What Happened in Corvallis

[Comatose he/him]

 

Rainmaker exited the broadcasting room, and was greeted by a crowd of assistants and attendants, all seemingly desperate for her attention.  Rainmaker frowned, trying to focus.  What was that about Gunsmoke going on a rampage?  More carnage in the streets from the strange gifting epic?  Something was going on in the fields?  

 

"ENOUGH!"  Unable to take it any longer, Rainmaker lashed out, sending everyone flying backwards into heaps on the ground with a burst of wind.  Her powers were always weaker indoors, but even then she was still a force to be reckoned with.  Computers were smashed against walls, and entire desks were turned over.  Broadcast himself crouched in a corner, silent for once as he cowered in the face of Rainmaker's anger.  Indeed, the entire room fell silent, finally giving Rainmaker some of the peace she desired.  

 

"Now, let's proceed in an orderly fashion, shall we?"  Rainmaker belatedly realized that her rage had caused her to shine brilliantly, likely blinding those closest to hear temporarily, and making it difficult for the others to focus.   Breathe deeply.  Control yourself.  Rainmaker took several deep breaths, repeating her mantra until the light subsided.  

 

"There we go.  Blossom, is Buttercup already on her way?  Go find out what's delaying her, and see that she gets her now.   I wish to speak with both of you as soon as we are done here.   Now, Candice, what's that you were saying about Gunsmoke?"  When no answer came, Rainmaker did her best to stifle her frustration.  "Candice?"  

 

"Apologies majesty."  Near the back, a man Rainmaker didn't know by name raised his hand.  "It's just that you... that is to say... Candice seems to be unconscious at the moment.  She hit her head against the wall."  

 

"Does she require medical attention?"  Rainmaker had no doubt that the servants would appreciate her show of concern for an underling's life, even though her only real concern was the headache having to fill yet another vacant position would cause.  

 

"She's breathing majesty, but she's still not responding."

 

"Very well.  Send for an ambulance, and take her to Skinsaver.  Tell him I want her fully recuperated and ready to work again by this afternoon.  For now, just get her out of here so that I can proceed with business."  Two other servants rose with the man who had spoke to carry Candice out of the room.  

 

"Now then, is there anyone here who is still in possession of their faculties who can tell me what in Calamity is going on with Gunsmoke?"

 

"He seems to have gone rogue, majesty."  The speaker was a young woman in the back of the room.  Her clothing and meek attitude marked her as a vanilla, but her thick-framed glasses reminded Rainmaker of Euphoria.  

 

"Go on."

 

The woman took a deep breath, apparently to steady herself, before giving a succinct but detailed description of Gunsmoke's recent actions and location.  When she finished, Rainmaker nodded to herself thoughtfully.  "What's your name?"

 

"My name?  My name is Charlene, Shining One, but I would be happy to be called anything else if it would please you."  Despite the fear evident in the woman's posture and in her eyes, she spoke confidently and her voice did not quiver.  

 

"And you worked with Candice?"   Rainmaker spoke softly, maintaining the fearful hush that had fallen about the room after her initial outburst.  Frightened eyes darted back and forth between her and Charlene, their owners fearing to breathe lest they draw Rainmaker's wrath upon themselves.  

 

"I'm the office secretary.  I took notes when a field agent made his original report to Candice."  

 

"A secretary, how wonderful.  I suppose that makes you good at paying attention, doesn't it.  I don't suppose you would happen to also know all the other things that seem to be acquiring my attention at the moment?" Rainmaker's tone shifted slightly, acquiring an edge of danger to it.  Idly, she lowered the temperature of the room slightly, sending chills down everyone's spines just for effect.  As she took a step towards Charlene, her skin began to shimmer again, letting off a dangerous glow.  "Go on Charlene, show me what you know."  

 

Charlene swallowed nervously, but when she started speaking her voice remained steady.  "Princess GOOD has commenced cleaning up the bodies left by an epic attack this morning, and I believe Queen Buttercup has prepared a full report on that attack.  The gentleman in the green over there should have more information if you require it.  Just as you finished your broadcast, we began receiving reports of a further disturbance in the fields, but have not had time to get accurate details.  Lord Broadcast can likely provide you with more information when it becomes convenient."  The entire spiel had been measured and calm, but delivered in a single breathe.  As she finished, Charlene took a moment to look up at Rainmaker before sending her gaze straight back the ground.  

 

"Is there anything else you require of me, Shining One?"

 

Rainmaker smiled, and reached out to cup Charlene's chin in her hand.  "Yes, there is one more thing.  Congratulations Char, you've just earned yourself a promotion.  You'll be attending me for the day, taking messages and compiling them, and then delivering them when the time is right.  Impress me as you have here, and the promotion could become permanent."  Rainmaker withdrew her hand and turned to face the rest of the crowd.  "Now, everyone can stop crouching on the floor like idiots, and get back to doing their bloody jobs.  Broadcast!  You in the green!  Both of you get over here and get me filled in."

 

*****

 

Fifteen minutes later, Rainmaker finally exited the station, Char following close behind her. Blossom, just hanging up her mobile, was waiting for them, standing next to a black limousine, which Rainmaker had gotten Char to call for soon after her promotion.

 

"Well?  Any word from your sister?  It seems our head of security is doing a particularly deplorable job of keeping the peace today, judging by how many messes I'm cleaning up for her.  Let's get this meeting over with so we can all get to work."  As Rainmaker stepped out of the building and into the rain, a small break opened in the clouds, letting down a bright ray of sunshine while creating an area of dryness in her immediate vicinity.  "Char, see about conferencing in Cornucopia, will you?  If there's a problem in her fields, she'll want to know about it."  

[Blaze1616 he/him]

 

The speech was, well, perfect. I usually don't like to toot my own horn, but I really out did myself this time! She beamed with pride, trying to nod to Rainmaker on a job well done. Unfortunately, everyone else in the room seemed to want the focus off of the well executed announcement regarding the events of the previous night. Blossom frowned as the frustration on Rainmaker's face grew. Oh boy...

 

"ENOUGH!" The Queen shouted, blasting the room with a shock wave of wind. Everyone in the room was thrown backwards, Blossom catching herself in the air using her powers and landing with her usual grace. She had to straighten out her suit top and skirt, though. A pang of fear shot through her as she turned to see her reflection in the mirror. Her hair was slightly disheveled, but nothing a few simple hand swipes wouldn't fix. She quickly ran her fingers through her hair as she looked around the room at all the cowering vanillas, her eyes coming to rest on Broadcast.

 

Fool. At least he wasn't too obnoxious when we arrived. The annoying Epic rightly obeyed Rainmaker, never giving their ruler any grief. When Rainmaker had entered the room, the man had been on his best behavior, not a single wise crack escaping his lips, lest he risk mocking her. Giving us a hard time is something he knows he can get away with, but Rainmaker's a whole other game.

 

"Now, let's proceed in an orderly fashion, shall we?" Rainmaker had begun speaking again, continuing to maintain her composure. "There we go. Blossom, is Buttercup already on her way?  Go find out what's delaying her, and see that she gets here now. I wish to speak with both of you as soon as we are done here."

 

Blossom turned to leave the room, hearing something about Gunsmoke on her way out. She quickly made for the entrance to the building, her heels clicking on the tile floor, pictures of Corvallis decorating the walls. Pulling her mobile out, she dialed her sister as she walked out into the rain, her umbrella unfolding in her other hand.

 

The phone rang through three long tones before a click revealed the line had been picked up. No one spoke from the other side, Blossom instead hearing music off in the distance. "Buttercup?" Blossom waited a long moment, but only silence greeted her. "Buttercup this isn't funny, are you there?"

 

A long groan came through the speaker, one that undeniably belonged to Buttercup. "Seriously, this isn't a game," Blossom scolded, "answer me!"

 

The music in the background seemed to stop, which was immediately followed by a very fast speaking Queen of Security "Oh thank CALAMITY! Blossom, this is Buttercup. I don't have a lot of time so speak quickly!" 

 

Blossom had never heard Buttercup speak so fast. "What's going on? Why do I need to talk fast?"

 

"No time for questions! What do you need?" Buttercup seemed frantic, her voice clearly strained.

 

"Okay," Blossom paused, "Rainmaker wants you to report as soon as possible. We're at the broadcast station, though we might be leaving before you get here. There also seems to have been other disturbances." The music in the background picked up again on the other end of the line, and Blossom could hear her sister groaning once more. "Are you almost done?"

 

The line was silent except for the music once more. "Buttercup!" Blossom yelled into the mobile. The response was a sigh, followed by the last thing she expected.

 

"The problems I already know

and I'm trying to go.

Can't you see

this is frustrating me?"

 

Blossom pulled the mobile away from her, covering the microphone end, and laughed for a solid minute. Buttercup hated singing, and the fact that she was right now was downright hilarious. Composing herself as best she could, Blossom lifted the mobile back to her face. "Why are you singing?" Her sister's voice was clearly upset, no doubt at the fact that Blossom had just spent a minute laughing.

 

"It's stupid Princess G.O.O.D.

her power I misunderstood.

Singing's what I must do

whenever she does too."

 

Blossom let out a few more laughs, not bothering to hide them from her sister anymore. A growl emanated from the mobile in her hands, though she didn't care. "Alright, well, listen then. As soon as your report is done, and you can get away, you should head over here. Rainmaker is beginning to lose her coo-" The call was terminated, Buttercup had hung up! Blossom opened her mouth to complain, but her voice was lost as a large plume of green light erupted from the north side of town, a small line of light shooting out of it. Well, just because she wanted to get out of there doesn't mean she can be rude!

 

 

Buttercup hung up on Blossom. She was done with the report, and had received the news about Gunsmoke  moments before Blossom had called. She scrambled around the canopy to find a report folder to protect the paper from the rain, and quickly scribbled on a spare piece of paper the words "YOU'RE IN CHARGE!" Gripping the sheet tightly in one hand, she walked up to one of the officers, tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention, and slapped the paper to his chest. Offering the officer a reassuring nod, she grabbed the report, stepped out into the rain, and took off as fast as she could.

 

The singing slowly died off as she gained distance. A sigh of relief escaped her lips as the last notes disappeared. She took a deep breath of the moist air. Smells like freedom. She'd avoid that ever happening again if she could help it. 

 

Her mobile buzzed, a call from one of the officers. Buttercup answered to a frantic man speaking very quickly. "Queen Buttercup! The vanillas out in the fields! They're insane, not listening to anything we say, attacking and eating others! We need hel- AHHHHHHHHHH!"

 

Buttercup listened for a moment longer as the man screamed, something else on the line snarling as it attacked him. She hung up when the screaming was replaced by a squishy munching. Not another attack! What is going on today? First this morning, then Gunsmoke, and now another incident? I need to report to Rainmaker first.

 

 

Blossom tapped her heel as she watched her sister's approach. That's when Rainmaker burst from the building, Blossom closing her mobile to turn towards the Queen, a black limo pulling up as well.

 

"Well?  Any word from your sister?  It seems our head of security is doing a particularly deplorable job of keeping the peace today, judging by how many messes I'm cleaning up for her.  Let's get this meeting over with so we can all get to work. Char, see about conferencing in Cornucopia, will you?  If there's a problem in her fields, she'll want to know about it." Rainmaker seemed annoyed.

 

Blossom raised an eyebrow at the young woman behind Rainmaker, visibly trembling but nodding as she set to contacting Cornucopia. Blossom returned her gaze to Rainmaker. "Yes, Buttercup is actually on her way, arriving in a few seconds." She nonchalantly pointed north, the green line closing in. "It would seem she had finished her report just as I called, and had also just received word of other issues around town. I told her to come here first to speak with you."

 

At that moment her sister landed a few steps away, green light spraying the ground around her. Always one for quick landings. Blossom rolled her eyes.

Edited August 26, 2015 by Blaze1616

[Comatose he/him]

 

"Excellent, then, let's get started, shall we?"  Rainmaker brushed passed the other Queens into the waiting limousine, and then beckoned for them to join her.  "Char, tell the driver to head towards Gunsmoke's church, on the corner of 25th and Tyler."  Gunsmoke's power had been enticing at first, and so Rainmaker had given him an entire church to call his own.  Since his arrival, he had proved to be of little use to her, and she would enjoy putting him in his place, and either killing him, or forcing him out of Corvallis.  

 

Rainmaker waited until Char joined the three Queens in the back of the limo before continuing.  "Char, is Cornucopia on the line?"  Char nodded and Rainmaker pressed forward, frustrated with how much time everything was taking.  Her skin was glimmering slightly in the relative darkness of the car.    "Buttercup, I'll review your report later.  Can you give me the gist of it now?"  Rainmaker did her best to listen patiently as Buttercup gave her report.  It would seem that the epic who had attacked citizens that morning was the same gifter who had attacked the rally the night before.  I will make whoever they are wish they had never heard of Corvallis.  

 

"From the sounds of things, the same epic is now attacking our fields.  The attacks always seem to be concentrated in certain areas, which means the epic we are dealing with likely needs to get close to his victims in order to gift them and drive them mad."  Proximity was a common limitation on the ability to gift powers, and one Rainmaker intended to exploit.  "I should be able to handle gunsmoke on my own for the moment.  Buttercup and Cornucopia, I want you two to head out to the fields and see if you can track the gifter down.  At the very least, try to pen him into a certain area, and prevent him from slipping away.  Cornucopia, take a helicopter if you need to, but get there quickly."   Out in the fields, Corncopia would be at her most powerful, and she stood the best chance at catching their elusive foe.  "Buttercup, take what forces you think you will need, and use Chase, if you can track her down.  I will arrive to reinforce you once I've dealt with Gunsmoke."  

 

"Blossom, I want you two work on keeping the city stable, while doing what you can to track down Euphoria's captor.  His name is Insight, and he has the power to turn both incorporeal and invisible, and might be able to do more than that.  Jumpdrive has prepared a file on him, and I'll have him send it to all of you."  As she spoke, Rainmaker took out her mobile and began typing a short message to Jumpdrive, instructing him to send his file on Insight to all of the Queens.  "Work with Jumpdrive and see what you can find.  Update me if you uncover more information.  When we are done in the fields, I will send Chase to assist you.  I also want you keeping an eye on Broadcast.  We need to keep the city calm.  Have him broadcast hourly messages with some of our PR material, with reminders that Euphoria's power will return when the citizens prove themselves worthy."

 

"Lastly, I've appointed Skinsaver to be Euphoria's replacement for the time being.  With the assistance of Euphoria's staff, he will be overseeing the coordination of human resources and the general administration of the city.  All inquiries and requests that would normally be sent to Euphoria can be sent to him, or to prominent members of Euphoria's staff."  The car turned a corner, and Rainmaker could sense they were getting close to Gunsmoke's supposed location.  "All right then, we are almost here.  Any questions ladies?"  Rainmaker still bristled at how much she was having to do herself, but delegating jobs to the other Queens helped to calm her slightly.  Hopefully, dealing with Gunsmoke would give her a much needed opportunity to vent her frustrations. 

[Blackhoof]

 

Gunsmoke reviled in his dominance.

 

Thick, black smoke rolled in all directions, and he swum through it like a shark through the sea. No-one was around anymore. Most had fled. The unlucky ones had been shot, and were now nothing but smoke. The unluckiest ones had gotten away too slowly, and had choked to death in his smoke- their bodies littered the streets, eyes bulging and mouths agape.

 

Gunsmoke solidified in front of a building- some vanilla share house- and shot the door into pieces. Splinters flew, turning into black smoke as they scattered. His smoke flowed inside, and so did he. The vanillas were hiding in the basement- easy to find, an obvious hiding place. He even recognized some of them as bullets turned their terrified faces into mist. This is how he would do it, he decided. Kill enough vanillas, and Corvallis would collapse. The Queens could not hurt him, could not touch him.

 

He broke into another house- a share house again- and executed every human he found.

 

No-one could touch him, or stop him. 

 

He would continue until Rainmaker surrendered control of Corvallis to him, and the Queens all swore their allegiance to him.

 

Yes. He thought to himself, as he executed another house full of servants. They won't laugh when I tear their city down around them!

 

Outside, he heard something- a car pulling up. Gunsmoke smiled, and left the house, seeing what he knew would be Rainmaker's vehicle further down the road. "Rainmaker!" He yelled. "Come out and face me, coward! Your precious humans are nothing but dust before me!" He pointed his gun at her car and let off a few warning shots. "YOU are nothing but dust before me! Surrender or I will kill them all!"

[Voidus]

Cornucopia narrowly avoided sighing into the handset that one of her butlers was holding for her. Phones were such dreary affairs, breaking the serene peace of her garden just as easily as actual conversation but with none of the social enjoyment of actually connecting with someone. No way to read facial expressions or predict emotions. Tone was all she had to rely on and it had never been her strong suit.

"If you wouldn't mind letting a patch of sunlight through to the fields I'll deal with it straight away." She said.

She lamented the loss of her peaceful morning, but then the fields were hers too. Anyone who attacked the fields was attacking her and she would not see that kind of aggression go unanswered.

One of the maids arrived, curtsying before telling her in a near whisper that the transport was ready.

Standing up, Cornucopia began to glide out of the door, switching the call from the old fashioned telephone in the reception area to her mobile. Regrettably she even had to hold the cursed thing with her own hands.

"I'm on my way now." She stated into the mouthpiece as she approached the helicopter, a noisy mode of transport and one utterly unsuited to the kind of grace she usually demanded but sacrifices had to be made for speed and it did have a certain dramatic flair.

"Ten minutes tops." The pilot screamed over the roaring of the blades through the air. Cornucopia tuned out both blades and pilot as she entered, taking an uncomfortable seat and raising the mobile to one ear again.

[Blackhoof]

 

 

The overseer screamed.

 

Iconoclast simply smiled as he dragged the struggling, uniformed figure out from among the plants where he had been hiding, and roughly threw him to the ground. "No no no!" The overseer raised a handgun, firing wildly at the Epic from his prone position. Despite his panicked state, many of the bullets hit, knocking Iconoclast back. The overseer fired again and again.

 

Click. Out of ammo.

 

The bullets were pushed out of Iconoclast's body by his healing, and they fell into the mud with soft squelches. Iconoclast simply righted himself, and leant toward the overseer with an outstretched talon. "No please-" The overseer's cries were muffled as the feral Epic's hand covered his face, and they stopped altogether in a second. By the fifth second, the overseer was shaking with rage, and he sprang to his feet as Iconoclast released him. A new ghoul ran off to join the others in the fields, hunting down the workers that had fled. It had gotten a lot quieter in the last ten minutes. Now there was barely a scream echoing from far away. People could run far in ten minutes.

 

Unfortunately for them, both Iconoclast and ghouls could run faster.

 

"I think my work here is done." The Epic muttered. "Time to head back into town." With that, he jogged over to a dead overseer, removing their uniform and changing into it. It had some bloodstains but that was easy enough to explain away. The uniform didn't quite fit, but a few subtle changes to his physique accommodated that easily. He hopped into the nearest van, and started it up. The engine chugged to life with a growl. It had been a while since he had driven anything like this, cars being hard to come by these days, but like riding a bike, you never forgot how to drive.

 

So he reversed, ignoring the soft bumps that he was sure were bodies, and drove away from the fields and back into Corvallis. 

[Blaze1616 he/him]

 

Blossom eyed the main Queen of Corvallis. Skinsaver? Over me? A heat of anger brewed in her chest alongside a cold disappointment. She managed to keep both emotions from her face, choosing instead to focus on the task she was given, finding this Insight.

 

Her brain began buzzing. Both invisible and incorporeal? How am I supposed to find him? Being invisible means camera's won't see him, and incorporeal should mean there's no heat signatures either. Blossom's thoughts were ripped away when the door to the moving limousine opened, wind whipping at her hair.

 

A jolt of fear ran through her as she shot a death stare at the one who opened the door, her sister. Buttercup nodded to Rainmaker as she said, "You got it. I'll keep you posted of any major updates." Buttercup then offered Blossom an apologetic smile before sliding out the door, flying alongside the limo to close it before taking off.

 

Blossom immediately pulled out her brush, running it through her hair. "Insufferable..." she muttered under her breath. Once her hair was fixed to a tolerable level, she gave a glance to Rainmaker. "I do have one question." She paused as she put her brush away. "Do you know if our city surveillance is equipped with thermal imaging?"

[Comatose he/him]

 

"I'll open up the clouds as soon as I leave the car.  Thank-you Cornucopia."  Rainmaker motioned for Charlene to hang up the mobile, and then turned to nod to Buttercup as she left the vehicle, leaving her alone with Blossom once again.  

 

"That would be a question for Jumpdrive..."  Rainmaker was interrupted before she could fully answer Blossom's question by the sounds of shouting and gunshots.  Gunsmoke!  It would seem that it was time for her to put the useless layabout back in his place.  "I'll check in with you later, Blossom.  See that the driver gets Charlene back to my offices safely, would you?"  

 

Not wanting to go through the awkward shuffling needed to exit the back seat of a car, Rainmaker simply rolled down the window a little, and then burst into her cloud form.  After slipping out the window, she re-materialized several feet off the ground, where she found Gunsmoke waiting for her.  The air was thick with his smoke, and Rainmaker had to whip up a small wind around herself to keep her lungs clear.  He actually thinks he can stand up to me.  

 

"Dust, before you am I?  Really Gunsmoke, I always knew you were lazy, but I never took for an idiot."  Thunder rumbled in the sky, and the rain began to intensify a bit.  Rainmaker's skin shone brightly in anticipation for the battle ahead.  

 

They moved at the same time, as if they were dance partners and not foes beginning a battle.  Gunsmoke fired, but Rainmaker ignored his bullets, working the winds as she burst back into cloud form.  After firing a few more shots, Gunsmoke realized his attacks were having no effect against her, and he tried to escape, slipping back into his smoke form.  As he did, Rainmaker shifted back from her cloud form and intensified her winds, holding Gunsmoke in place while gathering the rest of his smoke so he could not materialize in another area.  Soon the area was clear, except for a roiling dark cloud of smoke that Rainmaker held in place with a sphere of wind.  The smoke was so concentrated that it was difficult to see whether Gunsmoke was trying to shift out of his smoke form or not, but Rainmaker was confident that she could hold him in place regardless.  

 

Concentrating, Rainmaker rose into the air, bringing the sphere of wind and smoke with her.  Once she reached a sufficient height, she opened up the clouds over the area where the attack was supposedly going on, fulfilling her promise to Cornucopia.  

 

"Well Gunsmoke, while I would love to spend the day with you, making you see the error of your ways, I'm afraid I have other things to attend to.  Your just desserts will have to wait for another time, but believe me, you will get what you deserve in due time."  Rainmaker anchored her winds containing Gunsmoke high above the city, and then placed protective winds blowing outwards all around him so that curious flyers could not get too close.  She would leave him there until she could find a suitable holding facility for him underground somewhere.  Then, her analysts could run test on him until they discovered his weakness and put him down like the rabid dog he was.

 

Rainmaker lowered herself a ways until she could no longer hear the roaring of the winds containing Gunsmoke, and then took out her mobile.  "Cornucopia, Buttercup, what is your status in the fields?  I have Gunsmoke under control for the moment."  

[Voidus]

Watching the clouds part in front of her with a sense of satisfaction, Cornucopia looked out the window to the fields below. A lone van was fleeing the scene back towards the city. Scared citizens who managed to escape? Or perhaps more of those... things trying to spread the destruction back into the city?

"Call Rainmaker and Buttercup let them know about that van, see if Chase can tell if there are any of ours in there." Cornucopia said, or rather yelled as gently as she could, to her pilot.

Thrusting the door open she stepped outside into the air, the sunlight caressing her skin made her feel nearly invulnerable but she knew from experience that she still looked down, jumping to the ground seemed unwise, the sunlight streaming onto her skin assured her that she would survive the fall easily but the workers had spread out quite a bit, too far for her to chase down on foot and it would seem most unsightly for her to run through her fields looking for these terrors.

As the copter flew near enough to the first group of fleeing citizens she got her first look at their attackers, something seemed not entirely human about them, the way they ran, their speed greater than anyone who wasn't an Epic should be capable of. Capturing the assailants was barely worth the effort, a thrust of her power as they flew over and nearby vines tore themselves up to entangle their roots and branches into the flesh of the madmen, she began to snap their necks with some of the sturdier branches before realizing that they should probably keep a few alive to see what they knew. 

Flying in a wide arc around the fields she managed to capture most of them, a few had miraculously managed to tear her vines to pieces before she could completely immobilize them, those she destroyed completely, leaving nothing but a bloody mass of thorns as she expressed her displeasure.

She had to capture the fleeing civilians as well, they'd been unable to recognize that they were now safe and the fools had kept running.

We need Euphy back now before this insanity spreads any farther.

Turning to her pilot again, Cornucopia grimaced in distaste, she did loathe having to yell her instructions like this.

"Head back towards the city, if anyone escaped we can track them down later but none of these seemed any more powerful than the others, they've all been Gifted to but there's no indication of the source they've either left through some other power or they're in that van."

[Blaze1616 he/him]

 

Buttercup streaked towards the fields. She'd had to stop by one of the police stations to gather some officers before heading out. As she approached, she could make out a helicopter, no doubt containing Cornucopia.

 

The rain suddenly stopped, the beautiful Corvallis sky opening up above her. She took a brief, selfish moment to shake some of the water out of her hair as her mobile buzzed. She took in the contents of the message, glancing to the highway to see that there was a lone van moving along, heading towards the city.

 

Buttercup looked out to the fields, watching as the plants moved, snatching up all the moving humans below. From this height, Buttercup couldn't tell which ones were rabid and which ones weren't. Dialing her mobile, she needed Chase's help. She needed to know who was in that van; Epic, vanilla, or one of those monsters.

 

 

Blossom nodded as Rainmaker took her vapor form, slithering out the window to deal with the rogue Epic. Rolling the window up again, Blossom looked over the vanilla left in the cab with her. She let out a soft sigh, the sides of her mouth slightly rising.

 

"You're a rather nervous mess, aren't you?" Blossom clicked her tongue as she shook her head. "You've shot up the rankings, there's nothing to be nervous about. Just make sure you don't screw up, or piss her off. She'll kill you then."

 

Blossom cut off as the window separating the cab from the driver rolled down. The driver eyed her in the mirror before blurting "Blossom! I'm here! It's Chase, by the way. So, where are we going again? The mobile text didn't say enough." 

 

"Just the Queen I wanted to see!" Blossom pulled out her mobile. "First head to Rainmaker's HQ so we can drop off this one." She gestured with her head to the young lady she had just been taunting. "Then we'll head over to the broadcast station. I'm contacting Jumpdrive right now."

 

She typed into the mobile like mad. "Thank you for the information Jumpdrive. This is Queen Blossom. Are our surveillance cameras set up with thermal imaging?"

 

 

[18th Shard he/him]

                                                                                      

Jumpdrive's mobile buzzed as he steered his toy helicopters into place. One watched the mass of once-Gunsmoke, the other watching the fields and the demons there. Why do my cameras keep getting busted? he asked, watching as one of the ground cameras in the field was smashed by a crazed worker. Jumpdrive glanced down at the text - "Thank you for the information Jumpdrive. This is Queen Blossom. Are our surveillance cameras set up with thermal imaging?" - from Queen Blossom. Texting back a quick, "Not yet, excepting a few in key locations - Rainmaker's office, my office, and a few particular cells, and one I set up watching that energy Epic," Jumpdrive smiled as he thought of the nice new cameras with thermal and ultrasonic lenses he'd be getting from Knighthawk soon. He began tinkering with a few data tables, trying to identify where the Epic who'd caused this came from. The cameras had seen workers, mutated ones, charge from the van, one in particular who could change the vanillas to beasts, but there didn't seem to be any faces his recognition software identified. Downloading the owner's manual for some new camera mounts and a cool new helicopter, Jumpdrive look for a DVD to insert into one of the  computers. How about, um, the second Avengers movie? It's got so many awesome things. He sat down and began to play the video, barely paying attention to the ensuing chaos. 

[Comatose he/him]

Rainmaker turned towards the fields as soon as she received Cornucopia's message. True, it was entirely possible that the van just contained a frightened human, fleeing for their life, but said human's life would be a small sacrifice to make in return for a chance to catch the elusive gifter who was plaguing the city with these freakish monsters.

As she sped through the air, Rainmaker could not help but grow frustrated with the speed limit on her flight ability. She could travel faster by shifting into cloud form and travelling on the winds, but doing so would make her unable to receive any further transmissions from the other Queens. Despite her impatience, Rainmaker knew that at this stage in the game, information was more important than speed. If she was lucky, Buttercup would reach the van first, and already have the situation well in hand. If that was the case, perhaps she could find time for an afternoon massage.

"Chase, we need confirmation about the occupants of that van! What can you tell us?"

[Comatose he/him]

 

"Let's clean up those bodies;

Don't let those corpses get you down!

Come on everybody,

Let's get them buried underground!

 

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

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

[Blaze1616 he/him]

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

[Blackhoof]

 

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

Finally he came to a stop.

 

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

 

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

 

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

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

And then Iconoclast would rise once more.

[Edgedancer he/him]

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

[Mashadar Mistborn he/him]

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

[Comatose he/him]

 

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

 

 

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

 

 

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

 

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

[Blackhoof]

 

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

[Edgedancer he/him]

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

 

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

 

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

[Voidus]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[Blackhoof]

 

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

"Here? When?"

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

[Voidus]

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

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

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

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

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

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

[Blackhoof]

 

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

 

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

"Uh... yes, sir?"

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

Edited October 15, 2015 by Blackhoof

[Blaze1616 he/him]

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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