and human flesh that resided it the creatures belly. She was careful to avoid causing too much damage but the sudden growth should be providing a few discomforts of its own, displacing the bile in its stomach with pulpy vines and roots, if the creature had the use of its muscles still it would likely be retching.

"This won't take a moment." She said, it wouldn't do for Atrophy to try to take matters into his hands quite yet.

The plants growth sped now, having reached a stable size and having avoided doing too much damage. she now proceeded more recklessly. Roots twined together and dug into the soft tissue of the stomach, anchoring it and causing a few lacerations along the way.

Next the vines began to grow in earnest, sprouting thorns along their length before separating into three groups.

The first began to slowly climb back up the esophagus, not so smoothly as they went down the scratched and tore tissue the entire way, making their way slowly back out.
The second dug down, entering the creatures intestines, ripping chunks out of the digestive tract, the creature would likely go into sepsis in a short amount of time. Cornucopia had heard that that was an incredibly painful experience but it still wasn't enough.
The third and final group of vines were smaller than the others, they dove in through the gap the roots had made in the stomach lining, venturing outside before they wrapped around a group of blood vessels. They began to tighten ever so slowly, cutting off the blood supply to its lower body.

"Well it should be feeling that." Cornucopia said flatly as a small tendril of green made its way out of the creatures mouth before beginning to sprout a rose bud.
"There are a few more and I'd like to see how they react to pain before we try to interrogate one so you can do what you want with this one, it doesn't have long to live in any event." She said, offering the creature to Atrophy, its eyes still glaring in hatred.

Hmm. It doesn't seem to feel any of the pain, that's hardly satisfying. Perhaps I should just destroy them instead, there's something to be said for that kind of instant, visceral satisfaction.

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Atrophy watched in fascination as Cornucopia worked her powers on the creature. From the moment she put what appeared to be a seed into the man's mouth, he knew that something delightfully creative was going to occur. Painfully creative.

 

But the creature... simply did not react. Even when a rosebud popped out of its mouth, and surely roots and vines were doing Calamity-knows-what to its insides, it simply didn't react. "Interesting...." He mumbled to himself, stroking his chin.

 

"There are a few more and I'd like to see how they react to pain before we try to interrogate one so you can do what you want with this one, it doesn't have long to live in any event."

 

Atrophy's sunken eyes twinkled. "It would be a pleasure, my Queen. I would very much like to have a look inside, and inspect their anatomy" Cornucopia released the creature from its restraints, and it slumped to the ground like a puppet with severed strings. Kneeling down, Atrophy moved the creature until it lay on its back, angry eyes fixed on him. He placed a hand on its chest. "Hmmm... its heart rate is incredibly high, and he is breathing rapidly. I expected as much. Captain, is the identity of this thing known?" 

"A survivor identified him... it, as Adam Lambert. Before today, a completely normal and contented citizen, at least outwardly."

 

Atrophy nodded as he felt around Lambert's body, inspecting it by touch and removing its torn and bloody shirt. "Indeed.... knife, Captain. And your gloves." The officer drew his combat knife and took off his gloves, and handed them to the skeletal Epic.  With a deft hand, Atrophy eviscerated the still form of the former worker in three strokes, forming a Y shape over his naked torso. Atrophy tossed the knife to the side and put on the gloves, peeling away the skin and revealing the internal organs. Several minutes of quiet and deliberate inspection followed, as blood pooled around Lambert, and the hateful light began fading in his eyes. 

 

Atrophy emerged from his grisly and macabre adventure, throwing the gloves aside as he rose to his feet. "It seems as though, internally, there is nothing wrong with it. Whatever happens to these things, the change seems entirely psychological. I wish to study others further, but to open the skull and excise the brain I will require more effective implements, and a less... dirty setting. And certainly, more gloves. Perhaps several could be transported to Skinsaver's clinic? This whole exercise has become much more interesting than I had anticipated. First of course, my work here must be completed. Captain- if you would?" The Captain nodded, and lead them through the rows of plants to then next restrained monster.

Edited by Blackhoof
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Hypno awoke and saw the messages from Rainmaker, concerning this new threat, brutal beasts running rampant in the roads. After having one of his servants dress him, he ate the meal they had prepared for him. He never worried about poison or sabotage; all his servants had the underlying Command to protect him at any cost. A chime rang in the house and his door servant brought in the two new slaves Rainmaker gave him for his help at the bridge last night. Hypno smiled wide. These two would replace the one he had used up yesterday just fine. He started the process, giving them the basic Commands that bound them to himself. 

 

Hypno hesitated for a moment as he considered composing a message to Rainmaker. He could ask where he'd be most needed today, or he could take the day off until she asked him to do something. Another relaxing refuge today sounded nice, but Rainmaker was never in much of a good mood and with the recent instability of the city, she was bound to be more bothersome than normal. High Queen, any duties for me? Interrogating any captured creeps or calming some of the crazed citizens? He fired off the text and waited for a reply, watching a servant contort herself in the most painful ways he could think of until then.

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The Princess sighed despondently upon discovering that the epic Kenshin apparently had no place for her to nap.  She was about to turn and go, hopefully to find a more agreeable home owner, when her host mentioned refreshments.  

 

"Oh, some refreshments would be positively lovely!" The Princess felt her expression brighten as her smile returned.  If Kenshin's treats were good enough, perhaps she could even forgive her for not offering up her bed.  Taking Kenshin's offer as an invitation to enter farther into the home, The Princess swept passed the other epic, taking in her surroundings.  The floor where she stepped began to gleam as if freshly polished.

 

"I adore your decore," The Princess said, aiming to be polite as she tapped a pair of ornamental weapons mounted on the wall.  At her touch, the sturdy leather grips became more ornate, with intricate embroidery.  The blades themselves remained unchanged, though they did begin to sparkle slightly.  "And as for tea, I don't suppose you have any Pumpkin Spice Loose Leaf?  It's my favourite!"  As she sang the last sentence, her two birds flitted into the kitchen, no doubt to study their new host's tea collection.  

 

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Thunder rumbled in the distance for what seemed like the hundredth time that day.  Who did this insignificant cretin of an epic think he was, to challenge her this way, in the seat of her power?  Rainmaker resolved to ensure whoever was causing her so much trouble would meet a particularly unpleasant end.  

 

"Have the ashes secured yourself.  I want no scrap of him left behind."  Rainmaker had unconsciously floated backwards a ways as Buttercup related what had happened.  "When you are certain they are secure, I want you working to track whoever this is down.  Don't bother me with any reports until you have some real results."  Not waiting for a reply, Rainmaker took off into the sky, hoping that Buttercup would get to work and do her job.  

 

Her mobile buzzed on the flight back into the city.  Groaning inwardly, Rainmaker stopped in midair to check her messages.  The most recent one was from Hypno, while there were a couple older ones that she had missed from the guards at the energy epic's prison.  

 

Stay safe for now, and enjoy your new pets.  I'll be in touch with my orders.  Though she was upset with Hypno for failing to bring Insight to heel, his command had seemed to effect the elusive epic.  If she could find a way to draw Insight into the open again, Hypno would be her best chance of capturing him and locating Euphoria.  Insight likely knew that as well as she did, which meant Hypno could be his next target.  

 

Scrolling through her messages, Rainmaker sent off a short text to Buttercup, instructing her to station some of her best epics at Hypno's house, to ensure he was properly protected.  Then, she moved on to the messages she had missed, only then remembering she had arranged to have the energy epic's prison properly insulated that day.  

 

Setting course for the Sports Field, Rainmaker sped through the sky, eager to get this one last duty over with so she could get on with enjoying her afternoon.  

 

She arrived a few minutes later, finding the epic Gelliton sitting in a chair fashioned out of one of the strange substances she could create at will.  

 

"Let's get this over with quickly, shall we?"  Rainmaker waived a hand, cancelling the winds directly in front of Gelliton.  "That should do it.  Proceed straight forwards, and be cautious.  We still don't know the extent of this one's powers."  Rainmaker had hoped to have recieved a report from the guards by now that the epic was dead of hypothermia, but apparently her powers were strong enough to resist the constant cold.  Let's see if she can stave off suffocation.

 

"Well, get on it.  I haven't got all day."

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Rainmaker spoke, waving her hand and making a passage through her gale.

"Well get on it, I haven't got all day."

Fuming, Gelliton rose from her seat, which collapsed without her weight keeping it solid, and strode through the gap, silently resolving to take her time. When she reached the giant cage of snow and ice, she started to draft some of her fire-resistant gel, more fluid than her other gels.

Drafting at only a fraction of her normal pace, she created the necessary amount of gel within six minutes. She than applied the gel, drafting it over the prison to create a shiny shell. Walking around the cell, she pretended to inspect it, adding bands of gel at random.

Gelliton turned around and walked back, concealing a smirk at the sight of a frowning Rainmaker.

Sparking woman. I'd better get quite a prize for this. The witch was late to her own appointment, not that Gelliton had expected any differently.

She dismissed the remains of her old chair, and drafted another, making sure to work somewhat slowly. She faced Rainmaker and spoke.

"There. I doubt even she can set fire to this prison now."

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Rainmaker frowned as Gelliton worked.  Certainly the epic could work faster than the snails pace she was currently moving at!  After what seemed like an eternity, the epic stepped away from the prison, and recreated a foam chair to sit in.  

 

"There. I doubt even she can set fire to this prison now."  The Epic's tone and obvious attitude made Rainmaker want to wipe her off the face of the earth like the insignificant speck she was.  Instead of flying off the handle, she resisted.  Attitude or not, Gelliton was a useful servant, as she had just shown, a unique tool that should not be wasted.  

 

"And the airflow in and out of the prison?  Will she be able to breathe now?"  All reports from the guards said the epic was still alive in there.  Rainmaker hoped that sealing the prison with Gelliton's substance might be enough to finish her off.  

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"And the airflow in and out of the prison? Will she be able to breathe now?"

So Rainmaker did have a plan for the epic. Maybe she was smarter than Gelliton had thought. Not that that was a difficult task.

"The gel is still permeable to air, but not as permeable as the snow was. Let me seal the edges, and the cell should fill with carbon dioxide within a few hours."

Gelliton walked around the edge of the prison, pulling any of the gel that remained on the ground around the cell, sealing it off.

"It's sealed as well as it can be now. If suffocation can kill her, then you'll know within three hours."

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The thought of the energy epic suffocating made Rainmaker so happy she had to resist the urge to bring back the sun for a moment of triumph.  "Thank-you Gelliton, that's the best thing I've heard all day!  Guards, notify me if there are any changes."  Without waiting for a reply, Rainmaker reset her winds and took off into the air, texting her masseuse as she made her way towards her second home. 

 

It was time for a relaxing afternoon.  Corvallis could figure out its own problems while it's Queen enjoyed the treatment she was due.  

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The pretty ballet dancer barely moved. She spun around and tapped a gruff-looking guy on the shoulder. After a few mumbled words, she pointed at Gregory. Nervously, he waved. 

 

The gruff guy--which was indeed Vaughn Tremblay--turned around and... smiled? I thought he never smiled.... It definitely did not help Gregory’s mood. He tried to calm himself down, tried to find The Void like Rand al’Thor, but as always, he completely failed. He only made himself more nervous. 

 

“Signup sheets are in the front hall,” Vaughn said, “but you can’t join ‘til the show’s over.” 

 

Gregory scrunched up his eyebrows. Signup sheets... oh! “Oh, no, I’m not here to sign up. I, uh, just needed to talk to you. Somewhere in private. Like, uh, not on this big dance floor. Is there...is there somewhere we could go?” 

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Chase watched through eyes that weren't hers as the van was ripped to pieces.

 

No need to break them, Buttercup. Chase thought with amusement. She always did go for overkill. If Chase had been in command- which she wouldn't have - she'd have told them to be more subtle in their approach. 

 

She overheard Rainmaker and Buttercup's talk about the Epic disintegrating through her vanilla's ears. She'd positioned the vanilla- a boy this time- to overhear the conversation. She could've just asked to have them patch her in, yes, but she found it cooler this way. Besides, they didn't really need to know she was there, did they?

 

 

So, the Epic can disintegrate, huh? Maybe another resurrection Epic. Hopefully not a teleporter, that would be a nightmare.

 

Yes, Chase could transport, but slower, and if the other one had tracking like Chase... 

They could find her. 

 

And Chase's power was in that nobody knew where she was.

 

Sparks. 

Track this Epic down. Her mobile buzzed with the message. It included the description. Which Chase had already known from eavesdropping. She'd pulled herself back into her body to check her mobile. Then she went back into the body and used him to stab himself. 

 

To cover her tracks. He'd have seen it as necessary. 

Wouldn't he have?

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