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What Happened in Corvallis


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Jumpdrive dodged another ghoul. These things were menaces. He heard Buttercup’s less than calm entry into the building, then the faint sound of crying and things breaking. The last ghoul in this apartment died to the third bullet to the face. He’d only missed four times out of the past eight, so his marksmanship was clearly improving. Finally, the noise stifled. Buttercup’s voice rang out. “Tim, if you're telling the truth, then I'm truly sorry." Excellent blackmail material. Not that I ever would, but you know. It's the thought that counts. He probably had blackmail on all the Queens, but he wasn't stupid enough to try. His Firewall was good, but starvation would still probably kill him. He hadn't tried, seemed like bad for his health. “Jumpdrive?” He breathed in to call Buttercup, but at that moment, a ghoul burst in, followed closely by a companion. Their eyes practically shouted insanity as they paused, noticing him. Sparks. He fired the gun. Click. ‘You are out of ammunition,’ Locator said. Sparking sparks. “Buttercup! Here. Quick!”

 

The wall crumbled inward, the wood and drywall splintering and powdering around Her Majesty’s overly dramatic entrance. I did ask for it. Then he saw the bigger problem. The roof of the building, this floor’s ceiling, was not going to hold up. Before he could speak, Buttercup punched a ghoul into the exterior wall. The ceiling collapsed, pulling the outer wall down with it, probably a ton or so of bricks, wood, and concrete falling down. Jumpdrive instinctively threw his hands up as his Firewall shimmered green, debris becoming ones and zeroes. Then the furniture from above fell down, encasing him inside the debris pile. The floor beneath him collapsed, and he fell, stopping as his Firewall caught him, but debris piled around him. The Firewall only blocked things that would hurt him, so everything just around him continued to build and entrap him. Then, after what seemed minutes, but really just about thirteen seconds, the debris had settled mostly, much of the dust on top of him. He sneezed, then looked around. He had almost enough room to swing his arms, and dust and insulation trickled past the stove top that had landed on a broken support beam. The fridge and granite countertop of the family that lived upstairs had blocked him into a corner. Outside the mound of debris, he could hear Buttercup killing a few more zombie citizens.

‘She sounds occupied and you can't push your way out. Recommended course of action is to sit until she finishes. Cleanup teams are sure to find you,’ Locator’s calm voice suggested. “That’s … boring. I just have to find - there.” The broken beam on which the stove had landed was jagged. Jumpdrive threw himself toward the point, as if he was going to impale himself. His Firewall activated, beam vanishing. The stove fell and was also absorbed into the data streaming around him. A few more bricks and bits of the room fell into the glowing green field, but Jumpdrive ignored them. He stepped through the hole. Buttercup crouched just outside, the last ghoul flying up from a kick. “My Queen,” he said. “Thank you for coming. I…  uh… had a few problems with catching them all, so that’s worked out well, I guess.” Now that the adrenaline was starting to drain out, Jumpdrive felt a little queasy looking at all the blood and broken bodies around the building. And the smell.  Authors never mention how disgusting this is, he thought. “I think the Epic that caused this is gone, was gone before we even got here. I need to get back to the library and check some data feeds, change clothes, maybe have Michael check me for shock. Which is assuming he’s alive. I need to find that out, he was figuring out how to arrange the cameras downtown and I can't do that myself. Too much work. I’m rambling, aren't I? Probably stress induced, might be diversionary subconsciously to help ignore the blood. Sorry, I will get going then.” Jumpdrive started toward the library. Should I have bowed, or shook hands? Hers were kind of bloody, though. That seemed like an abrupt ending, hope she didn't think it was rude.

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[insert ThunderSpear Picture Here]

 

Well, this place sure is big, ThunderSpear thought to himself. And that means plenty of stuff to find.

 

A large bridge seemed to rear out of the mist, and ThunderSpear checked his map.

 

Hmm...Harrison street bridge. Something big happened pretty recently here...probably epics fighting.

 

ThunderSpear continued on, wandering the streets of Corvallis.

 

After around an hour or so, he came across an elegant mansion.

 

Hmmm...Drainer? ThunderSpear snorted. Creative issues, much? Let's see what this rich dolt has.

 

ThunderSpear walked up, blasting the door when it refused to open.

 

Oo-la-la! Is that a library?! Oooh! And a sword!

 

ThunderSpear grabbed the sword, looking over it carefully, then with barely a tap broke it over his knee. Dang, with this much money you would think he'd have decent swords. Hopefully his library actually has something better than picture books.

 

On his way to the library, ThunderSpear saw something that instantly caught his eye--a diamond jewelry set.

 

Now that will go well with my spear, he thought to himself, grabbing a bracelet and slipping it over the shaft of his spear, sliding it up almost all the way. Perfect!

 

Satisfied, ThunderSpear walked out, in search of more to catch his eye.

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bloodskull.gif

 

 

 

Iconoclast hummed quietly to himself as he stabbed clawed fingertips into his arm, drawing out copious amounts of blood. As he moved his hand to the wall, his fingertips morphed, becoming rounded once more, much more effective for the job he was using them for now. Writing.

 

In broad, messy strokes, he drew his own blood over and over, healing in seconds, but his blood remaining, until his scarlet message was displayed prominently on the wall, facing the front door. 

 

ICONOCLAST SAYS HELLO

 

He nodded in satisfaction, and licked the leftover blood off of his finger. Behind him, Slaughterine stood, an expression of disgust on her face. "Was that... really necessary? I mean.... I just had this wall painted...."

Iconoclast grinned at her. "My dear, of course it was necessary. This lets Rainmaker and Buttercup know my name. And I cannot bear to contend with someone who does not know my name. Who can imagine what they might be calling me? Do you think I have a codename? Or am I just "that Epic" to them? Well.... now they know."

 

Slaughterine did not look convinced, but she nodded all the same. "I... see. Can we go now? Surely the security forces have caught one of the humans by now, they will be coming here shortly." Iconoclast shook his head.

"No, no, not juuuuust yet. There is one more thing we need to do."

 

The elegant woman sighed and followed him and he briskly walked into the lounge-room. Staked to the wall through the leg on the opposite side was a ravening ghoul, who had recently been one of Slaughterine's favourite slaves. She frowned as Iconoclast approached the ghoul. "You owe me more servants. Pretty ones." Iconoclast stopped by the ghoul, and tsked. 

"No my lady, you have it all wrong! When we are done, you will be taking your own servants. They are not mine to gift.... but yours to take."

 

Slaughterine appreciated this, as Iconoclast reached out and casually broke the ghoul's neck. Her brow furrowed, "what was that for?"

"She needs to be dead, for my trick to work".

"What trick? You are being annoying."

"This trick, my friend. Get one of your dresses." Slaughterine rolled her eyes and scurried away. She returned quickly with a beautiful gown, embroidered and sequinned. Iconoclast nodded, and ripped the stake out of the ghoul, dropping it to the ground. "Now, dress up this ghoul. We are going to fake your death."

Slaughterine looked quizzical. "Will that work?"

"Most likely."

 

She shrugged and obeyed. When she was finished, Iconoclast knelt down, and began ripping into the ghoul, disfiguring its face and covering it in blood. With her hair and rough facial features similar to Slaughterine, it was a convincing trick. 

 

"And now my friend, let us go." Slaughterine nodded, and eagerly followed her ally out into the Corvallis streets.

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Rainmaker.png

 

Karima Foster studied her tray of appetizers with a critical eye.  Did that cucumber sandwich have an uneven edge?  Did that cube of glazed avocado have a bad spot?  Once she ascertained that the assorted delicacies were properly groomed and arranged, Karima removed her apron and untied her hair, running her fingers through the long dark waves until they were arranged to her liking.  Once her hair was in place, she took the bejeweled headdress from it's spot on the counter and placed it delicately on her head, completing the ensemble.  The ornate headdress matched her outfit, a sequined ensemble with a pristine white cape that would create shimmering rainbows when her skin glowed.  Karmia smiled at her reflection, trying to ignore the slight wrinkles at the corners of her eyes and around her mouth that were peeking out from behind her concealer.  

 

Her husband and his guest did not look up as she swept into the sitting room, despite her glimmering skin and impressive outfit.  Karima set her tray on the coffee table and sat down next to her husband, back straight and legs crossed primly at the ankles.  Her husband's guest, Karima's father, was wearing one of the expensive suits he chose when visiting his American business associates, instead of the more traditional garb he wore when dining with Saudi Arabian princes and politicians.  Karima watched with rapt attention as her father reached towards her tray.  His speech did not waver, but Karima did not hear his words, her thoughts consumed by the hand that hovered over the tray.  After what seemed like an eternity, his fingers darted down to pick  corner off of one of her perfect cucumber sandwiches.  He grimaced slightly as the tiny morsel touched his tongue, but did not stop talking until he paused to take a sip from his glass of bourbon.  

 

"Your wife is very beautiful, Congressman Foster.  I hope that her appearance compensates for her ineptitude as a hostess."  Karima's husband frowned, and then turned to stare at her.  

 

"What are you wearing?"  

 

Karima fidgeted, the tight ostentatious costume suddenly growing uncomfortable.  "It's for my speech later, to impress the newcomers."  Her voice came out as little more than a whisper.   Her husband's bright blue eyes twinkled with callous amusement and he let out a cold bark of laughter.  On the other side of the room, her father remained silent, but Karima could feel his cool, calculating gaze assessing her worth with unfeeling precision.  

 

"Now I've gone and upset you, haven't I?"  The voice that had been so cruel moments before bloomed with sudden warmth and affection.  "Darling, you know I didn't mean anything by it.  Let's not be cross with each other."  Karima relaxed slightly as her husband gave her knee a familiar squeeze.  Her moment of gratification quickly turned to terror as her husband's hand melted.

 

"Come now darling, let's kiss and make up, shall we?"  As he spoke, Karima watched with horror as his face began to melt as well.  His bright eyes and gleaming white teeth were quickly lost as his entire body blackened and liquefied.  Karima sat there, frozen, as her outfit and the sofa were stained black with oil.  Then, the sofa too began to dissolve, and with it, the entire room.  Karima thrashed in place, desperately trying to escape, or at least to keep her head above the rising tide of oil.  

 

Her father, standing on what seemed to be an island within the sea of oil, clucked his tongue.  "Such a waste," he said with a heavy sigh.  He seemed to be glowing slightly, lit from within by a fiery red light.  "But, sacrifices must be made."  

 

Karima opened her mouth to scream, but oil filled it instead.  

 

Brilliant lightning flashed across the dismal grey sky, accompanied by a powerful rumble of thunder as Rainmaker sat upright in bed.  She was panting and covered with a cold sweat.  

 

It was just a dream.  You have nothing to fear.  He cannot hurt you any more.  Once she had composed herself, Rainmaker rang the bell next to her bed, summoning a servant to her chambers.  The servant arrived, a concerned expression marring her normally placid smiling face.  No doubt Rainmaker had been screaming in her sleep, but her servants knew not to disturb her until they were summoned.  She could not help what they heard while she was sleeping, but at least she could avoid letting her slaves see their ruler shaking in terror.  

 

"Shall we start dressing you, Shining One?  Or would you like reports from your staff first?"  

 

Rainmaker shook her head, answering the slave's question in the negative while clearing the last of the mist from her mind.  "Neither.  Send for my masseuse.  I'll need a massage and a good long bath before I can even begin to deal with how incompetent everyone is being today."

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"Jumpdrive?!"

 

Her voice echoed in the hall for the briefest of moments before a small crashing sound, followed by the Epic's voice crying out, "Buttercup! Here. Quick!"

 

The noise had come from the next room over. Her eyes darted down the hall to find the door a good 20 feet away. That'll take too long. She turned her head to look at the wall directly in front of her, and sucked in air.

 

She burst forward, crashing in, and then through, the wall. She could feel the wall give way as she passed through, but she also slammed through something a bit more sturdy. Sparks, she thought as she took out the support beam, That is not going to end well

 

Mid jump, fully through the wall, Buttercup opened her eyes, dust and wood filling the air, and two ghouls were gearing up to attack Jumpdrive. Making use of her momentum, she kept her flight alive until her fist rocketed into a ghoul, its skull crunching as its body soared into the opposite wall, blasting through it. Buttercup's eyes immediately fell on the missing support beam that the thing had no doubt taken out. "Now that's just bad-"

 

The ceiling collapsed. She glanced over to Jumpdrive as his Prime Invincibility activated. How she wished she had received one of those. Alas, she had not, and so she threw herself to the ground, covering her head and heart as best she could with her body. She could heal from anything other than a fatal injury to her heart or brain.

 

It all happened in the span of only a few seconds, and the moment Buttercup stopped feeling the weight of new objects landing on her, she burst up from her prone position. A sharp twinge brought her attention to a piece of wood impaling her right leg. Grimacing, she yanked it out, holding the bloody thing as she noticed the other ghoul dead beneath the rubble. Turning to look to Jumpdrive, she noticed a large hole in the floor.

 

Flying down, she couldn't see the Epic, but did see another few ghouls approaching the wreckage. Setting to work, dispatching them was quick. As she planted her foot in the last one's jaw, movement behind her notified her of Jumpdrive's presence. She opened her mouth to apologize for the ceiling collapsing, but the man was blabbering. Something about a man named Michael, then a library, and then Jumpdrive just started walking away. Buttercup just watched him walk away for a brief moment. "No...problem?" she said to no one in particular before notifying some of the security force of the conflict, then taking flight. 

 

Checking for messages from Broadcast during the trip, she saw that Kenshin had agreed to help. Good. The flight didn't take long, and as Buttercup landed she noted how the mess from that morning was essentially nonexistent, most of the security force gone, leaving GOOD's helpers to their cleaning. Further inspection showed that GOOD herself was not around. Buttercup let out a sigh of relief as she approached Kenshin's home, knocking on the front door.

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Chasmfiend sat bolt upright just as thunder crashed, covered in cold sweat, and looked at the clock to his left. 2:48.
And felt a sword stab straight through his side.

 

He cursed, and looked over. There was a vanilla standing a few feet to his right. It had a strange stance, more beastial than human. He pulled the sword out of his side, grabbed the vanilla by the neck, lifted it up, and rammed the sword up through its stomach into its head.

 

He then looked out the window, and saw the corpse of his beast. A vanilla was on top of it. It sprinted forward, but Chasmfiend cut it in half with the sword. Why are they attacking me? And why do they look... demented... Three more broke through the door. He kicked on into the wall, breaking it's spine, then crushed the other two's heads. He finally checked the clock again. 3:02... 3:03. Good... Have at them, Gemheart. He heard a sound like screeching metal, then one that sounded like loud thunder. Gemheart was back. Nice to have you. Kill the Demented. Then come to the center, Corvallis. It's not far, and  I'll be there. If I can't sleep, then I'll work. If they have anything for me to do. As he walked out his door, the beast was being barraged by several Demented and Epics, who obviously were scared of him.

 

"Sir! Sir! Help!" A lower Epic rushed forward.

 

"Why would I help you?" He replied. He couldn't fathom helping those he didn't need to, not without a reward.

 

"B-because the vanillas... they're attacking!!"

 

"So I noticed. Ok, I will." He turned as if to kill the Demented, by swiftly turned back and cut the Epic's legs off with the sword that had once, not long ago, been hanging on his wall. "You no longer have to run from them. After all... you can't." He went back to walk while calling back, "Don't get in my way!"

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250px-VenetianFalchion.png

 

I stepped out into thin air from a window of void, through which was what seemed to be the kind of throne room that you would find in an evil villains lair. Which it was in a way, but we were the good guys here. Right, anyway, I'd just stepped out of a portal I'd placed earlier that day while walking through the city. It was about five miles above a certain abandoned apartment building that the evil epic killers were rumored to be hiding in; plotting something dastardly, like taking over the city. And since the rumors were from Seef, they were always correct.

Falchion had been here a while, and he happened to like the city. Nobody made fun of his swords after the first dozen people he'd punished for it. He certainly wasn't going to let the city get taken over by any evil masterminds. Besides Seef. He was an evil mastermind on Falchion's team, so it was all okay. Oh wait, scratch that, a good mastermind on Falchion's team. There, much better. Back to falling to my death. Or at least something that would be death if I wasn't the coolest epic ever. Which I was. So no worries there.

I canceled out the portals I'd used to get here, as I had no use for them anymore, and concentrated of falling to my awesomeness. As opposed to death, which I'd already used. Variety is the spice of everything after all. I relaxed and decided to wait. I loved skydiving, as the wind swept past me at what seemed to be the speed of sound, watching everything slowly growing larger, as I prepared for my entrance. As I neared the roof, I righted myself in midair, waited a few seconds, and then threw my arms out to the sides in a dramatic gesture. I was absorbed into a portal which opened beneath my feet, and which redirected me at an upwards angle slightly closer to the ground. As I sailed higher, gravity began to take control after a while, but I still had plenty of momentum, and created a maze of portals that redirected me every which way in a pattern, but to bystanders, it would look like it was at random. After my momentum had slowed down, I removed the portals except one beneath me, and linked it to a portal that was about ten feet above the roof of the building. I dropped through, and quickly reached into my jeans pockets with my hands, pulling them out to land in a crouch on the roof with my hands touching. The impact didn't hurt, as a portal had popped up beneath me and taken the brunt of the damage, but it was enough to disperse the chalk dust I'd held in my hands across the roof in a billowing white cloud. I had no doubt I looked awesome right then.

Sadly, it seemed there was nobody to see it. On top of a random abandoned apartment building in the middle of town, during midnight. I'd have to talk to some later, and tell more vanillas to hang out on roofs just in case I happened to skydive onto them. Hopefully this group of wannabe villains at least had some cameras up here. I would probably ask for the footage. I'd never actually been able to see how my entrance actually looked from someone else's perspective, and this would be a good opportunity. I wiped the chalk dust on my hands onto my jeans, and walked to the door leading from the roof, opening it with a bang.

***

That lasted all of about two seconds, as gunfire ripped up the stairwell towards me. I guess this meant they had cameras. I whipped out twin butterfly swords, Mors and Thanatos, and deflected a couple of the bullets, the impact pushing against my arms, but not enough to reduce my performance. This was mostly a mixture of luck and guessing where they'd shoot. I'd gotten shot at by machines for months to figure out how to do this, even if it was mainly just for how cool it looked. The trick mostly relied on moving my swords to where I was being shot, just in time to deflect or redirect the bullet, shifting it's vector to somewhere else. I'd heard of people slicing bullets in half with the blade, but then you just have two sections of metal moving at you at high speeds, and that seems like a step down to me. The remainder of the bullets that I couldn't divert were sucked into the miniature portals that popped up in front of me, absorbing the projectiles. The gunfire stopped, and I heard cursing from farther down the stairwell, but it was still dark enough that I couldn't make much out. I used a portal to redirect moonlight downwards, as I sheathed my swords, now with a few choice dents in them, before almost lazily pulling out and throwing a kunai at top speed towards the wall. Lazily. Cool people can do that. It never reached the wall though, as it found its way to a portal recently spawned there, which spat it out at the bottom, past a corner I couldn't see. This was followed by a *sthunk* sound, some gurgling, and the audible sound of a dead body falling down about three flights of steps. And if whoever it was wasn't dead by the kunai, they certainly would be by the time they reached the bottom. I heard someone scream “Thomas!” and run down the steps, followed by another set of footsteps. I waited for them to finish leaving, and then reached over and flicked on the light switch, which proceeded to illuminate the stairwell in a flickering florescent light, which also showed some red splotches on one wall of it. I continued downwards.

 

***

This time, I was able to make it all the way down to a landing on the seventh floor, to where streaks of blood ran down the floor of the hall as if a dead body had been dragged. Which it had. They hadn't even left the kunai. How rude. I would want that back at some point. Hopefully they would say something like 'over my dead body!' and I could do exactly that. Usually when that happened, it was some hero protecting something, but here, they were the villains, and I was getting something. So I mostly wanted them to say it for the irony of it all.

I sighed and followed the all too obvious trail, trying to resist the impulse to pull out a magnifying glass and act like a detective looking for clues. The only reason I didn't was that I didn't have one. Maybe I should start carrying one. I'll have to add that to the list of props to bring, including sunglasses, a crown, and a walking cane. I'd look like the king of old detective spies. Which actually sounds pretty cool, now that I think about it. Hmmm... I continued down the hall, reaching a door that the trail led to. It was locked, and the trail seemed to stop there. How odd. What could have happened to it? Usually, trails only stopped when there was water to lose footprints or a scent. But judging by my amazing detective skills, the body was... right behind this door!

I forwent the handle, and just kicked the whole door in. Being a hero was nice. I got to kick in doors, and somebody else got to pay for them! Or not, as this building was technically abandoned. I faced the room, and began my speech. “Halt! Accept you were in the wrong, and promise to stop destroying this city! Then I will give you the punishment you deserve. Your antics are disturbing the citizens peace and-” I noticed that I was talking to an empty room. Besides the dead body in the corner, but those tend not to count. It's annoying when that happens. I decided to erase that footage when I found it. Nobody needed to know about this. I noticed an open window, and leaned out, looking down just to almost get a bullet to the face from the people actually climbing down the side. The bullet was absorbed by a portal that automatically popped up, but it still blocked my vision. I pulled myself back into the room, and backed up a couple steps. I drew a pair of Sai this time, held them in a reverse grip, and then ran and jumped out the window. This should be fun.

***

I'd heard about someone dropping out of a helicopter to kill someone before, but this was the closest I could get to it for now. I'd have to find a helicopter first, not to mention someone to kill. That last one should be easy though. As I dropped out, I ignored the bullets going over my head, as I heard a gasp from the would be escapees. I fell next to one of them, and swept my blades sharply across my body, trisecting one of the climbers, before falling too fast to catch the other one. I heard another scream from the one surviving one. This group wasn't very professional, was it. I mean, you just don't scream every time someone dies. It's bad form, and really annoys whoever is trying to kill you. In this case me. I actually wished I'd killed the screamer first, as it would have made this job a lot easier in my opinion.

As I dropped to the earth, I created a portal that linked to another one on a building adjacent to this one. I dropped through headfirst, now aimed like a torpedo of awesomeness at the remaining resistance member. This time, I was able to stab her in the back while she looked down at the ground. Yes, it was female. I'd figured that much out from the screams. Boys yelled, girls screamed. Okay, fine. Boys occasionally screamed too. Often when I was killing them, but usually, it was the girls screaming. She gasped, which was only marginally better than a scream, coming from her, and let go, falling to the ground in a heap of internal bleeding and broken bones. I dropped next to her, my portal absorbing the damage, and watched as she tried to struggle up through the pain. She didn't quite make it, and settled for trying to pull a gun on me with her remaining good arm. My Sai quickly pinned that arm to the ground, the pain making her release the gun as she screamed. Not that I cared either way, really, as it couldn't hurt me. It just seemed irresponsible to let someone like this hold a gun. They might try shooting some civilians or something! Madmen, every one. That's what they were. After all, they had to be to try and kill me.

With her last breath, she tried to act defiant, but it's hard to do that while crying so hard you can barely speak. As she tried, I heard three dull thumps and some squishy sounds as something fell to the ground behind me. Her eyes widened, and she finally managed to speak. “At least... our sacrifice... will leave... your friend... dead!” She snarled. Which is very hard to do through all that pain, and I mentally applauded her for managing it.

I cocked my head to the side in mild confusion. “You mean Seef?” She looked confused. I clarified for her ignorance. “Seef. CF. Cannon Fodder. You guys were aiming for him right? And you guys were the distraction so I was out of the base while you took him out.” I shook my head sadly. “I almost pity your friends. They have no idea who they are dealing with.” I leaned in conspiratorially. “He's kinda twisted. And cruel. He enjoys playing with his food.” I winked at her. “But don't worry, he's on my team, so he's a good guy. And don't worry, you'll be joining them soon.” I dropped a small package from my belt, and it started beeping softly. Her eyes grew wide with horror, as she realized what it was. I grinned jovially at her. “Don't worry, I won't let you die like that!” Thanatos took her to the afterlife. I flicked the blade to the right in a sharp motion to clean the blade, sheathed him, and started to walk through a newly conjured portal back to the lair. “After all, I'm the good guy here.” Soon after I left, the bomb went off, and the city was missing yet another block of housing. Someone should probably fix that.

***

An hour later, I realized, “Sparks! I forgot the footage!” I hope nobody ever sees that. I also forgot my Kunai, but in my defense, I was busy falling out of windows, killing people, blowing up buildings, and in general, being awesome.

 

Edited for pic and to fix canon-y issues.

 

Edited again for there to be a need for less bullet-deflecting in the post. :(

Edited by Bridge Boy
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Backstory stuff:

simple-spy-1.jpg

Ketchum, Idaho, 1 year ago:

“We sure this is a good idea?”

“Of course it is. I always have good ideas.”

“We decided two weeks back that we'd be making a run on his base. He's an easy target, and he undoubtedly knows Falchion's weakness.”

The team of four lay concealed on a small hill overlooking Cannon Fodder's base. From their position, they could see where two guards stood outside the main door.

Nick, the team leader, made up his mind. “If you don't want to come, we can go without you. This is an in-and out operation.”

Without waiting for an answer, he stood, readying a blowgun. Placing it to his mouth, he puffed sharply, and a small dart flew towards the guard on the right. The guard stood, looking perplexed for a moment, then puffed into light smoke, which immediately dissipated. The other guard whipped a small handgun from his side and began firing on their position. One blowdart later, that guard was down too.

“See? Easy. Now are you coming or not?”

“I don't know. They look like they could deal quite a bit of damage before they go down.”

With a shrug of his shoulders, Nick started down the slope. He had hardly taken two steps before a hand caught him by the arm.

“I didn't say I wasn't coming, did I?”

Nick smiled.

***

Outside the Main door, the group halted. Nick pulled a small pin from his pocket. “Now is as good a time to test as any.” He stuck himself in the finger with his pin and a small drop of blood oozed out. He looked around to see the others doing the same.

“I hate doing this,” complained Emma. “Ow.”

“It is not as bad as it could be,” suggested Greg. “Only a drop of blood needs to come out to prove you human. Ha, before you joined, one epic made us chop off hands at the wrist.”

“WHAT?”

“Ha, I kid.”

Nick rolled his eyes, gesturing for silence as he lead the group within the building. The corridors were dimly lit, and pipes protruded from the walls, leaving them with an ominous feel. Consulting his map, he led the team down the first passage on the right, then reached for a large wooden door. Just before he touched it, he heard voices conversing on the other side. Ducking into a depression left by the pipes, he gestured for the others to do the same. Two guards emerged, passing by the team hidden in the shadows. Nick readied his knife, stabbing one of the guards as Greg did the same to the one on the other side. They froze for a moment, then simultaneously said “Poof,” and dissolved into smoke. Drawing his blowgun, Nick dove into the room.

***

The room was impressively large for being built underground. Unlike the rest of the complex, it was brightly lit. On the far side sat a fancy stone throne with a dozen guards surrounding it. A figure sat in the chair. Nick readied his blowgun as the others pulled out their ranged weapons of choice. In less than 30 seconds, all the guards were down. Striding closer to the throne, Nick called out to the figure.

“Your game is up. You have no prime invincibilities, and no guards. You have no advantages over us. Give us the information we need, or you will die.”

Without moving, the man responded. “Not to be contrary,” Iron bars slammed down over the door they had entered through. “But I believe that you have walked right into my trap.”

Without hesitating, Nick leapt forward and slashed at the man. Or rather, at the manequin sitting where the man should have. A loudspeaker underneath the chair laughed, and Nick retreated to the rest of his group. “He's working with Falchion. Look for a portal!” Scanning the room, he heard Amos call that he had found something. In the ceiling was a small dark oval. Grabbing the handgun from Amos, Nick emptied the chamber into the portal and was rewarded with cries of pain from the loudspeaker. In a moment, a voice dripping with sarcasm was heard.

“Ow, you hit me in the eye. Good thing I have regeneration and super strength. A minion will come to relieve you of your weapons in a moment. If you submit quietly, you will not be harmed.”

 

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Cannon Fodder returned to his seat, which was now a bit more chipped than he would like. Honestly. Had they not thought that he would see them readying the gun at him? So predictable. White smoke coalesced next to him, forming into a figure wearing a doctor's coat and carrying a small rubber mallet. “Enter room 17, Attack Leader,” he instructed it, gesturing towards two posters on the wall, one with a map of the complex and another with labelled pictures of the group members. The figure came to life, marching out of the room. It likely wouldn't do any damage to the group, but it would distract them long enough for his mole to update the group's status. He could imagine it now: “Trapped in Cannon Fodder's Lair. He is so awesome. We can't beat him. Situation is dire.”

Other epics mostly seemed to care about terrorizing vanillas. He didn't have that addiction, likely due to the minions he could create and destroy at any time. Even though he could only give them five words of instruction, they were surprisingly versatile. No, his goal was the challenge. The thrill of outsmarting others.

A portal activated on the wall behind him, and an epic stepped through it.

“Back from your mission already, Falchion?”

“I see you finally convinced a group to invade. Was it as satisfying as you hoped?”

“So-so. They moved exactly as planned. I had hoped for a few more bursts of improvisation. They were barely equipped, and they didn't go down a single side corridor. I need to find a more confident group.”

“I'm not sure you'll find anything like that from vanillas.”

“What are you suggesting? That I go up against a group of epics? Unlike you, I have no prime invincibilities.”

“Many epics do very well without invincibilities. Oregon has entire cities full of them.”

“Is that so? Then I suppose you are up to the task of picking out a suitable city in Oregon for me to move into?”

“We're . . . Moving?”

“This fortress is more like a bunker than a castle, don't you think? I've always wanted a castle. Preferably one that will crumble to rubble if I die.”

“...I take it that means yes? Sweet. More people to share the glory of myself with! I can't wait to see some action.”

“Then it's settled. You infiltrate the city of your choice, I'll have 50 minions ready to move through and fortify your position. I'll see if I can find a suitable earth epic to lay the foundation for my castle. If all goes well, I'll be along in half a week.”

“And that group down there?”

Cannon Fodder turned back to the viewscreen to see the group hiding next to the barred door. He hit a button in his control panel, and the bars lifted. His minion charged in and was immediately turned to smoke. So much for that. The adventurers dashed out the door, waving their weapons wildly.

“Them? Assuming your mission went as planned, they'll have a nasty surprise waiting for them when they return to their base.”

Walking over to another of the portals he used as cameras, he watched them charge through the wrong corridor, triggering a trapdoor which dropped them into a pit filled with minions.

“Or at least, where their base used to be.”

Falchion pulled out some sunglasses, trying to look cool, while Cannon Fodder settled for an evil smile.

 

Edit: Fixed time

Edited by Paranoid King
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Pillowfight floated through the forests of Oregon on his way to the city of Corvallis, enjoying the fresh air while riding on his real sized panda pillow pet. This is much better than Los Angeles. Maybe I should just stay out here. But no, he couldn't do that. He needed to find a new mom. After having one for his entire life, it was weird to be alone. Besides, he's barely been able to get any food while traveling, living off of what he'd been able to beg off of passing normals, and he had had to pretend to be normal to get that much. He’d learned that early on, after a group of normals attacked him after finding out he was special. Some people just didn't understand what it was like to be special.
He continued towards Corvallis, but he stopped when he heard a branch snap. He looked down and saw a small group of three kids. They glared at him.
“Hey!” They shouted at him. “Are you an Epic!?”
Pillowfight became slightly puzzled. Had his mom called him that before?
“I think so.” He hesitatingly replied, still not sure what an Epic was. The kids glared harder at his response. Looking at each other, they nodded.
“For our parents!” They shouted, drawing knives and charging at Pillowfight.
Pillowfight floated a bit higher, out of their range, making the kids frustrated. He was going to respond when one of the kids threw a knife at him. Barely avoiding it, he became angry.
“I don't know what your problem is, but you're going to pay!”
Pillowfight quickly flew over to a tree and touched it, turning it into a giant alligator pillow pet. The kids faces barely had time to smile before the pillow smashed into one of them, slamming the boy into a tree. Pillowfight withdrew the pillow, and the young boy’s friends could see their lifeless friends body lying on the ground, his spine broken.
They began to run in terror, but Pillowfight didn’t let them escape, quickly finishing the other two as he had the first. He looked at the bodies.
“And that, is why you don’t mess with special people.”
Turning around, he continued towards Corvallis and the mother he knew was waiting there. Edited by Vikro
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Summer sat on a bench in Argon's garden with a black kitten on her lap. It purred quietly as she stroke it's back, still waiting for the Epic to arrive. Suddenly, the phone she received from Drainer ringed, making the kitten jump up in fear and run to hide under a shrubbery. Summer get a little scared by the signal too, she wasn't used to using mobile phones as she didn't have one, just like most of non-Epic population of Corvallis.

 

"Hello?" she said, holding up the device and hoping she answered the call correctly.

 

"Summer! When you were leaving my house, did you see anyone suspicious?!" Drainer's voice was so loud it caused her to flinch.

 

"I'm sorry sir, but I didn't see anyone... Did something happen?" she asked, glad that she didn't have to be anywhere near her master at the moment. 

 

"Yes! Something happened! Someone broke the door to my house, broke a sword from my collection like if it was a wooden stick and took the diamond bracelet from it's display in the library! I swear, if I get my hands on that insolent bastard I'll..." the rant went on, while Summer tried to recall if she saw anyone suspicious on her way, but she couldn't remember anyone who looked like an Epic... After all it was obvious it was another Epics doing, no Vanilla would be stupid enough to steal in Corvallis. "...and then he'll be sorry he came to this town!" the monologue came to an end and Drainer stopped to catch his breath. Summer waited patiently, not sure if the conversation was over or not.

 

"So, anyway, did you find the house you were supposed to? Did you see Argon?" he regained his composure.

 

"I've found the place, sir, but Argon is not here. Other servants are still waiting for him. I guess he must have got lost or something..."

 

"Hmpf, what an idiot! He can't find the way to his home... All right, stay there and let me know as soon as you'll be able to take a photo of him. After that wait for further instructions." after those words he hang up, not waiting for any response.

 

"Ha! Suit you well, you slontze! Hope this thief takes all your stupid precious toys!" Summer hissed after making sure her mobile terminated the connection. She put the device back in her pocket and looked around to find the kitten she was playing with. She found it playing with some leaves near her bench. "Now, what shall I call you, little one? How about.... Henry?"

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For quite a while, Converter had sat in her small prison, chained to the ground, patiently waiting for something to happen. Well, not that patiently. To pass the time, Converter created an electrical potential between her hands, and then discharging it, imagining that the space between her hands where the lightning arced was Rainmaker’s head. Sparking Rainmaker, leaving me here like this. When I get my hands on that idiot of an Epic... she let that thought trail off, dreaming of all the way she could slowly mutilate and kill Rainmaker. Decapitation, drawn and quartering, burning, electrocution, suffocation, exsanguination, Converter had so many options at her disposal.

 

From what Converter could gather her prison was made out of metallic sheets bolted together with snow and ice wedged between them which made with for some amazing insulating. The insulation would have been nice, except for the fact that it was so sparking cold in there. To counter this, Converter made an insulating barrier around herself by absorbing the kinetic energy of the air, locking them in place. This meant that Converter was stuck in one position, and even the most comfortablest positions can get uncomfortable rather quickly is held for a prolonged amount of time.

 

After about six hours, Converter began to get extremely annoyed. She couldn’t get enough energy to do anything useful, and it was sparking annoying. Also, there was no food, which made Converter extremely hungry.  They dare lock me up! She thought angrily. The pathetic Epics, they should fight me, not lock me up and starve me to death.

 

Converter released her barrier of air and stood up, her chains rattling, and she looked up to the small slit in her prison where the her minders looked in occasionally. The frozen air making it hard to breath.

 

“Cowards!” she yelled. “You claim to be Epic, but you act like a normal.” As she taunted the guards, she absorbed the heat from her chains, what little was left, causing bit of frost to form on the already cold metal.

 

Converter waited a  while, listening for the shouts of outrage from the guards. Absolute silence fell on her ears. Not a single sound. The  guards were sparking ignoring her.

 

They dare ignore me, she thought angrily, electricity arcing along the chains as her anger let loose the energy she was storing. I, Converter, the most powerful Epic, and they are ignoring me. Ignorant normals. Not worthy of the title Epic.She sat back down, chains rattling in a constant reminder of her position.

 

After her brief outburst, Converter sat in the middle of her now almost stifling iglue prison impatiently waiting for Rainmaker to come and challenge her. Converter’s wish was granted a few hours later, as she heard the muffled voice of Rainmaker.

 

“Met's gif mish omer wif muiffly, shall me?” What is she talking about? Converter wondered. Is Rainmaker finally going to fight me? Converter clambered to her feet, and faced the direction of the pathetic Epic's direction.

 

Converter stood there, getting ready to show the “Queen” her place, but nothing happened. Other than Rainmaker speaking a bit more, Converter could make it out, nothing happened. Absolutely nothing. Not even one insult from the fake Queen of Corvallis. This just shows the incompetence of Rainmaker.

 

After a couple minutes, Converter could faintly hear the sounds of someone leaving, and after that, silence. Even more silent than normal. It sounded like someone had put a large foam pad on top of her prison, putting even the steady sound of rain on the metal sheets. Odd, Converter thought, did they really think that a bit more insulation would help after cooling the whole place, fools.

 

She sat back down, since now it was obvious that Rainmaker was still too a coward to fight Converter . The chained Epic sat in board silence, kept frustratingly in her prison.

 

After a hour of sitting there, Converter started to notice that she was getting light headed. Sparking slontzes, as what Rainmaker was doing clicked. I hate that sparking Epic, and I will kill her. And with that final thought, Converter let all the energy she still had out in a small explosion, destroying her body.

Converter opened her eyes, and saw a very frightened little girl, looking at her with utter shock in her eyes.

Edited by TheSilverDragon
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  • 2 weeks later...

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Cornucopia wandered through one of the city gardens, this one was designed for pleasure rather than practicality, it's location near to Rainmaker had meant she could garden properly here without having to worry about whether a branch would be strong enough to support a canister of fuel. Here she had simply been allowed to create.

It was still nothing compared to the Arboretum but it was one of the little paradises she had created in the city proper, somewhere she could relax when circumstances kept her here.

Rainmaker it seemed had retired some time ago, which meant anything requiring her attention directly wasn't likely to arise but with these attacks she just couldn't be sure. And if there was one thing she loathed it was finally getting comfortable in the arboretum only then to have to immediately leave again.

A nearby rosebud seemed to wilt slightly as her emotions vented through her abilities but a quick glance at it restored it to proper blooming health.

A rush of footsteps sounded behind her as someone ran forwards before skidding to a halt on the gravel path.

"My lady-" A male voice began.

She didn't even bother turning around, simply cutting him off while she continued tending the garden.

"If you are here to simply give some news and leave then you can leave your information with someone else." She said. "Because the next person who interrupts me without a very good reason is going to find an elm tree where their larynx used to be."

The messenger paused, not willing to speak but he also didn't retreat.

She sighed as she continued to feel his presence tainting the garden.

"Leave the message with my attendant." She said, gesturing to a more well-dressed servant nearby. "She'll decide if I need to bother with it yet."

The feet snapped together briefly before walking towards her attendant and having a hushed conversation.

Cornucopia looked up at the sky, wondering how long this day would drag on. She sighed again, a rustling of leaves throughout the garden seeming to echo the sentiment.

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Euphoria awoke from one nightmare and returned to the one she was currently living in.  Gingerly, she manouvered herself into a seated position, taking care not to aggravate the dozens of cuts and bruises Insight had afflicted her with the previous night.  "I don't want to kill you, Euphoria." Insight had said,  "I want to hurt you.  I want to hurt you really bad."  Euphoria shivered, more at the memory of the sound of his voice than at any of the pain he had afflicted her with.  The physical pain had been intense, but fleeting.  Her waking up alive meant that Insight wasn't done with her yet, and that thought was far more damaging than any physical hurt he could inflict on her.  

 

As she groggily blinked the sleep from her eyes, Euphoria finally began to assess her surroundings.  Someone, either Insight or an underlying, had replaced her tattered blazer with a large hooded sweatshirt.  The hood was pulled tight, leaving only Euphoria's eyes, nose, and mouth exposed, and she could feel the strings tied behind her neck.  The overly long sleeves of the garment were tied in knots, trapping her hands within.  Her wrists, she found, were tied behind her back, while her feet, stuffed into overly large wool socks, were also tied together with good quality rope.  

 

Insight's assault on her, both verbal and physical, and lasted for what seemed like hours before he allowed her to fall unconscious.  Euphoria wasn't sure how much time had passed, but in that time he had obviously moved her.  Wherever she was was pitch black, but the floor beneath her felt like dirt.  Was she underground?  It was difficult to tell. She had managed to sit up without too much trouble, but that seemed to be the extent of her range before her movement was halted by some other restraints.  Insight, it would seem, was not taking any chances.  

 

A shuffling sound came from nearby, and Euphoria fell over as she recoiled.  A light flickered on, temporarily blinding Euphoria, and then revealing an elderly Asian woman, staring at her with large frightened eyes.   

 

"Where am I?"  It appeared they were in some sort of rounded cave.  The chamber was vaguely egg shaped, and no matter how she turned Euphoria could not spot any entrances.  A small cot and an assortment of personal possessions, including a portable camping lamp, lay clustered on the far side of the chamber, behind the old woman.  "Who are you?"  

 

The woman's eyes widened slightly, and she began speaking rapidly in what sounded like Chinese.  After a few failed attempts to communicate, Euphoria fell silent.  Insight, it seemed, was too paranoid to sleep in her vicinity or to leave her unattended, but was taking no chances that she might turn his servants against him.  Euphoria was reasonably certain the woman must be an Epic of some sort, and confirmed it when her powers had no effect on her.  What were her powers, and were there reasons besides the obvious language barrier that Insight had chosen her to guard Euphoria?  

 

Once Euphoria quieted down, the woman seemed content to ignore her, though she did not go back to sleep.  Instead, she sat down on the cot and began to read a book by the light of the camping lamp.  How long had Insight kept this woman down here while he prepared this prison?  In the dim light, Euphoria could just barely make out a small shelf containing what looked like bathroom supplies next to a hole in the ground in the centre of the room, and a camping cooler and a large jug of water closer to the woman's sleeping area.  The floor of the room was not flat, but sloped, curving downwards to where the latrine was.  Euphoria was restrained to her side of the room by two ropes, one attached to the restraints around her hands, the other at her feet, which were fastened to tenting pegs in the ground.  Euphoria tried in vain to gain some leverage, but she could not maneuver enough to pull either peg out.  

 

Why even bother?  It seemed obvious that the cave, or whatever it was, was only accessible to an epic like Insight with the power to become intangible.  Even if she could escape her restraints, she would still be trapped, and even if she could somehow use her powers on the old woman, who knees if she could do anything to help.  For all Euphoria knew, the woman was as much a prisoner as she was.  A prisoner who obviously had instructions to keep an eye on her while pretending to ignore her if she caused any trouble.  

 

Euphoria breathed slowly in and out, trying to stop herself from panicking.  A tightness in her abdomen told her she would need to use the washroom soon.  She tried to inform her guard of the request, but the woman merely shouted something in her language and turned back to her book.  The latrine, it seemed, had not been dug for Euphoria to use.  Euphoria shook her head, trying not to think about what that would mean for her continued stay in her prison.  

 

I can't give up.  If she did nothing to help herself, that would just be letting Insight win.  There had to be a way out of this mess, she just needed to find it.  Hadn't she spent the last few years of her life imagining every possible thing that could go wrong for her?  While this specific scenario had never crossed her mind, she had thought about what she would do if kidnapped before.  She could use those pieces of plans--that preparation--to her advantage.  

 

Insight currently had all the power.  He knew what his plan was and Euphoria didn't, he could move freely while Euphoria was restrained, and he had the power to keep Euphoria restrained or to set her free.  What she needed was an angle or some sort of leverage she could use to change her position and create an opportunity to escape from Insight.  

 

He's scared of me.  The precautions he had put in place revealed that, no matter how in control of the situation he seemed, he was very paranoid that Euphoria would still find a way to get the better of him.  He also had a bigger plan for her, though she did not know if it had to do with his continued revenge or if he had something else in mind.  If she could figure out more about his motivations, perhaps she could find a way to manipulate him.  

 

Unfortunately, that also meant that she would have to wait for Insight to show up before she could acquire the information she needed to make more definitive plans.  At the same time, Euphoria could not help but feel a rising fear within her at the thought of her captor's return.  

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  • 2 weeks later...

Collab from Comatose, Blaze and Edgedancer

 

There wasn’t much preparation, if any, Kenshin had to make. Her powers would supply her with most anything she could need on this mission and she preferred the agility offered by moving only with light gear. Because of that there wasn’t much for Kenshin to actually do, as she awaited the arrival of Queen Buttercup.

 

For Calamity’s mercy it was only a short wait until she could hear a knock on her door, cutting time short enough that there was no need to further host the princess.

 

Kenshin promptly opened the door and did indeed find Queen Buttercup. “Welcome, Queen Buttercup,” Kenshin said with a polite nod. “Is there anything I can offer you before we head out? Although, I still have another… guest, so it may be best if we leave without disturbing her.”

 

“Now,” the Princess said aloud to her birds after Kenshin left to check on the door.  “Perhaps now I can get a start on that lovely little nap I’ve been looking forward to.  Do you think I’ll have sweet dreams?”  The birds chirruped in response, but deep inside the Princess knew they were lying, and that her dreams would be anything but sleep.  She did everything she could to make her days lovely and wonderful, and yet her nights continued to be haunted by the most frightening of nightmares.  

At the sound of Queen Buttercup’s voice at the door, the Princess sprung from the couch, eager to be distracted from thoughts of nightmares and things better left unsaid.  


“Hello, Queen Buttercup!

How do you do?

I’m doing fine,

Now that I’ve seen you!”


Happy to be singing again, the Princess began to sway back and forth in a whismical manner, while her birds fluttered around her, keeping time with their little bird voices.  


“You protect our city.

You fight what is wrong.

You’re clever, you’re pretty,

And powerful and strong.”  


Behind Queen Buttercup, two of the worker poked their heads in, responding to the song.  


“Can she beat back all the ghouls?”


“Can she find our missing Queen?”


“There is something more important every body neeeeeeeeeeeeds!”  The Princess laughed delightedly as her band stepped up outside and began to play.  


“Queen Buttercup gives safety.

She makes our days seem bright.

She protects all the citizens with her

Strength and speed and flight.

At times when we are worried,

frightened or distressed,

Queen Buttercup will save the day.

That’s why she is the best!”


The Princess through out her arms dramatically as she held the last note.  “Queen Buttercup!  How wonderful to see you!  I do hope you are having a simply marvelous day, despite all this dreary rain.”

 

Buttercup could feel the tingling sensation of goosebumps on her neck. The realization that Princess G.O.O.D. was in Kenshin’s home did not please Buttercup. Not at all. The moment was slightly redeemed through the fact that the song was in appreciation of her efforts to keep the city safe, an appreciation she knew she wouldn’t get from Rainmaker, or mostly anyone else for that matter, but the idea that any response she offered would be in song filled her with dread.

The song came to a close, and Buttercup knew she needed to respond. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. She closed her mouth momentarily, looking to the ground to prepare herself. It was an odd feeling, having the words you were trying to say distort into a song. Her brain would try to say a very specific phrase, and yet her mouth and vocal chords would alter it completely into a song.


She collected her thoughts, lifted her head, and spoke. “Thank you for that, Princess G.O.O.D., it is always a pleasure to see you.” Buttercup felt extremely relieved that she hadn’t sang, the lie passing through her teeth not bothering her at all. Apparently G.O.O.D.’s powers only worked some of the time.


“Unfortunately, Kenshin and I have business elsewhere. A potential security issue has come to my attention, so if you would excuse us, we really must go.” An SUV had pulled up, ready to take them away. Buttercup made eye contact with Kenshin, silently pleading with her to leave as soon as possible. “And thank you for the offer, but I am not in need of anything other than your services. We really should go as soon as we can.”


Despite what Kenshin may have wanted to think, she had to admit that the princess’ musical number was rather impressive. The song caused Kenshin to wonder, if the princess took time out of her every morning simply to prepare a musical number for whatever seemed topical that day and teach her servants the appropriate cues. Certainly it wouldn’t be beyond her particular brand of strangeness.

 

Praising the woman working to defend the city was another improvement on the otherworldly mindset she displayed thus far. Almost Kenshin gave in to the impulse to hum along or tap her foot to the music but she ultimately held back. The impulse alone was enough to vexed her deep down in the part that wanted to be in control and technically she was already on a job.

 

Queen Buttercup seemed to share Kenshin’s own desire to skip hospitalities and get away from the princess. “As you wish Queen Buttercup,” Kenshin said. She gave Genevieve another quick goodbye and headed for the SUV that had pulled up, where she held one of the doors open for the queen.

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Drainer walked the streets of Corvallis in foul mood. His house got robbed! How did anyone dared to take something from him? Now all his servants laughed behind his back, they think that he's weak. He has to find the stolen jewelry set, but how? He cannot ask Corvallis police force for help, that would be pathetic. Nor will he ask any Epic for help. Corvallis was a big city, he knew that it was pointless, but he walked the streets anyway, carefully watching everyone he passed by.

 

He was about to give up, go home, get drunk and have some fun with one of the maids, but something glittered in the corner of his eye. There was a man with a spear walking on a nearby pavement, and to that spear there was something shiny attached. Could it be...?

 

"HEY YOU! STOP RIGHT THERE!" Drainer screamed as loud as he could and dashed to that man. When he was closer, he was certain. That was the person that took his diamond necklace.

 

"I think you have something that belongs to me!" Drainer stated, trying to look as intimidating as he could while catching his breath.

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((Collab between Mestiv and Weirdpersonx.))

 

"I think you have something that belongs to me!" Drainer stated, trying to look as intimidating as he could while catching his breath.

 

ThunderSpear looked down. “Are you implying something with that statement? Perhaps...that it still belongs to you?”

 

“Sparks yes! I’m implying something! I’m an Epic, a citizen of this city and I demand you give me my property back!” Drainer grabbed this man’s arm and tried to drain his life away. However, nothing happened. He stepped back in fear, realizing that he got too sure of himself while living in a house full of Vanillas. He was facing an Epic, and that made his primary power useless.

 

ThunderSpear raised an eyebrow. “An Epic, you say? And what is it that is still supposedly yours, which you used to own?”

 

“This piece of jewelry!” Drainer pointed to the diamond necklace that was still hanging from his interlocutors spear. “You broke into my house and took it from there! I’ll forget about that sword you broke, as long as you’d give it back to me.” Drainer tried to sound as confident as he could. All he knew about the person standing before him, was that he broke his doors and a sword, a replica, sure, but still. Better try to resolve this peacefully.

 

“Oh, this bauble?” ThunderSpear raised his, well, Spear, and admired the diamonds. “I’m almost completely sure whoever sold them to you is a fake--they don’t exactly look real. But that is unimportant.” He set the butt of the spear down, and focused his full attention on the smaller man--though he seemed taller than ThunderSpear had initially realized. “What is important is that you claim to still have rights regarding the necklace. It is mine now. If you continue to pester me, I will blast you.” He regarded the Epic. “I doubt you could walk after a direct hit.”

 

Only if you manage to hit me with anything you hit people with. Drainer thought as he quickly took a knife from its sheath attached to his belt and stabbed the man in front of him, aiming for his left eye. The taller Epic didn’t have time to react as the blade hit him in the face. However, instead of slicing the flesh it just slid away, as if it hit a stone statue. Drainer lost his balance and dropped the knife, surprised that his attack didn’t work.

 

ThunderSpear didn’t even bother blocking the weak stab with a knife. Instead, he lashed out, grabbing the man’s shirt, picking him up and holding him in the air. “A knife? A knife?! I’m disappointed. I would have thought at least a gun. But I guess that’s out of your budget.” He tossed Drainer to the side. “Now get out of my sight, you pathetic excuse for an epic.”

 

Drainer rolled on the ground a dozen feet away from ThunderSpear. Still disoriented, he stood up, surprised that the stronger Epic didn’t hurt him in any way. Sparks, he’s too strong and I can’t hurt him, he thought, but maybe at least I’ll be able to take back what’s mine and retreat… Yes, that would allow me to show my servants that I’m not as weak as they think. Without thinking twice, he rushed toward his opponent and grabbed the necklace that was still hanging on the spear. The thin metal chain snapped easily and Drainer was about to start running away…

 

ThunderSpear turned in surprise when the weakling not only disobeyed his order, but actually charged him. He raised his spear, then pulled back in shock as the necklace was snapped. Idiot, he muttered to himself, not sure who he was talking about. With barely a thought, he pointed his spear and launched a bolt of lightning at the running epic.

 

The pain struck unexpectedly. In a fraction of a second Drainer felt like if his whole body was burning with agony. The lightning sent him flying toward, making him land on his face, but he didn’t feel that. The moment he was hit, his secondary power initiated, using the life energy of Vanillas he had taken into regenerating his body. He didn’t have much energy stored, one year of life from Summer, a couple of months from his previous victims. It was enough to let him survive the electrocution, but left him heavily burned and barely conscious on the ground.

 

Luckily, the brief fight had caught the attention of some Vanillas. Drainer landed next to a bystander, a roughly 30 year old man, who was now looking with shock at Drainer’s smoking body.

 

“Help me…” Drainer managed to croak, hoping that the man will come closer… close enough to grab him. Unfortunately, citizens of Corvallis knew, what’s the best course of action in case of Epics fighting. It’s to run for you life as fast as you can. The unsuspecting Vanilla made a grave mistake however and ran too close to Drainer. The Epic managed to reach out and touch the ankle of his victim just for a second, but it was enough. Draining someone for such a short time didn’t help with healing, but it caused the runner to collapse in shock.

 

The Vanilla tried to crawl away from Drainer, fighting the slowly receding numbness and weakness, however the Epic was faster. With the last bits of his strength Drainer managed to leap closer the man and fully grab his leg. He instantly felt the rejuvenating energy of someone else’s life rushing under his skin, healing all the damage caused by lightning.

 

After a few seconds Drainer was fully healed and still had some energy left in reserves. The unlucky Vanilla was laid on the ground, his body looking like a mummified version of himself. Drainer could see that his eyes were still moving, he was trying to say something, but as a result of such fast draining, the internal organs, skin and even bones were literally falling apart with every move he tried to make. Drainer looked away, not wanting to witness the horror his powers caused. It was time to run, before the other Epic noticed that he’s still alive.

 

After firing the lightning, ThunderSpear watched the other man’s body fly, then turned away. Silly fool. They don’t understand that they should just give me what I want. It’s not like any of them can actually stop me… He sighed, then walked away.

 
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1 year ago:

2016-04-02_2112.png

Cannon Fodder surveyed the city from the outside. So this was the location Falchion had chosen, eh? It was a bit . . . larger that he expected, not to mention better guarded. Trust Falchion to make his life more difficult. He sighed, turning back to his plotting. Falchion could portal in, bypassing the security entirely, but no other epics could use his portals, meaning that Cannon Fodder needed a more mundane way to enter. He could have some of his minions make a disturbance, but he doubted the security guard would care. Killing the man would draw far more attention to him than he cared for. And just going through the proper procedures - Well, he didn't want to do that. Because nobody would take him seriously. He needed some time to set up a working operation without having to deal with other epics. He sighed again, burying his head in his hands.

 

And then it hit him. A brilliant plan that would get him past the security guard, allowing him to set up without being known. He waved his hand to the side, and a minion appeared, dressed in a mottled green and yellow uniform, a gun strapped across his back. Cannon Fodder raised an eyebrow. He had never seen that costume before. Perhaps it was from a foreign country. His power selected random people to copy, closer people being more likely, and he expected that he'd need several tries to find a person with a costume like that. No matter. "Confidently follow beside me," He instructed the minion, and it sprung to life, moving to his side.

 

***

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The security guard had a name. He knew it, but had been instructed to forget it. "Rustin' waste of my talents," he thought to himself wryly. Still, his queen had requested his current assignment, and he would obey his queen. Perhaps if he did well enough, and he'd be promoted. Or maybe they'd just see what a good security guard he was. Bother. He pulled himself out of his current situation, focusing as two people moved towards the gate. One was dressed in bright yellow and green, exuding confidence, while his companion was dressed in humble gray. Despite his modest appearance, the second person had an aura of determination. As they approached, the security guard stood up, addressing them:

 

"You two gentlemen are about to enter an epic-controlled city, governed by the high epic Rainmaker. Before you enter, you must answer a few questions."

 

The Gray-clad person spoke. "And if we don't? Never mind, I can guess. You won't let us through the giant bubble."

"Correct. Now, are you and your companion both epics?"

"No. He's an epic who is unable to speak. He has a mental bond with me that allows me to speak for him."

"Interesting. Very well, then my other questions will be directed at him. Name?"

 

Gray hesitated for a moment. It was slight, but it didn't escape the security guard's attention.

 

"Blink."

"That's...Rather unoriginal. Pre-epic name?"

"Steven Brown."

"Powers?"

"The aforementioned mental bond, and the ability to change his own appearance."

"Does he have a weakness?"

"No."

"...okay."

 

The security guard set down the pen he was using to take notes. "That will be all. You'll have to wait for a few hours before the bubble drops. While you're waiting, I'd appreciate you showing your power, so I can be sure you're what you say you are."

 

Grey reached for Blink's arm, and Blink dissolved into smoke. A moment later, he reformed, slightly shorter, wearing blue pants and a black shirt with a slogan. He carried a pair of pliers in his hand, and his face looked completely different. Gray whispered something into his ear, and he resumed his previous confident attitude.

 

The security guard drummed his fingers on his desk. several things were . . . off about this pair. Things were always strange around epics, but their attitudes were especially unusual. Gray had the usual blend of emotions, but Blink was nothing but confident. And right after renewing his disguise, Blink had no emotions whatsoever. Motioning for the pair to sit on a bench nearby, the security reached for the phone. He had a name. And soon, people would know it.

 

***

2016-04-02_2112.png
 

The scheme had gone off without a hitch, and the security guard suspected nothing. Ha! This town wouldn't know what had hit it. Cannon Fodder strode through the opening in the bubble, "Blink" at his side. Oh yes, he had plans for this town. He didn't know if Falchion had arrived yet, but he would set up a base, and if Falchion was around, he'd find his way to it. Cannon Fodder would gather influence with other epics, and when he found an earth epic willing to work with him, he would -

 

His thoughts were interrupted as a bullet flew through the minion beside him, dissolving “Blink” into smoke. He heard the sound of muttered surprise for a few seconds, then another bullet sped through his own shoulder. He screamed, falling to the ground, and everything went dark. It seemed that things had not gone according to plan.

Not according to plan at all.

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"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?” 

 

Just as well, Vaughn thought. Kid wouldn't last his first week of training. Vaughn himself had trained, like most ballet dancers, since childhood. Taking it up as a teenager was possible, but as far from pleasant as you could get. His actual request, though….it was a little odd. Maybe more than a little, with all the recent upheaval in the city. 

 

All the more reason to heed it. 

 

"Be right back, Char," he told his fellow dancer, tilting his head toward the dressing rooms. A lift of his eyebrow told her he had not expected this meeting; she gave a curt nod before shrugging. 

 

"Sure. Don't be too long, though." 

 

"Yeah, I know." She would be on the alert, ready to intervene if this kid caused any trouble Vaughn couldn't handle. Charlene rejoined the other dancers, and Vaughn led the kid down a short hallway into his small dressing room, neat and tidy, with some curtain rods and wire hangers Vaughn could use as weapons in a pinch. Once he'd closed the door most of the way, Vaughn leaned against his makeup counter and folded his arms. 

 

"Tell me what you're doing here. You can start with your name and go from there." 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Jumpdrive

Michael hadn't survived. They’d found a ghoul who vaguely resembled him, the same blond hair, the same height, genetic markers in the right places, though some of those had distorted. Jumpdrive remembered walking back to the library in a daze, still stunned by the violence and the gore of the fight. He’d changed, showered, checked the camera footage. One of the non-Epics sent to identify the dead and clean up called him that afternoon. Michael’s corpse had been located not far from the collapsed building, two bullets lodged in his skull, a beam rammed through his chest. Jumpdrive had killed him. Killed his friend, the only one who'd really understood him, the only one from college who hadn't evaded him following his Rending. And when another Epic had used him, Jumpdrive had shot him. Twice. What kind of a person shot his friend to death?

 

Later that evening at the funeral home

 

Jumpdrive stood. “Michael’s parents asked me to give a eulogy for their son. I don't think I'm qualified. I… I killed him, for goodness sake, a man who called me his friend. He trusted me to protect him, he stood up for me when times were hard, he acted like he enjoyed traipsing around town to check cameras. But when times were hard for him, the only thing I could give him was an end to his misery. An end to his joy. A cold bullet to the brain. Um… A eulogy is ‘a speech or writing in praise of a person or thing, especially a set oration in honor of a deceased person.’ I'm not good at expressing emotions, and I feel anything I would say just wouldn't convey the same meaning and depth he deserves. So I’d like to share the following from Abraham Lincoln’s eulogy: ‘After life's fitful fever he sleeps well,

Treason has done his worst, nor steel nor poison,

Malice domestic, foreign levy, nothing

Can touch him further!’

And from the Challenger astronauts eulogy: ‘What we say today is only an inadequate expression of what we carry in our hearts. Words pale in the shadow of grief; they seem insufficient even to measure the brave sacrifice of him whom you loved and we so admired….The sacrifice of your loved one has stirred the soul of our city and, through the pain, our hearts have been opened to a profound truth: the future is not free, the story of all human progress is one of a struggle against all odds. We learned again that this America, which Abraham Lincoln called the last best hope of man on Earth, was built on heroism and noble sacrifice. It was built by men and women like Michael, who answered a call beyond duty, who gave more than was expected or required, and who gave it with little thought of worldly reward.’

I… can’t express the feelings of my heart with more eloquence than these esteemed writers and orators. So I’ll  just leave it at that.”

He sat back down, surrounded by people, yet utterly alone in his grief.

Edited by 18th Shard
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WARNING: This post contains MAJOR Mistborn: The Final Empire spoilers. If you'd like a spoiler-free version, PM me.

 

Vaughn led Gregory into what looked like the dressing rooms. "Tell me what you're doing here. You can start with your name and go from there." 

 

This is just like the time when-- No, focus, Gregory told himself. "Well, my... my name is Gregory. And I'm here because, well, because you didn't smile." 

 

Vaughn raised an eyebrow. 

 

"When the entire town was drugged up on Euphoria..." Gregory continued, while fumbling in his pocket for his mobile. "Well, I was looking for a picture, and I saw one of you--and you weren't smiling. And so that made me think, hey, maybe he could be my Dox! I could be Kelsier, and he could be Dox, and we could start..." Gregory then noticed Vaughn's confused face. Oh. He's never read them, has he? "What I mean to say is, I..." His heart was racing, was he actually asking someone to do this with him? Did he actually think that he could bring down the ruling Epics of Corvallis?

 

If the skaa could bring down the Lord Ruler, then yes.

 

"I'm wondering if you'd like to, um, help me take down the nob--Epics." 

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  • 4 weeks later...

     Chasmfiend hated crowds.

 

     Especially when they were compromised of demented half-humans beasts and the people running from them, who kept getting in the way.

 

     Suffice to say, there were a lot of dead behind him.

 

     There was only a small distance between him and the end of the crowd, and he fought like a madman. Except madmen can’t vaporize or blow people up. He touched a Demented’s head, and its skin seemed to bloat, and it exploded. Another he touched bubbled, then seemed to turn to steam. One fell to the ground like slime. He cut swaths of them with his sword, clearing the path. At the end of the crowd, he looked back. Hundreds must have been dead. Mostly by his hand, he guessed. Most were not Demented. But, in war, only those who served you or you served were required to live.

 

     A small band of normal humans came up to him. “Umm… Hello. We wish to serve you, great one.” He bowed down.

 

     Chasmfiend assumed they wanted protection. He would give it to them. “Who were your masters?”

 

     “They’re all dead, sir.”

 

     “Fine, Come along, and don’t get in my way, squires.” He touched each one on the forehead, and they looked confused. “You fight when I fight. You are strong and fast now, though not immortal.” Chasmfiend glimpsed someone out of the corner of his eye, in the shadows.

     The man turned to run, just to find Chasmfiend in front of him again in a second. “You saw nothing. My squires are for no one to know.” The vanilla nodded as fast as he could, but he knew he was doomed. Chasmfiend touched his forehead, and his skin slowly seemed to bulge, in contrast to the rapid bulging of the others he had killed. The vanilla screamed a high, agonizing wail, and finally exploded.

“Squires, come. We have a palace to get to.” The squires ran to catch up.

 

~||~

 

     The man looking through the binoculars a mile behind Chasmfiend sighed. His brother was certainly powerful. This would be a hard fight. But he could do it. His brother was not as much a genius as him. He would win.

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Iconoclast and Slaughterine walked briskly down the street, both dressed in plain vanilla clothes with their heads bowed. They looked for all the world exactly like timid humans, on a vacuous errand for their Epic master or mistress.

By now they were several blocks from Slaughterine's house, and hopefully beyond pursuit. 

 

Slaughterine scowled. "I'm still annoyed at you for making me wear this drab outfit. Who would inflict such a torture on anyone?"

Iconoclast smirked and raised an eyebrow. "These are the clothes you make your servants wear."

Her scowl deepened. "I meant on anyone important."

He chuckled, and grinned evilly. "Don't worry anyway, around me.... people tend to wear lots of red."

She looked confused for a second, until realisation set in, and she grimaced. "You know I've never understood the pleasure some Epics take in killing."

He winked. "I take my pleasure in bodies my way, you take yours in yours."

"At least my hobbies are fun for both parties. Must you be so creepy all the time?"

Iconoclast looked up, a gnawed finger in his bloody mouth. It was his own. "Mmpgh What was that sorry?"

Slaughterine looked like she couldn't decide whether to laugh or throw up.

 

She recovered in a few seconds, "Stop that! We are trying to be inconspicuous!"

"My dear, I live to be inconspicuous." He said as he ripped off one of his hands with a meaty riiip, and threw it into the garden of a house as they passed it. 

"You are lucky that no-one saw that!"

"No, they are lucky they didn't see that."

"Your flippancy is infuriating, I'm not a High Epic you know!"

He just smiled at that.

 

It wasn't long before they had reached a suitable house- Slaughterine knew it as abandoned. The evening progressed, both Epics mostly keeping to themselves, except when Iconoclast questioned her for more information about the city.

 

Night approached for the pair, and they separated into different rooms for what Iconoclast knew would be a night of troubles and fear. He dreaded it, but sometimes... sometimes it felt good to see her again. Even in a nightmare.

 

And so he was surprised when Slaughterine walked into his room, and slowly shut the door behind her, a small smile on her lips. Iconoclast raised an eyebrow. "May I.... help you?"

"Don't worry about what you, can do for me, Mr Clast. Ask me what I can do for you...."

With that, she slowly walked towards him. Her hips swayed seductively, and her void grew husky.

 

Iconoclast smiled, walking to meet her. She placed a hand tenderly on his chest, leaning in close. 

A smile still on his face, he gripped her wrist in an iron grasp, causing her to gasp in surprise. "Do you think," He began, still smiling. "That anything you could do tonight will make me less likely to kill you?"

"I-I-uh, I just thought that-"

"That you would seduce me? That you would get in my good graces, manipulate me, make yourself more valuable somehow?"

"I... I just wanted to-"

His smile vanished. "Wanted to what?"

Slaughterine shrank backwards, quivering with fear. "N-nothing.... I wanted nothing."

The fake smile returned. "Excellent. Now be a dear, and get out."

He shoved her backwards, causing her to stumble. Eyes wide with fear at the loathing and anger in his voice, Slaughterine didn't look back as she fled, closing the door behind her.

 

Iconoclast grimaced. Internal voices warred within. Why not sleep with her? He thought. Don't I deserve it? I've done such good work these past few days.

But another voice, another feeling, stopped him. A feeling he should have abandoned long ago, a feeling he rarely remembered or felt. A longing for a love lost, a woman he could never see again.

 

Except in nightmares.

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Rainmaker laid back, allowing her servants to comb through her dark hair and work on her nails as she received reports from her staffers.  Her massage had gone late into the afternoon, and between that and her nap, it seemed she was behind with the governance of her city.  For the hundredth time, Rainmaker found herself missing Euphoria.  Her second in command would have known exactly what things actually needed Rainmaker's attention, and which things could be handled without troubling her.  Skinsaver, either through his own incompetence or as a pitiful attempt at rebellion, had seemingly decided to send a report of almost every action he took on to Rainmaker.  

 

"Enough Char," Rainmaker said.  She had thought that having a woman who reminded her of Euphoria give the reports would help comfort her, but it only served to make Euphoria's absence even more plain.  "I need someone who has been around longer to just tell me the things that Euphoria and the other Queens usually report to me, and tell Skinsaver that its his job to handle the rest.  I don't have time for pointless bureaucratic nonsense."  

 

Another civil servant whose name Rainmaker could not recall stepped forward.  "Gunsmoke remains contained above the city.  The guards you posted to watch the energy epic who attacked last night have reported an explosion shortly after the prison was sealed.  They suggest that, because she did not free herself sooner, it is unlikely she is able to teleport freely, and that she either was making one last ditch attempt to escape, she was trying to take a few of her captors out with her, or she has some sort of resurrection power.  Her description has been spread among our agents, and they have instructions to report directly to you or Queen Buttercup if there are any sightings.  We also have reports from City Security of several high epic newcomers that will require your attention, Bright One.  Queen Buttercup is already on route to deal with one potential threat, but received reports of two others who may be above her power scale.  City Security has sent over their surveillance folder, as well as power profiles from Immigration."

 

"Bring them over and hold them open for me."  Rainmaker began to scan through the pages, ordering the man who brought them to turn pages when she was done with them so as not to disrupt her manicure.  Once she felt she had a good understanding of the epics' respective powers, she sent the man away.  

 

"Good.  Now, just because Euphoria isn't working right now, does not give you license to be lazy or incompetent.  You all know your jobs, so do them.  Char, you stay with me.  Everyone else, go about your business."

 

"What do you require of me, Bright One?"  Char stepped forward, adopting an even more subservient posture, if such a thing was possible.  

 

"Send for my Wardrobe people to bring out a few options for this afternoon, then wait with me until we are finished here."  

 

*****

 

Two hours later, Rainmaker flew through the air, sparkling in the light of her own personal ray of sunlight peeking through the crowd.  As she flew, she listened to Char's voice in her ear, reading through her speech for that evening.  The words and ideas were familiar to her, but there were a few new elements worked in that Rainmaker wanted to get perfect.  

 

Her first target's immigration documents identified him as Thunderspear.  Using the intel from her security forces, Rainmaker located him without too much trouble.  As she descended to hover near eye-level, she encouraged her skin to shimmer brightly.  "I would say 'Welcome to my City, little epic,' but your recent actions make it difficult to welcome you.  Tell me, do you have anything to say for yourself, or should I just eliminate you now?"

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[insert Epic Lighting Spear Picture Here]

 

ThunderSpear's eyes narrowed as the blindingly bright epic floated down before him, raising an arm in an attempt to block some of the light. I guess that won't work, he thought to himself, lowering his arm. Squinting, he was barely able to make out a figure appeared of slightly off light within the ray. I suppose this would be...Rainbaker? Raintaker? Something like that.

 

She descended, hovering a few feet in front of him, saying something about a welcome and eliminating him. He really doubted she'd be able to. Light wasn't exactly deadly, and he wasn't afraid of some rain. He twitched slightly, remembering one rainy night which didn't end well...

 

"Sorry, what was that? I didn't quite catch it all," ThunderSpear replied, raising his sunglasses to his face--not that they really did anything to help his vision. He put on his most winning smile, not wanting to bother with angering this clearly annoyed epic.

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Rainmaker.png

 

Rainmaker sniffed as the impudent epic put on sunglasses.  Did he dare to mock her in her own city?  Despite herself, Rainmaker felt her skin begin to shine brighter in response to her growing frustration.  The stupidly satisfied smile on his smug face did little to temper her growing annoyance.  I'll teach you not to take me seriously.  With a careless gesture, Rainmaker conjured a wind powerful enough to scoop up the epic and send him flying into a nearby building and let it loose.  Perhaps a little punishment would teach him to behave.  

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