What Happened in Portland

[mail-mi he/him]

Part 3 of a compilation post between me, Mailliw, and Twi.

 

“Animals, huh?” Quota chuckled. “Guess you could call them that. They’re cute for animals, though. Like puppies.” He saw one girl’s lip tremble, but she didn’t look at him. The blindfold probably had something to do with that. He briefly considered tamping down that sliver of cheer he felt from her. It wasn’t strong enough to do anything but keep her from tears, but Quota knew that feeling well enough to know it was attached to a thought like If I just keep going, I’ll make it through. Everyone else might die, but I’ll make it somehow.

He let her keep the thought. She’d be more fun if she thought she had a chance.

Electro laughed at Timeport's comment about animals. Yes, that's what these were. Sniveling, frightened little animals. He handed each of the girls a strip of cloth burned off of their clothes to tie around their eyes. "Timeport, are you ready for the game to begin?"

Timeport finished tying the last girl's blindfold-skirt. "I am now."

Timeport turned to the girls. "These are the rules. You run and hide in the gardens. If you survive the hour, you win. If you die, you lose. If you try to leave the garden...well, let's just say you definitely won't be winning the game. Ready?"

The girls didn't move, remaining frozen with fear. Grendel, one of the few left unblindfolded, looked at him with watery eyes, the tears too afraid to drop. Her pants had been used instead to tie her hands behind her back. This is what you get, Timeport thought ruefully. You left me behind, and now I'm back to get my revenge.

“Why?” one of the girls whispered quietly. “Why, Seth?”

“Because,” Timeport said aloud, cocking his head to the side.

“God requires sacrifice.”

Jessica gasped, and Timeport’s grin widened. “Now, are you ready?” All of the girls nodded, knowing not to make an Epic angry. “You have five minutes,” he announced.

"Run."

Edited June 1, 2015 by mail-mi

[Kobold King he/him]

 

Sam stood on the sidewalk and watched her Epic overlords.

 

There wasn't much else to do at the moment. Well above them was the house that smelled like old people, bobbing whimsically as its creator tinkered at it from the ground. The rope ladder dangling from its front door was crawling with Thoughttown's top leaders, climbing quickly to the ground and back to their vehicles. Aldo and his cranky assistant followed shortly thereafter, with the magician standing a good distance away from Funtimes but showing a hearty interest in what she was doing. Nathan was standing as stiffly as any self-important Epic, though now that she knew it was there, Sam could recognize his habit of nervously glancing at his companions. He was trapped, as much a prisoner as she and Revolution. (Though from Revolution's faint and pre-occupied smile, Sam vaguely wondered if anyone had actually informed the hippie she was a prisoner at all.)

 

Sam took a long and careful look around. The street was dark, scarcely illuminated by the stars, the crescent moon, and the disturbing red glow of Calamity. All the real Epics were too occupied to watch the vanillas. Would anyone notice if they just... slipped away?

 

Biting her lip at the thought, Sam pointedly adjusted her thought in other directions. If she was wrong--if Funtimes noticed her as she tiptoed into the gloom--then the lunatic might kill them all because of her mistake. As long as she was reasonably safe and well-fed, risking the supposed "Doctor's" wrath simply wasn't worth it.

 

Even if she did escape, she had no idea where in the city they were. Portland wasn't a safe place for teenage girls to wander after dark; you heard horror stories from all over town attesting to it. The last thing she need was to be caught by a deranged Epic in the dead of night, having already ditched her one defender.

 

I know a lost cause when I see one, Sam thought bitterly. Setting her jaw and trying to ignore the zombies leaping to their deaths from the floating house, she stared out into the darkness.

 

It took her a moment of sullen staring to realize something was clawing at her leg.

 

 

Sam jumped in surprise, whirling around and scouring the ground. Her heart pounded audibly for at least the twelfth time that night, and her eyes locked onto a small dark shape sitting on the broken asphalt.

 

It was a dog.

 

A voice from behind her startled her yet again. "What's wrong?" Revolution asked, her voice concerned.

 

Sam whipped her head around to face her friend, but quickly locked eyes on the dog again. "I don't know," she replied shakily. "It's a... It's..."

 

What kind of dog was that? She hadn't seen one like it in years. Small and squat. Black fur. A curly black tail. A squashed wrinkled face dominated by two huge brown eyes gazing up intently.

 

"It's a pug," Sam finished, the word springing to mind. She gazed down at the strange little creature, meeting its huge bug eyes.

 

There weren't a lot of stray animals in Portland. Just like the homeless population, stray cats and dogs didn't last long in a city filled with sadistic Epics.

 

Wait, Sam thought with a sudden flash of anger. Is this one of Lightwards'? That'd be just like him. I bet he killed this thing just so he'd have a scout...

 

The dog lifted its ears and tilted its head.

 

Sam's inner monologue broke off in an instant, and she felt a slight smile tug at the corner of her lips. From behind her she heard Revolution's voice breaking into a gasp of delight.

 

"Sparks," Sam said softly, squatting beside the little animal as she grinned in spite of herself. "If you're a zombie, you're cuter than the rest of them. I'll give you that."

 

She held out her hand to the pug, which sniffed at it with a seriousness that seemed wholly at odds with its absurd face. Having sniffed to its heart's content, it began lapping at her palms enthusiastically.

 

Revolution made another indistinct cooing sound from beside Sam, then spoke in a quiet voice. "Do you think we should call Funtimes?"

 

"Nah," Sam answered in a whisper. "We don't need her, do we?"

 

Revolution made as if to answer, and then realized her friend was talking to the dog more than to her. She simply smiled at the pair of them and took a few steps back.

 

Before she could convince herself it was a bad idea, Sam scooped up the pug and hugged it close to herself. The dog actually seemed to delight in the attention.

 

 

"You know," Sam pondered out loud. "This really isn't that bad."

 

Then, in a softer voice, more to herself than to the hippie or the pug--"I wonder if Mom'd let me keep a pet..."

[mail-mi he/him]

She sobbed louder and clutched her mother's body. The Epic crouched down and grabbed her by the hair, lifting her head up and forcing her to stare into his eyes. He held her there for a moment, enjoying the terror that was there, then threw her to the ground and said one word.

 

"Run."  

 

Angel Zoe Finch was not eight or nine years old, though most people she met insisted it was so. She’s just a late bloomer; she’s our sweet little 13 year old angel! her parents would say.

 

Or, well, they used to say.

 

The hem of Angel’s nightgown was completely gone, and the bottom was dirty and ripped and torn to shreds, but Angel didn’t care. She fled through her neighborhood, tears streaming from her eyes as the sun set behind her.

 

They’re gone, her mind whispered to her, but she shoved the thought away. Maybe it was all a bad dream, maybe tomorrow her mom would gently shake her awake and she’d be able to change into her day clothes and and and....

 

They’re gone. That teleporting Epic killed them.

 

She couldn’t get the image of the Epic appearing inside of her older brother, couldn’t stop thinking of his body parts that had splattered the walls, couldn’t get her mother’s blood off of her hands.

 

Screaming, Angel stopped running. She threw herself down to a section of undisturbed curb and wept into her knees. Angel was done for. Without her family, she had no way of getting food, and no protection from any Epics who happened to be in a bad mood. Not like they could do anything about it....

 

There was no hope left for Angel.

 

She sat there for what seemed like hours, crying and even wishing, just a little bit, that an Epic would pass by her and end it for her. She couldn’t live like--

 

Something rubbed itself up next to her.

 

Angel jumped up and screamed, looking at the thing that had made its way over to her. What cruel Epic scheme was it? What more could they possibly want with he--

 

The big husky looked up at her with sad eyes and cocked its head.

 

A...dog? Angel stood still, looking down at the light-brown-furred husky. Is this some sort of prank? What Epic does he belong to? The dog didn’t move. Tentatively, Angel reached out and patted it on the head. It didn’t bite, and actually seemed to like it. She started to rub his head, feeling his slick hair weave its way through her fingers.

 

Somehow, she started to smile. It started small, just her lips curling upwards slightly, but it grew until her whole face was lit up with it. She leaned down to hug it, and it jumped up onto her shoulders, panting in her ear.

 

Her family was gone. Epics ruled the world. But, somehow, there was still a glimmer of light in this broken world.

 

Maybe...maybe there was still hope.

Edited February 6, 2015 by mail-mi

[Mailliw73 he/him]

Flashpoint saluted Altermind as he left with the two guards, Forrest and Wade. They climbed down the rope ladder as Flashpoint flew down to the ground.

"Speed is of the essence, let's hurry," Flashpoint ordered. Both guards got on their motorcycles and began zooming down the road. Flashpoint flew just ahead of them, itching to fight the attackers. They thought they could take Thoughttown? Not with these soldiers protecting it and not with Strongsteel's enhanced walls. The other Epics would be on their way soon and then the invaders would be crushed.

Flashpoint only wished he had been able to speak to the two girls Doctor Funtimes had brought with her. They had seemed nice enough for simple human girls. What he really wanted though, was a pretty Epic girlfriend. Shorter than him, with long brown hair, some way to keep up with him as he flew, Calamity could provide that, couldn't he?

Flashpoint chided himself for thinking about girls at a time like this. Thoughttown was under attack. He approached the border in time to see a dark cloud enter the gate. They had managed to take out the guards there and were spreading out inside the boundaries of Thoughttown. He headed for the man who looked most like an Epic. The way he held himself exhumed confidence, like all other Epics. Flashpoint figured that with the cloud of darkness, the man was some type of illusionist. Years with Altermind convinced Flashpoint that he'd be able to handle an illusionist better than most.

Flashpoint took aim with his rifle, but remembered Altermind's tricks and adjusted his aim. He shot a foot in front of the man and then a foot behind. Neither did anything aside from bounce off the asphalt. From up in the sky, Flashpoint took aim a third time at the man himself, confused at either the stupidity or the arrogance that convinced this Epic to show himself fully. Flashpoint's finger began to pull the trigger, but suddenly his finger didn't work like it was supposed to. Flashpoint's leg jerked out at an angle for no reason.

Concerned about his falling, Flashpoint lowered himself closer to the ground, carefully, so that he wouldn't fall from such a great height if this man's power somehow worked on his flying ability.

Summoner drove through the eastern gate, watching for surprise attacks. The guards recognized him and let him in easily. He parked the car just inside the gate and got out, Smoky following his lead.

He saw the two Epics from far off. One dressed in all black, wore a cloak to hide his face. The other wore obnoxiously bright clothing that would stand out at midnight in the middle of a storm. Summoner nodded at Smoky and she smiled back. She knew what to do. Summoner quickly calculated the distance to the Epics and then stepped into the Other. Before he faded into the secondary dimension, he saw Smoky head for the other Epics.

Summoner took deliberate steps, counting carefully, until he knew he was behind the Epics. He grabbed his long sword, which he had named Oathbringer, and counted to ten. Slowly, the real world faded back and Summoner saw the two Epics advancing on Smoky with evil grins on their faces. As soon as Smoke saw him, she conjured up thick, black smoke in front of the Epics' eyes.

As Summoner lunged with his sword, the one in black absorbed the light from a nearby streetlight. A black bolt of energy shot towards Smoky. Summoner yelled in anger and swung his sword towards the Epic's neck. Just before it connected, the Epic disappeared, melting into the shadow from the dark streetlight. The other Epic had dashed away, through the smoke towards Smoky. Summoner chased him into the smoke.

He heard screaming from the right and ran that way. He made it out of the smoke cloud to find nothing. He spun, looking for Smoky and saw the bright-colored Epic attempting to shoot her on the far side of the cloud of smoke. He must've misjudged the direction of the scream. Summoner ran towards Smoky, summoning a rifle from the Other as he stored his sword. She was expertly dodging the Epic's shots by flaring smoke in front of him as she ran. She had been hit a couple times on the side, but from the smoke emanating from those injuries, Summoner saw that they were healing.

A blast of energy singed Summoner's left biceps. Storms! He had forgotten about the Shadow Epic. He spun and shot in the direction of the Epic, managing to score a couple of non-lethal wounds. The Epic faded back into the shadows and Summoner continued on to Smoky. When he turned around though, the other Epic and Smoky had gone back into the original smoke cloud. He charged in, rifle ready, and heard Smoke grunting as footsteps ran past him. "Smoky! I'm here!" He yelled, but the footsteps went past him. He ran out of the cloud where the footsteps had gone and saw nothing.

Summoner realized what had happened. How could he be so stupid? Altermind had just used the same trick to tell him not to eat a cupcake at that meeting. This Epic had to be a mental illusionist. Summoner stalked carefully back into the smoke cloud, listening carefully.

He heard gunshots from two different types of gun, one handgun and a rifle. He also heard female yelling and shooting from another direction. Realizing now that the Epic was causing some sounds, Summoner headed in the direction of the sound of two guns. Smoky carried a pistol and, once involved in a fight, could see it through.

Just as Summoner approached Smoky and the illusionist quietly, he saw the shadow Epic appear behind Smoke Bomb. "Smoky!" Summoner yelled. She dove to the ground, but not before the energy blast skimmed her back, burning it. Summoner yelled in rage, feeling adrenaline and the Thrill of killing rush through him. He shot the illusionist twice in the chest, summoning Oathbringer again.

Smoky lay on the ground unmoving, but smoke was emanating from the burn which meant it was healing. Summoner charged the shadow Epic, but once again, he blended into the shadows. Summoner dropped his rifle and began another Summoning. The object appeared in his hand and he pointed it at the ground. He turned the flashlight on and pointed it at the shadow. The Epic appeared again, yelling in pain. Summoner took the two steps forward and, pointing the flashlight at the Epic, plunged the blade into his gut. The shadow Epic fell backwards, breathing heavily. "The...light. It comes. But...the shadow...conquers all," the dying Epic managed to say. Summoner spat and smote the Epic's head from his shoulders.

He ran over to Smoky, sending all his possessions back to the Other. He knelt down next to her and, laying her on his lap, began stroking her long, blond hair. She was beautiful even in pain. Summoner knew there wasn't much he could do but wait until the healing finished. It was close. As the smoke rising from her back dissipated, Summoner leaned down and kissed her forehead gently. Her eyelids fluttered open and her lips formed a faint smile. "Hi, Dally," she said weakly.

He smiled and kissed her for real. He propped her up into a sitting position. She leaned against him, breathing heavily. Her healing was useful, but it drained her and took a while. Summoner brought a protein bar out of the Other and fed it to her. She stood up, saying, "Dal, what are we doing sitting here? We're under attack!" He nodded and stood up. That they were, but, always, Smoky came first.

He kissed her one more time. "Are you okay to go now?" She nodded and, hand in hand, they walked back to the Viper. He called Altermind over his mobile, reporting the two dead Epics and sent a message to the other Epics, keeping them updated. Summoner smiled as he got in the car. He never felt more calm after a battle than he did with Smoky. The battle enraged him, but she calmed him.

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

 

The girl human was happy. So was Protector Pug. 

 

Protector Pug didn't know what it was about a happy human that made her happy, but there was nothing like it. The face the two girl humans made when she tilted her head was worth the long walk, worth the big weird lizards, worth the pile of garbage she never got to sniff. The sad girl human extended her hand, and Protector Pug sniffed it. 

 

Sweat. 

 

Her palms had been sweating, and the sweat smelled like fear and anger mixed together into what she now knew as sadness. Just as she thought. Protector Pug kissed her hand, just to let this sad, scared girl human know she had a protector dog now and that her protector dog would kiss her hand anytime. 

 

In a second, the girl human had scooped Protector Pug up into her arms, and Protector Pug couldn't help but wag her tail. Leader rarely gave her hugs like this. He was like the big animals he kept, all strong and silent and not into hugging, though he did slip her and the other protector puppies some bacon now and then. But this girl human wanted a hug that Protector Pug was more than happy to give. 

 

There was a third human, a boy human wearing a long leather coat and shoes like the girl's, but not sparkly. He turned to the girl human with a small frown that vanished the second he saw Protector Pug. He tried to push the smile down, but it kept popping back up like a Ping-Pong ball Leader had once dropped in her bathtub. 

 

Ping-Pong balls were awesome. 

 

The boy human looked behind him, then back to the girl humans, scratching Protector Pug behind her ear. "Where did you find h—this thing?" 

 

Protector Pug didn't understand his words, but she understood his tone. He was acting like a kitty. When kitties were scared, they puffed up their fur and their tails and tried to look as scary as possible. This boy human was scared, like a kitty. And he was trying to sound scarier than he was. Like a kitty. 

 

Protector Pug leaned toward the boy human, opening her mouth in a doggy grin. His Ping-Pong ball smile popped right back up and it didn't seem to be going anywhere. 

 

Mission accomplished. 

 

There was the scuffle-scrape sound of shoes against asphalt as the human in the poofy dress skipped away from the floating house and paused beside them. "Sammy," she sang, "what'd you find…." 

 

Her voice trailed off into a long squeal that made Protector Pug close her mouth and tilt her head. 

 

"Great. Googly. Moogly!" The girl human jumped up and down, clapping her hands. "You have to keep it it's so cute so cute so cute! Oh my gosh oh my gosh soooooooo cuuuuuute!" 

 

Without extending her hand so Protector Pug could sniff it first, the poofy-dress human petted Protector Pug's head. Protector Pug tilted her head back, trying to get a whiff—and didn't like what she smelled. 

 

The poofy-dress human smelled like fear that had been left on to boil too long, lumping together into aggression and anger that had been topped off with a layer of too-sweet happiness. Like pure sugar on top of congealed noodles. Leader smelled like that sometimes, but without the happiness. It was the happiness that made it all worse, like she was going to try and feed it to someone and tell them it was all sugar, not letting them know about the icky ickiness underneath. 

 

"You're keeping it, right? Please please please tell me you're keeping it—" She cut off with another squeal, ending with what sounded like a decision: "You're keeping it! Traveler, take us home so Sammy can keep the puppy!" 

 

Even if Protector Pug had been given time to protest, she wouldn't have. Her new human needed her now more than ever. 

Edited February 7, 2015 by TwiLyghtSansSparkles

[Edgedancer he/him]

Nighthound was just about to leave. As he dragged Ray back to her feet, a bullet went straight through his head. By the time it went through his head the entry wound had already closed itself and was only trailing of a small amount of black smoke. What a childish men but at least he’s upfront about it.  

 

Just as he turned back to him, the old man disappeared. Nighthound left out a small sight, “Say Red, can you tell me where that coward ran off to or do I have to put dealing with him on my list?”

 

Getting shoot in the head wasn´t exactly something that made Nighthound angry, if anything he was more annoyed at him running away. Given that it didn´t even leave him with as much as a scratch. Some actions just require the fitting consequences.

[Kobold King he/him]

 

 

Oh yeah. Pugs were awesome for hugging.

 

The little dog wagged its tail merrily, cuddling up against her chest in raw affection. It was like a little ball of pure love, covered in hair with a squashed black face and adoring brown eyes. Not that Sam would ever describe it as such out loud, of course. Not unless Mom was really opposed to keeping the dog and she had to create a compelling argument.

 

The silence of the dark street was briefly broken by Nathan's footsteps as he wandered closer to the girls and the pug, his precise and deliberate frown dimly illuminated by the overhanging stars. 

 

 "Where did you find h—this thing?" he asked slowly, clearly struggling to maintain his sullen Lightwards impersonation. His mouth kept twitching, threatening to curl all the way into an affectionate smile. It was clear that if he didn't have a facade to keep up, Nathan would be cooing as much as Revolution.

 

Even with the all-important, life-saving facade on his shoulders, Nathan still burst into a smile when the pug leaned out of Sam's arms and grinned at him. Sam had to suppress a laugh herself, glad for Nathan's sake that all the real Epics were already gone.

 

 "Sam-my!  What'd you find….?" 

 

Well, most of them, at any rate.

 

Doctor Funtimes skipped over to the gathered vanillas, singing rhythmically to herself as she did. She looked over them all with bright twinkling eyes--before those eyes settled on the pug.

 

The resulting squeal was like someone let the air out of a balloon. A bright pink, glittery balloon that was jumping up and down in sheer delight while ogling and adorable puppy.

 

 "Great. Googly. Moogly!" Funtimes cried out across the street.  "You have to keep it it's so cute so cute so cute! Oh my gosh oh my gosh soooooooo cuuuuuute!" 

 

"Yeah, I guess he is--" Sam started to say, but was cut off as the glittery Epic leaped forward and starting petting the dog in her arms. Sam flinched back involuntarily, but the Doctor didn't seem to notice.

 

"You're keeping it, right? Please please please tell me you're keeping it—" Funtimes sang, finishing in a decisive squeal. "You're keeping it! Traveler, take us home so Sammy can keep the puppy!"

 

Sam shook her head at Funtimes' bubbliness, but compliantly took one of Nathan's hands while cradling the pug in her other arm.

 

The empress of parties and glitter, still bouncing up and down in glee, gripped her boyfriend in one hand and Revolution with the other. Once they'd formed a line of contact, the four--make that five--of them teleported away, leaving the street outside the house dark and silent once more.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Revolution was happy.

 

She felt a little guilty for that--it was clear from Samantha's face that the girl had been quite distraught over something. There was also the obvious fact that she was the captive of an Epic. An Epic who had taken to bringing her to war councils. War councils where the most powerful Epics in Portland discussed murdering one another. War councils important enough that even if she and her new comrades escaped, they were certain to be chased down and assassinated for what they knew. Her chances for survival had decidedly plummeted over the past couple of days, and the past hour put her in the same situation as a fly caught in a spider web.

 

Yet: it was hard to stop smiling. She'd made a new friend. They'd only been able to whisper together for a minute, and she only knew his first name--Forrest. But he was a new friend nonetheless, and if she could survive for another few days, then she'd very much like to meet him again.

 

 

But that was a matter for another time. She clasped hands with Doctor Funtimes and was brought back to the cottage in the space of a blink.

 

The cottage was still the same wacky world of childish whimsy it had been earlier. There was little indication of the fight that had took place earlier; the diamonds of Lucentia had long since been changed to pralines, which were now crawling with lines of ants all across the floors.

 

"Thanks Lucentia," Sam grumbled sarcastically, petting her pug with one hand. "Ants are just what we needed. What a thoughtful dictator you are."

 

"Oh, I'm sure the ants think she's wonderful," Revolution mused with a smile. "They've got all this food to haul back to the nests. They can come home, feed the larvae, kiss their little ant wives, talk about their day, pay tribute to the little ant Epics..."

 

Sam snorted, but there was a smile on her lips. Revolution smiled back, then turned to Funtimes.

 

The Doctor had a briefly funny look on her face, directing a pouting scowl at the pest-ridden floor. Quickly though her face curled into a broad grin, and she raised a hand with a giggle.

 

For the space of a second, the floor of the cottage turned to water. It took most of that moment for Revolution to realize what was happening--the tiles and carpet had all changed to liquid in a heartbeat. It was as if the cottage were suddenly built with three walls over a pond instead of a foundaiton, save for the tiny island that the four human beings stood upon.

 

The water existed just long enough to form bubbles and a couple of ripples before it changed once again, this time into a smooth wooden floorboard. There was not an ant to be seen--they and the bottom inch of all the cottage's furniture had been encased in solid wood. Funtimes beamed broadly at her handiwork before cheerfully skipping into the kitchen.

 

"Well," Revolution remarked quietly, "I guess the ant Epics can go without tribute for a day." Sam's mouth twitched in a smile again, but she, like Revolution, was eyeing the Doctor with a hint of misgivings behind her back.

 

She'd just giggled and killed dozens of insects in a single instant. Revolution considered herself an optimist, but even she had to wonder--how many human beings could she engulf in wood in that same time?

 

Electing not to think of it, she instead seated herself in a wooden rocking chair, which was now too deeply submerged in the floor to rock. Sam found a deep purple couch to lounge on, kicking off her sparkling shoes and experimenting with balancing the pug in her lap.

 

Leaning back in her chair, Revolution looked between Sam and Nathan in succession. Both of them looked tired; Sam looked utterly exhausted, and a few symptoms of stress showed around Nathan's eyes.

 

"Well," she started musingly, smiling at both of them. "It's been a long day, hasn't it?"

 

 

 

 

 

It had been a long day.

 

Lightwards stood on the dark street, head still pounding as he watchedFuntimes and her vanillas vanish into the gloom. They looked excited about something, though he couldn't quite tell what had gotten their attention. With Funtimes at their lead, it could have been something as insignificant as a penny she'd found.

 

Or a weapon she'd carved out of asphalt. Anything was possible with that madwoman.

 

"What did you think of our allies?" he called to Aldo, who was standing a few meters away with Cricket and Lucentia.

 

"Most excellent fellows, for the most part," the magician responded brightly. "Altermind's a stoic chap, but that's to be expected from a man of his rank. Flashpoint has an eye for the ladies, if the way he stared at my fine assistant here is any indication."

 

"He's welcome to look," Cricket grumbled, folding her arms over her chest. "But that moron better not get any ideas."

 

"And Sightline," Aldo continued as if he hadn't been interrupted. "He's an edgy one. The type who looks like he wants to stab everyone in the room, if you don't mind me saying."

 

"Saying such things is your job," Lightwards said with a nod. He took a minute to stare at his dinosaurs--three raptors and an Allosaurus, all lined up in the street.

 

"Do you have a knife?" he asked Aldo.

 

"I always have a knife," the magician smiled, producing a miniature kukri and engorging it with a flourish. He proffered the hilt to Lightwards, which the necromancer took carefully.

 

He walked to a raptor and plunged the blade into its throat. The theropod let out a gurgling gasp, spewing blood over Lightwards' coat as it jerked backwards and began thrashing about on the sidewalk. Lightwards made a note of the new bloodstain on his clothes and moved to the next raptor, slaughtering it and its final fellow in the same manner.

 

"Save some dinos for the Dominion, Prof," Cricket snorted from the sidelines. "I don't think I get this strategy."

 

"Now, Cricket, have some respect," Aldo admonished affectionately. "This is all part of our Emperor's stratagem. He knows more of necromancy than you ever will."

 

"Well said," Lightwards agreed grumpily, finishing off the last raptor. "Dinosaurs are among my most useful Warriors, but they are hardly portable. Blood is easier to carry."

 

His attire was now a complete mess, soaked in the blood of ancient reptiles. For one odd moment he thought back to his university days, wondering what his old colleagues at UC Davis would think of him had he strode onto the campus stained morbid red head to toe. They'd think he'd gone mad--just as they had when he'd shot most of them.

 

Despite his increasing headache and blurry vision, Lightwards lined up the dagger precisely enough to thrust the blade straight through Pamela Tithers' breast, dropping her to the asphalt with a thud. He didn't bother to collect her blood on his sleeves. Her purpose was served, and there was no need for her worthless body to use up a valuable rank among his Warriors.

 

Next, Lightwards slit a fine cut across the allosaur's leg--this beast was far too large to be killed with a simple slitting of the throat. Instead, he merely ensured that he held its blood on his clothing, so upon its death he could revive it. But what was he to do with it in the meantime?

 

"Warrior," he commanded, a fleeting whim taking hold of his mind. "Walk north across the city Kill every human being you encounter, save for me and my Epics. Seize them in your jaws. Scatter their bodies through the streets. Roar to proclaim your might. Go forth."

 

The allosaur obediently turned around and let out a deafening roar across the suburb. Windows shook in their panes, and the asphalt itself trembled as the elephantine carnivore strode in long steps northwards, already on the hunt.

 

"With any luck he shall slay a good many Portlanders before he reaches the Dominion," Lightwards stated to Aldo and Lucentia, lips curling into a thin smile. "I want the people of this city to feel the fear they haven't felt in a hundred million years. Let them know what it's like to be hunted by a great carnivore--and let them know who commands the monsters that prey on them."

 

Handing the bloodied kukri back to the magician, Lightwards began to slowly walk back towards the floating Museum in the distance. His head was still pounding. He was beginning to feel light-headed. He still wanted to put a bullet in the head of whoever designed those radiant Thoughttown phones.

 

And yet as the first screams began to erupt northwards, punctuated by the roar of the great predator, he couldn't help but give a small smile.

 

Salvation was coming to Oregon, heralded by every scream and cry of the foolishly resisting people. Salvation had arrived, and the man who ruled reptiles was its bearer.

 

The Empire of Light was on the rise.

Edited February 9, 2015 by Kobold King

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

Part one of a compilation post between me and Kobold.

Revolution leaned back in her sunken chair, smiling at Sam and Nathan in succession.

"Well," she started musingly, smiling at both of them. "It's been a long day, hasn't it?"

Nathan wasn't sure how to answer. Sam knew his secret, and Revolution knew, but Funtimes had no idea what they knew. So far as he was aware, the only one in the room who wouldn't care how he answered was the pug in Sam's arms, and the pug didn't speak English. So he slipped out of his coat, which felt heavy in the warmth of the cottage, and laid it over the back of a chair at the table.

"Okie dokie loki," Funtimes sang, skipping back into the living room, "everybody gets pizza now!"

Nathan smiled, wondering if he should put his coat back on. The smallest things could anger Epics, and he didn’t fancy being trapped in the floorboards. His girlfriend said nothing, taking his hand and towing him into the kitchen, so he left the coat where it was.

Two enormous pizzas sat on equally large metal plates on the counter. Each was roughly divided into quarters, and no two quarters were the same. There was a quarter of cheese, a quarter of pepperoni, a quarter of sausage and mushroom, a quarter of veggie, and a few quarters with toppings that seemed to have nothing to do with each other. The aroma made his mouth water, and if he closed his eyes, he could almost imagine he was at a party with friends, during a time when Epics were the stuff of science fiction. "Wow," was all he could say.

"I made it already cooked so the oven can't burn anybody," Funtimes said happily.

"Um, thanks." Nathan felt a small tap on his ankle, far too heavy to be an ant that had somehow escaped the floor. Sam's pug met his gaze with wide brown eyes and a tilted head, and he couldn't help but smile. "You like ham, little guy?"

"I'm sure it does," Funtimes cooed, crouching down to meet the pug at eye level. She didn't seem to notice when the dog backed a few steps. "You take care of my friends, okay? Make sure they're safe."

Sam felt her stomach growl as a wonderful whiff of smell flowed from the kitchen. Her new pug hopped from her lap and began exploring the cottage, so she got to her feet and stood outside the kitchen, sneaking a peak.

She couldn't help but to gawk at the feast. The pizzas were huge, lavished with more types of topping than she could count quickly. Meat, cheese, vegetables of all kinds... there was even a stuffed Chicago-style quarter, a recipe that probably hadn't been seen in this part of the country in years.

Mom could bake out of pretty much anything, but suppers in the Trattner home usually consisted of bean stews. Sam suddenly realized how ravenously hungry she was, and was about to ask when they'd start serving when Funtimes squatted to talk to the dog.

"You take care of my friends, okay?" the Doctor cooed happily. Make sure they're safe."

Sam's attention reluctantly snapped away from the pizza at those words.

"What do you mean?" she asked with a confused frown. "Are you leaving us alone here?"

"Not for super long," Funtimes said, scratching the dog's ear. "And I'll be going all back and forth and back and forth and I'll leave up a whole bunch of stuff to make sure nobody gets in." She cupped the pug's chin in her hand. "I love your little smushed-up face!"

Right. Nobody gets in, Sam repeated in her mind. Cynically, she added what she felt was implied: Or out.

Not wanting to be buried under the floorboard, she kept those thoughts in the privacy of her head and put on a smile. "Well good luck on whatever you're doing out there. Thanks for the pizzas."

 

Funtimes beamed as the pug trotted back over to Sam. Petting the dog seemed to have put her in a better mood than she had been in at the Sadrys', and the effects of whatever alcohol-like influence had taken her had apparently worn off. Nathan decided to test the waters. "Are you, uh, going to find Remington?"

 

 Her expression darkened briefly. "Yep. He's fine. I'll find him super fast and then I'll be right back over here!"

 

On the one hand, having the hunter who spoke to Epics with impunity would make the cottage seem less oppressive. On the other hand, the thought of just twenty minutes without Funtimes was as tantalizing as the aroma of fresh pizza. "Sounds good," Nathan said. That was a nice neutral thing to say. 

 

Sam nodded along to Nathan's agreeable reply. She'd almost forgotten about Remington and the... man? Woman? Alien android? The person with the unicycle and the bagpipes.

The fact that Funtimes remembered them was at once comforting and frustrating. Comforting because she'd never forget all about them and leave them in the hands of Lightwards or Nighthound; frustrating because it meant no chance of slipping away from her without the Doctor coming to find them. There was no relying on Doctor Funtimes being as ditzy and forgetful as she looked. When they escaped, they'd have to assume that they'd be pursued wherever they went.

Sam briefly considered bringing up Lightwards and his threats; The sooner they could talk Funtimes into conjuring up some recording gadgets for them, the sooner they could take control of some zombies and bust out of town. Reluctantly she forced the thought down. Funtimes was temperamental even for an Epic, and it was probably best to wait for a good opening. Or better yet, for Nathan or Revolution to broach the topic ahead of her.

It only took her a second to think of an alternate topic. "So," she began, eyes darting to the kitchen once more. "When do we dig into those pizzas?"

"Whenever you want to, silly!" Funtimes gave Sam, then Nathan and Revolution each a hug. "I mean, I'd eat it now, but if you like cold and icky pizza, I'm not gonna judge. Stay inside and have fun bye!"

With that, she vanished. Nathan waited a moment before taking a slice of cheese. How long could it take her to set up security measures? If she was planning to be in and out, she wouldn’t spring for anything terribly elaborate; and if she wanted to keep others out, she wouldn’t attract attention with a flying cottage.

He hoped for a moat. A moat was something an normal Epic would create to keep her servants inside. Even if she filled it with acid, it would be less terrifying than whatever else she might create.

He took a cautious bite of pizza--a warm, tangy, cheesy bite--trying not to think how long it was since he'd had pizza.

And then he went to the window.

As predicted, a moat surrounded the cottage, clear liquid shimmering in the fading light, trees and the cottage itself silhouetted on its surface. Wind stirred the trees, sending a few leaves into the moat. They sizzled and vanished.

Funtimes knelt on the ground, both hands outstretched over something sleek and shiny rising from the dirt. As Nathan slowly polished off his pizza (he was too hungry to leave it be) the thing took on the long, sleek form of a silver alligator. Exposed gears whirred and spun within its head, near its joints, throughout the entirety of the machine until the mechanical gator opened its eyes and snapped its jaws.

Funtimes clapped her hands, letting out a delighted squeal Nathan could barely hear through the cottage door. She turned to another patch of dirt, reshaping it into the likeness of the first gator, which had just fired twin bolts of red laser from its eyes. Nathan let the curtain fall, concealing his girlfriend’s progress on the second mechanical lizard.

“Um, guys?” Nathan’s mouth was suddenly dry. “Don’t go outside, okay?”

 

Edited February 10, 2015 by TwiLyghtSansSparkles

[Voidus]

Disrupt flinched as a spray of asphalt erupted in fronted of him, accompanied by the loud bang of a rifle being fired, a second bang and he heard the bullet hit behind him.

Either I'm getting better at disrupting people without thinking or this guy has some seriously horrible aim.
He looked towards the source of the noise to an Epic hovering in the air, taking aim once again. Disrupt send a surge of his power towards the man, scrambling the messages of his motor neurons. The Epics leg jerked out at an awkward angle as Disrupt grinned, watching the Epic descend.

He took aim with his own rifle, carefully sighting the Epic down the barrel and fired. He realized his mistake almost instantly, while he could disrupt the movements of muscles flying Epics didn't need muscles to move properly, the Epic moved swiftly aside from his shot as Disrupt gritted his teeth, cursing his powers lack of control over Epic abilities.

"Alright you flying Slontze, this is going to get interesting." He grumbled to the air as he eyed off his adversary.
 

Neverthere slid slowly along the streets, alternating between skipping and simply shifting her projection forwards a few dozen yards.
"Hello!" She sang out to the empty streets where she'd last seen Lightwards.

"Where are you Wardy? Is this because I said you couldn't have a Nickname? That's not a good reason to keep a lady waiting you know!"

Her bare feet eerily quiet as she skipped along the stone street Neverthere peered around corner after corner, seeming perpetually surprised that the Necromancer wasn't there.

"Well this is no fun." She sighed "Maybe I'll go check up on Corpsey again."

Just as she was preparing to shift her projection she heard a thunderous roar coming from a few streets away, followed by the sound of something very large crashing into several buildings.

Shifting herself on top of a nearby house Neverthere squealed with delight.

"Numnums!" She yelled, leaping rooftop to rooftop until she was next to the dinosaur. "Wardy sent you to say sorry for not meeting me didn't he?"

The beast stared at her with one enormous eye briefly before snapping its jaws around her projection.

Neverthere giggled as she reappeared on the Allosaurs back, legs straddling its thick neck as she threw her arms around it.

"Awww that's so cute, it's like a puppy hugging you when you get home." She cooed in its ear.

 

Numnums seemed slightly unsettled by the bizarre pink and black clad girl riding him but after a few attempts at swiping her off he seemed content to continue on his rampage shattering houses and picking the fleeing inhabitants up in his jaws before crushing them. leaving their broken bodies littering the street behind him.

"Numnums you're a really messy eater" Neverthere admonished, gesturing at the mixture of blood, cloth and flesh sliding slowly down his jaws.

He glared at her, letting out another roar and trying once more to shake her off.

"Oh ok, I'll forgive you but only because you're so cute. Oops you missed one!" She said, pointing to a young couple running between the Allosaurs legs to escape.

One flick of its tail smashed them against the door of a laundromat, long since closed. Neverthere yipped in glee as the dinosaur continued down the street, leaving utter destruction in its wake.

[Edgedancer he/him]

The meeting had come to an end.

 

From a purely pragmatic point of view it was a success. They established their collaboration with Thoughttown and made them agree to do the dirty work of distracting Corpsemaker’s lackeys before they would get killed as well.

 

Sadly, she had to endure more than that. She expected Funtimes to be an eyesore. Naturally, she was right on that accord. Right now, Lucentia did her best not to despair at the madwoman picking up a random dog that was probably as dirty as her Vanillas were rotten.

 

Not even there did disappointments of the evening stop. Lightwards might as well have been replaced with a drunk, as useless as he was. Overall, it was one big reminder that she ended up with a useless bunch of misfits. Then again that might be for the best.

 

Leaving that behind, she found herself back on the ground, next to Aldo and his assistant. The magician was either a simple bootlicker or someone she actually had to worry about. Contemplating the topic, she watched him assisting Lightwards in storing some of his warriors for later use.

 

Lightwards seemed to have regained some of his composure by now. Sending out the allosaurus at least was something that would make an impression using his power, even if together with letting her brother roam around his entrance was starting to become wasteful. However, with some luck this night would give them a chance to demonstrate some actual power, at least then what's comming wouldn´t be a simple annoyance.

 

As the self-fashioned emperor took his leave, the diamond queen stayed behind for a moment. She wondered whether or not she should take the head of that Tithers woman but decided against it. No achievements, no skills, that woman was simply useless trash that would tarnish her collection.

 

Banishing the thought she catched up to Lightwards and addressed him, “Now that we are in a more exclusive company, I think there are two matters we should discuss. I would suggest we start with Altermind’s little slip up.”

[Kobold King he/him]

 

 

They walked in silence for only a scarce couple of minutes before Lucentia stepped up her pace, coming to walk closely besides Lightwards himself.

 

“Now that we are in a more exclusive company," the diamond queen began, her voice as annoyingly haughty as always, "I think there are two matters we should discuss. I would suggest we start with Altermind’s little slip up.”

 

Lightwards didn't look to the queen, but made a non-committal noise as he processed what she'd said. Fortunately, his head seemed to be clearing from the inexplicable headache he'd had earlier, so thinking was getting easier.

 

Even with his head clear, he still had no idea what she was talking about.

 

"Slip up?" he asked, flushing contempt into his voice to mask his confusion. "Altermind's hardly a model for ruling Epics to follow, but I spotted few major errors in the way he conducted his faction."

 

They continued walking, the night silent except for the screaming and roaring that grew more silent with every step they took.

 

"For the sake of argument," Lightwards continued slowly, his eyes flickering to her briefly. "What perceived error would you be referring to?"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Meat between the teeth. Blood against the scales. The cries of prey rattling in the ears. The stomach nigh overflowing with the fruits of the carnage. The allosaur felt good to be alive.

 

Alive. Now that was a strange thing. Once the allosaur had a very good understanding of what it meant to be "alive." Alive was moving. Alive was hunting. Alive was smelling prey and following their tracks. Alive was sniffing out females and courting them with slabs of bleeding meat.

 

Last time he'd tried mounting a female was when the problem started. There were few things to be feared as much as a female allosaur that was not ready to mate. She had been bigger than he was, and completely unimpressed in with his gift of regurgitated herbivore. He'd moved in and attempted mating regardless, and she had killed him. She had knocked him to the ground and taken his head in her jaws, snapping his neck like a brittle tree trunk. After that, he had been dead.

 

Dead. That was not moving. Not hunting. Not smelling prey. Not smelling much of anything, actually. Dead was nothingness. Death was the long blackness.

 

And yet here he was, moving, hunting, killing, and smelling the fear of mammals as he trampled over a landscape like none he'd ever seen. There was little to explain the abrupt change from being dead to being alive. It had happened even more quickly than going from alive to dead. All there was to explain it were the Words.

 

Walk north across the city. Kill every human you come across. Scatter their bodies. Roar to proclaim your might.

 

Did anything else matter? The allosaur didn't think so. He barely spared a thought for the strangeness of his surroundings--the forest of steel and stone that surrounded him, that hadn't been there last time he was alive. These odd two-legged mammals hadn't been there last time he was alive. The strange red star that hung in the sky--the one that looked like a bleeding wound in the universe itself--that had most certainly not been there.

 

But these things, strange though they were, weren't important. As long as he could hold the weird two-legged mammals in his teeth, and so long as they dissolved into crunchy goodness when he bit down on them, then all was right with the world.

 

"Yippee!"

 

Well, almost all was right. There was still the matter of the mammal that was sitting on his back, making its shrill and raucous calls. Of all the herd of strange things that the allosaur had seen, this mammal was the strangest. In looks it was much like any other of the mammals, though more brightly colored than most; but the mammal didn't seem to have a smell, nor could the allosaur quite manage to touch it. The one time he'd come close, his claw had merely passed through its body as if he'd stricken at a reflection in a pool.

 

It was a very frustrating mammal, but the allosaur did his best to ignore it. There were more important things to be about.

 

Walk north across the city. Kill every human you come across. Scatter their bodies. Roar to proclaim your might.

 

The allosaur dutifully ground a screaming mammal into giblets in his mouth, gulping them down his gullet and finishing with a world-shattering roar.

 

Walk north across the city. Kill every human you come across. Scatter their bodies. Roar to proclaim your might.

 

Did anything else matter?

 

Crunch.

 

Of course not.

[Edgedancer he/him]

Lightwards was an inattentive moron.

Now, Lucentia wasn’t about to defend Altermind but Lightwards’ attempt to pretend he didn’t miss what she’s talking about was about as skillful as a preschooler’s. For a moment she couldn’t help but blink at him in disbelieve.

Then she found her voice again, “Why yes, his illusions failing for a short moment isn’t really that much worse than deciding to work with a professor that apparently managed to sneak in a drink while I wasn’t watching. I should have been clearer.”

She stepped in front of Lightwards and jabbed a finger of her diamond hand in front of his face, “I have no idea how you missed that but as things stand we’re in the same boat, so do both of us the favor and get yourself together.”

The dinosaur screams faded more and more into the background.
                                                               

Red was visibly furious at Nighthound getting shoot. It added a whole new level to her insanity. Seeing how she reacted at what was a only a minor injury see did not want to be anywhere near her when he finally did die.

Ray watched as the other Epic growled an apology at Nighthound. He lifted her chin up so she was looking him in the eyes and smiled at her, it was a disturbing smile at having someone under his control. A shiver ran down her body.

“Red, my little Red, your first job and already a failure, anything you can think of to make up for it or maybe I should simply give you an old fashioned spanking?” Ray wouldn’t be surprised if he actually wanted to give her a spanking.

Edited February 18, 2015 by Edgedancer

[Kobold King he/him]

 

 

Lightwards froze on the street, staring in outrage at the diamond finger being waved in front of his face.

 

"Sneak in a drink?" he spat incredulously. "I'll have you know that I haven't touched alcohol in years, queen. Where you even gained that impression is beyond me, but I will trust that you will not be so foolish as to throw unfounded insults in my face again!"

 

"What about well-founded insults?" Cricket asked dryly from the sidelines. "Are those still kosher?"

 

Lightwards spun furiously on the other woman, hand on his pistol. "AM I NOT AN EPIC?" he shouted furiously. The words filled the street, and what few lights were still visible in the nearby houses shut off in an instant. "Has everyone in this city deemed me unworthy of any form of respect? You will keep your mouth closed, little Epic, or I will scatter your remains across every corner of this city. Do I make myself clear?"

 

Cricket stepped backwards in alarm, but nodded with a scowl.

 

Satisfied with having cowed the lesser Epic, Lightwards turned back to Lucentia, still fuming. "I am the Emperor of this city," he hissed. "You are nothing more than a foreign dignitary. It is not your place to rebuke or admonish me like one of your servants back home. If your eyes take in what mine have missed, you will approach me with the respect due to an Epic of my stature. Funtimes may be insane, but you are a respectable monarch and I expect you to act as such. Do I make myself clear?"

[Edgedancer he/him]

Lucentia slowly clapped after Lightwards finished his posturing, “Congratulations, you’re finally showing some backbone, if you’d do that more often maybe you would get that respect you have been asking for. However, as much as you claim it, you don’t own this city yet.”

 

While leaning her head back a little bit Lucentia put a finger to her lips, spreading them to a smirk “Actually, you have surprisingly little to your name. Apart from killing insignificant vanillas and frightening little Epics that even admit they are barely better than insects,” Lucentia dismissively waved at Cricket, “what have you done on your own? The only saving grace for you is that sometimes you come up with a bright idea, which means surprisingly little if you’re too oblivious to notice an obvious clue to a future adversary’s weakness. “

 

Dropping her smirk she folded her arms behind her back, “I can however assure you that I’m showing you more respect than one of my servants. Should one of them behave like you are right now they would be lying dead on the floor. The amount of generosity I’m showing you is already quite significant. Any amount of respect you want on top of that you’ll have to earn, which certainly won’t pose a challenge for an enlightened emperor such as you, won’t it?”

[Edgedancer he/him]

Lack of engagement was not something he would blame on Red. She was slowly starting to turn out to be overzealous, however. Not that there was anything wrong with the basics of her idea. Worst case scenario they would still make a point.

The problem was that making plans isn’t her job; it's to cater to his whims.  

 

Nighthound roughly grinded his knuckles on the back of Red’s head, “We’ll see once we actually figure out who the guy was. However, that you shouldn’t mess up again is expected and not an excuse, so there’s still the question how you will make it up to me. What will it be, the spanking, maybe a strip or you could go down on all fours and lick my feet while barking like a dog? You have a lot of options. The important part is that you please me right now.” He pushed down on her head one more time and then pulled his hand back, allowing her to look up again.

[Mailliw73 he/him]

Chi awoke from his restless sleep. He had had only nightmares of the day his father died and they had begun to mix with dreams of Kyrie's death. Over and over, he watched both die. Chimera pulled himself out of bed. He needed to do something. He couldn't just lie in bed as Epics like Timeport and Corpsemaker were around to terrorize the citizens of this city.

He needed to help. Ignoring his fatigue, Chi sent Argo to wake a couple of the guards to bring some animals to the pit. He arrived first and began sketching his ideas. First, Fonias; the slayer. Chi crafted with pencil what he would craft with flesh and fur. A bear with multiple heads; three from bear species, a crocodile, and a raven. It would have horns of a bull and venomous quills as well as odor glands to release noxious, foul-smelling gas.

The Dromeis Thanatou, Death Racers, came next. Speed, stamina and body of a horse. The strength and mane of a lion. Viciousness and head of a hyena. The three brothers shared those traits, but were differentiated by their additional trait. Klimak had crocodile scales. Mati had the many eyes of a spider. Korna had the horn of a rhinoceros. Chi felt adrenaline and power surge through him as he drew these creatures. Corpsemaker would feel the same devastation he was wreaking on the town.

The final creation was a variant of one he had found while researching different mythologies: the peryton. Chi drew a kudu, similar to an antelope, with large wings from an eagle. Ready to begin now, he called for the animals to be sent into the pit.

He started with Fonias and gave him the smell and bloodlust of a shark. The Slayer was a hideous beast to behold, but would serve his purpose perfectly.

The Death Racing brothers came next. The three fierce beasts stamped at the ground as they waited to be set free.

The peryton adaptations, which Chi called kudunton, were created last. All the kudu he had in the zoo were brought in. Chimera gave each one large wings.

Now ready, Chi sent the Slayer and the Death Racers to Corpsemaker's dominion up north, with orders to kill or wound any Epic in those boundaries. They ran out of the zoo's gates, excited to attack. The kudunton were split in half; one group stayed in the zoo and the other left to offer aerial support for the other four beasts. Exhausted, but exhilarated, Chi shut the gates and headed for bed. Now he'd be able to sleep.

[Mailliw73 he/him]

Max had watched the Reckoners move in to the bunker efficiently and speedily. It looked like this was something they did often. Everyone claimed their spot; Max just took the last bed. He didn't have much with him, just his guns and ammo.

When Gordon gave the announcement for Max to begin in the conference room, he became nervous. Gordon and Rachel had been swayed easily enough, but they had said that Charles and Moses would be the hardest to convince. Dr. Pace was firmly on his side, and that gave him confidence. He had three convinced, now he needed the rest.

"The Black Fist is a rebellion. We're gathering recruits and spreading the word. The Epics have had their chance, but they failed us. Now it is the people's turn. Like the days of the revolution against Britain, we must fight the oppressors so that we may regain control of our lives," Max started.

"I have started my contacts on spreading the word. That's the first step. We'll need to keep doing that, but soon it'll have the momentum it needs. We need to combine all the information we have and recruit informants that can add to it. The first real attacks will be against minor Epics, ones that we can manage easily, but that will boost the confidence of the people," Max continued, hardly pausing for breath.

Moses interrupted. "Whoa, there. A rebellion? Go back to that step. We can't start a rebellion. It'll get us all killed as well as anyone who joins. Epics like Corpsemaker will wipe us out instantly."

"Not if it's quiet and if it grows fast. He can't kill the entire city. He'd have no one to rule. That's why the first step is spreading the word. We need to have people constantly mentioning rebellion, bringing up the injustices and atrocities of the past. We need to get the people angry. The Epics have already started that; they've just added fear. We need the anger to outweigh the fear. That's where the second step comes in: killing Epics. I know you guys aren't an attack squad, but you have the experience as well as Gordon, Kyle, and I. Remington here is an Epic killer." Max explained, slowly building up the tension. He grew louder as he went on.

"You probably heard of Koschei, the Deathless Epic, who took over a town in the east. He was unkillable; he healed himself and could come back to life. He had a whole team of Epics to support him. Koschei the Deathless one day tasted death. Permanently. Remington killed an unkillable Epic. He brought death to the Deathless. Deathbringer, a slayer of Epics, in our midst. With his experience, your information, and my contacts, we will bring the people of this city to the top again. We will overthrow the Epics who lord over us. We are a city of the strange, a city of the special. We must take back our city." Max finished, exhilarated from his speech. Now to see who bought into it.

[Edgedancer he/him]

Voidgaze was being hugged by Big Al. It was understandable after he almost got killed and she didn’t mind… actually it was kind of nice… and she was waving her arms around like an idiot, “Umm Al… you’re… I mean…” She calmed herself down and returned the hug. It really was nice and on closer notice Al had really nice hair.

 

“It’s fine Al I’m right here and nothing bad is going to happen,” she assured him.

Big Al lifted his head and looked straight into her eyes, “I appreciate it but you shouldn’t worry about me that much. Just go out there and save some soldiers, I’ll find Panacea on my own.”

“Alright, if you say so... I’ll deal with the attackers then.”
“And don’t do anything stupid like getting yourself hurt or dying.”

“I told you that resurrection isn’t a big deal, so no need to worry.”

“You getting hurt is still a no go.”

Voidgaze didn’t contradict him and looked to the side. How many arguments is he going to win like that?

 

The two of them hesitantly let go of each other as they stood up. Leaving Al alone wasn’t a very appealing idea but he was right in that she should help the soldiers out and Al was competent enough to get somewhere safe, right? Still feeling a bit unsure Voidgaze turned to go.

 

“Rita,” she stopped at his call. As she turned around, his face was right in front of hers, close. Big Al gave her a quick kiss, “Go get them.”

Startled, Voidgaze let out a screech that was supposed to be a yes and fled towards the gunshots.

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

 

It had started out as such a good day. 

 

The Unicyclist—for that is what he called himself; no point using a different name when everyone in Portland called him the Unicyclist—had awoken in a colorful cottage with two Epics, a goth, a hippie, and a hunter. Together, they had watched a color-splashed matter manipulator poof up cinnamon rolls and bacon before pouring maple syrup on her cereal. 

 

Then Lucentia had come along, with her diamonds and her haughty attitude and her stupid hair. Once she had thoroughly wrecked a perfectly good morning, she had tried to kill them. 

 

There had been other moments, of course. Good ones, like handing out pancake invitations to a Beardapalooza—which had come with a temporary modification to his bagpipes—and leading a child Epic on a wild unicycle chase through a prehistoric jungle. There had been a lot of moments that day. The Unicyclist couldn't recall a time when his days had been that exciting. 

 

And now he was in a closet. 

 

With Oreos. 

 

And a chip hat. 

 

The Unicyclist slowly twisted an Oreo apart, dipped the frosting-free cookie in the guacamole, and ate it. It wasn't the best guac he'd eaten, not by a long shot. Doctor Funtimes (Calamity's cupcake, what an awesome name) might know her way around a bizarre piece of engineering, but she couldn't make guacamole to save her life. It was vastly improved by the addition of a chocolate cookie. 

 

He was in a closet. 

 

Epics outside. Dinosaurs outside. Funtimes and Traveler who-knows-where outside. Him inside. 

 

Did she forget? 

 

I'll be back for you okay bye! Those were her exact words. Not a lot to go on, no time, no date, no nothing. Just a sleeve of Oreos and bad guacamole in a chip hat. That must've meant she'd be back shortly, right? After the meeting at least. Then again, Epics weren't known for their sense of timing, save for the ones who had precognition or something like that. 

 

He dipped the frosting in the guacamole. 

 

She'd be back. 

 

She had to be back. 

 

She….

 

….had forgotten. 

 

Not even the frosting could make the guacamole taste anything but bitter. She'd forgotten. Doctor Funtimes had forgotten. She'd leave him until morning and find him curled up next to an empty sleeve of Oreos. 

 

He wasn't worth remembering. 

 

Nor was he quite sure what happened next. There was red light, and a voice—maybe?—and then he was lifting his bagpipes...

 

out out he had to get out 

 

….and he was playing a song….

 

break break break everything

 

….and then there was a scratching, urgent scratching that he knew for a dinosaur breaking through the door….

 

everything everything Nighthound's face break it break it 

 

….and then he was charging through, playing his bagpipes as a column of flame trailed behind. 

 

It was a very good day. 

[Edgedancer he/him]

A dog, if properly trained, embodied a multitude of positive traits, obedience, loyalty, cuteness and the willingness to do whatever you order them to do, just to name a few. A woman, also if properly trained, had essentially the same qualities with some added benefits, they were more useful, were more satisfying to pet and could be properly disgraced. Considering all of those facts women were clearly the superior pets.

 

One of those proper women was currently putting on a show for him right now. Honestly, Red needed to work on her barking; still her display showed that she had no trace of self-esteem left in her body.

  

 “Good girl, that makes up for your mistake.” With his foot Nighthound pushed Red’s head so she looked at Ray. ”Now, we have another one here that didn’t do anything, don’t we?” As he spoke the natural redhead visibly flinched back.

 

Before he could follow up on that there was a loud crunching sound, like a door being broken in. Almost immediately afterwards Nighthound was confronted with what was most likely the most annoying sight he had to face today. The Darth Vader mockery Funtimes picked up was charging towards him, trailing both flames and Lightwards’ dinosaurs behind him. Overall they made the very clear impression of being aggressive towards Nighthound. It was up to debate whether Funtimes picking an Epic from the crowd or a random vanilla she picked going through a Rending just the day after was more ridiculous but one way or another he had to deal with it now. “We’ll have to postpone this ladies, it seems someone needs to be dealt with.”

[Voidus]

Archaic strode through Thought Town with a strange mixture of pride and glee, he'd never been particularly powerful for an Epic and now for the first time he understood how those with truly strong powers must feel, the complete helplessness they induced in lesser beings was intoxicating.

He'd quickly formed a group with Bishop and Gladio, the combination of his ability to render guns and other modern technology useless, Bishops long range energy blasts and Gladio's swordsmanship were wreaking havoc among the soldiers of Though Town.

They pursued a group of soldiers into a nearby building, the soldiers had locked the door behind them but Gladio had quickly transmuted the door into a pile of salt to allow them entry. A few shots rang out from the fleeing soldiers before Archaic nullified all technology in the solddiers vicinity, their guns reduced to little more than scrap metal the soldiers began to flee before being struck down by crimson blasts fired from Bishop, though his blasts weren't powerful enough to kill on their own they stalled the soldiers long enough for Gladio to dispatch them with one of his swords.

"Well boys" Archaic said to his companions "Shall we find some more of these scum to show how strong we 'lesser' Epics really are?"

A round of malicious grins was the only reply as the trio wandered further into the building. They were eventually stopped when confronted by a figure dressed in white blocking their path. An instant feeling of rage swept through Archaic, how could a mere civilian, not even a soldier dare to impede such beings as they?

Bishop fired a barrage of energy bolts towards the figure, determined to show her her place.

A swirl of white surged from the figure, blocking the blasts before a tendril struck out towards bishop who dropped immediately, blood gushing from a wound that had opened in his neck.

Who is this? She's not one of the Epics who was with us. I thought all of the ThoughtTown Epics left! Archaic thought in a panic, he reduced the technology around the figure but the swirling white cloth was undaunted.

Gladio threw a sword towards the figure as he turned to run back out through the door, it wasn't clear whether the sword was meant as a distraction or to try and actually hurt the Epic but it didn't matter, it was quickly grabbed by a piece of the cloth and then hurled after the fleeing Gladio, impaling him just as he reached the door.

Archaic held up a pistol in one trembling hand before a flash of white removed the gun and several fingers.

He fell to the floor, blood pouring from his hand he tried to tie his shirt around the wounds. He looked up to see the figure regard him pitifully before heading towards some distant gunshots.

So that's what a High Epic can really do? Archaic thought, mind becoming hazy as he continued to bleed. He slumped against a wall for support, cradling his hand. Refill was insane to think we could beat them, she just annihilated three of us in seconds, we might as well have been Vanillas for all that she cared about our powers.

Archaic closed his eyes grimacing in pain.

She didn't even bother finishing me off.

[Fatebreaker he/him]

Dodgeball ran, his perpetual energy fueling his massacre of the guards. He ran, pouring molten lead into their ranks as he laughed.

He was untouchable.

Every now and then he would run out of ammunition, so he'd scavenge weapons from his fallen victims, choosing the prettiest ones. He cycled though machine guns, shotguns, grenades and rocket launchers. The destruction was like ambrosia, intoxicating in it's sweetness.

And he couldn't get enough.

He ran into a large auditorium and scanned the room, eagerly searching for new targets. There didn't appear to be anyone to shoot. Dodge turned to go.

Then ducked as a felt the fireball shooting towards him. It exploded into the wall, right at head height. He spun around, just in time to see the second fireball coming towards him. He dove to the side, rolling and coming up sprinting. He stole a glance at where the toasty projectiles were coming from and saw his assailant. A girl, hands wreathed in flame, like a demon come to condemn his wretched soul.

So naturally he shot at her.

He opend up, spraying bullets from the machine gun he carried he dodged around and over rubble and debris, hardly giving them a thought. He jumped, juked, and jived as fireball after fireball soared towards him, only to fail on their lethal errand.

Dodge shouted at the girl as he ran,

 

"You can't TOUCH me!"

 

He laughed wildly and threw a grenade, grabbing a new mag it the explosion rocked the room. It was indeed, a very good day.

[mail-mi he/him]

 

"Did you see the way I finished that last one off?!" 

 

The hunt was over. And Timeport had won. Timeport had won!!!! Electro fumed quietly as Timeport ranted about his victory. 

 

"Priceless, I tell you. Absolutely priceless. Oh, Calamity that was fantastic!" 

 

Timeport led the way back to the Dominion and the armory, and he couldn't stop smiling. He felt so powerful. He half felt like he could take over the entire Dominion himself, but somewhere in his head, he knew he would fail. Corspemaker had a PI. There was no chance of a victory for him. 

 

"My favorite part was when Grendel's head rolled across the ground. That blank stare was just beyond belief!" 

 

They were almost back within the borders of the Dominion. Somewhere nearby, Timeport heard a mighty ROAR! and felt the ground vibrating, but he was too gleeful to pay attention to it. 

 

"And the way that they begged for mercy. Oh my Calamity, that was great. Did you see the way their hope just vanished from their eyes in one instant?" 

 

Timeport turned around and looked at Quota and Electro. "Oh come on guys, just because I won doesn't mean you can't be happy for me?" He raised his eyebrow at their shocked faces. "What are you guys staring at?" 

 

Suddenly, Timeport heard one more ROOOOOOOAAR!!!!, and darkness engulfed him. Pain flashed through his entire body as something severed him in half, and instantly he was bathed in God's red light. 

 

I'm dead... Timeport thought. What in Calamity's name just happened?!

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

 

A dinosaur. 

 

A sparking dinosaur. 

 

Quota knew they were in Portland. He knew they were alive and hungry and under the control of some Epic or other, some idiot professor whose name he couldn't recall. Having been a six-year-old once, he knew they were tall and scaly and usually ate meat. 

 

But there was a difference between knowing and seeing, and at that moment, Quota saw.

 

He saw ridiculous feathers sprouting from huge, taut muscles. 

 

He saw luminous yellow eyes that stared at him the way he stared at a sobbing vanilla. 

 

He saw teeth. 

 

Big teeth. 

 

So many teeth. 

 

The dinosaur roared, sending the pink Epic on his back into a giggle fit. And Timeport...

 

Timeport kept walking, oblivious to the enormous lizard that had just roared in his ear. He yammered on about the girls and the hunt and he didn't even notice. 

 

Calamity, Timeport, I thought you were smarter than this! 

 

The thought was there, but the words were not. Just as his throat was too dry to voice them, his brain was too addled to form the thought into something that couldn't be forced through his lips. Quota could only watch, trying and failing to make anything but a few squeaking noises; could only listen as the biggest idiot in Portland said something poetic about hope flickering instead of running for the hills like someone with a brain. 

 

Now he turned around, that same grin on his face. Ten minutes ago, it had been the cocky grin of a newborn Epic, a man who had just realized he was invincible. Now, it just looked dopey. "Oh come on guys, just because I won doesn't mean you can't be happy for me?" He lifted an eyebrow as the dinosaur drew closer. "What are you guys staring at?" 

 

There was another roar, another giggle fit and—

 

—quick as thought—

 

​—the lizard dipped its head and bit Timeport in half and swallowed the pieces. 

 

Quota screamed. He didn't care that he was screaming. He didn't care it sounded like the cry of a four-year-old girl whose brother had just stuffed her Barbies in the blender. He didn't care that he was the one making it. 

 

He kept screaming as he dove for the bushes. 

[Mailliw73 he/him]

Electro fumed about his loss to the teleporter. Sparking time travel! Even if Electro had one of the girls cornered, Timeport teleported right in front of him and cut down two girls at once! If Corpsemaker hadn't hired both of them, Electro would've cut Timeport down already.

The idiot bragged about all his glory and skill as they walked. Electro tuned him out, half a mind to Scramble him and make him forget the victory. He heard a loud roar from off to the side and stopped. A dinosaur charged in front of them and before Timeport was smart enough to make the connection, the dinosaur ate him whole. The idiot didn't even try to swing with his axe.

Electro shot a burst of electricity at the reptile, blasting its arms off. Quota had jumped into a bush, screaming higher than any of the girls in the hunt had. A coward and an idiot. Who did I choose to hang out with? Electro backed out of the way of the monster's large teeth.

What he saw when he looked at the Dino's neck surprised him. He saw a girl in pink sitting on the back of the dinosaur. The Dino looked back to Electro, bleeding profusely, and Electro, in his shock, just managed to sever its head from its body. Dinosaurs were terrifying and strong, but still weak when compared to the might of an Epic. Well, most Epics. Ones like the idiot and coward he was stuck with were too weak to even fight just a simple predator from billions of years ago.

"Quota, scaredy-cat! He's dead. Get out here, fool," Electro said, never taking his eyes off the girl. Who knew what powers she had?