Tales of the Shining Force

[Aqua]

Hello. And Welcome to the Shining Force's home base main computer. I am the team's main computer, EIRU. Which stands for "Electronic Intelligence Response Unit." Some address me as Erue. And this is where the Mission Data Log's are stored. And here I will tell you the stories of the teams missions, data I have on their pasts that they have shared with us, information on what happens in their lives in between threats. And anything else stored here. Think of this data log list a table of contents of sorts. I shall tell you these tales as I retrieve the data files. This will take time, due to the fact that these are old files. Once I finish the first file, I shall start with it and move on in order of entry. If I recover files that are out of order, then I shall add those as well.

Here is the list of files that are finished, or being decoded. Please enjoy these tales.

Additional Note: New versions of past Data Log's are now replacing old ones, as new information has been added to them. They will now be marked as an EX file at the end of the Data Log title. These may be added as time passes.


Data Log #1: The Formation of the Shining Force EX. Status: Decoding Complete. Post #2

Data log #2: The Team's First Mission EX. Status: Decoding Complete. Post #3.

Data Log #3: Meeting Omni and Giga EX. Status: Decoding Complete. Post #4

Data Log #4: The Birth of The Electrode EX. Status: Decoding Complete. Post #5

Data Log #5: The Muscle Man and the Megaton EX. Status: Decoding Complete. Post #6

Data Log #6: Maylean the Muscle EX. Status: Decoding Complete. Post #7

Data Log #7: Ray the Angler EX. Status: Decoding Complete. Post #8

Data Log #8: The Icy Cold Heart of Dr. Frost EX. Part One. Status: Decoding Complete. Post #9

Data Log #9: The Icy Cold Heart of Dr. Frost EX. Part Two. Status: Decoding Complete. Post #10

Data Log #10: Storm Stories EX. Status: Decoding Complete. Post #11

Data Log ? ? ?: The Tale of Remone: The Past. Status: Decoding Complete. Post #12 ERROR! Out of order Data Log!

Data Log #11: The Summer Festival. Status: Decoding Complete. Post #13

Data Log #12: A Confrontation with Kraven. Status: Decoding Complete. Post #14

Data Log #13: Mistakes of the Past. Status: Decoding Complete. Post #15

Data Log #14: Due for an Upgrade. Status: Decoding Complete. Post #16

Data Log #15: A Powerful Heist. Status: Decoding Complete. Post #17

Data Log #16: Karen the Assassin. Status: Decoding Complete. Post #18

Data Log #17: Secrets and Memories. Status: Decoding Complete. Post #19

Data Log #18: Shocking Betrayal. Status: Decoding Complete. Post #20

Data Log #19: Volks and The Tower of Power. Status: Decoding Complete. Post #21

Data Log #20: An Insects Crumbling Plan. Status: Decoding Complete. Post #22

Data Log #21: Tower Deactivated. Status: Decoding Complete. Post #23

Data Log #22: Volks Aftermath. Status: Decoding Complete. Post #24

Data Log #23: A Beach Day. Status: Decoding Complete. Post #25

Data Log #24: A General's Warning. Status: Decoding Complete. Post #26

Data Log #25: Budding Poison. Status: Decoding Complete. Post #27

Data Log #26: Title Unknown. Status: Preparing Decoding...

[Aqua]

Data Log #1: The Formation of the Shining Force EX

Our first data log is the story of the formation of the group these data logs follow, known later as the Shining Force. The Shining Force are a branch group of the well known World Saver's organization, a collective group made up of humans, humans with special powers known as Powered Humans, and non demonic Demons. They are more or less an official group of protectors of Terra 002. For those uninformed, a Terra is the official term used to describe a Universe, which consists of earth and the rest of the galaxy, the Powered Human Realms, Demon Realms, and a select few other locations. The World Savers formally used to reside solely in France, but after several repelled attacks over the years, France was no longer targeted, and threats moved across the world. The group then segmented off to cover more areas of the world, leaving the area of France to a few members. Eric Nightngale and Aqua Aquarius, two Powered Humans. France had mostly been handled well by these two, as normally only minor issues happened there now. Today was different, as they were about to encounter a threat that would prove to be something the two of them would be unable to tackle. This Data Log begins with Eric attempting to respond to this problem.

Roaming the streets of France was Eric Nightngale, a young man with red hair and blue eyes. He was dressed in a black tunic with a flame pattern on the front, and gray under clothes and black boots. He carried a sword on his back as well. Other notable features of his was a strange looking black inverted triangle mark on the back of his left hand. Eric seemed to be searching the streets for something, but seemed to be growing frustrated. “They must be getting smarter…I can barely even detect them anymore. If this keeps up, they could multiply and cause a lot of problems…”

Suddenly, Eric saw a flashing in his pocket, as he took out a small glowing blue stone. These were known as Telepath Stones, which enabled users to speak to each other across long distances. A voice of a girl was then heard from it. ”Eric, it’s me, Aqua. Kavisto asked me to check in on the Changeling problem with you, any new news?

Eric sighed in frustration. “Yes, but it isn’t good. The Changeling seems to be getting smarter. It’s adapting it’s tactics, it’s spreading an aura trail wide range, making it impossible for me to get a lock on it. I think the reports on them being able to learn to detect power is true, I can’t even get near it anymore.”

”Well that isn’t good. We don’t have anymore capable unpowered humans on staff right now, but we can’t very well just flood the streets with powered humans. It would cause a panic.” Aqua responded.

“I agree.” Eric paused for a moment, as he tried to think. “I do have an idea though. There’s one human and one aura expert I might be able to get ahold of that could help us with this problem.”

Aqua was quiet for a moment, until she finally responded. ”They have the skill for sure, but…do you think they’ll come back to help us?”

“It’s no large scale problem, but I feel if I explain things, I might be able to convince him. I’ll get back to you later on it with an update, alright?”

”Y-yeah, no problem. Please let me know if he actually comes back. I…really want to see him again.” Aqua said, sounding a little nervous.

“Of course, I’ll be in touch. Update me if anything changes.” Eric said, before ending the call and putting the stone away. “Hopefully he’ll listen to reason.” Eric then suddenly disappeared. He reappeared inside what looked like a somewhat rundown laboratory. The room Eric was in was a large rounded room, but with only a few things in the room. The major thing of note in this room was a large super computer in the center, with a large hologram table. He walked over to the computer, taking a seat in the computer chair, built into a rail in the floor, and placed the telepath stone on the computer to connect it. He then used it to attempt to contact someone. “Hello? Can you hear me? It’s Eric.”

At first, there was no response. Everything was quiet. But after what felt like forever, a response finally came. ”Hey Eric, long time no see. I trust you’re well?”

“Hello Rem, I’m well myself. Though as you might’ve guessed, I’m not calling about myself, or a social call.” Eric explained.

”Mmhm, I figured as much. It must be pretty bad if you’re trying to get ahold of me.” Rem responded.

Eric nodded, although Rem could not see that. “Right, I’ve respected what you told me. I’ll give you the short version for now, and I’ll fill you in on the rest should you decide to return. We’re dealing with a monster called a Changeling here in the city. They have the strange ability of being able to detect power, as well as use some advanced aura techniques to make escapes or evade detection, so it’s proving impossible for me, Aqua, or any of Kavisto’s other troops to track down.”

”Hmm…It does sound difficult to handle. Does Kavisto have any unpowered humans to send after it?” Rem asked.

“Sadly no. Some were sent, but apparently they didn’t return, so we fear for the worst.” Eric answered.

”Hmm…Alright, me and Raylu will prepare, and well meet with you. Where are you now?” Rem questioned.

“At the old factory lab on the small island near town, you know the one.” Eric answered.

”All too well. I’ll see you soon Eric.” Rem responded, before he ended the call.

Eric sighed a sigh of relief. “I didn’t think he’d say no, but I was still worried…I should let Aqua know, and have her pass it on to Kavisto.”He said to himself, before preparing for another call.




A short time later, around sunset, a portal opened up in the outskirts of France. It was mostly abandoned, so no one was around to see this portal. Exiting the portal was a human at about 5 foot 11 with short slightly shaggy brown hair, green eyes, and a scar over most of his left eye. He was dressed in a dark green tunic, with brown under clothes, and brown boots with a weird metallic covering on the bottom. He carried a sword and shield on his back, and wore some impressive looking heavy duty gauntlets with a gold plating. This was Rem Stratford, the one Eric had been speaking too not long before. With him was a small fox like creature called Raylu, with a fur pattern of silver, gold, and black. This pattern of fur was mostly all silver, with the feet fur and fun around the face black, and half of the tail gold, the upper half of the ears also gold, and a stripe of gold fur down the middle of the back. “It’s been a while since we’ve been back here.” Rem said aloud. The two of them looked ahead, being on one side of a bridge that led to a large factory like building on an island in the middle of a small lake. Not wasting much time, Rem and Raylu went inside, and took a staircase down to the main floor as the entry way was elevated above the main floor. Though considering the area around the entryway, maybe it wasn’t always the case. The place looked like an abandoned warehouse, or something of the sort. In the state it was in, it was hard to tell, but to anyone who had been here before one could tell someone was going through the effort to clean and repair the place. The old stairs used to be unusable, but someone had apparently went through the trouble to repair them. It wasn’t a professional job, but they seemed sturdy enough. They came down a short distance, then they branch off to the left and the right, then go straight again after a short ways till they reached the floor. Near the base of the stairs was an elevator, which Rem and the fox took. The elevator stopped at the first basement floor, which was a large open room with a single large computer in the middle of the room. It was a large screened computer, connected to a large device in the middle of the room. The device in the middle of the room was projecting holograms of places. This was the same place Eric had been in before, and was still here when Rem entered. “Hey Eric, long time no see. I see you’ve had the free time on your hands to try and fix the place up.

Eric had been sitting in the computer chair, and spun around when Rem showed up, and got up to greet him. He went over and gave him a quick hug. “Rem, it’s so good to see you! I hope you’ve been well.”

Rem accepted the hug, hugging back. When the hug was over, he was smiling. “Well, I’m still alive, so I guess I’m alright.”

Eric then bent down to the foxes level. "Hello to you too Raylu. Have you been a good help to Rem?" Eric asked. The fox, known as Raylu, looked happy and nodded. “Anyway I’m glad you’re both here, let me catch you up to speed on, since I mostly gave you the quick version.” Eric returned to the computer, and typed on it, as an image appeared on the hologram table in the center of the room. It was of a humanoid like creature with black markings around its eyes to make them appear large, tusk like fangs, and horns on it’s head. “This is a monster called a Changeling. Now, our interaction with it has been limited, but apparently it’s a monster that has the ability to shapeshift. We don’t know what forms it can take, but can at least confirm it can change to look like normal people. From what our reports have been suggesting, it’s been changing into people, and luring unsuspecting people into ambushes and killing them for food. About ten people have disappeared last week, and we can confirm at least three cases are Changeling victims. We’ve tried to hunt it down, but they seem to have the ability to detect energy in livng beings, making it hard for Powered Humans or Demons to get close. We got the drop on it once, but since then it’s changed it’s tactics, and learned to spread a false aura trail around, making it impossible to track. Kavisto sent a few non powered humans after it, but they never returned, so we’ve been running out of options. We don’t have any skilled enough aura users to track it through it’s new methods.”

Rem had his arms crossed, as he took in all this information. “I can see why you called me, it seems to be a pretty tough target to catch. I’m assuming I won’t have any backup for this?”

Eric shook his head. “All we have to spare are powered humans, and that won’t do you any good. I can provide tactical support though the telepath stone from here, but that’s about all I can offer you.”

“Hmm…It might be a bit of a challenge, but me an Raylu can handle it. Raylu knows how to hide is energy output, so that should allow us to sneak up on them without being detected. Hopefully anyway. Where was it last sighted?” Rem asked.

Eric did some typing on the computer, pulling up a map of the city on the holo table. “Most of the disappearances have been happening on the other side of the city, in the ghettos. There’s never many out there, aside from the homeless and criminals, so the police aren’t there often. It seems like a deliberate choice for hunting grounds.”

Rem nodded, as he made a portal. “Got it. Keep me posted on anything you pick up on. Come on Raylu.” He and Raylu then turned to enter the portal, and it closed after they entered.




Rem and Raylu had been searching the area around where Eric had pointed them in the direction of, but had hadn’t had any luck in the last few hours. It was now dark, and the streets were only lit by some old street lamps that had seen better days, and what starlight was cutting through the smog of the city sky. “It’s so dark out already…But I guess it’s been a while since we’ve been in town, huh Raylu?” Rem looked around, noticing some of the few people around kept giving him weird looks. Rem’s style and his gear weren’t exactly normal, even if the population had gotten more used to it in recent years. Rem noticed a lady come out of some corner convenience store, which didn’t seem that odd, but then noticed a man covered in a hoodie come out of an ally way, and start following her from a distance. Raylu’s ears perked up, as he started to growl. Rem noticed, and started following these two. “Keep your distance so they don’t notice us.” Rem whispered. The two of them tried to catch up, but the different paces they were walking at made it hard to approach quietly. The figure in the hoodie caught up to the lady, and said something to her to make her turn around, then she suddenly screamed as one of his arms began to change into tentacles. “Come on!” Rem said, as his gauntlets began to glow.

Before they could reach the woman in time, a trash can lid came whizzing by, striking the figure in the head. The person who threw the can lid had slightly long black hair, blue eyes, and wearing a simple brown shirt with a green jacket, and blue jeans. He looked to be around twenty or so. The figure then turned to the new attacker, as it’s face looked like it was mid transformation to that of the changeling. “Lady, get out of here!” The young man yelled, pulling out a pistol. The lady turned to run, but the Changeling wasn’t about to let it’s prey leave, as it tried to grab her with it’s tentacle. The young man wasn’t about to let that happen, as he opened fire on the creature, shooting it a few times in the tentacle, causing it to roar out in pain “Hey! Leave her alone ugly! This isn’t ending like the other times, I’ll make sure you don’t walk away this time!” The Changeling then turned it’s attention to the young man shooting at it. It morphed it’s other arm into a blade, and charged at the young man, now shooting at the Changeling as it approached. Soon the pistol went ‘click click’, showing it was empty. “Damn it, not now!”

When Rem saw the young man was now in trouble, he quickly had turned his attention to helping him. Rem created two large fireballs in his hands, and fired them with the yell of “Fire Rocket!” As the fireballs sought out the Changeling, and crashed into it. The Changeling now as charging at Rem and Raylu in response to this attack. Rem then looked to Raylu. “Quick, I need you!” In response to Rem’s request, the gold parts of Raylu's fur glowed. He turned all white for a few seconds, then he transformed. He now appeared half wolf, half fox. He stood at about Rem's height, since he stood upright on his hind legs now. His front legs were arms now, but could be used to run if he needed that speed. His fur color, and pattern changed in this form. His color pattern was mostly dark blue, but mixed with silver and black as well. The other things to note were that there were four white lights going around his tail, and two around each arm. You could also clearly see his eye color in this form, as each eye was half green half blue. He then leapt at the Changeling, crashing into it with a powerful kick, covered in silverish blue flames, knocking the Changeling backwards into a building wall.

Raylu then looked to Rem. “We’ll need to dispatch it quickly, otherwise it will more then likely flee, sir.” Raylu spoke, in a gruff sounding voice.

Rem nodded. “Right. Now kid-“ Rem turned to warn the young man, but he seemed to have slipped away as soon as the pressure was taken off of him. “Never mind, he’s already on it.” Rem’s gauntlets then began to spark as he charged of electricity in them, firing off shots of electricity at the Changeling.

Raylu then formed a large sphere of the sliver blue flames in his hands, and fired it at the Changeling. Being quick on the defensive, the Changeling knocked away the attacks fired at it, then used its tentacle to strike Rem and Raylu into a building. Being quick on the counter attack, the Changeling then picked up a nearby dumpster, and tossed it at them before they could recover from being winded from hitting the wall. Thinking fast, Raylu managed to put a protective sphere of energy around them, blocking them from the dumpster. Though in that short amount of time, the Changeling had leapt through the air, escaping somewhere into the city. Raylu closed his eyes, as his body glowed the silver blue color, as his ears perked up. Though after a few seconds, his body stopped glowing, and he sighed. “He’s escaped. There’s no aura to track, just as Sir Eric informed us.”

Rem grimaced. “Damn it! Now it’s going to be even more difficult to catch if it knows were hunting it.” Rem paused to think for a moment, remembering something the young man said. “This time you won’t walk away…Raylu, can you track that kids aura?”

Raylu closed his eyes, as his own aura glowed again. He then opened his eyes, looking at Rem. “I do have a read on it, but it seems like he took evasive actions to prevent being followed, though it’s nothing I can’t track. Why, sir?”

“I have a hunch that maybe that guy knows how to track the Changelings…or has a read on it’s hunting patterns at least. Either way, he might be able to help us.” Rem suggested.

Raylu nodded. “Understood sir. Follow me then, we’ll catch up to him.” The two of them then took off to find their mystery gun man.




Meanwhile, in the main police department of the city, a call came in to an officer’s desk. He had black hair in a stiff looking haircut making his hair look like it stood up straight. He also had blue eyes, and had a dark brown trench coat on, with sunglasses sticking out of a pocket. He answered the phone, and began speaking. “Police department, Officer Buck Rogers speaking…LISTEN YOU LITTLE SHITS, IF YOU PRANK CALL THIS DEPARTMENT AGAIN, I’LL FIND YOU AND BRING YOU IN MYSELF! ARE WE CLEAR?!....Hello?! Ugh!” He suddenly slammed the phone. “I hate night shift…”

Then, another officer came over to his desk. He had black jeans on, with a white shirt, and black jacket. He had blonde hair, and gray eyes. “You gotta be careful with that yelling, you know?”

Rogers then looked at the young looking officer. “I don’t need you to tell me that, Landon. Anyway, what did you need? Did you finish that paperwork?”

“Ha ha, yeah, about that. It’s-“ He started.

“I told you not to bother me until it’s finished, greenhorn. I’ve got important things to do.” Rogers said.

Landon sighed. “But the chief told me to inform you of this first.”

Rogers sighed. “Fine, go ahead then.”

Landon was growing frustrated, but sighed and began speaking. “Apparently shots rang out down in the ghettos about ten minutes ago, with reports of someone using powers on the scene, with some strange…thing fleeing the scene. Then, about five minutes ago, a call came in from about half a mile away from the first one saying they saw a person leap through the air, with some really strange looking arms.”

Rogers seemed to be taking this in. “I wonder if this is related to the disappearances we’ve been having in the ghettos this past week. Some kinda powered freak.”

Landon nodded. “The chief seems to think so, so he asked you and me to take a few officers and check out the area the ‘thing’ was last seen at. It was some closed down pizza joint called Piezanos.”

Rogers sighed. “I remember that place. A shame it closed. Anyway, we got our orders. Let’s go bag us a freak!” He said, full of energy, and happy to be getting away from his desk. Officer Landon simply sighed, and followed him out.





After a short treck, Rem and Raylu came across a small apartment in a back ally. The type of hidden little place you’d never find if you weren’t looking for it, blending in with several others in the ally. Most of them were ruined, or at the very least run down, though it was hard to tell if anyone really lived in them. Raylu put one of his fingers up to his lips to ‘shhh’ as they could hear voices coming from an open window.

“You seriously managed to get spotted by someone like that?” A male voice said with an American accent, which wasn’t common for this part of France.

“Yeah man, seriously. We just needed you to go resupply, not go after that thing alone, and get spotted on top of that.” Another, younger male voice said.

"We don't need cops coming to bother us, even less people like the guy you described. " A girls voice said.

"Geez, sorry. At the time I was only thinking of saving that lady, I didn’t think about how to do it, and who was around." The voice of the young man they followed said.

"And that's fine. But don't risk out lives and safety by getting caught by the police. We have to be careful how we go about doing stuff like this, otherwise we’ll get caught. We won’t do anyone any good from behind bars." The first man said.

Rem and Raylu nodded to each other, and went to the door, and opened it... "Excuse me..." Rem said.

The four inside turned to face the door. The new three looked shocked, while the original drew his gun, pointing it at Rem. "I told you this would happen!" The girl said.

Rem put his hands up a little, trying to keep everyone calm. "Relax. I'm not an with the police, or anyone like that.”

"Then who are you? Why did you follow me here?" The stranger asked. He then narrowed his eyes. “If you aren’t law enforcement, then are you some hired goon or assassin here for us?”

"I’m not anything like that. My names Rem, and this is Raylu. We were called here by a friend to track down the monster you attacked. We need to stop it before it kills someone anyone else." Rem said.

The stranger lowered his gun. "And your not here for us at all?”

"No, of course not. Why would I?" Rem asked.

The man with the accent, with very shot brown hair and brown eyes, dressed in a tattered military uniform was eyeing Rem closely, when his eyes widened slightly. “You’re…with the World Savers, right? You’re ‘that’ Rem?”

Rem nodded. “I am, though I haven’t been working directly with them currently. I’ve been more of a duo with Raylu here for a while.”

“I guess we can trust you then. I'm Commander Brett, I guess you could say I’m the leader of this bunch." The man with the accent said. He seemed to be his mid twenties, compared to the rest.

"Ha! Commander. Still clinging to those days, huh? I'm Sora." The other guy said. He also had brown hair, but his was longer and spiky. He had blue eyes, and looked to be about 18.

"Kari." Was all the girl said. She had short orangish brown hair, with green eyes. She seemed a little less open to be trusting than the boys. She also looked to be about 18.

"And my name is Ralph." The young man from earlier said, putting away his pistol.

"We are evading the law currently, but we aren’t bad people. The local police don’t take kindly to people taking justice in their own hands, but we’ve been trying to help the people of this city how we can. That monster is the latest in weird things we’ve been seeing lately. And…well these kids have had to take what food we’ve needed." Brett said.

"And what about you?" Raylu asked.

"He was framed for a crime he didn't do. He used to be in an army oversees, but fled to this side of the sea before he was arrested." Ralph said.

Rem folded his arms. “I see. That does seem to be a bit of an accusation.”

“So what about you, huh? You said you used to be one of those ‘World Savers’, right? How come you aren’t now?” Kari asked.

“Yeah, and if you used to work for them, wouldn’t that mean you’re just gonna rat us out?” Ralph asked, feeling a little on edge.

Rem shook his head. “Our group had a bit of a…falling out. We broke apart to cover more of the world. But just because I worked for them doesn’t mean I need to tell the police anything about you. Honestly they’ve never really agreed with what we did anyway, kinda like how it sounds with you guys. And plus…everyone needs to eat, right?

Brett gave a sigh of relief. “Thank you, we appreciate it.”

“Ya know, just because those big threats disappeared, doesn’t mean France just had nothing else happening in it.” Sora commented, a little bitterly.

Ralph chuckled. “He’s right. You guys focus on all those big fish, but France still deals with it’s own problems, like these monsters.”

Rem sighed. “I left before the split, so I don’t know why they left so few people here for France, but I’m sorry if you hold any of that against me or them. But it sounds like you four aren’t any strangers to getting your hands dirty.”

“Well honestly this weird monster is a first. It’s killed nearly a dozen people in the past week, but we’ve had trouble putting it down. It just runs away before we can do any lasting damage to it.” Brett explained.

Rem nodded. “Me and Raylu had the same problem after your friend left. I think we can take it down, but we just need some idea of where it might go. Like a hiding place or something.”

“Well….what about that ‘den’ we found the other day?” Kari interjected.

“Den?” Raylu asked.

“Yeah, I found something that might be that beasts hideout. It was just an old restaurant in the south side of the ghettos. It looked a little lived in, and…I found a bunch of human bones there…” Sora said, looking grim at that last bit he said.

“Do you think you could show us where it is?” Rem asked.

Brett nodded. “If you can make these streets a little safer, and you keep us a secret from the police, then of course we’ll help you. Come on guys, get your stuff together just in case.”

Rem smiled slightly. “Thank you.”

Brett nodded. “Don’t mention it. Now come on, I’ll lead the way.” And shortly after, the six of them departed for the creatures den.




About a half hour later, they had walked across the ghettos, until they came to an old pizza place that the Changeling had apparently made a nest in. They weren’t alone though, as cop cars had shown up just a moment before, as the police began to storm the building. The group had been hiding out in a alleyway, watching from there, as thunder was then heard as it started to rain. “Looks like we aren’t the only one crashing the party.” Rem commented.

Brett grimaced. “This is bad. With this many police here, we won’t be able to get in. I know that head officer, he’s the type to book first, ask questions later.” He said, referring to Officer Buck Rogers.

“It’s alright, me and Raylu should be able to handle this. Thanks for your help guys, and trust me, your secret is safe with me. Come on Raylu, let’s move.” Rem said, rushing out.

“Right, sir!” Raylu responded, following after. The four street warriors looked at each other after Rem took off, before they disappeared into the darkness of the ally.

Inside the building, the police were searching, flashlights in one hand and pistols in the other. “This is the police! You’ve got no where left to run! Come on out, and face the music, otherwise we’ll shoot on sight!” Officer Rogers called out, as everyone was sweeping the floor.

Landon was looking around, until he bumped something with his feet. He looked down to see human bones, as he jumped slightly, dropping his flashlight. “S-sir, we’ve got…human remains in here. Bones.”

“Wait, what?” Rogers questioned, as suddenly a weird moaning sound could be heard echoing through the building. The room was only lit by sudden lighting flashes, was the officers would catch glimpses of something moving in the shadows. The officers fastened their flashlights to their pistols, as they readied to shoot if needed. Suddenly a tentacle rushed out from the darkness on a unsuspecting officer, and pulled him away into the darkness with a scream! The other officers quickly turned, pointing their lights into the darkness. They would of found the officer on the ground, with a massive stab wound though his body! Rogers eyes widened, then looked angry. “Shoot on sight officers!” But just as quickly, two more officers were snatched up! Yells of officers were echoing through the building, as the remaining officers would try to shoot at the figures, but to no use. Suddenly, the Changeling leapt from the darkness, right in front of everyone, still dressed in it’s hoodie disguise. It lashed out its tentacles at Rogers and Landon, knocking them to the ground. Rogers and Landon recoiled back at the fight of it’s face, as it roared at them. Then the sounds of what sounded like bones breaking, and something wet sloshing, as it’s entire body began to morph. It’s body grew to about ten feet, with arms about eight feet long, and feet about three. It ripped through it’s clothes, wearing brown fuzzy shorts, and having yellow green skin. It’s mouth bore fangs, it’s head horns, and it’s small eyes surrounded by black face markings to make its eyes appear much larger. Rogers quickly reached for his gun, but the Changeling swatted it away with it’s arm morphing into a tentacle, as it roared. It’s other arm morphed into a blade shape, as it was about to slice Rogers in half!

“Fire Rocket!” Rem’s voice yelled, as two fireballs crashed into the Changeling, knocking it back. Rem and Raylu quickly rushed in front of the remaining officers. “Quickly, get your men out of here!”

Rogers glared at Rem, grabbing his pistol, and aimed it at him. “Just who do you think you are, ordering an officer!?”

Rem narrowed his eyes back. “Do you want this thing to kill all of you? Just get out of here, your men are dying! You might be able to save them while I draw away it’s attention.”

Rogers was growing angrier, but Landon seemed to know who Rem was, judging by his expression. He quickly went to help Rogers up. “Sir, if I might suggest we get the others back to the squad cars and get some backup from HQ. This thing is more then we can handle with our equipment.”

Rogers sighed, as he was helped up. “You make a point…Fine. But don’t think this is over, sword guy! All officers still standing, help the others back to the squad cars for a tactical retreat.”

Rem was relieved that he’d be able to fight without worrying about any bystanders getting hurt in the crossfire. He drew his sword, who’s blade was of many colors, and outlined with a gold glow. The swords blade then suddenly changed, as it now looked like it was made of ice, and gave off an icy mist. “Ready Raylu?”

Raylu nodded, as his hands glowed with his silver blue flames of his aura. “Always, sir.”

The Changeling was back on it’s feet, as it glared at Rem and Raylu. “HMPH…YOU CHASE ME EVEN HERE? WELL A HUMAN AND A MONSTER SHOULDN’T PROVE TOO MUCH TROUBLE…VERY WELL, LET’S FIGHT!”

Rem quickly swung his sword three times, sending three waves of ice energy at the Changeling, while the lights moving around Raylu’s body fired off small blasts. The Changeling leapt into the air, morphed both arms into tentacles, and shot them at ground near Rem and Raylu. They grabbed the ground, and the Changeling pulled itself into them with a powerful crash! It then spun it’s tentacles around, knocking Rem and Raylu away. Quickly recovering, Rem formed a sphere of electricity in his hand, while Raylu did so with aura energy. “Bolt Blast!” Rem yelled, as he fired his attack, and Raylu did the same. Both attacks met with the Changeling in the middle. “Quickly!” Rem then charged up and fired a beam of ice from his hand, while Raylu did the same with aura energy. The Changeling was being hammered by these attacks, but it proved more resistant than first expected, as it lashed out at them both with tentacles, sending Raylu flying, and knocking Rem back a bit.

The Changeling quickly charged at Rem, it’s arm a blade again. Rem quickly blocked the attack with his sword, as the ice mist coming from it began to chill the blade of the Changeling. “I WILL ENJOY PEELING THE FLESH FROM YOUR BONES, HUMAN!”

“We’ll see about that!” Rem said, and with his free hand, he formed light in the shape of a star in his hand He then fired the star, as it spun rapidly like a sawblade! It slashed across the Changelings chest, causing it to stagger backwards. Rem followed that up with two more Bolt Blasts.

Raylu quickly ran at the Changeling, and as his foot was coated in the aura flames, he jumped at him. “Havoc Strike!” Raylu yelled, as the flaming aura kick hit the Changeling square in the back. It’s power was great, as the force knocked the Changeling flat on it’s face. Raylu then jumped up, as the lights around his arms formed blades made of fighting spirit called Ki. “Sword Rain!” Raylu then swung his arms, as the blades rained down on the Changeling from above, causing it to yell out in pain.

Rem and Raylu got back together, as they waited to see if the Changing was beat, but it slowly got back up. “IMPRESSIVE FOR A CHILD OF MAN…THIS MAY NOT BE AS EASY AS EXPECTED…” It then let out a weird roar. At first seemingly nothing happened, but then two spiked tendrils came from the darkness. Thanks to Raylu’s senses, he managed to both push Rem out of the way, as well as dodge. Coming from the darkness was two more Changelings!

“Of course…They’ve been hunting in a pack…” Raylu said.

Rem got back up, holding his sword tight. “This…does complicate matters…”

The first Changeling laughed in a beastly fashion. “FOOLISH HUMAN AND BEAST. YOU BOTH CANNOT STAND UP TO ALL OF US ALONE!” The three of them all began to laugh, as they started to spread out.

Rem and Raylu were now back to back. “I’m starting to see why Kavisto’s human troops were taken out. You ready partner?”

Raylu looked serious, his eyes not leaving his foes. “As I’ll ever be, sir.”

Then, as the Changelings were about to attack, gunshots were heard! One of the Changelings was headshot, causing it to stagger, while the other was riddled with several holes in the chest! Following that, someone leapt in from the hole in the roof, and kicked the headshot Changeling in the face, causing it to stumble backwards. The other shot Changeling was then slashed across the chest, as someone else attacked from above. The two that attacked were Sora and Kari, as Sora wielded the sword, and Kari was outfitted with combat gloves and boots. Brett had taken a sniping position from above on the roof, while Ralph also jumped down from above, wielding dual pistols. Ralph turned around to Rem. “We figured you could use a hand.”

Rem smiled. “Well I wouldn’t turn it down. Think you guys can handle this?”

“Hmph, just try and keep up with us, will ya?” Kari said.

The three Changelings all roared, as they prepared to attack. “Six versus three, so let’s take’em in pairs.” Rem suggested.

“Good plan, Ralph, stick with me for ranged support.” Sora said to him.

“Don’t fall behind them.” Ralph said with a smirk.

Kari stared down her Changeling. “Don’t let me down, Brett.” She said to herself, rushing in to attack. The Changeling morphed it’s arms into hammers, and tried to crush Kari my smashing them together. Kari quickly jumped up, dodging the attack, and landing on the hammers. He then leapt at the Changeling, striking him in the face with a roundhouse kick, then vaulting off of the Changelings face to get back away. The Changeling morphed it’s arms into blades, attempting to slice Kari in half on the retreat, but Brett from above sniped the Changeling in the head, causing it to recoil backwards.

The Changeling then turned it’s attention to Brett, and morphed it’s arms into tentacles at him to grab him. Reloading the rifle, Brett fired again at the tentacle, causing the tentacles to recoil back. “These things sure are resilient…” Brett then fired a few more shots, hitting the Changeling in the chest a few times, and once more on the side of the head. It roared, as it prepared to attack again with it’s tentacles. Brett repelled the tentacles once more, but then found his rifle was out of bullets, and reached into his pockets for more bullets to reload. The Changeling was not slowed by much, as it prepared to attack again. “Kari, I could use a few seconds here.”

“On it!” Kari responded, as she rushed back at the Changeling. She jumped onto one of the tentacle arms, then jumped to strike the Changeling in the face with a strong punch. This got the Changelings attention, but due to it’s long arms, it wasn’t able to reach Kari that close range. She then landed on the other arm, then jumped up to it’s shoulder to kick it in the face. The Changeling morphed it’s arms back into arms, as it tried to reach her, but Kari quickly moved to behind it’s head and grabbed it by it’s horns. The Changeling kept reaching for Kari, but Kari kept moving out of reach, the Changeling kept moving around. This actually got the Changeling to turn it’s back to Brett, which gave Brett a perfect opening. His rifle reloaded, Brett shot three shots into the Changeling in the back of it’s neck! The Changelings eyes widened, as it’s body went limp. It fell forward onto the ground, as it’s body turned black, and it’s body turned to smoke. Kari looked over her shoulder at Brett. “Nice shooting.”

“We’re not done quite yet, let’s get to the others.” Brett said to her, as they turned their attention to the Changeling that Ralph and Sora were fighting.

During Kari and Brett’s battle with their Changeling, Sora was taking the advance against the other one. It charged at Sora with a bladed arm, as Sora held back the attack with his sword. In response to Sora blocking the attack, the Changeling morphed its other arm into a hammer shape, as it went to attack Sora while he was blocking. Ralph however, quickly fired at the Changeling several times, causing it to recoil backwards. Sora then jumped onto the Changelings arm, and ran up it’s arm, until close enough to slash at it’s chest with his sword. The Changeling recoiled backwards as it suddenly morphed it’s arms back into arms, as it suddenly grabbed both of them with it’s hands. Sora had his arms pinned to his sides, but Ralph managed to get an arm free. Before the Changeling could put much more pressure on them both, Ralph managed to shoot the Changeling in the eye, causing it to drop them both. Sora quickly rushed in to stab the Changeling in the gut. The Changeling roared, as it kicked Sora away, leaving his sword still inside. He rushed at Sora quickly, while Sora was defensless, but Ralph quickly got in between the two, and fired several shots at the Changeling, until he finally managed to stagger him. He then aimed his pistols at Sora’s sword, shooting the swords handle. The force of the bullets actually forced the sword though the Changeling, casing it to double over in pain. “Quick, go get it!” Ralph yelled, as he reloaded his pistols.

“Right!” Sora then quickly took off around the Changeling, while Ralph kept shooting at it.

The Changeling suddenly roared, as one of it’s arms morphed into a tentacle and lashed out at Ralph, knocking him back. He dropped one of his pistols in the attack, as the Changeling crushed the dropped pistol with it’s foot. “Damn it, that’s one of my favorites!” Ralph yelled. The Changeling then leapt at Ralph, who kept shooting at it to little use. The Changeling then picked up Ralph, who tried to shoot it in the face, but had no bullets left. “Damn, not now!”

The Changeling chuckled, as it brought Ralph close to It’s mouth. “FOOLISH HUMAN. YOU BIT OFF MORE THEN YOU COULD CHEW.” And as it went to bite Ralph in half, a sniper shot hit the Changeling right in the head. It turned to see Brett, who fired at it again.

From behind, Kari and Sora got into position, as Sora ran at Kari, and she used her hands to vault Sora into the air! Sora landed on it’s back, and climbed up to the head, as Sora readied his sword. “Die you monster!” As he plunged the sword into it’s head, killing it with the blow. The Changeling stopped moving, dropping Ralph, as it’s body faded away into the smoke like the previous Changeling. ”Ha! Thanks for that guys, I was almost dinner.”

The last Changeling still remained, as it was fighting Rem and Raylu during the fight with the other two. It was growing weak, as the Changeling growled. “YOU HUMANS…YOU ARE NO NORMAL HUMANS…I SENSE NO FEAR IN YOU…”

Rem narrowed his eyes at the Changeling. “You will pay for the humans you slaughtered.”

The Changeling growled at Rem again. “COCKY HUMAN, LACKING FEAR MAKES YOU NOTHING BUT A FOOL!” The Changeling then rushed at Rem, as its arms morphed into tentacles with blades on them.

Rem smirked, as his gauntlets glowed white. “You’re the fool.” Rem then put both his hands up, as his gauntlets gave off a massive blinding flash! The Changeling was blinded by this attack, stopping in it’s tracks.

Raylu used this chance to rush in, as his arm was glowing with a silver energy. “Silver Punch!” Raylu yelled, as a powerful punch hit the Changeling into the air.

Rem then charged a lot of energy in his gauntlets, amplifying the energy with power demon power. Rem then looked to Raylu. “Ready Raylu?!”

“Ready sir!” Raylu responded, as his aura flared to life, and the lights moving around his body charged up. The two of them then unleashed powerful beams of their energy, meeting in midair at the Changeling. It roared out in pain, as it’s cries faded away.

After a moment of silence, aside from the rain and thunder, the group of six gathered together. The silence was suddenly broken by Ralph shouting, “Yeah! We did it!”

“Excellent job everyone, you all did wonderfully.” Brett said, though more speaking to his own team.

“That was the first time we’ve had to fight something that bizarre.” Sora said, putting away his sword.

Kari cracked her neck, as she smiled. “I’m just glad we were able to avenge those that the monsters killed. Hopefully their families can find some peace in that when they find out the truth.”

Rem and Raylu came over to the group. “You all fought very impressively. Honestly, had it not been for you, me and Raylu might not have been able to walk out of this alive either. You have our thanks as well.”

Ralph grinned, as he spun his single pistol around, before holstering it. “It was nothing man. It’s just doing our part to keep the city safe.”

Sora chuckled. “Even if it was a little out of the ordinary.”

Rem paused to think for a moment, as the group excitedly talked amongst themselves. “Well…if you four aren’t afraid of some danger like this, I might have something for you all this if your up for it.”

The group looked interested, as Brett spoke up for them. “What do you mean? Like assisting the World Savers?”

Rem nodded. “Something like that-“

But then the sound of a large group approaching, and the yells of Buck Rogers not far off. “They said they spotted the vigilante group entering the building after we left! Make sure they don’t get away!”

The four suddenly looked worried. “We gotta get out of here now. I seriously doubt even after killing the monsters, the police are just gonna let us walk out of here.” Kari said.

Rem nodded, as he snapped his fingers, making a portal. Ralph and Sora gasped in amazement, as Rem gestured them to move. “Go though the portal, we’ll talk more after.”

As they started going into the portal, the police squad stormed the room, guns aimed. All who was left now was Rem, Ralph, and Brett, as the latter two were about to enter. “Your welcome for killing the monsters for you!” Ralph said, somewhat mockingly.

Buck Rogers looked angry. “So the World Savers are working with criminals now!?”

“They were assisting with a mission, you have no reason to take them when they were working with me.” Rem said, as his gauntlets glowed.

“Like hell they don’t! Boys, don’t’ let them escape! Move or we shoot!” Buck ordered.

Rem narrowed his eyes, as a dome of light formed around the group and portal. “Let’s go, come on.” Rem said, we he followed Ralph and Brett through the portal. Once Rem was gone, both the portal and the dome disappeared.

Buck yelled in anger, as he watched them all escape. “I’ve had it with those kids, and I’ve had it with those World Savers working above the law just because they are strong. I’m speaking with the Chief about this. They can’t keep being allowed to do as they want in my city.”

Landon looked worried. “Now sir, I don’t think that’s really important. They killed the monsters that have been murdering the people of our city. Why not just let the issue go?”

Buck turned to Landon. “I don’t believe I asked for your opinion, greenhorn. The Chief will agree with me, and he’ll decide the best course of action.”

Landon sighed. “Either way sir, we should probably collect the…human remains…so we can properly identify the victims and inform their families…”

Buck sighed himself, as he tried to calm himself down. “For once we agree. Come on men, let’s…collect these bones. And keep an eye out, incase they missed any monsters.” He said, as the officers went to work.





Once they group went through the portal, they would of appeared on the bridge to the factory lab. They all looked around, getting their bearings. “Wow, I’ve never traveled by portal before! That’s so neat!” Sora said.

Raylu chuckled slightly. “If you continue to work with us like this, you’ll see many more wondrous things than this.”

“Hey yeah, what were you saying before the trench coat officer showed up?” Ralph asked.

“Ah, of course. I wanted to offer you an official ‘job’ so to speak with working to help the world, or at least the city. I’m not currently with the World Savers, so I’m not sure I can properly offer that, but we could possibly get you all enlisted with the powered protective branch of the government of this area.” Rem explained.

“Government? I’m not so sure that’s a good idea with our history.” Brett cut in.

Rem shook his head. “That wouldn’t be a problem. Me and my friends can easily vouch for you all and take care of that. I’d hate for your skills to be wasted by running from the police all the time. I believe you all can do some great things for this city.”

Everyone seemed to be thinking, but like before, Ralph suddenly spoke up first. “Well I’m in! It’s just the same thing we wanted to do before, but on a bigger scale, right? I think we can’t just turn our backs on people who need us!”

Sora nodded, smiling. “Ralph’s right, I was thinking the same thing, honestly. I want to be able to help more people.”

Kari sighed, but then smiled. “Well if you two idiots are going to, I can’t just let you both go alone. You’ll need my help keeping your heads on straight. What about you, Brett?”

Brett seemed worried, but then sighed. “Well…the word of a World Saver is about as good as a promise of protection can be. Very well, we’ll join you.”

Rem smiled. “Great! Glad to hear it!” Rem paused for a second. “Let me speak with my friend inside, and we’ll get everything sorted out, alright? Follow me inside, it’s safer then standing around out here.” Rem said, as he and Raylu led everyone into the factory building. When they reached the elevator, Rem turned to them all. “Ok, me and Raylu will go on ahead. You guys wait here for now, alright?” They all nodded, as Rem and Raylu descended in the elevator.

When Rem and Raylu entered the computer room, Eric got up to greet them. "Ah, Rem! You’re back. I'm guessing you took care of the changeling?" Eric asked.

"Yeah, though you failed to mention there were three of them.” Rem said.

Eric looked surprised. “Well I wasn’t aware there were three, but that does explain the rate of the deaths. The two of you managed to handle three, all alone?”

“Well, not exactly. Though had it not been for the people I met today, me and Raylu may not have made it back alive." Rem answered.

Eric raised his eyebrow. “Really? I’m assuming they are humans then, seeing as how the Changelings flee at the sign of powered humans and demons. And….they must be pretty exceptional to not only face them, but also win.”

Rem nodded. “They are very skilled, yes. Honestly, I think they could go far in Kavisto’s or a World Savers branch with more training and more power based gear.”

Eric shook his head. “You know how Kavisto is with non powered types. His branch doesn’t really have space for them, he had to call the ones he did dispatch for the Changelings special. And as far as I’m aware, I don’t think the World Saver branches have any room for more trainees.”

Rem looked a little upset. “Wait, really? I already convinced them to join, and they got in trouble because of me.”

“Wait, trouble?” Eric asked.

“They…their wanted by the law. Mostly for doing what we do, but labeled vigilantes. They steal for food, and one is a framed military criminal, but they aren’t bad people. If we send them back to the streets without our protection, they could get arrested.” Rem explained.

Eric sighed, as he sat back in his chair. He seemed quiet for a little while, while he thought about what to do. Then, after a while, he suddenly spoke back up. “Actually…this might be a good thing. I had this idea going around, and I was meaning to talk with you about. I’ve been thinking about trying to get a proper World Saver branch set back up in this area, apart from Kavisto’s government based groups, or the robot task forces led by Megaton. Something solely for France again. It’s been too quiet since the split, and somethings telling me that something could be coming, with the lack of protection we have.”

Rem smiled slightly. “Well then, that’s great! They’ll do great work for you, Eric. You won’t be disappointed with them.”

“That’s…not all. I want you and Raylu to stay with us and train them, and I want you to lead them. You could train them better then I could, and you have more experience on the field, making you more then capable to lead.” Eric said, sounding a little nervous.

Rem looked surprised and worried at once. “I…I don’t know, Eric. You know what happened the last time I tried to lead…”

Eric suddenly stood up, looking very serious. “I know you’re right for this, Rem. Even more so with a mostly human based team. I can’t do this alone, and you know Aqua fits more into a support role herself, rather then a take charge type of fighter. I need you both. Also…” Eric paused for a second. “I’ve been trying to follow up these leads I’ve gotten, but…I think Kraven might be back in France.”

Rem’s eyes widened, as he suddenly looked angry. “Kraven’s…back in France?”

Eric nodded. “I think so. I haven’t confirmed it yet, but I’ve seen some reports that suggest it. We’ve had no Kraven sightings in any of the other areas covered by World Saver branches, so it’s possible he’s been laying low here, thinking there’s no one to stop him.”

Raylu looked serious, as he turned to Rem. “That lines up with our own thoughts on the matter as well, sir. His trail in other regions has been cold since we’ve been hitting his bases.”

Rem nodded. “Your right Raylu.” He then turned to Eric. “If he really is here, there’s no way I can leave you guys to handle him alone…I’ll stay here and help you lead a team Eric, but we gotta do it together. I’ll need your support to do this.”

Eric smiled brightly. “I wouldn’t have it any other way. Now!” Eric suddenly exclaimed, standing up again. “I should probably meet our new teammates, shouldn’t I? Come now, let’s head up top.” Eric said, as he walked over to the elevator. Once it opened, the three of them rode it up to the ground floor.

Once the elevator opened, the four of them turned to see Rem, Eric, and Raylu. “Hey guys, sorry for the wait. This is the friend I was telling you about, Eric Nightngale.”

Eric smiled at them all. “Pleasure to meet you all.” They all exchanged greetings, though Eric’s eyes rested on Ralph for longer than the rest.

“So is this hunk of junk your base then?” Ralph asked.

Brett narrowed his eyes at Ralph. “Ralph, have some manners.”

Eric laughed. “No, it’s not our base, but I am using for a secret lab for now. Though I think for now, it’s best to take you all to our actual base, since you all are probably tired from your battle with the monsters.” Eric then snapped his fingers, forming a portal with his power. “Rem, why don’t you lead them? I’ll be right behind.”

Rem nodded. “Alright, follow me guys.” Rem said, as he led the group through the portal.

As they left, Eric took out a small light blue stone out of his pocket, and began to speak into it. “Hey Aqua, it’s me. Meet me at the cabin when you can, alright? I’ve got a surprise for you.”






A moment later, Eric came through the portal, as he saw the others taking in the view. Surrounded by a thick forest, was a simple cabin in the middle of a clearing in the forest. The lawn was overgrown, spiderwebs littered the outside porch, but the cabin itself still looked in descent shape. Well here we are, your new home everyone.” Eric said.

“It looks a bit run down…” Sora commented.

“Eric, have you been keeping up on the upkeep of the cabin while everyone was away?” Rem asked.

Eric laughed nervously. “Well it’s not in shambles or anything, but it could probably do with a heavy cleaning. It still has power, furniture, and food. I’ve been using the kitchen often, since I can’t fit everything in my private base in the mountains, so at the very least we can have dinner here and sleep tonight.” Eric then looked to the others. “Well come on then, let’s get everyone settled in.” Eric said, leading the way into the cabin. Once inside, they would find it quite dark until Eric turned the lights on. The living room had a few couches and chairs, fireplace, and a tv. It was somewhat bare, other then a pile of boxes in the corner of the room. Their was a staircase to the upstairs, a hallway connecting to the living room, and a arched doorway to the kitchen. “Mind the dust, but go ahead and pick out your rooms. There’s plenty to choose from, so pick whichever you’d like. The locked rooms are being used by myself, Aqua, and Rem.”

“Nice! I get first dibs!” Ralph said, taking off for the hallway.”

“Jeez man, calm down.” Sora said, following.

Kari sighed. “It will be nice to have a proper bed in a nice building…Can’t remember what that was like.”

Brett turned to Rem and Eric before he left to pick a room. “Thank you. They may not say it, but these kids really needed something like this. As do I.”

Rem smiled and nodded. “Not a problem at all. Now go, before they pick all the best rooms.”

Brett chuckled, as he nodded and followed the other three. Eric then looked to Rem, somewhat serious. “I’m guessing you didn’t pick up on who Ralph is.”

Rem looked at him, confused. “Wait, what do you mean?”

“Don’t you think he looks just like the same Ralph that fell through the time rift several years back? Spoke of a team called the Shining Force?” Eric asked.

Rem and Raylu looked surprised. “Wait, that’s him? So we start that team he mentioned?”

Eric nodded. “I think so. Though best not to mention it to him, lest we cause more damage to the timeline.”

Rem sighed. “What a mess…”

“Quite. Now, why don’t you and Raylu rest a bit, while I start preparing dinner for you all? Since it’s late it will probably be simpler.” Eric suggested.

Rem nodded. “Thanks’ Eric, we’ll do that. Call me if you need any help.”

After a short while, the four young people returned from bedroom picking. “So, did you all find a room you liked?” Rem asked

"We sure did! Compared to our old place, this is fantastic." Sora said.

"It will be so nice having a bed as nice as these." Kari added.

Then Ralph's stomach growled. "Heh heh...Sorry. After all that’s happened tonight, it's made me quite hungry."

"Actually were all a bit hungry. But we weren’t going to say anything. It's quite rude." Brett said.

“Well you’re all in luck, Eric is a master chef! He’s working on dinner as we speak.” Rem explained.

"I wouldn't say 'master', but I do have confidence in my abilities. Dinner won’t take long, then we can all get a good nights sleep." Eric said from the kitchen. Everyone sat down on a couch, since there were a few in the room.



A little bit later, someone walked in the front door. Not many people knew about this place, so who could it be? A long blue haired girl came in. she had dark blue eyes, and wore a blue dress, "Alright Eric, I got your message. Why did you tell me to come here..." Then she saw Rem, who was smiling at her. "Rem!" She said, almost yelling. She ran over, sat down next to him, and hugged him tight.

"It's nice to see you again too Aqua." Rem said, hugging back now.

"You look a lot different since I saw you last. In a good way of course." Rem added. She was about five years younger then he was, but she still had changed a lot in the amount of time Rem was gone.

Aqua blushed a little. "Why thank you Rem. You don't look so bad yourself." Aqua then noticed the others. "Oh, I’m so sorry, I was so excited, I didn’t notice you all. Who are your friends?"

"Aqua, these are our new members. First there’s Brett."

"Hello" Brett said.

"Next is Sora."

"Hiya Aqua. Nice to meet ya." Sora said.

"Third is Kari."

"Hi. Nice to meet you." She said.

"And last but not least, we have Ralph."

"Hey." He said, with a smile.

"It's nice to meet you all as well. I'm Aqua, and I'm a Water Human." Aqua said with a smile, then she looked back to Rem. "Wait, you said new members?"

Rem nodded. "Yeah, me and Eric did some talking, and we both had been thinking we should get a small group going back in France again. Do you think you'll be free enough from your agent work at Kavisto's to join us?"

Aqua beamed. "Oh, of course! We haven't kept that busy in France, so it's been mostly paperwork. Eric had voiced his concerns with me before, and I was thinking the same thing. Too much quiet in our line of work uselessly means someone could be out there plotting something. So you can count me in!"

Rem smiled. "Great! We'll need the extra powered human fire power, and I know I can depend on such a capable agent." Aqua smiled at the compliment.

Then Eric yelled from the kitchen. "Dinner's ready!"

"Awesome! I love Eric's cooking. We’ve both been so busy the past week or so with those Changelings that we haven’t been able to have dinner together in a while." Aqua said.

They all moved to the kitchen, seeing a small spread of a seafood stew and fresh looking bread. All the newcomers tasted it first, after everyone took their seats. "Wow! Eric, this is fantastic!" Brett exclaimed.

"Amen brother." Ralph agreed. Sora and Kari nodded in agreement.

"Thank you all. My seafood stew is my favorite stew as well." Eric said. After dinner, everyone looked full.

"That was great Eric. As good as I remember. But I thought you said you were doing something simple." Rem said.

“I did, but I forgot I already did the prep work for this earlier today before the incident.” Eric chucked, as everyone went on eating. After a little while, Eric spoke up again. "I hope some of you saved room for dessert. I have some chocolate cake left over from a few days ago."

"Did....Did you say chocolate cake?" Kari asked.

"Yes." Eric answered.

"I love chocolate cake!" Kari exclaimed, taking one or two pieces, and dug in.

"Ha ha. Kari's normally pretty quiet. But bring out chocolate cake, and she magically comes to life." Sora said, laughing. Everyone else started laughing as well. After dessert, and by then it was very late, everyone got ready for a great nights sleep. This was the start of a long friendship between them all, and they all kinda had this feeling as they drifted to sleep...


End of Data Log...

[Aqua]

Data Log #2: The Team's First Mission EX.

Data Log place in time: Beginning about a week after the previous data log.

This data log begins as normal as every other day had been since the small group came together. The city hadn’t had much going on in it since the Changeling incident from the week before, and due to the aftermath cause by the police, the group had been keeping to the cabin in the forest outside the city. The local police had been trying to make the group out to be a group of law breaking vigilantes, and with the push of Officer Rogers, the public was beginning to shift towards this narrative. Waiting for some of the heat to die off, the group had focused on cleaning the cabin and the surrounding areas up, so their new home would be comfortable. The lawn had been cut, broken windows replaced, dust and webs cleaned out, and Aqua had even brought a number of potted plants from her previous residence. Aqua and Kari had also been restoring the small gardens around the cabin, making the entire place look different from before. One quiet mid spring morning, as a light rain had been coming down, Aqua was in the kitchen alone, as she seemed to be preparing breakfast for everyone. A small pile of pancakes and waffles had been made, as the sweet smell was filling the cabin. Raylu had been half awake in the living room in his pup form, but he was rolled up in a comfy chair, having no intentions of getting up until food was ready. Aqua was humming to herself, as she danced around the kitchen while she cooked. Though she wasn’t alone long, as Rem had woken up first, and smelling the food, headed to the kitchen to see what was up. We walked in, seeing Aqua going about her business, as he chuckled to himself a little. “Someone sure is chipper this morning.”

Aqua jumped slightly in response, as she didn’t hear Rem come in over the sound of her own humming. “Oh! Sorry, I didn’t hear you come in. I thought I’d have to wake everyone.”

Rem waved his hand in dismissal. “Nah, it’s fine.” He looked around, noticing a lack of Eric. Up to this point, Eric had been handling all forms of cooking since they came together, so it wasn’t really normal to see Aqua alone. “So, where’s Eric this morning?”

“Eric’s still at the lab. He called me and asked if I could handle breakfast, since he said he was close to finishing designing everyone’s new weapons. When I asked if he stayed up all night making them, he refused to comment and thanked me for the help.” She sighed. “He needs to stop over working himself.”

Rem chuckled. “Same ol Eric. Honestly it’s kinda refreshing seeing him buried in a project again. When he started working on the blueprints for the weapons his eyes lit up like I haven’t seen in ages.”

Aqua giggled slightly. “That’s true, he hasn’t really had anything to work on for in ages. It might have been since he last designed your gear and the Black Wing since he’s really done much. Though I did hear he was trying to design a robot housing unit for his probe Adam, but with the robots being made in mass by Harkum Inc and Harason Robotics, I don’t think Eric gets the same creative spark from it.”

“Speaking of that, I’ve been meaning to ask, haven’t the robots been taking care of the city while we were gone? Did something happen with Harason?” Rem asked.

Aqua shook her head. “Oh, he’s fine. Kavisto informed me that the city is busy having talks of which robot task force they want working in the city. Harason’s been doing this for them for five years, but apparently Harkum Inc. is offering the city better protection at a cheaper cost, so no one knows what task force is gonna be in charge, but with Megatons defect to Harkum, we think the city will side with them. That’s why the robots were pulled off the streets while they sort the issue out.”

Rem seemed to be taking this all in. “Well that explains why there wasn’t any robotic assistance in the job last week, but I sure am out of the loop with a lot of things.”

Aqua smiled. “Well just leave it all to me to catch you up to speed.”

Rem smiled slightly at that comment. “By the way, how have you been? We haven’t really had time to talk with everything going on here since I came back.”

Aqua suddenly looked surprised, but inside she was feeling slightly nervous being asked all of a sudden. “M-me? Well…I’ve been good, all things considered, I guess. Once you left…” I’ve missed you terribly… Aqua snapped back out of her thoughts. “Well after we dealt with Kraven last, or at least so we thought, threats started appearing in greater numbers across the world that our other small groups of friends couldn’t handle everything anymore, so that’s when we all started deciding who would go where. Eric didn’t plan on leaving since his home was here, and I didn’t want to leave him all alone. So I devoted my time to working for Kavisto’s agency with my team there. I moved into the base shortly after the cabin was empty, so Eric could move into his mountain base without any worry.” That, and I wanted to be here for when you came back…

Rem was taking this all in, as he looked a bit sad, thinking back on it all. “Honestly…I didn’t think I was ready to come back. I still don’t know if I am…But out of all our friends, you and Eric are like family to me. I’d do anything for you two. Even if that means trying to be a leader to these new guys.”

“W-well I for one have complete confidence in you! I’d trust you with my life!” She said, somewhat passionately, but quickly recoiling back. You idiot, you can’t just say stuff like that!

Rem laughed slightly, almost nervously. “That’s quite the trust you put on me. I’ll have to work hard to meet expiations.” He paused for a second. “So…what do you think of everyone? We’ve all been so busy, I’m sure getting to properly talk during all the cabin work was tough.”

Aqua quickly recomposed herself, and jumped right back into conversation. “Well they all seem really nice, we’re about the same age, so it helps a little. Me and Kari hit it off pretty quickly, honestly. Turns out she’s a big reader too, so we compared thoughts on books, and traded a few once we had some time. Sora and Ralph are honestly just so full of energy, they are kinda hard to keep up with. Brett was a little tougher to get a read on, but he’s a big softy despite looking like a gruff American.”

“Hey, I’m American too, ya know.” Rem chuckled.

“Oh yeah. Honestly, with light prisms involved automatically translating everyone’s speech for us, it’s easy to forget you aren’t French.” Aqua giggled. “But I look forward to getting to know everyone better.” She then finished taking the last of the pancakes off the pan, putting them with the rest in the oven for warmth. “Speaking of them, we should probably wake everyone up for breakfast. “

Then, from the hallway, was the sound of a shout. “I smell pancakes!” Someone yelled, sounding like Ralph. Then after a quick run through the hall, Ralph was in the kitchen, still dressed in his night clothes. “Aqua, did you make those?!” Ralph asked, full of energy.

Aqua giggled. “I did, yes.”

“I love you so much right now, I haven’t had pancakes since I was a kid!” Ralph said, taking a seat.

Following not long after, was Sora, Kari, and Brett. “Ralph, do you really need to yell this early in the morning. Hi everyone.” Kari said to them.

“But Kari, pancakes!” Ralph protested.

Kari looked at the plates being set with them, and her eyes softened, but she remained firm. “As delicious as they look, that’s no excuse.”

“Yeah Ralph, don’t be such a kid. And that’s coming from the youngest!” Sora added.

Brett looked to Rem and Aqua. “Very sorry if he disturbed either of you.”

Rem chuckled. “It’s ok, we were just debating how to wake you all for breakfast. Honestly…I’ve missed the cabins chaotic mornings.”

Ralph fake pouted. “See? I’m fine!”

Aqua giggled slightly. “Well since you all are awake now, who ones breakfast?”

“Oh, they do. Trust me. They are just grumpy.” Ralph said, chuckling.

Kari sighed, taking a seat. “Yes, please.” The boys also sat down, still groggy from being woken up.




After breakfast, and everyone was mid conversation, as Rem and Aqua did the dishes, a portal suddenly opened in the living room, as a tired looking Eric came out of it. Raylu suddenly perked up. “Sir Eric, good morning. You seem tired.”

Eric chuckled nervously. “A bit, yeah, but I’ve been hard at work all night, and I’m finally done.” He then walked into the kitchen, seeing everyone there. “Morning all.”

Aqua smiled as he came in. “Eric, good morning! How are you?”

Eric smiled back. “Tired, but fantastic. I’m glad your all here though, I’ve got gifts for you all.” He then took out from a holster on his back, a somewhat large looking high tech handgun. It had glowing lights of different colors, and had a low energy hum from it. “My newest weapon design, the Energy Blaster! Plasma power core, with additional energy crystals to use fire, ice, and electric energy attack, and chargeable energy beams. It also packs Ion Energy, which can stun all sorts of things. I’ve done a bit of testing with it, and it packs a powerful punch. I have them all made for each of you, even you two.” Eric said, looking at Rem and Aqua. “And I made sure you make you two, Ralph.”

“My man! The dualie king is back baby!” Ralph said, fist pumping.

“Also, I have these.” Eric then took out a small tube shaped object, almost flashlight like. He pushed a button on the side, as a blade of magenta colored energy came from it. “A beam sword. Pretty basic stuff, powered by plasma cores, and light crystals that can change the colors. They have the strength of a normal sword, but with a powered punch, and it can cut through solid objects with enough force. They should both provide some solid emergency weapons for everyone.”

Sora put his hand up, before he spoke. “You think I can get two? I’ve been thinking of changing up my battle style with some dual blades.”

Eric nodded. “I can get that taken care of, no problem. Also, I made these for you Kari.” Eric said, taking out a pair of modded leather gloves. “They look like normal gloves, but I’ve infused them with power demon power, so they should give you a noticeable boost to your strength an striking power while you wear them. Nothing massive, but it should help you punch above your weight class.” He said, tossing them to her.

Kari caught them with a smile. “Thanks Eric!”

“Brett, I’ve been working on modding your sniper rifle and assault rifles you provided, but it will take a little more time. Though they should work a lot like the energy blasters.” Eric explained.

Brett smiled, and nodded. “That’s no problem, I look forward to them being finished.”

“Last thing I have is this.” Eric said, as he took out a octagon shaped disk like device. He pushed a button on it, and projected an energy field out in front of it. “It’s a reflector. It’s energy field can bounce back most projectiles, hold back beams, and gives of a energy pulse if struck directly. I’m still working on it projecting a barrier, but this will be better than nothing for now.”

Rem nodded his head. “So you finally reverse engineered that one you found from off world, uh?”

Eric smirked, as he spun it on his finger. “You ever doubted me? Just was a matter of time, and once the split happened I had nothing but a lot of it.”

“Hey, so after breakfast, why don’t we try out our new gear?” Ralph suggested.

“After a shower. But yes, that sounds good. If these are gonna be our frontline tools, then we need to get used to them.” Kari agreed.

“Right, let’s get cleaned up then, and we can get started.” Sora said, sounding excited.

Aqua then spoke up. “Hey, why not use the training room downstairs then?”

Rem nodded. “That sounds like a good idea. The training room almost acts like a pocket dimension that can project locations, enemies, and all kinds of things, so it’s perfect for it.”

Eric then yawned. “Alright, so…why don’t you guys do that, and I’ll catch up on my sleep. I’ll go pick up the weapons in a minute…”

Rem shook his head. “No, you get some rest man. I can get them for you. They’re in your base right?”

Eric chuckled. “Thanks, yeah you’ll find them there. I’m gonna get that rest now…” Eric then excused himself to his room in the cabin.

Rem watched him leave, then clapped his hands. “Alright everyone, let’s get this morning on the road. Go get cleaned up, it’s time for your first training session.”

“Yes sir!” The four of them responded with, as they each took off.

Rem then turned to Aqua. “And I’ll be back to help with the dishes.”

Aqua waved her hand. “It’s ok, I’ve got this. You’ve got quite the day ahead of you.”

Rem nodded. “If you say so. We’ll be back for lunch.”

Aqua smiled. “It will be warm and ready when you’re all done.” She said, as everyone took off. “Come on Raylu, leftovers!” She said, clapping slightly.

Raylu excitedly jumped out of his chair from the living room and came in. “Finally, I thought they would never leave. I’m starving.” Aqua had placed a plate with some uneaten pancakes, as Raylu’s little tail started to wag happily. Aqua bent down to scratch and pet him. “Mmm…Please….behind the ears…”





Meanwhile, that same afternoon, a school was having a class field trip of the large Harkum Inc. building. Harkum Inc. was a company that dealt in many fields that helped support the city, so it was often the subject of many class trips. A group of teenagers was following their teacher, while they were being led by a guide. The room was full of different kinds of work in progress devices and other tech, like weapons, robots, and all sorts of other things. “Now this is one of our R&D labs. While no one is in today, this is where many of the tech, weapons, and other devices that are developed to help improve the life and safety of the city. Currently, we are pushing forward on the robotics field, as the city is preparing to use our resources to produce a new robotic task force to protect our fair city from the various powered threats. We’re developing various models to be able to be prepared for different threats that could appear. If you all will follow me into the next lab, you can see the new combat models we’re working on.”

Near the back of the group, there were three teens hanging together. One was a fit young man, dressed in a leather jacket, and blue jeans. He had green eyes and black hair, and had this air that he cared about nothing. “Man, this shit is really boring.”

A girl, hanging back with the punk with brown hair with purple highlights and blue eyes, seemed smitten with the punk, going along with what he said. “You said it Leon, it’s all so boring.”

A third teen, towering over the two of them at 6 foot 2, was a guy wearing a high school sports jacket, looking very well built. He had brown hair an brown eyes, slightly tanned skin. “Oh come on Maple, it isn’t that bad. There’s some really cool stuff in here.”

Leon looked over his shoulder, giving the tall guy a bit of a glare. “Shut up Robert, nobody asked you. If you like this shit, then you must be boring too.”

“Yeah Rob, Leon knows what cool is.” Maple said, echoing him. Robert sighed in response, but didn’t say anything else.

Leon was looking around, noticing a door in the background labeled ‘Restricted Access. Danger.’ Leon smirked slightly, as he broke off from the group. “Now this sounds interesting. Come on.” He said, as Maple followed him.

Robert reached his arm out. “Wait guys, I don’t think this is a good idea. We could get in trouble.”

“No one asked you, blockhead. Stay if you want to, I don’t give a shit.” Leon said, not turning back.

“Come on Rob, it could be fun. What could it hurt?” Maple said, turning back to follow Leon. Robert sighed again, and checked to see if it was clear to make a break for it. Luckily, the teacher was to busy day dreaming about how beautiful the class guide was to notice the three teens leave the group.

The three of them managed to get into the room, though there wasn’t much there, other than some very large containers marked ‘Power Essence’. There was stairs up to pathways that went over the containers, which Leon rushed up to see. Maple followed him up the stairs. “Guys, I ‘really’ think we shouldn’t be in here.”

“Come’on Robert, live a little.” Leon said, looking over the railing at the containers from above. It was a weird grayish green colored liquid that looked somewhat thick.
Maple was looking out over the container as well. “What do you think this stuff is?”

“Probably some kinda illegal radioactive waste. I bet if we take this to the press we could make a huge stink.” Leon said, leaning over the railing. Suddenly, the safety railing snapped under the weight of Leon and Maple leaning on it! Leon began to fall, but Maple grabbed onto him with one hand, and holding onto the broken railing.

Robert quickly rushed up the stairs, grabbing ahold of Maples arm. “Hang on guys, I’ll pull you up!” Robert tried to pull the two teenagers up, but as they dangled in the air, the momentum caused Robert to slip slightly forward, and under the weight of the three, the weaker part of the platform bent at an angle, causing Robert to slide off! Robert tried to reach out and grab the broken railing, but when he did, the weight of the three caused it to snap off! The three of them plummeted into the chemicals below, and no one had even noticed them disappear.

After some time, the class finally noticed them all gone missing, and guards began to search for them, and they were finally discovered, but not after a long chemical bath…






Three weeks had passed with little to nothing happening involving the group. It was a day like any other. Ralph and Brett were having target practice on the cabin front lawn. They had red and white targets stuck to trees, posts, rocks, and hanging from trees. Some even moved. Aqua was sitting on the front porch of the cabin with Kari. They were talking, as well as watching Ralph and Brett practice. Raylu was in his fox pup form, taking a nap on Aqua's lap. Of everyone, Sora was taking it the most easy. He was inside, watching tv while he was sitting on a couch. Of course this carefree afternoon would soon come to an end. At the factory, Rem and Eric were working in the computer room. As the weeks passed, the group put time into fixing up the factory, though with so much work it was slow going. During this, Eric had finished building a simple robot in the time since everyone arrived. It didn’t have plating on it’s body, so it had lots of exposed wires and such. It was about 5 feet tall, and had a somewhat off shaped head, almost mushroom like. The round probe, which Eric had named Adam, was docked inside the robots skull. It currently only had a single eye, as the probe itself only had one eye. Eric was doing some touching up on it, as a few sparks flew from the neck area, followed up by several lights turning on. “How do you feel Adam?”

After a few beeps, Adam’s eye looked around. “I DO NOT FEEL, MASTER.”

Eric sighed with a face palm, while Rem chuckled. “Alright then Adam, do all systems seem to be working properly?”

Adam’s eye began to flash. “PREFORMING SYSTEM CHECK…MOTOR SYSTEMS AT 83% SOFTWARE APPLACATIONS 91% BODY SEEMS TO ACCEPT MY PROGRAMING PROPERLY. MINOR ADJUSTMENTS ARE NEEDED FOR 100% EFFICIENCY.”

Eric smiled. “Fantastic. Are you glad to finally have a body? I’ve been meaning to finish it for so long.”

Adam beeped a few more times, before replying. “I CANNOT PROPERLY PROSSCESS EMOTIONS SUCH AS GLADNESS, MASTER…BUT I WILL SAY THAT I WILL BE ABLE TO PREFORM MANY MORE TASKS THEN PREVIOUSLY POSSIBLE. I FIND THIS…SATISFACTORY, MASTER. I WILL FIND METHOD TO EXPRESS MY GRATITUDE.”

Eric chuckled slightly. “Good enough for me! We’ll finish the plating on your body soon, then you’ll be able to help out around here.” He then turned to Rem. “I’ve been trying to work on developing his AI, but it proves difficult at times. Though with us all here, maybe I’ll be able to have more time to devote to it.“

“Adam has come a long way since he was first made. He was such a curious droid then.” Rem commented.

“Oh, he’s still like that, his social skills just haven’t adapted yet to his core personality.” Eric looked to see Adam moving around, looking at things in the lab as if he never saw them before. “See what I mean?” Eric and Rem both chuckled.

“Adam aside, how has your other project been going? You mentioned you’ve been working on some kind of new program or something for the super computer or something?” Rem asked.

“Project EIRU is going to need a few more weeks. Adam’s AI was in a way a test run for EIRU, but I did get one thing up and running, and that’s my PDP. A Problem Detection Program. It scans news reports, radio broadcasts, S.O.S. signals, police scanners, anything it can connect to.” Eric paused for a moment. “Actually, that brings something to mind I’ve been meaning to discuss with you. The PDP has detected a crime pattern over the last few days, and I’ve been looking them over. Come with me.” Rem and Eric walked over to the computer, and Eric pulled up from video footage from a social media post of three figures robbing a department store. One was a lizard like creature, one looked like a large stone golem, and the other was a young woman with redish hair with nature themed clothes. It wasn’t very good quality, but you could at least make out the figures somewhat. “Now this is just one event of a robbery of a department store, but that’s not all. Over the past week there have been several robberies of places like these. None really have any footage I’ve been able to gather, but they often have people describing the criminals as ‘freaks’. Apparently the police haven’t been able to stand up to them, and the robot task force isn’t back on the streets yet.”

Rem nodded, his arms folded. “Sounds like a job for us then. Do we have any leads?”

Eric shook his head. “Sadly not as of right-“ Then suddenly the PDP responded to a police scanner report. “Hmm…Maybe we do.” Eric then clicked on the program to play the audio.

”211 in progress on De Boiz department store on the corner of South and Main. Suspects are believed to be the same ‘monster’ characters from previous thefts. Proceed with caution.” The report said.

Rem looked confused. “211?”

Eric nodded. “That’s a police code, and that one means a robbery. I’ve heard it come up a lot looking through the files lately. Sounds like we got ourselves some powered thieves to catch, though we might run into police resistance. You ready?”

Rem nodded. “Always. Let’s head back to the cabin and get the others ready.”

Eric then looked to Adam. "We got something to do Adam. Just keep working till we get back." Eric then teleported himself and Rem.

Shortly after, Rem and Eric showed up at the cabin via teleportation, though Brett nearly took Eric's head off with a shot from his blaster. "Eric, careful. I almost hit you." Brett said.

"Never mind that for now, there's a problem in the city of a powered nature, and we need to move quickly before they get away. Get your gear, we got to go!" Eric exclaimed.

Aqua and Kari ran inside to get their gear. As Kari passed by, she saw Sora watching tv. "....And in other news, it seems funding for the Tower of Power project has resumed. After a lack of money due to investors pulling out, progress has started up again with the return of investors thanks to a push from Tamaki Francoise and Harkum Inc’s continued support. For those who are uninformed, the towers goal is to be able to provide the city a clean, never ending renewable energy source. Meant to be more effective then solar or wind, this energy-“

Kari turned off the tv, and started yelling. "What are you doing?! We have our first mission, let’s move!"
"What?!" Sora sprang to his feet, and ran to get his gear. Once everyone was ready, they headed off for the city.





Meanwhile, things were not looking good downtown. Officer Landon was at the scene, in charge of the current group today. “HQ, this is Officer Landon. We have conformation that the attackers at the department store are the same three from the last break in. They are blasting through our forces like they’re nothing. We need backup, ASAP.” He said, hiding behind a squad car, as a blast of energy blasted the car.

The three attackers were the same ones from the video Eric saw. The one that looked human had very interesting clothes, looking like they were made from plants, and were very colorful. She had purple eyes, and hair color like a red maple leaf. The second one was a huge monster made of stone, but looked kinda like a robot. He looked a lot like a monster called the Robo Golem. The last one looked like a monster called a Dino Lizafose, which was pretty much like a human sized lizard. He had a small amount of clothes, including red shorts, and a ripped up blue opened shirt. His scales were a greenish blue, and he had orange eyes. He had claws, fangs, the works. One more thing to note was that his tail looked like it had axe blades at the end of it. He had two different kinds of swords, a cutlass and a scimitar, and a sheath for each. "Heh heh heh. This isssss ssssso much fun. We are unsssssstoppable." The lizard said.

The rock monster threw one cop into another. "Now don't go getting overconfident Leon." It said in an echoed voice. Like it was speaking from inside a metal bucket or something.

"What are you worried about Robertttt? Have you noticed what we are now?" Leon asked.

"Yeah. With these weird powers, we are like unstoppable.” The girl agreed.

Leon then noticed an injured officer crawling away. "Here. Let me prove it!" Leon jumped, and landed on the officer. He was about to stab him with one of his swords, but then it was shot out of his hand. Leon looked up, and glared at their new attackers. The team had arrived. Ralph had shot the sword out of his hand.

"Leave that officer alone!" Rem ordered.

Leon looked confused. "Who are these guys?"

"Beats me." The girl commented.

"They are probably the reason I was worried." Robert said.

Rem had his sword drawn, as he looked over to Eric. "Eric, Sora, get the wounded to a safer place. The others and I will handle these guys."

"Alright. I'll need you to cover us." Eric answered, as the others nodded. Eric quickly headed back to the wounded officers, finding Officer Landon. “Sir, we’re here to assist you with the wounded.”

Landon was helping a wounded officer walk, when he noticed Eric and Sora approach him. “Wait, it’s you guys!” He paused for a moment, then smiled. “Thank you for coming, despite how some of my superiors feel about you guys. We could really use your help.”

“Hey, we both are on the same side, we wanna help keep people safe too. Just…differently.” Sora said.

“We’ll follow your guidance, and cover you from any stray attacks that come this way, so leave them to our allies.” Eric suggested.

Landon nodded. “No objections to that. I trust you World Savers better with that, honestly.”

As Eric and Sora retreated to assist the wounded, Leon yelled out orders to Robert. "Robert, crusssssh them!" Leon ordered.

Robert stepped forward, and changed and shifted his body till he was shaped like a twin cannon. This change took less then five seconds. He fired blasts of energy at them, probably electricity or plasma. "Time to see how this holds up to a strong attack like this." Ralph said, starting his reflector. Kari and Brett did the same, blocking the blasts fired at them. Leon had used Roberts attack as a cover. He charged at Ralph, since he was at the front of the group. He jumped into the air, trying to pounce on him. Raylu had intercepted Leon midair, and kicked him in the gut when they met in the air. "Look alive." Raylu said to Ralph as he landed. Leon got both of his swords, and took swipe after swipe at Raylu. Rem came up from behind Leon, and tried to strike him. Leon blocked this attack with his axe tail. Rem then took out a small pole shaped item, and tossed it towards Raylu. Raylu caught it, and it extended in size to the shame of a long metal staff, filled with aura energy. He backed up, extended the staff, then both Rem and Raylu went to attack him.

"A little help over here Maple." Leon called, defending himself.

"Right." The girl answered, and started running to him. Brett shot from far off with an ion blast from his rifle. Ion energy was a created power for blasters that stun living beings, and shut down machinery by giving off an electric charge that cancels out that it runs on.

"Kari, Aqua, you two handle the girl. Brett, Ralph, you two handle the rock monster." Rem ordered. Everyone nodded. The girl got up, and sent a wave of earth at Rem and Raylu. Aqua stopped her mid attack by blasting her with high powered water. Aqua had blasted Maple right into Kari, which she punched Maple right in the face. Kari's power infused battle gloves allowed her to hit pretty hard, so Maple was dazed a bit. Though Maple recovered pretty fast, and covered her hands in stone and thorned vines, and went hand to hand with Kari, while dodging attacks from Aqua. Ralph and Brett were taking cover from Robert's cannon blasts.

"We need to fight back. You keep him stunned with the ion blasts, and I'll go in close." Ralph said.

"Let's do it." Brett agreed. Ralph came out from his cover, and started running at Robert. Robert fired a few more blasts at Ralph, but Ralph deflected them with his reflector. Robert didn't waste time by blasting at him, so he changed back into his normal form, and fired his fits at Ralph at high speed. Rocket fists. Ralph did a forward roll to duck the attacks and kept moving. Brett fired two ion blasts at Robert, stunning him. Once he was stunned, Ralph took out his blasters and started blasting him. Though the rocket fists were still going off on their own. One nailed Brett, and knocked him into a building. The other fist hit Ralph, knocking him out. Roberts's fists returned to his body, and the ion energy soon wore off. Robert grabbed Ralph, and tossed him to where Brett landed on the ground.

Kari and Maple were in a grapple match. "Nice hair." Maple said.
"Heh. Thanks. Nice eyes." Kari said. Then Maple nailed Kari in the gut with a knee covered in stone. She then tossed Kari, where she landed on where Brett was laying across the battle field. Then Maple and Aqua stared at each other, when Aqua made the first move by firing ice beams. Maple blocked with a wall of earth. While Aqua was to busy attacking, Robert came from behind her, and hit her on the head with his stone arm. That attack knocked her out. Leon, meanwhile, had his hands full with Rem and Raylu. Seems Leon is skilled enough with the blade to last so long with Rem and Raylu. Then Maple tackled Raylu, then hit him with a wall of earth. She knocked Raylu at Robert, where he punched Raylu into the ground.

Rem blocked an attack from both of Leon's swords. "Nice try, but it will take more then two blades to take me down." Rem said.

"Then how about a third?" Leon said, then he nailed Rem in the back with his axe tail.
"Ahh!" Rem yelled. Then Leon kicked Rem in the head. Rem was a little dazed as he backed up, then Maple hit him on the head with a boulder, knocking him out.

"Toss these three with the others. We're gonna bury them all!" Leon ordered. Robert put Aqua, Rem, and Raylu with the others. "Take the building above them out!" He ordered again. Maple shot pillars of earth at the building, while Robert changed into twin cannon form and blasted the building as well. Then the building started to crumble with the team right under it! "Come on, were done here. Get our stuff." Leon ordered again. Robert grabbed a large box, full of stolen stuff, and they left.

The building then came down, started to fall. Rem slowly woke up from his boulder shot, and noticed the rubble coming down. "Shit!" Rem yelled. He made a dome of darkness over everyone. Once the rubble hit the dome, it was crushed under the weight. Though the dome weakened and the speed and pain caused.

Eric and Sora showed back up, followed by Officer Landon shortly after, but they saw no one around. "What happened, what was that noise!? Sora asked, looking around.

Eric then picked up everyone's auras under the building, and his eyes widened. “They’re under the building!” He ran over, and moved the rubble away using darkness. The three of them found the group under the building once Eric managed to move the rubble. Eric ran over to Rem, while Sora and Landon went to help remove some of the others from the rubble. Eric gave Rem one of his potions, and was awakened by the healing of the potion.

"Q-quick. Give these to the others." Rem said, coughing a bit, as giving Eric and Sora some potions. Rem ran over to Aqua, carried her out of the rubble, and gave her a blue potion. She coughed, and slowly came to. "Are you alright Aqua?" Rem asked.

Aqua groaned a bit, as she opened her eyes. Her eyes locked with Rem’s, as she blushed slightly from being so close to his face. “Y-yeah, I’m ok, thanks to you..” She said, with a slight smile.

“It…it was nothing.” Rem said, looking her back in the eyes for a moment. Suddenly, Rem snapped back into things, and called out to Eric, while he helped Aqua to her feet. "Eric, is everyone alright?"

"Yes Rem, everyone is fine.” Eric called back, as everyone gathered back together. Eric then looked to Landon. “Thank you for your help Officer.”

“It was nothing, I should be the one thanking you all for showing up when you did. Had you not we more than likely would’ve lost men today.” He said to them, then looked around. “Do you guys have any idea who those three are? They’ve been running amok for days.”

Rem shook his head. “Sadly no, they seem to be some new threats. We’ll do some digging into them, and see if we can’t get the drop on them next time they strike.”

“We should probably head back for now then. We’ll need time to heal and get information.” Eric said.

Landon nodded. “I won’t stop you, we all owe you our lives today, though sadly I should be at least trying. Not all of us on the police force distrust you, but we still have to follow our orders. I’ll do what I can to help, but that’s not much coming from a lower ranking officer. I at least hope it means something your actions are welcomed by at least some of us.”

Aqua smiled at Landon. “Honestly, sometimes kind words like that are all the help someone needs. So don’t think it doesn’t have value. It’s nice to know not all people are afraid of powered users like us.”

Rem nodded. “She’s right. If nothing else, thanks for your support.”

Landon nodded with a smile. “You guys better hurry and go, before the backup arrives. My superior already doesn’t like you as is.”

“Right, let’s get out of here for now.” Eric said, as he teleported the group out of town.

Landon then sighed, as he turned around. “I’d almost rather still be fighting then dealing with Buck right about now.” He said aloud, as he went to return to the other officers.







Appearing back in the lab, Adam had been wandering around, when they all suddenly appeared. After a few beeps and eye flashes, Adam spoke. “WELCOME BACK, MASTER. DID YOUR ERRAND GO WELL?”

“Hello Adam, no not exactly. Can you fetch the others something to sit on? Boxes, chairs, anything.” Eric asked, as he took a seat in the computer chair, and began typing away.

Adams face did the same thing it always did when possessing requests and information. Blinking eyes and beeping sounds for a few seconds, before answering. “OF COURSE, MASTER.”

“So what’s the plan Eric?” Brett asked.

Eric was in full force, typing away on the computer. “Well, I’m having the PDP search for any information on those three’s location right now. While that’s going, I plan to search out information on those three themselves. Did any of you happen to catch anything during the fight?”

“Well I heard two of them call each other by name. One was named Robert, the big one I think. The girl was called Maple.” Ralph explained.

“Yeah, also the girl didn’t seem that old. Maybe a year or two younger than me.” Kari added.

Eric nodded. “Got it, that should help narrow my search.”

Shortly after, Adam returned with a few chairs, and a large long box. He started sitting them down for everyone. “HERE YOU ARE MASTER. IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU REQUIRE?”

“If you don’t mind, go place your body in the charging station, then detach from it. I need your help searching the city for some people. I’ll upload images of them to you in a moment.” Eric explained.

“AFFERMATIVE MASTER.” And Adam proceeded to do as instructed. Meanwhile, everyone took some seats.

Rem sat on the long box, and Aqua quickly made a move to sit next to him. Kari noticed this, and chuckled to herself slightly. Everyone was sitting quietly, as they were all pretty tired from the fighting. Sora ended up talking to Ralph after a little while, asking him for some information on the bad guys they were fighting. Aqua, not having much to say, actually nodded off, and ended up leaning on Rem’s shoulder in her sleep. Rem noticed pretty quickly, but as soon as he looked at her, his intentions of disturbing her vanished. When he saw her peaceful expression, he felt a feeling he hadn’t felt in a long time. He was mesmerized by her. The last time he felt anything like that was with his ex girlfriend, Halo Ravioli. His thoughts went to those memories for a moment, as he relived the happiness he had of being that special to someone. Halo was someone he gave his all to make happy, to be there for, and to love more than anyone else. But remembering that also reminded him of less happy memories. When she left him. She told him it was just that she didn’t feel anything for him anymore like that. It shook Rem pretty badly, as he spent many sleepless nights trying to figure out what he did wrong, and if he could fix it. Though as time passed, Halo moved on with another team member by the name of Masamune, leaving Rem further heartbroken. He never properly got over the pain, but just suppressed it. Like he gave up, and the pain gave birth to a monster. Why look at her the way you looked at Halo? You’ll find nothing but more pain for yourself. Just accept your loneliness and uselessness. You are only here because Eric needed you, not because you’re actually worth anything to anyone. Just a tool to be used, and cast aside when you no longer are. It’s what they all have already done to you…Remember that. A voice rang out in Rem’s head. It wasn’t his thoughts personally, but felt like someone speaking to him using his thoughts. Though to Rem, he couldn’t tell. It felt crushing, but he just took it as the truth, or something close to it.

Ralph looked over, and noticed the look on his face. It seemed a little pained. He also noticed Aqua had passed out on his shoulder. "Hey man, you alright? Ralph asked.

Ralph’s words pulled Rem out of the mental slump he found himself in, as he looked a little surprised. As if he had just woken up from a slumber. "Huh? Y-yeah, I’m fine. I was just thinking."

Ralph didn’t quite buy it, but he shrugged in response. “Well…if you say so man.”

After close to an hour, Eric suddenly exclaimed. “Finally! I got something! Guys, come over here.”

Everyone suddenly was pulled out of their trances or naps, and got up to head over to Eric. Aqua though was still asleep, so Rem gave her a gentle nudge. "Wake up Aqua." Rem said.

"Huh? Wha?...Oh sorry." She got up, as she and Rem joined Eric. “What did you find?”

"Well to start, I found their names, Maple Orchid, Robert Stone, and Leon Blood. They are all high schoolers, and used to be normal humans. Apparently they had accident at Harukm inc while on a class trip, and some chemicals mutated their DNA. They were in the hospital for about a week and a half after the incident, but then once the transformation finished, the three of them just took off. Apparently the media has been trying to cover that all up." Eric explained to everyone.

"So they are mutant lifeforms?" Sora asked.

"Well yes and no. They are mutants in the sense that they have mutated and are no longer humans, but they aren't mutants in the sense that what they changed into are beings that appear normally in nature, and are not some new lifeform. Maple changed into a rare race of nature human which reach peak power in the fall. Robert is a member of a race of stone monsters called golems. He is what’s called a Robo Golem, which makes him like half robot and half stone monster. And Leon became what’s called a Dino Lizafose. A human sized lizard monster with an axe bladed tail. They have skill with the blade, have claws and fangs, and can breath fire. When it comes to this race of monsters, they are known to be cold blooded killers and have awful attitudes." Eric finished explaining.

"Sounds like some tough foes." Kari said.

"True. But some of them have some pretty clear weaknesses. Of the three of them, I think Robert might be the biggest threat. Plus he was the only one to beat any of us without aid of someone else. Next battle we need to work as a better team, and make sure one doesn't get the drop on us while were busy." Rem said.

"S-so what should we do next?" Aqua asked. She was still a little tired.

"We've had a rough day today, losing our first actual fight. Since they think we're out of the way, I say we get some rest and go after them tomorrow. Everyone's very tired, I’m sure." Rem answered.

"Yeah. Getting hit by a rocket fist, then getting crushed by a building will tire you out." Brett said.

"Indeed. You all get some rest. I’m going to be working with Adam in scouting out the city. See if I can’t come up with a lead on where they are hiding out." Eric said.
"Well alright, don't stay up too late. Saria wouldn't like that. Good night Eric." Aqua answered. And with that, they all left, as Rem made them all a portal to the cabin.

Eric nodded to them as, as he returned to his work. “Alright Adam, we got a lot of work ahead of us.” He said, typing into the computer to relay information to Adam.




Returning to the cabin by portal, everyone headed inside. Though once they entered, they could smell food cooking in the kitchen. “That’s funny, Eric wasn’t here to start anything. He’s been out all day.” Sora said.

Ralph sniffed the scent, looking happy. “Well whatever it is, it smells good.”

Ralph and Sora then headed into the kitchen, and saw a somewhat short looking young woman cooking. She had short green hair, and when she turned to see everyone enter, you could see her light green eyes. She was dressed in a long sleeved green sweater, and a pair of brown shorts. “Oh, hello everyone. Sorry to show up unannounced, but Eric didn’t answer when I called him, so I figured he must be out on a mission or something.”

“Should we know you?” Brett asked.

The girl gasped slightly. “Oh, right! You must be the new members Eric told me about, I’m sorry for not introducing myself right away. I’m Saria, I’m a Nature Human, and Eric’s girlfriend.”

Kari raised an eyebrow. “Wait, Eric has a girlfriend. Wonder why he didn’t mention you yet. Nice to meet you all the same, of course.”

Saria giggled a little. “Well if you’ve known Eric for any amount of time, you’ll find he always keeps himself so busy, things like that slip his mind. Honestly, he’d probably forget to eat if he didn’t cook for you all, and not my badgering.”

“So how come you haven’t come by sooner, if you don’t mind my asking.” Brett asked.

“Oh, well that’s because of my job, you could say. You all have your job here, mine’s a little different. I’m what’s called an Elemental Sage. I work in a handful of Terras as a guiding force for power, and guardian of the Earth Elemental.” Saria explained.

“Sages? Terras? Elementals? What’s all that lady?” Ralph questioned.

Rem nervously chuckled. “Sorry, we haven’t given them all the crash course yet. We’ve been meaning too. You see guys, a Terra is kinda like a different dimension. Like a different earth, solar system, realms, the works. All with similar versions of yourselves called Counterparts.”

“I kinda get it? I mean maybe.” Sora said, not full of confidence.

Saria giggled again. “It’s a lot to take in, I’m sure. I can go into more detail over dinner. The fact that Eric isn’t here shows he’ll be too busy to join us tonight, so I’ll be your cook instead. I hope to live up to his standards.”

“Well if the smell is anything to judge by, I’d say your fine.” Kari said, chuckling slightly.

“Well everyone, get all cleaned up for dinner. Let’s not be so hungry that we forget our manners.” Rem said. At that everyone dispersed to get cleaned up for dinner.

About an hour or so later, after dinner was over, Saria was in the living room talking with Rem, Raylu, and the others, while Kari and Aqua had offered to clean up after everyone, and were washing the dishes together. Kari then suddenly spoke up, after the two of them had finished a conversation. “Alright girl, I’ve been meaning to ask for a while now, but are you and Rem a thing or something?”

Aqua suddenly blushed at that, almost dropping the dish she had in her hands. “W-what? What makes you think something like that?”

“Oh, come on, the dudes might not notice, I’ve got an eye for that. I see the way you look at him when he isn’t looking. You always take a greater interest when he’s talking too. Plus you fell asleep on him earlier at the lab.” Kari was saying, but then Aqua shushed her.

“Alright alright, not so loud.” She then sighed. “I do like him. I’ve crushed on him since before he left, though I’m pretty sure all he thinks of me as is like a little sister. He’s known me since I was pretty young, so I guess that makes since.”

Kari looked invested. “Are you sure about that? Have you asked him?”

Aqua looked to the side. “He used to say that, yeah. Though not recently.”

“Then maybe he doesn’t anymore, a number of years can change a lot of opinions. Why don’t you ask him now?” Kari suggested.

Aqua turned a much brighter red than before. “I-I don’t know about that. I don’t think I could, not right now anyway. I wouldn’t want to mess anything up.”

Kari could kind of tell from Aqua’s reactions that she probably wasn’t going to talk her into that any time soon, so she decided to pull back a bit. “Alright, well if you say so. But it’s not good to let these things sit for too long, ya know? You wouldn’t want to have regrets about anything.”

Aqua swallowed, looking nervous. “No, y-your right. I’ll…figure something out.”

Kari smiled, and gave Aqua a pat on the back. “Good on ya then. Now, let’s finish these up.”

After that, the group had all chatted with Saria a while longer, but it was beginning to get late. “Oh, well I should probably be going now. You all have an important day tomorrow, yeah?”

“Yeah, we gotta get back at those kids that trounced us!” Ralph exclaimed.

Kari cracked her knuckles. “Right. I won’t lose to them again.”

“A shame you couldn’t stay longer Saria, it’s been so long since we talked.” Aqua said, looking a little disappointed.

“Well…” Saria started. “I suppose I could come back again tomorrow evening. Eric owes me dinner anyway for skipping on tonight. He probably forgot it was tonight, knowing him. That way, once you all win, you can feast as winners.” She giggled slightly.

“Hell yeah! Sounds like a plan!” Sora said, getting pumped.

Rem nodded. “Remember, you’re always welcome here, Saria.”

Saria nodded, standing up. “Thanks Rem. You help keep Eric in check, ya hear?” She giggled again. “You all rest up. And if you need some back up, give me a ring, and I’ll show you what an elemental sage can really do! Goodnight everyone!” She said, as she then made a portal, and walked through it.

“Alright everyone, we got a day of searching to do tomorrow, so let’s get some shut eye, and be up bright and early.” Rem said. Everyone was in agreement, and headed for bed to prepare for the coming battle tomorrow.





After working late into the night, Eric had decided to call it for the night sometime after midnight, as he figured if he hadn’t found them yet, he wouldn’t until morning. He had returned to his room, late in the night, and passed out until the late morning. Suddenly, he was awoken by a sudden tapping on his shoulder, followed by the smell of breakfast. “Ugh…” He groaned, as he looked and noticed it was Saria.

“Rise and shine sleepy head.” She said, giggling slightly.

“Saria? What are you?...” He then facepalmed. “You came over last night, didn’t you? I’m so sorry I forgot.”

“Nah, it’s fiiine, really. Your friends did a good job visiting with me. I came by and made everyone breakfast for you while you slept.” Saria explained.

Eric sat up, rubbing the tired out of his eyes. “Where is everyone? The cabin is awfully quiet.”

“They finished eating, and now they are out hitting the streets, looking for those ‘monster’ kids. I told them you’d be along soon, so come on. Let’s get some breakfast in you, and you can get to work. You owe me dinner tonight in exchange for me taking care of your friends, alright?” Saria said, giggling slightly.

Eric chuckled. “No problem there.” He then leaned over and kissed Saria on the cheek. “Thanks sweetie.”

“Don’t mention it, now come on! Before it gets cold!” The two of them went to have breakfast together.

A little later into the afternoon, Eric been going over all the information Adam had been collecting in his probe form. After checking many locations, as well as checking in with everyone, Adam finally contacted Eric with something via text. ‘MASTER, I BELIEVE I’VE FOUND THE CHARACTERS YOU’VE BEEN LOOKING FOR.” Adam then sent Eric a small video of the three teens carrying a large number of what appeared to be pizza boxes into a warehouse. “BASED ON CURRENT INFORMATION, I PROJECT A 93% CHANCE THESE ARE THE CHARACTERS FROM THE VIDEO YOU PROVIDED.”

Eric’s eyes widened, as he replied by text. “That’s them alright, thank you Adam. Please send me your location, ASAP.”

Adam then sent the GPS information Eric asked for. “HERE YOU ARE SIR. MAY I RETURN TO BASE FOR RECHARGE?”

“Yes, please head back.” Eric then took out his telepath stone, and contacted the others. “Everyone, Adam found their location. I’m going to send it to you all now, so please meet me there, ASAP.” Eric said, before informing everyone of the location and ending the call. He then made a portal to the meetup location he informed the others of.




Not much later, everyone had gathered together at the warehouse Eric found, and with a quick plan set up by Rem, they snuck in, keeping quiet. Wait till their distracted, then lets get out there. Eric told them all telepathically.

Everyone nodded to acknowledge him. They kept eye on the villains, who seemed to just be lazing about, eating the pizza they apparently stole. "Hmm....It'sssss boring around here with nothing to do, even with the stuff we took. It wassss more fun yesterday, when we fought those guys. Shame we killed them, or I’d look for them for a rematchhhhh." Leon said.

Then the team came out of hiding. "Today's your lucky day then." Ralph said.

"What?! I thought we killed you all already." Maple said, surprised.

"Yeah well, if you knew who we are, then you'd know we don't know when to stay down." Rem said.

"Really? Isssss that so? Then why don't we teachhhh you how? I wontttt leave it to chance this time!" Leon said, drawing his swords, and leading Robert and Maple into battle. Rem, Raylu, and Sora went right at Leon. Rem drew his sword, Raylu took out Rem's aura staff, and Sora turned on his beam sword. Rem made the first strike, but Leon blocked the blow. Then Sora, but Leon blocked that attack as well. Then Raylu came from behind, and went to attack Leon. He tried to stop him with his axe tail, but Raylu easily dodged, and whacked Leon in the head. He growled, and jumped up into the air, and came down at Raylu with both swords. He blocked one attack, but he jumped back to avoid the second attack when Leon moved one sword to slash his side. But that left him open to be attacked by both Rem and Sora. They both slashed him, and he roared in pain. He quickly turned around, and went to slash both of them. They jumped back to dodge these attacks, and kept back stepping to avoid more. Then Raylu came from behind, and hit Leon in the back with an open palm punch. He got hit, and toppled over. But he got back to his feet quickly. He then started spinning on one foot, using his claws on his feet to help him spin on the floor. As he spun, his swords were out, as was his tail. Then he started to move, and go after them. Sora and Rem were blocking attacks, but it was to fast and to many. They were both hit a number of times. Then Raylu came from above, and hit his blind spot, his head, with a punch fused with aura. It completely stopped him. Then Raylu landed in front of him, and hit him with a powerful kick. Leon flew back into a bunch of crates. He worked his way back to his feet. Ugh...These guys are tougher then yesterday...It's hard to juggle three at once...Maybe we got off lucky the other day...No! I have more skill then them now. Im not just a human anymore. Leon thought. Then he charged at them once more.

One of the other fights involved Kari, Aqua, Eric, and Maple. She was back flipping to avoid beams of ice and darkness. Kari got behind her, and was able trip Maple while she was back flipping. She quickly got back up, and traded punches with Kari. Maple got Kari in the gut, and she fell to the floor. She made a huge boulder in her hands, and was going to bring it down on Kari. But Eric destroyed it with a beam of darkness, then Aqua blasted Maple with high powered water. It blasted her away, until she cut the flow with a wall of earth. But then Aqua turned the water to ice, and froze the wall. Kari then came up, and smashed the wall with one punch. But Maple quickly wrapped up Kari with thorned vines, and started to put the squeeze on her. But Aqua took control of all the shards of ice from the frozen wall, and sent them at Maple. They cut the vines, and hit Maple. But while Kari was still close, she tried to hit her with a punch covered in earth and thorned vines. But as she went to, something was holding her arm back. Darkness had covered her arm, then flipped her through the air, and into the ground. Eric used the darkness to send the creates of the room at Maple. Though Maple stopped each one by shooting stones from her hands at each one. Then a bunch of sharp jagged stones floated around Maple to act like a shield. Kari tried to attack, but the stones just blocked the attacks and cut her. She used them to block attacks from Eric and Aqua, then sent them all at Kari. Kari smirked, and took out her reflector. She used it to send all the stones back at her. She didn't expect it, and she was hit by them. Then Kari nailed her with an upper cut, sending her into the air. Aqua blasted her with high powered water. Then Eric grabbed her with darkness, and slammed her into the ground. She worked her way back to her feet. Ugh...These guys are at a different level then us...


Robert was in his twin cannon mode, and was firing at the constantly moving Brett and Ralph. Once Robert took a few seconds to recharge the cannons, Ralph fired a bomb into one of the cannons. It exploded inside, and smoke came out of it. He changed back into normal form, his left shoulder still smoking. Then he took aim, and fired one of his rocket fists at the two of them. Brett crouched down, and stayed behind Ralph, who was running at Robert. Once he was close, Ralph jumped up onto the fist, then jumped back off and kept running at Robert. The fist kept going straight, right at Brett. Once Brett had a clear shot, he fired an ion blast at the fist. It shut down, and fell to the ground. Once Ralph was close, Robert tried to punch him with a powerful punch. Ralph jumped back, and shot a few blasts of ion energy. He moved to the side quickly. Apparently he feet have wheels in them, which come out when he needs to move fast. He just drove into Ralph, then hit the breaks, causing him to be flung off. Then he did a twist, and then he started to untwist. He was doing his so the punch he was readying would be even more powerful. But as the fist came around, Brett shot it with an ion blast. It froze his fist long enough from Ralph to move. Then when Roberts fist was stuck in the ground, Ralph hit him with ion blast after ion blast. Soon he wasn't able to move anymore. Ralph then blasted Robert in random places with lasers, which cracked his body a little in weak places. Then he got in front, and fired a bomb, then he also threw a few small bombs at him. The force of the attack blasted him back, leaving many cracks in his chest. He landed on the ground near Maple. This energy....I cant move anymore....These guys are as tough as I thought....I guess its a good thing to know there are people of there that can beat us... Robert thought.


Leon was still out numbered, and out matched. His skill wasn't enough to fight three people all at once, but he was holding up. But then, thinking out of the box he was in, he jumped and breathed fire at them. Raylu jumped back, and fired orbs of ice at Leon. Sora used his reflector to block the flames, then fired ice lasers from his blaster after the flames stopped. Rem also blocked the flames with his mirror shield, then fired beams of ice once the flames stopped. Being a cold blooded lizard monster, all these ice attacks badly effected him. He stumbled backwards, then fell on the ground. Now all the villains were boxed in by the team. "Y-you...you laid usssss out....How could you beat usss ssso easily?....And how did you...k-know my weaknessss?..." Leon asked.
"It's kinda what we do. Now are you gonna come quietly, or do we need to fight some more?" Rem asked. He had prepared some special handcuffs that Eric designed, made out of power nulling Lunar energy.
"M-maple....Get usss o-out of here...." Leon ordered, weakly. She nodded, then her hands glowed. She destroyed the earth under the four corners of the warehouse, and the support beams as well.

"Eric, get us out of here quick!" Rem said.

Eric nodded, and teleported everyone outside. The warehouse collapsed seconds later. After wards, the team searched the rubble for the evil trio, but they couldn't find anything. Not even any auras. Rem was starting to get frustrated. “I got careless, we shouldn’t have given them a chance to run, and now their gone…”

Aqua put her hand on Rem's shoulder. "It's going to be alright, Rem. They can’t exactly keep a low profile in a city like this, so we’ll catch them when they show back up again.”

Rem sighed slightly. “You’re right, Aqua. We’ll deal with them when they show back up.”

Eric cut in at this point. “I’ll need to look into a way to possibly undo the mutation they’ve been effected by as well, they can’t very well stay the way they are. We’ll need to pay a visit to Harkum Inc. some point soon.”

Sora put his arms behind his head, relaxing a bit. “So, what do we do now then?”

Rem turned to look at everyone. “Well, it’s not quite how I expected this mission to end, but I’d say we at least repelled the threat to the people of this city. I doubt they’ll be back to cause trouble any time soon. Why don’t we just head home for now?”

“Hell yeah! I’m getting kinda hungry after skipping lunch.” Ralph exclaimed.

“Is there a time you aren’t thinking of food?” Kari asked, slightly annoyed.

“Only when he sleeps.” Brett said, chuckling slightly.

“Wow, you guys are harsh.” Ralph mumbled, as everyone laughed a little at Ralphs expense. After that, Eric made a portal, and they all headed home for whatever Saria prepared for dinner.

Though unknown to the rest of the group, someone had been watching the battle go down. He was watching from a nearby rooftop using some binoculars. He had slightly long brown hair, and blue eyes. He was dressed in a black suit coat and pants, though the suit coat was open, showing a dark gray vest and white dress shirt underneath. He also wore a simple black hat. “Hmm…So not only do we have these Harkum Mutants running around now, but also the World Savers are back in town? Hmm…This does complicate matters, just a bit. Nothing I can’t handle though…” The man then turned to leave, as his business had been concluded.




Elsewhere, a few hours later somewhere outside the city, the villain trio were thinking on their defeat. "Hmm...They were tough...We were way out matched." Maple said.

"Indeed. We didn't stand a chance at all. I didn't think just cause of this transformation we were unstoppable." Robert stated.

"Assss much assss I hate to admit itttt....I agree. We need to get stronger. Next time we meet themmmm, we wont be so easily beaten. We will take revenge. I sware itttt!" Leon said

"You need to calm yourself Leon. You are so full of anger. Why does it matter so much to you?" Robert said.

"They were better then me. And I don't like thatttt. Besidessss, what else are these powers for?" Leon questioned.

"Im sure they could have many uses. You can make your own use for them." Robert answered.

"Hmm....Sssso you say...Well if we are to make a use for these powers, I wish to use them to be more powerful, and beattt them next time!" Leon said.

Robert sighed. "I figured you'd say that." Why do I even try? He never listens to anything good that I have to say. I cannot seem to change his thoughts on life. Robert thought.

"Lets not worry about that right now. Lets just be on our way. We can sort out everything else out later." Maple said.

"I agree. Lets not stay here." Robert agreed.

"Yeah, your right. Let'sssss go." Leon said. When we return you little pests... Then the three had headed off. As they vowed to return again. Or...at least one did.


…End of Data Log…

[Aqua]

Data Log #3: Meeting Omni and Giga EX

Data Log place in time: Two weeks after the previous data log.

Early one afternoon, Aqua and Kari were walking around the city. They were in part trying to find something to do, and also patrolling the streets for anything abnormal. In attempts to try and lay low, Aqua had her hair in a bun and ball cap, trying to hide as much of her hair as possible. The two of them just left some fancy looking cake shop, and Kari looked very pleased. “Man, I’ve always looked in though the windows of that shop, dreaming of tasting the cakes someday. Thanks so much for taking me Aqua, I’ll get you back sometime.”

Aqua smiled, as she waved her arm a little. “There’s no need for that, I was happy to take you. I haven’t had any proper girl time in a while. My best friend Zoe works with another World Saver branch, and one of my fellow agents named Maura is pretty busy.”

“Well then we need to do this more often girl. I really like hanging out with you. I can’t remember the last time I had a girlfriend to hang with, my only company for so long was just the boys, and they get tiring.” She laughed a little. “By the way, why are you wearing that hat?” She asked, giggling slightly.

“Well…I’m kinda wearing it for you. I didn’t want to pull any attention towards you, since you and the law aren’t exactly on good terms.” Aqua laughed nervously.

Kari scratched the back of her head nervously. “I mean I’m not really happy about it, but aren’t you in the same boat?”

Aqua shook her head. “Not entirely, no. I work as a special government agent on the side, so I have some forms of protection. I’m trying to work on getting you and the boys the same perks, but there’s still hoops we gotta jump through to get it all working right.”

“Well shouldn’t we all be on good terms with the police then?” Kari asked.

“It’s…complicated. While I work for Kavisto, his branch isn’t really publicly connected with local law, so things get to be a handful.” Aqua then noticed a construction site of a very large, tower like building, with lots of people working. “What’s this all about?”

Kari looked to see the site. “I…think it’s that Tower of Power I heard about on the news. Something about some future facility to be used to make clean energy that’s better then solar or something. Sounds kinda interesting I guess.”

“Ah, gotcha. I think I might have heard of that too. I think in a Kavisto report or something.” Aqua then looked around. “Anyway, I think that’s enough scouting for today. We don’t we head over to the lab outside town and see if Eric is there? Might save me the energy getting us back to the cabin by flight disk.”

Kari nodded. “Sounds like a plan to me, let’s get movin then.” The girls then started heading out of town, and started going to the lab.




After a while of walking, the girls arrived at the factory, and crossed the bridge to enter. Aqua closed her eyes for a moment, then suddenly opened them. “Well Eric’s aura is here, but no one else’s. He’s in one of his workshops on this floor.”

“Well let’s go find him then. I’m a little tired of walking everywhere.” Kari said, as they headed down to the elevator.

After heading through the halls on the floor, they found Eric and Adam working in a workshop. There was a large object in the room, covered in tarps with sections exposed that they were working on. It was larger than a car, but that just made it harder to tell what it was. “Ah, hey girls, how was the city?”

Adam turned, and beeped and flashed a little bit. “Greetings LADIES. HOW are you TODAY?”

Aqua giggled slightly. “I see Adam is starting form his AI a little better, isn’t he? City was fine by the way, we figured we’d drop in and get a ride back to the cabin.”

Eric looked to Adam. “He’s learning quickly. He still speaks in stiff robot mostly, but he’s starting to speak a little more normally. Anyway, just so you know, the cabin is empty. Everyone’s out.”

Kari looked confused. “Wait, really? I thought they were going to do some training, which is why we left in the first place.”

“Well they were going to, but then Ralph knocked a shelf in the fridge over with Rem’s potions, and they shattered on the floor. Rem was going to just make more, but he needed more of a special golden flower he gets from Omni to make more of his Yellow Potions.” Eric explained.

Aqua sighed. “Oh Ralph, he really is clumsy, isn’t he?”

Kari looked confused. “Wait, so who’s Omni? Someone I should know?”

“Ah, forgive me for glossing over that. Omni Pantech is the four times great grandfather of two of our old members named Skylos and Neon Pantech. He’s a very powerful Void Human, but he often keeps to himself, and dislikes fighting. He lives in a pocket dimension all to himself, but he comes out to visit family from time to time.” Eric explained.

Kari looked surprised. “Did you say he was a four times great grandfather?! How do you live that long?!”

Aqua laughed a little nervously. “We powered humans tend to have much much longer life spans then non powered ones. Most really only die from illness or being killed, we don’t really pass from old age.”

Kari looked impressed. “Wow, that’s really something. I learn something new every day around here.” Kari then sighed. “Well they get to go off somewhere fun, and we’re stuck here.”

“Well if you’d like to see something new, I have a place I could take you ladies.” Eric suggested.

Aqua looked confused. “What did you have in mind?”

Eric then stood up. “Well it would be quicker to just take you.” He put down his tools, then looked to Adam. “I think I might be done for today Adam. Finish up with the task I gave you, then you’re free to do as you like.”

Adam blinked and beeped. “VERY well, MASTER.” Adam said, as he continued to work.

Eric then snapped his fingers, making a portal. “If you ladies would be so kind as to follow me.” He asked, leading the way through the portal. Aqua and Kari looked at each other, and then followed Eric.




Around the same time, Rem and the others were arriving in the subspace of Omni Pantech. Though, oddly enough, it was pretty barren looking. A somewhat simple looking house, a moderate sized yard, and that was about it. The sky and horizon had a constant appearance of twilight. “Wow, it’s really cool looking around here. This is a subspace?” Sora asked.

“Yeah, it’s kinda like a little pocket of space in the middle of nothing. Like an island floating amidst the void. It can be connected to any Terra though, so it’s not like an entire galaxy or anything like that. Though they are created by power, normally the power of the resident, and don’t just occur naturally.” Rem was explaining, but then suddenly Ralph took off.

“I wanna see what’s out this way!” Ralph exclaimed, before hitting what seemed like an invisible wall.

Brett watched Ralph crash into nothing, then suddenly nodded. “So it’s kind of like a snow globe in a sense, where the whole world is right here, as if nothing else exists on the outside.”

Rem chuckled. “That seems to describe it well, honestly. Too bad Ralph learned the hard way.”

“Ralph, get back over here. You don’t wanna make a scene, do you?” Sora yelled.

Ralph groaned, as he started to run back. “Fiiiine.” Though as he was heading back, he had the sudden feeling that he was being watched. He stopped moving, looking around. He suddenly narrowed his eyes, as he jumped back from some daggers that looked like they were made of light energy! He took out both his blasters, as he trained on eyes on someone coming in from above. He landed across from Ralph, taking out two black steel looking daggers. He had slightly messy purple hair, dark green eyes, and pale skin, though the skin around his hands was yellow and black, as the colors swirled around on his skin like the gel of a lava lamp. He was wearing black pants and a white shirt, but also had a leather jacket on. Despite differences in the details, he looked just like Rem.

“Intruders aren’t welcome!” He said, as he flung his dagger towards Ralph, as a string of light was tied to the of it for the purple haired guy to control. Ralph narrowed his eyes, as he shot the dagger out of the air, but the purple haired guy just pulled back, and sent the other one at Ralph. “You’ve got good aim, but let’s see you handle this!” The purple haired guy then fired a few blasts of light energy from his hands, forcing Ralph to block them with his reflector, but the purple haired guy used this to close the gap, as he was now right in front of Ralph, about to come down on him with both daggers!

Rem, however, suddenly stepped in to block the dagger strikes with his sword. “Draco, that’s enough!” Rem yelled.

The purple haired stranger, known as Draco apparently, looked surprised, as he backed off right away. He landed back on the ground, and put away his daggers. “Whoa! Sorry about that, we don’t really get social calls often. I didn’t know any of the voices, so I assumed they were intruders.” Draco looked at everyone, now coming over. “Actually, the only one of you I know is Raylu. Who are these guys?”

“New members of the World Savers. Me and Eric are staring a new branch in France with Aqua. I see your still bumming around at Omni’s place.” Rem said, smirking slightly.

Draco smirked back, giving Rem a punch to the shoulder. “Hey, I’ve been useful to him. Plus I’ve been learning a lot. Besides, it’s not like I got a home to go to, unlike the rest of you.” He then offered his hand to Ralph. “Sorry about that man, you’re a hell of a shot by the way.”

Ralph took his hand, and shook it, with a grin on his face. “Same to you, you’re so fast!”

“I pride myself on my combat speed, unlike someone else here.” He said, gesturing to Rem. “Anyway, the names Draco. I’m a clone of Rem’s, though I like to think of myself as his pain in the ass little brother. Nice to meet ya all.”

Sora and Ralph looked confused. “Wait, he’s a clone?” Sora questioned.

Brett looked a little puzzled as well. “The more time we spend with you all, the more I find there is so much more to learn about this world of ours.”

“And there is still so much for you all to learn.” Raylu commented.

Ralph sighed. “That’s what I was afraid of.

Draco chuckled. “I like this guy already. Anyway, you here to see Omni, I take it?” Draco asked, looking at Rem.

Rem nodded. “Yeah, I came by because I need more of those special yellow flowers that Omni has.

“Well let’s head on in and ask. He’s right inside, come on guys.” Draco said, leading the way inside. Once everyone had entered, Draco called out. “Hey Omni, Rem and Raylu are here, and they brought friends.”

“Yes yes, I already saw their auras when they arrived.” A slightly older sounding mans voice said, coming from a hallway into the simple looking living room. Then he entered the room. He had short, silverish gray hair, and brown eyes. He wore a robe where the selves were to long, so he had to keep fixing them. The robe was black, trimmed in white on one side. The other side was white, trimmed in black. “Good to see you again, Rem and Raylu. And who might these three be?

"This is my new team, or some of them anyway. This is Sora, Ralph, and Brett." Rem answered, gesturing to each as he introduced them. They each gave a simple greeting as they were introduced as well.

Omni smiled brightly. “Wonderful to meet you all, and good to hear you’re back at things Rem. Last we talked, you and Raylu were still out doing it all on your own.”

Rem nodded, though looking slightly embarrassed. “Well…Eric had been in talks with Aqua to start a new team, and they needed my help. And these three, along with another named Kari, all helped me out of a tight spot a few weeks back with some monsters in France. So here we are. Not exactly where I expected to be either.”

Omni nodded. "I wish your new branch all the luck. You’ll need it, seeing as how much of a problem magnet Terra 002 is.”

“Terra 002?” Brett asked.

Raylu turned to him to answer. “Our world. We live in the reality that is Terra 002, which is one of five hundred and one different realities, going from triple zero, all the way to five hundred.”

Omni nodded in agreement. “And that’s just in this series of Terras. There are still six other series…granted the laws of the universe won’t really grant you the ability to see more than just this series.”

Sora looked a tab overwhelmed. “I don’t think I’d ever have the time to even see five hundred, let alone…Three thousand five hundred?”

“At least, probably.” Rem added.

“Reality is always changing though. Tomorrows normal may be drastically different from the normal of today. I’m sure your normal the day before you met Rem here was very different from what you experience now.” Omni chuckled slightly. “It’s why I travel across the various Terra and the Series they are connected too. To see what happens next. When you’ve lived as long as I have, it’s what keeps you going from moment to moment.”

“Or you’re just bored outta your mind.” Draco chuckled, with his arms folded.

Brett seemed to be taking all this information in. I get the feeling that this Omni is full of secrets

“So, what brings you all to my home today then?” Omni asked.

"Nothing super important, honestly. Someone.” Rem paused to look at Ralph, who was scratching behind his head, then looked back to Omni. “Spilled all my potions out of the fridge, so when I went to make more, I found I was out of Golden Sunbeam flowers. Since I needed more, I just figured I’d bring everyone along to meet you, since they probably would at some point.”

“Say no more, I have just what you need.” Omni then went into his kitchen, looking though his cupboards, until he looked rather confused. “Eh? That’s odd. Sorry, it seems I must have ran out. I’ll need to go pick some more up from Terra 000.”

“You mind if we tag along? I haven’t been off Terra in a while, and these guys never have.” Rem asked.

Omni shrugged. “Now I can’t recommend you do that often, I suppose it is important to understand considering the events you all seem to get dragged into so often. I don’t mind. Come along everyone, we’ll head to the Nexus, then Terra 000. Draco, stay behind and watch the place, will you?”

“Awww, but Omni, it’s not like anyone ever shows up that often.” Draco said, sounding disappointed.

Omni sighed. “Don’t remind me. Fine, I suppose we won’t be gone long enough for it to be an issue. Everyone gather by me, and I’ll teleport us.”

And in the blink of an eye, everyone suddenly disappeared, and reappeared in an entirely new area. They were on a large mass of stone, floating amidst a massive void of space. Nothing else could be seen out in this space, making it both seem small and endless. All over the platform, surrounding the edges of it, were many stone pillars. They didn’t form a roof above them, but they looked interesting all the same. In the center of this platform was a large stone altar, with four large staircases leading up to it.

“Whoa, where are we now?” Ralph asked.

“This is the Universal Nexus. The connecting point between your Terra, and the other five hundred of them. Normally people can’t visit this place, as you need to be aware such a place exists in order to teleport to it. Even in the realm of power, the Nexus point isn’t common information, so very few people ever set foot on these grounds.” Omni explained.

Rem nodded. “And more often than not, those who do come through here are pretty powerful, dangerous, or both.”

“Indeed.” Omni spoke in agreement, as he began to walk up the stairs.

“And just like that, our world is even bigger.” Sora commented.

When they all reached the top of the stairs of the alter, Omni was there, waiting at what looked like a strange dial on the alter. “This here is the dial for the Nexus. In order to teleport from the Nexus to another Terra, you need to set this dial to the Terra you wish to go to, then teleport from here. It will take you to a space of your choosing if you know the Terra, or a corresponding location from where you teleported from on your own Terra, if such a place exists. Though Terra 000 is a vastly different world from your own, and not nearly as ‘modern’ as Terra 002.”

“So we have versions of ourselves in this world, right? Like in the sci-fi stories?” Ralph asked.

“Something of the sort, yes. They would be called your Counterparts. Normally, counterparts are of the same race across all Terra, but different Terra’s history sometimes create different variants of counterparts. Rem’s counterpart on this Terra was entirely human for a long period of time, until events changed that, for example.” Omni explained.

“Cool! I wonder what my counterpart of this world is like!” Sora said, sounding excited.

“Anyway, we dally, we should be moving on. The Nexus is not a place to stand around and chat. We can speak more on Terra.” Omni explained, as he teleported everyone from the Nexus to Terra 000.

Though, after they left, a dark presence could be felt from the shadows of the pillars, as a pair og glowing red eyes watched everyone leave. “HMM…WHAT DID I COME ACROSS HERE?...REM AND…FRESH MEAT…MAYBE I SHOULD…STICK AROUND AND WAIT FOR….THEIR RETURN…” A beastly voice spoke to itself.





Meanwhile, Eric had taken the girls to the mountains near by the cabin and forest. In fact the foot of the mountains were surrounded by the trees of the forest, though they became sparse as they reached the base of the mountain. Far on the other side of the mountains was a swampy marshland, where only the area around the mountains was hard sturdy ground. But the swamp area isn't a concern today, because Eric and the girls were on the forest side. They headed up the mountain path, enjoying the view of the forest below, until they reached a cave near a cliff on the mountain side, then headed inside. Inside the cave were a couple of beds, work tables, and many different devices. Another room had a kitchen, and another was Eric's bedroom. Those were the only open rooms. The others were sealed closed. Closed doors were marked by flame symbols on the walls.

"So Eric, what was the reason to bring us to your base?" Kari asked.

"Oh it's not the base I wanted to show you. The base just happens to be on the way. Now....which door was it again?...Ah yes. This one." And Eric put his hand on a gray flame symbol on a wall. Then it turned red and orange. The wall then opened up. Behind the wall was a long hallway which seemed to go upward as you went down the hall. "This way ladies." Eric said, leading the way. They simply followed him.

After a while of walking down the hall, or tunnel as its more like, a much brighter light was seen at the end. When they all reached the end, they were outside. Normally they would have found themselves on a high plain connecting the mountains together. Or a large clearing is a better way to describe the area. But what they found was a large garden like place, like an exotic forest. Things like plants of all kinds, all kinds of trees, and most with fruit on them. Many kinds of flowers, and crop plans with fruit and vegetables. It was a very lovely, and large green place. "Welcome to my garden." Eric said.

"Wow. This is so pretty. I've never seen so many different kinds of plant life in one place before." Kari said.

“Everyone always says that.” Eric chuckled. “The soil is this mountain area is magical. Any kind of plant from any area or season can grow here, just about all year long, so I always have fresh produce here all the time."

"Really? That’s really cool. How many people know about this place?" Kari asked.

"Rem, Aqua, and most of our old friends. I don't spread it around because there are some things that grow here that don't grow anywhere else on this terra." Eric answered.

"Ooo. Other worldly food." Kari joked. “So, you said the soil here is magical. Any idea why?”

Eric chuckled at the joke, then went to answer her question. “I’m not entirely sure myself, even back in my own time, it was a bit of a mystery. According to what I did uncover, this mountain might have been used a shrine for the Earth Elemental at one point in history, since a lot of the tunnels in the mountain were here before me, and there are ruins deep down. So my guess is the Earth Elemental blessed these lands with it’s power.”

“And what’s an Elemental?” Kari asked.

“That’s a bit of a hard question to answer, but think of them as physical forms and guardians of their respective powers. They used to live in the Powered Human Realms, but many of them reside here on earth, due to various events happening in their home realms. I’m not well versed in Elementals myself, I’m still learning.” He paused for a moment, as Kari seemed to accept this answer. "Well come on. Let me give you a tour of the place.” Eric said, as they started walking through the small forest of food.

They passed trees filled with common fruit, like apples, pears, peaches, and such. Also less common ones like starfruit, pineapples, bananas, and even coconuts. Even odder foods were seen. Red bananas, blue apples, too many to list. "Wow, there are so many weird looking foods here. Like, that banana is red." Kari said.

Eric nodded. "Thats an appage. Go ahead and have one." Eric shot a small dark beam at the fruit where it joins the tree.

It fell into Kari's hand. She peeled it like a normal banana. The fruit inside was pinkish, unlike a banana. She took a bite. "Oh, wow. It's spicy, and a bit sour."

Aqua giggled slightly. "Yeah, I was surprised when I tasted one too."

"How were you able to grow all these weird foods?" Kari asked, figuring there was more then she saw so far.

"Interesting story. Back in my time, I met an old man, an off world traveler I assume. He gave me two sacks of strange seeds, In exchange for some food and water to take with him. One sack was tree seeds, and the other was crop seeds. When I discovered this place, I thought this would be as good a place as any to try and grow them. Now, here we are. Now I planted these all about 500 years ago, so it’s a good thing back then, so it’s in such full bloom today." Eric said.

"Yeah. You share your food, and now you have all the food you'll ever need." Kari commented.

Eric nodded. "Well come on. There is more around here to see." He said.

Past the trees were grape vines and vines for other plants like grapes. There were also bushes with fruit and other foods on them, and small trees that were more like bushes on long sticks, but trees all the same. The bushes and small had all kinds of berries and small fruits. Eric took what looked like a small blue orange off a small tree. "Here Kari, try one of these." He tossed her one.

She caught it, and took a bite. The skin wasn't like an oranges, it was edible. "Wow this tastes great! Best berry I ever ate." She said.

"I call it a blurange berry. It’s got a bit of a crunch to it, and has such a well balanced flavor. It's one of my favorites." Eric said.

They walked on, till they came to fields full of crop foods. All you could think of, and of course, different ones too. There were a few that stood out, four weird plants. They were on a stalk, and the plant had a few different colors going on. One had red leaves on a green plant with leaves as well. The next was the same as the first, but it had blue leaves rather then red. Next was still the same, but with yellow leaves. And the last had pink leaves. But the plants weren’t the weird things, It was the fruit at the top of the plant. They looked like light bulbs, and their colors were red, blue, yellow, and green. The colors matched the plants of the same leaves, and the green one was on the pink leaved plant. The light bulb crops went into the plant as if the top of the stalk was a light bulb socket. And not only that, they lit up too! They lit up the color of the bulb. "Wow, this is the weirdest yet. It's growing light bulbs!" Kari exclaimed.

Eric laughed. "Yeah it's really odd, It glows really bright once it gets dark." He said. Kari picked one, and was about to take a bite out of it. "Stop!" Eric shouted. "If you take a bite from that right away, it will shock you."

Kari looked puzzled. "If it's not safe to eat, then why grow them?"

"It's safe to eat. But to eat it you need to drain the electricity from it first." Eric said.

Kari nodded. “Got it, but now I just wonder how they taste.”

"There’s one more place here I want to show you before we leave." Eric started walking again. The ladies followed him. But something else was following them. It was hiding in the bushes, following quietly.

A little further ahead were a lot of more weird plants. They had dead weed like leaves at the base of the plant. A long thick stem, covered in sharp thorns. They had large bulbs, unbloomed. Some were blue. Some were exotic colors. "A bit boring, compared to everything else. Yeah the colors are pretty, but that’s it." Kari said.

"Oh really? Then watch this." And Eric whistled, and the plants came to live. The bulbs opened up down the middle, and the bulbs became heads. They had tons of teeth, and lizard like tongues. They reached out, and tried to bite Kari and Aqua. Their stems could bend in whichever way they needed.

"Ack! They’re alive!" Kari exclaimed.

"Calm down babas. It's just a few friends of mine." Eric said. In a short time, they calmed down.

"S-so...what are these?" Kari asked.

"These are carnivorous babas. They are almost like flytraps. They eat meat, greens, and fruit. Now these guys have been tamed, so they won’t eat us or anything." Eric said.

"Oh...well....that’s nice. I feel sooo much safer." Kari said, a bit of nervousness in her voice.

"The blueish purple ones are blue babas, and the pretty colored ones are called exotic babas, right?" Aqua asked.

"Yes, that’s right. Glad you remembered. They like it when you do." Eric said.

Then everyone heard something come out from behind them. A stomping sound was heard as well. they turned around to see a large plant monster. It's body as made of vines and roots, and at the end of each arm were blue baba bulbs. They were open, and had teeth like the baba plants. The head of the monster was a exotic baba bulb. It made a few weird noises, and then looked ready to attack. Aqua looked a little surprised, but Kari was worried, as she took a combative stance. “Guys, there’s a monster here!” Kari exclaimed, as the creature had a massive wooden spike come out of one of the hand mouths.

Eric quickly got in between the two, separating them. "Whoa whoa whoa! BW, it's just me, Eric. And these are my friends.”

The monster looked them over, then calmed down. It patted Aqua and Kari on their heads. "E-eric? What is this thing?" Kari asked.

"That’s BW. He's a baba warrior. He's taken it upon himself to protect this garden, so he chases off unwanted guests." Eric answered.

"H-he's very....interesting Eric." Kari said.

Then there was a weird noise coming from the other end of the garden, where the fruit trees were. "Oh no, not again." Eric said, running off to the source of the noise. Kari and Aqua ran after him.

Once they caught up with Eric, they saw a bunch of large spiders. "Sp-sp-spiders! R-really big spiders!" Kari said, freaking out.

"Arachna beasts. There’re eating the fruit and the trees." Eric said.

"We need to get rid of them without hurting the trees." Aqua said.

"Well yeah, but how do..." Kari was saying, but then she stopped talking when she heard a stomping sound behind them. The baba warrior, or BW, came up behind them. It made a few more weird sounds to them, then it held up it's left arm. The left baba bulb opened it's mouth to show a revolving cannon. It started shooting explosive seeds at the spider monsters. One by one they all fell dead. Once dead, the monsters turned all black and red. Then they exploded in a black and red smoke, and a white light flew out of the smoke, and into the sky. Soon the white lights disappeared.

"Excellent job Bw." Eric said.

Kari then hugged BW's arm for a second. "Baba, your my hero." she said. It made a few weird sounds, then patted her on the head. Eric and Aqua laughed.

"Since we're already here, let's get some stuff for dinner. Make Eric can try to make something out of the stuff he showed you Kari." Aqua said.

Eric looked at her. "You mean the appage, blurange berries, and the light bulb plants? Is that a challenge?" Eric asked, with a smirk.

"You up to it Eric?" Aqua asked.

"But of course. Let's go get some, and head back." Eric said. Then they went to get what they needed.





Meanwhile, Rem and the others were in a large field on Terra 000, filled with the beautiful golden flowers they came for. Rem was picking what he needed, while Omni was also replenishing his personal stock. Draco seemed to be chatting with the others while the two picked the flowers they needed. “So you mean to tell me that there’s a world saving group on this terra as well?” Ralph asked.

Draco nodded. “Yeah, and a number of them are more powerful than their counterparts on your terra. They don’t nearly have as many enemies as Terra 002 does though, but they few they have are incredibly powerful.”

“So is this place at peace then?” Sora asked Draco.

Draco shook his head. “Well…yes, and no. They are currently in a period of peace, but not for any good reason. Currently this terra is under the control and rulership of a madman named Yamiken.”

Brett seemed to take note of this. “Yamiken? You don’t happen to mean the same madman that summoned a dragon in Japan a few years back on Terra 002? That was one of the first major powered incidents that happened on Terra 002. The world was massively effected by that event.”

Draco nodded. “He’s the very same. He gained the power of that dragon, learned of other terras, and set out to start taking over reality. He’s assumed leadership of a handful of terra, including this one.”

“So how come no one is making efforts to stop him?” Sora asked.

Draco sighed. “The laws of terra are kinda complex. You can’t just show up in another world and just start messing with it’s natural order…Or at least, you shouldn’t.”

“But he’s our terras problem, yes? Then we should do something about it.” Brett commented.

“I know that, but your terras World Savers just can’t abandon their own world either. Omni attempts to monitor him, but because of the ‘laws’ I mentioned, Omni doesn’t really get involved with anyones affairs to often. Omni keeps tabs on him, and they seem to be on friendly terms, but I dunno…” Draco said, sounding slightly frustrated.

“So Omni here is a friend of a warlord?” Ralph questioned.

Rem and Omni were now returning at this point when Omni spoke up. “’Friend’ is not really the term I would use. It’s rather complicated affair, one that has no end of issues involving your world saving group on your own terra. I simply try not to make enemies with anyone, as the less you have, the easier things are. I also simply don’t interfere with the actions of others, as Draco mentioned. More often than not, I simply observe. Nothing more than that, honestly.”

Rem laughed nervously. “Omni is very much a middle ground type of guy. He doesn’t really pick a solid side, since he isn’t really out there fighting to change any worlds or anything. Though he always supports his family, but sometimes that makes things complicated too.”

“Life is always complicated, and mine is no exception. I try to keep my affairs as simple as I can, however. Not picking a side does cause problems sometimes, but I find the eternal struggle of right and wrong endless and pointless to a degree. What is important is keeping a reality intact where people can still make their choices. People may not understand or agree with me on this, but it’s the life I lead.” Omni explained.

“He makes something ‘simple’ sound so complex.” Ralph commented, chuckling a little.

“Anyway, I guess we got what we needed, so it’s time to head on home.” Rem said.

“Wait, you mean we can’t go and meet the World Savers of this terra?” Sora asked.

Omni shook his head. “Normally I’d introduce you to them, me and Rem were discussing it while we collected the flowers, but it appears that Yamiken is currently visiting them as we speak. Going now could prove problematic, as he could very well order them to kill you all on sight.”

“Not that they would want to, but well…they kind of have their hands tied.” Rem tried to add to what Omni said.

Brett nodded. “Draco was explaining the state of this world to us. It’s not a welcome state either, I feel for them.”

“However, I do have some business there I must see too, so this may be where we part ways. Though we can meet up at the Nexus afterwards and return to my subspace from there. I would suggest against waiting here, as I don’t know if Yamiken has people posted around the terra.” Omni suggested.

“We’ll take your advice, and meet you and Draco back at your subspace. We’ll see you soon.” Rem said, as Omni nodded. Rem then made a portal for the Nexus, to which everyone but Omni and Draco entered.

The portal opened up back at the Nexus, though it put them at the bottom of the alter, which it always does. “Alright, it’s not safe to hang around the Nexus with Yamikens forces possibly about. Let’s head back to Terra 002, then meet Omni in his subspace.” Rem explained, as they began to head back to the altar.

As they walked, Raylu’s ears suddenly twitched, as he looked serious. “Sir, we aren’t alone. I sense a powerful aura in the shadows…” His hands began to glow, filled with aura.

“Eyes up everyone.” Rem said, as he drew his sword. Everyone else pulled out their weapons, ready for a fight.

A very deep chuckling was heard from the shadows of the pillars. “MY MY…IF IT ISN’T OL REM, AND HIS LITTLE PET RAYLU…YOU TWO HAVEN’T FORGOTTEN ME, HAVE YOU?...”

Rem’s eyes widened, as actually looked nervous. “Giga! Show yourself!”

Suddenly a loud thud was heard, as a large monster appeared on top of one of the pillars, over looking everyone. A large mostly black turtle like monster was there, equipped with claws, a spike covered shell, scaly skin, four spikes on it’s tail, a large jaw full of fangs, and glowing red eyes. “AH, SO YOU DO REMEMBER ME?...HOW NICE…WHO ARE YOUR NEW FRIENDS?...”

“We’re his teammates, you freaky turtle!” Sora exclaimed.

“HIS?...AH, THIS MUST BE THAT…SHINING FORCE THING…” Giga mumbled to himself.

“What’s he talking about?” Ralph asked Rem.

“That’s not important right now.” Rem then looked back to Giga. “What do you want Giga?”

Giga chuckled, with a cocky smirk on his face. “I WAS FOLLOWING OUR METUAL PAIN IN THE ASS…YAMIKEN…I WAS STAKING OUT THE NEXUS…FOR INFORMATION…AND YOU ALL HAPPENED TO STUMBLE INTO MY LAP…”

“Well if you want Yamiken, then by all means, have at him.” Rem said.

Giga chuckled again. “OH I WILL…BUT I DON’T SUPPOSE MASTER ZALENDOR WOULD MIND IF I…HAD A LITTLE FUN WITH YOU ALL FIRST!” Giga then morphed his arm into a cannon shape, and fired out massive white flames at the group like a flamethrower!

"Hit the deck!" Rem yelled. Everyone took cover, other then Ralph. He waited for the fire to come close, then he used the reflector to block most of the fire while some was sent back at Giga. "Nice move Ralph." Rem said.



Giga shook it off, then stared back at them. “HEH…NOT BAD. YOU’VE GOT GUTS…BUT YOU’LL NEED MORE THAN THAT TO STOP ME!” Giga said, jumping to the ground below. Though everyone then learned the gravity here at the nexus is different, which caused Giga to fall slower.

The others decided to use it to their advantage. Ralph got his blasters out, Brett got his assault rifle out, and Sora got his blaster out. They all shot at Giga with their blasters, while Rem and Raylu fired blasts of light at Giga. Giga deflected the lasers, but was hit by the light. But he was still falling. When he landed right next to Ralph, he morphed his arms into tentacles. He quickly grabbed him, and looked into Ralph’s eyes. “HMMM…YOU’RE HIDING QUITE THE SECRETS FROM YOUR FRIENDS…AREN’T YOU?...” Giga spoke, as Ralph looked pained. He could feel Giga’s piercing him, as he could hear Giga’s voice echoing through his head. I WONDER HOW LONG YOU’LL KEEP THIS DIRTY LITTLE SECRET FROM THEM…HMM?...AND I SEE SOMETHING INTERESTING ABOUT A KARI AND SORA… Giga’s voice rang through Ralph’s head.

Ralph suddenly yelled out loud. “Get out of my head!”

Giga saw Rem beginning to approach, and tossed Ralph at Rem. Rem groaned, as he sat up. “Are you alright?” Rem asked Ralph.

“Ugh…I’m alright, but he…did something to me…Like he was in my mind…” Ralph said, not sure what happened.

“Guys, be careful! Don’t make eye contact with Giga if you can!” Rem yelled out.

Sora and Raylu were in the middle of charging to attack Giga, while Brett had taken a few steps back with his sniper rifle. Giga quickly went into his shell, and began to spin. Tentacles came out of the openings of the shell, and lashed at anyone who got close. With Sora and Raylu unable to get close without being attacked, Brett took aim, and prepared to fire. With Giga hiding in his shell, getting a direct hit would prove tough, as his first two shots failed to hit anywhere effective. What this did for him, however, was help him figure out the timing Giga was spinning at. With his third shot, he managed to shoot inside the shell, hitting Giga right in the head! The pain caused Giga to be knocked out of his spin, as he came out of his shell, recovering from the force of the head shot. Giga’s head had a hole through it, but it was quickly regenerating.



Rem and Raylu jumped at this opening Brett provided. Rem stabbed Giga in his thick chest with his sword covered in aura energy, while Raylu jumped up and nailed Giga in the back of the head with an open palm punch, mixed with aura. Giga roared in pain, as his body began to flail tentacles around to swat Rem and Raylu away. Sora tried his luck while Rem and Raylu were attacking, and stabbed Giga in the tail with one of his beam swords. Giga felt the pain of his tail being stabbed, and swatted Sora away with his powerful tail, sending Sora and his beam sword flying. Then Giga morphed his arm into a blade, and tried to slice Rem, who was still in front of him. Ralph wasn’t about to let Rem get sliced in half, ad quickly shot an adhesive bomb from one of his blasters, and it stuck to Giga's blade arm. The bomb was a normal explosive, but made to stick to whatever it hits. The bomb started beeping really loud, and Giga stopped for a second to see the bomb on him, as it suddenly exploded, interrupting the attack on Rem. The bombs power was to strong for the blade arm to stay together, as the force of the blast blasted the blade arm apart into a batch of tentacles.



Giga roared. He figured he'd use his blasted apart arm to his advantage. The tentacles became covered in blades, then they wrapped up Rem with them before he could react. These blades cut him all over, causing Rem to yell in pain. "A little help please!"

Sora sprang into action. He quickly ran up to Giga, and slashed off the tentacles that held Rem. Sora kept running straight, he had slashed the tentacles as he passed, so he wouldn’t be in the range of a direct counter attack. Behind Giga, Raylu grabbed Giga's tail. Before Giga could counter attack, Raylu used his strength to toss Giga into a pillar. "Ugh Ahhh!" Raylu yelled as he tossed him. Ralph and Brett blasted Giga while he was stuck to the pillar.



Rem then let out a huge burst of light, destroying the tentacles that binded him. Giga finally fell from the pillar, as he put his arms up to block the blasts coming from Ralph and Brett. Giga smirked from his cover. “YOU LOT ARE MORE CAPABLE THAN…I EXPECTED…I GUESS THAT MEANS I CAN PICK IT UP A NOTCH!” Then both of his arms suddenly morphed into cannons again, and fired greenish yellow fire from them. Everyone quickly dodged, other then Sora and Brett, as they were slightly burned. That was enough to put them out of action, and they fell to the ground, entirely paralyzed.

Rem quickly got together with Ralph and Raylu. “We’ll have to cover for them, Giga’s green fire paralyzes people for a little while.”

Ralph smirked. “Well then, we’ll need to handle him ourselves.”

Giga chuckled. “YOUR YOUNG FRIEND HERE REALLY IS COCKY, ISN’T HE?...YOU MIGHT HAVE SKILL, BUT YOU’VE NEVER FACED A MONSTER LIKE ME!...”

"This guy really likes to talk." Ralph joked, making a hand blabbing motion.

Giga growled. “JUST FOR THAT, YOU CAN DIE FIRST!” Giga went into his shell, and started spinning. He then shot at Ralph, spinning at super fast speed. Ralph shot at him, but the blasts bounced off of him. Raylu quickly jumped in front of Ralph. Once Giga was just about to crash into them, but Raylu stopped him by hitting him with an open palm punch. Since this punch was mixed with aura, the force of the attack blasted Giga in a different direction.

"Simple attacks won’t effect Giga while he’s spinning like that. You’ll need to come up with a different tactic to stop an attack like that." Raylu said to Ralph. Giga was still spinning, and he redirected himself, and was now heading back at Raylu and Ralph. Raylu readied to do the same attack again. But this time, Ralph had a plan. He fired three bombs covered in a pink substance at the ground in Giga's path. This made a pile of a sticky substance. Rem got the idea, and fired a stream of a sticky green slime. This was from Rem's slime demon orb in his gauntlets. Rem's slime mixed with Ralph's sticky bombs, making a large puddle of sticky slime. And this happened to fast for Giga to avoid, and he got stuck in the slime.



Though Giga knew how to escape a slime trap with enough heat or cold, so everyone had to move fast. Raylu started charging an aura sphere, while Rem started charging an aura beam. Ralph kept firing sticky bombs to keep him stuck, while Rem and Raylu charged their attacks. Once they finished charging their attacks, they fired them, and Ralph joined them in firing high powered explosives. Giga couldn't move, so he just braced himself for impact. Giga was blasted back into a pillar, most of his body destroyed. Giga crawled up to the top of the pillar, and made a dome of darkness around him. Rem and Raylu fired orbs of light at the dome, but it wasn't doing enough. Raylu picked up Rem, and jumped to the pillar top. Raylu charged alot of light energy in his fist, and Rem's sword was in light blade form. Rem slashed the dome, and Raylu hit it with a punch. The attacks smashed the dome, but Giga had already regenerated his body, and was ready for them. Giga blasted them both down to the ground below. Giga jumped off the pillar to follow after them, but Ralph shot bombs at him as he fell. Giga couldn't dodge the bombs mid fall, but he wasn't harmed much.



Rem and Raylu had recovered from their fall, and were ready to fight. Giga went into his shell, and started spinning again. This time, poison smoke came out as well. Rem tossed Ralph and Raylu a device to each of them. "Quick, put them on. You wont be effected by the smoke if you put them on." Rem said. Ralph and Raylu put them on, like Rem did. This device was called the aqua lung. It changes water, gas, smoke, and other things into like that into breathable air. It lets you breath underwater, and even in space if you were out there. These were new tools Eric had been working on, but didn’t have time to hand them out to everyone. The three of them looked through the smoke to find Giga. Giga was using the smoke as cover, and was charging at them while he was in his shell. Rem and Raylu tried to hit him with blasts of aura, but the smoke made for cover, and they had to dodge attacks as well. So it was hard to focus on attacking, while trying to dodge attacks. Though Ralph seemed to be doing fine. Not only was he able to dodge attacks, he was able to get attacks in as well. Ralph was actually hitting Giga with ion blasts, so Giga was gradually getting slower. Ralph managed to buy enough time for Brett and Sora to recover from outside the smoke, and joined in on the Ion barrage with their blasters. Once he was slow enough, Rem and Raylu fired charged blasts of aura at him.



Giga was blasted back by Rem and Raylu’s powerful attacks, as the aura attacks were very effective on Giga’s body, acting like a devolving acid on him. At this point they all surrounded Giga, and readied to attack. "Not your day, eh Giga?" Rem said. Then everyone fired an attack at Giga. Giga's body glowed black for a split second, then his body was blown apart.

"Ha ha! We got'em!" Ralph exclaimed.

"No...For Giga that was far too easy…He should still be here." Rem said. Then Rem and Raylu were looking around, until they saw Giga at the top of the altar.



Giga chuckled. “HEH HEH HEH…GOTTA SAY, I’M IMPRESSED WITH YOUR TEAM, REM…THEY MIGHT EVEN BE THREAT WORTHY TO ZALENDOR…I LET MY GUARD DOWN…SO YOU GET OFF EASY TODAY…NEXT TIME, I’LL HOLD NOTHING BACK…SHINING FORCE…” Giga then spun a numbered dial on the altar. He was then warped to another terra.

Rem looked frustrated. “Damn it, he got away again.”

“At the very least, everyone is alright. No one was seriously harmed.” Raylu pointed out.

Rem nodded. “You’re right, Raylu. Though being able to take him down for good would have been nice…”

"Rem, what was Giga talking about? I mean about us, How did he know about us? He even had a name for us." Ralph asked.

Rem sighed. "Well in a past attack by his master, time and space were messed up. Someone from the future, who I think could be one of us, told us he was apart of a team called the shining force. And I think we start that. I didn’t really want to say anything if I didn’t have to, since who knows what kind of effect that can have…" Rem answered. He remembered what he and Eric talked about sometime ago. I didn’t say anything that should effect the timelines. I mean actions in the past is what shapes the future. So everything should be fine… Rem thought to himself.

Brett seemed to be taking this all in. “Well…that does make sense. Time paradoxes and what not.”

Ralph looked at Brett with an odd look. “You’re awfully understanding for someone who was just told about a time travel plot being real life.”

"That’s all a lot to take in, for sure, but shouldn't we get going? I mean, what if he comes back?" Sora asked.

"I don't think he'll try anything else today. He knows he cant take us all, he's not that stupid. When we get back, I’m going to see about Eric installing an aura mode for your blasters." Rem answered.

"Regardless sir, I don't think it's wise to stay here. This place attracts trouble like moths to a flame. With everyone in the state we’re in, if say Yamikens forces actually do show up, we might be in a tight spot." Raylu suggested.

"Point taken. We'll leave as soon as Omni-" Rem was saying, but was cut off. Omni and Draco had appeared.

"Hello everyone. Miss me?" He asked, cheerfully. He noticed everyone looked tired. "Say...what did I miss?" He asked.

"Meh, just a little spat with Giga. Nothing big. I'll fill you in on the way back." Rem answered.

Draco looked frustrated. “God damn it! I always miss all the action!”

Omni sighed at Draco’s reaction. “You really should calm yourselves. Anyway, let us be off. I left before Yamiken, so we should leave before he arrives.” And just like that, Omni teleported everyone back to his home.




Sometime later at the cabin, the guys were telling Eric and the girls about their little trip to terra 000. "You ran into Giga?! No wonder when you came in you covered in cuts. Are you alright?" Aqua asked Rem, who had bandages and bandage wraps on him now.

"I already said I was fine, it’s not as bad as it looked. Just a few cuts and scrapes, and a few bruses. Honestly it could have been much worse." Rem answered.

“Right, s-sorry. That’s just what I was worried about…” Aqua said.

Rem sighed. “It’s alright. Sorry for sounding short.”

“Sounded like quite the adventure you guys had today. Wish we could of went too." Kari said.

"Well maybe, but it sounds like Eric's garden was pretty amazing too. I wanna go see it soon too." Sora said.

Speaking of Eric, the next thing heard was Eric saying, "Dinner's ready!" Then they all went into the kitchen.

"So how did you do with your challenge Eric? What did you manage to make?" Aqua asked, as everyone took their seats.

"Well I couldn't make a main course with just those three ingredients. So I made steak, with a fruit salad side dish with appage, the light bulb crops, blurange berries, and a bunch of other fruits from the garden. Also with the stake are baked potatoes, and a spicy appage sauce, cooked and served in a hollowed out light bulb crop, cooked in the crops electricity in the oven." Eric finished.

“The heck is a appage and a bluange?” Ralph said, puzzled.

“Weren’t you listening to me when I was telling you guys about it?” Kari said, sounding annoyed.

“Sorry, the smell of the food was distracting me.” Ralph laughed nervously.

“Either way, it looks fantastic Eric.” Sora commented.

"Only one way to find out how fantastic, and that’s to eat it." Brett said. And without another word from anyone, they started eating.

Aqua’s expression melted as she tasted the food. "Oh wow. This is great Eric."

"Well of course, Eric made it. Everything he makes is great." Rem joked, with a slight laugh.

"Mmhm. My complements to the chef." Ralph chimed in, speaking though a full mouth.

“Ralph, don’t talk with your mouth full!” Kari scolded him.

Ralph looked annoyed now, after swallowing. “Oh knock it off Kari, you aren’t my mom.”

“Yeah, well you clearly need one if you don’t have manners.” Kari jabbed back.

Eric chuckled nervously, as he tried to change subjects. "Why thank you everyone, you’re all to kind. Oh! I also made apple pie for dessert, so save some room." He said.

“Aww yes, pie!” Sora cheered, trying to help defuse things.

After a big laugh, and a few more arguments, dinner carried on into the night.





Elsewhere however, Giga appeared in a dark world. Everything looked various shades of black, white, and gray. The world felt lifeless, as only the sounds of wind howling could be heard. Giga had appeared in front of a massive looking castle, topped with a large black glowing light full of energy. The castle was built into a mountain side, as a large canyon separated the castle mountain from a connecting mountain as a stone bridge connected them. Giga stomped across the stone bridge, entering the castle. The first room was a large opening hall, with two staircases leading up to the second floor. Giga climbed them, leading to the upper floor. Up there, there were three hallways, one to each side and one straight in the center. Giga walked down it, passing by many rooms, some of which had their doors broken, showing long abandoned living quarters. After walking this this long hallway, he reached what might have once been a throne room. It was full of computers, and many other strange devices, looking like a meeting of science and magic. Seated at the large computer in the center, was a man, but he couldn’t be seen from the back due to the chair. “You have returned, Giga. Tell me, what did you learn about Yamiken?” A deep, sinister sounding voice asked.

“MASTER ZALENDOR, I BRING YOU NEWS…THOUGH NOT AS EXPECTED…I WAS UNABLE TO GAIN ANY INFORMATION ON YAMIKENS PLOTS…AS I WAS ATTACKED AT THE NEXUS BY REM AND RAYLU…AND THEY SEEM TO HAVE NEW TEAMMATES…POSSIBLY THOSE SHINING FORCE MEMBERS WE LEARNED ABOUT LONG AGO…”

The man known as Zalendor turned his chair around to face Giga. He was dressed in a royal looking outfit of blacks and royal blues. He looked to be in his forties, with dark looking eyes, black hair with a few red streaks in it. “So these ‘Shining Force’ members really did come to exist, did they? Very interesting…” He paused for a moment. “You are forgiven on the matter of Yamiken, there is no rush at the moment to deal with him, as he believes we work for him. But these new World Savers…this interests me…I believe a proper test of their skills in the near future will be required. If they truly are the same from the other timeline…than we have a large potential problem on our hands…” He then rested his head on his left hand, as a black inverted triangle mark on the back of it glowed. “I think a return to Terra 002 in the near future is in order.”


The deadly Zalendor, and his monstrous assistant Giga now have their eyes set on the new branch of World Savers, known as the Shining Force. When will they attack, and will the group have the strength to repel them? Only time has the answer.

...End of Data Log.

[Aqua]

Data Log #4: The Birth of The Electrode EX.

Data Log place in time: Three weeks after Meeting Omni and Giga.

One evening at Harkum Inc., the day crew was busy closing up for today, as the workers were getting ready to head home. Though down in the maintenance room on the basement floor, a young man was in there cleaning up the room. He seemed let he was just trying to waste time till his shift was over, as he had a pair of headphones on, dancing around as he worked. “Ah, just about quitin time. It never really stops being so slow and boring around here. Little bro was right, this type of work pays the bills, but man is it dull. I wonder what I should get for dinner tonight...” He mumbled to himself, as he gathered his things. Suddenly, a little radio on his hip went off, the type co workers use to contact each other. The guy sighed, as he took it off his hip, and answered it. “Yeah?”

”Ah good, Mr. Norman you’re still here. I was worried you had already gone home for the night.” A woman spoke on the other end.

“I mean I was about to. Just about to turn the walke in for the night.” Norman responded.

”Right right, I understand. But before you go, I really really need you to take care of something. It could be a hazard if left alone. I’ve already gotten the overtime approved, so there’s time and a half in it for you.” The woman said, almost begging.

Norman sighed. That shift lead is lucky shes so cute. I guess if I do it for her, maybe it will get me on her good side. Would help if I ever manage to ask her out. He thought to himself. “Alright, so what’s the problem?”

”Oh, thank you thank you! So earlier during weapon testing, a energy based fire arm discharged, and sent a blast through a floor. Now we’ve got someone coming tomorrow for the floor repairs, but the blast damaged several wires near the large light fixtures in the chemical chambers. The sparks aren’t safe, and it could be dangerous if left alone. I wouldn’t want the night crew to get hurt if they need to enter.” The shift manager explained.

“Yeah, I can manage that before I head out of here, no problem.” Norman answered.

”Oh, thanks so much again! Have a good night Kurt!” The shift lead said, before hanging up.

Kurt sighed, as he hung up. “God I’ll do anything for a girl, huh? If little Lannie saw me like this, he’d lose all faith in me as the older brother…Anyway, I better shut off the power for the lights in the chemical chambers, and head on up.” He said, as he went to a control panel, slipped some switched, and started heading for the elevator.

A few moments later, Kurt came to the chemical storage room. The lights were out, so the only light was coming from the twilight from the setting sun through the windows. He looked up, seeing a somewhat large hole in the ceiling, and a broken light fixture dangling. “Wow, they really did a number on that…They gotta tune down the robots a bit…” Kurt then made his way up to the upper levels to the maintenance platforms, and stared getting to work. First he worked on detaching the broken light, and once he was done with that he started working on the wires themselves. The rewiring was going well, no real problems, but then suddenly there was a bright spark from a live wire that for some reason wasn’t off! Kurt was blinded for a second, as he stumbled backwards, grabbing the wires in reflex. He ended up grabbing wires that were undamaged before but now ripped open by his actions, as he was then being shocked by the live wires! The discharge suddenly blasted him backwards, sending him over the back of the safety railing, and into the chemicals below. His body surfaced after a moment, as his body just floated there still having electricity flowing through him. He came too after a moment, and still dazed, swam to an entry ladder, and exited the tank of chemicals. Though as he started climbing down the ladder, he felt powerful shocks though his body, causing him to lose control of his body. He fell from the ladder, and hitting the floor with a painful impact. At that point he was in far too much pain to move, and just laid there until he was hopefully found by the night crew…




Sometime in the afternoon of the next day, Eric had called everyone to the factory to meet himself and Aqua there. They all met up in the computer room, and one could tell a lot of work had been going on. Before, most of the walls looked old and unfinished, and wires and pipes were exposed in the ceiling. Now, while the new plating wasn’t brand new, the walls and ceiling were fully finished, giving it a much more complete look. The computer looked like it was in the middle of a rework, but not much difference at the moment. “Wow, you and Adam really have been making great strides in rebuilding the factory.” Rem commented, as he and the others exited the elevator.

Eric spun around in his chair, as Aqua, who was standing next to him, turned around as well. “Hey everyone! Yes, me and Adam finished the lining last night, he’s been very helpful in the whole prossess.”

Ralph looked around. “So uhh, as nice as this is, is this really what you called us over for?”

Eric chuckled slightly. “No no, that isn’t it. While I’m working on improving the super computer itself, the AI programing is finally finished. He’s ready.”

“He?” Sora questioned.

Then, appearing on the screen, was a window with a speech line on it. A male voice was then heard coming from the computer. “Greetings Shining Force members.”

Everyone looked surprised, as the super computer suddenly began speaking. “Eric, what is that?!” Kari said, still sounding surprised.

“An AI program I’ve been developing for the super computer. Why don’t you introduce yourself to the team?” Eric gestured to the screen.

"My designation is E.I.R.U., standing for Electronic Intelligence Response Unit. Though Master Eric as elected to address me as Erue for simplicity." Erue explained.

“Pleasure to properly meet you, Erue.” Brett then looked to Eric. “He addressed us as Shining Force members, so am I to assume we’ve decided to use this name?”

Eric nodded. “Me and Rem figured it would be just as well. We’re still going to be considered a branch of the World Savers, but having our own flare couldn’t hurt. And speaking of which, me and Aqua have been working on these together.” He then snapped his fingers, as a portal opened to Eric’s base. Aqua then walked in, and pulled through a portable clothes rack through with what appeared to be uniforms. They all followed a blue and yellow color theming, but still looked distinct from each other.

Rem looked confused. “Really? Matching uniforms? Since when did we ever do that?”

“Me and Aqua thought it might help us with the public in terms of acceptance. Like, we look more official, we might get treated better. That, and while we designed them, we found it easier for them to similar.” Eric explained.

“Go ahead and try them on, let us know how we did.” Aqua said, as she passed them out to the four of them. They accepted the outfits, and then left the lab briefly to change.

When they came back in they were in their outfits. Ralph's was much like his other battle clothes. The pants were blue, with a broken yellow line down each side. A long sleeved blue shirt, and Ralph had a red neckerchief on as well. He always wore this. Maybe it was a good luck charm to him. He also had a sleeved jacket on, but it only went down to his waist. The jacket was yellow, and the letters SF were near the sleeves ends in blue. He also had black fingerless gloves.

Sora's outfit was pretty much the same. The pants were the same, but their color and the color of the line going down them were switched. The shirt was yellow, and short sleeved. He had a short sleeved jacket as well, were the sleeves were about to the elbows. This jacket was blue with the yellow SF near the end of the sleeves. He had purple fingerless gloves.

Brett's pants were the same as Ralphs. He had a long sleeved yellow shirt, and a blue line was on the shirt right in the middle, and when it just about reached the neck it went off to the shoulders. So the line looked more like a Y. Blue lines went down the sleeves of the shirt. His jacket was different from the others. It has no sleeves, making it more like a vest. It was blue, and had grooves in it in a darker blue. That gave it a striped pattern. The vest wasn't made the same as the others. It didn't move as freely as the others, so it was more like sturdy armor. It had a place on the back to keep his rifles, making them easier to carry. And he had black fingerless gloves.

Kari's outfit was much different then the boys. She was in a dress, yellow all the way to the point where the skirt started. The skirt was a darker blue, with dark blue shorts under her skirt. Blue strips were near the end of her dresses short sleeves. A blue strip was on the collar of her dress, hear the neck. Tall blue socks, up to her knees almost, with a yellow strip near the tops. Though while everyone had black boots, Kari's were more in the shape of shoes.

Rem looked surprised. “Wow, they all look sharp. I wasn’t sure about the colors at first, but seeing them wearing them, they look good.”

Aqua smiled, pleased to hear the praise. “Thanks! I was the one who picked out the colors.”

Eric smiled as well. "Thank you. They’ve all been designed with the same special power resistant fibers that make up your combat tunics Rem, so they will provide everyone with some defenses to power based attacks. Maybe not quite on the level of me or Aqua’s natural defenses, but comparable. How are they everyone?”

"Very nice." Brett said, not having much to say.

"It’s super comfy, and it’s easy to move in. This will be way better than what I had before." Sora said, sounding excited..

Kari smiled. "They are very lovely Eric, Aqua."

Ralph seemed to be grumbling a little, but then spoke. "Seems my style. Maybe not my colors, but it will do. I’m sure they’ll grow on me.”

"Oh Rem, we also made some changes to one of your blue outfits. We replaced the white in one of them with yellow. So you can have an outfit like the others." Aqua said, smiling.

Rem laughed a little, nervously. “Oh yeah? Hopefully it looks good on me. The color yellow makes me nervous.”

Aqua giggled. “Oh, come on. I’d never steer you wrong.”

Ralph then leaned into Sora. “Maybe, or maybe she has a bad sense of fashion.” Ralph whispered, which Sora chuckled a little.

As everyone talked for a moment, Erue suddenly interjected. “Excuse me, sir. I hate to interrupt, but I’ve picked up something on the PDP that you may find interesting.”

Eric turned to the computer screen. “Really? Then if you would, would you please pull it up on screen for us to see?”

“Of course sir. Loading the following clip from the channel 10 news report, only ten minutes ago…Playing now.” Then a video of said news broadcast was pulled up on screen. “Our top story this afternoon; We finally got information regarding the ambulance that was called to Harkum Inc. last night. Young electrician and maintenance worker for the company, Kurt Norman, had fallen into a vat of chemicals during a repair job on site. The maintenance was being done in between day and night shifts, so the exact time of the accident is unknown. He seemed to have remained conscious long enough to escape the chemical container, but was found unconscious at the scene when the night shift arrived. Reports say his skin was discoloring to a off blue color, as his body seemed to give off electric shocks, making it difficult to transport him to the hospital. He is reported to be in stable condition, but anything aside from that is unknown. When asked for a statement, Mr. Xavier Harkum, CEO of the entirety of Harkum Inc, and founder, had this to say.”

Speaking to the press was a bald man in his fifties, gray eyes, and bound to what appeared to be a hover chair. “We are looking into the cause of the accident itself, but it seems no foul play was involved. Just a live wire who’s power wasn’t cut. In regards of the issue of chemicals, we are working on a more suitable storage method for these chemicals in response to both this incident and the one of last month of the high school kids of Kadic Academy, though professionals say had the chemicals not been open, Mr. Norman surely would of died from his fall. I wish him a speedy recovery, as my scientists are working closely with Mr. Normans doctors to assure everything that can be done to assist him with any effects of being exposed to the chemicals may have done.”

“Mr. Harkum went on to say that research on the three teenagers is progressing, but what is happening to those exposed to this chemical, social media now calling the Mutant Chemical, is unsure. When asked on why such a chemical exists, he said that due to the nature of power based research many different types of things are tested, and we are close to a breakthrough involving it to better help the public, but did not go into more detail at this time. We’ll continue to keep an eye on both the Kurt Norman case, as well as the affairs of Harkum Inc. going forward.” The reporter said. The report subject then changed, but Erue ended it, as no further relevant information was shared.

“Another accident at Harkum Inc.?” Eric said, looking concerned.

Rem folded his arms. “It’s good that he seems ok, but is he going to mutate like those kids did?”

“I’ll keep an eye on this. I’d like to see him myself, but getting in to visit someone like that will probably prove difficult with all the media buzz.” Eric explained.

Rem nodded. “Alright everyone, let’s head back to the cabin for now. We’ll stay on standby in case of any new developments.”

Ralph sighed. “Man, and I thought we were gonna see some action.” At this point, Rem made a portal back to the cabin, as everyone aside from Eric left though. Eric stayed behind, getting back to working hard at the computer.




The rest of the day went by completely uneventful, as the cabin and city were quiet. The cabin goers had stayed ready all day, but nothing came about aside from basic training. Eric’s digging late into the night didn’t seem to bring up anything either, and eventually he turned over the work to Erue, while he returned home for the night. Although the night was not all at rest. Roaming the hospital where Kurt Norman was being treated was the man in the black suit that had been spying on the group during the mutant trio attack a few weeks prior. Somehow he managed to move through the building with no trouble, and went to visit Kurt. He entered Kurt’s room, and saw that he was laying in a bed lined with rubber. Kurt’s body, while still blue, had changed a great deal since he was last seen by anyone. His blood veins seemed to glow with a whiteish blue light to them, and his body seemed to be building up more electricity. The man smirked slightly, with a dark look in his eyes. It seems the chemical is possible in producing various results after all. The conditions of the accident seem to have effected the chemicals reaction with his body, unlike those high school kids where it seemed to be random chance how it effected them…Or it’s an incredible coincidence…And here I was starting to wonder if I’d have to scrap the Meta Human project entirely with the failure of the first subject and the unpredictability of the reaction it had on the kids…Oh Mr. Norman, your accident will help pave the way towards the future…But first I need something from you. The man then took out a needle with a small syringe, and using some rubber gloves, took a sample of Kurt’s mutated blood. I have the feeling I’ll be seeing you again very soon Mr. Norman. Take care until then… And then as quickly as he arrived, the man disappeared from the room, no one truly noticing him.

The next day was rather tame at first with not much to report, that was until Kurt Norman finally awoke in his hospital bed. At first he slowly stirred awake, not fully aware of his surroundings yet. “Ugh, my head…What…happened? I was working on the wiring, and then…Wait…” He then noticed his hands, and saw the blue transparent looking skin being lit by his energy filled blood veins. He screamed suddenly, causing his body to wildly spark to life, covering his entire body in a greenish yellow electricity! Electricity was spreading everywhere, electrocuting everything around him, fabrics were catching fire, and the hospital clothes he were burned off. All he had on was some kind of rubber shorts and shirt like clothes, probably put on him to make treating him safer for those involved. The smoke quickly triggered the sprinkler system, causing an alarm as well. As the sprinklers went off, Kurt yelled as the water was not mixing well with his new body. The combination of the alarm and the yelling brought attention to his room, as members of the staff were coming in response.

A doctor, brown hair slightly spikey and combed and brown eyes, accompanied by a few nurses entered the room, all equipped with rubber gloves and suits. They saw that Kurt was on the ground on is hands and knees, as steam was coming off his body from the heat of the electricity. “Mr. Norman, this is Dr. Conn. We’re here to help you. Are you ok?” Dr. Conn called out to Kurt, approaching carefully.

From Kurt’s body, a humming sound was heard, as his veins began to glow brightly again. “Stop, stay back! I can’t control myself!”

“We understand Mr. Norman. We’re getting the water turned off so we can get you feeling better and continue our treatments.” Dr. Conn said, as he moved closer.

“Stop, please!” Kurt reflexively put his hand outward to keep them away, but his body suddenly flared back to life, as his body was covered in greenish electricity, discharging a massive wave from his hand. The electricity blasted the doctor and the nurses back. Thankfully the rubber suits protected them from most of fatal water soaked electricity, but the force blasted them back into the walls. He got up and looked around, as the sprinklers were shut off during the discharge. Kurt saw that the electricity kept jumping his body, and he was getting worried. “I…I need to get out of here…” Kurt then went to leave his room, as he proceeded to try and flee the hospital.




Around the same time, everyone was at the cabin. Lunch had just finished, but everyone was restless. Kari, Sora, and Ralph were browsing the news, trying to find anything, while Rem and Brett were in the kitchen assisting Aqua with clean up from lunch. Raylu was outside on the roof, searching for any auras that were unwelcome. Rem looked troubled, as he helped load dishes into the sink. Brett was putting leftovers away, as he looked over and noticed. “What’s on your mind, Rem?” Brett asked him suddenly.

Rem suddenly snapped back into it, as he looked at Brett, then Aqua, as he sighed. “I’m worried is all…When anything like this happens, it’s like being on pins and needles waiting to see if anything else is going to follow it…It could just be an accident, but I’m so used to some kind of crisis following after something like this.”

Brett nodded. “Well normally when there’s smoke, there’s fire, so I can understand the caution.”

Aqua sighed slightly. “It’s sad that something can’t happen, and we have to assume theres something behind it. Not that it was good what happened to Mr. Norman, but I would like to believe it wasn’t part of some plot.”

“I’m less worried it was intended, and more that something worse will come it it. Those high school kids only had an accident, but then they went rogue and started causing the problems they did. I’m just worried it will happen with Norman.” Rem explained.

Brett seemed to think on this before replying. “Well…judging on the records Eric found on those kids, they seemed to be trouble makers in their own right before the accident. For types like that to suddenly get power, they probably just wanted to act out and use their new talents. Though the same can’t be said for Mr. Norman. Eric said he had a clean record, and family ties to law enforcement, so he could end up just being scared at worst.”

Rem nodded. “I hope your right-“

But then Rem was cut off by yelling from the living room. “Guys! You’ll wanna come see this!” Ralph’s voice called from the living room. At that, Rem, Brett, and Aqua quickly went to the living room, while Raylu also came at Ralphs call. They had the news on the tv. “Get a load of this.” Ralph said, gesturing to the tv.

Coming in to see the tv, it was in the middle of a report. Kurt Norman was running through the streets, as body was violently flying from his body, causing objects to explode around him. ”…He seems to be wandering through the city, unclear if he has a destination in mind. Authorities are preparing a way to possibly capture Kurt Norman before he causes any harm to himself or others, as it’s unknown if he’s in his right mind due to his accident as Harkum Inc. just a few days ago. Authorities are advising members of the public to avoid Mr. Norman at all costs.”

“We have to do something!” Aqua said, sounding alarmed.

Suddenly Rem’s telepath stone went off, as Eric was contacting him. ”Rem, it’s me. I’ve got an update on the Kurt Norman situation.”

“I just saw the report myself. I’ll move a few of us out, you keep an eye on things. I’ll need you to help with motoring the police.” Rem explained.

”Understood. I’ve got Adam motoring the area as we speak, I’ll keep you updated.” Eric responded before ending the call.

Rem then looked to the others, quickly assessing the skillsets he was working with, as well as the situation. “Alright, we don’t all need to go, he may not be hostile. I’m going to go with Raylu and Brett, and see if we can talk him down and bring him back for some help. The rest of you stay on stand by, if I need you guys, I’ll contact Eric to make you all a portal. Brett, quickly gear up, and let’s head out.”

Brett nodded. “Give me two minutes and I’m ready.” He quickly headed back to his room for his equipment. Once he was suited up, he met up with Rem and Raylu, and they left for the city by portal.




Meanwhile, Kurt Norman was seemingly running through the city. His mind going a mile a minute, trying to get out of the city, but his emotions were flaring his powers. Electricity was flying all over, people were screaming, objects exploding by the overcharge of electricity. “I’m sorry, I can’t control it!” He yelled, but people wouldn’t stop panicking. Soon, police sirens could be heard, as the squad cars bottle necked the end of the street that Kurt was heading down. Members of the police exited the cars, as they all took aim at Kurt with guns, while one exited with a megaphone. It was officer Buck Rogers.

“Mr. Norman, this is officer Rogers! You are being ordered to stop your rampage through the city and come quietly with us back to the hospital! You are unwell!” Rogers called over megaphone.

“I can’t! I’m unsafe to everyone! I need to get out of here!” Kurt yelled back.

“That’s exactly why you need to stand down, and come with us! You are unstable, and could get someone hurt! Please come with us!” Rogers responded. Kurt went to raise his hands to comply, but his emotions were out of control with being a gun point, which caused his powers to discharge. Electricity fired out from his hands, blasting the squad cars! “Quick, get out of the way!” Rogers yelled, getting the officers clear, before the cars exploded from the electricity striking the fuel tanks.

At this point, the officers took this as a deliberate attack, and began to shoot at Kurt! Kurt reflexively put his arms up as if he was going to block, and like that the electricity from his body spread out like a dome, blocking the bullets entirely. “I need to get away, before I hurt them.” A thought then came to mind, as he tried to focus on gathering the electricity to his hands. The electricity bent to his will as it gathered in his hands, and he fired it all towards the ground. The force of the electricity propelled Kurt through the air, sending him down at least several streets.

The officers saw Kurt move through the air, when Rogers suddenly shouted. “Quickly! Get back up in here! We need to go after him!” The officers began to scramble to contact for new squad cars, while also trying to get back up ready to give chase and head Kurt off.

Around this time, Rem, Raylu, and Brett appeared by portal on a rooftop near where the action was taking place. Rem was looking around. “Alright, now we just need to find him before the police do. He shouldn’t be hard to find.”

At that moment, Kurt flew through the air overhead, as he was going to land on the ground about another block south. “That wasn’t too difficult.” Brett commented.

“Hurry, I already hear sirens. Knowing how hasty law enforcement is around here, they may not worry about shooting him.” Rem said, as the three prepared to do another portal jump.

Kurt soon landed on the ground, the electricity breaking his fall. He looked around, seeing he was clear from officers for the moment, though many people were still freaking out. “Ok, I just need to keep jumping like this, and I should be ok…I just need some time to sort this all out…” Suddenly Rem and the others appeared from the portal, as Kurt recoiled back a little. “Ah! Stop! Don’t come any closer!”

Rem and the others put their hands up in response to Kurt’s freak out. “Relax, Mr. Norman, we’re here to help you. We’re with the World Savers.”

“W-world Savers? I sware, I’m not some bad guy! I’m not doing this on purpose, honest!” Kurt said, getting worked up.

“Easy easy, I believe you. We’re here to help figure out what’s wrong with you, and keep you from hurting anyone. You don’t want to hurt anyone, right?” Rem asked.

“N-no, of course not!” Kurt responded.

Rem’s telepath stone suddenly glowed, as Eric spoke to Rem through it. ”Rem, the police are already nearly at your location. You have about 30 seconds before they surround the street you’re on. Bring Kurt to the factory for now, we’ll sort the rest out later.”

“That’s good Mr. Norman. Now listen, none of us want to deal with the police right now, we have your whole issue to work through. Can you come with us? We deal with your type of problem. We can keep you and others safe. What do you say?” Rem asked, extending his hand.

Kurt was understandably afraid, but then he heard the police sirens getting louder, and he suddenly nodded. “Let’s go.”

Rem smiled slightly. “Good choice.” Rem then made another portal, but by this point the police were already here. “Everyone, with me!” The four of them quickly went into the portal, and it closed before the police could close in.

Buck Rogers had led the charge, and was instantly frustrated. “Great! So not only did we fail to catch Norman, but now those vigilantes have him? What could they want with him!?” Buck then pointed to an officer. “You! Contact the hospital and inform them that Mr. Norman may not be returning for a while. The rest of you, check in on the civilians. I need to inform the Chief of this whole mess…” Rogers ordered, as everyone began to get to work.




Moments later, the portal opened up at the bridge to the factory. Everyone exited, getting their barings, as Kurt spoke up first. “So you guys are the real World Savers? I thought you all left france years ago.” Kurt asked, in a much more calm state than before.

Rem turned to face Kurt, as he nodded slightly. “Well we did, more or less. Some of us, however, are putting a new team together for France again.” Rem explained.

Kurt suddenly looked excited. “That’s so cool! Ever since you guys went public me and my brother always kept up on all the stuff your group did for the world. You guys are like real life super heros!”

Rem laughed nervously. “I wouldn’t call myself a hero. I’m just as normal as the next person. When I see someone in trouble, I want to help. Just so happens I have talents for helping on a bigger scale.”

“Well that’s hero talk right there!” Kurt paused. “So uhh, does you guys being back in town mean we have badies around?”

“Well, I hope not, but it’s been so long without any major incidents that we just want to be on the safe side.” Rem then turned to face the factory. “Anyway, we shouldn’t stay out here for long. We might be on the edge of town, but someone could still spot you. Come on, I have someone I’d like you to meet.”

“Oh, of course! You lead, and I’ll follow.” Kurt said as he began to follow Rem inside.

Raylu and Brett took up the rear, as Brett turned to Raylu. “He seems awfully excited, doesn’t he?”

Raylu nodded, looking serious. “I’d take his excitement over the damage his fear and panic caused anytime.”

Brett chuckled slightly. “Very valid point.”

Before long, the group of them all entered the factory, and headed down to the lab where Eric was waiting for them. The others had also gathered during this, so they were all waiting for him as well. “Wow, there’s a lot of you here.” Kurt commented.

Eric spun around in his chair to see Kurt at this point. “Ah, pleasure to meet you, Mr. Norman. I’m Eric, and these are the rest of the Shining Force.” Everyone gave a brief greeting, before they continued on.

“Nice to meet you all.” Kurt said, smiling slightly.

“So we want to help you if we can, and to do that we need to know whatever we can. So what happened?” Eric asked.

Kurt looked confused, as he tried to think back on what happened. “Well…all I can remember before I woke up in the hospital was working on some wiring at Harkum, and…there was an electrical discharge, and I feel into those chemicals…It’s blurry after that…”

Eric seemed to be taking this in. “Well…that’s not much more to go off of, but I kind of expected as much. Though we might be able to learn more through a full assessment of his body. Would you mind going down with Rem and Brett to our scanner room for a quick body scan?”

“Body scan?” Kurt questioned.

“It’s nothing really crazy or invasive. Our scanners are pretty advanced, so it won’t take long, ok?” Rem explained. Kurt nodded, and the three of them headed back into the elevator, and rode it further down. The elevator doors opened up, showing a small round room, with three tube shaped objects that were the scanners. They had heavy looking cables going from them up into the ceiling, as well as some going across the floor, as the lining of the room and floor wasn’t entirely finished. One of the scanners shutter doors opened, allowing Kurt to enter. “Alright, all you gotta to is just stand inside and stay still. Oh, and I’d recommend closing your eyes, the lights get kinda bright in there.” Rem explained.

“O-oh, yeah, ok. No problem.” Kurt responded, as he stepped into the scanner. Once he was inside, the doors closed, as it lit up and began to scan him. After a minute or so, the scanner stopped, and the doors opened. “That…felt kinda weird. Not bad or anything…”

Rem chuckled. “You get kinda used to it. Anyway, let’s head back up with the others and see if Eric can make heads or tails of anything.” And with that they all headed back upstairs in the elevator. “So did you manage to find anything out?”

Eric chuckled. “It’s only been like thirty seconds, I’m not that fast.” Eric was going over the data, as the group talked among themselves, when Eric suddenly started talking again. “Alright, so I’ve been looking over his DNA, and it somewhat matches powered human DNA. Lightning Human of some variant, but it’s very unstable, which is what’s causing the electric appearance of his body. The unstable genes are probably what’s causing the discharge of energy under high stress.”

“I’ve never seen a Lightning Human before. I’ve heard their pretty rare to see on our Terra.” Aqua commented.

“So do you have any idea how to treat him?” Brett asked.

Eric looked stressed. “Well normally to remove power from a person, they need to be exposed to a special type of lunar energy. But this seems to be very different…I’d need to get a sample of the chemicals that mutated Kurt’s DNA so I can run some tests on it, as well as get some blood work done using Kurt’s blood.”

“Well if we head over to Harkum and bust in, we can-“ Ralph started, full of excitement, until Rem cut him off.

“I don’t think that’s such a good idea, Ralph. Breaking into Harkum’s labs would be difficult, judging by how heavily guarded a place like that is. The last thing we need is causing a bigger scene by breaking in, and causing a bigger issue in the public eye. This needs to be a stealth mission.” Rem explained.

Eric nodded. “I agree, no need to make a bigger fuss out of all this.”

"Alright then. So what do you propose we do, hmm?" Ralph asked.

"I have a plan...And we should be able to pull it off with your help, Kurt.” Rem said, looking at him.

Everyone looked at Kurt, who was surprised. “Me? How can I help?”




Later that evening, after a lot of the excitement from that afternoon had died down, Rem and Raylu were on a building rooftop next door to the site known as Harkum Inc. It was a large building, dozens of stories tall, with several warehouses, a few smaller buildings, all surrounded by brick walls and a black iron gate. Rem, who was dressed in a black tunic to hide better, took out his telepath stone to contact Eric. “Alright Eric, we’re here. Are we close enough for your device to connect?”

”Everything seems fine on our end, based on the information Kurt provided. Give me a few moments, while I hack into the cameras. Raylu should get ready for his part in things while I get this ready.”

Rem put his stone away, then looked to Raylu. “Alright, you’re all clear on your end of things. I’ll keep look out, you get the sample.”

Raylu nodded. “Understood sir, I wont let you down.” Raylu then took out a special made pair of gloves for his paws from a pouch he carried with him on missions, and put them on. They had a special adhesive coating on the palm side, allowing them to stick to surfaces, and small openings on the top of the fingers for his claws to extend out if needed. Once he was ready, he jumped high into the air from the rooftop he and Rem were on, and almost flew through the air. He landed on a storage building on the edge of the property, going from rooftop to rooftop, moving towards the main building.

Rem suddenly reached out to Raylu by use of a telepath stone Raylu had had around his neck on a small rope like necklace.”I don’t know if you’ve spotted them yet, but I’m seeing several robots roaming the property.”

Raylu looked around, taking note of the simple looking robots. They looked like they were in a humanoid shape, but with a cylinder shaped head. They looked bulky, of silver and bronze coloring, and looking rather smooth with limited objects adorning their bodies. Their faces looked more like an LED screen, with various lights moving across it, as it changed colors but mostly resting with white lights on a dark blue screen. Raylu narrowed his eyes, knowing if they caught him the mission was a failure, but he couldn’t engage with them either. Raylu continued to jump the roofs, until he was close enough to jump onto the side of the main building, catching himself on the side of the building using the gloves he was wearing. He then started scaling the building, as he contacted Eric. “Sir Eric, I’m approaching the correct floor, have you disabled security?”

”Just a few more seconds and I’ll have the alarms and cameras down. I’ll probably only be able to keep it disabled for a few minutes.” Eric explained.

”Oh, and don’t forget this, it’s important. Once the system is down, the robots on site will focus on any areas effected by the ‘blackout’ so they’ll start to heavily patrol the area, so be very careful.” The voice of Kurt cut in.

“Understood.” Raylu simply responded. Once he reached the correct floor, he looked in through the large windows, keeping an eye out for robots.

”System will be offline in five seconds….Alright, you’re good to go!” Eric quickly informed Raylu.

Raylu then took one paw off the glass, as he cut a small hole in the glass, and quickly slipped inside the building. He looked around, his ears perking as he listened for anything approaching. Like Kurt said, robots like the ones from outside appeared, one from each end of the hall. The lights of the robots face were currently yellow, unlike the ones outside with blue lights, which signaled them being in search mode. Raylu quickly used his aura to refract the light around him, making him appear invisible, as he backed up against the wall quietly. The robots didn’t see Raylu in time, but as they looked around they did see the hole in the window and circle of glass on the floor, to which the robots lights suddenly changed from yellow to red, and small mounted machine guns came out of the wrists of the bots. Hmm…They responded much faster then expected. Raylu quickly headed out of the hall, leaving the robots to themselves. Luckily the floor was carpeted, so the sound of his footsteps was not loud enough for the robots to detect.

After a bit of searching, Raylu was able to find his way to the chemical storage room. So…which of these containers is the right one?...Ah! It must be the one under that broken walkway. Raylu stopped refracting the light around him, now that the coast was clear for the moment, and quickly rushed up to the walkway. Opening the pouch, he took out an object that looked like a clawed glove. This was Rem’s clawshot, which was almost like a harpoon gun in function, but fired a claw and chain rather than a harpoon and rope. Raylu put it on, and fired it onto a stable pipe above the chemical container. It grabbed the pipe, and began to retract a bit, pulling Raylu through the air. He then used it to lower himself above the chemicals, and using his free hand, took a small bottle out of the pouch. He scooped up some of the chemicals in it. Good, now I just need to… But Raylu didn’t have time to plan his next move, as two scouting robots entered the room and saw Raylu hanging in the air. “FREEZE.” A robotic voice ordered him.

Raylu wasted no time, and began to cause himself to swing using the clawshot, to which the robots opened fire on Raylu! Raylu was cause himself to spin to dodge the bullets, making him quite a difficult target, which actually caused some of the windows behind to shatter. So much for the stealth approach. I can’t let them identify me… Once he built up enough momentium, he pushed a button on the clawshot, causing it to release, sending Raylu flying through the air, all the while making sure not to spill the chemicals. He quickly corked the bottle, and hid behind a container. “DO NOT FIRE ON CHEMICAL CONTAINERS.” The robot said, as they stopped firing, and moved towards Raylu’s hiding place.

Rem then contacted Raylu. ”I’m not sure what happened, but all the robots outside are heading to the south side of the building. I saw gunfire from there, are you alright?”

“I’m fine, sir. I’ve got the chemicals, I’ll be fleeing by portal. I’ll meet you back at the factory.” Raylu said, as he quickly made a break for the shattered window. The robots opened fire as soon as Raylu was in the open again, but Raylu’s speed was much to fast for them, and he jumped clean out of the window! The robots from the ground level saw Raylu in the air, but they couldn’t do much to him from there. As he flew through the air, he made a portal midair, and flew through the air into it. The exit wasn’t entirely quiet, but hopefully Raylu hadn’t been seen by anyone that knew who he was. Once Rem saw Raylu go through the portal, he also made a portal and made his own exit to the factory.

Raylu and Rem both came out of their portals, and into the computer room. Only Eric and Kurt were there. "Ah, you're both back. I'm guessing everything went well?" Eric asked.

Raylu nodded, taking out the bottle of the chemicals from the pouch, and going over to hand it to Eric. “Here you are, Sir Eric.”

Eric took the bottle and looked it over. “Fantastic, this should be enough to run some tests on. Why don’t you two take Kurt back to the cabin? The others went to prepare a spare room for him to stay in, since we don’t know how long this will all take.”

Rem folded his arms. “You sure you don’t need our help?”

Eric chuckled. “I do appreciate it, really, but I’m fine. Honestly there isn’t really much you can do to help me, it’s mostly going to be me and Erue running tests and data. You’ll be more helpful with Kurt.”

Rem looked over to Kurt, then back to Eric, and sighed. “Alright, if your sure. Come on you two, let’s leave Eric to his mad doctor business.” Rem said, as he made a portal to which he and the others left through it.

Eric watched them leave, as he turned back to the computer. “Alright Erue, we got a long night ahead of us.”





Time passed, as Eric was working nearly nonstop for almost two weeks working on reversing the effects of the chemical mutation of Kurt Norman. Eric was trying all different kinds of programs and simulations, but to no luck. Eric was growing frustrated, as Erue displayed a failed simulation message on screen. Eric sighed. “Another failure, that’s the fourth failure today…”

Suddenly, a small hand grabbed Eric’s shoulder, causing him to jump in surprise, as he turned around to see Saria. She started giggling at his reaction. “Whoa, sweetie, calm down, it’s just me!”

Eric calmed down, and catching his breath. “Jeez Saria, don’t scare me like that.” He paused for a second. “What are you doing here, anyway?”

Saria looked at Eric with a confused expression. “What, I can’t come see my boyfriend after he’s been ignoring everyone for days? If you don’t have time to see me, I’ll just come to you.”

Eric frowned in response. “I…I’m sorry. I’ve just been trying to figure out how to help the mutated people like Kurt by figuring out a cure for them, so I’ve just been-“

Saria just kissed him on the forehead to interrupt him. “I know, it’s ok.” She then looked to the screen, seeing the message. “So how is it going? Not well I’m guessing.”

Eric sighed again, putting a hand in his hair. “I’ve tried so many different types of simulations on the chemical, ran all kinds of tests, but I haven’t gotten any closer to figuring it out. I’ve learned that the chemicals seem to be partly made with energy in some form, but…all that really tells me is that energy seems to effect them in different ways. I’m having trouble figuring out how to break it down, but I feel like once I do I can figure out how to undo it’s effects…hopefully…It could be more complex then that…”

“Did you guys try using Lunar energy to try and remove the powered effects from Kurt? That energy is normally pretty good at purging power from people.” Saria asked.


Eric nodded. “Rem and Aqua tried that already. Somehow it had no effect. It must be that while this mutation does give the infected powers, it seems to be done in a different way then how it works in powered humans naturally. That leads me to believe that the Lunar energy doesn’t target power itself, but must effect cores or something…which just makes me wonder how this mutation works…It’s a marvel in itself…”

Suddenly, the computer started beeping, as Erue began to speak. “Pardon the intrusion Master Eric, but you have a incoming call from Master Aqua.”

Eric turned to the computer when Erue started speaking. “Put her through then.”

After a few seconds, Aqua’s voice was heard from the computer. “Eric, it’s me. Do you have Kurt with you right now?”

“No, he’s not with me. Why do you ask?” Eric asked.

“Because he’s disappeared, we can’t find him anywhere! We don’t know where he’s gotten off too, and he’s been acting weird lately. I just hope he didn’t do anything rash.” Aqua said, sounding worried.

Eric looked concerned. “He did seem very pressed when I last scanned him, unlike when he first came here. I wonder if something happened with him…” Eric mumbled to himself. “I’ll help you look for him, and I’ll deploy Adam’s probe as well.”

“Thanks Eric.” Aqua said before ending the call.

Saria looked to Eric. “I’ll help you look too. The more hands on deck the better, right?”

“Thanks Saria, we need all the help we can get. He’s unstable right now, so we gotta find him before he gets hurt, or someone hurts him. Let’s get moving! Erue, prepare Adam for deployment!”

“Understood Master.” Erue responded, as Eric and Saria rushed out to join the search.




Around the same time, Kurt was out in the mountains. These mountains weren’t very far from the cabin forest grounds, maybe an hours walk, but far enough to be away from anyone. Kurt was taking a rest along the mountain path, sitting over the side of the cliff edge, just looking out at the expanse of the area. He put his hand on the side of his head, as he seemed to be in some form of pain. “This splitting pain…These voices…That fraud of a researcher, Eric…All this wasted time…He can’t do anything for me, and…I feel it…getting worse…Like it speaks to me…The energy…There must be something else that can be done…” Kurt then looked down to his energy filled hands, as his body began to spark to life due to his anger. “None of them. They are frauds. What could they do for me?! They’ve just hidden me away from everything!” All the energy then built up into his hands, as he formed a large ball of electricity, and fired it into the air! It suddenly burst, showering sparks through the air, as they fizzled out on the rocks below.

Due to his venting and anger, Kurt didn’t hear someone walking down the trail from above. A man in a black business suit, black lensed glasses, and dark brown hair. “You seem troubled, sir.” He spoke in a young sounding voice, probably in his twenties.

Kurt quickly turned around, pointing his hands at the man, who quick put his hands up in response. “Who are you?!”

“Whoa whoa whoa, easy Mr. Norman, I’m not here to hurt you.” The young man responded.

Kurt seemed confused for a moment. “Wait, how do you know who I am?”

The young man began to chuckle a little. “What, you expect me not who know who is currently Frances most important person? You’re famous! The World Savers newest stolen weapon, some are calling you.”

Kurt scoffed at that. “I don’t belong to them…They say they want to cure me…But if they did really intend to use me as a weapon for them that would explain…so much…”

“That’s what the World Savers are well known for. Pulling together people and objects for their self righteous mission…Sure you might just be a guest for them right now, but as soon as they need your abilities, you’ll be their newest recruit.” He paused for a second, as he began to pace. “They’ve probably already asked you to join them, haven’t they?”

Kurt looked to the side for a second. “One of them made what I thought was some off hand comment…’Hey, if things don’t work out, you could always help us out.’ Was what that Ralph said…At first, I liked the idea, but then…I started to think that was the plan the while time…”

“Tsk tsk…See what I mean? If they can’t destroy or remove something, they simply control it. It’s how they work, unlike myself.” He then turned to Kurt. “You see, myself, I work for the bigger picture. For the good of all mankind, not just for the ‘defenders’ of it.”

Kurt looked confused. “And what are you, then?”

He chuckled. “You may call me Kraven, Mr. Norman. Me and my origination work against the type of control that the World Savers strive for.” Kraven paused, taking his glasses off, showing his brown eyes. “You see, you’re the reason I’m here. Me and my men have already started working on a way to help you, if you would like to join someone who can actually help you.”

Kurt narrowed his eyes. “What’s the catch? Do you just want to use me too?”

Kraven folded his arms. “I won’t lie to you, your help would be amazing to have, but I’m not in the business of forcing people against their will to help me. If you would like, you can come with me and see what we’ve prepared for you. After that, you can decide for yourself what you’d like to do. If you’d like to come back here, or anywhere really, we can take you to where you’d like. How’s that sound, hmm?”

Kurt looked like he was thinking about it for a moment, before he looked Kraven in the eyes. “A quick look couldn’t hurt.”

Kraven gave a big smirk. “That’s what I like to see. Come, I’ve got a chopper on the top of this mountain. We can leave right away, if you’d like.”

Kurt then smirked back. “Let’s move it then!” The two then started heading up the mountain side to where Kraven’s chopper was.




A few minutes later, Aqua, Sora, and Brett happened to be checking the forest near the mountains, and had seen Kurt’s electrical show a few moments ago, and were rushing to where it came from. As they were heading up the mountain path, they heard the sound of a helicopter starting up. “Wait, that’s a chopper.” Brett commented.

“We need to hurry! It could be bad for Kurt if the military capture him!” Aqua exclaimed. The three of them quickly ran up the rest of the path, seeing the helicopter beginning to take the air. Kurt and Kraven were looking out the side, seeing them show up. “Kurt!” Aqua yelled.

Kraven looked down at Aqua and the others. “Sorry Miss Aquarius, but Mr. Norman has chosen to seek a second consultation.”

Aqua looked confused, seeing Kraven. “Wait, is that?...” Aqua mumbled, then her eyes widened. “Brett, quick! Land that chopper, I’ll catch Kurt!”

Brett didn’t ask any questions and quickly took off his assault rifle from his back, and aimed it towards the blades, and began to open fire. Kraven smirked, as he took out a high power pistol from his under arm holster, and fired a shot at Brett’s rifle, knocking it right out of his hands. He fired again, forcing them to scatter. “I got this!” Sora yelled, taking out his energy pistol, firing at Kraven, but not quite managing to hit him.

Kraven moved to the side to dodge the shot, and fired another shot at Sora’s pistol, also disarming him. “Your new troops are a little green, Miss Aquarius.”

Aqua narrowed her eyes, as she formed large tendrils of water to grab onto the legs of the helicopter. “You aren’t taking him!” Aqua yelled.

Kurt then stood up, looking at Aqua struggle to hold them back. Kraven carefully watched Kurt to see what he would do, when Kurt suddenly raised his arm up, as power gathered. “I’m not staying here with you.” Kurt then unleashed a massive electric blast from his hand, aimed right at the three on the ground! Aqua’s eyes widened, as she quickly put a wall of ice around the three of them. The blast was far too powerful though, as it blasted through the ice entirely, and blasted the three of them into the rocks. The three of them were hit pretty hard, as they struggled to get up.

Kraven began to laugh as the helicopter began to fully take off. “Good to see you again, Miss Aquarius!” And with that, the helicopter took off with no further resistance.

Aqua groaned, as she worked her way to her feet. “Are you guys alright?”

Sora shook his head, as he sat up. “Ugh, I’ll be fine…”

Brett sat up, trying to shake the shock off. “Who was that, anyway?”

Aqua sighed. “If it was who I think it was, then we might have a lot of trouble to deal with soon. We gotta find the others and regroup." Aqua said, as she began to give everyone a quick heal with her water energy, then they quickly started heading back to find the others.







Some time later that day, through a series of classified forms of travel, Kraven had taken Kurt to a warehouse where a number of scientists were working. They had been working on a suit for Kurt, which they began fitting him for. It was a black, full body suit. It had two tubes, one end connected to Kurt's body, and the other end went directly into the suit. It took electricity from his body, and used it to power the suit. Clear tubes that carried the electricity through the suit. They looked like blue wires because of the electricity. "So this suit will let me control me powers?" Kurt asked.

"Indeed. It’s designed to redirect the natural building energy in your body so that your body isn’t like an active live wire. No more electricity just discharging from your body without your control…unless you want it to, that is." Kraven answered. “Now I know this isn’t a cure for your condition, but rest assured we are already working on that. We felt, since we don’t know how long a potential cure could take, we wanted to make your wait more comfortable.”

Kurt checked himself out in the suit, very impressed by the design. He could look at his hands again, and while his skin still seemed transparent because of the energy in his body, he could feel it again. It wasn’t like touching energy itself, which before he could only do if he was entirely calm, which in his current state was hard to manage. “I don’t know what to say…How can I repay you?” Kurt asked.

“I was hoping you’d ask that, honestly. How about helping us secure more funds for the research?” Kraven asked.

Kurt looked confused. “I’m sorry, what?”

Kraven chuckled slightly. “Sorry, that probably came out of left field. You see, while I do have a lot of men and resources at my disposal, these types of things require money. We don’t have some secret government grant, or like some World Savers, just figuring it out as we go, every great move requires money.” He paused for a second. “The suit wasn’t cheap, and while yes it’s a gift, I wont be able to continue research on a cure without money to keep it all going. The suit was costly.”

Kurt looked worried. “But I don’t really have that much money, I mean…I’m just a handyman at Harkum. They pay well, sure, but not nearly that well.”

Kraven let out a hardy laugh. “My friend, I would never suggest something so slow paced. I guess I was thinking along the lines of more…direct payment. France is a very wealthy city, and with your new powers, and a little training, who could really stop you?” He paused, looking more serious at Kurt. “Do you follow me, Mr. Norman?”

Kurt looked worried at first. Sure, he was having second thoughts about the World Savers, but did he really want to go down this path? Then he started to hear what sounded like thousands of voices in his head, all saying the same thing at once. He’s right you know? Money makes the world go round. You need it, you can take it, so you should. Do it. You can’t be stopped like you are now. The World Savers had their chance, and they didn’t even have a plan. Kraven here, he’s already provided results, and has the means to provide more. Do what’s best for you. Kurt shook his head for a moment, as he held it. He then met Kraven’s eyes, with a very slight smirk on his face. “You know…why not, Mr. Kraven?”

Kraven smiled slightly. “Wonderful! Why don’t we meet with my combat instructor, and we can start working on something for you, hmm? We’ll hammer down a plan after.” Kraven said, as he put his hand on Kurt’s shoulder, and led him away from the lab.





That agreement put into motion a chain of events that lasted about a week, as a string of high value bank robberies took place. Kurt was using his powers to provide the heavy muscle needed, while Kraven’s men made off with the money. The heists were carried out so quickly due to Kurt’s assistance, that no one could stop them. At the moment, the group was trying to form a new plan at the lab, watching the latest news report. ”It’s been nearly a week since the attack on our fair cities banks have begun. All these attacks have been led by Kurt Norman, or as the public has been calling him now, The Electrode. Just a few short weeks ago, Norman was the victim of a horrible accident at Harkum Inc., and in that short amount of time, as become one of the cities most deadly bank robbers. Guards at the scenes of each attack have all been sent to the hospital due to Norman, but no deaths have been reported yet. Some are suggesting members of the vigilante group known as the World Savers are involved due to the kidnapping of Kurt Norman shortly after his escape from the hospital. The police are offering a reward for any information leading to the capture of Kurt Norman, or the World Savers-“

At this point, Ralph started yelling over the broadcast. “This is insane! They are blaming us for this! We didn’t kidnap Kurt, he came of his own free will!”

Kari had her arms folded. “A shame the public doesn’t see it that way. Now were are lumped in on this stupid bank robbing scheme.”

Sora looked confused. “But why would Kurt suddenly turn to a life of crime? Like, what kind of leap in logic is that? How is that going to help him?”

Rem looked serious. “Judging by the tech in his suit from the video footage, I’m willing to bet that Kraven really is involved. Knowing Kraven, he probably promised Kurt whatever he wanted, and used that suit to back up whatever he was selling Kurt on. Kurt hasn’t been himself since the accident, and Kraven took this as his chance to pounce.”

Brett looked at Rem. “I’ve been meaning to ask, but who is Kraven? You guys have mentioned him before. He seems like a serious threat.”

Aqua looked to Brett to answer his question. “To put it simply, Kraven’s the leader of a group of power hating humans. Though in all honestly, I thought he was killed in our last encounter.”

Rem nodded in agreement. “I’d been chasing leads on Kraven’s possible return for years, and it looks like I was right in believing he was still out there. But why rob banks? Petty crime has never been Kraven’s MO.”

Eric decided to chime in at this point. “Well after our last encounter with him several years back, we wiped out his operations pretty bad, and you mentioned you were chasing after leads connecting to him, so maybe it’s left his organization in a bad way? It could also be unrelated, and Kurt has gone rogue. I’ve got some data to support this.”

Aqua looked surprised. “Wait, you do?”

Eric nodded. “After his last scan, before he disappeared, I started comparing scans from when he first arrived, to right before he left. The whole mess that’s happened distracted me from the finer details of it all, but Erue informed me last night of a new change in Kurt we missed.” Eric did some typing, pulling up two different pictures of Kurt’s brain from the scans. “Now this might not look like much to you guys, so I’ll break it down. On the first scan, Kurt’s brain seems mostly normal, other then minor, what I would call, chemical damage. But then I compare it to the scan I took two days before he left, and that ‘chemical damage’ had spread. Now I’m not entirely sure yet of what this damage is, or what it could cause, but my theory is that the chemicals have the possibility to effect the brain and cause possible personality shifts. If that is the case, then it would explain Kurt’s rapid change in moods, and could of lead to this crime wave he’s on. Without more testing I can’t confirm more then that.”

Ralph then put his hand and fist together. “Either way, we gotta stop him. We need to think of a plan to catch him.

“But he disappears so quickly after each job he pulls. We’d have to stake out a bank, and hope to catch him. You know how many banks are in this city alone? What if he moves on?” Kari asked.

Eric seemed to be thinking. “Well…It’s true he’s hit a large number of banks in the last several days. If we can narrow down what banks haven’t been robbed by Kurt yet, we might have a chance. Erue, can you provide me a list of all the banks in the city that Kurt Norman hasn’t robbed?”

“Just one moment sir……….Search complete. Here you are Master Eric.” Erue responded with incredible speed.

“Don’t underestimate the power of a super computer…” Sora mumbled.

Brett was looking at the list. “So wait, he’s only got two banks left in the area. If we split up, we could catch him for sure.”

Rem nodded. “That sounds like a good idea. He hasn’t hit any banks yet today, and he seems to strike in the middle of the day, so we might still have time. Everyone, head back with me to the cabin, and let’s get suited up. Eric, be our eyes and ears here. The police will no doubt get involved if we hold Kurt up long enough, so we’ll want to be sure we’re prepared for them as well.”

Eric nodded. “Sounds like a plan. I’ll prepare Adam for recon assistance, and keep a close eye on police scanners for you.”

Rem smiled. “Thanks Eric. Alright guys, let’s move out.” Rem said, making a portal for everyone to return to the cabin and prepare for the mission.





Later that afternoon, two teams had been formed, and one was at each location. Afternoon was quiet, until a white van drove up to one of the banks In question. Kurt simply strolled out of the van, though he had a mask like helmet on over his head, with a glass visor in the front. He walked into the bank, carrying a few rubber sacks in his hand. When he got inside, the mask folded away, exposing his lightning covered head. “Alright everyone, no one try to be a hero, and no one gets hurt.” The guards though didn’t take this warning, and began to fire on Kurt. Though as the bullets approached Kurt, the electricity coming from Kurt’s body caused them to float and spin in midair. “Aww, how cute.” Kurt the flicked his fingers, sending the bullets back at the guards, downing them instantly. They weren’t dead, but there was no way they were walking that off and getting back into the fight. Kurt then walked over to one the guards, suffering on the floor, and leaned over to him. “Now see? Didn’t I tell you?” Kurt then picked up his gun, and caused it to explode with electricity. “In case you had anymore bight ideas.” He then stood back up, and turned his attention to the clerk behind the desk. He then pointed his fingers at her like it was a gun. The gloves he wore had the fingers removed, and the palms had an opening so his electric blasts could be channeled there for his attacks. He put the rubber bags on the table with his other hand. “Alright lady, I’m sure you know what comes next. Just put whatever you have in the safe in those bags.”

The lady was starting the cry, trying not to panic. “B-b-but I can’t open the safe. The manager isn’t here and he-“

Kurt then looked past her, eyes on the safe, and shot a bolt of electricity from his finger to the keypad on the wall of the safe. It overloaded, and the safe door began to open. “There. Now we won’t have anymore problems, right?" The lady was still shaking, and didn’t have the courage to move yet, but then Kurt spoke again. “Listen. I’m not going to hurt you, alright? But if you don’t work with me here, I’m just gonna have to do it myself, and I don’t have that kinda time. So hurry up, and don’t make me angry, and you’ll be fine.”

“That’s enough, Kurt.” Was the voice of Rem coming from behind. Aqua and Ralph were with him, as Aqua had water formed in her hands, while Ralph had twin blasters drawn.

Kurt turned around, starting to smirk and chuckle a little. “Ah, there you guys are. Kept me waiting, didn’t ya? I figured if I kept this up, I’d run into you soon enough. You see I’ve been itching to come to blows with you all for a while now.”

“It doesn’t have to be this way, Kurt. We can still help you. You aren’t mentally well, Eric found that out. Whatever Kraven is promising you-“ Rem was then cut off by Kurt.

“Well aren’t you full of yourself? Kraven’s done more to help me in a few hours then you all did for weeks, and you want me to trust you?! The only one who’s not well in the head is you!” Kurt protested.

Aqua looked more worried as this exchange went on. “Kurt, please-“

“The old Kurt Norman is dead! When he feel into those chemicals, a new me came out of them! One that’s called…The Electrode!” Kurt said, as he started to laugh.

“He’s off his rocker. I’ve read enough comics to know when a villain takes on the crazy name the public gives them, there isn’t any getting through to them.” Ralph commented.

Rem looked to Ralph, almost in a confused state. “Examples aside, I think your right.” He then turned back to Kurt. “If that’s how you want it to be, then fine, we’ll do this the hard way.”

Kurt then took a big stretch, gave a slight yawn, and gave an evil looking smirk as his electric body flared to life. He then looked over his shoulder at the clerk. “Get to work on filling those up honey. I wont be long.” He then looked back to the others, as the loud hum of his energy building could be heard, as he extended his hands outward, blasting bolts of electricity at the group!

"Quick, move!" Aqua yelled. Ralph and Aqua dove in one direction, and Rem in the other.

Rem took out his aura staff, as it extended to full length. Hmm…What’s the best way to attack him, when his body is full of energy like this?... Rem though to himself.

Kurt glared. "Hmm...Lucky dodge...Now try this!" Then Kurt shot a beam of level three lightning at Ralph.

Ralph jumped up to dodge, but when the electricity reached where Ralph was seconds before, it changed direction and went up after him. It hit him dead on, and Ralph crashed on the ground. "Ugh...That smarts..." Ralph said.

Aqua looked to Rem. "Did you see the color of electricity he just used? That was level three I think." Aqua said.

"Yeah. There is no way that Kurt could of reached level three that quickly. So how did he use it?" Rem said.

Ralph got back up to his feet, his power resistant clothing saving him from the blunt of the attack. "Umm, guys? Less talking, more fighting. We're kinda in danger here." Ralph said.

"Here comes the next wave!" Kurt yelled at them. Then two large beams of electricity were fired at Rem and Ralph.

They both jumped out of the way, and Aqua an ice beam at Kurt, blasting him back. Part of him was frozen, but he melted it off with super hot red electricity. "That's it! Now I'm getting mad!" Kurt yelled, charging more electricity. Then he sent a huge shockwave through the whole room. Aqua quickly made a dome of ice, but the heat of the electricity, and its power smashed the dome. Rem fired a heat wave from his hands, melting the ice so the shards wouldn't hurt them. But the heat of Rem's attack, and the heat of the red electricity caught random parts of the room on fire.

Kurt unleashed another wave of electricity, which blasted everyone back. Kurt then started charging for the next attack. "Now it's time to...Eh?" He looked up when he felt something hit him in the head that made him spark slightly. It was a drop of water. The sprinkler system in the bank turned on due to the fire. Water was all over the place. And when the water hit Kurt, he started to short out. The water caused his own electrical body to zap himself. "Ahhh!" Kurt screamed in pain. He let out a huge electrical blast. The gang was blasted outside, due to the power of the attack. They got up, and saw Kurt coming out of the smokey building. "Ok, that’s it! No more screwing around!"

Rem looked at him. Water! His body cant take being hit by water! Ion energy should work as well, canceling out his powers. Rem thought. "Guys! Water and Ion!" Rem said.

Ralph and Aqua nodded. Ralph lead the charge, with a blaster in one hand and a reflector in the other. Ralph wasn’t quick enough to dodge electric blasts that close, so he relied on the reflector to block the oncoming blasts. When Ralph got close enough, he fired a volly of Ion blasts from his blaster. Kurt dodged them at first, but Ralph planned on his dodge, and quickly pulled out his second blaster, catching Kurt with an Ion blast from the second blaster. Kurt was hit, and didn’t know what was happening, as he felt the energy in his body acting weird. Ralph quickly began to fire more ion shots, until the electricity around him died down, Ralph took out a small explosive, and threw it right at Kurt! The explosive, while small, still packed a punch, blasting Kurt into a wall. Ralph prepared to follow up with another attack, but Kurt quickly sparked back to life, as he flew at Ralph at a blinding speed, and grabbed him by the shirt. “Enough of that.” He then blasted Ralph backwards from a point blank range shot.

Aqua shot a huge blast of water at Kurt, which he dodged by blasting himself into the air with electricity. Kurt then noticed he was able to in a way fly with his electricity. He moved around Aqua’s attacks with ease, and when he caught her off guard, he sent a powerful blast of electricity from his hand. Aqua didn’t have enough time to react, and was hit and fell to the ground. While Kurt was still in the air, Rem fired beams of water from his staff at Kurt. He got hit by one, but the rest missed. He then blasted Rem down with electricity. Kurt then charged lightning in his hands, not losing focus on Rem "You go first..." Kurt said, as he began to blast Rem with constant streams of electricity from his hands! Rem yelled out in pain, having trouble reaching for his shield to block the attacks. Aqua managed to recover, and quickly noticed Rem in trouble. Trying to think quickly, she noticed Kurt was floating above a fire hydrant. She reached her hand out, and the fire hydrant started to shake. Then the top of the hydrant blasted off, striking Kurt in the head, then followed with high pressurized water. The water was hitting him full force, as he yelled in intense pain from the force of the water, as we as his body damaging itseld.

Rem and Ralph woke back up, and saw Kurt. "Ralph! Toss me your blaster!" Rem yelled. Ralph tossed it to him, and Rem caught it. He fired a few ion blasts at Kurt. Soon Kurt stopped discharging electricity, and the water blasted him into a wall. Aqua cut the flow from the fire hydrant, and Kurt fell to the ground.

The three of them converged at Kurt’s body, where Rem handed Ralph his blaster back. Rem then took out a pair of silver bands, and put them on Kurt. Ralph looked confused. “What are those?”

“These are Lunar powered handcuffs Eric designed these handcuffs to null powers. This will keep his powered contained until we can get him into Kavisto’s for questioning." Rem answered.

Suddenly Eric called in to Rem. ”Rem, I’ve been trying to reach you! Kurt must of jammed the signal somehow with his powers. You got trouble, the police are about to be right on top of you! It seems they had the same idea as us. You gotta get out of there fast!”

“Got it, we’ll get moving.” Rem then was about to make a portal, but then they were stopped with a “FREEZE!”

Rem stopped his hands, as he, Aqua, and Ralph raised their hands. Rem looked over his shoulder to see officer Rogers, as well as a squad of other officers, all guns trained on them. “I finally got you scum right were I want you all.”

“Officer, this is all a big misunderstanding-“ Rem tried to explain.

“Quiet! You can save it for the station. We’ve got you lot on enough charges to take you in. Just having him with you is enough, aiding and abiding a criminal.” Rogers said, referring to Ralph.

“We just did your job for you ungrateful assholes, and you wanna paint us the bad guys?!” Ralph yelled.

“That’s enough outta you, punk! You’re just making your case worse.” Rogers said.

Rem then muttered under his breath. “Eric, we need an escape plan. One false move, and we might be full of bullet holes.

”Working on it. The others will be there soon. Just don’t get in the cars for a long as possible.” Eric responded.


On a nearby roof top, Raylu, Kari, Sora, and Brett were watching what was unfolding. "This isn't good, we got to get them out of there!" Sora said.

"Right. Sir Brett, shoot this down there." Raylu told him, handing him a white sphere.

Brett took aim, then shot it at the ground around Rem and the others. When it hit the ground, and cracked, multi colored smoke came forth from it. It was so thick, you couldn't see anything. While the smoke was around, a portal opened above them, and black tentacles grabbed Rem and the others. When the smoke cleared, the team was gone. Rogers looked around for them. "Damn it! The freaks got away!" Then he noticed Kurt. "Well at least we still have that Electrode freak." Then he looked at the cuffs. "Hmm...Strange looking cuffs the slapped on him." Rogers said.

Officer Landon was among the quad with Rogers, though he never actually put his gun n the group. He took Rogers by the shoulder. "I wouldn't take those off him. They seem to nullify his powers."

"Yeah, yeah. Keep your shirt on Landon. Now let's get back to the station. The other officers will take him to the special holding cell we made just for him." Rogers said, walking away.

Landon started to follow, then he looked over to Kurt. "Y-you...It's you..." Kurt said to Landon. Landon looked at Kurt with a pained expression on his face. But he said nothing, and walked away. After Landon was gone, Kurt passed back out. The other officers then took Kurt away.



Then none remained on the scene. But someone else was watching this battle. On a roof top was a person in a black and red power suit. The time traveler, Zane. "Hmm...I see expect great things from The Electrode in the future...Heh heh heh. But It helps to know a few of the events ahead of time. But I wonder if any unexpected things will happen. Seeing events out of order, and not knowing everything can be confusing. Master needs to inform me of more. Well I'll enjoy seeing more events with him. But another day." Then he pushed a few buttons on his suit, and a beam of light came from the sky. He walked into it. And the light vanished after teleporting him away.




Elsewhere, in a remote facility much like the one Kurt was given his suit, Kraven was in a small office like room. Kraven was working on a computer, when a man in a lab coat with brown hair and gray eyes entered the room. He had rather normal looking clothes on underneath the lab coat. “May I come in sir?”

Kraven looked up to see the man in the lab coat at the door. “Ah, yes. Come in Mr. Conwell. Is that the report on Mr. Norman that I asked for?”

Conwell nodded. “Yes sir. It’s as the research suggested from the first Meta Human trial, Mr. Normans through possess seems to have altered pretty drastically. And also.” He handed both Kraven Normans psych report, as well as a mission report. “Crix asked me to bring you this. It seems to be a report on Normans mission today. He got into a battle with the World Savers and lost, but it seems he had no problem attacking them. It seems with further training and understanding of his powers, he could prove to be a dangerous threat to them…and an amazing ally to us.”

Kraven chuckled slightly. “The plan worked then. All I had to do was plant the seeds of doubt in Normans mind, and the rest followed naturally. Now that they are enemies naturally, gaining Normans cooperation in future matters should be very simple.” He finished skimming the report. “He may be in custody, but that shouldn’t prove too difficult to deal with then the time comes. Thank you for this. Pass it on to Crix for me.”

Connwell nodded. “Of course sir.” He then turned to leave, but then looked over his shoulder. “Sir, may I ask you something?” Kraven looked at him, waiting for him to ask. “We didn’t need the funds we collected from Mr. Norman, did we?”

Kraven chuckled slightly. “More money is never a bad thing. But getting Norman to naturally fight with the World Savers? That alone was worth the cost of this…experiment. The money is just extra. Though on the question of money, do expect a nice bonus on your work on the suit. Is that all you had to ask of me, Mr. Connwell?”

“Yes sir, I was merely curious. Have a good night, sir.” Connwell said, as he took his leave.

Kraven’s eyes then looked back to the reports he got. “You were right father…The Meta Human project is far from over…”









Back at the factory, everyone was just getting back in. “Well…he may be in the polices hands, but at least he’s off the street.” Rem commneted.

"Right, but still, I feel sorry for him. He's only the victim of an accident. I wish I could of found the cure for him." Eric said.

Aqua put her hand on Eric's shoulder. "It's not your fault. He just couldn't stand being what he was. I'm sure you'll find his cure in time, you’ve got this!”

"Yeah! What Aqua said. Your the smartest guy I know. I'm sure you'll figure it out." Ralph said.

"Right. I mean look at all the things you've created. Powerful weapons and tools, probes and robots. Erue. Rem's gauntlets. You’re incredibly smart. If anyone could do it, it would be you." Brett said. Sora, Kari, and Raylu agreed.

Eric chuckled. "Alright alright, I get it. Thanks guys. Now let's get back to the cabin. It's time to relax after today. Plus it's almost time for me to feed you all." Then Eric made a portal, and led everyone into it.

"Yay! Time to eat! I'm hungry! After today, I'm gonna eat alot!" Sora said.

"What are you talking about? You didn't do anything." Ralph said. Brett and Kari laughed, as the four joined Eric.

Rem looked over to Aqua. "Rough day huh? You as tired as me?" Rem asked.

"Yeah today was tough, but we've had much worse. But it will be nice to rest when we get back." Aqua said.

"So shall we join them?" Rem asked.

Aqua smiled, and nodded. "Sure, let's." She answered. Then they walked into the portal as well. Raylu followed after them





Meanwhile, Kurt was being put into a specially made cell. One coated in rubber. "Here's your new home sparky. Night. You'll have many more in here." One of the two officers said, closing the door to his cell.



Kurt sat on his bed. "They'll pay...They'll all pay for this. I will get out of this cell. No box can contain me! When I get out, that team is gonna wish they never messed with me! The police as well. None of them can stop The Electrode!" Kurt said loudly, then started to laugh. This wouldn't be the last time anyone would hear from The Electrode.


…End of Data Log…

[Aqua]

Data Log #5 The Muscle Man and the Megaton EX

Data log place in time: A week after the capture of The Electrode


In the laboratory's at Harkum Inc, a scientist was working late into the night. He was an older man in his forties, with blue eyes, and long brown hair with a receding hairline. "Hmm...The effects of the chemicals seemed to have very interesting effects on Mr. Norman, just as I expected. It seems with the added electricity he mutated into one who uses electricity. So perhaps the chemicals can be altered differently so the chemicals have different effects then just their standard ones…" Then the man went to a table with test tubes on it, and picked one up. "Now to move this to cold storage for the test." He said. He left the room for the cold storage area. He opened a large freezer like door, and went inside. He placed the test tube on a table in the room. Then he opened a container with chilled chemicals, and added them to the test chemicals. The already chilled chemicals appeared to be radioactive. But then he heard the door close behind him. He quickly ran to the door, but he couldn't get it to open. “Gah! No, the door locked from the inside! Help! Is someone there?! Someone is in here, please come back!” He yelled, as he beat on the door, but to no avail. The poor man was trapped in cold storage. He was unaware that the radioactive container wasn’t properly sealed in his panic, so he was exposed to the radioactive chemicals all night. The next day, the other scientists noticed him missing, and he was discovered late in the afternoon. His skin was a light blue now, while his hair was white like snow with blue streaks because of the radioactive chemicals. He was rushed to the hospital soon after he was found.

"And Doctor Alexander Frost was discovered in cold storage on site. He was rushed to the hospital as soon as he was discovered. Mr Harkum himself will speak about his condition in person tomorrow at his press conference that was already planed for the unveiling of a new improved invention to further work towards the goal of clean energy for all the city. That's all for our news at noon report. Join me again tonight at five. From the news team here, I'm Alan Brock, and thank you for watching." The news man on the tv said.

Rem was in the living room of the cabin with a few of the others watching the news report, as he had a concerned look on his face. "That's the fifth person that's had an accident at Harkum. That’s...way to many to be a natural accident…"

Ralph looked confused. “I mean, is it that odd? They haven’t had hardly any issues since they opened five years ago. If it was some kinda plot, wouldn’t this have happened ages ago?”

"If anything, that makes me think even more that it’s foul play. If not from Harkum themselves, maybe someone from the outside, like Kraven...Either way, I'm going to that press conference tomorrow, just on the off chance anything weird happens. Does anyone want to join me?" Rem asked.

Ralph shook his head. "Nah. Eric was gonna send me and Brett to a place where monsters appear often. Get some training in on different kinds of foes."

"I'll go. I’ve been cooped up in the cabin for too long, so I could use some time out in town. Plus the conference could be interesting." Kari said.

"I'll go too. Might be fun. And if something goes wrong, I'll be there to save you both." Sora said with a smirk.

Rem chuckled a little. "Alright then, you two can come with me.”

"I'll go as well sir." Raylu said, as he perked his head up from his nap on the couch in his pup form.

"I don’t know if that’s a good idea, what with the recent heat we’ve gotten. You'll have to stay with Eric and Aqua, or go with Brett and Ralph." Rem answered.

Raylu sighed. "Yes, I know. Very well sir."

Kari looked back over to Rem. “So, you really think this Kraven could be behind these accidents?”

Rem nodded. “I don’t have any proof, but these mutants are a lot like something Kraven tried to do years ago called ‘Meta Human’.”

Sora looked confused. “So wait, what was a Meta Human?”

“It was just a name Kraven gave to some project to attempt to give humans the powers of powered kind, but he seemed to shelf it after the first one ‘self destructed’ in a manor or speaking.” Rem paused. “Again, I have no proof. Kraven just could be taking interest in these mutants, and has no actual connection to them, but I guess we’ll learn soon enough if we keep sticking our noses in Kraven’s affairs.”

Ralph chimed back in after hearing this. “So what makes him so dangerous? Aqua and Eric mentioned it as well, so I was wondering. Is he like super powerful or something?”

Rem shook his head. “He’s not super powerful or anything, he’s just a normal human like me. He’s as strong as the tools in his arsenal, and the training he puts in.” Rem paused. “Though what makes him so dangerous is his motivation. He has more hatred for powered kind then I’ve ever seen in a person before, and I find that more deadly then having super powers. That kind of hate always finds a way to grow stronger…”

Ralph put his hands together. “Well if that’s the case, he can be stopped, like any other dude.”

Rem looked at him rather seriously. “I wouldn’t underestimate him like that. Normal person or not, he’s more deadly then a good portion of powered threats I’ve faced. In all honesty, I hope you won’t have to encounter him any time soon…”

“We’re improving quickly though. We’ll probably need to deal with him ourselves at some point, so we’ll just have to be ready for an encounter at any point, sooner or later.” Kari pointed out.

Rem was starting to feel stressed at this, but he tried to hide it from his expressions. “That’s what the training is for. Speaking of that, we should get on another training session.”

Sora’s expression dropped at that. “Ah shit, again? What I wouldn’t give for a normal day off, without a back breaking workout.”

Ralph smirked. “You just don’t wanna get clowned on in target practice again.”

Sora narrowed his eyes. “Oh yeah?! We’ll see about that.”

Kari sighed, face palming. “I’ll go prep the training room.” Kari said, as she went down to the cellar to the training room, while Sora and Ralph went to get their gear.

Rem sighed once they left. “A confration with Kraven will probably happen at some point…I need to make sure they are all ready for it. I…can’t let that happen again.” Rem then got up to go his own gear from his room.





Meanwhile, much later into the night, a man who makes robotics was working into the late hours. He was in his late forties, maybe fifties, with brown hair and gray eyes. This place was called Harason Robotics. This was one of the biggest business rivals for Harkum Inc. The inventor that was working this late was the founder and owner of the company, Harason Fisk. He seemed to be working on some kind of body suit, as recent events were playing back in his head. A few days prior, Harason was at a meeting at city hall. The mayor, a short man of 5 ft 4 inches, tophat, girthy, with green eyes and swirly mustache, and a bald head, having only brown sideburns, was speaking with Harason, Mr Harkum, and a young man with bright red hair. “Thank you all for coming today. Sadly, Mr. Kavisto Pantech couldn’t be with us here today, so Mr. Jake here is in his stead. As you all know, I’ve been in talks with the board in regards to the robotic security for our fair city. Now I understand that Mr. Fisk has been our sole provider for the robotic task force for the last five years, but a few months ago, Mr. Harkum approached the city with a new proposal. Mr. Harkum has come forward with robot designs that are much cheaper to produce in large amounts, as well as some impressive new robot types, and a plan for further upgrades for the Megaton battle suit. Now Mr. Fisk, while the city has been immensely grateful for all the work you’ve put into the cities task force, the board has decided to proceed with Mr. Harkum’s proposal, as other areas of the city could benefit from the savings Mr. Harkum’s plan will provide.”

Harason at first looked to be in shock in disbelief, before finally speaking. “You can’t be serious, Mr. Mayor. I’ve seen the plan that Harkum has provided, and quite frankly as the leading mind in robotics, the prices are only kept as low as they are because of all the corners being cut. You and the board truly believe that cutting the funding of the task force, and putting the public at greater risk is worth saving a couple bucks? At that point you might as well save even more and defund the police.”

The Mayor put his hands together, and began to speak again. “I understand your concern and frustration, but the city has put a lot of thought into-“

“The city? Or the boards wallet?” Harason cut in.

The Mayor looked annoyed. “The board is the voice of the city. The chief of police has also agreed with this as well. With the crime rate in the city at an all time low, and the powered threats of the world finally leaving this city, we determined that the protection the city needs is now much lower. And honestly, the task force of yours continues to eat up more money every year. You are bleeding us dry with your rates.”

“The rates are so high due to the power these robots need to deal with the threats that have plagued this city! I don’t cut corners when it comes to the protection of our fair city! The World Savers trusted in my task force to defend this city while they are away, and it’s been my mission since to make sure this city is just as safe, if not more, with them gone. You can’t just keep depending on free protection they provide anymore.” Harason said back.

“And do you not notice that with them gone, we are safe? Do you not notice that threats disappeared when they did? Where were they when the city cleaned up the aftermath of the threats they ‘protected’ us from, Mr. Fisk? Because the rest of the city does.” The Mayor commented.

“You dare accuse the World Savers of being anything less then honest? The world is a much bigger place then just france, Mr. Mayor.” Harason retorted.

The Mayor glared at Harason. “Regardless of where their goals lie, we considered the fact that you were not in league with this possible money and power scheme the World Savers are expected to be involved in when we made our decision. If anything we were being graceful in that. It was Mr. Harkum that vouched for your character, and suggested you not be investigated for possible terrorist connections with the World Savers.”

Jake, at this point, spoke up. “That’s quite enough, Mr. Mayor. You can keep your personal opinions on the World Savers to yourself. This is not the place to discuss this.” He said, sounding firm.

“Jake is right, Mr. Mayor.” Mr. Harkum said, then looked to Harason. “I personally would never believe with our history that you would ever willingly choose to go along with such a plot, Mr. Fisk. But you always were a bit…gullible. Regardless of where the World Savers stand,”

Harason glared at Harkum. “Is that how you explain away the blatant theft of not only my ideas but my Megaton battle suit? You’re rich Manfred.”

“My lawyers will disagree, Mr. Fisk. Maybe next time make sure in legal writing that the pilot of such an object isn’t entitled to ownership.” Mr. Harkum explained, with a snide look on his face.

“Regardless of all these personal issues, your company will be allowed to continue with your operations in the city, Mr. Fisk. You simply will no longer have any further funding for your task force, and any possible actions your robots may take in the city in regards to it, outside of self defense, may be treated as vigilante actions, and legal actions may be taken. Mr. Harkum’s robots will be taking over security in a few days, and will be treated as an extension of the law, as well as Megaton pilot, Tony Flander. The chief of police has already approved this joint relationship.”

Harason glared at Harkum. “So now you have your grimy hands on the police, do you Manfred? You won’t stop until nothing is out of your grasp, will you?”

Harkum chuckled. “You paint me as a villain, Mr. Fisk. I simply share the same passion for protecting the city as you, but I can do it cheaper, so more then just the cities safety can be addressed.” He then took out a business card, and handed it towards Harason. “Though if you’d like to help work with my own robot production, you are more then welcome to work for me in building robots that are both effective in combat and cost. Just like old times.”

Harason took the card, ripping it in half. “You can take that offer and shove it down your throat. If it’s anything like ‘old times’ you can keep that for yourself.” He then looked to the Mayor. “And you. I hope the next person in your seat isn’t nearly as foolish as you are. To value money over the safety of the your own city? Shame on you and the board! I pray this city doesn’t have to deal with such a threat that it’s only hope is these Harkum trashcans!”

“Harkum Inc. is the bright future of this fine city, Mr. Fisk. You’d do well to remember that, and not make more problems for yourself. Don’t burn your bridges.” Harkum said.

“We are done here, Mr. Fisk. Thank you for your service to our fair city. You can leave now.” The Mayor said, firmly.

Harason’s hands began to shake, as he felt he was about to blow a gasket. He felt like jumping across the table, and grabbing the Mayor by the throat, and throwing him into Harkum. But he closed his eyes, and without another word, turned to leave. Jake followed him out, as he wanted to speak with him. Once both had left the room, Harason turned to Jake. “Did you know about this? What did Kavisto say?”

Jake sighed. “Kavisto did what he could, but the choice was not up to him. He was an advocate for your forces, but politicians like to think with what it can do for them. Personally I just think the Mayor wants a connection with Harkum based on how they are growing.”

“That Harkum is no better then a villain. You may have no choice, but I’d be careful in working with him.” Harason sighed. “I need to call my wife and let her know what happened. Do take care Jake. If you or Kavisto need anything at all that I can help with, you know where to find me. I’m not going anywhere. It will take more then that for Harkum to put me under.”

Jake nodded. “Of course, Harason. You take care.” And at that point, the two parted ways that day.

Reliving the events of that day in his head only made Harason more angry. "That old fool is going to regret stealing what I rightfully mine. He's gonna pay for it....And in front of all of france!" In the next room were many large robots, around 10 feet tall. These were not the same as the robots that Harason produced to protect the city, but a different kind. They looked more powerful, and deadly. While most of the normal robots in the room were shutdown, these more powerful looking ones were on standby. They looked prepped, and ready for battle. "Tomorrow he will pay. He and Megaton..." Harason said.


The next afternoon at the factory, after Eric sent off Ralph, Brett, and Raylu off on their training trip, Aqua arrived at the computer room. "Hello miss Aqua." Erue said.

"Hello Aqua. What's up?" Eric asked.

"Nothing, I'm bored. I wanted to go to that press conference with Rem and the others, but I cant." Aqua answered.

Eric nodded. "Yeah I know. Hopefully things wont stay like this forever. We just need to win over the city like we did in the past.” Eric paused, as Aqua sighed. "Well anyway, we can still watch the conference on the news. Erue, could you bring it up? It should be starting soon." Eric asked.

"Of course master Eric. One moment please." Erue said. After a few seconds he pulled up the channel. "Here you are sir.”


At the front gates of Harkum Inc, the press conference was about to begin. Rem, Sora, and Kari were in the crowd. They avoided being near the front, so not to be so easily seen. "So what are they gonna be talking about again?" Sora asked.

"He's unveiling a new invention or something, and talking about the condition of Doctor Frost." Rem answered.

"Ah, right." Sora responded.

At the same time, on some near by rooftops were some people watching the conference site. One was on a rooftop with zoom binoculars, he looked like a werewolf in blue and black armor. He had yellow eyes, and brown and black fur. He was a bounty hunter called Wolfen Knight. "Hmm...I wonder if whatever is being unveiled is really that important." He said in a gruff voice. The person on the other roof was another bounty hunter. He had a full power suit on that was black, red, and dark blue. It had visor in the shape of a T, but it couldn't be seen through. He said nothing, and just waited.

Down in front of the gate, a man in a yellow lab coat with blonde hair and sunglasses, walked up to the mike on the podium. He cleared his throat. "Hello everyone, thank you all for coming. I am Professor Aaron Magmore. Allow me to introduce you to the man you all came to hear. Mr. Harkum himself." Aaron said.

Then from the front gate a man in a hovering wheelchair hovered his chair up onto the podium. The crowd clapped as he came up. He got out of his hoverchair, with some help, and walked to the mike with the help of a cane. "Hello everyone. Welcome to Harkum Inc. Now I know many people are worried about Doctor Frost, and concerned with his condition, so before I get started with other matters today, I will address this first. I have spoken with the doctors this morning, and they said he will be fine. He will make a full recovery. I’m not able to go into depth on the finer details of his condition due to his doctors request, however." He finished, followed by the crowd clapping. Mr Harkum smiled. "I'm glad I was able to relieve everyone's worry. Now we can move on with the other reason everyone came with everyone's hearts at ease. I have recreated something wonderful. Many of you remember a few years ago when Harason Fisk created the CEG, compact energy generator. But it was lost to the world when bounty hunters had a war over it. Well myself, and many of the brilliant minds that work here have recreated it, but even better then it ever was! Allow me to give you all a proper demonstration. Come on out Megaton!" Harkum said.

Then the front gates opened again. A man in a huge power suit came out. It was almost 12 feet tall, in a gold and purple color pattern. The helmet folded away, showing a red haired head with green eyes. The crowd cheered loudly.

"Wow, it’s actually Megaton! I’ve never seen him in person before!” Sora exclaimed.

Kari didn’t look as impressed. “So uh, does the Megaton work for the World Savers?” Kari asked Rem.

Rem shook his head. “Nah, Tony doesn’t work for us. He’s just been a public hero since Harason came around with his robots who helped us from time to time.” Rem looked confused. “Though I guess he doesn’t really work for Harason Robotics anymore, just like Aqua said. I wonder why he works for Harkum now.”

“I heard he was like Harkum’s personal bodyguard when he isn’t helping the city.” Sora added.

Rem looked more confused. “Never figured him for the bodyguard type.”

Mr Harkum began to speak again. "Harason's CEG was designed to power the mighty Megaton power suit for more then two weeks on the energy it generated on it's own before having to have new electricity to be added. But mine is designed to run for more then a month. Almost twice as long as Harason's. But that’s just the beginning. We are already making great strides in developing the CEG for more then powering the Megaton. Soon we’ll be creating versions to run many different devices. Imagine, power plants running on devices that reuse and renew energy with just a small amount up front. Soon we could be powering a whole street on a light bulb, or times square with a car battery? Well soon you wont have to imagine it, as we are working together with the Tower of Power project. Once development is complete, we’ll be powering the entire country with the energy the tower will provide in working with our new CEG technonology.”He finished as a round of applause, and people began to clamor. “Before we start taking questions, why not a little demonstration of it’s newfound power? Megaton, why don't you show the people a little example?"

"Of course Mr Harkum." Tony responded over a speaker from the suit. Then a missile launcher on his back opened up. It fired a missile into the sky. Once it was high enough, Tony fired a energy blast from his palm at the missile. It destroyed the missile in a firework pattern. The crowd cheered. Then the missile launcher fired two more missiles. He did a little spin, then shot a blast from each hand, destroying the missiles. The crowd cheered even louder. He launched another missile. But when he was about to shoot it, another energy blast destroyed it. It came from behind the crowd. Everyone turned to look.

From behind the crowd was a old man in a pair of goggles and redish brown jumpsuit like outfit, circles and wires all over it. Ten huge robots, almost the size of Megaton, were behind him. “Harkum!” The old man yelled, as the robots began to step closer. One fired at the podium with a powerful palm blast of energy, but Tony blasted the shot away with a palm blast of his own.

The police all got in front of the podium. They were led by Officer Buck Rogers, as well as Officer Landon. The crowd was beginning to freak out, as everyone began to scatter. “Everyone, remain calm! The officers will guide you all to safety! Buck yelled, trying to help the officers calm the crowd.

The old man stepped closer to the podium, as the robots followed him. Tony looked ready to attack, his helmet going over his face. Mr. Harkum looked down from the podium at the old man. "Mr Fisk?! What is the meaning of this disruption?!" Mr. Harkum asked.

Harason pushed his goggles up onto his forehead, and glared at Harkum. "Dear Manfred, I've come to clam what is rightfully mine! I don’t care what laws your lawyers broke in order for you to simply recreate my CEG and pass it off as your own, but it and it’s blueprints are coming home with me!" Harason ordered, then he looked to Tony. "And you, you back stabber! You will surrunder the Megaton powersuit that you took from me when you left my employ!”

"Not going to happen Harason, Harkum has taken care of that with his lawyers. As it’s pilot, this suit belongs to me now." Tony answered, his voice altered because of the helmet.

"And the CEG is now mine, Mr. Fisk. With the destruction of your original design, and it’s blueprints, you have no claim of ownership over it anymore." Harkum then chucked. “For someone so afraid of losing what ‘belongs to you’ you sure don’t go through the legal means of protecting yourself.”

Harason glared at Harkum. “You play dumb Manfred, but I know you’re the one who arranged the bounty hunter attack on my base and destroyed the original and stole the blueprints. I wouldn’t be surprised if you pulled the strings on my copywrite being ‘lost’ either.”

Harkum didn’t seem phased. “You really will stop at nothing to project your misfortunes onto me, will you? Even when we were teenagers, you always blamed your failures on me. And yet here we are, full grown men, yet you still act like a child throwing a fit.”

“And you still are a master of deflecting the blame off of yourself, Manfred. But that won’t work today.” Harason retorted back.

Harkum chuckled. “It’s really sad how you’ve managed to delude yourself so much. Maybe your old age is setting in sooner then mine.” He paused. “I’m willing to look past this intrusion, and explain it away to the police if you leave now. You aren’t leaving with what you want without force, and you lack the means to take it from me. Megaton is far more advanced then when you last worked on him, and your little ‘trashcans’ are no match, I assure you.”

Harason smirked, as he lowered his goggles again. “I was hoping you’d say that. I think you’ll find I’m more then prepared for you today. If the law won’t stand with me, then I stand alone. Might will make right, today.” Then he motioned his arm, and the robots opened fire on Tony, while Harason jumped into the air toward Harkum. But then a blast came out of nowhere, blasting Harason off course, and into the ground. Everyone looked to the side where the blast came from, and saw that Rem fired the blast. Kari and Sora were with him as well.

"It's them! The vigilantes!" Buck said, starting to go toward them, but Landon held him back.

"Wait, sir! Let's be smart about this. Let them take care of this robot problem, then we can make a move once they tire out." Landon said.

"Ooo! Good idea Landon." Buck said, calming down, keeping his distance and working with the other officers to clear the area.

Rem then called out to Harason. “Harason, please calm down! We don’t need to fight about this!”

Harason got up, and looked confused. He wasn’t even aware that Rem was truly back in town, outside of the rumors going around from the news about the World Savers helping the villain Electrode. "Rem?! What are you doing here? Why are you aiding my enemy?! Do you not understand what’s going on?”

"I'm not aiding anyone, I'm just trying to get this whole thing under control. Let’s just relax, and we can work this whole thing out without a fight." Rem pleaded with Harason.

"No! I’ve have tried to handle this in every other way, but this thief controls what he likes! His hands are everywhere! I’ve resorted to this because I’ve been left with no other option, and I will not sit back and watch him try to destroy me! I will take back what is rightly mine, even if I must fight you to do so! Now will you stand aside?" Harason asked.

Rem shook his head. “I’m sorry Harason, but I can’t let you do this. For your sake and the publics, I have to stop you.”

Harason looked enraged. "Even you will stand against me when I need you by my side most? Fine! Slayers! Move those three aside!" Harason ordered. The robots then moved toward the three of them.

Rem drew his sword. "Alright guys, you ready?" Rem asked.

"Heck yeah! I've been waiting for this!" Sora exclaimed.

"I'm ready too." Kari answered.

On the podium, Harkum looked to Tony. "Mr. Flander, aid them. We can’t let Mr. Fisk run wild." He simply said.

Tony nodded. "Yes Mr. Harkum." He answered, jumping off the podium.

From the rooftops, the bounty hunters watched the battle begin. "Hmm...This could prove helpful..." Wolfen said to himself. The bounty hunter on the other roof said nothing, and just watched.



Meanwhile, Ralph, Brett, and Raylu were off on their battle trip. They were in a forest near some active volcano, but where exactly wasn’t known, though it was far from france. The three of them just finished off a group of Arachna beasts and Octobeasts. Octobeasts were large, beast like octopi with large bodies, a rounded snout mouth with teeth, and large tentacles. "These monsters are a joke. Where are the tough ones?" Ralph asked.

"It varies. Some days there are tough ones, some there aren't." Raylu explained.

"Hey, what are those?" Brett asked.

He saw a herd of monsters running. Octobeasts, monsters made of jelly, Arachna beasts, and monsters with green babas growing out of them. They were running from lizard monsters around three to four feet tall. They were ganging up on the other monsters, and two tall lizard dinosaur type monsters with axes were close behind. "Quick! Capture the leaders meal!" One of the tall ones said.

"Those monsters are hunting the smaller monsters." Brett pointed out.

"Be careful. The monsters doing the hunting are Lizafose and Dinofose. They are powerful." Raylu said.

"Perfect! They should prove to be a better challenge!" Ralph exclaimed, running off to face them.

Brett sighed. "Come on. He'll need our help." Brett said, running after him. Raylu followed.

Ralph ran toward the group of Lizafose. "Yo lizard breath!" Ralph yelled. All the Lizafose looked at him. "Pick on someone your own skill level!" He finished. He threw a bomb at them all, blasting the group all over the place.

"What is the meaning of this?! You dare to interrupt the hunt of the leaders meal?" One of the Dinofose said. Then he noticed them. "Oh my!" He said, licking his lips. "Don't you three look tasty." He said.

"Our leader would love to eat you. As would I." The other Dinofose said.

"Well if you think you can catch us, then bring it on!" Ralph declared.

The pair of Dinofose smirked. "Get them Lizafose!" One of the Dinofose said. Then all the little lizards started running at them.

Brett loaded his rifle with a bomb, and blasted them as they came close. Raylu and Ralph charged at the short monsters. As Raylu got close to them, he jumped into the air, and blasted them with beams of aura. After a few attacks, all of Raylu's were killed. Ralph used twin blasters, and blasted them as they came close. Some even jumped through the air at him, but Ralph still got them. Brett sniped the ones that came at him. The three of them made short work of the Lizafose.

"...This is a problem." One of the Dinofose said.

"Now what were you two saying?" Ralph asked.

"Kill them!" A Dinofose said. They both ran at them.

"Brett, quickly, your beam sword." Raylu said, reaching his hand out.

Brett nodded. He took it off his belt, and tossed it to Raylu. He caught it, and turned it on. The Dinofose attacking Raylu tried to chop him with it's axe. Raylu held this attack back with the beam sword, then hit the Dino with an open palm punch. The Dino stumbled backwards, and Raylu blasted him with an aura sphere. The Dinofose charged at Raylu. The Dino tried to slash and chop Raylu, while Raylu tried to slash with the sword. They mostly just ended up blocking each others moves. Though both Raylu and the Dinofose both got a few slashes on each other.

Ralph was having a tougher time. He was contently dodging and backfliping to avoid being chopped by an axe. And every time Ralph took a shot at the Dinofose, it would block the shot with the axe. "This isn't working. I need to use my beam sword to make an opening to shoot him." Ralph thought. He took out his beam sword, and turned it on. Ralph locked blade to axe blade with the Dino. Brett shot the Dinofose in the back with ion. The Dinofose kicked Ralph in the gut with a very powerful kick, knocking him away. Then he turned to attack Brett, running at him. Brett tried to shoot him, but the Dinofose deflected away every shot. Then the Dinofose jumped into the air to pounce on Brett. Ralph acted quickly, and threw a bomb at the Dinofose. It blasted it out of the air. Ralph then ran at the Dinofose, who was now back up. He shot blasts at the Dinofose, which the first two hit because he was off guard, but the rest the Dinofose blocked with his axe. Then he breathed fire at Ralph when the Dino had an opening. Ralph quickly blocked with his reflecter. Though the Dinofose was charging at him while doing this attack, and tried to strike him with a axe blow. Ralph blocked this attack with his beam sword, then swapped out his reflecter for his blaster, and blasted the Dino with a ion blast in the face.

The Dinofose growled, and kicked Ralph back again. But Ralph caught himself, and ran at the Dinofose. He breathed fire at Ralph, but he jumped into the air over the flames. Then he came down at the Dinofose with his beam sword. The Dinofose blocked the attack with his axe, and held the attack back. "Give up! I'm stronger then you! You cant win!" The Dinofose said.

"Too bad....we’re smarter then you!" Ralph said. The Dinofose, now very mad, was about to breath fire right in Ralph's face. But Brett shot a blast right through the Dinofose's head. Quite a ugly shot. The Dino's eyes widened as it slowed to a stop. It had a lifeless look in it's eyes. Then it fell forward, dead. The body slowly burned away.

By now, Raylu was finishing up with his foe. Raylu could handle himself much better then Ralph or Brett could. Raylu was firing spheres at the Dinofose, and the Dinofose was knocking them away with his axe, the Dinofose breathed fire at Raylu when he had an opening. Raylu made a wall of aura, then he dashed away. The Dinofose didn't notice Raylu had moved until the aura wall burned away. He sensed Raylu coming from behind, and started to turn to attack with his axe. Raylu had the upper hand. He sliced with the beam sword, slashing the axe in half. He then nailed the Dinofose in the gut with an open palm punch, and the Dino was blasted back with an explosive force that came from the palm attack. The Dinofose crashed into a tree. "Ugh...There so strong..." The Dinofose said.

"I'd say this fight is about wrapped up." Ralph said.

"Indeed. Do you wish to run?" Raylu asked the monster. Then a stomping sound was heard, trees and things were shaking, then a roar was heard.

"Heh heh...Our leader is coming...And boy does he sound hungry..." The Dinofose said, chuckling.

Then from the trees, came a large beast. A Dinosaur type monster with dark green scales, red eyes, spikes down the spine and tail, and walked on four legs. It had a huge jaw, full of teeth. "Food! Where is my food?!" The huge monster said.

"O powerful leader, It's their fault! They stopped the hunt, and killed everyone but myself sir." The Dinofose said.

"Is that so? Then they will become my meal instead!" The large beast said, walking towards them.

"Careful. This is a Dongofose. They are very powerful." Raylu said.

"Got it." Brett responded. Ralph nodded, understanding.





At the other battleground, the fight progressed. Four of the ten robots were destroyed. Megaton was trying to shoot Harason with palm energy blasts, but Harason was surprisingly fast. He rushed over toward Megaton, dodging blasts and knocking them away, then grabbed Megaton's leg. Then he tossed Megaton through the air. What is happening!? How is he so strong? Tony thought, as he crashed on the ground, stunned for a moment. He was stuck for now.

"This is my chance!" Wolfen said, jumping high into the air.

Harason walked closer to Megaton, but Rem blasted him. Harason turned around, mad, and ran at Rem. He tried punch Rem, but Rem, using power demon power, grabbed Harason's fist. He tried to punch him a second time, but aiming for Rem's gut, but Rem caught this attack as well. Then Rem noticed behind Harason that Wolfen was on top of Megaton. Rem pushed away Harason, then yelled to Kari. "Kari! Help Megaton, quick!" Rem yelled, but then Rem was tackled by Harason. When Rem hit the ground, Harason jumped off of Rem. Rem got back up, but Harason tried to nail him with a spinning kick. Rem jumped back, but before Rem could attack, Harason hit Rem with two palm blasts. Harason tried to continue blasting Rem, but he took out his shield.

Kari heard Rem yell while she was fighting a Slayer, and noticed Wolfen on Tony, trying to claw the CEG out of the power suit. She ditched the robot, after hitting it with a ion blast from her blaster to stun it, an ran toward Wolfen and Tony. She jumped, and tackled Wolfen off Tony. They rolled around on the ground, until Wolfen kicked her off. He turned around to finish his work on the CEG, but Tony was already ready, and blasted Wolfen away, into Harason. Wolfen recovered first, and got up. When Harason got up, he charged at Tony. Rem shot blasts at Wolfen, as Rem ran at him. Wolfen deflected the blasts with reflective wrist guards. "So nice to see you again, Wolfen. Why are you in the area? For nothing good I assume." Rem said.

"Not good for you anyway. A buyer wants the CEG, and I intend to get it." Wolfen answered.

"Thought so." Rem responded simply, then formed shadows in his hand, he fired it at Wolfen in the form of the shadow bomb attack. Wolfen was blasted back into a robot Sora was fighting. Wolfen shook it off, and jumped at Sora. Sora tried to strike Wolfen, but Wolfen held the beam sword attack back with his claws! "Nice try!" Wolfen said. Then he kicked him away with his foot. Rem ran over to come to Sora's aid. Wolfen shot his blaster at Sora, but Rem blocked it with his sword.

The Slayer then came from behind. "Sora, I got Wolfen. You take the robots." Rem said.

"Got ya." Sora answered. He turned around to fight the robots. The Slayers had large looking blades on their arms for slashing, and it went to slash Sora. Sora held the attack back with one of his beam swords, but the Slayer prepared to palm blast Sora in the face while his guard was down. He quickly took out his reflector, and bounced the blast right back at the Slayer, staggering it back. In response to this, the Slayer had machine guns come out of it’s wrists, and fired at Sora. He quickly reached for his reflector, and blocked the attacks. But Sora couldn't attack back, being pined down. "Ugh, I need an opening, or this is gonna be one of my worst fights yet." Sora said.

Then a rocket soared through the air, hitting a robot on the end, badly damaging it, and causing it to stop firing. "Now's your chance!" Tony yelled. Sora nodded, and ran toward the damaged Slayer, and jumped up onto it. He took out his beam sword, and ran it through it's head. The Slayer then started to short out. He quickly traded his beam sword for his blaster, and shot the next Slayer down the line with a ion blast, then tossed a bomb at it. Sora then jumped off the damaged Slayer he was on, while the other one was hit by the bomb. The Slayer he was standing on seconds before, then blew up. Tony came over to aid Sora, and they fought the Slayers together.

While Sora and Tony fought the Slayers, Kari was fighting Harason. They were in a grapple match. "Your pretty strong for a little girl." Harason said.

"Your pretty strong for an old man." Kari responded with a smirk.

"Old man?! I'll show you 'old man'!" Harason yelled.

Then he fired blasts from his palms, blasting Kari back. She ran up to punch him, but he moved to the side to dodge, and grabbed her arm after her attack missed. He spun her around by the arm, then let her go. She flew through the air, and crashed in a nearby tree. "Ugh...That smarts...Good thing the tree broke my fall....Ohhhh, he's gonna get it!" She said. She picked out twigs and leaves out of her hair, and jumped to the ground. She ran at Harason, and he prepared to punch her. Then she went into a slide kick, tripping him, and getting behind him. He tried to get up, and she kicked him down in the back. He turned over, and put one leg behind her legs, then he moved both legs together, tripping her. Now he got up, and was about to step on her with great force. But she rolled out of the way, and flipped up. She punched him in the gut, then the face, then kicked him back.

Harason stumbled back. "Ugh! How can you last so long against my muscle suit?!"

Kari spit some blood out of her mouth, then wiped her lips with her wrist. “I’ve been in my fair share of scraps before, I’m used to being knocked around.”

"Well let's see how much longer you can last!" Then he quickly moved toward her, super fast speed, and aimed to punch her. She jumped back at the right time to avoid the punch, but then he quickly hit her with a powerful kick.

She was knocked back, and almost fell over. "Gah! He…hits so hard…But I can’t back down from an old man in a power suit." She ran up to Harason, and tried to punch him.

Harason grabbed her fist with his hand. "Heh, what a simple attack." He then went to kick her in the gut, but she had already planed ahead, and kneed him in the gut. Then she spun in a circle, getting free from his grip, and elbowed him in the side of the head. And they continued to battle on.

During the fighting, Mr. Harkum was taken inside with Aaron, and a few other men from outside. "Hmm. Megaton and those three will hopefully take care of Mr. Fisk and the bounty hunter." Aaron said.

"Indeed. We should go get the robots prepared though, on the off chance Fisk brings in more drones." Harkum said, as the two moved toward the main elevator.



Meanwhile, on one of the rooftops nearby, the other bounty hunter saw the chaos of the battle as a chance to make a move. He started his jetpack, and flew high into the air. He flew toward the central tower, the building where Mr. Harkum went to. Luckily Rem noticed him soar through the air, despite being high up. "Sora! You handle-" Rem then dodged an attack from Wolfens blaster. "you handle Wolfen. I gotta take care of someone." Rem finished.

"Got ya!" Sora answered. Sora then fired an ion blast from his blaster at Wolfen. It hit him, and started to slow him down enough for Rem to get clear.

When Wolfen returned to normal speed, he glared at Sora. "Your gonna regret that, boy." Wolfen said. He shot blasts at Sora with his blaster, which Sora dodged. Then he fired at Wolfen, who also dodged or deflected attacks. This pattern went on a while.

Inside the central tower building, the bounty hunter was going through the place, destroying guard robots as we went. After checking a few rooms, he reached the room where Mr. Harkum was. Aaron, and a few guards were there as well. "Guards! Take him out!" Aaron ordered. The guards opened fire on the bounty hunter. But the hunter dove to the side, and shot both guards with his twin blasters. They wrent killed, but they both went down, in alot of pain. Aaron, standing behind Harkum's over chair, quietly reached for a gun he had hidden.

The hunter pointed one of his blasters at Aaron. "I wouldn't." The hunter simply said, a voice sounding slightly distorted by the helmet, sounding deep but calm. Aaron moved away his hand.

"What do you want, bounty hunter?" Harkum asked.

"The blueprints for your CEG. And in exchange I'll let you both live." He responded.

Harkum sighed. "...Of course." He answered. His hoverchair left the room, as Aaron followed behind him. The hunter followed, blaster pointed at them. They went up an elevator, then to a room with many computers. Harkum's hoverchair stopped in front of one.

The hunter tossed Aaron a disk in a case. "Put the blueprint data on that disk, and if you try to trick me I'll make you regret it." The hunter said.

"Not so fast!" A voice yelled from behind.

The hunter looked back, as did Aaron and Harkum. It was Rem. "Hmm. You again. You really are a pest." The hunter said.

"It's my thing I guess. I'm not gonna let you take those blueprints Hunter R." Rem said, drawing his sword.

"You wish to fight. Hmm...Fine. I'll knock you down a few notches." Hunter R said, firing a shot at Rem. Rem deflected the attack with his sword. Then from Hunter R's wrist came a laser blade. Rem and Hunter R both went at each other. Both were skilled with the blade, so neither one of them were hitting each other. Rem charged electricity in his open hand, and shot it at Hunter R's gut. But Hunter R did the same thing, firing an energy blast from his palm. Both of their attacks hit the others attack, and the force to the blasts hitting each other, exploding, blasted Rem and Hunter R away from each other. Rem and Hunter R both charged at each other. Rem swung his sword at Hunter R, but Hunter R jumped up onto his sword, and kicked Rem in the face. Rem stumbled back, while Hunter R landed on the ground. He ran at Rem, and punched him twice, then kicked him in the side. When he went to punch Rem in the gut, Rem grabbed his fist, swung him around, and tossed him. Though when Hunter R neared the wall, aimed his legs at the wall, and pushed off the wall, propelling himself toward Rem. He aimed to double punch him, but Rem swung his sword, sending a wave of fire at him. Hunter R opened his hands, firing to palm blasts at the fire. The explosion of the two attacks knocked Hunter R out of the air, but he wasn't harmed. He ran at Rem. Rem swung his sword when Hunter R came close, but he jumped on the sword, then over Rem. Then he nailed Rem with a spinning kick, knocking Rem away. Hunter R quickly took out both blasters again, and shot at Rem over and over. Rem blocked the attacks with his shield, but once he barrage of lasers stopped and Rem lowered his shield, Hunter R flew right into Rem with his jetpack. He crashed Rem into the wall, then flew back.

Rem fell to the floor, and rubbed his head. "Ugh....nice. But it will take more then crashing me into a wall to stop me." Rem said, getting back into battle stance.

"As I'd expect. Come at me again then." Hunter R said, as he shot at Rem again.






Meanwhile, Raylu, Ralph, and Brett were still fighting the Dongofose. It was trying to crush Raylu under one of it's giant feet. Raylu held it back with his strength. "Ugh...He's tough...and heavy. Give me a hand." Raylu said.

Brett and Ralph both went to work. Ralph went to attack in the front, while Brett went to the back. When the Dongofose noticed Ralph in front of him, he breathed fire at Ralph. Ralph quickly took out his reflector, and deflected all the flames. That distracted the Dongofose. Brett shot a laser from his rifle through the side of the beasts tail. Apparently the hard armor like scales were weaker around the tail and eyes. The Dongofose roared in pain. While it's mouth was open, Ralph threw a few bombs into the Dongofose's mouth. The explosion didn't kill it, tough insides apparently, but it weakened the Dongofose. Enough so that the force of it's attack on Raylu was weak enough for Raylu to toss the Dongofose away. The Dongofose crashed into a tree, and landed on his back.

He rolled over, and stared at the three. The Dinofose spoke to his leader. "Sir, don't let them beat you. They are nothing compared to your might." The Dinofose said.

"Your right. These weaker lifeforms will burn." The Dongofose answered. He stomped toward them.

"Careful, he's going to attack." Raylu said.

The monster then spoke up. "You lower lifeforms will die by me. And you will be my dinner." He said. Then he took a deep breath, and said. "Burn!" As he breathed out flames.

Raylu put a force field of aura around them to protect them from the flames. But as soon as the flames dies out, they noticed a huge ball like object coming at them. The Dongofose had somehow curled up it's body like a ball, and was going at them. Raylu quickly pushed Ralph and Brett out of the way with some force, then Raylu jumped over the Dongofose before he was crushed. He made it over him. But when Raylu looked back, the Dongofose changed direction, and went at Brett. Raylu quickly ran over to him, and picked him up, then jumped away before the Dongofose ran them over. Raylu landed with Brett. "We cant harm him like this. I'll stop him, then you and Ralph hit a weak spot." Raylu said.

"Understood." Brett answered. Brett got out of the way, as the Dongofose came back at Raylu.

And right as the Dongofose was about to roll over Raylu, he put his arms out to stop the Dongofose. Raylu was pushed back slightly, but he stopped the Dongofose. "Attack him." Raylu said. Ralph threw bombs at what appeared to be the tail, and Brett shot at an eye with his rifle. The pain caused the force to weaken on the attack, and caused the Dongofose to unroll. Then Raylu flipped the Dongofose, smashing it into the ground. Raylu jumped on it's back, and formed a whip or rope made of aura, and stuck it in the monsters mouth. Using the whip, he forced the Dongofoses mouth to open. The Dongofose began to fight back, but Brett shot the Dongofose with ion blasts. It slowed, and it's mouth stayed open longer. Ralph acted quickly, and tossed a hand full of bombs into the Dongofose's mouth.

The bombs all went off inside, and smoke came out of his body. It tried to stand, but then a lifeless look was in it's eyes, and he fell to the ground, dead. "They...they killed him....I cant believe it." The Dinofose said.

"Well we beat him." Brett said.

Ralph looked to the Dinofose. "Well? You still want to fight?" Ralph asked. But the Dinofose backed away, and ran off. "Yeah, that's what I thought." Ralph said.

Then everyone's sage stone glowed. Eric's voice was heard. "Guy's there's a problem at the conference. We need you back here." Eric said.

"Understood Sir Eric. We’re ready to go, so open us a portal." Raylu said.

"Alright, one sec." Eric answered, and a portal opened up.




In the tower building, Rem and Hunter R fought on. Hunter R kept on shooting at Rem, as Rem kept moving to dodge. Rem had to counter attack somehow, so he changed his swords blade to electricity, and swung it, sending a wave of electricity at Hunter R. He was hit, and knocked back. That was the only attack that Rem hit him with this whole fight. Which made Hunter R a little mad, needless to say. "Lucky shot. That's the only one your gonna get." He said. Then he shot a flamethrower that came out of the back of his left arm at Rem. The attack was to wide to simply dodge, so he blocked the attack with his mirror shield. After a moment of holding back the flames, Rem saw an opening in Hunter R's defenses. So he started charging energy in his sword. Hunter R's helmet beeped, and his visor showed him Rem was charging power. "Hmm...I think I've toyed with you long enough." Hunter R said. Then out of his right arm came a small missile launcher, much like how the flamethrower came out. Rem saw it, and thought he would fire at him. But Hunter R shot it at the celling above Rem! The destroyed celling fell down on Rem, burying him under the rubble. No response came.

"I guess I win this round. Don't worry, we'll have a rematch another time." Then Hunter R turned to Aaron and Mr. Harkum. "Now that that matter has been taken care of, I trust you have put that information on the disk by now, yes?" He asked.

"Yes bounty hunter. Here it is. No tricks." Mr. Harkum answered.

"Very good. You really are a smart one. And to make sure you don't just go making more just like that..." He started typing on the computer.

Aaron took out his gun, and was about to shoot Hunter R. But he shot Aaron's hand with his blaster, without ever looking. It felt like a very powerful bee sting, which made Aaron drop his gun. "Ahh!" Aaron yelled.

"Next time I'll shoot to kill." Hunter R said, still not looking at them. Then he stopped typing. He deleted all the data on the computer. "And my work here is done. I'll let myself out." Hunter R said, leaving the room.

After Hunter R was gone, Rem managed to dig himself out of the rubble using his power demon orb power. "Ugh! He got away again! Did he get away with that data?" Rem asked.

"Sadly, he did. And deleted all the data." Mr. Harkum answered.

"Dang it!" Rem responded.

"However..." Mr. Harkum started. "While you battled the bounty hunter, I copied all the data on the computers on to a cloud storage that wasn’t connected to our servers. The hunter may have gotten what he wanted, but he failed to destroy the data here. And...I left him a little virus on that disk. He'll get that data, but whatever he plans to store it on is gonna cause him a ton of problems. Heh heh heh." Mr. Harkum finished.

Rem looked worried. "But aren't worried he'll come back? Hunter R isn’t known for his compassion. If he finds he’s been duped, he may return."

“I doubt he'll come back, he got what he wanted, yes? I thank you for your help." Mr. Harkum said, looking very grateful, with a smile on his face. “Though...I think your friends need your help outside." Mr. Harkum said.

Rem nodded. "Yes, your right. Thanks." Rem said. Then he ran out the door, heading for outside.

"Hmm...Good kid, he is. Mr. Harkum said, as Rem left.



Outside, Kari was still fighting Harason, Sora was still fighting Wolfen, and Tony was finishing off the Slayers. Harason jumped high into the air, and as he fell he aimed a powerful kick at Kari. She backfliped out of the way in time, and the kick missed. The power of the kick made a crater in the ground. But that was bad for Harason, as that buried his leg in the ground. Kari charged energy in her gloves, and gave him a powerful punch. Then while she still had charged energy in the glove, she punched him a few more times, then hit him with a flying drop kick. The force of that attack knocked him out of the ground. But when she was about the continue to attack, a badly damaged Slayer came up behind Harason. It aimed at Kari. It bought Harason time to get back to his feet. "Now...we'll finish you." Harason said.

But then Tony came up from behind Kari to back her up. "I don't think so Harason. You’re done." Tony said. All of the other Slayers were destroyed. "I suggest you leave." Tony added.

Harason glared at Tony, then grabbed ahold of the last Slayer. "Back to base Slayer. This isn't the end!" Harason said. Then the robot took off into the air, and flew off.

Tony looked to Kari, helmet still on. "Now, let's help your friend." He said. Kari nodded, and they ran towards Sora.

He was still fighting Wolfen. Sora went to attack Wolfen with a jumping slash, but Wolfen blocked it with the blade on his blaster, and held the attack back. But while the blades were locked, Wolfen kneed Sora in the gut. Though Wolfen had spiked knee pads on, so that really hurt Sora. Then he kicked Sora back, then blasted him away with his blaster. Sora was hit, and fell to one knee. Wolfen walked closer, blaster pointed at Sora. "You wrent bad kid. But you’re no match for me." Wolfen said.

"Well what about us?!" Kari yelled. Kari and Tony ran over, coming from behind. Rem was also coming from the main tower building.

"Hmm...Three against one...I've seen worse odds." Wolfen said.

Then a portal opened near the others. Ralph, Brett, and Raylu came out of it. "You guys made it. Great." Rem said. Then he looked to Wolfen. "Well Wolfen, you think you can take us all?" Rem asked.

Wolfen just stood there for a moment, looking at them all. Then he finally spoke up. "This job is no longer worth the payment. I'm outta here. See ya around." Wolfen said. He took out a small round white bomb, the size of a marble. He threw it at his feet, and it went off. A huge smokescreen came from it. It was like Eric's smoke bombs, but smaller. Wolfen slipped away in the smoke. When it cleared they saw Wolfen on the rooftop he was on before. He got in a airship, an took to the air. A blast from the ship made a portal, which the ship flew into. "No way in hell I'll take on that many skilled fighters at once for what I'm being payed for. Least not after fighting with that kid. Zalendor can keep his money this time." Wolfen thought as he flew off.



Kari went over to Sora, and helped him up. "You ok Sora?" Kari asked.

"I've been better...I guess I earned dinner tonight...Heh..." Sora answered with a smirk.

Ralph chucked a little. "I guess you have, way to go champ!”

Tony looked to Rem, his helmet folding away. "Rem, thank you for you and your friends help." Tony said.

"It was nothing." Rem responded, but then he noticed the police coming. "Oh dear, not again." Rem said.

Then a beep came from Tony's suit. His helmet went back on. "Mr. Flander, please give our helpful friends a hand from the police." Mr. Harkum said to Tony by some commutation device.

"Yes sir." Tony answered. "Guys, follow my lead. I'll get you out of here." He said to them.

When the police arrived, Tony looked like he was attacking the team. They were blocking laser blasts from Tony. When the police tried to get close, Tony put his arm toward them. "Stop! This is my job. I'll catch them for you." He said. He shot at Rem, who blocked with his shield. Then at Ralph, who blocked with his reflector. Then a small missile launcher came out of Tony's shoulder, near the neck, and fired a small white and gray missile. "Gah! Missile misfire!" Tony said. When it hit Rem's shield, a smokescreen filled the area.

"No! They'll use the smoke to get away like before! Quick, get them!" Buck yelled. A few officers rushed into the smoke. But when the smoke cleared, only the officers were there. "Damn it! They’re gone! And it's all because you gave them cover!" Buck yelled at Tony.

"Officer, I do not aid criminals, I help catch them. And while I think they have done nothing wrong, I cannot let my feelings get in the way of my job. I was willing to bring them in to serve my city. Do you still doubt me, and think I'd let them get away? Me, The Megaton?" Tony asked Buck.

"Some. But that doesn't matter. Sorry, but it's my job to catch them. So you better not get in the way of that." Buck answered.

"In case you forgot, officer, under the orders of the chief I am officially an officer as well. But I still work for Harkum first in foremost, and in my eyes they saved my employers invention from bounty hunters, and possibly my life. I personally think you should focus on the real threats to france. Now you’re on Harkum property, so unless you have a warrant, get off the property before I'm given the order to remove you for not leaving when asked. While on this property, what Mr. Harkum says, goes. Unless you want to explain to the cheif why Harkum might want to reconsider his offer for Harkum Inc. to work with the department." Tony finished.

"Why you!" Buck started. Landon put his hand on Buck's shoulder.

"Just drop it. No need to start something. The chief will have our hides if we botch relations with Harkum over this." Landon said.

"Ugh...Fine. Let's go" Buck said, leaving. The other officers followed him But Landon turned around for a moment, and nodded to Tony with a smile. Then he left with the other officers.

Tony smiled at that. "Well done Mr. Flander. We owed our friends that much." Mr. Harkum said, over commutation device.

"Thank you Mr. Harkum." Tony replied. He headed back inside, while a cleaning crew came outside to clean up after the battle.




Sometime later that evening, Harason Fisk returned back to his lab. The remaining Slayer was returned to the lab, while Harason turned to his workshop. Waiting for him there was a woman with very short blonde hair and blue eyes, wearing a white lab coat, and a short skirted dress. “Harason! What the hell did you think you were up too?!”

Harason looked very nervous. “Angelia?! What are you-“

“You think I didn’t see the news?! The hell is the idea in attacking Harkum like you did?! I understand you’re frustrated, but did you even think this through? We don’t work with the city anymore, they could shut us down for that, and you could be arrested! What do you wanna tell our daughter you’re going to jail and leave her fatherless?!” Angelia yelled, as she started to tear up a little. “Do you want to leave me alone to handle all this?”

Harason looked guilty. “I…I’m sorry dear. With everything going on, I got carried away…I feel like I have enemies on all sides, and I can’t stand it. Everyone just keeps taking turns on kicking me when im down, and taking everything away from me. Everything I’ve worked for, for us and this city.”

Angelia narrowed her eyes. “Don’t let your freedom be taken along with it. I’ve already contacted our lawyers, we might be able to cook up an excuse.”

Then suddenly, a young man in a lab coat with black hair and glasses entered the workshop. “Ah, Mr. and Mrs. Fisk, glad you were both here. I’m sorry to interrupt you two, but you’ll want to hear this.”

Harason looked to the young man, and nodded. “I think I might know what it is. Go ahead Edward, what is it?”

“We…had gotten a call from Harkum Inc. shortly after the attack there today. Mr. Harkum himself called us, I took down his message.” Edward then took out a note that he wrote on. “It reads ‘I was impressed by your display of passion today, Mr. Fisk. If only you used more of that in your youth. You gave me some new Megaton ideas to work on, so I’m grateful that you exposed some of the flaws today. Considering that, and also having a rival helps me stay motivated, I’ve taken care of the issues of the law surrounding you today. I’ve told the police that you were hired by me to help showcase the advances of the CEG by fighting against the Megaton. A bit of a show for my investors, you could say. It worked well. They ate it up, and some even said they loved the show. I’ll make sure the story hits the news, after all your mind is a terrible thing to waste, and I’m sure your family would miss you. My offer is still on the table, so keep that in mind should you try to attack Harkum again. I may not be so forgiving should this happen again. Let’s not let our personal dispute impact the safety of the city. Have a good day, Mr. Fisk. Hey hello to dear Angelia and your daughter for me.’” Edward looked back to Mr. and Mrs. Fisk. “That’s all he had to say, Mr. Fisk.”

Harason looked angry once again. “Ugh! That cocky son of a bitch!”

Angelia sighed. “At least he had enough compassion to not have you sent to jail.”

“That’s not compassion, it’s arrogance. He truly believes even after today I pose no threat to him, or his goals. He knows I can’t touch him with the law. It’s just a goddamn game to him!” Harason said, slamming his fist on the table.

“At least you aren’t going to jail today, and that’s all I care about. For now anyway. I promise dear, we’ll figure this out.” Angelia then went to leave the work shop, nodding to Edward. “Good night Edward. Honey, I’m going home. Please join me soon, ok?”

Harason nodded, as Angelia finished leaving. Edward then came over to Harason. “Is there anything you’d like my help with, sir? Any plan of attack you want to work on?”

Harason sighed. “Not tonight Edward, just lock up after your done for the night.” Harason said, taking off the power suit overtop his clothes. He looked at it in his arms. “I…need to get back to the drawing board before I do anything else.” He left the suit on the workshop table. “Good night as well Edward.” Edward nodded, as Harason turned to leave to catch up with his wife.






Meanwhile, the mysterious Kraven was in the hospital where Doctor Frost was staying. He walked up to a desk, and started speaking to a nurse. "Excuse me miss, may I see Mr. Alexander Frost? I'm a close friend of his." Kraven asked.

"Yes. He's stable now. But do not wake him if he's resting. He's in room 113." She answered.

"Alright, thank you miss." He said. Then he walked down the hall until he reached the room. He then entered, and closed the door behind him. Though Doctor Frost was asleep. He walked to the foot of his bed, and looked at him. "Hello Mr. Frost. I heard your going to be fine. Very good." Then he took out the vial of chemicals Doctor Frost was doing tests on. He walked around as he talked. "I was able to get ahold of your test chemicals. I ran a few tests on it myself, and I think it should be able to give powers much like The Electrode’s and the ones before him. But before we know for sure, we need to do one more test." Then he took a syringe, and sucked the chemicals into it. Then he attached a needle to it. He stuck it into Doctor Frost's arm, and injected them into him. "You made the chemicals in this form, so it's only fair your the first to get powers from it." Then he started to walk to the door. "I'll be in touch Frost. I'll be back when your feeling...better." He said with a smirk. Then he turned, and left the room.

What does Kraven have in store for Doctor Frost? Only time can tell.


…End of Data Log…

[Aqua]

Data Log #6: Maylean the Muscle EX.

Data Log place in time: Three days after the press conference, and battle for the CEG.


This data log begins in a laboratory in an unknown location, the same location The Electrode was taken for his electric power suit. Kraven walked down the halls, passing scientists and troops, as he came to an automatic door opened for him. A few scientists were working on computers, but turned around when Kraven entered. "Kraven sir, you’re back." One of the scientists said. He had brown hair, and gray eyes. He had a labcoat on, and under were just jeans and a black shirt.

Kraven nodded in response, then spoke. “No one said for any of you to stop working, back to work. Except for you Jackson, we have some matters to discuss.” Kraven said. They nodded and returned to work. Kraven then handed the one scientist a syringe, with what appeared to be blood. "Here is the blood sample from Doctor Frost. Now I want you to test it like the others. I’ll be in my office, so inform me as soon as the tests are finished.”

Jackson nodded. “Of course sir, leave it to us.” Kraven nodded, as he turned and left the room as Jackson went to work.

Kraven returned to the room a few hours later. "You called. I trust that means you finished the tests?" Kraven asked.

"Yes sir. I tested the blood of Doctor Frost, and compared it to the other mutants, and the chemicals we took from Harkum Inc. His bloods mutation is almost exactly the same as The Electrode, as well as those three teenagers. But it has different components that set it apart, like how the others have. Doctor Frost's gives off a cold chill, and has what appears to be ice crystals in it." Jackson answered.

Kraven put his hand on his chin. "Hmm...So it seems that altering the chemicals or subjects body will result in different powers or forms. That proves that Electrode’s mutation wasn’t chance that it was electricity, it reacted to the live wires from when he fell into the chemicals. So Frost should get either ice or water powers. Heh. How fitting.” He then looked Jackson in the eyes. “Now...It's time to test mixing actual power with the chemicals. Do we have any powered humans or demons that haven’t been disposed of yet?" Kraven asked.

"Well we have a power demon in cell number three." Jackson answered.

"Good. Now we need a test subject. Someone that would cause a bit of a stir in the media…” Kraven said.

“Why someone well known? We could just as easily grab anyone.” Jackson questioned.

“Valid question, Mr. Jackson. I want someone who will be noticed missing since I plan to throw the blame of her capture on the powered groups. With the World Savers back in town, we need to keep them off our own tail, but also keep them busy with the police.” Kraven rolled down his sleeve, and what appeared to be some kind of thick bracelet was on his wrist. “This device, when powered up, can allow the user to use electricity almost like powered humans for a short amount of time. It should prove a convincing enough distraction. We’ll have them dress up as members of the Rose Thorn Gang, and throw the blame on them. They’ve been quiet for a while, but they should still be around to take the blame.”

“What about Miss Maylean Johnson, sir? The lab assistant to Doctor Tennant?" Jackson asked.

Kraven paused to think for a moment. "Yes, that’s actually a good idea. Being assistant to one of the most well known scientists in france, and that he works for one of Harkum's biggest business rivals, they would think she was kidnapped for a ransom…That should work well. She’s not a high profile enough to have protection, but big enough that she’d make a convincing ransom target." Kraven answered.

"Thank you sir…So what do you want me to do?" Jackson asked.

Prepare to drain the demon of his powers. I'll prepare the combat team for the kidnapping." Kraven answered, heading for the door.

"Of course sir. It will be done." He answered.


In another room, Kraven was there with a group of six men. They were all dressed in black suits with yellow roses on them, and glasses tented yellow. Their hair was dyed a yellowish green. They all looked in good physical shape. "Alright men, your mission today is a simple one. You will be kidnapping Miss Maylean Johnson. I have given you all electric power bands to use. But I do not think you will be needing them for combat, they are mainly for making people believe that you are powered humans. So show off your powers as much as possible, strike down whoever gets in your way, but do not harm Miss Johnson. Do you all understand your orders?" Kraven asked.

"Understood Mr. Kraven sir!" They all responded.

"Very good. Report to the combat director, and he will show you how to use the bands. After he finishes, you'll have some time to practice with your weapon, then you'll move out to the ambush site. Now go." Kraven ordered.

"Yes sir!" They all responded, leaving the room.





Later that evening, at a laboratory called Cole Works, Doctor Tennant was leaving after a long day’s work, leaving the office in the hands of his assistant. He was a man in his young thirties, with short brown hair and blue eyes. Cole Works was a company that studied many things Harkum Inc did, making them business rivals. What they had an advantage in was their powered medical field, as they developed medicines for powered beings and normal humans, as well as running a small clinic like business at their main office in France, and working with the local hospitals. Doctor Tennant and Maylean worked in the medical division of the company. "I'm going home a little early tonight Maylean, I don’t feel so well. Can you handle clean and lock up for the lab?" He asked her.

"Of course Doctor Tennant, you go on home. I've got things covered here." A young girl in her twenties, with green eyes and pink hair, answered him. She was in a lab coat with jeans and a white shirt under it. This was Maylean.

"Thank you Maylean. I’m hoping I’m just feeling a little overworked what with all the hours we’ve been putting in lately." Tennant said.

Maylean giggled slightly. “You’ve been working too hard lately, your wife misses you at home. You gotta remember to make time for her too. Besides, that’s what I’m here for, to help make things easier for you. You get on home, I’ve got this handled.”

Tennant chuckled, and grabbed his bag. “You’re right, I have been getting home to late the last few nights. You be safe getting home tonight.” He then gave a wave and left the lab.

A few moments later, Kraven's men watched Dr. Tennant leave in his car. "Hmm...Shouldn't be much longer now." The leader said. Now the leader of the combat team was a little more built then the rest of the team. He wasn't some body builder size, but he wasn't in bad shape.

About thirty minutes later, Maylean came outside. She was heading for her car. "Ugh! It's already after ten. Dinner was over like an hour ago. I hope mom saved me some dinner." She said, talking to herself.

"Ok, there she is. Let's move!" The combat leader ordered. Then they all came out from the ally way, running at her. Their power bands were turned on, making their hands glow yellow, as they filled with electricity. She noticed them coming at her, and screamed, now running away from them. Three of the men fired blasts of electricity, blowing up a car in front of her. She stopped, and turned around. They were on all sides, trapping her between them and the burning car. "Come on lady. You’re coming with us." The combat leader said.

"Somebody help me!" She yelled.

"Don't make this hard on yourself. We're not going to harm you if you cooperate." The combat leader said.

Not long after the explosion was heard, two security guards that came out from the inside of the building, aiming their guns at them. "Freeze! Leave the lady alone."

The combat leader looked to the others. "Alright boys, you know the drill." He said. They all nodded, and charged electricity in their hands. The guards weren't going to wait for them to attack, and shot at them. Two men fired their blasts at the gun fire, destroying them. The other four shot their attacks at the guards, blasting them back, where they hit a wall. Hard. The men turned, and noticed Maylean making a run for it. She wasn’t going to get far, as the combat leader shot a small weak blast at her leg. She fell over to the ground, as the men caught up to her.

The leader took a rag out of his pocket. He crouched down, and put it over her mouth, despite her trying to fight him off. She soon passed out. "Alright boys, let’s get her outta here. We gotta get going before people like those heroes show up." The leader said. They nodded. Two of them picked her up, and started carrying her away. "To the van.” The leader said. He took a look around, and blasted a few cars. They didn't blow up, but they looked like they got hit by a misaimed attack. A little more damage couldn't hurt. Kraven did say to show off. He thought. They headed to a black van in the ally, and he, and the others got in. It drove off. No one noticing them slip away.





Later, the van arrived at Kraven's laboratory. It wasn't in the city apparently. It looked like it was near a swamp and forest area, about ten to twenty miles from the city. Kraven was waiting in the loading dock for the van to drive inside. When it did, the combat leader exited first. "Good. Your back Crix. I trust you captured her?" Kraven asked.

"Yes sir. To bring her in I had to shoot a small blast at one of her legs, but she's fine." Crix, the combat leader answered.

"Very good." Kraven saw the others come out of the van, two carrying Maylean. "You two take her to test room two, and don't be rough with her." He ordered. "Now the rest of you, excuse me. I need to make sure everything is in order." Kraven said, leaving.


Later, Maylean awakened. She was strapped to a table, almost like a hospital table. It was angled so she was almost completely upright. Someone had changed her clothes. She was in some kind of blue one piece outfit that looked like a tank top and a pair of shorts. Maylean looked around. "Where am I? Whats going on?" She said, not to anyone though, as no one was there. It was dark in the room, aside from the middle of the room, where she was.

A door opened in the room, and Kraven entered. "Hello Miss Johnson, I trust your well." He asked.

"Who the heck are you? Why am I here?!" She yelled.

"I’m the leader of the Rose Thorn Gang, the Black Rose my dear, and we’ve brought you here for a ver important possess. You see we powered humans are worried that our race will die out, if left unchanged. Normal humans greatly out number us. If they decide to attack our kind we will be killed off because there are not enough of us. So were using this advanced tech made by normal humans to try to make more of our kind. You saw the four freaks in the news lately, yes?" Kraven asked.

"You mean like that electric guy? Yeah I've heard of them. So the Rose Thorn Gang is behind it? But what does that have to do with me?" She asked.

"That's simple my dear. You’re our next test subject. We're going to try to turn you into something different. We need to make sure all this is working properly." He answered.

"What?! No! You can’t do this to me! Let me go!" She yelled.

"Sorry, but you don't have a say in it. Lower the needles!" Kraven yelled. Then from the ceiling, some tubes came down. They had needles on them. Kraven took out some gloves, and put them on. "Now you might want to stop moving. It will hurt more if you do that." He said, then he started sticking the needles into different parts of her body. Her eyes winced in pain from each needle. "Now this won’t take long." He said. He left the room again.

Fear went through Maylean while she was in the room alone. I'm going to be turned into some kind of freak or something. What else will they do to me? I wish someone would come save me... She thought.

Outside the room, Kraven looked into the room by a window. The window was high up, on another floor. Jackson sat next to him. "Alright, she's all hooked up. Begin injecting the chemicals into her." Kraven said. Jackson nodded, and began typing on the control panel. A few beeping sounds were heard, then the sound of running water, or some kind of liquid. The chemicals ran through the tubes, needles, and then into Maylean. Her eyes winced in pain. After about thirty seconds, Kraven spoke up. "Alright. That should be enough." He said. Jackson then shut off the chemical flow. "The amount of chemicals one is exposed to at once seems to effect the time it takes for the effects to happen. With the amount she was exposed to, she should have some of the effects within twenty four hours." Kraven said.

"Well that explains why Mr. Norman changed overnight, while Doctor Frost took three days to show any sign of change." Jackson replied.

"She'll need to sleep. Prepare the sleeping gas." Kraven said.

"Yes sir." Jackson answered.

Back in the test room, Maylean looked very tired. She broke out in a sweat, but that was because of how scared she was. The pain wasn't that great. I...I think they stopped... Maylean thought.

Then Kraven's voice was heard over a mic. "Alright Miss Johnson, that's all for now. Now you’re going to get some rest. Good night." He said. Then a gas filled the air in the room. Soon Maylean got so tired, she soon passed out. The table went flat so she could sleep on it like a bed. "Alright, get the scanners on line. We’re done for tonight." Kraven said.

"Of course sir." Jackson said, starting up the scanners.

"Also, did you finish draining all of the power from the power demon?" Kraven asked.

"We drained the last of its power about an hour ago." Jackson answered.

"Good. Dispose of the demon in whatever way you chose. I'm going to get some rest. Inform me of any drastic changes with Miss Johnson's condition." Kraven said.

"Of course sir." Jackson replied. Kraven then left afterwards.






The next morning at the cabin, most of the team were going somewhere. "Alright Rem, were about ready to take off for the Master Sage’s Realm. You sure you don't want to come?" Eric asked.

"Not this time. Someone needs to stick around in case something happens. Maybe next time. Say hi to my mom and dad for me." Rem said.

"And I shall stay with Sir Rem." Raylu added.

"Alright then, see you two later." Eric said, walking out the door.

"Well, maybe it will be a slow day." Rem said.

"Yes, perhaps." Raylu replied.

Then a few minutes later, a beeping sound was heard coming from Rem's pocket. He took out what looked like a watch from his pocket, and pushed a button on the side. "What's up Erue, something wrong?" Rem asked.

"Possibly, Master. Please turn the television to channel 6 for a news report that should be coming on, on that station." Erue said.

"Alright." Rem said, turning on the tv. About two minutes later, the report came on the news.

"And now for our top story. Lab assistant to Doctor Tennant of Cole Works, Miss Maylean Johnson was abducted last night. Two members of Cole Works security caught a group of powered humans, belived to be members of the Rose Thorn Gang, using electricity trying to kidnap Miss Johnson. The guards were taken down when they tried to capture the gang. The guards are alright, but there was no sign of Miss Johnson. No one has been contacted for a ransom, but everyone hopes she is unharmed. Please contact the studio or police department if you have any information. From the news team at channel 6, I'm Alan Brock. And this has been the 12 o clock news." Then the news report ended.

"That's awful..." Raylu said.

"Yeah it is. But it's weird. If a group of powered humans wanted ransom money, why wouldn't they just steal it?" Rem said. Then he pushed the button on the watch again. "Erue, keep an eye on the news reports. Let me know if anything else comes up on the case. Also, run a check on these Rose Thorn Gang guys in Eric’s database, I need to learn know whatever I can if they are involved." Rem said.

"Of course Master." Erue responded.






Meanwhile, back at Kraven's lab, Maylean had just woken up after her rough night. She was still strapped to the table, and still being scanned. A circle shaped object was above her. It had a red eye, which was just a light. A wide spread light came from it, scanning her. She looked around. "Ugh....I was hoping that was all just a dream..." She said to herself.

Jackson was in the room above like the night before. Kraven then entered the room. "Any change since last night?" He asked.

"Her cells have undergone change, but no signs of her having powers yet." Jackson answered.

"Hmm...Well I checked the news reports from this afternoon. She's been reported missing. The Rose Thorn Gang have been blamed, just as planned." Kraven said.

"Good. Now we hope this test yields the results we want." Jackson responded.

Down in the room below, Maylean seemed to be in pain, her body sweating. "Ugh...It hurts so much....I don't want to be here anymore...I want to go home..." She said. After a few minutes, she let out a scream, clinching her fists. Her hands began to glow a redish color. Up in the room above, the control panel began beeping very loudly.

"What's going on?" Kraven asked.

"The readings...They suddenly spiked! And were getting a huge power reading." Jackson answered.

"Excellent. Then the test was a success." Kraven said.

"Yes, but-"

"But what?" Kraven asked.

"The power reading keeps spiking, it's almost off the charts. This is way more power then we calculated. This could be bad." Jackson answered.

Down below, all of the veins in Maylean's arms were visible, as her muscle mass was growing fast. She was twice the size she was before, and continued to grow! Soon she was at least eight feet tall, and still not done growing. She was so buff now, what binded her to the table soon would be unable to hold her for much longer. She suddenly opened her eyes, and the pupils were smaller, and her eyes were brownish red now. Right after, she tried to break free using her new great strength. She quickly, and easily broke out of the weak binds. Kraven looked alarmed from the room above. "Quick! Activate the steel binds!" Kraven exclaimed.

"Already on it." Jackson answered. And before she could get up, steel binds held her down. But soon she tried to break fee again, and broke through the binds with some force. She got off the table, and let out a roar. "This isn't good." Jackson said.

"Turn the sleeping gas on." Kraven said. Jackson quickly typed in the controls, then in the room devices that almost looked like guns or cameras came out of the ceiling and walls. Maylean grabbed broken pieces of the steel binds, and tossed them at some of the gas shooters. Then somehow she shot yellow blasts from her hands at the remaining shooters. Kraven pushed a button on a wrist communicator. "Get the combat team down here now." He said. Maylean then looked up, seeing the window. She then ripped the table she was laying on a minute ago, right out of the floor. She then threw it at the window above.. "Move!" Kraven yelled. And he and Jackson jumped to the sides, as the table crashed through the window. Maylean then jumped through the window as well.

Kraven got up, and they both stared each other down. Maylean tried to crush him with both arms. Kraven jumped backwards, dodging the attack. He then turned on the electric power band, and electricity filled his hands. He shot blasts at her, zapping her, but she didn't seem fazed by these weak attacks. She then tried to punch, grab, or smash Kraven, but he just jumped around, dodging all of her attacks, hitting her with electric blasts in between dodges. Despite being very agile, Maylean was finally able to get ahold of Kraven, grabbing him by the leg. She then threw him through the door, and smashed right through the hallway wall. He hit the wall of the next hallway hard. Maylean walked through the door and wall, about to attack again, but then the combat team showed up. Three on each side of her. They all opened fire on her, blasting her with electricity. She wasn't harmed much, but she decided to leave. She jumped up, smashing through the ceiling and roof, and landed outside. She then started leaping away through the air.

Crix, the combat leader, helped Kraven up. "Ugh..." Kraven moaned. "One of you. Find Jackson and tell him to contact The Tamer, and bring him here." Kraven ordered. They nodded, and took off. "And Crix...Get me to the medic..."

"Yes sir." Crix answered, helping him move.






Hours later, early evening time, Rem was making potions back at the cabin. He was going over a file that Erue provided him on the Rose Thorn Gang while he cooked the potions. “So they are mostly just a gang made up of powered humans and normal humans? But what would they want with Miss Johnson? This doesn’t seem right…” The watch device started beeping again, as Rem changed tabs, and pushed the button again. "What's up?" Rem asked.

"A news report is talking about a huge monster in town. It should still be on the air." Erue said.

Rem quickly went to the living room, and turned on the tv. Raylu was napping on the couch in pup form, but woke up when the tv was turned on. "-the creature didn't seem to be attacking until the police ran into it. After the police pulled out, the creature has just been wandering around the city. Police are in the process of trying to trap it. If you encounter this thing, keep away. There's no telling if this thing is hostile or not." Rem then turned off the tv.

Rem looked worried at the sight of what he saw on tv. “Ugh, and with everyone gone right now too...It looks like it’s just us Raylu.”

Raylu changed back to normal form. "Alright, let's -" Raylu was saying, but then Brett walked in.

Rem and Raylu looked surprised to see him. "Brett? Why are you here? I thought you left with the others for that trip to the banishment realm." Rem asked.

"Oh that was today? I forgot about it. I've been hiking in the hills all day." Brett answered.

"Well I'm glad you’re here. There is some...thing in town. It looked kinda like a huge person type monster. Raylu and myself could use your help." Rem said.

"Alright. Give me a moment to get my gear, then let's move." Brett said, leaving for his room. Rem went to turn off the stove cooking the potions, as to not burn the cabin down with the stove while they were out. Once Rem and Brett were ready, the three of them left for town.






Back at Kraven's lab, Kraven was waiting in the loading dock. He had a brace on his leg, a cast on his arm, and a bandage wrap around his head. Soon the van arrived a few moments later. Out of it came Kraven's men, followed by someone else. He was dressed all in black, long sleeved shirt and pants, black boots, and what looked like a black safari hat. His shirt also had a purple eye pattern on it. He had black hair, with silver streaks in it, and purple eyes. He walked over to Kraven, and took his hat off. "Why, if it isn't Kraven. It's been awhile. I'd ask how you've been, but I can see you haven't been well." He said chuckling.

Kraven gave him a look. "Very funny, you always were a jokester. My wounds came from your target, so you’d do well not to let your guard down. Come with me." Kraven said, walking off. Tamer followed.

They walked through the lab. They soon came to where Maylean destroyed the door and wall. "So I’m assuming my target is what caused this?" Tamer asked.

Kraven nodded. “Correct. And just for your information, I’m what flew through the door.”

“And you’re still up and about after all that?” Tamer asked.

"Trust me....It hurts like hell, but it will take far more than that to keep me down." Kraven answered. They both went to the control room Maylean trashed in her fight with Kraven. “More damage from your target.”

"So what is my target then? You seem to be doing an awful lot of buildup.” Tamer asked.

"Your target, Maylean Johnson is in town, running loose. She's the 'monster' that was in the news earlier this afternoon." Kraven answered,

"Really? What did you do to her?"

"We did a test with altering the mutant chemicals by mixing powers with them. She was the test subject of mixing power demon power with the chemicals. But she became so strong that she was able to break free, and escape. While I could just make another with her powers, I'd rather have her. Plus she could lead the police or the members of the World Savers back-" But Tamer cut off Kraven.

"What?! The World Savers are back in France? I thought they left for other parts of the world since the threats stopped appearing here in France." He asked.

"They did. But a few members apparently stayed behind, working with Kavisto Pantech’s forces, while some came back. And now they have a few new human members. I thought with them gone, our plans here would go unnoticed, but now that they have returned I must be twice as careful. Which is why I must make sure Maylean cannot lead them back here. So do you understand?" Kraven asked.

"Yes, I understand completely. I'll leave right away." Tamer answered, turning to leave.

"Meet with Crix before you go, he’ll update your blaster, and give you one of our new lightning bands to use. We need to make sure you are equipped properly.” Kraven explained.

Tamer tipped his hat a bit. “You should know by now, old friend, but I don’t miss my targets.” He then turned to leave.






In town, Rem, Brett, and Raylu were looking around. They were tracking the aura of Maylean. "We are getting close." Raylu said, leading the way.

"Odd though...The city looks untouched. No police around either...Or anyone." Brett said.

"The people are probably hiding. I’m not so sure about the police though..." Rem said. As they turned the corner, they saw a large cage and a crane. And in the cage was the police, covered in a large net. Rem and Brett started laughing a bit, trying to suppress it a bit. Raylu chuckled. Of course Buck and Landon were also in the cage.

"Ugh! It's them! If I wasn't stuck in here, you'd be mine!" Buck yelled.

"Charming as ever, Trenchcoat. Anyone want to tell us where the thing is?" Rem asked.

"It went north of here. We tried to catch it, but it turned the tables on us." Landon said.

"Landon!" Buck yelled.

"Thank you for your assistance officer." Brett said, as they turned to leave.

"Hey, aren't you gonna let us out?!" Buck yelled once again.

"When you want to take us in? Sorry, but I'd rather not. Someone needs to catch that thing. We'll send someone for you after we take care of that monster. Later Trenchcoat." Rem said, leaving with Raylu and Brett.

"Ugh! When I get out of here, you’re gonna get it!" Buck yelled as they left, causing Landon and some of the other officers to grow very annoyed.



Soon, walking down one of the streets rather aimlessly, they found Maylean. "There it is." Rem said.

"Yeah, but it looks more like a big person then a monster, like you said." Brett commented.

"He's right sir. Its aura is more that of a power human or human, rather than a monsters." Raylu said.

"Then we aren't killing it. Come to think of it, it hasn't destroyed anything, or hurt anyone. Except maybe Trenchcoats pride." Rem said. Then Maylean turned around. She stared at them, looking very confused, and very angry. She was giving a 'back off' type of look towards them. "Wait. She looks like....that missing person! Maylean Johnson." Rem said.

"How could this happen to her?" Raylu asked rhetorically.

"Don't know. But maybe I can reason with her." Rem said, stepping closer. She was growling a little as he came closer.

The Tamer came on the scene, on top of a roof. Well seems they beat me, but maybe I can use this to my advantage. I just need to get them to fight. Tamer thought. Then he took out an advanced looking blaster. He shot it at the ground in front of Maylean. When it hit the ground, Rem jumped back, and Maylean let out a roar.

"Shit, something spooked her." Rem said.

Brett narrowed her eyes. “We might have to tire her out, she seems too enraged to reason with.

“We shouldn’t need to harm her. If I can use my calming aura on her it may return her to her senses, but it make take some time to do so. Your Ion based weapons should be able to slow her down and buy me some time.” Raylu said, as he began to charge his aura around him.

"Alright. We'll try to keep her busy so you can do your thing." Rem said.

Maylean then suddenly, slammed one of her arms down. The group jumped back, but she swung her other arm, knocking them away. Raylu flipped in mid flight, and was able to land without harm. Rem and Brett though both hit the ground, hard. Rem and Brett worked their way back to their feet. "Ugh...Man she hits hard." Brett said.

"No kidding." Rem replied.

Raylu then charged at Maylean. She aimed to punch Raylu, but he blocked with both hands. "You may be powerful, but you are not stronger then I." Raylu said. Then Mayleans fists glowed redish brown, as her attack got much stronger. Raylu powered up using aura power, keeping things mostly even. But Raylu had forgotten about Mayleans other fist, and was knocked away by a powerful punch. Raylu didn't recover as well as he first did, as Maylean quickly ran at Raylu, hoping to punch him once more before he could notice. He stopped her attack as he did before, but this time he tossed her behind him. As she flew, she fired a yellow blast of power at Raylu. He countered be firing an aura sphere at the blast. The attacks destroyed each other. Maylean then ran at Raylu again, when Rem sent a wave of electricity at her. She was hit, and while it didn’t hurt her, it completely stunned her with a short term paralysis.

"Alright then, let's tire her out." Rem said. Rem took out a blaster, and Brett used his assault rifle, and the both of them fire Ion blasts at her. All the attacks were hitting her, but growing tired of being hit she sent waves of energy from her arms, blasting the attacks and Rem and Brett back. They both got back up, and Rem noticed the Ion had no effect. "We’ll have to hit her a little harder, her energy seems to be reducing the effectiveness of the Ion. Raylu, give us a hand." Rem said. Raylu nodded. Raylu charged up an aura sphere, Rem charged up a shadow bomb attack, and Brett charged up an electric blast. When Maylean got close, they all fired their attacks at once at her. They blasted her back, but after she crashed she soon got back up, a little weaker than before. “Brett, we’ll keep weakening her with stronger attacks, you get ready for Ion blasts.” Rem ran at Maylean, shield and gauntlet ready. Maylean slammed her arms on the ground at Rem, while he jumped back and fired a large blast of electricity at her, while Brett shot from a distance with Ion shots. Maylean was already slowing a little, but then started unleashing large blasts of power all around her. Rem dodged the first round, then started moving, running around Maylean. She kept moving, trying to blast him, but Rem blocked them with his shield and blasted her in between attacks, and Brett shot her while she was busy with Rem.

Maylean was getting much slower now, as she aimed a powerful punch at Rem. He jumped back to dodge, then he jumped onto her fist. He ran up her arm, then jumped off of her into the air, blasting her with a few more electric blasts. He turned his jet boots on to stay airborn, then started flying around her to continue his assault, dodging or blocking power blasts from Maylean as he did so. Now she was almost moving in slow motion. Raylu then jumped onto Mayleans head, as he put his hand glowing with a putple aura on her head. After a few seconds she started to calm herself, as her eyes then turned back to green. Once Raylu was sure she was calmed, he healed her of the Ion stun she was afflicted with. "Huh?....What's going on?..." She asked. Her voice was a little rough.

Raylu jumped off, and landed in front of her. Rem and Brett joined Raylu. "We're here to help. You’re Maylean, right?" Rem asked.

"Y-yes...What's going on?" She asked.

But then what looked like a clearish silver tentacle, which was more like a whip, wrapped around her neck. When it did, she glowed briefly. The three of them looked in the direction the energy whip came from, seeing The Tamer on a rooftop, and he appeared to be holding the energy whip. The silver streaks in his hair were glowing. "Why hello Rem, Raylu, and whoever your friend is. My thanks for your help." He said, smirking.

Brett narrowed his eyes. “What type of enemy are we dealing with?” Brett asked, already understanding this guy was an enemy.

"He's called The Tamer. He's a psychic that uses psychic whips to control people." Rem answered.

"Correct. And it looks like it's my lucky day. I get to crush you, and that cocky mouth of yours." Tamer said.

Rem narrowed his eyes, as ice charged up in his free hand. "Take him down." He said, firing an ice beam attack at Tamer, while Raylu joined in with an aura beam.

The psychic whip seemed to join to Tamer's wrist, as he jumped from the roof to dodge the attacks. I only need another forty seconds before she's healed. I should be able to buy that much time. Tamer thought as he fell. He turned on the electric power band, and unleashed a few blasts at them.

Rem and Brett were knocked back, but Raylu wasn't. "It has descent fire power, but it's not as powerful as power electricity." Raylu said.

"Ugh…Still hurts when you don’t have powered gene protection..." Rem said, getting up, then running at him with Raylu. Rem took out his staff and tried to strike him, but Tamer jumped over Rem. He landed behind him, and took Rem down with a sweep kick. Raylu got close, and tried to punch him, but Tamer quickly turned around and blasted Raylu back with an electric blast and blast from his blaster. He turned to Brett, who was about to shoot him, and blasted Brett in the chest with his blaster. It didn't hurt him much, but it knocked him down for a moment. Rem and Raylu were behind him, about to attack. Tamer looked over his shoulder, and smirked. Then a huge yellow blast of power blasted them both. Maylean had fired the attack.



"I'm sorry. I...I cant control my body." She said.

Rem and Raylu shook it off. "Ugh...Don't worry about it...We'll fix it." Rem said. Brett was able to get over to Rem and Raylu. "Ok guys, we have to take him down without hurting Maylean too badly. He's most likely to use her to battle in his place, and to use her as a shield. If- Look out!" Rem said, cutting himself off, as Maylean fired another powerful blast of energy, forcing them to scatter a bit "If we take him down, his control should drop." Rem finished. Brett nodded, understanding. Raylu was already aware of this, and already prepared to deal with Tamer.

Maylean then put both hands together, and slammed both fists on the ground, sending shockwaves through it. Rem and Brett lost their balance, but Raylu jumped high into the air, firing two large blasts of aura down at Tamer. He looked up and saw the blasts coming at him, but didn't have time to move. He got blasted, and was knocked through the air. Tamer did a flip in midair to recover, but was still open to attack, which Raylu monopolized on. Then he said, "Havoc Strike!" He did a flip in midair, then shot at Tamer like a rocket, foot first, covered in blueish purple flames. Havoc Strike is a flaming kick, where Raylu hits the foe with great force, and shoots at them like his foot is a rocket. Tamer saw Raylu coming, but was still unable to do anything. But now Raylu and Tamer both neared the ground, and when Raylu was just about to hit Tamer, Maylean grabbed Raylu by his flaming leg. She swung him over her head, crashing him into the ground, then did it once more. Then she tossed Raylu into a building wall, getting stuck there for a brief moment. "Ugh...She is very strong...She’s going to pose a challenge." Then he got out of the wall, and ran at Maylean, joined by Rem.

Rem blocked blasts from Maylean with his shield, while Raylu just dodged them. When she tried to smash them with her arms, Raylu held the attack back. Rem quickly raced around to attack Tamer behind her, taking out his staff, and went to strike Tamer. Brett shot weak blasts at Maylean to help Raylu keep her busy. She fired blasts at Brett, which he dodged. Raylu also destroyed blasts Brett would have trouble dodging. On Rem's end, he went to strike Tamer with his staff, where he back flipped multiple times to dodge multiple attacks. When he stopped back flipping, he opened fire on Rem with blaster fire and electric blasts. Rem blocked these attacks with this staff, but Tamer was trying to buy Maylean time. When she had a free moment, she fired a large power blast at Rem, forcing the both of them to get out of the way of the attack. Brett went right at Tamer, since Rem and Raylu were being attacked by Maylean again, and fired at Tamer from a distance with ion blasts. Tamer jumped around to dodge attacks, though Brett was no poor shot, and was able to hit him a few times. Tamer felt the effects of ion, and found he was getting slower. He ducked behind some trash cans, and fired back at Brett. This exchange of blaster fire continued on for a little bit.


Rem and Raylu kept fighting with Maylean. She jumped into the air, and fired blasts down at them. Rem got close to Raylu, and Raylu made an aura sphere around them, protecting them from the attacks. Maylean landed, and ran to punch the aura sphere. Rem and Raylu both knew the aura sphere couldn't stand up against a direct attack. So they split up in different directions, making Mayleans attack miss. But then she charged at Brett, who was busy with The Tamer. He saw her coming, and hit her with one or two ion blasts. When she went to punch him, he jumped back, then ran up her arm like Rem did before. He jumped off her head, on to a fire escape on a nearby building. He then took out a low power explosive, and threw it at her, driving her back, followed by some weak attacks at her. After getting hit a few times, Maylean jumped back. She charged and fired a blast twice the size of her large body. Brett couldn't dodge or block an attack that large, and it hit him, and destroyed the entire building wall as well. "Brett!" Rem and Raylu both yelled.

"Heh. That's one down." Tamer said.

"We gotta take down Tamer fast, so we can help Brett." Rem said, going back into battle. Raylu followed him in.

Tamer came back out into the open, sure that Maylean could handle them both. Rem and Raylu ran at her, Rem fired ion blasts from his blaster, and Raylu fired weak aura blasts at her, trying to tire her back out. She crossed her arms across her chest to block the moves, then when she took them apart, waves of power were fired at them. They were both blasted back, then Maylean charged at Rem. She tried to punch him, but Rem used power demon power to hold her fist back. Sadly that was the plan, as she opened her hand, and fired a huge blast at Rem at point blank range. He was blasted back through the air, when Raylu then rushed in to attack. He and Maylean traded weak punches and blasts, until Maylean pulled her arm back to charge for a powerful punch. Raylu knew none of his weak attacks could match that move, so he'd have to use one of his stronger attacks. He pulled his arm back, as the lower half of his arm glowed silver. As he pulled his arm back, and charged, he said, "Silver.....Punch!" As they both went to punch each other. Both punches collided, then after a few seconds of the two not moving, Maylean recoiled back in great pain. But then she put both of her arms together, and brought them down on Raylu. He held this attack back with ease, but then Maylean did a sweeping leg kick, taking him down. But before she could follow up, Raylu got away, regrouping with Rem.

"Alright, new plan. We stun her with a powerful attack, then go after Tamer." Rem said.

Raylu nodded, understanding, then charged up a large aura sphere, while Rem charged up the shadow bomb attack with its power boosted by power demon power. They both then fired their attacks at Maylean, who was now running at them. She was blasted blasted back, but then charged an attack the same size as the one shot at Brett. Raylu protected them from the attack with an aura sphere. Maylean then fired a barrage of blasts at them, but the aura sphere protected them from this attack as well, tiring her out to the point that she had to rest. Raylu dropped the aura sphere, so they could attack The Tamer, but The Tamer attacked first, raining down attacks on them. Rem blocked attacks with his staff, and Raylu destroyed them with his attacks. But this was just a distraction, as Maylean came from behind, and grabbed both of them. She then started to squeeze them in her powerful hands.

"Ugh...Can’t get free...." Rem said.

"Me neither..." Raylu responded.

The Tamer laughed at their struggling. "Funny. Two members of the great and powerful world savers about to meet their end. And the honor is all mine! I'd ask if you have any last words, but you both look like you have your hands full." He said, laughing. Maylean then tightened her grip on Rem and Raylu. Much longer, and she would crush them. Then a large charged blast of electricity struck The Tamer from a distance. He screamed for a few seconds, as he was shocked. Brett had gotten free from the rubble, and shot Tamer, weakening his control on Maylean enough so that Rem and Raylu could get free. Both jumped into the air, and charged attacks. A clear blueish bubble formed in Rem's hand, then he fired a bunch of bubbles at Tamer, packing explosive force. Raylu put one arm across his chest, as it filled with aura. Blades and shards made of aura flowed around his arm. Then he swung his arm, and shot all the blades filled with aura at Tamer. This was his Sword Rain attack. Both attacks hit Tamer, then Rem fired a powerful electric blast called the Bolt Blast, Raylu fired a charged up aura sphere, and Brett shot a charged up blast of fire. All the attacks hit Tamer, blasting him away, and the psychic whip that controlled Maylean faded away.

"Yes, it worked!" Rem said. Brett came over to the others, where Rem gave him a red potion. Brett looked pretty banged up. "Nice shot back there Brett."

"It was nothing. Are you alright Miss Maylean? Sorry we had to get rough." Brett said.

"It's alright, I'm fine. My body is pretty sturdy like this." She replied.

Across the battlefield, Tamer was getting up. Ugh...I almost had them...but there's no way I can win now. I gotta bail. Tamer thought. He then started jumping up onto objects till he reached a roof top.
Brett noticed him. "Hey, he's getting away!" He exclaimed, shooting at him with Ion blasts.

"Raylu, quick, catch him!" Rem quickly ordered. At this point, Raylu was the only one that would have a chance of catching Tamer after that battle. Raylu nodded, and gave chase.

Tamer ran across rooftops, jumping from roof to roof, though Raylu was soon gaining. He's hiding his aura using his psychic energy. If I lose him, he's as good as gone... Raylu thought. Tamer saw Raylu gaining on him, and knew he just had to lose him. So he readied his blaster and power band, and when Raylu neared a roof edge, he fired at the roof edge, destroying it. Raylu lost his footing, and fell below. When Raylu got back to the rooftops, Tamer was already gone. "Curses! No sign of him." Raylu said in frustration, having to head back empty handed.

When he returned, Rem asked, "He got away?"

"Yes sir. He hid his aura, and caused me to fall of a roof." Raylu answered.

"Ugh! Damn it!” He sighed at this point. “Well, at least we found Maylean and saved her from Tamer. Let's get back to the cabin, and see if we can fix her up." Rem said, making a portal. The four of them walked into it.






At the cabin, outside, Raylu placed his hand on Maylean's forehead. His hand glowed like before, calming her and healing her. Once she was completely calm and healed, she began to change back. Soon she was back to the way she used to be. She checked herself out to see she was fine. "I'm back to normal!" She exclaimed, hugging all three of them for a moment.

"Yes. As far as I can tell, the chemicals they infected you with cause a drastic transformation when you are stressed, angry, or in great pain. But that's just what I think, Sir Eric could probably find out for sure." Raylu said.

"If that's true, then she needs to take care to not bring on a transformation." Brett said.

Rem nodded. "Exactly. She'll need to come back for Eric to run some tests on her. But until then Maylean, just try to stay as stress and anger free as possible."

"I understand, I’ll be very careful not too." She said.

Rem nodded, but then looked stressed. "Now you’re sure you can’t remember how to get back to where you were held?" Rem asked.

Maylean shook her head. "I'm sorry, I can’t. When I try to remember it just makes my head hurt. All I can remember is some guy from the Rose Thorn Gang named Black Rose there, saying he wanted to use me for a plan to replenish powered kind."

“Even that is very helpful in itself, thank you.” He paused for a moment. “Well we better take you home, I'm sure your family must be worried." Rem said.

She nodded. "Yeah. I live on the south end of the city, so you can make a portal to there."

"I'll go with her, just in case Tamer is looking for her. I'll make sure she isn't attacked." Brett said.

"Good idea. But don't let the police see you. Oh! Wait one second." Rem said, going back into the cabin. He came back with a telepath stone like everyone else in his hand, then gave it to Maylean. "Take this. If you’re ever attacked, or need our help, use this to contact us. Brett can tell you how to use it." Rem said.

She nodded. "Alright, I got it."

Rem then made a portal. "Have a safe trip." Rem said. Maylean and Brett nodded, and went in. Rem looked over to Raylu. "Well it sounds like the Rose Thorn Gang stole chemicals from Harkum Inc. to make mutants like in the news. Or what that Black Rose said, about making more powered humans." Rem said.



Raylu shook his head. "I doubt it's to make more powered humans. Powered humans would know that lunar energy could do the same thing easier, plus far less risky." Raylu said.



"Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. I think that Rose Thorn Gang stuff is just a red haring…If Kraven is really out here making Meta Humans again in full swing, we need to find him…” Rem said to Raylu, arms folded.







Back at Kraven's laboratory, Kraven was speaking with The Tamer. "I am very disappointed in you Tamer. You failed to bring me Maylean, and she ended up in the hands of the World Savers. If the World Savers are able to use her to find us-!" Kraven said, getting mad.

"I understand that, but I made sure she can’t lead them here." Tamer cut in. "When she was under my control, I used my abilities to remove the memories that she had after she broke out. She now has a gap in her memories from she when she got out, till when she arrived in the city. And her memories while she was enraged in her powerful form are hazy as well. That wasn't my doing though."

“I forgot for a moment you could do that..” He paused for a second. "Well then that changes things, you handled the cover up nicely. Only thing is I don't have Maylean, but if I have need of her I just need to go get her. Very good work." Kraven said.

"Thanks. Now, since I'm in the area, you need me to do anything else for you? After I heal from my fight that is." Tamer asked.

"No, not at this time. You’re free to leave if you have other work to do from father. I'll contact you if I need you for any other tasks." Kraven answered.

"Alright then. We'll be in touch. See you around." Tamer said.

Kraven nodded. "See you." He said, as Tamer left. Kraven walked around the room for a moment, thinking. You might have barely made it out this scrap alive. But next time you won’t be so lucky...Your day will come. He then left the room. This setback wouldn't stop Kraven. Not by a long shot.


End of Data Log....

[Aqua]

Data Log #7: Ray the Angler EX

Data Log Place in Time: Three days after The Tamer tried to recapture Maylean Johnson.


This data log begins with Rem walking through the forest on a hot day, near the beginning of summer, getting some fresh air before lunch. He was heading to the lake in the forest, a pretty popular spot for relaxing and to clear your mind. It was a pretty large lake, with pure and clean water. The trees surrounded the lake, almost disconnecting this one spot from the rest of the world. The air was cool because of the shade, as the sun peeked through the gaps of the leaves and branches of the trees above. Dragonflies flew around the area, drinking from the lake quickly, before fish tried to jump up to eat them. The only sounds that could be heard was the wind, the bugs and birds, and light splashing every once in a while. Rem sat down at the water’s edge, took his boots and socks off, and stuck his feet in the water as he looked at the fish. The water was still, and the water shined as the sun reflected off the surface. Fish swam around in the water, occasionally close to Rem's feet, then swim away when they touched his feet. Ahhh.......It's such a nice day...It's getting hotter out. I'd say we’re in summer now. Time for the beach. He thought. Then he heard a splashing sound, louder than the rest, breaking the silence. He looked around, and saw someone fishing, pulling in a big catch. He had longish brown hair in a hanging ponytail, and blue eyes. He was dressed in a long sleeved blue shirt, and blue pants. He had a brown vest over his shirt with many pockets, and a backpack next to him on the ground. After another moment of fighting, he finally pulled in the fish.

"Ah, a nice big one. What a fighter. A Rainbow Trout. About.... 15 inches, and....I'd guess about five pounds. Man you’re a fat one, arent cha?" He said.

Rem had walked over after he caught the fish. "Hey there Ray. Long time no see." Rem said, with a smile. He sat down next to him, joining him, both their feet in the water.

"Yo! It's Rem!” The man named Ray said, as he stood up to give him a firm handshake into a half hug after putting the fish in a bucket. “Man, it’s been a long time since we crossed paths. I was hoping I'd see you while I was in the area, but I heard the team split apart, so I didn't think I'd see ya. What’cha been up to lately?"

“Well…I went off solo for a while before the split…Or rather, with Raylu…We were chasing leads of one of our enemies.” Rem folded his arms for a second. “But after a few years, I got pulled back here a few weeks ago, and Eric and I ended up forming a new team with new recruits.”

"So you two are running things over here just like that? How’d that happen so suddenly?” Ray asked, putting down his fishing rod.

Rem closed his eyes for a second, thought about to explain it, then opened his eyes when he started talking. “Eric and Aqua were having trouble tracking down a pack of monsters, Changlings, that were hunting people in ghettos of the city…It was good at evading people with powers, so Eric contacted me and Raylu. The two of almost died though…Had it not been for our four new members.”

“They sound pretty skilled, what type of beings are they?” Ray asked.

“Just human.” Rem simply answered.

“What?! Damn, good on them then. Really capable sounding then, good to see more humans pulling their weight. So they are your whole team?” Ray asked.

“Them, as well as myself, Raylu, Eric, and Aqua. She’s been pulling double time with her agent work, as well as helping us.” Rem answered.

"Ah. Not as many as the old group, but sounds like you get the job done all the same." Ray said.

Rem nodded. “We haven’t had too many missions yet, but so far they prove to be very capable. I see a lot of potential in them.” Rem paused for a second. "Say, would you like to come back to the cabin for lunch? You can meet them all there. They are waiting around for lunch time. I came out here for a little break, as a few of them get very vocal when they are hungry." Rem chuckled.

"Well if Eric does the cooking, then it wouldn't be smart to pass that up.” Ray chuckled. “I was just catching me some fresh lunch anyway, and was hoping you guys were around. Let’s go, I’d love to see Aqua and Eric again.” He said, getting out of the water. He picked up his boots, and gathered his things. Rem went back to grab his boots as well, and the two of them headed back towards the cabin.




It took them about ten minutes to get back to the cabin, but the two of them weren’t exactly going at a fast pace. They were just catching up while they walked, as they finally came up on the cabin. “It sure has been a long time since I stopped in here.” He then noticed Aqua watering the flowers by the porch. “Hey, is that who I think it is!” He called out.

Aqua turned around in response to being called to, and her face lit up as she rushed over to meet Ray with a hug. “Ray! How have you been?”

Ray let her hug him, as his arms were still full. “Hey kiddo, I’ve been doing well. The Terra fishing has been going well. How about yourself? You look more grown up then when I last saw you.”

“It’s been quite a life changing few years, but for me it always feels like that. Can’t remember the last time things felt stable.” Aqua giggled slightly.

Ray nodded. “I get that. Whenever I go back home it always feels that way.” He then looked to the porch, noticing Raylu in his pup form on a chair. “How goes it Raylu?”

Raylu perked up like a pet dog being called, as he looked at Ray. “It goes well, Sir Ray.”

Ray chuckled slightly. “Always so formal, eh Raylu?”

At this point the others came outside, other than Eric, who was finishing up lunch. “Hey, so who’s the fishermen?” Ralph asked, speaking up first.

Rem and the other turned to Ralph and the others coming outside. "Guys, this is Ray Stratford. He's one of my counterparts. And a good friend of mine." Rem answered.

"Another clone?" Sora asked.

Kari sighed. “No Sora, don’t you remember? Draco is a clone. A counterpart is a you from another world…Or something. Is that right?” Kari asked, to which Rem and Ray nodded.

"Oh yeah! I forgot." Sora answered.

"Ray, that's Sora, Ralph, Kari, and Brett." Rem said, pointing to each when he said their names.

"It's nice to meet everyone." Ray said.

"Likewise." Brett responded.

"Nice to meet you too." Kari said.

"Like she said." Sora said, chuckling.

"Nice to meet you." Ralph said.

"Well your just in time. Lunch is about ready." Eric said, suddenly coming outside behind the others.

Ray chuckled. "My man Eric, good to see you. I was hoping you'd say that. I caught a fish, and you’re the only one I know that can cook fish as good as I can." Ray said.

"Alright then. I'll cook that up for ya real quick. Toss it over." Eric said.

Ray reached into his bucket, and tossed the fish. "Heads up!" Ray said. And it almost hit Kari in the face. She closed her eyes, expecting it to hit her. But it stopped in mid air by Eric's darkness.

"Careful." Eric said.

Kari opened her eyes, and breathed a sigh of relief that she wasn’t kissing a fish. "Yeah, that almost hit me."

"Well fish is good for you." Ray responded, laughing a little.

Kari cast a bit of a glare. “Not for my face.” She said, but gave a light laugh.

"Come on. Let's go in the kitchen, and catch up over lunch." Rem said.

"Good with me." Ray responded. He sat his bucket and rod down by the front door, then went into the cabin with the others.




Later, as everyone ate lunch. "I must say Eric, I've been to a lot of Terra’s, and I haven't met too many people who can cook better then you." Ray said.

Eric laughed slightly. “You give me far too much praise, but thank you anyway.”

"So Ray, what is it you do exactly?" Ralph asked.

"Oh I'm just a simple fishermen. I travel the Terras, and fish in as many places as I can. It's something I just love to do. You would be surprised how many different kinds of fish their are in the Terras. Not all Terras have the same things in their seas and oceans." Ray was saying.

"So your not a warrior of any kind, like Rem or Draco? Just a human that goes across the Terras?" Brett asked.

"Well that's not exactly true. I am trained in combat, like Rem. But the team I worked with when I was younger normally has things covered on my home Terra. So I find little reason to stay there when things are at peace. So when I'm called home, I help them out. But most of all the time my home is at peace, I travel the Terras, doing what I love to do. And I keep records of what I've caught on each terra I've been to." Ray answered.

"Sounds like an interesting hobby. And here most people just dream of seeing another country, but here you are just going to other worlds entirely." Brett replied.

"But how do you travel from Terra to Terra? Rem told us that you need some source of power to be able to go to the nexus, and use the altar." Kari asked.

"Well I do have a source of power to do that. Actually I have three. They are in my rod. A fire gem, a ice gem, and a lightning gem. As long as I have my rod with me, I can travel the Terras." Ray answered.

"Why would you keep them in your rod? Why not keep them on you, in case you lose the rod?" Sora asked.

"I never lose this rod. It was made for me by a close friend of mine, and I take good care of it. I guard it with my life." Ray said.

"So how do you fight? Do you use the gems powers, or do you have a weapon? Because you don't appear to have one on you." Ralph asked. Of course that's not to say he doesn't have a concealed weapon...

"Tell ya what. After lunch, you and me can have a sparing match, and you can see what I can do." Ray said.

"It's on fishermen!" Ralph replied.

Ray chuckled at that. Rem and Eric were chuckling to themselves, thinking, He is so gonna get beat.





After lunch, they were outside, in front of the cabin. Ray and Ralph were standing in the middle of the yard. Ray had his rod with him, while Ralph had his blasters drawn. "Alright Ralph, you can make the first move." Ray said.

"Alrighty then." And then Ralph quickly opened fire at Ray. Though Ray simply jumped to the side, which might be hard to do with a fishing rod in his hand. Ralph then moved closer, still firing blasts. But Ray kept dodging them. Man, he's agile.

But then when Ralph was going to toss a weak bomb at him, a training bomb, Ray flung his rod, and the line wrapped around Ralph's leg. He tugged it, and caused him to fall on his back. "Heh heh heh. Bet you didn't expect that." Ray said.

"Well it doesn't mean you can trip me up with that again." Ralph said. He fired more blasts at Ray. He dodged them, then flung his rod again. This time it wrapped around one of Ralph's blasters, and disarmed him. Then fired it at him. "Gah!"

"You gotta keep a good grip on your weapons when you rely on them for means of combat." Ray said, tossing Ralph his blaster back.

Ralph caught it. He just looked at Ray. Ok, he's skilled. But how does he fight on his own? I doubt he only fights by disarming his foes... He shot at Ray again, but then threw a sticky bomb to where Ray was landing. When it exploded it made a pile a very sticky slime, trapping Ray to that spot. Ralph then started shooting at him, but then Ray pushed a button on the handle of his rod, and swung it at Ralph. The hook at the end grew in size, and changed shape into a spiked iron ball! The fishing line was strong enough to hold it apparently. "What the?!" Ralph said in shock. Brett, Sora, and Kari, who were watching, were surprised by the change of the fishing rod. Ray swung the spikey ball to knock both blasters out of Ralph's hands, then swung it again, and hit Ralph in the gut with it, though Ray retracted the spikes when he went to hit Ralph in the gut. Ralph staggered backwards, taking out another bomb, and got ready to throw it, but Ray flung his line at Ralph's hand, the large ball gone now. It wrapped around Ralph's hand, and the line electrocuted Ralph. He then pulled Ralph down to the ground, and Ralph didn't get right back up. Ray reached for one of Ralph's blasters, and set it to fire blasts, and blasted the slime he was stuck to so he could get out.

He walked over to Ralph, and offered a hand up. "You aren’t too shabby." Ray said.

Ralph took the hand, and got up. "I....I might have done better had I realized your rod could do all that. I wouldn't of thought your fishing rod was a weapon. And such a good one." Ralph said.

"Well that's probably true, but keep this in mind. If you face a new foe, you don't know what their power is, their weapon skills, or their combat style. The thing is you need to be prepared for about anything someone can throw at you. Cause if you count on being able to expect what your foe can do, anything that you don't expect could throw you off. Or worse, finish you." Ray said. "Course I'm sure you know that, and have been taught that by Rem and Eric. But its important to keep in mind. Stay calm, and be ready, so you can handle the unexpected without being caught off guard."

Ralph nodded. "Your right. I understand. I forgot about that in the heat of the battle."

Ray nodded. "And that's fine. It's ok to forget in a training match, but just be sure not to forget in a real fight, against an enemy." He paused. "So anyone else wanna go a round with me? Or was watching Ralph get beat enough for you?" He asked, chuckling.

Everyone kinda just looked at each other. Sora and Kari didn't look like they were up to it. Brett stood up though. "I'll have a go. The way I look at it, it's always good to get training in against different types of foes. I've never fought someone who used a flail, or a weapon like it before." He said.

"Alright then." Ray replied.

Brett then readied his close range assault rifle, then took his place on the battlefield. "Alright, I'm ready." Brett said. Ray nodded. This time Ray took the offensive, and ran at Brett. He started spinning his rod, making the line twirl around. It then whipped it at Brett, which he backflipped to dodge. When the line hit the ground, it burned the ground, powered by fire apparently. Ray kept trying to strike Brett with his line whip, but Brett kept dodging the attacks. Every once in a while, Brett was able to hit Ray with a blast from his rifle. Ray then pushed the button on the rod handle, making the end change into the iron ball. When he sent it at Brett, Brett backflipped to dodge the ball, and the ball hit the ground. He then shot at Ray while the ball was in the ground. Once Ray got the ball free, he started spinning it to block blasts from Brett. He then swung it to send the ball at Brett, but he shot the ball with a charged shot, blasting it back. It was blasted to a place across from Brett, to his side. Ray then moved the rod so that he could trip Brett up, but Brett jumped over it, then shot Ray with an ion blast. Ray then moved the ball to attack Brett again, but blasted it back with another charged shot. Then shot Ray with two more blasts, a normal blast, and an ion blast.


Ray went down to one knee, while Brett kept his rifle pointed at him. Ray had pushed the button on the handle again, changing it back to a fishing line, then swung it at Brett. Brett thought that Ray was hit enough with ion blasts that he would be able to react in time. But apparently two wasn't enough to slow Ray down enough, so Brett couldn't react in time. Ray got his fishing line on Brett's arms, and his arms froze over in a block of ice, as well as his rifle. Then he tugged the line back, and sent it at Brett's legs this time. Brett tried to get back, but his frozen arms caused him a delay in his movement speed, so the fishing line wrapped around Brett's legs. Then his legs froze over into a block of ice. Now Brett couldn't even move. Ray tugged his line loose, then reeled it back in.


Ray walked over to Brett, and had the fishing hook touch the ice around Brett's arms and rifle. The fire gem was on, so the hook was red. It touched the ice, and it melted it away, and did the same to his legs. He then offered Brett a hand to help him up, which he took. “That was a wonderful bout, Brett. I’m impressed! I thought my weapon would give you a little more trouble than that, but you handled me quite well. You’re very skilled, as are you Ralph.” Ray said, looking at Ralph when he spoke of him. Then he looked back at Brett. "I think you might have either beaten me had you had as much combat experience as myself, but you’re still new to the world saving business, so I’m sure with a little more time you’ll be flying past me. You have the know how, that much I can tell alone. You’ve seen your fair share of combat." Ray said.

Brett nodded, with a slight smile. “I used to be a solider back in my home country, but the threats I’ve already dealt with in the past few weeks already overshadow what I know. But thank you for the compliment, I’ll keep working hard.”

Ralph looked at Brett with a look in his eye that felt like he studied what he said. Overshadowing what we know?...Maybe for you, Brett…

"If you two are as skilled as these two, then I must say you all have been trained well by Rem and the others." Ray said, looking at Sora and Kari.

"Thank you." Ralph said.

"Thanks." Kari said.

"Yeah, thanks." Sora said. Brett just smiled, and nodded.

"You’re all welcome. It was some delightful training. If you two would like to have a shot at me, feel free to ask after a bit of a rest.” The group started heading back to the cabin porch, when Ray looked at Aqua. “Well since my clothes have a few holes in them even from before training, you think you can patch up my clothes before I leave Aqua? If it’s not too much trouble. My own stitching job is shoddy at best." Ray asked.

Aqua smiled, and nodded. "Yeah, sure. How long do you plan to be staying, by the way?" She asked.

"Well.....I wasn't sure when I arrived. But I think I'll stay for a couple days, maybe a week. Relax some. Maybe I'll train your new team members a bit before I go. You guys sound up for that?" Ray asked.

"Of course." Brett replied.

"Sure." Kari said.

"Sounds good." Sora said.

"And let you leave without getting a proper rematch? Not on your life, I’ll be winning the next one." Ralph said, with a smirk.

Ray chuckled slightly. "Great. I'll be looking forward to it. You guys don't mind having me for a few days, do ya?" Ray asked.

"Of course you can. When you stay at the cabin, you become like family. We’d love to have you stay." Rem answered.

Ray smiled. "Glad to hear it. I didn't just want to think I could just walk in and stay. Plus I wasn't sure if there would be any room, this cabin normally has more people in it. I have a tent in my backpack." Ray laughed a little.

"Well people have always just popped in here at the cabin for years, welcome or not, so we always gotta be prepared." Eric said, laughing a bit.

"Heh. Yeah that's true." Rem agreed.

"It's been a long time since that has happened though." Aqua said.

"Well yeah, that's true too." Eric agreed.

Amidst everyone’s talking, Raylu's ears perked up, and his eyes widened. "Everyone, I sense auras in the forest. Monster auras."

Eric closed his eyes, and looked for auras as well. "He's right. I see them too. Over near the mountains."

Rem narrowed his eyes. “Monsters don’t normally show up around here…It could be some kind of attack on us, or some monster gate opened up. Either way, we better send them back, and make sure they don’t cause anyone trouble. Get your gear everyone.” Rem ordered, as everyone prepared to depart.




A little later, they all showed up in the mountain area of the forest. The trees and such weren’t as thick here as in other places of the forest, due to being so close to the rocky area of the mountain. Other then the few trees, there wasn't much else but some bushes, and a bunch of rocks. "Hmm.....This is the spot isn't it? Where are the monsters?" Ray asked.

"Hmm....They are still here...They’re just hiding...." Raylu answered.

"Not a whole lot of places for them to hide in this area though." Sora said.

"Apparently there are enough places." Ralph added.

Then from behind a large rock, a bunch of small, three to four foot tall monsters jumped out. They were green skinned, and had pointy ears, and yellow eyes. They had short, thick swords. Ray noticed, and switched the hook on his rod to the spikey ball, then swung it. The ball crashed into them all, knocking them away. "Goblins. Been a while since I've seen them." Ray said.

"These shouldn't be much of a threat. But Goblins often are ordered around by something else. Something stronger." Eric said.

"Well we’re gonna find out." Rem said, drawing his sword. Then a whole lot more goblins came out from behind rocks and bushes. Arachna Beasts also came out of the trees.

"Ugh! Spiders! I hate spiders!" Kari said, taking out her blaster, and quickly started shooting them in a panic.

"Everyone take a group of monsters, and we can get through these faster." Rem said. Everyone then moved out.

Sora moved in to attack a group of goblins with his beam sword. He was blocking attacks from them, and then slashing when he got the chance. But because he was being ganged up on, he was getting slashed. When Sora killed one goblin, he took the sword that it dropped, and now used two swords. Sora was much better at blocking attacks with two swords. And he was chopping through the numbers. Ugh! I forgot one of my beam swords. This makes this a little slower... Sora thought as he fought.


Kari was having a bit of trouble fighting. She wasn't used to fighting foes so much shorter then she was, and because of that she couldn't really fight hand to hand that well. She had to play a defensive roll in this fight, punching and kicking them away, rather then going after them. At a point she got her blaster and beam sword out. This is getting old. Time to change things up. She would slash and shoot at the goblins, though her sword play wasn't as good as Sora's. So she was more moving around, and slashing at them. Course the goblins weren’t bad in sword play, so it wasn't that easy. But her switching from blaster to beam sword was catching the goblins off guard. Ugh...I need more training with the beam sword. Then a goblin jumped at her to attack, and she blocked the attack with her sword. But then she got slashed in the back by two others. She screamed. She pushed the one goblin back, then did a sweep kick at the two goblins behind her, then she shot them both. She put her blaster away, and saw the goblin she pushed back coming at her. She moved out of the way, then punched the goblin into the ground with a powerful punch.


Ralph and Brett were teaming up once again. Ralph took the offensive role, while Brett took a defensive role. Ralph was moving all over the battlefield, blasting the goblins as he moved. The goblins couldn't hit him since he was moving so fast, and he would just jump around when they caught up to him. They would get the lucky hit once in a while, but it wasn't much. Then they started throwing their swords at him, and he was getting hit more at that point. That caused Ralph to misstep, and then the goblins moved in. But Brett then started to snipe them off. That bought Ralph the time to get out of there. Then Brett moved in to attack up close with Ralph. "Wow, look at you, up close, and in the action." Ralph said, blasting a goblin back. Ralph and Brett were back to back now.

"Yeah, well I figured you needed a hand. If I can blast back a iron ball at close range, a goblin shouldn't be much harder." Brett said. Then he blasted back a goblin that jumped through the air at Brett. As they kept blasting the goblins, soon a whole bunch were on each side. Ralph and Brett looked at each other, and smirked. They each took out a bomb, and threw it at each pack, blowing them away.


Raylu and Aqua were working together. Raylu was jumping around, blasting the goblins with aura spheres, blasting them through the air. Aqua would them shoot the air born enemies with icicles. Then she would attack them with whips made of water, knocking them away. Some she would wrap up, and toss into the air. Raylu would then finish them off with aura blasts. Then a bunch of goblins surrounded the two of them. Aqua then made a huge wave of water, washing them away, while Raylu finished them off with blasts.


Ray, Rem, and Eric were working together as well. Ray was taking out a bunch of goblins with his spike ball, while Rem covered Ray from goblins when Ray couldn't attack back right away. Eric was blasting the Arachna Beasts that were attacking from the trees. Ray switched the ball back to a hook, and then wrapped up the rest of the goblins, which wasn't very many, then the line shocked them all. Rem and Eric finished them with blasts. "Hmm....That was easy. Of course I'd say too easy, but they are weak monsters." Eric said.

"But why are they here? Monsters normally don't appear around here, unless they came or were brought here. And I mean it seemed like they were waiting for us." Rem added.

"Perhaps we should of kept one alive, and I could of questioned it." Raylu said.

"Yeah, that was a bit of a slipup on my part…Do you see any more monster auras around?" Rem asked.

"No, not right here. But...." Raylu was saying.




Along the mountain side, three monsters watched the battle. They were riding atop Arachna Titans. One was a skeleton, one was a Dino Lizafose, and the one in the middle was a orangeish yellow monster that looked kinda like a goblin in armor. But it was taller, about five to six feet, and it had a axe in its hand. This was a Hobgoblin. "Hmph! Those humans are stronger then I first expected." The hobgoblin said.

"Welllllll what did youuuuu expectttt? We knew they wouldn't beeeee pushoverssssss." The Dino Lizafose replied.

"Do you think we can take them?" The skeleton asked.

"Well its hard to judge their skill just by them defeating a bunch of goblins. We will be the real test. We move now!" The Hobgoblin said. Then he took out a horn, and blowed into it. When he did two portals opened up next to the three riders, and a bunch of goblins and Arachna beasts came out. They began to go down the mountain, and then the riders went as well.


Everyone suddenly heard the loud horns, and looked to the mountain side, and saw the large amount of monsters coming down towards them. As they came down, the Arachna Beasts and Titans fired darkness blasts at the team below. Raylu got in front of everyone, and put up an aura sphere around himself to take the attacks. "Alright, let's attack them before they get here." Ralph said.

But it was Brett that made the first move. He loaded his rifle with a few simple bombs, and fired them at the group of monsters rushing down, paving the way for some of the others to attack as well. Rem, Eric, Aqua, and Ralph fired attacks at the groups of monsters coming down the mountain side. The Arachna Titans shot webs from their mouths, and they reached trees. The Arachna Titans swung in, around the attacks. They landed in the battlefield first. They screeched, and fired webs from their mouths at everyone. Nearly everyone managed to dodge the webs, but Kari's leg got snagged, and the titan began to pull her in. "Ahhh! Someone help me!" She screamed, as she tried to shoot the Titan in the face, with little effect. Some of the others tried to rush in, but the three titans blasted the team back with a combo darkness attack. Kari kicked the spider in the face when she was pulled in close, but it ignored the pain, and started to wrap her up in webbing. Kari was quickly wrapped up, aside from her head. Then the titan was going to take a bite into her neck, It's fangs covered in a poison that would cause her whole body to go numb.

"Don't worry. It will be over in a few seconds...." The voice of the Arachna Titan said to her mind.

"Help!" She yelled once more, fighting to get free.

Then a "Haaaayaaaa!" Was heard. The rider of that titan, the Dino Lizafose, looked up. Sora jumped from a tree branch he landed in, and kicked the Dino Lizafose in the face, knocking him back. He then landed on the Arachna titan, turned around, and stabbed it in the head. It screeched in pain. Sora quickly slashed the arms of the titan holding Kari, causing the Titan to recoil back in pain long enough for Sora to pick up Kari, though not enough time to jump off the Titan’s head. The Dino Lizafose recovered, and breathed fire at Sora, which he quickly jumped away from, causing the fire breath to hit the head of the Titan, burning it instead. Sora moved away with Kari as quickly as he could. When it was safe, he sat her down, and cut her loose. "You alright?" Sora asked.

Kari brushed the webs off. "Yeah. Thanks a lot." Then her eyes widened. "Sora, behind you!" She yelled, seeing the Titan came back after Sora and Kari. He tried to fight off it's iron spike like legs with his sword, but it managed to knock away the sword. Then it went to bite Sora!

But then a spikey iron ball crashed on the titans head. Ray hit it right where it was stabbed and burned. Ray then yanked it back, and knocked off the Dino Lizafose off the Titan with another strike. Kari quickly reached for a bomb, and tossed it in the Titans mouth. It went off, and its head blew up. The rest of the body went dark black, and exploded in a black smoke. A white light went into the air. "Good show you two." Ray said, taking out a group of monsters with his flail.

The Dino Lizafose had drawn his two swords, and ran at Sora and Kari. "Brett, toss me your beam sword!" Sora called out.

Brett heard him. He got clear from the goblins he was fighting, and took it off his belt. "Heads up Sora!" Brett yelled out, tossing it.

Sora was able to catch it just in time, and turned it on just before the dino showed up. He quickly blocked the attacks from the dino. "Heh. Bet you didntttt count on thissss!" The dino then went to strike Sora with his axe tail. But Kari remembered that tail from their fight with Leon Blood, as he was the same creature, and she shot it with an ice blast before it hit Sora. Sora then kicked the Dino Lizafose back.

Sora looked back at Kari, and gave her a smile and thumbs up. "Nice one Kari!”

"Thanks. You fight him, and I'll attack when I can." She replied. Sora nodded. The dino came at Sora again, he would swipe with one sword, Sora would block. He would go at him with the other, and Sora would block that with his other sword as well. But he was aware enough to dodge ice blasts from Kari. But when Sora went at the dino with both swords, they were caught in a lock. Then the dino breathed fire at Sora directly into his body! This assault of flames continued until Kari shot the dino in the head, giving Sora the time to move. But instead of going right after Sora once more, he ran at Kari. She would shoot at him, but he would deflect each blast with his blades. But then Sora tackled the Dino Lizafose before he got to close. Sora quickly got back up before the dino could attack. The dino then got back up, and they ran at each other again. Once locked, the dino kicked Sora in the gut, and spun around to slash Sora in the gut with his axe tail. Then he kicked Sora once more, this time landing on his back on the ground. The dino went at Sora once more, but Sora blocked these moves. But he was pined down, and the dino was about to breath fire at Sora. But then he noticed Kari running at him with her beam sword. He swiped at her with his tail, but she dodged, and slashed off the lower half of his tail! While he recoiled in pain, she then slashed one of it's arms off. With his free arm, Sora stabbed the dino through his chest. The dinos eyes widened, and it fell backwards. It's body then began to burn away, and a white light left it like the titan.

"That was too close...." Sora said.

"Yeah..." Kari agreed. But now wasn't the time to rest as more monsters came to attack them.


Aqua, Raylu, and Ralph had managed to get the skeleton off of his titan, and now Raylu was fighting the skeleton, while Aqua and Ralph were handling the Arachna Titan. Raylu got ahold of Rem's aura staff, and was fighting with that. "So why is a monster like yourself working along side humans? You their slave?" The Skeleton asked.

Raylu glared at the skeleton. "I am no monster, and I will make you regret your words." He replied. He ran at the skeleton, and tried to attack with a super fast punch. The skeleton blocked this punch with his shield, and tried to strike Raylu with his sword. Raylu blocked this with his staff, then blasted the skeleton's head with an aura blast, causing it to stumble back. Raylu didn't give the skeleton any time to recover, and rushed in to attack with staff attacks. The skeleton blocked these attacks with his sword and shield, but he couldn't get a chance to attack back. Time to finish this. Then Raylu pulled his right arm back, and it glowed silver. Then went to punch. "Silver Punch!" He punched the shield, and shattered it into pieces, and crushed the arm using it. Then he struck the other arm with the staff, disarming the skeleton of his sword, then he kicked the skull of the skeleton off of it's body. He jumped over the body, and charged an aura sphere in his hands. Then fired it at the skull, and blasted it into pieces. The rest of the skeleton fell apart, then turned to dust. A white light left the skull. Raylu looked over where the skull was. I am no monster...



Aqua and Ralph were fighting the Titan being ridden by the skeleton. Aqua was blasting the Titan with water, but shot with powerful force. Ralph was firing at the head of the Titan, but dark blasts were shot from the Titan at Ralph's blasts. Then when the Titan had an open shot, it shot a web from its mouth at Aqua. Aqua quickly covered herself in a coating of water, preventing the web from sticking. She then grabbed the web, and sent ice through it. It froze all the way up to its mouth, filling its mouth full of a hunk of ice. Ralph quickly jumped on the back of the titan, put both blasters to it's head, and blasted it in the head. It screeched in pain, then glowing black, a huge burst of darkness came from its body, blasting Ralph and Aqua back. The Titan then fired beams of darkness from its mouth at them, and darkness blasts from its legs. Aqua quickly made a dome of ice around herself and Ralph, but the Titan jumped on the dome, and started stabbing it with its legs. Aqua sent ice shards off the dome at the Titan, but it didn't back off. It covered it's head in darkness, and headbutted the dome, smashing it into pieces.

The Titan was standing over the two of them, trying to stab them with its legs, forcing the two of them to roll around to dodge, but unable to get out from underneath the Titan. Ralph got an idea, and started blasting the legs with ice blasts. Aqua picked up on what Ralph was doing, and did the same on the other side. Soon they froze the legs solid to the ground. The two of them got out from under the Titan, and Ralph tossed Aqua a bomb. "Let's blast those legs!" Ralph said. Aqua nodded. The Titan was sending waves of darkness at them, trying to make them back off. But they managed to dodge them, and Ralph threw a bomb at the left legs, while Aqua threw one at the right legs. The bombs went off, and smashed the legs into nothing. The Titan screeched in pain, but still tried to attack with waves and webs. Aqua put her hands together, and shot a huge icy gust of cold wind at the titan. After about fifteen seconds of making the wind colder and colder, the Titans whole body was frozen solid. Ralph then took out about three large bombs, and threw them at the frozen Titan. When they exploded, there was nothing but ice shards laying around. A white light went into the sky, before vanishing like the rest.


Ray and Brett were dealing with the Hobgoblin's Arachna Titan. Brett was up close, dodging leg attacks, and webs from the Titan, and quickly freezing the legs of the Titan, while Ray was smashing it's legs. But then Ray looked the titan in the eyes, and he became trapped in a Mind Trauma, an ability that darkness users can learn that traps the target in a state of mind where they will see things like worst memories, things they fear, and be subjected to physical pain, that becomes real pain when the trauma is over. But because of this Ray couldn't move his body from the trance. The titan knocked Brett away, and went over to Ray, and started wrapping him up in webs. He had Ray wrapped up like a cocoon, and the Titan then went into the tree. Brett noticed what just happened, and shot a few ion blasts at the Titan. That slowed it down, so that gave Brett some time to do something. He looked at the branch the Titan was hanging on, and got an idea. He then fired a lot of blasts of ice at where the branch joined the tree, then he picked up Ray's rod. He then swung the rod, sending the spiked flail at the frozen part of the branch. It smashed it, causing the titan to fall out of the tree, and the large branch on top of it, dropping the cocooned Ray. Brett ran over, stuck his rifle in the Titans mouth, and shot a bomb in it. The explosion blasted Brett back, and the titan back on its back. Brett shot the webs with a fire blast, and the webs melted. "You alright?" Brett asked, helping him up, and handing him his rod.

"Yeah, I'm fine. By the time I realized I was in a mind trauma, I was already wrapped up. Oh wait, hang on a sec." Ray said. Then he swung is rod, sending the iron ball at the Titan, who was now coming at them. It crashed in the titans face, then he pulled it out, and spun it around. It crashed into the side of the Titan, knocking it over. Brett moved in, got on the titan, and shot it through the head. The body then went black and exploded, a white light leaving it. "Nice work." Ray said.

"You aren’t bad yourself." Brett responded. Then they went back to fighting the many other monsters in the area.



The last of the big monsters, the Hobgoblin, was being taken on by Rem and Eric. He swiped his axe at Rem and Eric, which they both dodged. "Why are you here?" Rem asked.

"Heh. To kill you humans, why else?" The Hobgoblin responded.

"So you just opened up a portal to here of all the places, and target us?" Eric asked.

"What if we did?" The Hobgoblin asked, attacking Rem with his axe, which Rem blocked with his sword.

"Cause if that's what you decided to do, then you picked the worst people to mess with." Rem said, then blasted the Hobgoblin back with a fire blast to the gut. Then Eric blasted away the Hobgoblin with a powerful darkness blast. The Hobgoblin was blasted back, but got back up quickly, and jumped at Eric. Eric blocked this axe strike with his two swords, then he moved his red bladed sword, and slashed the Hobgoblin in the chest. He stumbled back, but then swung his axe at Rem for a powerful strike, knocking away his sword. Then he kept trying to hit Rem, but Rem was blocking these powerful blows with his shield. Eric came in from behind, but the hobgoblin turned around with a strike, knocking Eric's beam sword from his hand. Then in another quick strike, he knocked the other sword out of Eric's hand, then went to chop Eric. Eric backflipped to dodge, then fired a black beam from the mark on his left hand, blasting the Hobgoblin through the air, but was able to recover before he crashed into the ground. Eric reached out his hands, as he tried to call his swords back with darkness, but the Hobgoblin took a hand axe off his belt, and tossed it at Eric while he was busy. Eric noticed, stopped calling his swords, and sent a blast at the hand axe. It destroyed the hand axe, but that gave the Hobgoblin the time needed to move in and attack. He swiped at Eric with his axe many times, but Eric was to agile to be hit that easily. Though the Hobgoblin got a slash in at Eric's leg, which broke his momentum. The Hobgoblin kicked Eric down, then raised his axe to bring it down. Though the Hobgoblin probably forgot about Eric's powers, and he was blasted away again. Eric called his swords back to him, and went at the Hobgoblin. The Hobgoblin reached into a small pouch tied to his belt, and threw a powder at Eric, which paralyzed his body. Though when he was about to attack Eric with his axe, Rem blasted him with a bolt of electricity.

"Hey buddy, come bother me instead!" Rem yelled.

"Heh. Only cause you asked." The Hobgoblin replied. He then charged at Rem, and swung his axe at him when he was close. Rem backflipped, then swung his sword, sending a wave of fire from it. The Hobgoblin just chopped through it, then jumped at Rem to hit him with a jump strike. Rem blocked the hit with his shield, but was knocked back a bit due to the force of impact. The Hobgoblin continued attacking, and Rem kept blocking these moves. Though it was hard to block these axe attacks, since so much force went into every blow, which made it hard to keep blocking.

Not the smartest foe, but he sure has alot of strength. Rem thought. Rem fired his hookshot onto a tree branch above him, and got out of the Hobgoblins attack range. Rem then swung his sword many times, sending waves of fire and ice, though the Hobgoblin just chopped through these attacks. Rem then fired blasts, but the Hobgoblin just knocked the attacks away with his axe. Rem even fired his light star attack, but the Hobgoblin knocked that away too. It was clear Rem wasn't going to get an easy hit on the Hobgoblin when he was fully aware that Rem was trying to hit him. So Rem would either have to use higher grade attacks, or he'd have to go back down to attack with his sword. So Rem jumped off the tree branch, and started to fall to the ground. The Hobgoblin took one of his hand axes, and threw it at Rem, but he knocked it away with his sword before he landed. But that distracted Rem, so the Hobgoblin got in close when he landed. He tried to attack Rem again, so Rem decided to dodge instead of blocking, since blocking wasn't working so well. But when the hobgoblin got to close for Rem to dodge an attack, he threw up a dome of shadow energy. The Hobgoblin then began to attack the dome with attacks. Sooner or later, the Hobgoblin would break through, but Rem had another idea. When the hobgoblin raised his axe, to bring it down on the dome, Rem lowered the dome, and slashed at the axe. The sword blade changed to void, so the slash went clean through the axe handle. The half with the blade fell down to the ground, leaving the Hobgoblin with nothing but a long handle. Rem then quickly changed the blade to electricity, and slashed the Hobgoblin in the gut before he could even react to the broken axe. The Hobgoblin yelled in pain, and stumbled back. Eric had recovered, and blasted the Hobgoblin through the air.



The Hobgoblin crashed on the ground, and started to get up. By now the others had finished off all the monsters, so they all were ready to attack, if needed. "You don't have any way to fight back. I think you’ve lost." Rem said.

"Heh." Was all the Hobgoblin responded with. He took a small sphere with a color pattern of a watermelon, and a stim on the top of it. He pulled the stim off, and threw it at everyone. When it hit the ground, it exploded, and seed like objects flew out of the explosion, that also exploded when they flew for a few seconds. The some of others were blasted back, while the others jumped back from the explosion. Those that were blasted back weren’t hurt to much, but that wasn't the goal. The Hobgoblin took his horn back out, and blew it again. Portals opened up on the mountain side, and more monsters came out again. This time it was about twenty Arachna Titans, and about ten had skeletons riding them. The remainder of the monsters were goblins, and a large number of them. The teams attention switched to all the monsters coming down the mountain side.

"That's alot of monsters....And spiders...." Kari said.

"This is gonna be a tough battle. Three Arachna Titans were tough, but there is more then fifteen of them." Eric said.

"Well get ready." Rem said.

But then as they came down, large seeds about the size of a bowling ball, landed in the mob of monsters. And when they hit the ground, explosions came from them. About five of these explosions went off about the same time. Then everyone heard more fired, and landing in the mob again. "Where are those coming from?" Brett asked.

Raylu was quickly checking the auras of the area, then looked higher up. "On the mountain side, above the monsters." Raylu said. When they looked up, they saw BW the Baba Warrior firing attacks into the air.

"BW!" Kari exclaimed.

"The reinforcements are here." Ralph said smirking.

Some of the Arachna Titans changed direction, going up the mountain to attack BW. BW noticed them coming up, and then fired the explosive seeds at some large rocks on the mountain side. The explosions knocked the boulders free, and caused them to fall down the mountain. The monsters were being mowed down by the boulders, even the Titans. The team cheered for BW taking out almost half of the monsters left with that rock slide. The Hobgoblin looked distressed. This battle is nearing its end....Time to pull out... The Hobgoblin then blowed the horn in a different tune. A portal opened next to the Hobgoblin, and a boar like monster came from the portal. It was huge, and had spikey tusks, and red eyes. The Hobgoblin jumped on its back, and grabbed the rains. "Ya!" The hobgoblin said, and the boar began to run away. Everyone noticed him beginning to leave. Though the team had to stay to fight the monsters.

"Go after him sir. He might know more then he led on. This is clearly a planed attack." Raylu said.

"Right!" Rem responded. He then touched a yellow and black shard in his gauntlets. His body went all black, and blue and red lines covered his body. His body then morphed into the shape of a wolf. He had yellow and black fur, and he seemed to have silver metal objects around his front legs, as well as silver armor over most of his body, though he still had his scar on his face. This was his Twilight Wolf form, which he could change into using his twilight shard. Once his transformation was complete, she sped off after the boar monster.

Ralph caught that over his shoulder, looking shocked. “Is no one going to address that?!” He exclaimed.


After about thirty seconds of chasing after the boar, he caught up to them, but they were still moving fast. The boar said something in monster to the Hobgoblin, and he turned around, and looked back. He saw Rem running after them, and quickly gaining ground. Well we cant have this, can we? He then took out a few watermelon bombs, and threw them behind at Rem. Rem was able to avoid running into the explosions, but he lost ground for having to dodge. The Hobgoblin saw Rem was still chasing them, and took off his belt what looked like some small gourds tied together with a string, and threw them at Rem. He threw them at Rem, but they missed him due to him jumping over them. Had the gourds connected, they would’ve cracked open and cover Rem in a sticky slime, but missing just left their slime on the ground. Then he took out of his pouch what looked like a small butternut squash, and threw it at Rem.

Whats with all the food weapons? Rem thought. He jumped over this one, but when it hit it the ground it gave off a big explosion. A weak but big explosion, that still hit Rem. Rem shook it off, and kept after him.

About ten more seconds... The Hobgoblin thought. Rem was gaining ground again, and would soon be in range to pounce. The Hobgoblin looked on his belt, and in his bag, and didn't have many tools left. He had a small pumpkin shaped bomb, so it took it out, and kept it in his hand. Since he only had one shot, he waited for Rem to get closer. Then when Rem made his move, and jumped at them to pounce, the Hobgoblin threw the pumpkin bomb at Rem. It hit Rem while he was in the air, and was blasted to the ground. Ha! Got'em! Now to get out of here. The hobgoblin thought. Then he took the horn again, and blowed the same tune he did to call the boar. It opened a portal, and he and the boar rode into it. By the time Rem recovered from the explosion, the portal had already closed.

Damn it! I'm too late! That was so close! Rem thought. But since the others may have still needed his help, he had no time to mope over this loss. He changed back to human form, and made a portal back to the battlefield.



When he arrived nearly all the monsters were gone, but a Titan actually dropped down from the tree behind him. Raylu noticed it, and called out to him. "Sir! Behind you!"

Rem turned around, and it lunged at him. Rem quickly stabbed it in the face with his sword. The Titan was about to attack with its legs, but Rem smirked, and his sword blade changed to void. The Titan stopped moving. Rem twisted the sword around while it was in the face, then he pulled it out, and slashed the face once more, along with the legs in the way. The Titan then turned black and red, and exploded in black smoke. The white light left it, and went into the sky. The others met up with Rem shortly, as did BW. "So, how did everyone do, all the monsters gone? Other then you of course BW." Rem asked.

"Yep, every one of them are gone. We took them all out." Ray answered. "And I must add, good show everyone. I saw how well you all were trained today, and you are as skilled as I thought. Maybe better." Ray added.

"I still expect you to give us some training before you leave." Ralph said with a smirk.

Ray smirked back. "Wouldn't have it any other way."

Rem smiled. Then he looked to BW. "And thank you BW. Had it not been for you coming when you did, we would’ve been in a tight spot."

BW had a funny looking smile, and made some sounds. Raylu nodded. "He said thank you. And he was glad to help. He sensed many monster auras on the mountains near the garden, and went to find out what was going on." Raylu spoke for BW.

"Well I'm glad you did. We all are, aren’t we?" Rem said.

Everyone nodded, and said. "Thank you BW." And then Kari hugged his left arm. BW looked happy, and made some noises again. Then he patted Kari's head.

"He said thank you again." Raylu said. He made a few more sounds then began to walk away. "He said I'm returning to the garden. Good bye everyone." Raylu added.

"Bye BW!" Everyone said. BW headed back up the mountain.

"Hey BW, here." Eric said, making a portal. "Use that instead. It goes back to the garden." BW nodded, and walked into it. It closed after. "Well now that this is all taken care of, why don't we go unwind or something?” Eric asked.

"Why don't we go fishing, and we can eat what we catch for dinner? It can be fun." Ray said.

"Sounds fun!" Aqua said.

"I haven't fished in ages. I think it might be fun." Kari added.

"Yeah, I haven't fished in a long time either." Ralph said.

"Well we have some fishing gear in the cabin. So let’s head back, take some potions and get patched up, then let’s go." Rem said.

"Sounds like a plan." Eric agreed, making a portal.

But before everyone went into the portal, Sora noticed a sword that appeared to be made of bone on the ground. It belonged to the skeleton monster Raylu killed. "Hey, look." Sora said.

"Hmm? Oh, its a monster sword. Monster tools don't often get left behind, so they can be rare." Rem said.

"I think I'm gonna take it for myself." Sora said, picking it up. “It could be useful to have a manual sword, just in case.”

Rem nodded. “Sounds good. We’ll see if Eric can make you a sheath for it later.” He said, as the two of them followed the others.




A little later, on one of the tall mountains nearby, the beastly Giga was near the top, on some level ground. He had some binoculars or hi tech zoom goggles, watching the battle from there. Then a portal opened up behind him. The Hobgoblin came out on the boar. "I'm back......We lost." The Hobgoblin said, getting off the boar.

"So I saw Garaton...Your forces were knocked aside so easily..." Giga responded.

"Yes.....It's shameful. I expected us to do much better then that. I expected us to defeat them-"

"I didn't...." Giga simply said.

The Hobgoblin stood quiet for a moment. "Are you upset with me?" He asked, a clear level of fear in his voice.

"No Garaton...I expected your forces to be defeated..." Giga answered.

"But I don't understand. Why would you send us to kill them, if you planed on us losing?" The Hobgoblin asked.

"Because...We needed to test the strength and skill of those four new members...I wasn't sure if the new members would be defeated, or if the powered humans, the aura beast, the human with the scar, and the angler would save them...or do most of the fighting for them....But they didn't...They fought as much as the more powerful ones did....And were skilled enough to fight on their own as well...They fought well today...And that worries me..." Giga explained.

"I understand. You needed to know your enemies skills. But if that's what the plan was, why didn't you tell me or my forces that? You gave me the order to have my forces kill them." The Hobgoblin asked.

"Because...I needed you to fight at full strength...To give it your all...I wanted to be sure you wouldn't hold back..." Giga answered.

"I can understand that. That makes sense. So what are we going to do next? Do we strike now? Because my forces in the monster world will need more time to recover..."

"No...We aren’t attacking today...We will battle them again another day... For now you and I return to Terra 275....And inform Master Zalendor of what took place here today..." Giga said. Then his claws turned gold, and he slashed the air. The claw slashes in the air made a weird claw mark shaped portal, which Giga walked into. The Hobgoblin and the boar followed into it.




Later that afternoon, everyone was at the lake fishing. Rem, Eric, and Ralph had a fish, Aqua caught two, and Ray already had four. Raylu, Brett, Sora, and Kari hadn't caught anything yet. Raylu had a nervous type of look on his face. "I haven't gone fishing with a rod in years..." Raylu said.

"I swear I thought I had a couple nibbles." Kari groaned.

"Please, that was just the wind. Sora's gotten closer to a nibble then you." Ralph said.

"He caught a pile of leaves, and a stick." Kari said, looking mad.

"Guys quiet. You’re scaring the fish." Sora said, looking nervous.

"Sora's right. Keep it down." Ray said.

Brett then felt a tug. "Ah! I think I got something!" He said, reeling it in, but it was only an old sack. "Huh." He opened it, and found a bunch a marbles. "Hmm...A sack full of marbles..." Brett said.

"That's a weird thing to find in a lake like this." Rem said.

"Probably from a little kid that went fishing." Aqua commented.

Sora then felt his line get stuck on something. "Hey, I think I got something now!" Sora exclaimed. Then he pulled hard, and something flew out of the water. It was a chestnut that somehow got in the lake last fall, and it flew right in his face. He fell backwards onto the ground. "Yow! That hurts!" He yelled.

Ray laughed. "I've never seen that happen before."

"Ha ha! Me either." Ralph added.

"Sora, are you alright?" Aqua asked.

"Yeah, I'm alright. It didn't hit my eyes or anything…My nose hurts a bit through…" He answered, getting back up.

After a few more minutes passed, Kari recast, and got something. "Hey! I finally got something!" She exclaimed. But as she pulled it out, it was just a rubber boot. She looked annoyed.

"That happens way too much...." Ray commented.

Ralph was laughing. Kari glared at him, then unhooked the boot, and threw it at him. It hit him in the face, getting him all wet. "Yuck!"

Everyone started laughing. "Ha ha! Got you!" Kari said.

Then a bunch of crawfish came out of the boot, and they started pinching him. "Ow! Ouch!" Ralph said, brushing them off. Everyone started laughing even harder.

"And you thought we had the bad luck." Brett said.

Sora then got a bite! "Hey! Hey, I think I got a bite this time!"

"I bet its j-Ouch! It's just more junk." Ralph said, taking a crawfish out of his shirt.

After about a minute of fighting, he still couldn't get it in. "No way this is junk." Sora said. Kari came over, and helped him pull. After about another two minutes, they got the fish out of the water. It was a large fish, easily longer then Sora. "Whoa! Look, it’s huge!" Sora said.

"It looks kinda like an alligator, how did it even live in a lake this size?" Kari said, looking shocked.

"That's enough for two or more people." Rem said.

Ray walked over, and had a look at the fish. "Hmm....Yeah, that's a Gar. This one is about six feet, I'd say. Those are pretty hard to catch, and they have been known to eat birds that swim on top of the water." Ray said.

"Whoa! It's eats birds?!" Sora asked, surprised.

"Yeah. They also are only seen in summer, so I guess that means summer is already here. Though I'm a little worried about eating it." Ray said.

"So should we throw it back?" Sora asked.

"Yeah. But hang on though." Ray said, reaching into his backpack. He took out a camera. "Hold it with pride Sora." Ray said, then taking the picture. Kari was helping him hold it, so she was also in the picture, the two making big smiles. “Alright, now let’s get this guy back in the water.”

"Allow me." Eric said, grabbing it with darkness, and putting it in the middle of the lake.

"Make sure I get a copy of that picture." Sora said.

Ray laughed a little. "Will do."

Raylu looked at the sky, and saw the sun setting. "Hmm.....It's getting late. It will be dark soon." Raylu said.

"Yeah. We better go, and just leave with what we got. If we don't get back soon, it will take to long to clean the fish before dinner." Eric said.

"But four of us didn't catch anything." Kari said.

"It's alright. I caught enough for us all, including Aqua's extra two fish." Ray said. Aqua held her three fish up, smiling.

"Alright, that sounds fine." Kari said. She was disappointed she didn't catch anything.

"I'm just disappointed I didn't catch my own dinner." Sora said.

"Don't let that bother you Sora. You caught the best catch of the day." Ray said, giving him a pat on the back.

Sora smiled. "Yeah. I'll never forget today for sure." He said laughing a little.

Eric made a portal. "So is everyone ready to go?" He asked.

"Yep, lets go." Ray answered. Then everyone went into the portal, back to the cabin.



Back at the cabin, Eric, Ray, and Aqua were cleaning the fish, and getting them cut for cooking. The others were watching tv in the next room. Sora was saying that they should go fishing again tomorrow, still excited about the huge Gar he caught. Ralph pulled out another crawfish out of his pocket after it pinched him, and put it in the fish bucket. Today made Ralph hate crawfish. And while this was going on, and Garaton the Hobgoblin and Giga returned back to terra 275, something else was going on in the city. In the hospital were Doctor Alexander Frost was being treated, the nurse was checking in on him. "Hmm....Its been a few days since he was awake, but he's still stable. I wonder why he's sleeping so much...Well as long as nothing takes a turn for the worse." The nurse then left the room. She took the lunch she left in the room earlier, and left his dinner. The dinner he probably wouldn't eat. But as he laid there, his hand twitched, then moved a little. Soon Doctor Frost would awaken. Possibly with new found abilities...


End of Data Log...

[Aqua]

Data Log #8: The Icy Cold Heart of Doctor Frost EX: Part One


Data Log Place in Time: Two days after the goblin attack in the forest.


The days since Ray came to visit the team ended up being very relaxed days for the group. Ray himself had been doing more training with the team, while also doing a fair bit of fishing with some of the others. Sora really took to getting back to fishing the most, while Ralph was pretty sure he had no plans of doing anymore fishing for the rest of the summer. Though the light hearted mood was about to come crashing down on them, as they were not prepared for what awaited them next. Late, in the middle of the dead of night, Doctor Frost finally awoke from his extended slumber. He groaned, as he sat up from his bed, and took in is surroundings. “…A hospital room?...How long have I been asleep? The last thing I remember was getting locked in cold storage while preforming my tests…” The Doctor then finally took notice to the change in his body, and reacted entirely differently than The Electrode did. “Blue skin?...What…what happened while I was out?...” As he tried to remember what happened, he vaguely remembered Kraven coming to his room, though remembered it more like a dream. His words weren’t clear in his memory, but he remembered the feeling of being stabbed lightly in the arm. He looked to his arm to confirm, moving the sleeve up to see where he remembered being injected. A small purple like rash was around the injection point on his blue skin, but he felt no pain from it. “I’d surmise that someone injected me with my chemicals…Could it be whoever locked me in the cold storage, or was it just by chance?....Bah! The real question is did they work?” He then held out his hand in front of his face, and with a little focus, icy mist that flowed like a flame in his hand formed. A very cold chill could be felt from it. “Amazing, they actually worked! So my theories were correct on what happened to Mr. Norman. The chemical developed at Harkum is the key to mutating the dormant power gene in humans…Incredible…Solid, controllable power, in the hands of humans…But I need to run tests, and make sure this doesn’t backfire on my genetic makeup, as well as properly understand how these powers work…” Frost closed his eyes to think, as he felt a instinctual feeling in him on how to use his powers. He climbed out of his bed, and extended his arms outwards, and began to spin around in circles, as a thick layer of ice soon coated the room. Devices in the room started to make noises, as things like his vitals were going crazy since he removed himself from them. He looked around the room, with a interested look in his eyes. “Very impressive, indeed…” He then walked to the foot of his bed, and grabbed his medical chart. It was frozen, but when he placed his hands on it, it thawed out instantly. He looked it over. “Hmm…It seems my condition is normal, but I should probably run my own tests to make sure myself. Can’t count on such fools to understand the mutant gene…”

At this time though, he heard a beating on the door, as the responders were unable to open the door because of the ice. "Mr. Frost, whats going on in there!? We cant open the door!" A nurse called from the other side. Ice was on the other side of the wall as well, so it attracted attention of the staff.

"My thanks for your help, but I'll be checking out." Frost responded. He then looked through the room, until he found his clothes, and thawed them out. Out of a gown, and into some simple black jeans, and a gray shirt. "Much better." He walked over to the window. Hmm.....I wonder if that would work.... He touched the window, and focused his power. He sent it through his finger, into the frozen window. Then it shattered into shards. "Time to leave." Then he jumped out the window. He then noticed he was seven stories high. "Hmm....higher then I expected...." He then fired a beam from his hand, making an ice slide. He slid off of it, and neared the ground. He then fired another beam, making a pile of snow to land on. He landed on his butt, then got up, and brushed the snow off. "My instincts are kicking in well, adapting to my new power control…I must get back to my lab and run these tests. But…let’s try not to make a scene. The last thing I need is to be bothered right now…"

Back up in the hospital room, the door was finally broken down. The doctors and nurses went into the room. "Where did he go!?" One of doctors asked.

"It looks like he jumped out the window." A nurse said.

Then another doctor came in. He had long brown hair, and glasses. He was dressed in a white coat. "Whats going on in here?" He said. Then he looked around. "What happened in here? And where is Mr. Frost?"

"We think he escaped through the window. But we don't know how the ice got here. It wasn't here when we were last in here." One of the doctors said.

"This isn't good, it could be some reaction with his body due to his accident. Either something happened to him, or he was taken away by someone. But either way, we need to file a missing persons report with the police. Make sure not to disturb the scene." The doctor with the glasses said. He was Frost's doctor, Doctor Edward Conn, who was also Mr. Normans doctor. The doctors and nurses cleared out of the room, and then blocked the door.

A little later into the night, Officer Rogers, and Officer Landon arrived at the hospital. They met with Doctor Edward when they arrived. They both looked very tired, probably woken up for the call. These two were lead members on the Mutant related cases, as well as the Shinning Force cases. "Hello Doctor." Landon said.

"Hello officers." Edward responded.

"So what seems to be the problem? We got a report, but we want to hear the whole thing from you." Buck asked.

"Well my patient, Mr. Alex Frost disappeared earlier this evening. We came to find a broken window, and the entire room covered in a sheet of ice." Edward explained.

"The same Doctor that was found at Harkum with his skin a light blue?" Landon asked.

"Yes, that would be him." Edward answered.

Buck folded his arms, looking annoyed. "Maybe some ice human or demon nabbed him. Man I hate those guys..."

Landon cast Buck a look, but focused his attention to Dr. Conn. "Maybe you should show us the room, and we can assess what happened with our own eyes.”

"Of course officers, please follow me." He said, taking them through the halls until they reached the room. They all walked in then. "Careful, the floor is slick."

Landon started trying to warm his arms. “Yikes, this is really cold!”

Buck looked around, carefully checking the window. He was aware how high up this floor was. "Hmm....Broken window. Unless the doctor mutated wings, it looks like kidnapping by a Ice Demon."

Landon didn’t look convinced. “But sir, why would some rogue Ice Demon do something like kidnap someone like Dr. Frost?”

Buck turned around. “It’s just a possibility, but this wouldn’t be the first instance of powered kidnapping in this city. Besides, Dr. Frost was an important figure at Harkum, right? Important enough to be talked about by boss Harkum himself. He’d probably make a pretty ransom targret, and the Harkum’s are loaded.”

Landon wasn’t sure, but he couldn’t deny the possibility. He looked around, and noticed a camera on the celling, though frozen over. "Were these cameras running during the time of the incident? Have they been checked yet?"

Dr. Conn shook his head. "No we haven’t yet, we’ve been busy making sure the rest of the patients were ok. The icing of the walls ran a risk to the rooms on the other sides. But they should’ve been working fine, at least until it was frozen. Let me take you to the security room."

They walked through the hospital, until they came to the room where the recordings are stored and watched. They looked through the tapes, until they found the one for Frost's room. As they fast forwarded through the tape, they soon got to the part where he got out of bed. "He hasn't moved once since we brought him in. He's done nothing but sleep the whole time..." Dr. Conn explained. As they kept watching, they then saw Frost freeze over the entire room. The camera stopped working after that.

"Well it appears that Doctor Frost broke himself out." Landon said.

"It looks that way, but just in case we’ll treat this as a missing persons case. Plus, since he seems to have mutated in the same way that Electrode did, we have no idea what he’s capable of. He could be dangerous to the public.” Buck explained.

"Thank you officers. Due to his mutation, he could be a danger to himself, or others. His condition seemed much more stable than Mr. Norman, but that could change at any time. He’s still sick.” Conn explained to the officers.

"Don't worry Doctor, we'll be sure to find him. Come on sir, we should get a move on." Landon said.

"Right. Back to the station." Buck then yawned. “But…first I’m in need for at least three coffees…We got a long morning ahead of us…” Then the two officers left the hospital.



The next morning at the cabin around 9 am, seven hours after Dr. Frost vanished, everyone was having breakfast at the kitchen table. Everyone was having bacon and eggs, though Rem was having waffles instead of eggs. "Hmm.....It's been a while since I had a breakfast that wasn't something from the water....It's refreshing." Ray said.

“Eric’s breakfasts are always great…But then I feel I say that about all of Eric’s meals.” Aqua giggled slightly. She then noticed that Eric served Rem his breakfast without eggs. “Do you not like eggs, Rem? I thought I’ve seen you eat them before.”

Rem shrugged. "I'm just not much of an egg person, but I can eat them. I wasn’t going to ask, but Eric kinda just took it on himself to make them." Rem said, looking nervous.

Aqua laughed a little bit. “Well that’s Eric for you.” Hmm…He doesn’t like eggs…I’ll have to remember that…

“Well I’m not complaining either, waffles are great!” Sora exclaimed.

Kari sighed in between bites. “Sure, but it’s not fair to just keep adding on more work to poor Eric every meal…” Not gonna lie though, I can’t get enough of what Eric cooks…Have I really been that deprived of good eating for that long?

Eric chuckled. “It’s really no problem guys, really. Oh! By the way Sora, I finished making a sheath for your bone sword. It's in your room on your bed." Eric said.

"Oh really? Thanks Eric." Sora said.

Then, to break the mood, a watch like device like on Eric's and Rem’s wrists started to beep, grabbing everyone’s attention. "What's it time for?" Ray asked, still eating.

"That's Erue. He is the new computer I put up in the factory. And he usually only contacts us, if he has found some important information. Hopefully it’s not threat related this time." Eric answered. Then he pushed the button on the side of the watch. "What's the problem Erue?"

"Master, I have found some information on a news report. It Is about Dr. Frost. I have made a audio recording of the news report for you." Erue responded.

"Ok good, play it back. We're all here." Eric said.

"Very well sir, one moment please.......Loading......Done. Playing now." Erue said.

"We also have a missing person report. Doctor Alexander Frost of Harkum Inc. left the hospital last night. Reasons why he left are unknown, but reports say he left through the window, seven stories high. Though the police said to report him if seen, they also said to not to interact with him. As for why, the police haven't said. Please call the studio here, or the police station with the numbers shown at the bottom of the screen If you have any information on his whereabouts-" Erue stopped the playback at that point.

"That was all of interest sir." Erue said.

"How does someone just leave through a seven story high window!?" Kari asked, in shock.

"Is this fella a powered human? Wind maybe?" Ray asked.

"No, as far as we know, he's just human." Rem answered.

"Hmm....Then that does come as odd." Ray responded, folding his arms.

"Indeed. Erue, see if you can try to get access to the hospital cameras, and look to find the recordings for Doctor Frost's room. We'll be at the factory shortly." Eric said.

"Of course sir." Erue said.

"Alright everyone, quickly finish eating, and grab your gear just in case we need it." Rem ordered, as everyone focused on finishing breakfast, before preparing to depart for the factory.




Meanwhile, Dr. Frost was in an area of Harkum Inc. The room was cold, and ice was on the walls. In this location, Dr Frost was running tests on his DNA, when he heard the news report on tv, before turning it off. "Hmm....Let them think I'm missing. It matters not to me. I have better things to worry about." He looked at some of his blood under a microscope, and saw that the cells had a blueish tent to them, and that they gave off a cold chill. Yet It did not harm his blood, nor did white blood cells try to attack them. "Hmm.....This injection seems to have altered my entire system. The chemicals have changed my blood, and blood cells, but also the white blood cells so that they do not try to attack my blood. Interesting. And since I have been like this for....about a week I figure, my organs have changed so they can process the changed blood. If not, my heart would’ve of stopped working shortly after my blood was changed. This is truly amazing. These chemicals have altered everything In my body for it to continue to function without problem. I also feel younger, stronger, and even a healthier…" He said. Then he opened his hand, and looked at the icy mist coming from his hand. "And not only that, I have been gifted with these new powers as well. Abilities of ice, snow, and cold. This can surely put me on par with even powered humans and demons alike. Then finally..." He closed his eyes for a moment, as he seemed to be remembering something painful. "Then finally I can extract my revenge on them…But not just yet. Before I can do anything, I have to be able to fully use these powers at will. I must figure out what I can do, and how to do it. Then I can test out these skills in direct combat…" Then he left the room. He went to find a place where he could practice with his abilities.




A little later, the team was at the factory. Eric was looking through the videos that Erue found, trying to find something that would help them. The times Kraven came to the hospital were not on the tapes, however. "Hmm.....The guy seems of have been sleeping the whole time at the hospital." Ralph said.

"Yes. But at some point it must have changed." Eric said. As they fast forwarded through all the tapes, and found nothing, until they reached last night. Then they saw as much as the officers did a few hours ago. "That explains it." Eric said.

"How the heck did he get ice powers?!" Ralph asked, throwing his arms up in the air.

Eric looked confused, as he put his hand on his chin. "I don't know. I was hoping to find something in the older tapes, but nothing seems to have happened…But I did notice something odd."

Rem looked interested in what Eric was saying. “What was that?”

"I noticed a few times, three to be precise, that a hunk of recording time was missing from a few tapes. Like here, on the day of that press conference. At about 11:37 p.m., the recording in Frost's room jumps from 11:37 to 11:45." Eric said.

"That does sound odd." Ray commented.

"Yes. Though it could just be a bug in the recording system. But I have a bad feeling about it, it feels too unlikely..." Eric said.

Rem looked worried, but he didn’t voice his worries aloud. I wonder…if Kraven could be involved in some way…But we still don’t know if he had any influence on Norman, other than just taking advantage of him…

"Even so, where does that leave us to go from here?" Raylu asked.

"Well he wasn't kidnapped, he had to have left on his own. We don't need to chase him down, but I'd like to find out if he knows how he got his powers. I think I might take a look around town later, and see if I can’t find him.” Eric said.

Aqua spoke up at this point. “Well what if all went out to look for him? It might speed things up.”

"I don't know if that is a good idea. I mean we could be spotted if we all go together. And I might be the only one that the police haven't seen with you guys, other then Ray.” Eric folded his arms, and closed his eyes. “Plus this isn't a mission, I just want to speak with him. We don't all need to go."

Brett spoke up at this point. “Not to argue or anything, but even if the point of finding him is just to speak with him, it could still be very important. Dr. Frost could be the next Mutant to appear, and we’ve already seen what they can do, so I think anything he might be willing to tell us could be useful. If you’re worried about us being seen, let’s just go in disguise. We aren’t super well known, so that should work, right?”

Kari chimed in at this point too. “Plus, if that Kraven guy is hanging around, snatching up Mutants like he did before with Norman, he could do the same with Frost. If we aren’t careful, he could get captured by an enemy.”

Eric nodded, then opened his eyes. “You both make valid points…You’re right, I wasn’t thinking of that when I suggested what I did. We would cover more ground in larger numbers.” Eric then looked to Rem and Aqua. “Though I feel you two could make problems for us if you got spotted. I suggest you two stay behind, and if trouble comes up, you two can jump in where you’re needed.”

Aqua glanced over a Rem for a second, before looking back to Eric. “I can deal with that. Having some of us on standby is a good idea.”

Rem nodded. "Yeah, that should be fine. Now be careful everyone. Since you'll be alone when you’re out and about, you'll have to take care of yourselves should you run into trouble. Bring the gear you can easily hide."

Ralph, Sora, Kari, and Brett nodded. Raylu looked at Rem. "But what about me sir? Even if I'm in my other form, I can’t go around alone."

"You can come with me Raylu, that way you’ll draw less attention to the others.” Eric suggested.

Raylu nodded. “Very well Sir Eric, if you say so.”

Ray looked confident. “I’ll pitch in and help you guys look too. It’s the least I could do, what with you putting me up for the last few days.”

Rem smiled. “Thanks. I’d like to be out on the beat myself, but having you in my place makes me feel better.”

Ray smiled back. “Don’t worry, you can count on me!” He said with a thumbs up.

“Alright, everyone heading out into the city, follow me back to the cabin. We’re going to get into come street clothes, then I’ll drop you all off around the city.” Eric then looked to Rem and Aqua. “See you two later. If nothing happens, at least get dinner ready for me.” Eric then made a portal to the cabin. From there they would get changed into street clothes, then head off.

Rem looked over to Aqua after they all left. “Hopefully everything goes alright. It’s the first time they are out on a mission without us.”

Aqua gave a light smile. “Don’t worry, they’ll be fine. They’ve already learned a lot. Plus, it’s not an action mission, and if something happens we’re just a telepath stone call away.”

Rem sighed. “You’re right…I just can’t help but worry…”

Aqua frowned slightly. “Hey, it’s gonna be alright. Trust me!” She said, smiling brightly.

Rem laughed a little nervously. “I’ll say, your positivity is infectious.” He paused a little. “You know…It’s been a while since you and me have hung out at all.”

Aqua nodded. “Mmhm, it’s been since before you left, outside of a few conversations we’ve had since you came back. Though it’s kinda hard when the cabin is full of people again…” It’s nice to have such a large team again, but it sure does make it hard to get some alone time…I’ve really got to be careful not to come on too strongly, but I don’t want to waste the day we have…

“That’s true too. Honestly after being on the road so long with Raylu, it’s been a bit of an adjustment…” Rem laughed a little nervously. “Though…I’ll be honest, I don’t really know what to do with my free time anymore. I’ve mostly just kept busy with one thing or another since I’ve gotten back. It’s like I forgot how to relax.” He sighed, almost depressingly.

Aqua just smiled. “It’s ok, it happens! If it makes you feel better, I never knew what to do with my free time either once I finally started getting it again after I started only working at Kavisto’s agency. Without World Saver work in France, the agency wasn’t as busy as you’d think. Heck, sometimes I’d spend more time on paperwork for missions then actually being on missions.“ Aqua laughed.

“Sometimes I forget you pull double duty with Kavisto, but I do remember your complains with paperwork when we were still together.” Rem said, laughing a little.

“Yeah, that hasn’t changed at all, but at least I’m good at it now.” Then they both laughed a little. "Well why don't we go to Eric's garden, and get an idea for dinner first? That way once we get that taken care of, we can figure out something to do if we stay free. I’ve already got a few ideas." She suggested.

Rem laughed a little. "We haven't even had lunch yet."

She laughed a little as well. "Well we can handle that too, since it will probably just be you and me. We can have lunch together."

Rem smiled, then made a portal for Eric's garden. "Ladies first." He said, moving his arms toward the portal.

"Why thank you." Aqua said, curtsying with a smile. She started to go in, but she grabbed Rem's hand, and had him follow her. She was able to hide her blushing expression since she was in front, but even she couldn’t believe she just did that herself. She was prepared to play it off as going along with the formal joke, but her thoughts were flustered. His hands are so warm…

Rem got nervous too, but he entirely thought it was part of a joke they were doing, so he was trying not to think too much about it. Knock it off Rem, it’s not like that at all. Stop assuming things, there’s no way…But jeez, her hands are really soft…Ugh, am I that touch starved? Get it together, or she’ll think I’m acting weird. Just go along with what she’s doing, and don’t overthink things so much… After the two of them went into the portal, it closed behind them, leaving everyone with their own assignments for the day.




Not long later, Eric had sent everyone into the city by portal, and they all spread out to search. Before long, Ralph found himself near Harason Robotics. "Hmm....You'd think you could find a blue skinned person pretty easily." Then he noticed where he was, and looked confused. Hmm...Those robots were made to help protect France, but if that was the case, why would he attack someone himself? Rem and the others say they actually worked together in the past, so what could’ve happened? Was it really some kind of press stunt?" Ralph thought to himself. Something fishy is going on there…Them being pulled from city patrol can’t just be just a chance thing, something must’ve happened either here, or with their replacements…I’d do some digging if we weren’t already on a mission…My gut isn’t wrong often… Ralph continued past the large building, continuing his search.

Sora and Kari were off as solos at first, but after a while of searching they ran into each other, and just stayed that way. They thought, on the off chance Frost was hostile, they would stand a better chance as a pair. They were in the part of town where a large boarding school called Kadic Academy was located. "Hmm...I doubt he'd be in this area. Why would an escaped scientist be at a school?" Kari said.

"Dunno." Sora paused for a moment, putting his arms behind his head. "Do you remember how we used to get meals there?"

Kari looked like she got lost in her thoughts. "Yeah. We'd show up after lunch time, and get leftovers from the kitchen. That lunch lady was so nice."

"Yeah...Feels so long ago that we had to do that just to eat, and now we eat Eric's cooking." Sora said.

"Yeah. It's such a change isn't It?" Kari giggling slightly.

Sora nodded, but then suddenly started looking serious. “I’m glad we found them…Or, that they found us. Not even about food or anything, even if it is nice to have hot meals every day. We might still have to hide around sometimes, but…I just feel like we’re making a difference, even if it hasn’t been that long.”

“Whoa, where did serious Sora come from all of a sudden?” Kari teased, causing Sora to get embarrassed. “But no, I feel the same.” Kari paused for a second, looking serious herself. “I wasn’t sure about them at first…But after thinking about it, it just feels like this is where we’re supposed to be. Nothing super crazy might’ve happened yet, that might be why I feel that way. We’re here if it does…I…can’t remember the last time I’ve felt that way. Belonging somewhere…”

Sora chuckled. “Now who’s being so serious?” The two of them laughed a bit, as they continued their search.


Meanwhile, Brett was near Harkum Inc. in his search. Hmm....I wonder If he would of came right back to work? It would be a bit weird to break out of a hospital, just to get back to the grindstone…

At about this point, dressed fully in his battle suit, was Tony Flander, AKA The Megaton. His helmet folded away when he saw Brett “Hello! Your one of those new World Savers, correct? I remember seeing you from the other day.”

Brett nodded. “I am, I’m Agent Brett Potter.”

“Ah yes! Pleasure to meet you. Though I would be careful roaming the city, the police are all over looking for Dr. Frost. They could see you.” Tony said to him.

Brett nodded. “Dually noted, but that’s also why I’m out and about.” Brett paused for a moment to think, considering asking Tony for help. He remembered that Rem told them that Tony may not have been a World Saver, but he was to be trusted. “Actually, maybe you could help me with that. We are trying to make sure he’s not unstable like that Electrode guy was, you wouldn’t of happened to know if he had returned back here?”

Tony shook his head. “I have not, no. If he is here, no one is aware. I will do a sweep of the building though, just in case. If we find anything, we’ll reach out to you. The last thing we need is Dr. Frost going crazy.”

Brett nodded. “Thank you very much Mr. Flander, we’ll be in touch.”

“Please, call me Tony. And anything for a World Saver such as yourself.” Tony said with a smile.

Brett smiled lightly back, with a nod. “Tony, then. And once again, thank you.” And after that, Brett resumed his search of the city.

Ray was out at the harbor, nearby the city. Lots of boats were docked today. There was a fish market, and some restaurants as well. Ray asked a few people, but no one had seen a light blue skinned man in the area. "Hmm.....Well he isn't around here. Guess it was a long shot he’d be here, but you never know. I'll just have to head back into the city." But then his stomach growled. "Hmm....But first I think I'll get something light to eat. Can’t be walking around all day on an empty stomach" He said to himself, heading to one of those clam shacks.


Eric and Raylu were on one of the streets around the Tower of Power, still being built. "Hmm...That thing looks closer to being finished every day. Every time I see it, I feel like weeks of progress has been done on it…" Eric commented. "I wonder where Doctor Frost would have gone."

"It is possible that he was kidnapped, but It still seems unlikely. If he did just leave, wouldn't of he went home or something? Someone is bound to have seen him." Raylu said.

“True, but that’s what’s worrying me, honestly…Why would he need to hide at all?...” Eric said, thinking aloud. “If he was to be kidnapped, who would even do it?”

“We have seen Tamer around not long ago, he could fit the mold…We’ve also been hearing about this Rose Thorn Gang…” Raylu said, trying to help brainstorm.

Eric put his hand on his chin while he walked. “So we have a potential ransom target…And Kraven’s next abduction…Both aren’t very hopeful…Come on, let’s keep looking.”




In Eric's garden, Rem and Aqua were picking vegetables from the ground, and putting them into baskets. "Ok, so we're having fried vegetables for lunch. Do you have any ideas for dinner yet?" Rem asked.

"What about pizza? We haven't had that in a while." Aqua suggested.

"None of those frozen pizzas right?" Rem asked, laughing a little.

She laughed a little as well. "No, I meant we could make them ourselves. I can cook that. You ever make it before?" She asked.

"Yeah, but I always seem to have trouble making the dough the right shape." Rem said, laughing a little nervously.

"That's fine, I can help you with that." She said, then noticed a pineapple above her head, on a tree branch. "Hey could you shoot that down for me?"

"On it." Rem formed a light star in his hand, and fired it at the stem. It sliced through, and fell down, where Aqua caught it. “Were you…planning on putting pineapple on it?”

Aqua suddenly started acting nervous. “Well…yeah, why? Do you not like that?”

“Oh, no no, it’s not that. I just didn’t expect you to be into that honestly.” Rem responded. “Most people don’t really like that on pizza, saying that fruit doesn’t belong on it.” He chuckled.

Aqua giggled. “Oh, well that’s good. But people need to relax, don’t they know the sauce is made from fruit?” The two of them laughed a bit, when she noticed a tree with cocoa on it. "Hey, get me some of those cocoa beans. I'm going to make something for desert. I'll get the rest of stuff for pizza." She said, as Rem went to go pick them. When he brought them over, Aqua started talking again. “Do you still play music Rem?”

“Umm…Well it’s been a long time since I’ve played anything on the ocarina, but I do still have it. How come?” Rem asked.

Aqua got up off the ground after picking some tomatoes. “Oh, I was just wondering honestly. I started trying to take up music again not long before you came back. I haven’t been able to use the piano in the cabin, since right now it’s just covered in junk, and it probably needs repair, so I’ve mostly just been playing my violin when I can. I wanna try learning the guitar as well, but I haven’t had much time lately between the two jobs.”

“The guitar, huh? So I guess to instruments isn’t enough, huh?” Rem joked.

“W-well I just really enjoy making music, s-so I thought-“ Aqua was stammering, but Rem cut in to calm her down.

“Relax, I was just joking. I think that’s really cool you wanna learn them. It makes me want to start playing again. Hey! How about after lunch we both try to play some? It could be like when we were younger.” Rem suggested.

“Oh, you want to? Great! That does sound like fun!” Aqua was getting giddy at the thought of it. “Well let’s hurry back!” The two of them quickly finished up their veggie hunt for lunch and dinner, and headed back to the cabin.





Sometime mid afternoon, a few hours after they started searching, and no one had eaten yet. Ralph decided to be the one to make lunch plans by contacting the group using the telepath stones. “Alright, so it’s been hours, and no luck yet. I’m hungry. Let’s break for lunch.”

“Ralph, that’s not what the telepath stones are for, I thought something important happened!” Kari scolded him.

Brett’s sigh could be heard from the stones. “We can’t just up and quit just because we’re hungry Ralph. We could miss Frost.”

“Maybe, but we can’t just not eat though, it’s distracting. Plus, if Frost is this well hidden, I doubt it taking a short break would make a difference.” Sora suggested.

“See? Sora agrees with me!” Ralph said.

“Sora doesn’t count.” Kari said, followed with a ‘Hey!’ from Sora.

"Don't worry everyone, Rem and Aqua are at the cabin remember? I'll ask them to send lunch." Eric said to them. Then he directed his call to Rem and Aqua. "Hey Rem, Aqua, its Eric."

Rem answered for the two of them, since Aqua was still cooking. They both where about to go to the lake to eat there. "What’s up? You find him?" Rem asked.

"No. Everyone is hungry, and they are getting distracted. Could you two make us something to eat? Something we can eat on the go?" Eric asked.

"Sure, no problem. Give us about ten minutes" Aqua answered. "Alright let's make some sandwiches."

"I'll get the peanut butter and jelly. You grab the bread and a knife." Rem said.

Aqua giggled. “That wasn’t exactly what I had in mind, but honestly picturing their reactions seems funny.” And the two of them quickly made everyone sandwiches, dropped to them by portal.

"Peanut butter and jelly? Well I guess its better than nothing." Ralph said. He took a bite. "Mmmmm. Sometimes you can forget how good simple food tastes."

“Everything tastes better when you work for it. Now let’s get back to work. Thank you Rem, Aqua.” Brett said over the group call, followed by everyone’s thanks.

Rem chuckled. “No problem guys, good luck out there.” Rem said, as he ended the group call on his end, and then went with Aqua to the lake to eat their lunch.




Later that evening, around 8pm, everyone came back to the cabin. The sun was setting at this point, they sky looking a beautiful pink and purple. "Well that was a big waste of time...." Ralph said, annoyed.

Even Brett groaned. “I have to admit, I hoped for better results, but this city is really massive…”

"Well, it was nice to get out, I guess." Kari said, trying to sound somewhat positive.

Sora then stopped, and closed his eyes, as he sniffed the air. "Hey guys, do you smell that?"

Raylu, In pup form, sniffed the air as well. "Smells like cheese.......And It smells good." Raylu said. Everyone then walked into the cabin, and followed the smell into the kitchen. Aqua had just taken a pizza out of the oven, when Rem noticed everyone come in.

"Hey Aqua, they’re back. Welcome back everyone, you’re just in time. The last pizza came out of the oven." Rem said.

"Yes! I love pizza!" Sora exclaimed.

"Oh, hi everybody, did you have any luck?" Aqua asked.

Eric shook his head. "No, sadly. The entire afternoon was wasted."

"Well no need to be down about it. Let's head off to the lake, we can watch the sunset while we eat dinner." Aqua said.

"Sounds fun. What gave you the idea to eat there?" Ray asked.

"Aqua and I thought of it when we ate lunch. We were tired of being cooped up in the cabin, so I just carried the picnic table over.” Rem responded.

Ray chuckled. “Well, at least someone enjoyed today.” Ray found it funny, but Rem didn’t get whatever he thought was funny.

After a brief clean up, everyone did their part carrying what they needed down to the lake for dinner. Kari hung in the back with Aqua, while the boys chatted in the front. “Soooo, what did you two do all day?” Kari said, with a sly look in her eyes.

Aqua started to get nervous from Kari’s stare, as she knew what she was implying. “N-not much really. It felt like we spent way longer getting stuff from Eric’s garden, cooking, and talking than anything else…Except we did spend a little time making music together, so that was nice…” Aqua was zoning out a little, to which Kari giggled a little.

"Well In that case, I'm glad we got out of the cabin for ya." Kari said with a smile. Kair felt like teasing her more, but she didn’t think Aqua would respond well. She knew Aqua needed to take things at her own pace. “I didn’t know you played music though, is that your violin I hear sometimes in the cabin? I just assumed someone was playing music.”

Aqua nodded. “Yeah, that’s me. I’ve been trying to get back into playing it again.”

“Nice! You’ll need to play for me sometime, if you don’t mind. I’d rather listen in person than through the walls.” Kari chuckled slightly.

After a few more brief moments of walking, everyone arrived at the lake side. Not everyone had been at the lake at sunset before, so those that hadn’t were in awe. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" Brett said.

"Yeah, look at how the lake looks like it’s golden. It's so pretty." Kari said.

"A wonderful place to eat, you two picked a nice place for dinner tonight. And a nice night too, not a cloud in the sky." Ray said.

"Well I guess I'll set the table." Eric said. He used darkness to take everything everyone was carrying, and place it on the table. Then he took a knife with darkness, and sliced the three pizzas into slices. He then served everyone up. "Time to dig In!" Eric said. And everyone began to eat. As they ate, the fireflies started to come out.

"Wow...That's lovely..." Aqua said.

"Yeah, it’s really pretty." Kari added.

"The simple things in life seem to calm you the most......I've learned that in my many years." Raylu said.

"Many years? How old are you Raylu?" Sora asked.

"The exact number I have forgotten, but It Is over a thousand years." Raylu answered.

"Wow, you sure don't look that old." Ralph said.

"Aura users tend not to age at the same rate as any other being, due to us being in touch more with our life energy." Raylu said.

"Interesting." Brett commented.

"Oh, I just remembered!" Aqua said, then went over to a basket of food, and took out a plate of cookies. "I made desert too!"

"Yay! Cookies!" Sora exclaimed.

"That sounded like something a little kid would say." Ralph said, arms folded.

"Oh? That’s rich coming from someone I caught sneaking into the cupboards two nights ago, finishing off a box.” Brett said with a slight smirk.

Ralph looked to the side, totally busted. “I-I did no such thing!”

“I knew someone finished off my box! You’re gotta pay for that Ralph!” Sora exclaimed, as the two of them began to argue a bit, mostly ignored by the others.

Raylu had one. "Hmm....Cookies are one of life's little sweet treats."

Kari picked up a cookie, and ate it. "Hmm.....Not as good as chocolate cake, but they will do in a pinch." She said. Aqua chuckled at that.

Eric had some as well. "Hmm....You know Aqua, I think you make sweets better than I do. There is a difference between a chef and baker." He said.

Aqua smiled. "Thanks Eric."

Rem and Ray had some as well, saying nothing but, "Mmmmmmm."

Everyone had stayed at the lake until about 10 a clock, talking, eating, and just having a good time on this cool early summer evening. The full moon reflected on the surface on the lake water, along with the stars, but then everyone decided to head back. Eric sent everything they brought, even the table, back to the cabin lawn, then walked into a portal themselves.




Later that night, midnight, Dr Frost had been practicing his powers in a secluded area of Harkum Inc. the entire day. He was a quick study, and had figured out how to do different kinds of attacks and other abilities. "Hmm.....Yes. I think I have these moves down. I think it’s time for a field test." He said.

Then there was a knock at the door. "Hello? Is anyone inside? It’s after hours, and Dr. Frost will be very unhappy with anyone here."

"What do you want Hawkings? I'm busy." Frost responded.

".....Doctor Frost? Is that you? I thought you were missing." Hawkings responded.

"I'm not missing, I know exactly where I am. I am not concerned with the publics squabbling of where I’ve gone." Frost responded.

"May I come In? It's easier then talking through the door." Hawkings asked.

"Be my guest, but I'll be leaving shortly." Frost answered. He went over to the door, and opened it.

Hawkings entered the room once the door opened. He was about six feet tall, and had brown hair and gray eyes. He appeared to be in his thirties. He looked around to see areas of the walls and floor frozen. "What the? What's been going on in here? What have you been doing?" Hawkings asked.

"That doesn't concern you. What I've been doing in here Is my own business, and mine alone." Frost responded, going about his work.

"How come you left the hospital?" Hawkings asked.

"Because I was better, and I no longer needed to stay in their confines." Frost responded simply.

"But your skin-"

"That Is radiation damage to my skin, which is not going to be fixed by doctors at the hospital. It is merely a discoloration. Nothing more." Frost said.

"So If your fine, then why haven't you told anyone where you where, and came right back to work without telling anyone? You could’ve at least told me, I’m your assistant." Hawkings asked.

"I did not wished to be bothered while I ran some tests and experiments." Frost answered.

"And you won’t tell me what you’re testing or experimenting on, I assume?"

"No. As of now, that is not important for you to know." Frost said.

"Well what can you tell me?" He asked.

Frost paused for a moment. "It is better for you not to know too much at this stage, but I will tell you this." He started. "My own personal, private research, has given me a gift. A great and wonderful gift. Something mankind has never been able to do exactly what I have done, at least not intentionally. And with this gift I will bring about great change. A change for the betterment of all."

"And when will I, I mean everyone, get to see what this great gift of yours is?" Hawkings asked.

"Soon my friend, I hope it will be very soon. Now I must be going, I have some final field tests to run. I trust you will keep what you know about my whereabouts secret? I do not wish to be disturbed until things are finished." Frost asked.

Hawkings nodded. "Of course, Doctor."

"My thanks Hawkings." Frost responded, as he left the room.

He passed Hawkings as he left, and some of his sleeve got a thin weak layer of ice on it. Hawkings noticed, and brushed it off. Did....Frost do that?...Doctor...What are you planning?



A little later into the night, about 2 am, Eric woke up. He had actually not been able to sleep since he went to bed, sleeping no longer then ten to fifteen minutes. He was the only one having this problem. Hmm.....I can’t sleep like this, not knowing what’s happened....I need to get myself some fresh air. Eric thought. He got up, and left his room in the cabin, then he made his way outside. It was very quiet, only the sounds of some bugs could be heard. The sky was clear, and the moon was full and bright, illuminating the night. Eric sat on the porch for a few, then started to walk through the yard.

Raylu was on the roof of the cabin, sitting cross legged, when he opened his eyes, and saw Eric In the yard. "Sir Eric, what are you doing up at this hour?" Raylu asked.

"I can’t get any sleep. So I came out to clear my head." Eric said.

Raylu nodded. "Yes. Calm, quiet nights like these are perfect for clearing your mind, but I can tell something bothers you more than that..."

"Yeah. I was thinking of going out to take another look for Frost. For some reason I have a bad feeling about this, so I want to find him." Eric said.

"Well it would be unwise to go out this late at night alone. I advise against it." Raylu said. Then he jumped off the roof, and landed next to Eric. "So I shall accompany you." Raylu said, changing into his pup form.

Eric smiled. "You are welcome to join me, thank you." Eric responded. He made a portal, and the two of them walked into it.

The two of them walked the streets of the city for about forty-five minutes without any luck. "It's nearly three. Perhaps we should return to the cabin." Raylu said.

"Yeah, I was thinking the same...." Then something caught Eric's eye. He turned to see Dr. Frost roaming the streets in a lab coat. "Look! Over there." Eric said.

"That blue skin. It must be him." Raylu said.

"Come on!" Eric said. And the two of them hurried over over.

Dr. Frost noticed them. I can sense it...The flow of power In his body...He's a powered being... Frost thought. He couldn't sense Raylu's power, since Raylu commonly hides his using his aura.

"Excuse me. Aren't you Doctor Frost?" Eric asked when he came over.

The Doctor looked puzzled for a moment, then responded. "I am. Who are you?"

"My name's Eric. I wanted to ask you some questions about you disappearing from the hospital." He asked.

"Are you some kind of reporter? What did you want to ask me, In the middle of the night? It’s not exactly normal to approach people in the dead of night." Frost asked.

"Well, It's about how you-" Eric was saying. But then a huge spike of ice formed in Frost's hand, as he went to impale Eric in the gut! Everything was happening so fast, Eric didn't even realize. Raylu sensed something amiss when they came over, so he was slightly prepared. He changed back to his normal form, and tried to blast Frost away with an open palm punch. The energy from it would have blasted him back, but not before the ice spike had already went into Eric's gut. Raylu's quick thinking prevented it from going all the way through, but blood was shed, as Eric yelled in pain. Raylu placed his hand on Eric, to try to heal his wound slightly, but the spike went in pretty deep.

Frost recovered from Raylu's attack to notice what he was doing. What the hell Is that thing?...Some kind of monster? No matter. Then from his hand, he fired a powerful and large beam of ice at Raylu and Eric. Raylu jumped away, carrying Eric, as he was in too much pain to move on his own.

When he landed, he sat him down. "Stay here, Sir Eric. I'll handle this. Try to contact the others." Raylu said, then rushed In at Frost at high speeds. Frost didn't expect Raylu to be able to move this fast, and was unable to dodge an aura filled punch to the face, knocking him away. Eric reached for his telepath stone, and tapped it. It started to send out a distress signal, since he was too weak to send a telepathic message to the others. Frost got up from the ground, and wiped some blood from his mouth. Raylu stared at him. "You are hopelessly out classed. Leave now, before I break every bone in your body." Raylu said.

Frost stared back. "Heh. Sorry. But I have an agenda to stick to, and that involves killing you two. If you don't resist, I'll make it quick for you and your friend."

"You lay a hand on him, and I'll make sure you won’t have a hand to lay on anything else." Raylu said.

"Hmph!" Was all Frost said, as he fired two large beams of ice at Raylu. Raylu quickly put up an aura sphere around him, completely protecting himself from the beams. "You can’t hide in your bubble forever!" Frost said, but then the sphere started moving at Frost at high speeds. Frost didn't expect that, and couldn't move in time. The sphere crashed into Frost, and then the sphere exploded, sending all the force at Frost. Raylu was sent into the air after the explosion, but not harmed by it at all. He then charged a large aura sphere in his hands, and fired it at Frost. Frost saw this attack coming, and a hunk of ice came from the ground, and deflected the attack. Then he fired a huge blast of icy wind from his hand. This was hitting Raylu, and starting to freeze him. Raylu landed, and appeared to be weakening. Frost walked closer, increasing the power of his icy wind attack. Then he was standing over, as Raylu was down on one knee. A huge ice spike came from Frost's other hand, and got in a stabbing position. "Where is all your big talk now, monster?" Frost asked.

Raylu then began to move, and his lower right arm glowed sliver. "Silver Punch!" Raylu said. He then moved in the blink of an eye, using his silver punch attack in the form of an uppercut, hitting Frost through the air. Frost crashed on the ground, but then got back up, and fired a bunch of large icicles at Raylu. Raylu formed a staff made of aura, and spun It around to destroy the icicles, then threw It at Frost. Frost slashed through the aura staff with the large ice spike coming from his hand, then fired the spike at Raylu. Raylu jumped to the side to dodge, then ran at Frost at high speeds. But as Raylu got close, Frost discharged a huge icy wind from his body. So bone chilling cold, Raylu could not keep running at him, and was pushed back by the wind. Raylu fired a beam of aura from his hands at Frost as a counter attack. It flew through the winds, and into Frost, causing his attack to stop, and him to stumble back. Raylu then rushed in, and tried to attack up close. A dome of ice went around him, and prevented Raylu from being able to attack. Raylu jumped on top, and then began to attack the dome with aura infused punches. The dome cracked a little, but then huge ice spikes came out of the dome, and it started to spin. Raylu was slashed a few times, but then jumped back. The spikes then were launched from the dome, and flew at Raylu! Raylu jumped into the air, and shot down at the dome. "Havoc Strike!" Raylu said, and his foot caught aflame. He crashed through the dome, and shattered it. But nothing was there but a pile of snow. Where did he go?...Wait, his aura just appeared! The snow formed into Frost, and he blasted Raylu away with a powerful ice blast. He then fired two large ice beams at Raylu, which Raylu countered with a large beam of aura. The two seemed even for the moment.

"Your strong monster, I'll give you that. But I will not rest till your kind are dead. I'll make sure of it!" Frost said, with an evil look in his eye. Then Frost pored on more power. Where he was getting all this extra power was hard to say, but he just kept on attacking.

Ugh....His power spiked......Where Is he getting all this power from?... Raylu gave more power into his attack, but It was hard to say who would win out In the end. Then a beam of fire joined Raylu's aura beam, as Eric was somehow attacking. He held his gut with his other hand, as the effort he was putting into the attack he was using was causing him to bleed more. But this combo attack turned the tables, and the two attacks hit Frost, knocking him back. Raylu turned to Eric, and tried to heal him, but Frost came right back. He fired two more beams at them. Raylu fired another beam, but he couldn't heal Eric and hold this attack back at the same time, so he has to focus his efforts on holding the attack back. But then from what seemed like no where, a huge beam of fire crashed into Frost. It blasted him across the street. He recovered, and saw that it was Rem that had fired the attack, accompanied by the rest of the team.

Frost noticed all of them, ready for battle. He knew after already being weakened in a battle, that he couldn't take on seven fresh fighters. There isn't any way I can take on all of them at once, not after battling with the monster. I'll have to retreat. "Hmph! You win this time, but I'm not finished with any of you yet. All of your kind will suffer for what you've done!" Frost yelled. Then he put both hands in the air, and a huge blizzard blew all over the place. While it was an attack, he was using it as a cover. All the snow and wind blowing around made it hard for anyone to see, when Frost then shot himself into the air by firing beams from his hands to propel himself through the air. The blizzard died down after Frost was out of sight.

Everyone quickly went to Raylu and Eric. "Quickly. We need to get Sir Eric back to the cabin...." Raylu said.

"Right" Rem said. He made a portal, and Rem and Ray both picked Eric up, and carried him though the portal. Raylu and the others followed in right after.



Shortly after arriving, Rem and Ray got Eric to his room. Rem had given him a yellow potion, and Aqua was bandaging his wounds. "What happened?" Rem asked Raylu.

Raylu finished drinking a red potion, then began to speak. "Sir Eric was restless, so he wanted to go into the city to try to find Doctor Frost. I decided to go with him. After some time, we actually found him. But almost as soon as Sir Eric started talking with him, Doctor Frost tried to stab a spike of ice through Eric's body. I sensed something wrong, and attacked, but I wasn't quick enough to stop his attack. Then I held Doctor Frost off almost until you all showed up. Eric tried to help me turn the tables on him when I was in a pinch, but that just put him In worse shape." Raylu explained.

"Well it’s a good thing you attacked when you did. Eric took a bad hit, but with regular healing and rest, he’ll be ok. If that attack had finished, Eric could have been killed…" Aqua said, looking worried.

"It's a good thing you went with him. Eric could have been killed by some cheap shot." Ray said.

"Yes....But I still feel I could have done more to protect him...." Raylu responded.

"Raylu, you saved his life." Kari said.

"Yeah. If it wasn't for you, Eric might not be here." Sora said.

Rem put his hand on Raylu’s shoulder. "You did good Raylu."

Raylu nodded. Then he felt Eric's hand grab his hand. Raylu looked to Eric. "Thank you..." Eric said weakly.

"You are welcome Sir Eric, but try not to talk any more. You must rest." Raylu said. Eric nodded, and then closed his eyes. It didn’t take him long to pass out.”

"How bad are his wounds?" Rem asked Aqua.

"Well that ice spike slashed his insides quite a bit, but it missed his vital areas. But even with potions and water based healing, it’s going to take some time for him to back to full strength. At least two days, maybe three, but repeated healing should speed things up.” Aqua explained.

Brett folded his arms. "Now that we’re sure Eric is going to be ok, what do we do about Doctor Frost?"

"I say we go find him, and shove a beam sword up his-" Ralph was saying, but Rem cut him off.

"We can’t go find him now, there’s no doubt he’s gone back into hiding, plus Raylu needs to heal, and we cant fight with as little rest that we have. We'll rest for the night, and go after Frost first thing tomorrow morning." Rem said.

Raylu nodded. “I cannot track Frost’s aura for some reason, so we will need to be well rested to a detailed search.”

Ralph sighed. "Fine. At least with rest I can kick Frost's ass twice as hard."

Rem laughed a little. "Alright, everyone back to bed." Everyone nodded. After they left, Rem snapped his fingers, and his shadow came to life. This was an ability Rem learned a long time ago. By sending some of his gauntlets energy into his shadow, he is able to bring it to life. With a full mind and everything. A part of himself almost. "Shadow. We all need to rest, but Eric Is wounded, and we cant leave him unprotected. Guard him until I come to relieve you in the morning." Rem said.

His shadow nodded. "Yes sir. I won’t leave his side." The shadow answered, and a voice that sounded like a morphed version of Rem's. Rem nodded, and left to get some sleep himself.




The next morning, the team met In Eric's room. They wanted to check on him before they left. "Alright, good. Everyone's ready. Aqua, Kari, I'll need you two to stay here." Rem said.

"What, why!? We can help!" Kari exclaimed.

"Someone needs to stay with Eric, he can’t defend himself In his condition. We need someone to stay behind to protect him. Aqua, I need you here to take care of Eric with your healing. The guy seems to specialize in ice, so you might be more useful here. Worse comes to worse though, I’m sure you can handle protecting Eric. Kari, you need to stay to back her up in case something happens." Rem explained.

Kari nodded. "Right, I understand. Sorry…"

"We'll protect Eric, so don't worry. Just let us know if you need backup, we’ll move Eric somewhere safe." Aqua said.

Then Rem and Eric's watches beeped. Rem took his out of his pocket, and turned it on. "What’s the news? Rem asked.

"I recorded a news flash that was on the news just moments ago. It's on the subject at hand." Erue said.

"Play It then, please." Rem said.

Erue quickly loaded the news report, and played it over Rem’s watch. "This just In. Police reports say that seven people were found injured this morning in different areas across town, with three confirmed dead when help arrived. Police were called at different times of the night, with people saying they saw fights break out between powered humans and demons. All the reports have the same description of the attacker. A man with blue skin. When speaking with one of the powered humans that were attacked, he believed it was Doctor Alexander Frost, who has been missing since yesterday. Since the victims were found beaten senseless, and clinging to life, we cannot confirm for sure until they recover. But once they recover, doctors will speak with them again." The recording ended there.

"Doctor Frost seems to have a thing against powered kind, and is going out mass murdering them." Brett said.

"Yes, I was thinking the same. All the more reason to find him. Come on everyone." Rem said. Everyone followed him out of the room, and then the cabin, other then Aqua and Kari.




About an hour later of everyone searching both the city, and the surrounding wild lands outside of the city, Sora noticed something western forests where he was searching. He quickly contacted the others. "Uhhh, guys? I think I found where he’s hiding…" The others quickly arrived, to see Sora pointing toward the west. A large area of the forest was covered in snow and ice, as If that part of the forest was stuck In the middle of winter, even though it was summer.

"Look at that coverage…How much power does he have?" Ray asked in shock.

"I'm not sure. He seems to have a large amount of energy reserves that he draws from. Had my battle kept on going, he would’ve out lasted me. I do not know If he can use that energy to increase his power output or not, but he is no pushover." Raylu explained.

"Then we just be careful, and kick his ass quickly." Ralph said.

"Right, come on. Maybe he's resting, and we can get the drop on him." Rem said. Then they moved toward the frozen forest.


When they arrived in the forest, the temperature seemed to drop to 25 degrees, snow falling from the sky. "Man...It doesn't just look like winter, but it's just as cold as it too." Brett said.

"Yeah. I don't know how well I'll be able to fight in this cold." Sora said.

"Battle has a way of keeping you moving. Raylu, can you pinpoint his aura?" Rem asked.

"I think I.....Wait a second.....I sense auras.....Monster auras!" Raylu exclaimed. Then from behind the team, a white wolf called a Snow Wolf jumped out of the snow, and aimed for Sora. "Sir Sora, duck!" Raylu ordered, firing an aura blast at Sora! Sora ducked, and the aura blast crashed into the wolf, blasting It back. Then a whole pack came out of the snow, circling them.

Rem drew his sword. "Snow wolves? They aren't native to his area at this time of year, they only live in cold areas. They shouldn't be here, even If it’s cold right now." Rem said. Then when a wolf jumped at him, he ducked, and slashed it with his sword, its blade morphing into a flame.

Ralph shot two blasts at a wolf that jumped at him, blasting it out of the air. "Well they’re here now, so let's clean house quickly!"

One wolf jumped at Sora, and he stopped its bite with his beam sword. But before the wolf could do anything, Sora drew his bone sword from the sheath on his back. The new sheath was a blue color, trimmed in gold, and a gold bottom. The wolf had no time to dodge, and was slashed across the face, recoilng back. Then, from behind Sora, a monster that looked like a baba came out of the ground. Only it was mostly white, and had an icy mist coming off of it, and teeth made of ice. This was a Frost Baba, the ice version of a blue baba, but stronger. Brett had shot it with a fire blast from his rifle before it could bite him. "Behind you Sora!" Brett called over. Sora turned around, and slashed the baba's stem with both swords, cutting it in half. Sora then put both swords through the head. The head exploded, and a white light left it.

"Frost Baba's as well." Raylu said, blasting the wolves that ran at him with aura blasts, not stopping for a moment. One snuck behind Raylu In the snow, so Raylu did not notice. Snow wolves can hide their auras when they hide in the snow, right until the moment they start to come out. Raylu noticed in time, and ducked the attack. But before the wolf could get clear, Raylu grabbed the wolf by the tail, and started to spin it around. Another wolf tried to free the one Raylu had, but Raylu tossed the wolf he had in his hand at the one pouncing at him. They both crashed into each other, then crashed into a tree.

Ray was surrounded by a bunch of frost babas, all about ready to attack him. Ray smirked, and changed his rod to the spiky ball, aflame right now due to Ray's fire gem. He spun around in a circle, hitting one baba after another with the ball. The impact of it on the babas killed them as it separated the bulbs from the stems. "That was too easy." Ray said. Then from behind, a wolf came and tried to pounce on him. He caught the wolf in the corner of his eye, and swung his iron ball around, intercepting the wolf, and knocking it away.

One wolf came at Rem, full speed. Rem waited for it, then stabbed It In the head with his sword when It was In range. When he removed the sword, the wolf died instantly. The wolf pack backed up, and circled them still. They were very weak now, but tried not to show It. "Alright, let's finish this up." Rem said.

"Enough!" Someone yelled with a loud and powerful voice. Everyone stopped at that for a moment, even the wolves. They all looked to where the voice came from, to see that it was Frost. He was standing on a boulder, putting himself above the others. "Stand down wolves, we shall handle this." Frost said. The wolves then slowly backed away from the group, and stood on the sidelines, away from the battlefield.

"Who Is this 'we' of yours?" Ralph questioned, in a demanding tone, his blasters pointed at him.

"Him." Frost said, pointing to the other side of the battlefield. A creature stood there, at almost 9 feet tall. It had a body made of icy mist, with white spike lower arms and legs. It had a white skull head as well, with an icy mist hat on top. This was a Freezing Dancer, a monster that always moved with a spring in its step.

"A Freezing Dancer." Rem noted.

"Interesting aren't they? These creatures are attracted to me for some reason." Frost said.

"What have you done to these monsters? How are you controlling them?" Raylu questioned.

"I haven't done anything to them. Like I said, they are attracted to me. They came from wherever they came from, and follow my every order, like loyal servants." Frost said. Then he looked everyone over. "Hmm. But I see that only one of you are power users. The monster. Yet you struck me last night with fire. Power. How?" Frost asked.

"That's not something you need to worry about." Rem said.

"Quite right. What I need to worry about is getting you all out of my way." Frost said.

"You’re the one that's going to go down, you stupid looking popsicle of an old man." Ralph taunted.

"Yeah! You almost killed our friend, and a bunch of others. You aren't going to get away with this!" Sora said.

Frost raised one of his eyebrows. "Almost?" He said, sounding a little surprised. Then an evil look appeared in his eye. "Well then I didn't do it right. I'll need to make sure to finish them off later. But as of right now, you all have my undivided attention. Dancer! Let us remove the life from them." He said, with an evil look in his eyes. Frost then fired down two large beams of ice at everyone. Rem countered with a beam of fire, while Raylu fired a beam of aura. Both attacks joined together to combat the double beams of ice.

The Freezing Dancer on the other end of the battlefield seemed to skate into the fight. As it neared the team, It spun around, using It's spike arms to slash In a circular motion. Ralph, Brett, and Ray jumped to the side to dodge the spikes. Sora blocked one of the spikes with both of his swords. When the dancer went to strike Sora with the other spike. He jumped back, so the move missed. Then, since the dancer was bent over, Sora slashed the head with both swords. The dancer jerked backwards, then seemed to back flip once to get away from Sora. Ray actually threw his line at a tree, and it hooked on. So when the Dancer moved backwards after his back flip, it tripped and stumbled backwards. Ralph and Brett opened fire on it as soon as it hit the ground. Ray pulled his line back, and swung it at the dancer, this time as the iron ball. The dancer then pulled off a backwards roll to dodge the ball, and get back to its feet.

Rem and Raylu were taking on Frost alone, since the Freezing Dancer was keeping the others hands tied. As Frost prepared to fire a bunch of large ice shards at the two of them, Rem took out a smoke bomb, and threw it at the ground. Frost fired his attack anyway, even though he couldn't see his targets. When the smoke cleared, only Rem was there, blocking the shards with his mirror shield. Frost quickly looked around to try to find Raylu, then he turned around. Raylu jumped at him, and nailed him with a round house kick. As Frost fell off the boulder, Raylu jumped after, and nailed him with his Havoc Strike attack. But as soon as Frost hit the ground, his body turned to snow, and got out from under Raylu. He reformed right across from them, and fired a barrage of large ice blasts at them. Rem got In front of Raylu, and held the attacks back with his mirror shield. "Take my staff." Rem said. Raylu nodded, and took it from Rem's belt. Then Rem thrusted his shield forward, sending the energy the shield took at Frost. While ice doesn't effect Frost, the force of this attack blasted him back.

Frost got back up, put both hands together, and seemed to shoot a huge gale of freezing wind at Rem and Raylu. Rem fired a heatwave from his hands, then Raylu jumped into the air and fired aura spheres at him. Frost stopped his attack, and made an ice dome around him to block the moves. Then ice spikes came on the dome, and fired off at Rem and Raylu. Raylu blocked some with his staff, and Rem with his shield. Then the whole front side of the dome broke off, and was sent at the two of them. It crashed into them both, knocking them down. Then he caused a cold wind to blow around Rem and Raylu, like a whirlwind. But it wasn’t moving them, or lifting them off the ground, but sharp shards of ice appeared in the wind, and not the two of them were trapped like they were In a blender. Raylu threw up an aura sphere around them, then Rem touched the walls of the sphere. He sent fire power through the sphere, causing it to catch aflame. Then Raylu caused the sphere to explode, spreading the heat though the whole whirlwind. Rem then used his storm demon orb, to control the wind, then sent it at Frost as flaming wind blades. Frost was hit, and stumbled back.

As the others battled the Freezing Dancer, they found it was actually pretty hard to actually hit it. Ralph shot at it with Ion blasts, but it jumped through the air to dodge them. Brett then fired at it, but it spun around and deflected the blasts around with its spike arms. Some of the blasts were deflected into Ralph and Sora. "Ugh! You'd think a monster that dances around in such a goofy way would be easy to beat!" Ralph said.

"Looks can be deceiving." Brett said. Then two glowing orbs of ice mist formed at the end of its spike arms, then it started to spin around. Lasers of ice were fired from the orbs, as the spikes moved around, directing the lasers flight path. "Look out!" Brett yelled, jumping to the side to dodge a laser. Ray jumped to dodge as well, while Ralph and Sora had time to get their reflectors. The lasers then stopped, and the dancer began to skate around, now firing blasts from the orbs. Jumping though the air, and spinning every so often.

"We need to find a way to make it stop dancing around so we can attack." Ray said, dodging a blast.

"Yeah, but the only time it stopped dancing was to strike Sora with its spike." Ralph said.

Sora suddenly looked like he had a plan, and started charging at the monster. "I have an idea. Get ready to attack guys!" Sora yelled. Sora ran right into the monsters skating path, both swords drawn to attack. The monster lunged its spike arm at Sora, when Sora jumped back. The spike got stuck in the ground again. "Now!" Sora yelled. He quickly put his beam sword away, and got his blaster out. He fired ion blasts at it, joining Ralph and Brett's blasts. These ion blasts were slowing the monster down. While the others were shooting at the dancer, Ray was getting an attack ready. He was spinning his rod around, getting the ball some speed. As he spun it was getting covered in flames. Then when he was ready, and sure the dancer couldn't react in time, the flung the iron ball at the dancer. It flew right into the monsters head, knocking it clean off the body. The skull was knocked far away from the battlefield. They then went to join Rem and Raylu.

Frost had Rem and Raylu pinned down with two large beams of ice. Rem and Raylu were trying to fight it off with beams of fire and aura, as Rem glared through the attacks at Frost. Frost eyed him back, then he looked like he realized something. "Ah! Now I know who you are! You’re that kid from the World Savers aren't you? Rem, I think." Frost said. "Now isn't this a treat? I get to be the one to crush a World Saver. I must be more powerful then I first thought." He said, then added more power to his attack.

"Ugh....He's pulling power from his reserves again...." Raylu said.

"He's strong....We need to do something...." Rem said. Then he looked to a black orb that swirled with what looked like a living darkness in it. He was going to use it, but then a bomb flew through the air. It hit Frost, causing his attack to stop. Rem looked back, and saw everyone. "Good timing. Where’s the monster?" Rem asked.

"Finished." Sora said.

"Did you destroy the skull?" Rem asked.

"Yeah, we knocked it off the body." Ralph answered.

"No, I mean did you destroy it?" Rem asked.

"No, why?" Brett asked.

"If you don't destroy the skull, the monster will just come back." Raylu said.

From behind, the Freezing Dancer was back, but the mist was a white mist now. It started attacking with beams, causing some of the others to have to block. Frost then blasted Rem and Raylu. Raylu crashed near the others, while Rem crashed in another spot. "Wolves, attack!" Frost yelled. Then the snow wolves moved back in, and all breathed out an icy wind. The Dancer also fired icy winds from its arms. Everyone was then trapped inside all these attacks, with nowhere to go.

"Were trapped! We can’t get out of this blizzard trap." Sora said. The cold made it hard to move, and the mist made it hard to see. They fired attacks, but since they couldn't see, they couldn't make contact.

"Time to end this." Frost then put both hands in the air, as a large amount of ice began to form over everyone in the air. Soon a huge hunk of ice formed above them all, about 10 feet thick, and at least 20 feet wide. Raylu put an aura sphere around everyone near him, which allowed them to see better since the mist wasn't right in their faces. They noticed the sheet of ice high above them, but now it was too late. "Farewell World Savers!" Frost said, moving his arms downward, as If throwing something down. The ice then fell down at them. Since Rem wasn't with Raylu and the others, he didn't see the ice until it was only a few feet from him. Then a big thud was heard, as snow was knocked around from the ground. Frost smirked. "And so it ends. Wolves. Dancer. We're off. We have business to take care of, and more powered beings to eradicate. And I must think of a name for you my ally, unless you already have one." Frost said, looking to the Freezing Dancer. Then the dancer bent over, and picked up Frost. It carried him on its shoulder, and started to skate away. The wolf pack followed behind them. Although....It Is possible that they survived that attack....But I'm growing tired...I need to replenish my energy… Frost thought, as the dancer carried him away. But how is the team going to get out of this mess?



End of Data Log......

[Aqua]

Data Log #9: The Icy Cold Heart of Dr. Frost EX. Part Two.


Data Log Place in Time: Directly After Data Log #8


With Frost having escaped, the group found themselves dealing with several hundred pounds of solid ice, trying to send them to an early grave. Rem and Raylu were the only ones with the strength to hold it up, and they were nearly flattened by the ice as it was. Rem’s strength boost from his power demon orb wasn’t enough, even with Raylu’s strength, so Rem was left with only one option left. He needed to change forms. He had transformed before, but that was his Twilight Wolf form. This other form he had transformed into before, but never around the others due to the risks had it invoked. He didn’t want to even now, but he didn’t have a choice, so Rem reached for his Chaos Darkness orb to touch it. His body quickly became covered in Chaos Darkness, as his body grew larger and stronger. The claws came out of his hands, sharp fang like teeth in his head, followed by large rip like green eyes on his face. They were not physical eyes, as they looked more like a pattern on his face. With his sudden booth in strength, Rem was able to throw the ice chunk away with Raylu’s continued help. “Is everyone alright?!” Rem asked, in a very deep sounding voice.

"Yeah, were all good. A bit chilly though." Ray said, not fazed by Rem’s form. The others though, they were in shock.

“So, umm…I guess I’ll ask, but the hell is that?!” Ralph exclaimed that last part.

“That is his Darken form.” Raylu started. “A Darken is a dark creature made of fowl Chaos Darkness, the same energy that Giga is made from.”

“Is he gonna be alright? He seems…” Sora started, as Rem slammed the ground in frustration. “…More aggressive than normal.”

“He…will be fine. It’s just not an easy task on the mind to deal with that much power, so he needs assistance to leave that form. One second.” Raylu then walked over to him. “Sir Rem!” He yelled, as his aura seemed to envelop Rem, and Rem seemed to begin to relax. After a moment, Rem went to change back into his human form.

With the mood returning to normal, Ralph got frustrated. "Ugh! We had him on the ropes. We would have had him if that dancing monster hadn’t cut in."

"How did he get those monsters to do what he said anyway?" Sora asked.

"I'm not sure. I couldn't detect anything wrong with them by their auras." Raylu said.

"Well we’ve got to get back out and find him." Brett said.

"Right, but we should check out how things are going with the girls and Eric." Rem said, taking out his telepath stone. "Guys, its Rem. Everything alright over there?" He asked.

"Hey Rem, everything’s fine, but have you seen the forest? A lot of It Is covered in snow." Aqua answered.

"We'll be right there. Stay inside." Rem said, ending the call before they could respond. He quickly made a portal to the cabin, showing up in Eric’s room.

"Guys, what happened?” Kari asked.

"That snow you guys were talking about? Well Frost caused that." Ray said.

"You see any auras Raylu?" Rem asked.

"I see the auras of ice monsters in the forest, but I don't sense Doctor Frost's aura. The monsters appear to be heading in our direction." Raylu said.

"Alright. Everybody, let's get rid of all the monsters." Rem said. Everyone nodded, and headed outside. Mostly snow wolves, but also frost babas, and monsters that looked like people but made only of ice were in the forest. All closing in on the cabin.



Meanwhile, near the outskirts of the forest, was Dr. Frost. He was still riding the Freezing Dancer, and looked very tired. "Hm...If they managed to escape, this should distract them for a while. Keep them off my trail. For now, I cannot handle any more battles right now, my energy is dropping…I have not slept since I left the hospital..." He said. As they left, and went towards the city, he saw a manhole cover in the street. He had the dancer stop. "Hmm....It's not flashy, but it will keep me hidden." He got off the dancer, and opened the cover. "You go down in first." Frost said. The Dancer then jumped down in, and Frost followed, closing the cover behind him. Once down there, he discharged a huge wave of ice from his body, freezing the whole area of the tunnel they were in. He then covered himself in snow, his body appearing to be a snow covered version of himself. Rest first.....Then I'll put the plan into action... He thought, as he soon went to sleep.



A little while later at the cabin, the monsters were taken care of after a lot of battling. "That took forever." Ralph said.

"Closer to about a half hour, forty five minutes." Brett said.

Ralph cast a side glare at Brett. “You talk like a battle that long isn’t a big deal.”

"Yeah, but now we gotta go find Frost." Sora said.

"I don’t think that’s a great idea right now. We’re all going to need some time to rest back up from these fights. Raylu and I will go scout for him, and see if we can’t find him. If we do, I’ll pull you guys in.” Rem said.

"Gotcha. We'll heal up, so we can be ready for when you find him." Ray said.

Rem nodded, as he made a portal. He and Raylu went into it, while everyone else went inside. Hours passed as Rem and Raylu searched, but with no results. Since Frost covered himself with snow, he was able to block his aura, so he wouldn't be found. Swapping out between search parties, they all searched for more than twelve hours, with nothing, before they decided to call It a night. Ending their search at midnight. At about 3 am, Frost awoke from his sleep. As did the dancer. "Hmm....That’s much better." After a short pause, he began to talk to himself, thinking of a plan. "The objective is clear. To kill off all the powered beings, starting with this city. But it becomes hard to do, when I can only tell if someone has powers if they are made cold by my powers..." He paused. "My snowstorm in the forest worked wonders, as I could see the monsters power as soon as they became chilled by the cold weather...That's it! I'll do the same here. A snowstorm covering the whole city. Then my new allies can hunt them down as well as myself. But I'll need a good spot to start the storm. Some place high, and close to the middle of the city." Frost then exited the sewers, along with the dancer. Then as he came out, the Tower of Power caught his eye. Even though it wasn't finished, it was still plenty tall. An evil smirk came across Frost's face. "Ah! Now this will do nicely...Time to get to work." He said, as he and the dancer headed off into the city.


The next morning, as everyone woke up, they all felt cold. Everyone was meeting in the living room. Even Eric was there, laying on a couch. The last one to wake up was Sora, as he came out. "Jeez! Why is it so cold? Did someone crank up the AC?" He asked.

"Take a look out the window." Ralph said, gesturing towards the window with his head.

Sora went over to the window, and looked out It. Everywhere you could see was covered in snow, but…so much more than yesterday. This was looking like the signs of a blizzard! "Rem and Raylu already took a look around. The whole city and a fair amount of the countryside is completely covered in snow." Eric said.

"Sounds like old man winter came by in the middle of the night." Ray said.

"The good doctor surely has kept himself busy all night..." Brett commented.

"Well me, Eric and Raylu have figured out why we can’t seem to track Frost down." Rem said, dressed in a red and white version of his outfit.

"What did you come up with?" Aqua asked.

"Well we found out through the battles that when Frost would disappear from view, his aura was also gone. And both of those times, his body was in the form of snow." Rem said.

"So we think that when he is In a snow form, like a snow wolf, his aura Is completely masked. It's the only thing we can figure." Eric said.

"Even If he's strong, it takes a good amount of training to hide your aura. This must be how he does it." Raylu said.

"But that means he could be anywhere." Kari pointed out.

Rem nodded. "I know. But I don’t know if he covered the city just for that edge in combat. But if so, then his target is clear."

"Every powered being in the city..." Eric said.

"I wonder something... " Raylu started. "How did he know Sir Eric and myself were powered beings, as well as all his other victims? He wondered how Rem used power when he wasn’t a powered human, but how could he know that? No one can just see auras like that, other than an aura human, demon, or being like myself. And if so, you need to learn to tell them apart..." Raylu said.

"Now that you mention it, that is odd. Somehow he has to know the difference. He couldn’t of just guessed each time..." Rem said.

"The longer he's out there, the more damage he'll cause. We’ve got to go after him..." Eric said. He was starting to get up, but then held his wound, and gasped in pain.

Aqua came over, and made him lay back down. "You’re still in no shape to go anywhere." Aqua said.

"Yeah, you’re staying here with me and Aqua." Kari added.

"Correct. The rest of us are going out now, and catching Frost. Everyone, gear up. We need to make sure he doesn’t hurt anyone else." Rem said. Everyone nodded, and then after everyone got their gear, headed for the city.



Later, in the city, everyone arrived by portal. Everywhere they looked was covered in snow, as if In the middle of winter. The blizzard raged on, making it hard to see. "Hmm....Awfully quiet, isn’t it? Outside of the winds." Ralph said.

"Well maybe the sudden storm shocked people, and they thought it would be safer to remain indoors. Could be it’s as simple as everyone is snowed in." Brett said.

"Either way, it’s better for them to be out of the way. Who knows where a battle could take place." Rem said. "Now, we need to try and find where Frost is hiding."

"Since this storm isn’t natural, Frost must be the one keeping it going. And if he's causing it from somewhere, we need to find out where the storm is originating from. We find the source of the storm, we find Frost." Raylu said.

"Wow, that’s amazing Raylu. I didn’t know you were so smart." Sora said.

Raylu looked over his shoulder. “You get to my age without knowing a few things.” Then suddenly his ears perked up, as he looked serious.

"What’s up? Something wrong?" Ray asked.

"I sense monsters up ahead, around the corner." Raylu said, informing the others.

"I'll go take a look." Ralph said, running off ahead of everyone.

"Ralph, wait! Ugh, he's so careless." Rem said, running after him, the others following as well.

When they caught up to Ralph, he was looking around the corner. "Guys, look." Ralph said.

They all carefully looked around the corner, seeing a pack of monsters. A bunch of Snow Wolves, around a group of ice men, or Men of Ice as they are called. In the middle of this pack was a large monster that appeared to be made of ice and stone. "An Ice Golem. Those are tricky customers." Ray said.

"Indeed. And along with all the other monsters, it’s a dangerous bunch. It will be easier to just avoid them, rather than fight them. They aren’t aware we're here." Rem said.

"What do you think they’re looking for?" Sora asked.

"Perhaps, and this just my thoughts, but if Frost has it out for powered kind, then maybe he's using the monsters to do the task of execution for him..." Raylu said.

"His own task force to assassinate all the powered beings in France." Brett said.

"That sounds very likely. But if we try to stop them, they will make a scene, then we'll have even more monsters to deal with. Then we'll never find Frost." Rem said.

"Right. Let's go another way." Ray said. Raylu then started going back the way they came, and took a different road, as everyone followed behind.

As the group searched the city, dispatching the monsters in smaller numbers where they could, they were being watched by someone from a rooftop. It was a woman that looked in her late twenties, with long brown hair, with blonde bangs, and green eyes. She was dressed in what looked like a white body suit, but with gray jean shorts and a sleeveless jacket. She had a bow and quiver on her back, two short swords, one on each hip, and two holsters for SMG’s on her lower back. She had some kind of binoculars that she could use to see though the snow storm, and she had her sights set on Rem. Hmm...I never thought I’d see him here again…This does complicate matters…Not to mention the damage to the Tower is going to set things back…Kraven better be right about this being worth it… She then touched a device on her ear, as she started talking. “This is Agent Darkshot. You were right, the entire team isn’t on the field, just like you said.”

”Good, then our sources saying that Nightngale has actually been put out of action were correct. This should make capturing him simple. I’ll send some of my men to meet you at their cabin. If we can capture Nightngale, his powers will be of great use for the Meta Human project, not to mention make things easier for the both of us going forward.” The voice of Kraven said to her.

“It better. My client will be very displeased if this setback into the towers production isn’t worth it.” Darkshot said, sounding annoyed.

”As long as you don’t fail, it will be. I’m putting a lot of faith in your ability. Don’t disappoint me.” Kraven responded, before the call ended. Darkshot looked annoyed, as she took one last look at the group searching the city, before departing.





As the group searched the snow and ice covered streets, avoiding the slew of monsters, they weren’t finding anything that could be Frost's hideout. While on a rooftop, everyone was looking around. Rem had a pair of zoom goggles, which were a pair of advanced binoculars Eric designed, and was looking around. "Hmm...I’m not seeing anything..." Rem said.

"Well he's got to be somewhere. We just need to look harder." Ralph said.

"Maybe if we get captured...." Brett said.

"I’m sure they'd sooner kill us." Raylu said.

Sora was looking around, more towards the sky. He then noticed large swirling storm clouds in the air, high above the city. He tapped Rem on the shoulder. "Rem, what’s that?" Sora asked.

Rem turned around, and zoomed in to get a better look. "It looks like......Storm clouds around the unfinished tower of power. The roof isn’t finished, and theirs a large light blue orb at the top of the tower. That looks to be where the storm is coming from. That orb."

"How did we not notice that earlier?! It's in the middle of the city!" Ralph yelled.

"Well the tower is high above the city. And since the snow and wind is blowing strong everywhere, we probably couldn’t tell apart the raging wind around the tower since it’s the same everywhere else. It makes a lot of sense. The tower makes a great place for the storm, since it would be more effective the higher it is. It widens the range." Brett said.

"Well the monsters did seem to herd around the tower pretty often." Ray said.

"Well then let’s get on over there, as fast as we can!" Ralph said.

Rem put away the binoculars. "I agree. Let's move everyone. We'll go by portal. Come on." Rem said, making a portal. Everyone followed him into it.


Coming out on a roof near the tower, they surveyed the area. The tower was covered in a sheet of ice, covering all the openings to the tower, other than the roof. The holes and such were still there, but frozen over. It looked like a pillar of ice reaching high into the sky. "Hmm...No entrance to the tower...The only way in would be through the roof, but the intense storm would freeze us before we could get inside." Rem said.

"No problem! Ralph, bomb specialist, can get us inside." Ralph said.

"Be my guest, just don’t get caught." Rem said, gesturing Ralph to go ahead.

Ralph then ran, and jumped off the roof, and landed on the ground in front of the tower. Taking out a black round device with an antenna, he stuck it on the ice to where the entrance should be. He backed away, and took out a remote, and pushed a button on it. The device exploded, blasting away the ice from the entrance. Luckily no monsters noticed the explosion. The others then joined Ralph down below. "Nice job, eh?" Ralph asked.

"Yes. Give yourself a pat on the back." Rem said, chuckling. "Alright, come on everyone." Rem said, leading the way inside. Everyone followed in behind him.



Inside the tower, it was very cold and dark. It was bright enough to see well enough, but none of the towers lighting systems were working. There was icicles, snow, and cold winds inside, and it was also slightly snowing inside, but because the snow was falling from floors above. Most of the floors and walls were covered in ice, so the floor was slick in most areas, but no monsters appeared to be inside. It was like a quiet, frozen cave. Everyone looked around, until Sora spoke up. "Eerie, isn’t it?" Sora asked.

"A little bit, but I've seen a lot creeper places." Ray said.

"Alright, now let’s try to stay quiet, and try to find a way up the tower. If it’s been built to this point, it has to have some kind of stairs or elevator." Rem said.

After moving around the floor for a while, around all different kinds of machines and devices that were frozen over, they found the stairs. The ground floor elevator was frozen over, so they wasn’t going to help them. On the second floor, there were large hunks of ice on random parts of the floor. They fell from the floor above, seeing the large holes in the ceiling. Up on the third floor, other than the holes in the floor and ceiling, the Megaton was inside a large mass of ice! "Ah! It's Tony!" Rem said, running over. The others followed. Rem formed fire in his hands, and be began to shoot the flames over the ice. After a little bit, it was melting off. Raylu then broke the ice open from that point. After a moment of not moving, Tony’s suit started to power up and move.

"Wha?...Ah! I’m free. Thank you guys." Tony said.

"Your welcome. What happened? How did you get frozen solid like this here?" Rem asked.

"Ah...Well I was delivering a large power engine last night for the morning crew to install, and while I was on my way leaving, a huge wave of ice filled the tower." Tony answered.

"I see. Well then Frost has got to be here." Rem said.

"Frost is here?" Tony asked, sounding very surprised.

"Yes. Frost has ice powers now, he mutated like Kurt Norman. He attacked Eric, and a bunch of powered beings living in the city. Some reported dead. We’re trying to bring him in." Rem said.

"I had heard reports that he might’ve been involved, but they didn’t have proof. But if you say he attacked Eric, then say no more. Allow me to help.” Tony said.

"Thanks. Your help is well appreciated. Let's go everyone." Rem said. Everyone nodded, and headed for the stairs.

On the fourth floor, they saw much of the same. But here, they saw the elevator was on this floor. "Look! There’s the elevator! It’s not frozen on this floor!" Sora said.

Rem nodded. "We can use this to keep going, but Tony won’t fit in. We'll just have to keep going on foot."

"Well some areas of the tower are only reachable by elevator. Besides, we could also skip the floor Frost is on." Tony said.

"Why don’t we split into groups then? Some of us can take the stairs, and some of us can take the elevator." Ray said.

"Good idea. Brett, Ralph, you two go with Tony and Ray. Raylu, Sora, you come with me and take the elevator." Rem said.

"Got it. Cya at the top." Ralph said. Rem nodded, and he, Raylu, and Sora got in the elevator. They took it up.

Tony then turned around, and headed towards the stairs. Ralph, Brett, and Ray followed. When they reached the stairs, there was a large mass of ice blocking the way up. "Blocked! I'll smash it up!" Ralph said, taking some bombs out.

"No need. I'll take care of this. Save your ammo." Tony said. He then loaded a missile on his shoulder's missile launcher. He fired it, and smashed it apart.

"Nice!" Ralph said.

"Yes. But we need to keep quiet on our way up." Brett said.

"Indeed. Now let’s keep going." Tony said. Then they began to climb the stairs.



As Rem's team rode the elevator a few floors, it suddenly came to a halt about four floors from the top. It opened, and they exited. "What happened?" Sora asked.

"Something must be blocking the elevator shaft. We did come to a rather abrupt stop." Raylu said.

"Well we need to do something. The stairs are blocked off with a ton of ice. We don’t have the fire power to break through." Rem said.

Raylu looked around, and he saw a scaffolding in the room, leading up to a hole in the ceiling. "Sir, over there. We can get up that way."

Rem went over, and checked it out. "Well it looks to slick for us to climb. But you could probably make it. Go on ahead, and clear up the shaft. Then we can ride up in the elevator."

Raylu nodded, and started jumping up the scaffolding. When he reached the top, he looked up through the hole. He saw a bunch of Men of Ice on that floor. Now that was the reason they weren’t teleporting or taking portals through the tower. They had no idea what could be around the next corner, be it Frost or monsters. Raylu quietly entered the room, and snuck around the room to the elevator. He saw the doors were open, and a huge mound of ice was clocking up the shaft. Raylu then started taping into the power of Rem's gauntlets using an aura ability of his. An aura sphere was forming in his hand, but coated in flames. He began to try to melt the ice, since smashing it would attract attention. But that didn’t matter. One of the men of ice noticed Raylu, and alerted the others. They all had ice javelins in their hands, and started running at Raylu.

Raylu heard them coming, and he back flipped through the air, going over them all. They all turned around, and threw their weapons at him. Raylu blasted a few of them with aura blasts, then caught two of them, and tossed them at two of the monsters. They smashed through their heads, and the limp body’s fell down. Raylu landed, and a monster tried to stab him. Raylu moved to the side, and grabbed the javelin, and blasted the man of ice with an aura beam. The monster was blasted back, but not destroyed. Some of the others tried to strike Raylu, which he blocked with the stolen ice javelin. After blocking the attacks, he jumped back, and filled the javelin with aura. He tossed it, and it pierced through two of them, destroying them. They tried to strike Raylu again, but he blocked with his wrists since they weren’t stab attacks. Raylu did a flip, kicking one monster with an aura fused kick, then rushed at the man of ice and punched it in the gut at fast speeds. Its gut shattered, and it fell down. The remaining men of ice surrounded Raylu, and all threw their javelins. Raylu then discharged a wave of aura from his body, surrounding him like a dome, and moving outward. The javelins were destroyed, and the men of ice were blasted back. When they recovered, they almost instantly made new javelins. Raylu rushed at them quickly, and started attacking one after the other with different kinds of punches and kicks. Raylu got stabbed once or twice, but he kept moving. Soon, Raylu defeated them all. Hmph....That took too long. It’s wasting time. We need to keep moving...

Raylu went back to the elevator, and used his Silver Punch attack on the mass of ice in the elevator shaft. Once clear, Rem and Sora rode up. "Did you have a problem with the monsters, Raylu?" Rem asked.

"No sir. But it did take more time then I would’ve liked." Raylu answered.

"Well you seem to be wounded." Sora said.

"It's nothing. I've already treated it. We need to get moving." Raylu said.

"Alright." Rem said. And they got back in the elevator, and started riding it up.



A few floors down, Tony and the others moved their way up the tower, blasting large mounds of ice out of their way. After going a few floors up, they ran into men of ice. "Trouble." Brett said.

"Nonsense! We can take these guys." Ralph said.

"Indeed. A little heat, and men of ice can be reduced to nothing." Ray said, changing his rod to the ball form, covered in flames. The men of ice charged at the four, and all started to attack. A bunch attacked Ray, but Ray quickly attacked with his iron flaming ball, smashing them into pieces. "That’s too easy."

Ralph was being attacked by a few. He blasted at them with fire lasers, as they blocked with their javelins, but they were being destroyed by the lasers. Then Ralph unloaded a bunch of lasers at the defenseless monsters. This was easier said than done, seeing he had at least three of them attacking at once. "Heh. Weaklings." Ralph said. But then one was behind him, about to run him through, but Brett shot through its head with a fire laser. Ralph turned around, seeing the falling monster. "Whoa..."

"You’re welcome." Brett said.

Tony was blasting through the men of ice with his heavy fire power. Palm blasters, missiles, rockets, bombs, flamethrowers. But, while doing well, a bunch of them came from behind, and jumped on his back. Ugh! This is all too familiar... "Brett, Ralph, could you get these off me?" Tony asked.

Ralph and Brett ran closer, and started blasting them off of Tony's back. But then from behind Ralph and Brett, more men of ice came to attack. Tony quickly turned around, and blasted them with powerful palm blasters. “Man, they just keep coming at us." Brett said.

Ray crushed a few more with his iron ball, when he saw both men of ice and snow wolves come from holes in the ceiling. "More, incoming." Ray said.

"Ugh! This could never end!" Ralph said.

"If anything, at least were keeping them off the others trail." Tony said, blasting more with palm blasts.

"Well they'll need our help. Frost is strong. And if he has monsters, it will be tough on just the three of them." Brett said.

"Which is why we mow down these monsters quickly!" Ralph said.

"Sounds like a plan." Tony said, firing more blasts.



Meanwhile, upstairs, the Rem, Raylu, and Sora were nearly at the top of the tower. They were now exiting the elevator. They looked around the room when they arrived. There were stairs on both sides of the elevator, leading to an area above the elevator. Another elevator was there as well, but much larger. "Hmm....It’s much colder up here. We must be near the top." Rem said.

"Brrrrr! T-tell me about it. It's f-freezing!" Sora said.

"You will need to get used to it, or get over it. How do you expect to fight during winter?" Raylu asked.

"Easy for you to say. Rem has special clothes for cold, and you’re covered in fur." Sora said.

"Quiet. Let's just go up the stairs to the roof." Rem said. And he and his companions went up the stairs. The area directly above the elevator, lead to the floor with the last elevator on it. On the left and right of the floor were Frost Baba's, and rows of three ice statues toward the elevator. Of course these clearly weren’t statues, they were men of ice. "Are you kidding?" Rem said.

"What kind of idiot would think those are statues?" Sora asked.

Raylu was already charging an aura sphere, and blasted one of them to pieces. That caused the other five to spring to life to attack. Rem stood in front of the other two. "I got this." Rem said. He then charged fire energy, and fired a wave of fire at them. They spun their javelins to try to block the flames, but their weapons melted, and so were they. Half melted, Rem then charged fire energy in his arm, making it glow red, and then swung it. He fired a flaming boomerang style blade attack, smashing them to pieces, before they melted. “Now let’s get going." Rem said, moving toward the elevator, ingoring the frost babas. Raylu and Sora followed, avoiding attacks from the babas. Taking the elevator up to the roof.

The elevator took them to the roof. The wind was blowing hard, and cold. It was also snowing heavily, almost like being in the snow storm outside. The roof actually just appeared to be a top floor, because it looked like the roof was having a cover built over it, or something. The roof was large and flat, and a section of the floor in the middle of the floor was elevated a little higher. The orb was floating above this section of the floor. Frost Babas were in random parts of the room, and bat monsters that were light blue were hanging from the ceiling that were called Frost Bats. Across the room, on the opposite of the room on the elevator, was Frost. He was sitting on a throne made of ice, with Snow Wolves around him. "Hmm...I expected you all to come. I had a feeling that at least some of you survived." Frost said.

"It's over Frost. We're taking you down." Rem said, drawing his sword, flame bladed.

"Please. There are even less of you now. And I have even more of these lovely servants on my side. All the odds are in my favor. Why don’t you just stand down? Stay out of my way, and you don’t have to die." Frost said.

"That’s not gonna happen, Doctor. You can’t just go out and kill people and act like it’s nothing. We’re taking you in!” Rem said.

"Hmph! Powered humans and demons aren’t people. They are merely evil creatures that must be removed. I will not rest until the world is free of them. Celsalore!" Frost called out. Then from the air, the Freezing Dancer from the last fight landed behind the gang, ready for battle. "Let us be rid of the pests that stand in our way. Freeze them to the core!" Frost ordered. Then he snapped his fingers, and the wolves moved in to attack, as well as the babas.

"Look out everyone!" Rem said. He quickly took out his staff, and tossed it to Raylu. It extended to full size, and Raylu struck a wolf coming in to strike.

Sora drew both his bone sword, and his beam sword, and looked at Celsalore. "So, we meet again, eh? Time for round two!" Sora said, running at him. Celsalore skated at Sora, then jumped over him before Sora could get into attack range. He fired two beams of ice at Sora from his arms. Sora dove forward to dodge this double ice beam. Celsalore tried to attack now, but Sora blocked the sudden stab, and slashed the icy mist arm. But that didn’t seem to do anything. Celsalore made a laughing sound, and swatted Sora away with its other arm. From behind Celsalore, Raylu was behind him. He nailed Celsalore with a round house kick, causing Celsalore to stumble forward. Raylu then started firing aura blasts at Celsalore. Some hit the head, but then Celsalore started to spin around in circles, deflecting the blasts with his spike arms. Raylu then started knocking the blasts back with his staff. They kept deflecting the blasts back and forth, until the blasts hit Celsalore in the head. He was knocked down, stunned. Sora quickly came in to slash the head a few times, but then a wolf pounced on Sora, knocking him away.

Sora was trying to get the wolf off of him, and avoid getting bitten, but then the Frost Babas moved, and started to bite him. Sora couldn’t get free, but then Rem's voice was heard, saying, "Fire Rocket!" The fireballs homed in on the wolf, blasting it away. Rem then fired the attack again, hitting the babas attacking Sora's arms. Sora then killed the babas attacking his legs.

"Ugh...Thanks." Sora said. But then he saw a wolf coming to attack Rem from behind. Sora then threw his bone sword at the wolf, hitting it.

Rem turned around, and attacked the wolf. "No, thank you." Rem said, tossing Sora back his sword. A few Frost Babas came out of the ground, and breathed ice at Rem. He blocked with his shield, and fired beams of fire at the babas. Then from behind, Celsalore tried to stab Rem. Rem jumped up, with the aid of his jet boots, and landed on his spike. Rem then fired a fire rocket attack right at Celsalore's face. Celsalore was blasted backwards, and Rem jumped off the spike arm. Celsalore fired two beams of ice at Rem. He blocked these beams with his mirror shield, then fired a beam of fire at Celsalore's head. It hit, and his beams stopped. He jumped across the battle field.

Sora came from behind where Celsalore landed, and tossed a sticky bomb at the back of his head. It exploded, knocking Celsalore down to the ground. Sora slashed Celsalores head a few more times, then we went to stab through the head. But Celsalore sweep kicked Sora, toppling him to the ground. Celsalore tried to stab Sora through, but Sora kept rolling round to dodge. Soon, Sora had no way to dodge, so he blocked the stab with both swords, though Sora wouldn’t be able to block the second blow. But as Celsalore was about to stab Sora, Raylu hit Celsalore in the face with his Havoc Strike attack, knocking the dancer away. Raylu quickly helped Sora up. "You alright?" Raylu asked.

"Yeah, but I got some ice in my pants." Sora said, with a slight smirk. Raylu rolled his eyes.

"Enough of this foolishness. This has gone on long enough." Frost said from his throne, yet not loud enough for anyone else to hear. He snapped his fingers, and the Frost Bats on the ceiling started flying at the trio. Their bodies became covered in an icy mist, as they breathed out icy breath at everyone. The attacks were small, and not that harmful, but because of the large amount of them it was hard to defend against them. Then out of piles of snow in edges of the room, came Snow Wolves, and Frost Babas. They all started breathing ice breath at the trio. Frost then stood up, put out one arm, and shot a massive freezing wind at them. Raylu quickly threw up an aura sphere around them to protect them from the many ice monsters attacks. Celsalore got back up, looking rather weakened. Men of Ice were climbing in through the roof, and they surrounded the sphere with ice javelins. Celsalore approached the sphere, and was about to stab through it.

But then a huge flaming iron ball flew into Celsalore's head, knocking it clean across the room. The body of mist dissipated, and the spike limbs fell to the floor. Then missiles flew everywhere, hitting monsters both airborne and on the ground. A rocket flew at Frost, and self-destructed in front of him, blasting Frost back through his throne of ice. Tony, Ray, and the others arrived. The missiles scattered the monsters across the room, so Raylu could let the sphere down safely. "Great timing." Rem said.

"Not a problem. Let's get rid of these monsters." Tony responded.

Across the room Celsalores head was beginning to be covered in an icy mist. But before the head could get up, a beam and a bone sword were stabbed through the head. The skull then exploded, a white light leaving it. "I won’t make that mistake twice." Sora said, then rushed back into battle.

Frost got back up. Clearly Tony wasn’t aiming to kill Frost, otherwise that rocket would have made contact. "Ugh.....The Megaton too? Plus those others? So they survived. They must be removed now, before they cause any more problems to my plan. Frogar!" Frost said, yelling out the name. Then from above, jumping in through the roof, was an ice golem. Possibly the same from outside in the city. "Crush the human in the gold and purple armor for your leader!" Frost ordered. The ice golem seemed to nod, then jumped at Tony. Since Frost yelled his order, Tony expected an attack, even though he was busy attacking monsters. He turned around before Frogar reached him, and fired a rocket at it. Frogar landed on the ground with a thud. Before Tony could continue to attack, three frost bats flew at Tony. He blasted them down with palm blasts, but the bats bought Frogar enough time to get back to its feet. It ran at Tony, and hit him with a powerful punch. Tony skidded back, and fired two palm blasts at Frogar. It was hit by these attacks. It covered its arms with ice spikes, swung both arms, and sent the shards at Tony. He fired a few blasts from flamethrowers to melt these shards, then poured on more power to hit the golem with the flames. Frogar then rolled up into a ball, and rolled at Tony.

Tony shut off the flamethrowers, and braced himself. He caught the golem with both hands, being slightly pushed back. But he was able to anchor himself, then toss the golem Frogar to the side. It mowed down a few men of ice, and a frost baba. Then, before Frogar could regain control of himself, Tony blasted him with a rocket. When it exploded, an explosion of strong flames hit Frogar hard. Hard enough to blast him out of his ball state. Frogar got back up, and covered it's arms in ice, then morphing its arms into blades. Tony fired blasts of electricity from his palms, but Frogar deflected them away. Then he jabbed them into Tony's armor, making large tears in them. Something was beeping on Tony's visor, telling him his heating unit was damaged by the stabs. Ugh! Of all things to get damaged. If I get frozen over, I won’t be able to get free. Hell, if the inside of the suit gets too cold on the inside, it will start to shut down. To get Frogar away from him, a section in the chest of the armor showing a bunch of small missiles loaded. They all fired out, blasting Frogar close range. He was blasted away, but it damaged the armor a little.

Before Tony could continue his assault, snow wolves and frost bats started attacking him with ice attacks. Tony's visor was beeping again, showing a cold damage report. Brett shot the frost bats down from a distance, and Ralph fired a few bombs at the wolves so Tony could get some distance. Tony blasted the wolves out of his way, so he could focus on Frogar, who was running at him again. This time Frogar covered his arms with ice in the shape of hammers. Tony locked on to one arm, and fired a missile at it. It destroyed the ice hammer, and even blasted some ice off the frozen rocks. But the second one hit Tony. He was knocked backwards, as Frogar ran at him again. Tony was able to grab the hammer arm with both hands, and using a great deal of strength, he flipped him over his shoulder. Frogar hit the ground hard, many cracks in his ice appeared. Tony quickly unleashed a bunch of missiles at Frogar before he could get up. That damaged Frogars body very badly, having many cracks in his body. Angry he was being bested like this, Frogar quickly got up, and went to hit Tony with a powerful punch. Tony countered this punch, with one of his own. The suit had a lot of power, so sending energy into the arm can make its punching power great. When the punches met, Tony's kept moving forward, shattering the ice and stone of the arm. Tony's arm of his suit sparked a bit, and it looked a little damaged from that punch. Frogar recoiled backwards, stunned by the pain. Tony quickly attacked, firing a rocket right at Frogar's head. Then from behind, a flaming spikey ball hit the back of the head as well. Ray joined in the attack. The combined power of the rocket, and the ball crushed Frogar's head. A white light left the body. The remains of the body fell to the ground, then exploded in a black smoke. Ice and pebbles was all that remained.

"I thought you might want a hand finishing him off. You don’t have an ego, or too much pride to be bothered by that right?" Ray asked, with a smirk. Then returned to the battle.

Tony smirked from inside his helmet, so it was unseen. "Not at all. My attack alone might not have killed it. So as long as you didn’t hit me, I’m not against help." Tony said, slightly laughing. He had returned to the battle as well, aiding Ray.

"Always good to hear." Ray responded, taking out a few men of ice.


In all this chaos, the team battling the monsters, Rem and Raylu were facing Frost. Both of them were running around, dodging large beams of ice from Frost. As big as the beams get, it’s easier to dodge them, compared to blocking them or forcing them back. Frosts power cant over power their attacks if they can’t hit. Raylu jumped into the air, and came to bring the staff down on him with a powerful strike. Frost covered one of his arms in ice, and blocked the attack, then blasted Raylu away with a beam of ice. But from behind Rem fired the fire rocket attack. Frost turned around, and blasted one fireball, but the other crashed into him. Then, from behind again, Raylu came back. He used his aura to prevent himself from being frozen. He went to strike with his staff. Frost froze over his arms, and blocked the staff strikes with the ice. Spikes then formed on the ice, and he tried to hit Raylu. Raylu was much better at hand to hand then Frost was, but Frost was able to scrape him across his face. Raylu jumped back once he was hit, and looked at his face. He could see his blood, it also was on Frosts arms. "A novice in hand to hand, compared to me.....And he shed my blood...." Raylu said to himself. He then quickly rushed in, almost like a blur, and struck Frost with his staff before he could block. Raylu unleashed a fury of strikes, some Frost blocked, most he did not. Then he nailed Frost in the gut with an open palm punch, with so much power in it, it knocked Frost clean away.

Frost slid across the slick floor, towards Rem, who was charging a large fire attack. Rem then fired a large amount of waves of flames at Frost. Frost put the brakes on his feet, and covered himself in a strong dome of ice. Because of the location, and the cold of the large orb, that dome was standing strong against the flames. It would take some time for those flames to do much of anything. Rem then looked at Raylu, and charged power demon power in his fist. Raylu nodded, understanding. They both rushed at the dome, and hit it hard with a powerful punch. It shattered, but Frost was gone. I knew it... Rem thought. Raylu expected this, and was actively looking for his aura. He noticed it appear above the orb in the middle of the room, and he quickly turned around. Frost then fired a double size ice beam at the both of them! Raylu quickly grabbed Rem, and jumped into the air, barely dodging the attack. Large amounts of ice built up quickly where the two of them once stood. "That’s new. I don’t recall his attacks making large masses of ice before. At least not effortlessly." Rem said, as both of them landed.

"He must be drawing power from the orb by being in close contact with it. It must be boosting the effects." Raylu said.

"Then we need to get him away from the orb, and then destroy the orb." Rem said.

"Easier said than done. Even very hot attacks will not cut through the storm coming from that orb easily." Raylu responded.

"Well whatever we're gonna do, we gotta do it fast. He could easily freeze everything in the room solid." Rem said.

Frost then fired more beams at them, forcing them to dodge. Rem and Raylu fired attacks of aura and fire, but Frost destroyed the aura, and the cold of the storm put the fire out before it even came close to hitting. He fired blasts and beams, filling the room with ice. Tony fired missiles, that seemed to cut through the winds, but Frost blasted them down. He did the same with Ralph and Brett's bomb projectiles. Frost by now had realized his attacks were stronger when he was on the orb. So he decided to finish this up. "Time to end this. You will all freeze to death!" Frost said. Then he put his arms in the air, and the force and cold of the winds were getting stronger. Huge hunks of ice were also flying around in the winds. Even with protection, the cold was effecting everyone. It was getting harder for everyone to move. Ice even began to form on everyone. "Gah! Is this the kind of cold we have to get used to?!" Sora yelled. He had to yell to be heard.

"N-no! Ugh! We need to somehow attack Frost now, before we become hunks of ice!" Rem yelled.

"But none of our attacks can reach him. And with this wind, our bombs will be frozen before they even get that high!" Brett yelled.

"...Tony!" Ray yelled. "Tony can! He has missiles and rockets. Those should cut through!"

"Right! Quickly Tony, can you attack?!" Rem asked.

"For now, but I must act quickly!" Tony yelled. His visor was warning him that soon the cold would make him completely immobile. He readied his missile launcher, and used the laser light to target Frost. Then when targeted, he fired five missiles at him. They all converged on Frost, and all hit Frost, blasting him clean off the orb. Frost wasn’t expecting an attack to reach him, so he wasn’t prepared. These missiles were designed to be more forceful then deadly. Sure they were still explosives, and very harmful, but they weren’t going to kill someone with natural power defenses. At least not easily. As soon as Frost was knocked off the orb, the winds and ice returned to what they were before. Tony's armor though was starting to lock up. "Quick Rem...Heat my armor up..."

Rem placed his hand on Tony's suit, and covered the suit in fire. It didn’t harm Tony, but it melted off all ice, and got the suit working again. "There. Now me and Raylu gotta get Frost. The rest of you, take this orb out." Rem said. They all nodded, but Ray was already going to attack Frost. "Ray, wait for us!" Rem said, running after him. Raylu followed. Tony then loaded his missile launcher again. This was his last five missiles. He also had only a few bombs and rockets left as well. He began to fire on the orb. Ralph loaded bombs into his blasters, as well as Sora, and they fired them at the orb. Brett did the same, but with his rifle.

While they took care of the orb, Rem, Ray, and Raylu handled Frost. Rem fired two beams of fire, which Frost blocked with a wall of ice. Ray smashed it down with his iron ball, and Raylu jumped through the wall and attacked with his staff. Frost, instead of blocking like before, discharged a blast of ice energy from his body. The three of them were blasted back. Frost then started firing blasts of ice at them. Rem blocked with his shield, while Raylu blocked with the staff. Ray just dodged the attacks. Frost then fired two large beams of ice, one at Rem, and the other at Raylu. Both blocked the attack, but still had to defend against it. Ray then spun around, then flung his iron ball, covered in flames, at Frost. Frost stopped firing the beams, and actually caught the ball. The cold coming off his hands put the fire out. "Fool. Like I didn’t see that coming." Frost said.

"I was banking on that." Ray said, with a smirk, as he switched the power from fire to electricity. Frost then found himself being electrocuted. Rem and Raylu quickly jumped at this chance. Rem fired the fire rocket attack, while Raylu charged and fired a large aura sphere. Both crashed into Frost, blasting him across the battlefield. But when he landed, he did not get back up.

"He's finished..." Raylu said.

"Good. Now let’s take out that orb." Rem said. The three of them joined the others, who were still attacking the orb. It was much smaller now. Rem and Ray joined in the attack, but Raylu stood still, his aura seeable. Rem looked back at Raylu. "Raylu, we need your help."

"One moment sir. Keep attacking." Raylu said. Rem nodded. After a moment, Raylu jumped into the air, and landed on top of the orb. Since it was weaker now, he could get close. He pulled his arm back, as all the seeable aura went around his arm. "Silver..." Raylu started, the aura turning silver. "Punch!" Then punched the orb with all his power. All the combined force of the attacks, and this long charged silver punch, shattered the large orb into pieces. It was nothing but floating energy now, soon fading away. The wind and the snow stopped as soon as the orb was destroyed.

"We did it!" Sora yelled.

"Yes! We downed our first major villain!" Ralph said.

"You all did wonderfully. I’m very proud. And thank you for your help Tony. We might not have made it without your help." Rem said.

"Think nothing of it. Just doing my job. Besides, I wouldn’t of been able to win either without your help." Tony said, his helmet now folding away.

Rem nodded. "Right. Now let’s bag up our villain, and call this a day."

Frost looked up from across the room, seeing everyone come toward them. Ugh...Damn it! My plan failed. I can’t believe this. The monsters are gone, the orb is destroyed…I need to pull back, and come up with a new course of action...

The others then came over to Frost. Rem took out some lunar cuffs. "Alright Frost, it’s over. Now you can come quietly, or you can try to run in your weakened state and we'll just catch you. Your choice." Rem said.

Frost spit out some blood. It was a blueish color. He smirked. "Heh...Fine, I'll go with you..." Frost said. Rem then bent down to cuff him. "When hell freezes over!" Frost yelled, discharging one last wave of ice energy from his body. It blasted Rem back into some of the others. Frost's whole body then became like snow, and started flying away. Raylu, Brett, and Tony tried to shoot him as he fled, but it was no use. Frost escaped through the roof, and with no aura to track him, finding him would be impossible for now.

"Damn it! He got away!" Ralph said.

"Ugh...I shouldn’t have hesitated…” Rem said.

"If he had the energy to still do that, it wouldn’t have made any difference, he still would’ve pulled the same escape tactic.” Raylu said.

"Yeah, Raylu's right. And the important thing is Frost is stopped. For now anyway. I doubt he'll try anything again for a while." Ray said.

Rem nodded. "Yeah, you’re both right." Rem said, getting up.

"Yes. For right now, I think we should search the city for any more monsters, and see if anyone has been injured." Tony said.

Rem nodded. "Yeah, I agree. Let’s get out of here." And so the team made their way for the city. To clear up the last of the monsters, and hopefully find Frost.


Around the same time as the battle on the tower was taking place, Darkshot, and a few of Kraven’s men that were dressed in white camo suits were sneaking through the forest, coming up on the cabin. Darkshot had a white mask pulled up to cover most of her face, to keep her better hidden in the snow. Kari was outside, keeping an eye out for any monsters that might’ve been trying to come back to attack Eric while everyone was out. Darkshot saw her standing on the porch, and readied her bow. Kari didn’t hear anyone approach due to the winds howling, and while she was distracted by the cold, Darkshot fired the arrow at her. Kari didn’t see the arrow until it was too late, and it hit her in the side! It started discharging a current of electricity though her body, as she fell to the ground, starting to shake. Darkshot then started approaching, signaling the other men to follow her towards the cabin. As they quietly walked up onto the porch, Kari then saw them all pass her, going towards the door. She knew it was bad, as they all were armed with combat assault rifles. Kari managed to force out a quick. “Aqua!” though her shaking.

As Darkshot went to open the door, it flew open on its own, as a torrent of water washed the intruders away, and back into the yard! Aqua quickly rushed out, and saw Kari in trouble. She quickly removed the arrow, and started to heal her wound with water, with her shaking stopping shortly after. “Are you ok?!” Aqua asked, concerned.

“Ugh...Yeah, I’ll be fine, they just got the drop on me.” Kari quickly pulled out her blaster, and trained it on the intruders.

Aqua formed water in her hands, as she readied to strike again. “Who are you!? What are you doing here?!” Aqua demanded they answer.

Darkshot worked her way back to her feet. “Silence, Kavisto’s lapdog!” She then narrowed her eyes. “We’re here for Nightngale, but if you don’t get out of the way, I’ll kill you too, make no mistake.” Darkshots eyes then looked to Kari. “Except you, fro girl.”

Kari looked a little annoyed to just be addressed as ‘fro girl’. “Excuse me?!”

“You’re a human, aren’t you? You don’t need to die with the powered girl there. My orders are to give you the chance to run.” Darkshot responded.

“Like hell I will, I’m not going anywhere!” Kari retorted back.

Darkshot narrowed her eyes. “Fine then. Killing you as well makes no difference to me.” She then quickly pulled out her twin SMG’s from her back holsters, and fired on Kari and Aqua!

The two girls jumped to the sides to dodge the sudden spray of bullets, as soon they were quickly under the fire of Darkshots supporting agents. Aqua quickly formed some ice walls around the front of the cabin, buying them some time. “Do you know these guys?” Kari asked.

Aqua narrowed her eyes. “I’m not sure, but I’m willing to guess they work for Kraven.”

Kari looked serious. “How do you wanna go about this then?”

“I’ll help you get in close, and help with the disarming. If we can get them disarmed, they should hopefully go down easy.” Aqua suggested.

Kari nodded. “Gotcha, on your move!”

Darkshot wasn’t planning on waiting around for the girls to make a move, as she picked up her bow. She readied an explosive arrow, and shot it at the wall Kari was hiding behind. Though before the wall shattered, a long strand of ice shot through the air, and Kari started to slide across it, like grinding down a rail. Aqua forming the strand of ice kept it stable, but also helped keep Kari moving. The agents opened fire on her, but Aqua from her spot froze the air in the bullets path, blocking them. Kari shot one agent with a Ion blast from her blaster, while she landed on the shoulders of another. She locked his head between her thighs, and spun him around, forcing him into the ground head first. The momentum and force Kari had put him out easily. Kari quickly chucked her blaster at one of the unaware agents, hitting him in the face, and causing him to stumble backwards. She then quickly ran at the next one, and when he fired on her, she went into a slide across the ground, then jumped up to tackle him. Darkshot watched Kari catch her men unaware, and sighed. “I can’t count on you men for anything.” She then took out her twin blades, and charged at Kari while she was distracted. Aqua tried to make walls of ice to block Darkshot’s path, but she just got around them with some impressive parkour skills. Aqua couldn’t do more, as some of the agents started focusing their fire on her.

Kari finished taking one agent down, and Darkshot charged at her with her blades. Thinking quickly, Kari blocked the attacks by turning on her beam sword, but Darkshot was far more skills with blades than Kari. With some quick movements, she pulled one sword back, and then swung down on the beam swords base. The attack was well placed, as it caused the beam sword to short out, and dissipate. Kari recoiled back by the sudden change in force, and Darkshot quickly went to slash Kari. Kari jumped backwards, but while she was midair she counted on Darkshot to close the gap, and went to kick her in the head. Darkshot was hit by the full force of the kick, knocking her backwards into a chunk of ice Aqua made. By now, some of the agents recovered, though they were getting weaker from the cold, thanks to Aqua’s earlier washing of them. They all started firing on Kari to buy time for Darkshot, and with no blaster, Kari was forced to start rapidly blocking with her reflector. Though suddenly appearing around her was a dome of ice, as Aqua appeared inside it. “Doing alright?” Aqua asked, as she handed Kari her blaster.

“Honestly, I was getting a little pressed, thanks.” Kari said, taking her blaster back.

At this point Aqua was opening holes in the dome to attack the agents with high powered blasts of water, while Kari would shoot through them. Though Darkshot was back, and had fired a powerful explosive arrow at Aqua’s dome, the force of which blasted them back. Darkshot quickly prepared another arrow, ready to finish the job, as she aimed where they landed. Though just as she was about to fire the shot, a powerful beam of a sinister looking darkness crashed right into Darkshot, blasting her into a tree! The agents turned to look, seeing Eric at the cabin door! The whites of his eyes glowed black, as the mark on the back of his hand was glowing. He was holding his wound, still in pain. The agents turned to fire at him, but before they could do anything, Aqua formed the snow under the agents into water, and used the water like a wave to crash them into the ground! “Are you two ok?!” Eric called out.

Aqua and Kari got back to their feet. “Just fine, thanks Eric!” Aqua called back.

Darkshot struggled to get back up, badly hurt by such a powerful attack. Kraven was misinformed… Darkshot then took out a grenade, and tossed it into the fray. It was a flashbang, and the blinding light and sound disoriented the three of them. “Fall back!” Darkshot yelled, as she and the other agents retreated back into the snow covered forest.

Once the effects of the flashbang passed, and the agents were gone, the girls quickly rushed to Eric’s side, supporting him on their shoulders. “Thanks for the save Eric.”

Eric groaned. “No problem. Ugh!”

“I’ll get you patched back up, don’t worry.” Aqua said, as he and Kari helped Eric back to his bed.





A little while later in the city, the team that dealt with Frost met back up at the tower. "Find anything?" Rem asked.

"Well me, Sora, and Brett found a pack of Snow Wolves, and took them out. But no sign of Frost. We didn’t see anyone hurt either though." Ralph said.

"Ray and I found some men of ice trying to break into a building where some powered humans were trapped in, but nothing else." Tony reported.

"Hmm...Well me and Raylu had the same luck. Guess it’s to be expected though. We found a hurt fire human, and fixed him up though. He was in pretty rough shape." Rem said.

"So now what?" Sora asked.

"Well there’s nothing more we can do now. With the orb gone, the weather will return to normal, and the snow and ice will melt away. Hopefully it won’t cause a flood, or anything like that though. But with the monsters and Frost gone, there’s not much else we can do." Rem said.

"Well, alright then. That’s good. Hopefully Eric's doing better." Ralph said.

"Send Eric my best for me, will you? I need to get back to Harkum Inc. Maybe I can talk them into giving me the day off. I need some sleep, and the suit needs repairs." Tony said.

"Will do. You take care of yourself, ok?" Rem said.

Tony nodded. "Of course. And I'll give the information to the police, since they are gonna be snooping around. I'll leave you out of it when it comes to them."

Rem smiled. "Thanks Tony. Cya around." Rem said, making a portal that everyone went into. Tony then went on his way, back to Harkum Inc.



Back at the cabin, Aqua, Eric, and Kari were being filled in on what happened. Aqua was actually helping Raylu with the scrapes on his face from one of Frost's attacks. "So he got away?" Eric asked.

"Yeah. Slipped away at the last second." Sora said.

"It's alright. We'll get him if he ever shows up again." Kari said.

"Yes...But I wanted to see if I could find out what happened to him. And why he hates powered kind so much." Eric said.

"Probably just the same reason most people do. They fear us." Aqua said.

"That could be...But make no mistake, he has a deep hatred for powered kind. And with his powers, I’m sure he'll be back to take revenge." Eric added.

Rem looked out a window. "Yeah...They always do." Rem then looked back to Aqua. “Speaking of that, are you three ok? You said you guys got attacked?”

Aqua nodded. “Some guys with guns came while you were all out, they were here to capture Eric.”

Eric cut in as well. “Based on what the girls told me, their leader offered to spare Kari, saying since she was human she didn’t need to die with powered users.”

Raylu looked alarmed. “You think it was Kraven’s forces?”

Aqua nodded. “I’d say so. They even knew I worked for Kavisto. They must’ve known that Frost would’ve caused our numbers to thin out, and they tried to kill us while Frost killed you guys.”

Rem looked worried. “So now the question is if Kraven and Frost are working together, or Kraven just used it to his advantage…We need a lead on Kraven, and soon…”





After a few days of recovery, the group was back to full strength. But as the snow melted, Frost never turned up again. Thanks to Tony’s asstance with the police though, Frost was officaly charged, and the police would be on the lookout for him. Though a couple of cities away, Frost was in a bar, lying low. Celsalore was back somehow, and was standing at the door. People thought it was odd, but they expected him to be some freak in a costume, no monster. Then who came in the bar, but Kraven himself. He was no longer in a cast or anything, nearly completely recovered from his fight with Maylean. He looked at Celsalore, who was staring him down, but the two seemed to come to somekind of understanding, and he went inside. He took a seat next to Frost. People were keeping away from him. For some reason it was cold where he sat. Kraven could care less. "Bartender, two more of whatever my blue friend here has been having.” Kraven said. The bartender nodded.

Frost looked up and over to Kraven. He didnt know he was there until he spoke, but he gave him his full attention. “Wait…do I know you?

Kraven chuckled. “Not officially, but we did have a sort of…run in at the hospital.”

Frost’s eyes widened. “Wait…You…You must’ve been the one who injected me with my chemicals.”

Kraven nodded, taking a drink when they arrived. “I was keeping close eyes on you, Dr. I saw what you tried with France the other day, quite the showing of strength.” He tipped his hat to him. “The name is Kraven, and I’m in charge of an origination that has the same goal as yours, the removal of powered kind.”

“So what are you doing here then? You’ve come to ask me to join you?” Frost asked.

“More or less. A Meta Human of your strength would be a huge help to be sure, but along with your monsters, as well as your mind…Your understanding of the Harkum chemical would help with greater strides in the Meta Human project.” Kraven explained.

“What, you mean to say you are the one who created that Mutant, Toxin? That guy that went crazy a few years back?” Frost asked.

“He was our first test subject, yes. But he escaped and died before we could perfect him. I honestly thought we’d have to shelf the project forever, but with these ‘Mutants’ that have appeared sparked my hope in the project again. And your help would be greatly appreciated in the continuing of the project.” Kraven said, taking another drink.

“A nice offer, but I have no interest in mutating other humans. I just want to kill the powered kind. I don’t need your help for that.” Frost said.

“Says the man who lost to a bunch of humans just a few days ago.” Kraven said, as Frost cast him a glare. “Dr., you’ve painted a massive target on your back, you know this right? World Savers, police, government, you’ve made powerful enemies.” Kraven looked at Frost, who now retracted his glare. “You may not care about my bigger picture, you just want revenge. That’s fine. But now you need friends like myself to back you up…Do you think you can avenge your dear wife if you get yourself locked up forever?”

Frost’s expression dropped. He sat there for a long while, before he took a drink, and cleared his throat. “Then if that’s the case…to keep the same thing from happening to someone else…I’ll do it.”

Kraven smiled. “Wonderful! You can come with me, Dr. We’ll get to work as soon as possible. First the World Savers, then the rest of those powered monsters.” Kraven then raised his glass. “For the good of mankind.”

Frost at this point finally smiled, and met Kraven’s glass with his own. “For the good of mankind. I couldn’t have said it better.” And the two of them finished their drinks, as their new partnership was formed.




End of Data Log....

[Aqua]

Data Log #10: Storm Stories EX


Data Log Place in Time: Five days after Data Log #9


With the disappearance of Dr. Frost, things were mostly uneventful, though Frost caused quite the problems in his wake. When the blizzard was happening, temperatures were well below freezing, but without it the summer heat was starting to hit. Snow was melting quickly everywhere, and the city was not reacting quickly enough to deal with it, so flash floods were happening all over. Since the floods were to be expected, water humans were called in to help manage the flooding, as well as helping move snow and extra water to the Seine River to help carry it out to sea. Though with the heat causing the snow to melt so quickly, this was causing rain storms to build quickly. By the third day, clouds filled the skies, and it began to downpour by the next day. So now, going on a second day of non stop rain, the group was growing bored. Eric had made a massive pot of seafood stew, mostly thanks to Ray not really relaxing on the fishing, and they had been eating it through out the day. Aqua had been giving the cabin a good cleaning, and was doing some dusting in the living room, while Eric was reading a book. Raylu, Sora and Kari were also in the living room. Raylu was in his pup form, curled up in his favorite napping chair, while Sora and Kari were loafing around on the couch watching something on the tv. Kari was eating some stew from a bowl, when she suddenly sat it down on the table with a groan. “I just…can’t…eat anymore…I feel it going right to my thighs…”

Sora chuckled. “You’re just being silly, your thighs aren’t getting any bigger.”

Kari leaned forward, giving a slight glare at Sora. “So you admit they are big, is that what you’re saying?!”

Sora waved his arms. “No no! I’m not saying that! Plus, people really like thick thighs anyway, so it’s not like that’s a bad thing.”

Kari’s glare was growing at this point, but she was also blushing very slightly. “See! You said it again! You’re saying it by saying its fine!”

Aqua was giggling to herself, while Eric looked up from his book. “You aren’t winning this one Sora, just take the loss.” He said, chuckling to himself, as he returned to his book.

Sora tried to struggle, but in the end just sighed. “Sorry…I didn’t mean it like that…”

“You’re forgiven.” Kari then gave him a light jab in the shoulder, which Sora gave a slight ‘ow’ to in response. “You gotta work on your word choice with ladies, Sora. Not all of them are as forgiving as me.”

Sora mumbled. “Forgiving?” under his breath, while Aqua just kept giggling at the two of them.

“You two are like peas in a pod…If that’s how that saying goes? I forget.” Aqua said.

Kari put Sora in a bit of a playful headlock, while Sora struggled. “Yep! We’ve known each other longer than anybody else. You’d have a hard time finding a closer pair!”

Sora looked nervous, being stuck under Kari’s arm, as he blushed slightly. “Uhh y-yep! N-no one closer!”

Then the front door suddenly opened, and Ray came inside, entirely soaked from the rain. The wind was blowing in the rain heavily. “Gah! Ray, quick, close the door!” Kari exclaimed.

Ray quickly closed the door, and sat his rod and bucket by the door. “So, how did it go? Catch anything good?” Sora asked.

Ray shook his body off a bit. “Nah, way too much rain and noise. Plus with all that rain I was getting cold. No point in getting sick, I figured.” He said, chuckling.

Aqua stopped dusting at this point, and using her control over water, she pulled the water out of Ray’s clothes, basically drying them with him still in them. She then sent the water into some of the plants in the room. “There! All dry now. No catching a cold on my watch.” She said, smiling.

Ray chuckled. “Wow, that’s super handy. No extra shower for me, thank you.”

Eric looked back from his book. “You really gotta be careful with going out in weather like that.”

Ray nodded. “Yeah, I know. But you never know what kinds of fish show up in what weather. If I’m ever gonna catch them all, you gotta be daring sometimes. You’d be surprised what kind of weather I’ve fished in.”

Aqua giggled. “Somehow I doubt I’d be surprised.”

Ray took a seat on one of the couches, one not currently being used. “So where is everyone else at?”

“Oh, the rest of the boys are downstairs in the training chamber for some target practice.” Kari answered.

“Not you too Sora?” Ray asked.

“I mean I was, but after a point they just kept running the same program. Ralph and Brett got into one of their competitive modes again, so I just backed out and took a break. I’m not nearly as good a shot as they are.” Sora explained.

“Well maybe the reason for that is you’re skipping out on practice.” Ray joked, with a little chuckle.

“No, you don’t understand, these two are like pros at what they do. Brett is former military, and Ralph…well I dunno where he got his skills. Probably from the streets, since he’s got tons of street smarts. But he’s a hell of a shot.” Sora said in attempt to defend himself.

“That is fair, they are both rather skilled.” Ray commented.

Then Eric’s telepath stone flashed for a brief second, so he snapped his fingers to form a portal. After a few seconds, Saria came out from the portal. “Hey sweetie, thanks for the lift.” Saria said to Eric, as she looked to the others. “Hi everyone, enjoying the rain?” She noticed Raylu, seemingly napping in his chair, and scratched him behind the ears, which he adjusted his head to have her scratch more and smiled. “Hi to you too Raylu. You’re looking rather cute today.”

“Mmmm…Hello Lady Saria…You are…to kind…” He answered in his lighter tone, sounding very relaxed in response to being scratched.

“Something like that.” Kari said, responding to Saria, as she giggled slightly at Raylu’s reaction.

“Saria, long time no see! How has the sage work been going?” Ray asked.

“Ray! It has been too long! Since we last saw each other on Terra 000, I think. Things have been well, thank you.” Saria said to him.

“First time in a while that you’re free to visit, and me without much for us to do.” Eric said, laughing nervously.

“Aww, I don’t care about that. Just having some time to spend with you is enough, I know you guys have had your hands full lately. Like with those two mutant guys.” She then walked over to Eric’s chair, took his book from his hand and put it on the floor, then sat in the chair sideways on top of Eric. “But I will take this seat at the very least. A stay date is perfectly fine.”

Kari giggled. “You two are so cute together. I hope when I date someone we’re as cute as you two.”

Sora laughed nervously. “Yeah, same.”

Saria giggled slightly. “Well he doesn’t make it very easy!” She pointed at Eric. “I swear, he should just stop working so hard and be my stay at home wife, but that will just have to stay a dream for now.”

“At least you got it all planned out for when you both can quit what you do. More than some of us.” Aqua said, laughing a little nervously.

Eric laughed. “Knowing when to quit is going to be the hard part. Both of us are always needed for one thing or another. Sage work and world saving work just never stop.”

Saria shrugged. “I mean sage work can end, I’ll just need to elect a suitable replacement. Granted I’d also need to find someone who’d want to do it. It is a lot of work…though even if I did suddenly stop doing it, I’ve been doing it so long I wouldn’t know what I’d do with myself. Maybe bum around with you guys, it wouldn’t be too different from sage work.”

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but aren’t on Terra without proper World Saver groups, the Sages work as the peace keepers of the Terra?” Ray asked.

Saria nodded. “You’re correct about that Ray, on some Terra the World Savers are also the Sages. Magneus, the Light Sage of this Terra, actually used to tell me stories of the past sages of this Terra, and how they used to be the World Savers. Magneus himself used to be a World Saver before he took up the role of Sage, since he felt they just went hand in hand. Most Terra are kinda shorthanded on Light and Dark humans to be Sages after all.”

“Ok, so I have a few questions, since I didn’t get to ask them last time you were here, but what really is the role of an Elemental Sage? You’re kinda lax about things, which I like, but it’s a little confusing.” Kari asked.

“Oh, that is a fantastic question Kari!” Saria exclaimed suddenly. “Ok, so, we Elemental Sages are over seers of Powered Humans. In more power based societies, Sage’s serve as teachers of their powers to others that can learn the same power. Not so much leaders, but governors of power. We are responsible for keeping the flow of power in place, making sure nothing happens to the sources of power. That also makes us Guardians of The Master Elementals, powerful creatures which are living embodiments of power itself. You could call them the living form of Power itself. And like I said earlier, part of that protection has us work as defenders of the world in Terra and times that need us. I’ve done my fair share of world saving on his Terra, and the few others I’m responsible for.”

“So who put you all in charge of that job anyway? Like, it had to begin sometime, right?” Sora asked.

“That’s another great question! You see, the Order of the Sages was started by the Master Sage himself, or the sole Sage of Time and Space, apparently all the way back since Power formed in our reality. He keeps to himself often, but we hold meetings every few years, checking in to make sure all is well.” Saria answered.

“Wait wait, you mean he’s been alive…since the beginning of reality?” Kari asked.

Saria nodded. “Apparently so. He’s part Time Human and Dimension Human, so the two powers really do promote the idea of being able to live as long as he could. Time users normally don’t die of anything shy of being killed, and Dimension users can go a great many places. Being an undisputed master of both means you have a lot of power.”

“You guys have actually already been to his realm. Remember when I took you to meet my mother and sister a few weeks ago? That was his realm.” Eric said, chiming in.

“Wait, THAT was his realm?! And we just casually visited it?” Sora exclaimed.

Eric chuckled. “Casual is hardly what I’d call it. It only seems that way because I took you guys there, but normally it’s very disconnected from reality. I can get there because I’ve already been there.” Eric paused, looking serious. “It’s also known as the Banishment Realm. Beings that are pretty much removed from reality, normally forever, are sent to his world and stuck there. It’s large enough to house those people, until they are able to pass on, or return to the worlds they came from. That’s why my mother and sister live there, they were not killed in a normal way…because they were killed by a madman named Zane. They…can’t really return to this reality, so they are stuck there.”

“Rem mentioned his parents are there too, are they stuck there like your family?” Kari asked.

Eric shook his head. “No, they were simply sent there. They have the means to leave, just like us. They just were stuck there for so long, they have no home to return too. Rem wants them to come back, but with so much happening here, he feels it’s unsafe. But his parents are restless, I’m sure they’ll insist soon.”

Aqua looked a little distressed at that. “I get how protective he can be over them…He lived so much of his life thinking they were dead.”

“I feel like whenever we have a real minute to chat, it just feels like an info dump.” Sora said, laughing nervously.

“I feel like we just opened up a book in the middle of a story, and we’re just trying to piece together where we are in it.” Kari added.

Eric laughed. “That’s only because there’s so much for you all to learn about this much larger world then you ever would’ve known otherwise. A lot has happened, and it’s a lot to take in. Had we given you all this information up front it would’ve been overwhelming.”

Aqua chimed in for a moment. “The same thing happened to our friend named Arianna, she joined us only for maybe…two years before we broke apart? Maybe less. She was always struggling to learn about everything there was to know. Granted she had powers of her own, so she had a general understanding. You were probably closer to how Rem said he was when he learned what he did.”

“We’re still learning new things too, so don’t worry. I’m sure the time will come when we are all on the same page.” Eric added.

“I guess on that note, I’ve got a few more questions, mostly because Eric put a few in my head.” Kari said.

“Sounds good, but unlike you all, I haven’t eaten and I’m smelling lunch.” Saria said.

“Oh babe, I’ve got that taken care of.” Eric then snapped his fingers, teleporting a warm bowl of his seafood stew into Saria’s hands.

“Ah, finally! I’ve been smelling it since I came in. Alright, I’m all set for story time.” Saria said, looking delighted.





Meanwhile, downstairs, the other three were in the training chamber. Now, this used to be a simple storage closet in an old basement, slash wine cellar. A previous member of the team actually placed a permanent portal in the door frame of the closet, turning the empty space into an entry into a subspace. When one walked through the portal, it would take you out into a subspace formed of dimensional energy. By default, it was like a white void, with only the door to the closet floating in this void. Though this subspace reacted to thoughts, and would change to replicate both locations known by the user, but also enemies to the extent of their information. Rem and Eric actually managed to connect the subspace to EIRU directly, allowing it to also manage elements of the subspace for training. Right now it was currently in its neutral state, as Rem, Brett, and Ralph just finished a training session. “You two really have a lot of talent. You keep up with me rather well, but I mean that’s not too surprising. Though you both sail past me when it comes to blasters.” Rem laughed nervously.

Ralph laughed. “The way of the gun has been my life for a long time, even before I met everyone. They are like using my fingers.” He boasted.

“Everything I learned was from hard work, and lots of training.” Brett commented. “My training was just more for ‘normal’ warfare then yours is all.”

“Right right, you and your army training, we get it.” Ralph said, almost in a mocking manor. “But which of us is better?”

Rem looked a little surprised. “Now now guys, it’s not a contest-“

“But it’s me, right? Stiff training is all well and good, but you can’t replace good ol fashioned guts and street action. You don’t get that from army camp.” Ralph said.

“Excuse me? I have plenty of guts, and I’ve seen combat plenty. Do you think the army is just full of toy soldiers or something?” Brett questioned.

“I’m jusssst sayin that real life isn’t the same as some VR training, or text book combat exercises. Sure they are great, but not everyone is going to fight like that. Having a natural style is more important.” Ralph said.

“Those exercises teach you the basics you need to know. Being on a battlefield is all about being able to adapt to changes.” Brett narrowed his eyes. “What do you even know about being in a warzone prior to being on this team? Or even about army combat training?”

“I’ve seen my fair share of action, Brett. Maybe not a warzone, but I’ve been caught up in things like gang wars in cities I grew up in. That shit is way more chaotic then standard warfare. You can’t predict shit when you have tons of untrained people, armed with nothing but guns and a need to hurt people.” Ralph said, defending his point.

“I don’t deny that at all, but the whole point of that training is to be prepared.” Brett said.

“Then let’s try something.” Ralph started. “Let’s go head to head, see which of us is faster and a better shot. I’ve been itching to try my aim against you.”

Brett gave a slight smirk, which was odd for him. “I actually like this idea. Rem, can you run two different target rounds for us?”

Rem sighed, having watched this back and forth go on. “If it will stop this debate.” Rem then touched his watch that connected to EIRU. “Erue, prepare two target sims, any is fine. Track speed and accuracy closely.”

“Of course, Master Rem. One moment…Sim prepped.” Erue said over speaker across the void.

Rem nodded. “Alright Ralph, since you talked such a big talk, you go first.”

Ralph smirked, as he drew both blasters. “No sweat. “ Ralph moved into a spot of the void that was a glowing red ring with a red circle in the center of it. In blue numbers in the room, a countdown started from 3 to 1, and suddenly targets of light would start appearing. As soon as they did, Ralph sprung to life, dispatching targets left and right, almost as quickly as they appeared. Some targets flew around quickly, others even teleported around, but none of them escaped Ralph. The next phase of the target test was a handful of star shaped drone like enemies, shooting hologram blasts at Ralph. They wouldn’t hurt, but Ralph treated them like real shots, as Erue would be tracking him. Ralph nimbly dodged around the blasts without leaving the circle, shooting the drones in between dodges. It didn’t take Ralph long at all to finish the simulation, and in large blue letters ‘Time!’ showed up, followed with Erue saying it out loud. The ring and circle then turned yellow, as it prepared for the next sim. Ralph put his blasters away to recharge in their holsters, as he returned to the others. “Not bad, eh?”

“Like I said before, I don’t doubt your skills, that isn’t the issue.” Brett commented.

The circle and ring then turned red again after a few seconds. “Alright Brett, you’re up now.”

“Got it.” Brett headed up to take his spot in the ring, taking off his sniper rifle from his back to get ready. The same countdown appeared, and it began with some far off, quick targets. Brett took his time, getting a read for the speed of the targets, and once he had that down, took them out with a single shot each. As new targets appeared, he recharged the energy cartage for his shots, and with careful timing, was able to take out the teleporting ones without much trouble. The next phase was different than Ralphs, as Holo Troops appeared, shooting at Brett with assault rifles. They were farther off, so he quickly fell to his belly, and sniped a few from the floor, keeping them at bay for a little while. Though soon enough, his sniper overheated from the energy cores being pushed too much, so he left it on the ground and rolled to the side, taking off his own assault rifle while he did. He got back up to one knee, and started repelling them back more with aggressive but well placed shots, all while avoiding getting hit. Soon, the numbers were getting thin, but they were closing in. The rifle overheated, and Brett repelled a Holo Troop by striking it with the back end of the assault rifle. When it staggered back, Brett took out his blaster from his hip, and fired at the Holo Troop at point blank. He then tossed his assault rifle at the remaining Holo Troops, and it flew at them almost like a boomerang, only it didn’t return. As they tried to get back up, Brett finished them off with blaster shots. The final troop approached from behind, to which Brett quickly threw his blaster behind him to stun the troop, and he kicked his sniper rifle off the ground up into his arms, as he fired it at the troop at point blank range. ‘Time!’ appeared again, as the ring vanished this time. Brett rejoined the two of them. “So how was that?”

Ralph looked grumpy for a second, until he smiled brightly. “Dude, I’m not gonna lie, that was pretty badass! I’ve never got to see you work like that.” Ralph looked at Rem. “But what are the results?”

“Erue, what’s the totals?” Rem asked, as ‘screens’ appeared in the void.

“Comparing the two had different simulations, and different results, so more testing would need to be done. Judging by current session data, Ralph’s speed surpasses Brett’s, clearing his simulation in a much quicker time. Ralph completed his simulation 22% faster than Brett. This is factoring in the fact that their simulations had different runtimes, though a more accurate percentage can be determined if they both run the same simulation.” Erue explained.

“Hell yeah!” Ralph yelled.

“However, Brett’s shot accuracy was much higher than Ralph’s. Ralph’s over all accuracy was 82% of his shots hit their targets. This also factoring in who hit closer to a bullseye with the standard targets. Brett’s over all accuracy was 94% of all shots taken. Neither of them were ever hit by enemy attacks.” Erue explained once more.

“Greater then I expected.” Brett commented.

“Overall, results are inclusive with the limited data. Additional tests must be made.” Erue finished.

“Thank you Erue.” Rem said. He then looked at them both, arms folded. “Happy now?”

“Ok, but this is just one round. Erue said itself that it needs more data.” Ralph paused. “Besides, that’s mostly target practice at the end of the day. Closer to Brett’s element. What we need is a training session with more real enemies.”

“I hate to add to things, but I agree.” Brett added.

Rem sighed again. “Alright, one more, and I’ll have Erue track it. I’ll use foes from my past experiences, so you’ll get something fresh. But you’ll go at the same time, and we’ll track the same stats, but how many hits and kills you each get. I’ll step in if needed, because you can actually get hurt or killed in here by them. Got it?” The two of them nodded. “Alright then, back in the ring.” The two of them prepped their weapons again, as the ring reappeared.

“Get ready to lose.” Ralph said, taunting.

“Keep your head in the clouds like that. It will make things much quicker.” Brett said, smirking.

Soon, the void around them turned into a thick jungle like setting, as the countdown happened once more, then followed by the sounds of the jungle. The two of them moved around, but not directly together. Suddenly, leaping out of the bushes, was a black and orange tiger like creature with massive razor sharp fangs. It jumped at Ralph who rolled to the side to dodge the attack, but Brett quickly turned around to shoot it before Ralph managed to. It didn’t take many hits to put it down, since they were being made easier to kill for the training program. Brett smirked, but didn’t notice the Dino Lizafose behind him! Ralph did, and quickly tossed one of his explosives at its face, blasting it off. The force knocked Brett down. “Bombs? Really?” Brett questioned.

“You’re welcome.” Ralph said, somewhat annoyed.

Soon, more tiger creatures and Dino Lizafose would cycle through attacking, and they would trade off killing them, until after a few rounds of them dying, the jungle disappeared. Soon, they would’ve found themselves in an empty dark area, with nothing but a gray ground and fog as far as you could see. The two of them looked around, trying to keep a close eye out on the area. They didn’t see them at first, but three sets of eyes were watching them. One gray, one green, and one red. Ralph thought he saw a pair of eyes, but then they all started scattering through the fog. “I can feel them…but I can’t see anything.” Brett commented.

Suddenly, appearing from the fog was a being with bone like wings, sharp yellow teeth and short black hair, with pale skin. He was dressed in leather, almost like a biker, and was wearing sunglasses. He was holding a scythe with a bone motif, as he slashed at Brett. Ralph’s eyes widened, as he pushed Brett out of the way. “Get down!” Ralph said, as he went into a roll to get back to his feet. He turned around, blasters pointed, but the demon disappeared back into the fog. “The hell did he go?”

Brett got back up, and saw another demon appear from the fog, above Ralph. It was dressed in a gray tunic that looked rather old, with curled horns, fangs, and webbed wings with holes in them. He also had white hair and gray eyes, and a white dim glow to his body. He had a sword drawn with a bluish colored blade, as he flew at Ralph. Brett didn’t waste time warning Ralph, and quickly opened fire on the ghostly demon. The demon quickly used his sword the block the shots, but unable to go back on the offensive. Ralph noticed the demon above him at this point, but before he could counter attack, a massive ball of slime crashed into Ralph, knocking him back. The green eyed demon had attacked. He had messy, long brown hair, slime like green scales all over his body, and very sharp demon teeth. Three horns on his head, two at the sides of his head and one in the middle near his forehead. He was wearing a simple looking green robe, and had six wings, and a long tail. Brett tried to counter this slime demon, but he was blasted by a sickly looking energy from the death looking demon. The three demons then stood next to each other, looking across Brett and Ralph. “What are these guys?” Brett said aloud.

Then Rem’s voice could be heard echoing through the fog. “These guys are some Chaos ranked demons that myself and the others fought before in our time. All respectable fighters in their own rights.”

Ralph wiped the slime off of him, looking annoyed. “Demons eh? Alright then, let’s give this a shot.” Ralph then took out one of his bombs, and tossed it into the fray. After a few seconds of flying, it broke into pieces, which all ended up being a bunch of smaller explosives, all going off at once. This only scattered the demons, as phantom and death demons would be flying at the two of them with their weapons. The slime demon stayed back, firing large blasts of slime from further off. The scythe of the death demon swung at Brett, who managed to hold the attack back by using his assault rifle to block the attack. The death demon disarmed Brett, who quickly pulled out his sidearm blaster to drive the death demon off. Though the slime attacks came in, blasting Brett back.

Ralph was firing at the phantom demon, who was having no trouble blocking his shots with a shield he summoned forth. The shield was actually bouncing Ralph’s shots back at him, much like how Rem’s mirror shield worked. At this point, the phantom demon dropped his sword, but then it began to glow white. It flew directly at Ralph, trying to slash him up! Ralph quickly reached for his beam sword, and managed to turn it on in time to block the attack. Though, rushing out from the fog were ghost like masses, and they crashed into Ralph, sending him flying backwards. As he flew back, the slime demon appeared behind him, and slashed at Ralph with his claws, knocking him backwards into the ground. The slime demon then hit him with a slime ball, sticking him to the ground. The three demons landed next to each other, as they laughed. “You expect to beat us with shitty team work like that?” The slime demon taunted.

Brett struggled to reach his blaster, and when he got it, he shot a few fire shots at Ralph’s slime trap, melting it off of him. Ralph leaned up, and did the same for Brett. “I hate to admit it, but they are right. We need to stop treating this like a contest, and actually work as a team.” Brett said, picking up his rifle.

Ralph sighed. “Yeah I know. No point in both of us losing.” Ralph primed both his blasters, as the two of them got up.

The demons sprung back into action, as the phantom and death demons disappeared back into the fog, while the slime demon fired two beams of slime from his fingers at the both of them. The both of them actually put both of their reflectors together, returning the attack back at the slime demon, blasting him back into the fog. At this moment, the other two demons rushed from the sides to attack. Ralph and Brett went back to back at this, and with heavy fire, forced the demons on the defensive by forcing them to block the shots with their weapons. With enough well placed shots, the demons staggered back, guard broken. The demons weren’t down yet, as they both then threw their weapons at the both of them. The sword flew like an arrow, like the scythe spun at them like a sawblade. Ralph had an idea when he saw them coming at them. “Brett, get down!” He yelled, followed by both of them dropping to the ground. Then took out a pink, slimy looking sphere, and threw it up into the weapons path. When they connected it with the sphere, it exploded in a slimy mess, trapping both weapons. The phantom demon and death demons flew backwards, as they charged up energy in their hands, unleashing a volley of phantom energy and death energy attacks, forcing the two of them to move.

Brett saw how quickly they were moving around them, knowing brute force wouldn’t work. He handed Ralph his reflector, and took off his sniper rifle. “I think I can stop them, but I need you to protect me from their attacks.”

Ralph took the reflector with a smirk. “Gotcha man!” He then started dual wielding the reflectors, not making moves to attack back on his own. While Ralph managed to use his speed to keep Brett protected, Brett was learning the two demons flight patterns, and once he was confident enough, he took four quick shots. He struck the death demon in two of his bone joints for his wings, and doing the same for the phantom demon. Since the shots were so quick, they didn’t have time to actually dodge the attacks or protect themselves, and tumbled down into a crash on the ground. Brett literally clipped their wings with his powerful sniper rounds. “Dude, nice shot!”

Brett smirked slightly at the complement, but then noticed out of the corner of his eye was the slime demon charging a massive sphere of slime. The sphere bubbled, as if it was a ball of powerful acid! “Let’s wrap this up!” The slime demon then swung his arms forward, sending the large ball of slime at the two of them!

Ralph, thinking quickly, ejected the fire crystal from his blaster, and put it on one of his sticky bombs. “Brett, get ready with that sniper!” Ralph then took all his remaining bombs in his fingers, and tossed them into the acid slime ball. On contact, the bombs exploded, and with the additional firepower of the fire crystal, the flames were massive! The flames burned up the slime, leaving the demon wide open! The slime demon looked surprised, but had no time to react, as Brett fired his sniper, aiming for the head! The bullet shot clean through his center horn, and the force knocked him clean backwards. The slime demon crashed backwards, landing on his wings and tail with a groan. “Nice job man!” Ralph said, giving him a high five.

The three demons struggled to get back up, but then suddenly faded into the fog, and vanished from the simulation. Then, from the fog, what looked like a dark blue beam sword turned on, as a glowing pair of black eyes looked at them from the fog. “What is that?...” Brett questioned, trying to look closer.

The figure then pulled the sword back, almost across its chest, then threw the sword at them, spinning around at it flew at them. Ralph and Brett both dodged to the side to avoid the sword, but then the figure rushed in quickly. When he appeared, a pulse of Eric’s Chaos Darkness burst from his body, blasting them back. The figure was dressed in a royal looking outfit of blacks and royal blues. He looked to be in his forties, with dark looking eyes, black hair with a few red streaks in it. Brett aimed his sniper at the man, but at this time his beam sword was on the way back, and knocked the sniper right out of his hands. The man then caught the beam sword, and was now using it to deflect all of Ralph’s shots at him. Suddenly, with a psychic pull, both of them were disarmed, as he tossed their weapons away using his psychic power. A black inverted triangle on the back of his left hand glowed, as he swung his arm, sending out a powerful wave of Chaos Darkness into them. They were blasted back, as he slowly approached them again. “Such a worthless showing. Calling yourself World Savers.”

Ralph recovered, as he pulled out his own beam sword, and charged the dark man. He blocked Ralph’s attacks with ease, as he was a much more skilled swordsman than Ralph. Brett recovered next, and started firing at the man with his assault rifle. The mark once again glowed on the back of his hand, as light waves of the darkness went outwards, deflecting the shots. Ralph quickly pulled out his handgun from behind his back that he kept for emergencies, and tried to shoot the man in the face, when Dark energy then gathered in his eyes. He shot beams at Ralph, both blocking the bullets, as well as blasting him backwards. The man quickly turned to Brett, blasting him back as well. Before the two of them could recover, he picked both of them up with his psychic power, as they floated helpless in the air. “If this is truly your best, then the world truly has no hope.” The two of them would suddenly feel massive pressure on their bodies, as the mark on the back of his hand glowed brightly. He was using the psychic power of Chaos Darkness to crust their bodies! Though suddenly, a massive sphere of aura energy crashed into his head from behind, as his eyes widened. He fell backwards into the fog, disappearing into it.

Ralph and Brett looked to see Rem had fired that blast from behind. “Alright, that’s enough of that. Training over.” Soon the void had returned back to the way it was before.

“Ugh...who was that creepy looking guy?” Ralph asked, as he got up off the ground.

“That’s Zalendor. You might’ve heard of him before, he tried to pull the entire world into his own twisted dimension called the Dark World. He almost did it a few times too.” Rem explained.

Brett nodded. “I’ve heard of him. Several years back he was bombing several major cities in the world using his massive battleship. We in the army tried to prepare for a potential attack from him.”

“Zalendor is one of our most deadly and long standing foes we have. He’s been off world for a long time, and we haven’t heard from him in a while, but I don’t doubt he’ll return soon. Hopefully no time soon, you guys need a lot more training to contend with him.” Rem explained. “But you do work so much better as a team. Your results were good, but they were mostly even going into that final round.”

Ralph shrugged. “Eh, I’m over that for today anyway. That fight was fun enough.”

Brett nodded. “It was good practice on different types of foes, but it also showed that we still have room to grow.”

Rem sighed. “Well as long as that’s over. Come on, let’s go see what everyone else is up to…This white is hurting my eyes.” And the three of them cleaned up their weapons, and left the training chamber.






Around this time, as the group was about return upstairs, Eric was moving onto answering questions Kari was going to ask Eric. “So you and Aqua mentioned before that you weren’t from our time, right? You two didn’t like just...grow up to this time or something? You mentioned that powered humans live longer.”

Eric laughed. “No no, me and Aqua didn’t age into the future. Saria did, but not us.”

“Yeah, and it was a real pain, living that long without the people you love, believe me.” Saria said, sounding a little annoyed.

Eric looked a little sad. “Ugh, I said I was sorry. I never thought it would turn out how it did.”

“Yeah yeah, I know. It’s…not really an easy thing to deal with…” Saria said.

Eric cleared his throat. “Anyway, how I traveled to the present day was a bit…odd. Skipping the details of the long story, Rem needed my help in the present day, and he discovered the super computer lab was somehow tethered to my time. Thinking about it, it might’ve been the cause of the weird tower drawing power…but anyway, using the tower I mentioned in the past, as well as the super computer in the future, we were able to connect them, and I was transported to today.”

“You mean the super computer is capable of time travel!?” Sora exclaimed.

“Uhh, not entirely. It seems the super computer was only connected to a very precise moment in time in the past. Plus since the tower I connected too had no power of its own, it was a one way trip. I couldn’t go back like I planned. I…would’ve reconsidered my choice had I known that.” Eric said, casting a sad gaze at Saria, who just gave him a hung around the neck.

“So you said Rem needed your help in the future? How did that even work?” Kari asked.

At that moment, Rem, Ralph, and Brett came up from the basement. “Oh, that’s another long story. You see, there was a time we thought Eric became some villain known Runic, or the Ether Link who was also known as E Link. It was a lot of old rumors and legends based on Eric’s past in his own time. But, the actual villain we dealt with named Runic, was exploiting a program in my old power gloves in order to possess me. So my…” Rem was about to continue, when he noticed Aqua’s gaze at him, and he cleared his throat. “An old friend of ours, a time demon named Halo, used some time based skills to project myself back into the past due to the connection my gloves had to Eric’s time period.”

Eric nodded. “Using Rem as a link to the future, I learned about the super computer through him, and we developed the time jump together. It…was quite the feat. Normally impossible without the help of powerful Time Demons. Luckily Halo had a lot of her father’s natural talent with time based skills.”

Ralph, playing catch up at this point, looked shocked. “Jeez, you guys sure did have some crazy times, huh?”

Eric laughed. “That’s not even the half of it…Granted times back then felt more simple, but more chaotic at the same time.”

“I’d like to hear more about them, if you don’t mind. I find this type of thing very interesting myself.” Brett said.

Kari nodded. “This tower you keep mentioning seems really strange too if it could connect to the future like it did.”

“Well I mean…I guess I don’t really mind talking about it. It’s all in the past for me.” Eric paused.

“I sense story time on the way, I’d recommend taking a seat.” Rem said, chuckling. He went to take a seat on one of the empty couches.

Aqua pretty quickly stopped the cleaning she was doing to sit next to Rem as quick as she could without looking forced. “Raylu, you can sit with me if you’d like. That way we have more room for everyone.” Raylu got up, and with a light stretch, he hopped out of his chair to make more room. He didn’t mind, since while that was his favorite seat to sleep in, he actually liked sleeping in Aqua’s lap best. He’d never admit it himself though, as he jumped up into Aqua’s lap, and curled back up.

Ralph sat next to Aqua, laughing a little at Raylu’s current mood. “Someone sure seems happy to have a lap pillow.” Raylu opened one of his eyes to cast a slight annoyed glare at him. “Oh relax, I’m just joking.”

Once everyone seemed settled, Eric started talking again. “Alright, so I already said I was born around 500 years ago. Europe was a very different place back then, and history didn’t really cover it. A lot of history surrounding power based cultures was changed. I was born in a small village with my family as the middle child. My mother was what was called a Runeaknight, also known as a Rune Human. Because of those genetics, sometimes kids born from them can develop different powers, which is why I’m half Fire Human. But…I’m also half Chaos Darkness Human. That gives my control over shadows, darkness, and Chaos Darkness. And…that power was really only spoken of in legends. It was the type of darkness that gave darkness the stigma it has as an evil power. My father had actually heard of it, known as the legend of the Dark Force, and how his ancestors fought against the villain who apparently created that power. Zalendor.”

Ralph’s eyes widened. “You mean that guy from the training room?! He’s that old?!”

Kari looked confused at Ralph. “What are you on about?”

Rem nodded. “Yeah, Eric is talking about him. Let him keep going.”

“So there was a legend that when Zalendor was first killed, that he sent his power through time, and he would reawaken though a new body. So when my father saw I had a birthmark like the mark of the Dark Force, he believed me to be the cursed child. My family kept it secret for as long as possible, until the war started…The war started by one known as Zane the Conqueror. He killed my parents, leaving us orphans, while we wandered in search of somewhere to go. We were taken in by some demons who were part of a traveling community of people displaced by Zane’s attacks. The war left many powered groups without their homes, and it went on for a very long time. My sister was killed during the battles when she was used as a hostage…And I ended up getting possessed by the Phantom Demon king himself, Runic. Now that’s a whole different story, but Runic teamed up with Zane to ravage the world. Zane promised Runic the earth as his new home for the phantom demons. My brother was able to free me using a powerful sword called the Grand Blade, an evil dispelling sword. The two of us together managed to seal away Runic, as well as defeat Zane. We were war heroes…but the public still looked at me as a monster. The actions Runic did with my body made whole kingdom believe that I was Ether Link, the Darkspawn of the Dark Force. And…well they weren’t wrong, but it wasn’t by choice. So…I lived alone, while my brother served the king in exchange of keeping me safe.”

“That’s awful! You never did anything wrong yourself.” Kari exclaimed.

“No, but the public didn’t care about that…Anyway, sometime after that is when I met Rem, and you know how that went. The Tower I mentioned was constructed by Zane’s forces, which is probably why the super computer could connect with it through time. You see, Zane turned out to be some time traveler, and he was planning on using the tower to bring this massive monster to our world, and rip it apart. And he did, but my brother Chain killed it. That’s probably why I was able to use Zane’s tech to drag myself to the future. So after helping Rem with his problem, I ended up stuck here in the future, with no way back. So…I just went back to helping the world by working with them all. It was a lot easier to do when the legends of the Dark Force were all but forgotten with time.” Eric explained.

“So then how did Zalendor actually appear to attack you all? Rem mentioned that you all have fought him several times in the training room.” Brett asked.

“Ah. Well, that’s simple. He did manage to revive himself through my body. He tried to enact his same plan again several years back, and the group managed to free me from his grasp. We thought we killed him, but…the power of the Dark Force seems to defy normal logic. He hid inside of the mind of one of our friends, and used him as a proxy until the Dark Force was able to restore his form. He’s been a pain in our ass ever sense then. He and Giga.” Eric finished.

“Well…at least you don’t have him living in your head anymore!” Sora said.

Eric chuckled slightly, in a light hearted manner. “Very true, very true.” Eric then looked around. “Well, if we are just telling stories in the rain now, would anyone else like to spill their guts?”

Ray leaned forward in his seat. "Meh, I guess I will. What would you guys like to hear about?”

"What about your home world? You said you’re from another Terra, so what’s it like?" Kari asked.

"Alright then. My home Terra is number forty three, and geographically it’s very different from this terra. Aside from islands, the majority of the land on my home Terra is two main land masses. They both take up about fifty percent of the planet, the rest being a mass ocean, separating the two. Me and my team live on Gygan, which is what’s commonly refereed to as the western land. The other land mass in the east is called Diaramma, where most of our foes tend to spawn from. The two landmasses are very different from each other. Gygan is a very tropic location along most of its coasts, and as you go in, it’s very lush with lots of forests and wildlife, as well as large mountain ranges. And of course you have your great towns, and cities, which are pretty well advanced. About like things are here. An odd thing about the terra though nearly all areas are set in a season all year long, other then winter. So some areas always appear to be in spring, others fall and summer. The only places in the terra that are in a season of winter are the most northern and southern parts of the planet, and a few locations on Diaramma. When I first left my home terra, I never knew of seasons. Since most places never change on my Terra, season wise, seasons don’t exist on my terra. Once a villain altered many areas seasons, and it endangered many locations on the terra." Ray was explaining.

"What’s Diaramma like?" Aqua asked.

"It’s a lot different than Gygan. While it has its major cities and such, a lot of it is mostly autumn forests, wastelands, deserts, snow covered regions, and mountain ranges with active volcanoes. One mountain is made of ice, seemly, yet has active lava in it, and coming out of it. Really weird. One really large region seems completely lifeless, looking like nothing could even survive there. Our main villain, and his followers came from that place. He acted as if he was a voice for the people of Diaramma, saying how they were dealt a short end, while the people of Gygan lived much better lives. Though the entire land of Diaramma isn’t as bad as he makes it out to be, Gygan is in many ways better." Ray went on.

"Who was this villain?" Ralph asked.

"He goes by Dahmas. He's a super powerful Light Human from a line of former rulers of Diaramma. Back then, Diaramma was mostly a barren land, and its ruler hated the land of Gygan, so I think he kept his family members hatred for the land of Gygan. Back then, hundreds of years ago, the two land masses were at war with one another. That was because, like I mentioned a little bit ago, was that the ruler of Diaramma felt his people were forced to live in the kind of land they did, so they took up arms against Gygan. I think though, is that they just wanted control over both lands. It seems every so many years, someone else rises up from Diaramma, and tries to take Gygan over...I just realized I've been going off topic left and right, as I've been talking. I’m sorry." Ray said.

“No reason to be sorry, story time is a great way to kill time.” Ralph commented.

“Does your Terra often keep quiet then? Like, often enough that you can freely leave as often as you mentioned you do?” Brett asked.

Ray nodded. “Yeah, our Terra doesn’t see action much, at least not compared to here. Dahmas still needs to focus his energy on caring for his people, so attacks from Diaramma don’t happen often. It’s more like a once in a blue moon type of thing. Gygn’s ruler wants to go into peace talks one day, but Dahmas remains stubborn for now. So, that creates a considerable amount of free time, so I don’t really spend it at home.”

“Well with so many worlds to see out there, I can understand wanting to see them. I’d love to see some if we had more time around here.” Aqua commented.

“I recommend it, there’s a lot of nice Terra to visit.” Ray paused for a second, before speaking again. "Well I've talked quite a bit. Who else would like to take a turn?"

Kari looked around, seeing no one jumping in to speak, so she decided too. “Well, we could always talk about us. You ok with that Sora?”

Sora put his arms behind his head. "Yeah, sure, why not. You can start."

Kari nodded, and cleared her throat. “Well…me and Sora knew each other since we were young. Our parents worked together, I think it was at some lab or something. But umm…one day they were murdered. We were both around ten at the time, so it was rough on both of us.”

“Goodness, that’s horrible!” Aqua exclaimed.

“So…what happened to the two of you?” Ray asked.

“Well…both of our parents were loners, they didn’t have really any family, so we didn’t either. They…tried to get us into foster homes, but we’d end up running away, since we didn’t want to be away from each other. We…were all each other had left.” Sora said, lamenting a bit.

“Sora was always trying to keep me happy and positive, even after everything he was going through too. Had it not been for him, I probably wouldn’t be the same person I was today.” Kari said.

Sora laughed nervously. “You give me too much credit Kari, I was just doing what best friends do.”

Kari laughed a little at that. “After just bumming around in orphanages for a while, we just decided to branch out on our own. It…wasn’t easy, but we survived, and at least we had each other.”

“It was some time after that, that we met Ralph. Now Ralph had more experience being a loner than we did, so he helped us out a lot.” Sora explained.

Rem looked over at Ralph, who almost seemed deeply lost in thought. “So what about you Ralph, what’s your story till you met them?”

Ralph snapped out of his trance when Rem called to him. “Huh? O-oh! Right! Sorry, I was just remembering things.” Ralph then stretched his arms before starting. “So my story isn’t anything crazy. I was raised in an orphanage since as far back as I can remember. I must’ve been some kind of stoop baby, cause no one knew how I got there. I can only imagine I was just someone’s mistake, so I was left there. Spent the first…I dunno, twelve years I think of my life there. Once you get that age it’s kinda hard to be adopted, so I just made my own way in this city. I learned a lot from the streets, it’s where most of my skills come from. I’ve seen my fair share of shit in this city once power became what it was.”

“When did you meet Sora and Kari then?” Saria asked.

“Oh, about two or three years ago. The two of them were still doing odd jobs for money, when some thugs tried to mug them, and a few of them seemed interested Kari, which didn’t sit right with me. Sora tried to get rough with them, but pretty much beat his ass in.” Ralph said.

“Oh come on! It wasn’t that bad!” Sora exclaimed.

“No, Ralph’s right, it was pretty bad.” Kari laughed a little nervously.

“Yeah, so when I saw them getting roughed up, I stepped in. They tried to get me to back off, but after I kicked a few of their asses, that’s when they tried pulling guns on me. They didn’t know I was armed though, and I disarmed a few of them with shots to the wrist. They didn’t stick around after that, since the police would probably respond quickly. I had to take off, since the police don’t take kindly to the public just casually having guns. And…well not to mention I was known thief in the area at the time, since I was homeless. I left Kari and Sora to speak with the police, and I met them again another time. The three of us met Brett sometime around then, and the four of us have been helping each other survive in this city ever sense.” Ralph finished his story.

"What about you Brett? You haven't said much about their story." Eric said.

"Well I wasn’t involved in their story until the action died down. My life was mostly normal growing up, until I turned 18, when I joined the U.S. army. I had seen a fair amount of combat in my short few years in the force, even got a few medals and such. But…something happened, and I was framed for the murder of a high ranking official in my forces. I was over seas in the middle east when this happened, so I managed to slip away before I was arrested…In some ways, I regret running, but after everything I did for my country they truly believed I murdered the man. I couldn’t get through to them. It…took quite a bit of work to get here to France, but I haven’t seen anyone from the army since. That was three and a half years ago now…I met the three of them through Ralph. He helped set me up a place for a while in France’s underground, one thing led to another, and the three of us just decided to form a group together once we learned more about each other." Brett said.

"Do you ever intend to go back?" Rem asked.

"To the army? No. But to the states, yes, if I can someday. I still have family in the states…I can only hope they don’t believe the rumors about me. I sent a letter once, but…it’s hard to say." Brett said.

Eric sighed. “It’s troubling…Deserting like you did only makes it seem more like you are guilty, what with going AWOL and all. I understand, but it does make things harder…”

Brett grimaced. "Perhaps I just don't have enough faith in the government to defend me. The courts would’ve eaten me alive."

"The man will let you down when you need him most every time." Ralph commented.

“Well…I think I can speak for everyone when I say we don’t believe in the charges against you. We…don’t have that much of a pull with governments ourselves, but maybe someday we can get this sorted out.”

“Well…if we can, I would be grateful. Though that wouldn’t change my new mission. I’m devoted to this team of ours, the Shining Force.” Brett said in thanks.

After a brief moment, Kari then spoke up to Aqua. "What about you, Aqua?"

"Im actually from the same era that Eric is, though how I got here was different. When I was young, my sister was grief stricken when her fiancé was killed in the war Eric was talking about earlier. There was a small amount of time where she was purely blinded by rage...And I said something to her that set her off. I thought she was going to kill me, so I ran from her. We were in her temple, as she was the Sage of Water, and the temples back then had warps to the other temples. I hid in what I thought was a closet or something in the Light Temple, but it was some kind of suspended animation chamber. They were designed to hold criminals in, and when I got stuck inside, it wasn’t set to open for 500 years…When I finally woke up, Magenus the Light Sage told me a lie that I was brought from the past to help him heal someone who was infected with dark magic…That turned out to be Rem, and he was infected with that Twilight Shard he uses to change into the wolf form of his. He told me that to keep me from freaking out I think, but I wasn’t able to go back with my family and sister. And…things were still complex with my sister at the time." Aqua said.

"Is she ok now?" Kari asked.

"Yes. She was very sorry for what happened, she never meant to lash out the way she did…I’m just sorry she had to deal with all of that alone for so many years…She got roped up in that plot of Runic’s that Eric and Rem mentioned, so it took some time for us to patch things up, but we’re good again." Aqua said.

"Well that's good then. It’s good that things turned out ok." Kari said.

"What was it like where you lived?" Ralph asked.

"It was a large water human city, the biggest of it's time. We lived by the ocean, and used our powers in everyday life. We did a lot of good things. We always kept water around for people who needed it. We prevented droughts, brought water to places without water, or water that wasn't drinkable. We prevented floods, kinda like what happened when all that snow and ice of Frost’s melted. My people were also appointed to defending the kingdom our city was apart of from attacks by sea from invaders and large water monsters. We were looked at as very useful. Village life though was pretty normal though. One of the only things that is different is our ability to use water, though we would always be training to use it." Aqua explained.

"So not much interesting stuff in a normal water human’s life?" Sora asked.

"No, honestly. Nothing that's really interesting." Aqua said.

"It's kinda funny to picture water humans doing things like everyday chores with the ability to use water. Think of how easy dishes, moping, watering flowers, and stuff like that is." Ralph chuckled.

"Do you not pay attention to me when I clean? I was just doing the dishes using my powers before you all went down to train." Aqua asked.

"Ah...Well maybe I’m just used to it now." Ralph said, rubbing the back of his head nervously.

"Yeah, sure." Sora said, chuckling.

"So what was your life itself like Aqua? You didn't go into a lot of detail." Kari asked.

"Oh, sorry! I got a little sidetracked. So I mentioned that I lived in the biggest Water Human city of it's time, but my father was actually the long time chief of the city, or maybe Mayor is a better term. Though in some ways, we were looked at like royalty, but elected by the people. It's a major reason why my sister was selected as Sage, because of her standing with water humans on the whole Terra. So because of all those reasons, I had a somewhat pampered and proper upbringing. I had to learn all these things, like music, dancing, tea parties, I could go on and on. Even for a water human my childhood days were abnormal because of that, so it's been refreshing to be able to be myself more." Aqua explained.

"It wasn't bad for you, was it?" Kari asked.

"Oh, it's not that, my family loved me plenty. It was just boring and stuffy a lot as a kid. I got some free time, but it was always strictly supervised." Aqua answered.

"It really does sound boring, but that’s still really interesting." Ralph said.

Eric chuckled. "I would have taken a boring life with my family, then a chaotic one with the war."

"Oh, I didn't mean to complain like that Eric!" Aqua said, now feeling bad.

"Relax Aqua, I was just being a little jealous is all." Eric said.

“So did you guys know each other before you came to this time?” Sora asked.

“I knew Aqua a little, she made friends with my sister when we lived in Aqua’s city for a short while because of the war.” Eric answered.

Aqua nodded. “She was one of my first friends ever, so I enjoyed playing with her, and getting to know her brothers. I didn’t know Saria very well though.”

Saria nodded. “I mostly knew her through her sister, since we were friends before the war. I’d seen Aqua around when I’d visit, but we didn’t talk much. And…well I wasn’t dating Eric in the past, we only really got to know each other after the war, since I met him through his brother Chain.”

Aqua giggled a bit. “It’s weird that we all got to know each other better in times that aren’t even our own.”

After the mood shifted slightly, Brett spoke up to break the silence. "I’m interested in hearing some about Raylu." He said.

"Hey, yeah. That would be interesting!" Ralph added.

Raylu looked nervous and surprised in Aqua’s lap. "Wait, why me?"

"Well out of all of us, we know the least about you." Kari said.

"Yeah, that's true. You never really talk about yourself." Sora added.

Raylu sighed. "...Fine. I guess I can speak a little bit." He paused, and cleared his throat. "Well, I guess to start with, I call myself an aura being. I’m not a man, or a monster, I’m just a being that uses aura. I am over a thousand years, though…It’s been so long, I don't even remember how old I am. After a couple hundred years, you lose track of years. It loses importance in the grand scheme of things.” Raylu paused for a moment. “Through out the years, I've trained under many people, mastered many combat styles, powered and non powered. I probably have more battle experience then anyone in this room, and everyone here combined. I've done so much training through out my life, and I've seen so many places in my life. I've seen the world change through out the years, but I’ve never cared about that. I only ever cared about being the most powerful battler that was ever known. Many have challenged me over my life time, and few have ever bested me. It wasn't until I met Rem, and Niko the Aura Human, that I decided to rethink what was important in my life. That’s when I decided to be a member of the World Savers. And I've been by them, and by Rem's side ever since." Raylu said.

"Is that all you've ever done? Fight?" Ralph asked.

Raylu nodded. "Most of my life. There isn't much to tell about myself honestly, I never really engaged in a active social life. I’ve watched the world change throughout my long life, but it’s never been a major part of my life."

"Well I guess." Ralph said.

"I’m just not much for talking. Forgive me." Raylu said.

"That’s fine Raylu, it happens." Rem said.

"What about you, oh fearless leader?" Ralph said, jokingly.

Rem folded his arms, and closed his eyes. Everyone fell oddly quiet. When he opened his eyes, everyone was staring at him. "What? Why is everyone looking at me like that?" Rem asked

"You looked like you were about to say something very profound." Sora said.

"You idiots." Rem said, chuckling, clearly joking. He let out a sigh, then began to speak. “Well…I guess it starts with me when I used to live in America, which was where I was born. My dad was a carpenter and my mom was an archeologist, and we lived a pretty normal life together. Though…it changed when my hometown was attacked by Demons. They killed most of the population, but no one really knew why. My mom’s studies though turned up information on an old relic known as the Power Gloves, which I learned later that Eric designed. They had the power to give powerless humans the abilities of Powered Humans, so we set out on an expedition to find them, and maybe drive off further demon attacks. But…well it didn’t end up going that way.” Rem paused for a moment.

“We found the gloves, but we never made it back home. We were attacked in the desert the temple that had the gloves was in, and Phantom Demons kidnapped my family, and left me for dead in the desert alone.” Rem then pointed to his eye with his scar. “That’s where I got my scar, I took a blast of lightning to the face. I honestly should’ve died…But I survived the attack. It took me time, but I managed to find my way home. I don’t remember why I thought that was a good idea, but it’s what I did. And…the town had been mostly leveled. I have no idea if they killed everyone there, or if it was that who remained fled. Though that didn’t matter to me at the time, as long as I could find some kind of clue of what happened to them. I found a map that my mom stashed away in our house, which apparently had old markings to clues about objects to strengthen the gloves, according to my mom’s notes. It also had what I believed one of the orbs to the gloves, a shadow orb. I got attacked before I managed to leave, but I managed to figure out how the gloves worked, and fought the demon off. After I managed to figure out most of the ruins were here in Europe, I managed to make my way here. I…spent a good time of my childhood searching Europe alone, and I had quite a fair share of adventures before I actually met the friends of mine who would become the World Savers.”

"Well....I used to live a normal life while I was young. Until one day, a pack of demons ravaged my hometown. My parents studied ruins, and learned about an item called the power gloves to defend ourselves against future demon attacks. So we traveled far across.....well everywhere, until we found an old set of ruins where the gloves were held. But then my parents were kidnapped by people possessed by Zana the computer virus. After that, trying to hunt them down, I came to France. I met some of the other world savers for a short time, but then I was alone again....." Rem paused. "I spent quite a few years alone, doing different kinds of traveling and adventuring. I changed a lot from being a timid child, to being the warrior I am now. I've gone through my fair share of adventures as a kid before I finally joined the world savers again when we began to form. We met once before we properly became a team, and I helped them, but I never thought I’d see any of them again." Rem said.


“Jeez Rem, you didn’t have quite the easy life yourself. Plus, ending up becoming a World Saver as such a young age…That’s gotta be rough…” Kari said.

"Hey, there comes a time in a mans life when you must be forced to become a man. We all know that. Even you Kari." Ralph said.

"Ralph is right about that." Brett agreed.

"I'll tell you guys about some of my adventures another time. They can be pretty exhausting.” Rem said, laughing a little nervously.

"Ooooooo. That sounds like fun." Aqua said, smiling.

"Well we’ve done a lot of talking now, so why don’t we do something else?” Sora asked.

"Oh, I know! Why don’t was play some board games or something? I haven’t played Monopoly in years. I saw it in a closet the other day.” Ralph suggested.

"What is 'monopoly'?" Raylu asked.

"It’s a board game about managing money and properties, and the person to end up owning it all wins." Brett explained.

"Hmm...Thinking games like chess is more my speed…But I could give this monopoly a try." Raylu said.

"I always liked the game of life better growing up, but nothing wrong with monopoly." Rem said.

“O-oh, well maybe we should play that too!” Aqua added

"No better way to wait out a storm, I say." Ray agreed with everyone.

“Game days were always super rare in the cabin back when we were all together. We’d argue a lot, but they were great memories. Let me see if I can’t find where I stashed them all. Come on Saria.” Eric said.

Saria got off his lap at this point. “Good idea, let’s go.” She said, as the two of them headed up stairs.

“Do…you think the kitchen table will be big enough for us all?” Kari asked.

“I mean it worked when our group was even bigger. Come on, let’s go clear the table off.” Aqua said, as she led some on the others into the kitchen.

Rem watched them all go into the kitchen before he followed. Hmm…Like the old days, when we were all a family…I wonder…do the others still think of those times like I do?...I wonder if only Aqua and Eric still thought that way…I’m sure my abandoning of the group didn’t sit well with everyone…

“Hey Rem! Come on, what are you doing?!” Ralph called to him.

“C-coming guys.” Rem said, startled out of his thoughts, as he got off the couch, and went into the kitchen to help the others.

So the hours passed, as everyone had a good time bonding over games and food. They all had a great time waiting out the storm.



Meanwhile, at Kravens hideout. The villain had his own plans going on during the storm. He was meeting with the mysterious Darkshot, the woman who attacked the team during Frost's storm. Her outfit was he same style as before, but her bodysuit was black, and her jean clothing was dark green. She had no mask on currently. "So you’re saying he needs more supplies and man power? Do you know how much this stuff costs? Money doesn't grow on trees. I’m sure 'he' is unaware of the concept of money." Kraven said, sounding angry, or at the very least annoyed.

"You know that's not the issue. His goal will help you get that which you want too, you know. He can't reach his goal without the supplies. The current funding isn't enough to afford what we need, as well as keep the quick pace we’ve been keeping." The woman said.

"Then why don’t you just steal it yourselves? You should have the man power for it.” Kraven said, sounding annoyed.

"We can’t risk that and you know it. If we were to be exposed now the World Savers would be right on top of us, and it would all be over. You have a lot to lose on this too, you know. You are the only one with the connections to pull this off." The woman argued back.

Kraven nodded, understanding. "I understand, but I can't just keep shelling out without something to show for it. Common goals or not, I need to be sure you aren't just trying to bleed me dry for money. I need something in exchange. You already failed to capture Eric Nightngale, don’t think I’ve forgotten that. I needed him to help get rid of that bothersome group of World Savers here in France." Kraven said, sitting down in an office chair, facing the other way now.

The woman paused. "What if I can get all of the World Savers out of the way for you?”

Kraven seemed interested, but didn’t turn back around yet. “A bold claim. How do you plan to carry that out when you’ve already failed against just one of those kids and Miss Aquaris?”

"I blame the quality of troops I had to work with for that, as well as your flawed intel. I’ll do this one solo. If I can capture you one World Saver, we can use them to bait the new batch of heroes in town into some kind of trap or something. Then you could get rid of them all, use them for your projects, whatever you wanted. You’d also have them out of the way for the coming phases of our plan." The woman asked.

Kraven spun back around after a moment of thinking. "If you can get me a World Saver, and we can actually trap that annoying group and get them out of my hair forever, then your boss can have whatever else he needs from me. 'If' we can pull this off." Kraven said, giving her a very intense stare.

"Good, then its settled. You'll have your World Saver. I’ll be in contact once I have our bait." She replied, before leaving. Kraven stayed in the room, alone with his thoughts. He wondered if Darkshot could actually pull this off. It was worth a shot for him.






The next morning at the cabin after breakfast, Ray looked like he was packing up to leave. Everyone came into the living room when they noticed Ray packing up. "Awww, you're leaving already?" Aqua asked.

Ray nodded. "Yeah, I think it's time I headed off on my way. I should probably check back in at home."

"You aren't going just yet. Not when the summer festival is right around the corner." Rem said, smirking.

"Oh yeah! It's that time of year again, isn't it? I’m sooo excited!" Kari said.

"Yeah, it always has the best food!" Sora agreed.

Ray looked confused. "Summer festival?"

Eric nodded. "It's a festival the city holds every year for the past...going on 7 years now. It's a lot of fun. People all celebrate the beginning of summer with a big festival with games, food booths, events, and all kinds of stuff. As long as the weather hasn't called it off."

"Yeah Ray, you have to at least stay until the festival is over! Pleeeeeease?" Aqua asked.

Then Kari, Sora and Ralph all joined in with a "Pleeeeeeeeeease?"

Ray chuckled. "Alright alright, fine. I'll stay. But if they are having food booths, then I need to catch more fish. We are running a food booth, all of us. That’s the rule." Ray said, looking excited.

“Wait, we have to work?!” Ralph exclaimed.

“Why would you want to hold a booth anyway Ray?” Brett asked.

“Oh, it’s something my family on my home Terra would do for my hometown festivals. I haven’t done that in years, so I thought it could be fun.” Ray explained.

Eric smiled and nodded. "That sounds wonderful. It should be great fun, and plus it would be a great spirit lifter after all the events lately. I'll figure out how to get a booth, and what’s involved, and we can all do it together."

"Awww yeah! I’m not gonna lose!" Ralph said.

"Lose what?" Sora asked, confused.

"Doesn't matter! I refuse to lose!" Ralph said.

Kari sighed. "Ralph, you can be such an idiot sometimes."

"Enough talk! Rookies, you're coming with me to sea! We are gonna catch all the fish we’re gonna need. I know a fella at the harbor where we can get a boat." Ray said.

Ralph, Kari, Sora, and Brett all responded with "Yes sir!" as they followed Ray outside.

Aqua started running after them. "Hey, I wanna go out to sea too!"

Eric, Rem, and Raylu remained in the cabin. Raylu simply curled up on a couch and slept. Eric then began to talk with Rem. "You know being out in public could be dangerous right now." Eric said.

Rem nodded. "I know, but I’ve got a few ideas. We should be fine if we keep a low profile. Plus I’m tired of being a shut in."

"As am I." Eric said in agreement. “Why don’t you go ahead and join the rest of them, and I’ll call about booth arrangements.”

Rem nodded. “Well alright, if you’re sure. Just call me if you need anything.”

Eric nodded, and gave a slight salute. “Will do captain. Now go have a good time with everyone.” Rem chuckled, as he headed outside with everyone.



So a big event is just around the corner for the team. Everyone is excited for it. But what about this plot Kraven and the mysterious Darkshot plan to act out? How will this effect the team? We will find out soon enough...


End of Data Log......

[Aqua]

Data Log ? ? ?: The Tale of Remone. The Past.


The Following Data Log Is a story. Place In time Is unknown due to error.

-----

Due to out of order data log, context information will be supplied. Remone Stratford is a counterpart of Rem Stratford from the terra 200. This story also takes place on terra 200.

-----


One night at Remone's farm, his fiancé Celia was visiting for dinner. Remone was making curry rice and fried veggies, with sweet stewed yams. The flavors of fall, the season at the time. But he didn't just invite her for dinner. He had something important to talk to her about.

Celia came in to the kitchen when the food was made. It smelt wonderful. "Wow, everything looks wonderful. Your a great cook Rem." She said. She sometimes called Remone, Rem for short.

"Thank you Celia. Sometimes you gotta learn how to cook for yourself when you live alone." Remone said.

"Hee hee. Yeah. I remember when you first came to live here. Sometimes I'd give you some of our crops, since you didn't always have much to eat. I liked you alot even back then too." She said, smiling.

Remone smiled. Celia's smile always made him feel good. I loved seeing her smile. It made his day better to see her. "Yeah. You were a little shy back then as well."

"Not nearly as much as you were. I could tell that some of the time you had to think of what to say or talk about. And at first you were always a little nervous when we talked. It was cute." Celia said.

"Yeah. I've always had trouble talking to girls I found attractive at first for a while. And I didn’t really have much luck with ladies before I met you. I think I mentioned that before though." Remone said.

"Yeah you did. But I found that a little charming." She paused for a moment. "Anyway can we eat now? Smelling the food is making me hungry." She said, laughing a little.

Remone nodded. "Yeah. Sorry, I got carried away." He said. He walked over, and moved her chair out for her.

"Thank you." She said, smiling.

"Master. What about me?" A voice came from the floor. Remone's dog Jacob was talking. A stone on his colar allowed people to hear his thoughts.

"Right, sorry. Almost forgot." Remone said, putting some of the curry rice in a bowl for him.

After eating for a while, Remone and Celia were eating the yams for dessert. As they ate, Remone decided to speak. "Celia..." Remone started.

"Yes? What is it?" She asked.

"I actually had something I wanted to talk to you about. Thats why I invited you over tonight for dinner." Remone said.

"Oh really? Is it important?" She asked. She assumed it was.

"Yes.....You remember when I explained to you about people with powers, monsters, demons, and evil villains right? And how Im one of those that helps fight those evils?" Remone asked.

"Yeah, how could I forget? That’s some pretty life changing stuff you told me." She answered.

"Well.....there's a little more I have to tell you...Since were getting married, you have the right to know before hand. Incase what I say might change your mind about me...." Remone said. He looked very nervous. As if his stomach was turning.

"Rem.....I told you that I accepted all this, dangers and everything else, when I said yes. I love you. Whatever you have to tell me, I'll still love you, and want to be with you." She said, with a soft voice, and a smile on her face. "But....It must be kinda big if your this worried about telling me....If you think I'll want to back out of marrying you."

"It is....But like I said, you have the right to know. I wouldn't want your life In danger." He said, then paused. "I'll tell you after we finish eating..." He said.

She nodded. She could tell how nervous Remone was. It was almost as if she could feel exactly how he was feeling.



After dinner, Remone, Celia, and Jacob were in the living room. They were on the couch, Jacob on Celia's lap. "So...." She said, letting Remone know she was ready.

"Right.....Well.....Ugh, how to start? I went over this tons of times in my head...." He paused for a moment. "Alright....You know what I said about villains trying to take the world over, and how Im one of those that work to stop them. Well....My father Is one of those villains..."

"What? Really?" Celia said. She was shocked, and wasn't sure how to respond to that statement.

"Yeah....Actually, he is actually is the unknown ruler of the whole world, and master over some of the other villains that have appeared over the years. I both lived at his palace, and was imprisoned there until I was about 15." Remone said.

"That’s awful! How did you not become evil like him? And how did you get away from him?" Celia asked.

"Well that leads to a bit of a story....Let's see....Where should I start?" Remone said.

After a moment of thinking. "Well I guess to start, my father Hydaris the unknown ruler of the world, wanted an hier to rule in his place if he was ever killed or died. So he took a young lady from a village, and had a child with her. My mother. I was born to take his place, so that his rule would never end...."


28 years ago....

In a place called the Valley of Despair, was a large castle on a landmass surrounded by a bottomless abyss as if it was a moat. It appeared that the castle was on a pillar of land coming out of a endless pit. This abyss was almost half a mile wide. The only way to the castle was a single bridge, very large and wide. The landscape around this abyss was a dark dead forest, and what seemed like gray soil. The sky was red and gray, with black clouds. Inside this castle, was its ruler. The ruler of the world. He was in a throne room, which was very dark, and looked like it needed a cleaning. Cobwebs and dust, although everything in the room looked nice. Not broken or anything, like you might expect a evil castle to be like. Colors or dark reds, dark blues, black, and gold were the color patterns. Most things in the room were gold and black. Some things were both gold and dark red, or gold and dark blue. The bricks of the castle were black, and a large rug covered most of the floor, that was dark red trimmed in gold. Curtains were dark blue trimmed in gold, as well as the rug leading up to the throne. The throne was gold, with a dark blue seat. Who sat in the seat was a man, about 6'4, dark brown hair that was slightly long. Apparently he didn’t care about cutting it very often. He had dark blue and black eyes. Not a trace of white in his eyes. That color was replaced with dark blue. He had gold armor on, with red under clothes, and silver boots. He had a robe on that was black. He had a bit of a regal appearance. Only thing the kept him from looking like a king was the lack of a crown. This was Remone's father, Hydaris. He sat on his throne, apparently thinking. "Hmm....I have been kicking this idea of an heir around for some time. I think its about time to act on that. Im not getting any younger, although I cant die from old age." He paused for a moment. "Im rambling to myself again....Ugh....I need someone else to talk to, other then the monsters. Someone to relate to. Regardless, It's time to go pick a wife. Jargen!" He yelled through the halls.

Then some large black and dark green lizard like creature came into the throne room. He went to one knee, and put his arm across his chest. "You called, my master?" He asked.

"Yes. Im going out for a while. Your in charge of the forces in my place incase some fool decides to attack while im gone." Hydaris said.

"As you wish sir." He said, bowing once more.

"Also, has Krad and his party returned back yet from his mission?" Hydaris asked.

"Not as of yet."

"Very well. Be sure to get his report if he returns while I am out."

"As you wish, my liege." Jargen answered, with another bow. Hydaris then vanished.


Sometime later, in a village near a mountainous area, at the farm of the area lived three people. One of them being Remone's mother. A young woman twenty years old, with blonde hair and green eyes. She was helping her father and mother with the crops. She was picking them, while her father and mother took care of the animals. "Lovely day, isn’t it? Huh mom?" She said to her.

"Why yes it is Cherry. You can tell the animals like it as well." Her mother answered. She looked much like her daughter.

"It makes working with the animals easier....." Her father said. Black hair, blue eyes, with a beard. He then noticed something heading toward the farm. "Oh no...It's Hydaris." He said. Around these parts, Hydaris was known as a powerful dark human that came whenever the castle had no food. He just helped himself to whatever he wanted. He owned the village. Cherry's father and mother went over to see him. Cherry didn’t come close. He scared her. Her father began to speak with him. "Hello Hydaris. Back for more food im guessing?" He asked.

"Hmm? Hello John, Lynn. No. Im here on more important matters." He said, walking past them, as if they weren’t there. He walked over toward Cherry. He just looked at her, and she looked at him. She was afraid of him. Then Hydaris suddenly spoke. "You are pleasing enough to the eye. You'll do fine." He said. Then he grabbed her by her arm, and started to walk away.

"What!? Where are you taking me?!" Cherry yelled.

Then both her parents stood in front of Hydaris. "Where are you taking our daughter?!" Her father damanded.

"Im taking her with me. She's mine now. She is going to give me an heir." He answered, then began to walk past them.

"What!?" Cherry yelled.

"You won’t be taking my daughter anywhere!" Her father exclaimed. He picked up a hoe, and tried to strike Hydaris in the neck.

But Hydaris turned around, and blocked the hoe with his gauntlet. "Do you really expect to harm me with farming tools?" He asked.

"Yes!" Her father answered, then went to attack with a scythe.

But then Hydaris blasted John away with a blast of dark energy. But then from above, someone came at Hydaris with a sword! But Hydaris blocked this with his gauntlet as well. He was attacked by a young man with black hair and tan skin. This was Cherrys cousin, Takakura. The same Takakura that lives on the farm with Remone. "You leave Cherry alone!" He demanded.

"Heh. Another who thinks they can stop me? Young man, don’t be foolish. Don’t pick a fight you have no chance of winning." Hydaris said, with a smirk. But then John recovered at attacked. Hydaris let Cherry go, so he could block with his other gauntlet. They kept trying to attack him for awhile, but he kept blocking their attacks, and blasting them away. Until they could no longer fight. Hydaris picked up Takakura's sword. "Like swatting flies....Now do you two still want to fight me? Cause I can kill you both, if you want. But it will change nothing."

"I wont let you take her!...." Takakura said, fighting to get back to his feet.

"Fine. I'll kill you then-" Hydaris was saying, but was cut off.

"Stop!" Cherry yelled. Everyone looked at her. "If....If I go with you willingly, will you spare them?.....Please?" She asked Hydaris. Her eyes were full of tears. She couldn’t stand to see either of them get hurt anymore.

Hydaris looked at her, then at her father and cousin, then back at her. He dropped the sword on the ground. "Of course. If you will leave with me, I will spare their lives. I didn’t come to kill them." He said.

As soon as his back was turned, Takakura picked up his sword, and was about to attack Hydaris. But then he looked at Cherry. "Tak no.....Please." She said softly. He couldn’t hear her very well, but he could see what she was saying. When Hydaris turned around, Takakura dropped the sword on the ground, and looked down.

"Hmm. Smart boy. Anyway, come along now. We must be leaving." Hydaris said, taking Cherrys arm again, and walking away.

Cherry looked back at her parents and cousin, her eyes full of tears. "Good bye.....I love you all...." She said.

"Good bye...." Her mother said, trying to hold back tears.

"Bye...." Her father said, in alot of pain. He looked devastated.

Takakura looked at her. "Im sorry...." He said to her. But by the time she could answer, she was to far away to hear. Takakura looked at the ground, angry. Im so sorry I couldn’t save you....I should of done something more.... He thought to himself.




Later, Hydaris had taken Cherry back to his palace. They appeared on the bridge, and began to walk across it. She looked around, seeing the bleak looking area. "Welcome to the Valley of Despair." He said.

"Gee....Wonder how it got that name...." She said, rolling her eyes in her head.

"It got that name because of the bloody battle that took place here 500 years ago. This was a human strong hold against an army of fire demons. They are the reason nothing grows here anymore." Hydaris explained. But he was fully aware that she didn’t care. She didn’t respond. She held one arm with her other arm, just kind of looking down. Following Hydaris. She felt very depressed. Almost like her life was over. She didn’t know if she could return home after he had his way with her, and had his kid. If he would just keep her there forever for his enjoyment. Or if he might just kill her when she was no longer useful to him. Those thoughts filled her head, and it made her feel very drained. Hydaris could tell what she was thinking. Mind reading is something most darkness humans have. He sighed. "Look. I know what you’re thinking. You’re not going to be here forever, and im not going to keep you for my own enjoyment forever. Once your no longer needed, you can go home. And your stay while your here will be a pleasant as I can make it for you. So don’t get so depressed." He said. He was a little annoyed.

".....Sure...." She responded, void of emotion. She didn’t really believe him, since he was so cold and evil. But then again he did spare her dad and cousin. So maybe she might get to leave. Of course the time she would spend here would feel like forever.

Hydaris wasn’t going to try to hard to make her feel better. He really didn’t care that much. So he didn’t really respond. Then he saw Jargen the lizard monster with a group of lizard monsters waiting for him on the other side of the bridge. Next to Jargen was a rather short man with slightly long green hair and purple eyes. His hair was a little crazy looking, very messy like. He wore a robe like outfit, with the sleeves to long, and had tassels at the ends of them. This was Krad. "Master you have returned. Nothing to report sir." Jargen said.

"Very good." Hydaris responded. "And I see you returned Krad."

"Yes my master....I was informed by Jargen that I had missed you by only a few moments..." Krad said, in a very odd voice. Though it seemed fitting.

"And how are things in the ocean territory? No trouble makers, I hope." Hydaris asked.

"None whatsoever my liege. All is good. He he he~" Krad answered, his little laugh very creepy.

"Very good." Hydaris responded.

Jargen then noticed Cherry. "And who is this?"

"This is the one who is going to give me my heir." Hydaris answered.

"Ahhhh. So your going with that plan then?" Krad asked.

"Yes." He answered.

One of the other lizard monsters looked at her. She was looking at the ground, when the lizard moved her face to look at him. "She's quite the looker, master." It said.

"Back away!" Hydaris yelled in a loud voice. Then he blasted the lizard back with dark power. "You will not lay your hands on her ever, unless I say! Next time you touch her, when I do not permit it, you will lose you head! Do I make myself clear?"

"Y-y-yes, my lege. It wont happen again. I sware." It answered, getting back to his feet. Krad chuckled slightly at this.

"See that it doesn’t. That goes for all of you." Hydaris said. Then he looked to Jargan again. "Escort her to her sleeping chambers. Make sure things are to her liking."

"Of course, my liege. This way, my lady." Jargen said. Cherry followed him, not really caring about anything anymore. Though when the lizard put his hand on her face, it scared her. But she was so empty of emotion, you couldn’t tell.

A little later, after going though the large castle, she was taken to a room. A very nice room, color pattern from the throne room was in this room as well. She looked around. She expected a dungeon chamber or something. "I hope everything is to your liking. Is there anything I can get for you?" Jargen asked.

"Yeah, you can take me home...." She said, walking to the window.

Jargen sighed. "I hope your aware I cant do that. Are you hungry?"

"No....Im not. I don’t feel like eating.....I probably couldn’t keep anything down anyway...." She answered, looking out the window.

"I see....Well if you need anything, you only need to ask. The room beyond that blue door over there is a washroom, If you need to use it. Good evening." Jargen said, leaving. Closing the door behind him. Odd how he had such good manners for a monster. After he left, Cherry looked over at the door, then looked back out the window. She soon started to break down in tears on the window sill.

Elsewhere in the castle, Hydaris spoke with Jargen and Krad. "She will adapt to this new life of hers soon enough. It's not going to happen over night. Besides her comfort is not important. As long as I get my heir." He said to Jargen.

"Of course my liege." Jargen responded.

"Im sure. Things will go your way, my liege. They always do. And this is just something else that will go your way. He he he~" Krad added.

And so began her life as the wife of the ruler of the world. A very unhappy one. Less then a year later, Cherry gave birth to Remone. Remone actually made her happy again. Despite knowing what would happen to this baby, and that in a way it wasn’t even hers. But that baby had brought the first smile of her life in this castle to her face. She couldn’t help but love that child. She tried not to get attached to him, because she might not always be there. But it is very hard to detatch yourself from your own flesh and blood. She couldn’t help but love and care for that baby. Remone became the only thing she cared about her castle life, and actually made it somewhat bearable. She loved him with all his heart. After he was born, Cherry had to remain in the castle to raise Remone. So she tried to make the most of it with Remone. Hydaris trained the child in combat, and taught him about being an evil ruler as soon as he could. But Cherry taught Remone about how his father was evil, and that he was not someone he would want to be like. And because Cherry actually shown Remone true love, which he did not get from his father, he took after his mother. And when he was old enough, Cherry would confide in Remone. She needed someone to talk to about how she felt. She even told him about why she was living here. This made Remone slowly grow to hate his father. He didn’t know his father was like that. And that made him not want to be anything like him. But when your born for that very reason, being something else can be very hard.

15 years after Remone was born....

Remone was trained every day in combat by his father, and the monsters. Hydaris still talked with him about being a ruler, but Remone rejected these teachings. Though Hydaris didn’t know that. But he could tell Remone was a bit rebellious though. He would fight the monsters, and speak back to his father, and did things he did not like. Hydaris assumed it was because he was going though those teenage years, and just imprisoned him in the dungeons when he was out of line with his father. Though it was never more then one night. He wanted so badly to leave the castle with his mother. He wanted nothing to do with his father, and his plans, and wanted to live his own life. The way he wanted to. But one night, things would change.

One night, Remone was put in the dungeon for fighting his fathers monsters, as well as saying things like 'I hate you! I never want to be like you!' and things of that nature to Hydaris. Remone wore an all dark blue outfit at this time, and black boots. By now he already had his scar. It looked like a slash across his eye, with two small smaller scratches on each side. This indicated that a clawed monster caused the scar. Though it looked like the two smaller ones would heal up much more then the main scar. Remone was sitting on the ground in his cell. He would refuse to speak with the monsters. Jargen tried to speak with him. "Master Remone....This needs to stop. This fighting with your father, and speaking up against him. You need to listen to him, and do as he says."

"Why? So I can be like him? I don’t want to be like him. I don’t want to be his heir. And don’t want anything to do with him! I see how he makes my mother feel......I don’t want to be something like that.....That monster." Remone said.

"Master Remone, please don’t speak like that. He might...."

"What? Kill me? He wont do that. Im his precious heir. He wont do anything to me...." Remone said, turning away from Jargen. "Leave me! I have already eaten. I do not wish to be disturbed for the rest of the night...."

Jargen nodded. "Very well master Remone.....But please....Be careful what you say. Don’t do something you'll later regret." He said, as he walked away. Remone looked at the walls, and sighed.


Meanwhile, shortly after Remone and Hydaris had their fight, Hydaris was in his throne room. Krad was also there. "Hmm....Lately his acting out is getting much worse....I don’t know what’s gotten into him lately..." Hydaris said.

"Mayhaps a good brainwashing is in order. He he~ Then you wouldn’t have any problems in dealing with him." Krad said.

"I cant just brainwash him. If he is to be my heir, he must choose so. Otherwise he'd be just another mindless servant. Not fit to be an heir. Besides the reason for an heir is for them to carry out my will if I am to pass on. Brainwashing isn’t always permanent. I want something for sure. I want a real heir. Remone will be that heir, soon enough." Hydaris said.

"But if he must chose it, then what happens if he doesn’t want to be the next ruler?" Krad asked.

"He will. He has been brought up knowing it is what he was born to do. He is just going though a phase. Once he becomes a man, he will relise it. And that is when he'll be ready to become my heir." Hydaris said.

"But what if this isn’t a phase? What if he really is against being your heir? If he is not willing, what then? You cant force him, if your dead." Krad said.

"Are you questioning my judgment?" Hydaris asked.

"N-no my liege. I just wondered if you had a planed outcome incase things went off course. It is always best to plan for events like that, even if they never come to pass." Krad answered.

"Your right. It's always good to have a plan of action. Which is why I do. If need be, I'll start over with a new heir. Remone can become a brainwashed servant, or I'll kill him if it comes to that......But Im hoping that I'll only have to resort to one of those methods after all other options are gone. He still is my son." Hydaris responded.

"True....But still, even if he is your son, you must always look out for number one." Krad said.

"Trust me....Nothing is more important to me, then myself. Remone doesn’t even come close, in that regard." Hydaris said.



Sometime around 2 am that night, after most of the castle was asleep, Remone heard footsteps coming down the hall. "I said I didn’t wish to be bothered...."

"Remmy?" Cherrys voice asked.

Remone turned around quickly. "Mom? What are you doing down here at this hour?"

"I heard the last fight you had with Hydaris.....That was the last straw for me....Im going to help you escape. He's trained you, so you should be able to handle it, and be able to get out of here."

"What? But mom, you could get in alot of trouble. I cant let that happen to you."

"I don’t care about that. I care about you. I cant stand to see you living here anymore, as unhappy as I am." She said, unlocking the cell.

"Mom...."

"All I used to care about was just getting out of here. But.....once I had you, and I saw what kind of young man you've become, all I care about now is getting you out of here. I don’t want you to be like him, and I want you to have the chance to live the kind of life you want." She said, looking a little sad.

"Mom....escape with me. We can both get out of here together. That way we don’t have to be here with him." Remone said.

"No....I'd just slow you down, and we'd both get caught. Then neither of us could escape. If only one of us can leave, I want it to be you." She answered, tears in her eyes.

Tears began to come to Remone's eyes as well. He wiped them, and hugged her tight. ".....Mom.....Thank you...." He said.

"Your welcome...." She said. "Oh. You'll need this to escape as well." She said, taking out a gold and blue bow. No string needed, as it formed arrows made of energy. The sides of the bow were gold, and the middle was a clear crystal blue you could almost see though it.

"Mom, this is dads staff bow. Don’t you know what he has this for?" Remone asked, concerned.

Cherry nodded. "I do. He's using it to track down some items called fate gems, or something like that. He said with them, he can make himself invincible, and like a god."

Remone nodded. "Yes. Something about the energy in the staff bow can track them. At least that’s what he told me."

"If those items can make him into a god, we can’t let him get ahold of them. If he does, the rest of the world will feel alot worse then us. We can’t let him get them." Cherry told him.

Remone nodded. "I understand. I'll make sure he doesn’t get them. Without this, he cant find them."

"Good. Now quickly, you have to go. The guards will probably make their rounds soon."

"Can you make it back to your room without being caught?" Remone asked.

"I'll be fine. I was able to get the bow, right?" She said.

"Your right. I'll get going." He turned to leave, but the came back and hugged her once more. "Thank you mom. I love you. I'll come back for you." He said, then kissed her on the cheek.

She smiled. "I love you to." She answered, as Remone took off.


Remone made his way out of the dungeon before the guards arrived. With his dark clothes, he was able to blend into the shadows, and go through the halls undetected. Though the castle didn’t have many guards around. No one was foolish to try to break into the castle, so not many guards were needed. As he passed a window, he looked outside. He was in the upper levels of the castle, as the dungeon he was in was actually not in the basement. Odd. He could see the large bridge from where he was, but it seemed so far away. He couldn’t reach the bridge from the wing he was in. He was in the west wing. The west wing was where Remone and Cherry stayed. The monsters kept to the east wing. And Hydaris lived in the mid wing. Sadly the path to the bridge could only be reached from the mid wing, if going by foot. Hmm....No good. I need to get to the main section of the castle. I kinda want to avoid getting out of here using roof tops, if I can. And he moved off.

As he made his way through the west wing, he crossed paths with two guards. They were meeting up to relieve each other, and they noticed him down the hall. "Hey, isn’t that Remone?" One said.

"Yeah. Remone, why are you out of your cell?" The other asked. Then he noticed the staff bow. "He's got masters staff bow!" He exclaimed.

"Quickly, capture him!" The first lizard said. They both then ran at him.

Remone rolled his eyes. So much for stealth. And what do they think there doing? I have a bow. Remone then moved the bow as if he was aiming it, then pulled back his other hand, like he was holding a string. A arrow of a strange white energy formed, with Remone holding the end of it. He quickly fired two, one at each guard. They both were hit, and blasted back with extreme force. Odd thing was, when these arrows hit them, their bodies glowed white, and light came from them. Then when the light cleared, the monsters were gone. Two black and dark green skinned humans were in their place. Remone looked shocked, and walked over to inspect them. .....Weird. The energy from the bow's arrows seems to have altered their forms....Or were they freed from their other forms?....Anyway, I gotta keep moving. Remone thought, as he kept going.

The bright lights attracted some attention, and Jargen, who normally is in charge of the guards in the west wing, came to inspect things. He then found the two changed guards. He quickly picked both of them up, he was pretty strong, and carried them off. He went to the mid wing, and went to see Hydaris. Hydaris came from his room, to the throne room where Jargen was waiting. Krad had also came in at about the same time. "So what is so important that you needed to wake me up in the middle of the night?" Hydaris asked.

"This, my liege." Jargen answered, gesturing to the two guards looking somewhat like humans.

Krad jumped. "Ack!!! They turned into humans!" Krad said, surprised.

Hydaris was shocked. "What happened to them?" He asked in a loud voice.

"I don’t know. I found them like this in the west wing." Jargen answered.

Hydaris' hand then glowed a strange black color, and a mist of darkness washed over the human guards. Their bodies glowed black, and they changed back to their lizard forms. They then woke up. Giving them almost no time to recover, Hydaris already began to demand answers. "Guards! What happened to you both?!" He yelled.

The two guards jumped to their feet. "R-r-r-remone sir! We saw him out of his cell, and he had your gold staff bow. He shot us, and then....everything is a haze until now." One answered.

Hydaris folded his arms, and closed his eyes. "Hmm....So it's not just a phase....He truly is against me...." He mumbled to himself. He then opened his eyes again. "Spread out though the castle. Block the exits from the castle, and find Remone. Capture him, alive. Give the other guards the word Jargen. If he is trying to escape, he will be heading for the mid wing if he isn’t already here. Go! Time is of the essence." He ordered.

Jargen and the two guards quickly half bowed. "Yes sir!" They all responded, then quickly left.

Hydaris sat down on his thrown after the lizards left. He seemed to be just thinking. Krad remained there as well. He wondered what Hydaris would do, and what he was thinking.



A little later, somewhere in the mid wing, Remone was moving toward the main entrance to the castle. Sadly when he arrived, It was under very tight guard. He was up in the rafters right now, so he was out of sight. Ugh! A whole lot of them. They know im loose. I could take them all, but that might attract Hydaris' attention....There has to be another way out.... He paused his train of thought to think. Aha! That’s it! I can get out through the water towers in the east or west wings. They have the long pipes reaching from the central water tower in the middle of the castle to the towers. I can get out of the castle from the central tower, since the roofs around it are lower. I'll just go from the rooftops from there... He thought. But they are probably looking for me in the west wing. Guess I'll have to head to the east wings tower... Then he made his way back though the mid wing, trying to reach the bridge from the mid to east wing. The castle wings are separated by bridges, that actually are outdoor bridges high in the air. Quite a confusing and large castle. Remone was able to get through the mid wing mostly undetected, other then once or twice. But he shot them before they could make a ruckus. He was able to reach the bridge to the east wing, and it was pretty high from the ground. But of course it wasn’t going to be as easy as just walking across. In the middle of the bridge was a lizard monster. This one was much bigger then the others, and more muscular. He was the same color, black and dark green, and he had a scar across his right eye. Remone was the one who caused this scar. He was carrying a large axe, and had it resting on his shoulder. Remone glared at him. Actually, this monster caused Remone's scar in a battle before. "Hello again, Bruno." Remone said, with much detest.

The lizard smirked. "Hello Remone. Now what are you doin, wandering around the castle with your fathers staff bow? Tell ya what, why don’t you just put it back, and go back to your cell for the night. You do, and I wont pound your face in."

Remone rolled his eyes. "Pfft! Please. I'd sooner spill your worthless blood on the floor, and move on, without a second thought. Now outta my way, before I have to take you out."

"I'd like to say the same, but sadly im ordered to capture you alive. But they didnt say I couldn’t bring you back beaten to a pulp. As long as you draw breath." He said, with a evil smirk.

"Well if you think you can take me, then come at me." Remone said, taking out the staff bow.

"Glad you asked!" He answered, jumping at Remone.

Remone shot an arrow at Bruno, but he deflected it away with his axe. Remone then back flipped to escape a powerful axe blow. He swung at Remone again, but he jumped over the attack, and landed right in front of Bruno. He slashed him using the staff bow, then kicked him back. Bruno stumbled back, but then charged energy in the axe. He swung it, and sent a wave of power at Remone. Remone quickly fired an arrow of the energy at the wave, and the attacks destroyed each other. But before the light cleared from the attacks, Remone fired three more arrows. Bruno was able to dodge two of them, but one pegged him in the shoulder. He winced because of the pain. Ugh....Whatever power is in that bow.....It's really potent.... Bruno thought. He swung the axe three times, sending three waves at Remone. Remone quickly shot each wave with an arrow, then rushed in to attack. Blocking axe attacks, and slashing when he had an opening. Getting short tempered, Bruno started trying to crush Remone with powerful downward strikes. When Remone dodged one powerful attack, he shot another arrow from close range. It nailed Bruno in the chest, causing him to stumble backwards. Remone jumped back to put some distance between them. "Ugh! That’s it! No more fooling around!" Bruno yelled. Then he charged alot of energy in the axe, then swung it. This was three times the size of the others. Remone quickly fired a few arrows at the wave but it didn’t destroy it. Remone's eyes widened, and quickly ducked to avoid being hit with a powerful attack. It hit the doorway that Remone came from, damaging the walls of the doorway. Remone looked back for a second, seeing the damage, then looked back at Bruno. He began charging another attack. Remone started running at him, but he wasn’t going to reach Bruno in time. Bruno launched his attack. Thinking quickly, Remone jumped over the wave, just barely avoiding harm. The wave crashed into walls again, destroying them. It sealed up the doorway, and the falling pieces of the castle destroyed half the bridge. Remone had landed in front of Bruno, who tried to strike him. But as soon as Remone landed, he rolled forward, going between Bruno's legs. He was now behind him. But before Bruno could turn around to strike, Remone shot him in the back. Bruno's eyes widened, because of the pain, and stopped moving on the spot. After a few seconds, he dropped his axe, and fell to the ground. Parts of his body looked human like, much like the other guards.

Remone looked at him for a moment, before breathing a sigh of relieve. "That was close...." He said. Then he noticed on Bruno's belt was a grappling hook, with some rope. Hmm....That could be useful... He thought. So he took it off his belt, and put it on his own. As he made his way for the exit, he looked back. Bruno wasn’t dead, so nothing could stop him from coming back to attack. So he fired a few arrows into the bridge, then the energy discharged, destroying more of the bridge. It started to fall to the ground far below, with Bruno along with it. Remone then continued onwards to the water tower.

A few moments later, the rocks and everything blocking the entry were blasted away. Hydaris was standing there, seeing the destroyed bridge. He could sense Bruno at the bottom. The long fall down. "Hmm...."



After about another twenty minutes of sneaking around, he reached the east wing water tower. He quickly dispatched the guards in the tower. He looked around, seeing a window. He looked out of it, and saw the long pipe coming from this tower to the central tower. Though the pipes were covered in brick and stone, making it have a slightly a square shape to it. It was like a shell, and the pipe was inside. It square like shell used to be what transferred the water, pipes were added later. More modern then when the castle was first built. Remone saw it was quite a ways down to the central tower. Remone handles heights a little better then Rem does. Whoa....Long way down...... He looked around, seeing the red sky. Creepy mood that sky gave off. Remone then looked back to pipe. Well, theirs no point waiting for my nerves to go away....Lets get going with it.... So he climbed out the window, and jumped to the pipe. It was a little slick, so it would be hard to walk down it. He began to slide down, almost as if he was grinding it. As he grinded down, he looked around. After he started grinding down, his nerves disappeared. In fact he was kinda enjoying it. "Wow....This is actually kinda fun. I'll be at the central tower in no time at this speed." Then an arrow wizzed past his head. "What the?!" He looked around, and archers from the roof tops below were firing at him. There were even some lizard monsters grinding down the pipe from the other tower. They couldn’t attack Remone from that far away, but they would meet him at the central tower, and slow him down. Clearly that was the plan. Remone destroyed oncoming arrows with his own while grinding, and knew he had to stop the archers before anything else. Remone readied a batch of arrows in his bow, then shot them into the air. They rained down on the archers below, keeping them busy for a while. Then he sniped the lizards on the other pipe, knocking them off. He then fired a bunch of arrows at one section of the other pipe, destroying that part of the pipe. Now nothing could go down that pipe, and come after him. Then everything fell quiet, until a loud tumbling sound was heard. "Hmm? What’s that?" Remone said, looking around. He looked over his shoulder, and saw that a large barrel was rolling down his pipe, faster then he could grind. This barrel was full of explosives. "Oh crap!" He said, trying to go faster, but had no means to go any quicker. He had one option. He waited until it came close to him, then he jumped into the air, backflipping over the barrel. He landed back on the pipe, and the barrel kept going. It was going to keep going into the central tower, but an archer shot the barrel, causing it to explode. That destroyed the pipe in that area. Luckily it was already near the end, so Remone jumped over the gap, landed back on the pipe, and jumped off to the top of the tower.

Remone looked around on the completely flat roof, then looked over a side. The near by roofs were close enough that Remone could jump off to without getting hurt. But before he did, he heard someone teleport behind him. "That’s far enough." A voice said.

Remone turned around, seeing none other then Hydaris. "Hydaris..." Remone said, glaring.

"You did a good job getting this far, Im impressed. But I think you've been out of your cell long enough. Head on back now, and return my bow, and all will be forgiven." Hydaris said, holding his hand out for his staff bow.

Remone looked at the staff bow for a second, then back to Hydaris. "Not a chance. Im not listening to you anymore. I am not going to become like you. I refuse!" Remone said, in a yelling tone.

"Like im just going to let you walk out of here. You cant defeat me." Hydaris said.

"Oh yeah? You trained me well, I'll give you that. So I think I can defeat you." Remone said, taking a battle stance.

Hydaris folded his arms, and closed his eyes for a second. "I see...And this is how you feel then? This is your final word on the subject?"

"Yes. Nothing you can say or do to me will change my mind." Remone answered.

"Hmm..." Hydaris said, then opened his eyes. "Very well. If that is the case....." Then he started to float into the air. "I will just force you to become my heir then. Maybe a brainwashing is in order. Perhaps it was to much to expect you to do this of your own will, but lets see if you change your tune after a beating! Maybe brainwashing you wont be necessary, but we'll see. Now then, on guard!" He yelled, then unfolded his arms, and shot black lightning from his hands. Mainly his fingers. Remone quickly started spinning his staff around in circles, deflecting the lightning in different directions. But because the lightning was contently coming, so he had to do something. So he suddenly swung the bow. The lightning that was on the bow at the time was sent forward at Hydaris. He was hit, and knocked back. His attack stopped, but he didnt seem harmed. "Hmm....Not bad. Let's see how you handle stronger attacks." Then he fired two large beams of dark power from each hand at Remone. Remone moved into the blind spot, inbetween the beams. He'd only have a few seconds to attack, so he quickly fired an arrow at Hydaris. It knocked him back though the air, but once again, no harm seemed to be caused. Hydaris then began firing a barrage of dark blasts at Remone. These were pretty big, so dodging them was not easy. When Hydaris paused to recharge, Remone shot at him again. But Hydaris just knocked the arrow away with his arm. "Come now. Do you really think you can harm me with that? This armor is stronger then you’d think." He then fired another large beam from his hand. This one blasted Remone back.

"Ugh..." Remone moaned as he slid across the roof. He quickly got to his feet and fired more arrows at Hydaris. He kept deflecting them, but soon enough one hit Hydaris square in the chest. The force of the arrow blasted him back through the air. Hydaris attacked again, firing the black lightning from one of his hands. Remone was going to block it again, but noticed Hydaris had a hand free. So he decided to dodge instead. Once he started dodging, the lightning just started hitting the ground. This made the battle field a bit of a maze, so he moved though the lightning. But as he came close to Hydaris, he fired a blast at Remone, blasting him back into lightning.

"Come now Remone. Surely your smarter then that." Hydaris taunted. Remone didn’t care, and went at him again. When he got to close, Hydaris fired another blast at him. This time Remone jumped to the side to dodge, and fired an arrow at the hand discharging lightning. The force of the lightning mixed with the raw power of the arrow, which resulted in an explosion right in Hydaris' hand. "Gahhhh!" He yelled, all action from him paused for a moment as he held his hand.

That could be it...I might be able to hurt him if I can hit his attacks with my arrows when their close to him. Hard part is now he knows that’s going to hurt him. So I'll have to be quick. Remone thought.

Hydaris quickly recovered. "Most impressive son. Now, let's continue shall we?" He said. He then started firing barrages of blasts again. But this time he was criss crossing his hands, making blasts go all over the place. Remone was jumping around all over, avoiding blasts. Until he got hit, and knocked back. But he used this to his advantage. When Hydaris was going to follow up with a beam attack, Remone quickly shot an arrow at his hand while the energy was charging. "Gah!" Hydaris said, as he was blasted back though the air. Remone recovered during this time. Hydaris then flew over the battlefield, and charged up a large beam. As he fired it down, Remone jumped off of the tower to a flag poll near the tower. He avoided this attack, and jumped back to the roof once the attack passed. Since Hydaris seemed to be recovering from this attack, Remone quickly shot him with some arrows. The remaining energy was still coercing around him, so the arrows packed a punch this time. He was blasted back, but then teleported back to the battle fields air space. He started swinging his arms, sending waves of energy at Remone. Remone jumped over them as they came, until Hydaris crossed both arms, then took them apart. He fired two waves in the shape of an X at Remone. Remone quickly fired an arrow at the X, but since the attack exploded to close to Remone he was blasted back. As he recovered, he saw Hydaris flying at him, his body covered in the black lightning. He was spinning at him like he was some kind of missile. Remone rolled out of the way, just barely dodging the attack. But Hydaris turned around for another attack. Remone acted quickly, and fired an arrow again. It hit, causing an explosion. Hydaris was blasted backwards. He once again started firing blasts in the criss cross fashion as before. But this time Remone fired two arrows when he had an opening, and hit both of Hydaris' hands.

Hydaris was blasted backwards through the air. "Ugh! That's it! No more screwing around. Time to end this pointless battle!" Hydaris said. He put one arm up in the air, as dark power, along with the black lightning began to form into a large orb above Hydaris. Though tired, Remone could still act. Since this attack was taking a little to charge, Remone readied a bunch of arrows in the bow. And just before the attack finished charging, he fired them off into the orb. The orb exploded, blasting Hydaris to the ground. Before he could even react to being blasted to the ground, Remone rushed at him. He tried to strike with his staff bow, but Hydaris blocked these attacks with his bladed gauntlets. But Remone got a few slashes in, and then he jumped back real quick, and blasted Hydaris with a few arrows. Hydaris was blasted away, and crashed through the roof of a near by section of the castle below them.



Remone looked off the side of the tower, to where Hydaris crashed. "It couldn’t of been that easy......Could it?" Remone said to himself. He then walked to the other side of the tower. He looked below, and saw lizard monsters on the roof waiting for him. "Ugh...Drat..." Despite not being hit all that much during the fight, Hydaris' attacked packed a powerful punch. So Remone was much weaker then he appeared. So, needless to say, he didn’t feel like fighting monsters. He noticed that one of the flag polls were damaged, and was bent. It was actually against the other flag poll across from it. One of Hydaris' stray attacks must of hit it. Remone figured he could use his grappling hook on that, and reach a higher roof that the monsters weren’t on. So he did so, throwing the grappling hook, and swinging over the monsters, and onto another roof. He saw more flag polls up ahead, leading to the castle gate, and bridge. Remone figured he's take advantage of the odd shaping of the castle hall below, and the placement of the flags to his advantage. So he used his arrows to break flag polls, and grappled across them to avoid the enemies, and to get across faster. Soon enough he swung all the way to the top of the gate. He used the grappling hook to climb down the wall, because he didn’t have the strength to jump down right now. And with the gate closed, no one could follow him quickly enough. He made his way toward the bridge.


As he ran across the bridge, at about the mid way point, the sound of teleportation was heard again. Remone quickly turned around, staff bow out, to see Hydaris standing behind him. He didnt even appear to have a scratch on him from the fight less then five minutes ago. He also had Cherry with him, both of her arms behind her back as Hydaris kept a grip on them. "Mom?!" Remone said in surprise.

"You did very well escaping the castle, avoiding capture, and even facing me. Very impressive. Very impressive indeed. You are truly my son, the boy I trained to follow in my footsteps. But do you really think you could of escaped without me knowing about it? I've been aware of your little quest to leave since you first used the bow. I sensed its energy. This whole thing was for me to judge your abilities. I even knew that your mother would try an break you out tonight, after our little spat. I've been keeping an eye on her mind for quite some time." He paused, then he bent down to Cherry, and looked at her. "Only you, my wife, would break him out from his cell. Though what I did not expect was for you to steal my staff bow. I am quite surprised you were able to get it. Or that you even had the guts to try." He said.

"Leave her alone!" Remone said, aiming at Hydaris.

"Or what? You have no strength left to take me on at full power." Hydaris said, looking down Remone. "But...." Hydaris started. "I've been doing some thinking tonight, while I watched you sneak though my castle, and I think your mothers right. You do need some life experience. Some time out of the castle. I've had it, your mother had it before she came here, even my servants have. So It would be awfully unfair of me to not let you have some fun in the world like I have. So I've reached a decision. Im going to let you leave the castle, give you your freedom from me, just like you and your mother wanted. But...." Hydaris started.

"But what?" Remone asked, still not lowering his aim.

"But every day that you are not at this castle, doing as I say, following in my footsteps, and willingly being my heir.....Your mother will be tortured, going through much pain to allow you to be free. I will not kill her, and I will not bring her pain to the point that she could die. That would be a void deal, and give you no reason to return here of your own will. But know that she will be going though pain for you every day you are not by her side. She will be all alone in this castle. Do you understand?" Hydaris asked, with an evil look in his eye.

"Yes.....I understand." Remone answered.

"Very good. And knowing all this, do you have anything to say to our son?" Hydaris asked Cherry.

Cherry, her eyes full of tears, looked at her son. "Remone....I still want you to go without me...Despite what he says, I still want what’s best for you....Even if that means that I have to suffer for you....I love you, and that’s why I want you to leave...." Cherry said.

Remone had tears in his eyes once again. "I understand mom...." Remone said.

Hydaris chuckled a little. "Aww...How sweet. Such a touching little good bye." He said.

Remone cast him a anger filled look. "You are a true monster. I am never going to be your heir, or your son."

"Two things you are fated to be, my son." Hydaris said. "But as a gesture of good will, being you are my son, you can keep the staff bow. You will need some kind of weapon, so why not just take that with you? After all, your mother went to such lengths to get it for you." He paused. "And besides.....You'll be bringing it back to me, sooner or later." He said, with an evil smirk. Remone glared at him, but before he had the chance to say anything else, Hydaris spoke again. "Well I believe were done here. Good bye Remone. Hope to see you again soon." Then his hand glowed, and a portal opened up behind Remone. He turned to look at it, but when he looked back, Hydaris fired a blast at Remone. He was blasted into the portal, then it closed up afterwards. He still has much to learn. Some things, only life can teach you. He has to go out into the world to learn all he needs to know to be my heir....He also has to much emotion. That will have to be pounded out of him, otherwise he cannot be my heir... Then he turned to Cherry. "Now for you, you will be going back to your room. Tonight, sleep soundly, because after that your nights will be full of pain."

Cherry just looked at him. Her eyes were full of tears. You could see the anger and sadness she felt right now. "Your son is going to be your downfall one day...." She said.

"Well....We'll see, wont we?" Hydaris said. Then he teleported her to her room. He looked out at the land before him. "....We will see. He will either be my heir....or my greatest foe. Time will yield the answer." Then he teleported away himself.





"Wow, what a story. I didnt know that about you Remone." Celia said to him. Remone had finished telling her the story.

"Not very many people do. I don’t tell many people this about myself, even if they are aware of powered beings. Or even if they know of Hydaris. Im ashamed to be connected to him in any way." Remone said.

"Have you ever went back to his castle since you left?" Celia asked.

"No. I havent." Remone answered.

"Not even to help your mom?" She asked.

Remone looked to the side. ".....No, I haven’t." He said. "Don’t get the wrong idea, I haven’t forgotten her or abandoned her. But I cant go back yet....Im not strong enough to do anything, and everything she did for me would be for nothing. The time I beat Hydaris....I didn’t actually beat him. He let me win to test me. I dont think I can take him on my own yet."

Celia put her arm around Remone. "I understand. You will someday. And im sure you haven’t forgotten your mom, or anything like that. It's not the kind of person you are. Im sure she knows you'll be back for her." Celia said, smiling at Remone.

Remone gave a weak smile. "Thank you.....I just hope I make a move before Hydaris does...."

Celia was quiet for a minute, then she looked like she had an idea. "Hey, what about your friends? The ones you help protect the world with. And your off world friends. Cant they help you?" She asked.

"I dont know if my friends are ready and able to take on Hydaris, and his lizard monster army. Not to mention the other big villains that follow his orders. And as for my off terra friends....They have their own world to worry about. We cant burden them with the troubles of another world." Remone answered.

"But what if they wanted to?" She asked.

"I dont know...." Remone said. He wasn’t sure. After a few moments of being quiet, Remone spoke again. "Well....Now that I told you all this Celia....What do you think? Do you still feel the same?"

"Remmy, you are not your father, and I wont hold you accountable for what he is, or has done. I still love you all the same, and you can’t change my mind about that." She paused for a second. "Yes being married to you is going to have some dangers, possibly some you can’t protect me from. But......I still love you, and have faith in you. You know, for better or worse." She said, smiling again.

Remone then hugged her, right away. He was crying a little bit. "......Thank you Celia. Im.....so glad I have you. And im so glad your by my side...."

"And im glad I have you, too." She responded.

[Aqua]

Data Log #11: The Summer Festival

Data Log Place in Time: Three days after previous data log.


It had been a few days since the big storm hit, and everyone had been preparing for the festival in town. Eric had been able to get a stand reserved in downtown, and Ray had been catching enough fish to provide for a large amount of people. Rem and Aqua had thought of an idea to be apart without drawing attention to themselves in town. The only one that had to do any real hiding was Rem and Aqua. Rem just refracted light around his scar, so that no one would notice it. As for Aqua, since it was to hot to just cover her head, she dyed her hair blonde. The others simply would just wear normal clothing, and keep their gear hidden. Raylu, possibly the toughest, would just stay in his pup form and appear like a pet. Once everything was planned out, they all headed out for the city on the big day.


When they arrived, pushing their stand onto main street, they could see plenty of people excited, and having a great time. It really uplifted everyone after all the problems lately. “Wow….I haven’t been to an event with so many people gathered in one place in a long time…..It’s kinda refreshing.” Ray said.

“We always came every year. Sometimes people would pity us and give us free food. Kinda needed it when we were down on our luck…” Kari said.

“Hey now! No talk of the bad times! We are here to have fun!” Ralph said, feeling really excited.

“Ok, now everyone remember, try not to draw to much attention to yourselves. As long as you act natural, no one should really notice who we are.” Rem said.

“Yeah we don’t need the police on us for the stupid stuff they think about us.” Aqua said, sounding very annoyed. And rightfully so, since she was one of the powered kind effected by this racial behavior.

“You’d think being members of the world savers would get you a pass, but the police still hassle us. Why is that?” Sora asked.

Eric had begun to get the stew ready, as he also helped prepare the grill for Ray’s fine fish. He looked to Sora to answer his question. “Well the police are not run by the same forces that ok us, and keep us out of trouble. That would be Kavisto. He’s one of Omni’s relatives that works in frances government, and he is in charge of all the power related issues. He helps keep things in order behind the scenes, and he’s the person who keeps all of us with a roof over our heads and makes sure we actually get paid so we can focus on saving the world and helping keep trouble low.”

“Wait, so we make money doing this? Awesome!” Ralph exclaimed.

“Not so fast there, Ralph. As of right now, Im not aware if Kavisto even knows we are back in the area. He probably does, but last thing he knew we all disbanded a few years back to cover trouble in more places across the world. I may have to meet with him, and let him know whats up. But more so it would be the leader of a group being paid, and then it gets given out accordingly.” Rem said, helping put the stand up.

“Awww, seriously?! We get an allowance?!” Ralph said, sounding like a kid who was disappointed.

“It’s better then what we made living in the back alleys of the city.” Brett chimed in.

“What did I say about talking about those times right now, huh?!” Ralph said. Then the two began to argue between eachother.

As they continued, Eric began to speak with Rem and Aqua. “The three of us should probably contact Jake, and see if he can get us a meeting with Kavisto so we can explain to him what were doing around here.” Eric said.

“Ah, so you’re saying Jake ‘doesn’t’ hate you now? Ever since that time you read his mind, he hasn’t been to keen on you.” Rem joked.

Eric looked a little embarrassed at the mention of that event. “Ugh! It was a stressful time, ok? I had my doubts with Jake and his group at the time, so you tend to keep your mind open. It’s not a normal thing.”

“Yeah yeah.” Rem chuckled.

Aqua chuckled as well. “You guys think I haven’t already informed Kavisto about this?”

Rem looked confused. “Wait, you did? Why didn’t you say anything?”

“At the time I just told him you came back, and we were training a new group of fighters. He does want to meet everyone and get us registered, but as of right now we have is support.” Aqua said, but then she noticed Rem and Eric looking confused. “What? I’m one of his agents. You really think I wouldn’t be informing him of things like the mutants? Plus you’d have to be blind to not notice what Frost did not long ago.”

Eric nodded. “Very good point. Sorry I was neglectful in asking.”

Aqua shook her head. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll arrange the meeting soon, for now let’s have a good time!” She said, smiling.



Then after a few moments of everyone talking, Ray spoke up. “Why if it isn’t Omni!” He said. Everyone then turned their attention to Omni.

“What’s up, Omni? How you been?” Ralph asked, sounding chipper.

“Hello everyone. It’s good to see you all again.” Omni said. Though he was actually with someone today that wasn't Draco. He was a young looking man, with red hair, green eyes, and two swords on him. Rem, Eric, and Aqua all looked excited.

“Zach! It’s been an age man! How you been?” Rem asked, giving him a quick and firm handshake.

“Hey there Rem, Eric, Aqua. I’ve been good. Been doing a lot of good all around. Lately I’ve been in japan, helping train some of our old world saver members there with Halo, Zoe, and Masa. Man I do not miss that place, way too many bad memories.” Zach chuckled.

Rem looked a little bitter when Zach mentioned Halo and Masa, which Aqua picked up on. Halo, Zoe, and Masa were other members of the World Savers. Halo was Rem’s ex, and Masa was the next person Halo jumped to after. But to keep things going, Aqua spoke up. “So what made you want to come over and visit us after so long?”

“Ah, that. Well while in japan, yesterday to be in fact, I ran into Omni. And he was all like, ‘You gotta come with me to that big party they do back in the city near the old cabin. You can meet Rem and Eric’s new team.’ I wasn’t sure, but the old man pretty much begged me to go.” Zach said, looking smug.

“Oh please. When I showed up, you were pretty much begging ME to give you some reason to leave japan, and you know it. Your lucky Draco decided to fill in for you.” Omni said, smirking. To which everyone laughed at Zach’s reaction, which was total embarrassment.

“Alright, you got me there. I just wanted some good ol French food. And by that, I mean Eric’s food. Too much fish and rice.” Then he noticed Ray’s grilling fish. “Umm, no offence intended.” Ray laughed in response. Then Eric offered Zach a bowl of the stew he had been selling.

“Well it does have some fish in it, but I think you’ll be very pleased with how unjapanese the food is like.” Eric chuckled.

Zach’s face lit up, and he started eating. Rem chuckled. “Well why not meet your excuses? This is Ralph, Brett, Kari, and Sora.” Rem said, as each said hello to Zach as introduced in their own way.

When Zach took a break from eating, after Rem finished, he spoke. “Nice to meet you all. Say, you’re all normal humans right? That’s pretty cool. You guys face any big baddies yet that I might know of?”

“Well we beat the crap outta that big turtle guy Giga. But he seemed like such a pushover.” Ralph laughed.

Zach chuckled. “Not to shabby. But I sure hope you aren’t letting that get to your head now.”

“Oh trust me, he is.” Kari jabbed, to which Ralph looked annoyed.

“So do you come every year to this festival, Omni?” Sora asked.

“Once I heard about it three years ago. Me and the family came out to see it, and we’ve really enjoyed ourselves. We attended with Eric and Aqua for the past two years.” Omni answered.

“Are they not here this time?” Aqua asked.

“No, my wife and daughter were feeling a little under the weather, so they stayed behind. And I don’t think ol Tran would be caught dead with just me at something like this. Haha. Draco was going to come, but like I said, he took pity on Zach, and stayed in japan. Those poor trainees.” Omni chuckled.

“Well let’s not waste the day talkin. We can do that anytime. Let’s to get some strange food, play some games, and have a great time!” Ralph said, looking excited.

“Full of energy as always….” Brett said, noting Ralph’s excitement.

“Alright then. I’ll take first watch of the stand. You guys go enjoy yourselves.” Eric said. Though Ralph, Sora, and Zach were already long gone.

Aqua chuckled. “So much energy they’ve got.”

“Let’s just hope they don’t blow our cover….” Rem mumbled.


Elsewhere, in another part of main street, another stand was set up, selling…..very strange looking doll like things made of stone. Three people were watching the stand, two of which were dressed up in strange outfits to hide their appearance. One was very tall and bulky, dressed up in very baggy clothes, with a hood over his face. The other was normal sized, slightly hunched over. A black cloak covered the persons body and head. The third was a girl with purple hair, dressed in average clothes. She groaned. “I swear you two look so stupid. You will stand out like a sore thumb.”

“Pleeeeeeese. There are plenty of people here dressed like somekind of freeeeak. They have a costume show going on righttt?” The person in the black cloak said.

The girl rolled her eyes. “Whatever. But what about Robert? He’s giant, he keeps getting stares.”

“No one has asked us anything yet, I believe I just appear strange. I should of dressed up in something.” The large man said.

“Well it doesn’t heeeeelp that you are selling those weird…..thingggggs. Seriously, what are thosssse?” The cloaked person said.

“Dolls made from the rocks of my body.” The large man said again.

“Well he might be getting weird looks, but at least their selling. Besides, we couldn’t come if we didn’t hide. At least dressed like this, and selling the dolls, we get a bit of a pass. We can’t just freely roam like we could last year.” The girl said.

“Youuuuu still can. You just need to buy some hairrrrr dye. Be lucky we came at allll.” The cloaked person retorted.
“Hmph! Whatever. Im going to go out and actually do something then, if you two just want to sit around.” The girl then began to walk into the crowds.

“Please be careful not to draw attention to yourself.” The tall man said to her as she left.

The cloaked one sat back down, feeling very annoyed. She’s lucky Robert said we would be fine if we hid. Otherwise she wouldn’t be here at all. This whole idea is stupid….Least im making some money off these stupid rocks….Ugh my tails all stiff….




As the day progressed, Ralph and Brett were in a deadlock of trying to beat each other in shooting games. “Ok, so that’s still tied. Five to five.” Brett said.

“Ugh, this isn’t over yet! Another around!” Ralph said.

But the people behind them had other ideas. “You guys have been hogging the stand for the last half hour!”

“Yeah! We want a turn!” The people clamored.

Ralph and Brett looked at each other. “Fine. We’ll settle this at home.”

“Agreed.” Brett nodded, as the both of them collected their prizes, and walked off.

The stand owner sighed. Thank goodness….They were going to run me out of prizes at that rate…. “Alright! Who’s next!” He called out.


Rem and Aqua were taking a break from the stand, and they were out having fun with games and rides. Currently they were taking a break from that and eating some snacks. “This was such a good idea. Everyone seems to be having a great time.” Aqua said.

“Yeah. This isn’t something I do very often, but it’s a lot of fun.” Rem agreed. He then looked at her dyed hair while he ate some funnel cake. “I didn’t think much of it at first, but your hair seems very fitting for you. Very nice color.” Rem said, laughing slightly.

Aqua laughed a little as well. “Oh, why thank you sir. And you look very handsome yourself with your lack of scar.” She giggled slightly.




Back at the stand, Kari was there with Ray and Eric. Omni, Zach, and Sora had wandered off at this point. Raylu was asleep under the stand, trying to avoid as much attention as possible. Kari was looking at some of the stands near by them, as she was being watched by a young man with blonde hair, ballcap, and sunglasses. His clothes looked like he was trying to hard to look normal, so he was coming across as an odd sight. When Kari looked as if she began to start drawing attention to the stand to passerbys, he approached her. “Excuse me miss, if you don’t mind me being so forward, you look ravishing.” He said, sounding very fancy as he spoke.

Kari wasn’t expecting this sudden complement, and blushed slightly. “W-well, umm.” She cleared her throat. “Thank you sir.” She said, looking him over slightly. He’s got a pretty face, but….what is with his outfit?

“Oh, how rude of me for being so forward. I really should be minding my manners. Please forgive my rudeness.” The young man said.

“Don’t worry about it, I just wasn’t expecting such an over the top complement. How are you enjoying the fair?” Kari asked.

“It is very much exciting when I am not being swarmed, but I must say I am very famished. I have been checking out the food stalls, but none of the food calls to my taste buds. Most appears to be cheep fair food. Is there anything that maybe you could recommend to me?” He asked.

Kari smirked. “Why of course, I’ll direct you to the best food here, hands down. It’s at our stall.”

The young man laughed. “My stars, what a claim! If such is the case, please escort me post haste.”

Kari chuckled a little. This guy is funny. Hard part is….I can’t tell if he’s trying to be funny, or if he’s just that weird. He doesn’t look the type to be refined. Is he just trying to hit on me? “Right this way sir.” Kari said.

As they walked over, the smell of Eric’s stew filled the air, as the young man seemed amazed. “My word, this aroma….It’s amazing! Sir, you must sell me a bowl of whatever is making that mouth watering scent.”

Eric chuckled. “Why of course sir.” Eric said, accepting payment, then dishing the man some of his stew.

As he tasted it, his expression froze, and he seemed stuck that way forever. When he finally began speaking again, he was ecstatic. “My good sir, this is hands down one of the most amazing dishes I have ever had the pleasure of having grace my lips!”

Eric was a little blown away by the shower of complements, but kept composure. “My food seems to have that effect on people. Im glad you enjoyed-“ But Eric was cut off, as the man could hardly contain his excitement.

“My good man, you must sell me the recipe! I will pay any price! Or I will pay you to teach my chefs how to make it! Oh! I have an even better idea! Would you be interested in being my new head chef!?” He was so excited, it was actually making Eric a little nervous now. Ray chuckled to himself, as he continued to cook fish.

“Chefs? You have your own personal chefs? But you don’t look like you would be someone who would have such a thing, if you don’t mind me saying.” Kari said.

“Oh yes! My outfit has fooled you, of course. Allow me to fix this.” He then took his hat and sunglasses off. He looked as if he had the face of a prince, as Kari was lost in his stunning blue eyes. “My name is Tamaki Francoise. Im-“

“Oh! I know you! Your one of the richest guys in the whole city! You’re in the news all the time! I’m Kari, nice to meet you!” Kari said, suddenly shaking his hand. She was a little star struck, and actually had the hots for the guy. So now she felt awkward, seeing as how she suddenly lost it there. “Sorry about that, but it’s just so cool to meet you in person.”

“Why thank you my lady, but please not so loudly. I do not wish to have my cover blown. I will be swarmed by my admirers if that happens.” He said.

Eric nodded. “Understandable. Sadly though, I have to decline your offer of employment. But I am very flattered. I’ll still give you the recipe though.” Eric said.

“Many thanks to you, Mr…..Oh! I know your face from old news reports. You are one of the well known world savers, yes?” Tamaki asked.

Eric looked a little surprised that he had been spotted, but figured it was best not to make a scene. “Yes, me and some of our allies are here today, but undercover. If you keep our secret, we’ll keep yours Mr Francoise.”

“Please, call me Tamaki. And of course sir, anything for our long loved protectors. On a secret mission, yes? Is there any threat here?” He asked.

Eric shook his head. “No, we are here for the same reason you are. To enjoy the fair without being swarmed by people.”

“Ah yes, of course.” Tamaki replied. At this point, Eric wrote down the recipe, which he handed to Tamaki. “Many thanks. You must allow me to repay you.”

Eric shook his head at this. “Keep that as a gift, I don’t need your money. But I will warn you, it may not taste as well when I’m not the chef.” Eric chuckled.

“Ah, such sadness. But thank you all the same.” He answered. He then turned to Kari. “I must admit, I did not come over here to partake of your food. When I saw you standing in the street, I very much so wished to speak with you. I hope you will forgive my deception, and allow me the pleasure to continue speaking with you.”

Kari became uncomfortable once again, not expecting such a level of manners when being spoken to. And by such a hi class person either! “No no no, I’m very flattered. I would love to talk more with you.”

“Tres bein! If you would like, perhaps we could roam the fair together?” Tamaki asked.

Kari smiled, then nodded. “Of course, I would be honored.”


“Wonderful! Let us be off!” He said. As they turned to leave, Tamaki actually stopped to come back. “Pardon me once more sir, but would it be to much trouble if I could ask for you to prepare me a very large pot of this wonderful stew for me to take home? I will pay whatever it costs.”

Eric chuckled. “The name’s Eric, by the way. But yes of course. After the fair is over, come back and we’ll make arrangements to send some to your home.”

Tamaki smiled. “I am in your debt, Mr Eric. I will return later this evening. Please do not leave before I return!” Then he left with Kari, putting his hat and glasses back on.

Eric chuckled as he left. “What a strange character.”

Ray also chuckled. “I’ll say. Better hope Sora don’t see those two around. The way he’s so clueless about how he feels is something else.”

Eric chuckled. “Maybe it will push him to make a move.”

“Like Rem is with Aqua? I can see it in the poor girls eyes when she looks at him. You think he even knows?” Ray asked.

Eric shrugged. “It’s hard to say, honestly. Rem is a smart one, that’s for sure. But this can require a different level of intelligence to spot when your on the inside. Oh, welcome miss!” Eric said, as a customer came up to the stand.



Elsewhere in the fairgrounds, the collective group of Omni, Zach, and Sora were off about elsewhere walking around in the more culture influenced area, where Omni seemed to going on about a number of topics.
“I must say though, I really do enjoy these little festivities from time to time. It’s always nice to return to Terra 002 to see everyone, a shame the rest of of them were too busy to attend. Reminds me of one of our old outings where…” Omni began to trail off, when Zach looked towards Sora.

“You strike me as the type of guy who enjoys some carnival games. Why don’t we ditch the old man and play some?” Zach questioned.

“How rude. If you wanted to simply leave, you could of said so. Or waited for me to at least finish.” Omni protested.

Zach laughed. “Sorry, but sometimes you just go on a while. Why don’t you play too, unless you wanna lose. Anyway, you in Sora?”

“Sounds good, anything to get away from the stand for a while longer. Someone else can take Erics-“ But then Sora was cut off by walking into a purple haired woman who also happened to not see where she was going, causing them both to fall over. Zach and Omni had momentarily stopped paying attention, otherwise they would of warned him. “Ouch!” He exclaimed, getting to his feet, offering the woman a hand up.

The woman took his hand, then looked shocked and let go of his hand. “Wait, your-“ She started.

“Wait….I know you from somewhere….” Sora said, thinking hard.

“You have a very interesting aura for a nature human, miss. It’s not something I see often in my travels. Are you from off terra?” Omni asked her.

“Nature human?...” Sora mumbled, still thinking.

The woman looked even more nervous. “Y-you’ve got the wrong person. I need to go!” She said, turning back the way she came, and quickly booking it.

Sora’s eyes then widened. “Wait! I know her! She’s one of those mutants from before!”

Omni looked puzzled. “Mutant? What do you mean?”

“There’s no time, we gotta catch her quickly!” Sora then ran after her, before he lost her in the sea of people.

“Yo man! Don’t make a scene! I thought they were here to blend in?” Zach questioned.

“Let’s catch him before that then, come now.” Omni stated. Then Omni and Zach started to follow along.


After a short bit, the purple haired mutant nature human known as Maple managed to elude Sora and the others. ”Damn, if they are here, then we need to get outta here fast! I gotta get back to the stall and get the others….Wait, whats going on?” Maple thought, as she came across the stall. But around the stall was a few men with sunglasses dressed in black suits with the picture of a single rose on the back of the suits. Some had a red rose, some had blue.

“Ugh what freaky looking dolls, are they made of stone?”

“They look kinda like it. Maybe clay. Either way they were odd looking.” Two of these men went back and forth.

“Insssssult them all you like asssss long as your buyin.” The slender hooded person at the stand barked at them.

One of the men chuckled. “That’s fine, you can keep them. Just hand over whatever money you have right now, and none of you get hurt.” Said the man. He seemed to have a slightly more important air about him. He had red hair, had two roses on the back of his suit, both red, with a glitter effect on them. His suit also looked like it had rose thorn vine patterns across different areas of the suit. His glasses were see through, but the lens were red tented. He looked to be maybe his late twenties.

The big hooded person at the stall stood up, towering at least a foot over the main speaker. “Look, we don’t want any trouble. You should leave before you make a scene-“ But then suddenly the twin rose man put his palm up, as a flamethrower like stream came from his hand, blasting the large hooded man, catching his cloak on fire.

This sudden fire show quickly caught attention with the crowd, to which Maple noticed from her short distance away. “Robert!” Maple yelled, trying to make her way over.

The other hooded man at the stall, being Leon process of elimination, stood up, looking like he was reaching for something, but the twin rose man spoke again. “I wouldn’t try anything funny buddy.” Then suddenly the other men had special looking guns drawn. They seemed to have rose patterns painted on them, and the metal making up the gun was a metallic red, looking very elegant. By this point Maple had gotten over, but she was now at gun point as two of the goons had turned around. People were starting to react in a panic as people suddenly drew guns, causing everyone to start panicking. But suddenly the twin rose man took out his own gun, looking very much like the others, and shot a bullet into the air that seemed to be coated in fire, making a loud noise, and getting the peoples attention. “Now now everyone, no need to panic. No one is going to get hurt, as long as you all do as instructed.”

At this point, Sora had appeared on the scene, Omni and Zach appearing shortly after. “What’s going on here?” Sora questioned to himself.

The twin rose man continued to speak. “Now if no one want’s to get hurt, simply give all your valuable belongings to the rose thorn members as they approach you. Do not make any moves unless spoken to, or my men may shoot if needed. Once you have given my men your items, you will put your hands on your heads, and get down on your faces. Any moves afterward will be met with a bullet that you may or may not survive, so no one try to be a hero.” Suddenly more black suited men with blue or red roses would appear from the crowd holding guns in one hand, and a tote in the other, as they began to collect from the people.

Sora and the others grimaced. “This isn’t good.”

“We can’t make a move without endangering the people here.” Zach added.

A voice was then heard coming from Sora’s pocket. It was Rem’s.


Elsewhere at the festival, Rem and Aqua seemed to be having a good chat, enjoying themselves, when suddenly they had heard the warning shot given off by twin rose on the entire other side of the fair. “What was that sound?” Aqua asked.

Rem looked worried. “Im not sure….But I hear the sounds of people yelling from wherever it is.” Rem then took out his badge, and spoke into the stone. “Guys, this is Rem. Did everyone else hear that noise? Report.”

”Me and Ray just heard it from the stand, but I haven’t seen anything.” Eric responded first.

”What was that? It sounded like a gunshot.” Ralph added.

”Everyone, it’s Sora. The problem is down here. Some guys in suits just appeared and-“ “Hey you! Keep quiet and don’t be making any moves! What do you have in your pocket?! The second voice spoke, sounding like one of the thugs. Soras line then just cut out, as Sora hung up his end of the line.

“Everyone, keep calm and quickly move to Sora’s location. Track his badge with your own.” Rem looked around, suddenly noticing people in the crowd dressed in various black suits with the rose pattern on them. “And don’t stand out. There seem to be more everywhere.”

”I think im seeing them too around me, I’ll move out as quick as I can.” Kari’s voice responded.

”Same with me and Ralph, we’ll get there, it sounded very close by. The people are yelling loudly and running away here.” Brett responded.

“Stay safe everyone.” Rem added, ending the call. “Come on Aqua, let’s move.”
In Kari’s location, she had been with Tamaki when the call went out, and she turned to him after. “I need to go. Sorry for cutting this short.”

But Tamaki looked worried. “But that could be very dangerous, I should go with you.”

“No offence, but I’m trained for this, and you aren’t. It’s my job remember? You get out of here and get somewhere safe, and we’ll continue this later, ok?” She told him, more or less promising to come back safe.

Tamaki looked reluctant, but then nodded. “My apologies, I got ahead of myself. We will continue this for sure, so don’t get hurt.”

Kari nodded, then took off towards the action, while Tamaki looked very worried, before forcing himself to flee with the people. “Everyone, remain calm! Follow me!” He said, taking charge in keeping the people of the area orderly.


Back with Sora and the others, the man was yelling at him. “What’s that you got in your pocket?”

Sora then took out his badge. “It’s just a toy, see?”

“With that stone? That’s a brooch, give it here!” The man demanded, as Sora handed it over. as well as anything else he had on him, which was just some small change. The man moved on to the others.

Twin rose looked Leon in the eyes. “Alright buddy, unless you want to get cooked like your friend, just start handing over what you got, and get on the ground.”

“Who are you guys anyway?!” Maple yelled.

Twin rose looked over his should at her. “We are the Rose Thorn Gang sweetie, haven’t you heard of us? Weren’t the roses a giveaway? Pretty sure we’re all over the news honey.”

“You won’t be talking so smug when the robots arrive from Harrison’s.” Maple said.

“Oh I don’t think they will be a problem. The ones patrolling the area have already been dealt with.” He then turned back to Leon. “Now give my man the money, and maybe I don’t put a bullet in your friends head when im done with her.” He said, smirking.

The Leon looked at Robert burning behind him, then to Maple, who met his gaze. “Fine, it’s in our lock box.”

“That’s fine, just give him the entire thing.” Twin rose said. Leon leaned under the desk to get the box, when suddenly the burning pile of Robert leaned up, catching Twin Rose’ attention. “What the-“ Then suddenly a stone robot fist flew at Twin Rose, forcing him to dodge, and the others to freak out.

Leon then suddenly had his axe bladed tail swing out from under the desk, knocking away some of the mens guns. He then came back out, throwing off his cloak, and jumping through the air. The men having their aim on Maple then turned to shoot fireball bullets at him, to which he deflected with his swords that he then drew. He landed between them and Maple, and then struck the two with his axe tail, causing them to yell and fall. Leon looked to Maple, who then nodded to him, as her hands glowed green, and caused the earth to move and attack some of the men. At this point all the other gunmen joined the fight. Robert then stood up, as the cloak on him burned off, leaving him unharmed. Twin Rose smirked. “Ah, I’ve seen you three. This will be interesting.”

At this point, Sora then took out his beam sword, and blaster, as Zach heated up his hands with fire. “Let’s give them a hand.” Sora said.
Zach nodded. “Right, I’ll support you. Omni, you should get the people clear.”

Omni nodded. “I’ll make sure they will be fine.” He started moving away, as he would make light walls appear suddenly as needed to prevent stray bullets from hitting anyone. Omni disliked fighting, so he preferred to take a less direct approach. He was more suited to protect people out of the collective group anyway.

Suddenly more goons were appearing off to the side with assault rifles, firing both fire and ice bullets at Sora and Zach. Sora took out his reflector to put up a force field to protect from the bullets. “This is gonna be tough to get close, the reflector won’t last forever.”

“Leave that to me.” Zach said, forming fireballs in his hand. He would peer around the reflector, and fire back at their assailants. They pushed back the attackers, as the got close enough to attack directly, where Sora would aim to slice their guns apart with his beam sword.

Twin Rose jumped back from an attack from Robert, and he notice Sora and Zach. “Hmm….This might actually complicate matters…” He mumbled, turning back to Robert.

Robert had taken a combat stance he could make in his bulky body. “Who are you? Why are you even attacking us?” Robert questioned.

Twin rose sighed. “I already said I was a member of the rose thorn gang. Im addressed as Red Rose. And as for attacking you, I could tell you were going to try something, so I figured I’d make an example of you.” He paused for a brief moment, then smirked. “Though I have no personal stake with you. Convince your friends to leave, and I’ll let the three of you leave. I don’t need what you have anyway, and I’d rather not deal with the hassle.” He narrowed his eyes. “You aren’t a hero, I know what you three are about. Pack it up and go home.”

Roberts light like eyes narrowed, as he fired off a rocket fist without warning, to which Red just sidestepped. “Where they go, I go.”

“Tch! Then convince them to leave, before I break you apart.” Red said, putting his hand out as flames shot at Robert. Robert didn’t need to protect against flames that much, but he had to protect a few exposed weak points in his face. Red kept stepping closer, but then from behind Roberts rocket fist was returning to strike Red. Being aware of the fist, and hearing its propulsion, he figured it was coming to strike him. He then backflipped, landing on Roberts fist, and riding it to him. When the flames stopped, Robert thought he hit him, and let his guard down, but then Red was right in his face as he shot a fireball right at Robert, then jumped forward. The flames directly to the face stunned him for just a moment, as his own fist crashed into his chest. As Red jumped over, he shot Robert in the back of the head with his gun. The combined force of all these attacks on vital areas knocked Robert out entirely, as he doubled over on his chest motionless.
Red landed back on the ground, dusting himself off. “Not as bad as I expected.” He then looked at the groups of Zach and Sora, then of Maple and Leon. He noticed by how they fought that he figured the latter had less combat experience, and figured it would be smarter to take those two out first. He looked around, and saw one of the downed men of his with a blue rose suit, and picked up his blue rose gun. He saw of the two, Leon seemed more aggressive, deeming him the easier one to exploit. “Hey, Lizard lips!” Red yelled to get Leon’s attention. Leon noticed Red, and rushed at him. The rose goons backed off and turned their attention towards Maple.

“I’ll kill you asssssshole!” Leon yelled, both swords drawn, jumping at Red when close.

Red simply leaned back to dodge, launching fireballs at Leon as he landed. Though Leon was able to destroy them with his axe tail. That tail might prove difficult… Red smirked at Leon. “You kill me? More threatening men then you have tried. Your friends a pile of rubble on the floor back there for one.”

“Like I give a ssssshit about him.” Leon leaped at him again, but this time Red blocked the sword blows with his pistol? Red smirked, as Leon was in for a point blank flamethrower to the chest. Leon was to close to use his tail in time, and unable to counterattack such an attack. Leon charged again, but rather then jumping he simply charged right at him, swinging his swords outwards to cover his sides. Red jumped back, but then Leon quickly spin around to strike with his tail, just barely cutting Red’s suit but missing direct contact. “Why are you sssssso fast?!” Leon questioned, as kept slashing at Red.

“It’s not just speed. Your green. Predictable.” When Leon left himself open, Red took out the blue pistol, and shot Leon in the right wrist with an ice bullet. Leon yelled, dropping his sword. He quickly swung with his tail, going for the gun, but Red stepped back just enough for Leon to miss and land near his feet. Red then stepped on this end of Leon’s tail, pinning it down, as he then shot the tail with an ice bullet. Leon was still yelling, as Red then shot him in the right shoulder with another bullet. Leon then stumbled forward to one knee. Red chuckled, and he picked up one of Leon’s swords. “Read like a book.” As he casually walked in front of Leon.

Leon tried to move his tail to attack, but found he couldn’t. He couldn’t feel his left hand either, and he found moving his right arm was very tough. “W-w-what did you….do to me?.....”

Red chuckled. “You’re a lizard. All I had to do was get you cold. Do you not even understand your own weaknesses? Your even more green then I thought.” He shoo his head. “Ah well.” He then moved to strike with Leons sword. Leon managed to block the strike with his remaining sword, though his arm was starting to spaz out, as the blood in his should was getting cold, making it hard to move his arm. Red smirked. “Impressive.” Then he shot Leon in the gut with yet another bullet. Leon yelled, dropping his remaining sword, as he began to shake. “But your finished.” He then kicked Leon down to his back. Leon’s body went into shock due to the pain and cold.
Red chuckled again, putting both his guns away, tossing Leons sword to the ground by his body. Either he was taking mercy on the kid, or he felt he was so disposed of he’d cause no further problems. “A shame. These kids are so green.” He then looked to Maple, who was continued to be pressured by the powerful gunfire. He strolled over to where the action was happening and called out to her. “Little lady!” He yelled. She looked, and the gunfire stopped for a moment in response to Red putting his hand up. “Now Im willing to let you collect your friends and leave if you drop this little noble act right now.” He gestured to Robert and Leon. “I took these two down alone, but I’ve spared them. Make no mistake, I’ve killed powered humans more skilled then you, so taking you down would be nothing.” He paused, as he detected Maple’s nervousness. “But I have no quarrel with you today. All I ask…” He then looked to Sora and Zach. “Is help me take out the bigger fish. Then we’ll call this whole thing even. You don’t like them either right? It would be a win win.” He then pointed his gun at her. “So make your choice.”

Maple looked nervous, but it didn’t take her long to make up her mind. She caused a mass chunk of the ground to rise up, but just when she looked like she would strike Red with it, she turned and tossed it towards Sora and Zach! Zach managed to blast the rock into pieces in time. Suddenly all of Red’s men turned their guns to the two of them. “Your right, it’s a win win.” Maple said, smirking.

“Good! Let us make quick work of them. You might even find yourself with an offer afterwards!” Red said, now turning to face Zach and Sora.

Sora and Zach were now pinned down on all sides. “This isn’t looking good…” Zach said.

“No, there’s no way we can take this many.” Sora added.

Red started chuckling as he moved within earshot. “Stand down World Savers! You can’t take all of us. Surrender to the Rose Thorn Gang, and maybe I’ll assure you’ll have mercy from the higher ups. You have ten seconds to lay your weapons down, or my men will riddle you full of holes! Ten!.....Nine!...”

“I can try and cover us in a fire dome, but I don’t know if it will stop that many attacks…” Zach said.

“That’s about all we have. I’ll move my reflector around to help cover you.” Sora added.

“Two!....On- Gah!“ But then suddenly a large ball covered in ice crashed into Red, knocking him away. Everyone’s attention was grabbed, as they looked to see Ray with his special finishing rod. “What are you all waiting on?!” Red yelled. They all began to open fire, half on Ray, half on Sora and Zach, when suddenly all three parties were covered by darkness, shielding them from attacks. Eric then came in through the air, landing near Red and Maple. She fired green energy balls at him, while Red shot a stream of fire, to which he countered with darkness, knocking them both away. Red and Maple got to their feet. “Of all the ones left in town, it had to be him that showed up….”
Eric then called to the others. “Alright everyone, regroup and take them out!”

Red took out his gun, as Maple charged energy in her hands. “Don’t think im finished yet, Im more then prepared for you.”

Eric narrowed his eyes. “Let’s see.”



On the other end of the fair, Rem and Aqua were moving through the crowd, trying not to attract the attention of the goons. “Im seeing so many of them Rem…” Aqua said.

“We need to try and regroup with the others first. Who knows how dangerous these guys are- Ahh!” Rem was interrupted by an icy blast to the back, knocking him forward to the ground.

“Rem!” Aqua yelled, bending over to remove the ice. She looked at their attacker, to see a man in gang suit.

His was also black with roses and vine patterns, but his roses were blue and sparkled with a glitter effect as well. From the back, he also had two large roses with the same sparkle effect. He had icy light blue, nearly white hair, and light blue lenses to his glasses. “You really think the regional leader of the World Savers could just stroll around and not get noticed? Maybe the uninformed, but we are a little smarter then that.” The twin blue rose man said. Some of the thugs also began to gather.

Aqua helped Rem up, as he was still low to the ground. “And who’s this ‘we’ you speak of? I’ve never seen you lot around before.” Rem asked.

“W-what?! You haven’t heard of the Rose Thorn Gang?!” The leader asked, stuttering.

“Yeah, guess I should of figured that. Kinda hard to see with the sneak attack. Who are you then?” Rem asked. He was getting a read off this guy, and trying to get some information out of this guy by acting unbothered by this.

“God your more chill then I am.” He chuckled, then waved his hand through his icy hair. “But anyway Im The Blue Rose of the Rose Thorn Gang. But you may address me as Blue. Or Ice, if you prefer.”

Rem and Aqua both looked unimpressed. “Well then ‘Blue’, what is your goal then? What do you want?” Aqua asked.

“Simple my dear. We are simply here for all the money at this annual fair. That’s all.” He boasted. “But then Red Rose gave me a report that members of the World Savers had been spotted in the area, and lookie who I found. The leader of the area. So I figured the boss man would like you as a prize. The gang will be taken much more seriously with a few members of the World Savers captured. Plus I seriously doubt if I ask you nicely you’ll bug off, so here we are.” Blue finished.

“Very impressive. So nothing new, very uninspired. Well either way, thanks for filling us in on all the details.” Rem said, chuckling a little.

Blue’s eyes widened, noticing he just said to much. He was getting annoyed at this point. “Oh you think your funny, huh?! Well it doesn’t matter what you know, if you die right here and now!” Blue said, taking out a blue rose pistol.

Rem took out an energy blaster, as they aimed at each other. Aqua’s hands glowed blue, forming water around her. “I invite you to try.”

“Rem, where’s your tools?” Aqua whispered.

“Back at the cabin. Don’t worry, I have enough to get by, but I need your support.” Rem whispered back.

Aqua smiled. “Always!”

“Hey! Quit your yappin you two! Were fightin here!” Blue yelled.

“Really? It looks more like your just yelling with a gun in your hand.” Rem taunted.

Blue was furious, and took his shot, to which Rem took his. The energy blast met the bullet, and they collided, nulling both attacks. He looked shocked that his bullet was caught, while Rem looked smug. “What are you lot waiting for!? Shoot them!”

All the grunts opened fire on Aqua and Rem, when Aqua quickly put a dome of water around them. Since they were firing ice bullets, they just froze on contact with the wall, but Aqua kept unfreezing the water so the bullets wouldn’t break through. Blue was looking more annoyed then before as he kept firing. Rem looked over his shoulder at Aqua. “When he goes to reload his gun, drop the dome between me and him.” Rem instructed her, to which Aqua nodded. Blue kept firing, but it didn’t take long for him to need to reload. As soon as he did, the water between him and Rem parted, and Rem charged at him. Suddenly Rem took out his extending staff, and struck Blue’s hand with it, disarming him instantly. Rem quickly pulled his energy blaster on Blue, but Blue suddenly shot the blaster from his hand with a blast of ice from his other hand. ”Wait, if he can use ice powers, why does he have a gun?” But Rem didn’t have time to think about that as he went to take Blue out quickly with his staff. Blue suddenly took out a blue rose that quickly extended into a staff as well to block Rem’s attack. Rem looked surprised, while Blue smirked. “Not bad.”

“Thanks, but that mistake will be your last. Alright boys!” Blue called out, as a number of the goons turned their guns on Rem, and opened fire on him.

Aqua yelled. “Rem no!” Then suddenly tendrils of water burst from the dome to block the bullets, but some were pegging Rem.

Blue then formed ice in his hands, as he looked at Rem’s grimacing face. “Let’s see you block this- huh?” Suddenly, he was grabbed from behind, and suddenly suplexed! “Gaaahhhh!” Blue yelled. Kari had been the one to take Blue by surprise, and she suddenly took out two reflectors, and held him on both sides of Rem. Luckily the sudden attack on Blue had caused the goons to be surprised, so she managed to not get hit while she did this.

“Amazing timing Kari, and nice move! But we need to get back in Aqua’s dome before the reflectors run out of charge. ” Rem said.

“Already on it.” Kari said. Then suddenly explosions went off around the area, and Ion blasts were firing from behind the attack. Ralph and Brett were also here, and beginning to thin the numbers, as they were much better shots as the covered each other. Kari then supported Rem on her shoulder, as she walked him into Aqua’s dome. “Easy now.” Kari said, sitting him down.

Rem had been fighting through the pain, but now that he had a moments rest, the pain of the bullets in his legs were really catching up to him. Aqua kept one hand in the air to maintain the dome, while the other she used to cover Rem’s legs with water to remove the bullets and ice. “What were you thinking?! You could of gotten seriously hurt!” Aqua yelled.

“Ugh! Sorry, but I had to try something. I couldn’t let you get hurt. Besides. You had my back.” Rem said, forcing a smile through the pain.

Aqua blushed very slightly, but quickly composed herself. “It’s going to take me a minute to remove these bullets, hold still.”

Kari kept a look out, her gun drawn. Luckily Ralph and Brett had kept most of the attention off of them. But then Blue got back up, and picked his gun and staff back up. “You son of a bitch!” Blue was about to turn around and charge the dome, when he saw something running at him. “Is that a fox pup?...” He questioned to himself, but then suddenly it jumped at him, and a light of aura flashed, as now Raylu was right in front of him, airborn. “Well f-“ Then Raylu roundhouse kicked Blue, sending him into a nearby abandoned stand.

Raylu then began to fire off aura blasts, driving off several attackers. He then dove into Aqua’s dome, and threw an aura sphere around them. Aqua noticed, and quickly dropped her own dome, as she went full on healing on Rem’s bullets. “Is Sir Rem alright?” Raylu questioned.

“He’s gonna be fine, he only got hit in the legs.” Aqua said.

Rem then made a pained noise. “Gah! I…I think I have one in my side.”

Aqua looked worried, but didn’t lose focus. “I’ll get that now then.”

Outside Raylu’s aura sphere, Ralph and Brett were keeping the goons at bay, as now many were taking cover behind the stands. Blue put his fingers to his ear from his pile of rubble. “Ugggh! Red Rose, do you copy? How are things on your end, we have a problem here.”

”You loudmouthed fool. I’m kind of tied up here. We have them outnumbered for now, but they are quickly pushing us back. Let’s meet up at the center now as planned. Our combined forces should be enough to overwhelm them. I’ve already given the order for all inactive men to had there now to build cover and supporting fire. Don’t die on me before you get there.” Red’s call then ended.

Blue looked annoyed, but he had no choice but to comply. “Everyone! Delta phase, now!” Blue then formed some large ice balls in his hands, and tossed them into the fray between his men and the Shining Force. Large masses of ice formed, creating small whirling gusts of icy wind in the area. A makeshift smokescreen. Blue then took off, as his men began to follow him.

It took a few seconds for the ice wind to clear, but by then the Rose’s were already a good distance away. They all converged on Rem’s location, as Raylu lowered the sphere. “Dude, are you alright?” Ralph asked, looking worried.

“I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me for now. Ralph, Brett, Kari, follow them now. We can’t lose them. Follow, but don’t attack until we arrive.” Rem ordered, as the three of them nodded, and took off.

Raylu and Aqua moved Rem to a safer location, as Aqua continued to remove the bullets and heal. Rem looked at him. “I need my gear Raylu, can you get it for me, then we’ll meet up with others.”

Raylu nodded. “Of course sir.” Raylu then put his fingers to his head, as he teleported away.

Aqua was trying to stay composed. “You really need to stop being so reckless, ok?”

Rem frowned. “I’m sorry for worrying you. I had to do something.”

Aqua sighed, and continued healing. “It’s alright. Just….make sure you don’t take any injuries I can’t heal you from, ok?”

“Got it, sorry…Let me confirm the situation with Eric, alright?” Rem said, as Aqua nodded. Rem confirmed that Red’s troops did the same as Blue’s and they all sorted the plan. As soon as Rem was good, he and Aqua got up, and ran to catch up with everyone.




On the very edge of the fair grounds, a bunch of robots from the Harrison robotics company were all disabled and smashed around another group of Rose Thorn Gang members, with one standing out. He had the same suit on as the rest, but one side had sparkling blue roses, and the other red. On the back of his suit were three roses, one red, one blue, and one with mixed red and blue peddles. They all sparkled as well as looking metallic. He had a black fedora with a mixed color rose on it, and shades of red and blue lenses. His hair was also half red and half blue on each side. He had a very different air about him. He seemed to be listening in on the comm channel of the other leaders. “Hmm…Very interesting. We may need to get our hands dirty today as well men.” He said, hands in his pockets, sounding very threatening yet calm and light tone.

Then approaching this group was a batch of robots, led by The Megaton, Tony Flander. “Rose Thorn Gang, by the authority granted to me, I am ordering you to stand down now. Resistance will be met with force!” Tony spoke over the suits speaker.

The triple rose man then turned around to meet the approaching forces, as he walked forward alone. “I wondered if the Megaton would appear before us today. Quite late, aren’t you?”

Tony prepped his shoulder mounted ion cannon, as the robots readied to attack with palm blasts, awaiting Tony’s order. “Don’t come another step closer, last warning.”



Triple rose chuckled. “Really? You in the power suit fear me?” He paused, laughing, leaning his body backwards, then snapped back forwards. “Well you should.” Then suddenly a beep was heard from his pocket, as a massive wave of electricity flooded the area, disabling all the robots, and also causing Megatons power to rapidly drop. “Did you not think we planned for your arrival?”

“Damn….An EMP.” Tony muddered, as Triple Rose approached.

“Tsk tsk tsk. Now I expected better from someone of your renown, O great Megaton!” He laughed in front of the suit.

As Triple Rose came close though, the suit opened, and Tony lept for him. He tried to punch him, but Triple Rose blocked the blow with his arm. “Im taking you in, one way or another.” Tony then reached for his sidearm, but as soon as he drew it, it was blasted out of his hand by a blast of cold blue white flames.

“I think not.” Then suddenly Tony was blasted back into his suit, and was frozen to it by this strange looking red ice. The impact of the blast, combined with the crash into the suit knocked him out. “Alright everyone, back to your posts. We need to be prepared to clean this mess up if The Red and Blue Roses don’t pull though.” “Sir yes sir!” They all responded. ”Soon World Savers I’ll finally put my strength to the test against you all…” Triple Rose thought to himself.



Back at the festival grounds, there was a large mass of stalls at the intersection at main street. This appeared to be where the Rose Thorn Gang set up their defense. It was well fortified, as well as having coverage from all directions of the festival grounds. It was impossible to sneak up on them from any street, as there were to many goons keeping lookout. Rem’s team from earlier was on the east street, while Eric’s was on the west. Everyone had their badge commutators out, speaking with one another. “Ok Eric, your group was here first, right? What’s going on?” Rem asked.

“Well as you can see, they’ve completely taken main street intersection. The problem is since this was the main area of the festival there are tons of stalls, and lots of goons. A sneak attack is nearly impossible.” Eric answered.

“This is Brett. Im on a rooftop to the northeast getting a birds eye view. I’ve been doing some scouting, and it looks like they have a number of hostages as well. The leaders are held up in the center with the hostages, with a large number of stalls surrounding them.” Brett interjected.

“Looks like some earth walls have been made by that one mutant girl. She was assisting the gang boss when I arrived. These walls have given them a lot of additional cover.” Eric added.

“This one looks like its gonna be tough. First off we need to assure the hostages safety before anything else. Brett, is there any possible weak points we can exploit?” Rem asked.

“Approaching from any direction on the ground is going to be tough with the amount of manpower they have, not to mention the earth human will make even a power filled approach slow. But at the center, while they are covered on ground defense, an attack from above would be clear as they have no defense. I have a clear shot from here depending on what action we take.” Brett explained.

“Alright. For sure we need to get people who can use ether teleport or make portals to the center. But we’ll need a heavy diversion so they can approach and get in to get the hostages out. So here’s what we’re gonna do…” Rem began to plan out the attack.



In the huddle in the center of the fair grounds, the gang leaders were in the middle of conversing. “Boss man is not going to be happy about this, man! A simple heist has turned into a mess involving the world savers.” Blue complained.

“Calm yourself down already, we can handle a few normal guys and like three world savers. We got the man power for this, so just relax. We aren’t some slouches.” Red barked at Blue.

“I guess but-“ Then suddenly a white sphere then landed into area where they were all gathered at, when it suddenly began giving off massive amounts of thick white smoke. “Smoke bomb!”

“Yeah no shit, get ready for anything.” Red said.

As soon as the smoke bomb landed, Eric on one side and Raylu on the other both suddenly made their charge for the center. Eric formed shadows into a disk, and he rode over the battlefield, while Raylu started jumping from stall roof to roof, closing the ground. Grunts that were posted outside the man area began to move towards Eric and Raylu in an attempt to stop them. At this moment, the remaining members of both groups headed out to engage the grunts to keep their attention off of Eric and Raylu. Brett continued to keep the center under heavy smoke pressure.

Once Eric and Raylu arrived, they quickly found the hostages using their aura sight. “Cover me Raylu. Everyone, this way!” Eric said, forming a portal for them to escape into.

At this moment, Red and Blue both found them as the smoke began to lift, but Raylu was prepared. Blue charged Raylu with his rose blade, to which Raylu parried with his staff. Red aimed his gun at Raylu, but with his free hand Raylu blasted him back with a sphere of aura energy.

Blue glared at Raylu. “You’re a little shit, aren’t ya furry?” He then suddenly put his hand up, firing ice from his hands. Raylu jumped up into the air to dodge, when Red managed to shot Raylu with his gun.

Raylu winced in pain, but then shot strait down at blue with a flaming foot. “Havoc Strike!” He then crashed at quick speed into Blue, knocking him straight into the ground.

Raylu turned to Red, who started shooting at him again, as Raylu started deflecting shots with his staff. “Your fast, aren’t you?...” Red mumbled. Then suddenly he heard a click, his gun was out of shots. Raylu noticed this, charging right at Red. Red looked worried, but then suddenly smirked, as he dropped his gun, and shot fire from his hand at Raylu at point blank range. Raylu then, leapt from the flames, his fur on fire, looking rather pissed. “Well shit then.” Red said, being blasted by a large aura blast from Raylu, blasting him into a stall.

Raylu then looked up, as suddenly some grunts appeared, giving Red and Blue cover fire, forcing Raylu to back off. He retreated to Eric, who just finished getting everyone out. “You doin alright Raylu?” Eric asked, having a wall of shadows block the bullets.

“I shall be fine, Sir Eric….Other then the singes in my fur.” Raylu then noticed more auras moving in. “We are about to be over run.”

“We should pull back, and get a better defensive position.” Eric said, lifting them out of the small area with shadows, while Raylu gave cover fire.





Out on the outside of the battle grounds, the others were trading blaster fire and power shots, mostly trying to keep them away from the center where Raylu and Eric were. Then suddenly massive earth walls kept appearing to block fire, as boulders were being launched through the area. Maple was in the back, trying to provide more cover for the goons, while also thin out the group with powered attacks. The group was split apart because of this tactic, and Maple was going to prove tough to take down amidst the battle. Rem then contacted Brett. “Brett, can you get a clear shot at Maple?”

”Not from here, no. She’s got earth walls covering her blind spots.” Brett responded.

“Alright. Then I’ll get in close and take her out.” Rem said, then as he was about to move from his cover, Leon suddenly appeared from behind him, slashing him with his swords. Rem was to distracted by the gunfire to hear him approach, and was cleanly slashed, but then managed to put distance between them. “Ugh…So your working for them now?”

“I don’t know whatsssssss going on, but if Maple’s fighting you sheeee has our back.” Leon said, leaping at Rem again.

He managed to draw his sword and shield this time to block the attacks, but Maple’s assault was going unopposed. “Someone needs to take Maple out, or we aren’t getting anywhere here.” Rem sent out to everyone, as he began to fight with Leon.

Elsewhere on the battlefield, Aqua and Zach found themselves close to Maple, and they contacted each other. “Aqua, let’s flank her. Match my attacks and create us some approaching cover.”

“Got it, I’ll follow your lead.” Aqua responded, as they then both dashed out from their cover, approaching Maple from both sides.

She quickly noticed them, and turned her attacks towards them, but they were ready. They began firing water and fire blasts at each other, as the continued attacks quickly made a lot of thick steam in the air. Since Maple couldn’t detect auras, she had no idea where they were, when suddenly Zach was in the air above her, about to strike with his sword! Maple covered her arms in stone to block this attack, but that was the plan. Aqua suddenly came out of the steam to flank Maple, and fired high powered water at her from the steam, crashing into her and launching her into one of her own earth walls. Zach landed next to Aqua, and gave her a thumbs up. “Nice one! That was great teamwork!” He smiled.

Aqua smiled, but then suddenly felt something coming, as she got in front of Zach and made a massive ice wall to block a sudden energy attack. “What was that?!” Aqua exclaimed.

Brett then contacted everyone. ”Guys, we have trouble. Robert Stone arrived on the battlefield. He’s sending cannon blasts everywhere.”

Ralph then reached out to the others next. “I can take him, someone give me an assist.” Ralph said, charging through the battlefield. Ray suddenly broke out, and followed suit. The two of them rushed at him, dodging canon blasts, until they got to close, forcing him to change back into his more humanoid form. He quickly fired a rocket fist at Ralph, who then jumped onto it, and placed a bomb on it quickly before jumping back off. He then started firing ion blasts at Robert with both blasters.

Robert then aimed his second fist at Ralph in midair, crashing right into him. Ray readied his spiked ball from his fishing rod, and sent it at Robert while he was fistless. Roberts first fist returned in time to catch Ray’s attack, but then he noticed the bomb attached to his fist, and a little to late. Ralph then set the bomb off, blasting Robert in the face. Ray recalled his ball, and went for more blows, while Ralph followed up with supporting fire.



Back in the center grounds, Raylu and Eric were struggling to take the location back and keep pushing on Red and Blue. “We got’em now! Keep firing men!” Blue exclaimed. But then suddenly more smokescreen bombs where shot down into the fray, giving Raylu and Eric the cover they needed. They split up, Raylu charging right at them, as Blue and Red readied for his attack. But then he pulled a fakeout, and jumped right up, and gathered aura light in his hand, and let out a blinding flash at the group, blinding them for a moment. Then Eric was following up, as the black mark on his hand glowed, causing a wave of chaos darkness to wash over the entire group, knocking out nearly all the reserve grunts.

Once Blue and Red recovered, Raylu charged again. Blue went to strike with his rose sword, but this time Raylu stuck his hand with his staff filled with aura power. The impact completely disarmed him, then moved the staff up to his head to strike again, knocking him flat down.

Red was about to assist, but then Eric blasted him with a beam right from the back of his hand, overpowering what strength he had left. Once Blue opened his eyes, he saw Raylu’s staff, filled with energy, pointed at his face. “It’s time to yield.” Raylu stated.

Red tired to get off his chest and stand, but Eric stepped on him, keeping him pinned down. “Don’t try it, call off your attack.” Eric followed.

Then suddenly there was an explosion, heard from above, as Brett’s possession was bombed! He started to fall, but grabbed onto the side of a building side ladder. “Brett!” Eric exclaimed, as he was about to move to get him, but Brett radioed everyone with his stone.

Guys…..Ugh….New forces from the north street. Brett contacted.

Eric and Raylu looked north, as they were up the north street of the intersection. Another large group of grunts appeared, led by the same man who took down Tony Flander outside of the fair grounds with the three roses on his suit. These grunts looked far more well armed then the ones they faced so far. “Impressive!” Triple Rose called out. “But I expected nothing less from ex members of the world savers. You all meet expectations.”

Eric narrowed his eyes, calling back. “Call off your men, this is over!”

Triple Rose began to laugh. “Call it off?! I don’t think you are in a position to make demands, Mr. Nightngale! Your group has ruined this operation, so now the only way to make up for this loss is with your heads!”

“Sir Eric, they will attack any second, we need to make a move before we are forced.” Raylu quickly spoke.

Eric narrowed his eyes. “They have very heavy fire power. Power barriers will only buy us so much time, we are going to need to pull back, and find a way to thin them out. If we get cornered from all sides, this is over.”


“Then I’ll follow your lead.” Raylu said, as small lights began to gather around him.

“Times up Mr. Nightngale! I hope you prayed to whatever God you believe in!” Triple Rose then moved his hand forward, as a large number of men from the front had charged up miniguns, and began their assault on Eric and Raylu.

Eric’s hand glowed, as a massive wall of chaos darkness went between them and the grunts. “Raylu, take a shot!”

Raylu nodded, then jumped in the air, above the wall of darkness. The grounded goons noticed him, and prepared to fire, but Raylu was already ready. The lights that had formed around him grew to very large sizes, as he fired them all off at the group below. They would keep growing, until they made impact with the crowd, causing them all to be scattered. This bought them enough time for Eric to drop his wall, and retreat backwards towards the intersection with Raylu. They took cover for now in the destroyed stalls, while they regrouped. Eric then took out his stone to contact the others. “Guys, this is bad, they have at least twice the man power as before, and three times the fire power. We need to take out the stragglers as soon as possible, and get ready for a final assault.”

”Copy that Eric, we’ll regroup as soon as possible, just hold out for now.” Rem’s voice responded.


Back up on the north street, Triple Rose was moving his troops towards the intersection, stopping to look down at Blue and Red struggling to recover. “Unbelievable….Make yourselves useful and get the wounded out of here. I’ll handle the rest, you got that?” He said, in a very stern and disappointed tone.

“O-of course sir….” Blue mumbled.

“Got it boss.” Red said, sounding defeated.

Triple Rose said nothing more, as he simply turned back away, and continued his march down north main.



Brett managed to climb back to a more stable ground on the side of the building, but before he could manage anything, the view of south main street caught his attention. Some of the recovered goons from the earlier attacks, plus some new ones with heavy fire power were coming up south street.
“Where do they keep coming from?....” He then took his badge out to contact the others. “Guys, this isn’t good. More coming from the south. We are about to get overwhelmed.”


But then suddenly, before the south bound grunts could get within range, light walls appeared, blocking them in that street. Omni was on top of a roof, overlooking the action. “I’ll hold these ones here for you.” He called out.

“Alright everyone, let’s get to Eric and Raylu as quick as possible!” Rem sent out to everyone. While he had been fighting Leon, Leon was finding he had no more energy to give, and was making an evasive play. Rem tried to follow him, firing ice blasts, but Leon was much faster then him, and was able to slip by.

Leon saw that Maple and Robert were close by, so he moved towards Maple, who was still fighting off Aqua and Zach. He managed to get the drop on Zach, landing on his shoulders, and striking him in the back with his axe tail. Zach yelled, and went to his knees, to which Aqua quickly went to move towards him, covering the both of them from Maple’s attacks. Maple looked to Leon when he arrived. “You good? We gotta get outta here!”

“Let’s fetcccccch the hunk of rocccccks then.” Leon said.

Maple nodded, and then formed a large rock that the two of them got on, and it shot across the battlefield. Ray and Ralph saw this coming, and quickly dodged to the side to not get plowed. “Robert, let’s go!” She said, opening the now hollow boulder. Robert nodded, and the three of them got inside, as it sealed up. Rumbling was heard from the inside.

Ralph shot some bombs at the boulder, but once it was blown open, they were gone. The ground had shown signs it had been opened up and closed as well. “Damn it, they got away!” Ralph said.

“Worry about them later, the others need us.” Ray responded, to which Ralph nodded, and they quickly started heading to Eric’s position.


Aqua was quickly trying to tend to Zach’s wound, as he slowly began to stand. “Thanks Aqua, I owe ya. Now let’s get movin.”

“Are you sure you can fight?” She asked him.

“Of course, we gotta job to do. Come’on.” Zach said, full of energy. Aqua simply sighed, and followed suit.



Now, the group was all back together, as Eric had fortified the center area with solid darkness walls. “What’s going on Eric?” Rem quickly asked him.

“It looks like the big fish has appeared. He seems to be in charge of the other two big shots. They got a lot of fire power as well. Miniguns and rocket launchers, and possibly more.” Eric responded.

“That leader seems to have a very unusual aura about him as well….I can’t quite place it, which I’m not used to.” Raylu added.

“Possibly a powered human or mutant then.” Rem said.

Ralph and Ray suddenly arrived, as they were the furthest out. “That mutant trio gave us the slip. But…” Ralph looked at what they were dealing with. “That’s probably good news. We already have our hands full.”

Rem nodded. “Eric, I think you and Aqua should focus on our defense. Keep power walls up to block as much of the oncoming fire as possible. The rest of you should come with me. If we take out the boss, we might be able to end this quickly. Ralph, Raylu, and Ray, you three should focus on keeping anyone from firing at us from close range. I doubt they will use to heavy fire power on us if we are attacking their boss that close. Everyone clear?” Everyone nodded, or gave an indication of approval. “Great, then let’s move. Follow my lead.” He then contacted Brett. “Brett, cover our approach from your position as best you can.” Rem then got up, and started moving out towards Triple Rose’s forces.

Triple Rose saw Rem appear. “Ah! So the head of the snake appears! I knew if I poked around long enough you’d appear! I’ve been waiting for you!” He yelled across the street.

Rem yelled back. “Who do I have the pleasure of addressing?”

Triple Rose laughed. “I suppose you should at least know who your opponent is. Very well! You may address me as the Blitz Rose of the Rose Thorn Gang, Mr. Stratford. Now, shall we skip the part where we request the other to stand down, and just fight already?” At this, Rem drew his sword and shield, to which Blitz laughed. “Wonderful! Cutting right to the chase. Alright then, come on!” He called out, as the gun fire began to fly towards everyone.

Then around the battlefield, walls made of darkness and water sprang up, blocking a massive amount of the gunfire, allowing the ground group to get close. Rem was about to go on the attack, but Blitz then raised his hand and fired a stream of the cold blue flames at him, focing him to block with his shield. Wait a second….is this freezing fire? How is that possible? I’m the only one I’ve ever seen use that…

Blitz smirked at Rem’s shocked expression. “I see you noticed. I’ve been hoping to test my strength against you.” He paused. “To answer the question your thinking, power is on the rise once again. Powered humans wont simply roll over and disappear like before.”

Then from the side, Zach came from the side, firing a stream of fire at Blitz, to which he fired a stream of burning ice to match it. Though it seemed at first Blitz held the edge, Zach’s power was soon overtaking Blitz’s, and he appeared to grow nervous. “Nice try buddy, but it looks like your all bite.” Zach said.

Rem was about to make a move, but then he suddenly saw a rocket being fired from a rocket launcher heading towards Zach, so he quickly called out to him. “Zach, to your right!”

Zach noticed, and quickly covered himself in a sphere of fire, but the explosion was strong, and sent Zach flying off into a nearby building. Blitz then focused on Rem again, now using both hands to keep Rem pinned down. Then suddenly, Raylu and Sora jumped Blitz , charging at him with staff and sword attacks. He was forced to dodge, causing his attack on Rem to stop. But his dodge put him near Kari, who was ready and grabbed him, getting him in a full nelson. ”Guys get’em!”She called out.

Blitz remained calm, and as Raylu, Rem, and Sora approached, he fired blasts of his powers from his hands, which Kari wasn’t able to pin down. This didn’t hit them, but it kept them at bay. Sora got close, but then Blitz just began to flip forward, taking Kari off her feet , and flipping her over him, using her body to crash into Sora, who dropped his swords in attempt to catch Kari and not accidently hit her. But when he did catch her, Blitz struck them both a wave of burning ice, pinning them both to the ground. Raylu charged Blitz again, but he quickly kicked up Sora’s beam sword up to himself, and used it to block Raylu’s staff. Raylu was about to counter, but then minigun fire began to be fired at him, forcing him to retreat.

Ralph had his blasters ready, as he bravely charged at the men with the miniguns, as they turned their attention from Raylu to him. Ralph then took out his reflector, as the bullets were being reflected back at the miniguns, causing those being fired to be hit by their own gunfire, damaging the guns. Up close pistol fire began to be fired at Ralph, but he remained calm, dodging around their shots, as Raylu rushed to his aid, offering more suppressive fire with aura attacks. Ray joined in at well, using his iron ball to help take out larger weaponry.

Rem tried to free Sora and Kari from the hot ice with….regular ice? The normal versions of the power countered the reverse version. Blitz didn’t remain distracted by Raylu for long, and he turned his attention back to Rem. He fired another wave of freezing fire at Rem, which he was forced to block with his shield. “You are going to die here Mr. Stratford. It’s a shame, I expected a better challenge from you.” From the distance, grunts were prepping more rockets, preparing to fire them at Rem, Sora, and Kari!

Blitz began to back up, but keeping his attack on Rem, forcing him to be unable to move to counter attack. Rem’s free hand was still trying to free Sora and Kari, so he couldn’t move and risk them dying either.

The rockets were then fired, one from northeast, and other northwest, while Blitz’s attack from from directly north. But as they neared them all, they suddenly exploded mid path, causing the explosion to cause Blitz to be caught off guard, stopping his attack. Brett had shot the rockets from his perch, then quickly turned his attention back to the launchers so another attack wouldn’t happen from them. This bought Rem time to finish thawing out the others. “Sora, shoot him with ice, quickly!” Rem quickly ordered. Sora took out his blaster, set it to ice, and fired a few shots at Blitz, who was still recovering from the explosion shockwave. These attacks hit him directly, causing him to stagger. “Kari, get on my shield, quickly!” Rem continued to order, as he crouched, and angled his shield, as Kari climbed on top of it. Rem then used his gauntlets to power up his strength, and he used his shield to launch Kari at Blitz. She flew through the air, and tackled Blitz to the ground. He tried to attack her with his hands, but she grabbed him by his wrists, and struck him with a headbutt, dazing him further. Weakened by Sora’s ice blasts, he lacked the strength to fight Kari off, as the others began to group around Blitz, as many of the gang members were retreating back.

Rem stood over him, taking some silver looking bands out. “It’s over Blitz. I know your weaknesses better then you do. You’d do best to not make his any harder then it already is on yourself.”

Blitz began to laugh. “Here I thought I was ready for you. I guess I need more training. But you forget one thing, World Savers….” He paused, catching his breath. “There’s always more than one throrn to a rose bush!” Then suddenly a barrage of fire and ice blasts began to fly at the group, some of them hit, and moving back. Red and Blue roses came back into the fray, trying to push the group back, but they were determined to not give Blitz up. Sadly that was the plan, as suddenly both of Blitz’s hands were glowing a misty sparkly light blue in one had, and light red in the other, as a huge wave of the two combined burst out from Blitz’s body, blasting everyone back. Some frozen to the ground, other blasted into walls. A black van then drove down the street, as Red and Blue jumped into the back, driving up to Blitz, as he got into the back with the other two. They quickly pulled a u-turn, and started driving away. The three of them fired off attacks at the others who tried to stop them, but the combined speed of the car, plus the exhausted members not having the energy to pursue, allowed the van to gain enough distance to escape. The city proved maze like in some areas, so it quickly was out of sight

“Raylu…..Their auras?....” Rem said, feeling the fatigue.

“Their van seems to have some kind of aura blocking tech….They seem to know what they are doing in this matter….” Raylu said, also starting to show his exhaustion. “I’ll give chase….” He said, running off.

“For now….let’s try and get some information out of the grunts. We still got to giftwrap them for the authorities.” Eric suggested .

“Good idea. Aqua, you help me tend to the wounded.” Rem said, looking at her, to which she nodded.


Sadly, Raylu wouldn’t of been able to catch the van. Once it gained some distance, they drove into an underground parking lot, where a wall opened up, as the van drove into the secret passage. Once there, it slowly drove into the darkness. In the back, Blitz was in better shape. “Are you alright? You seem sorta-“ Blue was saying, when Blitz grabbed him by the shirt.

“Why in the hell did you all back off?! Huh?! We still had the man power to take them!” Blitz yelled, getting heated.

“With all due respect sir, we got retreat orders from Black Rose himself. He deemed further action a waste of man power. We lost nearly 35% of the men we had to spare for this mission to the law now.” Red spoke, rather calmly.

Blitz then let go of Blue at this point, then sighed. He wasn’t looking forward to the potential earful he was going to get later. “Fine….Let’s just report back for now.” Blitz said, the disappointment in his voice clear.


Back at main street, the group was now being met by Tony Flander, along with a squad of robots. “My apologizes for not being able to get here in time, I was held up by Blitz Rose’s attack. Me and the bots will take care of delivering them to the police, though I’m sure the Kavisto group will want to question them as well.”

Aqua sighed. “It might prove useless, a lot of these guys didn’t have much useful information to give. A lot of these low ranking members were kept in the dark as hired muscle. I’ll be passing the report onto the higher ups myself soon.” She explained.

“Luckily there weren’t too many injured in this attack, so I guess alls well that ends well.” Rem said, though distressed with the lack of any big arrests or information.

“I can handle everything from here. I know you and the police don’t really get along right now, so why don’t you guys just slip away before the fuss is made?” Tony suggested.

“Good idea. I still gotta make sure the rest of our team is recovering well. Thanks for your help, Tony.” Rem said, making a portal that he and Aqua went though back to the forest. When they arrived at the cabin, everyone was all resting in the living room area. “Is everyone doing alright?” Rem asked.

“Fine I guess.” Sora responded.
Ralph looked annoyed. “It’s just annoying, we leave to have some fun, and trouble just seems to follow us where we show up. That and we have more bad groups out there we don’t have any information on.”

“Yeah, that’s true, but if we hadn’t been there, who knows what could of happened to all those people.” Kari added.

Eric nodded. “Kari’s right. Damage aside, we saved lives today. And we are aware of a possible serious threat in this Rose Thorn Gang. It wasn’t a waste.”

Aqua nodded. “We had gotten reports of the gang at Kavisto’s but we hadn’t had any real evidence of them being a major threat on a power level. France gets gangs all the time, but it seems the new era of gangs are pretty dangerous. Eyes will be on them now.”

Everyone seemed to accept this as good news, when Ray suddenly spoke up. “Well, I’m glad I stayed behind to help everyone, and I did have a good time before things got outta hand, but I really should be moving on. I haven’t checked in on my home Terra in a while, so after this, I feel like I should.”

“Aww, that’s a shame. But thank you for your help Ray.” Aqua said.

Rem went over to shake Ray’s hand. “Drop by anytime, your always welcome, as you know. I think the group here benefits from your experience.”

“Ralph the most.” Sora jabbed, chuckling.

“Hey! That’s not fair!” Ralph protested.

Ray chuckled. “Of course, I can’t very well stay away forever. Good luck to you all.” He said, adjusting his rod to activate the warp function. He gave a slight wave, before warping off to the Nexus.

“Alright everyone, get cleaned up for dinner. We’ve all had a long day.” Eric said, but then suddenly there was a knock on the door.

“It’s Sir Omni, sir.” Raylu said, tiredly, as Rem went to open the door.

“Your back soon Omni.” Rem said.

“Yes yes, with all the action I thought it be best to go back and find Draco in japan while you all recovered, but then I couldn’t find Zach when I returned. I thought maybe he was here.” Omni explained.

“Wait….Zach wasn’t with you? We lost track of him in the fight, and I just thought he left with you.” Rem said, worry beginning to creep on his face.

“Well this isn’t good at all. I haven’t been able to track down his aura anywhere.” Omni said, beginning to grow worried.

“Aqua, can you contact the Kavisto group and see if they have seen Zach? Omni, why don’t you and me head back to the fair grounds and see if maybe he’s in the area. Maybe he just got knocked out during the battle.” Rem suggested, to which Omni nodded.

“I’ll contact them now.” Aqua said, walking into another room.

“The rest of us should go help you look.” Brett suggested.

“Not in everyones condition you can’t. It might be a simple over reaction. You all rest here for now. If we haven’t heard or found anything by the time I get back, we’ll move from there, alright?” Rem asked. Everyone looked worried, but put up no argument. “Good. Alright Omni, let’s move.” Rem said, as they two of them teleported away.




Meanwhile, in one of the many underground parking lots in the city, the mysterious lady that was plotting with Kraven was loading what looked like a body bag into the back of a dark blue car trunk. Her clothes seemed singed, implying she had been in a fight not long before. She looked at the bag in the back, before closing it. I don’t think even Kraven will argue with this now. We need to get the project back on track…. She thought, as she got into the car, started it up, then drove off.



End of Data Log…

[Aqua]

Data Log #12: A Confrontation with Kraven


Data log place in time: Shortly after the conclusion of the previous data log.



After discovering that Zach had disappeared during the battle not even two hours ago, Rem and Omni together returned to the scene of the attack. Luckily the police had not arrived to clean yet, as Tony Flander was still in charge of things. After a quick rundown of what was going on, he allowed them to search the area. Retracing the actions of the battle, they found no clues, until one of the back alleys caught Rem’s eye. Normally it probably wouldn’t of, but light bounced off of something, causing a glimmering effect to be seen from the street. “Somethings telling me to check that out…” Rem said aloud.

Omni nodded. “I was getting the same feeling.” The two of them walked over to the alleyway, not sure of what they would find. The objects that was causing the glimmer turned out to be Zach’s swords, laying on the ground. A quick survey of the alley showed signs of a struggle. Burn marks on the ground and walls, and…very strange looking arrows were around.

Rem looked worried, but remained calm. “Alright, so he was clearly attacked, but…..what happened to him? I don’t see signs of blood, or anything.”

Omni closed his eyes, searching for the aura connected to the swords, and could tell there was a trail that led away from here, through the back alleys. Omni picked up Zach’s swords, and put them inside a small sphere that shrank them down. “Follow me for a moment, his aura is still fresh enough to be tracked from these swords.” Rem nodded, following Omni.

After a few moments, they would find that it led to an underground parking garage, but the aura trail suddenly stopped in the middle. “Odd….It just disappears. “ Omni commented.

Rem paused to think, looking around for any useful pieces of information. He seemed to get an idea once he noticed some company logos and such. “I have an idea. For now, let’s regroup at the cabin, and go over this information. There might still be a way of tracking Zach without his aura.” Rem said. Omni nodded, as he teleported the two of them back to the cabin.


Meanwhile, on the outskirts of the city, several miles away from anything around, the car the mysterious lady was driving approached an old building. The car drove into the garage next to the building, and parked inside. She exited the car, and went into the main building, where Kraven was waiting for her. “I trust you weren’t followed, Karen?” He asked.

“Of course not. I’m not some slouch Mr. Kraven.” The woman responded.

“Wonderful. I’ll have the men bring the body down. In the meantime, follow me.” Kraven said, taking what appeared to be basement stairs in this abandoned building. There was a rather large basement with rubble and trash scattered about, nothing out of the ordinary for an abandoned building. But what was off was a panel on the back wall, to which Kraven typed in a few numbers, and suddenly the back wall opened up, showing another staircase going further down. Though this new area looked much more new.

“New base?” Karen questioned.

“Hardly, it’s an old R&D lab, but we had some work done on it for this special occasion. We haven’t used it since the newer locations were built.” He then looked over to her. “Did you kill the World Saver?”

Karen shook her head. “There was no need. He’ll be out for a while though, so there shouldn’t be any worry on that.”

“Good. Powered Humans are much harder to harvest their powers from if they are dead. Once he’s outlived his usefulness, he’ll be a wonderful research tool.” Kraven said. “Who did you capture?”

“The Fire Human Zach. Admittedly a less valuable member, but it should create a big enough buzz once he’s noticed gone.”

“As long as the bait works, it matters little to me how valuable they are as a member. The less they have the better. Though a higher priority member would have been preferred.” Kraven said, looking forward again.

“Out of the members present, he was the cleanest I could pick up in the heat of the action.”

“Yes…” Kraven folded his arms. “The Rose Thorn Gang caused quite a stir. Once the World Savers are a lesser threat, we can focus on cleaning them up next.

“Though once the project is finished, you shouldn’t have any of them to worry about. I trust you intend to make good on our agreement still, yes?” Karen looked at him.

Kraven chuckled. “Of course. We’ll all benefit from this, like you’ve mentioned before. Though if this trap works, they will not be in our hair for the more critical phases.”

“So that was your angle in pushing me.”

“My dear, I always have a plan in the works. Now, let us move onto the prep work.” Kraven said, as he entered a side room, to which Karen followed.


After Rem and Omni had finished their investigation, they had returned to the cabin to meet up with everyone else. After Aqua had informed Rem that the Kavisto group had gotten no reports on Zach, Rem had asked everyone to get ready, as they were all going to the Kavisto group themselves. Once they were all prepared, Omni had teleported them off.

When they had reappeared, they were miles outside of the city, appearing outside of what appeared to be a government base. This was the base of the Kavisto Group, where Aqua did agent work for Kavisto on the side. “I already informed Kavisto that we would be coming, so he’s asked me to take you all to the meeting room.” Aqua said, as she used a sort of key card to open the main entrance. Everyone would of followed Aqua inside.

Omni sighed. “I haven’t been here in quite some time. A shame it’s for reasons like these.”

“So Rem, what is it that they do here again?” Ralph asked.

“Basically they do somewhat what we do, but on a broader scale, and approved by the Global Government Acts. They help keep most of our work clear on a legal field. There’s other things they do here, but honestly I don’t really know all of it. Kavisto likes to keep everything on a need to know basis.” Rem explained.

“And Aqua’s one of their agents?” Kari asked.

“Yep, I’m part of the Elemental Division with my teammates Jake, Trevor, and Maura. Though work has been slow as of late.” Aqua answered.

“I feel like the more we learn about you guys, the more questions we end up having.” Sora commented.

“You’re all still new to this whole new world, so that’s only natural. We’ll do the best we can to teach it all to you.” Eric responded.

After their short walk was concluded, they would of arrived in the meeting room that was mentioned. There were two people waiting for them there, one was a red haired man with brown eyes and his hair gelled upwards, looking his late 20’s. The other was a more imposing man appearing in his 50’s, with dark brown hair and brown eyes, wearing a white military style coat with a golden trim. The older gentleman was sitting at the table, looking busy with something on the table. This was Kavisto Pantech. The room was quiet for a moment, as the newcomers of the group felt to intimated to speak. “Hello Miss Aquarius, Mr. Stratford, Mr. Nightngale, and Raylu.” He simply said, then finally looking up, he looked at Omni. “Hello to you too Grandfather.” The other members looked a little shocked, but were still too worried to speak yet.

Omni nodded. “Good to see you again, Kavisto. I trust you are well?”

“Same as always.” He responded. “So you’re here about Zach, yes? I’ve been informed he’s gone missing?”

Rem nodded. “He was helping us during the gang attack this afternoon, and he disappeared during the battle.”

“We have not heard anything regarding him here, nor was he checked into any hospitals in the area. Jake informed me that nothing has come up yet.” Kavisto said, looking to the red haired person standing to his left.

“We didn’t find anything odd, but were still searching.” The red haired person named Jake added.
“That’s why we came to you here. We have a lead on what might of happened, and we need your help to get the information we need.” Rem explained.

“What lead?” Kavisto simply questioned.

“Omni and I found Zach’s swords near the scene of the attack, and we traced the aura trail to a parking garage in town, but it just vanished here. We were hoping you could help us get information for the garages security feeds, and see what happened. It could lead us to Zach.” Rem finished explaining.

Kavisto was silent for just a moment, then turned to Jake. “Go with Rem to this garage, request the data from them, and bring it back here.”

Jake nodded. “Of course.” He then turned to Rem. “If you wouldn’t mind?”

“Right, let’s go.” Rem said, following Jake out of the room.

Kavisto then turned to those who remained in the room, focusing mostly on the new members. “What are your names?” He asked.

They all suddenly jumped in their skin, not expecting to be spoken too. Other then Brett, as he was used to dealing with military types. “Oh, u-umm I’m Ralph, sir. Ralph Falco.”

“Kari Larkwell, sir.”

“I-Im Sora Brightheart.”

“Brett Potter, sir.” Brett answered, in a calm and respectful tone.

Kavisto nodded, then looked to Aqua. “While we wait for Jake and Rem to return, Aqua please get the registration forms together for them. It will save time to do this now, should something come up.”

Aqua nodded. “Of course, sir.” She replied before, leaving the room.

Kavisto gestured everyone to sit at the meeting table, and they did, the new members trying to relax. Though rather than have conversation, Kavisto returned to his work. The others just looked at each other, somewhat awkwardly. Omni then spoke up. “None of you are in trouble, he just doesn’t spend a lot of time with chit chat.”

Kavisto looked up in response to Omni’s comment. “I just prefer to keep things concise. Work doesn’t stop for me.”

Omni chuckled, with a slight sigh. “No, It doesn’t. Though maybe that should be made clearer for them?”

Kavisto was back to his work. “Well, I believe you just handled that.”

“I suppose I did.” Omni simply stated.

About this time, Aqua returned, and was giving the four new members some forms and pens. “This doesn’t seem that much.” Ralph commented.

“Well that’s just the first form. There’s like ten more.” Aqua said.

“Wait, what?!” Sora exclaimed in surprise.

Aqua chuckled. “I’m joking, all you need is right there. Also, maybe keep your voices down.” Aqua said, noticing a disgruntled expression on Kavisto. “Sorry sir.”

“Well I didn’t think I’d be doing homework today…” Ralph said, softly.

“Me either…” Kari mumbled.

“It’s not that strange to me.” Brett said.

“Says the ex-military man.” Sora commented.

Aqua chuckled somewhat nervously. Hopefully Rem and Jake don’t take too long… She thought.


Sometime later, Rem and Jake had returned to the base. They called Aqua, Raylu, and Eric to a data room, and were going over the footage. “It seems like it was pretty quiet around the time of the incident…” Aqua said.

Rem put his hand on his chin. “Yeah, probably because we were getting people out, no one was going to their cars or anything.”

“Then logically that makes anyone entering suspicious.” Jake commented.

Then after a few more moments, someone appeared on screen dragging a body bag. “That woman seems to be the one…” Eric said aloud.

“Yeah, I think so too.” Rem agreed.

“A shame there’s no way to id her.” Jake said.

“Well maybe not, but if get the the plate numbers of whatever she leaves in, then that should lead us right to her.” Aqua suggested.

“Good idea.” Rem agreed.

As the five of them watched the footage, they did find both the car Karen used to escape, and the plates on the car itself. “Perfect! Here’s a start at least! Now we just gotta match it to the traffic cams.” Jake said, full of energy. As they continued to work with the information they had, they could tell it left the city heading north west, but sadly that’s all the information they could gain at the moment.

“This is a great start, we got some good information to work with.” Rem said, his mood starting to feel a little more positive. “I think it would be best Eric if you stayed behind with Jake for now and help him look for more info. Out of all of our team, I think you’d be the most useful with that task.”

“I was thinking the same thing. Besides if you need backup, I’m just a call away.” Eric agreed.

“Yeah, if you need us, we’ll be right there.” Jake added.

Rem nodded. “Aqua, Raylu, let’s get the others.” Rem said, to which Aqua and Raylu nodded, following.

The three of them returned to the meeting room, where the four of them looked like they were wasting away, while Omni and Kavisto were simply going about their business. Kavisto looked up as they returned. “Good news, I hope.”

Rem nodded. “We have a lead on them, so we’re gonna move. Come on everyone, let’s go.”

“Thank goodness…” Ralph said, drained of life. Sora and Kari seemed to echo this.

“I really don’t understand whats with you three…” Brett commented, but didn’t delay.

Omni stood up. “Where are we headed? I’ll take us now.”

“North western outskirts of the city to start. The car was last seen headed that way.” Rem answered. Omni nodded, and once they were all ready, he teleported them all off to their destination.


Meanwhile, at Kraven’s base, Kraven was going over the plan with Karen, when he suddenly got a call on his ear piece. “Go ahead.”

”We’ve just gotten an report sir, the World Saver members have seemingly left the government base, and were last seen around the North West outskirts of the city. We suspect they are already on our trail.” The trouper on the other end informed.

“That was rather fast. Very well, keep on them as well as you can.” Kraven answered, before ending his call. He then looked to Karen. “This will prove to be a slight annoyance. They will more than likely arrive sooner than expected. We will have to improvise once they arrive.”

Karen nodded. “No stranger to that. I’m just worried Frost won’t be back in time. Things will get dicey if to many of them show up at once.”

“Worry not, Frost will not let me down. We’ve done the needed prep work, so this should all flow smoothly. We’ve been planning his end of this operation for several weeks now, and the capture of the fire human will divide what forces they have. This is all coming together rather nicely. The foolish Stratford is about to lead them all into another well designed trap, but this time they won’t be escaping.” Kraven smirked. “Get ready, we must be fully prepared for this all to go well.”

Karen nodded. “Very well, Mr. Kraven.”



Not much long after, Rem and the others were approaching the area where the hidden base was. Raylu managed to track the car by the exhaust once they had found traces of a car going off road. “We’re nearly there Sir Rem. The scent is very close now.” Raylu said.

“That’s good. Be on guard everyone, we don’t know what we are dealing with yet.” Rem said.

“Hey look, doesn’t that look like a house in the clearing up ahead?” Sora pointed up ahead.

“Looks like it…” Aqua replied, looking worried.

“It looks so run down though…” Ralph commented.

As they all approached, from the wreckage of the abandoned building, a few troops peeked out at them. They had dark blue armor on, with visors over their eyes. They then silently began firing at the group with assault rifles, though charged with what appeared to be Ion bullets. Everyone quickly took cover, though Omni did not, looking pretty serious. A wall of light energy went up in front of everyone, blocking the shots, when beams of light shot out from the wall, striking each troop, taking them out easily. “Come. We should advance.” Omni said, walking forward.

“Wow, he took them out in one hit…” Ralph said.

“Omni can be scary when he’s serious.” Rem added, as he and the others came out of cover and followed Omni.

Once the group reached the building, they began to inspect the building, not taking long to locate the car used to transport Zach. “Well it looks like they are here for sure. Raylu, can you see where the aura from the car leads?” Rem asked.

Raylu nodded. “Of course sir, just a moment.” He said, closing his eyes, as he began to see the auras clearly. After a moment, he opened his eyes. “There is a large location under the basement of this building. Auras get hazy down there, but there is an expansive location here, and the aura leads down there."

“Alright, then let’s search the basement, and find a way downstairs.” Rem said, as everyone nodded. As the group began to spread out to find the way to the basement, Rem decided to take a closer look at the troops that Omni knocked out. They weren’t dead, Omni knew exactly how much power he needed to put them out in one shot, so they wouldn’t be bothering anyone for a while. Rem noticed that one of them had what looked to be a keycard, and also noticed a strange crest like symbol on their armor. This worried Rem instantly, as he grimaced at what he saw. “Kraven…..” He said to himself, as he removed the keycard from the troop, and caught up with the others.

“Hey Rem, we found some panel lookin thing with numbers and what looks like a card reader.” Kari said to him, as he approached.

“That’s probably what this is for.” Rem said, showing the keycard he found. “Listen to me for a moment everyone.” He started, as everyone looked at him either seriously or worried. “Kraven is here. Those men Omni took out work for him. There’s no doubt in my mind we are about to walk into some kind of trap, so I want everyone to be prepared for anything. We could be getting into dangers most of you haven’t seen yet, so please be careful and ready.”

Aqua and Raylu nodded, looking very serious, while the other four looked confused. “Before we enter, what kind of person are we dealing with? Who is Kraven?” Brett asked.

Rem started to look worried, but then forced a serious face. “Simply put, he’s a madman. He’s a human with an endless supply of men and resources, and a deadly grudge against powered kind and those who support them. He’s cruel, intelligent, and unpredictable in his plans and actions. Whatever you do, do not underestimate him, being a human doesn’t make him any less of a threat then what you’ve all faced so far…..He’s probably even more of one.” Rem paused, as he looked to the side. He was looking a little worried, and Raylu and Aqua picked up on this right away. They knew why he was looking shaken. They were about to speak, when Rem looked back at them all. “If any of you feel you aren’t ready for what we are about to face, I don’t blame any of you for turning back now.”

The four of them looked at each other for brief moment, then turned back to Rem. “If he’s as dangerous as you say, then you’ll need all of us for this. No way we’re gonna let you guys go by yourselves.” Ralph said.

“Ralph speaks for all of us. This is what we joined for, and we aren’t about to back down now.” Brett added, as Sora and Kari nodded in agreement.

Rem smiled slightly, but still looked serious. “I’m glad you guys have our backs. Let’s move then, and let’s be ready.” He said, as he walked to the panel, and swiped the keycard. The wall then began to open up, as a dimly lit staircase appeared before them, as they all began to descend into the unknown base.




As they descended into the base, they would have found that it was very dimly lit. It appeared there hadn’t been anyone using it for some time. You had your standard steel walls, various colored lights running alone said walls, and as they soon discovered many hallways. Raylu was closing his eyes as he walked, but then suddenly opened them looking distressed. “Something about the lining of these walls makes it very difficult to get a read on any auras. I can feel them, but it’s all hazy. I can’t clearly see them, so I can’t tell where Sir Zach or any foes are….”He explained.

“Looks like we’re doing this the old fashioned way. Stay alert.” Rem said, removing his shield.
The group began to explore the dimly lit halls, finding a number of rooms that seemed empty. The only sounds were the sounds of everyone’s feet on the metal floors, and some light beeping from some lit up walls. Then suddenly, they could hear other footsteps around a hall, and Rem quickly gestured everyone to follow him into a room. Two men were now coming down the hall, but luckily they didn’t notice everyone dart into the side room. The others could hear them talking. “So you think those World Savers will actually show up?”

“Hard to say. I mean I doubt it, but Kraven seemed very sure of it. You know that look in his eyes when he’s serious.” One troop said.

“Yeah, don’t remind me. Honestly, he scares me more than those powered freaks. Glad he’s on our side honestly.”

“Yeah, me too…Do you think they’ll turn the main lights on soon, by the way?”

“Probably not. I overheard one of the commanders talking with a task force, saying they need the primary power for the mission, or something like that.”

“That sucks. The dim lighting down here bothers my eyes.”

“Yeah, but I doubt we’ll be here much longer if all goes well.”

“Good to hear that at least. Hopefully it will soon so I can go back on reserve shift. I got that date next week.”

“Again with that woman? She bleeds you dry. I mean…” And by that point they had walked out of ear shot.

Rem looked out the door to make sure they were gone, then headed out, having the others follow. “Not that it’s any surprise, but something is going down here for sure…”

“I just wish we could have gained some more important information…” Rem said. As they took the path the troops came from, they soon came across another set of stairs, to which Rem started heading down. “I’m willing to bet most of the upper floor won’t have anything majorly important. If they are keeping Zach here, he’s more than likely being held in the deepest part.”

As they reached the lower floor, they would see the layout seemed much simpler. Less hallways, but bigger, and seemingly bigger rooms with advanced looking machines and the like. It feels to empty for it to be one of Kravens bases…but if he wants us here for his trap, then It’s probably just how he wants it… Rem thought. After a little bit more searching, they found a much larger door then the others. It was a large blast door, sealed tightly by another keycard panel. The door said ALPHA on it, but what that meant was unknown. In front of the door were two guards, looking a bit more impressive than some of the others by look of their armor. One was armed with an SMG, and the other had a high tech looking shotgun. Rem looked to the others. “Alright here’s the plan.” Rem started.

As the two guards were standing there, unable to clearly see all the way to the end of the hallway, they were suddenly hit with a barrage of Ion blasts, causing them to go numb and fall to the floor. They quickly rushed over, and Aqua froze some water over their mouths to work as a gag before they yell or call for help. “Clean job guys.” Rem said, heading over to the panel, and tried the keycard from earlier. When it was swiped, it buzzed, and lit up red. “This ones no good. Do either of them have one on them?”

Sora saw one on one of the guards, and took it off. “Here, try this one.” He said, tossing it to Rem.

Rem caught it, and then tried it. This one gave a more pleasant sounding beep, as the panel lit up green. The door then began to open down the middle. After a few seconds, the door opened wide, as there was a large rounded room inside. The walls had various devices on them, as lights moved from the walls, across the floor, and towards the center. In the center was a glass like tube, and inside it was Zach! He seemed to still be knocked out. Rem narrowed his eyes, as he put his arm out. “You four wait out here for a moment, the rest of us will test this first.” Rem said, as Brett, Sora, Kari, and Ralph nodded. Rem, Aqua, Raylu, and Omni all then entered the room.

The room was only lit by the lights running across the floor, the lights on the walls, and it seemed the tube Zach was also lit up by a brighter light. Details couldn’t be made out in the room, but it was bright enough to see. After they were a fair distance into the room, the large blast door suddenly slammed shut! In response, everyone in the rooms hand glowed with power, giving another layer of light into the room. They attempted to make portals or teleport, but found some sort of energy field in the room was preventing it. Suddenly a voice was heard chuckling over an intercom. Suddenly from the ceiling appeared what appeared to be small cannon like objects, but the lighting of the room allowed them to not be seen until it was too late! They all had aimed at Omni, and fired streams of Ion energy at him! Omni gasped and tried to return fire at them, but with so many on him, even he was quickly overwhelmed by the Ion energy, and went to one knee.

“Omni!” Rem shouted, as he tried to take out the remaining cannons with the others. And while he did, that was a distraction, and a second glass like tube came down from above, trapping him inside of it.

The chuckling over the intercom was heard again, but now, much louder. In the upper level of the room, near the roof, the wall opened up, revealing a room from the floor above with a large window looking into the room below. Kraven was on the other side, and he had a delighted and evil looking smirk on his face as he laughed. Karen stood near him, also seeing what was happening. “Well well well, if it isn’t Mr. Stratford once again, it’s been quite some time since we last crossed paths. Wonderful you could make it. And you even brought me ‘the’ Omni Pantech as a gift. Ha ha ha! What a delightful surprise!”

“So it was you, just as I thought. So what’s your angle this time? You’re only easy to find if we’re wanted around. “ Rem said, glaring up above at Kraven.

Kraven’s smirk continued to grow. “You know me well, Mr. Stratford. You won’t be getting any details from me, I’m no fool. But I do have some wonderful plans for the country, and quite honestly your little groups return to the area is admittedly an unfortunately timed occurrence. So dealing with you lot in the early stages will prevent you from being a problem later on.” He paused. “But I know you well. You couldn’t resist coming to a team members aid, so I’ve prepared a little something even you lot won’t be able to contend with.” He then started typing some things on a keyboard in the room he was in. Suddenly the tubes containing Omni and Zach would begin to lift up into the ceiling, as a large metal cylinder rose from from the floor where Zach’s tube once was. It then opened, revealing large intimating looking robot of a dark red and black metallic color. While only being a little over 5 feet tall, it’s wide and stocky appearance was something. It had thick, powerful looking arms, nearly the length of its full body, with metal sharp looking claw like fingers. It had a short but cylinder like head, with glowing red eyes. It had thick shoulders, both displaying the alpha symbol. Its torso was cylinder like as well, but getting narrower until it reached its waist. It’s legs seemed rather short, only making up about 2 feet or so of its total height. While the design was somewhat simple, it still looked deadly and threatening.

“This is the R&D teams latest creation. The Powered kind Execution Robot, otherwise known as P.E.R. Alpha. I could see no better real test run for it then your little group, and think you will soon see he is more than prepared for the task.” Kraven chuckled. “You’d do best not to underestimate him. Try not to disappoint me Mr. Stratford, and give me a good show before you and your friends die!”

As the robot began to power up, Rem quickly yelled through the door at the others. “Guys! You gotta take care of Kraven and get these doors open! He appears to be on the upper floor! Hurry!”

“We won’t let you down!” Ralph yelled through the door, then turned to the others. “Come on guys, let’s go!” He said, as the others nodded, and started heading back for the stairs.

The Robot Alpha was now fully powered up, looking at the group. “TARGETS ACQUIRED. TASK: ELIMINATE POWER USERS.” Then Alpha lifted its arms, as the hands changed into gatling guns, and began firing ion energy charged bullets at the three remaining members, forcing the group the dodge around the room.

Kraven watched the fight begin, smiling as he did. He then put his finger to his ear. “Make sure those four on the outside of Alpha’s chamber are taken care of. Dead or alive. I want no loose ends” He said, then removing his finger, and going back to watching the action. Karen watched a well, though something about her expression seemed somewhat worried. If only slightly.


Back on the other side, Ralph and the others were quickly heading back the way they came, trying to return to the upper floor. As the approached the staircase leading back up, they saw there was a bunch of guards there now, all weapons drawn. The moment they were spotted, they opened fire on them. “Look out!” Ralph yelled, dodging down one hallway with Sora, while Kari and Brett went down the one adjacent.

“There onto us. I guess the stealth part of our mission is over.” Sora said.

“We need a plan, fast, or they’ll close the gap!” Kari exclaimed.

“Ralph, you and me will provide cover fire, while Sora and Kari close the gap and take them out up close. We’ll join you two once you deal with the fire power.” Brett suggested.

Ralph nodded. “Fine by me. I’ll give you guys some cover.” Ralph said, taking out some white spheres.

Sora and Kari nodded. “On your signal, Ralph.” Sora responded.

Ralph nodded, then leaned around the corner, and rolled the white spheres down the hallway. They rolled for a bit, until they exploded letting out a massive smoke screen filling the hallway. Sora and Kari then quickly rushed down the hall, while Brett and Ralph gave supporting fire.

Sora and Kari didn’t need to worry for stray fire, as they used their reflectors as they approached to deflect the gunfire back at them. When they emerged from the smoke, Kari leapt through the air towards the nearest one, and kicked him upside the head. Since they were all piled close, Kari quickly forced the guards to attack up close, where she was making quick work of taking them out. Sora drew his beam sword, and took a more tactical approach, as he quickly began slicing their weapons in half, then blasting them with his blaster in his other hand. As the ranged gun fire stopped, Brett and Ralph quickly caught up with the other two, as they helped finish off the guards that remained. “Well that went pretty well.” Ralph said.

“That’s more than likely just the first wave. Let’s keep moving before more get down to this level.” Brett recommended, as the others followed him up the stairs.


Back in Alphas chamber, the others weren’t making much progress in dealing any lasting damage to the robot, as their attacks would dissipate on contact. “Our attacks aren’t doing anything!” Aqua exclaimed.

“I know, it’s probably made of some kind of anti power alloy. Basic attacks aren’t going to do much. We need more fire power.” Rem said, shielding from a barrage of gunfire with his shield.

Raylu quickly rushed up to the bot from behind while it was firing at Rem, but the head of the robot turned around to see his approach. It quickly rotated it’s body to turn its gunfire at Raylu, but Raylu was prepared, as he suddenly crouched into a slide to avoid the gunfire. Once the robot realized this, it morphed it’s hands back, and tried to crush Raylu with it’s arms. Raylu however charged power in his legs, and struck Alpha’s legs with a sweep kick, causing the robot to lose balance, and fall to it’s back. Raylu then jumped up, and his leg was coated in aura flames. “Havoc Strike!” He yelled, shooting directly down into the robots chest. The impact left a large dent and cracked the armor, giving off sparks, but did not break it open entirely. Raylu then jumped back up into the air, and started charging aura spheres in his hands.

Alpha’s eyes glowed for a second, seeing Raylu about to attack. “ADAPTING TACTICS.” It said, as suddenly it’s arms morphed into cannons, and fired two massive blasts of light energy directly at Raylu, blasting him directly into the roof.

“Wha! How did it do that?!” Aqua exclaimed.

Kraven laughed over the intercom. “That is one of Alpha’s more useful features. Thanks to your friends, we have some powerful batteries for his energy attacks. Not that knowing that will do you any good.”

Aqua narrowed her eyes, as she suddenly formed a large amount of water, and sent it directly at Alpha as it was getting up. Her intent was to strike the same spot Raylu did. Maybe the water could short circuit it? Though Alpha was prepared, and what was once light coming from the cannons was now fire! Alpha was matching Aqua’s water, as steam filled the room. They seemed to be at a stalemate, but after a moment, Alpha was losing power, as Aqua’s attack gained ground. Alpha’s body then responded with a few beeps. “POWER RESERVES LOW. NOW DRAINING.” And then suddenly Zach’s tube above started to glow, as suddenly he was heard screaming! Then in just a few seconds, Alpha’s power was back, and was now growing stronger then Aqua’s attack. She was now being pressured! She struggled to hold the flames back, but just as she was about to give out Rem dove into her, tackling her out of the way of the flames. Rem had used his shield to protect the two of them from the blunt of the flames.

“It’s using both Omni and Zach’s power. Getting hit by any of those attacks is going to hurt a lot.” Rem said.

Aqua nodded. “We need to find a way to hinder its attacks, otherwise its going to exhaust us…”

“YOU CANNOT STOP MY ATTACKS. I AM PREPARED FOR WHATEVER ATTEMPT YOU TRY.” Alpha taunted, jumping into the air, and launching massive blasts of light down at Rem and Aqua. Raylu at this point recovered, and launched himself from the roof, directly into Alpha with an aura charged tackle. This knocked Alpha out of the air, stopping his barrage from continuing.

Rem blocked one of the blasts with his shield, and then parried it, sending it back at the following light blast. “Well let’s test that, shall we?” Rem turned to Aqua. “Can you reform the steam in this room into a high pressure water laser attack of some kind?”

Aqua nodded. “I should be able to.”

“I have an idea. Keep the steam on standby while you can, and when you see a chance, go for the joints of one of the arms. I’ll create your opening. Until then, attack as normal, and get ready for your chance.” Rem said to her.

“Leave it to me!” Aqua said, full of energy again from Rem’s confidence.

Recovering from the crash, Raylu and Alpha got back up. Alpha went to melee attacks, swinging its large arms at Raylu, though Raylu was able to repel them with his own strength. Alpha then attempted to lower both arms on Raylu from above, which Raylu caught and held back. “Give it up machine, my will to win is stronger than yours!”

“LET US SEE HOW YOUR WILL HOLDS UP AGAINST MY MIGHT THEN.” Alpha retorted, as it attempted to up the power. Raylu felt the power increase but he buckled down to bare it, as he tried to push back. Even with more power, Alpha was unable to overpower Raylu. “IMPRESSIVE STRENGTH.” Alpha said, but then it’s chest opened, as light had charged up inside. Raylu’s eyes widened, as he was blasted back by a powerful chest beam. Alpha then began to approach the dazed Raylu. “A WORTHY OPPONENT, BUT OUR MATCH ENDS HERE.” But then massive ice blasts struck Alpha from behind, as Aqua was back on the attack! The heat from the light and fire energy charged inside of Alpha was already melting the ice though, causing more steam to fill the room. “YOU ARE OUTMATCHED, WATER HUMAN. YOU CANNOT MATCH MY POWER OUTPUT.”

“I don’t need to outmatch you to win!” Aqua said, forming a large amount of water above her, as Alpha took aim with his gatling gun arm. Alpha opened fire on Aqua, but right as the bullets were about to make contact with her, her own body seemed to turn into steam as well! The water that she formed also vanished.

Alpha’s head was rotating all over, as it attempted to scan for her, to no luck. “IMPOSSIBLE. DATA SHOWS WATER HUMANS ARE NOT ABLE TO USE ABILITIES SUCH AS THIS.”

But then suddenly Aqua appeared in front of Alpha, as the water. The water had now grown to almost a quarter the size of the room! “Check your data again!” Aqua said, moving her arms in a throwing motion, causing the water to rush at Alpha! It quickly changed it’s arms back into canons, firing powerful white flames at the water. At first Alpha seemed to struggle with the water, until the fire suddenly pulled more power and soon all the water was evaporated, and the flames blasted Aqua back.

But by now, the entire room was almost fully filled with a thick steam. It was nearly impossible to see anymore, and now Alpha was picking up on this. The scan was useless, as it couldn’t see their auras, and couldn’t see anything. “YOU CANNOT WIN BY HIDING FROM ME. IF NEED BE I CAN DESTROY THE ENTIRE ROOM TO FIND YOU.”


But then suddenly, the sound of something heavy and metallic was heard being fired, as the sounds of what seemed to be rapidly moving chains could be heard. Alpha turned towards the sound, as a metal claw came from the steam, and grabbed onto Alphas metal fingers, grasping it’s hand with strong force! On the other end of the chain, Rem was there, holding the other end of the object, his clawshot. “Gotcha!”

“YOU ARE INDEED A FOOL. WHAT HAVE YOU MANAGED TO DO BUT TRAP YOURSELF?” Alpha questioned, morphing the free arm into a cannon again, charging light.

“We’ll show you. Aqua!” Rem yelled, when suddenly water energy gathered in four spots around Alpha’s bound arm, and suddenly four strong lasers began attacking the joints of the arm with high pressure.

“FOOLISH HUMAN. MY ARMOR RESISTS POWER. YOU CANNOT DESTROY IT WITH SUCH SIMPLE- ERROR!” Alpha said, but suddenly noticed what was happening. The waters force was so strong from all the steam in the room, it was causing the joints to bend and dent inwards in the four spots, causing it to weaken.

Rem then took out his sword. “Raylu, above!” Rem said, filling his sword with Power energy. Power energy, simply put is energy that can be used to strengthen striking power. Rem then tossed this power filled sword into the air above Alpha, as Raylu then jumped into the air above the sword. He then kicked it straight down with his own strength, causing it to fly like a rocket into Alpha’s arm, going right through, and getting stuck inside.

“ERROR ERROR! ARMOR BREACHED!” Alpha said in distress.

Rem then charged his hands with power energy, and with a powerful yell, pulled back on his clawshot! The weakened joint of the armor couldn’t hold up, as Rem ripped the entire left arm clean off! Kraven looked concerned from his room. “Impossible. How did they manage that?”

Alpha’s arm gave off sparks, but it just leaned back up. “NO MATTER. I DO NOT NEED BOTH ARMS TO KILL YOU. YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO DO THAT AGAIN.”

Rem now looked worried, as Aqua and Raylu regrouped with him. “He’s right, we need another way to beat it. Though it should be more manageable with just one arm.”

“Let us not let up on the attack. Perhaps another chance will present itself soon.” Raylu said, as the other two nodded.

Kraven smirked, seeing Alpha go back on the attack. The AI is more resilient then I expected. It’s adaptability may more than make up for it’s design weaknesses. Though I will need to have a talk with R&D on why the armor appears subpar once we are done here…. Kraven thought to himself.


Meanwhile, the others had managed to return to the upper floor, but as they explored, they quickly found another hallway filled with guards! They quickly put up their reflectors to block the gunfire, until they ducked into a room. It was a empty lab. They hid under some desks together for cover. “Well….I’m willing to bet that’s the way to go….” Ralph said, short of breath.

“Don’t get tired on us now Ralph.” Kari jabbed.

“Get ready everyone, let them come in, then take them out.” Brett instructed.

“I got one adjustment to that plan first.” Ralph said, taking out some disk like objects, and threw them at the wall around the door. “Give’em a little greeting.” Ralph said, chuckling.

It only took a moment before guards began to storm the room, going in two at a time. “There’s nowhere to run! Just surrender now, before-“ Then suddenly the disks started beeping, and they all exploded!

The guards were scattered, as the group came out, and began to pelt them with ion blasts, until the lot of them were unable to move. “Ralph! Not every problem needs to be solved with explosives!” Kari yelled.

“What? Are you really gonna argue with the results?” Ralph questioned, as Brett pushed past.

“Quit goofing around, time is of the essence. We don’t know what the others are dealing with in that room.” Brett said, moving on.

“R-right!” Sora said, following after.

Ralph looked at Kari. “Let’s move, I’ll bring up the rear.” Ralph said, as Kari nodded.

As they moved through more hallways, quickly dispatching stray groups of guards, they found a much more guarded hallway with a large door. From this point, loud blasts could be heard nearby. “I think this is it. That sound must be the fighting below.” Brett said, peeking around the corner to see the guards. “There’s a lot of them. Heavy weaponry. There’s too many to just blindly charge in, we need to think of something.”

They were looking around, when Kari saw a vent in the ceiling. “Guys, I have an idea, lift me up to the vent. I’ll get in from above while you three cause a diversion.” The boys nodded, and they proceeded to lift Kari up to the vent. They then got into position on the sides of the hallway.

The guards looked ready for anything, or at least most of them did. The hall was lit a little more than the others, but still somewhat dim. Some of the junior guards looked worried. “I’m not sure I can take this pressure….”

“I don’t wanna die to the world savers…The other squads aren’t responding….” Another one said.

The squad leader seemed annoyed. “If you don’t shape up, you’ll wish the world savers got you once im through with you!” But then suddenly shots were heard, as the lights in the hall were shot, making the hallway very very dim. More smoke bombs were set off, and this was causing unrest in some of the more timid members. “Remain calm, all of you! It’s just cheap tricks! We’ll-“ Then explosions went off in the hall, and that caused a number of them to start firing into the smoke. “I didn’t say to fire yet!”

During the chaos below, Kari had moved above the chaos in the vents. Once she was over an opening to the action below, she lifted the vent open, and started shooting down into the fray with her blaster. Due to the gunfire, they couldn’t hear her above, nor could they tell the shots were coming from above. Once the smoke cleared, and the numbers thinned, the boys joined in until they took them all out. Kari then jumped down to the boy below. “That wasn’t so bad.”

“Those were just the last of the small fries. The big fish is probably right behind the door.” Brett said.

“Remember what Rem said before, this Kraven is dangerous. He’ll probably be worse than them all.” Sora reminded them.

Brett nodded. “So how do we get in?”

Ralph smirked. “Leave that to me. I’ll get the door down.”


On the other side of the door, Kraven touched his ear to try to contact someone. “Blockade leader, respond. What’s going on out there?......Respond.” Kraven then paused, but still had no response. He looked to Karen. “There here, get ready.” Then he looked at the two heavy duty looking guards still in the room. “You two, get the chain guns ready. When the door opens, open fire.”

“Yes sir!” They responded, moving quickly.

“Sure you don’t want to just your losses just yet?” Karen asked, pulling up a mask over her face, covering her neck, and face below the eyes.

Kraven looked at her. “I will not be running from a bunch of greenhorns. Get ready to earn your keep.”

After just another moment or two, the large doors were blown completely open! But before they could storm in, the chain guns opened fire, preventing them from entering at all. “Brett! What’s the plan?!” Ralph yelled.

“Don’t get shot while I think!” Brett retorted.

“Well no duh, idiot!” Ralph yelled again.

Brett tried to keep around the corner to get a read on how many men were inside, and what the layout of the room was. “Alright, there’s four of them! Kari, Sora, you two lead the charge with your reflectors, while me and Brett follow behind and take out the chainguns! Got it?!” Brett yelled to them, and they all nodded. “Good, on three! One! Two! Three!” Then Kari and Sora rushed in, reflectors running. The bullets were being bounced back, but they had to be quick, as they wouldn’t be able to hold back the shots forever. From behind the cover of Sora and Kari, Ralph and Brett fired bombs from their blasters at the chainguns, blowing them apart!

Kraven and Karen were hulled up in the back of the room, as Kraven took his handgun out. “What are you doing?! Kill them!” He yelled, as he took shots at the group. The two men who lost their chainguns, quickly took off the shotguns off their backs, and boldly held the line as they opened fire on them all.

“Guys, we gotta do something!” Sora said, dodging around the small room.

Ralph kept dodging the shotgun shots, while firing back with his twin blasters. The shots didn’t seem to faze them much, as their heavy armor seemed to repel the shots. “We need to get in-Gah!” Ralph was saying, as he got shot by a blast arrow from Karen across the room, knocking him a few feet back. He started to walk it off, as their combat outfits absorbed damage well. “Close! Long range won’t get through the armor.”

Sora put away his beam sword for just a moment as he was now charging both grunts using only his reflector. He reached for his bone sword, and chucked it at one of the grunts. It didn’t do much, but it did stagger him for just a moment. Sora then tossed his reflector at the other grunt, and when he took a shot, the blast was reflected so close that it both blew the shotgun up, as well as blasting the grunt backwards. Sora then took his beam sword back out, and sliced the others shotgun in half, then spun kicked him in the side of the head. “Ha ha! Got’em!” But then as he was almost shot, Kari jumped in front of him, blocking the shot with her own reflector.

Kraven kept turning the corner, shooting at them, while Karen didn’t let up on the arrows. The group managed to get behind some metal crates in the room. For a brief moment, the fighting stopped. “I’ll give you all this, you greenhorns have skill. But you have no idea who you are up against. I’d hate to waste your natural talent, so I’ll give you all one chance. Surrender right now, and you can all join my forces. With talents like yours, you could all rise though my ranks quickly. We need more skilled humans for our cause. What say you all?” Kraven boomed, his voice and speech sounding very commanding.

“We aren’t going to betray our friends and help you kill innocent people!” Ralph called back.

“Innocent?! You think any of those powered wretches are innocent?! They are a plague on our world that only bring powered threat after powered threat to walk all over us humans! For the good of mankind, and this world, they must be destroyed.” Kraven retorted.

“Mankind has done plenty of fighting and killing of our own brothers, without powered peoples help. Your just another, throwing your hat in the ring with other power hungry tyrants.” Brett yelled out.

“If that is all you think of me, then you’re already too far gone for me to save you from them. You’ve all sealed your fate. You can die them them!” Kraven yelled, as he now took out a grenade, and tossed it at the crates, causing them to explode, and forcing the others to scatter.

“We gotta close the gap, fast.” Brett said.

“Got it, we’ll lead the charge again.” Kari suggested.

“Right, but we need to get them away from that control panel, and we need to be quick about it.” Brett agreed, as Sora and Kari led the charge. Sora and Brett went towards Kraven, while Kari and Ralph charged Karen.

As Kraven was approached, he ducked back around the corner to dodge fire from Brett, while he reloaded his heavy pistol, while also taking out a combat knife that seemed to give off a hot red glow. As he turned back the corner, he took another shot at Sora, but he couldn’t get past the reflector. Sora went to strike him with his beam sword, but then Kraven quickly blocked the strike with his knife. He took another shot with his pistol, and while the reflector blocked it, the recoil knocked it clean out of his hand. But before Kraven could take advantage of this opening, Sora drew his bone sword, and tried to strike again, as Kraven now had to block this blade with his pistol. Even with such short weapons, Kraven managed to hold back both attacks of Sora’s locking them in a stalemate. Out of the corner of Kraven’s eye, he saw Brett try and approach the control panel. Determined to stop him, Kraven kicked Sora in the gut, causing him to stagger back. He quickly turned to fire at Brett, taking a few shots, forcing to dodge to the side, but Sora didn’t give him an inch, and he turned back to block the blades again.

Karen was trying to keep Kari and Ralph back, but she wasn’t able to get through the reflector either with her arrows. Then, in a quick thinking move, she shot above them, and the arrowhead burst, causing shrapnel to rain down on them from above, forcing Kari to use her reflector above them. Just as she was about fire another arrow at them, this one giving off sparks, Ralph fired at her with his blasters. She was forced to dodge, though taking a shot in the shoulder. Ralph and Kari tried to charge in and make a quick capture, but she started spinning her bow to block the shots. Once they were in close, blades could out at the ends of the bow, forcing the two to dodge backwards. Once she had enough space, she started quickly shooting shock arrows at them, causing them to dodge the electric bursts.

Brett began to move quickly, trying to figure out what the control panel did, and noticed the battle going on below. While Rem, Aqua, and Raylu were still fine, even with one arm, Alpha continued to pressure them. Brett found the intercom, and spoke into the room. “Guys it’s Brett, what’s happening?!”

Raylu was currently holding off a massive light beam attack from Alpha with his aura sphere around them. Rem and Aqua were pinned down behind Raylu when they heard Brett call out. “Things are rough in here! We can’t overpower the robot, is there anything you can do on your end?!” Rem yelled.

Brett quickly began going through the active programs, see what was even possible to do. Luckily Kraven didn’t have time to lock it down before they broke in. After quickly looking it over, he spoke back to the others. “I can’t shut it down from here, and the doors are tied to the robot running, so I can’t let you out….But I’m able to access the robots reserve energy tanks. They seem to be storing extra energy elsewhere that’s being drained from Omni and Zach, and feeding it into the robot as it’s needed.”

Rem paused to think, then he had an idea. “Raylu, Aqua, I have an idea, but we need to make sure no matter how much energy it attacks with we gotta hold the attack back. Do you two trust me?”

Aqua nodded. “Of course, I believe in you.”

Raylu nodded, grunting. “I need a heal to keep this up, but I’m ready for whatever idea you have planned Sir.”

Rem nodded. “Aqua, quickly, heal Raylu as much as you can, then reinforce the sphere with me.” He then looked up to the window. “Brett, divert all the power you can into the robot!”

“Are you sure?” Brett asked.

“Yes, quickly!” Rem responded.

Brett quickly started typing on the keyboard, but this caught the attention of Kraven. Sora went to strike Kraven vertically to keep him distracted, but Kraven managed to block both blades with his knife. This left Sora wide open, as Kraven raised his gun, and shot him twice in the gut and chest! Sora’s eyes widened, as he staggered backwards, dropping his swords. He fell to his back, as he began to bleed out. Brett was quickly typing on the keyboard, when he heard the shots he turned to see, and yelled. “Sora!” Brett quickly hit the enter command, as the computer began working. Brett then took out his assault rifle, and quickly opened fire of Kraven! Kraven seemed to move with minimal movements to dodge the gunfire, as he tried to move in close to Brett. Once the gun was empty, Kraven rushed in to strike Brett with his knife, to which Brett blocked using his rifle. He kept blocking blows, until Kraven managed to slash him, and Brett instantly felt intense burning from the slash. The knife was super heated, which was why it was glowing the color it did. Brett recoiled, but when he looked again, he was staring down the barrel of Kraven’s pistol.

“I warned you.” Kraven said. And as he was about to pull the trigger, he suddenly had his gun shot out of his hand, and one of Ralph’s sticky bombs was thrown at him, attaching to his suit. “Wha-“ But then the blast sent him backwards.

Ralph quickly ran to Brett. “Are you ok man?”

“I’ll be fine, get to Sora quickly.” Brett responded.

Back on the other side of the room, Kari was dealing with Karen. She managed to get in close to Karen, dodging around her bow swipes. When Karen went for an overhead swipe, Kari grabbed it with both hands to keep it from coming down on her. When Karen knew she wasn’t going to win this power struggle with Kari, she reached into her quiver to take out a shock arrow, and stabbed it into Kari’s side! Kari was being shocked, and he screamed, but the look in her eyes was like fire. The look caused Karen some worry, but soon she had no time to worry about that, as Kari dug in her heels, and with all her might pulled and threw Karen by the bow, tossing her away. Karen landed right on her back, stunning her for just a moment. Kari pulled out the arrow, and threw it down. She then took out her blaster, and fired a few ion shots at Karen to keep her down. She quickly went over to Ralph and Sora. “Sora, are you alright?!” She yelled.

“Ugh…It…really hurts…” Sora said, weakly.

“Don’t talk dude, save your energy. Kari, help me move him to a safer spot.” Ralph said, picking up Sora by his upper half, while Kari grabbed his legs, and they carefully moved him to a safe part of the room. A loud beeping was then suddenly heard from the computer.


Down below, Raylu was still fending off the attack, when all of a sudden Alpha was being filled with more and more energy! His attack was pushing Raylu to his limits, and Alpha started beeping. “ERROR ERROR! SUDDEN OVERCHARGE OF ENERGY! UNABLE TO REROUTE EXCESS ENERGY! OVERLOAD IMMINENT!” Alpha said, as suddenly an explosion happened in it’s arm, then in the chest, blasting the robot across the room! When it crashed into the wall, the lights went out in its eyes, as it became unresponsive.

Rem sighed. “It worked…” He said. Then he looked up, seeing Omni and Zach. “Raylu, can you get them down?”

Raylu nodded, leaping up to the ceiling, and first smashed open Zach’s glass tube, and pulled him out from it, then followed with Omni. Zach and Omni both began to stir.

“Ugh…..Thank you. That was careless of me…” Omni said, sounding drained.

“Thanks guys…This has been a rough visit to the lab…” Zach said, chuckling lightly.

Omni then took out the orb he kept Zach’s swords in. “Here…You may need them…”

“Thanks Omni…” Zach said taking them.

Aqua put both her hands on them, as she tried to give them a light heal with her water, as Rem looked to Raylu. “We need to get upstairs. We gotta break the glass, the others are dealing with Kraven as we speak.”

Raylu nodded. “I’ll get the glass open Sir, leave that to me.” Raylu said, jumping up to the window. Brett looked to the side, seeing Raylu get there. “Keep clear, Im going to break the glass.” Raylu said. Brett nodded, moving clear, as Raylu began to hit the glass.

Kraven and Karen began to recover from their blows, as Kraven noticed that Raylu was trying to break through. He looked to Karen. “Get up, we’re leaving. We need to regroup.”

Karen struggled to fight off the ion energy, as she grabbed her bow. “Got it…Ugh, let’s move.”

Kraven and Karen then got up, and began to escape, taking advantage of the others being focused on Sora. Kraven put his finger up to his ear. “All troops that are still breathing, report outside at once!” He then changed channels. “Frost, Tamer, status report. Do you have the asset?”

”This is Frost, Kraven. We’ve secured the asset, and we are en route to the base now. We should be there in less than ten minutes.” Frost responded.

“Make it five, and make sure their backup isn’t coming.” Kraven said.

”Already taken care of. We’ll be there ASAP.” Frost responded, before ending his call.


Back in the control room, Raylu managed to break through the glass, as he noticed Sora’s wounds. “Stand aside, let me heal him.” Raylu said, leaning over him, and put his hand on him. He was letting out a healing aura through his body. Sora was feeling some of his strength return, as Raylu had to stop. “My apologies Sir Sora…I do not have the energy to fully heal you at the moment. Can you move?”

Sora began to lean up, struggling. “Ugh…It still hurts…But I think I can move fine enough….” He said, getting all the way back up. Kari brought him his swords, as he took them. “Thanks Kari.”

“You could have been killed!” Kari said, sounding very worried.

“I…I know…But I had to do something…” Sora mumbled.

The others soon joined from below, as they all entered the room. “Is everyone ok?” Aqua asked.

“A little roughed up, but nothing we won’t live through.” Ralph responded.

“Good.” Rem looked around. “Where did Kraven go?”

Brett looked to the door. “He ran out while Raylu broke down the glass.”

“Then we gotta hurry, follow me as soon as you are able.” Rem said, running out the door, as Raylu and Zach followed.

Omni looked at Aqua. “I’ll bring up the rear. In my current state, I can only manage basic abilities until my power returns from the draining.”

Aqua nodded. “I’ll stay with you all, and we’ll move together. Let’s go guys.”

Everyone gathered their weapons, reloaded them, and patched themselves up the best they could, and followed Aqua with the others, as Omni stayed in back.


As the group was now all gathered near the exit, Raylu looked concerned. “Sir, there is a large number of auras outside above us….At least thirty…”

Rem looked worried. “Kraven’s trying to keep us from escaping. At this point I can probably send anyone who doesn’t-“

“Rem, stop saying that. We said this before, you’re gonna need all of our help.” Ralph cut him off.

“If something…Happened to you because we bailed out, we could never forgive ourselves.” Sora added to that.

Rem sighed. “Fine. I’m sorry. Just….be careful.” He then turned to the powered users of the group. “I’m gonna need you guys with me to overwhelm them with power attacks and help thin the numbers. Ralph and Brett, you two pick off the stragglers as you can. Kari and Sora, you two hang back, and keep Ralph and Brett safe from any up close threats while you assist with your blaster fire. Once we get upstairs, clear out the building floor, and get into a defensible position. Are we all clear on the plan?” Everyone seemed to have no objections. “Alright good. Raylu, you and me head out first for defense of any attacks, the rest follow us.”

As the group headed up the stairs, back into the basement of the old house, it was empty. Proceeding back to the ground floor, they were suddenly met with gunfire! Rem and Raylu blocked the attacks with an aura wall, and Rem’s shield, while Aqua and Zach overwhelmed to troops with fire and ice based attacks. Once they cleared out the building, rather quickly, they saw the building from the outside was surrounded by troops, led by Kraven and Karen. “Give it up, world savers! If you insist on trying to capture me, you won’t be getting out of here alive. At this point I can’t stop your escape now, but if you wish to try your luck then I invite you to do so. What’s your decision, Stratford?” Kraven taunted.

Rem looked worried again. Yes, at this point the group could easily flee by teleportation, but that would cost them their chance to capture Kraven and end this. But Rem knew Kraven well enough, if he was inviting them to battle, he likely still had an ace in the hole. “There’s no way you can win now, Kraven! Your robot is junked, and we can easily dispatch some hired hands, your bluffing!” Rem called back.

Kraven started laughing. “You would do well not to underestimate me, Mr. Stratford, you of all people should know that. So shall I take this as you don’t intend to flee? I have no problems with putting a bullet through every single one of your heads.” He smirked, taking out a new pistol, and looking it over. “Ah yes. Maybe I’ll save you for last. I’ll make you watch as one by one, you watch the life leave their eyes, as their blood spills on the ground at your feet. How does that sound, hmm? Last time you found yourself in that position with me you got lucky. But today is different, no one else will be coming to the rescue.” Kraven chuckled. Yes…Take the bait…The longer you waste listening to me ramble the better…

Rem actually looked very shaken, which the others noticed, since this didn’t really happen. Rem actually wasn’t sure what to do anymore, as Kraven actually struck his composure. Aqua noticed this, and then looked determined. Her hands glowed blue, as suddenly she swung her arms forward, sending an icy wind towards Kraven’s men in front of them, causing them to flinch back, and be unable to fire back right away. Rem looked at her, and she looked at him. “Don’t forget the plan, remember? Give me a hand!” She said, which snapped Rem back into action. He began to form light stars in his hands, as he fired them off at the stunned troops.

Kraven put his arm up to shield his face from the winds, as he smirked. “And there we go…” Getting back behind a barricade with Karen, he began to counter fire with her at the others.

The exchange of blasts were traded for a few moments, as the group began to thin the numbers down to about half, when suddenly the sounds of what seemed to be a helicopter was approaching. Suddenly, onto the battlefield, massive amounts of ice beams crashed into the building the group was using for cover! Everyone scattered, but as Rem searched the skies, he saw the helicopter and worry returned to his face. Dr. Frost was up there, it’s door wide open as he rained down powerful attacks! “Guys, Frost from above!” Rem called out. Zach tried to respond with fire, but his weakened state was showing, as he only barely managed to counter the attacks.

Kraven smirked, as everything was going to plan. He put his hand up to his ear again. “Frost, deploy the asset.”

Frost nodded, then looked behind him into the helicopter. “Alright Mr. Norman, time to prove yourself.”

“Alright! I’ve been itching to get back in action!” A voice was heard, as suddenly the person ran out of the helicopter, and jumped into a free fall. It was Kurt Norman, The Electrode! As he fell, he rained electricity all around the battlefield! As he neared the ground, he broke his fall by firing right at the ground. To make matters worse, The Tamer was also there. He was up in the helicopter, running a mounted gun, and firing it down on the others

Now Rem was even more worried, as he used his shield to deflect the electricity. This was really bad. Norman and Frost were both very strong in their own rights alone, but now together, and with Kraven and Tamer, this was about as bad as it could get. With the amount of attacks coming from all sides, escape might end up becoming impossible. They needed backup, and they needed it now! Rem quickly took out his stone and tried to contact Eric. “Eric, we are in a lot of trouble down here, do you copy?”

”Rem, where have you been? I’ve been trying to reach you, but I lost contact with you some time ago, whats happening?” Eric responded.

“We found Zach, but it was a trap by Kraven. He’s also got Frost, Norman, and Tamer here with him. We need support, and we need it now!” Rem said, growing more worried.

”We’ll be there as soon as we can, but we got a problem of our own. Frost broke Norman out, and he left a large number of monsters loose in the city. We’ve got all available hands protecting the city now.” Eric answered.

“Ugh! Alright, we’ll hold them off as long as we can.” Rem responded, ending his call.

Kraven’s wicked laugh echoed through the battlefield. “I gave you all a chance to run, Mr. Stratford. Now this time, you truly have led your friends to their grave! You should have taken my offer when you had the chance!” At this point, Kraven smugly just watched the battle while Frost and Electrodes powerful attacks continued to pin down the others as the troops began to move in closer.

“Sir we need to do something, fast! We won’t win a defensive battle now.” Raylu called to him.

Rem nodded. “Right! Raylu, come with me, we’re attacking Electrode. Zach, Aqua, you two try and counter Frost’s attacks the best you can. We gotta take them out, one by one.” He then readied his shield, and charged out into battle with Raylu! Aqua and Zach managed to keep Frost’s attacks from reaching them, as they charged Electrode head on. Electrode went to focus his attacks directly onto Rem, which he blocked with his shield, and Raylu countered by blasting him backwards with an aura sphere attack!

Kraven was watching the battle, giving instructions to the others this time, when he noticed Rem make the charge with Raylu. He put his finger to his ear again. “He and the monster are on the field alone, focus your efforts on him.”

Raylu charged Electrode this time, his body covered in aura to lessen the effects of being that close to the electricity. They locked hands, as Electrode poured on the power. “Give it up! I’ve been building up power for quite a while to finish you all.”

Raylu smirked though the pain. “A shame you’re still a rookie. Now!” Then Rem had gotten to the side, and formed a large sphere of water in his hand, and shot it right at Electrode, causing him to now shock himself! He yelled, as Rem then hit him with a barrage of explosive bubbles, blasting him back. “Well done Sir-!” But then suddenly Raylu was grasping his neck, looking like he was dealing with a great struggle.

“Raylu, what’s wrong?!” Rem yelled, then noticed he saw what looked like a trail of transparent energy coming from his neck. Rem traced it, and saw Tamer nabbed him with a psychic whip while he was recovering from Electrodes attack!

“Sir…..Stand back!” Raylu said, as his body was forced on the offensive! His energy restored by Tamers power, he now far outclassed Rem in his weakened state. The Tamer laughed, as he turned the gun back towards those still pinned down in the building.

Aqua and Zach were struggling to fight off Frost’s attacks with the added pressure, and when Aqua saw what happened to Raylu, she was even more worried for Rem. “We gotta do something!”

“Yeah, but…Without you, he’ll be taken out by Frost. I cant match him alone.” Zach responded.

“But without us, Rem won’t be a match for Raylu.” Aqua said, growing more concerned.

At this point, Omni struggled to get over to the two of them. “I should be able to assist Zach in repelling the ice attacks. If you have a plan, go for it.” Aqua nodded, then quickly jumped the wall protecting them, and began to move closer, charging energy as she moved.

Raylu kept charging at Rem, going for quick kicks and punches, to which Rem didn’t really have the speed to entirely match Raylu, as The Tamer forced him to not be able to hold back. “I’m sorry Sir, I cannot stop my body.” He said, now firing a barrage of aura blasts at the much more weakened Rem.

Rem put up his shield, and the mirror began to absorb the shots. “Ugh, it’s alright. No hard feelings….” Then he suddenly swung his shield when Raylu went to charge at him, sending all the aura back at Raylu, knocking him back. Raylu was unable to let up though, as he once again darted at Rem with quick speed, and managed to punch him right in the gut, causing him to gasp, and stumble down to the ground. “Ugh…You don’t mess around Raylu…” Rem said, the toll of all the battles wearing down on him.

Raylu stood over him, forming an aura blast in his hand. “Please, get up Sir.” Raylu said, about to fire. When suddenly the ice and snow that had gathered on the ground due to Frost’s attacks suddenly formed into water, and rushed at Raylu very quickly, washing him away! He was pinned down on the ground by the water, when it suddenly froze solid! His head was left free, but otherwise he was entirely trapped.

Aqua now rushed over to Rem, and started looking for his potions, but found the bottles broke in his pouch. So she quickly put her hand in the pouch, and scooped up as much potion as she could into her hand, and poured it down Rem’s mouth, careful not to scoop up any glass. She cut herself slightly, but with everything going on, she didn’t care. “Rem, stay with me please!” She said, very worried. “Hang in there a little longer. Please, get back up!” She pleaded.

“Ugh…I…I will…Thank you…” Rem said, struggling to speak, as he forced himself to stand once more.

Aqua smiled, but then she was forced to act, as suddenly Electrode was back up, and fired electricity at the two of them, to which she blocked with some ice walls. “I got him, maybe try and take out the helicopter?” Aqua suggested.

Rem weakly nodded. “Good idea…” Rem said, running off, leaving Aqua to fight against the Electrode alone.

“So you think you can beat me, Aqua? Our powers beat each other you know, and I have more energy to give!” Electrode said, his body sparking wildly.

“Maybe, but my skill is far better…” Aqua said, forming more water to strike back!

Rem gained some distance, and saw both Tamer and Frost would not let up on the others. He had to move fast, as much longer and the others would be overwhelmed by all the gunmen on the ground. They aren’t gonna last much longer….I gotta move fast!.... Rem thought, charging up fire power in his gauntlets, and sending a double wave of fire at Frost.

Frost from above had been informed by Kraven that Rem was launching an attack, and turned his full attention to him, firing off a powerful beam of ice to match the fire. The powers seemed even for now, but slowly Frost was losing the battle. He turned to Tamer. “Hey, get that powered freak back in action already!”

“I’m working on it! It’s hard to manage the guns and fight you know!” Tamer snapped back.

At around this time, Raylu was nearly free from the ice, and burst out with a powerful burst of aura from his body. He then began to charge a powerful aura beam, which Raylu quickly called to Rem. “Sir! Behind you!” He yelled, as he fired the beam!

Rem quickly turned, and had to raise his shield to block the aura beam, but this divided his attention from Frosts attack. Now he was only barely keeping even with Frost. Kraven watched from his place, as he saw with just another push, Rem could be defeated. He noticed Electrode fighting with Aqua, and he turned to Karen. “Karen, assist The Electrode. He’s needed elsewhere.” Karen nodded, and readied her bow with an explosive arrow, and took aim at Aqua. Aqua was currently locked in a power struggle with Electrode, but was so entirely focused on him, that she had no idea Karen had her sights set on her. With the release of the bow string, the arrow flew towards the unaware Aqua. She only noticed right before it was too late, and got blasted out of the power struggle, also resulting in her being badly shocked by Electrode. The Electrode looked over, and saw Kraven and Karen. Kraven was pointing towards Rem, and when he saw the power struggle he was in, Electrode quickly pieced together what Kraven wanted.

Rem was in a deep struggle now, with no way to escape it. One wrong move, and the opposing attack would hit him head on. All he could do was wait for one of the attacks to pause due to lack of energy, but could he last that long? Well now, it didn’t matter. With no other way to defend himself, Electrode hit him head on with powerful electric blasts, causing him to yell out in intense pain! It was taking every last bit of his focus and willpower to defend from the other attacks, but could do nothing to The Electrode. Rem went down to one knee, doing everything he could to endure. Then he heard someone walk to him in his pain. It was Kraven, who had the biggest nasty smile on his face. “You see? I warned you, didn’t I? I was prepared for all of this. And now.” He pointed his pistol right in Rem’s face, as his eyes widened. “The shows over, Mr. Stratford. Pray to whatever God you believe in, before I send you to meet him with a hole in your skull!” Rem closed his eyes, expecting not to open them again, and suddenly there was a loud bang!


But then the sound happened, and Rem opened his eyes. A small ice wall was formed between the gun and Rem’s face, stopping the bullet. “What the-!?” But then Kraven was blasted away by the snow turning into water! Suddenly Aqua came out of the snow around Rem, and before anyone could turn to attack her, she covered the both of them in a dome of thick ice, as the attacks rained down from the three directions.

With the electricity finally cut off, Rem collapsed to the ground. He looked over his shoulder, and saw Aqua. “Aqua…Are you ok?....”

Aqua shook her head. “Don’t talk, I’ve got this!” She said this, but the stress of battle was weighing on her as well.

Looking at her though the ice was Kraven, pointing his gun at the dome. “You can’t protect yourselves forever, and when that ice breaks, you will regret it.” He said firing shots into the ice.

The bullets, combined with the three attacks was putting intense pressure on the dome and Aqua herself. Omni and Zach were watching what was happening, but Tamers gunfire wouldn’t allow them to get close. “Omni, we gotta do something!” Zach yelled.

“Guys, we have a problem! They are about to breach our defenses!” Ralph called out.

Omni glared, trying to find some way to attack, but The Tamers heavy firepower from above was to much to get past. He wasn’t going to have time to aim, so he quickly started firing light beams at the helicopter, but was unable to hit Frost or Tamer due to the heavy fire. “I think….Our only option is to charge them. It’s a risk, but I don’t see any other way. But if we fail, then….” Omni trailed.

“We don’t have time, come on guys! Let’s give’em hell!” Zach yelled.

They got prepared, and they all stormed out, powers and weapons blazing. Omni was providing the defense, but the guns would not let up, as now they had even less cover. They were being perused from behind as well. Kraven looked up, noticing all this. “I guess they’d rather die out here with the rest of you. I can commend that. But they won’t reach us in time.” After Kraven emptied his ammo on the dome, he reloaded, and readied to shoot though the hole he made at Aqua. “It’s been fun.”

Aqua closed her eyes inside the dome, trying to rebuild it, but wasn’t sure she’d make it. “Rem, I’m sorry!” She said, starting to cry.

“It’s…not…your fault…It’s mine…” Rem said, trying to make his body move, but it refused.

And just as Kraven was about to pull the trigger, a sick smile on his face forming, a bolt of lightning shot through the sky, striking Kraven’s hand with such precision, that he dropped his gun. “Gah! I’m getting real tired of my attacks being interrupted-“ As he looked up, and saw something that actually worried him. “Shit.”

Then a mans voice was heard yelling from the air, as everyone looked up. A man, free falling from high above the helicopter, was rocketing down. He had a katana drawn that was giving off a space like feeling, as he dive bombed towards the helicopter. With a mighty yell, and one powerful swing, he sliced clean though not just the helicopter blades, but the tail of it as well, sending the helicopter into a uncontrollable spin! “Were losing control! Brace for impact!” Tamer yelled. Frost was quickly forming a massive pile of snow where they were going to crash, but they still crashed head on into the building!

The man then landed, and one could get a good look at him. He looked to be in his thirties, with long black hair, and one blue eye, one yellow eye. He was dressed in what appeared to be a samurai’s garb. He looked at Kraven, katana pointed at him. “You aren’t going anywhere, Kraven!” He said in a commanding voice.

Electrode was about to attack the Samurai, but from above he was repelled back by lighting in water attacks. They were two girls, flying in the air. One was very thin, and had long black hair in two ponytails, with red eyes, and black feathery wings. She was dressed in a red top with a black skirt. The other was on the slightly bigger side, with blonde hair and blue eyes, shorter than the first, with blue feathery wings, and dressed in a normal shirt with overalls. She also had spiraled horns on her head. They both landed on the ground, making a dividing line between Kraven and Electrode. The others shortly followed, arriving with Omni.

Kraven looked very unamused, narrowing his eyes. He heard a buzzing sound in his ears, as if he heard something, but then focused on the group before him. “Well if it isn’t Masamune, Halo, and Zoe of World Savers Japan. What brings you in my neck of the woods?”

“You kidnapped our teammate, you asshole!” Masamune, the samurai yelled.

Kraven chuckled. “So I did. Not that it’s any concern to me. Maybe if you kept better track of them, then maybe he wouldn’t have ended up here.”

“That’s enough chatting out of you!” The black haired demon girl named Halo barked. “We’re taking you all into Kavisto. You can do all your talking then.”

Kraven chuckled. “How very funny. While it’s true, I’m in a bit of a bind right now, I am by no means finished. I don’t think you’ll be taking me anywhere.”

“And why is that? You gonna send some guards at us?” Masamune taunted.

Kraven continued to chuckle, as he suddenly heard sounds from his ear piece again. “Why don’t I show you exactly what I mean?!” He said, as he lifted one of his arms. Suddenly, very powerful artic winds began to blow, as everyone was caught off guard. He then put his finger to his ear. “All remaining troops, fall back into the base. Cover our escape!” Then he looked to Electrode. “Norman, with me!” Electrode managed to see Kraven, and where he was going, and let out a large wave of electricity to distract the group, while he, Kraven, and Karen made their way back to the base.

Masamune grunted. “Damn it, he’s getting away! Anyone who can fight, follow me!” He yelled, giving chase. Halo, Zoe, Zach, Brett, Ralph, and Kari all gave chase.

Raylu at this point was free from The Tamer, as the crash disrupted his connection. He quickly rushed over to check on Rem, who Aqua was trying to heal. “Sir Rem…”

Rem shook his head. “Go….help the others….please…I’ll be fine….” He said, to which Raylu respected and followed the others.

Aqua held him in her arms, as she kept healing him. “It’s gonna be ok…Just hang in there, alright?...” She said, trying to fight off tears.

Rem chuckled very very slightly. “It will…take more than that…to kill me…I’m just tired…”

Omni came over, and put his hands on both Aqua and Rem, sending healing waves of light through them. “You two just need to take it easy. Leave the rest to them.” He then shifted attention to Sora, who also stayed behind due to his earlier gunshot wounds coming back.


Back at the base entrance, Kraven’s forces met up there. All the major members were still alive, though banged up badly. “We need to retreat. Frost, you have the escape plan still prepared, yes?”

“Of course. I just need a few moments for it in a safe area.” Frost responded.

“Alright then. Everyone, follow me to Alpha’s chamber. Do not fall behind, or you will be left here. No one will return for you. Let’s move.” Kraven said, heading into the base again. Everyone followed in, leaving Frost last as he sealed up the door with thick ice.

Once the group caught up, and saw the iced over door, Zach quickly went to work melting it with fire. “Where could they be going? There’s no way out of the base from the inside.” Brett questioned.

“Kraven is tricky. He doesn’t do anything without a plan.” Halo responded.

Zoe looked around, seeing all the new faces. “So uhh…Maybe not the best time for it all, but nice to meet you guys. We heard about you from Omni. I’m Zoe.” She said introducing herself.

Halo looked around. “Oh yeah. And I’m Halo, and that’s Masa.” She said, gesturing to Masamune.

“Charmed, but we don’t have time for this right now, sorry to say. I’ll get names later.” Masa responded.

Brett nodded. “Understandable.” Then he noticed that the ice was melted enough to get through. The group quickly blasted the rest and gave chase. But as they continued, they found more ice blocking the path to the lower level.

“This is gonna take a while. Stand back guys.” Ralph said, attaching some bombs to the ice. Once clear, he blasted the ice apart. “I’m running low on these, so I won’t be able to keep that up.”

“No matter, let’s keep going, quickly!” Masa said, charging down the halls, with the others in tow.


Down in Alpha’s chamber, Frost was sealing the door to the room with as much ice as possible. Once done he looked to Kraven. “I’ll need a moment to create the portal arch. Keep them out until I can connect with the other one.” He said, heading to the back of the room.

Kraven nodded. “Karen, Tamer, you two keep the door guarded with the troops. Norman, come with me.” He said, and The Electrode followed him. He led them both to the broken Alpha, as he flipped him over. He started tinkering with what appeared to be a battery pack in the back. “Alright, I think this might still work. Norman, put your hand on the power cell, and charge your energy into it.”

The Electrode nodded. “Yes sir, not a problem.” He said, doing just as instructed.

After a few seconds, the robots eyes lit up again. “REBOOT FINSIHED. SYSTEM RESTORED.”

“Alpha, I have a task for you. Make sure your hard drive and memory banks are backed up to the cloud. Then wait here for the powered users to come in, then activate your self destruct, and take them out. Do you copy?” Kraven asked.

Alpha seemed to make some beeping sounds, then his eyes glowed blue for a second. “BACKUP STORED. I WILL CARRY OUT MY TASK. FOR THE GOOD OF MANKIND.”

Kraven nodded. “For the good of mankind. We’ll have you uploaded asap, so show no fear Alpha.”

“CONFIRMED COMMAND. I WILL AWAIT REUPLOAD MASTER KRAVEN.” Alpha responded, getting up, and moving to the center of the room.


The group finally reached the last ice wall, and everyone was getting tired. Masa drew his sword, as the blade glowed purple. It did this because of dimension power, which allows it to cut through nearly anything. He then thrust the sword into the ice, and began to try and cut through. “You’re not escaping Kraven!”

Kraven turned to the door, and saw the ice being cut through. He then looked back, seeing Frost finish making the portal. “Everyone to the portal, now!” Kraven said, as the troops began to pile in. The last ones outside the portal were Kraven and Frost together. He then took out a red grenade, and prepped it. Soon the ice was cut through, and they all piled in, but Kraven merely smirked at them. “It’s been quite the ride today, World Savers. We’ll do this again, real soon. Count on it.” He and Frost then went into the portal, as Kraven dropped the red grenade. Seconds later it exploded with massive flames, burning the portal arch, thus destroying the portal.

But then Alpha began to beep loudly. “FAREWELL WORLD SAVERS!” The beeping then picked up, as Halo’s eyes widened.

“Everyone get out!” She yelled, as her hands glowed gold, as she began to slow time down around Alpha. Everyone left the room, as well as Halo. Then she kept yelling. “We need to get back outside, before he blows the building up!”

“Everyone, quickly!” Masa said, leading the group outside the way they came.


Once everyone was clear of the building, Halo felt she could let the time energy stop, as suddenly a massive explosion was heard, causing a chain of even more explosions. It shook the earth around them, but luckily it didn’t cause the ground to cave in. Everyone got out safely, and began to regroup. At this time, Eric had arrived with Jake, as well as two other people. One was a girl with tan skin, and white bob cut hair, and the other was a young man with messy brown hair and brown eyes with light colored skin. These were Aqua’s other teammates, Maura and Trevor. They were getting the information from Aqua and Omni, when everyone got back together. Rem finally managed to get to his feet, but he was still pretty weak. “What happened down there?” Rem asked.

“Kraven escaped Sir, and that robot blew up the entire base when we found them.” Raylu said.

Rem nodded. “Is everyone alright?”

“Yeah, but they might have been if it wasn’t for us.” Masa spoke up. “Seriously, you’re their leader, and you lead them into the same bullshit as before?!” He was now yelling.

“Masa, don’t-“ Halo started, but then Masa turned over his shoulder to look at Halo with a look.

“No Halo, this needs to be addressed, or worse could happen the next time.” Masa started.

Rem narrowed his eyes. “What are you trying to say, Masa?”

“You know damn well what I’m trying to say! You seriously think after what happened with Kraven before, not only do you think for some reason your fit to be a leader, but you bring new recruits to fight Kraven of all people?!” Masa was now shouting.

Rem was now looking angry. “They have had plenty of training. This is our job, and I explained to them the risks before we even began the mission-“

“So what?!” Masa shouted again. “You shouldn’t of lead them at all in the first place! You should of called the rest of us if you had proof that Kraven was plotting something like this.”

“Zach’s life was in danger! The fact that we were dealing with Kraven proved we had no time to waste!” Rem countered.

“They fact that his life ‘was’ in danger is all the more reason you shouldn’t of handled it! The last time you ‘led’ a mission involving Kraven you nearly got us all killed!” Masa yelled.

“Masa that was a long time ago, and everything turned out fine in the end. No one died.” Halo cut in.

“Just because we managed to pull together doesn’t excuse the fact that Rem isn’t fit to lead anyone. In fact.” He then turned to Rem again. “You aren’t fit for anything, are you? Not only are you the human of the group, but you can’t do anything right. Not in combat, leading, or love. You should have just stayed in the cabin kitchen and kept making the potions, and let us do the work.” He said to him, paused for a second, and then continued. “In fact that’s probably why she left you in the first place. You’re just passive and weak. I have years more experience then you doing everything you can’t.”

“Masa, that’s enough! That’s not even true!” Halo yelled in scolding voice.

“Yes it is! Why else do you think he left?! He couldn’t handle it!” Masa shouted once more.

Rem glared at Masa, and he drew his sword. Masa managed to strike every cord in him, and he wasn’t about to say nothing around everyone. He gripped his sword tightly. “Well if that’s what you think Masa, then I’ll kick your ass right now!”

“Rem, stop it. Don’t-“ Aqua tried to cut in, but Masa’s booming voice overpowered hers.

“Oh yeah? So now you wanna try and be a man, huh?!” He asked, drawing his sword. “Then fine! I’ll beat your ass in front of everyone!” He yelled, and before another word was said, the two of them suddenly moved in a moment of passion, as their blades locked and they stared each other down. “You aren’t going to beat me. You’ve already had the shit kicked out of you, and I’m a far more trained swordsmen.”

Rem glared back. “Like I give a shit about that!” He yelled back.

As the two struggled, no one dared try to pull the other off. Everyone was in a state of shock for just a moment, as this all happened so fast. As their blades were locked, Masa glanced down, and kicked Rem in the knee, and with a quick movement, disarmed him. When Rem looked back up, Masa’s katana was pointed at him. “Knock it off already. There isn’t any point in fighting you. You rushing in proved my point just fine.” Rem glared back, as he charged fire in his hand. He was about to attack, but Masa noticed and charged ice in his hand. “Alright, let’s go then!” Masa shouted again.

“Enough!” Halo shouted, her voice coupled with a thunder crash, as she grabbed Masa’s arm. “This is stupid!”

Aqua at the same time was holding back Rem’s arm. “Rem, stop! You guys don’t need to fight about this!”

Rem looked at her. “Did you not hear what he said?!”

Omni now suddenly stepped in between the two swordsmen. “That is quite enough, the ladies are correct. Fighting among each other is foolish. You are all allies together, don’t tear each other apart.”

Rem and Masa both glared at Omni and then each other, but then Masa put his katana away, and stopped charging energy. “Fine. I don’t need to waste my energy anyway. If you newbies ever feel like being trained by someone actually capable, look us up in Japan alright?” He started to walk away.

Halo looked at Rem for a moment, as their eyes met. “I’m sorry about that Rem, don’t let it get to you. He’s just being an ass. I’ll see you guys later.” She then turned to Masa, storming off. “Masa, get back here!” She called out, following him.


Zach walked over to Rem, and offered him his hand, to which Rem took, as he pulled Rem to his feet. “Hey man, thanks a lot for coming to save me. For what it’s worth, I think you and your team handle yourselves well.”

Rem looked to the side. Now that Masa left, he was feeling somewhat dejected now. “You don’t need to thank me. We’re friends. Plus it wouldn’t of happened without everyone.”

“Of course!” Zach turned to the others. “Thanks! You all did really great today, in both missions! Totally worthy of being world savers. Even if I’m considered one of the lesser members.” He chuckled.

“Not a problem man!” Ralph gave a thumbs up to him.

“Hopefully next time we see you, it’s on better terms. Heh heh.” Sora chuckled.

Zach laughed. “Me too!”

Zoe looked around at everyone. “It really is nice to meet everyone. Sorry we have to leave so soon, but you all look exhausted. I’ll come by another time and properly meet you all.” She smiled, then turned to Aqua. “And girl, we need to catch up too. It’s been to long since I’ve hung out with my water buddy.” She smirked.

Aqua laughed weakly, still very tired. “Yeah, we need too real soon.”

Zoe nodded. “Alright, we better go Zach. Again nice meeting you all, and seeing you all again!” Zoe waved with lots of gusto, as the two of them left to catch up with Halo and Masa.

Kari watched them leave. “For such seemingly nice teammates, that Masa guy seems like a real piece of work.”

“Yeah! If I had a sword, I would of interrupted that. He had a lot of nerve talkin to Rem like that.” Ralph protested.

Brett looked at him. “Don’t you have a beam sword too?”

“What?!....Oh I guess I do.” Ralph said, embarrassed.

Sora looked at Rem, noticing he seemed a little bothered. “Hey Rem, are you alright?” He asked.

Rem looked at the others. “Y-yeah, I’m just……Really tired…” He said.

Aqua looked really worried about him, but didn’t want to press the issue now. She turned to Jake behind her. “We’re all really exhausted. Can I take all of them back for a rest, and I’ll fill out the paperwork later? We’ve all had a really long day.”

Jake nodded. “Yeah, of course. Me, Trevor, and Maura can handle clean up here. We’ll inspect the base in the morning.”

Eric looked to Jake. “Let me help you round up all of Kraven’s lackeys in Aqua’s place. I’ve still got energy to help.”

“We’d be really grateful.” The young woman named Maura said.

Jake nodded. “Yeah honestly, thanks Eric.” He then looked to the others. “Go on, get some rest. We got this all handled.”

Rem nodded weakly. “Thanks Jake…Come on everyone.” Rem said, making a portal back to the cabin, to which everyone but Eric followed for now.

Jake looked at Eric. “Is he gonna be alright?”

Eric looked worried. “I want to say yes, but Masa really went at him hard. Hopefully after some rest, he’ll do better.”

“I hope so. What happened really wasn’t his fault.” The brown haired young man named Trevor added.

Jake nodded. “Well either way, let’s take all these goons in. Hopefully someone has some information for us.



As the others talked, Halo caught up to Masa. Once they were very far out of earshot of everyone else, she yelled at him again. “Masa, what the hell was that about?! That was entirely out of line!”

Masamune stopped walking, and looked over his shoulder at Halo. “I’m aware of that.” He started.

“Wait, what?” Halo questioned.

Masamune sighed. “Look. We all remember what happened with Kraven before, and I’m just worried that dealing with Kraven could result in that all over again.” He turned around, facing Halo now. “When that happened…Rem shut down, and you know what happened afterwards. He needs to be up to the task. If he’s still full of doubt and unease, then he could make a critical mistake. And with less experienced recruits, something much worse could happen if he’s not ready. If he’s going to be their leader, he can’t let thoughts of fear control him. He needs to be their rock to hold them together.” He paused. “Standing up to me like he did at least shows he’s still got something left to give. As long as he doesn’t stay down…..then maybe he’ll be fine.”

Halo looked kind of surprised. “You…probably could of done a better job of saying that to him though. I mean some of that…was a bit personal to say in front of everyone.”

Masamune looked a little bothered. “I suppose I could of. But saying all that in front of everyone who probably looks up to him might of forced more out of him had no one else been there.” He looked back at the group. “I want him to feel like the leader that they see him as. I don’t mind looking like a bit of a bad guy, as long as it pulls him out of that slump he was in.”

Halo sighed. “You two better not keep fighting later. I don’t want us enemies with each other. Plus it gives us an awful first impression to the new recruits.” Halo paused, looking back as well. “Hopefully Zach and Zoe clean up after your messy tactics.”

Masamune sighed again. “Don’t worry…We’ll work it out later, I’m sure.” He then noticed Zach and Zoe heading back, as the rest of them began to leave. “Did everything go well?” He asked them, as they walked over.

“Depends on your definition of ‘well’.” Zach answered, looking uncomfortable.

Zoe looked angry. “Masa, that was so mean to say! And in front of Aqua and the others too. You know how Aqua looks up to him!”

Masamune sighed again. “Look I know, I’ll…tell you all when we get back, alright? I just went over it all with Halo, and I’m exhausted.”

Halo folded her arms. “Serves you right, good intentions or not.”

“Wait, good intentions?” Zach questioned.

“I SAID we can talk when we get back. Give me a break.” Masamune said, drawing his katana, and using the dimension powers he made a portal that the four of them exited through.


Later that night, at another of Kraven’s bases, he was getting his wounds tended to, as Crix came into the room he was in. “Did all go well Sir?”

Kraven sighed. “Not quite as well as I hoped, but we did manage to recover Mr. Norman, and gave the new robot a good test run, so it wasn’t a complete loss.” He paused. “Norman has potential to become very strong. With him with us, our forces stand a much better chance in the coming battles. Though we cannot rest yet. We need more to add to our numbers, the loss of Maylene is still setting us back, and we may be moving into a critical phase soon with Karen and her…higher up. We need more test subjects.”

“Might I suggest contacting Matter sir? He could be here quickly, and isn’t dependent on our mutant testing going well.” Crix suggested.

“Ah, a wonderful suggestion. That should buy us some man power while we wait for our man on the inside to get us more results.” Kraven agreed.

“What of that trio of mutants from the fair in town today? They seem somewhat unreliable of what our intel suggests.” Crix asked.

Kraven shook his head. “I don’t believe they will be very helpful at this stage right now. Like you said, too unpredictable to be of good use, though that could change in time.” He then stood up, as the attendant patching him up finished. “For now, I need to meet with Karen. We need to figure out how to proceed from here. If all works out well, we may not have need of extra forces in the near future. You meet with the technicians working on upgrading Normans suit, then we can begin his proper combat training.” He began to walk out of the room.

Crix nodded. “Of course, sir.” He looked worried after Kraven left to go about his business. I hope your right Kraven…I don’t fully trust this Karen woman and her masters plan…

…End of Data Log

[Aqua]

Data Log #13: Mistakes of the Past

Data Log place in time: The day after the previous data log.

The morning after the missions from the day before was very quiet. Everyone was still very tired from the night before, and nearly all of them were sleeping in. Eric seemed to be working on prepping for lunch, and Aqua was currently out as she decided to take care of all the required paperwork regarding the previous two missions. Though Rem….Rem was in his room, laying on top of his bed, arms behind his head, looking up at the ceiling. He looked like he had a lot on his mind, which he did. The stress of the mission from yesterday, not to mention what happened with Masamune after it was all over. His thoughts were on Halo as well since Masa had attacked him using her, even if she shouldn’t be. Everything was getting to him. All this pressure was more than he expected to be dealing with. I’m I really….up to all this?....Being the most experienced person on a mission is one thing, but we are starting to go up against more and more powerful threats….I take the blunt of the pressure, but….Yesterday proved I can’t just do it all on my own….Sora could have died…..We all could of….Maybe if I can get stronger…. Rem thought. Then he sat up, as he heard the sounds of movement. Rem wasn’t sure what he’d say if they all wanted to talk about last night, since he brushed it off due to being tired, nor did he want to bring everyone down. So he put on his boots, put his sword on his back, and left his room.

He began to pass through the living room, as Eric, who was in the kitchen, caught him out of the corner of his eye. “You alright?” He asked him.

Rem stopped walking for a second, but didn’t turn to speak. “I’m fine…..I’m just gonna get some morning air before noon….” Rem said, heading out.

Eric didn’t press any further, as he knew from what happened that Rem wouldn’t be doing quite alright at the moment. He decided at that point that if he was gone too long, he’d go speak with him himself. Maybe after he had some more alone time, he might feel like talking about it. Eric then began to hear movement about the cabin, so he continued finishing his lunch prep.


After a somewhat loud end of the morning, with the four newbies fighting over the bathroom, everyone was gathering in the kitchen at the table for lunch. Ralph was last to arrive, drying his hair with a towel. “Jeez, Kari you take so long in the shower for a girl with such short hair.”

Kari rolled her eyes. “Oh stop, girls need their time in the bathroom. Maybe if you were afraid of waiting so long, you should have been up before 11am like the others. Plus I needed the extra time after last night.”

“Yeah yeah. I was asleep for so long because of last night. Hey Eric, what are the odds of us getting a second bathroom around here?” Ralph asked.

Eric chuckled. “I might be able to make weapons and tech, but I know nothing about building rooms or anything of the sort. Not even sure where we’d fit it anyway.”

Ralph sighed. “What a bummer.”

“What about the large empty room upstairs? I didn’t see much there but old boxes.” Sora asked.

“I was wondering as well why it goes unused.” Brett added.

“I suppose we could fit it there, but again I have no idea how we’d go about it right now.” Eric answered. He then looked to Brett. “Well that was were a few of our friends who got married in the group stayed before they moved out. Ponic and Keera were their names. Once they moved out it just went back to being unused. I just moved up all the boxes of the old groups’ things once you all moved in…..I should probably get ahold of the others and ask if they want it.”

“So how long has it been since you all last were together? We’ve been around a while, but I don’t think anyone’s asked.” Sora asked.

“Yeah, the place looked like it hadn’t been used in years when we moved in.” Ralph added.

Eric started to think. “Well…..I think it was about….somewhere from two to three years ago. It’s been a while since we all lived under one roof. To be honest it was so crowded back then I used to live in my lab in the mountains for the most part. I do somewhat miss the chaos of so many different types of people living here and around here, though you four supplement that a bit.” Eric chuckled.

“Wooooow I can’t believe you just called us noisy.” Ralph said.

Kari chuckled. “Have you ever listened to yourself? If it wasn’t for the fact that you always sleep in the most, you’d have us all woken up by your loud mouth.”

Sora and Brett chuckled, while Ralph was looking annoyed. “Hey! I just have a lot of energy, alright?!”

“I think you’re proving her point, Ralph.” Brett said, chuckling.

Ralph sighed, as the rest of them laughed. “Maybe we should try and have everyone over sometime. It might be nice to meet everyone. You all could probably do with a reunion.” Kari suggested.

“It could be a good idea, though as of late, our part of the world is slow on activity, so most of the others are busy more often. We could try and work it out. Though if im being honest, we’re more likely to meet the others on some worldwide threat than a party.” Eric laughed nervously.

Brett sighed. “You and your friends really did keep our entire world in the dark for so long, huh? We never heard of these types of threats back when I served in the army.”

“We didn’t want the world to panic over things they didn’t need to. Though the chaos humans kinda ruined that, so even with Kavisto’s influence we couldn’t keep the secret up anymore.” Eric explained.

“I remember hearing about them on tv, but what were they?” Sora asked.

“A bit complicated to explain, but they were in a way lab experiments that went very wrong. They had very unusual abilities I’ve never really had to encounter before or since. They had small personal worlds inside their ‘hearts’ where their powers ran wild. Though they all are gone now, so luckily you’ll never have to experience them.” Eric explained.

“I feel like you guys have seen so much, you could tell stories for days about all you’ve dealt with.” Ralph commented.

Eric chuckled. “Oh you have no idea.”

Then suddenly the front door opened, as Aqua entered the cabin. “Oh, good morning everyone. Looks like I didn’t miss lunch.” She started to walk in, but she stopped to pet Raylu in his pup form curled up on one of the couches. He was resting, but moved his head in response to her strokes.

“Hey Aqua, where we’re you off to this morning?” Kari asked.

Aqua finished petting Raylu, as she walked into the kitchen. “Well I woke up kinda early, so I just went to go over all that paperwork that I didn’t finish yesterday before the mission. I also checked in with my other teammates to see if they learned anything from the people we captured yesterday.”

Eric turned off the stove, and began to plate everyone up, as he looked to Aqua. “Did they learn anything useful?”

Aqua sighed, as she took a seat. “Sadly no, nothing important. Most of them were all hired hands from all over, gathered in some location that none of them knew. Apparently Kraven is very careful about his hiring process. We haven’t gotten much info from the police about the Roses either, so right now we have no leads on anything.”

“Not to sound selfish, but honestly I’m glad we aren’t going into action right away. I’m still plenty sore from yesterday, though Raylu’s healing really helped a lot.” Sora said.

“I think after yesterday, we all are in need of a good rest. Odds are low Kraven will make another move so soon, so we should have time to recover.” Eric responded, as he passed out plates of curry to everyone.

Aqua began to eat, but she noticed someone missing from the table. “Hey Eric, didn’t you tell Rem about lunch? Where’s he?”

Eric took a seat with his own plate, as he sat another on the floor near him. Raylu responded to the smell, and got up to eat as well, still in pup form. Eric’s face looked a little troubled. “I doubt Rem will be joining us for lunch. He left the cabin before everyone else woke up, and he’s just been in the woods since. I’ve kept an eye on his aura since he left, so he hasn’t gone far, but he’s been there for a while.”

Aqua sighed, looking down at her food. “I was worried he was going to take yesterday hard…”

Ralph took a break from eating to cut into the conversation. “Hey, uh not to be rude and interrupt, but both Kraven and that Masa guy from yesterday kept bringing up some kind of incident that Rem and you guys were involved in. Now these guys are too awkward to ask, but what was it all about?”

“Ralph, have some tact!” Brett raised his voice slightly.

Eric looked to Aqua, then to the others, waving his hand to dismiss Brett’s concerns. “It’s alright. Quite honestly, it’s probably for the best you guys know anyway. After crossing paths with Kraven, you are entitled to it. “

Kari frowned. “We don’t mean to be nosey, but after what happened, we got a bit worried. We wondered if it was for nothing.”

“Yeah, Rem doesn’t really show much weakness ever when it comes to combat or missions, so it was kinda alarming.” Sora added.

“Well honestly, it’s a bit of a story. How’s the best way to put this?” Eric paused to think, then began to explain.


This was one of the last missions we all did as a group together in france, before we all decided to split apart. The threat was Kraven himself. Up until this point, Kraven hadn’t been a major threat, but he had made a few different attempts on us. In hindsight, it probably was him testing us and our abilities. Rem had managed to gather some information on a possible recruitment location for Kraven’s forces, and thought it would be a good idea to try and become an undercover agent. Kraven had been making bigger and bigger moves at this time, so we all thought it was be a good idea to try and nip him in the bud before he got too powerful. He spent a few weeks undercover. We gave him a haircut, and used a light refracting device to disguise his face, so we were sure a normal human would have no way of catching on to our plan. But…..we were very wrong.

The night of the plan, Rem had contacted us using a light prism. He was on patrol duty at what appeared to be a harbor. “Guys, it’s me. Kraven and apparently a number of his most important officers are going to be here at the docks tonight. They are apparently waiting for a large shipment of troops and anti power weapons to be coming in by boat tonight. The shipment is supposed to be huge. I think he’s planning to turn france into an all out war ground. But if we strike tonight, we can capture him while the numbers are small. Their firepower is dangerous, but nothing we shouldn’t be able to handle.”

”Alright, if your confident in this plan, we’ll contact you when we arrive.” A deep voice responded.

“Got it.” Rem responded, putting his light prism away, resuming his patrol around the docks.

About an hour or so later, Rem was contacted again. ”Rem, it’s Skylos. Can you hear me? We are in position. We’re going to start moving in. What building is Kraven holed up in?”

Rem looked around, making sure he was clear. “Building C, just be-“ Then Rem got a call on a walkey talky of some sort.

”Agent Ford, do you copy? It’s shift change, you’re needed in building C.” The voice questioned.

Rem picked it up, and answered. “This is Agent Ford, I’ll be right there.” He responded. Then he returned to his prism call. “I’ll send a signal through the light prism when the guard change is over. Move in then.” He said, then putting the prism away, and heading inside.

As Rem entered the building with a few others guards for the next shift, the previous ones left. As he looked around the room, he saw it seemed clear. The guards also seemed somewhat tired, so this seemed as a good a time as any. He sent a signal through the prism in his pocket, and at this moment the others began to move. A tall, 6 foot man with actual black skin, pure white eyes, and short brown hair appeared from the shadows of the room. He was a being called a Shadow Weilder, and his name was Ponic. Throughout the room, he opened shadows in the darkness of the room, letting out other members of the group into hiding. Rem noticed them, but luckily they were so quiet no one else seemed to. But then from a back room, Kraven appeared. “Ah, Agent Ford, glad I found you. There was a matter I wanted to speak with you about.”

“Ah, y-yes sir? You want to speak to me?” Rem asked.

Kraven nodded. “Of course. I wished to talk about your performance lately. You’ve only been with us a short time, but your skill is very remarkable. I’ve been talking it over with the other captains, and we are considering promoting you.”

“Wait, really? Me? Surly there must be better here than me.” Rem said.

Kraven chuckled. “You’re very modest, aren’t you? You needn’t be, your skill is very impressive. We are always in short supply of people of your level of skill. Where did you say you learned your skill again?”

“Oh, well when I was young, the town that I lived in was often attacked by demons, so I always had to be ready to defend myself from the powered threat. My will to survive is really what kept me going, and I just got as good as I needed.” Rem answered with.

Kraven nodded. “The powered demons are always a tricky threat, that’s to be sure. Survival can be one of the best trainers.” He paused. “Finding skilled people that actually know of the powered threat, as well as actually willing to fight them are rare. But they are beginning to grow in number now. With threats like Zalendor, Aldaras, the Chaos Humans, and the World Savers themselves, the number of people who hate them and are willing to resist them are growing by the day.” He paused again, looking up. “The powered threat won’t be able to resist mankind anymore, once they realize they have the power to take back control from them. Earth will return to being ruled by humans and humans alone.”

“It’s quite the goal sir, and I’m glad to be a part of it. I pledge my sword to our cause.” Rem said.

Kraven chuckled. “Good good….” He then began to walk around Rem, looking around the room. “And since you are so devoted to the cause, I feel I should let you in on something about tonight’s operation. Something I neglected to inform you of.”

“And that is, sir?” Rem questioned.

Kraven continued to chuckle. “We weren’t waiting for a shipment of overseas guns or men. But rather…” And then suddenly Kraven pulled out his pistol, and shot Rem point blank in the gut!

“Gah!” Rem yelled, falling to the floor. Everyone hiding in the room saw what happened in shock.

“We were waiting for you all.” Kraven said. He then motioned his hand, as the guards in the room, now began firing into the shadows! The others were forced to scatter, as Kraven looked down at Rem.

“How…..how did you know?....” Rem questioned, as he held his gut.

Kraven smirked. “Your disguise was very well done, it fooled everyone for sure. But I….have an eye for the details, you might say. Watching you train with the combat team showed your far above average skill was one clue, but your combat style is something difficult to hide.” He paused, looking directly into his eyes, ignoring all the gunfire and powers flying around. “But….I wasn’t entirely lying about what I said. You are human, and I do respect your skill. Cast aside the powered kind you associate with, and join me. I know all about your past with demon kind, as well as what they did to everyone you knew. Surely you don’t forgive them for that?”

Rem sat up slightly. “Ugh….Don’t….get me wrong….I don’t forgive who did that to me…..But I’m not foolish enough to blame an entire race for the wrongs of a few. We humans are just as flawed as demons or powered humans.”

“Maybe, but unlike the powered kind, we do not have the fair advantage of being able to keep them in check like we keep each other, or they keep us humans. The powered threats never end. They have gone on long before I was born, and if things don’t change, they will continue long after I pass. I will not roll over, and hope to be saved by the good ones who could just as well kill us all if they wanted. I will not depend on such ‘World Savers’ like yourselves.” Kraven said, keeping his gun pointed at Rem.

“You….Ugh…You’ve already proven with the right motivation that humans can compete or match power…..You don’t need to kill them all to uphold that peace. We can co-exist.” Rem said back.

“Peace? There is no peace. Threats in france alone happen multiple times a year. I will not allow more threats to keep cropping up because no one wants to pull the weeds out entirely. Waiting to defend only allows the possibility of people getting hurt because we just trust and hope each threat is the last one. Maybe that works for you ‘World Savers’ but not for me, and not for those who share my ideals. I stand firm on this.” Kraven narrowed his eyes at Rem. “Now, will you accept my offer, and help me actually make real peace? Or do you wish to die with the rest of your allies? Don’t make me waste your skill by making you a puddle of blood on the ground.”

Rem narrowed his own eyes at Kraven. “I don’t want ‘peace’ that comes with a pile of innocent corpses. Keep your offer.”

“Well then. This is regrettable, but not unexpected. Farewell Mr. Stratford. May you-“ Kraven started, but then quickly looked to the side, and shot a light blast that was fired at him. Across from him was a young man with short spikey brown hair, yellow eyes, and dressed in a white robe with a gold trim. This was Skylos Pantech. “Nice try, Mr. Pantech.” But then Kraven quickly dodged both shadows that flew at him, and jumped back to dodge chains flung at him. Ponic had attacked with the shadows, but the chains came from another. They came from a pale looking young man, dressed in black clothes, with redish brown hair, and blue eyes. This was Neon Pantech, Skylos’ cousin, and a Darkness Human.

“Nice speech there, Kraven. I’m sure it will sound really good to your inmates once you’re taken in.” Ponic taunted.

“Come in quietly, and no one else has to be hurt.” Skylos added.

Kraven laughed. “Such bravado! Did you forget that I already expected the lot of you to be here?” He then pushed a button on his cufflinks, and the doors to some storage containers opened. Inside were robots from Harkum Robotics. “I’ve been saving these stolen bots for an occasion such as this. I think you are aware of the ion tech that Mr. Nightngale helped them develop. Wonderful stuff for taking down powered kind such as yourselves. Now.” He then had a very evil looking smile on his face. “What were you saying about a quiet surrender?”

The robots then powered up, as their signals had been corrupted by Kraven’s tech. They began to open fire on all the group members present. Ponic quickly jumped back, covering himself, Skylos, and Rem in shadows, while Skylos began to heal Rem. “I was…careless…” Rem said.

Skylos shook his head. “Don’t worry about that now, let’s just turn this around.”

Outside the dome, Neon continued to try and strike Kraven with chains, as Kraven simply dodged around them, counting blasts with gunshots. “You’ll need to try a little harder than that.” Kraven taunted, as two robots rushed Neon, pushing him back. But then suddenly, Masamune, Halo, and another girl began to attack Kraven. The girl had tan skin, brown hair in a ponytail, and she welded a metal rod. Her name was Yisha. The three of them rushed Kraven, as Halo tried to strike him with lightning, and Masamune tried to slice him with his dimension katana. Kraven seemed to be able to dodge all their attacks with ease somehow. “So much for your show of strength. You can’t even hit me.”

Then suddenly a wall of flames was sent towards Kraven, as he was forced to dodge backwards. Though Yisha leapt through the flames, as she tried to strike Kraven with her metal rod. He quickly took out his knife, and blocked the blow. Yisha glared at him. “I’m going to make you wish you gave up when Im done with you!”

Kraven smirked, not at all phased by her threats at all. Suddenly the blade of his knife started to glow yellow, and suddenly it was giving off a powerful electric charge! Yisha’s metal rod conducted the electricity, shocking her, as she yelled out. She dropped her rod, as Kraven quickly stabbed her in the gut with the knife, then kicked her away. “Yisha!” Halo yelled, as she flew at Kraven. Skylos heard Yisha’s name called, as he eyes widened, and he quickly light dashed into action. Masamune also charged forwards.

“Whatever will I do.” Kraven taunted, as he touched his ring on his hand, and suddenly everyone’s vision was entirely distorted! They couldn’t see with their eyes, nor by auras! Kraven simply sidestepped to dodge Halo, as she crashed into the ground. Masamune and Skylos couldn’t see, but they tried firing ice and light blasts, to which Kraven could easily dodge under these conditions. Kraven then quickly shot the both of them, causing them to recoil back in pain. He began to walk towards Skylos, reloading his pistol. “You lot sure do get over confident, don’t you?” Kraven said. But before he could get closer, a massive wave of water washed into him, as both Zoe and Aqua formed the wave out of range of Kraven’s ring, and knocked him away from the others.

Skylos quickly healed himself, then dashed over to Yisha, and picked her up. He began to heal, but robots began to fire on them. Masamune dashed over, his wound not as bad, and began to block the shots with his katana. “Arianna, quick! Put some pressure on him!” Masamune called out.

The girl named Arianna, who had blonde hair with pink highlights, very slender with almost pale skin, responded to Masamunes call. Her hands glowed purple, as she began to create rifts, much like Masamunes dimensional sword did. She was a dimension human, so this was an ability she was much better with then him. The rifts she opened would let out a rockslide from them, causing Kraven to back off, and some of the robots to be crushed. Kraven noticed her, and figured she would be trouble if left alone. “Focus on her!” He called out. The troops that remained, along with a portion of the robots opened fire on her, to which Zoe and Aqua quickly formed an ice barrier between them and the shots. Zach then came in from the side, and unleashed a lot of white flames, repelling them back. He then fell back behind the ice wall.

“Thanks guys.” Arianna said.

“We aren’t out of the woods just yet! Look!” Zach said, pointing behind them, as more troops began to enter from the opened door!

Arianna moved her hands, making the rockslide rifts close, and open near the door, forcing the troops back. “That should buy some time.” She said.

“Let’s not waste it, come on!” Aqua said.

At this point, Rem and Neon were now closing the gap on Kraven, though Neon’s attacks had to be from further back as to avoid the rings effects. Rem charged at Kraven with a simple steel blade, as his normal blade had to be left behind to avoid detection during his undercover time. Kraven kept parrying the blows with his knife, but Rem’s gloves prevented the shock form reaching him. “You’re good, but under classed compared to me without your powered tech.” Kraven taunted.

“We’re both human. I don’t need any of it to beat you!” Rem kept swinging, as Kraven kept blocking or dodging depending on when Neon attacked. He’s quick….We need to overwhelm him. Ponic, Neon, can you help with that? Rem thought, though Neon and Ponic could read minds, so they picked up on this.

”No problem… Neon responded, mentally to Rem. Suddenly even more chains then before rushed at Kraven, forcing him to dodge once more, but from above, flying around, Ponic rained down shadow blasts. Kraven managed to keep dodging, but he looked pressured. Rem then charged him again, so when Kraven was forced to block the sword strike, he was hit by some shadow blasts. When he tried to jump back, one of Neon’s chains had wrapped around him, pulling him back down, hitting his face on the ground. He quickly got to his feet, and tried to jump back, but then Rem quickly slashed at him.

And for once, under this pressure, Kraven managed to be sliced in the chest as he jumped back. “Gah!” He yelled, as blood appeared from his chest. His clothes were made of cut resistant fabric, so it lessened the blow, but it still was painful. He clutched his chest, as he looked around. His robots were getting fewer in number. Well…backed into this corner...They put up more of a struggle then expected…. Kraven then smirked. “Well congratulations are in order, I suppose….From this point on, the game stops here.” He then pushed another button on his cufflinks, as a large shipping container was lowered down. It then opened up, showing what appeared to be a replica of the Megaton battle suit! “We managed to get a little more than some robots from ol Harason. Now….let me show you what it can do!” It then opened up, as he climbed inside the suit, and it began to close. The others tried to attack, but the robot pressure enabled Kraven to get inside with no problems. It powered up, and began to move under Kraven’s command. “Allow me to take you all to the grave!”



The group was under instant pressure, as the mounted machine gun opened with heavy fire from one arm, while the other unleashed a massive stream of flames from a flamethrower! Some of the group members would put up walls of power to block the attacks, but the firepower was quickly pushing through them! Ion energy coated the bullets, allowing them to do major damage to power based defenses. Halo and Zoe tried to fly around the walls and attacks, to which they were met with direct energy blasts fried from some launchers from the shoulders, knocking them back. “This would be over must faster if you’d just stop resisting and except your fate!” Kraven spoke from the suit.

“Skylos, can’t you pick up any weak points on that thing?” Ponic asked.

Skylos was trying to focus by searching for any weak points using energy. “The armor seems strong….I don’t really see a direct week point, but energy does seem to gather and disperse from the core like object in the center.”

“Trying to get a direct hit on such a small target….It will be rather difficult if we can’t get past the weapons, and that distortion field if he uses it again….” Neon added.

“We’ve dealt with worse, let’s give it all we got!” Ponic said, full of energy, as he flew back into battle. He summoned all the shadows in the room, as they began to fly around Kraven as a distraction, firing off shadow blasts.

The mounted energy launchers would counter back, as he moved the arm weapons to rip through the shadows. “It will take more than simple tricks to stop me!” Kraven yelled. He saw Masamune make a charge at him, probably attempting to slice through the armor while he was distracted. The suit’s legs lit up in a few spaces, as small dart like missiles were fired from the legs to repel Masamune back away. Now, in the upper areas of the warehouse, Eric and Raylu positioned themselves apart from Kraven on both sides. They charged up energy of their powers, and fired them at Kraven to meet in the middle. The suit quickly rose both hands, as energy gathered and fired back, keeping the beams from Eric and Raylu at bay. The energy launchers on his shoulders swapped out for machine guns once more, now aiming to keep the more grounded members at bay.

Skylos and Neon were doing most of the ground covering, using light and darkness walls to block the shots. Meanwhile Yisha, Masa, and Rem were dealing with the remaining robots, and the troops that were getting past Arianna’s rock slide. “We need to push him back somehow!” Skylos shouted.

“And fast!” Yisha said, firing fireballs at the troops shooting from behind. “They are gonna overwhelm us at this rate!”

Ponic then telepathically reached out to Halo and Zoe. You two join me in the air while the others distract him. We’ll strike from above together. To which Zoe and Halo agreed. To push back on the offensive below, Zach, Aqua, and Arianna began to up the fire power on Kraven while Eric and Raylu had him pinned down. The three of them were now in the air above Kraven, as they began to charge up powerful attacks from the air.

Kraven’s energy readings picked up the charging above, and smirked from the inside of his suit. Oh no you don’t. I see you. And then more lights lit up around the back of the suit, and more the small missiles fired off, but these were aimed at the platforms Eric and Raylu were on! This caused them to fall, also stopping their attacks. At this point, Ponic fired a large beam of shadow energy, Zoe with an ice beam, and Halo with massive bolts of lightning! Kraven put his suits hands up, as he was now countering Ponic and Halo’s attacks with the palm beams. He was taking Zoe’s attack directly, but hers was far less aggressive. Then suddenly, while Ponic and Halo were locked in a stalemate with Kraven, the fingers on the hands turned sharp and drill like. Then the fingers extended by great lengths, piercing through both Ponic and Halo with ease! Both of their attacks stopped, as they then began to fall!

“Halo!” Masa yelled, as he jumped out of action, and through the air to catch Halo. She had several large gaping wounds in her body, but she was still breathing.

Eric moved into action quickly to catch Ponic, who while wasn’t as bad off, was still hit pretty badly. Zoe’e eyes widened, as she saw her friend and her cousin Halo shot out of the sky. She quickly was forced to fly around and dodge the fingers that were now nearly being launched at her! Arianna, trying to compose herself quickly called out to Zoe. “Zoe, fly to me!” Arianna said, as Zoe heard her and bolted in her direction. As Kraven made another lunge with the fingers at Zoe, Arianna opened a rift that the fingers shot into, then instantly closed it once they entered. The fingers were instantly severed, causing Kraven to recoil.

Masamune quickly brought Halo to Zoe and Arianna. “Zoe, take care of Halo. I gotta help the others.” He said, to which Zoe nodded, taking her cousin from Masa. He then turned around, and with a yell, charged at Kraven. He kept nimbly dodging gunfire, but when he got to close, the vision distortion wave happened, and Masa suddenly could no longer see. Trust yourself Masa! He told himself, as he relied on the sound of the gunfire to get close, then jumped towards him, and swung his katana.

Unfortunately, Masamune missed his target of Kraven’t helmet, but managed to slice off one of the shoulder guns. Though before he could even land, Kraven turned around, and grabbed Masamune. Before Masamue could respond, Kraven chucked up away with a throw coupled with an energy blast. Raylu then quickly rushed in for a ground assault, but Kraven caught him, and swung his arm at him. Raylu caught the attack, and held it back, but the remaining shoulder energy launcher fired an attack at Raylu. It hit him, and caused him to lose his focus, causing him to be sent flying by the arm. Skylos quickly reacted to the opening created, as he put his hands together, charged up a large light beam, and fired it towards Kraven. Yisha and Zach joined in as well with fire, and the three attacks rushed towards Kraven. He quickly responded with the beams from his palms, as well as the wrist mounted machine guns towards the attack. “Keep the pressure on him!” Skylos said to Yisha and Zach.

Kraven was being pressured, as he tried to up the power. He then contacted his troops over radio. “What are you idiots doing?! Get them from behind!”

The troops then tried to turn attention towards the three attacking Kraven, and began to open fire. Aqua began to from ice walls to block the shots, though the three got hit a few times before Aqua could entirely form the wall. “We gotta do something quickly!”

Neon then sent a message to Arianna and Rem’s heads from across the battlefield. ”I’ve got a plan, but I need your help. I’ll confine him, Arianna take out one of the legs, and Rem you strike the center since you can get close easier.”

”Got it Neon!” Arianna responded.

”I’ll follow your lead, I’m ready.” Rem also responded.

Neon then appeared a good distance behind Kraven, and sent his chains at Kraven’s suit, and wrapped around the arms and torso. Kraven noticed, and tried to rotate his last shoulder gun to aim at Neon, but suddenly Masamune’s katana filled with dimension energy was thrown at the gun. It cut clean through the gun, causing it to fall off. Kraven was beginning to feel the pressure, and was prepping the micro missiles to fire at the surrounding foes, but they were still recharging. Then Arianna made her move. With her slim body, and the massive legs of the suit, she appeared right inside the leg between all the insides! She opened one rift at the top of the leg, then one at the bottom. She then quickly dropped though the bottom rift, escaping, as the top one poured out lava! The bottom rift closed, trapping pure lava inside the leg! Kraven’s suit was beeping wildly, as he saw the leg wasn’t responding, as well as feeling the heat in the suit. “What’s happening?!” He yelled.

The leg then snapped, or rather melted entirely off! The suit was now entirely off balance, so coupled with Neon’s pulling, and Skylos’ and the others attack, entirely knocked Kraven’s suit on its back. “Now!” Neon called out, as Rem came down from a platform above!

“Haaaa!” Rem yelled, as he stabbed his sword directly into the energy core in the center. Rem then took out a bomb like device, turned it on, and placed it directly on the core! Rem quickly got clear, as the bomb suddenly went off! The explosion, started causing more explosions, as well as causing the suit to malfunction. The palm energy blasters discharged, forcing the suit to blast across the floor, crashing into supply crates.

Kraven tried to regain control, as the explosions kept going off, as another explosion went off. On his display it said, “Main Fuel Line Ruptured!” and Kraven looked livid. “Damn World Savers!” He yelled, as his yell was soon snuffed out by a massive explosion from the suit! It caused more crates to explode, as everyone was regrouping. Acting quickly, Arianna opened rifts all over the battlefield, allowing everyone to quickly escape before the explosion took out the warehouse!


At that point, the majorly injured were moved to the cabin, while the healthy searched the harbor. After an extensive search, Kraven was unable to be found. There was no corpse remains, so it was believed he somehow escaped during the explosion of the harbor. After Aqua’s teammates had arrived, they helped gather all of the men that worked for Kraven that still remained back in for questioning. Once it was clear there was nothing to gain by remaining, they returned to the cabin to rest up. But the next morning is when it all boiled to a head.

Rem walked through the living room, after having spent most of the morning alone in his own room, when he noticed who gathered there. Most of the group was there, aside from Masamune and Halo. “Is….everyone alright?” Rem asked.

Skylos nodded. “Most of us only had minor wounds, so we’re fine. Though Halo’s gonna pull though, she’s still in really rough shape.”

Ponic nodded. “She’s tough, she’ll pull through just-ow!”

“Ponic, stop moving so much! You’ll rip the wounds open!” Another shadow wilder said. She was shorter then Ponic, but most of the features were the same. Though she had long red hair and blue eyes. Her name was Keera, and she was Ponic’s wife.

“Yeah bro, you gotta watch yourself.” A third shadow weilder said. He was also shorter then Ponic, but other than that they looked much alike. He was Markov, Ponic’s brother, and Zoe’s boyfriend.

Rem looked really bothered by Ponic’s state, but the others noticed. “Hey, Rem. Everyone’s fine, so don’t look so glum.” Yisha said.

Then a voice boomed, and it was Masamunes. “Like hell its fine! Most of us were on deaths door because Rem botched the mission!”

“Masa, that really isn’t-“ Skylos tried to talk, but Masamune ignored him.

“Enough of that! Rem’s mistakes and failure to understand what we’re dealing with nearly got Halo and Ponic killed! I can’t just ignore that!” Masamune yelled, now getting in Rem’s face. “What do you have to say for yourself?!”

Rem narrowed his eyes. “You don’t think I already blame myself for that!? I was played a fool!” But then Rem was punched square in the gut, causing him to go to his knees! Most of the room gasped at this, as Masamune continued.

“I don’t care if you know that, we all know that! That isn’t what I’m asking!” Masamune yelled, but then Neon was suddenly behind Masamune, with his hand on his shoulder.

“Masa….Stop this right now….This fighting is pointless.” Neon said, plainly.

Masamune looked over his shoulder, glaring at Neon. “You wouldn’t be so calm if that was Arianna or Skylos that was put full of holes!”

At this point, Aqua, Raylu, and Eric rushed over to Rem, as Aqua helped pick him up. Rem then spit out, as he looked at Masamune. “Your right, it should have been my blade to fall on, not hers….” Rem said, looking empty in his eyes.

“Damn straight it should’of been!” Masamune said, but now Skylos was interjecting.

“Masa, calm down. You knew very well the risks of the mission, we all did. Just because we could get hurt, doesn’t mean we stop. Think about this with a level head. Everyone is going to be fine.” Skylos firmly said.

“Skylos is right, Masa.” Ponic said, sitting up the best he could. “We take these risks every day. It wasn’t pretty, but every one we walk away from, no matter how rough a shape we are in, is another day we live to keep fighting.”

Masamune looked at Ponic and Skylos. “I know that, but this entire thing could have been avoided had Rem done his job! He’s not fit to lead missions if he can’t do them right. I won’t work under the leadership of someone who can’t do that.”

“Rem was the only one who could have possibly lead that mission Masa, and you know it!” Aqua suddenly snapped.

Masamune turned, and got almost in her face. “Like that matters! There’s a reason we normally follow the lead of someone like Skylos or Ponic, because they understand what needs to be done.”

Rem then got back up, and cut in between Aqua and Masamune, pushing him back. “You get out of her face, Masa.”

“Or what, you think you can take another hit from me?” Masamune taunted, but then suddenly they were interrupted.

“Will you boys stop it! Fighting isn’t going to help anything!” Yisha yelled.

Now Arianna was raising her voice. “Do you really think this is what Halo wants Masa?! For you two to bicker and fight?! She’s my best friend, I know she wouldn’t want you doing this!”

Masamune had a cord struck, but he hid this. He then turned back to Rem. “Know this, Rem. I don’t have respect for people who put who I care about in such danger. If you can’t handle missions like these when we need to depend on you, then maybe you shouldn’t be here.” He then turned away, and walked out of the cabin, leaving everyone in a bit of an uproar.

But Rem just….stood there. He looked empty. He barely responded to anyone talking to him for the rest of that conversation, just brushing it off by saying he was fine or it didn’t bother him. Some of us knew he was hiding something, but he wouldn’t tell us. Maybe if he had, things would have turned out a little differently after that.

After a few days passed, Rem barely speaking to any of us, he made a choice in the middle of the night. He was packing some of his things up, as he was preparing to leave. Everyone was asleep, so no one had any idea. He left a note, which I found the next day, saying this. “I don’t know how to take any more responsibility for my mistake on the mission. I’ve thought about it all this time, but I think Masa might be right. I’m not fully prepared for all this. My mistakes nearly got some of my friends killed, and if I can’t prevent that, then I need to grow stronger. Better. So I won’t make any more mistakes. This was my fault, and I’ll do what I can to make it up to everyone. Whenever I return, I won’t be the same. So don’t worry. I won’t die on you all. You’ll all be fine without me holding you back, until I can return and fully pull my own weight. Rem.”

Raylu was gone the next day as well, so we all figured they left together. Most of us were deeply troubled by this, but due to Raylu we couldn’t track him down. We had no choice but to accept things. Rem spoke to me a few days later by the light prisms we use, and he explained it all more directly to me. I asked to him reconsider, but he insisted that he needed to do this. He said if worse came to worse, I could always call on his help, and that he’d be in touch. It wasn’t long after that though, that we as a group found it was best to divide up to cover more areas of the terra. After Kraven, the issues that happened were in areas where we had less members, so that was the major reason we all broke apart. We tried to make staying in france work, but it was soon apparent that threats moved on after Kraven disappeared.


Eric looked at everyone at the table, finishing up the story. “It wasn’t until the night he met you all that I had seen him again. He seemed more capable then when I last saw him, but maybe it was just him trying to hold it all together the past few weeks.”

Aqua looked really sad, hearing this all again, as everyone began to talk. Ralph then looked over his chair at Raylu. “Hey, how come you let him leave? Wouldn’t it of been better had he stayed?”

Raylu now turned back into his normal form. “I didn’t let Sir Rem leave. He was determined to go, and wouldn’t head my warnings.”


I saw Sir Rem trying to sneak away in the night, but I had been on the roof doing my normal scan of the area, when I saw him far off in the forest alone. I knew he had been in a rough condition, but I had not the time to speak with him properly. I met him in the forest, and I noticed he had his things packed.

“Sir Rem, where are you going so late?” I asked him.

Sir Rem turned around, looking like he lost all the light from his eyes. “I….can’t stay here Raylu. I still have a lot to learn apparently, and my lack of skill is causing problems for the others.”

“Sir, no one here feels you are a problem.” I started, but he refused.

“That isn’t true. I can hold my own, but more often than not I drag the others down. I’m not as well trained as you are Raylu, and I don’t have natural powered talent the others have. I need to do something.” Rem said.

“And what is it you plan to do? With no course of action, you will simply wander lost, and only worsen in condition. I cannot in good faith let you simply leave, knowing you could only destroy yourself.” I asked him.

Rem looked lost for a moment. But then I could see the passion return to his eyes. “I need to grow stronger, in order to protect everyone. I can’t make these mistakes anymore. And I need to do it without the others carrying me, and doing the blunt of the work. I need to fully stand on my own, otherwise how can I support someone else? I need to be stronger in body, and mind. And also….” He paused, but then looked me in the eyes stronger. “I need to track down Kraven, and end this myself. He may only be a human, but his passion against the others is powerful. He’s more dangerous to them because of it. I already have the best chance, possibly, of ending his schemes. I’ll take him down, and come back stronger, for all of them.”

I looked him right in the eyes, having even more newfound respect for him. I understood why he was making this choice. It wasn’t simply to run away from his problems, but to find and confront them. And he couldn’t do it there. “Well then, Sir. I will not stop you, but on one condition. I will go with you on this quest you’ve chosen to take.”

“Raylu, didn’t I just say-“ But I cut him off.

“Your motivation is good, but you cannot do everything on your own. You cannot train alone. You cannot hunt Kraven alone. You cannot take on his hordes of followers alone. So I can’t let you go with no one to fill the areas you lack. I will not carry you, for I cannot do this task alone either. I will train with you, so that you will stand beside me and see yourself as the equal I see you as. I will not budge on this. If you do not comply, I will simply follow you anyway. You can’t hide from me, but….you will need me to hide from the others.” I said to him, as he caught on to what I was suggesting.

Rem looked shocked, but then for the first time since the mission, he smiled. He put out his hand, and we shook. “…..Thanks Raylu. I guess this makes us true partners now, huh?”

I smiled back. “Of course, Sir Rem.”


“After that night, we set out together. I supported him in the ways he needed, and pushed him when he needed to. We resided in a temporary home, as we perused leads on Kraven, making strikes on his bases and such. We kept this up, keeping Kraven down when we could, up until we were contacted by Sir Eric the night we all met.” Raylu paused. “Sir Rem….He made progress. My thoughts are due to the mission from yesterday with Kraven, not to mention Sir Masamune’s actions, have put him under a lot of doubt and stress.”

“Rem…..Always was too hard on himself with everything. He was with that mission, with Giga, with Halo, Rem always does this to himself….” Aqua said, sadly.

The others looked just as worried. “I guess everyone has their inner demons, even people who look like they have it all together.” Kari said.

“Well, no one is perfect. We all have weaknesses.” Brett added.

“Well yeah, but….I mean shouldn’t we say something to him?” Sora asked no in peculiar.

Ralph looked bothered, but then suddenly determined. He sat up, as he put his hands on the table. “I’ll do it!” He said, proudly.

“Do….what?” Brett asked, giving him an odd look.

“I’ll talk to him. If it’s too awkward or uncomfortable for anyone, I’ll just do it myself. Someone has to.” Ralph said, getting up, and heading right out.

“Wait, Ralph! Have come tact!” Kari called out, as there was no response. Everyone quickly got up to follow Ralph out the front door.


At this point of the day, Rem was simply out in the woods nearby. He was under a tree, with a warm summer breeze blowing through his hair. He was looking at his reflection in his currently crystal bladed sword. “Hmm...” Then he heard someone running up to him. Normally on guard, he flinched, looking around, and seeing it was Ralph. “Ralph…Is something wrong? You look in a hurry.”

Ralph looked at him. “Huh? Oh, no, I’m fine.” He paused for a second. “Are…Are you alright man?”

“Huh?” Rem looked confused, blinking slightly.

“I mean….Ugh, how do I say this? Somethings been bothering you. I can tell. It’s a man thing.” Ralph said, trying to sound confident.

Rem just looked at him for a moment, then looked back at his sword. “I don’t really know what you mean. I’m fine.”

Ralph chuckled. “Don’t lie man, you aren’t acting like yourself at all. I’ve known you for a while now, and I’ve never seen you like this. Or how you were yesterday. Kraven had you spooked, and that’s fine, you don’t gotta lie about it.”

Rem looked back at Ralph, looking slightly annoyed. “I’m not feeling like anything. Don’t read into things that aren’t-“

“Dude, seriously. Knock that off.” Ralph said, as Rem looked surprised at Ralph’s words. “You seriously don’t have to hide anything for our sake.” He then looked to the side, as he and Rem both noticed everyone show up. Ralph then turned back to Rem. “Eric and Raylu told us the whole story, so trying to pretend something isn’t bothering you is pointless.”

Rem looked at Eric and Raylu, then back to Ralph. “So you only think something is wrong because Eric and Raylu blabbed about myself to you huh?”

“Dude, he told us because we already could tell.” Sora cut in.

“Rem, you’re our leader. I trust you’d expect us to be open with you if any of us had any problems, so you shouldn’t feel the need to hide anything.” Brett added.

“Yeah, you can talk to us.” Kari also added.

Rem sighed, as he could see everyone was worried. “Guys…Why are you all so worried anyway? It’s fine. We all came out of yesterday in one piece, so I don’t have any reason to be off.”

“Then if that’s true, why are you?” Aqua asked him directly.

The sudden directness from Aqua of all people threw him off. He just sat there, looking at everyone for a moment. He closed his eyes, then let out a big sigh. “If you guys had a more capable leader, then maybe yesterday would’ve went better. Maybe you guys should take up Masas offer, he could probably train you better. Be a better leader. Or….maybe if it’s too much, you could probably still quit. I don’t think I can keep you all safe if things get worse then they are already….”

“We aren’t going anywhere, Rem.” Ralph started. “We can’t just go back to how things were before.”

“We aren’t leaving either. This place is our home now, and we can’t just go somewhere else and ignore it.” Brett added.

“We’re family now, and family doesn’t just leave because things are hard.” Kari said.

“We need and want your help, Rem. If you don’t lead us, we’re just going to do it alone.” Sora said, with a huge smile.

Eric smirked. “You might think you have to do everything, but remember, we are a team. We cover each other’s flaws. We have each other’s backs, we can protect each other. It doesn’t all fall to you, you know.”

“We all are skilled, Sir Rem. We can fight on our own as well, you know this. And we’ll only get better as we go. Yesterday proved we can still handle things.” Raylu added.

Aqua looked Rem in the eyes. “We are here for you as much as you are for us. Trust in us, and trust in yourself.”

Rem sighed again, forming a small smile as he finally stood up. “Alright alright. You guys are gonna embarrasses me if you keep this up.” He laughed nervously. “Thanks….I just…I worry about all this…I don’t want the same thing to happen again.”

“Hey!” Ralph shouted suddenly. “It won’t! We are learning and prepared, and so are you! You gotta have more confidence in yourself!”

Eric chuckled. “Ralph’s not wrong. I hear, outside of some rough spots they went toe to toe with Kraven. That’s pretty impressive.”

Aqua smiled brightly. “If anyone is gonna stop Kraven, it will be us for sure! I believe in us!”

“Yeah, you tell’em!” Kari chimed in.

“You all really make a good argument, I can’t deny that.” Rem said, chuckling now. “The job comes with risks….but someone has to do it. If Kraven is going to be more active in france, we can’t afford to be broken up again. If you all are still in this, then I am too.”

“That’s the spirit!” Ralph beamed.

“Now that the sulking is over, come on, we still have lunch to finish!” Sora said, starting to head off.

“Oh yeah!” Ralph added, following after him.

“My God, you boys are such kids sometimes.” Kari ran after, with Brett following her.

The four original members began to walk back slower than the rest, but Rem hung back with Eric in the back. “Eric, why did you ask me to be the leader when we first came together this spring? We both know you are probably far more capable at leading us then me.” Rem asked.

“I’m not sure why you think that, my expertise is strategy and tech, not so much leadership. That’s more my brother.” Eric started. “But honestly, after seeing how you handled the Changeling with a nearly inexperienced crew, and seeing your new mindset is what convinced me. You came back stronger than before, but not in just strength itself. I could see it in your actions and how you carry yourself. It’s hard to explain, but I could just see it. All you needed was a chance to prove yourself again. We’ve had a few tough foes the past few months, and while tough, we’ve pushed through each one. Kraven might have been a close call yesterday, but we all made it out ok. If anything, Kraven predicted our tactics, so we need to come up with new ones.” He put his hand on Rem’s shoulder. “Remember though. It’s ok to feel weak, we all have those moments. It makes us human. But as long as you remember who you have at your side, we’ll get through them together. I’ll always have your back, and I know the others do too. So if it just gets too much to handle, let us help you shoulder the burden.”

Rem sighed again, but with a smile. “Thanks Eric, that means a lot. I feel like a fool for running out before, I should of more level headed back then.”

“You had a lot on your mind, but it’s ok. Besides, we might not be where we are now if it wasn’t for that. Who knows what Kraven could’ve pulled off if left unchecked. So don’t worry about that, but focus on moving forward stronger than before.” Eric responded.

Rem chuckled. “Jeez Eric, you ever think of going into motivational speaking? Because you sure do it well.”

“It’s probably the big brother in him.” Aqua commented, laughing a bit.

Eric now looked embarrassed. “I guess I just got it from my brother and mother. Despite my dad and the people around me growing up, they always reminded me to keep going forward. It’s not good to live your mistakes and hardships constantly, but it is good to grow from them.”

“Well said, Sir Eric.” Raylu added.


As everyone returned back to the cabin to finish lunch before it got cold, everyone was in higher spirits. As they were gathered in the living room, while Eric was washing up all the dishes with Brett, Aqua got an idea. “Who wants some music?”

Some of the others looked confused. “I mean sure, but that’s an awful sudden way to ask.” Kari mentioned.

“Oh, well that’s because I realized it’s been too long since I’ve played.” Aqua said.

“Wait you play? What do you play?” Sora asked.

Aqua then got up from her seat in the living room, and walked over to the corner of the room. A white sheet was thrown over something, and it had some various boxes and such gathered around it. “Can someone help me move these?” Aqua asked, to which Kari, Sora, and Rem helped move the boxes upstairs. When they were all cleared off, Aqua removed the sheet, revealing a rather large piano. “I noticed this was still here when I moved back in. I thought Halo had taken it with her, but I guess she probably got a new one or something. I haven’t gotten around to checking it out since everyone was using it as a makeshift table and storage corner.” Aqua giggled slightly

“I’ve been wondering what this pile has been for a while now.” Kari said.

Eric sighed from the kitchen. “Sorry, we’ve been so busy lately. I mostly focused on getting the rooms cleaned, that it’s all just been sitting there. Honestly I just forgot about it.”

“So you play piano, Aqua?” Sora asked.

Aqua nodded. “I can play a few other instruments as well, but it’s been a while since I’ve had any time.”

“How do you have the time to learn more than one with how busy you guys always are?” Sora asked.

“Oh, well that mostly came from when I was younger. I had learned most of what I know by six years old.” Aqua answered.

“Six?!” Kari asked in disbelief.

Aqua giggled slightly. “Well I was from a different time, remember. Back then I was the daughter to the ruler of the Water Human tribe, so I had standards to live up too. I was always taught to be a proper lady since as far back as I can remember.” She then took a seat at the piano, and opened it up. She tried a few keys to see if it still worked well. After a lovely string of sounds, she smiled. “Seems like it’s working fine. I’ll give it a good cleaning later though.” Aqua then began to play.

She started off rather slowly, getting the rust out, then she began to start fully playing, as everyone began to just sit around and listen. Raylu had turned back into his pup form, as he began to nap on the couch. “I’ve never heard this before….” Kari said aloud.

Aqua opened her eyes, looking at her. “That’s because I wrote it.”

“Wait, you wrote it yourself?” Sora asked.

Aqua nodded. “Mmhm. When I had more free time from playing proper songs or lessons, I used to write music. I haven’t…really done much of it in a long time though.”

“Jeez, that’s impressive. I’d love to learn how to play too I think…” Kari said.

“I’ll teach you sometime. I haven’t ever taught someone before, it might be fun.” Aqua smiled. Aqua continued playing as they talked. She then shifted to a more soothing sounding song. The kind that invoked softer feelings and emotions, though some might connect that with sadder feelings. As everyone listened, Rem started to look….off. Like something was on his mind. Then all of a sudden, he got up, and walked out of the room. Aqua took notice quickly, and frowned. Maybe….I shouldn’t of played this song….Idiot! What were you thinking?

But then, when there was a break in the tune Aqua was playing, a different sound was heard. When everyone in the room turned to see where the sound was coming from, Rem came back into the room playing his ocarina. Aqua suddenly looked really surprised, and relieved to see him come back. Rem looked at her, trying to signal her to continue. Aqua picked up on this, and continued playing, while Rem accompanied her with his ocarina when suitable. After going on for a bit, the two of them stopped. There was some light clapping in the room. Eric and Brett entered the room at this point. “You two play pretty well together for having no practice together.” Eric said.

Aqua blushed ever so slightly, while Rem just scratched the back of his head. “I mean I’m a bit rusty too, so I just followed along with Aqua when I could.” Rem said.

“You said you could play other instruments Aqua?” Brett asked.

Aqua nodded. “Well it’s mostly just the violin, and I guess some minor experience with an organ. Though having seen them in action, I want to try and learn the guitar as well. I just don’t have one, or the time to learn.”

“Jeez, pretty soon you’ll be a one man band.” Sora said, chuckling.

“Maybe when the world saving business stops, Aqua can make us all go into a band with her.” Ralph said, chuckling.

Aqua laughed a little nervously. “Now I’m not ‘that’ good.”

“Don’t be so humble, it’s fine! Makes me wish I still had drums from back in the day.” Ralph said, getting excited.

“Why am I not surprised of all things you could’ve played, it was drums?” Brett said, sighing.

“He probably didn’t play them, but just beat on them and made a lot of noise in the orphanage.” Sora mocked, to which Ralph was getting hot headed.

“Hey! That’s not cool Sora! I was a regular artist at them!” Ralph yelled.

“I seriously doubt the drums would work well with a piano, violin, or ocarina. They are more for soft music.” Kari said.

“Hey, that just means we’d need to get creative!” Ralph protested.

“Please stop him. If you entertain the idea, he’ll just buy drums and the cabin will never be quiet again.” Brett complained.

“It’s always quiet around here! Too quiet! I think I’ll take that as an invitation to fix that.” Ralph said, smirking.

Rem chuckled. “It’s never quiet when you’re awake Ralph. If by some chance you wake up first, you’re the whole cabins alarm clock.”

“Wow, now I’m even being roasted by Rem.” Ralph said, sounding defeated.

Aqua laughed slightly. “Well Ralph, if you get them, we could work on a sound together. I’m sure we could come up with something.”

Ralph beamed. “That’s what I’m talkin bout! Positivity!”

“Aqua, you might just be sealing your fate with that.” Kari laughed.

“I welcome a challenge.” Aqua smirked, to which everyone started laughing.

“Eric, I’m still hungry, is there more curry?” Ralph asked.

Eric sighed. “Ralph you had four servings, and I already washed everything. Besides, there’s nothing left. You’ll have to wait for dinner.”

“Then I’ll help with dinner! That will make it faster!” Ralph said.

Kari’s eyes widened. “That’s a horrible idea! I want to be able to actually eat it.”

“Nonsense, I can help! Sora, you can help me too bro.” Ralph said, to which Sora looked shocked.

“Wait, why me?!” Sora exclaimed.

“Think of it as a bonding exercise, man! Two manly souls bonding over the preparation of a home cooked meal. I can’t think of anything more manly and poetic….I should write that down….” Ralph mumbled the last bit.

“As ‘manly’ as that sounds, I can’t let you idiots ruin dinner. I’ll just have to supervise you both.” Kari said.

Eric started laughing. “I mean I can’t imagine they can mess up simple vegetable cutting.”

“Please. There’s a reason I did just about everything when it comes to cooking for those boys when it was just us. Though Brett was pretty helpful at least.” Kari said.

“Wow, that isn’t fair at all! Don’t lump me with Ralph!” Sora protested.

“What’s wrong with me?!” Ralph exclaimed.

Brett sighed while they argued. “I swear these three make me feel like some kind of dad to them, they are so exhausting. Though….It’s always refreshing seeing them stay themselves.”

Rem chuckled. “I know how that feels. You spend to long doing the hero work, you forget who you all are when you aren’t It’s always good to keep grounded.”

“You strike me more as an older brother to them, then a dad, if that makes you feel any better Brett. Like the kind that takes care of his little siblings, being the makeshift parent.” Aqua giggled.

Brett chuckled. “That’s probably more accurate.” Ralph seemed to catch this last bit, and put Brett in a headlock.

“Hey, ‘older bro’ why don’t you help us too?” Ralph asked.

Brett now looked annoyed again. “Just for that, no. Don’t make me ground you next.” Brett chuckled.

“What?!” Ralph yelled.

Kari chuckled. “You heard ‘big bro’ hop to it Ralph.”

Sora was chuckling too. “Yeah, don’t make big bro mad.”

Brett sighed. “Oh bother….now look what’s happened. Just for that he can stay helping.”

“What?!” Kari and Sora both exclaimed.

Ralph laughed as if he had won. “Alright, so let’s get started!”

Eric looked confused. “But dinners not for a few more hours.”

“Well for the amount I wanna eat, we need the extra time to make more. Chop chop guys!” Ralph ordered.

“You know once all that rice settles you won’t be moving at all, and we’ll be doing the rest, right?” Kari questioned.

Ralph smiled confidently. “I’ll take that risk as your noble leader into this kitchen battle today! Come!” As he headed back into the kitchen.

“Ralph wait! You don’t even know what Eric’s making!” Sora said, as he and Kari followed him.

“Ralph, you don’t need that many knifes!” Kari yelled from the kitchen.

“This will allow me to prep 5 times as fast!” Ralph yelled.

“Dude, focus on mastering one knife first!” Sora exclaimed.

Eric sighed. “Well I guess I better make sure they don’t make a mess…” Eric said, getting back up, disappointed he was going right into prepping dinner early today.

Rem, Aqua, and Brett laughed a little, as they remained in the living room. “So Rem, you wanna try making some music together? Maybe it will soothe the savage beast that’s Eric right now.” Aqua said, giggling slightly.

Rem chuckled a little bit. “Sure, sounds fun.”

“Ok then! So why don’t you lead this time into something, and I’ll match you?” Aqua asked.

“Alright, though I think the music pro is gonna put me to shame.” Rem joked.

“Please, you’ll do fine. Go on.” Aqua said, chuckling slightly at Rem’s joke. Then as Rem began playing, Aqua followed along. It sounded a little rough at first, but the two quickly got into the groove, making some very happy sounding music. Raylu continued to appear to be sleeping, while Brett tried to listen, and ignore the uproar from the kitchen.

After a while had passed, dinner was finally ready, as everyone was gathering around at the table. “I’m honestly surprised I didn’t kill them….Or they didn’t kill each other…” Eric said, sighing.

“On the bright side, everything looks great!” Rem said, looking at the spread.

“Eric, you always seem like you go all out with meals, isn’t it exhausting?” Aqua asked.

“Normally no, I just know how to make it look like it was a lot of work I suppose. Though these three made it quite a headache today.” Eric said, looking only slightly annoyed.

“Yeah, maybe, but look! There’s so much more than normal!” Ralph proudly boasted.

“That’s because you kept cutting up more, even when we told you it was enough.” Kari said.

“Look, men need lots of food to keep up their energy! After yesterday I could eat this entire table three times over. So don’t hold back. Mostly you Sora.” Ralph said.

“Why do you keep singling me out today?” Sora asked.

“Cause you’re the little brother of this group, and as your older brother I gotta look out for ya, and make sure ya get big and strong!” Ralph said, proudly.

“Great, now this is his head cannon.” Sora complained.

Aqua giggled. “I think you guys are cute that way. Make’s me wish I had that type of environment growing up.”

Rem smiled. “Yeah, me too. Don’t take it for granted you guys.”

“Well these guys’ arguing has made me hungry, so let’s say the prayer and eat.” Brett said, as everyone seemed to comply.

But then suddenly, Ralph just yelled “Grace!” And started grabbing food onto his plate.

Eric’s eyes widened. “Calm down, it’s not going anywhere.”

“A man needs to eat!” Ralph said, sparing the food no mercy.

Kari sighed. “You never change, Ralph.”

As they began to eat, Rem just looked around at everyone, when Raylu noticed and questioned him. “Something wrong Sir?”

“Huh? Oh, no. It’s just….I know we eat all the time together, but for some reason today feels like….” Rem paused. “It feels like we are more like a family today than any other so far.”

Ralph looked excited. “That’s the spirit! Through thick and thin, were all family now!”

Brett sighed with a smile. “That might be the smartest thing you’ve said all day.”

“Brett, why you gotta be so cold man?” Ralph questioned.

“Gotta keep ya weighted down, otherwise you might liftoff to high.” Brett joked.

“I can agree to that.” Sora said.

“Same.” Kari added.

“Wow, you guys…..” Ralph paused, almost looking sad, but then smiled brightly. “Are the best batch of guys I’d ever wanna be family with, hands down!”

Everyone laughed, as dinner continued with very lively conversation for some time. After which, everyone continued to talk for some time, until the events of yesterday caught up with everyone, showing how tired they all were, as they all began to retire for the evening. But not before yet another argument between everyone over who would shower first.


A few hours later into the night, possibly close to midnight, everyone in the cabin seemed asleep. Well, except for Rem. He had come back out into the living room, sitting there alone. There were no lights on, except for maybe any objects that had clocks, timers, or that sort of thing. It was mostly just the moonlight coming in through the windows. He seemed to be doing some thinking about various things, when he suddenly heard a door open down the hall. He didn’t make any moves, since he wasn’t trying to hide, so whoever it was didn’t bother him. Coming into the living room from the hall was Aqua, dressed in a nightgown. She didn’t notice Rem at first, as she was heading to the kitchen. She got herself a glass of water, and started heading back when she now noticed Rem. “Oh…You’re up awfully late.” She said to him.

Rem looked at her, and smiled. “Well I mean I could say the same about you.”

“Oh, well I was just reading in my room. I couldn’t really sleep. What about you?” Aqua asked him.

“Oh, nothing really. I figured I’d wait for Raylu to return from his nightly patrol since I couldn’t sleep either.” Rem said.

“Oh, I see.” Aqua said, pausing for a moment, as the two both got quiet. “Well umm…If you don’t mind, can I sit with you and not be able to sleep with you? We haven’t really talked much on our own in a while.” Aqua said, sounding almost like she was trying to force it out.

Rem didn’t notice that, but he did smile. “Sure, I don’t mind. We tried yesterday, but then everything with the gang happened.”

Aqua laughed nervously. “Yeah, that was annoying.” Aqua said. Calm down, and play it cool….It’s nothing romantic to get in a fuss over…. She then sat down next to him.

Rem looked over at her. He noticed, now that she was in a nightgown, he could see the burns from the electricity from Electrodes attacks from the mission on her skin. “So umm, how are you holding up? Like from yesterday, I mean.”

Aqua noticed him looking at the burns. “Oh, I’m fine. They stopped hurting after the healing, so the scars will probably be gone in a day or two.” She paused. “What about you? You took way more of a beating then I did.”

“Well other than a pretty singed outfit, I’ll be alright. Nothing that won’t heal up soon.” Rem said, looking out the window for a second after he finished saying that.

Aqua looked at his face, thinking. Then she spoke up. “Are you sure nothings on your mind?”

Rem looked back over to her. “Am I that easy to read?”

“I just thought maybe you didn’t get it all out of your system earlier. Is there anything you wanna talk about? I’ll listen.” Aqua offered, almost insisting.

Rem sighed slightly. “I just worry is all. I just have the feeling were are going to be getting involved in some big stuff soon. What Kraven said at the lab worries me. He said he had big plans he wanted us out of the way for. I worry that maybe all the training I did alone isn’t going to be enough for what Kraven has planned. He also seems to have Frost, Norman, and Tamer with him, so he must be planning something. I don’t want anything to happen to any of us.”

“We’ll be ok, you have to believe that. Starting tomorrow, let’s start training harder than before, if it makes you feel better. Maybe I can talk with Eric about making some new gear or something.” Aqua suggested.

Rem looked serious. “That’s all good, and I don’t doubt we can bury ourselves in training, but this is Kraven. Preparing for the unknown is one thing, but preparing for him is much harder….” He paused. “Maybe I am just over reacting, but I just can’t shake this feeling…”

Aqua then grabbed his wrist. “I’m scared too Rem…” She started. “After yesterday, I wouldn’t be surprised if we all are just as scared. We just gotta do our best, like Eric said, we’ll watch each other’s backs. We don’t need to worry alone. So if you ever get worried like this…” She paused. “You can always talk to me, I’ll always listen.”

Rem looked at her, and smiled. “I don’t know why, but that really helps. Thanks Aqua, we can always talk.”

She smiled, but then noticed she was holding his arm so long, so she suddenly let go, and leaned back into her seat after a drink from her water. But when she looked back at his face, she thought he still looked bothered. “You said you feel better, but you still look troubled. Is there something else bothering you?”

Rem suddenly noticed, and looked away for a second, feeling flustered. “Oh, i-it’s nothing. Really.”

Aqua narrowed her eyes for a second. “What did we just finish talking about? If something is bothering you, you can tell me. Promise.”

“I-it’s not that….It’s…umm…” Rem said, getting more flustered. “How do I put this….”

Aqua had a feeling she knew what was bothering him, so she decided to help him if possible. “If it’s something you don’t know how to talk about, it’s fine…” She paused. “But do you want to hear what I think is bothering you?”

Rem looked at her, only slightly confused. “Be my guest, if you’d like.”

Aqua sighed. “Ok then…So…I think, what’s bothering you now is Masa and Halo.” She said suddenly.

“That’s pretty direct of you to say.” Rem said, slightly surprised.

“I just figured that we addressed the major issue you were having, what with the mission and all, I just figured the only other thing it could be is this.” She paused, looking at him. “Am I right, or am I way off base?”

Rem closed his eyes, and sighed. “Fine…Since you already seem to know…” He paused for a second. “It was just what he said that got to me…He said all that in front of everyone, and even had the nerve to bring ‘her’ up. It was just…rough hearing all that in front of everyone.” He paused. “And maybe I shouldn’t resorted to trying to pick a fight with him, I just….didn’t know what to say.”

“No, I understand. What Masa said was pretty harsh and personal, I might’ve reacted the same had it been me.” She paused, and laughed slightly. “Honestly, I wanted you to knock his lights out. I only held you back because you were already in rough shape. You might’ve lost in the shape you were in.”

Rem’s eyes widened. “Wait….Did you only hold me back so I wouldn’t lose in front of everyone?”

Aqua started to look a little coy. “I dunno, coulda been? I mean, you can’t lose a fight you don’t fight in, right? The last thing Masa needed was more ammo to pile on to you right? But don’t worry, on a fair playing field you woulda won for sure, no matter what he boasts.” She smirked.

Rem chuckled. “Look at you, trying to give me a big head. Careful, that’s dangerous.”

Aqua laughed a little as well. They paused for a moment, before Aqua suddenly forced something else out. “So umm, question. And you don’t need to answer if you don’t want to.”

“What’s up?” Rem asked her.

“Well…You mentioned how Masa said with he did in front of ‘her’. Are you….still upset about her?” Aqua said, looking both awkward and worried.

“Oh, that…” Rem paused for a second. “It’s been a long time…I still hang on to some regrets about it all, but….I’m not really in love with her anymore. At least I don’t think so…Some memories are just painful, even after all this time. It more like just a reminder of not being good enough or being a failure, then so much missing her. It’s….complicated I guess. Does that make any sense to you at least?”

Aqua seemed like she was taking all this information in. “I think I get it, honestly.” She paused for a second. “But that’s good though.”

Rem looked confused. “Huh? What’s good?”

Oh crap! That slipped out! Aqua got flustered. “Oh! I mean that it’s good you aren’t attached to her anymore! It helps with healing and stuff. It’s not healthy to stay fixed on someone like that, it makes it hard to let someone else in. Before you left…you didn’t seem like you were handling it well, and Giga didn’t help with that either.” She paused. “But it’s just good to hear your doing better than before! It’s a relief to see your acting way more like yourself again. Sorry if that all came out as being nosy.” Good recovery I hope. Hopefully he doesn’t think too much about it…

Rem gave a little smile after that. “Oh no, it’s alright.” He paused. “Honestly….It felt kinda good to talk about. It’s not really Raylu’s area of expertise, so it’s nice to get some of that off my chest. Sorry if that was uncomfortable for you at all to listen to.”

Aqua waved her arms in front of her, nervously. “No no, its fine! I’m the one who asked. If anything, I’m glad I could help! You can always talk to me!” She said. Aqua, calm down. Don’t come on to strong like that…

“Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind!” Rem said, smiling at her. They both sat there together for a moment, until Rem spoke up again. “I…feel like I should apologize for something…”

Aqua turned to look at him. “For what?”

“Well…For doing an awful job of being in contact. For not visiting you guys at all. After today, I feel like I just wasted so much time going off like I did. You guys are my friends, and you were all important to me, and I just wasn’t here.” Rem said, looking somewhat sad.

Aqua frowned. “You don’t have to be sorry for that. I mean, I won’t lie and say I didn’t miss you or worry about you, but you did what you thought you needed to. Eric explained it pretty well. Ralph would probably say it like ‘It’s what a mans gotta do sometimes’.” Aqua said, doing some deep male voice impression for the last bit.

Rem chuckled at that. “He probably would. Problem is, men do stupid stuff sometimes. They worry about stupid stuff too.”

“Well like Eric said earlier, you came back feeling different. I could tell too. So yeah, it was a while, but let’s just say for now it was for the best. Ok?” Aqua said, trying to reassure him.

Rem nodded. “Alright, that sounds like a good idea.”

After that, they both sat there for a while, probably not sure what else to say from that point. The warm summer night breeze would blow through the windows, moving the curtains. The sound of bugs could be softly heard. The moonlight shone in rather brightly now. Aqua then yawned pretty loudly, and began to mumble. “Raylu sure is…..out late tonight….”

Rem was just looking out the windows, taking in the night, as he answered. “Yeah, he is. Though I’m sure its fine, Raylu wouldn’t rush into anything dangerous.” Then just moments after he said that, he suddenly felt something leaning against his arm. He looked over to see, and it was Aqua. She seemed to have finally fell asleep. Rem smiled slightly. She must be exhausted…I could move her, but I feel if she woke up before Raylu came back, she’d get upset. He thought. He sat there, feeling her against him. It was quiet enough that he could hear her gentle breathing. At a point, he looked back at her again, before looking back away. She looks so peaceful…Wait is my heart racing? Why would…Ah, stop it. I’m over thinking it. I’m probably just assuming something I shouldn’t be. Don’t read too far into it Rem…Besides… Rem’s train of thought paused, as he looked a little unhappy. Aqua doesn’t deserve a screw up anyway……Ugh! There I go again, assuming again. I must be getting tired…None of my thoughts make sense…I don’t even know how…I feel, so how can…I know how…someone else…feels… Rem’s eyes then grew too heavy to stay awake, as his neck slouched to the side, his head nearly resting on Aqua’s.

A moment or two later, a very light thud was heard outside, though no one in the cabin was awake to hear it. Then very quietly, the front door opened, as Raylu entered. He quietly closed the door behind him. It seemed he jumped off from the roof to the front of the cabin. His aura was glowing slightly, coming off his body. While Raylu didn’t often show much emotion, he had a gentle smile on his face. About time those two fell asleep. The calming aura really does the trick on tired people… Raylu thought. Since Raylu was sure they wouldn’t wake up, thanks to his hand in things, he picked up a blanket that was put over a chair, and he covered the two of them up with the blanket. He then changed forms to his pup form, and jumped into a chair, and curled up to sleep. At least everyone seems to be in better spirits…I can rest easy for now…



That same night, inside one of Kraven’s bases, Kraven was meeting with Karen. “So with the additional funding, you should be able to continue the plan, yes?” Kraven asked.

Karen nodded. “Yes, in theory. Though depending on what is needed, we may need additional help.”

Kraven looked slightly annoyed. “You understand if I discover you and your ‘master’ are lying to me, you will have done far more than making an enemy of me, yes?”

Karen looked him square in the eyes. “The plan is as I explained it. Once the project is finished, you will be rid of those powered types you hate so much. For such a big undertaking, problems may arise that we need your assistance with. I’m being straight with you right now on this, so you don’t claim later I tried to deceive you.”

Kraven sighed. “Very well. When is your expected completion?”

“The projected timeframe is the end of summer, possibly the beginning of autumn at the latest. Again, as long as no other major delays happen.” Karen answered.

Kraven nodded. “Very well. We will be in contact, I assume. Until this is finished, we will need each other.”

“Trust me on this, Mr. Kraven. We will be in contact again. You know how to get ahold of us.” Karen then nodded, and excused herself from the room.

Kraven was left in his office, alone with his thoughts. This is all promising, but can I trust Karen and this….’Volks’ she mentioned? If what she said is true, they will make amazing allies, but only If it’s actually true…Time will tell, I suppose. Until then, the mutant project must move forward as previously planned. We cannot be stopped now…

…End of Data Log.

[Aqua]

Data Log #14: Due for an Upgrade


Data log date in time is eleven days after the previous entry. Most of the group was attending breakfast, much like any other morning, although Ralph seemed to still be asleep. Though once breakfast was finished, Aqua was the first to get up from the table. “I’d love to stay and chat more today, but I must be getting to Kavisto’s today. I got word from Jake and the others, and we are investigating a possible lead into the Rose Thorn Gang today.” Aqua said.

Rem finished off a glass of milk, then responded to her. “Oh, really? Anything we could investigate would be great, we haven’t had any leads to chase in a while.”

“If you need any backup, remember we’re a call away.” Eric added, as he snapped his fingers. “I left you a portal outside.”

“Wait, so we aren’t going with her? This sounds important.” Kari asked.

Aqua shook her head. “Depending on what’s happening, it’s not good to have a large group snooping around. Plus, since we aren’t for sure of anything, it’s easier for it to just go to the Elemental Division. Since the police are working the case as well, it’s easier for people with clearance from Kavisto’s teams directly to work on the cases.”

“Correct me if I’m wrong Aqua, but isn’t that why we were getting registered when we were at Kavisto’s base the other week?” Brett asked.

“Yes and no. That was more filing you as members of the World Savers for his records, but due to the state of the World Savers right now world wide there’s a bit more red tape involved.” Aqua said.

“Mostly with local law enforcement. Ever since the group Black Eden exposed the world to power again, it’s been a mess trying to work peacefully with them. There’s a lot of fear of power and their supporters, so even though we protect them, it’s not entirely within the law. More so with what the public doesn’t deem to be powered problem.” Rem explained.

“Kavisto is working with members of the various world governments to get all branches of the World Savers to be recognized properly by the law, but since humans are the world leaders, there’s a lot of fear involved after all the attacks on the Terra. So progress has been slow.” Eric wrapped up explaining.

“So that’s why we avoid run ins with the police then. It makes a lot more sense now that we know more details.” Brett said.

“I remember hearing about Black Eden some time ago, they were like some global task force right? Whatever happened to them, were they World Savers too?” Sora asked.

Rem shook his head. “No, very different. They were a group that sought control over the world through fear and manipulation. While the different threats we faced were powerful, thanks to Kavisto, we were able to keep most problems a secret from the general public. But when Black Eden arrived, they blew the cover on powered kind open. They claimed to be a group made up of both power and human in order to both bring power into the world safely, and also protect the terra from threats. Though we found out it was nothing more than a plot to take over in plain sight, and we removed the core members from power, causing them to disband.”

“Issues such as that are why Kavisto and others like him are having trouble convincing the governments to allow the World Savers to be official.” Aqua added.

“Sounds like a real pain. We just wanna help people.” Kari said.

“It’s understandable though, all things considered, even if it’s not fair.” Brett commented.

“It’s the struggles we deal with. Even doing the right thing is still considered wrong because of how we do it.” Eric said, slightly sighing.

Aqua nodded in agreement. She understood the discrimination very well. “Well…I hate to leave so suddenly, but I do have to go.” She was about to walk out, but then she turned around. “I have an idea. Sora, Kari, Brett, why don’t you three come with me?”

They looked confused that she asked. “Wait, didn’t you just say you needed to leave it to you and your team?” Brett asked.

Aqua nodded. “I did, but honestly it would be good for you guys to get more experience. As long as Jake doesn’t mind, it should be fine. It should mostly be intel gathering anyway.”

“Well, I mean I don’t mind. There’s nothing going on anyway, right?” Sora asked.

“Nah, I’m game for it. I’ve been kinda restless sitting around the cabin.” Kari said.

Brett nodded. “I agree, let’s move then.”

“Wait, what about Ralph?” Sora asked.

Aqua shook her head. “We need to head out now, otherwise Jake will chew me out for being late.” She said, heading for the door.

“That’s what he gets for sleeping in, come on.” Kari said, following Aqua out with the others. They all gave a wave, as Aqua led them out.

Rem and Eric were now alone in the kitchen, Raylu curled up on the couch in pup form. The two looked at each other for a moment. “Those guys honestly remind me of how much we’ve been through.” Eric said.

“Yeah, we don’t really recount our ‘war’ stories very often do we?” Rem asked.

Eric shook his head. “No, but it’s always good to remember them, so they don’t catch us off guard in the future. Not all members of Black Eden were caught, if I remember correctly.”

Rem nodded. “Fair point. Anyway, let me help you clean this all up. Is there anything you need help with today?”

“Well, I planned to get back to the lab, run some programs on Erue, and get some maintenance done on Adam. Also, after our previous missions, I want to go over some blueprints for some new weapon ideas, though it’s proving difficult with what we have to work with.” Eric said, carrying out dishes to the sink.

“Maybe we can brainstorm some new ideas. The others basic tool kit is good, but it could always use improvement.” Rem added. At that point, they began to quickly wash the dishes. Once finished, Rem called out to Raylu. “Hey Raylu, we’ll be at the factory. If Ralph askes, let him know where we are when he wakes up.”

“Of course Sir…” Raylu mumbled, half asleep. After that, Eric and Rem left for the factory lab, leaving Raylu alone to nap.


Not long after, Aqua and the others arrived at Kavisto’s base, and met up with Aqua’s teammates. Jake noticed the extras show up with her. “Aqua, why are your friends here?” He asked her, very plainly.

“Well I thought it would be good experience for them. I was gonna ask, but I didn’t have time.” Aqua responded.

“Jake, it’s probably fine, right? I mean it’s nothing to serious.” The brown haired young man named Trevor asked.

Jake sighed. “I suppose it’s fine. If anything, they could be of some help.” He paused. “Well before anything, I know we’ve all met, but let us properly introduce ourselves. I’m Jake, I’m the leader of the Elemental Division.”

Trevor smiled, with a thumbs up. “I’m Trevor. I’m the earth elemental expert of the team.”

The third member, with her white braided hair and tan skin, bowed slightly. “I’m Marua, the wind elemental member of the team. Though far from an expert, I’d say.”

“Nice to properly meet you all. I’m Brett Potter.” Brett answered.

“I’m Kari, and this goof is Sora.” Kari said, joking a little.

“I’m perfectly able to introduce myself, thank you.” Sora objected.

Aqua giggled slightly. “So what are all the details, Jake?”

Jake then looked more serious. “Some sleeper agents gave us information on where the Rose Thorn Gang are getting some of their supplies, or at least the end of the supply chain. There seems to be a meet up planned for today to deliver a supply of weapons, so we are going to catch them and confirm it’s for them. If it is, then we might be able to use it to lead us back to them.”

Aqua looked confused. “But wait, I thought this mission was going to be for gathering intel.”

“It was, but then we got more solid conformation on things this morning. They overheard talk of an important delivery they were making today, and the agents confirmed the weapons being prepared are the same that the roses tend to use. Only lacking their personal flare.” Trevor explained.

Jake looked over the extra three members present. “You three may actually be very helpful for this mission. I already have a few ideas in mind, but let’s go one step at a time. We’ll have Maura fly us in on the wind, but we’ll need to keep a low profile. Let’s get going.” Jake said, as he began to lead them out.

Aqua looked at the trio. “Now I probably don’t have to tell you this, but when we’re on this mission, you’ll listen to Jake’s orders, alright?”

The three of them nodded. “Of course, Aqua.” Brett responded.

“No problamo here.” Sora added.

“Gotcha.” Kari also added.

Once they got outside, Maura began to form the wind around everyone and lift them up into the air. Maura was then able to move them through the air, as they began to fly off. “Whoa, this is kinda weird. I haven’t flown through the air like this before.” Sora exclaimed.

“Maybe so, but its much faster than riding on powers and less obvious too.” Jake responded.

“Very valid point, but can you not make portals?” Brett asked.

“Not all powered users can use portals, and some powers cant make them at all. It’s a little weird.” Trevor explained.

“Hopefully this doesn’t take too long though. I’m not sure how I feel about being open in the air like this…” Kari said.

“I will try and make this go as quick as possible then, but please let me know if you need down.” Marua said.

“Will do…” Kari said softly.


After a somewhat short flight, the group arrived in the more business centered part of the city. The type of place one only really goes to if work there or pass through. Maura landed them on a rooftop, as to not blow their cover just yet. Jake took out a pair binoculars to look around, as Brett did the same with the scope on his rifle. After a bit of looking around, Jake found what he was looking for. “Ah! There we go. You see that warehouse down there? There’s a large van, loading up some unmarked crates.”

“How are you so sure that’s the one, Jake?” Aqua asked.

“Well apparently the ‘important’ shipment was being sent in something smaller than a truck to avoid any extra attention. It just looks out of place. Though it would be nice to be able to confirm the contents of the crates before we move.” Jake paused for a moment, before turning back to the others. “Alright, Trevor, Kari, and Sora. You come with me. Maura, you and Aqua stay up here with Brett and keep a look out for any similar vans leaving the nearby warehouses, just in case this one isn’t it. Could you lower the four of us down to the ground Maura?”

Marua nodded, surrounding the four with wind, as she began to lower them to the ground. Jake then led them to the back alleyway nearby. “Alright, so when the van leaves I want you to trap it Trevor. Kari and Sora, you’ll be with me in case they prove hostile. We want them to get somewhat away from the warehouse so they don’t attract any unwanted attention, we don’t want to blow the cover of our undercover agents. We clear?” Jake asked, and they all responded with a nod. “Good, let’s get into position.”

After a short amount of time passed, the van prepared to leave. It began to pull out from the loading dock, and began to drive into the street. After it got a clear distance from the warehouse, Trevor made his move. Once traffic was clear, and no risk of any passersby would get involved, the ground suddenly rose up in a wall, blocking the vans advance. Walls of stone would come up on the sides as well as behind, once the van began to slow down and attempt to get out in reverse. “Hey what’s goin on?!” One of the men yelled, getting out of the car, holding a hand gun.

The other got out as well, pulling out a handgun as well. “Show yourself!”

Trevor then appeared from the ground. “Over here, idiots!” He taunted, as they opened fire on him, to which he quickly blocked with a wall of stone.

At this point, Jake and the others began to close in while Trevor bought time. Kari and Sora took shots from where they were with ion blasts, aiming for their hands to disarm them, to which it worked. Before they could make any attempts to recover their weapons, a ring of fire surrounded them. “That’s enough of that, it’s over. Hands up.” Jake called out to the two inside the fire ring. When Kari and Sora caught up with Jake he lowered the ring while they kept their blasters pointed at them. Jake then looked the others briefly. “Trevor, check the crates and confirm the weapons are what we are looking for.”

“Gotcha!” Trevor answered.

“I don’t know who you guys think you are, but you’re making a big mistake.” One of the men said.

“The ones making the mistakes are you two. Trevor?” Jake called out.

“It’s the ones Jake!” Trevor answered.

“Perfect. Now you two are gonna answer my questions. You are taking these to the Rose’s, correct?” Jake questioned, but they didn’t answer. He then narrowed his eyes, as he grabbed one by the shirt, forming a white fireball in his free hand. “I won’t ask again. I don’t mind scaring up your face if I need to.”

“I-i-I can’t answer that! They could kill us for-“ The younger one was saying.

“I could kill you too, you know. Who would you rather take your chances with?” Jake asked, glaring at him.

“J-john, you tell him nothing!” The older man said, quivering slightly.

Jake then looked to the older man. “I feel like you will actually know what I need to know.”

“We won’t tell you a damn thing!” The older man said, but then Jake walked up to him, fireball now directly in his face.

“Let me make myself clear, I’m not playing around. I’ll make an example out of one of you, then you’ll wish you dealt with the Rose’s instead of me. But if you work with me….we might be able to work something out. Now answer, are these guns actually for the Rose Thorn Gang?” Jake asked.

The older man looked worried, but tried to calmly answer. “Yes….It’s a shipment for them.”

“So you supply them. Good to know. So if you’re going to them now, I think we’ll just tag along and pay them a visit. You wouldn’t want to get in trouble by not showing up, right?” Jake questioned more intensely.

“No…” The older man answered.

“Very good. Work with me, and you’ll be able to walk out of this whole thing just fine. Trevor, drop the walls, and go get the others. We’re going to get this all sorted out.” Jake said, as Trevor lowered the walls, and took off. “Now gentlemen, let’s get back in the van, and have ourselves a good chat. Sora, Kari, you ride in the back for a moment, until we move this van out of the way.” He asked them, as they proceeded with the next phase of the plan.


Later, at the factory, Ralph came along after he got Raylu’s message. He still looked groggy, despite getting cleaned up. Rather in searching the ground floor, he just took the elevator down to the computer lab. When the elevator opened, Ralph was greeted by Eric and Rem. “Look who’s finally awake.” Rem said.

“Morning sleepy head.” Eric teased.

Ralph scratched the back of his head. “Yeah yeah, laugh it up. I just slept in because I was doing some late night training. Where is everyone?”

“They went with Aqua to Kavistos’ base. Thought a little investigative experience would do them well.” Eric answered.

“Jeez, without me?” Ralph questioned.

Rem chuckled. “It was just a spur of the moment thing, relax.”

“So now what? What are you two up to?” Ralph asked.

“Adam is working on clearing the basement floor for construction, and Rem and I are just going over some updates to Erue. So pretty slow today.” Eric answered.

“Dang…Well I guess it’s target practice for me today then.” Ralph said.

But then, before he left, Erue interjected from the computer. “Master Eric, you’ve received a message forwarded from Mr. Flander. It appears to me a message from a Mr. Harkum.”

Eric turned around in his chair. “Mr. Harkum? That’s really strange. I wonder what someone as important as him could want from us. Erue, go ahead and read it for us.”

“Of course Master Eric, reading now.” Erue answered. “Hello members of World Savers of france. I’d like to once again thank you all for your efforts several weeks ago at my major press conference, coming to Mr. Flanders aid, as well as driving off the bounty hunters. I was speaking to Mr. Flander, who agreed to forward this message to you all for me, about your efforts at helping keep the city safe. The events of last week at the city fair were not lost on me, and due to what happened the police and robot task force were of little help in stopping the Rose Thorn Gang. I’d like to speak with you in person about efforts in how to assist you further, if you would like. You all are welcome anytime, though if you would inform Mr. Flander that you intend to come so I may be free, I would appreciate it. I look forward to seeing you all. Sincerely, Mr. Harkum of Harkum Inc.” Erue finished reading.

“I wonder what someone like him could do for us.” Ralph questioned.

“The tech made by Harkum Inc. is pretty impressive, honestly. I’m limited to what I can do because of resources, but they have a wide range of what I lack. Honestly, the thought of producing something with them could be very useful.” Eric said.

“Well, then why not pay them a visit today? What else are we doing?” Rem suggested.

Eric nodded. “Good point. Plus I have the feeling he may only really need to see you and me. Though would you like to come along Ralph?”

Ralph shrugged. “Sounds fine. Plus, who knows if something happens, it’s better to be with you already.”

“Good point. Alright, I’ll send the response. You two get ready, and we’ll leave as soon as I get a response.” Eric said, to which Rem and Ralph nodded.

Rem then made the portal to the cabin. “Might be good to inform Raylu as well.”

“Wouldn’t wanna cut into his napping time.” Ralph said, chuckling, as the two went into the portal.

Meanwhile, the others were continuing their mission. The group were gathered near the outskirts of town with the captured van, as they began to form a plan. “Alright everyone, so I’ve got the trackers placed inside the crates with the weapons. All we need to do is get them to take the crates like every other time they do. Kari and Sora, you two are going to go with the driver to make sure he doesn’t try to tip them off. Brett will have him in his sights in case he tries anything. The rest of us will be on standby in case of any problems. Just play it cool, and we’ll be fine.” Jake summed up.

“Got it, leave it to us!” Sora said, beaming.

“We won’t let you down, don’t worry.” Kari added.

“Good luck you two.” Aqua said, smiling.

Then after that, everyone took their places, as Kari led the driver into the van with Sora. “Alright Mr. Peck, get to driving, and keep yourself calm, alright?” Kari instructed, as the older man started the van back up, and finished the drive to the meeting point.

They weren’t far from the meeting place, as they finished driving, Mr. Peck parked the van near a warehouse like building. They all followed Mr. Peck’s lead, as they stood around the back of the van, as a few men dressed in the uniform of the Rose’s. They began to approach the van, as the colors of the roses could be seen, which were silver on some and green on others. Then after them, a more standoutish man was approaching as well. He looked to be about 5’7, had silver looking neck length hair, looking like it needed a cut, with blue eyes and pale skin. He seemed somewhat skinny. His suit had two silver roses on the back as well. He seemed somewhat laid back, coming over with his hands in his pockets. He then took his hands out, and extended his arms out to his sides as if he was shrugging. “Mr. Peck! Wonderful to see you again, my man.”

“As to you, Mr. Gale. After we got word of what happened last week, we started working on your next order right away.” Mr. Peck responded, trying to remain as calm as he could, seeing as he knew a sniper was on him.

“Very prompt! I like that! I like it a lot!” Gale exclaimed. He then turned to the men behind him. “Well don’t just stand there, get the lead out, and start helping unload the van! Quickly, we haven’t got all day!” He exclaimed, as the men began to move. It seemed as if everything would go off without a hitch.

That is, until another person appeared from the warehouse. He looked a bit shorter then Gale, at about 5’4, and more muscular then Gale. He also had the same suit, but with three green roses on the back, but his boots looked more like cowboy styled. His hat was also brown, rather than black like the others. He had dual revolvers on his hips. He had more tanned skin, green eyes, and medium long brown hair, with green streaks through it on different strands. The grunts were about to walk past, until he extended his hand, forcing them to stop. Gale turned to the other high ranking rose member. “"Qué está pasando, Gale?” He said, speaking Spanish, surprisingly.

“Ah, Petra Rose. Mr. Peck finally arrived, so we were just getting ready to move the supplies. Is something up, man?” Gale asked.

Petra looked over Mr. Peck, as well as Sora and Kari, then spoke to him. "¿Ellos dos quienes son? Jamás los había visto."

Gale then spoke up to translate. “Yo Peck! Who are these two? They seem new.” He asked.

“Oh, uhh that’s because they are new. We brought on some new guys for protection, what with all that’s been happening lately. Wouldn’t do for us to get caught during a delivery to you guys.” Mr. Peck answered.

“News to us. You’d think we could have been informed about a change like this.” Gale said.

“Heh, yeah I suppose that’s true.” Peck replied.

Petra just glared at Peck for a moment, as if studying him. Peck looked like he was growing nervous, as Petra stared at him. "¿Que está escondiendo, Sr. Peck? La tierra me dice que está mintiendo conmigo... ¿Sobre qué está mintiendo?"

Gale then spoke up, translating for him. “Petra’s saying you’re lying to us, Peck. Now why would you go and do something foolish like that man?”

“R-really, I’m not! Like I said, it’s due to those World Savers and such back around!” Peck said, getting more nervous, as his eyes darted over to Kari and Sora a few times.

Petra picked up on this rapid eye movement, and taking into account what Peck was saying, he thought he pieced together what was going on. He then looked to Gale, and spoke to him. "He descubierto esto, sígueme." He said to him. Then he suddenly pulled out both of his revolvers, and pointed them at Sora and Kari. “Your hands in the air compadres!” He suddenly spoke in english.

Sora and Kari had little choice but to follow orders, raising their hands. Gale also had his gun pulled out, pointed at them. “Now I understand Mr. Peck. Anything else they hidin?”

Peck then moved behind the two Roses. “They got trackers in the weapon crates, a sniper posted nearby, and more in reserve. These ones don’t have powers though, of what I’ve seen.”

“Nice! Well men, remove the trackers, and quickly get the weapons loaded inside. We’ll take care of these dudes out here.” Gale said. “And if your buddies are smart, they wont make any sudden moves on us. If your sniper shoots anyone, we’ll drop the both of ya, understand?”

"Ahora, ¿Para quienes trabajan? Los Salvadores del Mundo, Venom, o alguien más?" Petra asked.

“Boss man wants who know who you two and your friends work for. World Savers, Toxins Gang, or some other lot?” Gale asked.

Though for the moment, Sora and Kari stayed quiet. Petra then narrowed his eyes. “Me amigos, if youse don’t talk, I’ll start shootin you. And I’ll knows if youse lien to me, comprende? Unless youse want death.”

“You’d do best to listen to Triple Rose, punks. And I wouldn’t try reaching for any weapons. Petra’s draw is so quick, you’ll be puddles of blood on the pavement before you can blink. So, you wanna reconsider your cold shoulder? I mean, you came all this way to see us, right?” Gale asked.

Kari narrowed her eyes, looking at the lot of them. “So you guys work for the same people that trashed the fair last week, aren’t you?”

“To be fair, most of that wouldn’t of happened had the World Savers not of showed up. Violence isn’t our goal. If anyone got hurt, that’s on them.” Gale answered.

“Says the people that showed up with tons of weapons for ‘non violent’ reasons.” Sora retorted.

“Brave words for a boy at gunpoint. I do like your moxie. But you still haven’t answered the bosses question yet. Who do you work for?” Gale asked again.

“Were the Shining Force, and we don’t care for you thugs messing up our city.” Kari finally answered.

“Shining Force?....” Petra questioned out loud, but suddenly a smoke bomb was fired from above. Petra didn’t miss his chance with his shots, but before the bullets reached Sora and Kari, a wall of water caught the bullets, allowing the two to have time to reach their weapons.

At that moment, the Elemental Group was suddenly on them, to which the Roses were now reacting to. “Shit, its Kavisto’s lackeys! Anyone not loading the truck, grab a weapon and fill them full of holes!” Gale called out, beginning to shoot at the approaching powered fighters.

Trevor quickly put up a wall of earth, as the four of them hid from the bullets. “Ok, so Jake, what’s the new plan now?”

Jake began lobbing fireballs over the wall, though being unable to see where he was firing, it was more as a diversion. “”If we can, capture the higher ranked Roses. Aqua, pass that onto Brett. Have him focus on them.”

Aqua nodded. “Understood Jake- ah!” Aqua yelled, as suddenly Trevor’s wall was destroyed by Petra! Bullets from his revolvers soon followed, to which Maura was able to knock out of the air with wind gusts.

“For him to destroy my wall so easily, he must at least be on my level, if not stronger.” Trevor said, as he sent stone spikes to deter his attackers.

“Be careful then everyone, more so then normal.” Jake said, as they began to make another push.

Above, Brett got word from Aqua, and began to focus on his fire on Gale, trying to take him out with Ion rounds from his rifle. Gale noticed Brett finally, and dodged the first few shots, before sending wind blades at Brett, forcing him to dodge for a moment. “This is gonna be rough…” Gale mumbled.

“We jus gotta buy a little time to move the weapons, then we’ll make our escape.” Petra responded, reloading his revolvers behind an earth wall.

Suddenly Petra’s wall began to crumble, as Trevor tore it down with his own powers. Though Petra was prepared, and opened fire as the wall opened, being able to sense his aura through the wall. Trevor was then shot in both hands, causing him to stop and recoil back. “Gah! I gotta fall back for a bit!” Trevor said, retreating back a distance.

“Trevor, over here!” Aqua called to him, making an ice wall to shield the two of them. Trevor quickly got behind the wall, as Aqua covered his hands in water, as it began to glow. “Now hold still while I patch you up.”

Jake and Marua were now pushing against the roses themselves. Jake kept launching fireballs towards the roses, but Gale countered these blows with powerful gusts of wind. Petra tried to make use of this opening by having spires of stone burst up around Jake, but Marua suddenly lifted Jake into the air with wind to avoid this attack. Wind blades then began to form around Marua, as she sent them towards the spires, shattering them. She formed more to strike Gale and Petra, but with the lack of Trevor on the battlefield, Petra managed to reinforce the stone walls around them, giving them a defensive edge against the wind blades. Gale then used this chance to launch wind blades of his own, while Petra joined with covering fire from his revolvers. This forced Jake and Maura to fall back for the moment. “This is looking to be more trouble than first expected.” Maura commented, repelling wind attacks fired at the two of them.

Jake nodded in agreement, but then he noticed Sora and Kari making a move to strike. “Keep the Roses’ attention, those two might be able to flush them out.”

A new barrage of fire blasts and gusts pressured the earth walls, but for now they just traded blows, unaware they were about to be jumped. “We got’em now, they can only defend!” Gale said, but then suddenly he was tackled to the side by Sora! He tumbled back, as Sora took out his blaster once they were separated, and shot him with an ion blast before he could fully dodge. “Gah! Little brat!” Gale said, suddenly pushing Sora’s further blasts back with a dome like blast of wind from his body.

Sora didn’t back down, drawing his beam swords, and moving in close. “I doubt you can match me close range!”

“We’ll see, wont we?” Gale smirked, forming six swords around him made of wind, as they began to converge on Sora, forcing him to fight the air. “Let’s see you keep up with me now.”

Petra was going to come to Gale’s aid after he was tackled, but then he noticed Kari moving in to attack him next. He called forth spires to strike her as well, while also shooting at her. She quickly reacted by jumping at the closest spire, and jumping from one to the next in a series of wall jumps, until she closed the gap, and jumped at Petra with a drop kick! He was staggered back, causing him to drop his guns. He smirked, as she stared him down. “Youse hit hard. Impressive.” He then took close quarters combat stance, as his fists were being covered in stone. “Come at me then!” He yelled, as Kari charged at him.

Kari tried to directly hit Petra, but as she got close, the stone spires kept shooting up, forcing Kari to take a more evasive approach, jumping from the spires to get to Petra, shooting at him with a kick, which he blocked with his stone fist, and grabbed her leg with his other hand. He then tossed her away, and caused a stone wall to shoot up to have her crash into. Petra then tried to trap her to the wall with thick vines coming from the wall, but Kari quickly kicked off the wall, rolling forward on the ground. She quickly drew her blaster, and fired a few ion blasts at Petra. He blocked most of the shots with earth spires, but one got through, hitting him in the chest, as he recoiled back. “I got em. A few more hits like that, and- Ahh!” Kari suddenly yelled, as the ground suddenly launched her backwards.

“Youse won’t get another hit in!” Petra yelled, as he sent spikes of stone through the air after her to stab her! Kari quickly took aim and began to fire blaster shots at the spikes, but there were far to many to hit them all. Until Brett assisted from his position, destroying the rest.

Sora was kept on the defensive, having a hard time fighting through the blades, blocking and parrying attacks left in right. Then suddenly two of the swords attacked at once, while the other four pulled back for a moment. While Sora defended against these two, the other four suddenly shot at him directly like missiles. Thinking quickly, he used the beam swords to vault over the two primary swords, and lunged right at Gale, slashing at him with both swords. Gale moved back in time to dodge the blunt of the attacks, but his chest was still slashed. “Gah! You little shit!” Gale yelled, suddenly blasting Sora back with a strong gust of wind. He looked, seeing the other four members growing close, as most of the grunts were forced back by them. “Petra, we need to regroup! Those other four are coming back!”

Jake and the others were now closing the gap of this small battlefield, as Trevor and Aqua defended from oncoming gunfire, Jake and Maura were on the offensive. “Just a little more and we’ll have them pinned down.”


Later on, Rem, Eric, and Ralph had arrived together outside of Harkum Inc. by portal. They were quickly greeted by Tony Flander, not actually in his power suit at the moment. “Good to see you guys. I assume you didn’t run into any trouble on the way over?”

Rem shook his head. “Not at all. I hope everything is good here?”

“Of course. Well let me not keep you all outside, let me get the gates open for you. Guards!” Tony called out, and in a few seconds the iron bar gate opened. They then followed Tony in through the gates, and began following him to the main building. “Mr Harkum was very excited to hear from you all so quickly.”

“I’m prompt when I can be. That, and having an inventive mind, I’m very curious on what he meant on ways to assist us.” Eric responded.

“He sounded pretty excited to speak with you about it, at the very least.” Tony answered, as they went inside the main building.

“Wow, this building sure is fancy looking.” Ralph commented, looking around.

Tony nodded. “Mr. Harkum is a man who enjoys the finer things. Looks at is as an extension of his passion, and proof of his hard work.” He said, as he led them to the elevator, and they all went inside.

After a pretty quick ride to the top floor, they all came out into a lobby of sorts with a pair of doors directly in front, with some other double doors to each side. There were some men standing guard in front of the doors, but moved aside as they group approached. When they entered, they were in an office of sorts. As they looked around, bookshelves with books and over various objects lined most of the walls, but there were also fine art on the walls, a seating area with chairs, and a large desk at the back. There, Mr. Harkum was speaking to a man in a white suit and hat with black hair. As the group came up close, they stopped talking, and turned to them. “Ah! Wonderful to see you all!” The older Mr. Harkum addressed them.

“Hello, hopefully we aren’t interrupting anything.” Rem said, greeting him.

“Nonsense my boy, you’re perfectly fine!” He responded, very excited it seemed.

“If that’s all you need of me Mr. Harkum, I’ll be heading back.” Tony said.

“Ah, yes yes, of course. Thank you Mr. Flander.” Harkum responded.

Tony nodded, then looked to the others. “Head of security is a busy job. Enjoy your visit, I’ll see you guys later.” He said, before excusing himself.

As the group quickly said their goodbyes to Tony, they turned to Mr. Harkum, who began speaking again. “Ah, before I forget, I’d like you to meet my son, Mr. Phillip Harkum.”

“Pleased to make your acquaintances, I’ve heard a lot about you all. Please call me Phil, if you’d like.” Phillip said.

Rem and Eric took turns shaking his hand. “Great to meet you, I’m Rem.” Rem said.

“I’m Eric, it’s wonderful to meet you at well. Great to meet the minds that help further advance the city.” Eric said

When Ralph shook his hand, he looked like he was studying his face. “Have I met you somewhere before? I feel like I’ve seen you.”

Phillip looked confused. “I don’t believe so. Perhaps you’ve seen me on tv before, I’ve appeared in a number of tv appearances with my father before.”

“Ah, that’s probably it.” Ralph responded.

“Father talks of having me take over as head of the company one day, so I’ve been learning a lot about how to run it all. I’m often being the overseer of other major branches, like in America, so you may not see me around terribly often. But I’ve heard great things of your exploits, it really is great to meet some of the faces behind the protectors of the world.” Phillip explained.

“Goodness, that’s a lot to handle for someone so young.” Rem commented.

Phillip laughed slightly. “Complement taken, but I’m nearing the big thirty myself, so it’s more like it’s about time.”

“Still, rather impressive all the same. As big as Harkum Inc. continues to grow, managing any amount of it must be quite the task.” Eric said.

Ralph was looking more lost as this conversation went on, but tried to say something worth while. “So you guys have places in like all the major countries now, right?”

“Except Japan, but we are in talks with starting a branch there soon as well. Soon, Harkum Inc. will be all across the globe! Once Japan has a location, we’ll start working on branches for the smaller countries.” Mr. Harkum chimed in.

“You sure seem motivated to be everywhere, Mr. Harkum, but don’t you already make enough money with what you already have?” Rem asked.

“Ah, my boy, I know it might look like it to the outsider, but the prime focus isn’t about money in this company. It’s to bring the Harkum helping hand to anyone who needs it. While out primary monetary output is common items like appliances and the like, that’s more so to fund our R&D efforts with the world at large with more important areas. The different branches help develop more advanced gear for law enforcement for dealing with our new world, research in to power related illnesses and the like, and next we’d like to move more into robotics to better help protect people. We would like to partner with Mr. Harason Fisk on producing his robots on a higher scale and in more areas, but he seems to be intent on working as a rival then with us. But, on a brighter note, our partnership with Cole Works is helping fund their own research into powered illness and treatment. Soon we’ll have trained specialists in all public hospitals in france, hopefully by the end of next year with their jointed efforts.” Harkum had gone on explaining.

“Goodness, you’ve all kept quite busy.” Eric said, taking it all in.

Phillip laughed again. “You’ll have to excuse father, he gets very passionate when he talks of his goals and the like.”

Mr. Harkum then laughed himself. “It is a passion of mine. It was much harder to approach such efforts before, when power was still majorly hidden, but I felt it would come out sooner or later, so I wanted to put that passion into helping people into preparing my business for when it did happen.”

“You’ve known of power before the big reveal a few years ago, Mr. Harkum?” Rem asked.

He nodded in response. “Since I was young I’ve known of them. At that age, I didn’t quite understand it, but overtime I managed to learn more. When the business was still young, I tried to help them where possible, like employing them with my company, since it could be difficult for them to work in some cases. So once the top was blown off, so to speak, I made arrangements to move my primary office here to france, where I believed I’d be the most use.”

“Wow, I used to think you were just some bigwig CEO type of guy, but you do really seem like you have a big heart for the people.” Ralph said.

“I do try, at the very least. I may not have the power to change the world, like people like yourself, but I do wish to at least try to make it as good and safe as possible.” Harkum explained.

“Does that relate as you why you asked us to come today?” Eric asked.

“Ah yes! I just go so carried away. Yes yes, let us head down to the R&D department. I have prepared something for you all to see.” Mr. Harkum said, as his hover chair moved from behind his desk, and began heading to the doors.

“I would join you all, but I have some other matters to attend to. Hopefully you find useful what father has prepared for you. I hope we cross paths again soon.” Phillip said to them.

“Nice meeting you, Phillip.” Rem said.

“Yes, nice meeting you as well.” Eric added. Ralph nodded as well, giving a slight wave, feeling no need to echo the others.

The three of them followed Mr. Harkum to the elevator, and once they were all inside, it was apparent why the elevators at Harkum Inc. were so large. Mr. Harkum’s hover chair was quite large, taking up nearly half of the standing room in the elevator alone.

“So if you don’t mind me asking, what caused you to need a hover chair?” Ralph asked.

“Jeez Ralph, you really have no tact, do you?” Rem berated him.

Harkum chuckled slightly at the response. “It’s not a big deal. I was simply involved in a car crash many years ago, so I became paralyzed from the waist down. A very boring story, honestly. Though the chair does have it’s many uses. It even has thrusters in it, should I ever need to make a getaway. I’ve been thinking of getting mounted guns, or some kind of shield, but I’ve rarely been in such danger to warrant it.” Then suddenly the doors opened, letting them out in a high tech looking lab area. “Here we are, Harkum R&D. Not a place many often get to see. Here we have our brightest minds working on endless possibilities, many are like what I mentioned upstairs.”

As they followed Harkum through the labs, glancing at the many different people working there, Eric spoke up. “So, I’ve been wondering about something that your labs apparently produce, based on the reports. I’m sure you’ve heard of what’s been called lately by some as the ‘Mutant Chemical’ that is made here. What is it exactly? Like, why have something so dangerous?” Eric asked.

Mr. Harkum frowned at the mention of it, but didn’t shy away from the question. “I was afraid you’d ask about that sooner or later. Law enforcement already questioned me at length about it. It’s a chemical that’s mostly made of essence of power itself, if you can believe that. With the help of some highly intelligent powered researchers, we developed devices to safely harvest power from living beings, objects, and even the air. You could compare it to a bee collecting nectar from a flower to make honey, it takes traces of the energy and helps convert it into something that can be used to make other things. It’s helped us create power based weapons, armor, and test samples for working on power related illness and so on. Though due to the accidents that happened involving it, The Mutants as they’ve been called, we’ve been changing our handling and storage process. We aren’t looking to have any more Mutants being created.”

“We heard there was a theft of the chemicals as well, and how it resulted in the mutation of Mayleen Johnson. Have there been any more thefts since?” Rem questioned.

Mr. Harkum shook his head. “Not as of yet. It’s why Mr. Flander was put in charge of security not long ago, we didn’t want any more thefts of such a dangerous chemical.”

“Hopefully it stays that way, since we don’t have a cure for it currently.” Eric commented.

“We’ve been doing tests in order to hopefully reverse the effects, but since The Electrode broke out of prison, we’ve been unable to continue tests.” Harkum explained.

“We’re working on recovering them, so hopefully the tests for a cure can resume soon.” Rem added.

“As do I.” Harkum answered. For the rest of the walk, it was rather quiet until they reached a lab with only a single researcher was there. He was dressed in a yellow lab coat, and had blonde hair. When he noticed they were there, he turned to see them. “Here we are. Mr. Stratford, I trust you remember Professor Aaron Magmore, yes?”

“I do, yes. It’s nice to meet in a more normal way.” Rem said, extending his hand.

Aaron took his hand, shaking it, then moving on to the others. “Likewise. Thank you for your assistance with those bounty hunters from a while back.”

“Not a problem, glad everything turned out alright.” Rem responded. “These are a few of my teammates, Eric and Ralph."

“Wonderful to meet you both.” Aaron responded.

“So have all the kinks been worked out yet?” Harkum asked Aaron.

“I do believe so sir. They should suit the polices needs quite well, though they could go for another test run. Perhaps our guests here could provide that.” Aaron suggested.

“A test? What do you need our help with?” Eric asked.

“Well you see we’ve been experimenting with more energy based tech, both offensive and defensive.” Aaron then put on what looked like wrist guards on his arms. They wrapped around the entire wrist, and they were a few inches long. They then seemed to light up when snapped together, and even shrunk to fit his wrists. “I want you to fire a power based attack at me.”

Rem looked concerned. “Wait, you want us to shoot you?”

“Well not with a lot of force, just something simple. Like one of those little blasts.” Aaron answered.

“Well alright then, I’ll hold back to be safe.” Eric said, charging darkness in his hand, as he fired it at Aaron.

Aaron quick put his arms up to block, and then suddenly he was covered in a force field, which completely absorbed the attack! “Ah ha! It worked! I knew I could get it to function properly with enough work.” Aaron then cleared his throat. “Well I should explain. While force fields are nothing new, getting one to fit in your pocket, or wrists in this case, has proved difficult, as normally the energy output needed took much much more space. Like backpack size or something. The breakthroughs in the CEG surly is paving the way for entirely new tech. Now now, hit me with something stronger. Something much more suited for combat. We need to see if this force field can hold up against strong attacks.”

“Sure thing, professor.” Eric responded, getting much more interested. He then charged up, and fired a beam of darkness at the force field, and it also harmlessly struck it. Eric kept the pressure on, but even after nearly thirty seconds, the force field still did not break. “Your portable force field is quite impressive. I’d say this is more than reliable for combat.”

Aaron looked excited. “Really? Oh wonderful! I would like to do more extensive combat tests, but I don’t think we have the ability to do that here with proper staff.”

“You mentioned something earlier about the police, right?” Rem asked.

Harkum decided to answer this question himself. “Indeed. Like I explained in my office earlier, we strive to create items to meet the needs law enforcement has. While we’ve managed to design power resistant combat armor for those on the force, we always look for ways to improve their equipment in order to keep up with the growing threats. But these items are not limited to the police, which is why I brought you all here today. We would like to custom make more advanced models of our equipment for you, as we heard your current team has a number of human members. We got a little information from Mr. Flander on what your normal type of equipment is, so we had a few designs in mind.”

“I would love the chance to look over these designs, sir.” Eric asked.

“Yeah, Eric here has designed what we already use, so he’s pretty talented.” Ralph added.

“You designed all your teams gear yourself?” Aaron asked Eric.

“Ah, well almost. There’s a few things I didn’t make, and the reflector was based of the designs of someone else, but other than that I either built the rest from scratch or modified existing equipment.” Eric said, rubbing the back of his head, a little nervously.

“Well then I’m glad that you came to see our workshop today. We’d love your feedback as a World Saver, and creator of equipment for powered combat. Aaron, why don’t you bring out the modified wrist guards for our young friend to try on.” Harkum asked.

Aaron nodded, went to another desk, picking up a more finished design of the gauntlets that Aaron just tested out. He brought them over to Ralph, who put them on. They seemed to cover slightly more of his arms then Aarons. Ralph tried putting his arms together, and it created a force field around him, much like Aarons. “Hey neat! They seem to work well. But….how are these different than yours?” Ralph asked.

“Ah, good question. Though they are pretty alike, these have a few extra compartments on the inner wrists.” Aaron said, touching a few places. The central compartment opened, but it seemed empty. “This compartment was designed to be able to carry extras of your explosives.” He then touched the left of the center compartment, and clear tube like object was inside that was filled with a glowing yellow energy. “These compartment is a recharger for CEG batteries.” Then Aaron touched the right of the center, opening another compartment. It had three glowing green circles in it, but one popped up, showing it was a tube that glowed with a green liquid. “And these are stim energy canisters. Each gauntlet has three, so they can be very useful in a pinch.”

“Stim energy?” Ralph asked.

“It’s a healing chemical. It’s a fast acting pain reliever that when injected can dull pain, heal wounds, and revitalize your stamina. It’s no replacement for actual rest and treatment, and it’s not going to close major wounds or grow missing body parts back or anything, but it can get you going again during battle if you begin to become overwhelmed. The gauntlets can produce new stims as they are used, thanks to the CEG’s inside the gauntlets.” Aaron explained.

“Are these stims safe? It sounds a little too good to be true.” Eric asked.

Harkum nodded. “Very safe, we’ve done heavy testing on them. I even use them myself if I find myself without my pain medication. Think of it as a super pain killer that actually gives you energy too. Only down side is the body gets used to these after extended use, so more than six used in an hour, and they begin to lose effectiveness. The most we’ve managed to use per hour with actual results is twelve an hour. By that point they are useless until they entirely wear off. But these are designed as more of a pick me up in battle, rather than a cure for what’s ailing you.”

“So what’s the spare ‘battery’ for in the other compartment?” Ralph asked.

“We designed much of our new energy tech with the new CEG’s in mind. We reworked the designs so that they can be small enough to fit inside smaller things, but the drawback is they use up their energy faster. The gauntlets carry one spare each for use in any device using one, as well as doubling as a recharging station for used batteries.” Aaron explained.

“Why would we need them, unless it’s for the gauntlets themselves?” Eric asked.

“Oh, no no. The gauntlets shouldn’t need spare batteries, as its own natural recharge rate is faster than the energy consumption rate. Though we haven’t been able to tell the prolonged limits of how long the charge lasts under constant pressure, but a little more testing should prove useful. Currently, with no power striking the force field, the field can be maintained for at least a half hour of use, with a small three minute recharge time. We’ll need to see how the energy consumption runs under the strain of constant energy attack when we can.” Aaron continued to explain.

“Well….It does seem to have the recharge time to be practical, at least. I’d love to look into it more.” Eric said.

“Of course. Though, would you like to continue seeing what else we have?” Harkum asked.

“Oh, you have more?” Rem asked.

“Of course. We have a few weapons we’ve been working on for your various members, based on how Mr. Flander described their combat styles.” Mr. Harkum explained.

Aaron then put on a pair of fingerless gloves, which had a few small wires that connected into the wrist gauntlets he was already wearing. “Now we designed these with Kari’s combat style in mind, but we could also make some for the others if you’d like. These gloves are made with a special weave of thread like metal, making them both flexible and ideal for striking with higher power, without them weighting much. The insides are made of a more soft lining, making them comfortable to wear. They can also be connected to the gauntlets, allowing them to use energy from the two CEG’s by utilizing them into energy based attacks from the palm launcher, and allow them to give off electricity for their direct attacks if desired for additional damage. Though we’ve yet to be able to test how it effects the energy drain yet.”

“That sounds very impressive. I had thought of designing her something like that, but at the time I didn’t have the resources to make something that wasn’t too cumbersome for her. Makes me jealous of the resources you have.” Eric mused.

“If you ever feel like creating something and need the resources, you are more than welcome to send a message and ask. We’d be more than happy to prepare you a workstation with whatever supplies you’d like.” Mr. Harkum said.

“…..I may have to take you up on that, Mr. Harkum.” Eric responded.

Aaron then took out a blaster like weapon. It appeared to be based on the design on Eric’s Energy Blaster design that most of the others used. “This is the CEG Blaster. As you might of guessed, it’s a blaster powered by a small CEG, giving it’s energy shots a good punch. This was what we designed the gauntlets with rechargeable power cells for, as due to it’s energy output, it’s not able to recharge on it’s own. Each cell gives the blaster about one hundred shots, and the cells take about ten minutes to recharge in the gauntlets, giving any one blaster about three hundred shots to use. Unless of course your dual wielding, which is Ralph’s specialty. The blasters also have a charge function, which enables them for charged shots of three different power levels at the cost of more ammo. A basic shot uses one unit of power, a base charge uses two, a level 2 charge uses three, and a full charge uses five units of power. It's a costly use of power to be sure, but it makes up for it with it’s firepower.” He then flipped a trigger on the blaster, and it’s yellow glow turned blue. “We also equipped it with an Ion energy function, as we designed these for law enforcement use as well. Due to the lack of space we had to work with, the Ion energy cells draw power from the CEG as well, meaning they use the same ammo so to speak. They can’t charge Ion shots, but it’s energy consumption rate compared to CEG shots is a third, since it still has it’s own energy cells to work with. So hopefully it makes up for the lack of a charge function. Though Mr. Harkum said he was still interested in upgrading it further to use powers like your design, Mr. Nightngale.”

Harkum chuckled. “As a fellow inventive mind, I must say I was inspired by your work. We don’t have a steady flow of things like energy crystals to work with, so for a mass produced weapon, it didn’t feel like a good idea to include in the base model. But like Aaron said, it’s pretty easy to mod. We designed them for that since we figured you might want to tinker with them as well. I know I would.”

“How very thoughtful, you know me so well.” Eric chuckled.

“We also have something special in mind for you, Mr. Ralph.” Aaron started, as he fetched another weapon. When he brought it, and handed it to Ralph, it looked like a standard handgun. It’s main metal was blue, with smaller pieces like the trigger being yellow. The handle also had a large yellow segment on it, with a blue SF engraved into it. “We’ve seen you have a holstered pistol in our video footage of the conference, so we took a guess that you prefer firearms, or at least have some experience with them. We designed this one for you to make use of some special ammo that we’ve been producing for the police. It can fire special Ion charged bullets, as well as some explosive shells, as well as standard high power shells. We did some experimenting with infusing power with standard shells, and it seems to work well with the gun, but like with the CEG Blaster, we didn’t have the resources on hand to produce much. Only a few cartrages of fire bullets, and ice bullets. Though we’ll show Mr. Nightngale our designs, and maybe he can work with them.”

Ralph took the pistol, looking it over, looking very excited. “Well Eric’s blasters are very nice, I do still do my best shooting with my old pistol. You think you could give my old one the same tricking out? I’d like to have some options on the battlefield.”

“We can have it done within an hour if you’d like.” Harkum chimed in.

Ralph beamed, taking his pistol out of it’s holster, and handing it to Aaron. “Thanks! Man, you guys sure know your stuff!”

Rem folded his arms. “Remember Ralph, our main goal in combat isn’t to kill. I’m hoping we wont need that type of fire power often.”

Ralph put his hands to the side, shrugging. “Jeez, I know that. You don’t gotta worry so much, ya know?”

Harkum then spoke up, as Aaron passed Ralph’s pistol to another worker. “That’s about all we cooked up special for you all. We are still working on a CEG version of Brett’s weapons, but we’d love your input on them Mr. Nightngale. The Assault Rifle is nearly done, and outfitted the same as the blaster, so it’s just the matter of finishing production. His sniper rifle needs more work though, since we wanted to enable the same functions as his current one, but weren’t entirely sure how his current one works. Or if we could even improve on it’s design anyway. We also tried the same with beam swords, but we also couldn’t see a way on how to improve on what you already designed.”

Eric nodded. “Of course, I’d love to look over the progress before we leave. I’ll no doubt be very impressed.” He chuckled.

“Wonderful then! Aaron, before you join us, can you have someone prepare the gauntlets, blasters, and other items for them when they are ready to leave?” Harkum asked.

Aaron nodded. “Of course Mr. Harkum. I’ll get someone on it right away.”

“Thank you very much.” Harkum then spun his chair around. “They are in the next room. Follow me, if you would.” He said, as his hoverchair began to move towards the lab next door.

The others began to follow. “Mr. Harkum’s tech is very impressive.” Eric commented.

“Nice to see someone with money actually putting it to good use. Though the fact that soon law enforcement will have them makes me worry slightly…Only because they don’t always make the best judgement calls.” Rem said.

“Yeah, but better for them to be able to defend themselves then not, right? We can’t be everywhere, and the robots only do so much.” Ralph commented.

“Good point. Ah, I just get to worrying too much sometimes.” Rem responded.

Eric chuckled. “It’s understandable, don’t sweat it. Come on, let’s catch up.” Eric said, as the three of them went to catch up with Mr. Harkum.


Back at the fight, it seemed the group had managed to turn the tables on the Roses, as they were being backed into a corner. Trapped in front of the warehouse, they were running out of options. Gale and Petra were pinned down with the remainder of their men, hiding behind stone walls, as they traded attacks. Though Trevor’s own earth powers were allowing him to tear them down with little effort. Gale was looking distressed. “If they get any closer, we’re gonna be overrun. We gotta do something now!”

“Easy comrade. I’ve lined them up perfectly in place. Time for our special attack.” Petra explained to him.

Gale’s worry melted, as a sly smirk appeared. “Gotcha, I’ll start charging up.”

Petra nodded, then called out to the group attacking. “Amigos! It’s been quite fun, but as fun this has been, it’s time for us to vamos! Thank ya kindly for the safe delivery of our weapons!” He then formed a large cone like object out of stone, directly in front, where Petra had forced them all to approach from. Gale then formed a giant wind orb at the base of the cone, and he then fired massive gust of wind through the cone, causing the gust to be more focused and powerful! Those not ready, were being blown entirely away!

Trevor tried to hold on to the ground using his powers, and disrupt the cone, but the wind was to much for him. He had to free himself, otherwise he might of snapped in half from the gusts. The group was blown back, and scattered by the winds. They took cover quickly, but had no approach plan. “Jake, what do we do?!” Trevor called out.

“We can’t get close with those winds!” Jake called out, then contacted Brett. “You gotta destroy the wind orb, or we can’t get close!”

Brett replied back by stone. “On it!” As he readied some ion charges into his rifle.

Down below, Petra and Gale looked pleased with themselves. “Vamanos comrades!” Petra called out, heading inside the warehouse with Gale and the remaining troops outside. They closed the doors behind them, leaving the attack running without them.

With his attack ready, Brett fired off a powerful charge of Ion energy, and it flew directly into the large orb. Once it made contact, it discharged, nulling out the wind orbs power. “It’s down guys! Quickly, they went inside!”

Everyone began to rush over towards the warehouse, nothing slowing their approach now. Though when they reached it, Sora and Trevor tried to push the doors open, but they wouldn’t budge. “Ugh, they won’t budge!” Sora exclaimed.

“This calls for a more rough approach then.” Trevor said, having the earth jet outwards towards the door. But the moment it made impact with the door, an explosion suddenly went off! Everyone was sent flying backwards from the explosion.

Once he recovered, Jake called out. “Is everyone alright?!”

Aqua rushed over to Trevor to check on him first. “Trevor seems hurt pretty bad.”

Trevor moaned. “Ugh, that was careless of me…” He mumbled, as Aqua began to heal him.

Kari quickly found Sora, since he was also close to the blast zone. “Sora, are you ok?!” She asked, helping him sit up.

“Ouch! Yeah, I’m ok. Just a little singed I guess…” Sora responded.

“Good, everyone’s alright.” Jake said, looking around. He then put his hands out, causing the flames to die down. “Maura, you come with me inside.”

Maura nodded, rushing over with him. “Got it, let’s go.” She replied, as the two went into the warehouse together.

The two of them quickly stormed the warehouse, but found that nothing was there. Or rather, at least nothing to do with the Roses. “They disappeared.” Jake commented.

“But how could they have slipped away so quickly? And with no auras to track? They just disappear into the floor….” Maura said.

Jake looked around the area, and found that the ground looked like it had been altered. Signs of earth powers being used could be seen. “I think they fled underground, by the look of the ground. There must be some kind of underground tunnel here. Once Trevor is feeling-“

“I’m here…” Trevor mumbled, coming into the warehouse with the others. “Underground eh? Alright, I’ll take a look.” He then felt the ground, and then shaped it the same way that Petra had done just moments before. Once opened, they all headed down into the tunnel. When they got a bit of a ways inside, they saw it split into several tunnels. “Judging by what I can feel, these tunnels go for miles. They seem to have connecting spaces to even the sewers and the old underground city and catacombs. And no signs of any auras, so checking these all could prove useless. Or a dangerous trap.” Trevor explained.

“This explains how they manage to keep slipping away. That Petra Rose has clearly been busy, preparing all these tunnels for the gang. But this is good, we might be able to use this information for the future in attempts to prevent further heists.” Jake said, looking around once more. “A number of us are shaken up, and with them getting there weapons, Trevor could be right about an ambush. For now, we should fall back, and prepare for the next mission.” He looked to Sora, Kari, and Brett. “You three were very helpful today. Things could of gone a lot worse without your help, so thank you very much.”

“Yeah, it’s good to have good backup in the area again. You guys did great!” Trevor added.

Maura nodded. “Thank you all very much.”

Aqua smiled. “That’s my teammates, I’m so glad I brought you guys along.”

Sora and Kari looked nervous, getting all this praise. “It was just our job, really.” Sora said.

“Yeah, we don’t need that much thanks.” Kari said, laughing nervously.

“We’re happy to help.” Brett simply said.

“Well, I say we get out of here then, and get back to base. We got to get the reports on the mission summited, and start planning our next move. Come on everyone.” Jake said, leading everyone back out of the tunnels.


Back at Harkum Inc., Rem, Eric and Ralph were finishing up their visit. They had returned to the ground floor with Mr. Harkum, while Professor Magmore had remained in the R&D floor upstairs. “Thank you all again for coming. I hope you’ll find the gear we helped prepare for you to your satisfaction, and again I’m very glad to have had your input on out designs. I look forward to the chance to work directly with you, Mr. Nightngale.”

“It’s nothing, Mr. Harkum. And trust me, you will be hearing from me again soon. I’ll be sure you give you an update once we fully test out all the gear.” Eric responded.

“Of course! And be sure to contact us if you need anything replaced, or supplies you may need.” Harkum added.

Then suddenly something beeped on his chair, so he pushed a button, and Tony Flander could now be heard speaking to Mr. Harkum. “Mr. Harkum, we have a problem. The officers that were coming to meet you today are here early! You might want to do something about your guests, they are on their way inside!” He urgently spoke.

Everyone looked nervous, as Mr. Harkum looked around. “Quick, behind the security desk! Men, let them in!” Harkum spoke quickly, as the guards opened the doors, allowing the three Shining Force members to hide inside. Luckily this was all done quickly, as less than thirty seconds later, two well known officers came in the front doors. “Ah, Detective Buck Rogers and Detective Landon Norman. You two are early, I was about to leave for lunch, when I got word you were already here.”

“Apologies for the sudden change in time, but was had heard a report that those vigilantes were seen entering your property within the last hour or so. Are they here, Mr. Harkum?” Detective Rogers, aka Trenchcoat, asked.

“While I do not share your opinion of them being vigilantes, they have not been here. For what reason would they need to come here? They are busy people, Im sure, so why waste time here?” Harkum asked them.

“With all due respect Mr. Harkum, I don’t care at all for your tone with me. You may be providing aid to the department, but that doesn’t give you the right to speak to me that way. After that stunt a few months ago, rumors have been going around that you supply them.” Rogers responded.

Mr. Harkum now looked angry. “How dare you speak to me in such a manor, and on my property no less! I am here spending time, money, and resources to donate my tech to your department, and you have the nerve to disrespect me that way?!”

Rogers now looked shaken. “I-I didn’t mean-“

“I don’t care what you meant Detective, I will not stand for this treatment. I answered your question, and I do not need to be called a lair on my own property.” Harkum said, his voice dropping a bit.

“I’m very very sorry for my Seniors rude behavior, Mr. Harkum. Please understand his disrespect is looked down on by the department.” Landon quickly cut it, making Rogers look furious.

Mr. Harkum sighed. “It is quite alright, the moment has passed.”

“So, umm, while our timing isn’t the best, would we be able to have our appointment now, Mr. Harkum? Though if you do have plans, we can always come back.” Landon asked.

“No no, now is fine, I suppose. You can look over the designs, and take some samples back to the Chief, and if he approves, we’ll prepare a full batch for you all.” Harkum answered.

“Ah, thank you sir!” Landon responded.

Rogers cleared his throat. “Yes, thank you Mr. Harkum.”

“But of course. Now if you two would follow me into the elevator, we’ll ride up to the R&D floor.” Harkum instructed, as they three of them disappeared into the elevator.

After it was clear they were all gone, Rem, Eric, and Ralph came out of hiding. “Wow, Mr. Harkum showed no fear, talking down Trenchcoat like that. It was hard not to laugh.” Ralph said, now laughing.

“No kidding. Mr. Harkum sounds like a pretty good ally to have, lying to the police for us like that.” Rem said.

One of the guards then spoke to Rem. “Mr. Harkum sent a message for you. He thanks you once more for coming, and he wanted you to know your supplies are out front with Mr. Flander. Make sure you get them before you leave, however you do.”

“Ah, thank you sir. Come on, let’s get moving while Mr. Harkum keeps them busy.” Rem said, leading the others outside.

After a little looking around, they found Tony outside near one of the warehouse buildings. They went over to meet him. “Hey again everyone. I trust you all got past the detectives alright?” Tony asked.

“Not before hearing Mr. Harkum give them a big earful.” Ralph said, chuckling.

“Mr. Harkum’s passion shines through in more than just his work.” Tony said, laughing as well. He then looked to a large crate to his side, with a smaller crate on top. “Here’s your stuff. Freshly packed. I assume you can lift and move this all by portal or something, right?”

Eric nodded. “I’ll handle it. Thank you for your help Tony.”

Tony waved his hand in a dismissive way. “No problem at all. Have a safe trip home guys.”

“Have a good rest of your day as well. We’ll be in touch, cya.” Rem said.

At that point, Eric had made a portal, and lifted the crates into the portal using darkness. After Rem and Ralph entered, Eric followed, crates in tow.


Later that evening, Aqua and the others had just returned to the cabin, after Aqua had contacted Eric for a portal home. Aqua led them inside, followed by the others. Ralph was sitting on the couch, spinning his new pistol. “Sup guys, how was the training?” Ralph asked.

Kari glared at him. “Ralph, why are you spinning that around? That’s dangerous.”

Ralp began to spin the pistol overhead. “Lighten up, it’s empty. Plus the safety’s on, so I seriously doubt I’d be hurting anyone with- Ow!” He said, suddenly dropping his pistol on his head.

“That’s not at all surprising.” Brett calmly said.

“But anyway, that looks brand new. Where did you get it?” Sora asked.

“Huh? Oh yeah, me and others got invited to Harkum Inc. today. He made me this, as well as a bunch of new gear for the rest of us.” Ralph said, but then pointed at Brett. “Though they are still making your special weapons. Apparently it’s hard to make a good energy rifle.”

“Interesting. It’s good timing, since after those missions a few weeks ago, I noticed our blasters are prone to overheating after long drawn out battles. Why don’t we look these over then?” Brett suggested.

“Righto! Eric stored them upstairs for now, I’ll show ya!” Ralph said, leaping from the couch, and holstering his pistol. “Come on!” Ralph said, bolting upstairs.

Kari sighed. “He has no idea what we’ve been through today.”

“Maybe not, but his energy is kinda contagious.” Sora chuckled. At that, the three of them followed Ralph upstairs.

Aqua didn’t head upstairs, but noticed Rem and Eric’s auras in the kitchen, so she joined them. They seemed to be prepping dinner. “Oh hey Aqua. Dinners almost ready.” Rem said to her, as she entered.

“Ah nice, I was just getting hungry. We had to skip lunch today.” Aqua commented.

“So how did your scouting mission go then?” Rem asked.

Aqua let out a large sigh, as she laid her face and arms on the table. “We actually got pulled into a scuffle with the Rose Thorn Gang. We didn’t catch anyone, other than a few grunts who don’t know much. We did learn that they are using these underground tunnels to get across the city undetected though. They seem to run deep.”

Eric was thinking on this. “Well then that explains how they managed to slip away so easily after their job at the fair went south.”

Aqua nodded. “Right. So while it’s not what we were hoping to pull off today, we all walked out of it fine, and gained new information, so I’d call that a job well done. They seem to have both an earth and wind human among their higher ranks, so they have more powered humans in this gang then the ones from the other day.”

“Sounds like we’ll need to keep an eye out for them. Though it’s still worrying that we actually have a powered gang running loose in the city.“ Rem commented.

“Their movements seem to be rare right now, but now that they have their weapons back, it could prove differently. But for now, hopefully it stays that way.” Aqua responded.

“Indeed.” Eric agreed, still focused on cooking, though he now seemed to be done. “Alright, I’m going to go get the others. Hopefully they weren’t planning on trying out their new toys before dinner.” Eric said, beginning to walk out of the room.

Aqua laughed slightly. “I doubt that.” She then got up, and walked over to the food cooking. “Let me help you set- Ooo, Eric made Mexican food?! That’s like one of my favorite types of food.”

Rem looked at her, slightly surprised. “Wait, really? That’s unexpected.”

Aqua chuckled slightly. “Well where I was from, we didn’t have this type of food around. So when I started living here, I tried it for the first time. It’s sooo good.” She said, as she took dishes to the table.

“Well that makes since. I guess a good bit changed after I left.” Rem said, chuckling a little as well. He looked at her for a moment from behind, and he felt worried.

Aqua turned around, and noticed him looking. “Is something wrong? You look worried.”

“Oh uhh, well…” He paused for a second. “You aren’t hurt, are you? I mean from your mission. I wasn’t expecting you to be fighting today.”

“Oh, well I wasn’t either, but I’m fine. Nothing but a few bruises, and just some exhaustion.” Aqua said, grabbing more food to move.

Rem followed suit. He looked fine now, but he was still worried on the inside. “Well, that’s good at least. Though you could’ve called the rest of us if you needed.”

Aqua looked at him for a second, while she sat the food down. “Well yeah, but we had things under control for the most part. Up until the end anyway. Plus, you guys had an important meeting with Mr. Harkum, so it’s a good thing we didn’t call. I’ve handled these types of issues with my teammates before.”

Rem nodded. “Right right, sorry. You’ve definitely grown up since I was last around. Before I left, you hadn’t been working with Kavisto for long, and now here you are, a full fledged agent. I guess I’m always been used to looking out for you.” Rem’s thoughts then panicked. What are you saying!? Not only is that way too strong, what if she get offended by that?

Aqua was now grabbing plates, but her mind was running all over. She was trying to keep composed, but she thought back to all the times Rem helped her when she was young. “Well…I mean you were gone a while. Things change I guess.” Now Aqua was panicking. You idiot! If you say it like that, you’ll make him think you don’t need him around for you! “B-but, some things still stay the same too. I like that protective nature you have, it makes me feel safe if I do need help.” Oh God, that came out WAY too forward. Where’s the rewind button!?

Rem was trying to sort his own thoughts, so luckily for Aqua, he didn’t catch how forward her comment sounded. “True, I suppose. Hopefully we don’t get into many chances where we are in that much danger, but if so, we always have each other’s back.”

Aqua sighed her in head, but she remained calm, and smiled. “Yeah, exactly. That’s what I was trying to say.” Oh God, I hope he didn’t catch that….Wait, I hear the stairs. Thank goodness, I need a rest from making a fool of myself.

Then suddenly, Ralph bolted down the stairs. “Dinner!” He yelled.

The others arrived at a normal pace. “Yes Ralph, dinner. The thing we have every night.” Kari said, sounding annoyed.

“Jeez, you’re crabby tonight.” Ralph commented.

“Well someone was thrown around by a tough earth guy, and nearly blown up. I’m gonna get a little crabby.” She retorted.

“Calm down guys. I ‘actually’ got blown up, and I’m fine. Let’s just eat.” Sora added.

“Great idea, Sora. Dinner is the perfect de-stresser.” Brett commented.

“If only we have some chocolate cake in the fridge still…” Kari mumbled under her breath.

“Alright everyone, Rem and Aqua set up for us, so let’s have dinner now. Just wash your hands first.” Eric said, as everyone nodded, and began to wash up.

And so, another day passed in the cabin, and another wonderful dinner was eaten by everyone. While even with their bickering, they grew closer.


But elsewhere, trouble was brewing. In a hidden location somewhere in the city, a large underground building housed a Rose hangout. The wall opened up, and a truck pulled in, with the wall closing behind them. Petra and Gale exited the truck, followed by their remaining men. “Man, that was smooth Petra! What an expert escape plan you pulled off. That’ll show’em.” Gale commented.

“Gracias comrade. It only worked with your assistance.” Petra responded.

Then suddenly approaching them was Blitz Rose. “What happened? You were all gone an awfully long time for a simple pick up.”

Gale put his arms behind his head. “Kavisto’s goons caught wind of our man on the inside with the weapons production, so they crashed the drop off party. But thanks to Petra Rose’s quick thinking, we managed to make off with the supply anyway. They had plans to track us, but we took care of that. We lost a few dudes, but otherwise we came out of that unscathed.”

Blitz smirked. “Well done my friend. I see your promotion to Triple Rose was well earned. I believe Black Rose would like to hear your report, and I believe he’s going to go over a briefing for our next job soon. Gale, why don’t you oversee the unloading of all these weapons?”

Gale nodded. “No problem, you guys go see the bossman.” He said, turning his attention to his lackeys.

Petra followed Blitz to another room, one on the second floor of the building. They said nothing to each other, as Petra was not a man for small talk often. He was still on the job. They went to a room with a large screen in it, and it suddenly it turned on. On the screen was a man dressed in the same suit they all wore, though the roses were black. His hat looked more fancy then the others though. He also wore a black mask, with silver lining on it. He had black hair that was somewhat long, and blue eyes. This was Black Rose. “Ah, Petra Rose, you return. I assume the pickup went well?”

“Si Black Rose, though those government agents found our inside man in weapons production, and tracked us down with them. We managed to escape with all the weapons, with minimal losses sir. We were not followed.” Petra explained.

“Hmm…A shame they found our current supplier, but it’s no matter. We can secure a new one soon. Thank you for the report.” Black Rose responded. “Now, onto other matters. We’ve gotten word that a very high value shipment is set to leave Harkum Inc. in a matter of days. Some high powered generator for the upcoming Tower of Power project. Until I assess the proper team, stay on standby in france. Petra, use the underground tunnels to deliver the weapons across our outposts in the meanwhile. Am I understood?”

“Yes Sir!” Both Roses responded.

“Very good. I’ll be in contact soon.” Black Rose said, ending his call.

“Well you have your assignment, Petra. Contact me if any problems arise.” Blitz said to him.

“Si comrade, no worries.” Petra said, taking his leave.

The Rose Thorn Gang seems to be acting in full force now, and are preparing a heist on an important shipment to the Tower of Power. What will the effects of this heist be, and will the Shining Force be able to stop them?



……End of Data Log.

[Aqua]

Data Log # 15: A Powerful Heist

Data Log place in time, one week following the previous Data Log.



It was another hot summer afternoon that began like any other afternoon, with it easily over 100F. What makes this day different from the rest was what was about to happen, just moments away. Downtown, a shipment was leaving Harkum Inc, escorted by Tony Flander and a squad of robots. The truck was very large, so whatever was being transported was quite large, and with Tony guarding it, it must be very valuable. For a while, everything was going smoothly.

Tony marched forward, followed in tow by the truck and robots. This is going well. Mr. Harkum was right though, why would anyone risk messing with this suit for a simple robbery?... Tony thought, as he continued his escort. Not long after, the ground began to shake, and suddenly a large stone wall appeared in front of the truck! The truck was forced to stop, but the wall made it unable to move forward! Tony quickly started scanning the area, as he suddenly turned on his speaker. “Show yourselves! If you surrender, I will take you in peacefully and unharmed!”

Then, appearing from the alleyways was the Rose Thorn Gang, being led by Blitz and Gale Rose. “Oooooh noooo, he turned on his speaker! I’m shaking! We’ll come in quietly, right boys?” Blitz said in a taunting manner, followed by his troop’s laughter. “We meet again, Megaton. I trust you remember me, yes?”

“Stand down, Blitz Rose, or I will use lethal force.” Tony responded.

“Bro, you’re all bark, and no bite! You’re just a bag of bolts and screws, ya tin can! You might scare common thugs, but the Rose Thorn Gang isn’t afraid of ya!” Gale retorted.

“Step aside, Megaton. We’re taking that shipment with us.” Blitz ordered.

Tony narrowed his eyes from his suit. “You’ve been warned.” Then suddenly his shoulder mounted rocket launchers prepped, and fired at them. They were charged with Ion energy, so the explosions wouldn’t kill, but the force would render them entirely powerless.

“Gale.” Blitz simply said.

“On it chief!” Gale said, as his hands began to glow. He formed powerful winds, as he forced to rockets into each other, causing a shockwave of Ion to burst outwards. A few robots were shut down in the attack.

Blitz then signaled his troops with a wave of his hand. “Proceed. Remove these trash cans from my sight.” And just like that, gunfire broke out! Blasts from ion powered rifles on the Roses side clashed with energy blasts from the robots. Blitz then turned to Gale. “You’re with me, cover me.”

“On it.” Gale said, looking excited.

Tony then charged up energy in his palm launchers, and opened fire on Blitz and Gale, to which Blitz formed a wall of burning ice in front of him, connected to his hand. “Come now, Megaton. We really don’t have time for this, so if you could just stand down now it would really keep us on time.”

Tony then prepped his machine guns mounted on his wrists, opening fire at Blitz again, planning to blast apart the shield. Gale then jumped up above, and formed a large gust of wind in front of them to catch the bullets in the wind, and sent them back at Tony. Tony’s armor protected him from the bullets, but he was having no luck getting any hits in, as Blitz began to strike back with freezing fire blasts. They began to hit, and the effects were cooling the suit where hit, having the same effect as ice but with flames. Tony then had an idea. As they drew close, and Blitz and Gale prepared to attack, Tony charged at them at high speed! The sudden attack allowed him to punch through the burning ice shield, and knocked Blitz away, while also quickly grabbing Gale with one of his hands. Electricity was then being sent through the hand, blasting Gale directly. “I won’t kill you, but I will subdue you.” Tony said, focused entirely on Gale, who was now yelling in response to being shocked.

Blitz returned to his feet, recovering from the attack. He then outstretched his hand, firing a beam of the freezing fire directly at Tony! Tony was able to react in time, putting his other hand out to meet the beam with one of his own. The two attacks seemed to be even at first, but Tony’s energy output showed no signs of letting up, but at the cost of stopping his attack on Gale. “Gale, I’m going to need you to do something.” Blitz said, calling out rather calmly.

Slowly recovering, Gale noticed what was happening, as well as Blitz’s orders, and suddenly started blowing a wind out of his mouth. It began to swirl around, pulling in Blitz’s attack as well, and moving the freezing flames by wind. It began to quickly pick up, and move the freezing fire directly into the joints of the Megaton’s armor, as it began to freeze up. Soon, Gale was able to free himself, and slipped out of the Megaton’s hand. The energy counter attack from Tony also soon stopped. “No! I can’t move!” Tony said.

Blitz walked up to the Megaton very casually now, taking out an EMP device, and placing it on the suit. “Just for good measure. I’d say, oh great Megaton, I think you’ve been suffering from quite the fall from grace as the city’s protector, wouldn’t you say?” Blitz looked around, seeing his men finish off the rest of the robots. “Well, I’d say we should be going. Maybe next time, stay off the battlefield, and stay on guard duty at Harkum where you belong.” He then walked past Tony’s suit without another word, followed by Gale and the others. He then walked over to the large truck, and he pulled out the driver, while Gale removed the ride along guard. “Don’t any of you try being a hero. Go stand by the tincan over there.” Blitz said. The two men from the truck did as they were told, worried one of the roses might shoot them if they did. “Rest of you men, get in the back.” Blitz called out, as they began to load up into the truck. Blitz then put his finger to an earpiece. “Petra, it’s Blitz, we’re all ready up here. Take it away.”

Then suddenly, the ground began to shake, as the ground surrounding the truck began to lower into the ground! It seemed there was a clear opening to under the streets from there. Once the truck was lowered underground, the street closed back up. The two drivers of the truck approached Tony, and removed the EMP from his suit, as his defrosting systems began to allow him to power back up. Ugh…I can’t believe I just let that happen. But no time to wallow in pity, I need to call for backup… Tony thought to himself.

While all this unfolded, Karen was on looking the scene, looking somewhat stressed. “Those Rose’s are proving to be somewhat meddlesome. I’m going to need some assistance from Kraven if I’m going to get that generator from them….’ She said to herself, walking off the scene before she was noticed.


At around this time, Rem and Aqua were at the cabin with everyone, bar Eric. They seemed to be teaching some kind of class in the kitchen, which was on the various things they should know as world saving members. “Ok, so you’re telling me that the ‘demons’ you guys mention are just the creation of some guy that didn’t know what else to call them, since they looked like what he thought demons looked like?” Ralph asked.

Rem nodded. “More or less. Maximillian the Sol Demon was the first ‘demon’ to be created, and he made all the rest from his own power. They are not the same as what’s called a Hellspawn Demon, for the ease of telling them apart, though it’s a very easy mistake to make for the uninformed. I was like that myself once.”

Aqua chuckled. “Yeah, Rem had a bit of ‘demon’ phobia when he was a kid.”

Rem looked to Aqua. “Was that bit really needed?” He asked, chuckling.

Sora then mumbled something to Kari. “If he was like that, then how did he date a demon?”

“Beats me.” Kari mumbled back.

“So aside from flight, and some elements of their appearance, how do they differ from Powered Humans?” Brett asked, getting the topic back on track.

“Good question, I always had wondered that myself. Some differences are that there are demon types that don’t have a powered human counterpart. Like for example, Slime, Death, Lunar, Cat, Wolf, Metal, and a few other types. I’ll compile a more fleshed out list, but there’s no such thing as sat a Cat Human, or Slime Human.” Rem said.

“Well at least as their own entire race, like how Water Humans are their own race. There are exceptions, such as few people seen using Lunar, Death, or something like that, but not being a demon.” Aqua added.

“The way they grow in power is very different compared to powered humans as well. Powered Humans have a Level system to their powers, while Demons have what’s called their Rank system. All powered humans, with enough training, can reach their full potential. Demons, on the other hand, rise in ranks through power through various means, and are gifted new strength by their home realm, but judged in relation to how powerful they are in comparison to the rest of their own kind, and only one can be the strongest, which is their king, with very rare exceptions.” Rem continued.

“Powered Humans go through levels 1, through 4. While Demon Ranks go from Lesser, Greater, Chaos, and then King or Queen. Though the differences in power are noticeable. Powered Humans seem to be stronger than a Demon of an even level, but Demons can rise through their ranks at much faster speeds than a Powered Human can level up. Demons, outside of Time Demons, also have shorter lifespans then Powered Humans, assuming they aren’t killed.” Aqua added.

“Well when you put it that way, Demons don’t seem to have the fair end of things, do they?” Ralph asked.

Rem seemed to think. “Well…It’s true that the power output isn’t equal, it doesn’t make them weaker just because of that. Most Demons excel in different areas of power control then Powered Humans, mostly because of their more unusual powers. They also seem to use it differently then Powered Humans, but maybe it’s just me not understanding it.”

Aqua nodded. “I always looked at Demons more so borrowing power and using it, rather then it feeling something they are truly connected with. Kinda like how your gauntlets use orbs to use power, but it’s not a part of say your DNA like water is for me. But maybe I don’t fully understand it either. I do know we get our powers from different places. Demons get theirs from their connection to their realms, but Powered Humans get theirs from the source. But that’s a whole nother topic altogether...I wonder if Kavisto knows more on that…”

Then suddenly, Rem’s stone began to glow, as Eric contacted him from the lab. “Rem, sorry to interrupt your class, but this is serious. I just got a message from Tony Flander, and he was attacked by the Rose Thorn Gang.”

“Wait what? What happened?” Rem asked.

“From what he said, they stole some shipment that was being delivered to the Tower of Power. A powerful jumbo CEG generator for it. They hijacked the truck, and escaped underground, a lot like how Aqua described they did last week. The attack left his suit in pretty bad shape, so he’s requesting our help in tracking them down, and recovering the generator if possible. If the Roses want it, it must be dangerous for them to have it.” Eric explained.

“Alright then, we’ll get suited up, and hit the streets.” Rem responded.

“Got it. I’ve got some probes scouting the city skies. If I find anything through them, I’ll forward the information to you.” Eric said, ending the call.

“Alright, you heard Eric everyone. Let’s get ready, and catch us some Roses.” Rem ordered. Everyone nodded in response, as they quickly made their ways to their own rooms, got changed into their combat gear, and headed out for the city.




Once everyone had set out, most of the members spread out through the city. Rem and Aqua, however, went to Harkum Inc to hopefully gain some information. They met up with Tony and Mr. Harkum on the ground floor, just meeting with them. “Thank you for meeting with us at such short notice.” Rem said.

Mr. Harkum waved his hand. “Not at all, my boy. So what can we do to help?”

Rem turned to Tony. “We were hoping you could explain to us in full what happened in town today.”

Tony rubbed the back of his head, looking to the side. “It was just supposed to be a routine delivery. I was to escort the truck, since the generator inside was very valuable. But then the truck was blocked by a stone wall, then me and the robots were attacked suddenly by the Rose Thorn Gang. Clearly my presence is no longer enough of a deterrent, since they showed no fear in picking a fight with me, and took out my systems pretty easily. Then they just…lowered the truck into the ground, and closed it back up. Luckily no one got hurt, but we still got to get that generator back.”

Mr. Harkum nodded. “Indeed. With a power supply that strong, who knows what they could do with it. It was meant to be one of the main power units for the Tower of Power project. Without it, the new clean energy facility could be on hold for some time.”

Rem paused to think. “I’ve got my team searching the city as we speak for any sign of the Roses, but they’ve gotten pretty good at running and hiding lately. Though with a generator that large, it would be pretty hard to get away easily. If we can find them, we’ll try to recover your generator for you.”

“Would you? Thank you so much, those at the tower will be pleased to hear that. They called me not long after it was taken, and I wasn’t sure what to tell them.” Harkum explained.

“I’ll join the search as soon as the Megaton has been repaired. I’ll help however I can.” Tony added.

“Not a problem. If anything, this may finally get us the Roses. Now, if we could get the street address of where this happened, it might save us some searching time.” Rem asked.

“Oh, of course. It was on South Elm Street, just before the intersection onto Dress Lane. I think…..there was a book store, and a few cafes as well. I don’t quite remember the names of them though.” Tony explained.

“I think I already know where he’s talking about Rem. Let’s get moving.” Aqua added.

“Got it. We’ll be off then.” Rem said.

“Just be careful, I hear the police are also on the case, so you might want to be careful how you approach the area.” Harkum added.

“We will, thank you for the warning.” Rem said, as the two of them left. “Not much more information than before, other than learning how important that generator is.”

“True but what could the Roses want with it? You think they’ll ransom it, or use it for themselves?” Aqua asked.

“I’m not sure, but I’d think if it was for the money they could of lifted something much less dangerous. If they risked a confrontation with The Megaton, it must be important.” Rem responded, as he made a portal.

“I agree. But now the question is what for?...” Aqua added, as the two of them went into the portal.

Arriving in the city, Rem and Aqua made their way towards the location that Tony gave them, only to find the police swarming the streets above. Rem took Aqua’s arm quickly. “Come on.”

“Whoa!” Aqua said, suddenly being tugged along into a back alley with Rem.

They both peeked out from the alley, looking around. “Mr. Harkum wasn’t kidding, and of course ol Trenchcoat is leading the investigation team. If he spots us, that’s just going to cause more problems….” Rem said.

Aqua was looking around, and after some thinking, she managed to spot what she hoped to find. A manhole cover. “Ok, so they do have sewers under this street. Why don’t we go to the next street over, and start there? Hopefully they haven’t gotten to checking the underground yet.” Aqua suggested.

Rem nodded. “That’s a great idea, let’s get moving.” Then they both quickly made their way down the alley way they were in, until they came out on the next street over. Rem then used power energy in his gauntlets to lift the cover off. “Ladies first.”

Aqua chuckled. “Why thank you, Mr. Stratford. You sure do know the best places to take a lady.” She said, heading down in first.

“Ha ha, very funny.” Rem said, chuckling slightly. He followed her down, pulled the cover closed as they descended. Once Rem reached the bottom, he took out his sword, and the blade changed from it’s multi-color look, to pure white. It gave off a light filled glow, working like a powerful lantern. “Judging by the darkness down here, it might be safe to say we made it down here first.” Rem said, beginning to search the area.

“To think they managed to fit such a large truck down here. Their earth human must be putting in a lot of work.” Aqua said, walking along side Rem.

“They must have some way of covering their auras, as well as auras of their crew too, otherwise we probably would have picked up on them already.” Rem said.

“It’s becoming a much more common practice among powered users now a days, honestly. Even humans seem to be finding ways to either hide or escape us now. We won’t be able to rely on searching by auras as much anymore, possibly.” Aqua commented.

Rem nodded. “Maybe I can see about Eric making us some transmitters or something. It would be good for the others to have as well, seeing as they can’t see auras anyway.”

“Speaking of the others, are you going to have them join us?” Aqua asked.

“If we can confirm where down here the headed, then yeah. But since we haven’t figured out where yet, I figured it might be a good idea for us to widen our search. Plus us all moving in a large group makes it hard for us to lay low.” Rem answered.

“Good point. No point rushing everyone down here if we can’t find a lead.” Aqua said. At this point they had reached the actual tunnel they were looking for. “You know, I was trying to ignore it, but this place really smells…I mean I didn’t expect much, but still…”

“Ugh…Yeah, I know what you mean….” Rem paused for a second. “But you know what I don’t smell?”

“What?” Aqua asked.

“Gas. Like fuel exhaust.” Rem said, looking around, taking note of the water in the center of the tunnel. “I don’t think they drove through the sewers either. Even if the truck managed to fit, I doubt it could turn without getting stuck in the water. And I doubt growing the tunnels the whole way is a smart option.”

“So you think they maybe passed through the tunnel then?” Aqua questioned.

Rem nodded. “I think so. Though even that would be tricky with the water in the way.”

Aqua then closed her eyes, and held her hand out, as her hand began to glow. “I can feel the flow of the waters energies…It’s been tampered with in the area not long ago…I can tell it’s been frozen and thawed out….” She then put her hand down, and opened her eyes. “They probably just froze the water in place, and allowed it to slowly melt after they fled.”

“You think you can do the same so we can check the floor?” Rem asked.

Aqua nodded. “No sweat. It will take me a minute or two to freeze it in a way that doesn’t entirely block the waters path.”

“Alright then. I’ll contact that others while you do.” Rem said, then he took out his stone to speak with Eric. “Eric, how’s the search going?”

Eric responded quickly. No solid leads as of yet. All I’ve able to confirm as of yet is that the police were quick to reach the scene, but they don’t seem to have made much progress either from what I can tell.

“I figured as much. We might have something down here in the sewers, we’ll keep you posted once we get some confirmation.” Rem replied.

Gotcha, I’ll do the same. Eric said, before ending his end of the call.

“Hey Rem, come look at this.” Aqua said.

Rem turned to focus on Aqua, seeing as she made a sectioned off area in the dirty river that was the sewer water. She made it rather long as first, but then Rem noticed what Aqua had. The ground had shown signs of being shifted, as further up and down the sewer showed the ground undisturbed. “Well there’s the proof we need.” Rem then jumped down into the dry area.

“Are you going to be able to follow them?” Aqua asked.

“Well I’m no earth human, but I should be able to move earth enough to at least reopen their own path.” Rem’s gauntlets then began to glow green, as he began to slowly move the earth apart.


After several minutes of shifting stone and earth, Rem and Aqua suddenly fell! Rem moved the ground out from under them, not expecting to reach an opening so suddenly. Rem hit the ground first, followed by Aqua landing on top of him. “Ugh…That hurt…” Rem groaned.

Aqua groaned a bit as well, but then started to push herself up. She then quickly noticed that she had landed on top of Rem, and was now over him. Her eyes locked with his for a few seconds, when suddenly Aqua snapped out of her lost gaze. “I-I’m so sorry! I didn’t hurt you, did I?!” Aqua quickly sat up entirely, getting off of Rem now.

Rem sat up at this point. “Nah, I’m ok. How are you? Are you hurt?”

Aqua shook her head. “No, I’m fine. Thanks for breaking my fall.”

Rem smiled. “Don’t mention it.” Then Rem took a look around, seeing they were in a different type of tunnel system. Only this one looked much older then they sewers they had left above. “But where are we?”

Aqua looked around. “We must be in the old catacombs under the city.”

“Wait, you know this place?” Rem asked.

Aqua shook her head. “Not personally. I’ve read about it in a report. We haven’t had time or people to properly survey this area though, so not a lot is known about this place. We do know it’s pretty expansive though.”

“Wow….” Rem said, getting caught up in what was old french ruins. “I’d love to learn more about this place, but right now we got work to do.” Rem paused. “This is a bit worrisome though, these catacombs could cover the entire city. They could get about anywhere entirely unseen with an earth human on their side.”

Aqua nodded. “Yeah, I agree.” She was looking around, noticing what appeared to be some light tracks on the ground. “Though at least for today, we might be able to find out where they’re going. I guess they didn’t expect us to follow them down here, so they didn’t cover up the tire tracks.”

“Perfect. All we got to do is follow them then. Though we should be careful. They could have traps around, or maybe Rose goons.” Rem suggested.

“I was thinking the same thing.” Aqua said, agreeing with Rem.

“Well since we are one the same page, let’s be off.” Rem said, as the two of them began to explore the tunnels. They followed the tracks for a while, seeing little of interest as they went. “There really isn’t much to see down here, but it feels like it goes forever. I ah!” Rem suddenly yelped, as a flock of bats flew past them suddenly.

Aqua chuckled. “I had no idea the great world saver was afraid of some bats.”

Rem looked at her, slightly embarrassed. “Look…I just don’t like’em. They used to spook me as a kid. Ever since then, they just always creep me out.”

Aqua kept lightly laughing at Rem. “It’s fine, really. I’m just giving you a hard time.” Aqua then took a better look around the area. “Though you know, something I’ve noticed about these pathways we’ve been going through…..They feel less like a dungeon, and more like…I dunno, like roads or something. City streets.”

Regaining his composure, Rem also took a look around. “You know, I was kinda thinking the same thing. Like if these were all a dungeon, then it must have been a massive one. I wonder if it’s more like an ancient city, though if it is, how did it get this far underground? Was it built here, or maybe it sank into the earth or something.”

“It’s hard to say, but the ground above is pretty solid and thick, if it can support the city above without caving in this old city down here…How far down did we go anyway?” Aqua asked.

“I’m not really sure, honestly. When I was moving us down, I kinda lost all sense of depth and time, but….I don’t feel like it’s been miles or anything. Ugh, I really want to learn more about this place.” Rem said, feeling a bit excited.

“I can always see if we have any files back at HQ on this place once we finish what we came here to do.” Aqua suggested.

“That’s an idea. Sorry for getting distracted.” Rem said.

Aqua shook her head. “Your fine, really. It’s…actually kinda refreshing to see you excited about something like this. Just take me with you when you come back.”

Rem looked confused. “Wait, you actually wanna come back under here?”

Aqua nodded. “Well sure. I mean, it all seems pretty interesting. Most ruins I’ve ever been to I already know what it was, but this is a real mystery.” Plus I’ll take any potential alone time I can get with you… She thought to herself.

“Well I mean sure, I wouldn’t mind the company.” Rem responded.

Aqua smiled. “Great!” They continued to walk, following the tracks where they lead. After a little while, Aqua started up conversation again. “Hey Rem, your parents were ruin studiers, right? Archeologists? Is that where you got so interested in them?”

“Well…Not both of them at first. Of what I remember, my dad actually was a carpenter, though I think I heard before he had me he wanted to be a private detective or something. I don’t remember the details, it’s been a long time. My mom though, was. A lot of what she ended up studying was stuff that seemed to be connected to power related lore, since at the time that was an entirely foreign world. I think when my mom’s research began to pick up and actually have backers, my dad focused on helping my mom with her research as best he could. Made things a bit tough for me and my sister though, at the time of the demon raids. Their research was top priority, since they thought it might reveal a way to stop the attacks.” Rem explained.

Aqua looked confused at a few points of Rem’s short story. “I bet your parents were very good at what they did. I don’t really know your family much, outside of seeing them a few times. But…I didn’t know you had a sister. I don’t think you’ve really mentioned her before.”

“Oh…Well that’s because she was taken during one of the demon raids I mentioned. We…..never saw her again after she disappeared, so we just assumed she was killed. We spent days looking for her after the attack that took her, but she was never found. When my parents got kidnapped after that, it made it hard to chase or find any leads on either of them, since I was so young. Even after all this time, I never heard anything about what could have happened to her.” Rem explained.

“Oh….I’m sorry, maybe I shouldn’t have brought it up.” Aqua said, now feeling bad.

“It’s alright, it’s in the past. I’ve come to peace with it, but it was a lot to deal with when I was younger.” Rem said. Neither of them really knew how to continue that conversation, as Rem didn’t have anything else to add at the moment, and Aqua felt to awkward to suddenly change topics. Then Rem suddenly stopped walking. “Wait. Look, the tracks just suddenly stop here.”

Aqua looked, confirming for herself. “Your right. Though were could they have gone from here?”

Rem looked around at the ground first. “Well…the earth doesn’t look disturbed, so I doubt they went deeper…” Rem then looked up. “It’s harder to tell, but I think they probably went upwards.” Then he took out his communication stone again to contact Eric. “Eric, do you read me?”

Loud and clear Rem, what’s happening where you are? Eric asked.

“We’ve been tracking them though these underground passageways, and we think they might of returned to the surface where we are currently. Can you pinpoint our current location, and where it relates to above ground?” Rem asked.

Not a problem, just give me a moment. Eric responded. Then Rem’s blue stone began to flash yellow, as Eric was connecting to its signal. After a quiet moment, Eric spoke again. Ok, after putting the stone location into the computer, it seems like you are under some old supermarket called Big Cub on the south side of the city. It’s still a somewhat busy part of town, but it’s not as metro as the main area of the city.

“Alright then. Can you inform the others of the location? We’ll head up and meet them there.” Rem asked.

Not a problem. I’ll get my drones over there as well. Make sure the area is safe to approach. Eric added.

“Sounds good, speak to you soon.” Rem said, before putting his stone away. “Alright, we better get ready to surface. We’ll head up once Eric gives us the go ahead.”

Aqua nodded. “Sounds like a pla- Ah!” But Aqua suddenly screamed, as a pillar of stone shot out of the ground, forcing Rem and Aqua apart, though missing the both of them directly.

“Aqua!” Rem said, running around the pillar, but suddenly stopping when he saw what he did.

Aqua was suddenly at gunpoint, as Aqua was grabbed by Petra Rose, who had suddenly appeared from the darkness. “Ah ah ah, gringo. Don’t make any sudden moves, or the senorita might get a bullet to the head.”

Aqua’s eyes looked very scared at these words, but she remained brave. “Don’t listen to him Rem! Stop him!”

Rem glared at Petra, but he wasn’t about to put Aqua in danger. “Alright alright, just don’t hurt her.”

Petra grinned. “Very good.” He then suddenly whistled. “Come on over comrades!”

Suddenly, a group of Rose goons began to appear from the cave like buildings, as well as a bunch of wall torches suddenly lit up. Among these goons was both Red Rose and Blue Rose. Red approached him first, and held out his hand. “Your sword.” He simply said. Rem then looked at him, and his sword blade shifted back to normal, as he handed his sword to Red, who took it.

Then Blue walked up to Rem next. “Give me your fancy gloves, buddy.” Blue said, taking them off of Rem’s hands. Then, putting one on, punched Rem square in the gut! Rem yelled out, and stumbled back, while Blue just laughed. “That’s for making me look like a fool at the fair, asshole!” A few goons then went over to Rem, and quickly tied his hands behind his back.

Petra started laughing. “Come, comrades. Why don’t we show the boss who we found sneaking around?” Then everyone gathered close to Petra, and suddenly the earth began to raise, as the ground above began to open as the ground below came close.



A few minutes later, above ground, the other members of the Shining Force had gathered together nearby, as they were waiting for Rem and Aqua to join them. As the minutes passed with no response, they became worried. “Hey, Eric! Have you had any luck getting Rem or Aqua?” Ralph asked, speaking into his stone loudly.

No Ralph, I haven’t been able to reach Rem since he gave me the information on the location. Eric responded.

“Do you think they got caught?” Kasi asked.

“It’s possible. If they were being through, then they would have had these underground entrances guarded, since this heist seems rather important.” Brett added.

“Then let’s break in and find them!” Sora suggested.

Raylu shook his head. “We cannot. If they are indeed captured, then rushing in could be fatal for them. In addition, if they caught them, they will more than likely be expecting us to attempt a rescue.”

Raylu’s right. Eric agreed.

“Ugh! We can’t just sit around and do nothing!” Ralph yelled in frustration.

Ralph, calm down. I have a plan. I’ll use my probes, and see if I can find out where they are being held, and if it’s safe to enter. We’ll figure this out. Eric said, trying to relax Ralph.

Ralph sighed. “Alright then. You do your robo work, Eric.”

“We’ll be here on standby awaiting orders, Eric. We’ll only move when you say it’s safe to.” Brett added.

Good. Just follow my lead, and this should go fine. Eric said, trying to reassure everyone. Then his probs began to fly around the abandoned supermarket, looking for a good point of entry.


Meanwhile, inside the supermarket, Blitz and Gale were speaking with Black Rose via a tv screen, much like the last time. “So, I trust the operation went according to plan?” Black asked the other Roses.

“Megaton put up slightly more of a fight then we expected, but aside from that, it was all according to plan. The robots were dispatched of quickly, and we were long gone before any attempts of backup arrived.” Blitz explained.

“Excellent, wonderful news indeed. Once preparations are finished, get the generator moved to the labs.” Black explained.

Then before anything else could be said, suddenly Petra began to speak. “My comrades, look at what we found down below. Some rats.” He said, chuckling slightly.

Blitz and Gale turned to see Petra, Red, and Blue leading Rem and Aqua over towards them. Black Rose looked surprised through his mask. “World Savers?”

“Yeah. They thought they could just sneak around our turf without permission.” Blue said.

Rem and Aqua looked at the screen, showing Black Rose on it. “So who are you? Another one of the Rose’s?” Rem asked.

Black looked over Rem and Aqua for a moment, before deciding to respond. “Normally it’s good manners to introduce yourself first, but I’ll let that slide since I’m already aware of who you are, Mr. Stratford. You may call me Black Rose. I’m the leader of the Rose Thorn Gang, pleasure to meet you at last. Apologizes that it isn’t in person.”

Rem just looked back at him for now. “Likewise…”

“I have to ask, as I’ve been wondering this since the main street job a few weeks back, but why bother concerning yourself with us? We’re but just a simple small time gang, don’t you have bigger problems to deal with?” Black simply asked.

“Heh. Anything that threatens the safety of the public is worth our attention. Your boys at the fair made plenty of a name for yourselves, if you hadn’t noticed.” Rem responded.

“A fair point, to be sure. Though granted it would have been relativity harmless had you and those mutants not escalated altercations. Bloodshed is not on my agenda, Mr. Stratford.” Black began explaining.

“So what then, just money and control? Is that why you stole that big generator, to get Harkum to pay for it’s return?” Aqua asked.

Black chuckled slightly. “To start with, I suppose you could say that’s all, but I have much more interesting plans for that.”

“And what would that be?” Rem asked.

“Ah ah ah, Mr. Stratford. Highly classified, I’m afraid. Not even my Roses know everything yet, so I can’t be out here telling secrets, now can I? Though depending on how things go, you may not live to see them. Quite a shame.” Black said, then looked to Blitz once again. “Keep those two secure for now, and move them out with you when you depart. They could prove useful alive, but should it come to it, do what you must to keep the operation secure. I await your arrival soon with the generator.”

Blitz nodded. “Of course, sir. Understood.” Black then nodded back, before the call ended. Blitz then turned around to see everyone else. “It looks like you two get the pleasure of living just a little longer. You should be grateful the boss is a very fair man. Blue and Red, you and the guards make sure they don’t cause any trouble. If need be, put some bullets into them. And keep a look out for their companions, they could turn up too if these two did.”

“Not a problem, come on Red. We can handle this.” Blue said, leading Rem off, while Red followed with Aqua.

Blitz then turned to Petra and Gale. “Petra, make sure the underground passage is guarded in case more come from below. Gale, you make sure the above ground scouts are keeping an eye out. We can’t afford anymore surprises.” Both Gale and Petra both nodded, and went about their work as quickly as possible.

In the air above, one of Eric’s drones seemed to be watching the events unfold, then seemed to follow to where Rem and Aqua were being escorted. They were led into what appeared to be some old breakroom of some kind, with old tables and chairs about. Blue then tied up Rem to one of the chairs, while Red did so to Aqua. Once they were secure, Red then took out his pistol, and aimed it at Aqua’s head. “Now my dear, I’m very aware you can still use your powers, but I wouldn’t try it. Unless you think you can make a move before I can pull the trigger.” Red said to her.

“Ha! Yeah, and even if you think of trying anyway, I’ll just put a bullet into his head instead. I know he doesn’t have a way to stop me.” Blue said, spinning his pistol.

“I’d sooner take a bullet to the head then keep listening to you talk.” Rem said, smirked at him.

Blue looked pissed, as he then struck Rem in the head with his pistol. “Look here, you little shit. We got permission to kill you, so unless you actually want one, I suggest you keep your mouth shut.”

“Leave him alone! I won’t do anything!” Aqua yelled.

“Seems the lady understands, so just chill out Blue. No reason to be so worked up.” Red said.

“Ugh, fine!” Blue said. “Hopefully we can move out soon, and get a rest. Being cooped up underground isn’t good for my complexion.”

Rem looked annoyed, but at a point of Blue and Red’s mumbling, he glanced up at the ceiling. He saw one of Eric’s drones, which had managed to go undetected, and he winked at it with a smirk.


Eric, on his end, looked a little surprised. Did…he plan for this?... He wondered to himself. He then began speaking to the others. “Rem might have a plan for this, so for now we are going to proceed with caution.

Might be for the best, it seems that one silver haired guy is upping security around the main entrances… Kari reported.

I’m not seeing much of an easy way inside, outside of maybe the roof, but getting onto it would be easier said than done. Brett responded.

There’s gotta be something we can do. Maybe we can cause a distraction, or make an opening. Ralph added

“Any move we make right now could endanger Rem or Aqua. I’ll continue to monitor them, and if anything changes I’ll let you all know.” Eric said, as he ended transmission. He then looked stressed himself. “Worse case, I’ve got to get some plan of action prepared…”


Not very long later, while Rem and Aqua were still waiting in the breakroom, stuck at gunpoint. Rem seemed to be studying the room, when suddenly he could overhear the guards at the door talking. “Honestly I’m surprised those two actually found our place and didn’t die first.” One guard said.

“No kidding. What with that massive monster down in those caves and all, I’m surprised.”

“I’m surprised we keep risking transport using those caves. I feel like it’s almost a matter of time before we lose another convoy like we did a few months back. The loss of Liquid Rose has cost us a lot of water based support we used to have.”

“A shame Blue Rose seems to be an ice specialist. Not nearly as useful.”

“I heard that, you assholes!” Blue turned over, and barked at them.

Rem had been listening to them blabber, and he found it very interesting. A monster in the underground city? If I could get some more information on that, it could be useful… Rem then thought that with Blue uncomposed, he might have a shot. “So you guys are afraid of some big monster, eh? I thought you guys were tougher than that.”

“The hell you sayin, punk?! If you had seen it yourself, you wouldn’t be talkin shit! Liquid Rose was one of the strongest we had! For that…thing to take them all out…” Blue got mentally distracted.

Rem looked curious. “Wait, really? What was it? It must be bad if it’s got you all spooked.”

Blue looked at Rem for a second, but he eyes seemed to be reliving something frightening. “A Demon.” He said, with a feeling of dread in his voice. “I never got a clear look at it in those dark caves but…It was massive. Its glowing orange eyes felt like they looked into your soul. You could only see it when it attacked with lightning, but even then you couldn’t really grasp its form. And its screech while it flew…It still gives me chills…Like something from a horror film…Those that survived only did because it just…left.”

“Blue, you talk too much.” Red cut in. “Not that it matters. It seems to stay away from the paths we use, though I doubt anyone would be upset if it was…..removed.”

“Yeah, good luck killing that thing-“ Blue was saying when suddenly there was an explosion like sound, as the building shook. “What was that?!”

Red and Blue both looked distracted for a moment, which is when Rem decided to act. “Aqua!” He yelled.

Aqua then suddenly turned her physical form into vapor, freeing herself from her binds. Red turned to shoot, but she was no longer solid, so she shifted around the bullet. She moved her hand, and suddenly water formed, and crashed into Red. He was hit, and then frozen to the wall. Blue turned, as all this happened in seconds. He aimed to shoot Aqua’s vapor form with an ice bullet, which might have an effect on her form, but Rem quickly kicked Blue’s hand while he was tied to the chair, disarming him. Aqua quickly used this moment to strike Blue was a powerful strike of water as well, also freezing him to the wall as well. The guards at the door turned to see what happened, but rather than fight Aqua, they quickly fled. Aqua, changing back to normal, quickly went over to Rem. She formed a small ice blade in her hand, and cut Rem free. “Nice going Aqua, that was smooth.” Rem said.

Aqua smiled. “Thanks, that was a great plan you had.”

“Only because you could do your part as well as you did.” Rem then looked up to Eric’s probe. “Hey Eric, does that thing have Ion bullets?” The probe then flew down to Rem, and opened a compartment, containing some ion bullet magazines. “Perfect. That’s was a well-timed diversion from you guys.”

That wasn’t us Rem, we have new guests. Be careful regrouping with the others. Eric said, his voice coming from the probe.

Rem picked up Blue’s pistol, and took out his staff, which in it’s shrunken form was hidden in his boot. “Alright Aqua, just like last time. Until I get my gear back, I’m going to need your support. Keep yourself safe too, ok?”

Aqua nodded. “No problem. Now we should hurry, and find out what’s happening.”

“Right, let’s move then.” Rem said, as he and Aqua carefully exited the room.


Moments earlier, Blitz was speaking with Petra in the main area from earlier. “So the underground is secure?” Blitz asked.

“Si comrade. I feel no one approaching within my range of detection.” Petra responded.

“Good. All we need to do is await word from the drop point, then head-“ Blitz was saying, then suddenly a massive force hit the back wall of the building, blowing it open with massive force.

When the dust settled, Karen was there, wearing a black mask covering her neck and face below the eyes, along with someone else. She was with a man with slightly long and messy brown hair, and silver streaks through it, and gray eyes. He looked to be his mid twenties. He was dressed in a black bodysuit, with silver markings on it and an eye symbol in the center.

Blitz and Petra had their guns drawn, as well as the other troops in the room. “Who the hell are you two?” Blitz questioned in a commanding tone.

“Rose Thorn Gang, you’re in the possession of something that my client needs. We shall be taking it from here. You have two options, you can leave and save us the effort and time it would take to kill you, or you can all stay and die. It doesn’t matter either way to me.” Karen said, looking devoid of emotion.

“I have a better idea. You leave, or we fill you both full of holes.” Blitz barked back.

Karen then shrugged. “Make your choice.”

Blitz narrowed his eyes. “Fire!” He called out, as every person in the room opened fire on Karen and the mystery man.

The mystery man smirked, as he put his hand up. The silver streaks of his hair began to glow, as suddenly all the bullets stopped in the air around the two of them. They then began to swirl around him, as well as pieces of the broken wall, random chairs, shelves, anything around in the room that wasn’t bolted down or massively heavy began to float towards the man. They all then began to form together, until a large humanoid shaped object was formed from all the objects. The man then chuckled. “Well, your choice has been made.”

Blitz and Petra’s eyes narrowed. They both knew who they were dealing with now. Blitz then spoke into his wrist commutator. “All available members, report inside. We are being attacked.”

From outside, the others heard what happened, and met up together. “Brett, what’s going on?” Sora asked.

“That lady that was working with Kraven is here, and she has help with some person who can form objects out of other objects.” Brett related to the others.

“What?!” Ralph exclaimed.

Eric then contacted the others, after getting a good look with his probes. Guys, be very careful, that guy is a powerful Psychic called Master Matter. He has psychic powers that allow him to move and control objects, and reform them into whatever he wants.

“If he’s psychic, can’t he just move us and our attacks around, or attack our minds or something?” Kari asked.

No, Matter’s abilities are limited to nonliving objects, so you guys and energy based attacks cant be stopped by his powers. Just be careful on your approach. Rem and Aqua just freed themselves, so I’ll be there to join you guys shortly. Eric said, as he ended the call.

“Alright, you heard him. You guys approach, I’ll cover you from here, then get close when I can.” Brett said.

“Gotcha! We’re counting on you, Big Bro.” Ralph said.

“Stop calling me that, and go!” Brett said, more firmly. To which, the three of them began to approach the supermarket.

Back inside, Rem and Aqua just entered the main area, as Master Matter began to form his object golem. Rem saw his gear moving around in the air as well, seeing it pulled to the golem. Rem then noticed it was Karen and Master Matter. “Aqua, we got problems. It’s Matter.”

“Damn, this is going to make this much harder. What’s our move?” Aqua asked.

Rem then took out his stone, and spoke to the others. “How’s everyone? I need to know where you all are.”

I’m heading to the battle right now. Eric responded.

I’m posted outside, with a clear shot of the girl and Master Matter. Ralph, Kari, and Sora are approaching the supermarket. Brett answered.

“Alright. Brett, don’t take any shots until the others are clear, then take any you can get. When you all arrive, we must take out Matter first. His creations are strong, but enough ion blasts should take him out and disrupt his connection to his creations. He’s good at managing crowds, so it won’t be as simple as just hitting him. Blitz, Petra, and Gale Roses are here as well, so keep your guard up everyone.” Rem instructed his team. Rem then looked to Aqua. “Come on, let’s move.”

Master Matters golem was raging through the Rose goons with little effort, as their bullets did nothing to the golem, and they couldn’t reach Karen or Matter due to his powers. Blitz then rushed the golem, firing off the freezing flames at it, dodging around the golems attempts to strike back. Karen simply watched the fight, smirking the efforts of the Roses. The golem then charged Blitz with a punch, which he tried to hold back with his flames. “Petra!” Blitz called out. Then suddenly a massive stone spike burst from the ground, going right through the left arm, shattering the frozen part, causing the fist to fall harmlessly.

Blitz and Petra then began to approach, but Matter simply laughed. “Is that your best, powered trash?!” He said, as suddenly the limp fist rose again, and charged into Petra. Petra was caught off guard, and sent flying into a wall. The fist tried to completely crush him into the wall, but a sphere of wind formed between the fist and Petra, giving him a moment to get away. Blitz wasn’t so lucky, as the golem threw another punch at him. He began to hold the attack back with the flames again, but while he was doing so, Karen shot him in the arm with a pistol. The sudden pain broke his concentration, and was punched full force by the golem. The golem approached Blitz again, who hadn’t recovered yet, and prepared to finish the job. “I guess you roses aren’t so tough after all.” Then Matter sent the punch towards Blitz, but suddenly the arm was held back by a large amount of water that rushed over from the side. “What!?” Matter looked around, but was caught off guard by Rem, shooting him with an Ion bullet. He tried to shoot more, but now Matter was catching the bullets with his powers. “It figures you trash would turn up.”

“I was about to say the same.” Rem said smirking.

Matter glared at Rem. “Keep that smirk. It will look good when I deliver your head to Kraven.” He said, taking a gun out, and shooting at Rem. Karen joined in shooting as well, putting Rem on the defensive. He was spinning his staff to block the bullets, but that would only protect him for so long. Suddenly, massive winds blades were fired at all three of them, striking them all. Rem retreated, being forced to give up his ground. Though this now gave Matter the ability to put his full attention towards his attacker, Gale Rose. While Aqua had contained the arm, Matter severed the golems connection to it, hand moved the body forward to block the wind blades. Then, climbing up the back, Karen made her way to the golems head. Gale didn’t even notice, as he was too busy trying to attack the golem, which gave Karen a free shot. She took off her bow, readied an arrow, and shot it at Gale. The winds set the arrow slightly off course, but it still struck Gale in the chest, staggering him instantly. The missing fist then appeared, and crashed into Gale, forcing him directly into a wall. The golem then turned to Rem and Aqua, now the only real threat in the room. “Those annoying roses bought you a few more seconds of life. I hope you made use of them.” Matter said, as the missing fist returned, and the golem began to morph to make a new arm. Karen, from the top of the golem, readied another arrow.

Suddenly, with the sound of a few thunks, and some beeping, explosions went off on the golem! At the same moment, Karen was shot square in the chest with an ion shot from Brett from long range, sending her flying off the golem as it exploded. Matter quickly looked around, and suddenly Kari was directly behind him, using the sounds of the explosions to approach without being detected. He took out his pistol, to which Ralph quickly shot it out of his hand. Being forced to block the direct attacks from Kari with hand to hand he managed to grab both of her wrists. “Girl, you under-“ But when Kari opened her hands, energy had charged in her in plams, as two energy blasts hit Matter square in the face. He staggered backwards, to which Kari then kicked him right in the chest.

Sora then rushed in, his swords drawn, and went to slash Matter. He managed to slash his arm, but before anymore attacks go hit him, two small golems formed between them, forcing Kari and Sora back. Ralph and Raylu joined in, and quickly fired bombs out from his blasters, coupled with aura spheres from Raylu, blowing the smaller golems apart. “Alright, let’s rush’em!” Ralph said.

Matter then smirked. “Gotcha.” When suddenly the large golem that was blown up earlier, suddenly reformed in a misshapen way, and knocked the trio away. Matter began to walk over to them. “You shouldn’t of messed with me, kids.” Then the golem began to simply fall on top of them, when suddenly a massive amount of darkness crashed into the golem, staggering it back. Eric arrived on the scene, coming in for the save, to which concerned Matter. “Damn, so you’re here too….” I’m gonna need more fire power…. “Yo, Darkshot, can I get some assistance?!” He yelled.

Suddenly, Karen was back in the fight, firing off explosive arrows into the roof of the building, causing it to crumble down. Everyone quickly backed away, though Matter simply smirked, as it neared the ground, it all suddenly began to float around, under Master Matters control. It began to converge on the golem, forming into an even larger creature, and now boasting four arms. It then rose it’s arms again, and went to smash them down on the group. “Everyone get back!” Eric said, forming a dome of darkness in front of them to shield from the assault.

Karen then went to blow more of the roof up, but she was suddenly shot at by Rem and Aqua, which she was able to dodge. “So I get the pleasure of killing you both then?” She said, taking out her pistol, and returning fire. Rem and Aqua both charged at her, with Aqua deflecting the bullets with water tendrils. Rem then went to strike Karen with his staff, but she blocked the attack with her bow. Before Rem could take a shot at her with his ion pistol, Karen quickly headbutted Rem, causing him to recoil backwards. Karen quickly turned towards Aqua, and began to open fire on her. Aqua was able to deflect the bullets with water, so Karen decided to change tactics. She quickly put away her pistol, and took out a SMG, and opened fire on Aqua! She quickly put up a dome of water around her to block the bullets, and using the cover to strike at Karen with tendrils coming from the dome. Karen saw them coming, and shot at them instead. The large number of bullets disrupted the tendrils, but Karen was left with little in the way of actually getting through the dome. When she needed to reload, Rem came at her, and managed to get a few ion shots in, causing Karen to stumble backwards. When she turned to attack Rem, Aqua quickly made her move, sending a massive wave of water at Karen, blasting her into a wall. Karen glared at the two of them. They a bigger pain in the ass then I expected…

Meanwhile, Master Matter seemed to have the others in a tight spot. Eric was pressured by the massive golems onslaught, soon enough, managing to punch through the darkness to strike Eric! Raylu tried to rush in, but wasn’t able to get past the golem. He blocked a head on strike from the golem, but then it’s many arms grabbed Raylu, putting a squeeze on him! Matter laughed. “You greenhorns aren’t a match for me when the World Savers are put on the ropes! You won’t be getting past my golems!”

The golem then tossed Raylu into the ground, then went to step on him! Raylu recovered with enough time to stop the foot, but not enough time or energy to escape. Ralph quickly fired a few bombs at the leg, blowing it up, before he was punched away. While the leg was reforming, Raylu slipped away, and charged at Matter, and punched him directly in the face, staggering him. Kari quickly rushed to Raylu’s side while the golem was unresponsive, and jumped at Matter to kick him directly in the face, sending him back again. “Lady Kari, you attack while I distract him.” Raylu said, rushing at Matter with a rush of punches. Matter was forced to block this punches hand to hand, being able to keep up with Raylu for a while. Kari then slipped behind him, and sweep kicked his legs, sending him off his feet. She then went for an uppercut, while Raylu went for a kick into the chest. He was winded for a second, as he layed on the ground for a moment. The golem still holding the others off, Matter struggled to get to his feet, as Kari aimed her blaster at him, set to Ion.

Matter glared at them. “You think this is over?” He then chuckled, as suddenly the center of the eye on his suit glowed brightly, giving off a blinding flash. Then, falling from the golems back, as if on cue, was Rem’s energy sword. Matter caught it, and swung it, sending a wave of fire at the two of them. They both managed to block the attack, but then from the legs of the golem came arms! It grabbed both Raylu and Kari, and the arms then moved onto the shoulders of the golem.

“Kari!” Sora yelled, as he saw them captured.

Matter laughed, as he stood between the legs of the golem. He then took a fighting stance with Rem’s sword. “Why don’t you save them, boy?! Come on!”

Sora then charged right towards Matter, dodging the arms with the assistance of Eric and Ralph’s attacks. Matter met Sora’s charge, and the two locked swords. “You let them go!”

“Or what?” Matter taunted.

“A sword through your chest will do it for you!” Sora yelled, changing stances with the swords. He would strike with one side, then slash with the free one, hitting Matter. Matter was not as skilled with swordplay as Sora, so he was actually being over taken. Growing weak from his pummeling from Kari and Raylu, he slipped up, and was slashed in the gut, causing him to fall over. Sora then tried to strike with both swords, but Matter managed to block once more. “Just give up already!”

Matter then smirked. “Why do that, when you fell right into my trap?” Then Rem’s energy sword turned into it’s electricity blade, giving Sora a powerful shock! Sora dropped his swords, and yelled, as his body wouldn’t move. The golem then moved it’s hands to grab Sora as well. Matter then stood up, laughing. “You all call yourselves ‘World Savers’? You all make me laugh! You lot are no match for me!” The golem then began to walk forward, approaching Eric and Ralph.

“I don’t suppose you have a plan, Eric?” Ralph asked.

Eric looked pressured. “I’m thinking…”

Brett then contacted the others from his spot. ”Guys, I can get a clear shot at Master Matter and put him down, I just need you guys to blow an opening in the middle of that monster!”

Eric nodded, then looked to Ralph. “I’ll keep the arms busy while you do your thing Ralph.”

“On it!” Ralph responded, running in.

Matter laughed. “You guys really are all stupid, aren’t you?!” Then he moved his hand, as the golems arms moved in to strike Ralph! Darkness would form around Ralph, and move to counter the hands, as Ralph slid under them. The arms kept moving across the body, and Ralph blasted them as they got close, while Eric held them back. Then quickly from the chest, two arms went to grab Ralph from the side. He quickly jumped up, and landed on them. Before the other hands could attack, Ralph quickly took out all the sticky bombs he had from his wrist compartment, and tossed them at the monsters chest. He then jumped away, and Eric grabbed him with Darkness, yanking him back. Ralph then took out a detonator, and hit the button, causing all the set sticky bombs to go off!

The golem roared, as it was nearly split in half from the explosives. Through it quickly began to reform, as Matter laughed. “It doesn’t matter how many times you break him, he’ll keep getting back up! Your finished!” He continued to laugh, but Brett had the clear shot he needed. He fired a fully charged Ion blast at Matter, hitting him square in the forehead! His laughing instantly stopped, as the force sent him backwards. The golem began to shake and rumble. Matter felt his strength fading, as his connection to his golem was growing weaker. He put his finger to his ear. “Darkshot, we need to get out of here, ASAP.”

”Agreed. Begin the diversion tactic.” Karen responded.

Matter struggled to his feet, and glared at the others. “You want your friends back so bad?! Take’em then!” Then the golem began to fall forward, with the others still trapped in it’s clutches! He planned to bury them under the weight of the golem! Matter then retreated inside the supermarket ruins, and began to weaken the walls with his powers. “Let’s go!”

Karen, struggling to hold off Rem and Aqua, now had the cover she needed, as the building coming down separated them. Karen then took out a bundle of arrows with weird white tips, and shot them into the air. A thick white smoke began to fill the area, and Karen and Master Matter began to make their escape. Aqua was about to attempt chase, but Rem grabbed her shoulder. “Aqua, we gotta save the Roses!” Rem said to her.

Aqua looked annoyed, but nodded. “I got it!” Aqua then began to form a large water dome to stop the building from falling on them, as she pulled the knocked out Rose’s into the dome.

As the golem began to fall, Eric began to try and hold it back with darkness. While he did this, Raylu freed himself with a burst of aura, since Matter was no longer holding it together. He quickly rushed across the collapsing golem, and freed Sora and Kari, then leapt from it. Raylu then called out to the others. “Everyone get clear!”

Once everyone was clear, Eric allowed the golem to crumble harmlessly to the ground. Eric then looked around. “Is everyone alright?”

Everyone began to gather together. “We’re alright here!” Ralph said, giving a thumbs up.

Eric sighed, seeing everyone ok. “Good, let’s get inside and make sure everyone is alright.” Eric said, leading the others inside.


A little while later, Kavisto had sent assistance at Aqua’s request in taking in the defeated roses. The group was talking with Jake, as the roses were being led into a transport vehicle. “So we searched everywhere, but we weren’t able to locate Petra Rose or Blitz Rose at all. They must’ve slipped away during the chaos.” Jake reported to the others.

Rem looked concerned. “That isn’t good, but at the very least we got Red, Blue, and Gale Roses. We might be able to get something out of them.”

“True, we did capture three of the major Rose Thorn Gang members. That should put a dent in their activity for now, hopefully.” Eric added.

“Has anyone seen Master Matter or that girl that was with him? They seemed to be far more dangerous targets.” Kari asked.

“I’ve got Trevor and Maura searching the entire city for them. Hopefully they turn up soon, but as of right now, nothing.” Jake answered.

“I guess in other good news, that generator didn’t fall into the wrong hands, so I’d call today a win!” Ralph added.

“Right. I just contacted Mr. Harkum and informed him that it’s been recovered. He’s sending Tony and a few others to retrieve the truck. He asked if we could ride along with it. Jake, do you need our help with anything else?” Rem asked.

Jake shook his head. “We should be fine, we got all the Roses loaded up. All we need to do is give the accident report to the city, and they will work out the cleanup. You guys get going. If they are dumb enough to attack that truck again, you’ll be there this time.”

Rem nodded. “Alright everyone, let’s head out.” Rem said, as the group began to depart to meet with Tony and his crew.



Sometime later, in a remote location, Blitz and Petra Rose were both arriving at the appointed meeting place with Black Rose. When the two entered from the underground passages, Black Rose looked annoyed. “What happened? Where is the rest of your crew and the generator?”

Both of them bowed, before Blitz began to speak. “Sir, we were attacked by Master Matter and some assassin that we believe works for Kraven’s forces, and the rest of the World Savers in france. We stayed and tried to see if we could recapture them once things calmed down, but then the government troops from Kavisto showed up not long after. We were forced into retreat.”

Black Rose looked surprised. “Master Matter and Kraven’s assassins? What would they…Ugh, nevermind. That’s not important. This is a massive setback, to be sure. We need to quickly move out from here, just in case they track us back to here through the Twin Roses. I’ll need to carefully consider our next move. Come along, we must prepare to depart at once.”

Blitz and Petra both nodded and answered with a simple. “Yes sir.” As they began to make their leave.


Later that evening, everyone was returning to the cabin. Eric had opened a portal to the front lawn of the cabin.“What a day…Tony seemed really thankful though.” Sora commented.

“That tower is so much bigger in person. I wonder how close it is to being finished.” Kari asked.

“I heard talk by the end of summer it should be all finished up. Should really change things for the future of cleaner energy.” Brett answered.

“Yeah yeah…Hey, is that someone on the porch?” Ralph said, noticing something by the cabin door. When they all rushed over, it was Karen! She had been knocked out, and tied up. There was a note with her, which Eric picked up to read.

“For your assistance in stopping the Rose Thorn Gang today. Yours, The White Rose.” Eric said.

“White rose?...” Aqua questioned.

“Wait a second…..” Rem said, looking at her face. “I…..know her.”

Ralph looked confused. “Well yeah, she works for Kraven, doesn’t she?”

Rem shook his head. “No no, I mean…Like I personally know her. She’s Karen, a…really old friend of mine.”

Everyone looked very surprised and confused, not sure how to handle this information they were just given. They were all left with a lot of questions. Who was White Rose? Why did he, or she, capture Karen for them? Who exactly was Karen, and why did Rem know one of Kraven’s assassins? Nothing made sense, but one thing was for sure, Karen had a lot of questions to answer when she woke up.



…End of Data Log.

[Aqua]

Data Log # 15: Karen the Assassin

Data Log place in time: One hour after the end of the previous data log.


Around the same time the group discovered Karen at the cabin, Master Matter was meeting up with Kraven at one of their secret bases. Kraven looked confused, as he finished hearing Matter’s report. “So wait, you mean to tell me that Karen just didn’t show up at the rendezvous point?”

Matter nodded. “Yes, I waited awhile before I decided to head back here on my own. She was in rough shape after our battle, so it’s possible she could be captured.”

Kraven paused to think about this information. “Well….Karen isn’t really one of ours, and she doesn’t possess any information that would prove useful to the enemy, so we may just have to cut our losses.”

Matter looked confused. “Wait, seriously? I thought she was proving to be quite valuable to the cause. Plus that project she mentioned she was working for-”

Kraven interrupted Matter. “I am aware of this, yes. Losing her is a bit of a blow, but if she’s in the hands of the World Savers, or the government, then chances of rescue are slim. It’s not worth the risk.” Then suddenly, a call was coming in on Kraven’s computer. The address of the call was listed as ‘Karen Alt’, which was the contact information of Karen’s own base away from Kraven. Kraven looked confused at this, looking it over. “Perhaps this is her now.” Kraven then answered the call, but it was audio only, rather than a two-way video call. “Speak.”

Then a staticy sound was heard at first, followed by a deep voice with strange crackling sounds with it. “Hello Kraven. Good of us to finally speak. I am Karen’s benefactor, Volks. Normally I let her handle commutations between the two of us, but as you might be aware, she has been captured.”

Kraven nodded. “Indeed, I just got word of it myself. Do you know the details?”

“Yesss…One of my other agents caught the encounter, she was attacked by one of those…what were they called…Rose agents. She was delivered to the World Savers directly. When my agent tried to retrieve her, the World Savers had returned, and took her off to the government headquarters.” The deep voice named Volks explained.

“Hmm…Well if that is the case, then there truly is no helping her now.” Kraven said,

Volks then spoke in a more angered tone then before. “Mr. Kraven, I’m afraid you don’t understand the gravity of the situation we are in. She may be of little use to you, but she has valuable information regarding our mutually interested project. If she remains captured, and this information is learned by an outside party, the project is finished.”

Kraven seemed unfazed. “While that would be a great loss indeed, it simply isn’t possible to perform any rescue from the Kavisto Group base. It has the largest concentration of highly trained powered beings in Europe. Even the best of my forces altogether will not be able to pull this off cleanly, the losses will be too great on my end. So from where I’m coming from I have so much more to lose from this than gain. I could arrange for an assassination to keep this information from getting out.”

“Mr. Kraven, I think you greatly misunderstand what I have to offer for this operation. Our combined specialists already have all the tools we need. All I need from you is your strongest men to help clear a path. The entry and exit will be taken care of, with no reason for you to worry.” Volks explained.

Kraven looked slightly surprised. “If you have such specialists, then why do you need my help?”

“Manpower, Mr. Kraven. I have the tools for the job already moving into place, all I need is just the extra bit of manpower your troops provide. Master Matter, Electrode, and Frost should be all the extra help we need.” Volks finished.

Kraven sighed. “For all this work, the return better be worth it. What’s your plan?”

Volkes laughed slightly. “Oh trust me, Mr. Kraven, you will not be disappointed with the end result. A little more time, and you will get what you want. A world without powered beings…” And with that, the two of them began to plan their assault of Kavisto’s base.


At Kavisto’s base, the group was waiting for Rem and Eric to return in a waiting room, when the two finally arrived. “What’s up with Karen, guys?” Ralph asked.

Rem looked at everyone. “Well it might be a bit longer before she wakes up, but once she is we can speak with her.”

Eric sighed slightly. “I wasn’t able to read her mind either, but that’s due to her being out cold. We should be able to learn more, even if she won’t speak with us.”

Aqua folded her arms. “Right.” She said at first. “By the way, you haven’t explained yet, how do you know this assassin of Kraven’s?”

“Yeah, being friends with an assassin that works for our enemy doesn’t seem like a good idea.” Sora added.

“It wasn’t like that…” Rem started. “I first met her back was I was really young, before I met the World Savers. I was new to France, and she was a runaway from an orphanage several cities away.”

“Uh oh, sounds like story time…” Ralph mumbled, to which he was met by Kari and Aqua both ‘shushing’ him.


I never fully explained everything about my past before the World Savers, but a long story short, after my parents went missing I was trying to follow a trail that I thought would lead me to them. That trail led me to a series of ruins in Europe. One of the first few nights in France, I was being chased by a Phantom Demon…

Young Rem, dressed In some damaged clothes and wearing a broken black and white mask, ran through the streets of France in fear of his pursuer. A thunderstorm raged, and lightning flashes would light up the sky, giving Rem his only glance of the demon hot on his trail. Thinking quickly, he dashed down an ally way during a flash, losing the demon for a moment. Rem was breathing heavily, scared out of his mind. I think he’s gone…Why do all these demons keep coming after me?... Rem thought to himself. He began to go down the ally, trying to find somewhere to escape to. Soon enough, he found that it was a dead end. “Now w-where do I go…Maybe I can just hide back here until morning.” Rem mumbled to himself.

Though his short peace wouldn’t last, as the shadows began to shift and move around on their own. At first Rem didn’t notice, due to it being so dark, but a lightning flash quickly alerted him to the threat. He turned around, seeing the tall demon tower over him at over six feet. He smirked, as he spread his wings out. “Nowhere to run kid. Let’s make this quick now, my king needs you out of his way.” He said, stepping forward, as Rem backed away, but to no avail. The demon raised his arms, as the shadows began to form above him, when suddenly he was shot directly in one of the eyes with an arrow! The demon recoiled backwards, as the shadows went flying randomly, the demon grabbing his head in pain.

Rem looked back to see a girl on a building side metal staircase with long dark brown hair and green eyes. She was dressed in jean shorts, a white t shirt, and had a magenta colored sleeveless vest over top of it. She was holding a bow, as she got another shot ready. She then called out to Rem. “If you can fight, help me!”

Rem then looked at his gloves, their bronze plating glowing yellow in response to his fear, then looked at the demon. He put both hands together, as he charged up ice energy in his hands. Then he thrusted his hands forward, with a “Hiyaaa!” He yelled, firing off the beam.

It hit the demon point blank, and caused him to stagger backwards. He looked towards the kids, blood coming from his eye going down his face, and saw the girl about to fire another arrow. “Damn kids!” He yelled, firing a beam towards the girl!

“Look out!” Rem yelled, and quickly snapping his fingers, his shadow came to life, crashing into the beam.

Before the demon could react, the girl fired another arrow at the demon, hitting him right in the chest, nearly hitting his heart. The demon yelled again, staggering back, while Rem swung his arms, sending a barrage of icicles from the energy wave, hitting him all over, causing him to stumble backwards, tripping over a fallen trashcan, and falling flat on his back. The girl then jumped down, and took Rem by the arm. “Come with me, quickly!” She said, running towards what looked like a drainage vent that was broken open. It was large enough for them to fit through, and the two escaped the demon.


The two found themselves in the sewers, with the girl leading the way. “That was really dangerous of you, what did you do to make a demon angry?” She asked.

Rem looked worried. “I dunno…I mean they’ve been chasing me since I left my home town, and my parents disappeared…”

The girl looked surprised. “That wasn’t your first encounter with one? How did you survive this long?”

Rem showed the girl his gloves. “These power gloves. They’ve been letting me fight back all this time. Otherwise I dunno what would have happened.”

“It’s the first time I’ve seen a human kid use powers like that…” The girl commented.

Rem still looked nervous, but he continued speaking. “Anyway, thanks for helping me back there, what’s your name?”

The girl looked like she was thinking, considering if she should say or not. “It’s Karen. Some people call me Darkshot though.”

“You mean cause of your bow and arrows?” Rem asked.

Karen nodded. “Anyway, we should be quiet until we get to my hideout. We can talk more there.”

Rem nodded back. “Ok then.”

The two of them walked in silence for a while, until they reached a ladder with some glowing tape on it. “Here we are, follow me.” She said, beginning to climb up the ladder. Rem followed her up, coming out of another broken sewer drain. They came out on the far side of town, pretty much the slums of the city. “Come on, this way.” She said, running over to a rundown house. Rem quickly followed her inside.

He looked around, as while the place had seen better days, there was some simple stuff around for a makeshift camp of sorts. A tent, old mattresses, a stew pot, an old tv and radio, some oil drums with arrows coming out the top, and boxes full of canned food, just to name a few. “So this is your hideout?” Rem asked.

“Yep. It’s not much, but it’s home for now.” Karen answered.

Rem looked around some more, following Karen in. She seemed to scoop out what seemed to be soup from the stew pot with an empty can. “So how come you’re here all alone?” Rem asked.

“I could ask you the same thing. Here, have something to eat, you look starved.” Karen said, offering Rem the can with soup in it, and a spoon.

Rem took it, and nodded. “Thank you.” Rem answered, quickly having some.

Karen then got herself some soup, then sat down. “So what’s your whole story? You said a little down in the sewers. I’ll tell you mine, if you tell me yours.”

“Well…For a long time my home back in America was attacked a lot by demons. When my mom and dad went traveling to find these gloves I’m wearing to fight back against the demons, they got taken away…They had charts of places where ruins connected to these gloves were, and a lot of them were in Europe, so I made my way here…The demons have been appearing since I started searching.” Rem explained.

Karen seemed to be taking all this in. “Normally I’d say you’re crazy, but you don’t often see things like demons very often. It explains why your French sounds kinda bad, but not bad for a foreigner at your age…Maybe your parents disturbed some kinda curse when they found those gloves or something.”

Rem shrugged. “Who knows? All I know is they won’t leave me alone. This is the third time they’ve attacked me. I’m hoping once I figure out this mystery, I’ll find my parents, and the attacks will stop.” Rem paused, taking a moment to eat. “What about you? Why are you here?””

Karen looked kind of defensive. “Well…I’m a runaway. I used to live in an orphanage far away from here, but money was never something we had a lot of. There wasn’t enough food, kids would get sick, it was awful…So I get what work I can around here with my skills, and send money back to the orphanage to help them out.”

“So you live in this place by choice? Don’t you keep any money for you to have a place for yourself to stay?” Rem asked.

Karen shook her head. “No. This is already a little better then what I had before. The kids that were younger then me need that money more than I do. I only keep enough to take care of what I need. I don’t need things like comforts.”

“What kind of work can a kid get around here?” Rem asked.

“I manage to find work, and being a kid gets you handouts sometimes. I’m pretty talented when it comes to getting work.” Karen answered.

“You mean like with your bow?” Rem asked.

“Sometimes…You ask a lot of questions.” Karen responded.

Rem looked down. “Sorry. It’s just that I might be stuck doing this all alone for a while, so I thought I could learn a thing or two from you. I have to be able to do things on my own too…”

Karen frowned. She was used to kids being alone, and not having support, as well as kids suddenly not having that support either. “Sorry, don’t be sad ok? I’m not mad. I just don’t talk much. Here, you said you had a chart? Lemme see?” Karen asked. Rem nodded, and took his chart out, hand handed it to her. “Hmm….It’s pretty old. You’d need some modern maps to compare to before you’ll find anything like this. Tell you what, I’ll help you with this. I can teach you some better French, a few more fighting and survival tricks, and do what I can in helping study this map. Maybe it will help you find your mom and dad like you said.”

Rem looked surprised. “Wait, really? You’ll actually help me?”

Karen nodded. “Now, I’m not signing myself up for any tour across the country, but I can’t just sit back and let a fellow kid figure everything out alone. I’ll help you how I can, ok?”

Rem smiled. “Thank you so much! It’s so nice to get help from a friend in a strange place like this.”

Karen looked like she was blushing slightly. “Friend, huh?” She mumbled to herself.

The two of us spent some time together, and she really helped me out a lot when I had no one else to help me. The first friend I made in France since I arrived all on my own. Without her, who knows if I’d even be here now.


Everyone was taking in the details Rem explained. “It sounds like she was pretty important to you.” Aqua commented, though plainly. She was trying not to invested, but the story made her somewhat jealous.

“She helped me out a lot when I didn’t have anybody. I just wonder what brought her to this.” Rem responded.

Ralph put his arms behind his head. “Hate to break it to ya man, but by the sounds of it she was always an assassin. It’s not really unheard of for adults to pray on little kids like that when they need money and get them to do things for them. Sounds like that was the work she did. No normal kid carries around a bow.”

“Sounds kinda like you Ralph, based on what you told us.” Kari commented, while Ralph retorted with a ‘not now’ type of look.

Rem nodded. “I always kept that thought in my mind, but she never seemed like the type of person to be a killer.”

“Guess we’ll know for sure once she wakes up.” Eric commented.

Then Jake entered the room that everyone gathered in. “The assassin is waking up now. You guys should come with me.” He said, as everyone gather their things and followed Jake to Karen’s holding cell.


After a short walk through the base, the group reached the cell block. All the cells looked like little white boxes with three walls, and a front wall made of a clear glass. Once reaching the right cell, Karen was sitting on the provided bed, hands cuffed together. “Here we are.” Jake said, opening the door.

Rem, Eric, and Aqua entered the room, while the rest remained outside, as to not overcrowd the small space. Karen looked at those who entered with a bit of a scowl on her face. “What do you want? Time for questioning already?”

“Karen, don’t you remember who I am?” Rem asked at first.

“Other than you being a famous World Saver?” Karen simply responded.

“Oh come on, you mean to tell me you look at my face and you can’t tell? Scars like this aren’t really common.” Rem retorted.

Karen looked away from Rem at this point. She didn’t reply to that comment, but she did continue talking. “I asked what you wanted from me. You have some reason to speak to me, right?”

Rem sighed in frustration, but decided they had more important things to talk about. “Why are you working for Kraven? Is he a client of yours?”

Karen had a very slight smile on her face. “I don’t work ‘for’ him, rather I’m working with him for the time being. I have no personal stake with the man.”

“Do you know where he is? I’m sure you aren’t a stranger to the trouble he’s causing.” Rem was about to continue, but Karen cut him off.

“I’ll save your breath. I only know where Kraven is on a case by case basis, he doesn’t trust outsiders with such information as his bases. The only reason I knew where his previous base was is because it was designed to be a trap for you all to fall into. Where I was to meet up with him and Master Matter for this mission wasn’t a base, but a go between, and I didn’t even reach it since I was attacked by a person in a white suit and mask. So I have no useful information for you.” Karen explained.

Rem was frustrated, but now Eric moved on to some questions. “You said you aren’t working for Kraven, but rather with him. Why is that?” Karen didn’t respond at first. “Look, either we get the truth from your mouth, or I just start digging around in your mind.”

Karen cast a bit of a glare at Eric. “Hmph. I’m working for another client currently. Part of this job is that I’m the go between for him and Kraven.”

“Who is your current client then? Did he need that generator, or did Kraven?” Eric asked.

“Believe me, I don’t work for Kraven. I don’t do jobs for him, unless it’s in my own interests.” Karen answered, avoiding the first question.

“Then why did you kidnap Zach at the fair?” Aqua asked.

“Proof to Kraven that I could be trusted, as well as part of the trap to get you all out of the picture. You see, my client isn’t fond of you all either. It’s a common thread connecting Kraven and my client.” Karen explained.

“Who is your client?” Eric asked again, but Karen ignored the question. At this point, Eric leaned in to her face. “We can do this a different way if you won’t talk. The mind tells no lies.” Eric said firmly.

Karen then spat in Eric’s face. “I invite you to try. You won’t get anywhere. It’s against my policy to reveal my clients information.”

Eric wiped the spit from his face, then his eyes glowed black, as he looked into Karen’s eyes. “Very well, if you so insist.” And at that, Eric began to delve into Karen’s mind. Though outside of some surface level memories, when Eric tried to look at anything deeper, he’d be met by static. Like when an old tv is playing nothing but the black and white fuzz. “Something is…jamming my mind reading. Something is causing interference…”

Karen smirked. “You think a highly trained assassin would simply allow her mind to be probed? Your little tricks won’t work on me.”

Eric’s eyes turned back to normal, as he looked to the others. “This could take some time to crack. I’ll need to come up with a way of getting through.”

Rem looked at Karen for a moment again, feeling pained, then looked back to the others. “I don’t think we’re getting anything else out of her right now.”

“Let’s head back to the breakroom for now, maybe think of a plan.” Aqua suggested.

“Good idea.” Eric added.

Karen chuckled. “Try all you like, World Savers, I’m not cracking!” She taunted.

The three of them left the cell, joining the others. “Don’t worry, we’ll think of something.” Sora added.

“I doubt she could simply block her mind. Even military torture training couldn’t block something like that. We’ll find the angle.” Brett commented.

“Right. It’s just a matter of time till I crack the trick.” Eric said, as the group began to move.

Aqua looked at Rem, noticing he looked a bit disappointed. “Is everything alright Rem?”

“Huh?” Rem turned to her. “It’s just…She acts like she doesn’t even know me. Why would that be? We used to be friends.”

Aqua frowned. “Maybe…she didn’t want you to know? She could be ashamed of it. You said she never told you she was an assassin, right?”

Rem nodded. “Right…It’s hard to say I guess…”

The group then left the cell block, and returned to the breakroom to brainstorm.


About an hour or so later, while the group was in the breakroom talking amongst themselves, there was suddenly a violent shaking felt throughout the base! “What’s that, an earthquake!?” Ralph exclaimed.

Aqua’s light prism then went off, as she was being contacted by Jake. “Aqua, this is bad. A large number of auras of people, as well as powered users have suddenly appeared outside the base. They are breaching one of the walls now. Get your team, and get to sector 4 quickly.”

Aqua nodded. “Got it! Guys, we gotta hurry!”

Everyone was getting up at this. “You lead the way Aqua.” Rem said. She nodded, as they all took off.

In sector 4, the wall was suddenly shattered, as a large stone fist burst through! Master Matter led the charge, forcing the agents there to back away. Behind him Electrode, Frost, as a third person. She had short cut, dark blue hair and orange eyes, and she was dressed in….a Rose Thorn Gang suit? It had three roses on it, with roses that looked like they were made of water on them. She looked around, seeing the agents being forced back. “Very well done. Volks was correct in asking for your assistance.”

“Alright lady, get moving, me and Frost can handle these guys with your guys helping.” Master Matter said.

“Quite. Mr. Norman, please come with me.” The woman said, walking off in a direction of the base.

“R-right.” Electrode said, following her.

The agents of the base were now being pressured, as Matters golem, along with a squad of various powered humans fought against them. Some of them, strangely, were dressed in Rose Thorn Gang suits as well. Matter then turned to Frost. “What’s with Kraven, anyway? Why would he agree to have us work with powered humans in this attack? That’s really unlike him.”

Frost was standing next to him, as various snow monsters began to roam the base now, as they busted their way in. “I’m unsure. When Crix gave us the briefing, I asked him the same thing afterwards. He didn’t give me all the details, but he just told me to think of them as tools, and nothing more, and that Kraven would explain that later.”

“Eh? That’s odd.” Then Matters attention went towards the fact that he now saw the members of the Shinning Force arrive. “Yo, we got the big fish coming out to play.”

“I shall handle them.” Frost said, turning towards them. He put both hands together, and sent a large beam of ice down the hallway they were coming down.

Aqua was leading the group, when the ice suddenly came at them. “Everyone, get behind me!” She yelled, as suddenly she fired a beam of ice to match Frost’s. Aqua’s ice would then try to destabilize Frost’s attack, rendering it useless, but it would take some time.

Ralph managed to get a look past, and he saw Electrode going away with the Rose Thorn woman. “Guys, The Electrode is here too, and he’s getting away!”

Rem and Eric was helping Aqua hold back the attack. Rem looked concerned hearing this. “The timing of this attack is too good. They must be here for Karen, and these guys are a distraction. Ralph, you and Kari go around back to the cell block. We’ll hold them off here!” Rem ordered.

Ralph and Kari nodded. “Gotcha boss, won’t let ya down. Come on Kari.” Ralph said, going down a hallway leading away from the action.

“I’m coming!” Kari said, running after Ralph.

Rem turned to the others. “Were gonna have a rough time fighting in such a small space. Keep your guard up, and try not to hit Kavisto’s agents.”

“Understood.” Brett responded.

“Gotcha.” Sora also added.

At this point, Aqua managed to get rid of Frost’s beam, allowing them to advance again. “Alright, let’s move guys.” Rem said, as they began to enter the fray.


With all the chaos going on in sector 4, the blue haired woman and Electrode were able to reach the cell block very easily. Only a few troops were in the cell block at the time, being led by Maura. She noticed the two appear, and readied for combat. “Halt! You will not go any further! Surrender!” She called out.

The blue haired woman was not impressed. “Follow my lead, Electrode.” She then lifted her hands, and a rumbling could be heard from the ceiling, as her hands glowed blue. Then suddenly, a massive amount of water burst from the ceiling, drenching everyone in the hallway. “Now.”

The Electrode quickly built up a wave of electricity, and sent it forward through the hallway, shocking the small group guarding, both blasting them back, and leaving them in total shock. If it wasn’t for the fact that they were powered humans, they would probably be dead. “Alright, we got’em!”

“Yes. Come, let’s find Karen.” The blue haired woman said, moving forward.

As they moved through the halls, the people in the other cells were watching, and the woman was noticed by both Red and Blue Rose. Blue Rose looked in shock when he saw the woman. “Liquid Rose!? You’re alive?! We thought you were killed by that cave monster.” Blue exclaimed. The woman, named Liquid, turned to look at Blue. Her orange eyes met Blue’s, as he suddenly got shivers. “Wait…What’s wrong with you?”

Liquid looked at both Roses, but then completely ignored them, and walked past. Red called out to her. “Liquid, where are you going?!”

Liquid and Electrode continued down the hall, until they found Karen’s cell, to which Liquid called out to her. “Karen, we’re here.”

Karen sat up in her bed. “About time you showed up.”

“Volks had to work this out with Kraven, which is why it took so long.” Liquid then looked at Electrode. “Get the card key from the guard.” Electrode then nodded, and quickly went over to Maura, who was knocked out cold by the shock.

Ralph and Kari were nearing the cell block, as they looked around the corner, and saw the two there. “Alright Kari, I’m gonna go around the other side of the hall, and we’ll go in for a pincer attack.”

Kari nodded. “Got it, hurry.” She said, as Ralph took off to get ready.

Just as Liquid was about use the card key, she noticed out of the corner of her eye that Kari fired an Ion blast at her from around the corner, and moved to the side to dodge it. Liquid looked to Electrode. “Get rid of that pest.”

“With pleasure.” Electrode said, smirking, raising his hand to attack, when suddenly he was hit with ion blasts from behind. “Gah!” He yelled, turning around to see Ralph.

Liquid noticed Ralph appear as well, but focused her gaze on Kari. “Take care of him, I’ll get the girl.” Liquid then began to move towards Kari, as she kept taking shots at Liquid. Liquid then took out a pistol, and matched the shots with bullets filled with electricity. Kari narrowed her eyes, then finally came out fully, and charged towards Liquid. Liquid did not make any moves to attack from a far off range, but instead allowed Kari to get close. When she was close enough, Kari leapt at Liquid and tried to kick her in the head. Liquid put her arm up to block the kick, and then punched her square in the chest, sending her backwards. Kari caught herself on her hands, turning it into a backflip, then charged at her again, going to punch her in the face. Liquid caught this punch with her hand, then a second punch with her other. “You’re unrefined. Your technique needs serious work.” She said, then kneeing Kari in the gut.

Kari gasped in pain, but her hands were still held by Liquid. In an attempt to both get free and strike back, she jumped, and then spun her leg forward, striking Liquid on top of her head, causing her to stagger back. “Bad technique or not, I can still punch with the rest of you.”

Liquid grunted. “Beginners luck is all that is. You won’t hit me with that again.” Liquid then took a stance, her hands forward almost like she was about to chop. She waited for Kari to make the first move again, to which Kari played right into her hands. Going for her again with a punch, Liquid simply struck the side of Kari’s arm with her hand to shove it out of the way, causing Kari to miss. Kari grunted in frustration, beginning to lose her cool, and went to strike with her other fist. Liquid simply did the same move as before, and then jabbed Kari in the gut with her other hand. “You’re too rash. You won’t be able to beat me with moves like that.”

Kari, down to one knee and breathing heavily, was losing her cool at this point. Sure, she was used to not being able to just straight up punch or kick her foes all the time, but being outplayed in her area of skill was beginning to shake her. I need to think of something less direct… She thought to herself. She then pulled herself back up, and charged again.

Liquid looked unimpressed. “If you’re going to just do the same thing again, I’ll just put you right back down.” Taking her same stance as before.

This time though, as Kari approached she fired blasts from her palms, forcing Liquid to block the attacks with her arms. This created an opening for Kari, as she dove into Liquid with a tackle, and quickly went to put her hands around Liquid’s neck! She wasn’t trying to kill her, but Kari’s anger was getting the better of her. She started trying to knock Liquid out by banging her head against the floor, keeping her grip tight. Liquid wasn’t expecting this, but she remained calm, despite the pain. Suddenly her fingers glowed blue, and she jabbed Kari in the chest where her heart was. Suddenly, Kari stopped moving, just staring into Liquid’s eyes in shock. What…did she do?... Kari thought, unable to move her body at all.

Liquid then quickly jabbed her in a few other spots on her body, causing Kari’s body to suddenly go limp, and falling on top of Liquid. Liquid simply shoved her off at that point, then stood back up, looking Kari over. “Little greenhorn, your blood isn’t even worth the effort of spilling on the floor. The blood clots should do all the needed work in a few minutes though.” She said to Kari. Kari wasn’t able to do anything though, as she stared back, feeling her body begin to grow weaker and her breathing getting tighter. Liquid then looked to Electrode, who was still fighting Ralph. “Can you wrap it up, Mr. Norman? We have a timeframe to keep.” She called out, picking the keycard back up off the floor.

The Electrode wasn’t doing as well as Liquid, as Ralph was managing to keep up with him, dodging into the smaller hallways to dodge attacks, and then leaping out to counter with Ion blasts from his blasters. “Stop jumping around!” Electrode yelled, trying to blast Ralph.

Ralph smirked. “Fast as literal lightning, but you can’t even hit me.” Ralph said, dodging another bolt of electricity, then firing an Ion blast at Electrode, causing him to stagger back. Ralph quickly pulled out his second blaster, and began to fire both of them at Electrode.

Electrode was getting angry, as his electric body suddenly turned from blue to red. “ENOUGH!” He yelled, as a massive discharge burst outwards from his body, destroying the ion blasts, and knocking Ralph backwards.

Ralph recovered, and quickly threw some explosives towards Electrode, but the discharging electricity was destroying them before they reached him. Ralph quickly ducked around a corner to get out of the path of the electricity. “Come on, when did he get this trick?” Ralph mumbled to himself. He then quickly took out a smoke bomb, and tossed it back into the main hallway, giving him some quick cover. He then slid across the floor to keep low, and began shooting at The Electrode again, hitting him a few more times.

The Electrode staggered again, but his powerful discharge was making the shots less effective than normal. Ralph slid across the floor again, hitting him a few more times from the smokescreen coverage. Though as Ralph prepared to do it again, The Electrode was ready for him, and extended one of his arms to shoot a stream of electric bolts where he was going to be! Ralph quickly put his arms together, forming a small forcefield around him to block the attack, but Electrode didn’t let up, making Ralph unable to drop his guard. “You aren’t winning this Ralph!” Electrode called out. With his free hand, he aimed at the ceiling above Ralph, causing it to crumble down on top of Ralph by the impact.

When The Electrode turned around, Liquid had freed Karen, and they were now both looking at him. “About time. Let’s get moving.” Liquid said, as she and Karen began to leave the way they came, stepping over Kari’s body on the way out.

Electrode’s electric body then turned back to its normal color, as he relaxed and began to follow them. “Hey, wait up!”

By the time Ralph got out from the rubble, the three of them were already gone. “Damn it…They got away…Wait, where’s Kari?” Ralph said, looking around. Then he saw her on the ground, as her face was beginning to turn blue. “Kari!” Ralph yelled, rushing over, and taking her in his arms. He then began fiddling with his wrist gauntlets, until the small green liquid filled stim container came out. He quickly stabbed the end with the small needles into Kari’s exposed neck area. Until it began to work, Ralph was thinking quickly, and began to give her mouth to mouth to give her some air. After a brief moment, though feeling like a lifetime, the stim chemical managed to undo the damage called by Liquid’s attacks, and Kari suddenly took a massive breath. “Kari, are you ok!?” Ralph asked, panicky.

Kari took a few more breaths, as the chemical began to heal up her wounds from the fight. “Y-yeah…Thanks Ralph, you saved my life…”

“Don’t mention it, I’m just glad you’re ok.” Ralph said, helping her stand up, as he supported her on his shoulder.

“Just…Don’t tell anyone you put your mouth on me, alright? Otherwise you’ll be the one gasping for air.” Kari said, smirking at him a little.

Ralph chuckled a little. “You must be feeling ok if you’re already cracking jokes. That Stim stuff works fast.”

Kari then looked around, now fully standing on her own two feet. She and Ralph then noticed Maura and the other guards. They both gave each of them a stim shot, as they slowly began to recover. Maura woke up first. “Ugh…Thank you for your help…Where did they go?” Maura asked, sitting up.

Ralph looked around as well, then pulling a frown when he saw Karen’s empty cell. “Looks like they left, and they took Karen with them.”

“Then they’ll be trying to escape, we need to hurry and catch up to them.” Kari said, taking off back the way they came.

“Hey, wait for me!” Ralph said, running to catch up.

Maura then got up as they took off, and looked back to the guards that were with her. “You two join us once your recovered. I have to go with them.” The two nodded, as Marua then quickly took off to join Ralph and Kari.



Back at the destroyed wall in sector 4, the battle was at a stalemate, though it seemed that the invading forces had no intention of pressing forward, as they were focused on holding that one point. Frost and Matter’s combined muscle made it hard for the others to press forward. While the fighting was going on, Rem was contacted by Ralph, so he ducked down a hallway to get out of fire to answer. “Ralph, what’s going on?”

”They busted out Karen, and gave up the slip. We think they are heading back to their exit in sector 4. We’re heading that way now for backup.” Ralph reported.

“Copy that.” Rem then ended the call, and looked around the corner. At that moment, Liquid, Electrode, and Karen had arrived. “Guys, we can’t let them escape!” Rem called out.

Karen and Liquid looked around, seeing the sudden push. Liquid then called out to her allies. “We got what we need. Let us retreat back the way we came. Frost, Matter, cover our exit.” Liquid ordered.

“Like we aren’t already.” Matter mumbled. Then all the enemy forces began to back out through the opening the made in the wall. At this point agents had gathered outside, but with the massive amounts of enemy forces thanks to Frost’s monsters, they couldn’t close in on them.

As they began to head into the underground path, Liquid’s earth humans began to close it back up, leaving a number of monsters and scattered monsters left above. Everyone regrouped outside, as Jake contacted them all. Guys, we’ll handle the stragglers. You guys get after them, and we’ll be right behind you once we clear out these numbers.

Rem nodded, as he looked to his team. “Alright everyone, get ready, we’re goin in after them.” Rem then had his hands glow brown, as he put his hands on the ground, causing it to open back up. Due to the rushed nature of the sealing, it wasn’t covered up well.

Raylu closed his eyes, as his body glowed. “Their auras haven’t gotten far, we can still catch them. But they are moving quickly, they may be in some sort of transport.”

“Raylu, you go first, you’re faster. We’ll follow behind you.” Rem said. Raylu nodded, then quickly rushed off.

Eric then made a mass of darkness in the shape of something boatlike to move them quicker. “Come on everyone, get in.” Eric said, as everyone quickly climbed into the darkness boat, and Eric moved it at much faster speeds then running, as they followed after Raylu.


After several minutes of chasing, the group finally caught up with the fleeing enemies in a very large underground cave, not far off from the ruined city. The villains truck had been knocked over by a ranged aura attack from Raylu, and they now were exiting the truck they had been using, and were about to split up through the caves. The group then began to run across the cave, as Rem then called out to Karen, in some desperate way to get through to her. “Karen, wait! Please don’t go with them! Whatever problem you’ve run into, we can help you!”

Karen narrowed her eyes. “If your idea of helping me is putting me in a cell, I think I’ll take my chances alone.”

Rem continued to try and reach her. “That isn’t what I mean. If it’s something like money or other aid for the orphanage. Whatever help you need, we can help you get it. Just please, don’t do this.”

Karen closed her eyes for a second, sighing. “You really are a pain in the ass. Whatever person you think you’re talking to isn’t around anymore. Just the need to serve my clients.”

Rem looked frustrated. “I don’t know what’s made you this way, but I’m not going to leave you like this. You helped me in the past, so let me help you now.”

Karen didn’t look phased, and just stared at Rem with her arms folded. After a brief pause, she finally spoke again. “The only help I need is to get away from you. None of us are going with you, no matter what you think.”

Rem sighed, but then he drew his sword. “If that’s how it is, then you all best surrender now. You won’t escape in these caves, our backup will be swarming these caves in moments. Make this all easier on yourself.”

Master Matter laughed. “That’s rich coming from you! You seriously think your little group can take us all together?”

Frost then stepped forward. “The ones who should be surrendering is you, if you value your lives at all.”

The Electrode cracked his neck. “If you guys wanna go another round, I’ll gladly put you all down again. Backup won’t do ya any good if you’re already dead.”

Rem narrowed his eyes, stepping forward, pointing his sword at his enemies. “We’ve surpassed greater threats then you all combined. We won’t give in. Last chance.” Raylu and Eric then stood beside Rem, as they prepared to attack as well, their hands glowing with their powers.

Each side took battle ready stances, as it felt like in mere seconds they two groups would charge at each other into battle. Then suddenly, before any further actions could be made by either side, a massive rumbling could be felt through the caves! Everyone in the group looked surprised. “Is this an earthquake?!” Sora exclaimed.

Raylu shook his head. “No…Something is approaching.”

Karen chuckled, looking at them all. “Right on time. Hey Rem!” Karen called out to him. Their eyes met, then Karen spoke again. “You wanted to know who my client was, right? Well here’s a little sample for you!”

Then through one of the upper caves, massive bolts of lightning rained down everywhere around the group, separating them from the enemy group. A loud, insect like crackling noise could be heard echoing through the various caves over the lighting crashes. Everyone had scattered due to the attack, and were looking around for where the attacks were coming from. Then they saw it. On the roof of the cave, there was a shadowy shape, impossible to clearly see in the darkness. Two glowing orange light like eyes looked down at them all, and let out a loud screech that sounded like a sharp object on a chalkboard, with glass being broken, and ending with a deep rumble like sound. Then suddenly, lightning began to from. The lighting of the lightning made it appear it was being generated between two horn like objects, but the flashing made it hard to make out the figures shape. Then, launched from the horns, lighting crashed down towards the group, blasting them all away. “What is that thing!?” Kari screamed.

Raylu looked puzzled by what he was seeing. “It’s aura…It’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen before…”

Rem looked worried. This is that monster that Blue Rose talked about… Rem then turned to Karen again. “You’re working for a monster?!”

Karen was still smirking. “Master Volks is no mere monster. You’ll see, first hand, his destructive power.” She then turned to leave, as did the other enemies.

Ralph and Sora then began to run after them. “You aren’t going anywhere!” Ralph said, drawing his blasters. Then from above, a wave of electricity was fired from the air, trapping the group in a cage like net of electricity.

Karen then gave a bit of a way with her pointer and index fingers. “So long, World Savers. If you survive this, I look forward to you seeing Master Volks’ plan come to it’s grand conclusion.” And with that, the villain group disappeared into the caves.

Brett was firing at where the light eyes were, but Volks moved so quickly, eyes could track it in the dark. “We need a plan, fast!” He called out.

Then the sounds of a buzzing, flapping sound was heard, as a ball of lighting was zipping around, crashing into various members of the group. Thankfully, due to their encounters with Electrode, their suits were made to resist electricity, but the power and force of the attacks were insanely powerful still. Sora pulled himself off the ground, drawing his energy sword and blaster. “Ok, but how do we fight something we can only see when it attacks?” Sora questioned, looking around with his blaster aimed.

“I can only detect it’s aura when it’s about to attack, so I can’t seek it out.” Raylu added.

“I got an idea, follow my lead, and be ready to attack if it works. Watch my back please.” Aqua said, charging up energy in her hands.

The others kept ready, as for now Volks made no moves to attack, but the sound of his flying around in the darkness past the cage. Suddenly, yellow spheres were formed in the darkness, moving around presumably because they were being charged in his horns. They were then being launched into the cage at the others at very quick speeds, but not so fast they couldn’t be reacted to. Raylu was able to charge up aura blasts to counter the lightning blasts, while those with blasters used Ion blasts. Then they suddenly stopped, and the sounds of flying also stopped. Eric looked nervous, looking around. “That’s not normal. Keep your guard up everyone.”

But in seconds within finishing that sentence, the flapping was heard again, as a massive ball of lightning flew right towards Aqua from behind! She began to turn around, but it would have been to late. Except Eric actually was prepared, as a small beam of powerful darkness was fired out from the black triangle on the back of his hand. This may have been a small beam, but because of where it was fired from it had far greater power, so when it struck Volks it knocked it off course and into a large bolder. This caused the lightning to fade, and being in the light of the cage, gave the group their first good look at what they were facing. And it was a sight. What stood before them was at least a 20ft tall black and yellow beetle like creature. It had six limbs, two stocky legs, and four long slender arms. It had a pair of massive horns in the center of it’s head, one in the front and one in the back, the back being slightly larger. They were curved and blade like, almost like a pair of shears. And where it’s face was, was a pair of black and orange glowing eyes. It had a mouth full of sharp fangs, but it was sideways, unlike a humans.

Kari screamed loudly once noticing its appearance. “AHHH! What the hell is that?!”

Raylu narrowed his eyes. “Something not of this world.”

The creature then gave off what could only be described as a chuckle. “You couldn’t be more correct, creature. A demon, not of this planet.” It spoke, in a distorted monstrous voice.

Rem stepped forward, sword drawn. “What’s your goal with this city, ‘Volks’.”

It gave off that strange chuckle again, and said nothing else. It opened its wings, and began to flap them at high speeds, giving off strong winds and discharges of electricity through the air! Eric quickly put up a wall of darkness to block the attack, but then Volks was back to quickly speeding around, but now constantly discharging electricity everywhere, making it near impossible to dodge now, as everyone was getting shocked, and screaming in pain. Volks’ distorted chuckle now formed into a strange laugh. “Your screams amuse me, humans. Scream more! Scream until your charred bodies no longer can draw breath!”

“What do we do now?!” Ralph forced out through his screams.

Raylu’s eyes then glowed, quickly putting up an aura sphere around them. “This should hold us…for a moment…” Raylu said through his breaths.

Rem grunted, trying to shake off the shock. “A-aqua, did you finish preparing for your plan?”

Aqua nodded. “J-just a little bit more. When I say so, drop the sphere Raylu.”

“Understood Lady Aqua.” Raylu responded.

“I sure hope this works…” Sora mumbled.

The electricity was unrelenting on the sphere, as Volks did not let up. “Come now, do you plan to wait me out? You cannot hide forever in that bubble.” Volks taunted.

Then, when there was the slightest break in the attacks, the sphere suddenly vanished, and Raylu tossed Aqua into the air. Suddenly two large bubbles formed around Aqua’s hands, and suddenly she was firing large bubbles all over the air of the battlefield. They were moving at high speeds, but Volks was still managing to fly around them, despite his massive size. Then suddenly, all the fire bubbles glowed a clear blue, and Aqua snapped her fingers, causing all the bubbles to suddenly detonate! The entire battlefield was awash in explosive water energy, no matter where Volks managed to be, the explosions of water covered everything, stunning him midair. “Quickly everyone!” Aqua called out, beginning to reform all the water in the area, and launching it at him in a powerful wave. Eric coupled this attack with a darkness wave from the other direction, and they crashes into him at the same time.

Sora and Kari quickly began firing Ion blasts at Volks as quickly as their blasters could fire. Ralph began to run in, throwing sticky bombs at Volks with one hand, while he began to unload a clip of ion bullets from his pistol. Brett took aim from afar, and aimed to put a sniper bullet through Volk’s head.

Rem formed two light stars in his hands, and then fired them at Volks. These moved like rapidly spinning sawblades, and had the power to slice clean through flesh like them too.

Raylu charged up aura in his hands, then put his hands together, cupping them, and focusing the energy. He then unleashed a powerful beam of aura from his hands to crash directly into Volks.

After these attacks all took turns hitting the stunned Volks, he fell from the air and crashed into the ground. Everyone began to gather around his unmoving body. “Did we get him?” Brett questioned.

“Heck, did you see the massive payload we unleashed on him? No way he’s getting back up after that.” Ralph proudly proclaimed.

“I’m gonna make sure. I don’t want to chance it getting up.” Sora said, climbing onto Volks’ body.

“Sora, get down from there!” Kari called out to him.

Sora didn’t listen, and tried to stab Volks with both his bone and beam sword, but…they just bounced off the body. “Wait…What?”

“It has an exoskeleton. Basic attacks like that won’t dent it.” Eric stated.

Raylu’s ears suddenly twitched, and he looked alarmed. “Everyone get back-“ Raylu began to yell, but it was too late. Volks’ body let out a massive burst of lighting, blasting everyone away from the body. Some hitting the ground, some hit boulders.

Volks then got up, and laughed his creepy laugh. “Foolish humans. Good effort, but pointless in the end.”

Everyone was slowly recovering, and Kari snapped at Ralph. “You had to open your big mouth, didn’t you?!” Kari yelled.

“Don’t blame me!” Ralph protested.

Rem got back up his feet, being winded from a crash with a boulder. “Knock it off guys, we gotta think of something else to hit him with.”

Raylu recovered, and joined Rem at his side. “The exoskeleton is going to prove difficult to get past. We need something that can pierce it.”

“Rem, we might need void energy for this. Can you change into your-“ Eric was beginning to ask, but Volks was done waiting.

“As much as I enjoy toying with you all, this battle is pointless. You cannot break my armor with your puny attacks, and you will not outlast my assault. It’s time to end this petty squabble.” Volks then began to discharge massive amounts of energy into the lightning cage surrounding the cave, and it began to swell larger and larger, with a massive sphere charging at that top center. Volks then flew out of the cage, and began to fire lighting from his horns directly into the sphere. This was causing all manner of discharging inside the cage, forcing everyone to get inside another aura sphere to think.

“Rem, what do we do? Do we have any type of plan to get out of this?” Sora asked.

Rem looked nervous, but trying to put on a tough face. “Eric, Aqua, help me reinforce the sphere. We’re gonna have to try and withstand this attack.”

“What?!” Ralph yelled.

“We don’t have time to prepare a counter attack, and we can’t escape from the cage now. Volks charges energy too quickly. We don’t have time.” Rem replied, then quickly began to form a mixed energy dome around Raylu’s with his power.

Eric’s black triangle mark on his left hand began to glow brightly, as he began to form a powerful darkness around the dome as well.

Aqua nodded, and once the inner layers of the dome were formed, she covered it with a heavy ice dome. “I’ll give it all I have.” She said.

“Everyone, brace for impact.” Rem said to them all.

Outside these domes, Volks was nearly done charging his attack. “What a shame. If this was truly your best, then this is your end!” Volks taunted, as he sent one last pump of energy into the cage. “Parish!” The sphere at the center began to expand outwards to reach every inch of the inside of the cage, making the entire cage one massive explosion of lightning! The crash and boom that followed was so loud, you’d think a jet plane crashed in your ears. Deafening. The cave took a massive beating as well, causing large chunks of the walls the fall everywhere, almost caving in.

When the explosion was finished, rubble where everywhere. Nothing could be seen in the once again pitch black cave. Volks looked around, but saw nor heard anything. How…disappointing…This is the might of World Savers?... Volks thought to himself, before flying out one of the larger cave openings, leaving the once massive battlefield nothing but a pile of gravel.



Not long after the explosion went off, the backup had arrived, while Jake led a search party for the members of the Shinning Force. “I’m picking up Aqua’s prism from over here Trevor!” He called to him.

Trevor rushed over to the pile of rubble where Jake was, and began to move it through the air with his earth powers. After a few seconds of moving rubble, Jake and Trevor managed to uncover the group. They didn’t seem to be majorly hurt, but the force of the blast had knocked them out. “We need to get them back to base, and make sure their ok.” Trevor suggested.

Jake nodded. “You take them back then. Me and Maura will start the search of the caves for the rest of them.”

Trevor nodded. “Understood!” He then caused the ground to lift up, carrying the group on it. Trevor then pointed to a few agents. “You guys, with me. We need to make sure they aren’t attacked on the way back.”

“Yes sir!” The three agents responded, as they followed Trevor out of the caves.

A few hours later, everyone was resting in the medical bay. They all seemed fine, but Rem was struggling in his sleep, tossing around a bit. It seemed like he was having a nightmare. In his head, he felt like he was standing in total darkness, as he heard a voice speak to him. Do you see?...You are truly powerless. A deep, monstrous voice spoke, sounding not to unfamiliar.

Rem went to his knees in the darkness, clutching his head. “N-no! That isn’t true!”

The voice laughed. Oh, but it is. Think about it…Whenever a real threat shows up, you crumble. This bug, Kraven, Zalendor…You are a mess without your precious friends. Why did you think you could lead these guys, when you’ve never shown what it takes to be a leader? You can’t even help those who need you most, like Karen. She needed the World Savers help, YOUR help the most, and you’ve done nothing but forget about her this whole time.

Rem clutched his head harder, causing blood to come from his head. “STOP IT!” Rem yelled out, almost as if the words were causing him real physical pain.

You are nothing on your own! You don’t have the power to stand on your own two feet! And if you can’t even do that much, how can you expect to be able to lead others to do what you cannot!? You can’t protect them alone, and if you can’t protect them, you are leading them to their own demise! Your murdering them! The voice called out, getting louder and louder.

It now looked like a large mouth had formed in the darkness under Rem, opening, and causing him to fall into it. Then suddenly, hundreds of small versions of Volks were flying around him, as he descended into the mouth. Rem screamed as he fell, as he felt unable to move. “You’re…you’re wrong!...” Rem snapped back, but with no backbone.

The voice was not stopped, as it continued. No group of World Savers should be led by a foolish, powerless human, with no idea how to lead. It makes you nothing but a murderer. A murderer unfit to lead. Such trash should be cast aside, for it serves no purpose to this world. Nothing. Then at the bottom of the mouth, as a massive fire appeared, as Rem began to fall close to it. For worthless trash that serves to purpose to this world, there is only one fitting end. Incineration. Ash you were born, and ash you will return to! The voice called out, as Rem and the Volk’s were all consumed by fire, followed by the sounds of Rem’s screaming.

Rem suddenly sat up in bed, and screamed, as he suddenly noticed all around him was the real world. A medical bed, bed side table, and bright white lights. Looking around the white room he saw beds with the others in them waking up as well. Eric, who was already up and about, came over to Rem’s bed. He looked a bit rough, but ok. “Are you alright? Are you in any pain?”

“Huh?” Rem snapped back to normal, shaking his head a moment. “S-sorry…Must have just been a nightmare caused by this head pain I’ve got. Is everyone alright?”

Eric nodded. “Everyone’s alright. The rubble caused the dome to cave in, but it was able to hold off Volk’s attack, and weaken the impact of the rocks. No serious injuries.”

Rem breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness…I was worried that was gonna be it there for a moment.”

Eric smiled. “Aww come on, you think some overgrown bug could stop us?”

The others started to grasp their surroundings. Sora felt himself as he looked around. “I’m not dead, am I?”

Kari looked around, then directly at Sora. “Well if you are, then we all died.”

Ralph groaned in pain, as he sat up. “Nope. We’re alive. Unless the afterlife is as painful as life, then that would suck pretty bad.”

Brett wasn’t for the joking around, and got right to the point. “So…You guys know that thing, or what?”

Eric shook his head. “I’ve never seen anything like it before. I’m not even sure what it is, other than some giant beetle.”

Raylu, who was leaning against a wall in the corner, finally spoke up. “Whatever that ‘thing’ was, it cannot be of this world. Humans, demons, hellspawn, monsters, they have distinct aura patterns to them. But this…I’ve never seen anything like it in my long life.”

Aqua looked concerned. “If we don’t even know what it is, how are we supposed to fight it?”

Rem folded his arms, thinking for a moment. “I’m more worried about this plan of Volks that Karen mentioned. With power like that, who knows what it could do.”

Eric turned to Rem, looking serious once again. “Speaking of Karen, Jake came by with a report not long ago. They seem to still be searching the caves, but it seems that group got away entirely. Volks seemed to have blocked off a number of caves with lightning barriers, so it’s likely the fled past them, and are long gone now.”

“So we’re back to square one then huh?” Sora asked, sounding a little downtrodden.

Rem shook his head. “Not entirely. We have learned some information, mainly we have a new threat, and they have some sort of plan that they want us out of the way for. It might not sound like much, but it’s better than being completely blindsided. We know there is an active threat out there, and they seem to be working with Kraven as well. We need to gather more information as soon as we can, and I think what we need is going to be in those caves.”

“So we got a plan? Swe-Ow! My sides!” Ralph moaned in pain, as his excitement got the better of him.

Brett tried to hide a chuckle, as he began to speak some sense into Ralph. “Might want to tone it down a bit, at least until you heal up.”

Aqua looked to Eric and Rem. “I think it might be worth it to try and find Karen again, if we can. She’ll probably lay low for now, but if we can get some information out of her, it could give us that much more of a lead on whatever it is they are planning.”

Eric nodded. “I agree. They might think we are dead, at least for a little while, so it’s possible they might slip up in that time frame. We should probably lay low for a while as well to help with that deception. I’ll teleport back to the lab shortly and get the probe droids ready. They can search for that, while we recover.”

“So let me sum up this plan of attack then.” Kari started. “Recover, search those caves, and wait for the enemy to slip up?”

Rem nodded. “Sounds good, at least for now. I’m sure with the connections Kraven has, our ‘death’ won’t stay hidden for long.”

Kari then looked determined. “Then we have time to get some training in. That run in with that rose lady at Kavisto’s really got me thinking that I need more practice. Raylu, can you help me with that?”

Raylu looked at Kari, sensing this determination from her. “With spirit like that, there’s no reason why I should refuse. As soon as your recovered, Lady Kari.”

Kari looked excited at Raylu’s conformation, but then an outburst from Ralph broke the conversation. “Sora! As soon as were back in tip top shape, you and me are hitting the training room too!”

Sora looked surprised, and a bit…disappointed maybe? “W-what, why me?!”

Ralph grinned. “Your aim is slipping. We haven’t fought many people lately that your swords are as useful for, so we gotta work on your blaster work.”

Sora looked almost depressed at that comment. “Wow, way to call me useless.”

Ralph looked worried, and started waving his hands. “What? No no, I’m just saying that we’ve been dealing with enemies that you can’t just simply stab. Right tool for the right job. Look at me, I don’t even have a sword, so how am I gonna deal with people that wanna stab me?”

Brett looked at Ralph with disappointment. “Ralph, once again, you do carry a sword. Maybe Sora should teach you a thing or two as well.”

Ralph made a pained and shocked face, now looking depressed himself. “Well when you put it that way, maybe you’re right. It just doesn’t really fit my combat style myself, so I forget about it.”

“That’s no excuse. Forgetting your tools and neglecting your training will get you killed on the battlefield. You both will join me for training after this.” Brett scolded.

Sora and Ralph both looked very nervous. “Oh shit, not one of Brett’s military training drills.” Sora mumbled.

Brett caught that, and was not amused. “Oh yes, one of Brett’s military training drills. I may not be a sword expert, but that only means I have room to learn too.”

Eric chuckled at this exchange. “Well, it seems like at least we have a game plan. I’ll head back to the lab, I’ll be in touch if anything happens.”

Aqua smiled, and waved at Eric. “Good luck Eric.

Eric smiled back, and gave a thumbs up, before making a portal and headed out through it. As the grumbling went on, Rem got lost in his thoughts for a moment. Did I…Really abandon Karen? I never tried to contact her again once we went our separate ways…But I knew she needed help. Even if I didn’t want to believe she was an assassin, it was clear she needed help. I could have helped her as a World Saver… Rem’s thoughts derailed for a moment. Or maybe not…I mean, whatever that Volks was, I couldn’t do anything…Except maybe that form could have done something. In that form I have more power. A backbone. Maybe that’s why I never want to leave that form. Would I want to come back to a state where I can’t handle myself?...

Though Rem’s thoughts would be interrupted by Raylu. He was noticing Rem’s distress though his aura, but chose not to expose that publicly, but rather inquire. “Sir Rem, are you alright? You seem a little distracted.”

Aqua was laughing a bit at the others arguing, but when she heard what Raylu said, she turned her attention to them. “Is something wrong?”

Rem, now feeling uncomfortable with all the attention, waved his hands in a dismissive manner. “No no, sorry! I’m just thinking about what we should do next. Just some brainstorming.”

Aqua frowned slightly, not sure if she believed that, but chose not to pursue the issue right now. “Oh, alright. Well if you need someone to bounce ideas off of, I’m right here.” She said, with a smile. It’s probably about her, isn’t it? That Karen. I wonder what he really thinks about her…

Rem smiled slightly. “No problem.” Rem then looked at his hands for a second. They were bare without his gauntlets on them Can I really do this? Can a powerless human really handle all this?...


Sometime that night, the villain group managed to escape the caves undetected, coming out of a cave from the mountain range miles from the city. Outside the cave, there was a van posted there, with Kraven waiting beside it. Kraven’s men began to board the van, while Liquid Rose and Karen approached Kraven. “I see you made it out alive. I’m sure your boss will be pleased with your return.” Kraven stated.

Karen nodded. “Yes, he already sends his regards. Understandably, you know why he can’t be here to thank you himself. “

“Indeed. I can’t say I didn’t like the idea of giving those government fools a good wakeup call every once in a while. Hopefully you won’t need sprung again, but if so, inform Volks to keep us posted. We must be going.” Kraven explained.

Karen nodded once more. “We will, don’t you worry. Be safe, until we meet again.” She then gave a wave. Kraven nodded, then boarded the van himself, and they drove off. Karen then looked to Liquid. “Have the agents been planted?”

Liquid nodded. “Just as Volks instructed. None of them were even made aware, due to all the combat today.”

“Perfect. Everything is going according to plan then. It won’t be much longer now, before our ties with Kraven will be cut.” Karen responded.

“We should return to base ourselves with the other troops. I’m sure Volks will need our help in preparing for the next task.” Liquid suggested.

Karen nodded. “Right, let’s be off then.” She said, as the two women headed back into the cave. What could Volks plan possibly be? What are their plans for Kraven’s forces and the Shinning Force? Soon, neither would have to wait long for their answer.


...End of Data Log.

[Aqua]

Data Log #17: Secrets and Memories

Data Log place in time: Seventeen days after the previous log.


Events in the city had gone quiet after the previous attack on the Kavisto Group base, and attempted theft of the Tower of Power generator. During this time, the group was lying low, staying in temporary rooms at the Kavisto base, as to make it appear as though they died after their run in with Volks. Kraven’s forces seemed to make no moves, nor was there any activity from the Rose Thorn Gang. It was as if everything suddenly stopped. But this quiet and inactivity was just what was bothering the others. In the Kavisto base, Rem was alone in a boardroom, thinking alone. It’s been over two weeks since we’ve seen any sign of anything. No clues in the caves. No sign of Karen or Kraven. Nothing…Why is it so quiet? Rem thought to himself.

Then, before long, Aqua found Rem in the boardroom alone, and let herself in. “May I come in? Or are you busy?”

Rem shook his head. “No, I’m fine. Come on in, maybe talking will help me sort this out.”

Aqua came in, and noticed a bunch of notes and reports on the large table. “Has Eric seen anything noteworthy in the city lately?”

Rem shook his head again. “Nothing. Not a signal clue or anything for weeks. It’s almost like they all disappeared. Not even the Rose Thorn Gang has been active.”

Aqua frowned slightly. “Well I can understand why they might have gone quiet. We did capture a large number of them from that heist job they tried to pull, so maybe they lack any good numbers. But as for Kraven and Karen…” She trailed off.

Rem folded his arms, looking serious. “It’s like the calm before the storm. I can’t stand it. We know they are out there, probably right under our noses. We don’t know how big their combined forces are, what their plain is, nothing. I was trying to keep everyone’s spirits up, but here we are on the defensive again with almost no information. I was sure we would have found something by now.”

“Well maybe the enemy has been laying low too. They probably weren’t expecting to have to show their hand like they did to break Karen out, or that their leader had to show up. If the enemy had the same idea, then it can explain all the silence. Even if we disappeared, they had to know others would be out there.” Aqua explained, trying to ease Rem’s burden a little.

Rem nodded at that. “You might be right.” He paused for a second. “But what could their plan be? We know that Kraven is working with this Volks, so he must be supplying aid to whatever this plan is. Karen and Matter tried to steal the generator from the Rose’s, and there’s what little information we got out of Karen. I just can’t figure out how it all comes together. We’re missing a big clue that will crack this wide open, we just need to find out what.”

Aqua was getting concerned for Rem, but she knew they needed to figure this out. “Well staying cooped up in this room all day isn’t going to help anyone. If we don’t have what we need, we need to go find it.”

Rem looked at Aqua, then nodded. “I was starting to think the same thing. I’m going to check the caves again. I’m convinced that somewhere down there is a clue that we have to have overlooked.”

Aqua then looked determined. “I’ll go with you. If you think there’s something down there to still find, then we’ll find it together.”

Rem smiled, feeling more positive all of a sudden. “Glad to have you along. Which of the others are free right now? I might be good to bring at least one more with us, though we don’t want too big a group.”

Aqua thought for a moment. “I think everyone is out with a training partner right now, except Sora. I think he was taking a rest in the lunch room when I last saw him.”

Rem then took out his stone, and used it to contact Sora. “Sora, this is Rem. Are you busy right now?”

Sora quickly responded. ”Not at the moment. I was just finishing a snack, and was about to head back to target practice with Ralph and Brett.”

“Are you feeling up to joining me and Aqua for a recon mission in the underground?” Rem inquired.

Sora sounded excited. ”Of course! Do we have any leads on Volks’ next move?”

“No, not quite. That’s why we are heading down. I don’t think we’re gonna catch them by playing the waiting game like this. It’s just gonna be the three of us to avoid too much attention. Get your equipment, and meet us outside.” Rem instructed.

”Got it! Give me like five minutes, and I’ll be there.” Sora responded, before ending the call.

“Hopefully this all goes well.” Aqua commented.

“So do I. Come on, let’s get our stuff too.” Rem replied, as the two of them headed off.




A few minutes later, the three of them gathered outside, and after a quick recap of what the course of action was, Rem made them a portal to the underground. They began their search in the cave section that was under the city, hoping they would have more luck there. Rem was leading the way for now, his sword drawn, giving off a faint white light.

Sora, walking with his hands behind his head, just looked around the underground, not having seen it before. “The cave system seems to be more ruin like around the city, I wonder if that was built long ago, or not.”

Rem looked back for a second to respond. “What do you mean?”

Sora shrugged. “I mean, we know the enemy has earth users, both Volks and the Roses. What if one of them just carved the caves out into a underground city.”

Aqua shook her head. “While it’s possible, I think there’s evidence that supports it being around longer. But…It could be used as a hiding place.”

Rem looked to Aqua. “How do you mean?”

“Like…I feel that the Roses probably used this place as an area for cover between jobs, but they mentioned that they had to stop using some areas because of Volks, right? A lot of those people that attacked Kavisto’s were powered users, and Kraven would never have them in his employ, so they must be Volks troops.” Aqua was brainstorming.

Sora looked confused. “There were a lot of earth humans, so I guess it could be possible. But why would they all want to stay down here all the time? It can’t be good for your health.”

Rem seemed to be thinking. “Unless Volks doesn’t care about that. I get the feeling that Volks is just using those people, but how? Why would they work for him like that? Does he have some leverage on them?”

“What if it’s the same leverage he has on Karen? What if he’s threatening to blow up that orphanage that you mentioned her talking about?” Sora suggested.

“If that’s the case, and I could get through to her, maybe she could actually help us. If he’s blackmailing her because of his power, and we offer our help, she might not have a reason to help him anymore.” Rem said, sounding a little hopeful.

“As long as he’s not just paying her money for it to actually work for him. You’d think if that was all, she would have told us when she was locked up.” Aqua suggested, though she looked like she didn’t want to believe that.

Rem sighed. “That’s also possible. But if he’s paying her, then she must provide some sort of advantage to his mission, more so if he went through all the effort to spring her. Either way, I feel Karen will be one of the big clues we need.”

“Yeah, as long as we can find her. But I feel hopeful! Today is going to yield something good!” Sora said, getting excited.

“I hope so too.” Rem said, smiling slightly. And with a spring in everyone’s step, they continued their search of the underground. They tried to keep talking to a minimum after that, as to not alert anyone that could have been nearby. After a while of walking, they suddenly heard the voices of someone talking.

Rem then suddenly turned the light from his sword off. “Quick, hide.” He said, quietly. He, Sora, and Aqua quickly hid inside one of the old building like structures, as the voices drew closer.

Before long, they could see Karen walking along side Liquid Rose, and two earth humans. “So progress is coming along well, yes?” Karen asked.

Liquid nodded. “You’ll see shortly, we are nearing completion. If we did not require rest and sustenance, we would be further along, but Volks’ gift sadly doesn’t remove those needs.”

Karen nodded. “A shame, yes, but a small price to pay. Have any of the government agents been in this area?”

Liquid shook her head. “No. Clearly right under the city must be too obvious of a place to check, so they haven’t been here often. All those paths leading outside the city have been a well thought out diversion. A wonderful plan on Master Volks part.”

“Indeed. Let us move quickly. It would be bad for us to linger, and be discovered.” Karen said, hurrying them along. Rem and the others allowed them to gain distance, but kept close behind. After a short walk, they came to a path that ended with a solid stone wall. Now, looking at it, it did look suspicious, but with so many paths and caves, it didn’t stand out much on its own. When they reached the wall, the two earth humans opened it up, leading to a very large hidden area ahead. The two ladies entered, followed by the earth humans, who went to close the door after.

Thinking quickly, Rem snapped his fingers, bringing his shadow to life, and had it dart inside the cave before the door closed. It quickly went behind a large pile of rocks, undetected due to the darkness. Once it was fully hidden, Rem turned his shadow into a portal for the others, and they entered the cave that way. Once the entered the cave, and got a look around, they found the cave to be massive, both in length and width. Scattered around were tons of supply trucks, massive shipping crates, and large chunks of earth and stone. The cave was lit where it was needed by portable lamps, much like you would see at a construction site in the dark, making it not terribly lit, but bright enough. All over the area were people and demons of all power types, as well as normal powerless humans, all with orange slightly glowing eyes, all moving things towards what was in the center of the cave. What looked to be a massive tower like object, going right up into the cave roof, and descending into a large pit, where all the workers were coming and going from. “What…is this place?” Sora whispered.

Rem narrowed his eyes. “I don’t know, but I’m going to try and get closer and see. You guys cover me, alright? If we get caught here, we’ll be in big trouble.”

Aqua and Sora nodded. “Got it Rem, you can count on us.” Aqua answered.

Rem nodded, then began to move closer towards the pit, using various cover to approach undetected. Luckily the workers were so focused on their tasks, they weren’t being super attentive. As Rem got close to the edge of the pit, he looked over to see what he could see. At the base of the tower, it seemed to have five strange looking leg like objects from out near the bottom. He could see that the towers bottom was also weirdly designed as well. The workers that could use earth continued to clear the ground around the base, while the remaining were working on the tower itself. Some outside, some inside, but it wasn’t clear what was being done. Then Rem noticed Karen and Liquid nearby, and moved closer to hear them talk.

“As you can see, progress is near completion. I’d say maybe at 97%?” Liquid spoke.

Karen nodded. “This is good. Volks will be very pleased when I report to him later. It won’t be long now until Master Volks plan is complete. We just have to deal with the last few pests, and then nothing will stand in the way.”

“Is there anything else Volks needs of me?” Liquid asked.

Karen shook her head. “Not at present. For now, make sure this area isn’t compromised. Contact me if anything does happen, and we’ll engage the backup plan. The new agents are already on standby if it comes to that.”

Liquid nodded. “Of course. We await further command. Do you need escorting out of here?”

Karen shook her head. “Other than the two earth humans to come and go through the passageways, I will be fine on my own.” She then turned to take her leave. “Good luck.”

As she began to walk away, Rem took a small black device out of his pouch, and tossed it at Karen’s back, attaching to her jacket. Rem then made his way back to the others, when Sora asked a question. “So we found Karen, do we go after her now?”

Rem shook his head. “If she suddenly goes missing when she’s expected back, it could cause a problem. For now I slipped a tracking device onto her, and I’ll have Eric monitor her movements.”

“Good idea. So what did you find down in the pit?” Aqua asked.

“I’m not entirely sure, but this isn’t the best place to talk about it. We’ll get the group together and discus it back at Kavisto’s.” Rem then remembered something. “Oh, that reminds me. I should contact Eric, and get a pinpoint of this location.” Rem then contacted Eric using his stone. “Eric, it’s me. Aqua, Sora, and I were doing a recon mission underground, and we found something. Where are we in relation to the city?”

Eric started doing his work, as the stone flashed yellow for a few seconds, before going back to it’s normal blue color. ”Ok, so according to this data, you are…right under the Tower of Power site. Wait, you guys said you found something under the tower?” Eric asked.

Rem looked lost in thought. “It’s too risky to discuss it more here, let’s meet up as soon as we can at Kavisto’s.”

”Understood, I’ll be there shortly and gather the others.” Eric responded, before ending transmission.

Rem looked at the others. “Alright, let’s get back.” He said, making a portal for himself and the others, which they exited through.




A few moments later, back in the boardroom Rem was using, everyone gathered together and was listing to what Rem and the others discovered. “What?! You found all that under the Tower?” Ralph exclaimed.

“Jeez, it’s a good thing you didn’t come.” Sora mumbled.

“So Volks has a large group of various types of people working on some kind of tower under the Tower of Power?” Eric questioned.

“Do you think the two towers are directly connected?” Brett asked.

Rem was thinking. “It is possible. While it’s a bit larger than the Tower of Power, it’s still directly under it.”

“Do you think the people who’ve been working on the Tower of Power know anything? Or the people who have been donating to it might know?” Kari asked.

Eric frowned a bit. “Somehow I doubt it. If Volks has been this careful, I doubt he’d leave such an important clue for us to find right in plain sight, if they are indeed connected. Though, it might still be worth a check.”

“There is one more clue for us to explore, and that’s Karen.” Rem cut in. “I placed one of your trackers on her, Eric. With some luck, she might lead us to another clue. If not, then we might be able to get her, and by connection, any information she may have. It sounds like she reports to Volks directly herself, so she has to know something important.”

“I’ll speak to Jake, and see if he can casually get us some information on the Tower of Power, while you two chase the Karen lead.” Aqua suggested.

Rem nodded. “That’s a good plan. Since we can’t move about freely just yet, Jake might be able to get some info from the people on site using a discreet mind reader. We could also speak to some of the big project supporters, and see if something they know could prove helpful.”

Eric then chimed in. “I’ve heard a fair bit of talk about the supporters on the news. Mr. Harkum is one of the major supporters in the tech side. The other biggest supporter of the project is Tamaki Francoise, which I believe we met at the fair. He seemed fond of us, so I’m sure he’ll speak with us.”

“Ok then, so we have our plan. Jake will pull some strings with the tower staff, Kari you and Aqua go and meet with Mr. Francoise, and Sora Brett and Ralph go speak with Mr. Harkum. Me and Eric will keep an eye on Karen using Erue at the lab. You can come with us too, Raylu.” Rem finished.

Eric nodded. “Seems like everyone has their assignments then. Remember guys, dress plain clothes, and use portal travel to get where you need to go. One of the agents can help each group with that. All clear?”

No one had any objections with this, as they all nodded, and said their confirmations. “Don’t do anything rash guys, be careful.” Rem said, sending them off, as everyone began to break off into their groups.

Eric mad a portal for himself, Rem, and Raylu, though he looked a bit worried. “If these two towers are indeed connected, I have to wonder what Volks plan is with the tower is. To have such a large, public structure being built in plain sight for almost a year, no one would think twice about it.”

Rem looked serious. “If the Tower of Power is a front for whatever Volks has planned, then somehow I feel that clean energy isn’t what he’s going to be bringing with it.” He said, as he entered the portal, to which Eric and Raylu followed.




Not long later, Ralph, Sora, and Brett arrived at Harkum Inc. Eric had gone through the trouble of contacting them ahead of time, so Mr. Harkum was already expecting them. They were up in his office, where Tony Flander was also setting in on this meeting. “So that’s the gist of it all, Mr. Harkum.” Brett finished explaining everything to Mr. Harkum.

“I never would of thought that the Tower of Power could actually be part of some villainous plot.” Mr. Harkum said, pondering things.

“Well we don’t actually know for sure yet, that’s why we came to you.” Sora interjected.

“Right. We don’t want to assume anything, we’re just chasing leads right now. Is there anything maybe you knew about the project that could possibly help in anyway?” Brett asked.

Mr. Harkum began to think about this for a bit. “Well, let’s see. A lot of business contacts normally came through middlemen, I’ve never personally met the founder of the project, just the director. Before the project began, about maybe two years ago, I was contacted by the leader of a new company, Dominick List was his name, looking to make a big break in the field of clean energy. Something less dependent on solar or wind power, and capable of much more. He contacted me because he had heard of my research on the now known CEG, and thought given the right setting, we could create a large renewable source of energy. Something that had the potential to end the energy crises forever. No more depending on fossil fuels, or nature with the sun and wind. He provided some blueprints, and when I looked them over, I could see he really had an understanding of what he was talking about. So I said to him that if he could get funding for such a project in France, I’d be more than happy to work with his company on this Tower of Power, he proposed. Sure enough, he got the support of some of the biggest investors in Europe, including Frances own playboy Tamaki Francoise, and construction began around 14 months ago. Since then, we haven’t had too much contact due to our busy work, but I do hear from him every few months with an update.”

Tony then cut in, once Mr. Harkum finished explaining. “Correct me if I’m wrong, Mr. Harkum, but isn’t the tower set to be finished this week? You mentioned we might be needed there, just in case something like the Roses turns up at the opening.”

The boys looked shocked. “Wait, this week?!” Ralph exclaimed.

Harkum looked confused. “Hadn’t you heard? It was covered in the news last week, but maybe it wasn’t entirely relevant to you until now.”

“Well…I’m not sure if it does mean anything yet, but if they are connected, then Volks could be making a move very soon.” Brett mumbled.

Sora looked like he was thinking. “So could that mean…that was why Karen and Matter were so insistent on stealing that generator back?”

Ralph looked confused. “But wait, why would they need to steal it, if it was already going to where it needed to go to?”

“Unless.” Brett cut in. “What if…they needed to make sure it simply stayed out of the hands of the Rose Thorn Gang?”

Tony looked shocked. “That could be possible.”

“This is all just brain storming, mind you. We have no proof yet. Though if Rem and Eric manage to track down and capture Karen, that could confirm everything.” Brett explained.

Harkum himself looked worried. “I hope it isn’t true. Just the thought of my tech being used for any such evil reason…”

Ralph looked at him with a serious expression. “Dude, don’t say that. And even if it is, that’s not on you. You’re just trying to make the world a better place the best you can.”

Harkum nodded. “Even so, I feel I must help in whatever way possible. Knowing that a potential attack force is just waiting right under the city is alarming.” He then looked to Tony. “We will push forward on the Megaton upgrades. We must be prepared for whatever happens. What is the progress on it?”

Tony looked back at Harkum. “About 85% complete. It should be fully combat ready in a few days.”

“We’ll put a rush on it. We need to make sure it’s ready before the towers opening.” Harkum added.

“We need to prepare ourselves as well. If you think of anything else that could be helpful, please inform Eric ASAP. Thank you for your support.” Brett said.

Tony and Harkum nodded, while Harkum spoke. “Not at all, my boys. And if there’s anything at all you need from me, let me know.”

Brett nodded. “Dually noted, thank you.” He then turned to leave. “Come on guys, we gotta get moving.” Ralph and Sora nodded, and followed Brett back outside. After a short elevator trip, they were outside. Brett then contacted Eric. “Eric, it’s Brett. I’m not sure we got much useful info, other than a background in how the project started, but we got the name of the project. A Mr. Dominick List. Maybe digging into him might be helpful?”

Eric responded, taking that all in. ”At this point, anything could be a lead. I’ll look into it on the side. Good work guys. Head back to Kavisto’s for now.”

Brett nodded. “Copy that, over and out.” He said putting his stone away, and started heading towards the portal. “We’re on standby for now. Let’s head back and get some more practice in.” Sora and Ralph nodded, taking this very seriously, as the group entered the portal left for them to Kavisto’s base.




At the same time, Kari and Aqua appeared outside the manor of Tamaki Francoise. They were past a very large white and gold gate, looking past it a large and impressive lawn, topped off by a massive white and gold mansion at the top of the hill. The two girls buzzed in on the intercom. From it, the voice of a servant answered. ”I’m sorry, but the Master isn’t seeing anyone today.”

Kari had a determined look on her face. “Tell him Kari Larkwell of the World Savers is here to see him, along with a member of the Kavisto Group. Please tell him, this is urgent.”

There was a moment of pause from the other side, when the servant finally spoke again. ”…One moment, Miss Larkwell.” He responded. Then after a short moment, the gates began to open.

Kari and Aqua looked at each other, then walked up the path through the impressive lawn, up to the manor. Once reaching the door, it was opened for them by a well-dressed servant, with a mustache, and bald head. “He will be right down to see you. You may wait where ever you’d like. May I get you ladies anything?” He asked.

Aqua shook her head. “Thank you, but no, not right now. Sadly we aren’t here for a social call.”

The servant nodded, gave a slight bow. “If you change your mind, please inform me.” and then he took his leave.

The girls looked around the foyer, while they waited for Tamaki, when Aqua decided to bring up the topic. “So, how did you meet Mr. Francoise already, Kari?”

“Oh, about that.” Kari scratched the back of her head nervously. “I met him at the fair, before all the crazy stuff went down. That and I thiiiiink he might be crushing on me. That, or he flatters all the ladies.”

Aqua giggled slightly. “Well aren’t you popular, getting the attention of such a rich and charming fella.”

Kari was blushing. “Oh, cut it out Aqua.”

Then, suddenly, the sound of a door opening could be heard from upstairs, as well as footsteps. Then in seconds, at the top of the banister, was Tamaki. He was dressed in a fine white suit, with light blue tents to it. “Ah, ladies! So good of you to visit! So sorry to have kept you all waiting.” He then hurried down the stairs. “Come, let us sit in the next room. You mentioned you had an important matter to discus, yes?” He beckoned them to the next room over. It was a very well furnished living room, with beautiful things all over. He took a seat in a large, rather plush looking chair, while offering the ladies the couch. “Ah, where are my manners, would you like some tea? Charles! Tea please!” He called out.

Kari waved her hands, nervously. “That’s really quite alright, Tamaki. I really don’t know if we’ll be here long enough to enjoy it.”

“Ah, yes. Busy folks and all that. Well if you are, I do insist you have some if you do have time.” He then took proper notice to Aqua now. “Where are my manners? I’m Tamaki Francoise.”

Aqua nodded. “I’m Aqua Aquaris. Pleased to meet you.”

He leaned forward in his seat so he was able to bow to her slightly. “Please, the pleasure is mine, Miss Aquaris. Now.” He sat back up. “I was informed you had an urgent you wished to discus with me? I’ll tell you anything you need to know.”

“Well, it’s about the Tower of Power in the city.” Kari started. She and Aqua gave an abridged version of the events that happened, as it wasn’t important for Tamaki himself to know all the minor details.

By the time they finished, tea was brought out for everyone. “Thank you Charles.” Then he turned back to the girls. “Ok, so basically you want to know what I know about the Tower of Power project, huh? Gotcha. Though, I’ll admit, what I know is limited. Where to start?” He said, tapping the rim of his teacup with his finger. “Well I guess it started around the beginning of the year. That’s when I entered the project as an investor. I guess while the project had a lot of start up support, about six months or so into the project a lot of investors pulled out, getting scared that with how much the project would need, it was going to crash and burn. When I heard this, I looked into the project myself. You see, how I make most of my income is investing in the right types of things, so when news of a project this big suddenly had a lot of people jumping ship, I had to find out why. So I contacted the head of the project, fella by the name of Dominick List, and got the details right from the horses mouth. Once I learned how big this would be if it was pulled off, and coupled with the fact that he was getting direct support from Mr. Harkum of Harkum Inc, I decided to take the big risk and be the projects major investor. Once people saw that not only was I on board, but pledging a massive amount of support, the smaller investors returned, and the project resumed with even more speed than the beginning.”

Aqua took a sip of her tea, as she took in this information. “It’s very interesting information, though I’m not sure how helpful it is.”

Kari shrugged. “That could be because there isn’t anything shady going on in the company side of things?”

Tamaki gave a bit of a pondering look when Kari mentioned that. “Ah, now that is a good point to make. You see, as head investor, I have toured the tower a number of times during construction. I make a point to check in on my investments, and it’s where I noticed the strange thing.” He took another sip of his tea. “Now mind you, this could be my limited information regarding that field of work, but I always wondered how Mr. List always managed to keep labor costs so low, but also get so much done. I never did see a large amount of people working the site, yet progress seemed to steamroll once spring hit. I want to say, a good 85% of funding went right into the tower through various sources, boiling down payroll to only about 7% if I recall. Now, he could have had connections to cheap but effective contractors, but even so is it really possible to get that much man power for such a small amount of the price? Checking the forms, it was all in order, no shaved off money, everything was well documented. I just always found it weird. And here we are, days away from unveiling, and I was told projections were probably going to be this fall. Though this is the building, anyway. I don’t know if all the big mechanics of it all are ready.” He paused. “But I got a little sidetracked. While I have no proof, maybe this lack of documented man power is connected to this Volks, and it’s forces? I just think for a tower that massive, and possibly even bigger underground, you’d need a small army to build it all that fast and precise.”

Aqua took a longer drink of her tea while listening. Maybe because Tamaki loves to talk is why he offered them refreshments? Regardless, Aqua spoke once he was done. “Now that sounds like useful information. It may not be solid proof, but it feels pretty close to it.”

Kari nodded. “This Mr. List feels like someone we should look into. If he’s a proxy for Volks, then maybe some digging would turn something up on him. Tamaki, what do you know about him?” She asked, taking another drink.

Tamaki sighed, as he took another drink. “Not much, sadly. While, yes I did contact him to get involved, almost every time I visited the tower, I was always met by the project director, not the man himself. I’m not even sure I’ve ever seen him there before, honestly. Like, what type of person, committed to a project this big, is never seen checking the site out? Maybe I just never got the chance, but I feel like I should have met with him at least once.”

“You never met him in person when you first contacted him?” Kari asked.

Tamaki shook his head, and frowned. “Sadly, no. I emailed him at first, then we shared a few phone calls, but that’s been the extent of our contact. Honestly, I’ve interacted with Mr. Harkum more than I have Mr. List for this project.”

Aqua began to seriously ponder this as well, in between sips. “That is strange. We’ll be sure to look into him ourselves.”

Kari looked back to Tamaki. “Is there anything else you can think of that might be helpful?”

Tamaki seemed to think on this for a moment. “Honestly, I think I’ve ran dry on information. And I didn’t even get through the cup before I became useless. My apologies ladies.”

“Oh no no, you were a big help. Thank you so much for taking the time to meet with us.” Kari said, as she and Aqua got up.

Tamaki stood as well, and smiled brightly. “I’m ecstatic I was able to assist you all, even if it’s in the slightest way. Must you both be off already? Would you like an after tea snack before you leave?”

Aqua smiled, but shook her head. “I’m sorry, we really do need to go. Maybe we can call again when we actually have proper time.”

Tamaki nodded. “Of course, I understand. But please, at least take something with you. Biscuits, scones, cake-“

Kari’s eyes lit up. “Wait, what kind of cake?”

“Oh, I believe I have both strawberry shortcake, and chocolate-“ Tamaki started, before Kari interjected.

“I would love to have some chocolate cake!” Kari then paused, looking embarrassed, not intending to cut Tamaki off. “Umm…Please.” She said, turning red as a beet.

Aqua laughed nervously, and tried to help take some tension off of Kari. “Well if we are taking it to go, I guess I wouldn’t mind a small slice of strawberry.”

Tamaki smiled, not at all put off by Kari’s sudden tone shift. If anything, he found it refreshing. “Ha ha! Wonderful! Charles, please get the ladies some cake to take with them.”

A few moments later, they were back in the foyer, as Tamaki and Charles were seeing them off. “It was a pleasure of be of assistance, ladies. Please return again soon!” Tamaki said, beaming. “Oh, and please tell Mr. Nightngale the stew that he prepared and sent my way was the best I’ve ever had. Myself and the whole staff was impressed beyond words. I cannot wait to taste it again. Next time you all must join us for tea.”

Kari and Aqua smiled, as Aqua spoke. “Thank you for your help, Mr. Francoise, and I will be sure to pass your praise along to Eric.”

“Yeah, and thanks for the cake too!” Kari nodded.

Tamaki gave a large smile. “Not at all, you ladies take care, and send my best to your friends.”

Charles then gave a slight bow. “It was a pleasure to serve you ladies. Until next time.”

“You both take care too!” Kari said, full of energy. The two girls then took their leave, heading back to the portal near the gate. “That was the most relaxed I’ve felt in weeks, honestly.”

Aqua nodded. “I agree. Tamaki really does provide a relaxing environment, doesn’t he? I see why you like him. Plus it was very helpful that he had some information for us.”

“That’s true.” But then Kari shot Aqua a look. “And don’t think I didn’t notice that little remark. I don’t ‘like’ him, I barely know him.”

Aqua giggled. “Sure sure, I’m just teasing. Anyway, let’s get back to base. We’ll contact Eric, then we can eat this cake. The smell is making me hungry.”

Kari’s stomach growled in agreement. “Ha ha ha…Yeah the chocolate smell is making waiting impossible. Let’s hurry.” Kari suggested, as they headed back to base to inform Eric, and feast on high class cake.





Later that evening, back at the lab, Eric and Rem were still hard at work. Raylu was there as well, but he was resting for now, since he was useless when it came to computer work. Eric was working with a few different screens, with one of them tracking Karen’s movements, which Rem as paying more attention to. Eric was actively looking into Dominick List since both groups brought him up. Then, after some time of silence, apart from Eric’s tapping on the keyboard, he suddenly spoke. “Well, I think I’ve uncovered all I can on this Dominick List.” Eric said.

Rem looked over to him. “What did you find out?”

“Well, he’s a 43 year old graduate of Harvard that went into the energy field some years ago. He’s worked in both solar and wind fields, but apparently always dreamed of finding a way to have even more clean and renewable energy. About 5 to 6 years ago, he suddenly left his place of employment in England, and only really has been seen in the last 3 years a handful of times here in France. He becomes very undocumented after his departure from England, but he was credited as the founder of the Tower of Power, much like Tamaki and Harkum both said.” Eric explained.

Rem looked like he was thinking. “What about family, does he have any?”

Eric gave a bit of a half frown. “Well he did have a wife and two kids, but they all died in a house fire just before his disappearance. Apparently it was due to an electrical discharge, and the house was engulfed in moments. No signs of fowl play, and Mr. List was cleared of suspicion after an investigation. All other related members had no contact with him years prior of what I can tell.”

Rem put his hand on his chin. “It would make sense to just up and leave after everyone you knew was gone, but then to suddenly come back so strongly…Either he made peace, and moved on, but is just antisocial, or…”

“You think Volks could have gotten to him, like Karen?” Eric asked.

“Possibly. After seeing all those people in the underground working for Volks, seeming so lifeless…I wouldn’t put it past him. Question is how does he do it, if that’s what’s happening? I feel like we are so close to a breakthrough, we just need one more push.” Rem said, trying to think.

Eric then looked over to the screen. “Speaking of breakthroughs, what’s Karen been up to?”

Rem looked back to the screen. “Her movement has gone quiet for a while, but since I can’t really pull up the maps and probe screens while you’re working, I’ve just been keeping an eye on it.”

“Well then let me take a look.” Eric said, dragging the tracking window to the main screen, and began typing on the keyboard again. “Alright, I’m about to get visual from the probe...” Then once the video feed came up, it was an old abandoned building in the slum part of the city outskirts. “Seems our friends really love abandoned buildings lately.”

Rem’s eyes widened, however, when he saw the building. “Wait, that’s...” Then Rem suddenly backed away from the computer, and picked up his gear. “I’m going to investigate.”

Eric looked confused. “By yourself? That’s way too risky.”

Raylu looked up, looking very serious. “Sir Eric is right, let me go with you.”

Rem looked even more serious. “No. If this is what I think it is, then I need to go alone. Stay connected to my sage stone, and if things seem bad, come in for backup. But I think it’s important that I go alone.”

Eric and Raylu seemed worried, but soon enough, they both agreed. “Fine, just don’t do anything reckless.”

Rem then turned, and made a portal. “Maybe a reckless move is what we need...” He then walked through the portal, having it disappear behind him.





Moments later, Rem appeared in the part of town where Karen was last sighted. The streets were quiet, with very few people around. Some were just walking, others gathered by burning oil drums, some working on street art. Rem kept walking, feeling people stare as him as he walked by, until he came across what he was looking for. Before his eyes was the old building that Karen used as her hideout so many years ago. The building itself looked in even worse shape than it did when he was a child, to which Rem was amazed it hadn’t been condemned by this point. As he approached the building, he was careful to see if any guards were around, but all seemed clear. He then went into the entrance, the doors long since fallen off, as he entered the old warehouse looking building. He noticed less of the upper floors remained, as it seemed to have collapsed onto the ground floor, making the building more or less a ground floor with walls and a roof full of holes. Suddenly, Rem could hear the static of a radio, and was able to make out what it was saying. ”And with the grand opening...Tower of Power set to be tomorrow, everyone...this means for the city...” The rest of it was to mumbled to make out, as the static grew louder. Then Rem suddenly heard footsteps, as they seemed to be coming towards him.

Coming out from what remained of a room, was Karen. While she did have her bow and other weapons on her, none of them were drawn. “I hoped that if I waited here long enough, you’d find me here. I will say, you sure took your time though.”

Rem looked at her, almost trying to remember something, or someone from long ago. “I‘m not here to fight you, I just want to talk.”

“Oh I know.” Karen simply stated. “If you wanted a fight, you’d have a weapon drawn, or your friends waiting in the wings. So tell me, what did you want to talk about?”

Rem looked...sad to hear her talk like this. “A lot, I suppose. But you being here, it proves you remember. That you are the same Karen I knew.”

“Heh. That’s a bit of an assumption, don’t ya think? Sure, I remember, but I meant what I said. That I’m not the person you knew anymore. But I think a good question to ask, is if you remember.” Karen said, sounding slightly smug.

“Remember what exactly?” Rem asked.

Karen gave a frustrated sigh. “That’s what I mean, clearly you don’t remember. Your promise to me. It was the last night we shared in this little hell hole together. But since nothing will go anywhere, waiting for you to remember, so I’ll just tell you what you’ve forgotten.”




That dark, and rainy night. We were close together in that little tent in the corner, while we were working on those maps together. I was comparing your parents old chart to some photocopied maps from the public library, and helping make you new maps of where those ruins should be.

“There! Finally done!” Young Karen exclaimed, with a bright smile on her face.

Young Rem looked excited. “Really?! It’s all done?!”

Karen nodded. “Yep, it took a lot of work. Translating this and remapping this was really hard, but I finally figured it out. Now maybe you’ll be able to find your parents.”

“That’s great! Thank you so much Karen, for everything. You’ve taught me a lot about survival, so hopefully I’ll be able to do it.” Rem said, smiling, and gave her a big hug.

Karen blushed slightly. “I-it’s nothing. Now listen, you gotta be more confident in yourself, alright? You gotta be brave out there. Don’t make me look bad by wasting all that training I taught you, ok?”

Rem nodded. “Ok, I’ll try my best.” Rem paused, then frowned. “You’ve done so much for me these past few weeks, and I don’t know how to even thank you properly.”

Karen waved her hand in a shooing motion. “Don’t sweat it little Remmy.” She paused for a second. She seemed to be lost in very serious thought. “But um...I do have one thing to ask you.”

Rem looked determined. “Anything! Whatever I can do!”

Karen suddenly was feeling very nervous, but had the confidence to speak. “It‘s nothing special, or important, just...When you find your parents...Don’t forget to come back, ok? I wanna meet them. I wanna know everything turned out alright.”

Rem looked surprised, but then nodded with confidence. “Of course, Karen. I‘m sure they’d love to meet you!”

Karen smiled, though on the inside she felt like quivering. “Thanks little Remmy.” She then cleared her throat. “Now we better get some sleep, ok? We got a lot of prepping to do before you head out tomorrow, ok?”

Rem nodded. “Gotcha!” Rem answered, feeling more determined than before.

But as the night advanced, as the two slept next to each other facing apart, Karen couldn’t fully rest. Tears seemed to be going down her face. I don’t want to lose my friend...But he needs to go and find his family...If I didn’t need to support the orphanage with my job, I’d go with him...But maybe... She started to sob, silently to herself. Maybe, if he finds them, and he brings them back to thank me for helping their son...They can take me with them...That way they could help me with the orphanage, and...I wouldn’t have to be alone anymore...Karen kept thinking those thoughts, until her silent sorrow lulled her to sleep.



Rem looked sad and hurt, as Karen had explained this all to him. “But you never came back, did you? All that time, I waited. You had to of known that I was a killer. A child assassin. I wanted so badly for maybe your parents to take some pity on me, and take me out of this life I lived. But you forgot all about me. You never came back. So when we finally met again, what do you expect me to say to you? ‘I’ve missed you?’ ‘I waited so long to see you again?’ ‘I loved you for so long?’ Are those the types of things you expected? It’s been a long time, and a lot changed since you walked out of my life.”

Rem looked pained, but then suddenly, his eyes narrowed. “You remember all that, but you honestly don’t remember the last time we actually saw each other?”

Karen looked caught off guard. “Huh? What are you talking about?”

Rem looked confused, but continued. “If you really don’t remember, then let me remind you. Some time after we last parted ways, the time you just spoke of, I suddenly got a message. A message from a phantom demon with a grudge against us both.”



Young Rem, speeding across the open country side of Europe, riding the back of a red wolf, with a small bunny like creature holding onto the back of Rem’s clothes as the moved. Flying along side them looked to be a small fairy. The fairy had a human like body, but just small and with wings of a light pink glow, slightly curled long pink hair, and blue eyes. She was dressed in an outfit that looked like it was made of green vines, with pink and green crystals in the fines. His face was determined, as his head remembered what he read simply hours ago. “To Scarfaced brat. It’s been a while since we’ve crossed paths. I’d say I hope you’ve been well, but would be a pretty bad lie. No luck with your parents yet? Shame. Anyway, you’ve been causing our king a lot of grief, and I’ve got a bit of axe to grind with you, so I’ll get right to it. I’ve caught your little girlfriend from France. Remember her? The one who shot my eye out with the bow and arrow? Now I was thinking I could have some fun with her, before I kill her, but I thought maybe I could give you the chance to be the hero. Come alone to the place marked on this map, the deep sewers under the city of France within 48 hours, if you want to save her life. I’ll trade hers for yours if you make it in time. Yours, Draxten the Phantom Demon.”

As they rode across the plains, the red wolf spoke up, as it made a path of flames in it’s trails. “Are you sure you want to do this?” It spoke in a male voice.

“Poy poyo!” The round bunny creature added.

Rem nodded. “I have to, Cinder. I can’t let Karen die like that. She saved my life from that guy, now I gotta save hers.”

“I understand, It's just that we're worried about you.” Cinder the wolf spoke.

"Yeah, we don't want anything to happen to you." The fairy added.

“I’m worried too...But that’s what being brave is right? Doing something, even when you're afraid? She told me to be brave and confident. I have to try.” Rem said, as his small hands trembled, as he hung onto Cinder.

“Well, we will support you however we can.” Cinder replied.

“Po po!” Cream added.

"I've got the healing and ranged attacks. Together we'll be fine!" The fairy added.

“Thanks guys, but I think I have to do this alone. If he knows I have help, he might kill Karen. I‘ll be fine...I hope.” Rem mumbled that last bit.

The three monsters looked worried, as they drew closer to their destination.


By nightfall, they were back in France, and using the map provided, Rem found the entryway to the sewers he was looking for was by Karen’s hideout. The very entrance Karen used to sneak around the city. “Well guys...I’ll be back soon, if all goes well. Wait for me here, in that building, ok?” Rem said, pointing to Karen‘s hideout.

"Are you sure you don't want me to come? What if it's too dark, or you get hurt?" The fairy asked, looking very worried.

Rem sighed. "I know Doki, but I can't risk Karen's safety by having you tag along."

Cream the monster boney tugged on Rem’s clothes, making sad noises, trying to make Rem stay. “I will explain it all to Cream, so don’t worry.” Cinder said.

Rem nodded. “Stay safe guys.” He said, as he climbed down into the sewers. Rem couldn’t see anything, outside of what light came from outside. He reached back and drew out the sword he was carrying on his back, and taking off the small shield as well. His swords blade glowed with a mythical light, as Rem proceeded through the sewers, using his sword as a torch. He looked on the ground to get a handle of his footing, and saw arrows made of...blood. Rem gulped seeing this. The smell was stronger then that of even the sewer itself, making him want to gag, but he kept a brave face and followed the arrows.

After a while of following the trail, suddenly Rem found himself in a cross section of the sewers, with the paths splitting into four different directions. Then he heard some echoy laughing, as suddenly a shadow with a single glowing right eye appeared. “Enjoying your trip of the sewers? Is the darkness and smells messing with your senses?”

Rem narrowed his eyes. “Where’s Karen?!”

The shadow moved as if it was afraid. “Oooooo, don‘t yell at me. Ha ha ha! Look at the little scaredy cat, trying to act all tough to save the girl. What a hero! Ah ha ha ha ha ha!” The shadow taunted him. “They path will appear before you...If you actually survive this.” The shadow then disappeared.

Suddenly, a gnawing sound could be heard echoing through the tunnels. Rem looked around, and saw from each tunnel were...giant rats! They were as big as a large dog, with nasty matted looking fur, and glowing purple eyes. Suddenly they all looked up, as they saw Rem, and began running towards him! There was a total of nine, three form each tunnel aside from the one behind him. “What are these!?” Rem yelled, as they came at him. One from the rightward tunnel jumped at him, but Rem blocked the tackle with his shield, knocking it into another one. Though while he was busy with those two, one jumped across the gap from the leftward tunnel, and bit him in the leg, causing him to yell out in pain. Their teeth were massive, so it felt like being stabbed in the leg with a large knife. Rem quickly turned around, and stabbed the rat in the head with his sword, which killed it instantly.
The three coming at him from the right were back up, and all rushed him at once. Rem quickly snapped his fingers, and his shadow came to life. The shadow moved like liquid, and wrapped up the rats in a shadow bubble. Rem quickly fired a beam of ice at his shadow, freezing it solid. The rats inside were trying to break out, but Rem was a step ahead. Snapping his fingers again, the shadow ice exploded, sending the shards inwards. The rats were all killed by the impaling ice, dropping their corpses in the water. The three from the northward tunnel were now swimming across the gap, while the remaining two from the left were jumping the gap. Thinking quickly, Rem jumped into the intersection of sewer water, and made a pillar of ice in the water. The rats were now all changing direction, moving towards the pillar. Then, his gloves aura changing from light blue to yellow, he charged up some electricity in his hand, and then touched the pillar. “Shock Wave!” Rem yelled, sending a weak, but wide range electric attack into the water. The rats were all shocked, and they died quickly. After a few seconds, all the rats bodies turned purple, and burst in a cloud of smoke, as white lights disappeared from the smoke. Then, suddenly, blood arrows appeared on the left tunnel. Rem made a small ice slide, and slid back to the ground, and continued down the path. “Where did that demon guy get monsters from? Did he catch them, or did they...already live down here?” Rem shivered at the thought, and continued on his way.


Rem continued down the path, until suddenly he was ambushed by a rat falling from above, and landing on top of him. For a child, this was quite heavy, and knocked him over. Before he could react, the rat bit the same leg that was injured before, as it could smell his blood. Rem yelled in pain, but then kicked the rat off, knocking it into a tumble. They both got up, and the rat charged at Rem. He blocked the attack with his shield, dazing the rat. It tried to go for another bite, but Rem leaned back to dodge, then lunched forward with a stab form his sword, getting it right in the head. It died from the blow, giving out a cry of pain, before exploding like the others. Rem then sat down, as his breathing was getting heavy. He looked at his wound and took out some herbs from his pouch, and stuck them on the wound. He ripped off some cloth from his sleeve, and wrapped it around the wound, his eyes wincing from the pain. If a big rat is going to hurt this much, can I really handle the phantom demon?...Well it doesn’t matter if I can or can’t, I gotta make it happen! And with a confident look, Rem stood back up, and kept moving.


After going further through the sewers, he found that the tunnel he was in suddenly was at a drop off point, the sewer water flowing like a waterfall. Below, there was a raised platform in the center of the cylinder-shaped room. Several tunnels let out here, making several waterfalls of sewer water, all going into a whirlpool under the platform. While the platform connected to tunnels, what was down there was what was important was the one-eyed phantom demon and Karen. Karen was tied up, and hanging from a tripod of metal beams. The phantom demon Draxten had gray scale like skin, a pair of webbed wings, two twisted horns, and a single purple eye. He had an eyepatch over his missing left eye, and wore some light purple and black armor. He noticed Rem, and called out to him. “Hey there, Scarface! Long time no see! Why don‘t you come on down and join the party?”

Rem, while trembling slightly from fear, looked angry and determined. He jumped off the edge, and snapped his fingers, bringing his shadow to life. He grabbed his shadows hand, and it allowed him to float down gently. Once Rem landed, his shadow returned to him, and drew his sword. “Let Karen go!” He said, pointing his sword at Draxten.

Draxten smirked. “Oh come now, you just gonna come down here all serious like that? You think you’re a tough little shrimp, don’t ya?” He folded his arms. “My king needs you dead, kid. And personally, I hate both of you. So don’t think either of you are leaving here alive."

Rem trembled a little, but stood firm. “Why does your king want me dead so badly? I’m just a kid who just want’s my mom and dad back. I don’t want to fight your king.”

“Why my king needs you dead isn’t my business, my business is to serve. But your parents are gone kid, and soon, you‘ll be joining them. I just wanna watch you suffer a little more, before I spill both you kids blood on the floor.” Draxten said, staring at Rem with a death glare in his eye.

“Why do you hate us so badly? Leave Karen alone, and just take me!“ Rem yelled.

“Both you little shits cost me my eye!“ Draxten yelled back, his fists clinched. “I‘ll never be the same because of what you two did to me, so you‘ll pay with your puny lives!” He then snapped his fingers. A bunch of the large Giant Rats jumped down from the other tunnels around the walls of the room, then suddenly joined by a Lizafose landing in the middle of the platform, separating Draxten and Rem. “These guys are gonna rip your tiny body apart, limb from limb, before your tossed out to head to the ocean. And know if you somehow live, I‘ll be right here to finish you off. Let‘em have it boys!”

The Lizafose roared, as it drew it‘s sword, breathing some fire for intimidation. The Giant Rats howled along with the roar, as they all began to circle Rem, as the Lizafose drew towards Rem. Rem looked around, trying to think before his enemies made an attack. Rem snapped his fingers, but...his shadow didn’t appear. “Wait, what?”

Draxten laughed. “You seriously think I’m gonna let you use shadows?”

The Lizafose then suddenly charged at Rem, swinging its sword, forcing Rem to block with his shield, but then the rats moved in to strike Rem while he was blocking the Lizafose strike. Rem saw them coming, and quickly jumped back, bouncing off the top of one of the rats heads, putting him into the air. Rem charged up electricity in his gloves, and fired a powerful “Bolt Blast!” Rem yelled, firing a very powerful blast of electricity at the Lizafose. The Lizafose tried to jump back, but the sword almost worked as a lightning rod, and drew it in since it didn‘t move in time, blasting it backwards. Then, as Rem began to fall, he charged up electricity again, and when he landed, he punched the ground, letting out his shockwave attack once more. Due to the rats being wet from their trip here, the shock had them entirely stunned, but not beat yet.

The Lizafose roared, and then began to breath fire at Rem. Rem looked surprised, being forced to run to dodge. Due to the stun, the Lizafose managed to torch some of the rats, killing them with the fire breath. Trying to stop the fire breath, Rem started forming ice blasts in his hands, trying to throw them at the Lizafose. This failed, and soon Rem was face to face with the fire, holding it back with his shield. Thinking quickly, Rem formed one more large ice blast, and chucked it over himself and the flames. This hit the Lizafose directly on the head, completely dazing it due to the literal brain freeze it now had. Taking full advantage of this, he rushed the Lizafose, and stabbed his sword through the Lizafose’s head! It dropped it’s sword, and fell over, dead. It’s body soon exploded into smoke like the rats. Rem looked around, staring down the remaining rats with fierce looking eyes.

The rats became scared, and jumped off the platform, into the water below, preferring to take their chances with where it took them. It left Rem alone with Draxten, who looked furious. “Alright then, fine you little shit! I’ll kill you myself! You’ll wish you chose the fate of rat food!” He then extended his wings outward, and took to the air, floating above the platform. Beginning with the first attack, Draxten summoned all the shadows in the room, and began sending them at Rem to attack by rushing him.

Rem dodged a few of the shadows, but soon enough, a shadow crashed into him, blasting him backwards. He was now falling off the side of the platform, but then another shadow came from behind him, blasting him back into the air. Once high in the air, Draxten caugh him, and held him by the shirt. “Don’t worry, you won’t be taking a dip until I’m sure your dead.” He then chucked him back towards the ground.

Managing to recover, Rem turned around so he was facing the ground, and fired a powerful ice beam to slow his momentum, so he managed to avoid crashing into the ground. Though suddenly, Rem saw a shadow in the shape of a circle cast under his feet from above, as a barrage of shadows came and crashed down onto him. While Rem recovered this attack, Draxten swooped in to attack, but that's what Rem wanted. Rem quickly turned to face him, and unleashed a powerful ”Bolt Blast!” directly into Draxten, causing him to tumble backwards out of the air and crash onto the ground. Rem then had both his hands glow light blue, and swung both arms, sending a wave of sharp icicles into Draxten, stabbing him over and over, until he let out a discharge of shadows to stop the attack.

“Nice try, little shit, but I’m not done yet!” Draxten taunted. He then flew back into the air, as shadows formed in the air. Then they began to rain down massively large beams all over the platform, giving Rem very little room to move around them. Though Rem had an idea. If Draxten was busy using shadows in the room, could he take control of a shadow that was being used by someone else? He snapped his figners, as his shadow came back to life. Rem was excited that this worked, and filled his shadow full of electricity, and sent it darting through the shadow rain of beams. It found a way through, and crashed right into Draxten, with a burst of electricity. “Gah! How did you...” Draxten muttered. “You wont escape this next one!” Then suddenly a wave of shadows formed on one end of the room, and moved to wash over towards the other, as more shadow beams rained down.

Rem looked worried, not sure how he was going to get out of this attack. “Shadow.” Rem said, snapping his fingers, summoning it. “We need to fly. Can you carry me?” Rem‘s shadow nodded, and picked him up navigating through the many shadow beams, until he was in the air above Draxten. Rem’s shadow then lobbed Rem, through the air. Draxten saw him coming, but was no longer paying any attention to Rem’s shadow. Rem’s shadow then flew directly into Draxten, exploding on contact, stunning him for a moment, while Rem came down on him stabbing his sword in his shoulder.

Draxten yelled out in pain, then grabbed Rem by the throat before he could escape. “You are going to wish you never messed with me!” He said, choaking Rem harder and harder, pulled the sword out, and tossing it below. Rem struggled, but he couldn’t get free, but then he had an idea. He had once ace in the hole. He suddenly extended on his hands that was trying to break free from Draxtens grip, and began to glow white. Suddenly, a ball of light formed, and let out a blinding flash, blinding Draxten in his remaining eye, as he yelled out. He dropped Rem in order to shield his eyes. Rem fell to the floor, but was able to summon his shadow to break his fall. He picked up his sword, and looked at Draxten. He looked down at Rem, furious. “That's it, no more games!‘ He then called forth all the shadows in the room, forming a massive ball of shadow energy nearly as big as the room. Rem tried to attack with energy attacks from the ground, but shadows would come out to converge on the attacks. “You won’t be stopping this move with your stupid attacks! Say goodbye!“ Then just as he was about to launch the attack, something moved through the air at super fast speeds. It looked like a fireball flew past him, but as it did, claw marks appeared on Draxtens chest, causing him to cough up blood. “What?...” He looked around, and saw Cinder had attacked by leaping from a high tunnel. “That little.” Then he suddenly noticed out of the corner of his eye, floating down from above slowly was Cream. “The heck is-” But he was cut off by Cream suddenly letting out a deafing cry, unleashing soundwaves directly into Draxtens face! He was completely stunned, unable to attack, as his own move was becoming unstable.

“Go for it Rem!” Cinder called out.

Rem nodded, snapping his fingers. “Shadow!” Rem called out, as it picked Rem up, and flew at Draxten. His sword began to glow a mystical white, as he stabbed the sword into Draxten’s chest! Her then pulled it out in a slashing motion, leafing a massive gash across his chest, bleeding heavily. Draxten gasped, spitting out a lot of blood, as he suddenly fell out of the air, as his attack disappeared. Rem floated back down with his shadow, as Cream and Cinder joined him, looking to see if Draxten would survive that.

Then, he slowly stood up, bleeding from his many wounds, coughing up blood. “I...didn’t think I‘d lose...to a tiny little shit like you...Now I see why...Lord Runic...fears your protentional...” He kept coughing up blood, but then he suddenly went very quiet, as his eyes looked glassed over. Suddenly, he had no life left in him to stand, and fell backwards into the whirlpool below without a word.

Rem quickly went over to Karen, now that the battle was over. Doki was already trying to tend to her wounds, as her body glowed a light green color, and when she was done with Karen, she moved to helping Rem heal up. "Thanks for that Doki." Rem said to her, as she smiled at him.

Rem cut her free, as she looked at him. “Thanks...for coming to save me little Remmy...” Karen mumbled, tired from her wounds.

Rem shook his head. “Save your energy. We can talk later.” He then looked to Cinder. “Cinder, can you carry her out?”

Cinder nodded, and walked over to Rem, allowing him to put Karen on his back. “How do we get out of here?“ Cinder asked.

“Poyo poyo.” Cream said, pointing to one of the pathways the platform connected to.

“Maybe your right Cream. If this is a service area, then make it connects to the main sewer. Come on guys,” Rem said, taking his sword, and leading the way with it.




After some time spent in the sewers, the group managed to find their way out, and then made their way back to Karen’s hideout. While there, Rem started making Karen some potion in her soup pot using some herbs and mushrooms he collected. Once he gave her some, he helped Cream with cleaning her wounds. Cinder was standing guard at the entrance to the hideout, with Doki helping. Karen started to feel better after a few minutes, but she would still need more time to fully recover. “That stuff really works fast...Little Remmy, you sure have gotten a lot stronger since I last saw you fight. I don’t think I can call you little anymore. You seem...way more capable then before.”

Rem looked embarrassed. “I don’t know about all that...But I have had to do a lot of fighting since we last met. Oh, by the way, this here is Cream, the fairy is Doki, and the Flare Wolf is Cinder. I met them after I left.”

Karen smiled, and nodded. She gave Cream a bit of a pat, which she liked. “Well it‘s nice to meet you all.” She then sighed. “I‘ve gotten careless. I shouldn‘t of fallen for that trap. I knew that job paid way too well...”

“What job?” Rem asked.

Karen shook her head. “It’s nothing. It was just a stupid trap by that one eyed demon.”

Rem frowned. “If you’re sure.”

Karen nodded. “Really it’s fine. So did you find your parents yet?”

Rem shook his head, frowning. “No, just some more orbs for this gloves.”

Karen frowned. “I’m sorry to hear that. I was hoping after all this time you would have had some luck.“

“Well the orbs will help me get stronger, and I met some new friends along the way, so things are getting better. With their help, I’m sure I’ll find mom and dad soon.” Rem smiled, trying to stay positive.

Karen smiled. “That’s the spirit.” She then paused for a moment. “Rem, I’m thinking...that I shouldn’t stay at this hideout for a while.”

“What do you mean?” Rem asked.

“I’m thinking of getting out of France, and finding work somewhere else for a while. If there are other demons after you, they might want revenge for their friend. If that’s the case, this place isn’t safe anymore. I‘m thinking of laying low for a while.” Karen explained.

“Where would you go?” Rem asked.

“I’m not sure. I might visit the orphanage for a while, but after that, it will be where the work is.” Karen explained.

“Will I ever see you again?” Rem asked, looking worried.

Karen smiled. “Don’t worry, I won’t die on you. Somehow, sometime, we will see each other again, ok? It‘s a promise.”

Rem smiled bright back. “It‘s a promise then. No go backs!”

Karen giggled slightly. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

And for a few days longer, Rem and Karen stayed together while they both recovered, until they both set out on their own journeys. While they wished they could go together, for now, life would keep them apart again. Until...




Back in present day, as Rem finished explaining the entire story to Karen. “Don’t you get it? It wasn’t that I forgot about you, you went off the grid. I’ve been in and out of France for the last several years, and I haven’t seen you around until now.”


Karen simply chuckled, looking smug. “So, you really do remember all that, huh? Amazing.”

Rem looked concerned. “Karen, I don’t know what you’ve been through all these years, but I can help with whatever you need to get out of the place your in now. It’s not too late.”

Karen’s face seemed to have a mix of emotions, one hand looking smug, but the other feeling twisted. A tear went down her face, despite not looking pained when it happened. She then looked him in the eyes. “You really, truly don’t get it, do you? When I said the person you knew was gone, it was the truth. All the good you want to do doesn’t matter, when you’re too late.”

Rem shook his head. “That isn’t true. The others will understand once we stop whatever Volks is planning with your help. And if you’re worried about what else you’ve done, it’s never too late to fix it. Please, let me help you. I’m your friend, and I care about you. I’ve always had.” He extended his hand outwards, despite them being on other ends of the room.


Karen’s expression was actually moved a bit by this. She looked pained for a moment, but then that smug expression returned. “Interesting. I’m surprised you were able to provoke a reaction like that, but it changes nothing. You’re still too naive to understand the truth. But I guess I can’t blame you for not getting it, I’m sure most people wouldn’t be able too.”

Rem looked confused at first, but then something about what was said, combined with the rest of the confusing things Karen was saying was giving Rem a feeling of…dread. “What…do you mean? If you know something I don’t, then tell me.”

Kared had a smug smirk plastered all over her face, as she seemed to think. “Well...I suppose at this stage of the game, it doesn’t matter if you know or not. I can’t be stopped now.”

“You?” Rem questioned.

Karen began to chuckle with her eyes closed. Then suddenly, Karen opened her eyes, as they had the same orange glow to them that Liquid and the other workers underground had. “I know you’ve seen the underground, but honestly I’m surprised you didn’t piece it all together. The fact that you haven‘t shows you can’t stop me now.” Karen spoke, in a rougher, more distorted version of her voice then before.

Rem looked shocked, seeing Karen’s eyes change colors, then he looked angry. “I get it now. I‘m speaking to Volks, aren’t I? You’ve possessed Karen.“

Karen laughed out loud. “Not quite what you’d call ‘possession’, more along the lines of a ‘reprograming’.”

Rem narrowed his eyes. “That might explain why my stone didn’t react to being near you as if you were possessed. How did you ’reprogram' Karen then?”
Karen smirked, as suddenly she grabbed the collar of her outfit that was around her neck, and pulled it down to expose part of her chest. On her breast, about where her heart would be, there was a small, beetle like object attached to her. “This is how. I suppose you could call it a semi organic offspring of mine, made of my genetic code. You see, it’s tech comes from my home planet. Not much like it on your backwater planet. Once it attaches to someone, I’m able to rewrite them by connecting to their nervous system. I have access to their memories, emotions, whatever I need, but I can also change them entirely to fit my needs.”

Rem’s anger was building, but he had to remain calm so he could get more information. “You mean to tell me that you have who knows how many of these people reprogramed underground doing your work? You have those many devices? If they are directly connected to you, why use Karen as your middleman?”

“Good question, ‘Little Remmy’.” Karen smirked. “In actuality, I don’t have the resources to mass produce them at this effectiveness. The masses underground are controlled by a knock off version created from stolen tech that Kraven managed to get ahold of for me. It can do the rewriting I need, but they aren’t directly connected to me, so they still need to receive instructions through Karen.”

“Speaking of Kraven, what was your goal involving him? Is he under your control too?” Rem asked.

Karen shook her head. “No, my ties with Kraven are now cut. His only use was to provide me with supplies, in exchange for Karen’s services, with the hopes of my finished product would rid him of the powered kind of the world. A shame he won‘t be there to see that world.”

Rem’s eyes widened. He figured by that, Kraven was killed by Volks. “Has Mr. List suffered that same fate? Did he stop being useful?”

Karen chuckled. “Mr. List lives, for now anyway. His project worked well for my needs, as well as his mind. It’s been quite the long and drawn out affair, but it finally nears it’s end." Karen then paused, and gave Rem a puzzled look. ”You sure are rather calm, all things considered, aren‘t you? You getting all the questions you wanted answered? Connecting all the dots?”

Rem narrowed his eyes again. “Why are you so open with the information? What is your grand goal? Why go through all this?”

“I’m so open with these details because I respect you, Mr. Stratford. Not only surviving our last battle, but also because of your past victories. I surrender the information freely, but also because I feel you can no longer stop me, even with the information I’ve given you. But honestly, I look forward to seeing if you are capable of surprising me.” Karen paused for a moment. “I can’t spoil all the details, but I will say this. I want to leave this rock, and there's only one way I’m going to do it.”

“And how is that? Why keep it a secret at this point?“ Rem asked, growing nervous.

Karen chuckled, wagging her finger. “Oh Mr. Stratford, you really think I’d give away the big reveal? You’ll just have to wait. Though, maybe that goes more for those listening in.” Then Karen snapped her fingers, when suddenly everything began to shake.

Rem looked around, trying figure out what was happening. “What are you doing?!”

Karen now tauntingly looked at her nails. “Oh, well I didn’t plan on you leaving here alive. I’ve just been buying time, while some of my earth humans were setting things up.” Karen then took out a pistol, and shot Rem in the leg, with no warning. Rem yelled in pain, while Karen kept the gun pointed at him. “You really are bad with guns lately, aren’t you? Now, are you going to kill Karen to escape, or try our luck with the building collapsing?”

Then the upper floors began to fall down, as Rem began to slow them with earth powers, but didn‘t slow it in time, so now he was supporting the floors of the upper floors using his powers, but putting a strain on his body. “Ugh!...I thought...you needed Karen...“

“Hmm? You think I‘m not getting out of this? I set this whole thing up, and you walked into this trap with open arms.” She then shot Rem in the other leg, as Rem yelled in pain, causing his struggle to be even harder. She then pointed the gun at Rem’s head. “You wanted to believe in Karen so badly, you wanted so hard to make things right, that you walked headfirst into danger. That faith has left you here. As strong are you are, you really are a fool.”

“I might be a fool for walking into this trap, but I wasn’t a fool for believing in her...If anything...you’re the fool...to take a friend from me like this...You‘re going to pay for what you‘ve done to Karen, and all the rest of those people in the underground!” Rem said, struggling to stand.

Karen just had a bored expression on her face. “Are you done? A fine farewell speech, but it‘s a shame you wont be living to act on it. At least you weren’t a boring human.” Then Karen pulled the trigger to end it.

But then suddenly, appearing in a blur was Raylu! He caught the bullet in his fingers, and went to strike Karen with an open palm punch, full of ki energy! “What?!“ Karen exclaimed, having no time to react, and was sent into a pile of rubble.

Raylu quickly healed Rem with his healing aura, and smashed the rubble on top of Rem. “I told you this was unwise, Sir Rem.”

Rem got back to his feet, putting his hand behind his head. “Yeah I know, but I knew if I rushed off like that, you’d be waiting in the wings to save me. I counted on it if things got dicey.” Rem then walked over to Karen, with Raylu right behind. “Alright Volks, reprograming or not, we’re gonna take Karen with us and get her fixed, and when we do she’ll blow your plan wide open. You‘ve lost, taking your gamble.”

Karen groaned, sitting up, but then locked eyes with Rem, and then laughed at him. “You seriously are a grand fool, you know that?! Even if you were to get anything out of Karen, it’s already too late! You think I would of taken a risk like this unprepared?” Karen went into a full fit of laughter. “And besides, you’re still in my trap. Do you know the reason why the earth humans are controlling the building as we speak? To prevent your escape!” Then suddenly, the entry way was sealed by a stone wall. “You can’t teleport through active power like this. I’ve carefully planned this all out, and now I get to kill two of you!”

Rumbling was then heard from below, but it wasn‘t the earth being moved by earth humans. Energy could be felt building below the surface! Raylu looked alarmed instantly. “Sir, power is building at an alarming rate below us!”

Rem felt it too, then suddenly felt it approaching. “Get back!” Rem yelled, as they scattered.

Karen used this chance to get to a wall, which an earth human opened for her, and make her escape, while the power drew near. Suddenly, a massive pair of horns burst through the ground, followed by the body of Volks! Volks‘s massive size barely fit in the building, but that also turned this room into an electric death pit. Volks monstrous voice boomed. “I told you, Mr. Stratford, I have this all planned out!” Then massive electric waves fired out through the confined space, blasting Rem and Raylu against the walls. Volks then stomped across the room, and picked up Rem in one of his three fingered hands. Volks roared, tightening his grip on Rem, zapping him with electricity while he attempted to crush him. “Whatever God you believe in, pray to it now.” Volks taunted, but then he was stuck in the face by aura blasts.

Raylu was moving in between the streaks of electricity, as his fist glowed silver. Then he got to Volks, and stuck him with a “Silver Punch!“ hitting Volks directly. A normal enemy would of been dazed or staggered by this, but Volks didn’t budge. Raylu looked surprised, and tried to retreat to counter, but Raylu was grabbed as well, being shocked by Volks.

“Pathetic.” Volks then began to spread his wings, and fly, as he flew up into the air. “It’s time to finish this.” He then lifted his arms, and tossed both Rem and Raylu down into the rubble. Volks then began to charge lightning between his horns. “You won’t survive this one!“ Then a large mass of lighting now filled the empty space between his horns. He then flung his horns downward, seeing the massive blast down into the building below, resulting in a massive lightning explosion! The walls crumbled downwards, as the whole building collapsed in on itself. Surely they aren‘t so durable to survive that...But I‘ll have to count on it. If I stay too long, it will draw to much attention. If they survived, they won’t for much longer... Volks then covered himself in lightning, as he flew into the ground, burrowing through the earth to escape.




Shortly after Volks fled, Eric arrived on the scene, moving through the rubble with darkness. “Rem! Raylu! Answer me!” He called out. Soon enough he found Rem and Raylu buried under a slab of solid stone. “Guys!” Eric rushed over, and took out one of Rem‘s yellow potions, and gave half to each of them. After a few seconds that felt like years to Eric, Rem and Raylu started coughing. “Oh thank God I made it in time.”

Rem and Raylu sat up, still in a lot of pain even with the potion coursing through them. “Ugh! That Volks is so strong...I didn’t even get the chance to fight back...”

Raylu looked disheartened. “To take one of my more powerful attacks like it was nothing...It‘s clearly a threat that will be difficult to stop...”

Eric looked worried. “Of what I gathered, Volks plan is about to reach the climax. At least we know now for a fact that Volks is behind the tower. That tower is set to open any time, we need a plan of action.”

“Ugh...We’ll get the others together, and get a plan of action going...We have a lot of things to handle, and we still don’t know what the tower is even for yet.” Rem paused to think. “But I‘m starting to get some ideas...’I have to get off this rock’...Could it be...” Rem began to have an idea of what might be the plan for the Tower of Power, but was it already too late? Was Volks plan actually too far along to stop? The climax is just around the corner, one way or another.


...End of Data Log.

[Aqua]

Data Log #18: Shocking Betrayal


Data Log place in time: Sometime between the events of Data Log #16 and Data Log #17.




After the events that transpired at Kavisto’s not long ago, Kraven was hard at work, but something was on his mind. He was in his office, contacting someone on his computer. “So how goes your progress on the chemical research?” Kraven questioned the person on the other side.

A voice that was morphed to protect the identity of parties in case of anyone attempting to listen in, responded to Kraven. “Progress goes smoothly for now, but things have been busy around here because of that heist a few days back, so it’s causing a little bit a slow down.”

Kraven nodded. “Very good. Continue as you can, and I’ll be in contact soon. For now, staying hidden is the most important task you have,”

“Of course, sir. I won’t let you down.” The voice responded.

Once the call ended, Kraven was once again alone with his thoughts. After seeing the people Volks had working for him...Something isn‘t right. If he wants to dispose of powered users, then why would he use so many of them? And after getting a look at what Volks is having them build under the Tower of Power...What is he up too? Hopefully Connwell is nearly done analyzing the data he got from the stealth squad. Then suddenly breaking his train of thought, The Tamer entered the room.

“Is all going well Kraven, or is this a bad time?” He asked Kraven.

Kraven shook his head. “Not at all, please come in. If anything, having someone to converse with on this might help me sort my thoughts.”

Tamer looked concerned a bit. “Is this about what the undercover agents found with the Tower?”

“Yes, but also just the nature of Volks movements. The secrecy of the true form of the tower, the apparent brainwashed nature of his followers, the strange attack on the Kavisto Group base. Either I just don’t understand how this all comes together, or...I’m being used.“ Kraven said, looking angry.

“You think he plans on betraying you? If so, he’s truly a fool. Our forces can contend with World Savers, it would be unwise to make enemies of us.” Tamer commented.

“Hmm...I wonder what that matters to something not of this world...” Kraven mumbled.

The Tamer looked confused. “You think he’s alien or something?”

Kraven nodded. “He’s no demon or hellspawn, and reports suggest he’s not of the monster realm. Taking into account of his nature, the shape of the Tower, and tying his appearance to a meteor crash from several years back, I’m nearly sure of it. And if that’s the case, then why would he even care of the affairs of our world?”

“Well of what you shared with me, didn’t you say his tower was going to be powered by absorbing the energy of powered beings of the various realms? Maybe the energy is for him to leave the planet? If it was me, I wouldn’t care what I need to use to get off a strange world to get home.” Tamer said, thinking aloud.

Kraven then looked very serious. “That’s what I worry about...”




After a little while of speaking through, Kraven was contacted by Connwell. “Good to hear from you Connwell. Have you finished analyzing the data I sent you?” Kraven questioned.

“Ah, yes, hello Kraven. Yes, that’s actually why I was calling.” Connwell responded.

“What did you discover from the data then?” Kraven asked.

“You see, that’s the strange thing. Some of this tech design is something I’ve never seen before, but it does lend evidence to your theory that this Volks could be an alien. Studying the structure, along with the internal network of tech could also suggest your other theory is correct, in that the tower is actually some sort of spacecraft. But this is where the even more unusual aspects of the designs come in. While I can’t get a visual on this aspect of the design, there are some long energy nodes going several thousand feet into the earth, where it seems to be designed to draw energy from the earths core.” Connwell explained.

Kraven was taking all this information in. “Wait. Knowing the energy reserves that the Tower was designed to have, does that mean that...”

Kraven trailed off, fully understanding what he was about to ask, but Connwell knew what he was about to suggest, and answered him. “Unfortunately yes. The tower, due to its size and energy tech, it has the very real possibility to be able to drain the earths core of all its energy.”

The Tamer looked nervous. “Wait, wouldn’t that mean it could cause the core to become unstable, and cause the earth to be destroyed?”

“If the lack of energy doesn’t cause it, the force of an object with that much stored energy taking off could possibly destroy the earth. Best case, according to the data calculations, the earth could be ripped into massive chunks via tremors, would could cause mass destruction.” Connwell explained further.

Kraven then looked determined, standing up from his desk. “If this is the case, we need to act quickly. We need to destroy the tower, and then put an end to Volks if we must. Tamer, we’re going to need to be prepared for a fight. Catch Frost up to speed, and then spread the word through the rest of the combat agents. I’ll get ahold of Crix at his base, and have him prepare what we’ll need to take the tower out.” Then suddenly, Kraven heard a beep from his wristband, and he touched it. “Report.”

”Uhh, sir, Karen has appeared with a few powered being outside the base. She’s calling out your name, but-Gaaaaah!” Then suddenly, a massive explosion was heard through the call, as well as felt from Kravens office, when the call shortly cut to static.

Kraven then locked eyes with Tamer. “Forget that, come with me. It seems we may have a fight on our hands sooner than expected.” Then he looked over his shoulder, back at his computer. “Connwell, inform Crix in my stead. Catch him up to speed on this all.”

”Understood Mr. Kraven.” Connwell replied, before ending the call.

Tamer nodded. “Understood. Let’s go meet our traitor.” Then the two men, readying their guns, took off out of the office.




Not long later, Kraven and Tamer made it to the cargo bay. Entering, they saw Karen and Liquid approaching the entryway that Kraven and Tamer just came from. Fighting was going on between powered humans, and Kravens men. Karen then smirked, as Kraven appeared. “You’ve been a very bad boy, Mr. Kraven. Sticking your nose in where it doesn’t belong.”

Kraven and Tamer drew their guns, and pointed them at Karen and Liquid. “While your intrusion is unwelcome, you’ve saved me the trouble of tracking you down Karen. Now I have some questions for you. I trust the proxy of Volks should be able to answer my questions, yes?”

Karen chuckled, feeling no fear of having guns pointed at her. “You do catch on fast, Mr. Kraven. Fine. You’ve proved yourself well enough, I suppose I can answer a few questions.”

Kraven narrowed his eyes at Karen, never lowering his weapon. “That tower, it’s a spacecraft for Volks isn’t it? And it’s going to be powered by the earth’s core, rather than the sources of powered kinds power, isn’t it?”

Karen had an evil looking glint in her eye, then chuckled. “My, you really have done your homework, though I expected nothing less from you. You are correct. Volks cares nothing for this planet, and will be using the earths core to power his ship. But we didn’t lie on the power issue of things. Volks still plans to use the dimensional relay disks on the tower to tap into the various other realms this world is connected to and drain them as well. So if earth survives, you truly will have a world without power, Mr. Kraven.”

Kraven felt confused, but would dare not show that in his expression. Keeping serious, he pressed for more answers. “If you are still going to use the powered realms to power the ship, why do you need the earths energy on top of it?”

Karen looked confused for a second, raising an eyebrow. “What a curious question. The answer is simple. Because we can.”

“What?” Kraven stated plainly.

“It’s not that complex, but honestly once Volks was stranded on this rock, he found this world and its realms were ripe with energy and vessels that could use them. The Demons and Powered Humans. You see, while we don’t need all that energy to escape, Volks has much bigger plans for the galaxy then you can understand. While this planet may be underdeveloped on a tech side of things, it more than makes up for it all with an abundance of power, and living weapons that can use it. Power that the rest of the galaxy lacks. No other planet that’s ever been seen before by Volks has so much energy as this, and that’s because it’s connected to so many other realms. Demon realms, Powered realms, the Monster realm, the list goes on. It’s like dozens of planets rolled up into one.” Karen explained.

“So that’s why you needed the tech of Harkum Inc, and the mind of Dominick List. Volks needed both a space station, and a power plant, all in one. All so he can take the galaxy. Those are quite some goals our buggy friend has there. Though why not be forward with this from the start? In exchange for the earths safety, I’d gladly help you destroy the other realms.” Kraven questioned.

Karen smirked, as she broke out into a small laugh. “While you may be right, as you can see you’ve already done all we’ve needed of you, Mr. Kraven. We don’t need to spare the earth. Picture a box full of candy. If you’re planning on stealing the whole thing, what’s the point of leaving one behind at that point? Volks has no interest in preserving this planet, so why even waste the time in doing so, when it’s energy could be used for more useful things.”

Kraven began to chuckle himself. “The reason why you’d, as you put it, leave the candy bar behind, is to protect yourself. We aren’t going to simply allow you to do as you please to our planet, just so you can fulfill your goals. Though I will say, your tower project can still be of great use to me, so now I suppose who isn’t needed now is Volks.”

Karens eyes widened, but not out of fear, but humor. She began to laugh loudly, as if hearing the funniest thing she ever heard. When she calmed down enough to speak, she was still half laughing. “Haha, Mr. Kraven, you crack me up! Even the thought of you being able to stand up to Volks is laughable. You aren’t dealing with some powered madman that this planet is full of. You are dealing with an unstoppable force. Even the World Savers themselves could barely even phase Volks in their encounter. What gives you the gall then even think you could possibly stand up to us?”

“The number and power of my forces exceed your own, and when we bring our full might down on your small army, they will crumble. And then we will take Volks afterwards. You gravely underestimate the power of my forces.” Kraven taunted.

Karen was finally calming down, but still giggling and chuckling to herself. “Oh Kraven, you are wrong on so many levels. But the one you made the biggest mistake on was actually thinking we underestimated the power of your forces. Namely, the backbone of your army. But sadly for you, it seems you were a little slow in figuring out something very important. It actually ties back into how we were able to find you here.”

Then suddenly, coming into the room from behind was The Electrode and Dr. Frost. Kraven looked over his shoulder for a second, before smirking. “Wonderful, your both here. Now let’s-“ but then Kravens eyes widened, as suddenly they unleashed attacks on Kraven and The Tamer, blasting them both back.

They both recovered, as Tamer now pointed his gun at them. “What is going on here?! What are you two doing?!”

Karen started to laugh again. “You made a grave mistake sending your best into the caves with Liquid Rose, Kraven. Thanks to Master Volks, your three strongest now work with us. Take a look at them.”

Kraven recovered, and looked at them, noticing their eyes were glowing orange. “What is wrong with you two?” Kraven asked firmly.

“No hard feelings, Kraven, but after the beetle, we’ve seen the truth for what it is. And that is to serve Master Volks in his conquest of the galaxy.” Dr. Frost answered.

Kraven looked confused. “The beetle?...”

The Tamer looked pissed, as his hair began to glow from his psychic power. “AWAL or whatever, you won’t be serving him for much longer!” Tamer then formed a psychic whip, and used it to strike Electrode in the neck, wrapping around him in attempt to take control over him. “Got’em!”

The Electrode looked at Tamer with very dead eyes, but then suddenly smirked, as he extended his hand, firing another blast of electricity into Tamer, blasting him into a cargo crate. “Nice try psycho boy.” Electrode taunted.

“Tamers powers have no effect?” Kraven mumbled aloud.

Karen was looking very cocky at this point. “Nope. Tamers powers come from being able to override a persons motor functions with his mind, yes? Well thanks to Volks mini beetles, that’s useless, as it constantly takes control back. It’s pretty much why we didn’t have any use for someone who is only strong by hijacking others. We don’t need any help with that.”

“It makes sense now, what Volks told me when he said to think of the powered humans as tools and nothing more. You’ve taken control of them all. Even now, the both of you are brainwashed by him too.” Kraven said, narrowing his eyes at Karen.

“Do you feel better now, Mr. Kraven? Solving the mystery before you die? While your resourcefulness has been useful, Volks has already decided that you’ve lived long enough. I only came here, so that I may see your defeat with my own eyes. To see the look on your face, as you watch your allies be twisted against you. Volks finds enjoyment in this part of the game so much.” Karen said, arms folded, and chuckling.




Frost and Electrode were now charging up attacks in order to strike Kraven next. Even in the face of this danger, Kraven simply chuckled for a moment, before laughing himself. “You and Volks are the ones who have made the grave mistake, Karen. And that is honestly believing that my resourcefulness ever comes to an end!” Kraven said, confidently. Suddenly, both Frost and Electrode fired their attacks at Kraven. He suddenly then leapt into the air, and quickly took out a second pistol, and fired a few ion bullets at the both of them, stunning them, and causing them to recoil back in pain. When he landed, he opened fire on Karen and Liquid, forcing them to take cover. “Tamer, to me! We’re pulling a retreat!” Kraven called out.

Tamer recovered, and added to the suppressing fire that Kraven was providing. He made his way over to Kraven. “Where to?”

Kraven then quickly ran out with Tamer, sealing the door behind him. He quickly began to run down the east hallway, with Tamer right with him. “North cargo bay. We won’t be able to escape though the south bay with all of them there. We can’t plan a counter attack with most of our forces under their control.”

As they were running, suddenly they were being chased by a swarm of beetle like objects from the end of the hall. Tamer took notice quickly. “Kraven, we got company from the back.”

Kraven looked to see, and looked a little worried. “Just a hunch, but I feel those things attach to us, it’s over. Don’t let them near you.” But then suddenly from the front, another swarm of them appeared. “Shit, Tamer, follow my lead. Stand your ground.” Kraven then made an adjustment on his wristband, as a small projectile launcher was now mounted on it. Tamer did the same, but aimed at the other swarm. When both swarms closed in, Kraven and Tamer both fired small flamethrowers from their wristbands. After a few seconds, all the beetles were torched. Kraven then looked worried. “They must be getting in from other locations now. If we don’t hurry, our escape exit will be gone.” Kraven then resumed running.

Tamer followed. “Right, no time to waste. But what do we do about the others in the base?”

Kraven was thinking while he was running. He then touched his wristband again, and spoke into it. “All available staff, do not engage the enemy except for the reason of protecting yourselves. A full retreat is in order. Whatever exit you use, avoid the south cargo bay, as the enemy has taken it over. Avoid contact with the beetle like drones as well, do not engage unless given no other option.”

After a few seconds, Kraven was contacted by one of the captains. ”Kraven sir, avoid the west wing if possible! They’ve breached the wall of the mess hall, and Frost’s snow monsters are pouring in with these beetle things. We’ll hold them off for you sir! For the good of-” But then gunshots were heard, followed by yelling of various troops, before the call ended.

Kraven looked destressed, but realized they were already near the mess hall. “Normally I’d take that suggestion, but we are already here. Let’s see if we can save anyone.”

Tamer nodded. “Right behind you Kraven. Whatever you think is best.” Then the two of then drew near the mess hall entrance, as a body was blasted out. He was still alive, but looked gravely injured. Then suddenly two snow wolves rushed through to pounce on him. Tamer and Kraven quickly pulled out their guns, and shot the wolves before they got to the troop. They quickly rushed over to his side. “Are you alright?” Tamer asked.

The man was coughing up blood. “No sir…Thank you for saving me…but I’m afraid I’m not going to make it…” He coughed again, as he took off a locket, and handed it to Kraven. “I just wish…I could have seen my wife one more time…Sorry I didn’t put up a better fight sir.”

Kraven shook his head. “No, it is I who failed you all. Thank you, you fought bravely.”

The troop coughed again, forcing a smile. “For…the good of mankind…” He said, before his grip on his rifle was lost, and the life left his eyes.

Kraven looked troubled for a moment, as he looked at the locket. Inside was the picture of the troop and a woman. When Kraven saw this, he tightened his grip on it, and put it in his pocket. He picked up the rifle, then looked to Tamer. “Come on.” He then stormed the mess hall, with Tamer at his side.




When they entered the mess hall, it was plunged into chaos. Frost’s Frost Dancer monster was leading a charge of snow wolves, and troops of Kravens controlled by the beetles. They were gunning down those that remained alive on Kravens side, as the room was filled with the screams of those dying. The Frost Dancer knocked down one of the troops, and was struggling to get back to her feet. “Kraven, save us- Ahhhhhh!” She yelled out, as the dancer plunged one of it’s spike arms into her chest, drenching it’s limb with the woman’s blood. The snow wolves quickly moved on the woman’s body to begin to eat her, before she even died from her wounds.

“Nooooo!” One of the men yelled out, as he approached the Dancer with a shotgun, staggering the Dancer. But, consumed with rage, ignored the possessed troopers, who gunned him down in retaliation.

Kraven wasted no time, as he quickly readied the bolt action rifle. He shot the wolves that were trying to rip the woman apart, and took each one down quickly. The possessed troops turned to Kraven, ready to shoot them, but Tamer quickly dispatched them with an Ion blast to the head. The Frost Dancer let out a roar, and began to dance towards Kraven and Tamer. Kraven remained calm, and once he had a clear shot, he blasted the dancers head with the rifle, knocking it across the room. Suddenly, from the broken down wall, powered humans were entering, firing off blasts of fire and large boulders at people, as the pushed through with more snow wolfs in tow. Kraven then called out into the chaos. “Any of my men that are still breathing, get to me!” As the gunfire rang out again, Kraven and Tamer took cover behind a flipped table. Kraven then looked to Tamer. “Can you take over monsters?”

Tamer looked serious. “Good time as any to find out.” He then formed a psychic whip in his hand, and lashed it a wolf that had pounced at one of the remaining troopers, and possessed it. He then turned it on the rest of the pack, causing a notable distraction. The man that was saved quickly went for the body of the woman who was stabbed earlier, and pulled her to safety. She was even worse shape than before, nearly dead.

“You…should have…left me…”She weakly mumbled, bleeding out.

“We don’t abandon our own!” The man who saved her said.

“Please…Kill me…Everything hurts…I’m feeling so…cold…” She mumbled more. The man was trying to stop the bleeding, but the gaping hole would prove impossible to live from, as she was giving up the will to live.

Kraven was getting more determined, as he looked to another survivor. “What’s your name, and what’s the status of the captain?”

“Kris sir, and dead sir. He died leading the charge against the enemy. The rest of us have been taken by the enemy, sir.” She answered him, as she supported a man on her shoulder.

“Then we are continuing our escape to the north cargo bay now then. We-“ Kraven was about to continue instructions, but a wave of ice shot at them all, forcing them to take cover. The Frost Dancer had recovered, and was moving toward them all. Kraven came out from cover to ready his rifle again, as the dancer charged another massive ice attack. “Everyone brace for impact!”

But then, just as the Dancer was about to attack, it suddenly turned around, and fired the attack on its allies! Tamer possessed it just in time, and was signaling everyone. “Come on everyone, let’s move!”

“Everyone follow me! Tamer, you take up the back!” Kraven instructed, as those that remained quickly followed behind him, while Tamer brought up the rear using the dancer to slow the enemies approach through the hallways. Kraven then slung the rifle over his shoulder with the strap, and used his wrist communicator again. “Is there anyone else out there who needs help?”

For a while there was no response, but then suddenly a womans voice called out. ”Please help me sir! I’m pinned down in the womans quarters, and I’m almost out of ammo! Please please help me!” She called out, as loud crashing could be heard over the call.

“We’re coming, just hold out a little longer!” Kraven instructed, as he took his pistol out. They all kept moving, as they soon reached the womans quarters. A group of powered humans broke the wall, and were smashing everything with slabs of earth and stone spikes. Kraven heard the womans cries, as he saw her in a corner, hiding behind a large part of broken wall. Kraven wasted no time, and quickly head shot three of them with bullets so strong, it blew parts of their heads clean off. The remaining two quickly turned their attention to Kraven, but the trapped woman quickly used this chance to headshot one with her pistol, while the woman troop from earlier fired off a blast from her shotgun to support Kraven. The room was now clear, but it wouldn’t last long. Kraven quickly rushed over to her, seeing she has a few stab wounds from stone spikes stuck in her. She wasn’t even armored properly, and she was crying uncontrollably.

“Thank you thank you sir! Everyone just got killed so quickly! My captain protected me, and she…she…” She was starting to lose it, when suddenly Kraven put his hand on her shoulder.

“What’s your name?” Kraven suddenly asked.

“U-u-uh Sara, sir.” She answered.

“Good. Now Sara, I know you’re frightened, and you don’t want to do this anymore, but I need you to fight a little longer. I will get you out of here as long as you fight with me, do you understand?” Kraven said, speaking calmly, but firm, as he handed her another clip of ammo.

The woman was still sobbing, but trying to get it together. “O-o-of course, sir! For the g-good of man kind!” She forced out, taking the clip, and reloading her pistol.

Kraven smiled, and helped her up. “That’a girl. Now come on, let’s get moving.” He then regrouped with the rest of the survivors, and they continued onwards to the north cargo bay.




After finding a few more stragglers along the way, Kraven managed to lead his group of survivors to the north cargo bay. There were another small group of survivors there, led by the only remaining captain. Kraven rushed in, and called out to him. “Captain, prepare that transport! We need to get out of here now! Fill up yours, then take off!” He yelled, as the others followed him in.

The captain nodded, as he gestured everyone to two large, roofless vehicles. “Everyone, over here!” He called out.

The last ones entering the cargo bay was the man carrying the impaled woman. It was hard to tell if she was already dead at this point, but the man was determined to not leave her to die here at least. “It’s gonna be ok, we’re almost out!” He said to her.

Suddenly, the floor began to shake, as suddenly under the man, massive spikes in the shape of a hand burst from the ground and…completely ran both of them through entirely. Kraven yelled out in reflex, as the hand suddenly came out of the floor, and several objects began to float around the room, taking shape into a massive golem. Master Matter then entered the room though the door, as he looked at the bodies impaled by the golems hand, as suddenly the claws were removed. “You could have made this easy on yourself, Kraven. Now, Volks wants you to suffer for your snooping.” Matter said, then he snapped his fingers. The bodies resting in the hand were suddenly crushed into blood and paste, as the golem crushed them with its hand.

Some of the survivors cried out in shock of what just happened, but Kraven looked angrier than ever. “If one thing is for sure, is that he’s a monster no doubt. He will pay dearly for this.”

Suddenly, Karen’s laugh could be heard, as she entered the room with Liquid Rose, her eyes glowing bright orange. “You are rich, Mr. Kraven. I’ve only done to them what you’ve done to those you seek to destroy. I wanted to watch you suffer the same as you make others before you die. These people that have managed to gather here? They are only here so that you may watch them all die as well. I want you to understand how powerless you are.” Karen kept laughing, as she spoke in the distorted voice she did when Volks spoke directly through her. “Do you seriously hope to destroy me, Kraven? With what? Your sheer will?”

Kraven looked more determined than ever, with a look of bloodlust in his eyes. “As long as I draw breath, humans will never submit to the will of things like you scum.” He said, taking off his rifle, and loading it with new shells.

Karen laughed, as she then looked to Master Matter. “Matter, crush his ‘human spirit’ for me, will you?”

Master Matter nodded, then smirked at Kraven. “For the good of mankind.”

Karen laughed again. “Indeed!”

Kraven said nothing more, and so quickly aimed his rifle at the golem, and fired three shells at it. Matter laughed, expecting nothing, but on contact with the golem they exploded! Matter was shocked, as he began to shoot at Kraven with his pistols. Kraven quickly took his pistol out, moved only slightly to avoid the gunshots, and shot Matter with an ion bullet from his pistol. Matter staggered back, which slowed the recovery of the golem. Liquid then took out her gun, while Karen took out her bow to attack Kraven. “You bastard!” Liquid shouted, as they both fired at Kraven.

Kraven smirked, as he simply dodged the shots, and even grabbed the arrow out of the air. “You aren’t going to get me so easily.” And he pointed the rifle at them one handed, as he fired another explosive shell at them. Liquid quickly made a wall of water in front of them to soften the impact, but they were still blasted back into the wall behind them. Kraven tossed the arrow to the side, but turned to see Matters golem reforming. It began to approach Kraven, as he continued to fire at the golem. While the golem was damaged by the shells, Kraven only got two shots before he was out of ammo. He quickly began to reload, but it wasn’t going to be quick enough, as the golem went to punch Kraven!

Suddenly, the Frost Dancer appeared, and blocked the attack with its spike limbs, and began to freeze the golems fist, as the ice began to spread. “Quickly Kraven!” Tamer called out, before the dancer was punched away. Kraven narrowed his eyes, as he took aim with the rifle. Everything felt like it was going in slow motion for Kraven, as he quickly unloaded all five shots into the golems frozen body parts. The explosions shattered the golem, leaving Matter wide open.

Then, before Matter could attack back, he was attacked by a large mounted ion cannon from the transport. “Sir, come on, let’s go!” The captain yelled out.

Kraven began to move toward the transports, as the crew gave suppressing fire. Then suddenly massive beams of ice and electricity whizzed past him. Electrode and Frost appeared, and were now joining the fight. Kraven looked pressed, as he knew he couldn't beat them all with his limited firepower. “Start the transports!” Kraven yelled out, as he hurried onto the transport that Tamer was on. The captain took off with his transport first, with Kraven and Tamers following right behind.

Karen began to laugh again. “That's right! Try and run Mr. Kraven!”




As the two transport vehicles moved across the country side, Kraven took note that they didn’t seem to be being followed. He then contacted the captain of the other transport. “Once we’re clear, we’re heading to Gamma base, understood?”

”Understood Mr. Kraven.” The Captain responded.

Kraven sat in the seat next to Tamer, who was driving. “I don’t feel safe. The fact that they didn’t pursue has me worried…”

Tamer nodded. “I know the feeling, I’m just trying to remain calm for the others with us…Wait, do you feel that?”

Kraven looked around, as he could feel what felt like the earth moving, soon followed by a low rumbling. “I feel it too. But it couldn’t be…”

Then all of a sudden, the sound and shaking stopped. The only sound that could be heard through the fields was the motors of the vehicles. But, as if lightning crashed right next to them without warning, the sound of the earth smashing apart was heard. Before the sound even finished, a truly massive blast of lightning flew through the air, and crashed into the Captains transport! The explosion nearly muffled the sounds of their dying screams, as bodies and pieces of the transport flew everywhere! The sounds of one of the women screaming on Kravens transport was heard, as they all looked to the sky above to see where the blast came from. Covering the sun from view, Volks massive form was flying high in the air. “You won’t escape Kraven!” His beastly, crackly voice boomed thorough the air, as his horns charged another blast!

Some of the troops took out their guns, but the rest were either to injured to move, or paralyzed by fear. “Sir, what do we do?!” Kris, the trooper asked.

Kraven quickly leapt from his seat, and made his way to the mounted ion cannon. “Hang on everyone!” He called out, as he began to charge up the cannon for attack. Firing a massive blast at Volks so suddenly, it crashed into Volks, sending him into a backwards spin. This ion attack actually stopped Volks charge in its tracks, but it seemed like Volks was otherwise unharmed. Volks then flew down low in a rapid swoop, and tried to crash into the transport! Kraven then called out to Tamer. “Hard left!” And Tamer responded with a quick left turn, causing Volks to miss, but still putting him very close to the transport. This is what Kraven wanted though, as he fired another blast into Volks, knocking him back again. Thinking quickly, Kraven took the rifle again, and aimed for Volks while he recovered, and fired all five shots at him, aiming for the face.

Volks was recovering from the ion cannon blast, so he wasn’t prepared for the rifle shots, and they hit him in the face, exploding one after another. Though when the smoke cleared, Volks barely looked phased, as he entered a laugh. “Is that your best!?” Volks body then began to spark and crackle, as his body was now covered in electricity, as he took back to the air, and flew back after the transport.

Kraven was quickly reloading, but thought it would be pointless. “Kriss, your shotgun!” She quickly tossed it to Kraven. “You man the ion cannon. When I give the signal, fire it at him, but not a moment sooner.”

She nodded. “Yes sir!” She replied, quickly taking the spot at the cannon.

Kraven then ejected the shells inside the shotgun, then took out some special looking purple ones from one of his pockets, and loaded them up. Volks was flying around, shooting blasts at the transport, which Tamer was just barely able to make the transport move out of the way, but it wouldn’t take long before he hit them. Volks then suddenly covered his entire body in electricity, and began to rapidly spin, looking like a flying drill. Volks then went to ground level, and went to charge at the transport directly! Kraven’s eyes widened suddenly, shouting “Now!” To which Kris fired the ion cannon directly at Volks. Now this time it didn’t stop Volks, but it entirely dissipated the electricity around him. And right as Volks was about to collide with the transport, Kraven unloaded both shotgun shells directly at Volks face. When they collided, there was a sudden absence of sound, with was quickly followed by a massive purple energy explosion! Being so close, the blast pushed the transport forward from it, and caused Volks to tumble backwards. This time, he didn’t get back up. As Tamer moved further and further away, with still no movement from Volks, he breathed a sigh of relief. Soon, Volks was out of sight.

After getting about a mile from where Volks was, everyone was starting to feel more at ease. Tamer looked at Kraven. “Sir, of what I could see that was very impressive.”

Kraven still looked on edge. “Believe me, if he’s as half as durable as he looks, I might have only bought us enough time to escape. Prepare to enter the underground entryway ahead.”

Tamer nodded. “Of course, we are about another third of a mile away.”

As they were drawing close, with a cave in sight in the side of a mountain nearby, it seemed like everything was good. But suddenly, as if a lightning bolt was moving through the air, Volks suddenly appeared in front of the transport in the air! “Leaving so soon!?” Volks yelled, as lighting gathered between his horns!

Tamer quickly pulled a u-turn in an effort to get out of attack range. Kris had returned to the ion cannon, but from one of his many arms, he fired a smaller bolt of electricity at the cannon, causing it to explode. Kraven quickly fired more explosive rounds from the rifle, but they had little effect on Volks. When Kraven reached for more, he found he had no more explosive shells left. Not that they did much anyway. Kraven then turned to Tamer. “We have to get into that cave!”

“I’m trying!” Tamer yelled back in a panic. He was trying to get around Volks, but he knew that it would be tough to dodge a lightning blast that massive. “I’m going to try something!” Then his hair began to glow, as he formed a psychic whip in his hand, and sent it directly at Volks! It hit him, but after a short struggle, the whip was shattered! “It’s no good, his mind is too complex for my control to work.”

Now the blast of lighting was as large as Volks horns, and Kraven feared for the worst. “Gun it! Everyone, brace for impact!”

“Die Kraven!” Volks yelled out, as he fired the massive blast directly at the transport! A direct hit, as an explosion three times as big as the one before it followed, with lighting going everywhere! Everything went flying, as everything near the blast was catching fire. Soon the entire field would be burned down, as fires spread to trees, grass, bushes, anything. It was a blazing inferno, as thick smoke filled the air. Screams of the troopers could be heard, as they slowly stopped. There were burning corpses near the epicenter of the explosion. Not a sign of life anywhere in sight in blazing hellscape that was once beautiful countryside. Volks hovered over top the destruction for a good several minutes, until he was convinced that everything was dead. “Another loose end burnt out.” Then Volks flew off, back towards the ruined base of Kravens.




Not long after, Volks arrived at Kravens base, met by the entirety of his forces. “Most impressive, Master Volks.” Liquid said.

Volks looked at her, and began to speak. “He was tenacious, to be sure. But even the strongest of human wills are no match for my power.” He paused for a second. “I do not believe at this point that there is anything on this planet that can stand against me now.”

“What of the World Savers, Master Volks?” Frost questioned.

Volks cackled. “I’ve already crushed the best they had in the part of the world. While they may yet live, it’s far too late now. The tower will prevent any form of outside interference once it’s finished.” Volks then looked back to Karen and Liquid. “Make sure they all return to the tower site undetected, and get them all back to work. We are so close to being the masters of the galaxy.”

Both of them bowed, followed by all the rest there. “Of course master, we won’t let you down.” Karen responded.

“Excellent. I look forward to your next report. I will return to my location as well. Contact me if anything happens that could possibly prove to slow progress, and I will take care of it.” Volks said, as his wings spread, and began to fly off. As he flew through the air, a thought crossed his mind. Soon, the galaxy will be mine. I just need to get off this rock, and that will be the end of it…Though I’m disappointed that the best this planet had to offer was so disappointing…World Savers…Shinning Force…If you still draw breath, you have until the tower is finished to still impress me…Don’t disappoint me with a boring sendoff… And Volks then buried back underground from where he appeared from earlier.

With Kraven and his forces dispatched, can the Shinning Force hope to stand up to Volks and his seemingly unstoppable power? Volks seems to be prepared for anything, but can they overcome him and save the planet?


…End of Data Log.

[Aqua]

Data Log #19: Volks and The Tower of Power

Data Log place in time: A few hours after the events of Data Log #17





Hours after his attack on Rem and Raylu, Karen, under Volks’ direct control, came back to the tower construction site. Karen was looking around for Liquid, finding her near the tower base. “Liquid, I need a status report. How much longer until it’s ready for launch?” Karen asked.

Liquid turned, and gave proper respect, noticing Karen’s orange eyes, indicating that Volks was directly speaking with her. “Sir, progress is going quickly. At our current pace, it should all be fully finished by sundown.”

“How about the absorption possess? How much longer will that take?” Karen asked, rather short fused.

“Late afternoon, sir. Most of what remains is on the software end, so it should be done on time.” Liquid responded.

“Good. We may have some unwelcome guests later, so make sure you’re prepared.” Karen stated, turning to leave.

“Umm sir, if I may, you sound more stressed then normal. Is all well?” Liquid asked.

“Stressed? No.” Karen then smirked, looking downright eerie with the orange eyes. “Excited. The climax is fast approaching, so I want everything perfect. The final touches on this grand show are nearly in place. All that’s left is to see if anything will stand in the way. It’s been some time since I’ve felt such excitement. I will either ascend to galactic godhood, or succumb to the greatest challenge I’ve ever faced. So do not let me down on your end, and a place to rule over the galaxy will be yours alongside me.”

Liquid then bowed. “Of course, Master. I promise I will not fail. We will be ready.”

Karen then smirked again. “Just what I wanted to hear. Don’t disappoint me.” Karen then turned to leave the cavern.




Later that morning, after Raylu and Rem recovered from their encounter last night with Volks, they gathered the rest of the team in a meeting. After giving the group the rundown of the events from the night before, some of them looked worried. Aqua, the most. “You two could have gotten yourselves killed! You should have told us what you were doing!” Aqua said, getting a bit heated.

Rem sighed. “Right, I already heard it all from Eric and Raylu. I thought if too many of us showed up, it might have scared them off.”

“He makes a good point, Aqua. Try and cut him some slack, he made it back fine.” Brett commented.

Ralph nodded. “We’re made of tougher stuff then that.”

Sora folded his arms. “Anyway, what's our next move then?”

Eric came forward at this point. “Well thanks to Rem, as well as Volks cockiness, the connection between Volks and the tower is clear. From here, we are going to prepare to raid the tower with the assistance of Kavistos agents, as well as a move on the underground. We just need to give him the time to get them all together.”

“So what are we going to do until then? Just sit on our hands?” Kari asked.

Rem shook his head. “No, knowing that Volks is running the show with the tower, we can’t leave it unattended. Volks spoke like things are going to happen very soon, we need to be ready.”

Eric nodded. “Apparently there's going to be some kind of event today at the tower. We’re going to be on standby in the city and see what’s happening. Volks is proving unpredictable, so we need to be prepared for anything.”

Ralph smirked, taking one of his pistols out, striking a pose with it. “So operation ‘Squash the big bug’ is a go then.”

Sora cast Ralph a weird look. “I really hope that isn’t the name we’re going with.”

Kari was getting annoyed. “Could you two please take this seriously?”

“But we are!” Ralph and Sora both exclaimed.

Rem sighed, shaking his head. “Let’s just go get ready, alright? I need you all on your A game today.” Everyone then began to head to their rooms in Kavisto’s base, grabbing their gear and getting ready.

Aqua came up to Rem, Eric, and Raylu after the others took off. “Do we...have any real plan on how to fight Volks?”

Rem frowned. “Well, none of our battles have lasted long enough to figure out how to combat him yet.”

Raylu looked frustrated. “He shook off my attacks like it was nothing. Granted it wasn’t anywhere near my full strength, but even then, it should have had some effect.”

Aqua was now looking more nervous than before. “Are...we going to be ok?...”

Rem forced a smile for Aqua. “Are you kidding? We always pull through! He just got lucky in the underground, next time we face him we’ll know more of what to expect. We aren’t dying to some big bug!” Rem said, sounding full of confidence.

Aqua then gave a weak smile. “Well, if you're so sure, that makes me feel a bit better. I’ll go get what I need too, then I’ll be right back.” She then quickly left the boardroom.

Rem let out a huge sigh after she left. Eric put his hand on Rem’s shoulder though. “We’ll be fine, alright? We’ll figure this out together, and keep them safe.”

Raylu nodded. “I have much more to give then what you’ve seen, Sir Rem. I’ll support you the whole way.”

Rem was feeling more confident having Eric and Raylu backing him up, as he nodded to them. “Right. We’ve got this.” After that short pep talk, they also went to prepare as well.





A few hours later, after the group was getting into position, they watched the people and reporters gather in front of the tower. There wasn’t much going on in the city today, so more and more people began to gather, drawn in by the crowd. A podium was set up in front of the tower as well, as people were moving around, setting things up. Rem, Eric, and Raylu were the closest to the scene, on a rooftop across the street from the tower. Eric had one of his probes close on the scene, keeping a look out anything unusual. “Not that I doubt this idea...but do you really think Volks is going to try something big like this? What if this is just a normal planed event by an unaware staff?” Eric asked, as he kept an eye on the probe.

Rem was looking out over the crowd from the rooftop, feeling slightly nervous. “Volks is confident enough to announce his coming to the World Savers themselves, and willing to share so much information because he thinks he can’t be stopped. I wouldn’t put it past him to be so into the theatrics that he’d made a public scene as well.” Rem paused, folding his arms. “Of course, I hope I’m wrong about that, and he isn’t making a move yet.”

“Best to air on the side of caution, Sir Rem. Who knows what this other worldly creature's plan is in full?” Raylu commented, as he kept his senses active, searching for abnormal auras.

Scouting from another rooftop, Ralph, Sora, and Brett were keeping a lookout over the area. Sora was looking out with some binoculars, looking for anything out of the ordinary. “Ok, so I’m not seeing anything, but I’m also not sure what to be looking for.” Sora said.

Brett was looking around using his rifle scope. “Well Rem mentioned that Karen had glowing orange eyes, and you said while you were underground that the people working for Volks all had orange eyes, so maybe keep an eye out for that if you can see that.”

Ralph was looking around, though without the aid of anything to keep an eye out for anyone that might try to jump them. “You really wanna try and pick out people from this far with orange eyes?”

Brett sighed. “It’s just one suggestion. Clearly if you see anything abnormal at all, say something. Anything could be important, we don’t know what's going to happen, if anything.”

“You think that bug is bluffing?” Sora asked.

“I think it’s possible. One thing I learned in the military, is that you prepare for anything. It would be foolish to do something today, but...maybe that’s what he‘s thinking, and attack when our guard is down.” Brett explained.

Ralph looked out over the area as Brett said this. “So, prepare for nothing and everything at once? I can dig that. If that bug expects us to get lazy and do nothing because it’s too obvious, then he‘s got another thing coming.”

Sora chuckled. “Well, if he does show up, I hope you have a better plan then last time.”

Ralph smirked. “Oh, don’t worry, I’ve got a lot more explosives packed this time.”

“Ah yes, the tried-and-true method of just hitting them even harder.” Brett said, as he chuckled.

Ralph folded his arms. “Yeah yeah, laugh it up now. We’ll see how his exoskeleton holds up to these when the time comes.”

Elsewhere, scouting from a back alley, was Kari and Aqua. Aqua was keeping close watch, but she was growing really worried. Kari was watching as well, as she seemed to be talking with Aqua. “I wonder if you can even properly punch a bug that big. I didn’t get a really good chance to try in the caves...” Then Kari noticed that Aqua wasn’t responding, and looked very distracted. “Hey...are you ok? You don’t seem quite like yourself.”

Aqua suddenly snapped back to reality, and looked over to Kari. “Oh, umm...I’m...just worried. This Volks seems pretty strong, so I just worry about what could happen.”

Kari looked a little confused. “Haven’t you guys dealt with more dangerous, world ending threats before? I’d think you’d be full of confidence.”

Aqua grabbed one of her arms with her hand, looking worried again. “You never know what fight could be your last one...We don’t know how strong Volks really is, and we are a much smaller team then we used to be when we handled all those big threats...” She sighed. “I think Rem is thinking the same thing...He’s got his doubts about this too, and that worries me more. I’m worried about Volks, and I’m worried about him...”

Kari put her hand on Aqua’s shoulder, and gripped it tightly. “I’m sure it will be fine. We all make a great team, and plus the agents will be here at the drop of a hat if things get too much, right? Your friends at Kavisto’s are very capable, so don’t worry.”

Aqua swallowed, and started to nod. “Y-your right. Sorry, I just worry a lot about this all a lot. No matter how many times you go through it, it never gets much easier. At least for me.”

Kari smiled brightly. “Hey, don’t sweat it, ok?“ Kari then turned her attention back to the crowd, which seemed to be getting more active all of a sudden. “I think somethings happening...”




The crowd was responding to some people exiting the tower. A few men and women, dressed in basic black suits with sunglasses, escorting someone from the tower. He was a dark skinned man, looking to be in his forties, with brown eyes, and very short brown hair. He was also in a well-dressed black suit, yet distinct from the suited guards he had with him. He moved his way towards the podium, as reporters, camera men, and the like swarmed as close as they could, as they began to clamor. The man gestured to the crowd to calm them, as he leaned into the microphone. “Greetings, people of France! Thank you all for coming and tuning into this broadcast. My name is Dominick List, and I am the founder of the great Tower of Power! And thanks to the generous contributions of my benefactors, we’ve been able to bring this glorious wonder to completion today! With the technology developed by Harkum Inc, we’ve managed to create a tower so massive, outfitted with special CEG’s to create an independent power source so large, the entire country could be powered forever!” The crowd then began to cheer and shout louder.

Once the crowd finally quieted down enough, Mr. List continued. “That would be wonderful, wouldn’t it? Unlimited power. Sadly, such a feat is not so easily grasped.” The crowd then began to look confused, as they mumbled things like ‘what does he mean?’ or ‘If it doesn’t work, why are we all here?’ But then Mr. List began to chuckle, as he continued. “You all seem confused. That’s only natural. Rest assured that the tower is working as intended, and can no doubt do what it’s needed to do. But for that, it needs far more than what the CEG’s provide. Much much more.” He then snapped his fingers, as the tower began to come to life, as the domed roof opened, and a large antenna like object extended into the air. The orbed top then began to glow yellow, as massive waves of electricity spread out from it, as within a few moments the entire city, and surrounding areas close by, were trapped in a cage of electricity! Satellites connected to the tower also began to power up as well, as a strange distortion could be felt in the area. The crowd began to freak out, as Mr. List began to laugh. “And I feel the power of our planet, and the realms connected to it will suffice nicely. We have some big plans for the energy this planet has, and honestly it probably won't survive the process. So, by the good graces of Lord Volks, we bring you this news of Doomsday to allow you all a final night with your loved ones, as thanks for what this planet has done for him. Better hurry!” He then began to laugh like a mad man, as the crowd began to go out of control, outside of some reporters and cameramen that managed to remain calm.

Rem and the others from his vantage point quickly moved into action, leaping from the building, and moved across the street. Rem looked angry, as he called out to Dominick. “Mr. List!”

Dominick then turned his attention to Rem, Eric, and Raylu, as he smirked. “Ah! Lord Volks wondered if you would still be alive! He’ll be most pleased to see you.”

Rem narrowed his eyes. “He won't be so pleased when we bring the full blunt of Kavisto’s forces down on top of him. Volks’ made a massive mistake. His plan is finished.”

Mr. List chuckled at Rem’s attempt of threatening him. “I had a feeling you’d say something like that, but unfortunately for you, you seem to have forgotten Lord Volks’ lightning cage ability. The tower is replicating that move now. Anything inside this cage cannot teleport outside, and vice versa. We are already well aware that you were planning a counter attack, so we simply needed to act first. And with so much of the plan already completed, it was really quite easy to set up right under your noses.” He chuckled, as the suited people took off their sunglasses, showing their orange-colored eyes. Power seemed to charge in their hands. “So now that the stage for the final battle is set, do you seriously think the three of you will be able to take down our entire forces alone?”

Rem drew his sword, and took a battle stance. Eric and Raylu’s hands glowed with power, as they all prepared to attack. “I don’t think we can, I know we can! I won’t let Volks destroy our home just so he can leave this planet!”

Mr. List just kept laughing. “Oh please, you think he just needs the power to leave? Volks is on the verge of galactic domination. He will lead us all to an amazing new universe, paved with the power of these worlds.” He extended his arms outward, looking up at the sky. He then looked back down to Rem and the others. “But maybe...you’d like to join us? Come along, and be the elite agents for Lord Volks, and help us rule the galaxy!”

Eric’s hand glowed black, as he glared at Mr. List. “Such grand goals, but it doesn’t matter. You and the rest of Volks followers aren’t going anywhere. This conquest of the galaxy ends today!”

Mr. List continued to laugh. “Bold claims. You all may have saved this world before, but your numbers are drastically lower than before. You lot are alone here.” The ground then began to shake, as the tower began to rumble. “As you can see, it’s already begun. Wouldn’t you rather spend your final moments with your loved ones, rather than try to stop this all in vain?”


“That’s enough!” Rem shouted suddenly. “We’re stopping Volks! Stand aside, or we’ll force our way in!”

Mr. List then smirked, as he began to laugh again. “Lord Volks was hoping you wouldn’t back down from the challenge! Very well! In the name of Lord Volks, we will defend this tower till the very end! Show them the resolve granted by Lord Volks!” He said, extending his arm outwards. The suited guards with Mr. List suddenly jumped from the podium, unleashing a volley of attacks at the three of them. Fireballs, chunks of stone, wind blades, and blasts of ice.

Raylu quickly put an aura sphere around the three of them, as the attacks bounced off the sphere. “What is the plan of attack sir?” Raylu asked.

Rem charged up energy in his gauntlets, and when Raylu dropped the sphere, Rem unleashed a wave of light energy at the attackers, knocking them back. “Pacify the powered humans, then we need to shut this tower down somehow. Eric, how’s the tower scan going?”

Eric blasted back approaching powered humans coming from behind, looking over his shoulder to Rem. “It’s ongoing when I checked with Erue. Hopefully soon it can pinpoint the vital areas in the inner tower structure.“

Rem’s stone was then reacting to a call coming from Aqua, and one from Brett. “Rem, we are in a good spot to strike. What do you want us to do?” Aqua asked.

Rem dodged a bolder flung at him, while counter attacking with a strong gust of wind from his hand. “Standby for now. We’ll keep the enemy in the dark about our numbers for as long as we can.”

“Can you three handle this alone? What good is the plan if we lose you guys?” Brett questioned.

Rem was silent for a moment, but then suddenly spoke with confidence. “What good are our lives, if the planet doesn’t survive? And besides, it will take more than a few powered goons to stop us!”

Eric was in agreement. “Keep an eye out for reinforcements. Judging by the numbers in the underground, they have a lot of men to spare.” And as Eric said that, more powered humans appeared from buildings and alley ways, along with heavily armed humans. “Case in point. Look alive!” He yelled, sending off waves of darkness to knock the attacks back.

From behind the podium, Mr. List was making his way back inside the tower, as he pointed to two guards. “You two, with me. Karen has given us new instructions. Lord Volks has a far more important task for us to handle.” List then turned to some guard by the front doors. “Get the place on lockdown. If they want inside, they are going to have to work for it.”


Meanwhile, at the top of the tower, Karen was working on a keypad at the base of the antenna. "Electro Cage levels normal. Planetary drain process active. Branch realms, stablishing connection. Everything is going according to plan." She then did some typing, and was now checking the cameras connecting to the front gate to the tower, watching the battle breaking out. She smirked, as her eyes glowed bright orange. "Soon, all will be decided. The future of this galaxy will be determined tonight. We'll give them all one hell of a show." Then suddenly there was a beeping on screen, as Karen looked at it. The screen read 'WARNING. DIMENSIONAL ANOMALY. POTENTIONAL RIFTS DETECTED.' Karen raised an eyebrow. "Hmm...This could make things interesting."


Back down, outside the tower, the battle continued. A tall, buff looking fire human charged at Raylu, firing fire blasts at him as he ran forward at him. Raylu knocked away the blasts with aura blasts, but the gap was closed, as the fire human swung both his arms at Raylu covered in flames. Raylu blocked these arms by crossing his own, then uncrossed his arms with an aura discharge, staggering the fire human backwards. Raylu quickly landed a few punches, then knocked him back with a kick. The fire human recovered, charged up fire in his arms, and crashed them into the ground, causing a massive eruption of flames towards Raylu! Raylu waited till the last second, before the flames reached him, and he jumped towards a street light, and vaulted off of it at the fire human. He collided with him with a powerful kick to the face, knocking him out. Raylu then saw more powered humans approached, and charged at them.

Eric was dealing with several powered attackers, sending several attacks at him that he was blocking with walls of darkness. The attacks couldn't get through the darkness due to the power difference, so they vaulted themselves over using their powers, and prepared to attack! With no time to dodge, Eric's eyes turned solid black, as the mark on the back of his hand began to glow and spark. He then swung his arm, as powerful tendrils of chaos darkness burst out from his hand with exact precision. Normally chaos darkness's more destructive power could easily kill, but Eric was suppressing its power to be non-lethal. It grabbed them all, and slammed them into the ground, taking them out. Eric regained a composed stance, as the darkness left his eyes. "Never gets easier using that..." He mumbled to himself. He then saw more approaching, as his mark and eyes glowed again, and he swung his arm, sending out several small beams at them. The destructive force behind them took them out in a single hit. He looked over to the ones attacking Rem. "Are you doing alright?" Eric yelled out to him.

Two humans with katanas drawn were attacking Rem, as Rem held them back with his sword. They both suddenly jumped back, as three humans from the sidelines opened fire on Rem with assault rifles. “Shit!” Rem quickly took his shield out to block the oncoming bullets. When Rem’s shield is struck by projectiles, it will normally counter with small beams to deter the attackers, but the beams were so small they didn’t do much to them due to the armor they had. Thinking quickly, before he was overwhelmed by bullets, he snapped his finger, bringing his shadow to life. The shadow flew up into the air, and fired beams of shadow at the attackers shooting at him. They were interrupted, and turned fire on the shadow, so the katana wielding humans quickly rushed Rem. The one that first reached Rem went to strike him, but Rem blocked the sword with his shield, staggering the man. Rem then charged power energy in his shield, and struck him right in the head with his shield, knocking him backwards, and out. The second was quicker, and swung at Rem sideways, forcing Rem to block with his sword. The man kept applying force with both hands, but it left him open for a counter attack. Rem charged up electricity in his shielded hand, and moved it towards the guys gut, and fired off the blast, knocking him away as well, and crashing into a nearby car. Rem then turned his attention to the gunners, as he formed and charged up three electric orbs. He then extended his hand outwards, as the orbs floated in front of his hand. They then glowed, unleashing a powerful beam of electricity from each, crashing into each gunner, knocking them out as well. Rem then heard Eric call out, and gave him a thumbs up. “All good here, for now.”

Then, as the rumbling grew, a strange distortion could be felt. Raylu’s ears perked up. “Sir Rem, Sir Eric, I’m sensing a powerful dimensional distortion.” He paused. “Several, in fact.”

“Distortions? How?” Rem asked.

Eric looked concerned. “It’s possible it’s due to the towers energy flux. It could be making the realms unstable, if they truly are connecting to the other realms, like List said.”

Then, as the rumbling grew louder, dimensional gashes opened in the air! Another world was now directly connected to this world, as monsters poured out! First appearing were Changelings, followed by wolves of various powers, and Arachna Beasts! “Everyone, look out!” Rem yelled, as they were suddenly attacked! They quickly retreated back for a moment behind a wall of darkness made by Eric. “We can’t keep wasting time with these distractions, but we can’t just ignore them either.”

Then suddenly from Eric’s stone, Erue began to speak. ”Master Eric, the scan on the tower has been completed. Scan shows the point of origin of the planetary drain is located near the bottom of the tower, in the underground portion. The relay disks on the tower seem to be connecting to the various demon, powered human, and monster realms, and are draining the energy from those worlds. The signal appears to be breaking down the dimensional boundaries between the realms. The anti-teleporting electro cage is also being transmitted from the antenna from the tower top. Scan suggests if the antenna is destroyed, the cage may fall. There is also an unidentified signal being transmitted out of the tower from the inside, but the exact point of origin is unknown. It’s effect is also unknown.”

Eric then looked to Rem. “Did you get all that?” He asked, as he held the darkness wall up against the attacks from the monsters.

Rem looked to Eric and nodded. “I’ve got a plan. It could end up being risky though, are you two prepared? We might end up shouldering the blunt of this.”

Raylu nodded in between attacks over the wall. “Of course, sir.” He then jumped back into the air, firing down aura blasts into the fray of monsters.

Eric nodded as well. “Whatever the plan is, I trust your judgement. What do you have?”

Rem then took out his stone, and began to speak to his teammates through it. “Guys, do you copy? It’s me.”

Brett then responded first. ”We read you, go ahead Rem.”

Aqua then responded next. ”What’s going on? What’s the plan?”

“Erue finished the scan, and we managed to find the weak point in the tower. It’s near the bottom, in the underground. If it’s left unchecked, the tower will just drain the planet until there's nothing left. All of you head down into the underground, while me, Eric, and Raylu keep them distracted up top, and we aim to take down the electric cage so we can get reinforcements. Aqua, you’ll lead the mission since you have the most experience. Can I count on you all?” Rem asked.

”Understood. We’ll meet up in the underground together and strike back.” Brett responded.

Aqua didn’t respond right away, but then finally spoke up. ”Are you sure I can handle this?"

Rem nodded. “100% I know you can do it. I believe in you. I need you to take of them for me.”

On Aqua’s end, she looked much more confident, as she nodded. ”Got it! I won’t let you down!”

“Alright everyone, you got your tasks. Let’s take this bug out for good!” Rem said, before ending the call. He then looked to Eric. “You think we can stop these rifts? If we can’t close them, the monsters will keep flowing in.”

“I’ll have Erue continue scanning to see if there’s a way to close them off.” Eric responded.

“Then we’ll just need to keep them down until then.” Rem said, charging up energy into his gauntlets, and heading back into battle.



Down at the police station, chaos was ensuing, as officers were scrambling to get things in order. Calls were coming in reporting of powered humans fighting in the streets, monsters appearing everywhere, and more. At this point, Officer Rogers and Landon were getting into a squad car, and preparing to head down to the scene of the battle. “Those damn powered freaks always causing some kind of trouble. Now we got monsters on top of all this too, plus that List guy saying the end of the world is here. How much worse could it get?! I bet those damn vigilantes are the cause of this!” Rogers said, getting into the squad car, and drove off with Landon.

“Regardless of how you feel about them, they might be the only hope we have if these monsters continue to ravage the town.” Landon started to explain, but then Rogers cut him off.


“Only hope? To trust in other criminals? Bah! We got word that Harkum is preparing to deploy more robots. ‘That’, I will count on.” Rogers went on.

Landon sighed. “Well, regardless of how you feel, if they are helping stop this crisis, we could focus our efforts more on what’s actually endangering the city.”

Rogers groaned. “Ugh, fine. But if I get the chance after this blows over, I’m taking them in.”

“Whatever it has to be, as long as the public's safety comes first.” Landon said, feeling dejected. The stress of the crisis was already getting to him. Hopefully they can keep us safe. Be careful out there World Savers...




Back on the tower top, Karen was overseeing the chaos forming below, as now law enforcement and Harkum brand robots were joining the fight against the monsters and those possessed by Volks. Then suddenly, one of Karen’s eyes glowed orange, as Volks was now directly speaking to her mind via their connection. ”Is everything going according to plan?”

“Yes, Lord Volks. We even had some unexpected assistance in the form of monsters, as you can see through my eyes.” Karen spoke aloud.

”Good good. I will be joining you before long. Pass along to the underground team that they should be prepared for action. I have no doubt there are more about then just those three down below. Make sure they have a warm welcome.” Volks finished speaking, before Karen’s eyes returned to the normal oranged look they had before.

Karen looked down below, watching Rem and the others battle. She looked slightly troubled, but then sighed, and looked composed once more. “Of course, Lord Volks. It shall be done...” Karen then turned away from the tower side, and returned to the panel at the center of the tower roof.




Not long later, Aqua and Kari met with Brett, Ralph, and Sora in the underground. They were pretty close to the secret entry way that they found earlier, but no one else was around. “It’s pretty quiet down here. You think maybe they left?” Ralph asked the group.

Aqua looked like she was thinking, when she finally spoke. “I think it would be foolish to expect it to be entirely unguarded, but with Rem and the others up top causing a scene, it’s possible they may have thinned the numbers out to combat them.”

Sora then put his hands together. “Hope for the best, but expect the worst. Got it!”

“Well girl, you lead the way. We got your back!” Kari said, smiling positively.

“R-right, come on. Let’s go.” Aqua said, leading the way. While Rem’s short pep talk gave her a confidence boost, she was still worried. She was always a follower, not really a leader, so she was feeling a good bit of pressure from this task. But she had to do it. She was the only powered member on this half of the team, and had the most combat experience out of them all. After a short bit of walking, they came to the wall. But...it was slightly ajar. Not much, but big enough for people to get through sideways. “That’s...odd...Why isn’t it closed?”

Brett folded his arms. “Maybe they didn’t properly seal it because they were in a hurry?”

Aqua looked concerned. “I mean it’s possible, but they’ve been so careful so far...”

“Then let’s just go forward carefully. Here, I’ll go first.” Ralph said, drawing one of his blasters, and going through the gap in the wall.

Aqua was about to stop Ralph, but he was too quick for her, so she simply sighed. “The rest of you follow after me.” She said, as she followed Ralph. The rest then followed, one after the other, until they were all on the other side.

A rumbling sound could be heard filling the cave, as the earth shaking in response to the draining made everything feel unstable around them. “That loud sound must be the energy drainer. Erue said it was located near the bottom of the tower, right?” Brett asked.

Aqua nodded. “Yeah. So now we just need to get inside of it, or destroy the bottom.”

Ralph smirked, having a bomb in between each of his fingers on his right hand. “Destroy? Leave that to me! I can handle it.”

Kari was looking around the dark cave. Unlike before, there were no lights in the area now. “It’s pretty quiet in here, outside of the rumbling. I don’t see anything around.”

Sora was looking around as well, when he spotted a dim looking yellowish red light coming from the pit they saw last time. “Well, something is going on over in the pit. Maybe we should check that out?”

Aqua nodded. “Good idea. Let’s check it out, but very quietly. Everyone stay on guard, ok?” She said, leading the way towards the pit. Ralph kept his blaster drawn, while Brett took out his assault rifle. Sora held his beam sword in his hand, though not turned on just yet. Kari didn’t have a weapon drawn, but she was ready in her own way.

Once the group reached the edge of the pit, they could see the bottom of the tower looked more rocket like now. From the bottom of it, it looked like it was drawing energy from the earth itself from a massive hole, and pulling it up through the bottom of the tower. “Wow, this looks really bad.” Sora said.

Aqua nodded. “It does. We gotta stop this thing while we still can. Ralph, you can get-”

But then all of a sudden, a bunch of spotlights in the cave turned on, showing them surrounded by many powered humans, being led by Liquid Rose. “Well look at what we have here. A couple of cave rats, wandering where they don’t belong.”

“Do you guys have a death wish or somethin?! If this planet is destroyed, you all die with us!” Ralph yelled.

Liquid Rose chuckled. “You seriously think we’re staying here? The reason the tower is as big as it is, is because Lord Volks is taking us with him. We are to be his army to conquer the galaxy!”

“For a creature like that, you are just tools to be used by him. A means to an end.” Brett called out to her.

“Even if that’s true, we all gladly give our lives for Lord Volks to achieve his grand goal. And to make sure we can help him with that, you all must be destroyed here.” Liquid said, looking...almost empty. Empty, but smug at the same time.

“We’ve all trained well for this. There may be a lot of you, but you all can’t match us. We’re ready for you.” Aqua said, trying to sound confident.

Liquid continued to have that look of empty smugness. “Oh I don’t doubt you can handle a lot of minimally trained powered humans. That’s why Lord Volks prepared something special for you all.” She then snapped her fingers. “Oh boys.” She called out.

Then from both sides of the group, they would suddenly be attacked by massive beams of ice from one side, and electricity from the other! Aqua had to think quickly, putting a dome of water around them all. The beams of ice froze the dome, and then the electricity shattered it. Once everyone regained composure, they noticed Dr. Frost on one side of them, and The Electrode on the other, both with glowing orange eyes. Then from in front of the group, between them and the tower pit, Master Matter was there with a golem formed of various stones. And with Liquid Rose opposite of him, the group was now boxed in by four powerful opponents, and various powered humans backing them up. Aqua looked worried. “So you all really did get to Kraven, didn’t you?”

Liquid was smirking again. “Kraven proved some trouble to be sure, but without the backbone of his forces, he easily crumbled to Lord Volks’ power. Consider it an honor that Lord Volks sees you all worthy of all this trouble to stop. Though I suppose it’s a shame you won’t get the chance to go toe to toe with him one more time.”

“Where is Volks?!” Ralph yelled, pointing both of his blasters at Liquid.

“Preparing to meet with your better half. Though I guess if you can survive long enough, he might come down and finish you himself.” Liquid said, chuckling.

The Electrode started to wildly spark, while his body built up energy. He smirked at them. “Not that you have much chance of that. We’ve been waiting to kill you for a long time.”

Frost folded his arms. “The last time we crossed paths, you lot were clinging to life, only saved by backup. Though this time, your backup won't be arriving.”

Matter then started laughing. “Alliances may change, but the desire to see your blood spilled on the floor? That remains. Time for a little payback for before.”

The five members of the Shining Force were herded together, as the enemy began to close in. “Aqua, what’s the plan?” Kari asked her, as they were all back-to-back.

Aqua was looking worried, but tried to stay strong. “If...if we just gang up on one, the rest will just attack us back. We’ll need to split up and take them on in one on ones. I’ll try my best to support you all at the same time, and help keep the powered humans at bay.”

Brett could feel her worry, but tried to keep her confidence up. “Sounds like quite the challenge, but we’ve trained for this. We need to get through them, and destroy this tower.”

“They won’t take this planet!” Sora said, drawing both his swords, staring down Master Matter.

“We got your back Aqua, so let’s give’em hell!” Kari said, eyeing down Liquid Rose.

Ralph pointed both his blasters at The Electrode. “No way we’re gonna die when we have this much to fight for! Get ready to have your asses kicked again!”

Aqua stood next to Kari, as she looked at Liquid Rose. Aqua was feeling more determined than before, as she formed water in her hands. “It’s kinda in the job discerption to offer you one last chance to surrender.” Though Liquid took a combat stance, as her hands also glowed blue. Her expression looking serious, as she gestured them to attack.

Both sides were growing restless, as it was unsure which side would make the first attack. When the earth shook again, Kari made the first move, as she began to rush in at Liquid. Liquid wasted no time, and sent waves of water at Kari as she approached. Aqua quickly stopped these moves in their tracks, as she froze them solid. Kari then jumped at the new ice walls, and wall jumped between them, as she closed the gap between her and Liquid. Liquid quickly fired some beams of water from her hands, which Kari countered with palm beams from her gloves. Giving Liquid no time to counter attack, Kari fell towards Liquid, and struck her in the head with a spinning kick. Liquid was staggered backwards, as she looked up at Kari. “You’ve been working on your tactics. Maybe this fight will be more interesting than before.”

Kari did a slight hair flip, but remained looking serious. “With the fate of the planet on the line, I sure would hate to disappoint.”

“You still have that annoying undeserved confidence I see. I will enjoy purging you of it before you stop drawing breath.” Liquid said, forming water around her. Kari rushed in to attack Liquid, as Liquid shot small streams of high-pressured water at Kari to keep her from closing the gap again. Kari quickly put a barrier around herself using the function in the gauntlets, blocking the water as she moved forward. The water wasn’t piercing the barrier, but Kari couldn’t attack either. Kari then suddenly rolled forward, and quickly dropped the barrier. She then fired two palm blasts, knocking Liquid back, catching her off guard. Kari went in to strike, while Liquid quickly blocked with her hands. “You aren’t going to beat me with cheap tricks like that!” She then went to strike Kari in the face with a punch. Kari quickly moved her head to dodge the punch, then moved her free hand to punch Liquid in the arm, causing her to yell slightly. Kari then kicked her in the gut, staggering Liquid again. She then jumped into the air, and spun to kick Liquid in the head, knocking her down.

Now’s my chance! Kari thought to herself, as she reached for her blaster. She was about to fire ion blasts at Liquid to keep her down, but suddenly slabs of stone came up to interrupt the attacks, as two earth humans now joined the fight. “Anyone ever teach you guys manners? We were in the middle of something!” But the two earth humans paid Kari’s taunting no mind, and started forming spikes of stone, and fired them at her. She managed to dodge them by jumping on top of one, then off of it into the air. She quickly fired an ion shot at each attacker, as their movements began to slow. She then landed in between them, and blasted them away with blasts from her palms. She then stood back up, and began to look for Liquid Rose. “Now where did she ah!-” She yelled, as a rush of water crashed into her.

Liquid approached her, looking as smug as ever. “You’ve gotten quicker on your feet, but that just means I’ll have to try a little harder on you.” She then raised her hand, as a pillar of water began to form above Kari. “Let’s see how you handle this!” And she sent it down towards Kari!

Thinking quickly, Kari rolled forward, towards Liquid. She then vaulted herself into Liquid, legs first, double kicking her right in the gut again. She then used the momentum to vault off Liquid’s body, and double blasted her with twin palm blasts, crashing right into her. Kari then landed, and looked at Liquid, getting back up. “Had enough yet?” Kari taunted.

“Oh please, we’re just getting started.” Liquid said, getting back to her feet, as she formed more water around her.

In another part of the battlefield, The Electrode was firing electric blasts at Ralph. “Slippery little shit, aren’t ya?”

Ralph kept dodging and moving around, returning shots at The Electrode. He then ducked behind a bolder. “Nah, you’re just an awful shot.”

Electrode narrowed his eyes. “Well then I’ll just have to level this entire battlefield." Electrode then began to charge up energy, and sent a large wave of electricity across the ground, smashing all the boulders in it’s path. Once the bolder Ralph was hiding behind was destroyed, he was blasted back as well. “Not such hot stuff now, are ya?” He then fired a stream of electricity at Ralph while he was stunned.

Ralph shook off the attack in time to put his arms together, and activate the barrier around him, and block Electrodes attack. “Ugh! It was just one attack, don’t get cocky!” Ralph yelled. Granted he couldn’t properly counter attack without dropping his guard.

That was when Aqua came in for the assist. She fired off a powerful jet of water right at Electrode while he was distracted with Ralph, blasting him away, as well as the water causing him to shock himself with his own energy. “Sorry about that Ralph!” Aqua called out.

Ralph looked at her and gave her a thumbs up. “No problem, thanks for the assist."

Electrode didn’t stay down long, as he quickly got back up, angrier than before. His blue body now red, as he began to float in the air using his electricity. “You two are gonna pay for that!” He yelled, as he began sending massive waves of electricity through the air, covering such a wide range that dodging would be impossible. Thinking quickly, Ralph would put up his barrier, while Aqua would put a wall of ice in front of her to block the waves. The waves shattered the ice, while Ralph dropped the barrier to try and get closer. But seconds after the first wave, Electrode fired off another wave, forcing them to block the attack again, but in between waves, Electrode was charging up a large electric sphere above him. Electrode was not letting up on the waves, but the two of them were closing the gap in between attacks. After a few more waves, Electrode had burnt himself out, as he now limply floated in the air, but still sending energy into the sphere above him.

“Aqua, get’em!” Ralph called out to her. Aqua nodded, and quickly blasted him with a stream of high pressurized water, giving Electrode a constant shock to his own body. Ralph then rushed in closer, as he loaded two bombs into each of his blasters, and fired them at the sphere that Electrode was charging up. On contact with the sphere, the bombs exploded, causing the sphere to explode as well. Since he was being soaked by Aqua’s attack, and being directly in the blast zone, Electrode took the full blunt of the hit, blasting him away into the crowd of powered humans. “Nice one Aqua! Now let’s-” Ralph was saying, as some fire humans began to launch fire balls at him, covering Electrode. “Alright, guess it wouldn’t be that easy, would it?” Ralph said, engaging the powered humans attacking him.

Brett however, was having a tough time matching Dr. Frost with his personal skill set. Brett was able to out run Frosts attacks, but his ways to counter it was limited. “Come now, it took you all to defeat me last time. You don’t stand a chance of defeating me in a one on one.” Frost said, rather calmly, as he fired off beams of ice from his hands.

Brett quickly slid behind a boulder to hide, but he could feel the chill of the ice beam hitting the rock, as the cold air blew past him. The boulder was getting colder, as it began to freeze over, signaling that Brett didn’t have much time. I can't out power Frost, so I have to outsmart him. Brett then took out his reflector, and dove back out from behind the rock. Frost saw him, and pointed one of his beams at him. Quickly powering the reflector up, Brett then used it to send the ice beam back at Frost. Reacting on instinct, Frost fired a beam from his other hand to counter the reflected beam. But now Frost had trapped himself in a cycle of his own attacks. Now he was unable to hit Brett, and would have difficulty stopping his own attack. After a short pause, he cut the flow of ice from one hand, hoping he’d be able to use the other to attack Brett once he escaped the loop. Though Brett expected that, and used the reflector to change the flight path of the now single beam of ice so that it crashed into Frost! Frost wasn’t hurt, but he was staggered by the recoil of his own attack. This gave Brett an opening to attack, as he unloaded a barrage of fire blasts from his energy assault rifle, which actually had some lasting effect on Frost. “It might have taken us all, but you were much stronger back then when you had prep time.”

Dr. Frost got back up, dusting his coat off. “Hmph! You think I don’t know that? You still can’t outlast my impressive stamina!” He said, as he sent off another two beams from his hands.

Brett quickly dodged, returning fire with his assault rifle. He may not have Electrode beat in terms of power, but in energy output and endurance, he’s much more capable. How is his stamina so good? Brett knew he couldn’t outlast Frosts attacks, Brett would sooner run out of energy before that happened. Though once Brett moved himself around enough, Frost now had Brett trapped between both beams. He then tried to cross both beams, meeting Brett at the center, but Brett wasn’t going to have any of that. He quickly tumbled and rolled forward, putting himself flat on the ground, under the beams. Then being quick, he unloaded another batch of fire blasts from his rifle into Frost, staggering him back again, and stopping his attacks. Quickly getting back to his feet, Brett unloaded another round of fire blasts from his rifle, trying to keep Frost pinned down. Once Brett felt he had delt enough damage, he switched his rifle to fire ion shots, but Frost was having none of it, as he body gathered energy.

“Enough!” He yelled, as a massive burst of ice energy exploded outwards, blasting Brett back. “Your feeble attempts to harm me, while annoying, are pointless. It’s time I end this foolishness.” Frost then fired more beams of ice at Brett, but their power was stronger than before. The beams were giving off pulses of icy energy, making them larger, and giving Brett little room to dodge, as he was feeling the pluses freeze is clothes slightly.

It didn’t take Frost long to herd Brett into a trap, and was about to nail Brett with powerful ice beams, when a large ice wall formed in front of Brett to block the attacks. “I got your back Brett!” Aqua called out. She started forming more ice walls around Frost to give Brett more coverage. Frost wouldn’t be able to take the ice over unless he was directly effecting it, so it could give Brett some time to think of something.

“Got it!” Brett responded. He tried to get in closer going in between Aqua’s ice walls, but as soon as he got too close, a discharge of artic wind blasted Brett back. Frost had no intention of allowing Brett to get in close again, so he quickly took cover behind a ice wall. Have to think fast. What do I have to work with? He quickly began looking through his gear, until he found his flash bang grenades. "This should work. Have to make it count though." He then quickly swapped out his assault rifle for his sniper rifle, and tossed the grenade towards Frost. With a loud explosion, a bright light went off from the grenade, which caused Frost to yell in reaction. He covered his eyes, as he staggered backwards. Brett quickly then aimed his rifle at Frost with an ion charge loaded, and fired right at Frost's head, hitting him directly with so much force it sent him flying backwards. "Finally..." But not long after Frost was downed, did the powered humans jump back into the fray. "Of course, it wouldn't be that easy." Brett said, firing at the oncoming enemies.

As the powered humans ran in to attack, Frost groaned on the ground. "Just...give me a moment..." He mumbled, as the ion energy ran through his body.


Lastly, Sora was trying to hold his own against Master Matter. The golem he had kept swinging it's arms at Sora, but it wasn't having luck catching him. "Why do I get stuck with the worst one?!" Sora yelled.

Matter chuckled with an evil look in his eyes. "Well, I'll take that as a compliment! Unlike these other guys, you get a real professional. You should be honored."

"I'm thrilled." Sora groaned, preparing for the next attack, which was another golem punch. Sora, having his beam sword in one hand, and his blaster in the other, jumped up on top of the golem arm when it punched towards him. He saw the second arm going towards him, and he quickly jumped into the air towards the next fist. He quickly fired ion blasts from his blaster at the two arms. He then jumped down to where Matter was, as he pointed his blaster at him, while Matter pulled out a pistol of his own. "Bit of a spot we're in, huh?"

Matter chuckled. "Maybe for you." Then an arm formed out of the side of the golem to crash into Sora. Though Sora expected that from the previous two battles they had, so he jumped towards Matter quickly, taking a swipe at him with his beam sword. The sword missed Matter directly, but he struck his hand, knocking the pistol out of it, allowing Sora to hit Matter with a single ion blast from Sora’s blaster. Matter then quickly jumped up, as a golem arm caught him. He stood on the golems shoulder, looking down at Sora. "Not bad. You've improved a bit since last time. That makes this a bit more fun."

Sora looked angry. “Stop messing around and think! All people's lives are at stake, even the ones you fought for! Doesn’t that mean anything to you?!”

Master Matter looked seriously at Sora for a moment, then chuckled. “That’s what makes it fun, don’t you see? When the stakes are so high, the battles grow more intense. There’s no sides like humans or demons or powered humans, other than simply life and death.”

“I almost miss you psychos when you were normal. Least then you had some reason.” Sora said.

Matter glared at Sora. “I need no reason. Simply fighting for Lord Volks is all I need.”

Sora glared back, pointing his blaster at Matter. “Then I’ll just need to beat the sense back into you.”

Matter smirked. “You're welcome to try.” The golem then went back on the attack, swinging its arms at Sora. Sora was forced to dodge, but when he tried to climb onto the golem, it kept moving its arms in a lashing manner. Sora took his blaster and tried to shoot Matter, but the golem would grow spikes to block the blast. “Not so tough when you can’t hit me, are ya?” The golem then formed spikes all over its arms, and kept swiping at Sora

Sora kept dodging backwards, but he wasn’t able to do anything. “I could really use a hand over here!” Sora yelled.

Then Sora saw he was being backed up into the crowd of powered humans, running out of room to dodge. When the golem slammed down both arms in attempt to crush Sora again. He managed to dodge, but before it could move its arms back, Aqua froze them to the ground. “Sora, quickly! I can’t hold him long!” She yelled.

Sora nodded, wasting no time, as he began to run up one of the arms. Matter tried to stab Sora by forming spikes on the arm, but Sora managed to keep dodging the spikes. He then quickly drew his bone bladed sword, and tossed it at Matter, stabbing him right in the shoulder! He yelled, as he recoiled back, forming spikes in front of him to block Sora’s advance. Sora then leapt at Matter, throwing his beam sword at the spike wall, cutting through them, as Sora tackled Matter, causing them both to fall from the golem, as they crashed into the ground. Sora quickly picked up his swords, and pointed his blaster at Matter. But just as Sora was about to stun him, he was backhanded by the golem. Matter worked his way to his feet, as he looked towards Sora. “Not bad, but you guys really won’t last forever against us.” Matter said, holding his shoulder.

At this point, Frost and Electrode were recovering, as everyone was regrouping. “Are you all ok? Are you still good to fight?” Aqua asked them.

“Ugh...Could be better...” Sora mumbled.

“Whenever we get close to taking one out, they just bring in the powered humans. At this rate we’ll never take them out.” Kari added.

“We just need to last long enough for the others to take out the cage, then the backup can get here.” Brett commented.

“You guys better not die on me, alright?!” Ralph yelled.

Aqua looked around her, as she saw the villains begin to box them in. “Stay ready everyone. We need to hold out for Rem and the others.” She said, as they began to reenter the battle.




Meanwhile, back above ground, Rem and the others were dealing with the onslaught of monsters pouring out from the dimensional rifts that continued to open. Taking cover behind a damaged car, Rem tried contacting the others underground. “Guys, is everything ok? Please respond!”

After some static, Erue patched Rem through to Aqua. ”Rem, it’s Aqua. Their numbers don’t show any signs of thinning, and Volks has somehow taken control of Kraven’s top agents, other than Tamer. Matter, Frost, and Electrode are down here with Liquid Rose. We’re holding out for now, but I don’t know how long we’ll last.” Then the sounds of an explosion could be heard, while the voice of someone calling out to Aqua for help. “I have to go. Please hurry, we need help!” Then Aqua’s call cut out.

Rem looked even more worried than before and contacted Eric and Raylu. “Guys, we can’t keep wasting time. We gotta take that cage out so we can get some back up here. Aqua and the others won’t last down there.”

Eric was blasting back large arachina beasts with fire, before he took cover behind a car as well. “Then we need to do something about these rifts, otherwise the monsters will ravage the city. Erue, scan for sources of dimensional signals.”

Raylu then joined Rem behind the car he was hiding behind. “Sir, we have another problem. A massive Grodda is heading this way.”

Rem looked at Raylu confused. “A what now?”

Then turning the corner onto this street, was a massive lizard like creature, nearly the size of a small truck. It had thick green scales, neck spikes, and a large spiked tail that looked somewhat like a flail. It roared, as it began charging down the street towards the epicenter of the action. Everyone was preparing, as it plowed through cars and smaller monsters, as it grew closer to Rem and Raylu. Then right as it was about to reach them, it suddenly was stopped in its tracks, as it yelped in response. Then the sound of someone yelling was heard, as the Grodda was slung through the air, as it was crashed into the ground. Who was there, was Harason Fisk, in his power enhancing suit. It was a redish brown jumpsuit like suit that was covered in wires and circle like devices, though it looked more refined than before. He looked to Rem and Raylu. “I saw what was happening and thought you all could use a hand.”

Rem looked confused, as the last time they met, they were as enemies on the battlefield. “But, I thought...” Rem started.

“Personal issues aside, the safety of the city, the world even, comes first. You all are needed elsewhere, correct? Then allow me to handle things here. Slayers!” Harason then yelled, as a large number of Slayer bots began to fly in. They were more powerful looking robots than the Harkum models that normally were stationed in the city. They were taller, about the size of the Megaton, had spikes on their heads and shoulders, wrist mounted energy blades, and came equipped with extra weapons. They began to engage the monsters in the area using powerful palm blaster cannons, and their energy blade weapons.

Rem, Raylu, and Eric all regrouped. “Thank you, Mr. Fisk.” Rem called out to him.

Harason looked over his shoulder. “You can thank me when this is all over, now get going!” He replied.

Rem nodded, then looked to Eric and Raylu. “To the tower top then. We don’t have time to go through the inside, so let’s go through the outside.” Rem then had his boots touch, as they powered up. He then took to the air using his jet boots. “Let’s move!” Then he started flying up towards the tower top. Eric formed a mass of darkness, as he began to lift it through the air, while Raylu started running up the side of the tower, jumping from ledge to ledge as needed.

Harason looked back, as he saw the Grodda getting back up, roaring at him now. You could hear Harasons suit power up, as a low humming sound could be heard. “Alright, come and get some you scaly asshole!” The Grodda then charged at Harason, and attempted to swallow him whole, when Harason grabbed it by its upper and lower jaw, holding his ground. “Ugggggghhhhh!” He yelled, as he lifted the Grodda over his shoulders, and slamming it into the ground once again. He then took a grenade like object off of his belt of his suit and tossed it inside the Grodda. Going down its throat, it exploded! While it didn’t blast the monster apart, it’s insides were destroyed. It soon faded away. Harason then put his finger to his ear. “Jam, prepare the second wave of Slayers. We are going to need a lot more then I first expected.” He said, on looking, seeing more monsters appearing.




At the tower top, Rem landed on the tower, followed shortly by Eric and Raylu. The earth could be felt shaking even from the rooftop. The sky was dark and overcast, despite being only late afternoon. The sound of thunder signaled a storm brewing. Rem saw Karen in the center of the roof, and called out to her. “Karen, you have to stop this!”

Karen turned around at Rem’s yell, looking away from the control panel on the antenna. “You sure do die hard, don’t you ‘Little Remmy’? But it doesn’t matter, you’re too late to stop this now.”

“Then why keep us around? You set all this up but left us with the means to oppose you. You seriously think you can stop us?” Rem said.

Karen started laughing. “Oh ‘Little Remmy’, we ‘know’ we can stop you. We could have used a diversion to keep you all out of our little cage here, leave this city defenseless, doom the people to die cruel deaths. But Lord Volks wants you to feel the same helpless despair the rest of the world feels now. The outside world cannot interfere, and those inside cannot stop us. You don’t have the power.”

Eric narrowed his eyes. “You aren’t about to hold all three of us off from that control panel. That cage won’t stay standing for long.”

The three of them began to rush in, but Karen simply smirked, not looking the least bit bothered. Then suddenly, a loud flapping sound could be heard, as a shadow was cast over the tower top. A bolt of lightning then was fired down at the group, stopping their advance. When they looked up, Volks was in the air above them. He then landed on the tower, standing between them and the antenna. He let out his distorted chuckle, as he began to speak. “What a pleasure it is to see you three made it. I would have been so disappointed if you had perished on the way. You all have a front row seat to the planets destruction, should you all manage to last long enough.”

Rem stepped forward, glaring at the creature in front of him. “This is all just some sick game to you, isn’t it? Just toying with the little earthlings lives to see if the stack up to the big galaxy out there, to see how they compare to you.”

Volks cackled in such a strange combination of sounds. “Very perceptive Mr. Stratford. I thought it would be more sporting to see, if given the chance, you could overcome these odds. I’ve always been a fan of some sporting fun.”

Rem clinched his fist, as energy charged up in it. “You call this a sporting chance? Ha! You’re just a coward! Afraid of actually having your plan ruined, you set up this cage to keep out the full task force that could stop you, and act like it’s just for fun. If you were really confident, you wouldn’t even need this cage, and invite all comers to stop you.”

Volks glared at Rem for a moment, but then chuckled. “You are the one who speaks with no confidence. Do you not have faith in your own skills, and those of what teammates you have with you? Though considering the state of them underground, maybe you actually don’t. They could all perish in a brief moment.”

“Don’t deflect your own fear onto me. You just want to preserve your own ego as you attempt to get off our planet.” Rem yelled back.

Volks chuckled more. “Me?! Afraid? Mr. Stratford, I don’t fear you, your friends, or anything in this city. I am the one who strikes the fear into the hearts of all who I come across. My entire planet groveled at my feet out of fear of my power while it existed, and soon all of the galaxy will know this same fear. The Apai may have delayed my conquest, but with the new power I’ll soon have, even they will bow before me!”

Rem looked serious as he took this in. Wait, the Apai? The alien virus infection that attacked us a few years back also affected his home planet? If I knew that sooner maybe Zuika could have provided some information. Rem then spoke up. “So you are afraid then. Another race made homeless by the Apai.”

Volks chuckled again, as he began to crackle with electricity. Thunder rumbled in the sky, as the earth shook below. “It doesn’t matter. Your attempts to rattle me are in vain. Soon you all will join the endless homeless lifeforms of the galaxy, as I take all this planet has to offer.”

Karen then took her bow off her back, and loaded an arrow into it. “You three can’t stop us, and your friends below won't last long. Make your peace while you still can.”

Rem took a battle stance, as his hands charged with more energy. “Get ready, this isn’t going to be easy.”

Eric narrowed his eyes, as the back of his left hand glowed black. ‘It’s just another threat. We’ll beat it like all the rest.”

Raylu’s aura glowed brightly as he prepared for battle. “I’ll support you two to the fullest of my abilities. Let's give them everything we have.”

Volks chuckled, as he opened his wings, and began to fly slightly off the surface of the tower. “I see you are all ready for the end. Try to keep me entertained, will you?” Volks then began to spark wildly, as he charged at the three of them, horns first, as they scattered to avoid the hit. The lights going around Raylu’s arms formed large spheres of aura, to which he launched them at Volks, only for them to just bounce off Volks’s armored body. Volks quickly turned, firing a massive blast of electricity from his horns. Raylu put up an aura sphere around him, but the force of Volks attack still blasted him backwards, nearly off the tower. While Volks left himself open, Eric struck him with a small beam from the back of his left hand. It sent Volks into a spin, but it didn’t seem to cause much damage. Volks then charged at Eric, to which Eric unleashed a heavy stream of fire at Volks. Volks simply charged through the flames, crashing into Eric and knocking him back. Volks began to charge lightning between his horns, and was about to blast Eric with the lightning, but two light stars hit Volks in the side. Volks turned to see Rem, who was forming two more light stars. “Come now, it will take more than that!” Volks then took to the air again, and flew at Rem, firing lightning blasts from his horns.

Rem quickly dove to the side, just barely dodging Volks rush, and firing his light stars at Volks. They spun at high speeds, making them like mini sawblades, but when they contacted Volks shell it had no effect. Rem quickly used his commutation stone to contact Erue. “Erue, try and contact Magnus the Light Sage. I need to speak with Zuika, ASAP!”

”Of course Master. Attempting to contact, though the electro cage is interrupting the signal. This may take some time.” Erue responded.

Rem sighed in frustration. “Fantastic, just what we needed. More problems.” Rem then began to think about what worked before, and he remembered that Aqua's attack when they fought Volks in the underground seemed to be effective. Eric, Raylu, I’m going to try and charge up some water energy. Water seemed to be effective in making him vulnerable before, so let’s try that again. Rem thought, having Eric pick up his thoughts and sending them to Raylu telepathically.

Eric caught this, and started speaking to Rem and Raylu by connecting their thoughts. ”Got it. Me and Raylu have your back, so you charge up.” Volks wasn’t going to sit around and wait on everyone, and went back on the attack. Charging more electricity between his horns, he fired out more lightning blasts from his horns, aimed at Rem. Raylu formed aura blasts around the lights going around his arms and tail. These blasts were enough to stop the lightning blasts, but not Volks, as he then began to fly at Ralyu, aiming to impale him with his horns! Raylu stood his ground, not showing a trace of fear. Though as Volks grew close, Eric hit him dead on with a powerful laser beam from the mark on his left hand, with enough force to knock Volks out of the air, tumbling across the roof of the tower.

Eric and Raylu drew close, but then Volks discharged a burst of electricity from his body, as he stood back up. “Some impressive force, but nothing more.” Volks said, taking back to the air. Then between his horns, an orb of electricity formed, which then fired a powerful laser of lightning at Eric and Raylu! Both of them jumped back to avoid it, but it was moving quickly, so they had to act fast. Eric quickly charged energy in the mark on his left hand, while for Raylu all the lights around his arms and tail began to rapidly spin, as they were building power quickly. While they were charging and dodging however, Rem was wide open, and Volks directed his laser right at Rem! Rem saw this coming, and had to think quickly. He took off his shield off his back, and braised for the lasers impact. The laser hit the shield, but due to the magic mirror on the shield, the shield managed to take the blow without damage. Rem then used the mirror to redirect the laser back towards Volk, putting Volks in a laser struggle with his own attack. Eric and Raylu quickly joined in, as a powerful laser of chaos darkness was fired from Eric’s hand, while all of Raylu’s lights came together in a mass in front of him. He put his hands together, and thrusted them forwards, having all the lights fire a powerful laser of aura. Both Eric and Raylu’s attacks were aimed for the orb between Volks’ horns, and when both lasers hit the orb, it exploded with force. The reflected laser from Rem’s shield then hit Volks as well, knocking him out of the air, but landing on his feet on the tower. “Impressive, but I still barely felt that.” Volks said, as he began to conduct more electricity around his body.

“He’s not making this easy for us, is he?” Eric said to Raylu.

“No, but I would be lying if I said I did not enjoy the challenge.” Raylu said, smirking slightly, before the two of them went back on the attack.

Rem was still charging water energy in his gauntlets, keeping an eye on Volks. Though being distracted by the threat of the giant beetle, made him forget entirely about Karen, as Rem was suddenly shot in the side by a shock arrow. Rem yelled, before pulling it out. “I’m gonna be really sick of electricity for a while after this mission.”

Karen readied another arrow, taking aim at Rem again. “The next one won’t be as pleasant.” She said, firing the arrow. Rem quickly put up his shield to block the arrow, but this one was a bomb arrow, and the explosion sent Rem backwards. Rem quickly got back up, though while his gauntlets were charging his options to return ranged fire were limited. So, he quickly reached for his emergency blaster, and began to fire at Karen with it, which she was able to dodge easily. She fired more arrows, some of which Rem chose to dodge rather than block. Karen was trying to close the gap between her and Rem during this time, so when Rem blocked another bomb arrow with his shield, she quickly changed weapons to her twin SMG’s, and unleashed a spray of bullets at Rem, forcing him to block with his shield. Karen kept walking closer to Rem as she fired, but when she suddenly ran out of bullets, rather than reload she switched weapons to two long, strange shaped daggers. Though by the length, they seemed more like short swords than daggers. She quickly ran at Rem, charging with her blades. Rem tried to fire back with his blaster, but Karen deflected the shots with her blades, knocking at shot back at the blaster, disarming Rem. He quickly pulled out his sword as he blocked the blades with his shield. He then quickly went for a vertical slash, forcing Karen to block with both blades.

Now, both stuck in a blade lock, the two stared each other down. “Karen, please, if there is any of you still left in there, you have to fight this! I don’t want to hurt you!”

Karen grunted, holding Rem’s sword back. “I already told you, the Karen you knew is dead!”

Rem narrowed his eyes, forcing back harder. “I don’t believe that. When you remembered the past, I could see the pain in your eyes. I know your still in there Karen, I believe in you!”

Karen began to laugh through her grunts. “Then you really are a fool to believe in someone like me.” Then Karen suddenly moved back, uncrossing her blades, causing Rem to stumble forward. She then kicked Rem in the head, causing him to stumble backwards. Karen quickly put one blade away, and reached for an arrow from her quiver, and threw the arrow at Rem, point blank. It was an explosive arrow, and the blast sent Rem flying backwards off the roof. Karen watched Rem fall off the roof, hearing him scream. Her expression looking empty, as she put away her other blade, and reloaded her SMG’s. “This is why Volks removes such weak emotions, they are a hindrance to a powerful warrior.” She then turned to see Eric and Raylu fighting back against Volks, when she took her bow back out, and fired off more explosive arrows at the two of them.

Eric and Raylu were too busy with Volks to see the arrows coming, and the blasts knocked them apart. Karen kept the pressure on Eric with arrows, while Volks turned his attention to Raylu. Volks used his impressive speed to try and overwhelm Raylu, zipping around like electricity, firing blasts in rapid fire as he zipped around. Raylu was able to keep dodging, but even his own speed wasn’t a one-to-one match against Volks. When Volks was confident he had an opening, he flew directly at Raylu to impale him with his horns. Only having a few seconds to react, Raylu took a defensive stance, and braced for impact. Once Volks was upon him, Raylu quickly grabbed both of his horns! Raylu was pushed back a bit, but soon Raylu was able to hold him back, despite Volks still flying towards him at full speed. “Your strength and speed are impressive, but can you handle this?!” Then Volks started discharging electricity from his horns, blasting into Raylu at close range.

Raylu was taking the fully blunt of this attack, but he tried to counter it back with his aura, but Volks power output was stronger than Raylu’s. Raylu refused to give in, and charged up his ki, powering him up further, as he let out a loud yell. He then tried to force Volks horns apart! With a lot of struggling, he actually was able to budge the horns apart making them slightly ajar to the sides, as a loud cracking sound could be heard, followed by distorted yells from Volks. Then, with all his might, he flipped Volks over his shoulder, smashing him into the tower top. Before Volks could get back up, Raylu back flipped into the air, putting himself over Volks in the air. Blades of ki energy formed around his arms, being formed by the lights spinning around his arms. He then swung both arms, sending the blades at Volks with a shout of “Sword Rain!” As the blades rained down on Volks, hitting him right in the chest. Raylu’s leg then burst into aura flames, and shot down towards Volks with the blades, yelling “Havoc Strike!” As he crashed into Volks chest full force with a powerful flaming kick.

Before Raylu was able to get clear from Volks, Volks let a massive blast of electricity from his body, blasting Raylu through the air. Volks then quickly charged at Eric, who was distracted by Karen, was crashed into by an electric charged tackle. Luckily, due to Raylu dislocating the horns, Volks didn’t manage to stab Eric, but the attack hurt a lot all the same. He was flung into the air, as Volks charged again to finish the job. Eric had to think fast, as the mark on his hand charged of chaos darkness again. His eyes shifted to how they appeared earlier, as chaos darkness energy gathered around Eric’s left arm. As Volks was about to crash into Eric, Eric suddenly had an arm of darkness formed twice as large as his entire body, as it hit Volks head on, knocking him back down to the tower. Eric landed back, as his eyes changed back, as he and Raylu were taking a short breather. Karen was preparing another arrow, while Volks stood back up. “You lot are indeed strong, but it doesn’t matter. You can’t harm me. My armored shell has never been pierced.” Volks then began to charge more electricity. “But I think it’s about time we finish this.”

But before anything else could happen, there was suddenly large walls of water rising up, surrounding the roof of the tower, and then topping off with a dome over the tower top. Everyone was confused, as they looked around, when suddenly Rem flew out through the wall of water using his jet boots. He then moved his arms, sending a segment of the wall of the water directly at Volks! Volks was now shocking himself due to the water, which was also shocking Karen as well. “Quickly, attack!” Rem yelled.

Raylu and Eric nodded, as Eric focused all the chaos darkness he could into his mark, and fired a massively powerful beam directly at Volks. Raylu charged up ki and aura energy in both himself, and the lights around his body, when he was fully charged, he unleashed a massive barrage of beams at Volks. Rem then sent all of the water around the area, and sent it right at Volks at once. The resulting power coming together then caused an energy explosion. Rem landed next to Eric and Raylu, as they waited for the smoke to settle. The sky rumbled, as it started to rain, followed by the earth shaking again. Once the smoke was gone, Volks was still standing. He looked a little roughed up, but otherwise unphased. Karen had been blasted back by the explosion, though since she wasn’t the target, she wasn’t hurt nearly as badly as she could’ve been. She struggled to get back to her feet, while Volks cackled. “Well, I must say, that was quite the idea you had. Surely had that been anyone else they would not have survived.” Volks then extended all his arms outwards, in a taunting manor. “Now do you finally understand? It wouldn’t have mattered had your entire little army had shown up to stop me, because I cannot be stopped.” A strike of lightning lit up the sky, as the rain began to pick up.

The trio looked frustrated, as well as tired. Though the battle hadn’t been going on long, Volks power output was already proving hard to keep up with. “Any more ideas?” Eric asked.

Rem nodded. “His armored shell can’t be unstoppable. Let‘s give’em a taste of void, and he how easily he can shake that off. Raylu, you try and keep him distracted while we get the attack ready.” Rem explained.

Raylu nodded. “Got it sir, leave it to me.” Raylu then rushed forward towards Volks. Volks chuckled, as he fired more electric blasts at Raylu. The rain was making these attacks more dangerous however, as the electricity was spreading out due to the battlefield getting wetter. Raylu managed to keep dodging, as the lights around his body began to fire off aura blasts in a barrage like fashion. Karen, now fully recovered, loaded her bow with two explosive arrows, and fired them both at Raylu. Though Raylu’s reflexes were greater than Karen’s bow skills, and managed to not only dodge the arrows, but catch them as well. He filled them with aura power, then threw them both at Volks, causing an explosion to stagger him backwards. As Volks began to lunge in for attack, Raylu filled his body with energy, and let out a massive flash of blinding light by overloading the lights floating around his body. Both Volks and Karen were blinded for a moment.

After a brief moment, Volks and Karen’s vision recovered, but now it was too late. Eric and Rem had taken spaces on different sides of the battlefield, as Eric charged darkness, and Rem charged light. They both then fired the beams into the airspace in front of Volks. The beams collided, as they began to form a yellow and black sphere of Void energy. Void required an equal amount of light and darkness to form, and was an ultra-highly destructive power. “Send it right at’em!” Rem yelled. Raylu then jumped into the air, and formed an aura sphere, and fired it at the void sphere. The force of the aura attack sent the void flying at Volks, crashing right into him, knocking him back.

After a moment of silence, Volks flipped back up, looking at the group and chuckled. “Nice effort. I actually felt that more than the rest.” Normally void has the power to burn through and degenerate most forms of matter and energy, but somehow Volks armored shell showed only minor signs of the void having effect.

The three of them looked worried. “No way, not even void is effective?!” Rem said, concerned.

Eric started to charge chaos darkness again in his hand. “We need another plan. Hitting him harder and harder isn’t going to work.”

Raylu shook his head. “But even void had little effect. Is there any weakness in this creatures shell?”

Volks laughed, watching the group grow nervous. “You should save yourselves the trouble and just give up. You three could be very useful to my conquest of the galaxy. No reason to waste your lives.” He then paused to think. “Actually...Why not just take choice out of the picture entirely? Karen.” Volks said to her.

Karen nodded, and went to work on the keypad connected to the antenna. “What are you planning?” Rem yelled to Volks.

Volks chuckled. “Just watch.” Then in just a matter of seconds, a swarm of small beetle like robots were flying through the air. They looked very much like the beetle attached to Karen.

Eric narrowed his eyes, looking at these beetles. “Wait...are these the beetles you're using to control your army?”

“Reprogram. And yes, they very same. I’ve decided your power is far too valuable to waste killing you all, so you all will be joining me. Go my beetles!” Volks yelled, pointing toward the trio. Then the swarm suddenly flew at the trio, flying all around them!

“You won't take me!” Eric yelled, as his eyes began to glow again. He unleashed a massive amount of chaos darkness from his body to repel the beetles. Raylu was also discharging aura, striking the ones who dared fly close. The lights fired off beams to strike the beetles as well.

Though the swarm flying around Rem never made a move on him. They moved out of the way of attacks used against them, but they made no move to attack Rem. Rem was finding that weird, but then he suddenly heard yells come from Eric and Raylu. “Guys!” Rem yelled. He suddenly then transformed into his darken beast form, as a massive number of tendrils burst out from his body, swatting away the beetles until they suddenly backed off. Rem saw the other swarms fly off as well, so he transformed back into his human form, and quickly ran towards Eric. “Guys, are you ok?!” Suddenly Eric and Raylu faced Rem, and looked at him with orange tents in their eyes. Rem looked more shocked than before. “No...”

Volks began to laugh loudly. “Oh, the look in your eyes is amazing! Makes the effort to bring you to this point all worth it.” Volks moved a little closer to Rem. “Now you see why I set all this up this way. I wanted to bring you here, and give you and your team that glimmer of hope. The confidence you needed to charge right into battle. Just so the weight of that hope would crush you as you fall. So now you truly understand, there is nothing that can be done. Any minute your friends in the underground will be dead. I made sure to recruit some special assistance for that.” Then suddenly Rem’s stone was glowing, as someone was trying to contact him. “Go ahead. I‘ll wait.”

Rem glared at Volks, but he took his stone and accepted the call. ”Rem, it’s me, Aqua. We’re being overwhelmed down here. With everyone else down here were not going to last much longer. Please tell me you’ve found something on how to stop them.” Then an explosion was heard of earth being smashed, when suddenly the sound Aqua being hit by something heavy, before the call suddenly ended.

“Aqua!” Rem yelled, trying to get the call back, but she wasn’t answering.




Back in the underground, Aqua had just been struck by a massive stone fist formed by Matters golem. The tides of the battle had worsened since earlier, as now Frost and Electrode were back in full swing, and Matter was leading the charge. Aqua was struggling to get back up, when suddenly she was picked up by the golem, and was tightening it’s grip on her. Matter walked over, chuckling. “Aww, the wittle water human seems all tuckered out.”

Aqua tried to wiggle her arm out, but it was no use. “Ugh, you’ll be sorry once I get out of here!”

“Oh really? I’m pretty sure that I could crust you into paste right now. I wonder if water human guts are blue, or like normal people?” Matter then had the golem smash Aqua into the ground. “You’re only alive until I get bored of beating you up, you know that, right?” Aqua tried to suddenly strike Matter with a beam of ice, but one of the golem’s hands blocked it, while the other backhanded Aqua, sending her flying.

Aqua struggled to get to her feet, as the battle had been taking a major toll on her body. “I can’t...give up...The others need me...Rem’s counting on me...” She mumbled.

Matter strolled over, as Aqua wasn’t back in action right off. “Look at her. I bet she’s got more than a few broken bones. I bet it won't take much longer for your body to just give out.”

Aqua glared at Matter, trying to form ice in her hands. “I won’t ever give up...I can’t stop...fighting...”

Matter chuckled. “Oh really? Cause I think your body has other plans. Look at you. You tried to carry all this weight on your shoulders, but you're just crumbling. You’re just a weak, scared, helpless little girl, who can’t handle herself.”

As Matter said this, Aqua’s eyes widened, as she suddenly looked more scared then ever for some reason. Her thoughts suddenly were all over the place, as she remembered several times in her life where people said those words. Helpless little girl. When her older sister tried to kill her, and many other times when her life was in danger. And now she was feeling all that fear all at once. “D-don’t say that!...Please don’t say that!” She said, then firing the ice energy she gathered.

Matter blocked the ice with the golem, but then Matter looked interested. “Oh? Did I strike a nerve in the helpless little girl?”

“S-stop!” Aqua yelled, as she started to feel her body shake. She was having trouble gathering energy at this point, as she was mentally unraveling. “P-please stop...”

Matter started to laugh, as he walked closer to Aqua, as she started backing away from him. She tripped backwards, as she started backing up while on the ground. “You’re afraid of the pressure of being in charge, aren’t you? Of being the ‘strongest’ one around, because you already know you depend on those stronger than you to stay strong. Because you’re just a ‘helpless little girl.’” Matter taunted her.

Aqua covered her ears, as tears started welling up in her eyes. “Stop it, please!” She yelled, trying to avoid eye contact with Matter.

Matter kept chuckling. “Who would have thought a ‘mighty’ World Saver, is secretly just a scared child who’s afraid of being alone. This is hilarious! Her greatest weakness is a panic attack!” He then moved his hand again, as the golem went to hit Aqua with an uppercut, sending Aqua flying back. She was too scared, and in too much of a panic to do anything, other than force herself back up. Even then though, Aqua was still too afraid to do anything else.

The others were stuck fighting, Ralph caught what was happening to Aqua. “Aqua, hang on!” He tried to get away from his fight, but Electrode blasted him with electricity. He took cover from behind a rock, and tried to fire his blasters, but they were out of CEG charges. “Damn it, they aren’t recharged yet.” He had to think quickly, and he remembered he also had his pistols. He holstered his blasters, and took out his pistols from twin holsters he had strapped to his back under his jacket. He checked to make sure they were loaded with ion bullets, and jumped over the rock. He took out his reflector to reflect the blasts from Electrode back, and ran right at him. He then suddenly slid between his legs, and got up, and kicked Electrode in the back. He quickly fired a few shots from his pistol, shooting ion bullets into Electrode! Electrode yelled out in pain, as it was still bullets going through his body, rather than energy blasts, so he was entirely winded. “Now’s my chance.” He then quickly made a break for Matter and Aqua. Powered humans that dared approach Ralph during this mad dash were met with an ion bullet from Ralphs pistols. No fatal shots, but enough to keep them down with the ion energy. Soon Ralph was right near Matter, and the golem turned to face him. Ralph quickly threw some explosives, destroying the hand, and fired a few shots at Matter!

Matter was caught off guard, and was staggered back by the sudden attack. As Ralph attempted to go to Aqua’s aid, a stone hand burst from the earth, and grabbed him, tossing him away. “Ugh...A noble effort...But pointless in the end...But now that your friend really pissed me off, I’ll make your death slow and painful.” Matter said, as his golem walked towards Aqua, who was in too much of a mental panic to do anything. “It’s been real, World Saver.” The golem then towered over Aqua, as it’s hands were covered in massive spikes.



Back above ground, on top of the tower, Volks laughter echoed through the air, as the rain came down, the thunder crashed, and the ground shook. “I told you, didn’t I? They will all be dead soon, with you as the lone survivor. Do you know why? Why you’re still here? I want you to fully understand your place. A mighty world saver, rendered powerless before me, as his entire team felled before me. Alive, but with no hope, and no options left. All you have left is to wait for all of your friends to die.”

Eric and Raylu began to circle Rem like a pack of wolves. “You’ve failed us Rem, but it’s not all lost.” Eric said to him.

Raylu nodded. “Indeed. Perhaps if you were to admit defeat to Lord Volks, he might be willing to spare our friends in the underground. We can all serve Lord Volks together.”

Volks chuckled. “Why yes, what a great idea. You and your friends would make wonderful additions to my army. What do you say?”

Rem looked blank, as he thought about what they were saying. The weight of everything was riding on him. He thought about the fact that his decisions have led everyone to either death or possession, and the destruction of the planet. But then he remembered the talk everyone had with him a few weeks ago, and he looked serious. “I can’t betray both my friends and the planet by joining you! I will find a way to stop you, and save everyone!”

Volks laughed. “You are indeed crazy. You have no hope in defeating me. Look around you!” He said, as Raylu and Eric circled, and Karen moved closer to the action. “What can you possibly do alone? You’ve lost! There’s nothing you can do to stop me now! You‘ve made your fatal mistakes, and now it’s over.”

Rem looked down at his gauntlets, as his eyes glanced at his darken orb and his twilight shard. The two objects he owned that allowed him to change into his two different forms. He then looked back at Volks with determination in his eyes. “Until I stop drawing breath, I will not back down. It’s only over when I breathe my last. Save your gloating for my corpse, if you can really kill me!“

Eric and Raylu began to charge energy, as Volks opened his wings to take to the air. His body began to charge up more electricity. "Heh. Very well. Then this is where our battle ends. Allow me to snuff out what fire you still have left in you!”


...End of Data Log.

[Aqua]

Data Log # 20: An Insects Crumbling Plan

Data Log place in time: Right after the end of Data Log #19.


Rem looked down at his gauntlets, as his eyes glanced at his darken orb and his twilight shard. The two objects he owned that allowed him to change into his two different forms. He then looked back at Volks with determination in his eyes. “Until I stop drawing breath, I will not back down. It’s only over when I breathe my last. Save your gloating for my corpse, if you can really kill me!“

Eric and Raylu began to charge energy, as Volks opened his wings to take to the air. His body began to charge up more electricity. "Heh. Very well. Then this is where our battle ends. Allow me to snuff out what fire you still have left in you!” Volks then began to form a large orb of lightning between his horns, as Rem prepared for impact.

But impact never came, as the sound of what seemed like a rocket burning fuel, flying through the air. Suddenly, coming into view were a number of missiles, coming in fast. They crashed right into Volks, who was entirely too busy charging his attack to notice. Volks was downed by the missiles, and was feeling the effects of them. Flying by was a harrier attack jet, and as it drew close, it opened machine gun fire at Volks, hitting him, and forcing the three under Volks’ control to take cover. Rem looked confused by this sudden attack jet appearing, but it seemed to be an ally. Rem then used his stone to contact Erue. “Erue, who’s in that fighter jet?”

”Unknown. This harrier jet is unregistered in any system.” Erue responded.

“Patch us into its commutation channel, quickly.” Rem requested.

”Of course Master, one moment please. Sending commutation request now……Connected.” Erue finished.

“Hello, this is Rem Stratford of the World Savers, please identify yourself. Are you foe or friendly?” Rem asked quickly.

”Today, it’s both.” A familiar voice responded.

Rem's eyes widened. “Kraven?! Your alive?!”

”Mr. Stratford, you of all people should know I don’t die so easily. Tamer, turn us back around to attack again!” Kraven said, pausing for a moment, as the harrier was turning around. ”Listen Mr. Stratford, today our interests aline. We both need a planet to live on, regardless of our differences. So today you have our support, and judging by the state of your allies right now, you could use some support.”

Rem sighed, conflicted with everything, but glad to have some help. “Thank you Kraven.”

”Save your thanks for when that bug is dead, and our planet isn’t going to explode.” Kraven responded. The harrier drew close to the tower again, as Volks began to recover. “Tamer, prepare our special package for Volks, will you?”

Tamer smirked from the cockpit. “Heh. With pleasure, sir.”

Then the bottom of the harrier opened, as a large missile shaped object was primed for firing. Volks recovered, and glared down the harrier. “Kraven, you persistent son of a bitch. This time I’ll make sure your death is much more painful than what I had in mind before.“ Volks then charged lightning between his horns, preparing to match the missile being prepped. Then the missile was fired, and Volks launched his attack, and both attacks met in the air with an explosion issuing. But suddenly, flying out of the explosion was Alpha, the combat robot! It was suddenly in Volks' face, as he was completely caught off guard. The robot changed its arms into rocket launchers, and was blasted by two rockets to the face at point blank range, causing Volks to be blasted backwards, nearly off the tower top.

Alpha landed near Rem, as Eric, Raylu, and Karen prepared to attack the two of them. “DIRECT ORDERS FROM MASTER KRAVEN. I AM TO ASSIST YOU IN ANY WAY POSSIBLE FOR THE GOOD OF MANKIND. PRIME DIRECTIVE: EXTERMATION OF VOLKS.” Alpha explained to Rem.

Volks got back up, noticing the robot now standing between him and Rem. Volks noticed that the harrier was out of attack range, and was preparing for another attack run. It seemed the firepower of the harrier was slightly concerning to Volks. “It seems I left more loose ends then I first thought. But it doesn’t matter, you’re only delaying the inevitable. A simple robot isn’t going to help you.”

Rem then looked to Alpha. “Can you buy me a few seconds while I power up?”

“AFRMATIVE.” Alpha said, stepping forward. “CREATURE, I AM NO SIMPLE ROBOT. I AM COMBAT ROBOT P.E.R. ALPHA. MY PRIME DIRECTIVE IS YOUR DESTRUCTION, AND I WILL NOT FAIL.” It morphed it’s arms into mini guns, and prepared to fire.

Volks laughed. “A robot with a sense of humor. I like that. Maybe you’ll be more fun to crush then the rest.”

Alpha stared down Volks, not amused by his mocking. He then pointed both mini gun arms at Volks, unleashing a barrage of ion energy shots. “I AM NO FOOL FOR YOU TO BE AMUSED BY, MONSTER.”

Rem, now having a moment to himself thanks to Alpha, quickly reached for his two transformation items, and activated them. He grunted, as he went to his knees. Both transformations were happening at once, as a line like patterns on his skin glowing yellow, and chaos darkness formed around his hands and started to spread up his arms. As the darkness spread, fur began to appear on the darkness, as it spread all over Rem. He suddenly leaned back, and yelled, as the darkness covered his face and transformed the shape into something more wolf like. Once the transformation was complete, Rem looked like a black and yellow werewolf like creature, a few inches taller than before, and glowing green eyes. His expression looked sterner and more serious than before. Everyone was taken aback by this, and Volks didn’t know what he was seeing. “What kind of transformation is this?”

“This.” Rem started, in a much gruffer voice, grabbed his sword that was still in its sheath. “Is the Darken Werewolf.” Rem then suddenly dashed forward with amazing speed, and charged right for Karen! She didn’t have much time to react, but she reached for her guns. Though with blinding speed, Rem took out his sword, and slashed at Karen. She closed her eyes, bracing for whatever was about to happen, as the sound of the slash rang through the area. Though Rem didn’t make contact with Karen, but rather, he sliced right through her shirt on her chest, right were Volks showed the beetle on Karen’s heart. Rem had sliced the beetle on her clean through, as it let out a tiny shriek, and fell off her body, dead. Karen’s eyes widened, as she suddenly began to fall back, but Rem quickly caught her. “Are you ok?” Rem asked her. Volks and the others were stunned for a moment, trying to catch up with what was happening.

Karen looked around, wide eyed, as she seemed to be catching up with herself. “I’m I...free? Rem, did you?...” She asked, but not sure what to say.

Rem smiled, as he gave a sigh of relief. “You're ok. I knew you were still in there.”

Karen was slowly realizing that she was finally back in control of her own mind. She then suddenly gave Rem a hug. “T-thanks. Thanks for still believing in me, Little Remmy.” She said, as it sounded like she might have been crying. Or at least getting choked up.

Volks was now enraged, now understanding what Rem just did. “How dare you!? That was one of my only prime controllers! You dare take away my most loyal servant from me!?”

Karen got up out of Rem’s arms, and glared at Volks. “I was never ‘loyal’ to you, Volks! You took away every choice I had, and made me watch from my own eyes as my body went out doing your dirty work!” Karen then took out her two SMG’s, and pointed them at Volks. “I’m still getting back to speed, but I’ll follow whatever orders you have Rem.”

Alpha then stood to one side of Rem, while Karen took the other as Volks had both Eric and Raylu in front of him now. Volks sounded furious. “Very well Karen, it doesn’t matter anyway. You can die with them. Eric, Raylu, destroy them all!” Volks said, taking back to the air, and charging up electricity. Volks saw the harrier coming back, and starting flying around the tower, firing blasts of electricity at the missiles.

Rem looked to Karen and Alpha. “I’ll keep point on Volks, you two handle Eric and Raylu. But don’t kill them, we‘ll need their help once we can break Volks’ hold on them.” Rem phrased it this way so he could hopefully convince Alpha to not just kill them outright.

Karen nodded. “Understood.”

Alpha made a few beeping sounds, then replied with, “AFFIRMATIVE. UTILIZING NON LETHAL FORCE.”

Rem then put away his sword, as he powered up, full of energy. “I’m counting on you both. Let’s do it!” Rem then took to the skies, without the use of his jet boots, and flew after Volks.

Karen reloaded her SMG’s with ion bullet clips, and aimed them at Eric. “You ready Alpha?”

Alpha kept his guns pointed at Raylu, ready to attack. “AFFIRMATIVE. TRY TO KEEP UP WITH ME.” And the two of them opened fire on Eric and Raylu.




Meanwhile, back in the underground, the battle was still dire. Right after Master Matter repelled Ralph, he returned his attention to Aqua, who he had been beating on. “Ugh...A noble effort...But pointless in the end...But now that your friend really pissed me off, I’ll make your death slow and painful.” Matter said, as his golem walked towards Aqua, who was in too much of a mental panic to do anything. “It’s been real, World Saver.” The golem then towered over Aqua, as it’s hands were covered in massive spikes. It reached for Aqua, and would proceed to stab and crush her, as she was still too scared to move. Suddenly though, a loud sound was heard, as a bunch of small rockets flew right into the golem hand, destroying it with the rockets, followed by more blasting the rest of the golem. Matter looked around, and saw where the rockets came from, and saw The Megaton, accompanied by a large batch of Harkum brand robots! “The Megaton!?” Matter exclaimed. He began to form a new golem, though he wasn’t able to rebuild it as fast, thanks to the ion in his system from Ralph’s attacks. With this extra time, Megaton quickly fired one of his robotic fists at Matter, as it crashed right into him, and knocked him into the tower. “Ugh...” He moaned, as he fell off the tower, and onto the floor.

Megaton walked over to Aqua, as his fist returned to the suit. He spoke to her over speaker. “Sorry I‘m late, things were tough up top. Are you ok?”

Aqua was still shaking, but she worked her way to her feet. “I-I'll be ok, I think. T-thanks for your help...We really need it...” Aqua then saw a group of powered humans charging forward, and she hid back behind Megaton almost reflexively. Despite her words, she was still rattled.

Megaton looked towards the oncoming powered humans, then spoke towards the group by speaker. “By the power vested in me, you all are under arrest. Any resistance will be met with appropriate force.” The powered humans just simply charged forward. “As expected.” Megaton then primed a powerful charge in his wrist mounted cannon, and launched it into the fray. It then burst in the center of the charging group, and exploded in a pulse of ion! Those by the epicenter were made entirely incapacitated, while those further away were affected to a lesser extent. “We’ll work our way through their numbers. Watch my six.” Megaton said to Aqua, as he opened fire on the still approaching powered humans.

Electrode and Frost noticed Master Matter knocked out so easily by Megaton, as well as the Harkum robots. “It seems that a problem has presented itself.” Frost commented.

Electrode, who was still feeling the effects of Ralph’s ion bullets, fought off Kari and Sora‘s advances with a wave of electricity. “Yeah, we should probably nip this problem in the bud before it gets worse.” Electrode then looked for Liquid Rose, and called out to her. “Hey, Liquid! We could use your help with this!”

At this point, Liquid was fighting off Brett using her water abilities, when she heard Electrode call out. Damn, the Megaton is here? This makes things a tad more difficult, but nothing we can’t handle. I just gotta give this guy the slip. Blocking shots from Brett's assault rifle proved easy enough for Liquid, managing to be able to do it with just well-placed water waves. Then she suddenly sent two waves of water at Brett from both sides of him. When he suddenly rolled forward to dodge, and put himself closer to attack, Liquid sent a third wave at him to knock him backwards. “Alright, now-” But then suddenly, something flew through the air, and stuck right into Liquid’s arm! They seemed to be small white shurikens with a rose engraving on them. Suddenly they began to discharge electricity, shocking Liquid’s arm, and spreading quickly. Then, wrapping around her arm from the air, looked to be a thorny whip. At the other end of it, someone descended from the ceiling, and crashed into Liquid feet first. The figure then vaulted off of Liquid’s body, and stood across from her. It was a man with short blonde hair, dressed in a white Rose Thorn Gang suit, with white roses decorating the suit, coupled with a white mask with a gold trim. Liquid recovered, pulling the shurikens out of her arm, and glared at the man. “So if it isn’t the turncoat, White Rose.”

The man, who was apparently the White Rose, looked serious as he took a combat stance. “I wasn’t aware the Rose Thorn Gang started assisting with world ending plots now.”

Brett recovered, having his rifle at the ready. “Who are you?” Brett quickly questioned, keeping his rifle pointed at White Rose.

White Rose looked over his shoulder slightly so he could get a look at Brett. “It‘s not important right now. All you need to know is I’m here to help. I’ll take care of Liquid Rose, so why don’t you give your friends a hand with the mutants? We’ll talk later, if we get the chance.”

Brett looked confused for a second, but then nodded. “Thank you for the help.” Brett then turned to assist Sora and Kari.

White Rose looked back to Liquid Rose, as she began to speak. “You aren’t going to win here, White Rose. Even though I’m no longer working for the gang, I’ll still take you down if you won’t join us.”

White Rose stayed looking serious. “You’re not in your right mind, but the only thing that changes is why I’m taking you out. The Shining Force are going to take Volks down, and you’ll be going to jail.”

Liquid chuckled. “Oh yeah? Ha! I’d like to see you try!” Liquid then sent waves of water towards White Rose. White Rose spun slightly to the side to dodge the water, and shot what looked like tiny dart like objects from the gauntlets on his wrists. Normally Liquid was pretty fast, but White Rose seemed to be even faster, so Liquid wasn’t able to dodge these darts. The darts seemed to pack a powerful punch, as they discharged a powerful electric charge into Liquid. While she was stunned by the shock, White Rose kicked her directly in the gut, toppling her over. While Liquid was toppled over, White Rose quickly took out a thorn covered pole, as he shot more darts at Liquid. Liquid sent small waves to knock the darts off their flight course, then quickly drew her pistol and fired at White Rose. White Rose used the pole to block the bullets fired at him while he moved closer to Liquid, while Liquid looked shocked. “How do you do that?!”

As soon as Liquid ran out of bullets, White Rose struck the pistol out of her hand, and quickly spun around to strike Liquid upside the head with the pole, causing her to stagger backwards. “I’m not playing around. I’m taking you down, and getting this city back in order.” White Rose said, as he moved to strike Liquid with the pole again. Liquid dodged this attack, and sent a stream of water directly at White Rose, which he managed to dodge. Though this first attack was a trick, as a second wave struck his hand with the pole, disarming him. She quickly rushed in to fight White Rose in hand-to-hand combat, as her hands glowed with blue energy. She was going to try and end this quickly, and go for the same move she used on Kari, to use water control to try and mess with his internal organs. Though with every punch and jab, White Rose blocked the attacks with ease. Liquid looked shocked, while White Rose looked as calm and serious as ever. “Your time with Volks has dulled your skills.” Liquid suddenly glared, as she went to jab White Rose in the face. White Rose quickly grabbed her hand, and struck her arm on the underside of her elbow, causing her to yell out in pain. Liquid was preparing to attack with her other hand, but White Rose grabbed her second hand, and spun around behind her, still holding her hand. He then used Liquid’s hand to strike her in the side, causing her a large amount of pain and complications because of the move she planned to use on White Rose. Liquid Rose yelled out, as she went to her knees, feeling the pain from her own attack. She’d need time to work out the effects of her attack on her body, but time is something she didn’t have. White Rose then quickly gave her a round house kick to the side of the head, taking her out. White Rose looked over Liquid, confirming she was down for the count, but then noticed more powered humans rushing in due to Liquid Rose’s defeat, and he picked his pole back up. “Alright, I’ll take on as many as it takes.” He said to himself, rushing in to meet his attackers.

Electrode and Frost were having difficulty keeping up with Kari, Sora, and Brett’s newfound assault on them. Electrode, in-between attacks, managed to notice that White Rose had finished off Liquid Rose. He turned to Frost, who was holding back the attacks with his ice beams. “We got a bit of situation here Frost, Liquid is down. Some dude dressed in white took her out.”

Frost looked serious. “We need to start focusing on taking them out one at a time. Focus on the major members, then we can deal with meddlesome robo-” Frost then suddenly was forced to dodge, as Ralph fired bombs at the two of them.

Ralph rushed over to his friends, firing more to scatter them. Brett looked over his shoulder. “Is Aqua ok? She looked in a rough state a few moments ago.”

Ralph nodded. “She‘s with Megaton and the robots right now. I figured you guys could use me a little more at the moment.”

“Then let’s finish these two quickly, and shut this thing down.” Kari said, turning to Electrode and Frost.

Sora grinned. “Then let’s take them out, we got numbers on our side.” The two mutants then recovered, staring down the Shining Force members, as they began to rumble again.





Back above ground, Rem was flying through the air, working with Kravens harrier to keep Volks busy. Though even with their combined firepower, Volks only seemed to be mildly harmed. Suddenly Aqua called in on Rem’s stone. ”Rem, it’s me, are you guys ok?”

Rem looked shocked then relieved. “Aqua, your ok! Thank God, I was so worried. We could be better right now, but more importantly how are you guys?”

”We could be better, but Megaton showed up with robots for backup, so things are starting to turn in our favor. I’m just worried that Volks has more people. If we get hit by a second wave we might not pull through a second time. I know you have your hands full, but is there any way you might be able to remove Volks control over them? Aqua asked.

Rem looked around, trying to think, when he saw Karen and got an idea. “Let me get back to you, ok? I might have a plan.”

”OK, just be careful please.” Aqua said before ending the call.

Rem then contacted Kraven’s harrier. “Kraven, I’ve got an idea, but I need you to buy me a moment or two.”

”Make it quick, we’re nearly out of missiles." Kraven quickly responded. The harrier continued to keep Volks attention with machine gun fire, but it only served to be a minor annoyance to Volks. It did keep him distracted though. Rem then flew down to Karen as quickly as he could.

Karen was dealing with Eric at the moment. Eric had drawn his flaming sword, and kept swinging at Karen, as the flames would fly off the sword with each swing. Eric then started firing beams of darkness from the back of his hand at Karen, but she wouldn’t allow Eric to put distance between them. She quickly rushed Eric with both of her short swords, as the two were now in a blade lock. “You should have stayed with Lord Volks, Karen. Maybe if you help us take down Rem, then Volks will take you back as his right hand again.” Eric said though his grunts.

Karen grunted back, as she pushed against Eric’s sword. “I’d rather die than serve that bug again!”

Eric smirked. “Well, that is the idea.” Eric then charged energy in his first, and punched Karen right in the gut, sending her backwards. Eric then charged at Karen while she was sent backwards to take advantage of this opening. Though before Eric reached her, Rem appeared between the two, and blocked Eric’s sword with his own. “What the!?”

Rem then quickly opened his palm, as a powerful blast of light energy sent Eric flying backwards. Rem then looked over to Karen. “You doing alright?”

Karen shook off the effects of Eric’s blast, and looked to Rem. “He’s tough, that’s for sure. But I’m made of tougher stuff then that, I’ll hold up with him.” She then noticed that Rem wasn’t fighting Volks right now, and wondered why he stepped in. “Did you need me though? You left Volks to Kraven.”

“My friends in the underground are struggling because of the powered humans under Volks’ control. If we don’t find a way to start undoing Volks’ plan, all this fighting will be for nothing. We need to stop the draining of the planet, and to do that we need to cut the connection Volks has to his servants. Do you have any idea on how we could do that?” Rem asked.

Karen started to seriously think, trying to remember the things she knew while working with Volks. There was a lot, and Volks clouded a bit of it. Then her eyes suddenly looked as if she remembered something. “There’s a server room on the tenth floor of the tower that connects all of the beetles together that Volks is able to program. If we destroy it, the network the beetles are connected to should fall apart. But getting to it will be tough right now, Volks had List put the entire building on lockdown. Chances are high it’s heavily guarded inside as well. Do we even have the manpower to spare for that?”

Rem started to think. “I’m not sure, but we need to think of something quickly.” Then suddenly Rem was being contacted by Kraven.

”We’re taking massive fire up here, and we just ran out of missiles! We need support up here ASAP!” Kraven said, almost yelling.

Rem looked serious again, as he powered back up. ”I’ll be back, I might have an idea.” Rem then took back to the air.

Rem was flying up, but he wasn’t going to make it in time, as Volks flew at the harrier at full speed, ball of lightning charged between his horns. “I’ll make sure you won’t survive this, Kraven!” Volks yelled, as he planned to fly directly into the harrier and cause the lightning ball to explode.

Kraven’s eyes widened. “Tamer, evasive maneuvers!”

Tamer was grunting, as he tried to turn the harrier. “I’m working on it!” But it wasn’t going to matter, at their speeds, the crash would be unavoidable. But Rem managed to get close, and formed a long tendril of darkness, and wrapped it around Volks leg. He then gave a strong pull, enough to pull Volks out of the way of a head on collision with the harrier. Though Volks’ horns still managed to clip the harriers wing off, sending it into a spin. “Hang on sir, were going to crash!” Tamer called out.

“Try to keep the harrier from crashing into anyone or buildings.” Kraven called to Tamer, as Tamer fought to keep control of the harrier, as it lowered and crashed into the streets below.

Rem saw as the harrier crashed into the streets below. “Kraven!“ Rem yelled.

Volks then began flying towards Rem. “Well, now it‘s just you and me. In the end, all Kraven amounted to was just another distraction. Your new form, while impressive, is still no match for me.”

Rem rolled his eyes. “Yack yack yack, that's all you do, I swear do you even hear yourself? If you were as powerful as your ego is big, you would have already taken over the galaxy three times over.”

Volks roared in response. “So the human thinks he’s funny now that he’s in a hairier form, does he? Fine!” Volks then flew right at Rem, planning to stab him with his horns.

Rem waited for Volks to approach, as he smirked and grabbed Volks by his horns. He then quickly used Volks own momentum, and tossed him into a different direction, following it up with twin light beams from his hands. Rem then tried to contact Kraven again. “Kraven, you still kickin?”

There was a short silence, which was soon ended with a groan. ”A bit scuffed up, but we’re alive. Harrier isn’t going to be flying again though, not that it was much good with no missiles.”

“Good, cause I have a plan. I’m going to connect Karen to this call. Erue, patch her earpiece in.” Rem said, to which Erue did so. “Are you able to hear us, Karen?”

”All clear, go ahead.” Karen answered.

“Alright, the way I see it, we need to take out Volks’ control over his forces. Once he’s alone, we can stop the draining process on the planet. With both of those issues taken care of, we can focus all our efforts on Volks himself.” Rem explained.

”Good a plan as any I suppose. Do you have any idea on how to take out all these control beetles? Based on my understanding of them, they all must be connected by some network or something.” Kraven asked.

”As I was explaining to Rem, there’s a server room on the tenth floor of the tower. One of my last orders under Volks control was giving the order to Mr. List’s forces to meet with him inside the tower and lock it down. No doubt Volks is trying to make sure any possible hitch to his plan is taken care of, so it will be under heavy guard.” Karen explained.

Rem noticed Volks beginning to recover, so Rem had to be quick with the rest of the plan. “Kraven, me and Karen are too busy with Volks and my controlled friends up here, and my backup is busy with Volks’ forces under the tower, so-”

But Kraven cut Rem off. ”Leave the server to me and Tamer. We’ll take it down by any means necessary, so you keep that bug busy. As soon as he finds out the server is in danger, he may put the pressure on us if he isn’t occupied.”

”Then we all have our jobs to do. We’ll keep these three busy, so don’t let us down Kraven.” Karen said.

Kraven scoffed. ”Please. Don’t die on me, and we won’t have any problems on our end.”

“Then good luck everyone.” Rem said, as he ended transmission between the three of them. He then saw Volks recover. “Well, don’t you take a hit? Though all you seem to do is charge around like a bull in a china shop when you're pissed. Not very becoming for a ruler of the galaxy, is it?”

Volks was getting angry, as he charged more lightning between his horns. “You won’t be making jokes once you’re fried to a crisp!" He then fired three large lightning blasts from his horns at Rem.

Rem saw these attacks coming at him, and simply dodged the first two. He then covered his arms in light, as he swatted away the third blast into the air. Volks looked surprised, while Rem simply smirked at him. “What good is all your power if you can’t even hit me now? Not so much fun is it?”

Volks simply stared Rem down, as the sound of thunder rang out though the sky. “It doesn’t matter. Even if I can’t hit you, you still can’t harm me. Soon enough the planet will succumb to me, and it won't even matter anymore.” Volks then flew at Rem at high speeds, when suddenly a lightning strike came down from the sky. Volks actually caught it, using his horns as lightning rods, and he flung the bolt of lightning right at Rem.

The bolt of lightning was much faster than Volks standard attacks, giving Rem little time to actually dodge, even with his enhanced speed. Rem quickly covered himself in a small dome of darkness, hoping it would take the blunt of the attack. The bolt it, and both blasted away the darkness, but also blasting him away. He recovered midair, still feeling the pain of that bolt of lightning. Damn, even with protection, that attack packed a punch. That probably would have killed me in my human form. I refuse to believe his armor is indestructible. Everything has a weakness or weak point. I just gotta find it. Rem then tried speaking through his stone again. “Erue, any luck getting through to Magneus?”

”Still attempting. Electro cage continues to hamper commutation outside the cage. If cage can be momentarily distorted, I may be able to establish connection for a brief time.” Erue responded.

“Keep trying, I’ll see what I can do about that.” Rem then looked to see Volks flying at him again. Rem powered back up, and flew towards Volks. He formed energy in his hands, as they flew at each other as if they were in a jousting match. Rem then rolled to the side while flying towards Volks, leaving the energy behind. Volks then flew right into the energy left in the air, as it exploded on him. Volks wasn’t harmed much, but he was dazed by the impact. Rem then used this chance to contact Karen. “Karen, we need to get a call out on the outside of the cage. Is there any way we might be able to shut it down?”

Sounds of fighting came from Karen’s end, as she was patched in. “The antenna for the electro cage is designed to be self-sustaining once the planetary draining possess has begun. The only options we have are to drain the tower of energy, which will be impossible until the drain is shut down. Destroy the antenna, which will also prove difficult with how it was built, and the fact that Volks will stop at nothing to defend it. Last option is to interrupt the signal from the antenna. It might not take the cage down, but it should mess with the jumbling long enough for a quick contact to the outside.”

Volks kept flying at Rem, as he was forced to dodge, though he noticed that Volks seemed to be getting faster somehow. “None of these options seem easy, but interrupting the signal may be our best bet. Erue, can you handle the jumbling?”

”Possible. I will require time to analyze the signal the antenna is emitting so that I may compose a counter signal. Unfortunately, I have no means of administering the counter signal from the lab. The telepath stones cannot transfer the signal, and the signal will not reach from the lab itself. I will require a powerful enough device on site that can connect to me to receive the signal, and then administer the signal.” Erue responded.

Rem grimaced, as he flew around Volks, trading attacks. “There's no way we have the time to set that up under all this pressure. We’d need to at least wait until Kraven takes out the server to gain any support to set something like that up.”

Then, connecting into the call, Alpha interjected. “I HAVE BEEN LISTENING TO THIS PROPOSAL BY UNIT ERUE, AND HAVE BEEN FORMULATING A SOLUTION. PROPOSAL: I CONNECT TO ERUE WIRELESSLY AND SERVE AS ADMINISTER OF ELECTRO CAGE COUNTER SIGNAL.”

After a few seconds of silence, Erue spoke up again. "After a quick compatibility check, Unit Alpha can connect to my server wirelessly. Unit Alpha possess necessary components for administration of counter signal. Execution of proposal has a projected 97% success rate.”

Rem managed to get in close to Volks, and blasted him point blank range with void, but it showed only minor damage. Volks then gathered lightning in his multiple arms, and blasted Rem away. Rem landed on his feet on the tower, as he powered back up. “Alright Erue, prepare the counter signal. Alpha, I’ll cover you once it’s ready."

”Of course, master Rem.” Erue responded.

”AFFERMATIVE. RESUMING COMBAT.” Alpha said, as he returned his full focus to Raylu. He began firing mini gun fire at Raylu. The blasts were all ion energy, so had Raylu been hit he would have been fine. Though Raylu was not about to be hit by these attacks, as his speed was still faster than Alphas. “PREDICTING DODGE PATTERNS...OPENING FOUND.” Then with one arm, the mini gun turned into an arm cannon. Once Raylu dodged out of the way, Alpha launched a massive ion blast to where Raylu was dodging, and he was blasted. Alpha then approached Raylu quickly using his jet boosters, and went to strike him with his heavy arms. Raylu managed to catch the arms, but Alpha was expecting that. “YOUR POWER AND SPEED ARE STILL FORMIDABLE, BUT YOU LUCK THE ABILITY TO BEAT ME ON YOUR OWN.”

Raylu remained calm, as he tried to power up though the ion energy coursing through him. “If I cannot, then Lord Volks will surely finish you. You are not equipped to deal with his power.”

“DO NOT BE SO SURE. LATEST COMBAT PATCH WAS MADE WITH VOLKS IN MIND. AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPRATION WHILE I PREPARED.” Alpha then opened his torso, as a massive blast of ion was fired at Raylu point blank, blasting him backwards. “INFORMATION SHOWS INFLATED EGO IN THOSE EFFECTED BY VOLKS, POSSIBLY DUE TO THE SHARED CONNECTION. INFLATED EGO EFFECTS COMBAT EFFICIENCY. EXPLOITATION POSSIBLE.” Alpha then approached Raylu again, whose speed was being slowed by the ion.

Raylu then charged up aura in his body, as he began to dispel some of the ion plaguing his body. “I won‘t be so easily stopped by such a simple trick.”

“PROPOSAL: SEE HOW YOU HANDLE NEW TRICKS.“ Alpha said in a taunting manor, as suddenly small missile like launchers opened up on his shoulders. “MICRO MISSILES READY. FIREING.” And they started firing at Raylu at super high speeds. Due to Raylu’s somewhat compromised speed, Raylu wasn’t able to keep up the dodging, as was forced to block the attacks with an aura sphere. Once Alpha had Raylu pinned down, he rocketed towards Raylu. His arms turned into battering ram like objects, as he struck the sphere with full force. The sphere was not designed to hold up against physical attacks, so it shattered under the force Alpha provided. The ends of the rams then opened up, as powerful shockwaves were launched, sending Raylu flying backwards. “ENQUIRY: ARE YOU FINISHED, OR SHALL I CONTINUE TO BEAT ON YOU?“

Raylu recovered, looking angry, as he suddenly began to charge aura up. “Enquire this!” Raylu then fired a large beam of aura at Alpha.

Alpha then turned his arms back to normal, as he caught the beam with his hands, and he began to absorb the aura with his hands! Alpha stored this energy in a battery built into his body, saved up for later. “YOU WERE SAYING?” Alpha then converted some of the aura into the ion power generator, as he fired off another beam of ion energy at Raylu, forcing him to dodge. “YOU WERE MORE OF A THREAT TO ME WHEN YOU FOUGHT AS A WORLD SAVER. YOU’VE BECOME WEAK. ENQUIRY: WHY IS THIS?“

Raylu recovered, looking angry again. “Mock me as you like, machine. You will not function much longer to do so.”

“CURRENT INFORMATION DOES NOT SUPPORT THIS CLAIM.” Alpha then powered up, as he morphed his arms into cannons again. “BUT FEEL FREE TO ATTEMPT TO CORRECT MY INFORMATION.” The two then began to battle once again.




Back at the crashed harrier, Kraven had just finished his call with Rem and Karen, as he turned to Tamer. “We have our task. Take out the server room in the Tower of Power.”

“I'll follow whatever order you have, sir. But do you not find a problem with taking orders from a World Saver?” Tamer asked.

“Of course I do, but they have the information on how to stop this. I’m willing to set aside my distaste for working with them to stop Volks. For now, time is of the most importance, so I must make do with what resources I have, and the World Savers are nearly all I have to work with.” Kraven explained. “So I would appreciate it if you didn‘t remind me. Now, let’s get moving.” He prepped his pistol, and took off towards the tower. It wasn’t very far, but the chaos in the city made it feel ages away.

As Kraven and Tamer moved towards the tower, Tamer made notice of all the monsters attacking the robots and law enforcement. “Where did all of these monsters come from? You think these are under Volks’ control as well?”

Kraven shook his head as they ran through the streets. “My suspicions that it’s some kind of rift that’s become unstable due to the energy drain from the tower being forcefully connected to the monster realm. That connection should be lost once the tower is powered down.” Shortly after, they reached the entrance to the tower, though it was blocked off by heavy metal doors, impossible to open from outside. “This might slow us down a bit. If only Alpha wasn’t busy, he might be able to hack the door controls.”

Tamer looked around, and spotting a giant metal golem, he had an idea. “Maybe we won’t need it.” Tamer then formed a psychic whip in his hand, as he sent it towards the golem. After a few seconds of resistance, the golem was now under Tamers control. “Stand back sir.” Tamer said, as both moved away from the door. Then with one massive punch, the doors were shattered! Right after the door was blasted down, they were suddenly under massive gunfire. “Looks like they were expecting us.”

“Let’s not disappoint Volks’ welcoming party, shall we? Showcase your power!” Kraven ordered.

Tamer smirked. “With pleasure.” Then the golem forced its way through the towers front wall, as the bullets simply bounced off the golem. Then was a solid swing, it took out a large number of the squad. Tamer then formed two more whips with his hands, capturing some Arachna Beasts from outside. They rushed inside, and began to web up the guards as the golem took them down. “Nothing to it.”

Kraven strode in the building, as if he owned the place, as he looked around. “Impressive work, as always.” He then began to check the guards, looking for a card key, until he found what appeared to be a captain with a card key. “It’s under less guard than expected.”

“Well Volks’ ego does seem rather large, he must have figured no one strong or capable would manage to get in here.” Tamer said.

Kraven seemed to think for a second. “It seems we owe a great deal to Volks’ hubris, otherwise we might not be here. Anyway, come now. We can’t very well keep them waiting. They took all the time to set this up for us, after all.” Kraven then went and swiped the card key. The elevator then was heard beginning to come down. When it reached the bottom, and the doors opened, a large man holding a mini gun was on the other side with two powered humans! “Move!” Kraven yelled, as the mini gun man opened fire on both of them.

The metal golem leaned forward, putting its arms in the way to block the bullets, but the powered humans quickly moved in to attack. One formed a heavy stream of flames, and the other shot waves of electricity. The two attacks combined, and hit the steel golem in its gemstones, which was the golems weak point against powered attacks. It staggered back, they continued to strike the golem, despite its attempts to repel them. The Arachna Beasts attempted to take out the powered humans, but the mini gun man simply mowed them down with his mini gun. Tamer and Kraven were currently behind the golem, but their cover wouldn’t last long. “Well monster support isn’t looking to great.” Tamer mumbled.

“Possessed or not, I am not about to lose to some powered freaks. Command your remaining spider monsters to block off the mini gunman. I have an idea.” Kraven said, loading his pistol with ion bullets.

Tamer nodded, as he commanded the Arachna Beasts to back off. They then moved along the wall that was in the blind spots of the mini gunman, and began to web up both the inside of the elevator, as well as make a thick layer of webbing across the door, keeping the gunman trapped inside, and unable to fire. Once their approach was clear, Kraven and Tamer began to flank the two powered humans, opening fire on them with ion bullets. Since the two powered humans were unaware of what happened to their firing support, they weren’t ready for Kraven and Tamer firing on them, as they were stunned in a few shots. As it turned out before they were stunned, the powered humans did enough damage to the steel golem to kill it, but now that they were stunned, the dying body simply fell forward onto them, killing them instantly under the pressure of several hundred pounds of jagged metal. Tamer looked impressed. “Good plan sir.”

Kraven chuckled. “The golem falling on them was a nice touch. Now, let’s have the spiders wrap up our friend for us.” Tamer nodded, as he had the Arachina Beasts pulled out the mini gunman out of the elevator, and started wrapping him up. Kraven picked up his mini gun, and inspected it. “Harkum brand Ion Minigun. This might be useful.” Kraven then changed the settings, changing it back from bullets to ion energy, and started carrying it. Clearing out the extra webs, Kraven and Tamer entered the elevator, followed by the remaining Arachna Beasts. The elevator doors then closed, as it began to rise up towards the tenth floor. “Be ready. Expect heavy resistance.” Kraven said, priming the mini gun. Tamer nodded, as he prepped his pistol.

Then, after what felt like several moments, the doors finally opened. Of course, as expected, there was an entire squad of armed men there to greet them. Without even missing a beat, Kraven began to open fire on the squad. The squad was heavily armed, but they weren’t expecting a mini gun of all things, as they began to be mowed down by ion blasts. Tamer and his Arachna Beasts followed Kraven out, and began to spread out to take out the stragglers. Even though Kraven couldn’t move much with the mini gun, he still managed to avoid nearly all the shots at him. In the span of barely a minute, the squad was entirely wiped out by Kraven and Tamer. Kraven then sat the mini gun aside, as he picked up an assault rifle, as did Tamer. “Their best are likely ahead. Be prepared.” Kraven said, as he changed the clip on the rifle, making sure he was properly loaded up.

Kraven and Tamer then began to search the floor for signs of the server room. Strangely enough the floor was rather quiet compared to a few moments ago, aside from the rumbling and rain from outside. “I don’t like how quiet this all is. It has to be a trap.” Tamer said.

Kraven smirked slightly. “Heh. No doubt. But one we must spring regardless.” After a brief few more moments of searching the halls, almost in a maze-like setup, they finally found a straight hall leading down to an impressive looking room at the back of the tenth floor. The hall was littered with doors, leading to who knows where. Kraven made a few hand motions to Tamer, and began to go down the hall. But before long, a figure came out of server room. It was Dominick List, looking smug and confident.

“Well well well, I must say Kraven, you are one tough son of a bitch to put down. Much more then I first gave you credit for. You have my praise.” Dominick said, his eyes glowing bright orange.

Kraven kept his AR pointed at Dominick, not for a moment dropping his guard. “So am I to believe I’m speaking directly to you, Volks? Or at least your connected consciousness?”

Dominick smirked, as he clapped his hands. “Very good. See? While not as powerful as those world savers, you sure do catch on fast. Maybe if they had your wit, or you their power, you all could have prevented all of this. Though they do say you can’t have everything. Unless you’re me, of course.”

“My God, your ego is massive. You sound like you were pulled right out of a comic book I might have read as a child.” Kraven taunted.

Dominick chuckled. “And you are so original yourself? You’re nothing more than a racist, trying to draw in as many likeminded beings to make your actions feel justified.” He shook his head. “But it matters not anymore. Everything is too far along now for you to stop. I have everything perfectly planned out. Your appearance, while surprising, changes nothing."

“The fact that you have a last line of defense here really shows how full of shit you are, Volks.” Kraven stated plainly. “Your plan, while very well thought out, has very critical flaws in it. Your plan accounted for just that sub division of World Savers, and maybe any members of the public to stand against you. You figured with enough numbers you could take them out, but you only could handle so much. It’s why you made sure that the government couldn’t send powered troops in to even the odds. It’s why you try so hard to put on the grand show act. You are terrified of the thought of your plan coming undone, and you hide it with your ego and speeches. If you're so confident in your plan being perfect, this server room shouldn’t mean much to it. “

Dominick was showing signs of stress at Kraven’s taunting, but turned to anger, as he yelled back to Kraven. “And what? You’re perfect? Your plans continue to fail against the World Savers, and you delude yourself to think every time the next plan is the one, when at the end of the day you’re just another worm fighting to live another day.“

Kraven chuckled. “There’s a difference between fake and real composure. Unlike you, I don’t need to hide behind a false sense of bravado to bluff my plans to success. When I see a plan falling apart, I find out why, and correct it. I see a weakness, and I overcome it. That’s where my confidence comes from. But you? You just have a lot of power and figure if you throw it around enough your foes will just back down. That was your plan, right? Use raw power and numbers to overtake your foes, and use that to cover the gaping holes in your plan. But see? Here we are, your plan being unraveled by earthlings pushing back when you expected them to falter to the odds. We’re good at that. And once all the critical areas of your plan crumble down, and you’re all that's left, it will just be a matter of killing you. No matter how strong you think you are.”

Dominick was looking unhinged compared to how composed he looked just a moment ago. “You think you have it all together, don’t you Kraven!? Maybe such a weak lifeform like yourself can’t comprehend how powerful I am, but sometimes when you have all the force you need, it doesn’t matter if the rest has flaws if the strength of the strongest element can cover for them. If you can’t kill me, then this will all start over again! Sure, it will cost me some time, but that’s nothing. I am the most powerful creature in the galaxy! It doesn’t matter if my army is toppled, or my tower destroyed. I will still be standing here at the end of the day, and you won’t! Your composure won‘t do you any good when your body is full of holes, and your blood spilled on the ground! You earthlings may have proved surprising and more persistent to get rid of, I‘ll give you that, but all that does it make it more satisfying when you finally stop your chattering and the life leaves your eyes.” Dominick then began to laugh like an insane person. “You know something, Kraven!? I’m glad you’ve managed to live this long. Because now when I kill you, I can properly enjoy it this time! Be honored, because now you are actually worth my time and interest. If only to wipe that look off your face forever!”

Kraven remained calm at all this, as he smirked. He put his hand up, and gestured Dominick with his fingers to come at him. “Then show me what you got. Kill me, if you can.”

Dominick continued to laugh, looking angrier as he did so. The face he made was frightening. “Alright everyone! Let’s show the ‘great’ Kraven what a grave mistake he’s made!” He said, taking out a drum gun, and preparing to fire. At his side were two large men with mini guns, and from the doors in the hall, powered humans began to come out.

“I hope you're ready for one hell of a fight, Tamer.” Kraven said to him.

Tamer smirked. “Always a pleasure to fight by your side, sir.”

The number of powered humans, as well as normal humans that Dominick had managed to gather together would prove daunting, as there were at least twenty powered humans, as well as at least fifteen heavily armed humans. “Do not fear the human Kraven and his psychic pet, fear me if you fail me!” Dominick yelled, as the first wave of powered humans attacked. Two fire humans and an earth human moved in to attack, as they launched explosive fireballs at them, while the earth human sent spires of stone at them. A few humans wielding assault rifles joined in on the attack, firing on them with the powered humans.

Kraven touched a silver band on his wrist, as he moved to the side to dodge the fireballs. He then formed a ball of electricity in his hand, and fired it at the stone spire, knocking it out of the flight path. Kraven then went into a series of dodges and flips to avoid the bullets. As he dodged, Kraven fired shots from his AR, taking out the fire humans with headshots almost effortlessly. “How is he so quick?!” One of the powered humans said.

“He can’t dodge forever!“ Another said, as boulders began to float around, and be sent at Kraven! Blasts of darkness intercepted the boulders, as Tamer was sending in the Arachna Beasts in to attack. One of the earth humans turned to see Tamer shooting, and started sending stone spires at him. Tamer quickly formed a psychic whip, and sent it at the earth human. It wrapped around his neck, but Tamer wasn’t able to take him over because of Volks’ control, but that wasn’t his plan. Suddenly Tamer sent a pulse of energy through the whip, and it discharged a stunning energy on the earth human. Tamer then quickly took aim, and shot though the earth humans head.

Dominick was growing frustrated as Kraven and Tamer showed no signs of slowing their stride. “What are you idiots doing?! Can't you beat two simple humans?! Fine!” He then signaled to his minigun men, as they powered up their miniguns. As the sound of them revving up, the attackers began to take cover in the side rooms, to which Kraven and Tamer took notice of, and also managed to hide, as the hall was filled with bullets.

Kraven and Tamer looked at each other, as the peeked around the corner to get a read on things. “Tamer, you need to take out those gunmen.”

Tamer nodded. “Got it.” Tamer then snapped his fingers. The Arachna Beasts had taken cover on the walls, as the moved to attack the mini gunmen. They shot web blasts at the mini guns, jamming them up.

Dominick was annoyed, as he aimed his drum gun at the Arachna Beasts, and fired on them. Since they were distracted, Dominick destroyed them easily. “Pains in the asses. Get those weapons in working order quickly.”

Kraven and Tamer moved quickly, trying to take advantage of the break in action to attack. Tamer and Kraven both fired a shot at the windows of the rooms they were hiding in, and then they both jumped out into the hall. Kraven fired shots at Dominick and the mini gunmen, while Tamer’s hair began to glow, as he formed psychic whips in his hands, and sent them out the windows they broke open. Dominick took cover behind the corner at the end of the hall, while the mini gunmen used their weapons as makeshift shields. At this point, the other attackers that had taken cover from the mini gun fire were now returning to action, firing attacks at both Kraven and Tamer. Kraven seemed to be taking the blunt of the attacks, but he didn’t seem too pressured. Tamer, however, was struggling a little more. Unable to dodge as quickly as Kraven, Tamer was forced to block with a barrier that formed around him when he put his arms together. Soon he didn’t have any openings to counter attack, and the pressure was getting tough on Tamer. As the attackers grew close, he glanced at his sides, then smirked. “Why don’t you all come a little closer!?” He taunted. As they got closer, pushing the limits of the barrier to the extremes, a sudden loud sound of glass shattering was heard. Then, from the two rooms that Kraven and Tamer hid in just moments ago, to large creatures flew into the hall. They looked like a cross between a bird and beast, as they had large wings and beaks, but also beast like limbs with talons. They flew through the hall quickly, as their attacks took the pressure off of Tamer once more. Tamer then picked back up his rifle, and began to fire at the powered humans distracted by the bird creatures.

“They are ripping us apart! We need backup!” Someone called out, before Kraven filled him with holes.

Kraven glared down the hall at Dominick. “I have no qural killing every living being in this room to get to that server, I’m in a bit of a hurry. So if any of you have any desire to live that’s stronger than your desire to serve Volks, I‘m giving you this chance to flee.” Though the remaining enemies didn’t heed Kraven’s warning, and fired off attacks at him. Fireballs, ice blasts, winds blades, electric blasts, stone spires, and bullets. “Hmm. Have it your way.” Kraven then began to move around the attacks, as if he was the wind flowing through the air. As he dodged around the barrage of power attacks he took out his pistol and started firing both guns at the powered humans, thinning the numbers pretty quickly. As the bullets began grazing Kraven, to dodge and confuse his attackers, he ran up the side of the hall wall and jumped off of it. He kept firing on them, but as he was about to land, a stone pillar shot out of the floor, crashing into Kraven. It sent him into the wall, winding him for a second.

The earth human who managed to pull this attack off wasted no time, as he turned the pillar into a bunch of stone spikes and sent them flying at Kraven! Though before they reached him, one of the bird creatures flew into the path of the spikes, shielding Kraven from the attack. The bird creature was wounded badly, but not dead yet, as it glared at the earth human. He was shaken by the glare, but as he readied another attack, the bird rushed him, impaling him with it’s talons. Kraven was now recovering, but he was still hit by a bullet or two, but missed any vital organs. He quickly rolled forward, picking up the guns he dropped, and began opening fire again. One fire human quickly rushed him, finding ranged wasn’t working on Kraven. Kraven saw him coming, and was timing his attacks till the fire human got close. As soon as Kraven’s rifle was out of bullets, he quickly turned to face him, and tossed it right at his face, dazing him slightly. Kraven then rushed in, took out his knife, and sliced the fire human’s neck. The slice would be enough to kill him, so Kraven didn’t waste any more time. He looked back down the hall, seeing the mini gunmen preparing to fire again. It was at this point that Kraven knew it was time to make his final push. He picked up a blue pistol off the ground, and made a rush towards Dominick and his mini gunmen.

Dominick saw him coming at them, and looked determined. “Rip him to pieces!” He yelled, as he and the gunmen opened fire. Kraven saw them preparing to fire, and wasn‘t worried at all. Using the blue pistol, he fired a few shots at the ground ahead of him, causing the ground to freeze towards Dominick. Then when they began to fire at Kraven, he went into a slide, going right under their bullets. Then dual wielding the pistols, started firing shots at the mini gunmen, taking them down with a few shots. Dominick wasn’t going to go down as easily, and was able to actually have the time to aim properly towards Kraven. Kraven quickly rolled out to the side, dodging the bullets, and fired an ice bullet at his drum gun, causing it to freeze over, stopping the firing. Kraven then tossed the blue pistol at Dominick, as he started to get up. Dominick got hit in the face, causing him to stagger backwards. Kraven quickly using this chance to take his knife out again, and charged at Dominick. Thinking quickly, Dominick used his drum gun to block the knife strikes, as he would move quickly to dodge Kraven’s attempts to shoot him with his pistol. Dominick then did a quick spin to gain some momentum, and struck Kraven in the face with his drum gun, staggering him for a moment. Kraven went to try and stab Dominick, but Dominick grabbed him by the wrist, and twisted around behind Kraven. The pain from Dominicks twist caused Kraven’s grip on his knife to loosen, as Dominick caught it when Kraven dropped it on reflex. Dominick then took the knife, and stabbed Kraven in the chest with the knife, causing Kraven to yell out. Dominick leaned in to Kraven’s ear. “I told you I‘d make your death very painful Kraven.” He said, as he began to twist Kraven’s knife in his chest. “How does it feel? To be so calm and collected, just to fail all the same? Where’s all your big talk now?”

Kraven fought the urge to yell, if only to not give Dominick the pleasure of hearing it. The pain was intense, as Kraven’s knife was a powerful piece of steel, as Dominick bored the knife into his chest. The pain however, made it very hard for Kraven to keep a hold of his pistol, leaving him weaponless, and with little energy to fight back. Kraven took a hold of Dominicks hand, and tried to pull the knife out, but he was losing energy with his blood. Finishing off some of the last of the powered humans, Tamer noticed that Kraven was stabbed. “Kraven!“ He yelled. He was suddenly under attack, by powered attacks, and by Dominicks pistol. I gotta think of something, or Kraven might die. He peeked around the corner, trying to get an idea of what options were available to him, but as the powered humans finished off his bird monsters, he realized he had nothing left to take over. Except one thing. Tamer narrowed his eyes, as he formed a psychic whip in his hand, turned the corner, and sent the whip at Kraven!

The whip wrapped around Kraven’s neck, as the psychic powers began to rapidly heal his wounds. Kraven felt the serge of energy, as he took hold of Dominicks hands and the knife, and began to pull the knife out. Dominick was shocked by the sudden strength Kraven had, and saw once the knife was pulled out, the wound began to heal itself over! “How is this possible?!” Dominick exclaimed.

Kraven said nothing, and suddenly gave Dominick a powerful headbutt, causing him to let go of the knife, and stumble slightly backwards. Kraven quickly spun around, slashing Dominick across the chest with the knife, followed up with a powerful kick to the gut, causing him to tumble to the ground backwards. Dominick quickly reached for a gun on the ground, but Kraven quickly took out a second pistol from a holster under his arm on the side of his torso. It was a much more powerful looking pistol. Dominick froze, as he stared down the gun now pointed at him. “It’s over Volks, you‘ve lost.”

Dominick glared at Kraven. “Even if you take this server, it doesn’t matter. With all the power I’ve already collected, you don’t stand a chance of stopping me. My victory is still assured.“

Kraven stared back at Dominick, looking as calm as ever. “We'll see about that.“ And with no warning or hesitation, Kraven pulled the trigger on his heavy pistol, sending a powerful bullet clean through Dominicks skull. The life left Dominicks eyes, as his now limp body fell backwards onto the ground. Kraven calmly put away his heavy pistol and knife, as he picked up his other pistol off the ground. He turned to see Tamer finishing off the last of the guards, as Kraven put a bullet through the head of the last one. “Come Tamer, we‘ve kept them waiting long enough, I should say.”

Tamer put his weapons away, as he caught up with Kraven. “Of course, sir.”

Kraven then turned to Tamer. “Oh. And thank you for your assistance, my friend. I may not have made it out of that without you.”

Tamer smiled slightly. “My pleasure. Glad to be of assistance.”

As this point, Kraven and Tamer entered the server room. No guards, as that was already taken care of outside. Kraven looked around, trying to assess everything. “A shame we don’t have the time to properly find out if anything in this room could serve us well, though I suppose without the mind control tech it would be useless.” Kraven gave a light sigh, then reached into his pockets. “Anyway, let us begin planting the explosives. I don’t want a trace of this room left standing.”

Tamer nodded. “Light it up, gotcha.” Tamer then got to work, placing C4 on different key points of the room.

Kraven did the same, though when he came upon the main sever, he got curious. Searching it over, he managed to find a port on it for an external device. So, for moments like these, Kraven always carried with him a large flash drive, which he inserted into the server. Hopefully something useful is hidden away in here. Kraven thought, as he continued about his mission. After a few moments of setting the C4 across the room, Kraven returned to retrieve the drive. “Alright, I think that should suffice. Come, let us get clear of the building.”

“I think I may have an idea for a speedy escape, sir. And one that will avoid any potential attackers throughout the tower.” Tamer suggested.

“Then I follow your lead on this one, let’s move." Kraven said, following Tamer though the halls though which they came. Reaching one of the broken windows from earlier in the fighting, Tamer sent out two psychic whips, capturing two more of the large bird monsters from before. They flew into the room that Kraven and Tamer were in, and allowed them to climb on. “Very clever idea. Let’s get going then.” And the two of them flew out on the backs of the beasts. Once they were far enough away, Kraven set off the C4, causing a massive explosion, nearly leveling the tenth floor! Had it not been for the well-built structure of the tower, the levels above the tenth floor surely would have collapsed. Kraven then tried to contact Rem again. “The server floor has been taken out. Can you confirm if it had any effect on the controlled?” He asked, as he and Tamer got clear of the tower for the time being.




Back in the underground, the battle had continued, though everyone's second wind was beginning to wear out. Frost and Electrode had managed to turn the tide of the battle, even without Liquid Rose. The seemingly never-ending army of powered humans had finally cornered them all, as White Rose and Megaton were mostly leading the charge as much as possible, as the group members were rapidly growing tired. “We’re nearly out of robots. There’s just too many of them!” Megaton said.

Ralph kept shooting ion bullets from his spare pistols, until he heard the empty click of his pistols. “If this is how this is gonna end, then it’s been a hell of a pleasure fighting alongside you all.”

“This isn’t over until it’s over, so don’t start talking like a quitter now!” Brett yelled, still shooting at any who drew close.

Frost, though looking tired, also looked quite smug. “I’m afraid it is over now. Just a few more minutes and it...will...be...” Frost then started holding his head. “Ugh what's happening?”

Electrode looked at Frost with confusion. “Hey man, what’s-Ugh! My heads killing me!” He said, now holding his own head too.

The group looked around, and noticed everyone was reacting the same way. “Wait, what’s happening?” Sora questioned.

Not long after, Rem called in on Aqua’s stone. ”Guys, we just took out the server that Volks servants are being controlled by. Is there any change in those down there?” Rem asked.

Aqua looked around, noticing a lot of people looking lost. But now no one was fighting anymore. “I...think so. We’ll assess things down here, then get back to the objective.” Aqua replied.

Frost and Electrode finally came to their senses, now noticing they were alone together. “Mr. Norman, I think we might want to pull a tactical retreat.”

Electrode nodded. “Good idea doctor.” The two then began to try to flee out the back of the crowd, and slip away in the confusion.

Though once they got through, White Rose was suddenly on the other side, gun pulled out on them. “Where do you two think you’re going?” Frost and Electrode froze, but were prepared to attack back. But then from behind, Megaton came up, weapons primed.

“You two may not have been in your right minds, but there is plenty you both have done to be arrested for regardless.” Megaton said.

“I don’t think we’re getting out of this...“ Frost mumbled.

“Damn it...” Electrode cursed under his breath. At this point, White Rose and Megaton restrained the two mutants, while the rest of the group headed towards the base of the tower.

“Well, we still got a job to do. Ralph, do you mind?” Kari asked.

“Aww hell yeah! I almost forgot!” Ralph then took out a few sticky bombs, and tossed them onto the side of the tower. After a few seconds, the hull was blasted open, showing a lot of energy being pulled into the tower.

“That’s a lot of energy in there...” Brett commented.

“We got to get everyone clear of the area first. An explosion in that chamber could discharge all that energy, and could wipe out the whole area. Ralph, you and me plant the bombs. The rest of you, explain everything to Megaton, and work together to get everyone out of here. And move as quickly as you can, alright?” Aqua explained.

“Yes mam!” They all responded, as the three of them went to assist Megaton.

Aqua then began to look a little stressed, when Ralph noticed and spoke to her. “Aqua, are you gonna be ok?”

Aqua looked over to Ralph and smiled slightly. “I-I’ll be fine once we finish up here. Rem and the others need us to come through for them, we can’t let them down...”

Ralph looked worried. “Don’t push yourself too hard, alright? We’re here to help.”

Aqua nodded slightly. “Come on, we got work to do.” Aqua said, making a staircase of ice up into the tower for Ralph and herself to place the bombs. What was that all about? I feel mostly fine now...Somethings not right with me...

...End of Data Log.

[Aqua]

Data Log #21: Tower Deactivated

Data Log place in time: Directly after Data Log 20.


Back above the tower, Rem and Volks’ battle continued, but as time was passing, Rem was beginning to wear down. He was just blasted out of the air, and landed on the tower, electricity coursing through his body for a moment. He shrugs off every attack I throw at him. His armor does truly seem unbeatable, but there has to be a way to get through it. Everything has a weakness. If I can last until sunset, I might be able to completely overtake his speed with the twilight boost, but if I can’t...

Volks floated in the air, staring Rem down. “Your new form has proved quite a test for my skills, but I think it’s time was start wrapping this up.” Volks then charged up another ball of electricity between his horns, and fired it down at the tower. Rem jumped away to dodge it, but the electricity spread across the ground due to all the rain water getting the tower wet. Rem carefully landed in between the electricity, but while Rem was distracted, Volks flew into him, and grabbed him with his horns. He then tossed Rem into the electricity on the ground, as Volks prepared another attack. Though while Volks was distracted, Karen had prepped a bomb arrow, and shot it right at Volks’s face, as the force of the attack knocked him out of the air.

Karen quickly rushed over to Rem as soon the electricity dispersed. “Are you holding up alright?” She asked him.

Rem groaned, as he got back up. He reached into his pouch for one of his red potions, and quickly drank it. “I can manage a little while longer, but if I can’t figure out a weak point soon, it won't matter. Erue, update on the counter signal.”

”98% complete, master. Please ready a distraction so Unit Alpha may distribute the counter signal.” Erue answered.

“Distraction, huh? Easy.” Rem said aloud. He saw Alpha coming over, as Raylu gave chase. “Alpha, get ready!”

“AFFERMATIVE.” Alpha responded, dodging attacks from Raylu. Once Alpha was aware, Rem suddenly let out a loud howl. But not just any howl, this was an attack called the Sonic Howl. Granted to him by the Twilight Wolf half of his transformation, the Sonic Howl is a powerful soundwave attack that renders anyone hearing it completely immobile, though Rem’s training with the attack allowed him to affect only those he perceives as the enemy. At the sound of this attack, Volks, Raylu, and Eric were all unable to do anything as they were too distracted by the pain of the soundwaves. Alpha took quick note of this, and made a break for the antenna at the tower center. He got there pretty quickly with his thrusters, and began to climb up the antenna. “PREPARE COUNTER SIGNAL, UNIT ERUE.”

”Preparing signal now. Make sure you are in a secure position, as you will be temporally immobile while emitting counter signal.” Erue informed Alpha.

“INSTRUCTIONS CONFIRMED.” Alpha responded, as he climbed the antenna. Once he got near the top, Alpha engaged his limb locks, keeping him locked in place, as a small antenna came out the top of Alpha’s head, as he started emitting the counter signal.

Volks, through his pain, managed to catch a glimpse of Alpha climbing the antenna, and while he didn’t know why, he assumed it would be bad for him. Volks tried to focus enough to charge electricity between his horns, though the pain from the soundwaves made it hard for him to focus. He slowly started turning to aim at Alpha. Karen took notice that Rem wasn’t making any moves to attack Volks as a sign that he was unable to while doing the Sonic Howl, which was correct. She needed to keep Volks away from Alpha, otherwise their plain could be ruined. She quickly loaded a few bomb arrows into her bow, and she took aim at him. Once she was sure she had a clear shot, she fired them at the side of his face! While the attack didn’t harm him much, it did force him down on his hands in knees due to the pain of the soundwave attack. Karen quickly put her bow away, and rushed at Volks, taking out one of her short swords. Volks was too stunned to move, so Karen had a free shot at him, as she stabbed her short sword right into Volks’ eye! Normally Volks’ eye lenses would or protected him from such an attack, but the explosions had weakened the lens, allowing the blade to pierce through. Volks cried out in pain, a sound he hadn’t made before, as all the energy he had charged up to strike Alpha was suddenly discharged all around him to drive off Karen. The discharge, thanks to the water on the roof, shocked everyone, which included Rem. The pain of the attack interrupted the Sonic Howl, but Volks discharge kept Eric and Raylu too stunned to move for the moment, and Volks was still to hurt to attack. But then music to Rem’s ears came in the voice of Erue. ”Master, I‘ve managed to establish connection to Magneus the Light Sage. Connecting you to him now.”

”Rem, this is Magneus, what’s going on in the city right now?” The voice of a somewhat older man spoke to him.

“Magneus, I don’t have a lot of time. I need to speak to Zuika, now!“ Rem said, sounding very urgent.

Magneus wasted no time speaking further, and now the deep voice of Zuika spoke to him. “What is the matter?“

“I’m fighting this powerful electric beetle creature from space called Volks. Do you know anyway to stop him?“ Rem quickly asked, as he noticed Volks beginning to recover.

“You're fighting Volks?!” Zuika exclaimed suddenly, but composed himself. “I’ll save my questions for later. He was the king of my people, until the Apai came and took over the planet. He was thought to be unbeatable, but his race of Insectacada has a few weaknesses. First, the eyes. While the armor is durable, the eye lenses are weaker, and can be compromised with enough force in a short amount of time. Second, his belly. Most of his body is covered in his armor, but his belly’s coating is much weaker, since he needs to be able to move. Lastly, the underside of his wings. His wings are armored, but when he’s flying the underside has no protection, but his speed will be tough to match to attack there.” He paused for a second. “And one other thing. If you still have control over your Apai powers, I believe that can infect him if it can get past the armor. The Apai was one of the only things he feared on our home planet, so he more than likely has no defense to it.”

Rem smirked. “Thanks Zuika, you've given me some hope.”

“Oh, but a word of warning. If he loses his armor, he‘ll-” Zuika was saying, but he was cut off.

Volks had suddenly powered up, and fired a powerful blast of lightning at Alpha, blasting him off the antenna. This caused the counter signal to stop, as the connection to Zuika was lost. “ENOUGH!” Volks yelled, as he pulled Karen’s knife out of his eye, as blood began to run from the eye socket. “I’ve been toying around with you all long enough, and it has cost me. No more games, you are all going to die!”

Rem smirked, staring at Volks. “You know, you’ve been saying that a lot today. When are you going to actually start backing it up?”

“Hmph, cocky little bastard. You won't be so cocky when you face the full might of my forces. They are nearly done with your friends. For now though, Eric, Raylu, focus your efforts on him! He can’t stand up to all three of us!“ Volks said, charging at Rem with Eric and Raylu right behind.

Karen took her SMG’s out, preparing for the worst. “I won't leave your side again. Get ready for’em!”

As Rem and Karen readied themselves, suddenly there was a loud explosion, followed by a contact from Kraven. “The server floor has been taken out. Can you confirm if it had any effect on the controlled?”

At that moment, Eric and Raylu suddenly fell to their knees, as the beetles controlling them powered down. Soon, like those in the underground, Eric and Raylu were regaining control of themselves. Rem quickly contacted Aqua to confirm the same was working on those in the underground. ”Guys, we just took out the server that Volks servants are being controlled by. Is there any change in those down there?” Rem asked.

“I...think so. We’ll assess things down here, then get back to the objective.” Aqua replied, before ending the call.

Rem gave a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness, they all seem to be ok...”

Volks though, was now freaking out more than before. “No! This cannot be happening! I’ve lost contact with List, and now it seems I’m losing control over the others! That damn Kraven! This can’t be happening!”

“It’s over Volks, your plan is crumbling to dust.” Rem then drew his sword again, pointing it at Volks. “This is your last chance to surrender. Don’t make me kill you.”

Volks roared with a strange distorted sound. “I’ve had it with you! Leaving you alive has proved a mistake, but not one I can’t correct. We’re done talking! You are going to die here!”

“Fine. Let’s finish this Volks!” Rem looked to Karen at his side. “Volks’ weaknesses are his eyes, stomach, and under his wings. Pass it on to Alpha, Eric and Raylu when they recover.” Rem then looked back to Volks, walking forward rather calmly, as the yellow parts of his fur began to glow in reaction to the sunset, even if hidden by the storm clouds. “The Twilight is upon us, Volks. The last sunset you’ll ever see.”

“SAYS YOU!” Volks erupted in anger, as he fired massive lightning bolts from his horns at Rem. Despite the impressive speed of the attacks, Rem’s reaction speed was rapidly growing, as he managed to swat the bolts away with his sword. “Your speed might be impressive, but can it stand up to THIS?!” Volks then generated more power between his horns, as he seemed to call down a strike of lightning from the sky, striking Volks in the horns. The power built up was massive, as he now sent out massive waves of electricity from his body! It took up much of the air space, as well as most of the ground due to the water covering the tower. As the waves neared Rem, with amazing speed, he dodged around through the openings in the attacks! Rem wasn’t even being grazed by the sparks of the lighting infused electricity. As he moved closer, Volks grew worried, as he formed bolts of lightning in his many hands, and tossed them at Rem in attempts to catch him off guard. Rem met these attacks with beams of Void, completely destroying the bolts, and striking Volks back. While unable to pierce the armor, the Void still packed a forceful punch on contact. Rem was almost to Volks, but right as Rem made his final move to close the gap, Volks intercepted him with his horns, forcing Rem to block with his sword. Rem was holding the attack back with all his strength, as Volks began to blast him point blank with lightning blasts from his horns. “YOUR POWERS CANNOT PIERCE MY UNBEATABLE DEFENCE!”

Rem grunted as he held the attack back, and endured the lightning. Rem then focused all his energy into his sword, as the sword was filled with both power demon power, and flooded with void. “UGHHHHH!” Rem yelled with all his might, swinging his sword upwards, and clean through Volks’ horns!

Volks let out a massive screech, as his horns discharged a massive amount of lighting in result of being broken, blasting Rem backwards. Volks looked up at his now stubby horns. “IMPOSSIBLE! MY BEAUTIFUL HORNS! YOU SHOULDN’T HAVE BEEN ABLE TO BREAK MY ARMOR!” Volks then spread his wings and called forth another lightning strike from the sky, caught it in what horns he had left, and flung it at Rem. Rem managed to get his shield out in time, and hold the attack back, but Volks didn’t let up, as the attack just kept coming, as it slowly began to push Rem backwards. Rem looked behind him, as he saw himself slowly being pushed towards the edge. As it started to look bad for Rem again, a few bomb arrows struck Volks in his remaining eye, followed up by a powerful beam of chaos darkness. This attack didn’t put his eye out, but it did blind him for the moment. “GAH! MY EYE!” Volks yelled. With the weakened state, thanks to Eric and Karen, Rem then forced the attack back with all his might using his shield. The blast knocked Volks backwards. He was grounded, as Rem began to approach. Volks tried to take flight, but found he was unable to move his wings. “WHAT IS HAPPENING?!”

Volks couldn’t see, but Alpha used the moment Volks was stunned by his attack to lodge himself under Volks wings, preventing them from moving or closing. “NOW, AURA CREATURE.” Alpha called out to Raylu.

Raylu had finished charging ki and aura, as the lights flowing around him. Raylu jumped into the air, as he formed many blades of ki energy. “Sword Rain Alpha!” Raylu yelled, as he bombarded Volks with powerful ki blades in his back, causing Volks to cry out in pain. “Go for it sir!”

Rem then changed his sword blade to crystal, as he rushed Volks at near blinding speeds! He stabbed his sword right into Volks gut, as Volks yelled. Volks’ yell however morphed into laugher. “IT STILL DOESNT MATTER! YOU CAN’T KILL ME WITH ATTACKS LIKE THAT!”

Rem smirked. “I’ve got a little more than that up my sleeve.” Then suddenly, a purple orb glowed on Rem’s gauntlets, as a slime like substance crawled from his gauntlets, to his sword. Soon his green crystal sword was tainted purple, as the slime used the sword wound to crawl into Volks’ body!

Volks’ single eye widened at this. “NO! IT CAN’T BE! THERE’S NO WAY YOU COULD HAVE THAT KIND OF POWER!” Volks roared in pain, as he doubled backwards, pulling himself out of Rem’s sword. But now, Volks’ armored shell was turned from yellow to purple. There was a loud cracking from Volks’ body, as he yelled in ways he had not before. It was more than pain. It was pure agony.

The group gathered together at this point. “What did you do to him?” Karen asked.

“I gave him a taste of his greatest fear. An Apai infection. With enough firepower, we should be able to destroy his armor now. Once that’s gone, he’ll be a sitting duck.” Rem said.

“APAI INFECTION HAS CREATED A WEAKNESS TO FIRE AND ICE IN VOLKS ARMOR. PROPOSEAL: FIRE ALL YOUR COMBINED FIRE POWER INTO ME. MY ENERGY OUTPUT DEVICE CAN MAGAIFY THE ENERGY TO HIGHER LEVELS. PROJECTIONS SUGGEST THIS POWER SHOULD BE MORE THEN ENOUGH TO DESTROY THE ARMORED SHELL IN IT’S CURRENT STATE.” Alpha proposed.

Eric, though looking weak, came over to Rem and nodded. “I think Alpha’s suggestion should work. Rem, you and me combine our fire powers, while Raylu boosts their power with aura.”

“Alright, let's go with that. Alpha, get ready.” Rem said.

Alpha’s arms morphed into cannons, as Alpha’s body began to glow. Disk like devices formed around the cannons. “POWER ABSORB FUNCTIONS ACTAVATED. HIT ME WITH EVERYTHING YOU HAVE.” Raylu then began to power up Rem and Eric with aura, as the two of them powered up as much as possible. The two of them blasted Alpha full power with streams of powerful flames.

As they powered up Alpha, Karen noticed that Volks, in his pain, began to walk towards the group, powering up lightning between his horns. Karen readied her bow, and show bomb arrows to keep Volks staggered. “Uh guys? You might wanna speed this up.” She said, as she fired more bombs at Volks, though Volks lept coming from his pain, as he roared and started firing blasts of lightning. At this point, Raylu stopped boosting them, as he countered the blasts with aura blasts.

A few seconds later, Alpha’s eyes glowed, and the disks began to put themselves away. Rem and Eric took this as a sign to stop, while Alpha spoke. “ENERGY RESERVES FULLY CHARGED.” Alpha then turned around, and primed both cannons. “DIE VOLKS.” Alpha then fired a truly massive twin beam of pure fire, greatly boosted by Alpha’s multipliers, as well as Raylu's aura. Volks didn’t have the strength to dodge, as the massive beams of fire washed over him, as he called out in pain, as the flames overtook him. “DIRECT HIT.”

Volks’ yells and shrieks grew louder than the thunder that echoed through the skies, as he went to his hands and knees. When the flames finally stopped, the sound of Volks crackling was so loud, but not as loud as his yells. Volks struggled to get back to his feet, as his shell was falling off his body in burnt chunks. “My...my armor...” Volks then spread his wings out, blowing the flames out around him. “You all have made a complete fool of me...and torn apart nearly every part of my plan...” Volks then began to laugh. “I can still take it back though...I just need to kill you all...I still have a few plays left.” Volks then covered himself in lightning, as he speed at the group at speeds far greater than before! Catching everyone off guard, everyone was crashed into, causing them to be scattered across the tower top. He began to fire a volley of powerful lightning blasts, while using this newfound speed to make it nearly impossible to attack back.

Raylu quickly covered the group in an aura sphere, granting everyone a brief moment to think. “Volks proves to be quite tenacious, if nothing else.”

“This bastard just needs to die already. Why won’t he just go down?” Karen said, sounding exhausted.

“If speed is all he has left as an ace, then he‘s on the ropes. Get ready to attack!“ Rem ordered. As soon as Raylu dropped the sphere, Rem let out the Sonic Howl once again, but this time...it did nothing. Volks’ cackled, as he then blasted Rem with a powerful lightning blast. “Ugh! The speed of his wings flapping must be drowning out the howl.”

Raylu quickly got to Rem, and healed him slightly. “Sir, I have an idea. If we can‘t match his speed by natural means, we might be able to use time to match him using your Time demon orb.”

Rem looked over his shoulder, with a slight smirk. “Raylu, that’s an amazing idea. Let‘s do it, get ready!” Rem‘s gauntlets glowed gold, as he and Raylu were now giving off a golden glow. Rem and Raylu then took to the air, as Volks began to try and hammer them with lighting barrages. Though now, with Rem and Raylu’s Time boost, they could see Volks as if he was moving in slow motion. Being able to see the attacks as they happened, they countered the lighting blasts with aura and light blasts of their own, but also being able to hit Volks by attacking where he would fly. Rem and Raylu then formed several orbs of energy, and scattered them around Volks. Once Volks was in a good spot, all the orbs converged on him at once, causing a large explosion of energy at him, knocking him backwards into the air.

Volks floated in the air for a moment, looking around, trying to find out how they kept hitting him, even with his enhanced speed. I don‘t understand. All of a sudden they are countering everything I‘m throwing at them. They are rendering my speed and power useless somehow. Then suddenly, a loud explosion could be heard, sounding as if it came from underground. In response, the antenna began to flicker, as the power supplying the electro cage was cut, and the cage dissipated. ”What?!”

Rem and the others looked around, as they saw the cage disappear. ”Rem, it’s Aqua. We‘ve taken care of the device underground. Signs are showing that it’s not drawing anymore energy from the planet! We‘re getting patched up, then we‘ll head up to assist you.”

Rem smirked, as he looked up at Volks. ”Hear that Volks?! Your plans ruined, you're finished! Soon you’ll have all our allies here to wipe you out!”

Volks’ was trying to process all of this, as everything was coming down on him at once. He then grabbed his head, leaned back, let out a loud cry of frustration, as it melted into insane sounding laughter. “Yes! No doubt you surpassed my expectations, and then some! But believe it or not, I planned even for this unlikely outcome!” Volks called out, as suddenly the antenna changed shape, as it was now transmitting energy from the towers reserves directly to Volks! “My plan may have failed, but it still has provided me with my ace in the hole! I may not have the energy to leave this planet anymore, but I have the power to level this city, quite possibly this country! I‘ll just take everything out and start over, but this time without you all in the way!” Volks taunted, as a large mass of energy began to form above Volks, between his horns. “And the next time I’ll leave nothing to chance! No grandstanding, no big final show, no possibility for any of you to rise up against me. Prepare for the end, and this time there will be no miracle chance for your survival!”


Eric glared up Volks. “This is bad, he isn’t bluffing. If his attack makes contact, there's no telling how much damage he could do to not just the city, but the planet itself. We need to stop him, and fast!”

“AFFIRMATIVE. ENGAGEING.” Alpha said, powering up, and leapt into the air to attack Volks. Though as Alpha neared Volks, the distortion of energy repealed Alpha back with extreme force. As Alpha was falling back to the ground, he fired off blasts at Volks, but the energy being pulled from the tower was actually repelling the energy attacks. Alpha landed without damage, but didn't know what to do. “ASSESSING OPTIONS. MEANS TO ATTACK UNKNOWN.”

Karen looked frustrated. “What do we do then? Just sit here and wait to die?! We've come this far, there has to be something we can do!”

Rem looked up, narrowing his eyes. “There isn't time. If we can't get through to attack, and our moves won’t reach, we'll have to win a beam struggle.”

Raylu was concerned. “Sir, with all due respect, do you think we can win a power struggle with just four of us?”

Rem shook his head. “Not at all, but there's no time to clear out the city. If it’s even slightly possible that Volks could nuke the whole country, we need to do it.” Rem tapped some orbs on his gauntlets, as it made some beeping sounds, and flashed lights, as the metals of the gauntlets began to glow rainbow in colors. Rem had activated the Hyper Mode on his gauntlets, giving him a massive amount of power using all the powers Rem's gauntlets had. Only downside was after using this mode was after the energy was spent, the gauntlets would be rendered useless. Though if they failed to stop Volks, it wouldn't matter. “Are you guys ready?”

Eric sighed, as he channeled his dark chaos powers, as his eyes changed colors. “Ready as I can be.”

Raylu's aura flared to life, as he began to charge up aura power. “Ready sir!”

Alpha beeped a few times, before he spoke. “ALL WEAPONS PRIMED AND READY TO FIRE. FOR THE GOOD OF MANKIND.”

Rem looked over his shoulder to Karen. “If you don't feel safe here, you can get to a safer place. Or I can make you a portal to escape.”

Karen narrowed her eyes. “After everything we've been through, I'm not leaving you now. I’m staying here, with you.”

Rem smiled, as he turned back towards Volks, a very determined look on his face. “Alright everyone. Get ready.”

Volks was busy preparing his attack, seeing how calm everyone seemed. The energy quickly gathered, becoming a massive sphere in the sky. “You all are very brave or foolish to stay and think you can do anything. This time nothing can stop me! I hope you've all made your amends, because your afterlives await you!” Volks then leaned forward, using his horns like a cannon, and began firing the energy like a beam. “DIE!”

Rem's aura flared alive in a rainbow color, as a massive power gathered in his hands. He put his hands together, as he fired a massive rainbow colored beam towards Volks’ beam. The beams clashed, Rem's beam held back Volks' for only a brief moment before Volks' beam began to overpower Rem's. Before Volks’ beam could gain ground, a powerful beam of Chaos Darkness came from Eric. His eyes glowed, as did the black mark on the back of his hand. His face grimaced, as he put all his power into it. Raylu also joined in with his beams from both his hands and the lights around his body. Alpha joined in as well, using all of his power reserves in his arm cannons. Karen stood behind them all, as she watched the beams struggle against each other in a stalemate. They all really are impressive…I'm sure they can do it. Karen thought.

The power struggle went on for about a minute or two, which was a long time for a power struggle, but finally Volks began to gain ground. The rate that Volks was gaining ground it wouldn't take long for Volks' attack to overtake them. “That’s right, fools! Feel your inferiority as I wipe you out from the face of the earth! Say goodbye!”

Volks began to laugh, as suddenly someone called out to him. “Hey Volks!” Volks turned to the voice, which turned out to be Kraven. Tamer was with him as well, both riding on the backs of the bird creatures. “Goodbye!” Kraven said, as he shot Volks in the eye with a sniper rifle! Tamer also had a rifle, and shot as well. One shot took out the protective lens, the other in his eye directly! Volks yelled out in pain, as he reflexively grabbed his face. His lack of focus caused his attack to weaken, which gave the others the chance they needed.

Karen saw that Kraven had disabled Volks, and called out to Rem. “Quick Rem, his guard is down!”

“Final push everyone!” Rem yelled, as he gave it all he had, as did the others. The energy hit Volks full power, knocking him backwards, and fully stunning him. Rem saw his gauntlets still had energy in them, and took this chance to finish this. He powered back up, drew his sword, and took to the air after Volks. Volks' vision was compromised, but could tell Rem was approaching, and fired blasts of the energy at Rem. Rem was able to easily dodge the attacks, as he filled his sword full of void, and tossed it at him. It spun towards Volks like a spinning sawblade, and without his armor plating, the sword sliced clean through Volks! Volks’ yells suddenly stopped at this, as Rem flew to the other side of Volks to catch his sword. Then Rem charged all the rest of his Hyper Mode energy into his hand. “Farewell Volks.” Rem said, as he unleashed all that energy at Volks, point blank.

Volks mind had a strange calmness, as his final thoughts raced through his head. So…This is it…No more tricks left…Everything I could have done differently…But would they have stopped me anyway?...All of a sudden it doesn’t matter…If only the Apai had never invaded…maybe I'd still be at home with my people… Then the blunt of Rem's attack washed over him, as the split remains of Volks was reduced to ashes.

After the attack finished, Rem began to float down. The rain began to die down, as the thunder and earth rumbling finally stopped, leaving the city in a quiet state for a moment. He landed next to the others, as he put his sword away, and he changed back into his human form. “We…we did it. We won.”

Eric looked pretty short of breath, as he forced what he said though breaths. “I…told you…we wouldn't lose to...some big bug…”

Suddenly, Aqua called in on the stone. ”Hey guys, it’s Aqua. I’m with Megaton and the others. We're at the foot of the tower, and we heard this massive explosion. What happened?”

Rem took out his stone to speak to Aqua. “Hey, we're all ok. We just fried the galaxy’s biggest bug is all.”

”Wait, you did it all without us?! And here I thought we were doing this together! Ralph exclaimed.

“Hey. Well trust me when I say that without you all, we wouldn't of been able to stop him. We'll fill you all in in person.” Rem explained.

”Alright, sounds good. I've already been contacted by Kavisto, and he'll want a full report on what happened. Megaton is gonna handle the police for us, so meet up with us at the base, ok?” Aqua asked.

“Gotcha, we'll meet there soon.” Rem responded, before the call ended. “Ok, now we need to handle…Wait, where's Alpha?”

Everyone looked around, but Alpha seemed to have slipped away during the chat with Aqua, when suddenly Erue cut in. ”Master Rem, Master Eric, you have a call from the unlisted channel Kraven was using. I'll put it though for you sirs.”

”Credit where credit is due, Mr. Stratford. Well done. Volks seems to be no more, thanks to our combined efforts. Kraven said to him.

“We couldn't have done it without your help. We make a good team when we're on the same side.” Rem said to him, with a light chuckle.

”Heh. Although I agree, unless you're planning on changing sides, don’t get used to it. The next time we meet, we'll be against each other once again. But out of what respect I have for you, and to repay the debt I owe you for your help, we are going our separate ways without conflict today. So enjoy your rest while you can, Mr. Stratford. We'll meet again soon enough. Try not to disappoint me by dying to someone else before then.” Kraven chuckled, before communication was cut.

Rem sighed. “Kraven really can be confusing sometimes…Anyway, we should probably head to Kavistos with the others.” Rem then looked to Karen. “What are you going to do now, Karen?”

Karen looked to the side, holding her arm. “I…I'm not sure, honestly. I’ve…been trapped by Volks as his hold for so long, that I’m just not sure…”

Eric looked worried. “If you aren't sure what you want to do, then you can stay with.”

Rem nodded. “Eric's right, you can. Everything I said to you when you were under Volks' control was the truth. You won’t have to worry about anything, we'll help you take care of everything.”

Karen was still looking away from the others. “I…don't know…After everything I've done, even before Volks…I just don’t know…I need some time to figure this out…” She then looked at everyone. “But I'm still grateful for what you've all done for me. I'm sure you could have just given up on me or even killed me, but…” She sighed. “Thank you…really…I promise it won’t take years to see you again.” Karen then turned to walk away.

Rem frowned as she turned around. “If you change your mind, your always welcome with us.”

Karen stopped for a moment. “…I'll keep that in mind.” Karen then ran to the side of the tower, and shot an arrow with a wire attached to it to a nearby building, and zip lined away using her bow.

Rem sighed, when Eric put his hand on his shoulder. “I’m sure she'll be ok.”

Raylu nodded. “She has a strong will. For now, we should join the others and recover at Sir Kavistos.”

Rem nodded, before making a portal. “Yeah, your right. We're all tired.” And at that, the three members of the Shinning Force departed to meet up with the rest of their team.



Later that evening, after everyone had properly recovered from the very long day they all had, they all met up with Kavisto and the rest of Aqua’s team in Kavistos conference room. They all were not only catching each other up on both sides of the mission, but also filling in Kavisto. “You all managed quite the task today, and nearly all alone as well. If only we had managed to be ready in time, things could have been easier on you all.” Jake said, looking frustrated.

“What's important is that they did it. Well done, all of you.” Kavisto said, very plainly.

“I’m gonna be honest, I had my doubts about you all when we first met, but I’m glad to see I was wrong. You all make great agents of the World Savers.” Trevor said, smirking.

“Jeez Trevor, you should've had more faith in them.” Marua said, glaring at Trevor.

“Honestly, had it not been for the backup we had underground, we might not have survived that encounter with Volks' forces.” Brett commented.

Aqua suddenly looked very scared, to which Rem picked up on right away, but found right now wasn't the best time to talk about it. Kavisto then spoke up. “Speaking of that point, you mentioned White Rose appeared during the battle. What happened to him?”

Aqua suddenly spoke up. “He disappeared after the control over Volks' forces was broken. Though it's hard to say from our limited interaction if he's an ally, or just an enemy that also didn't want the planet destroyed.”

“So he could be in the same boat as Kraven was is what your saying?” Kari questioned.

Aqua nodded. “Very possible.”

Sore looked confused. “But how did White Rose know where to be? He'd have to have known about the underground problem. We were the ones who told Tony, so that explains him.”

Ralph nodded in agreement. “Yeah, good point.”

Eric seemed to be thinking. “Remember, the Rose Thorn Gang knew of the tunnels before Volks moved in. It's possible they had some information regarding it. It’s also possible he just followed Tony there.”

Brett nodded. “Both seem to be very possible.”

“What of Frost and Norman?” Kavisto simply asked.

“Tony Flander is working with the police as we speak to put the two of them away in specially made cells. They city has plenty they want to charge him with.“ Aqua explained.

“Very good.” Kavisto then turned to Rem. “And you said Kravens forces disappeared?”

Rem nodded. “They slipped away in the chaos of the end of the battle.”

“What of Matter, Liquid Rose, and Karen?” Kavisto also asked as he took notes.

“We believe Master Matter and Liquid Rose disappeared sometime after the control wore off, but before we bombed the bottom of the tower. We have some scouts trying to locate them now.” Aqua explained, though beginning to sound tired.

Rem, again noticed, but said nothing for now. “As for Karen, she left after the end of the battle, but now that she's also free from Volks, she shouldn't prove any trouble to us anymore.”

“Being an assassin she still could prove to be a threat. We'll need to keep an eye on her until we can confirm she'll no longer be a threat.” Kavisto then sorted his papers. “That's all I need of you for now. Your free to return home and rest. You’ll be contacted if there’s anything else. Good night.” He finished as he stood up and headed out.

Everyone was a little surprised by how the meeting just ended like that, but everyone was relieved there was nothing like paperwork to do. Jake sighed slightly, then smiled. “Kavistos right, don’t worry about anything else but resting this long day off. The three of us can handle anything that comes up, so don’t worry.”

Rem smiled back. “Thank you, Jake. We'll take you up on that. Come on, let’s head home guys.”

Ralph cheered. “Finally! I’ve missed my bed so much after today.”

Kari chuckled. “For once I agree.”

Eric snapped his fingers, making a portal. “It's been a long time since I had to put in that much effort in a battle. Hopefully I won’t have to again for a while.”

Everyone began walking into the portal after Jake and the rest of his team left, but Rem put his hand on Aqua's shoulder to stop her. “Hey, do you have a minute?” He asked her.

Aqua turned around and smiled at him. “Of course, what’s on your mind?”

Rem looked slightly nervous, as he struggled to think of how he wanted to word his worry. “Well…umm…It was what you were saying about when you fought Matter. You said you froze up, and were lucky that Tony showed up when he did. What happened? Are you doing alright?”

Aqua suddenly looked nervous, as now she had to figure out how to say what she wanted to. “Well, it's…kinda hard to explain. I’m not entirely sure myself what happened…” Then she suddenly yawned. “I'm really tired though…Maybe we can talk later when my thoughts are more clear?”

“Oh, yeah of course. I'm sorry, your right. We all could use some rest.” Rem said, feeling a little foolish.

Aqua giggled slightly. “Its alright, it's been a long day. Let's go.” She said, as the two went through the portal.




In another location that late night, a very wounded Master Matter showed up at one of Kravens bases. He wandered through the base, trying to find Kraven, until he came across him in his office. Kraven had some minor wounds that were addressed, but Tamers psychic powers had healed most of his wounds already. Kraven looked slightly alarmed when Matter showed up. “I’m back, sir…”

“Matter, why are you still in such rough shape? Why didn’t you get medical attention first before coming to see me? Sit down.” Kraven gestured to a chair in front of his desk.

Matter took a seat, looking very tired. “I had to report to you first, sir.” He looked to the side, feeling uncomfortable. “Firstly, I’d like to apoli-“

“I’m going to stop you right there.” Kraven cut in. “You were not in control of your actions, nor Frost or Norman. No one here holds any of you responsible. That fault rests entirely on Volks, and he has been disposed of.”

“But sir…I killed many of our own men in Volks’ name.” Matter said.

Kraven closed his eyes and sighed. “If anyone is to blame, it’s me. I’m the one who formed an alliance with Volks before I knew all the information. I’m the one who sent the three of you on a mission where you were able to be infected in the first place. I should of sought out fathers advice, rather than just going along with Volks’ plan. I do not hold you responsible for anything. As your leader, this falls on my shoulders.”

Matter sighed. “If you say so, sir. Then I thank you for your compassion on the matter.”

Kraven shook his head. “Please, we’re friends, aren’t we?” He paused for a moment, looking through papers. “Now, onto some questions. What’s the fate of Frost and Norman?”

“Captured by Megaton, and been delivered to the police. I would have tried to free them, but in my current state, I didn’t think I could handle them all alone. Additionally, I believe Liquid Rose escaped. She disappeared in the chaos. I suspect she might have returned to the Rose Thorn Gang, so that could prove problematic.” Matter explained.

Kraven looked frustrated. “Damn, this makes things more complicated. The lost of those two is going to set us back a considerable amount in terms of manpower.” Then, on the computer on his desk, Kraven was getting an encrypted call. Kraven checked who it was from, and his eyes widened. “It’s father.” Matter looked nervous at the mention of this. Kraven accepted the call, and began to speak. “Father, it’s good to hear from you. Master Matter is with me as well.”

A morphed voice began to speak back to Kraven. ”Greetings son, Matter, good to hear you are both well. I’ve learned that you dispatched the Lightning Beetle, Volks with the World Savers?”

“Y-yes father. Due to the nature of the threat, we needed their assistance.”

”I am aware of that, Kraven. Granted that is due to the fact that you enabled Volks to gain the recourses he needed, but that can be discussed later. I understand that we also lost our two Meta Humans in this whole ordeal as well, yes?”

“Yes, I just got the news myself from Matter.” Kraven responded.

“This is unfortunate, but considering the events that transpired it’s not surprising. Very well. Kraven, seeing the current state of events has left us without our heaviest hitters in your task force, I advise against any further attacks on the World Savers at the time being. The chaos of this event with Volks will more than likely cause a stir in France with his defeat more than likely to cause a power vacuum. We’ll use this diversion to replenish our forces from Volks’ meddling, while we continue moving forward with the Meta Human project. Our man inside Harkum is making great strides in the next Meta Human formula. I’m predicting with the coming struggle for power with Volks’ death will provide us with the means of retrieving Dr. Frost, and Kurt Norman.” The Boss then paused. ”Also, the battle data provided on P.E.R. Alpha proved to surpass expectations. Continue development on it. I see great potential it’s design.”

Kraven nodded. “Yes, of course father.”

”We will talk in more detail on the Volks matter Kraven, but at a later date. Surely you are all tired, and while I had complete faith in your surviving your run ins with Volks, it’s still a relief to see you safe. For now, rest, and carry out the rest of my orders. I’m very proud in you both, and Tamer. Pass my regards onto him for me.” The Boss said.

Kraven nodded. “Yes father, and thank you.”

Matter also nodded. “Thank you as well, sir!”

”Right. I believe that will be all for today. Keep up the good work for mankind…Oh, also. When they is finished on their current assignment, I will be sending Agent Doppelganger and Agent Shadow to you for assistance. I foresee a great deal of our future plans taking place in the France area in the near future. For the good of mankind.” The Boss finished, and disconnected after both Kraven and Matter replied with ‘For the good of mankind.’

Kraven sat back down in his chair, and sighed. He seemed stressed after having talked with his father, even if he was still happy to hear from him. Due to the job, they didn’t talk often, but Kraven did enjoy it whenever he got the chance. He then looked up to see Matter still there. “Matter, you really should get your wounds treated. Thanks to our current orders we have plenty of time to rest, so anything you have left to speak to me about can wait until after you’ve recovered.”

Matter nodded. “No problem sir. I could use a good rest.” He then turned to leave, but then stopped and looked over his shoulder. “You should get some rest too, if you don’t mind me saying Kraven. It’s been a long few weeks, and im sure it’s been a lot on you too.”

Kraven chuckled. “I’d never say it…but thank you Matter. We’ll speak soon.” Matter nodded, then took his leave. Kraven simply looked back to his computer screen, feeling slightly stressed. “The work never seases…” Lots of things were on his mind, but being ordered to standby actually both took stress away, but added so much for him to think about. He was reflecting on what Rem said to him, before they cut commutation earlier that evening. If we were on the same side, huh?...That would be something, if it ever happened… Getting lost in thought, Kraven shut down his computer, and left his office to retire to his private quarters.




Back with the members of the Shinning Force, they all were coming out of the portal home, as they were all talking while they walked across the front lawn of the cabin. The moon shone brightly in the sky, as it lit up the forest. As they talked, Ralph suddenly spoke out above the rest. “Hey, who’s that on the porch?"

Everyone looked, but then Rem suddenly said. "Karen?!"

Everyone hurried over, as she turned to see everyone. She was holding her arms, as she looked nervous. “Umm…hey everyone.” She said at first, but then she focused on Rem. “I spent the night thinking about what you said…And I figured even if I don’t know where to go with my life right now…it couldn’t hurt to spend a little time here and figure it out. What I do know is I told myself that if I ever found you again, I wouldn’t lose contact with you again.” She paused for a moment, then continued. “Though I don’t plan to impose, I’ll pull my weight while I’m here, if you’ll still have me.”

Rem turned around to see everyone. “Well guys? How do you feel about it?”

Everyone was a little quiet at first, and Ralph even seemed to be studying her closely with narrowed eyes. But then he suddenly exclaimed, “Hey, we all are friends with no place else to go. She helped save us all, so I say she can stay. Everyone should have a second chance, right? That’s what we all got coming together like this, right?”

Sora and Kari smiled. “You know Ralph, your right! I’m ok with it!” Sora said.

Kari nodded. “Me too!”

Brett smiled. “I’d say that means your welcome here.”

Aqua seemed to be quiet a little longer then the rest, but then smiled. “It’s fine with me too.”

Rem chuckled. “I guess your in then. Welcome to the Shinning Force Karen.”

Karen chuckled a little at that. “I knew you guys were apart of the World Savers, but to give yourself a little team name? That’s very much you Little Remmy.” A few of the others laughed a little at the nickname their leader was given by Karen, but Aqua was trying her best to not have her jealousy show on her face. “But honestly, thank you all. Rem might of saved me in the battle, but had it not been for all of you I wouldn’t have made it though it all. My last act of my life used to help end the world…”

Ralph gave her a thumbs up. “It goes both ways, ya know? Without your help, we wouldn’t of made it out of our tight spot either.”

Raylu nodded. “Sir Ralph is correct. No one party did all the work today, but we only claimed victory by the combined efforts of everyone. Even those of Kraven and his forces.”

Eric folded his arms, and nodded. “Well said Raylu.” Eric then let out a yawn. “Well, I’m not sure about the rest of you, but quite frankly I’m bushed. Karen, until we get you a bedroom prepared, would it be too much trouble to spend tonight on the couch?”

Karen was about to speak, but then Rem interjected. “That’s alright Eric, she can use my bed for tonight, and I’ll use the couch. It’s pretty comfy, honestly.”

Karen started to look uncomfortable. “Honestly, it’s fine Rem.”

Rem shook his head. “No I insist. It’s just for tonight. Tomorrow, you’ll have your own room and bed to sleep on, so just do me the favor and take it for the night.”

Karen sighed, and chuckled slightly. “Fine fine, I’ll use it. I’m to tired to argue with you on it.”

After a little bit of commotion, everyone began to retire to their rooms for the night. Mostly everyone was out instantly, though Rem was laying on the couch, just looking up at the ceiling. He seemed lost in thought, looking a little distressed. Raylu was circled up in his pup form in his favorite chair, when ne noticed Rem’s expression. “Is something bothering you sir?” He asked.

“Oh.” Rem suddenly said, not aware Raylu was awake. “I was just thinking over what happened today…To be honest, it feels like a miracle we made it through…I was scared of so many things today…Back when I just fought as a member of the World Savers, the pressure wasn’t quite as bad as it was today…Everyone depended on me, and several times I nearly let them all down…It wasn’t until I needed to trust in everyone, not just myself, that I was able to give it everything I had…To just fight with all I had…”

Raylu smiled slightly. “Maybe now you understand that you don’t need to carry the weight of it all n your own, sir. I believe part of what makes a good leader is not the ability to do it all, but how to properly share the burden together. You were right when you saw those young kids, and saw the potential they possessed. They had the skill to fight, the determination to never give up, and the strength to hold strong in the face of trials like todays.”

Rem nodded, smiling slightly himself. “I’m…still scared, if I’m being honest. The fear of making the wrong call the whole time was there every step of the way…But my faith in you all was stronger. I knew you all wouldn’t give up, so I knew I couldn’t give in to that fear…”

“Honestly sir, if you hadn’t been at least a little afraid, I’d think you were inhuman. Even I was afraid today, even if I didn’t show it. The odds we faced were some of the greatest we’ve faced in years, and I worried I wouldn’t be up to it. And had it not been for the likes of Lady Karen and Kraven, none of my skill would of meant a thing.” Raylu paused for a moment. “I feel we all were at least somewhat afraid today…but we all believed in each other to stay strong. And that, I feel, makes us a great team.”

Rem looked over to Raylu. “I don’t think I could of said it any better. You can be a pretty profound speaker when you wanna be." He chuckled.

Raylu curled back up, no longer looking at Rem in order to hide his embarrassment. “Heh. You praise me too much sir, I just spoke the truth.” Raylu then let out a yawn. “Now, if you’ll excuse me…I need a long rest…Goodnight Sir Rem…”

Rem chuckled slightly. “Goodnight Raylu…” He said, turning over to try and sleep.

Though, around the corner, Aqua had been standing in the hallway, listening in on Rem and Raylu. She leaned against the wall and sighed to herself. Rem had all that going on, and yet I was afraid? I shut down out of fear, when I needed to be strong. He needed me to stay strong, and I let him down…What’s wrong with me?... Aqua thought to herself, before she returned to her room.

While Rem and Raylu had been talking, Karen had been in Rem’s room. She was sitting on the side of the bed, looking out the window at the moon. It’s been so long since I’ve belonged anywhere, thanks to Volks…Thanks to the orphanage…Maybe…This place can be where I belong…I guess I’ll find out soon enough… She thought to herself, as she looked out the window, lost in her own thoughts a little longer, before she finally tried to rest in Rem’s bed. Weird…he still smells the same…






Much later, deep into the night, a figure was atop the Tower of Power, all alone. Clad in high tech power armor, it was the same figure that had spied on the group before. Zane. He was looking over the city, seeing the results of the massive battle that took place today. “Hmm…I’m honestly a little surprised they managed to actually defeat Volks as easily as they did. All the odds were stacked against them too.” He paused for a moment. “Maybe I should have interfered, but maybe that’s a timeline for another day. For now…maybe I should involve myself in their next major issue. If only just for a little fun. Time to brainstorm for another time rift.” He chuckled to himself, before he disappeared in a beam of light from the sky.


So after a hard fought war against Volks, the Shinning Force managed to come out victorious against their greatest threat so far. For now, they had earned peace for a time. But in this job, threats never stay down for long. It wouldn’t be long before another threat came to take the place that Volks left behind. The only questions were who it would be, and how long it would be before they appeared? Those questions had no answers now, but those answers would come soon enough.

…End of Data Log.

[Aqua]

Data Log #22: Volks Aftermath

Data Log Place in Time: The following day after the events of Volks and the Tower of Power.

The group had gotten home somewhat late last night over both being stuck in a meeting with Kavisto after Volks was taken down, so everyone slept in rather late. Rem was still sleeping on the couch, as he was awoken by knock at the cabin door. Rem groaned, as he sat up. “Ugh…One minute…” God, everything still hurts… Rem worked his way to the front door, and opened it.

On the other side of the door was two young men, one with short slightly spikey brown hair. He was dressed in a white robe with a golden trim to it. The other was a slightly shorter young man with slightly pale skin, red short but messy hair and blue eyes, and his clothes were gray with a black skirt like cloak around his waist. “Rem! It’s so good to see you!” The brown haired man said.

Rem’s eyes widened. “Skylos! Neon!” Rem said going in to hug the both of them, to which the red haired one felt almost put off by the hug, but allowed it. “It’s so good to see you! It’s been so long. Sorry I’m a bit groggy, we…we all had a lot to deal with yesterday, and a meeting to deal with to boot with Kavisto.”

Skylos, the brown haired man, chuckled. “I remember those meetings.”

The red haired man, named Neon, then spoke up next. “Are you all alright? We heard about what happened with that…thing, and what it did to the city. Volks.” He asked, sounding almost null in emotion.

Rem nodded, taking a deep breath. “Uhh yeah! We…we all got pretty roughed up, but we all got through everything in one piece. He…he was an alien of some kind, with some advanced mind control tech. He took over some Meta Humans that Kraven had in his services, as well as a large number of powered forces, so we really had our hands full yesterday…”

Skylos and Neon both looked shocked. “Wait, Meta Humans? And Kraven?” Skylos questioned.

“Ah, I guess the reports didn’t reach you guys.” Rem said, putting one of his hands behind his head.

“Why didn’t you contact any of us?” Neon asked.

“Oh, well…” Rem paused. “Honestly we’d been handling everything alright, until the kidnapping with Zach. Omni was with us, so I thought everything was ok, but Masa’s group came in and helped with everything. I just knew you all were busy with your own work.”

“Rem…We’re all friends here, it’s not about doing fair shares or anything. If we knew, we would’ve helped…” Skylos said with a frown.

Rem looked a little nervous, but started to nod. “Y-yeah, I know.” Rem paused for a moment. “Honestly, we thought we had enough to deal with Volks, but he had a trap planned for us. That was our fault.”

“So…has everything else been good? We…haven’t heard much in a long time.” Neon asked.

“Oh well…Yeah. Things have…well they’ve been getting better.” Rem paused for a moment. “Hey umm…I…I didn’t leave because of any of you. It was me, really. I needed it I think…”

Skylos nodded, with a smile. “We believe you, we just…we’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you guys too…” Rem said.

Then at this point, Raylu stretched in his chair, and let out a big yawn. He looked up, seeing everyone. “Ah! Sir Skylos and Sir Neon! Pleased to see you all again.”

Skylos looked down at him, smiling. “Great to see you Raylu.”

Neon nodded. “Been taking good care of Rem?”

Raylu nodded. “We’ve…been taking care of each other…”

“Good to hear.” Skylos said, smiling.

“Do you guys want to stay and meet the team? They should be up soon, and we can catch up while we wait.” Rem asked.

Skylos nodded. “Yeah, we should be fine time wise. You good with that, Neon?” Neon simply nodded, with the very slightest of smiles.

“Great. I’ll prep everyone a frozen pizza, since Eric is going to be too wiped out to cook.” Rem said with a chuckle.

Skylos laughed a little. “Ah! The classic cabin stable. We really are home.” And the four of them moved into the kitchen.



Within about a half hour, to 45 minutes later, Ralph and the rest of the new members came out of their rooms, including Karen. Aqua joined everyone last. When they showed up in the kitchen, Eric had already joined them, as well as someone else. He was about six feet tall, and had what looked like a purple and yellow armored body, and a curled antenna. He had what looked like a mask over his face, and black lens like eyes. Ralph spoke up first. “So…am I still asleep, or is there a bug man in our kitchen? Because if it’s a dream, I’ve seen too many bugs the last while…”

Rem, and the others in the kitchen turned to see everyone. “Ah, they’ve awoken. You can tell they are tired, because Ralph didn’t go off like a bomb.” Rem then gestured to the bug like human. “This is Zuika, he’s the aid to Magneus, the Light Sage, and an old friend of ours.”

Zuika put on arm across his chest, and gave a slight bow. “Pleasure to meet you all. Very sorry we have yet to meet before now. I hate to intrude on you all after what happened yesterday.”

Eric then looked to the others. “Zuika helped us out with figuring out Volks’ weaknesses the other day, and he came to speak a little bit about him.”

Zuika nodded. “If I had been aware, I would’ve dropped everything to assist you all.”

“Well we didn’t just want to assume you’d heard of him. Seems kinda racist.” Rem said with a slight chuckle.

“Perhaps, but in this case it would be true.” Zuika responded.

“So…you knew Volks?” Kari asked, as she, and everyone was seating themselves, though a few elected to remain standing.

Zuika nodded. “He…was my king, a very long time ago. We were a race known as the Insectacada, a humanoid bug race, if you would. Volks always had grand aspirations for the galaxy, he always dreamed of spreading our rule to other planets. And when he mutated into the form he had, not much apposed him.” Zuika folded his arms. “That was…until the Apai invasion that wiped out my planet.”

“The Apai…” Neon commented.

“That’s a name we haven’t heard in a long time.” Skylos added.

“So wait, what is the Apai?” Sora asked.

Zuika looked towards him. “The Apai, a parasitic life form that spreads across the entirety of reality. Coming into contact with them can result in your body being consumed by them to use as a host.”

“Yikes! That sounds creepy!” Kari exclaimed.

“So I’m assuming Volks fled the planet with his people when the Apai invaded your planet.” Brett commented.

“No. It’s true that Volks fled the planet, but he fled alone. He abandoned his planet to save himself. He left his people to fend for themselves, resulting in the destruction of nearly our entire race…” Zuika’s eyes seemed serious, but it was kinda hard to tell with his type of eyes. “Had I known Volks had been on this planet, I would’ve assisted in his destruction. I had believed he perished in space, or some other planet, but he did always pride himself on being a survivor…”

“So…are these Apai still around then? Do we have to worry about them?” Ralph asked.

Zuika nodded. “They’ve yet to be exterminated, so it’s entirely possible they could try to attack the earth again.”

“Wait wait, again?” Kari cut in.

“Yeah, apparently one of their commanders scouted our planet some time ago, but they were nearly destroyed by the crash they had.” Skylos commented.

“That’s…how Rem got control over their powers then.” Karen suddenly spoke up. “Rem used a strange purple power when we fought Volks, and his reaction was pure terror. I remember learning that Rem’s gauntlets can absorb power sources to use, so I assume that’s what that was.”

Rem nodded. “That’s right. I had been infected by them when I was young, but I managed to drive them off. But…I don’t know why, but I spared them. The remaining personality lives in this small orb in my gauntlets, which allows me to control some of their power, but in a much safer way.”

“Had Rem not still had this Apai connection, it would’ve been much more difficult to defeat Volks…” Zuika paused. “But at the very least he’s taken care of. His influence on the galaxy is no more.”

Karen looked at Zuika. “Is there any possible way Volks could’ve survived? Volks may have been cocky, but he was resourceful.”

Zuika shook his head. “Of what Rem told me of his death, I don’t believe there was any possible way for him to survive. Our kind isn’t immortal, or anything of the sort, nor did we ever possess tech that could allow such a thing. He may have been a mutant among our people, but even he couldn’t have the possible means to cheat death. I…merely came to confirm what happened. And to offer my apologies for what my former king put you all through.”

Eric shook his head. “Zuika, you have nothing to be sorry for. It was your advice that helped us turn the tide of that battle. We all could’ve died without your help.”

“It’s the least I could do, after everything.” Zuika then looked around at everyone. “Thank you all, for your hands in putting this matter to rest. I imagine you all must be tired though, so I will take my leave for now. Should you need anything of me, information or otherwise, you can find me at the light ruins with Magneus. It was nice meeting you all, and it was good to see the rest of you again. Keep yourselves safe. I’ll show myself out.” And with a slight bow, and some brief goodbyes from everyone, Zuika left through the front door.

“He seems pretty cool.” Ralph commented.

Rem chuckled. “Well now that that’s settled, everyone, I’d like you all to meet Skylos and Neon Pantech. They are the two leaders of the World Saver branch of South America, but they also closely work with the group in North America as well.”

Skylos smiled at everyone. “Pleasure to meet you all. Rem’s been telling us how capable you all have been on your missions.”

Neon nodded. “You even saved Omni. That type of thing never happens.” He said, very matter of factly.

“Not to mention Kraven, Meta Humans, gangs, all on top of this Volks. You guys have had a full plate already, I don’t think even we were that over worked when we first started.” Skylos said with a slight laugh.

“It’s been a lot of tough work, but nothing we haven’t been able to handle so far!” Sora said, sounding proud.

Kari smiled. “Yeah, we’ve been training hard.”

Skylos smiled back. “It shows, that’s for sure.”

“I’ve heard of you guys. You two are like the most powerful members of the World Savers right?” Ralph asked.

“I think I’d find Ponic far stronger, but it’s no contest.” Neon commented.

“Right. I don’t like to think of any of us on different levels of each other, we all have different skills. Some just have more practice than others, that’s all. I’m sure the same is true for all of you.” Skylos added.

“We’re a team, and only as strong as our weakest member. We work together and cover each other’s weak points. That’s what being a team is all about.” Neon explained.

Brett seemed to nod in response. “Wise words. It’s like we were taught in the army. My commander believed in the strength in the unit.”

Skylos nodded. “Just like that, the strength of the unit. Great way of putting it.” Skylos paused for a moment. “We’d love to spar a bit, and give you all a few pointers, but after yesterday I assume the last thing you’d want is any kind of training.” Skylos chuckled.

Neon nodded. “Feel free to come around sometime though. We can give you guys a training session…And I’d like to see your talents in action.”

“What do ya mean? I could-Gah! My shoulder!” Ralph said.

Brett chuckled. “I think someone is still sore from yesterday. But we’d love to take you up on that another time.”

“That sounds great!” Skylos exclaimed. “But enough about work, I’d like to learn a little more about you guys if you wouldn’t mind. We can do that over a classic cabin frozen pizza.”

“Ok, so I’ve been hearing about this, is that some kind of running gag?” Sora asked.

“It comes from the fact that it felt like there was always frozen pizza in that freezer. We never figured out who was the one doing that shopping though. If it wasn’t for all the training we did, we’d probably have gotten so fat.” Skylos joked.

At this point, everyone was gathering around the table to talk with Skylos and Neon. Rem though, looked around and noticed Aqua was in fact here, she just hadn’t said anything this whole time. He also noticed Karen was listening to everyone chat, so she seemed distracted. He’d be sure to talk with her later, but Aqua’s troubled expression worried him. So he stood up from the table, with a simple “Excuse me for a minute. Don’t mind me.” He then walked past the crowd, over towards Aqua, and leaned by her ear as he passed her by. “Could you come with me for a minute?”

Aqua looked like she snapped out of whatever trance she was in, as she looked over her shoulder at him. “Yeah, of course.” She quietly answered. She didn’t want to cause a scene with everyone while they were getting to know each other, so she quietly slipped away with Rem.

He went into his room, where Aqua followed him into. She hadn’t really been in his room before, at least not sense he came back, so she tried to resist the urge to look around. “So, how are you holding up?” Rem asked her.

Aqua looked surprised when he asked. “W-what do you mean?”

“You said we could talk about it later, didn’t you? You seemed upset during the Kavisto meeting last night, and we haven’t really gotten the chance to talk about anything that happened yesterday.” Rem asked.

“O-oh, right!” She exclaimed. “Well…ugh, I don’t know how much I wanna say with everyone here, since I feel I let everyone down yesterday…”

Rem looked confused. “What do you mean? You kept everyone alive, and captured the mutants on top of that. You should be proud of that.”

Aqua shook her head. “But that wasn’t because of me…Sure, when the battle first started, we were working really well as a team, but it didn’t last when the enemy got the upper hand…I…I cracked, or something…I didn’t want to say anything since you had your hands full too, but…I don’t want to lie to you…If Tony and that White Rose guy hadn’t shown up, I might’ve gotten everyone killed…I got useless, and I don’t know why it happened…” Aqua’s hands were shaking.

Rem frowned. “But it’s ok now. Everything worked out, and nothing bad happened. You all worked together, it wasn’t just all on you.”

“I know that, but that was this time…What if next time we aren’t so lucky? What if I lock up again, and end up being dead weight when they need me? I don’t wanna let anyone down...” Aqua paused, but Rem didn’t know how to interject. “I…was thinking about it last night. I’m going to make an appointment to see a powered doctor. We are on good terms with Maylene after you and Brett saved her, so they would probably keep us secret…”

Rem looked a little surprised. “Oh, well if you think it would help. If there’s anything I can do, just say so. I’ll help anyway I can.”

Aqua gave a very weak smile, feeling some comfort in what he said. “Thanks Rem, that means a lot…There…is one thing I was going to ask you though…When I go…would you go with me? I don’t want to go out alone right now.”

Rem nodded with a soft smile. “Sure! Just say when, and I’ll be there.”

Aqua smiled lightly again. “Thanks…oh, and please don’t tell the others what I told you. I…think Ralph has an idea, but I don’t want them knowing I’m going to the doctor in case it’s not serious.”

Rem nodded. “I wouldn’t tell a soul.” Rem paused for a second, as the two of them looked around, avoiding direct eye contact. “We should probably go back. If we’re gone too long they might start asking questions.”

Aqua nodded. “O-oh, yeah, good idea. I’ll go back first.” She said, quickly turning around and heading back.

Rem didn’t go directly back at first, and stopped in the bathroom first. He quietly closed the door, and started watching his hands in the sink. While he did, Rem looked at his reflection. Why would she ask me to take her? You’d think she’d ask Kari or something…Though I guess I’ve known her longer, plus she did say she didn’t want to look weak in front of the others, and Eric is normally busy…Plus I actually know Maylene. That’s probably all it is… Rem then held his head, as he almost felt like he was getting a headache, almost feeling like he heard another voice in his head.

You fool yourself, you know…It’s just in her nature to be nice and to care…Besides, how could she be ok with the fact that she almost died because you put her in charge when she wasn’t ready?...She followed your orders, that’s all…Don’t get it twisted… The voice rang out in his head.

Rem suddenly shook his head, as he splashed some water on his face. To Rem, the voice sounded like his own thoughts, so he didn’t think anything of it. Yeah…Probably… He then dried his hands with a hanging towel, and left to rejoin the others.


As Rem came back in, Skylos was talking a bit about himself. “-so we all met in France, around the factory. It was these…body possessing ghosts I think. We believed they weren’t real ghosts, but created ones to control powered beings, which at the time still were mostly a secret. Neon, my 4th cousin here, was a victim of these body snatching ghosts, and we freed him, which is how we met. It’s how I met Ponic, Rem, and Halo, as well as a few others, but we didn’t really start working together until another problem brought us together a few years later.”

“Body possessing ghosts?...” Karen asked. “I...think I might’ve dealt with something like before. Were they Phantom Demon’s? We had some cases of them in the city back in the day.”

Neon shook his head. “They weren’t actual ghosts, so we ruled Phantom Demons out. We think they were artificial, manmade. They seemed to be connected to the super computer, since they stopped appearing when we first shut it down.”

“So what brought you all back together?” Brett asked.

“The super computer was turned back on by someone…” Skylos said, looking serious. “We never found out why, but whoever turned it back on tried to cause the ghosts to start capturing powered kind again. At that point, we moved into the factory to make sure whoever was trying to use the super computer to hunt powered kind couldn’t restart it again. After a while we were able to take care of what was causing it to make these ghosts, and were able to safely leave it. We found the cabin, and moved in sometime afterwards.”

“And it was all history from there, huh?” Sora asked.

“That’s the jest of it, yeah.” Rem started from the back. “That was the start of our marry band, and our many adventures.”

Skylos chuckled. “I do miss us all living under one roof, but it was getting rather crowded. Plus not all of us really…got along.”

“Masa could be an ass. He didn’t like being a follower.” Neon frankly said. Neon knew who Skylos was mostly referring to, and felt no need to hide it.

Rem started feeling annoyed at the mention of Masa, and started thinking. Rem then spoke up. “Is Masa one of the reasons why you all split up then? Like, if the other parts of the world needed us, we just would go. But after I left, you guys just started setting up bases all over?”

Skylos looked a little bothered, but then he nodded. “Masa felt that we were needed in more places, and honestly at the time he wasn’t wrong. Smaller branches of our old friends were needing more help, and…I think some of us were starting to feel a divide…After that one mission with Kraven…”

“We didn’t believe Kraven was dead…But he was too smart to just try again after he failed. So we thought that if we branched out, we’d find a trace of him somewhere in the world. We never found much though.” Neon explained.

Ralph folded his arms. “But now he’s back. He’s here, and he knows we know.”

“I…” Karen started talking, as she had been mostly quiet. “I don’t remember clearly, a lot of my memories under Volks’ influence is…patchy. Kraven mentioned his Meta Human project a few times, and he wanted to use Eric for it as well…when I attacked when Frost went nuts. He was hoping Volks’ plan was going to handle everything, but he seemed to have no intention on counting on it to do all the work. I think he planned on continuing his Meta Human project, so I doubt we’ve seen the last of him.”

Skylos nodded. “We’ll fill in the others. Knowing Kraven, he’s probably laying low again after the Volks incident, but it’s also possible he moved bases to a different part of the world. We’ll keep our own eyes open looking for him.”

Neon nodded. “But remember to rest. You’ve all been through a lot lately. And if you need us, we’ll help you.”

Skylos then took out a small multi colored prism. “We’ll help get you guys some extra prisms. The telepath stones are helpful, but a Light Prism as more uses then just talking. Information database, scans, nearly universal translator, it can do a lot. Omni designed them based on all the information he learned over time, so it should be helpful for your E.I.R.U. program.”

Eric chuckled. “I actually hook up my prism with E.I.R.U. already. The super computer is powerful, but imputing new information is tiring. I was thinking of developing some new tech using telepath stones, but Light Prisms should work better for what I had planned.”

Skylos smiled. “We’ll get more soon. But for now, get some rest, like Neon said. We’re going to go meet with Kavisto and see if he’s got any information for us. We’ve needed to check in with him anyway.”

Neon didn’t look very thrilled. Or…well less thrilled then he already did. He was a Darkness Human, most never looked like they had positive emotions. “Great. Can’t wait…”

Skylos sighed. “I get it Neon, but you know we need to see him. He’s family, one way or another.” The two of them stood up. “We’ll meet back up again guys, it’s been really nice meeting you all. We should try to actually socialize soon, once things are a little more stable. The rest of our team would love to meet you all.”

Kari smiled. “It’s been a great pleasure.”

Sora laughed a little. “It’s a shame it work always has to ruin stuff like this.”

“You get used to it…” Neon said at first. “But that just makes you appreciate the time you do get.”

Raylu spoke up at this point. “Kraven wouldn’t make any dangerous moves yet. And the mutants are in lockdown in jail. Kraven is lacking the core backbone of his forces. I agree with Sir Skylos, it would be wise to spend some time to de stress, and recover both physically and mentally.”

Skylos nodded. “Relax a little, you earned it for sure. It’s not good to stay this stressed.”

Aqua spoke up. “It was great seeing you both again. Send our best to Yisha and Arianna, as well as the others.”

Neon nodded. “We will. Look after yourselves.” Neon then focused his eyes on Aqua, and sent a message to her mind. Take care of yourself, ok? I feel your mental strain. Relax, and don’t overstress yourself. If you need my help, contact me. Aqua was a little surprised, but she nodded to him in response.

Skylos smiled at Aqua, and nodded. “Like Neon said, we’ll be sure too.” He looked back at everyone. “Hope to see you all again soon. Drop by any time you’d like.” And at that point, Skylos put his hand on Neon, and the two of them teleported out of the cabin.

“Your friends seem really nice.” Sora commented.

Eric nodded. “Skylos is probably one of the nicest people you’d meet. Neon doesn’t show it much, but you’d also be hard pressed to find someone who cares about his friends as much as he does.”

“I’m interested in seeing their training, honestly. We’ll need to stop in for a visit soon.” Brett said.

“That would be you Brett, I swear.” Kari chuckled slightly.

Ralph then looked over to Karen. “You’ve been pretty quiet. How was your first night in your new home?”

Karen looked a little surprised to be addressed, as she noticed everyone looking at her. “O-oh! Well…” Karen looked down for a moment. “It was…nice…It was the first night in a long time where…” She looked up at the others. ”I felt silence…I haven’t had a sleep that quiet in so long…”

“We’ll get you a room prepared today, now that we’ve all had a good night’s rest. Do you have any belongings that you need to collect from anywhere?” Eric asked.

Karen shook her head. “Ever since Volks took control, I haven’t really lived my own life. I didn’t need anything but gear related to combat and tactical outfits, so I don’t have anything personal left. All my spare gear is in my backpack.“ Karen gave a very slight, sad sounding chuckle. “Honestly even before, I never really had a place, so I had no need for personal possessions, since I had nowhere to keep them.”

Kari looked a little sad at that. “Yeah…I’ve been there. I’ve only ever had like a backpack of things to call my own since I was as kid.”

Sora seemed to force a smile, trying to lighten the mood. “Well hey! That just means you get a fresh start, just like the rest of us.”

“I…suppose that’s true…” Karen seemed quiet, but then she sighed. “Sorry, it’s just been so long since my thoughts were my own…It’s hard to get a grasp on everything. It’s almost like forgetting how to be yourself. As soon as the battle was over, I realized…I had no idea what to do anymore, it had been so long.”

Ralph looked at her, thinking about something, before speaking. “Do you intend to go back to assassin work?”

Karen looked torn. “I…didn’t think that far yet. I only ever did it before because I was left with no choice. I was recruited as such a young age into the League of Assassins, but Volks had me disconnected from them for so long I wouldn’t say I work for them anymore. They stopped trying to reclaim me once they saw Volks’ power, but who knows with him gone.”

Rem looked confused. “What’s the League of Assassins?”

“They are a secret origination of assassins who are hired by all types in the criminal underground. They also would recruit young kids with no families into their fold, and train them to being child assassins.” Karen explained.

“So that’s why you were an assassin then?” Kari asked.

Karen nodded. “I’m not proud of being…well a murderer. But the orphanage I grew up in…we never had enough. I did it to help them survive, but I didn’t fully understand until things were too late…You can’t just quit that type of thing because you don’t like it. They will kill you to keep themselves secret…so I kept doing it for the orphanage…”

Eric narrowed his eyes, but not out of anger towards Karen, but the League. “You could’ve reached out to us, even more so knowing Rem.”

“No, I couldn’t…Most of the time I worked in their service, you all worked in secrecy. By the time you were becoming more public, at least enough for me to learn of you, it wasn’t long before I was pulled into Volks’ trap. In my time with them, there was no way out…Except through Volks.” Karen said, looking away from the others.

Rem looked worried. “And they are still at large?”

Karen nodded. “I have no doubt. They are massive in their scope, having branches across the world over…Bringing them to light, and taking them down…It’s impossible…”

“Bullshit.” Ralph suddenly said, which caught everyone’s attention. “We just took down a space alien, and his mine controlled posse. Once we get on the case, their days are numbered!” He said, suddenly overflowing with positivity.

Rem looked at Karen again after that. “Ralph has a point. Karen, would you consider helping us track them down?”

Karen looked surprised. “Are you serious? You want to target the League of Assassins? You all must be insane.” She paused. “No disrespect to your skill, but do you really want an army that could be anywhere in the world at your necks? You saw me contend with you all on my own, but can you picture more of them? An unknowable number of powerful foes like that? Making an enemy of them is a death wish.“

“But we can’t just ignore a threat that massive to the general pub-“ Sora was saying, but Karen cut him off.

“But they aren’t. This isn’t like Kraven, who has it out for all powered people. The League only targets people who they are paid to target. This isn’t a group trying to take over, just people wanting money and their own twisted form of control…” Karen sighed. “Sorry if I sound so gruff. I’m not trying to defend them, I’m trying to protect you all. Don’t make enemies you don’t know if you can handle. But, should they become a problem…I’ll fight them with you.”

Eric seemed to sigh, but he nodded. “We don’t need to do anything about it right now, but we may need to take more about this later.”

Aqua suddenly spoke up at this point. “Not to mention the fact that Kavisto will probably want some answers once he learns Karen is with us now. I think he’ll trust us, but still…”

Karen nodded. “I’m prepared for that…I just don’t want any of you getting killed by pointlessly kicking the wasps nest.”

Rem nodded. “We trust you Karen. Like I promised you, we’ll get this all sorted out.”

“Speaking of getting things sorted out, how about us helping Karen set up a room? We can move in some things from the storage upstairs into whatever room she wants. Come on.” Brett said, leading the way.

“Hey, that’s MY line!” Ralph shouted, following after Brett, with Sora close in tow.

Kari took Karen’s hand, which startled her a little. “Come on, we don’t need to focus on the doom and gloom. Trust me, getting your own space set up will really help ease your mind.”

“Alright, since everyone is so insistent. Maybe your right.” Karen said, as she was led by Kari down into the bedroom hall.

Leaving the original four in the kitchen, they looked at each other, worried about what Karen laid on them all. “I’m worried…Assassins, all over the world? Targeting whoever they want?” Aqua commented.

“I also find it worrying. As well as the fact that she didn’t seem to want to engage them.” Raylu agreed.

“Well so do I, but her reasoning does make sense. Plus, would she really just want to go right back into that?” Rem asked.

Eric sighed. “We aren’t saying we doubt her…But we should still be careful.”

“And we will. Knowing about their existence is already part of the battle already.” Rem said.

Aqua sighed. “Next time I head back to base, I’ll look into this League of Assassins. Kavisto gave me the next several days off, so once I head back, I’ll speak to him.”

Eric nodded. “I’m going back to the factory and run some tests on things with E.R.I.U. after yesterday. I’ll be back to help with dinner.”

“I shall depart for now as well. The city may be quiet after last night, but I’d feel more at ease if I took a quick scout around. I shall not be long.” Raylu said.

Eric nodded. “I’ll drop you off. Let’s get going.” Eric then snapped his fingers, making a portal that the two of them left through.

“They’re dropping like flies. Guess it’s just us now.” Rem said.

Aqua actually looked slightly uncomfortable. “Umm, actually, I’m going to make use of the distraction with everyone helping with Karen, and take a shower before everyone gets their turn. I’ll be back.” She said leaving.

Before Rem could say much, she left the kitchen in a very slight hurry. Rem noticed that she looked a little off, but didn’t get to question her about it. Did…I say something wrong?... He couldn’t help but feel he said something that off put everyone. Maybe it was his stance on what Karen was talking about? Now he felt uncomfortable himself, as he looked around, seeing the mess from the frozen pizza lunch. He sighed. “Alright, guess that leaves me on clean up myself…” Rem said, as he began to gather the plates and leftovers.




With Rem in the kitchen alone, Karen and the others were in one of the unused rooms. There was really only a bed in the room, but the boys were bringing in a dresser from upstairs, while Kari watched with Karen. “Alright, so where would you like the dresser?” Kari asked.

Karen shrugged. “I mean I don’t have much in the line of clothes anyway.”

“We’ll fix that! You, me, and Aqua can all go out clothes shopping! We’ll deck you out.” Kari said, sounding excited.

“But I mean I don’t have any money…” Karen said, looking to the side.

“Hey hey, don’t worry! Aqua told me we’d be getting paid soon. I’ll pitch in so you can have something nice.” Kari said.

Suddenly, Ralph spoke up. “Not to cut in ladies, but this is kinda heavy. Where do you want it?” Ralph said, struggling a little with Sora.

Karen suddenly snapped out of it. “Oh! Umm, I guess under the window is alright…”

“Nice choice!” Kari commented.

The two boys moved the dresser under the window, while they saw Brett enter with a small nightstand in his arms. “You think you coulda helped us maybe? We wouldn’t wanna put you out.” Sora complained.

Brett shrugged, as he sat the nightstand next to the bed. “I mean you two were the ones who rushed to it. I believe Ralph said ‘Come on Sora, you and me got this no problem!’”

Ralph groaned. “Stop using my words against me.”

“Did you boys see any lamps upstairs?” Kari asked.

Brett nodded. “I did, yes. I’m going to bring that down next.” He said, walking back out of the room.

Kari then looked to Ralph and Sora. “Anything else upstairs that looked useable? We gotta fill this room up with something.”

“Kari, that really isn’t necessary. I really only need a place to sleep, and a place to put what I own. This is more than enough.” Karen said, trying to object.

“Sure you don’t ‘need’ anything else, but I don’t want you feeling like this is just some room your borrowing, or some cheap hotel. If you’re gonna live here, you need to actually ‘live’ here.” Kari said.

Karen looked a little sad. “But I don’t know if I’m going to stay here. I mean, what if me being here brings trouble?”

“Hey!” Ralph suddenly exclaimed, making everyone else jump slightly. “Of course you’re gonna bring trouble. We all do. The rest of us are wanted men, and we’ve already caused problems for Rem, Eric, and Aqua, but they want to help us anyway. If you’re worried about bringing trouble, then cause some trouble back at the trouble. If your bow shoots for us now, that’s all that’s important.”

Sora nodded. “Ralphs right! We gotta stick together now. Besides, we’d be pretty shitty World Savers if we just made you leave because of Volks or some stupid assassins. We’ve all been in your shoes.”

“We can’t make you stay, but we want you too. And you are more than welcome to. We don’t want you to be alone anymore.” Kari added.

Karen looked surprised, and her eyes almost looked a little glassy, as she rubbed them with her sleeve. “But you guys barely know me, and I’ve done nothing but try and kill you all up to this point. Why would you even want me around?”

“Ha! That was Volks trying to kill us, not you!” Ralph exclaimed.

“Rem told us about how you saved him when you were kids too. We know you aren’t some bad person. Plus, we’ve all been in your shoes.” Sora added.

Kari nodded. “We’ve all been forced to do things we didn’t want to do, either to do the right thing, or just to survive. Yeah, you used to be an assassin, and yeah you were forced to work for Volks. But now you live with us.”

“You make your own path, starting today. You don’t have to do anything alone anymore, and you don’t have to do anything you don’t wanna either. And if someone wants to make you do something you don’t want to anymore? Let’em come! We’ll do that together too!” Ralph said, clinching his fist in determination.

Brett reentered the room at this point with a small table lamp. “And if it’s about the orphanage, we can help with that too. I’m sure once things it worked out with Kavisto we can figure something out.”

“Or hey, we know some pretty wealthy friends, like Tamaki and Mr. Harkum. I’m sure they would help with that too. You don’t need to do whatever you need to survive anymore. You can do what you want to.” Kari added.

Karen wouldn’t say it, and tried not to show it, but she was feeling very overwhelmed. She was trained to be cold and distant. But she thought about it, and she knew she didn’t need to be anymore. She was just conditioned to feel that way. But…she didn’t need to anymore. A few tears went down her face at this point. “You know…When I was a little girl, I dreamed of having a family one day…I always wanted to have people like that, that you could depend on…I honestly thought I’d have to put that all behind me forever, but…I wonder if this is what that feels like…Unconditional support…” She wiped the tears off her face. “I barely know you, but you all reach out to me like this when I’ve done nothing to deserve it…I…haven’t felt a support like that since I met Rem…” She looked at them directly. “He has good people on his team. Thank you…I won’t fail your expectations. Expect this goodwill of yours to be repaid.” She said, with a soft smile on her face.

Everyones warm smiles returned the one Karen gave Ralph smirked, looking happy. “That’s what I like to hear. Now…what would you like for this room?”

Karen was kinda surprised by how quickly Ralph jumped back into things. “Well…I suppose a storage box of some kind for my equipment would be nice…Maybe a chair?”

“I saw a trunk and an armchair upstairs, those should work!” Sora suggested.

“Now you’re talkin! Let’s go!” Ralph said, leading Sora out of the room.

“Well if you’re going to have a chair, then you need something to do in it. What about reading? I’m sure we have something like a small bookshelf or something for them. Aqua and I have plenty of books.” Kari suggested.

“Well why don’t we go have a look and see if anything upstairs catches your eye?” Brett asked.

Karen nodded. “Sounds good. Plus I’d feel bad if we made those two do everything.”

Kari giggled. “You don’t need to worry about them, but we can’t have them thinking we can’t do anything. Let’s go.” And the three of them followed after Sora and Ralph.


While all that was going on, Aqua was alone with her thoughts in the shower. Now that she was alone, with no risk of being interrupted or seen, she was just entirely stressed. She was washing her hair, as she reflected in her own thoughts. Sigh…This just keeps getting worse. No sooner do we finish with Volks that we learn of another threat…Rem might be hiding it, but he doesn’t seem very worried, like Eric and Raylu…I…don’t know how much I trust Karen, after everything…What if it’s a lie?...I trust Rem, but what if she’s already messing with his judgment?...Ugh! Am I just over reacting because of Rem and Karen’s history? She’s older then him, and helped him when he was younger…If he’s got a thing for older women…Ugh, there I go again. I’m creating a bias against her already…That’s not fair of me, it makes me feel sick…I hate being so negative…Hopefully this feeling wears off soon. I don’t want to treat her badly if I’m just over reacting… And she continued her shower thoughts for a little longer, before wrapping up to rejoin everyone.





A few hours later, everyone had finished what they had been going on about all day, and had regathered for dinner that Eric and Aqua made. Talk was pretty quiet at this point of the meal, when Ralph suddenly exclaimed. “I wanna go to the beach!”

Everyone just kind of looked at him, until Rem spoke up. “Well that was sudden.”

“What brought that on so suddenly?” Sora asked.

“We’ve gone through most of this summer without doing anything fun because of everything that’s happened. Even the festival was ruined by the Rose’s. We gotta do something, so let’s go to the beach tomorrow!” Ralph explained.

Brett sighed. “We can’t just pack up and go like that, Ralph.”

“Yeah, you gotta be more responsible than that.” Kari scolded him.

“Well…” Aqua started. “Kavisto already informed me that we have agents working with Harkum to make sure the city is clear after Volks’, so…we honestly should be ok to have some time off. They know we’ve been going nonstop for days…And, I’ve missed not being able to swim this year.”

Ralph suddenly clapped, and pointed at Aqua. “That’s my girl right there!”

Eric chuckled. “I mean, I can’t say I dislike that idea. Saria has been asking me if I’d have time to go with her. She and I know this nice beach we went to last year, and it was pretty quiet. It’s not really a well-known place, near a small mountain.”

Rem snapped his fingers, and pointed at Eric. “I know the place you’re talking about. It’s that one up north, right? I haven’t been there since the summer before I left.”

Kari sighed. “I’d hate to admit it, but Ralph does have a really fun idea…”

“Yes yes YES! I knew you guys would come around. If you don’t go to the beach during summer, you aren’t living!” Ralph exclaimed, growing more excited.

Sora was starting to get excited, now that Ralph’s idea was actually being taken seriously. “Honestly yeah, I haven’t been to the beach in ages.”

Brett gave a soft chuckle. “I admit, it does sound relaxing.”

Karen and Raylu were listening to this conversation, but didn’t weigh in on it. Rem then spoke again. “Well, if everyone is for the idea, let’s go tomorrow then, if everyone is feeling up for it in the morning. Get your stuff ready tonight.” This was followed by a cheer from the more excited members, as they continued dinner in a more upbeat mood then before.




A little later that night, once everyone was turning in for the night, Karen had collected her backpack from where she stashed it, as well as her equipment. The room she had now was still somewhat simple, and a bit dusty, but she felt at ease in this space. She opened a dresser drawer, empty, as she took out her spare suits from her old looking backpack. They seemed to just be different versions of the same one for camo use. Though when she opened one drawer, she found a pair of jeans, a pair of black shorts, a few simple t shirts, a simple light blue dress, and a nightgown. “Wait, when did…” She then noticed a note on the nightgown, written in some somewhat elegant looking handwriting. It read: ‘I heard from Kari that you didn’t have many clothes except work outfits. I don’t know what size you are, but you seem thinner than me, so hopefully you can fit these alright. Kari suggested we go out and shop for you soon, and I think that’s a great idea. Hopefully we get along well. – Aqua’. Karen wasn’t expecting it to have been from Aqua, since the two of them barely spoke yet. “Hmm…I’ll have to thank her tomorrow. It’s rather late now.” She took out the nightgown, admiring Aqua’s almost classy choice of clothing, since she didn’t know Aqua’s fashion sense was older styled. She laid the gown on the bed, as she shorted the clothes into different drawers. Once she was done with that, she turned to the trunk. She opened it, as it was empty, aside from an old blanket in the bottom. She placed her bow and quiver in there, followed by her blades, guns, and everything else she had. She checked her backpack for anything else that may have forgotten, when she checked a very old and small pocket she hadn’t looked into in years. It was a folded up piece of paper, which she unfolded. Inside was a copy of the old map she made for Rem to track the ruins. Maybe she planned to check them at some point. Falling out of it, was a photo booth strip of photos with her and Rem, as well as the three monsters that followed Rem around. That meant these photos were from the last time she had seen Rem. She picked it up, and started to remember that day.

Roaming the streets of France, after dealing with the Phantom Demon attack, Karen and Rem, along with Cinder, Doki, and Cream were spending one last day together before they went their separate ways. They had lunch, and were getting their supplies for their own personal journeys. They walked the streets, as Cream pointed to a photo booth with a “Poy poyo!”

“What is she asking?” Karen asked.

“Cream wants to know what that box with the cloth is.” Cinder explained for Cream.

“Oh! That’s a photo booth! It takes pictures. Come on, I’ll show you guys.” Karen said, taking Rem’s hand and pulling him along.

“Gah! I’m coming, don’t run so fast!” Rem said, trying to keep up, as Cinder and Cream followed. Doki flew along after, almost looking jealous of how friendly Karen was being towards Rem.

They quickly all piled up inside the booth, and Karen put in a coin. “Alright, so we all bunch together, and smile at the camara.” She explained.

“Camara? Where?” Cinder asked.

Rem pointed to the lens near the wall. “Right here. Now we just-“ But then it started talking pictures, as the flash startled everyone but Karen. “Gah! I wasn’t ready!”

Doki seemed dazed by the flash for a second. "It's so bright!"

Karen giggled, as everyone seemed startled. Cream and Doki quickly got into it, but Rem and Cinder weren’t composed for the first few shots. And before long, it was over. Two sheets printed out. Karen collected them, and gave one to Rem. “Here you go! One for each of us.”

Rem looked over them. “Man, I look bad in most of these.”

“Very curious box…” Cinder commented.

“Poi poi!” Cream seemed excited.

"I have to admit, the human picture making box was a lot of fun~" Doki said, feeling in a better mood.

“You guys look fine. Now don’t lose them. They are a promise that we stay friends, and we’ll see each other again!” Karen said, full of energy.

Rem nodded. “I’ll never lose them. I’ll find my mom and dad, show them these, and we’ll meet up again!”

Karen nodded. “It’s a deal!”

Karen gazed into her photos for a moment, before finally returning from her memories. “It feels like a lifetime ago now…I haven’t seen little Cream and Cinder or Doki though since I’ve gotten here. I wonder where they’ve gone…” She then looked to the nightstand, and opened the drawer it had to put the photos and old map in it. Once she confirmed the backpack was fully empty, she sat it on top of the trunk, as she grabbed the nightgown. She walked into the empty closet, and began to change. Once she was done, she just looked at herself in the clothes. I can’t remember if I’ve ever worn something this soft…It’s wonderful… She looked over, and noticed by the small armchair, was books in the small bookshelf. She walked over, seeing the titles of books she’d never read. Aqua and Kari had left books they both finished in here, as Karen took one that caught her eye. She sat in the chair, and opened the book. She gave a gentle sigh. They are too nice to me… She then started to read the book, unwinding before she retired for the night.




...End of Data Log...

[Aqua]

Data Log #23: A Beach Day

Data Log place in time: Following morning after Data Log #22



The next morning, Ralph was the first up at, gathering things together, making too much noise. Aqua woke up next, coming from the bedroom hall into the living room, still in her nightgown. She saw Ralph coming from upstairs, having what looked like a large picnic basket and beach towels in his arms. “Good morning Ralph…You’re up early today…” She said, still sounding a little tired, rubbing the tired out of her eyes.

Ralph took notice of her, and somewhat stared at her for a moment while she couldn’t see. He hadn’t seen her like that before, as she didn’t often walk around in a nightgown, but she wasn’t expecting to be woken up this early. “Oh…Hi Aqua. Sorry, I was just excited, so I was getting everything ready for later.”

Aqua giggled slightly. “No, it’s fine. I’m kinda excited too. I mean…lately it’s hard to feel like we can relax, but…that’s no way to live, is it?”

Ralph came down, and put the stuff he gathered on the living room table, as he put his arm around her with a slight pat on the shoulder. “See? You get it. We can be ready, but also live life, you know? If you do nothing but live for others, you forget to live for yourself. Like, it’s great to be able to do things for others, I’d never suggest otherwise. But you are always just as important.”

Aqua looked surprised by what he said, but then nodded. “You know Ralph, you can say some pretty profound things sometimes. You strike me as so carefree, but you clearly have lived some life for you to have such wisdom.”

Ralph laughed, as he put his finger on his lips. “Shhh! Don’t let the others know you said that. I have a very care free appearance I’ve gotta keep.”

Aqua giggled a little at that. “Oh, no problem. It’ll be our little secret. So if I promise to come out and make breakfast, will you keep it down for the others?”

Ralph nodded. “Mmmm yeah of course, sorry about that.” Aqua just shook her head with a smile, as she turned back around, going back into the hallway. Ralph watched her leave, as he seemed lost in his thoughts for a minute. “Hmm…Man…” He then turned back to his prep work, though much more quietly.




About a few hours or so later, after everyone had gotten ready for the day, eaten, and gathered their things, they gathered in the living room to get ready to depart. Everyone was already dressed in beach clothes, aside from Karen. Eric was in black shorts with flame pattern on them, and a simple gray shirt. Brett had a silver camo patterned shorts, and a silver looking shirt. Sora had yellow trunks with an orange tanktop. Ralph had blue trunks and a blue tanktop. Rem had a lighter blue pair of trunks on, with a white fish pattern, and a simple white tanktop on. The girls had better suits though, as Kari was wearing a purple one piece, but had a shorts look to the bottom, rather than a normal one piece. Aqua was wearing a two piece that was white with pink and yellow flowers on it, a green button up shirt with pink flowers as well that was mostly done up for now, and a sun hat that looked like it was made of straw.

Kari noticed that Karen wasn’t dressed to the beach when she entered the living room. “Are you sure you don’t feel like coming Karen?” Kari asked her.

Karen shook her head. “I appreciate the offer, I do. But…if it’s ok, I’d just like a little alone time with my thoughts. But you all could really use the break.”

Raylu nodded. “Sand and fur don’t mix. I’ll stay behind, and if something should come up, I will contact you all. You can all relax with peace of mind.”

Karen nodded. “Right. And if Raylu needs any easy backup, I’ll be here.”

Rem nodded. “Well if you two insist. If you need anything, contact us. We should have our telepath stones on us.”

Karen sighed with a light smile. “We get it, go on! Shoo! Go swim, or tan, or whatever you’re gonna do. Get!”

Eric chuckled. “Very well. We’ll be back later.” He then snapped his fingers, as everyone gathered what they needed, and headed out.


On the other side of the portal, the group came out on a beach. The landscape was beautiful. There was a large mountain that seemed to reach out into the sea, while a thick forest surrounded the area, feeling like it was blocking off the beach from the rest of the world. The beach itself glistened in the early day sunlight, littered with boulders across the coast, and the water looked crystal clear. The only sounds one could hear was the sound of the wind, the waves, and the wildlife. As everyone looked around, they all seemed in awe. “Wow, this place is amazing!” Kari exclaimed.

Ralph wasted no time to run out onto the beach. “YES! It’s the beach!”

Sora ran out with him. “Hey, wait up!”

Aqua giggled, as she watched the two rush the beach. “It seems like that no one has found this beach yet, so that’s good.”

Brett was looking around. “I can’t imagine it would be a good place to have a public beach, what with a mountain so close by. Landsides and what not. But that just makes it easier for us to enjoy.”

Rem looked around, holding some chairs, seeing the grass was growing strong and soft where the land meets the sand. “Why not have the picnic blankets and stuff set up here in the grass? Seems dry and soft.”

“Ooooh, good idea, let’s do that.” Aqua agreed, as she carried the picnic basket over to a soft, clear looking spot, with Rem and Brett following her with the chairs.

“So when is Saria going to join us, Eric?” Kari asked.

“A little later, probably by lunch, she said she had some stuff to get through this morning.” Eric responded, moving the rest of the chairs around with darkness.

“Man, that seems so handy to be able to do, it never gets old.” Kari said.

Eric chuckled. “I forget it isnt normal to you guys, but I’ve grown so used to it. I’ll help them finish if you’re wanting to hit the water.” He asked, extending his hand for the bag she was carrying.

“Oh! Why thank you Eric, if you say so.” Kari then handed Eric her bag. She then turned to see Ralph and Sora already in the water. “Hey boys, wait for me!” She shouted as she ran out to the water.

Eric walked over to where the picnic blanket was set up, as Rem and Brett finished setting up the chairs they had, while Eric moved the ones he moved with darkness. Brett looked out at water to see the three youngest playing in the water. “They really needed this, I can tell. Even Kari is relaxing a bit. They’ve held up under everything lately pretty well, but even they need a break.” Brett said.

Eric looked back as well. “They’ve done good work, and a lot of it too. They never cut back on their training either during all this.”

Rem nodded, sitting down in one of the seats. “Nothing is a stronger motivation than being forced into things…Makes me wonder if they’ve ever had a chance to relax in their lives.”

Brett sighed. “I wasn’t always there for them, but I do know they all it rough before I came along…Weird how after helping save the world do they actually get a moments peace.”

“I know that feeling. I’ve been with everyone so long that being involved in world saving feels so normal…it really makes me miss the times when I’m not.” Aqua said, putting her arms together in front of herself.

Brett smiled. “I’m just happy they at least have this moment.” He then stretched, before talking again. “Well I think I’ll go join them. If you need me, just let me know.” He said, as he shed his shirt, and went to join the others.

The three of them waved at Brett, as he went to join the others. Rem looked at the two that were still with the picnic set. “Hey guys…”

Eric raised an eyebrow, looking at Rem. “Something on your mind?”

“Well…I just wanted to thank you both for the other day again…I couldn’t have done anything without you two backing me up…” Rem said.

“Oh, is that all? Rem, you don’t need to thank us. It was a group effort, and we all did our part. You’re gonna have to get used to that.” Eric chuckled.

Aqua smiled. “Y-yeah, it was fine. We all make a great team!”

Rem sighed. “Yeah, I know, I know.” Rem felt a little nervous, since he could tell Aqua was trying to be positive around Eric. “I just wanted to say it to you guys, even if you already know.”

“We’re grateful for you too, just remember that.” Eric picked up a bottle of sunscreen. “Well, I can’t remember the last time I got a tan, so I’m gonna go and do that. Saria always enjoys the tan look. I’m gonna find a good spot.” Eric said, floating his chair away with him.

As Eric walked away, Rem and Aqua just looked at each other for a second. “Well, are you going to join the others?” Aqua asked.

“I will soon. I like to warm up in the sun before I get in the water myself, when it’s too cold I have trouble getting used to the water. Though I should probably get some sunscreen on too, I tend to burn easily.” Rem said, as he took off the beach tanktop he was wearing and picked up the other bottle of sunscreen.

Sitting behind him, Aqua watched him put it on his arms, but she didn’t want to be caught staring. “I don’t have that problem myself…The water thing, I mean. My body relegates its temperature in response to water based heat and cold.” Aqua laughed slightly. “But my skin? Very burnable from the sun.”

Rem laughed slightly. “That explains the over shirt and sunhat.”

“I mean…I just like sunhats. Though I brought the shirt just in case I needed it…or if I didn’t like the swim suit.” Aqua laughed a little nervously.

Rem had been avoiding directly looking at Aqua’s white two piece with pink flowers, but he felt drawn to look. “Well I think it’s really cute. I like the pink flowers on it.”

Aqua was caught off guard by that, hoping she wasn’t blushing knowing he was looking at her. By this point she had unbuttoned her over shirt, but wasn’t thinking about it. “O-oh! W-well thanks! I’m glad you like it! I was nervous to try it out, since I normally wear a one piece. But when I saw the pattern on it at the store, I just had to try it. Kari said it looked good on me.” Oh my God, was he checking me out? There’s no way he couldn’t be, right? I don’t normally show off this much skin, what if he thinks of me differently? What if he’s not into my body type? It’s not as slim as Halo’s…

Rem smiled. “Well I agree, it was a really good choice.” Was that weird to say? God, what if I made her uncomfortable? She’s already been acting different since we talked yesterday about those assassins. Trying to divert himself away from any possible blushing he might be doing, he was trying to get his back with the sunscreen.

Aqua noticed, and she started blushing at the idea she was having. Well…nothing to lose, right? Might as well try… “Umm…do you need some help with your back? I can help if you need it.”

Rem suddenly froze for a second at Aqua’s question. He looked over at her, trying to keep a level face. “Oh, umm sure. If you don’t mind.”

Aqua smiled slightly. “Not at all. Here, let me take that.” She moved over behind him, taking the sunscreen from him, and putting some in her hands to start rubbing it in. His muscles feel really strong…but he also feels kinda stiff…I wonder if he’s achy… As she rubbed the sunscreen in, she noticed he had a number of scars on his back. Some looked like blade wounds, one of which was only a few weeks old when Leon Blood slashed his back. Others were electric burns that were still very fresh from the Volks’ attacks. She started rubbing the sunscreen in, feeling the scars with her hands. “Are…are you doing ok?”

“Huh? Oh, you mean the scars? That’s nothing, they healed fine, they scars just hang around longer because I’m human.” Rem said.

Aqua nodded. “That’s good, but that isn’t what I meant…Like, you personally…” She paused for a second. “Are you handling things alright? A lot has happened the last few weeks, so I’m sure the stress is a lot…” As she said this, she felt his shoulders stiffen up in response. He’s gotta be. As soon as I said something he got all stiff…

“I mean…” He sighed. He thought back, and remember what he talked about with Aqua before, and felt bad about not being honest. “It’s…been a lot, if I’m honest. We talked about what happened with Masa before, but…the stress of being in charge was a lot. And when Volks cut us off from back up, I was worried…”

“I thought so…” Aqua commented. “I didn’t say anything because I wasn’t sure…but I didn’t want to worry myself or the others…I’m sorry if my confidence in you stressed you out even more.”

Rem shook his head, looking over his shoulder at her. “No, it’s not that. If anything it helped keep me focused. If everyone had been so openly scared, I’d probably been worse off…” Rem paused for a moment, before continuing. “I’m…really sorry if I put too much on you…I didn’t know what you were going through…”

“I mean I didn’t know either, it’s not your fault…” Aqua paused. “I wanted to help you. Even if I didn’t know, I didn’t want you to have the burden of everything on you alone…”

“Well…it means a lot to me, so really…thank you…” Rem said.

Aqua smiled, even if Rem couldn’t see it. “You’re welcome.” She said. She noticed she was going on a while, and didn’t really want to stop, but she was worried how it would look. “Alright, I kinda lost track of time talking, but I think you’re all good now. Though you seem to have a lot of knots in your back…If you need a hand with that, let me know. A Water healing massage can work wonders.” Jeez, did I really just say that?

Rem tried to keep a straight face, picturing getting a massage from Aqua. “O-oh, really? I can’t say I’ve ever had that before. If you think it would help. My back has been stiff since the last several battles…” Rem said, laughing a little nervously. “Thanks Aqua.” Don’t make it weird, she’s just worried. Healing is one of her talents…But jeez, her hands are so soft, I almost don’t care…

“No problem. If things stay clear, maybe later then. It’s not good for movement on the battlefield to have stiff muscles.” She said, smiling. “Oh, umm, I’m gonna need sunscreen too though. Would you mind doing my back too?”

Rem got surprised, but didn’t want to be caught looking weird or anything. “Yeah, no problem. Here.” Rem said, taking the sunscreen back.

“Thanks.” She said, then she laid down on her chest in her beach chair, after taking off her over shirt at this point. “You can just reach under the ties if you need too.”

Rem wasn’t expecting her to lay down, but luckily she wasn’t looking at him. “Y-yeah, sure.” Rem started doing the same to her back. Her skin is really soft… He then started to notice the electric scars on her body as well, which reminded him of the battle, causing his expression to drop. “So did you manage to reach Maylean last night?”

Jeez, his hands feel so nice on my back…I hope he never stops… Aqua nodded, coming back from her thoughts. “Mmhm…She was very nice. She talked with her boss, and they are going to get a time to see me in a day or two…You didn’t change your mind about coming, did you?”

Rem looked confused. “Huh? Why would I change my mind?”

Aqua started to feel regretful. “I…didn’t know if you were mad at me after yesterday. I didn’t react so well to what happened involving Karen and that assassin issue.”

“Ah…Well I was worried I bothered you, but I’m not mad. It was a lot of bad news to suddenly get put on us…” Rem said.

“Right, that’s mostly why I was upset, it wasn’t you or Karen…Sorry I didn’t have a better handle on things. I know she’s your friend…” Aqua said, sounding a little sad.

“You don’t have to be sorry, it’s alright…There’s a lot of things to worry about, Karen included. It’s not like we haven’t been lied too before…I just want to be able to trust her…” Rem said.

“Me too…” Aqua commented. “Well I’m glad you aren’t mad then. After everything, I’d hate for us to fight or anything.”

“Oh, me too. You’re the last person I’d want to fight with.” Rem said. He was finishing up with her sunscreen. Honestly, both of them probably had too much on, since they just talked a lot during it. Rem removed his hands, worried about what she might think about his hands overstaying their welcome. “I think you’re all good too now. You can reach the rest, right?”

“Hmm?” She frowned a little to herself, before rolling back over, and sitting up. She reached for the bottle, and started putting it on the rest of her. “Thanks. Reaching my back is always hard.” I don’t think I’d have the nerve to ask for more help…If he isn’t into me I’d hate to upset him…

“Glad to help.” Rem responded, but didn’t want to linger and make the moment awkward. “I think I’ll go join the others in the water. Might need a minute to get across the hot sands.” He said, with a nervous laugh.

Aqua laughed a little at the idea of him trying to cross hot sand. “Alright. I’ll probably come join you guys once the sunscreen dries, otherwise it will just wash off and I’ll need to put it back on.”

“…Man, I didn’t think of that. I might need more later.” He laughed a little nervously. “Alright, I’ll see ya down there.” Rem said, turning to leave.

Aqua gave a slight wave, as she watched him walk away. Kari’s right, would it kill me to be a little more forward? Ugh…But I don’t want to ruin things and make being teammates awkward…I need to figure out what he thinks first… Aqua then sat back in her seat, frustrated in herself.

Eric had actually been looking over at the two of them from time to time from his spot, as he just chuckled to himself. He could’ve read their minds and got a better picture of what was happening, but he respected their privacy. I could be wrong, but those two really need to figure each other out.




Back at the cabin a little later, Karen was out in the front yard of the cabin, changed back into combat clothes. She was not made aware of the training room yet, so she set up some targets she found around, and was doing some target practice with her bow. In her mind, she was testing to see if she still had her skill even when she wasn’t possessed. She wasn’t really thinking about how well she handled herself in the battle against Volks, just in this moment now that she felt fully free. Her aim was amazing, hitting bullseyes each time. She gave a deep breath, but then called out. “So how long are you planning to keep an eye on me?”

She was talking to Raylu, who had appeared on the roof at some point. He didn’t know that she knew he was there, so he was slightly surprised. “I’m not watching you entirely…I often scout the surrounding areas for hostile auras from this location.”

Karen didn’t seem to believe Raylu was telling her the whole truth, as she looked annoyed. “Uh huh. I see.” She loaded her bow with three arrows, and quickly hit three more targets with bullseyes. “You know if you don’t trust me you can just say so. I get it.”

At this point, Raylu jumped down to Karen to continue speaking. “It’s not a personal matter. I do not often trust people. “ Raylu paused, looking to the side, as if struggling to figure out what to say. “It…takes me time…In this type of work, you tend to be overly cautious of people in order to not be caught off guard.”

Karen seemed to understand, giving a slight nod to Raylu, turning slightly to look at him. “I understand, my training was like that In the League. Personal emotions like trust and attachments were forbidden during training. They felt they hindered our effectiveness in combat, as well as our ability to make proper judgment calls during a mission.”

Raylu nodded. “I will agree, those traits can be a hindrance. It was why for many years I found it better to not have such attachments, as I felt they held me back from reaching my true strength. Back then, all I cared about was strength. Testing my skills against all types of foes, pushing my limits further past what I thought possible. It was all that mattered to me.”

Karen looked interested in what Raylu was talking about. “I remember seeing your display of strength against Volks and Kraven’s forces. You might be the strongest out of everyone here.” Karen paused, looking confused. “So what changed your mind on that then?”

Raylu looked lost in thought when Karen questioned him, reliving his memories. “It was when I met Sir Rem, actually…He came to the temple I lived in at the time to train, where he managed to best me in combat. It was then that I asked him what it was that drove him to train so hard, what motivated him to fight. And he told me…it was for his friends, and to protect those that couldn’t protect themselves.” Raylu folded his arms, closing his eyes to remember. “It was so strange to me at the time. How could one gain power through aiding others? This human, whose life was but a tiny fraction of my own, had strength I did not. It baffled me…” Raylu opened his eyes again, looking at Karen. “So to learn of this strength, I soon followed after him. To meet these warriors, whose pure drive could surpass hundreds of years of training. I had no intention of actually caring about any of them, nor the cause they fought for. I fought to learn, and to prevent those evils for tainting the world I lived in, so my world and cause was not hindered. But…time passed, and I began to feel attached to them. Sir Rem and the others. It’s why I stayed with them for so long.”

Karen took all this in, somewhat surprised by how much he did say. “So would you say then, that you feel stronger with your new bonds then?”

“Good question. While I don’t feel the bonds themselves have made me stronger over all…in battle they push me further than I may push myself on my own. A stronger reason to fight that I can’t fully explain. The feeling that losing isn’t an option…” Raylu explained.

Karen nodded, as she listened. “I see…Though, why are you so open with me? I thought you didn’t trust me? Plus I gathered you weren’t the talking type.” She asked.

“I may not have established trust with you yet, nor a connection like I have with the others…But Sir Rem trusted you without question. And you saved him, as well as the rest of us. I have respect for you.” Raylu paused. “And you shared some of your story with me, so I felt it only just. Because I think you want a stronger reason to fight as well.” Raylu then looked to the side. “Though you are correct…I normally do not speak much. Only when I feel it’s needed.”

Karen gave a very slight smile. “I can respect that, Raylu.” She looked to her bow for a second, then back to him. “Well I look forward to earning your trust.”

Raylu gave the slightest of smiles to her, almost trying to keep his composure. “I expect great things.” He looked out towards the direction of the city. “I feel you’ve done a fair amount of practice for now. Why not join me for a brief patrol of the city? Unless you’d rather relax.”

Karen gave a slight smile. “Sure, that sounds productive. I’m game for something different.”

Raylu nodded. “Then let us be off.” Raylu then placed his hand on her shoulder, as he glowed briefly, as the two of them teleported away.




Sometime later, back at the beach, everyone seemed to be doing something different. Aqua and Kari seemed to be working on tanning while they were talking. The rest of them seemed to be working on sand castles in pairs. Aqua glanced over to Kari. “So which of them do you think will have the best castle?” Aqua asked.

“Oh, that’s a tough one. Now I feel like Brett and Rem probably have the smarts to build the best one, but Sora and Ralph really have the energy and enthusiasm to give it a good shot.” Kari explained. “What about you?”

“Oh I think it will be Eric and Saria, no contest. They have some really good synergy, plus a girl has better design sense.” Aqua said with a slight giggle.

Kari laughed a little. “Oh, true! Well maybe the boys will surprise us.”

While the sand castles were being built, Ralph and Sora were working together, but Ralph seemed distracted. As he worked on it, he kept glancing at the girls, but more focused on Aqua. As the two of them worked on the sand castle, Sora noticed Ralph’s glance kept going toward Aqua. “Yo dude, what’s going on with you, huh? You’re awfully distracted, if you don’t get it together we’re going to lose.” Sora said to him.

Ralph suddenly snapped back out of it, and looked back at Sora. “Huh? Oh, sorry man! My bad.” He said, getting back to work, before glancing over again.

Sora was getting sick of Ralph zoning out, so when he caught him looking again, he leaned over his shoulder. “So whats got you distracted, huh?”

Ralph suddenly freaked out, pushing Sora’s head back. “Yo, dude! Don’t do that, they’ll notice!”

“So you are checking them out!” Sora said, giving a sly look to Ralph.

Ralph slightly glared at Sora. “Knock it off, it’s not like we get a chance to seem them dressed like this…I’ve never seen her look like that.”

Sora looked a tad confused. “What, you mean Aqua?” He assumed, since being around Kari wasn’t anything new.

“Yeah…like I’ve never seen her like that…She’s beautiful…” Ralph mumbled.

“Dude, isn’t that like Rem’s girl? You thinking about what you’re saying? Ugh! Of course not, this is you we’re talking about.” Sora groaned, going back to the sand castle.

“Of course I’m thinking, you ding dong. Besides…of what I can tell, Rem and Aqua aren’t anything outside of old friends. He left her here by herself for years, right?” Ralph asked Sora, going back to the sand castle as well.

“Ehh? Well…yeah, that’s what I understood-“ Sora started.

“So if I wanted to, there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s fair game.” Ralph commented.

Sora had a still confused look on his face. “I mean with that mindset, sure, I guess not…” Sora paused for a moment. “Why the sudden interest? It’s not really just cause she’s in a swimsuit, is it? That’s pretty shallow, even for you.”

Ralph turned to Sora to glare at him. “Is that really how I come across? Shallow? Ugh…” Ralph paused for a second. “No, it’s not that…It’s just…she reminded me of something I hadn’t thought of in a while…It’s had me thinking is all…”

“Well that’s not vague at all. But you, thinking? Man that never happens.” Sora laughed at him.

“Ha! You think you’re funny now, huh? Don’t think I didn’t catch you checking Kari out, Mr. Pot. I get what you’re about.” Ralph said, looking smug.

Sora started blushing a bit, looking away from Ralph. “I-I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

Ralph put his arm around Sora, nudging him in the side. “Please! I’ve seen that look you give her since I first met you two.”

“W-what?! No! We’re like best friends since we were kids! I just like her body type is all, it’s hard not to look.” Sora said, sounding defensive.

Ralph chuckled. “How the mighty have fallen. And you were just riding my ass a minute ago.”

“Yeah yeah, I’m the pot and you’re the kettle. Let’s just drop it, I don’t wanna lose to the others.” Sora said, trying to ignore Ralph.

“Heh. Fine fine, let’s kick into high gear.” Ralph said, helping him. Hmm…To defend against such a thing as liking her by saying he likes her body? Yeah, this kid sure is hiding something…

The girls couldn’t hear what Ralph and Sora were saying, but Aqua caught them arguing. “What do you think is up with those two?”

“Eh. Those two are always picking on each other, it could be anything. One of them might think the other is holding them back. They are so petty.” Kari said, chuckling slightly.

“Hopefully nothing’s wrong…” Aqua mumbled to herself, before going back to joining Kari with their tanning.


After a little while, the girls ended the sand castle contest, as they started with Sora and Ralph’s castle. “Hmm…It looks a little sloppy, don’t ya think?” Kari asked Aqua.

Aqua smiled nervously. “A little, kinda. Oh! But it’s very large, the fact that it holds together so well despite its size is impressive.”

Kari nodded. “Hmm. Hmm. Agreed, we’ll consider that in the judging.”

As the girls moved on, Sora glared at Ralph. “We could’ve made it look better if you hadn’t wasted so much time.”

Ralph looked over at Sora, his arms folded. “Yeah yeah, I get it. But hey, I made up for it. Ours is easily the tallest.”

“Maybe, but size isn’t everything to girls…” Sora mumbled.

“Ha ha.” Ralph mocked.

The girls starting looking over Rem and Brett’s castle, looking impressed. “Hmm…Smaller than the last one, but it’s much nicer looking. The shaping is much more consistent. I see you two focused on the details.” Kari evaluated.

“Naturally. You might not be able to tell, but I’m one for the details.” Brett said, not looking surprised.

“I think it’s very cute and lovely! I really like the creative use of seashells.” Aqua said, bending down to see it better.

“Oh, that was my idea. I thought they would work nicely.” Rem said to her.

Sora and Ralph were watching their opponents being praised more clearly. “No wonder I couldn’t find many seashells, Rem snatched them up.” Sora grumbled.

Ralph glared. “You’ll pay for this buddy.”

The girls then finally moved onto the last castle, Eric and Saria’s. Though the girls looked confused, as they saw a small, but well-crafted sand castle. “Huh. I’ll be honest, I expected you two’s castle to be more shocking. Though it does look very well detailed.”

Eric chuckled at Kari and Aqua’s reactions. “You were right on that Saria, they reacted just like you thought they would.”

Saria had arrived not long before the sand castle contest started, and was dressed in an older styled two piece, with a green skirt like cape around her waist, covering some of her. She smirked at Kari’s evaluation. “I thought you might say that. Behold! Get a load of this!” Her hands then glowed green, as she thrusted her arms into the air, as the ground began to shake. Slowly rising out of the sand was a truly massive sand castle, nearly as a large as a small house. Everyone watched in awe, aside from a smug looking Eric. “How’s that?!”

There was silence for a second, when Kari suddenly started speaking. “Well I think we have a winner.”

“Oh come on, how is that fair!?” Ralph exclaimed.

“Yeah, we never had a chance against that!” Sora added to Ralph’s complaints.

“Sounds like a skill issue to me.” Eric said, with his arms folded, and a look of superiority on his face.

“Skill issue my ass! You didn’t even have to do anything!” Ralph protested.

“Ralph, even if they hadn’t done that, you still lost to me and Rem, hands down.” Brett said, sounding smug.

“Damn, where’d that come from?” Ralph said in shock.

“H-hey, come on guys! Everyone did a great job, and it was just for fun anyway.” Aqua pleaded to everyone.

“Yeah, it was a lot of fun anyway. Don’t get so heated, they clearly knew it wasn’t fair.” Rem said, trying to help defuse things.

Saria chuckled. “Yeah, it was just a bit of fun. It’s no big deal boys.”

Ralph and Sora sighed. “Sorry…I just got caught up in the moment…” Ralph mumbled.

Sora sighed too. “Yeah, same…Sorry…”

Eric shrugged. “No problem guys. Now…I think it’s time we have lunch.”

“Yeah, breakfast feels like it was ages ago.” Kari added.

“That sounds great, let’s break for lunch.” Saria said, sounding excited.

“Alright, I can’t stay gloomy with food coming. Let’s go!” Ralph said, taking off, as if nothing happened.

“Jeez, he’s weird. I still wonder what goes on inside his head.” Sora said, as he followed.

Aqua giggled to herself. “Yeah, I wonder.” She said, as she and the others headed back to the picnic area to prepare for lunch.



While the beach goers enjoyed their lunch, Karen and Raylu handled their survey of the city. They were currently at the Tower if Power site, finishing up their survey, as Raylu looked around. Since the incident with Volks, the Tower was a busy place among the police, Harkum Inc. members, and representatives of the Kavisto Group. “It appears rather busy, but seeing as how Volks was only defeated two days ago, that seems understandable. Other than that, things seem quiet in the city.”

Karen was watching as well, as something she watched Harkum employees load up various devices and equipment into a Harkum branded truck. She watched with some binoculars, as something caught her attention. “Wait a second…I feel…like I know one of those men…”

This caught Raylu’s attention. “Wait, you have? From where?”

Karen pulled the binoculars away from her face, looking serious. “I think from when I served Volks…A Rose Thorn boss. Lightning Rose, I think his code name was. The young looking guy with the blonde hair.”

“I can sense his aura…Lightning Human it seems…But posing as a Harkum employee? I wonder why…” Raylu thought out loud.

“The gang did try to steal the main power generator from Harkum when they tried to deliver it to the tower…It must be related to that….” Karen suggested.

“We should inform the others then.” Raylu said, but Karen extended her arm to interrupt him.

“No disrespect, but I don’t think we need to interrupt their well-earned day off. I have an idea.” She then took out a silenced pistol, and loaded it with a small device. ”If we rush them, we might lose a valuable lead. Why don’t we let them lead us to them, have them let their guard down?” She then fired the device onto the side of the van, sticking it to the device.

“That could work well…They won’t be expecting us to be on their trail so soon after what happened with Volks…Though they are already back on the move so quickly, even after so many major members were arrested.” Raylu said.

Karen shook her head. “One thing I remember working for Volks, is that the Rose Thorn Gang aren’t short on members or leaders. They are a respectable sized group, which we learned having Liquid in our ranks. Volks only allowed them to live so they could serve as a diversion from his plans.”

Raylu nodded. “I’ve learned from Sir Eric and Lady Aqua that the Rose’s have been a problem in france for some time. Any lead into tracking down their ring leader could prove a great help in taking them all down once and for all.”

“I agree. Letting these guys lead us to their hideout could do that for us. Once we get a location where they settle down, we can do some recon, and plan a more full scale op.” Karen said, putting her pistol away.

“Indeed.” Raylu agreed. “Though if we are letting them escape for now, we best leave before we are spotted. Knowing them, they may have a spotter.”

Karen nodded. “I was thinking the same. Let’s make haste.” Though before they teleported out of the area, Karen noticed something fly across the sky. “Hey…did you see that?”

Raylu looked in the direction that Karen was, seeing a winged object fly across the city. “Hmm…It doesn’t look like an aircraft, plus it’s flying rather low for that…But it also doesn’t seem like a creature…”

“Should we give that a look then before we go back?” Karen asked.

Raylu nodded. “I was thinking so. Let’s go, I’ll teleport us closer, then we’ll pursue.” Raylu then placed his hand on Karen’s shoulder, and they both vanished shortly after.




Back at the beach, most of the group was swimming. Brett had elected to take a walk to see the surrounding forest, and Eric and Saria were taking a sunbathing half nap by the picnic, chatting with each other. The rest were either in the water, or on the coast, being splashed by the waves. Sora and Kari were the two on the coast side, as Sora looked like he was trying to distract his mind by shifting the sand for shells. “Been one heck of day so far, huh?” Sora asked her.

Kari snapped out of her gaze of looking at the ocean, and looked over to Sora with a smile on her face. “Oh, yeah, sure has! We learned a lot about each other today. I mean look! I had no idea Rem couldn’t swim.” She said, laughing a little.

They both looked out into the water, as they saw Aqua trying to show Rem how to float in the water it seemed. Ralph was in the water nearby. “So the trick is keep your body calm.” Aqua said.

Rem was lying flat in the water, but kept freaking out a bit when the water went in his ears. “Ugh! It’s hard with the waves moving me around so much.”

Aqua had a slightly annoyed look on her face. “I’m literality keeping the waves calm around this area, Rem. You can’t freak out over a little water in your ears you know, or you’ll never learn.”

“Yeah man, you can’t be afraid, or you won’t be able to swim.” Ralph said, as he flipped backwards, and went into a backstroke.

“Ugh! I’m not afraid!” Rem protested, to which Aqua just giggled, not buying it at all.

Back on the beach, Sora chuckled. “Yeah, that sure is a flaw, isn’t it?”

“Aww, I mean he’s not some super human or anything. He’s just a person, but with power and skills. He can’t do everything. We’re all people at the end of the day right? Even the ones with ‘super powers’, right?” Kari asked him.

“You gotta point.” Sora said, nodding in agreement.

“Ya know…Today has been really great…Like…it’s been so long since the two of us have been able to have a day like this where…Everything just feels…great, ya know? It might’ve been since both our parents were around that I remember it feeling this nice.” Kari said, looking out at the ocean.

“I…can still remember some other good times, aside from that, but…I get what you mean. Today had that same kinda feel to it as those days did. Like…how would you say it? Peaceful…Right…It’s been a while since we had a day like this. At least since before we joined this group.” Sora said, getting lost in thought.

“Yeah…work has been tough, but…it already feels so rewarding. We’ve already done some big things, and we’ll probably have more to do down the road…” Kari said, with a smile on her face, as it changed to an almost considering expression. “Hey, you think…maybe our parents would be proud of us? I mean I doubt they ever thought we’d be crime fighters or anything, but…I wonder what dad would say if he could see me now.”

Sora was quiet for a moment, thinking on what she said. “I sometimes wonder what my mom and dad would say, if they were still around…But I know they’d be proud of us…I just wish they could see us now.”

“I believe they do…“ Kari said, as she looked out at the ocean.

As Aqua was still trying to help Rem get the hang of floating, Ralph’s nature to mess with him got the better of him. He swam underneath Rem, grabbed him by his ankle, and pulled him down! Rem instantly freaked out, and fell into the water, starting to sink. Rem looked around, not sure what happened, not seeing Ralph around. Though, as he flailed about, something caught his eye deeper underwater. It looked like a bright blue light coming from an underwater cave. He didn’t have long to look, as Aqua swam under the water to grab Rem, and pulled him back to the surface. When they got back up, and Rem took a deep breath, he could hear Ralph laughing. “Oh man, you shoulda seen you flail around, your arms were everywhere.”

Aqua stared at him while Rem caught his breath, coughing. “Ralph that wasn’t nice, what if he got hurt?!”

“You were right here, and you are our resident water master, he was never in danger.” Ralph said, not seemingly worried.

“Well maybe, but still…” Aqua said, sounding annoyed.

“Did…did you two see what I saw underwater? A blue light?” Rem said, his breath returned.

“Eh? I didn’t see anything.” Ralph commented.

“I was too focused getting you, but let me see.” Aqua said, dipping her head back underwater for a moment, before coming back. “Wow, hey I did see something. Some blue light from a cave.”

“You could see that from that far away?” Ralph asked.

“My eyesight is really good underwater.” Aqua responded.

“Think we could investigate it? Who knows what it could be.” Rem asked her.

“Yeah, should be able to. I can form air bubbles around you guys.” Aqua responded.

Rem looked over to Sora and Kari, and called out to them. “Hey guys, come over here for a second!” And it didn’t take them long to swim out to everyone. “There’s some weird looking underwater cave along the costal wall. You guys wanna go check it out with us?”

“Heck yeah! An undersea cavern seems interesting to see!” Sora exclaimed.

“Me too! Sounds like fun!” Kari added.

“You already know I’m all for it, let’s go!” Ralph exclaimed as well.

Aqua giggled at everyone’s enthusiasm. “Alright, I should be able to make us all air bubbles, so let’s go. Rem, you take my hand, alright? I don’t want you drowning.” Rem nodded nervously, as the five of them dove underwater. Shortly after, Aqua’s hand began to glow, as air bubbles formed around their heads. “Alright you should all be able to breathe for a while, just don’t stray to far from me.”

“This is so weird! Water Humans have so many cool tricks.” Ralph said, swimming ahead of everyone.

“Kinda makes me wish I was a Water Human too, this is really fun.” Kari added.

“Aww its nothing special guys, its just basic Water Human skills. I just bend the water away from your heads. But that’s why you can’t stray too far, or it will be tricky to maintain.” Aqua explained.

“Right, let’s stay close together everyone.” Rem said, as he was dragged along by Aqua. They swam a considerable distance, as the cave was against the underwater cliff side. The blue light coming from the cave was growing brighter, as they started swimming into the cave mouth. Coral and underwater plant life was gathered around the cave opening, looking like a beautiful reef. The coral continued inside the cave, as fish and such swam around them. After a bit more swimming, the cave started to go upwards, and before long they surfaced inside an underwater cave. The cave had glowing blue stones, with a green and yellow glowing moss on the cave walls.

Everyone looked around, taking in the sights. “Woah! It’s so bright in here!” Ralph exclaimed.

“To think a cave like this was here…It must go into the mountain nearby.” Kari commented.

Rem looked around the cave, getting a weird feeling from it. “Aqua, can you lend me a little serge of energy?”

“Oh sure, no problem.” She responded, as she took Rem’s hand for a moment, causing her hand to glow blue with energy.

Rem then snapped his fingers, bringing his shadow to life. It then opened like a portal, as Rem took some equipment out. He handed Ralph a blaster, Sora a beam sword, and kept his extending staff for himself. “I don’t know if we’ll need them…but I just get a weird feeling from this cave. Monsters could’ve settled in, so I’d rather us be prepared.”

Aqua nodded. “Good thinking. I feel a strange water energy here…and monsters gather where natural energy sources are found.”

Ralph cocked his blaster, priming it to be ready. “Well if anything is in this cave, it best not mess with us!”

“Hopefully there’s nothing like that here, but I wanna see what that energy is.” Kari said.

Aqua started walking forward. “Alright then, I’ll lead the way. Come on!” Aqua said, leaving the cave opening they were in, and going into the new cave.

They walked through the caves, their way lit by glowing moss and stone, hearing the sound of dripping water in places, and small pools of water in rock bowls on the cave floors. Being underground and damp, the caves felt very cold for those dressed in just their swimsuits and beach clothes. “Man it’s chilly down here…” Ralph mumbled.

“Well that probably comes from you being the least dressed out of all of us, considering your just in swim shorts.” Kari commented.

“Well it’s not like a planned on going undersea cavern exploring.” Ralph retorted.

As they walked, Sora took notice of some of the walls, seeing they had small blue crystals in them. “So what are these Aqua, do you know?”

Aqua nodded as they walked. “They are Water Energy Crystals. In areas with a lot of natural energy flow, it can sometimes crystalize into a solid form under the right conditions. It’s what gives your blasters their ice powers actually, Water Crystals.”

“So you’ve been here before?” Ralph asked,

“No, not here specifically. I know someone who helps us get the crystals we need. I’ll need to introduce you all sometime, she’d love to meet you all, I’m sure. Though…I wonder why this area has such a strong energy flow like this.” Aqua wondered.

“Does that come from its location? Since we’re underwater and all?” Sora asked.

“That by itself wouldn’t be enough though…There’s gotta be something else…” Aqua seemed to be thinking.

They kept walking the caves, simply exploring for a while, as the crystals were growing larger as they went through. “I wonder if this leads to something amazing, seeing how the crystals are like making a trail to something.” Ralph said out loud.

“It doesn’t ‘have to’ lead anywhere, Ralph. It could just be energy build up, like Aqua said.” Kari said.

“Yeah, but even so…what causes energy buildup?” Sora asked.

“Well…it could be a number of things…” Aqua started, though Rem suddenly stopped walking. “…Rem, is something wrong?”

“I…think I hear something….up ahead. Does anyone else hear that?” Rem asked.

After a moment of silence, through the sounds of dripping, a low humming sound could be heard a distance away. “Yeah…It’s kinda like a HmmmmmMmmmm sound.” Ralph agreed.

“I get…a feeling of distress from it…Maybe it’s just me…” Aqua added.

“Well let’s hurry up and see then.” Rem said, rushing forward, with the others following after.

After a short burst of running, they would’ve found themselves in a large opening in the cave, covered in very large water crystals all over the area, nearly filling the walls and celling. In the middle of the room was a group of creatures, two of them were fish like creatures with human like bodies holding spears of a strange design. They were green scaled, with yellow tents to them. And the remaining creature was a massive creature that looked like it was a blob made of a slime like gel, with a weird looking organ in the center. They surrounded a small light blue light, with a collection of water crystals floating around it. A voice then came from the blob. “Ahhh yes! Another fine specimen of an Elemental. Fine work boys! It will make quite the tasty snack!”

“Not a problem boss! Even an Elemental this small proved to be nothing.” One of the fishmen spoke.

“An Elemental?...That’s not good, we should do something.” Aqua commented.

“All I needed to hear baby!” Ralph then took his blaster, and fired at one of the fishmen, hitting it in the back of the head, causing it to fall forward. “Hey assholes! Pick on someone in your skill bracket!”

The grand slime turned, as did the two fishmen. The slime had two glowing eyes, staring at them. “Who dares interrupt my meal!?”

Though while the monsters were distracted, the Elemental quickly moved away, rushing around the room, and behind Aqua. “Don’t worry little guy, we’ll keep you safe.” She said to the Elemental.

Rem took out his staff, as it extended to full size. “We’ll handle them Aqua, you just worry about backing us up.”

Aqua nodded. “R-right, no problem!”

“You stupid humans think you can get in the way of my meal!? Those Elementals contain the energy I need for my grand growth! Fisbah, Goldan, kill those human pests!” The Grand Slime ordered.

“No problem boss!” One of the fishmen said, as they approached with spears drawn.

Rem narrowed his eyes. “Ralph, you’re with me!”

“On it!” Ralph replied.

“Back me up Sora!” Kari yelled, rushing in.

“No sweat!” He answered, igniting his beam sword, and following in after Kari.

Rem reached his foe first, blocking a strike from with the spear with his staff. While Rem held the attack back, Ralph fired pot shots at the fishman with Ion blasts while his guard was lowered. Rem jumped backwards, as the fishman tried to follow up the attacks with spear stabs. Rem parried one strike with his staff, then fired fire shots from the red crystal at one end of the staff. Ralph joined in on the shots, until the crystal from the staff ran out of charge for its fire shots. While the fishman was stunned by the fire shots, Rem stabbed it in the chest with the sharp crystal ends of the staff, ripping a chunk of fried flesh off of its body. Roaring, the fishman started swiping and thrusting at Rem with his spear, while Rem focused on dodging, keeping his distance while Ralph fired shots. The Fishman was getting angry at his continued failed attacks. “Gruuuuah! Stop dodging, stupid human!” And with a wing swing, he knocked Rem to the ground. Standing over Rem, he raised his spear to bring it down on him with a powerful strike. But Ralph saved the day, but firing a powerful charged up fire blast from his blaster, knocking away the spear. Before the fishman could react, Rem quickly took his staff, and stabbed the fishman in the head with the fire crystal end. Then he unleashed the recharged crystals energy into its head, burning it away. The headless body then fell backwards, as the body burnt up, as the monster energy left its body.

Rem gave a sigh of relief. “That was close, thanks Ralph.”

Ralph gave Rem a thumbs up. “No problem man!”

At the same time, Sora and Kari were fighting the other fishman. Sora blocked strikes from the spear with his beam sword, but wasn’t able to close the gap because of the range of the spear. Kari couldn’t get in close either, but tried to use the spear to her advantage. Then the spear next came at her, she sidestepped to dodge the attack, then grabbed the spear herself. When the fishman tried to get his spear back, she let go, causing him to stumble backwards. Sora quickly rushed in, slashing at the fishman, until he recovered. With a wide swiping attack, he forced Kari and Sora back, then rushed in to attack Sora again. Sora was back on the defensive, unable to get past the spear range with just one sword. “This is getting tricky!” Sora said, sounding alarmed. Sora got some distance as the fishman prepared to attack again, but that’s when Kari stepped in. She jumped onto the fishmans shoulders, getting his attention, causing him to try and stab her over the back of his head.

“Gotcha!” Kari jumped back, grabbing the side of the spear, and pulling the fishmans arms behind his head. With this opening, Sora plunged his beam sword into the fishmans chest, while Kari pulled the spear from his hands, and stabbed him with it through the back. The two blows were enough to finish it off, as it died, and its body burnt to ashes. “No sweat at all!”

The Grand Slime grew angry at this, and began to swell in size. “How dare you kill my boys! Just for that, you all can be my meal!” And at that, long slime tendrils formed from the body of the slime, and started reaching out to grab everyone! Ralph and Rem fired off blasts from their weapons, but they were quickly overrun by the amount of tendrils coming at them!

Aqua gasped, as she quickly went on the attack, trying to freeze the tendrils, but having no effect. “Don’t worry, I’ll get you free!”

But that was interrupted by Kari screaming, as she was snatched up by a tendril. Sora was trying to cut her free, but got careless, and was quickly captured himself. Aqua’s eyes widened as she fired off beams of ice, which were having no effect! The Grand Slime laughed, as he pulled everyone into his body. “Foolish water human! With all the Elemental energy I’ve absorbed, your attacks are useless! Soon they will be melded into my body, as will you!” And quickly rushing at her were a bunch of tendrils! Aqua started to feel her hands shaking, but she noticed Rem looking at her through the slime. She clinched her fists, snapping back out of it for a moment, and started sending waves of water into the tendrils, knocking them away from her. “You can’t outlast me!” The slime taunted, as Aqua’s hands started trembling again, as the onslaught was getting worse. Then, slipping through her attacks, a tendril crashed into her, pinning her against the wall. Aqua groaned, as she struggled to free herself, but to no avail. “Stupid humans are all the same! Cocky and weak!” But suddenly the Elemental that Aqua was protecting was now floating in front of her, with more crystals floating around it. It seemed to have collected them while everyone distracted the other monsters. “Ha! I see you’ve found it pointless to continue hiding. Fine, after her, you’ll be next.”

But then the Elemental shot at the Grand Slime like a rocket, flying into its body. And with a discharge of energy, it forced the slime open around the organ inside, and freezing the slime to keep it from sealing back up right away. This caused the tendril that was holding Aqua to let her go, as she saw the opening the Elemental made for her. She didn’t have much time, as the ice was already cracking. She picked up one of the fishmen spears, and ran towards the slime. She dodged its flailing tendrils, as she jumped at the organ, and stabbed through it with the spear! With a sudden yell, the Grand Slime cried out, as the lights of its eyes disappeared, and the organ turned black and dried up, as the gel began to melt into normal water. Everyone suddenly started coughing, trying to catch their breath. “Is…is everyone alright?!” Aqua asked, worried for everyone.

“Ugh…Outside of feeling like I was drowning in acid jello, I think I’m fine…” Ralph commented.

“I’m mostly alright, aside from some skin burns…” Kari said.

“Same here.” Sora added.

“Thanks Aqua, you and that Elemental saved us.” Rem said, catching his breath.

“It’s all thanks to him…I was gonna be a goner without him…” She said, looking at the Elemental floating in the air above them. Suddenly, the water on the cave floor glowed, as they were all covered in a veil of the sparkling water. Everyone would’ve found themselves healed from their slime burns. “Thanks little guy.” Aqua said, with a smile. The Elemental made a few sounds that no one could understand, but they felt positive. Then, through an opening in the back of the room, the Elemental flew through it, waiting at the entry for a moment before going. “I…think he wants us to follow him.”

“Well we’ve come this far. Might as well see it through, right? Come on everyone.” Rem said, as he followed behind Aqua, who was leading the way.

“Oh alright, fine. But if we have to fight another giant slime monster, I swear I’m gonna…” Ralph trailed off, as he and the others followed after the Elemental.

As they followed the Elemental a little further, they found the caves felt more carved out rather than naturally formed, and after a short walk, it would’ve let out into a different area. They found themselves in what looked like a hallway made of polished stone, very much man made. The floor had a blue grayish color, as did the walls. Crystals were growing through the stone walls and floor in some areas though, giving the area a dim glow. Columns were in this hallway, almost forming an arch, but were damaged over time. There was no ceiling though, as it looked like a massive fissure ripped it open. You could see light, but it felt like it was coming through water, as the lighting effect of what you’d see underwater could be seen here, yet no water poured in from above. One end of the hall seemed to abruptly end in a strange shaped room, while a blue light was emitted from the other direction. “Whoa!...What is this place?” Sora exclaimed.

Aqua looked confused. “I don’t know, but…I feel like I’ve been here before…”

The Elemental didn’t wait long, for as soon as everyone entered this new hallway, the Elemental took off for the light at the end of the hallway. “Hey, wait up!” Kari called out, as everyone followed after the Elemental. The Elemental seemed to lead everyone through the strange hallway, until they reached the end. They saw a massive glowing blue light on top of a raised alter with a small stone bridge, surrounded by columns and crystals on the walls. Water was coming down the walls very much like waterfalls, all pouring into a pond that flowed underneath the altar, and the mini island it rested on. The glowing light had energy rings, seemingly made of water crystal, as with a strange shaped symbol also made of the crystals inside the ball of light. The small Elemental seemed to quickly fly around the large light mass in circles, making some pleasant sounds.

Everyone looked impressed by both the altar, and the massive light. “What…is that? An Elemental?” Rem questioned.

Aqua looked confused, but then seemed like things were dawning on her. “I think…this is the domain of the Master Elemental of Water…”

“Sounds like a real big deal.” Ralph commented.

Aqua nodded. “The Master Elementals…They relegate the natural flow of power in our world. Among my people in my time, the Master Elemental was a being that assisted with the rule, guidance, and protection of our people…My parents often sought it’s guidance in how to care for and lead our people…”

“So…if it’s so important…why is it hiding away in this undersea cavern?” Sora asked.

“Well…it’s possible that the war that destroyed the city I once called my home could’ve driven it into hiding…” Aqua said, thinking.

Suddenly though, the voice of a woman could be heard through the area. “My child, an Elemental would never abandon our people…” Everyone started to look around, as the lights and crystals of the Master Elemental glowed brightly for a moment, as a figure of a woman appeared in front of the Elemental. She looked like she was made up of blue lights entirely, but of different shades of blue in order to create the illusion of detail on the figure of light. Everyone was shocked by the figure appearing. “Welcome to the Hall of the Water Elemental…I am the Master Elemental of Water.”

Everyone was still surprised, but Aqua then went to her knees, looking down. “I’m honored to be in your presence, Great Elemental. We did not mean to so rudely enter your domain without invitation.” She said, sounding very apologetic.

Rem also went to one knee, following her lead, holding his staff in his shortened form across his chest. “Yes, we mean no disrespect to you.” Rem added, trying to show support. The others seemed weirded out a little though.

The light figure of the Elemental put one hand to where her mouth would be, and giggled slightly. “Please, there is no need for any of that. Any of my chosen are welcome here at all times, and their guests. Rise, my child.”

Rem stood up, as well as Aqua, although a little slower. “Thank you, Great Elemental, for your compassion towards us.” Aqua said.

“Please, you need not thank me for anything my child.” She then looked to the much smaller Elemental, then back to everyone. “If anything, I should be extending my thanks to you all. The little one here tells me you saved its life not long ago in the caves from the slime that wished to devour its energy.”

Ralph smirked. “Think nothing of it, water lady! Helping people, or energy beings, is all part of what we do!”

Aqua seemed nervous at how casually he spoke to such a powerful being. “Ralph, speak with a little more respect.”

The Elemental waved her hand, dismissively. “Please please, there is no need for formalities, I assure you my child. You all may speak freely to me. It has been long since anyone has visited me, aside from the Sage of Water that is.”

“How long have you been down here?” Kari asked.

“I’ve resided in this chamber since the creation of Kadosh Mayim the Holy Water City. Though ever since it met its end, I’ve had no where else fitting to reside, as another Water Human city was never created again.” The Elemental answered.

Aqua looked like she suddenly realized something. “Wait, so this is the same chamber that I last met you in? Then that means that…”

“Above us is the former site of the once great city of Kadosh Mayim, yes my child. It lies beneath the waves along the mountain side.” The Elemental answered.

Aqua looked saddened by this news. “I…had heard from my sister that it was destroyed in the last great powered war, but I always hoped it still was somewhere. I guess that’s why I could never find it since I arrived in this time.”

“The city may be gone, my child, but its people still thrive. The city was merely a place, and places can always be made again. To see those of my chosen still alive and well…that is what brings me joy. When you disappeared from my sight, I feared for the worst. To have felt your presence return, and to see you again brings me much gladness and joy.“ She said to Aqua, with a gentle smile on her face.

Aqua smiled slightly. “Please, you needn’t praise me so, Great Elemental. I’m nothing special.”

The Elemental shook her head. “Nonsense. The wellbeing of my Chosen are always a concern to me.”

Ralph looked confused as the conversation went on. “So uh…I’m a little lost. What’s all this about Chosen’s and stuff? What’s all this have to do with where Aqua used to live?”

The Elemental looked confused for a second, before answering. “Ah, I suppose humans with no power do not have such a custom, do they? Among those of the Water Human race, I choose to bestow my blessing to those I find great potential in.”

“Ooo, so Aqua’s some kinda chosen one then?” Kari asked.

“Do you got like special powers, or something?” Sora also asked.

Aqua laughed lightly. “Oh please, it’s nothing like that. I’m nothing special like that. “

“She undersells herself. She is blessed for the same reasons her sister, and others who shared this blessing. Her hidden potential with her power. She has more room for growth than most Water Humans.” The Elemental explained. “And what blessing simply means is those blessed by me have a connection. A mark of my protection and favor.” She looked to Aqua. “Though…maybe you have forgotten? But then it was long ago, and you were of young age.”

Aqua nodded. “It’s…been a long time, yes. I think…I was only 5 years old.”

“That’s a pretty long time ago, and a lot happened since then for you. A war, time travel, the World Savers, and learning what happened while you were gone for so long.” Rem said.

Then suddenly the voice of another woman could be heard. “Indeed…It was a lifetime ago…A lifetimes worth of lost time…” Everyone turned to see a figure, covered in a deep blue robe, with a hood hiding her head. “Hello little sister. Quite the surprise to see you here.” She the moved her hood back, showing a middle-aged looking woman, with slightly curly looking deep blue hair, blending into a blueish purple as it reached the end of her hair. She had dark blue eyes, and as her robe opened a bit, you could see her wearing an older styled blue and white dress, with some fancy older styled sandals on her feet, with straps going up past her ankles.

Aqua looked happy to see this woman. “Aqueena!” Aqua rushed over to see her, giving her a big hug. “What are you doing here?”

Aqueena chuckled slightly. “Oh, I detected the presence of people in this chamber, so I came to look into it. I am tasked with watching over the Master Elemental, after all.” She then looked to everyone. “You must be members of the World Savers. A pleasure to meet you all. I’m Aqueena Aquaris, the Sage of Water. And Aqua’s big sister.” She then took a slight bow. “And Rem, lovely to see you again.”

Rem smiled, and nodded. “Nice to see you again Aqueena.”

“There sure are a lot of interesting people to meet today, wouldn’t you say?” Kari said.

Sora nodded. “Sure is. What a weird beach visit this turned out to be.”

Aqueena looked confused. “Beach visit?”

Rem chuckled slightly. “Yeah, we were in the area for some R&R, when we saw the light from the undersea cavern. We weren’t really expecting to get roped up in helping the little Elemental, but we’re glad we did.”

The Elemental nodded, one arm crossed, with the hand of the other resting on her chin. “That does explain your rather strange attire. I was merely assuming that may have been some human style of this age. I’ve yet to meet anyone of this current age…” The Elemental commented at first. “But I’m glad you noticed the lights. The small Elemental cast them out in attempts to call for help. Maybe the small Elemental sensed the connection we share, and called out to you.”

‘”If that’s the case, I’m glad it did, and that we weren’t too late.” Aqua paused for a moment, remembering how they took off. “Though, maybe we should check back in with Eric. He could be worried, we kinda just disappeared on him suddenly.” Aqua said.

“Not if he’s busy making out with Saria.” Ralph said, chuckling.

"Oh, Eric and Saria are here as well? I suppose she would be making full use of the free time she manages for herself. Myself, I tend to struggle to get away from work just to eat or sleep.” Aqueena giggled slightly. “If you need a quick trip back up to the beach, I can take you all there.”

“Oh, but I’d hate to just up and leave the Great Elemental like this, if she was enjoying our company. I’d hate to come off as disrespectful.” Aqua commented.

The Elemental simply smiled at Aqua, who was looking at her. “Please, my child. I’d wish not for you to worry your other companions. You now recall our meeting, and now know that I reside here. You may call again whenever you like, you all are always welcome here.”

Aqua gave a slight bow, and a smile. “Thank you for your kind words, Great Elemental. I will be sure to repay your kindness with another visit in the future.”

The Elemental gently laughed. “My child, it is I who is indebted for you and your companion’s compassion for my fellow creatures. Be safe, and call again. It was a blessing to see you again.” The Elemental then bowed, and as she did, the lights that made up her ‘body’ faded out.

“My apologies Aqua for not informing you of the Elemental location since you returned from your time trip, but you have had quite the full plate.” Aqueena said to her.

Aqua turned to Aqueena, shaking her head. “Don’t be silly, it’s quite alright. I’ll be sure to visit again when I can.” She paused for a moment. “Speaking of which, do you have some time right now?”

Aqueena looked a little confused. “Umm…yes, I suppose so.”

“Then stay with us and visit for a while. I’m sure Eric would like to see you, and no doubt he made a lunch big enough to share. You can get better acquainted with my new friends.” Aqua suggested.

“Hey, I like that idea. We haven’t gotten the chance to get to know Aqua’s big sis yet.” Ralph added.

“Yeah, I’ve been pretty curious myself.” Kari also added.

“O-oh! Well…I suppose I wouldn’t mind properly meeting you all. Plus our jobs have made it awfully hard for us to have any proper sibling time.” Aqueena said, smiling.

“Great! Then why don’t we head back then?” Aqua suggested.

Aqueena chuckled slightly. “Very well, let us be off then.” She then extended her hand, as a blue rimed portal appeared, opening up to the beach. Everyone quickly went through, wanting to warm back up under the warm summer sun again.

As they left, the Elemental glowed, as she watched them leave. It is wonderful to see those two sisters well again…And to see Aqua again…She seemed troubled, but happy…Hopefully she’ll call again soon…My special chosen…





Back in town, Raylu and Karen were chasing after the strange flying object flying around the city. Though even with Raylu’s teleporting, he found himself unable to keep up with this high speed object, and lost it after a while. “Ugh…The speeds that thing is flying at is incredible…” Raylu said.

Karen nodded. “Right, but it’s too small to be a jet…But drones aren’t capable of moving at speeds like that…”

Then, before any further brain storming could happen, the sound of an explosion was heard a few blocks down the street! “That wasn’t far from here!”

“Then let’s go!” Karen said, as the two of them quickly headed to where they heard the explosion come from. They quickly headed down the street, they would find that the explosion came from a bank, as evident from the smoke coming out of it. Karen then saw a strange figure standing out in the street, holding a large bag, and a second on the ground next to him. “Wait, what is what?”

Getting a closer look, the man looked like he was dressed in a flight suit, appearing like an all dark green jumpsuit. He had a belt that looked like it was loaded with grenades of various types, two holsters for what appeared to be SMG’s, and a black possibly bulletproof vest. His suit had a part connected to the suit going over most of his head, and goggles over his eyes, leaving only his mouth area exposed, showing his dark skin. And most notably, the large pair of dark silver metal wings on his back. He noticed Karen and Raylu when he saw them approach, as he finished typing something into an arm mounted keypad. “Aww man, right now? Guess a second trip is outta the question.”

Karen took off her bow, while Raylu’s hands glowed with aura. “I don’t know who you are, but your intent is unwelcome. Surrender now, and you’ll only have law enforcement to deal with.” Raylu ordered to the man in the flight suit.

The bird man didn’t seem interested in listening to Raylu, as he took off a grenade from his belt. “Sorry dog man, but that shit aint happening!” He then tossed the grenade towards the two of them!

“Behind me!” Raylu quickly ordered, as Karen quickly moved behind Raylu, as he put up an aura sphere around the two of them. It stopped the explosion from harming them, but that seemed to be the play.

The bird man smirked, as a section on his wing pack began to power up, as it ignited like a jetpack! He picked up the bag on the ground, now holding two, as he began to take off. “Later losers!” He yelled, as he flew off at insanely high speeds.

Once Raylu dropped his sphere, he saw the man was pretty much out of sight already. He grunted in frustration, but remained calm. “We won’t be able to catch him now. That flight speed is too fast…”

Karen looked around. “The police will probably be here soon. We should check for any injured, and then get out of here.”

Raylu nodded. “My thoughts as well, let’s make haste. We’ll track down that bird fellow later.” And the two of them quickly went to assess what happened in the bank, making sure everyone was alright. Luckily it seemed the guards were only slightly wounded by ion bullets, and the explosion only destroyed the safe wall. Once they were sure everyone was fine, Raylu quickly teleported himself and Karen out for a hasty retreat.


Meanwhile, the beach crew was chatting over lunch. It seemed to be simple foods like sandwiches and fruit, and Aqueena had joined them. She had taken off her robe, as to avoid it getting dirty, showing the fact that she was very full figured, yet still slim. Her dress also looked more impressive, being able to see the entire thing now. “I had heard through the grape vine that you started up a new group of World Savers in france again with Rem and Eric, but I hadn’t heard everything. It’s been very nice getting to know you all.”

“It’s been nice chatting with you as well. Aqua’s told us about you, but it’s nice to properly meet.” Brett commented.

Saria leaned back, her arms behind her head. “You really need to get out more, like myself Aqueena. You can’t just hide away in your temple all the time.”

Aqueena had bit of a discomforted expression as Saria said what she did. “That’s easy for you to say, Saria. While my work on this Terra isn’t great, I’m often helping those on Terra 3. Most of that world is a literal dessert.”

Saria shook her head. “It’s not like I don’t have work to be done either. The Earth Humans often need training lessons on Terra 4, plus there’s always work on the other three Terrae. I’ve just been working on a proper system to manage the influx of tasks, as well as training up proper assistants.” She gave a sigh. “I’m sure some Sage’s might think me as lazy, but I’ve devoted almost 400 years to this. And…with Eric back, I just want to have some time with him when our jobs allow. Wouldn’t you like to have the time to see Aqua more, or just have more friends or a boyfriend?”

Aqua nodded. “Yeah, you always work so hard Aqueena. This is like the first time in months that I’ve seen you because of how our jobs are. It’s not healthy for you to have no personal time.”

Aqueena sighed. “It’s a lot of responsibility to handle so many Terrae, and I only have one trained assistant, and most of the time he’s managing Terra 3 while I’m spread thin elsewhere. Trust me, I’ve been trying to figure out how to get a better system in place.”

Saria smiled. “Well how bout next time I make some free time for myself, I come over to your temple, and we can try and work on a system that can work for you?”

“Well…that sounds like it would be very helpful, thank you Saria.” Aqueena said, smiling.

“I’d like to see these temples sometime. I bet they would be an interesting place to see.” Kari suggested.

“Oh yes, the temple grounds of the Temple of Water is a beautiful piece of nature.” Aqua added.

“Maybe sometime, yes. Though I doubt it would be very helpful for non-powered humans.” Aqueena said.

“So Sage’s take care of more than just one Terra then? It sounds like more than you should be doing.” Sora commented.

“It can be overwhelming, sure, but when things are moving smoothly it’s not so bad. With the changing times, as well as us being unable to do our job for so long, we’ve been playing catchup for a while. But…that can be a long winded story, and it’s not really a pleasant one.” Aqueena said.

Saria nodded. “Yeah, it’s pretty rough to talk about because how tough it was for us.”

“Well then, I suggest we save that for some other time.” Ralph said, suddenly. “Today is supposed to be a break for all of us. You Sages too.”

“I like that plan, let’s stick with that!” Saria said, sounding positive.

“Well I mean I think most of us agree with that.” Eric said, laughing a little.

“So where is Raylu today? I believed that he traveled with you Rem.” Aqueena asked.

“Ah, well he hates the sand, so the idea of a beach trip probably wasn’t very relaxing to him. Plus he would’ve worried if no one stayed behind to make sure the city. Hopefully he and Karen are getting along.” Rem said, thinking about it.

“Ah, Raylu barely does anything if he’s not working. He’s probably asleep on the couch or something, like normal.” Ralph chuckled.

“Careful, don’t let him hear you say that. He might put you through the training drill of a lifetime for that disrespect.” Sora jabbed.

“Oh, well if he does, I’ll just drag you along for causing us to lose the sand castle contest.” Ralph said, smirking.

“Oh, are we back to that again?!” Sora exclaimed.

Brett sighed. “There they go again, like two bothers.”

Kari also sighed. "Don't worry about them too much…” She looked at the sea again, as the sun was getting lower, as sunset would soon be on them. “If we don’t have time again, we need to come back next summer. Aside from being inside a large jelly monster, it’s been a good day.”

Eric frowned a bit. “I wish you had contacted me, Grand Slimes are no joke, even if they look silly.”

Sora and Ralph’s bickering calmed down after a moment. “Well it happened pretty quickly. But Aqua and that little Elemental handled everything!” Sora said.

Aqua laughed nervously. “Y-yep! I had it under control Eric, no need to worry!”

Rem frowned slightly, only because he already had an idea that it wasn’t so easy for her to deal with. In an effort to help her out, he changed the subject back. “She sure did, but yeah I agree Kari. We should come back again soon, or next summer for sure. Hopefully things will stay clear by then.”

Ralph looked out at the sky, noting that the day was drawing closer to its end. “Well since it’s gonna be dark before long, who wants to race me in the water? I’m pretty confident in my swimming ability.”

Kari smirked at this. “Oh ho, really? You’re putting out a challenge? Heh, well I think you should think again, I’ll trounce you in swimming. These arm and leg muscles aren’t just for show you know.”

“I’m also confident in my abilities. You don’t stand a chance.” Brett said, looking confident.

“I’ll pass, you’ve all already seen my swimming ability. Why don’t you go though Aqua? Show’em what you got.” Rem said.

Aqua laughed nervously. “I feel like it would be a little unfair if I joined in. Maybe if I didn’t use any abilities it would be fine.”

Ralph looked excited. “Don’t fret, Ralph Falco takes on all takers!”

Aqueena giggled slightly. “If that’s the case, mind if I join? Even without my abilities, I have full confidence in my skills.”

Ralph looked surprised. “The sage of water, challenging me?!” He then smirked, clinching his fist. “I accept! I’d never back down from a challenge!”

“Oh shit, Aqueena too?! This should be interesting. Aqueena was often called the mermaid of the sages back in the day.” Saria said.

Aqueena laughed a little. “Oh please, don’t bring that up. I just always loved swimming as a girl, but…It’s been a long time since I could cut loose.”

“I think you bit off more then you could chew Ralph.” Sora said, chuckling.

“What do you mean? You’re swimming too!” Ralph said confidently.

“Ooooh no! Not this time! I’ll be here on the beach, watching you get schooled by everyone.” Sora said, sounding more firm on this.

“Heh. Well watch closely, I’d hate for you to miss my victory.” Ralph said, very smugly.

“Your pride will just make your downfall all the more sweet when I beat you.” Kari said, with an intense looking smirk.

“I’ll show you all! I back up my claims, don’t you worry!” Ralph said, almost yelling.

Aqueena then looked almost sinister, as her own look of dark confidence appeared on her face. “Oh ho ho! Well then, Mr. Falco, I look forward to crushing that spirit of yours beneath the waves.”

Aqua looked worried, seeing her sister so into this. “I don’t think any of us have a chance now…When she gets this serious, it’s over.”

Aqueena laughed again. “Come now, little sister, don’t back down now. We are of the same blood, so don’t disappoint me. I want you to beat me, if you can.”

“Yeah Aqua, you can do it.” Rem said, smiling.

“Well…if you say so, then I’ll give it my best shot!” Aqua said, suddenly looking determined.

And so, the group set themselves up a race, as they finished up the rest of their beach visit.






Sometime later, as the sunset just finished, and the sky was still different shades of pink and blue, everyone came back into the cabin by portal. Ending up in the living room, Ralph looked a little disheartened. “Man, I still can’t believe I came in last.” Ralph said.

“That’s because you didn’t pace yourself, and went for the early lead.” Brett said.

“Yeah Ralph, you’re a sprint swimmer, but maybe not an endurance one. We can practice sometime.” Aqua suggested.

Kari chuckled. “I don’t think any amount of practice is going to dethrone the ‘Mermaid of the Sage’s’ any time soon.”

“Shut it Kari! I’ll show you all next time.”

“Wait…Does anyone else smell that, and see that smoke?” Rem asked, as everyone took notice of the slight smell of smoke, and a light haze in the room.

“Karen, I don’t think it’s meant to smoke that much.” The voice of Raylu could be heard from the kitchen.

“Ah, it’s just too much oil, I’m sure it’s-Ahh!” Karen yelled.

“I don’t think the fire is normal!” Raylu exclaimed.

Eric and Aqua quickly dropped what they were carrying, and ran into the kitchen. Karen had a fire on the oven top, as Eric quickly formed a lid of darkness over the pan to snuff the fire out, while Aqua cooled the pan with ice. “Everyone alright?!” Eric asked, as everyone else rushed in.

“O-oh…Yeah, we’re fine. We were just trying to make dinner for you all since you all had a long day. We figured we’ve do you a favor…” Karen said, waving smoke out of her face.

Raylu coughed slightly. “Alas, I’m not very proficient in modern cooking. I thought I could help by memory…”

“And I…kinda haven’t cooked for myself in years, so…I forgot how hard it was.” Karen laughed nervously. “But uhh we managed to get salad fixed up, and I’ve got pasta almost done. I couldn’t find cans of sauce, so I was trying to make that too.”

Eric looked around the kitchen, noticing a pot of what looked like over cooked pasta, smashed tomatoes on the cutting board, and a salad in a big bowl cut in a very uneven, almost frankenstein kind of way. “Well…it’s a good thing you’re both fine.” Eric said, biting his tongue.

Aqua smiled slightly. “Oh, that’s so sweet of you two! It was getting to be close to dinner time.”

“Why don’t open some windows, and some of us give you a hand finishing the food then?” Rem suggested.

Eric nodded, then looked to the rest. “Would you guys mind helping putting the beach items away? We’ll get this all ready for dinner.”

“We can handle that, no problem.” Brett replied.

“Yeah, plus I’ll wanna shower before dinner. Get all that salt water outta my hair.” Kari said, as the four of them left.

As Aqua opened the windows, and Eric tried to make heads or tails of Karens attempt at dinner, Rem got dishes out. “So Raylu, I trust things were well today?” Rem asked.

“Things were mostly fine. Karen and I are exploring a possible lead into the Rose Thorn Gang. Aside from that, we encountered a strange man in a flight suit. He robbed a bank using explosives. No one was hurt, but he escaped.” Raylu summed up.

Karen looked at Rem and Raylu, helping with the dishes. “I figured we could go over the details tonight. Raylu and I have been going over plans on what to do next, but you’re in charge at the end of the day.”

Rem shook his head. “I might be the leader, or well…at least Eric seems to think so, but we are all in this together. It’s no one man show. I wouldn’t be here if that was the case.”

Eric started moving everything around using his darkness, trying to get the kitchen in order. “Very true. Though I’d prefer to focus more on that once I get this all put together. Karen’s…head start saved me a bit of time.”

Aqua giggled a bit at that. “Well I for one don’t want to get ready for dinner in a swimsuit, so let me change first, and I’ll be back to help.” She said, taking her leave for now.

“Hopefully I didn’t make too big of a mess Eric.” Karen said, slightly nervously.

“No no, I appreciate the effort, I really do. Aside from the smoke and pan, it’s not that bad. Why don’t you follow my lead?” Eric asked.

“Oh, sure, of course.” She said, heading over.

“Alright for the sauce you’ve already…prepped enough tomatoes. We’ll just add some garlic and herbs.” Eric said, cleaning out the burned pan.

Karen got into the fridge, grabbing them for him. “Got them.”

“Alright, so just dice those up.” He said at first, watching her start. “Smaller pieces if you can. Now, you were saying you and Raylu found a lead? What kind?”

Karen looked super focused as she started chopping the garlic. “Yes…They seemed to be posing as Harkum crew members at the Tower site. They might be trying to steal parts like before, now that the chaos has gotten everyone distracted. I put a tracker on it, so with some extra data, we might be able to find a base.”

Eric nodded. “Good work. That should hopefully provide us with more information to work with soon. We’ll go over more at dinner on that and this…flying man you mentioned.”

Rem came over as well to help. “The people who pop up just keep getting weirder.”

“And they probably will keep showing up if Kraven is still running around with his Meta Human project going strong. I won’t be surprised if we have more ‘mutant accidents’ in the near future.” Karen added.

Rem nodded. “Right right. Which makes all these different leads important. Having some clues gives us a new direction to move in, rather then hopelessly wandering in the dark.”

“We’ll get this sorted soon. They can’t hide forever.” Eric then noticed Rem was still in his beach clothes. “But for now, why don’t you get changed yourself? I can handle things from here with Karen. I’ll change after.”

Rem had forgotten he hadn’t changed himself, and was a bit surprised by it. “Oh yeah, I think I’ll do that. I’ll be back before long.” He said, then taking his leave as well.

Eric chuckled, then looked back to Karen’s garlic. “Alright, that should be small enough. Next is the herbs. Now the trick is to dice them as thin and small as possible.”

Karen remained serious. “Got it, I won’t let you down.” She said, as Eric gave a light hearted laugh. A work related meeting might’ve been right around the corner, along with their next mission, but for now they had the rest of this wonderful night off to prepare themselves for the possible problems ahead.



And in the city that night, as the truck that Karen had tagged was preparing to leave the Tower site, they were being watched by a few people. They looked like thugs, but with skulls and green and or purple patterns on their gang style clothes. Some had face paint on with their faces looking like skulls as well, as they watched the truck leave. “They are on the move. Do we jump’em now?”

“No.” The deep sounding voice of a very large and well built looking man said. He was in a black outfit with green and purple paint stains on, and bone patterns painted on the suit. He was wearing a cloth skull mask, covering his entire head, showing only a single eye on the left looking slightly bloodshot. “Trail’em. I wanna know what those Rose’s got, and if we have any use for’em. Don’t want’em getting to many steps ahead.” The two normal sized men nodded at this, as they headed out themselves, leaving the large man alone. “It’s lookin like the time for our return is approchin…Been waitin for this one.” He said, as he then headed out himself.


…End of Data Log…

[Aqua]

Data Log #24: A Generals Warning

Data Log place in Time: The day following Data Log #23


Early in the afternoon, right after lunch time, Officers Buck Rogers and Landon Norman were overseeing the removal of the remaining Harkum Inc. resources from the Tower of Power. The Roses had managed to get away with the first shipment of equipment the day before, so they put Buck and Landon on the case to prevent any further theft. “Hard to believe some thieves managed to pose as employees so easily.” Landon said.

“Hmph! Well with how rattled everyone got after that giant bug nearly destroyed the city, the criminal mind sees that as the perfect time to slip in and strike. Taking advantage of people when they are weak and scared. Slipping in undetected is easy when you’re mentally compromised.” Rogers responded.

“I have to wonder what a bunch of powered thugs want with some random tech in the first place. Last time they went toe to toe with The Megaton to try and get it.” Landon said, thinking aloud.

“Probably as simple as money. Harkum tech is probably worth a small fortune, more so if it was powering such a thing as this Tower. Plus no doubt Harkum has no shortages of enemies. Like the World Savers, or that Fisk fella.” Rogers replied.

Landon looked somewhat annoyed. “Seriously sir? You really think the World Savers are at war with Harkum? You heard how he defends them.”

“Clever tactic in attempts to win them over. The World Savers worked with Fisk before Harkum took over as city defender. I wouldn’t be surprised if that whole thing at the press conference at the end of spring was just part of some elaborate plan to take power from Harkum.” Rogers explained to Landon.

“While I don’t doubt Harason Fisk could have a motive, it doesn’t mean the World Savers are involved. It sounds like your just grasping at any reason to villainize them.” Landon retorted.

“You’d think that, rookie, but it’s more than that. You always gotta be ready for even your allies to turn on you, no matter who they are. Anyone could have something to gain, and I have no doubt the World Savers just wanna play God and rule over us weaker types. You’ve seen the type of shit they deal with, only showing up to better themselves.” Rogers said, sounding very sure of himself.

“You know sir, just because anyone could be like that, doesn’t mean they are. The same could be said for you.” Landon said.

Rogers looked angry for a brief moment, before responding. “The difference between myself and them is they are already criminals, and are working with known criminals. We are not. Don’t forget that they are vigilantes. It’s not some romantic idea of it like Batman or some shit, this is real life. The police don’t work with those types, taking law and justice into their own hands. The more time you spend on the force, the more you’ll understand why giving them some free pass is dangerous.”

Landon sighed, but before he could say anything more of a response, a strange sound was heard down the street a little. Like the sound of rushing wind, mixed with crackling electricity. As the sound continued, it appeared as if a distortion was forming around the origin of the sound, looking like a rip in space. “S-sir, do you see that?” Landon asked.

Rogers looked worried. “Yep, you aren’t seeing things.” He answered, reaching for his pistol. People that where nearby were starting to scatter, as Buck shouted. “No one panic! Simply and calmly disperse from the area!” Though people weren’t listening, as Landon and Buck carefully approached the forming rift. After a few seconds of the sound growing louder, the rift opened wide, and appearing from it was…a large four layer cake covered in fruit? Buck and Landon both looked very confused, approaching very carefully, until a voice came from the cake over speaker.

“I wish to speak to the governing force of this land!” A deep voice said over the speaker.

“In a giant cake?” Landon questioned, mumbling to himself.

“You’re speaking to local law enforcement. Please remove yourself from the cake, and we can consider your request.” Buck said firmly.

“Native enforcers?...” There was a brief silence, before the voice responded. “Then you should be able to put me into contact with who I wish to speak. Bring them forth, human.”

“Like I said, exit your cake, and then we can talk about it.” Buck said, keeping his gun trained.

“…Human, I do not believe you understand your place, nor who you are dealing with. Your threats hold no weight.” The voice responded, unimpressed.

“Says a disembodied voice hiding inside a giant cake. This is your final warning, exit the cake now.” Buck said, not budging in his stance.

“….Heh heh heh. You believe this to be a ‘cake’? Ah, humans. So simple. Well, if that is your stance, then why don’t I give you a ‘taste’ of this ‘cake’ then?” The voice said, as suddenly the cake began to morph. On the bottom layer of the cake, orange slices that were decorating the layer started to change shape into three sets of wheels. The third and second levels of the cake separated, and a spiral colored straw like object came out. Several fruit like patterns along the surface of the cake opened, and more straws came out. Suddenly energy gathered in the large straw, and fired a large cake batter like blast was fired from it!

Buck and Landon’s eyes widened. “Move!” Buck yelled, as it struck the police car behind them, as it exploded soon after contact! “That cake is a tank?!”

“Ha ha ha! Your human expressions are priceless! Witness the best of the Food Clans military unit of the Monster Realm’s grand army! Now that you understand the intent, I suggest you expedite things, and bring me your leaders.” The rift began to open again, as more creatures poured out. Some looked like fruit, rolling out into the street, some looked like golems made of rock candy, and lizard men looking like they were made of gummy candy. “If you do not, I will allow this city to be leveled in retaliation to your actions against the Monster Realm! Make you choice!”

Landon looked to Buck. “What do we do, sir?”

Buck looked stressed, looking to his pistol, then looking at the monsters appearing from the rift. “We…need to pull back for now. The department will need to consider how to respond to this threat…” He said to him, then looking back at the cake tank. “Alright cake guy, just hold up! I’ll…I’ll inform who you want to speak to of your message. Just don’t shoot anything else!”

“Then you best not keep me waiting, human. Go, make haste. Take too long, and I may feel the need to blow off some steam.” The voice from the tank responded.

Buck got up, and started hurrying away with Landon. “Sir, are you sure this is a good idea?”

“We just need to buy some time, and get people out of the area. The robot task force and Megaton should be able to deal with that…thing.” Rogers responded, as they quickly cleared out of the area.








Around the same time, most of the others were at the cabin grounds, unaware of what was beginning to unfold in the city just yet. Brett and Karen were on the front lawn, where Kari and Sora had set up some targets for them to go head to head with each other. The targets were pretty far, nearly a hundred feet away from them, making it a long range target test. “Alright, so you each get five targets. The closer to the center, the more points you get. You two ready?” Sora asked.

Karen had her bow out, as she readied an arrow. “All set.”

Brett had his rifle loaded and ready. “Ready when you are.”

Karen smirked slightly, as she took aim. “Look forward to seeing your skill first hand.”

Brett nodded. “As am I.” As a slight smile escaped his lips.

And after a few seconds of silence, Sora suddenly shouted out. “Go!” And quick as a whip, Karen and Brett both went into firing shots at their respective targets. Karen may have been slower due to using a bow, but even with no scope, her aim was incredible. Brett was quick to be sure, but he still didn’t rush, as to not affect his score. “Wow…even from here that looked amazing!”

“I’ll go check the targets!” Kari said, running across the clearing to the targets. Once she finished checking them, she rushed back, she looked surprised. “It’s amazing, you both hit five bulls eyes each!”

“What?! That’s something else!” Sora exclaimed.

“Well I’m impressed. Your skills are the real deal, your aim is outstanding.” Karen said, with a hand on her hip, and a light nod.

Brett smiled, his eyes closed. “Please, with a sniper rifle I had a clear advantage. You though kept the same skill with a much more difficult weapon. If anyone should be impressed, it’s me. Your eyesight must be like an eagle to hit a target so small.”

Karen looked a little surprised, but then smiled. “A rifle is no simple weapon to use, your skill is still very impressive…But thank you for the praise, it means a lot from a marksmen like yourself.”

Brett nodded. “As is yours, your kind words mean a lot from someone with your training.” He then looked a little sly. “Though, the next stage of our training is with moving targets. Should we need to, we’ll settle things in the training chamber.”

Karen smirked. “I look forward to it.”

“You two really are good aim. How do you shoot something so far away like that Karen?” Kari asked.

“It’s hard to explain, but like…when I grip my bow, and look down the sights…it’s almost like I can feel where my arrow will fly. I’ve been doing it so long, it’s almost like breathing. Guess that’s what years of childhood training will do for you.” Karen explained.

“Such a well-trained combat archer will no doubt put a bigger pressure on our enemies. Your skills are a welcome addition to our team.” Brett added.

Karen flexed one of her arms and put her other hand on her arm. “Shooting from the back, or hyper aggression on the front lines, I always aim to please.”

Kari giggled slightly at that. “That sounds so much like a sales pitch for yourself.”

Karen laughed a little nervously. “Yeah, I guess so…Old habits die hard I guess.”

Sora looked around, remembering Ralph wasn’t around. “Anyone else find it odd Ralph isn’t here? Normally he jumps at the chance to show off, even more so against Brett in a shoot off.”

Brett chuckled. “Probably sleeping. All that energy he used up yesterday must’ve caught up with him.”

“Probably. Either he’s waking the dead, or he’s one of them himself.” Kari said, giggling a bit.


Though while they were outside talking, Aqua was in the kitchen by herself. She was at the counter, cutting up various fruit for what looked like fruit salad. She finished cutting an apple, and moved onto strawberries, but she looked troubled. The events of the last few fights she had been involved in weighed heavily on her mind. ”You’re just a scared, helpless little girl!” The words of Master Matter rang in her head. Following that was the voices of other past villains she’d met that called her the same thing, filling her with old fear, until she reached an old memory of her sister looking furious. You stupid little girl! You dare speak of such matters like you know anything?! And right as her sister looked like she’d strike her, she let out a light gasp, dropping her knife on the cutting board. She just looked at her hands, trembling slightly at the thoughts of what happened.

“W-what’s…wrong with me?...I…I thought I grew out of all those nerves and fears…I haven’t even thought about them until Matter said what he did…” She sighed, as she picked her knife back up, looking at red juice on the blade. If it wasn’t for that little Elemental, we would’ve been dead the other day. It was afraid, but it was able to be brave…But I could only move because it did. I couldn’t be brave on my own…Why can’t I fight like before? Why can’t I just do it? How can the great Elemental possibly see something in someone who’s afraid of something and they don’t know why? All these people are depending on me…I can’t afford to choke like this… She then forced herself to resume cutting the fruit, depressingly eating a piece here and there.

After a few minutes more of cutting fruit, then transferring it into a bowl, she put it in the fridge. She was eating a serving out of a smaller bowl at the counter, when her telepath stone went off in her pocket. She took it out as Erue spoke to her. ”Master Aqua, you have a call coming in from Cole Works offices. Are you available?”

“Yes, of course. Put them through, please.” Aqua responded, as Erue patched the call through.

After a slight cut of static, the voice of Maylene could be heard. ”Hello, Miss Aquarius? This is Maylene Johnson from Cole Works. We spoke the other day?”

Aqua smiled, though Maylene couldn’t see that herself. “Hello Miss Johnson, good to hear from you. I was hoping for your call. I hope you’ve been well?”

”Oh yes, I’ve been doing well, thanks for asking. I was calling about your appointment. Dr. Tennant arranged for a specialist about what you asked about, and he'll be in the day after tomorrow. Is that going to be ok?” Maylene asked.

“Oh, yes that should be fine. I’ll keep the day clear, thank you guys very much, I really appreciate you guys making time for me on such short notice.” Aqua replied.

"Oh, it’s no problem. After what your friends did for me, and by extension Mr. Tennant, we are more than happy to do whatever we can. Will 2pm work for you?” Maylene asked.

“That will work fine. I will see you both then.” Aqua answered.

”Great, then I’ll confirm with the Doctor, and I’ll see you in the clinic then.” Maylene answered, before hanging up.

Once the call ended, Aqua gave a slight sigh of relief. She went back to the counter where she left her bowl of fruit, picked it up, and started to leave the kitchen. “Well, that’s one thing looking up, I guess…” As she exited, she bumped into Ralph. They both exclaimed “Oh!” and backed up from. “I’m so sorry Ralph, I didn’t mean to walk into you like that!”

Ralph laughed slightly. “Nah nah, I should’ve watched where I was going, sorry about that.” He paused for a second. “So what’ve you been up to today? I haven’t seen much of you.”

Aqua giggled slightly. “Because you slept in again, that’s why.” She smiled, but then continued. “But not much really. I was working on some music upstairs, and I was thinking of just having a snack and seeing what the others were up too.”

“Oh, so that was you I heard through the walls? That was the uhh…violin, right? There’s so many that look and sound kinda alike.” Ralph asked.

Aqua nodded. “No, you’re right, it’s the violin. But you’re kinda right, the violin does look and sound kinda similar to the cello or a viola.”

“Right right, I never really knew the difference between them. I just though some were bigger or smaller than others.” Ralph said, scratching the back of his head.

Aqua giggled slightly. “I’m not surprised, you never really struck me as the musical type. Though…you said you could play the drums?”

“Ah. Yeah, I did mention that, didn’t I? Though there is a difference between playing and being able to play.” He laughed a little bit. “I haven’t really touched a set of drums since the orphanage, and that was like a lifetime ago…” He suddenly looked serious for a moment.

“I guess that is a long time to not have practice, huh? Well, now that you have more time, is it something you’re interested in taking up again?” Aqua asked him.

“Well…I’ve always had a passion for music. It…was one of good things I had that helped me through my childhood. Though it makes me wonder if it’s really an instrument I’d still wanna play. Playing them by themselves would feel strange, and I doubt it would really vibe with a piano or violin.” Ralph explained.

“Oh, are you still interested in playing with me? We brought that up a little while ago…Well if you’re worried about playing something that fits well with my instruments, don’t be. There are so many sound types out there, we’d just have to make something work.” Aqua paused for a minute. “Though…I was considering trying to learn guitar, and I’m sure that would be easier to work with drums.”

Ralph laughed a little. “Well either way, it’s not like I have a set anyway, or the money for one.”

“Oh is that all? Well after that last mission, Kavisto should be preparing a means for everyone here to use their funds soon. I’ll check in with him later. Then we could start work shopping some music together, if you really wanted. It’s been a long time since I had a proper jam session.” Aqua said.

“Oh no, that really sounds like fun. Now I can’t wait to get paid even faster!” He said, sounding excited. “Though I gotta say, I find it really amazing that you can already play two interments, and wanna try a third. That’s impressive. How come you wanna learn so many?”

“Oh, well when I was young regal sounding instruments was something I was expected to learn. Lady like and dignified, that kinda thing. I…didn’t have a lot of friends growing up, or work like world saving like I do now, so I had plenty of time to learn such things. But…those were all picked for me. Now that I have more of my own time to get back into music, I’d like to try something that I picked.” She paused for a second. “Once I started learning more of more music types of different ages, I really started to enjoy the sounds of like acoustic guitars. That’s more or less the reasoning behind wanting to play it, something portable, with a different range than the violin.” She paused for a moment. “I think I remember seeing performers come from other far off cities and lands when I was youing, bringing their different music styles. A guitar was among them I think…It was something that really spoke to me. It made me want to learn that musical sound myself.”

Ralph nodded, seeming to understand. “Sure beats lugging around a piano or drum set.” He laughed a little. “I can see it now, Aqua Aquarius, Country Music Superstar!”

Aqua giggled a bit at that. “But I don’t have any trucks or animals to sing about. They don’t make country songs about turtles. Plus I doubt country music would sound right from a french girl.”

Ralph laughed a bit. “No, I guess not. So wait, you can sing too?”

Aqua blushed a bit at that. “W-well I mean I guess so? I’ve never sang for people, but I…don’t think I sound bad? Just mostly to myself, I guess.”

“I bet you sound great!” Ralph said, sounding confident. “Now, don’t tell anyone, but Kari actually has an amazing singing voice. I overheard her singing a few times. Though she said she doesn’t wanna seem like a dainty princess type who sings and stuff, and gets all weird about it if anyone hears.”

Aqua looked a little surprised. “Huh, I wouldn’t have guessed. Well maybe Kari can sing for our band.” She giggled, joking about the idea of a band.

“You’d probably need to catch her in the best of moods.” Ralph said with a slight smirk.

“I’ll have to keep that in mind.” Aqua chuckled. “Well, I’m going to see if anyone outside wants to cool off with some fruit. They’ve been shooting for a while. I’ll be right back.”

“Oh, nah, I’ll join you. I was meaning to check in on’em, and see what they were up too.” Ralph said.

“Oh, alright. We’ll, let’s go see them. I heard some cheering a bit ago.” Aqua said with a slight smile.

Ralph nodded, following her, though his mind was elsewhere. Well she seems in a better mood…But what was that call for? A doctor? Is she not feeling well? I wonder if it has anything to do with her freezing up lately?...I can’t really pry, but I can at least distract her…I hope she’s alright… Ralph thought to himself, as they joined the others.






Not long later, while most of the group was out chatting in the front yard, Aqua got a call on her telepath stone. ”Aqua, it’s Rem. Are the others with you right now?”

Aqua quickly answered, assuming it was urgent. “Yes, we’re all here, what’s happening?”

”There’s some kind of strange looking tank with a bunch of monsters fighting the robot task force in town. Megaton could get overrun, so get everyone together, and we’ll have a portal for you all in a moment.” Rem explained.

Aqua nodded. “Alright, we’ll all get prepared, and I’ll signal back when we’re ready.” She responded, before the call ended. “Alright everyone, we got trouble in town. Let’s get all suited up, and move out!” And everyone quickly headed back inside to get their combat gear, before heading to the city by a portal made by Rem. Once they arrived, they would’ve found Rem on a rooftop, keeping an eye on things below. “What’s going on?” Aqua asked quickly.

“We need to get below, quickly. A dimensional rift was opened up, and the streets are filled with monsters. Is Raylu not with you?” Rem asked.

“We assumed he was with you and Eric, he wasn’t with us at the cabin.” Brett answered.

Rem shook his head. “No, he wasn’t.” Rem paused only for a second, then moved on. “Well we sent his telepath stone a message, so he should be along soon. Come on, the robots are being overrun. Eric is trying to keep them contained to this area, but they are beginning to spread. Brett, Karen, you two take point from here, and keep an eye out if they begin to spread off. We’ll clear this street, then catch up to Tony. Let’s move!” Rem then started up his jet boots, and flew down to the streets below.

Aqua started forming floating disks made of ice. “Alright guys, I’ll lower you all down.” She said, as they quickly got on them, as Aqua floated them down to the street below, and then doing the same herself by surrounding herself with water and lowering herself down by moving the water around her.

When they landed, they were quickly under attack by Lizafose made out of gummy candy, to which Sora quickly took out his beam sword and bone sword to block on coming attacks. They used what looked like peppermint sabers, as they held up against Sora’s blades. “What the heck are these things anyway? It’s like a bag of candy spilled out everywhere!”

Ralph was shooting at Gummy Lizafose that approached, as it seemed headshots seemed to do the job. “I dunno, but they seem like Lizafose. But then all these monsters seem edible.” Then two apple like objects started rolling towards them. Ralph started shooting at them, but it didn’t seem to do much. Then, the top of the apple opened up, as they could see a small, cute looking head. Two tiny arms and stubby legs popped out.

“Aww, they look adorable!” Kari said, noticing.

“What are these things gonna do? Give me a tooth ache?” Ralph said, not amused. The apple creatures then looked mad, as they shook their bodies, letting off a light brown dust. “Weird I smell cinnamon...” Ralph mumbled. Then suddenly, the dust began to spark against the apple shell, as the apple creatures pulled their body parts in. Then suddenly the apple shells exploded, in a cinnamon scented explosion! Everyone was scattered by the explosion. “The hell was that?!” Ralph yelled.

Aqua was near Ralph after the explosion. “It’s a Cinnamon Applin. They let out a spore like dust that explodes on contact with the air and a chemical on its shell. Their shells are tough, but they can’t attack unless they open up. When they open, that’s your chance to attack.”

Ralph nodded. “Got it. Leave them to me then!” Ralph then rushed back into battle, as more of the Applins started to gather near Ralph. “Come get some, you delicious looking weirdos!” Ralph then kept firing at them to get their attention, while the others slipped away during the distraction. The Applins charged at him with rolling attacks, but Ralph jumped around them. They crashed into each other, as they became dazed by the collision. Ralph moved quickly, shooting the creatures in the face, causing them to explode instantly due to the reactionary release of spores. More of them surrounded Ralph, as they very angrily were scattering spores. “Oh, you think you got me, huh?” Not an ideal spot, but…if they are spores, then maybe…It’s worth a shot, they’ll stay open until the explosion… Ralph quickly set his blasters to fire, and began to charge up a charged shot in each blaster. He fired them into the spores, then quickly crossed his arms to form his small personal forcefield from his arm guards. The spores all ignited, killing all the Applins since they hadn’t retreated back into their apple shells. Once the explosion cleared, Ralph dropped the forcefield, looking very smug. “Told ya I got’em!”

Karen and Brett were watching from above, keeping the monsters herded. “He sure is full of energy, isn’t he? Even in the face of something like this.” Karen asked, as she shot an arrow from her bow at a monster below.

Brett chuckled. “Oh you have no idea, trust me. Kid’s always been talented in that sort of thing.” He said, firing down below. Karen had an interested expression, as she continued her survey of the area below.

Sora and Kari were fighting off the Gummy Lizafose, as Sora locked blades with them, while Kari blasted their heads with palm blasts from her gloves. “We make a great team, these gummy guys are nothing!”

Kari smirked. “Yeah, Ralph thinks he’s hot stuff, but we’ll-Ah!” Kari was interrupted by being blasted by heavy, large looking black seeds. Kari groaned, as she got up, seeing what looked like some strange cross between a watermelon and a jack-o-lantern with arms and legs. They cackled, as they waddled towards her going ”Hee hee ho ho!” Kari glared as she stared down the melon freaks. “Sora, you might need to handle yourself for a moment.”

Sora noticed as more Gummy Lizafose were appearing, as the two of them were surrounded by both packs of monsters. “Umm…I don’t think either of us is leaving the other.”

Kari stared down her attackers. “Well then we’ll just push our way through.” Kari then slammed her fists together. The Jack-o-Melons began firing more of the massive seeds at Kari, while the Gummy Lizafose charged at Sora. The seeds were quick, and strong, but Kari was faster. She started to dodge the shots, and parried a few shots with her palm blasters to knock the seeds back into the faces of the Jack-o-Melons, stunning a few of them. The others then started firing much smaller seeds, in nearly machine gun style. Kari quickly put out her reflector, blocking the oncoming fire and sending some of it back at them to stagger them slightly. “Doin ok, Sora? Cause I could use an opening.” Kari called out to him.

Sora kept blocking the blades of the Gummy Lizafose, until one began to have its head bubble like it was heated. It then breathed out molten gummy candy towards Sora. Not wanting to take his chances, he jumped back from the molten candy, as two of the Gummy Lizafose charged him, forcing him to block the attacks. He was beginning to get overwhelmed, as the third one lunged for Sora. Sora quickly pulled his blades back to bring them down on the charging one’s head, slicing clean through it. Sora then went into a dual sword spin attack, knocking one of the Gummy Lizafose back, and forcing the other to dodge backwards. He then quickly tossed one of his swords into the air, and used his now free hand to grab his blaster. He quickly charged up an ice shot while the Gummy Lizafose recovered from the spin attack, freezing him solid. He then heard Kari call out to him, and looked at the onslaught she was stuck under. Sora looked around to see what he could use, and saw some of the large seeds that were fired earlier. He dodged an attack from the remaining Gummy Lizafose, and ran towards the seeds. Going into a slide, he charged up his blaster, he fired charged blasts at the seeds from behind, sending them flying back at the Jack-o-Melons. “Seed delivery, coming in hot!” Sora called out. Though the Gummy Lizafose didn’t give up its pursuit of Sora, as it jumped towards him. Sora managed to block with his beam sword, but was lacking without his bone sword to help defend.

Kari was surprised by the sudden return of the seeds, smashing through some of the Jack-o-Melons, which gave her an opening to rush in to attack. She rushed in while they were caught off guard, and grabbed one by the stem on its head, and started to spin it around in circles. The Jack-o-Melon that was grabbed was helpless, as Kari used it like a wrecking ball against the others. While she was spinning the monster, she noticed Sora was in a rough spot. So with the right timing, she let go of the melon, sending it flying into the Gummy Lizafose keeping Sora pinned down. The frozen Lizafose was beginning to thaw out by now, but Kari tossed Sora’s bone sword into it, stabbing it through. Sora quickly got up, took his bone sword back, and slashed the non-frozen Lizafose apart with his two blades. Kari walked over, as she fist bumped Sora. “Nice teamwork there.” She said with a smirk.

Sora smirked back. “No kidding, thanks for the…” But then Sora noticed all the sliced bodies of the Gummy Lizafose, and smashed Jack-o-Melon’s begin to move around on their own, coming together in a large mass of watermelon guts and melted candy. “Ok, I’m starting to see why that was so easy…” A roaring sound came from it, as arms appeared from the blob to slam down into them!

Though, a handful of bombs were chucked into the arms, as they suddenly exploded. The blob of food monster recoiled back, stunned by the force of the attacks. Ralph ran over, firing ice blasts at the blob to slow its movements. “Thought you two could use a hand!”

Kari gave a slight sigh. “Could be helpful, sure.” She said, as she took out her blaster.

Sora put one sword away, also taking his blaster back out. “Freeze and smash then?”

Ralph smirked. “Sounds like a ‘solid’ plan to me!” He said rushing in. Sora and Kari groaned, as they followed him into battle.

While they were fighting the monster glob, Rem and Aqua were fighting monsters that resembled the Man of Ice monsters they fought that Frost commanded, but some looked like they were made of peppermint and others like rock candy. Rem and Aqua were back to back, as Rem blocked attacks with his sword and shield, and Aqua blasted others back with water blasts. One charged Rem, as he held the attack back, grunting a bit. “So…you…doing alright?” Rem asked.

Aqua quickly turned around, blasting the Man of Mint in the face with water, allowing Rem an opening to strike in the water weakened neck with his sword. “Yeah…I’m ok right now. But we do have a good handle on things right now…”

Rem looked over his shoulder, and spun around to get in front of Aqua to shield her from a rock candy javelin strike. “Well…if that’s the case, let’s just stay in control.” Rem said, as Aqua washed away the Man of Candy, causing its body to weaken. “This is a strange squad of monsters though, isn’t it? They all seem food like. You think it’s just from where the rift opened, or something more coordinated?”

Rem then ducked down, charging energy in his sword, as Aqua spun around firing a barrage of bubbles. When they exploded with water getting everywhere, she then ducked down as Rem stood back up. He swung his sword in a complete circle, sending a wave of energy around, smashing or knocking away the surrounding enemies. “I’m not sure…But I bet if Raylu was here, he’d know. He’s always a wealth of information on monsters.” Aqua answered. The men began throwing their javelins at them, as Aqua blocked the oncoming attacks with ice walls. “Is Eric doing well? We haven’t seen him.”

When the ice walls dropped, Rem sent light stars at the enemies, slicing weak points through. “Eric’s alright, most of the remaining monsters are around the next street corner, and he’s working with Tony in thinning the numbers.” By this point, Aqua and Rem had cleared out most of the Men of Candy, and they were beginning to pull a retreat. At this point Rem noticed that Ralph and the others were dealing with the candy blob, and looked like they were struggling. “It looks like these candy monsters are a little more underhanded then we expected.”

“We should give them a hand, the other monsters are starting to gang up on them.” Aqua said, to which Rem agreed, as they started to head over.

Though while Rem and Aqua fought their way over, Ralph and the others looked a bit roughed up. “Ok, so plan freeze and smash isn’t going so well!” Ralph said, jumping back from a swinging arm attack, and fired on the arm. After a few more shots, his blasters made a beeping sound. “Shit, I need to reload.” He said, as he retreated backwards behind a car.

“We’ll cover you, but you need to be fast!” Kari said, as she and Sora were firing ice blasts at the candy blob to little effect. Suddenly, the blob shifted shape, as two tendrils lashed out at Sora and Kari, knocking them backwards. One crashed into the side of the car, and another back past Ralph, hitting the ground.

“Guys!” Ralph yelled, as he finished changing cartridges in his blasters, and started to charge a charged blast in them. But when he came out to attack, the blob was about to smash them all with a twin arm slam! Ralph fired the charged shots, but to little effect. “Damn it damn it!” He quickly reached for explosives, but before he could reach them, an arrow was shot into the center of the blob. After a brief beeping, the arrow exploded with a powerful shockwave, blasting the blob apart.

Jumping down from above was Karen, as she quickly loaded an ice arrow into her bow. “Quick! While it’s small enough to freeze!” She fired the arrow at a blob, then quickly switched to her SMG’s, and blasted apart one of the blobs, as a few monster souls seemed to dissipate from the shattering of the blob.

Ralph wasted no time, following up with charged ice blasts, while Karen ripped them apart with her SMG’s. By this point, Rem and Aqua arrived, and started to handle the freezing and smashing. “We got this, make sure Sora and Kari are alright!” Rem called out to them.

Karen and Ralph nodded, as Ralph rushed to Sora. He pulled him out of the car, and gave him a quick Stim injection to help with the pain. “Little buddy, you doin ok?”

Sora groaned, as he leaned back up. “Ugh…Don’t call me that…That blob has one hell of a back swing.”

Ralph smirked, giving Sora a slap on the back, as Sora groaned in response. “Good to see some candy didn’t get the better of you.”

Karen leaned Kari up, also giving her a Stim injection, and Kari got up pretty quickly. “Ugh, thanks for that Karen. That could’ve been a lot of worse without you…”

Karen smiled, as she helped Kari to her feet. “Don’t mention it.”

Rem and Aqua quickly caught up with the others. “Are you all ok?” Aqua asked concerned.

Sora nodded with a thumbs up, although a bit weakly. “A bit banged up, but we’re still good to go!”

“I’m not dying to a gummy bear, I can keep going!” Kari said, fully of energy.

Rem smiled, relived. “That’s good, because we still got more monsters to clean up.” Rem then took out his telepath stone to reach Brett. “Brett, how are things up top?”

After a brief pause, Brett responded. ”This street is clear, but it seems the stragglers are heading to the block Eric and Tony are on. If we don’t give them a hand, they’ll be overrun before long.”

Rem nodded. “Got it. Get to a better vantage point if you can, and we’ll head over.” Rem then looked to everyone. “Eric’s gonna need us, let’s move!” Rem said, as everyone nodded and started following him. As they took off, Karen collected as many as her arrows from the defeated monsters as she could, and kept pace with everyone.




Turning the corner onto the next street was a disaster beginning to unfold. The robots were being thinned down, as Tony and Eric were dealing with the bigger threats, which were the rock candy golems. The robots were dealing with the Men of Candy and Gummy Lizafose, as well as the smaller monsters. Granted that was more of a battle of pure power, as the robots did not seem to understand the exploits of the monsters. The largest Rock Candy Golem was attacking Tony, who managed to parry a double arm attack, swinging his arm back to cause the Golem to recoil. Eric then took this chance to strike, as his eyes glowed, and he fired a small and powerful black beam from the mark on the back of his hand. The pure power in this attack blasted the Golem clean back. Two smaller golems began to approach, as Eric noticed the others start to appear. “Guys, help the robots pick off the weaker enemies, so we can focus on the golems!” Eric said, as he saw some of the Applins and Men of Candy appear near him. He swung his arm, as he forced the enemies back with a wave of darkness.

Tony focused on the two golems approaching, as he opened machine gun fire to repel them back from the guns mounted on his arms. He quickly charged one, punching it in the face, cracking its face under the force of the strike. Though while Tony stunned one golem, the other grabbed his free arm, and the damaged one struck back with a powerful punch to the helmet of the Megaton. Tony was a dazed a bit, which cause him to be knocked backwards by both golems tackling him down. They both began to clobber him, until Eric blasted the golem with the cracked face with another powerful beam, shattering its head, causing it to fall over. Tony quickly started up the small rocket launcher on his shoulder, blasting the other golem away with the blast. “Ugh, thanks for that one.” Tony said, getting the suit back to its feet.

Eric nodded. “No problem.” He said, as they both turned to the golem getting back up. It began to charge at them both, as Eric teleported on top of the Megaton. “I’ll give you an opening.” He said, as he formed fire in his hands, unleashing streams of pure fire on the golem. The golem put its arms up to block the flames, but its body was not reacting well to the intense heat as it was made of rock candy and not real stone. Tony then quickly morphed the hands at the end of the arms into massive spinning saw blades, and assaulted the melting candy monster. The combined attacks of the blades and fire cut through the arms of the golem, causing it to stumble backwards. Taking this opening, energy charged up in the core of The Megaton, firing off a massive blast at the half melted golem, shattering what was left of its form. “Good teamwork!” Eric said.

Tony chuckled at that. “No doubt, now let’s-“ But then the golem with its head blasted away was tossed into the Megaton, knocking it onto the ground, pinning the suit under the golem. The large golem had recovered, and tossed its defeated ally at them. This crash had also knocked Eric down, as he crashed into the ground. The golem roared at Eric, as it eyed him recovering.

Eric narrowed his eyes, the whites in his eyes gone black. “Oh yeah? Sorry about your friends, but I’m not dying here!” Eric then formed two masses of chaos darkness in his hands, chucking them at the golem, to which the golem just deflected the blasts with its arms. It then suddenly grew sharp candy spikes, as it broke them off its own body to throw them at Eric. Eric blasted them with ease, but the golem used its failed attack as a way to close the gap. It jumped at Eric, trying to smash the ground where he stood with its arms. Eric jumped back, looking awfully smug, as he noticed the golem was already eyeing him, and quickly grabbed Eric by the leg. Eric’s eyes widened, as he was flung into the ground, but he covered his body in darkness to weaken the blow. But the golem just kept slamming him, giving him little room to strike back. At this point, while he was still pinned down, Tony fired another rocket from his shoulder launcher, striking the golem while it was distracted. It had let go of Eric in the attack, as he started to fly through the air. Though without wasting time, Eric formed a large amount of darkness, and crashed in into the golem to stagger it backwards. While it was stunned, Eric used darkness to remove the golem corpse from him. “Thanks for that, it was a rough ride.”

Tony seemed mostly fine, as he got up. “No problem, but we really gotta put this guy down for good. That tank up the road needs to be stopped.”

Eric nodded, as he extended his hand, as a few black spheres glowing red formed above his hand. “Got it, you go in for the finisher.” Eric said, stepping forward, chucking sphere after sphere at the golem, forcing him to either block, or get staggered backwards more. The golem then crossed both its arms, as it smirked, and began to charge forwards, not being stopped by Eric’s attacks like this. Suddenly, its forehead was stuck with a strangely tipped arrow, which suddenly exploded, breaking the golems guard. A barrage of smaller explosives followed up.

Ralph and Karen closed the gap, standing next to Eric. “You looked like you needed a bit of a hand.” Ralph said, smirking, as Karen readied another arrow.

“Heh. I had it covered.” Eric said, smirking back, as he charged up more spheres. Ralph changed the blaster head launcher on his two blasters, allowing them to fire off bombs, and started firing bombs at the golem. The explosions caused the golems guard to break, where Eric quickly launched the spheres into the golem, staggering it backwards. Karen went to attack next, firing three arrows at once from her bow, and they flew into the golem. The arrow heads broke apart, and all the pieces exploded, further staggering the golem. With his guard down now, Eric formed darkness tendrils to grab and restrain the golem. “Tony, wrap this up!”

Tony had been charging power up in his suits thrusters, winding up for a powerful punch. Once Eric retrained the golem, he fired up the thrusters, and rocketed towards the trapped golem fist first. The speed, coupled with the power the Megaton could put out, shattered the golems head in one punch. “That was close, those monsters keep getting tougher.” Tony said.

“And they’ll just keep getting tougher until we take out the lead. You said the ring leader is hold up inside the tank, right?” Eric asked.

“Correct. Outside of that, we have no idea what we’re dealing with.” Tony responded.

“Must be a bit nasty one to lead such a group.” Ralph said, swapping his blaster heads back.

“We’ll need to keep our guard up, since we have no idea what to expect.” Karen added.

Eric nodded. “Agreed, let’s round up the others, and get moving.” Eric said, heading back to gather the others.




Catching up with main attack force, the tank was accompanied by a large number of many of the monsters the group already fought. Their approach was quickly noticed by the monsters, as the tank turned to face them. “So you all are the group of fighters that resist my siege? I’m impressed, when I heard a small group of fighters were striking back against my forces, I expected demons or powered types. Yet most of you are powerless. I’m intrigued.”

Rem stepped forward, as everyone else was ready for battle behind him. “Who are you, and why are you attacking our city?” Rem shouted firmly.

“The General of some of the Monster World’s finest military might!” The General responded from his tank.

Rem looked surprised for a brief moment, but kept serious. “What business does the monster world have with us?”

“Ha! You insult me with your attempts at ignorance! You seriously expected our world to continue to roll over after your continued assaults. It’s clear there is no further room for talking.” And it didn’t take long for the group to have monsters at all sides.

Rem called out once more in attempt to keep a battle from erupting. “Wait, please, let’s talk about this! We don’t-“

“Enough of your rabble! The time for talking has passed! Fire!” The General yelled, as a massive blast was fired from the tank towards everyone! Eric and Aqua were preparing a field to block the attack, but even if they did, they would be rushed in seconds. However, right as the blast would’ve made contact, it instead crashed into a wall of light that had been invisible until contact. “What was that?!”

Then suddenly appearing in a flash of light was Kavisto himself. He was even wearing his military coat, as he looked a little more serious than normal. Aqua gasped slightly, seeing her boss. “It’s Kavisto!”

“General, a moment of your time, if you would. I’m Kavisto Pantech, a representative of our government. I understand you requested an audience with our government, so here I stand. If speaking is what you desire, let us stop this destruction here.” He said very firmly.

“Are you the world leader himself? That is who I requested to see.” The general answered.

Kavisto shook his head. “I am not. I do not know the state of things the last time you were in our realm, but we do not have one sole leader. Most of our leaders are not men and women of combat, so you’ll have to understand why they cannot be here. I am most qualified to speak with you.”

“I’m not interested in speaking to some lapdog or mouth piece. The fact that I am disrespected by such a stand in does not help matters either!” The general retorted.

“We are giving you as close to an audience as possible to what you want, considering the unwarranted attack on our city. We cannot put officials on the opposing end of a cannon. So since I’ve come all this way, you could at least speak to me on whatever matter you wished to speak about.” Kavisto said in a calm, yet almost demanding tone. His appearance and tone suggesting he would not budge.

The general was quiet for a brief moment, before speaking again. “You keep speaking of an unwarranted attack, but how quickly you forget it was your kind that dragged our kind into your world to be slaughtered just a few moons ago.”

Rem looked a little confused. “Wait…is he talking about the distortion caused by Volks’ tower?”

“General, the actions you are referring to were not committed by any force of governing power of this world, but an invaders actions who has been dealt with. But we-“ But Kavisto was cut off.

“A likely story. So convenient that it had nothing to do with you all, and our realm is just expected to take this like its nothing. Enough! By order of the King, out justice will be swift! All troops, prepare to attack!” The general yelled, as all the monsters began to close in.

“There’s too many of them!” Aqua exclaimed, sounding worried.

Ralph had both his blasters ready. “Don’t worry, we’ve got this!”

But then Kavisto extended his arm, as suddenly everyone went quiet by his silence. As the monsters approached, there was a slight sheen, as suddenly numerous blinding flashes that looked like cuts in the air appeared. It then looked like many of the monsters had been sliced to ribbons, before fading away. “What?!” The general yelled, as nearly 90% of his forces were destroyed, leaving very few left.

Upon looking closer, surrounding everyone was a web of light like threads all around them. These were the light threads, razor sharp threads made of light energy. “General, you have every right to be angered over what happened to your people. But we, victims of the same attack, will defend ourselves from your wrongful counter attack. If you won’t listen, and you won’t stop, then you must be forced to leave.” Kavisto said firmly, his expression not changing.

The general yelled in frustration. “Fine! I’ll handle you humans myself!” Then the cake tank began to transform, as its layers extended, and candle like objects came out of the cake. In the new openings of the cake, several turrets were now extending outwards from the opened layers. “Let them taste our supreme firepower!” And the turrets opened fire on everyone, as well as the main canon, assaulting Kavisto’s shield.

Kavisto looked mildly pressured, as his hand suddenly glowed, and the threads disappeared afterwards. “The light threads are gone, you have free reign to attack.”

Rem nodded, then quickly looked to the others. “Let’s move, spread out to keep the turrets divided so they can’t focus on any one person.” Rem then rushed out from behind the shield, and used his own to approach the tank. The reflective mirror plating was sending attacks back at his attackers, but it wasn’t enough to stop them. Having his sword put away, his free hand was gathering light energy. Waiting for a pause in the turret fire, Rem then fired a light star at the turret aimed at him, slicing clean through it, causing it to explode. From the explosion, a small, round, purple creature with small stick like limbs went flying from the explosion with a yell. What the? So it’s not a system, they are all being controlled manually? But Rem didn’t have time to focus on that, as other turrets were aimed at him in retaliation. Two different turrets were now aimed at him, forcing him to keep blocking. While they focused on Rem, Aqua and Eric quickly moved in, each attacking one of the two turrets attacking him, damaging them with their respective powers. “Thanks for the assist.”

Eric then narrowed his eyes, as he saw the small purple monsters seemingly repairing their turrets using foodstuffs. “So they are being used by Purple Pea Pod monsters, huh? I’ve never seen them use such…strange tech before.”

“They look like they are just going to keep repairing the turrets at this rate.” Aqua added.

“We’ll need to take the whole tank out at once then. That might be the easiest way of shutting it down, providing we can get past the defenses. Pass it on to the others.” Rem said, moving back into the fight.

On the other side of the battlefield, Ralph seemed to have no problem continuing to dodge turret fire, as well as return the favor. “Man these things are chumps, I- Whoa!” Ralph was then blasted back by them adjusting their turret shots into Ralph’s path. He was mostly just sent flying, and not seriously hurt, but now he was wide open to attack. He turned, aiming a blaster, but two turrets had him locked on. As they began to open fire, the Megaton rushed in to take the blows, shielding Ralph from further attack. Ralph saw Tony couldn’t move, but he couldn’t get a clear shot to stop the turrets. “Brett, we’re pinned down over here, can you give us a hand?”

”On it, just hang tight.” Brett responded, as he took aim from the rooftop he was on. Firing quickly, he took out the two turrets attacking Ralph and Tony, but just as quickly other turrets turned to attack him, forcing him to retreat backwards.

This was all Tony needed though, as he was able to resume assault on the tank, firing at several turrets. This though, made him a massive target, as the tanks main cannon now focused on him, and hit him with a charged up blast. Tony yelled, as the powerful hit staggered him, and damaged his hull somewhat badly, but the suit remained intact. The cannon though prepared to fire again in attempt to take him out before he could recover. “Squash the others later, finish off the large one!” The General yelled from the inside. Tony fired off shoulder mounted missiles, striking the tank, but it did not stop the oncoming charge. At this point, most of the turrets were keeping the others too busy to come to Tony’s aid, as the tank prepared to fire. Karen saw what was happening, as she rushed in behind the Megaton, running up his slumped over back. He then jumped forwards, towards the main cannon, nearly ready to fire. She had prepped her bow with an explosive arrow, and as soon as she had a clear shot, fired her arrow down the cannon shaft. “Wait, what is she-Ahhh!” The General’s train of thought was interrupted, as the explosive arrow collided with the charged energy inside the cannon, causing the energy to explode inside the tank! The explosion caused the tank cake to explode everywhere, sending dozens of the Pea Pod monsters flying in various screams.

Everyone quickly gathered around Karen after the explosion. “Dude, that was sick!” Ralph commented on what just happened.

“Yeah, that was one hell of a shot girl!” Kari added.

Karen shook her head. “I had to think fast, otherwise our mech pilot would’ve been done for.”

Tony managed to make the suit stand again. “Well I for one am grateful. Once again, you all have saved my life.”

Kavisto didn’t say anything, as he was looking at the explosion site, walking towards it. “The General still lives. It’s too soon to celebrate.”

This got everyone’s attention, as movement was coming from the burning cake rubble, then with a sudden yell, a large chunk of cake was thrown through the air a short distance. Coming out of the rubble was what looked like a human like body shape, though more squared like in detail. His body looked like it was made of a red gelatin, with pieces of fruit floating around inside him. He had what looked like a navel captain’s hat, and blue torn jacket. “Ugh! How dare you humans make a fool out of the great General Jiggler! This action will not go unpunished!”

Everyone looked to be either in shock, confused, or in Kavisto’s case, neutral. “Umm…Are we being threatened by a dude made out of jelly? Seriously?” Ralph questioned.

“A jelly man who was just using a cake tank a few minutes ago at that.” Sora added.

The general looked furious. “You humans are all the same, aren’t you?! You see a creature made up of what you’d consider food, and all of a sudden its some big joke, eh?!”

“Don’t forget, he’s still a monster realm general, his power isn’t a joke. Just look at his aura and you’ll see for yourself.” Kavisto said, still sounding very serious.

Eric had a look, as his eyes widened. “Kavisto’s right, his power is much higher than it seems.”

Rem stepped forward a bit, still looking serious. “General Jiggler, we don’t need to fight like this, we aren’t your enemy!”

“Even after his disgrace, you still insist the guilt for this doesn’t lie with you?!” The general stared them down, then sighed, seemingly calming slightly. “The Monster King will not accept this result. If you truly wish for me to leave, you must drive me off, just like the rest of my forces.” He then took an action stance, which was somewhat hard to tell what it was, when his body was so much less detailed than a humans. Then fire energy gathered at the ends of his arms, firing them at Rem, who blocked with his shield. The mirror didn’t reflect the attacks, as it seemed it was a flaming red jelly shot, rather than pure fire energy, and just stuck to his shield. Rem didn’t have time to think on that, as the General jumped forward to attack. Kavisto tried to intercept with a beam of light, but the General’s body suddenly turned white in color, and he countered the attack with a light beam of his own.

Eric looked surprised, as he sent shadows in to attack. “He can use multiple powers?”

The General jumped out of the way of Eric’s attacks, turning yellow in midair, and firing down lighting at everyone. “My race are always far more then we appear!” He retorted. He landed shortly after with no harm. His body seemed capable of surprising feats of speed and strength. Kavisto quickly erected a dome of light around everyone in range of the lightning attacks, but Kari had made a move behind the general while he was attacking. He looked to his side, as he noticed her get behind him as he landed. “Eh?!”

“Gotcha!” And Kari went for a powerful punch to the back of his head, sending the segment of his head with his face attached flying towards the others with a yell. Kari suddenly looked extremely shocked. “I-I didn’t think his whole head would fly off…”

The screaming General’s face was flying towards everyone at high speeds, due to how strong Kari hit him, but as he approached the group, he suddenly stopped screaming. “Gotcha now! Generals Magnum!” He yelled, as his head glowed brightly, and his face exploded with massive force. Everyone was blasted back, as they had let their guard down.

Kari looked surprised from where she was, when suddenly the General’s body started moving on its own! His arms became long and stretchy, as he reached behind himself to grab her with his gelatinous arms. Kari screamed, first in disgust, but then in pain as the arms electrocuted her! Sora saw her in pain, and drew both his swords as he approached first. “You let her go!” He yelled.

The Generals face then reformed, as he chuckled at Sora. “Here ya go then!” And he tossed her into Sora with considerable force. Sora stopped to catch her, but she had been turned into an electrified projectile, as she shocked Sora by crashing into him.

Karen looked at Ralph, getting his attention. She took out both her SMG’s, and prepared for assault. “Ralph, with me!”

Ralph smirked, as he took out both his standard handguns. “Lead the way!” The two of them quickly charged in, opening fire on the General. He saw them approach, starting to shoot at him, and his jelly body changed color to green. It appeared that he had a watermelon pieces in his body now, as well as numerous seeds. He both his…hands out, and started firing a barrage of seed like attacks to match the bullets. Then they came in contact with the bullets, they burst open like firecrackers, helping stop other bullets. Some seeds were bursting open with what looked like a powder scattering in the air, but it wasn’t reaching anyone yet. The General then leapt into the air again, changing into an almost transparent color, with what looked like white berries floating in his body. He then swung his arm forward, creating a gust of wind to push the powder forward at Karen and Ralph. Suddenly Ralph and Karen both seemed to slowly stop moving, as they fell to the ground. “Ugh! D-damn it, I can’t move at all!”

Rem narrowed his eyes, as he watched the General prepare another attack. “Aqua, get Karen and Ralph back in action, me and Eric will cover you!”

Aqua nodded, looking determined. “Got it, leave them to me!” She said, rushing in.

The General chuckled. “Yes, come right into my attack range.” He said to himself, as he changed back to yellow, charging up a lighting attack, and firing it down towards Aqua! As it neared her, Rem rushed in to take the blow this his shield, the mirror storing the energy for now. Jiggler narrowed his eyes, looking annoyed. “Peh! Humans got tricks? Well that’s just fine, I’ll just-Eh?!” The General then heard something teleport behind him. It was Eric, looking intense, as his aura was a smoke like black, as the whites in his eyes turned black. Eric had been charging Chaos Darkness in the mark on the back of his left hand while Rem kept him distracted. Eric then swung his arm towards the General, as a powerful wave of the darkness crashed into Jiggler, sending him flying towards the ground. He changed to a black jelly as he fell, but he found he was still being harmed by the Chaos Darkness. “Wait, what is happening?!” But as Jiggler fell by the force of Eric’s attack, Rem rushed in and thrusted his shield towards Jiggler. The lightning stored in the shield all went right into him, as both attacks collided with the General at the epicenter. As the explosion of energy cleared, General Jiggler got back to his feet, though not looking as smooth as before. He was looking angrier, as he put his arms up to gather energy, as he shifted back to a red color, as fire began to from above him. “This one will make you think twice before taking on General Jiggler ever again! Yah!” He then chucked the massive fireball towards everyone in front of him.

Before the fireball reached them though, Tony rushed in to hold the fireball back with his suit. “Ugggh! This thing is strong, I won’t be able to hold it back for long!” He yelled out.

The others quickly rushed back in to attack, but Jiggler was holding them back by shooting fire blasts at them while forcing the massive fireball forwards. “Your petty attacks are nothing to me! Once the giant one is defeated, I’ll-“ And then with a loud bang, the Generals head was blasted to pieces, and his body began to freefall through the air. Brett had been lying low, and once an opening had been created, he took his shot. Following this up, Kavisto’s hands glowed white, as he looked like he tossed something from them. Suddenly, light threads sliced through General Jigglers body, as the pieces fell to the ground, his clothes falling behind with him.

Tony then managed to lift the fireball above him, as he prepared to throw it. “Eric, give me a boost!” Tony called out, as Eric teleported next to the fireball, and touched it. It suddenly grew stronger, turning into a black flame fireball, which Tony tossed at the remains of Jiggler, resulting in a fiery explosion. “And don’t come back…”

Aqua looked a bit worried, as everyone was catching their breath. “Do you think that finished him?”

“I’d like to think so, but…” Rem started, but then as they saw though the black flames, they could see the General’s body was reforming.

He walked out of the flames, picking up his hat and coat as he exited. He put them back on, as he turned blue, and discharged a wave of water from around him. His clothes were extinguished, as well as the surrounding flames. He looked angry for a moment, but then suddenly gave off a slight laugh. “I’ll hand it to you humans, you are quite interesting, being able to keep up with my strength.” He then adjusted his hat, casting a glare from under it. “But that just means I need to give more effort to defeat you.”

Kavisto didn’t seem bothered, though he was surprised the General survived. It seemed he would need to collect more information on monsters like these. “Even if you managed to beat us here today, it won’t change anything. If this mission goes sour, we have many more World Saver groups that will be on top of you in minutes. Rethink this plan of yours, before you do something you can’t walk away from.”

“We don’t want to fight you, General Jiggler. At least try to hear us out.” Rem added to Kavisto’s words.

The General eyed both Kavisto and Rem, not looking worried, but sighed anyway. “The Monster King would never accept such a result. Humans have shattered too much trust as is with the Monster Realm, and the king has demanded this wrong be paid back in blood.”

“Would the level headed General Gelatin Jiggler truly agree to such a result?” The voice of someone spoke, to which everyone was looking around for who spoke. Then landing from a tall rooftop was Raylu! He looked over his shoulder to the others after he stood fully up. “My apologies everyone, I was detained for a brief period.”

The General looked shocked in seeing Raylu appear as he did. “Is that you, Raylu? The Aura Warrior of the Full Moon?”

Raylu nodded. “It’s been an age since anyone has addressed me by such a title, but yes. It’s been quite a long time since we last met.” Raylu paused for a moment. “I gather you are here due to the recent dimensional rifts that opened into the Monster Realm, yes? I assure you, the cause of those rifts lie not with mankind, but an interloper from off world.”

Jiggler folded his arms, nodding slightly. “Yes…the humans there were saying such a thing. But without proof of innocence, I do not believe I can convince the king of this. Their resolve may have moved me, but…”

Kari looked surprised to hear that. “So the jelly guy actually believed us?”

Karen narrowed her eyes. “That explains the ‘send me back’ comment he said earlier…”

Raylu shook his head. “I know not the state of the kingdom currently, but if the King will not hear you out alone, this issue must’ve stuck him deeply…” Raylu paused for a moment. “But a war between these two realms must be avoided at all costs. If your words alone are not enough, what of mine? I will advocate on behalf of the Terra. And not only was the matter handled, I personally was involved in the correction of the matter. Surely that could convince him.”

The General seemed to think on the matter for a brief moment. “That…could work. There are not many in this realm the King still respects, but your sway may be enough. Would you be willing to come with me to the Monster Realm now?”

“Anything to stop this fighting here and now. We can depart immediately.” Raylu said.

“We’ll go with you Raylu, in case this is some trap.” Rem said at first.

Raylu shook his head. “I’m afraid that won’t be possible. No humans are currently welcome in the Monster Realm due to the bad blood these two realms share. Rest assured Sir Rem, I will be fine. Allow me to handle this.”

The General nodded. “I will promise his safety, that I can assure you. None of us want any further conflict, that much you’ve proved today.”

Kavisto seemed very much himself, as he nodded. “Luckily the worst you managed was public destruction, thanks to our efforts here today. If a war can be avoided, then I’ll arrange for this issue to be resolved.”

General Jiggler nodded. “I thank you for your understanding, and I hope you will accept my apologies.” Jiggle then took out a device from his jacket pocket, and pushed a button on it, opening a portal, the other end of which could not be seen. The remaining monsters from the battle gathered around the General and Raylu. “Well we shall be off.” The General said, leading the way into the portal, with his troops following behind.

Raylu turned to the others for a brief moment. “I assure you, I will return fine, and with this matter defused. The King may be rash at times, but he should listen to reason. I will return with the utmost speed.”

Rem nodded to him. “Good luck Raylu, we know you can handle it.” Kavisto seemed to accept this, with a nod as well. Raylu then turned to follow the General into the portal.

Kavisto then surveyed the area, before looking to everyone still present. “Thank you for your assistance today. The General may not have intended harm on anyone, but that could have easily went south had his troops gotten out of hand.”

“It was our pleasure sir, always happy to help.” Rem said.

“Yeah, what Rem said! We’ll always lend a hand when we can!” Ralph added.

Kavisto looked at everyone, seemingly very happy over a job well done. “For now though, I’d recommend that you all return to the cabin and await Raylu’s return. I will handle things with local law enforcement, as well as the higher ups with the government. They are already awaiting my report.”

Tony’s helmet folded back, as he gave a smile. “Yeah, don’t worry about a thing here.”

Eric nodded, as he snapped his fingers to form a portal. “Sounds like a good idea, we’ll lie low for now. Let us know if you need us for anything.” Kavisto nodded, but didn’t respond, as he went to join Tony. “Alright gang, let’s head out guys.” Eric said, as everyone began to follow him through the portal.

Tony looked to Kavisto after they left. “This might be a hard sell to the higher ups, Mr. Pantech.”

Kavisto put his arms behind his back. “It’s nothing I’m a stranger to, even if it will take up valuable time. Although it is concerning that an entire army is prepared to invade if provoked. That will be an issue I’ll need to make sure is understood. Today was just a fraction of the potential forces we would deal with, I’m sure.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of, anyone could set off another portal like that.” Tony commented.

“Which is why I’ll make sure that fact is made clear. We’ll make sure this incident doesn’t repeat itself.” Kavisto said, as he started moving, to which Tony followed.





A little while later, most of the group was gathered in the living room, waiting on Eric and Aqua to finish up dinner. “I’m starting to feel bad how often our battles end up damaging the city.” Kari said.

Sora chuckled slightly. “Same honestly, at this point we need to get a punch card for how often property damage happens on our missions.”

“After ten punches, the city forces us to help with the cleanup.” Ralph laughed.

“Sounds more like a punch card for the city than us at that point.” Brett commented.

“Well it’s not like we wouldn’t help if we could. Knowing the police, we’d be doing it as part of our confinement.” Kari said.

“Yeah, no doubt Trenchcoat would put us to work.” Ralph said with a chuckle.

As the four of them chatted, Rem was looking out the window, not really involved with the conversation. Karen came out from the bedroom hallway, having changed into some of the casual clothes Kari gave her. She noticed Rem looking out the window, and same came over to talk to him. “What’s on your mind? You’re still dressed in your combat tunic and everything.”

Rem suddenly snapped out of his trance, and looked over to her. “Oh, hey Karen. I just…was worried something else might come up, like with Raylu’s end of this mission. He can handle himself fine, but I’m still worried about him.”

Karen folded her arms, seeming to think a bit. “I see, that’s understandable though. He’s going out on his own, and you can’t be there to support him like he does for you.” She paused for a moment, before she spoke again. “I trust him to handle things for us. I’m more surprised he knew a monster general, let alone the king of monsters.”

“That surprised me too, actually…Raylu’s never mentioned having any connections to the Monster Realm, but he’s always been an expert on monsters. Though I doubt if he was asked he’d say anything about it. If he kept that a secret this long, he probably will keep it that way.” Rem said, looking over to her.

Karen looked over to Rem. “Of what little I know of him, I’d probably agree. Though we all have our secrets, and I guess Raylu is no different. Though, I feel if it was something we needed to know, he’d share it with us. Honestly I’m fine with not knowing, if that means it avoids trouble with their realm.”

Rem nodded. “Yeah, I agree. That no news is good news mentality. I can’t say it doesn’t make me curious though…” He chuckled slightly. “So have you been adjusting well since you moved in? We haven’t gotten the chance to talk much since the other day.”

“O-oh, yes. It’s been…very different than what I’m used to. Like…I can’t remember the last time I slept on a bed, had regular hot meals, or even a bath. It’s been a weird thing to adjust to, but it’s been very…nice. None of those things were very high on Volks’ priority list, the maintaining of his proxies.” She paused for a moment. “And everyone has been very accommodating, more so than I expected…Thank you, by the way. You know, for extending the offer to me. Hopefully I proved today that I can earn my keep around here.”

“Well you’re welcome, I’m glad I was finally able to help. But it’s not about earning your keep, but even then you don’t need to worry about that. You showed that well today, and the other day with Volks. You’ve got the skills to be called a World Saver, easily.” Rem said, with a slight smile.

“Thanks…I may not have a lot that’s mine anymore, but I can at least say my skills are still mine. Volks may have used me, but that was because of the skill I already had and was able to maintain.” She paused for a moment. “I’m just…glad I have the chance to do something good with my skills now, and that they aren’t inherently a bad thing.” She paused again, and then lightly punched him in the arm. She seemed to not want things to linger on her for long. “But look at you though! I couldn’t really focus on it much during our fight with Volks, but you’ve really come a long way as a warrior since we were kids. I didn’t have a good grasp of what you and those other World Savers were capable of, but to think Little Remmy has not only gotten so much more skilled, but helped save the world several times over! I wonder if this is what a proud older sister feels like.” She said with a slight laugh.

Rem suddenly felt a little embarrassed at the sudden complements, and laughed nervously. “Oh, it’s not like it’s all me or anything. It’s always a group effort, I just try my best to do my fair share. For the longest time I was just the only human in a group of powered warriors, trying my best not to fall behind. Now I’m here training more humans to fight alongside more powered warriors. I’m just trying to make whatever difference I can.”

“Well I think, considering the planet hasn’t blown up yet, that you’re doing a great job.” She said, chuckling a little bit. “But if you’ve been training the others, I think it’s only fair I train with you too. I want to make sure I can keep up with the rest of you.”

Rem laughed a little. “Well, I mean I doubt you need any training from me, but if you want to still give it a go we can sometime. Having a proper sparing match when we both can do our best teaches you a lot about someone.”

Karen nodded. “I agree. I’ll be honest, I’d like to see how I stack up against a World Saver when they don’t need to worry about holding back like when we fought before. I look forward to really seeing how far you’ve come after all these years.”

The two of them continued to talk, as did the couch bound group. Though from the kitchen, Aqua was helping set the table for dinner, and she noticed Rem and Karen talking and laughing. She frowned slightly, as she watched them. She noticed Rem had been acting weird since they got back, but with Eric keeping her busy she wasn’t able to talk to him about it. Now it seemed Karen took care of his worry instead of her. Look at them. It didn't take them long to start catching back up again… She gave a slight sigh, as she finished setting the table. “Hey everyone, wash up for dinner real quick if you haven’t. We’ll be eating soon.”

“Oh boy, about time! Fighting so many food monsters today was honestly really working up an appetite.” Ralph exclaimed.

“Honestly dealing with all that has made me not want cake or jello for a while…” Kari mumbled.

Brett looked slightly surprised. “Wow, it takes a lot for Kari to actually say no to chocolate cake.”

Kari perked up at that. “Whoa whoa whoa, let’s not go crazy. I said cake, not chocolate cake. Those are two different things.”

Sora laughed a little bit, as did Ralph. “That’s Kari for ya.” Sora commented.

“Never change girl.” Ralph said, going down to a chuckle.

Kari narrowed her eyes slightly. “That’s rich coming from twin stomach one and twin stomach two.”

“Hey, that’s not fair! I eat a normal amount! Ralph’s the one who eats every meal like it’s his last.” Sora protested.

Ralph laughed. “Hey, I just enjoy every meal to the fullest. I need a lot of energy as well for all my jumping around.”

“And your booming voice. I’m sure that’s a toll on the energy tanks.” Brett said, snickering.

And the conversation derailed into everyone laughing and taking turns poking fun at Ralph until dinner was finished. Raylu was in everyone’s thoughts, but they all knew he would be fine, and would bring them back good news. They would need it for dealing with the rest of the news they all would soon be getting…

…End of Data Log…

[Aqua]

Data Log #25: Budding Poison


Data Log place in time: Later on during the same evening of Data Log 24, then moving to two days after.


Following the events of General Jigglers short lived invasion, thanks to Raylu, the two of them appeared in what looked like a castle. The hall was not well lit, and was only lit by torches of a whitish blue fire. It had an almost reflective marble floor, as well as red rugs with a gold trim. Banners were hanging in the grand hall of black stone of the same red with gold trim, but with what looked like a gold dragon pattern on them. The General had dropped off his troops elsewhere, so it was only himself and Raylu. Raylu looked around briefly, before speaking. “It seems the grand hall has not changed much since I last was here.”

“I suppose not. I guess if it works for his majesty, then there is little reason to change anything.” The General said, as he turned around, and started walking.

Raylu followed behind him, deciding to continue speaking. “So the King over the realm still has not changed after all this time, hmm?”

The General shook his head. “Most of the various monster tribes have been happy, and at peace with his rule. We have had one or two invasions from the Baba Kingdom since you last resided here, but those past two Kings no longer exist. The current ruler currently serves our king now, so it’s been a great deal many years since any wars have broken out. As such…it may have put our fair ruler on edge when the rifts were forced open from the human realm.”

“It’s good to hear that, so far, peace has been able to be maintained. That gives me hope he will listen to reason…” Raylu commented.

“As do I…” The General responded with, as the two continued down the hall without much more words. At the end was a very large hallway, leading into the throne room. The room was outstandingly tall, almost feeling like a tower. The room was in the shape of an octagon, with large stained glass windows that seemed to display dragons, or dragon like creatures in them. The dark stone continued, as did the marble floor. The long hallway rug ended, and a large area rug of the same design covered most of the throne room. Among various objects, such as candle stands, regal looking items like vases and the like, was a large throne near the back. The figure seated on it looked to be almost seven feet tall, dressed in a black armor, and had a red royal cloak and hood with gold trim over most of his face. A lizard like face could be seen coming out of the end, covered in red scales. Glowing orange eyes could be seen looking out from the hood. Standing beside the king was a humanoid looking being, with long blonde and orange hair, blue eyes, and white and orange armor, with an impressive blade at his side. He simply watched, as the General and Raylu approached. “Your Majesty, I have returned with word from the human realm. And I’ve brought with me someone you may remember.” The General said, standing aside for him to see Raylu.

Raylu then went down to one knee, and put one of his arms across his chest, as he looked to the ground. “It is an honor to be in your presence again after so long, King Alterone.”

King Alterone seemed quiet for a moment, until he got up from his throne, and walked over to Raylu. He looked down at him, and with a deep voice he spoke. “Arise, Warrior of the Full Moon.” Raylu did so, looking him in the eyes, as things seemed tense. Then the king smiled, and put his hand on Raylu’s shoulder. “It is good to see you grace my halls once more!” The General sighed briefly, relieved that he seemed joyed at Raylu’s appearance.

“It has indeed been too long, your Majesty.” Raylu said.

“Please, you may refer to me as Alterone. Now…what brings you to me now, with one of my Generals, as we prepare for a coming war?” King Alterone asked.

“It concerns this coming war you speak of, Sir Alterone. There is a very massive misunderstanding with the issues that led to this.” Raylu started.

“So that is why General Jiggler brings you before me. You have come to persuade me.” Alterone said, seeming slightly annoyed.

Raylu shook his head. “I’ve come to provide you the facts behind the matter. The cause of the rifts was due to an off worlder, apparently space itself.”

“Space?! You expect me to believe such things? Beings from beyond the stars themselves? Those are just folk lore and human tales.” The King said, seeming annoyed.

“Lore that predates the formation of this realm itself, with all due respect, Sir Alterone.” Raylu commended.

“Ah, you refer to the kingdom of the star dragons, I presume? Hmph. Little goes in the way of proof of such matters, and yet this is the basis of your argument for the human realm?” Alterone asked.

Raylu nodded. “I fought against this beast myself, and had I not, the entire Terra could’ve been destroyed. Human and Monster Realms alike. The last thing either side needs is a war, resulting in a massive loss of life for each side.”

“Mankind may have forgotten what caused this realm to exist in the first place, but we have not. We do not take this matter lightly.” The King paused, calming himself slightly. “But…you are one whose words have long been trustworthy in this realm. And clearly General Jiggler must agree, otherwise he would not have brought you here before me…” He paused for another brief moment. “This…will require deliberation among us, as well as the other tribe leaders. For now I will resend the order of war, and summon the tribe leaders here, if you will agree to remain for this deliberation. Your full testimony of these events will be required to make a proper decision. Is this acceptable for you?”

Raylu nodded. “Of course, I’ll remain here for as long as it takes.”

The King then nodded. “Then I will send word to the tribes. I will summon you and General Jiggler to the war room once everyone arrives. For now, General Jiggler can show you to the guest chambers.”

The General gave a salute. “Of course, your Majesty. Come Sir Raylu, follow me.”

Raylu nodded to Jiggler. “Of course General. Thank you for agreeing to hear me, Sir Alterone.” He then turned to exit with the General. I can feel Ultimate Sun’s gaze on me, even now…The right hand of the King seems as strong and protective as ever…

King Alterone nodded to Raylu as he turned to leave, then returned to his throne. “Ultimate Sun, please send out word to the tribe leaders to suspend their preparations for battle, and meet with me ASAP.”

“Of course, your Majesty. Though, with all due respect, can we still trust the words of Raylu? He has been known to work with humans before.” The blonde and orange haired humanoid asked the King.

“We shall soon see if he can remain a trusted ally of our kingdom. Now quickly, before one of those fools rushes off to battle.” The King answered, as Ultimate Sun said nothing more, but bowed and left the king to perform his task.





Two days passed, and the cabin crew had already finished breakfast, and was already making plans for the day. Rem was in his room, dressed in more casual looking clothes, as he was speaking to Eric via use of his Light Prism. “I just got finished talking with Raylu, and he sounded like things were looking up in negotiations, and that they should be concluding sometime today.”

”Good to hear! I’ll admit, I was a little worried when he informed us that negotiations could take some time, but if he seemed hopeful then we should be fine.” Eric responded.

“Same here. Anyway I just wanted to let you know, I’m still gonna be a bit busy for a while today, but if an emergency comes up just contact me.” Rem said.

”No problem. If anything, we have enough hands on deck for any small stuff. Take all the time you need, I’ll catch you later.” Eric said, before ending the call.

Rem put his prism away, then gave a slight sigh. Alright, I should go see if Aqua is ready. She said she wouldn’t need long after lunch… Rem thought. When he exited his room, he could hear some talking in the living room, sounding like Sora and Ralph.

“Ugh! It’s soooooo hot today!” Ralph moaned.

Sora sighed. “Yeah, and the more you complain, the worse it gets for me.” Sora mumbled.

“…You know I’d shout, but I just don’t have the energy to today…” Ralph mumbled.

“So that’s all it takes to shut you up then? I’ll keep that in mind for the future.” Sora said, half chuckling.

“Please don’t, I seriously can’t deal with this…” Ralph paused for a moment. “Hey…Why don’t we go hit the streets? It’s not like its going to be worse outside, and laying on couches and beds is making this worse.”

Sora looked confused for a minute. “Not that I’m entirely opposed to the idea, but what would we even do? It’s not like being out in public is always a good idea.”

Ralph gave a slight smirk. “Did you already forget that Aqua finally gave us those charge cards from Kavisto’s? We got paid! I figured we could check out some stores, do some window shopping where we might actually be able to buy something. Plus…stores have air conditioning.”

Sora’s eyes widened at that. “Ralph that might be the smartest idea you’ve suggested in a while! Let’s get moving right now. We already have our gear and everything.”

“That’s the impulsive nature I was hoping would show itself.” Ralph chuckled, getting up from the couch. “Let’s beat it, we got the Telepath Stones if anyone needs us.” And Sora quickly got up to join Ralph, as the two headed out to the city.

Rem chuckled to himself, when he saw Adam in the hall, working on what looked like a central air unit. “How’s it coming Adam?”

Adam turned his head, and paused briefly before speaking. “IT IS…Coming. HUMAN cooling unit SHOULD BE back online IN a few hours.” He responded.

“That’s good, because man it was hot last night with it going out in the middle of the night.” Rem said.

Adam seemed to take this information in. “WHY not invest in personal cooling UNITS? It should GREATLY EXTEND your efficiency.”

Rem chuckled slightly. “That’s funny Adam. I mean I can use ice powers, but that only works so long.”

Adam seemed to be taking in the information. “But I did NOT make a joke.”

“Ah, no, you’re right. My bad.” Rem said.

“There is no BAD here but the cooling unit. But SOON it shall NOT BE.” Adam responded, to which Rem wasn’t sure how to respond. “…Was that not a PROPER joke?”

Rem suddenly looked surprised. “Oh! Sorry, I thought you were being serious on that.”

Adam was silent for a moment. “…I do not fully comprehend HUMAN humor…I will RESUME my task.” And he did just that, turning back away from Rem, and looking to the central air unit.

“Y-yeah, sorry for distracting you.” Rem said, as he left Adam to his work.

Rem went down the hall, until he reached Aqua’s room, knocking on the door. “One second please…” Aqua responded, before she opened the door. She was dressed in a white sundress with blue flowers, and wearing what looking like a white cardigan over it, as well as white sandals. “So I heard you had an interesting conversation with Adam.” She said with a slight giggle.

“Heh. Something to that effect, sure. Anyway, are you ready to go?” Rem asked her.

Aqua looked up and down the hall real quick, before she grabbed Rem’s hand, and pulled him into her room. “Quietly.” She said, as he was pulled in. A quick look around Aqua’s room showed it was rather simple looking. A few pots of flowers, both in the window, as well as the floor. Some simple furniture with a birch wood appearance, mainly her dresser, bed, and bookshelf, as well as a nightstand. The bedding was white, with various pink and blue flowers on it. There was also a small table with a case with a turtle in it. The room was very clean, and having a delicate appearance to it

“It’s very nice looking in here, its lighter feeling then I expected. I see Shelly is doing well too.” Rem commented.

Aqua felt a bit nervous, having Rem both in her room, as well as checking it out. “W-well most of the furniture was already birch wood, so lighter colors work better with it. Outside of reading and sleeping, I don’t really spend a lot of time here lately.” She paused for a second. “Do you have any suggestions?”

Rem looked surprised, and laughed nervously. “I don’t think I’m the best one to ask, you saw my room the other day. I don’t have a whole lot in my room in terms of personal touches, I haven’t been back long enough. Heck, I feel like I don’t have much time for hobbies either.”

Aqua frowned a bit at that. “Well maybe we could go looking around later for something. I’m sure you have something you’d like if you sat down and thought about it. Though, same goes for me, I guess.”

“I mean you already have way more hobbies then me. Reading, music, a pet. More then what I’ve been able to have before the work life took over.” Rem said, sounding almost jealous.

“Well all the more reason! We could-“ But then she stopped herself for a second. “I got distracted, and I don’t know when someone could come around. Can you make us a portal to Cole Works? We can chat more about that later, if you want. I’d sooner get out of here before someone notices and starts asking questions…And I kinda wanna get that visit over with as soon as I can.”

Rem nodded. “I should have enough energy charged up in my shadow for portals.” Rem snapped his fingers, as his shadow came to life, and took the shape of a portal. The two of them walked though, appearing in a back street right near Cole Works. “Are you gonna be ok?”

Aqua looked nervous, when she nodded. “If something is wrong, I need to know…You have your equipment stashed, right?”

Rem nodded. “In my shadow. All I’d need is a slight serge of energy to open it, just in case.”

Aqua sighed, forcing a slight smile. “Alright then…” The two of them started walking down to street, entering the Cole Works front property. Rem noticed as they walked that Aqua’s hands were shaking. She was feeling very nervous about this whole thing, and thinking back as to why she was here was making it worse. Without thinking much about it, Rem gently took her hand, which caused Aqua to lightly gasp under her breath, which Rem didn’t notice. Aqua looked down to her hand for a moment, then very lightly gripped his hand, and her shaking started to calm. The two of them didn’t say anything, but their thoughts were in different places. Gosh, his hands feel so nice…They make me feel so much more relaxed…Like nothing could hurt me…My hands must’ve been shaking a lot for him to notice…I wonder what he’s thinking…

She seems like she calmed down a bit. She stopped shaking…Her hands feel nice to hold, but…it makes me feel bad. I hope I didn’t overstep any bounds, and she thinks I’m taking advantage…I just thought it might help her calm down to know she’s not alone…Ugh, I feel sick now, maybe I should’ve just said something instead…But then she didn’t take her hand away…Ugh, why is this type of thing so complicated?... Rem thought, way too nervous to look at her directly.

The short walk, and hand holding session soon ended as they neared the entrance, and Aqua took her hand back, putting them both together in front of her. “Well…Here we are.” She said.

“Cole Works…I hear Dr. Tennent is one of the leading minds in powered medicine and medical practices. I’m sure everything will go quickly, and be just fine. Then we can do that thing you mentioned after.” Rem said, trying to be positive for her.

Aqua nodded slightly. “I hope your right…” But…then if it’s all fine, I’ll be even more confused… She then started heading in first, with Rem right behind her. Once they entered, they would’ve found a pretty common business looking reception area, with a young woman behind the counter. Aqua went up, with Rem following behind. “Hello. I’m here for an appointment with Dr. Tennent. I made the appointment with Miss Johnson. Should be under Miss. Aquarius?”

The woman looked onto her computer, typing away for a moment. She then looked back up at Aqua. “Ah, yes. I’ll let them know, and they’ll send for you shortly.”

Aqua gave a slight nod. “Thank you very much.” She then went to take a seat, with Rem doing the same. “I wish we didn’t have to wait, but I’m sure it won’t take too long.”

Rem nodded. “I’m sure it won’t take long. Though…it’s much cooler here than at home.” He said with a slight chuckle.”

“I mean it’s not so bad for me, but at least it’s quieter than listening to Ralph whine.” She giggled slightly.

Rem laughed, but tried to keep it down. “That’s true, he complains awfully loud.” The two of them tried to keep small talk up, mostly led by Rem, in attempts to distract Aqua from her wait.





Meanwhile, in what seemed to be an old rundown apartment, was the man in the flight suit from a few days prior. He seemed to be doing maintenance on the flight suit. Getting a clearer look of him, he was dark skinned man, bald head, blue eyes, and looking to be in his late twenties. He was wearing a damaged lab coat, simple blue jeans, and a green tank top underneath, as well as his goggles. He seemed lost in thought as he worked on the suit.

He was thinking back to the day of Volks’ plot. He was still working at Harkum Inc. as he was working in R&D Department, when an alarm went off. Shortly after the alarm went off, a member of security came in and spoke loudly to get everyone’s attention. ”Everyone, please remain calm, and follow me to the safe floor quickly and calmly. Monsters have been spotted all over the city, and a large creature is attacking the city. Please follow me to the stairs everyone.” And most of the researchers began to follow the member of security, except one. His lab coat was undamaged now, dressed in a common suit the staff wore. When this happened, he had hid under a desk until the room cleared out. ”Finally, they cleared out. And with a state of emergency, I should be able to work on this project without interruption.” And he punched a few buttons into a keypad, causing a weapons case on the wall to rotate, now having mounted pieces of the flight suit in a dismantled state. ”Mr. Harkum may have rejected my project, but that doesn’t mean the dream dies there…I think Harkum Inc. has given me everything they can now. He’ll see soon enough the mistake he made…My flight suit will make all my dreams come true…” And now undisturbed by his coworkers, the R&D member fully resumed his own secret project, unknown to the staff of Harkum. After quite a while, the suit finally reached its finished state that it was seen in a few days later. He dawned the suit as soon as it was finished, and powered it up, as it slowly began to hover in the air. ”Ha ha! Yeah man, it works! I knew it would! That old coddger shouldn’t have doubted me! Now, as long as the world doesn’t end tonight, I’ve got so much to plan for. And for that I’m gonna need money…Hmm…Well if the city is in chaos, then now is the perfect time to make bank.” He then picked up some grenades around the lab, as well as some new styled SMG’s, and put them on his belt. Then, chucking a grenade at one of the large windows, his exit plan was open. ”Time to take to the skies as the Great Falcon!...No wait…I can’t just use that name, I’ve gotta come up with a badass name of my own…Hmm…Guess I’ll need to workshop it. For now, time to bail. So long Harkum!” He said, as he used to the flight suit to take to the skies over the city, under the distraction of the Volks crisis.

Snapping back to reality, the former Harkum R&D member was finishing up his suit maintenance, looking rather smug. “That should do it, I think…I might not have some bug distraction, or a cake tank to serve as a distraction, but the smash and grab approach should still be fine. With my flight suit, I’m fast as shit boy! A few more good heists like the day before yesterday, and I should have enough money to get shit taken care of…Hopefully…” He then went to dawn his flight suit, and covered it under his lab coat the best he could. He then made his way out of his apartment, and got to the roof by the stairs. Once on the roof, he took the coat off, putting it away in a box on the roof, and spread his wings. “Look out France, The Grim Crow is on the prowl again!...Nah, that’s not going to work either…Dang, names are hard when all the catchy ones are already taken…” He then powered his suit up, as the wings extended from the jetpack like object on his back, and he took to the skies once again.





Back at the cabin, Karen was currently in her room alone, dressed in casual clothes and her hair pulled back in a ponytail due to the heat. She had some sort of small laptop with her, as she sat in her chair, looking from data over. Hmm…So it looks like the tracker hasn’t been found yet, and it looks to have been stopped in the same place for at least a day and a half…According to the map data, it’s been stopped at the docks in the southwest…We could probably move now, but Raylu still hasn’t returned yet…Maybe I should check in with Rem or Eric, and see how they want to go about this. Karen then took her Telepath Stone out of her pocket. “Hey Eric, its Karen. Do you have a minute to hear me out?”

After a brief silence, Eric responded though the stone. ”Hey Karen. Yeah I’ve got time, what can I help you with?

“I’ve been going over the data on my tracker on the Rose Thorn Gang truck, and it’s been posted down by the docks for over a day. Either they’ve ditched it, or we might be sitting on one of their hideouts. Now Raylu isn’t back yet, but I thought maybe I could go take a look myself, and report back what I find.” Karen suggested.

Eric was quiet for a brief moment before he finally responded. ”Well if it’s a possible gang hideout, I’d hate to let the chance pass us by to bust them, but it’s too dangerous to go alone. I can arrange you a portal, and whoever is at the cabin can go to check it out with you.” Eric responded.

“Thank you, I’ll call back when I need the portal.” Karen said, before the call was ended. She then closed her laptop, and got up out of her seat. She quickly got changed into mission clothes, and left to see who else was in the cabin. After a brief check of the cabin, she found Brett and Kari in the kitchen. They were sitting at the table, as Kari had her energy blaster set to ice and keeping it near her as a way to cool her off. “Oh hey you two. Are you the only ones in the cabin?”

“Seems so. I heard Sora and Ralph leave earlier, and I’m not sure where Rem and Aqua disappeared too.” Kari answered.

Karen looked slightly surprised, but then shrugged it off. “That’s a little unfortunate, but that’s fine. Eric gave me the go ahead to look into a possible lead into the Rose Thorn Gang, but didn’t want me going alone. Are you two up to going with me?” She asked.

Brett suddenly stood up, looking a bit serious. “Works for me. Anything to serve as a distraction from this heat. Let me get my gear.”

Kari stood up after. “Same, let’s get moving. I’m game to prune some flowers.”

The three of them quickly got prepared, and after a portal setup from Eric, they headed for the harbor. The cool sea breeze helped cool off the trio, as they were perched on top of harbor storage buildings, as Karen looked around with a pair of binoculars. Kari was fanning herself with her hand, as Karen looked around. “Anything?”

Karen was very focused, and did not respond right away, until she found the van she tagged the other day parked outside of another storage building. “Yes! Found the van!” She finally responded.

“Great, let’s move in!” Kari said at first, but Karen shook her head.

“Not yet. We have to make sure the area is clear. If its anything like that abandoned supermarket that me and Matter attacked, it could be crawling with Roses. Or it could simply be a trap they are waiting for us to spring.” Karen responded.

Brett nodded. “She makes a good point. It would be fool hardy to rush in.”

Kari sighed. “So we get to bake in the sun while we wait? Ugh…this heat will kill me.”

Karen chuckled slightly. “I’d rather roast then get jumped by some rose goons, of all people. Don’t think I could handle a blow like that to my pride. Don’t worry. Their type is always packed with antsy goons, one of them will show themselves soon, and then we can start getting an idea of how to handle this infiltration.” Karen explained.

Brett nodded, seeming to understand what Karen was thinking. “Classic stake out tactics. It makes sense.”

Kari sighed slightly. “Alright…Hopefully this won’t take long.” She said, as she took out her blaster to cool the air around her again.




Meanwhile, Ralph and Sora were in an old thrift shop in the more quiet part of town, not at all suffering from the heat. “You sure have weird taste in shops Ralph. I’d have pegged you for more expensive tastes.” Sora commented as he looked at the shelves.

Ralph chuckled. “Guess you’d be wrong, huh? Though I don’t know if you noticed, but antiques are pretty pricey.”

Sora looked annoyed. “Gah! I mean like having a taste for more fancy modern types of stuff. You know what I mean.”

Ralph chuckled some more. “What can I say, guess I’m an old soul. It’s the kind of stuff my mom was always into.”

Sora looked a little surprised at what Ralph said. “Really? You never really bring your mom up much, so I never knew.”

Ralph shrugged. “To be honest, I don’t really remember a whole lot about her, since I lost her when I was real little. I just remember it being me and her, and how we went everywhere together. She’d always take me to places like these. ‘Every place is like going on a treasure hunt. You’ll never know what you’ll find until you find it.’ She used to say.”

“Ah, well that does explain that. Sorry about what I said.” Sora said.

Ralph chuckled. “Nah man, it’s all good. There’s no way you’d know.” Then something caught Ralph’s eye on a shelf, ending whatever train of thought he had going. “Whoa, is that a Walkman?! I haven’t had one of these in ages! I wonder if it still works.”

Sora watched Ralph put on the tiny headphones with the small foam orange ear covers, and laughed a bit. “Dude, they look a bit small on you.”

Ralph though looked proud. “That’s how you know it’s the real deal. These ones always sat on your ears, not cover them up.” Ralph started looking around. “I wonder if there’s any tapes I can test it out with.”

Sora was looking around, seeing a number of decorative looking swords and other old weapons. “I doubt any of these would really hold up in battle…but they are very nice.”

Ralph looked as well, then shook his head. “Most of them just look like show pieces, but…maybe some of them are useable. Probably not better than what Eric can make though, or your sick bone sword.”

“Maybe…but it would be nice to have a personal weapon that’s more mine. Like your pistols.” Sora said, chuckling.

Ralph nodded. “I get that, though sometimes it’s not the weapon that’s special, it’s the experiences you have with it.” Then a small box caught Ralph’s eye. “Oh! Tapes! Let me see what they-Ooooh! There’s some good ones in here!”

Sora took a look as well, looking somewhat lost. “I don’t think I know any of these.”

“Oh yeah, I never really had ways to show off my music when we lived in the streets did I? Well maybe I can find a boombox or tape deck in here, and I can share it with everyone.” Ralph said, looking around for a tape deck now.

Sora looked really confused. “The heck is a tape deck?”

“My GOD you are uneducated! I’ve got a lot to teach you young gun. Come on!” Ralph said, looking in another aisle in the store. Sora just sighed, following behind, feeling the effects of his age. Before he left the aisle though, he looked at a sword hanging on a wall. He eyed it for a little bit, almost feeling a sort of calling from it. He picked up the sword off the wall in a blue sheath and a simple gold and silver looking handle, and followed along with Ralph.

A short while later, Ralph and Sora made their way to the counter. Ralph was carrying a slightly large tape deck on his shoulder, and the rest in a small box under his arm. Sora was only carrying the gold sword he picked up. “Ya know you coulda just told me it was an old radio you were looking for.”

Ralph sighed. “It’s not an old radio, it’s…ugh, never mind. “ Ralph then turned to the old shopkeeper. “Hey man, how much for the tapes? I couldn’t find any prices.”

The older man looked over what Ralph collected before he responded. “Ah you want those? If you’re buying the rest as well you can just take them for free. I’ve had those in the shop for far too long.”

Ralph looked surprised. “Really? Their loss then, people don’t know quality when they see it. I’ll take them all then.”

The shopkeep put the total in the register. ”Then that will be 22.50.” Ralph reached into his pocket, and took out what looked like a type of credit card of a metallic blue color with a silver line going across it and a strange looking circular symbol on it. These were the pay cards they all got from Kavisto after the generals attack the other day, which Aqua had passed out. The man took it, and it seemed to go through fine. “Alright, that settles it. You have a good rest of your day sir.”

Ralph smiled as he took his card back. “Thanks man!”

The shopkeep then took Sora’s sword, ringing it up. “This will come up to 57 even.” Sora took out the same card as Ralph’s and it was returned to him after. “And thank you as well young man. You both have a great rest of your day.”

Sora smiled as well. “Thank you!” The two of them headed out after, as Sora put the sword sheath on his back, its strap going across his chest over his plain shirt. “So you get sir, and I get young man?”

Ralph laughed, as he clipped the Walkman on his belt, and carried the boombox on his shoulder, while the box of tapes in the other. “Well you are younger than me ya know.” Then suddenly Ralph and Sora’s stones were getting a call. “Sora, could you? I’m kinda…”

“Gotcha!” Sora then answered the call. “Sora and Ralph here, what’s up?”

Eric’s voice was then heard. “Ah, there you two are. I was wondering where you were after Karen mentioned you two weren’t around. Are you two in the city by chance?”

“Yeah man, what cha need?” Ralph asked.

”I was going over some reports Erue had collected for me over the last few days since Volks’ defeat, and I found something interesting that matched up with something Karen and Raylu told me about. Apparently there’s been a series of small bank robberies around the city, committed by a black man in some kind of winged flight suit.” Eric was explaining.

“Man, why’s he gotta be black?” Sora commented.

”That’s just what the reports say he looked like. Anyway, it seems like no one has been seriously hurt in these robberies, but if we can do something about it, I’d like to. Raylu and Karen said he was using guns and explosives, so he’s armed and dangerous. You think while you two are out in town you could keep an eye out for this guy?” Eric asked.

“Have no fear Eric! This wouldn’t be the first time I stopped a powerful bank robber. Leave it to me and Sora!” Ralph replied, bosting slightly.

Eric chuckled. ”Good to hear. Keep me posted. Also, stay on standby just in case Karen and the others need any backup on their outing.” Eric said before ending the call.

Sora looked confused. “Wait, Karen is leading outings already? Doesn’t that seem kinda soon?”

Ralph shrugged. “It could be, but like, what could she have to gain by betraying us?”

“Maybe she still works for Kraven or the Assassins League she mentioned?” Sora suggested.

“Possibly…but I believe Karen. I doubt she wants back in that life after having the chance to leave. I doubt I’d go back to that if I was in her shoes. Everyone needs second chances. Now let’s go! We got a bird to find, and I can play some tunes for us while we walk around.” Ralph then tried to play a tape in his tape deck, but got nothing. “Er, after we get some batteries for this thing.” Ralph said, leading the way, as Sora shook his head following along.



Around the same time Aqua had been finally been taken to see Dr. Tennent. She had met with him in a normal looking examination room, as she was led in by Miss Johnson. He was a man in his young thirties, with short brown hair and blue eyes. He was dressed rather simply, black pants, white dress shirt and black tie, and a lab coat. Standard doctor attire. “Hello Miss Aquarius, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Aqua gave a slight bow, and smiled. “It’s very nice to properly meet you. Thank you for making time for me on such a short notice.”

The doctor gave a dismissive wave. “Not a problem. After what your friends did what they did for my valuable assistant it’s the least I could do.” At this point Tennent was going over his papers. “So I was going over what you were saying was bothering you, but I’d like to hear it from you directly before we proceed with anything. So if you’d like you can sit down.”

At this point Aqua sat down on the examination table, slightly kicking her legs. “Well…During the battle we had with that giant bug last week…I felt like I had locked up. Like I had gotten so scared I couldn’t do anything.” She paused for a second. “I’ve been scared before, but I haven’t been so scared that I couldn’t even move like that. Not since I was a little girl. So it made me wonder if someone had used some powers on me or something. Ever since it happened it keeps flashing in my eyes and making me feel ill…”

Dr. Tennent nodded his head as she finished. “Well considering the type of things you were dealing with, it’s quite possible something like that could’ve happened. We’ll run a few tests, and a mind reading examination if you don’t mind that.”

Aqua nodded. “Whatever tests you think would help. If there’s a chance any of it could help, I’ll take it.”

“Very well. Miss Johnson, could you take Miss Aquarius to the first testing room? While you do that I’ll get Mr. Necor for the mind reading exam.” Dr. Tennent said as he got up and left the room.

Maylean nodded as the doctor left, then turned to Aqua. “Alright, follow me, if you would.”

Aqua got up, and started following Maylean. “So what kind of test are we starting with?”

“It’s a simple one actually. We have a brain scanner that’s designed to detect abnormal power anomalies in the brain that aren’t meant to be there. It won’t prove anything if we don’t know how to detect it, but it’s possible we could find something quickly and save a lot of time.”

“Ah, that does sound like it could be helpful.” Aqua said as she followed along. She looked at her from behind, and felt compelled to ask her something. “So…how have you been since Raylu was able to help you return to normal? I assume you would’ve contacted us if something wasn’t right.”

Maylean had a slight worried expression on her face when Aqua asked. “I’ve been alright…but I feel different. Like I do feel stronger, I also feel…way too strong when I get upset. We’ve been running tests, and I’ve been taking a suppresser made from Lunar energy to weaken the effects…but it almost feels like its just keeping a beast at bay, which I guess is true. We’ve been studying the sample of chemicals that Mr. Nightngale sent, but we haven’t made much progress in reversing the effects of the mutation…”

Aqua frowned at this news. “Eric works on it when he can, I believe with time we’ll figure it out.”

Maylene smiled slightly. “Well thank you Miss Aquaris, I appreciate your concern, but we are here to try and help you today. Now come on.” She said as they headed into another room.

Over the course of about an hour or so several tests were ran on Aqua, and the last one was the mind reading exam. A darkness human with darker skin and black hair with purple streaks in his hair entered the room, as he would be preforming the exam, as darkness humans were specialists in that field. His orange eyes met Aqua’s, as he greeted her in a calm manner. “Hello, I’m Dr. Necor Miss Aquaris. I’ll be preforming your mind reading exam today.” He took a seat across from her at this point. “So you believe that you may be under some sort of mental attack due to an encounter with a psychic, is that correct?” Dr. Necor asked calmly.

Aqua nodded as the Doctor finished. “Yes, that’s right. Psychics can do a lot of things, and when I was fighting one I felt like I was…bombarded with harmful memories that effected my ability to fight.”

Dr. Necor nodded, seeming to understand. “That sounds like a reasonable assumption, though I must warn you that to confirm anything I will need to read your mind. Anything I see will remain between us, and to a minimal extent Dr. Tennent. Is that acceptable?”

Aqua gave a light sigh. “I’m not exactly ok with someone looking into my mind, but if it helps figure out what’s wrong with me, then I’ll do what I need to. If something is attacking my mind, then I need to know.”

Dr. Necor nodded again. Darkness humans normally don’t show much emotion, and the doctor seemed to be no exception. “I can assure you I will handle the affair with professionalism.” He paused for a moment before continuing. “Now then, whenever you are ready to begin, just close your eyes. I will need you to think back to the events that provoked the mental attack, as well as the memories that caused you the discomfort.”

Aqua gave another sigh, as she then closed her eyes. She tried to relax, but she figured it wouldn’t take long for her to feel on edge. “Alright, I’m ready.”

Dr. Necor detected her unease right away, but that was normal considering what was going on. At this point his orange eyes began to glow slightly, as he closed his own eyes. He was now beginning to look though her mind. At first the inside of one’s mind is much like a void, but as the mind reader establishes connection, things begin to take form. Soon many portal like openings appeared, doorways into Aqua’s memories. Echoing though the void was Aqua’s active thoughts, almost sounding like a speaker through an empty room. The voice would be easy to hear, but Necor wasn’t focusing on that currently. ”Alright, I want you to recall the events of that day, and then I’ll follow the trail through your memories to the connected emotions and reactions.” Necor said to Aqua’s mind telepathically. And after only a few brief seconds after that, one of the memory portals glowed brightly, as the form of Necor moved over towards it. Moving through the portal, Necor could see the memory of Aqua facing Master Matter during the Volks mission. While the memory played out like normal, it was when Matter had said “Helpless little girl!” that Aqua’s mental state began to flare. Necor could feel her emotions very clearly, as a feeling of terror filled her mind, as he then saw several other memory portals appear around the memory Aqua. Necor then extended his hand, as he seemed to pause the memory he was seeing so he could look into the other memories that were beginning to branch from the active one. He looked into the different memories, as they seemed to show her getting younger in each one. In some she tried to fight a foe, and others she was being saved by someone like Rem or Eric. But then he saw the oldest memory, where Aqua was talking to her older sister. Because Aqua couldn’t remember all the details since she was eight years old, Necor could focus on what she did remember. Aqueena was crying, and Aqua said something to her, which caused her to snap, as she suddenly looked angry. “Do not speak of such matters like you know, foolish, weak little girl! This war took many lives, and you could’ve been no different had you not had someone to look after you!” And this reaction from Aqua’s sister provoked such a reaction of fear in her, very much like how she did with Matter. But unlike the other memories that all had branching memories, this one had none. It seemed to suggest the origin of this fear came from this early memory with her sister, as the other memories seemed to link back to it. Necor could also feel the same type of fear in those memories, suggesting that the events in these memories provoked the same feeling of fear as each other. A type of fear that seemed to render her helpless. What he couldn’t be sure of was if her sister causing the fear, or the feeling of fear she made Aqua understand. With the mind of a child it’s hard to say, but what he was sure of is those different experiences reminded her of what she felt as a young girl. Without the full conversation in Aqua’s memory to get the full context, Necor could only make guesses. But what he was sure of was that there was no psychic attack going on in her mind. It was trauma.


After a little while longer exploring the related memories to check for any further clues or information, Necor left Aqua’s mind. He opened his eyes, as he was sitting across from Aqua still. Though Aqua still looked distressed, as her breathing looked heavy. He placed his hand on hers, as he calmed her down with another dark human ability. “You may open your eyes now, I am done.”

Aqua quickly did so, as her breathing started to slow down. Dr. Necor seemed to be writing some notes down, as Aqua sat there for a moment. “So…What did you find out?” Aqua asked.

Dr. Necor kept writing, but did speak to her. “I do not believe it’s a psychic attack. Unless it’s a psychic power above my detection, but it doesn’t seem to be the case. I’ll need to compare my findings with Dr. Tennent’s, but…I believe it is actually past trauma related. From your childhood.”

Aqua looked a little surprised to hear that. She was quiet for a moment while she thought about what she was just told, feeling confused. “But…I’ve fought many people before. I haven’t gotten like this in a long time.”

“Trauma related issues are not a clear thing, Miss Aquarius. Your trauma isn’t directly related to just being in conflict, but it depends on the situation of the conflict. High levels of stress create high levels of fear. I didn’t look too deeply into unrelated memories, but I suspect you normally aren’t forced to fight where you take the lead, or entirely alone, correct?” Dr. Necor asked.

Aqua shook her head after thinking about his question for a moment. “Not often, no. I might work for the agency, but I’m rarely sent out on missions alone for anything of a major threat. I might’ve worked for World Savers as well, but the other agents still have more combat experience, so I rarely take the lead on any team.”

Dr. Necor nodded. “And when you are placed in a position where you must take charge and the stakes are high, your brain seems to subconsciously recall other times where you faced something similar, causing you to feel all that fear again. Even if the threat passes, you seem to hang onto that fear.”

Aqua looked somewhat ashamed at hearing this news. “I…tell myself in this job that I can’t be afraid of things. It gets in the way of what we need to do…But now I’m afraid that could happen again at any moment during battle now...”

Necor shook his head. “It’s not just as simple as telling yourself you can’t feel something. If you could simply tell such things to leave then we wouldn’t have such issues. Normally such issues take time to repair.”

Aqua looked more stressed. “But I can’t stay like this. Where in any battle I could just fall apart and I can’t control it…Rem and the others need me to hold it together…”

Dr. Necor sighed. “It’s not something that cannot be fixed. But it is not something that can just easily be done either. But first I need to discus with Dr. Tennent and confirm with his findings on the other tests if the trauma is naturally occurring, or if it’s from something unnatural. I do not believe there is foul play at work, but I must discus with him first on the off chance he found something I could not. If we find there’s nothing abnormal then he can provide you with some options on how to help address this.” He then stood up at this point. “I’ll go and meet with him now, and Miss Johnson will be in shortly to take you back to the room to wait. We shouldn’t be long. Unless you have any other questions for me.”

Aqua felt confused, but she looked at him feeling lost. “I…don’t know if I do right now…It’s a lot of news to take in…”

Dr. Necor nodded. “I understand. If you do think of anything feel free to direct your questions towards Miss Johnson, and she’ll relay them to me. We’ll try not to keep you waiting long.” He said as he left the room. Aqua though just looked at the table, feeling very lost. Trauma? She never felt like she had anything like that, but it made sense. She wondered why just any battle didn’t do this to her, and wondered if she could even fix things if she didn’t understand why she felt this way. She continued to wait until Mayleen came for her.




Back in the city, Sora and Ralph were walking the streets, as Sora kept staring at Ralph jamming with his tape deck. Passersby seemed to be staring as well, as Sora finally tried to get Ralph back to earth. “Don’t you think the public listening of your music is drawing too much attention? People are watching us.” Sora commented to Ralph.

Ralph laughed a little. “Man, you are too high strung, you know that? I am giving these people culture, something different from today’s music.”

“And it’s cool and all, but do you really wanna tell Eric we got arrested for disturbing the peace when we are supposed to be checking around for a bank robber?” Sora asked.

Ralph was quiet for a second, before pushing the stop button with his fingers. “Fine. You make a good point. Last thing I need to deal with on this hot day is Trenchcoat and his temper.” Then, as if almost on cue, an explosion was heard down the road in the direction the two were heading. “…Actually scratch that. That is the last thing I wanna deal with. Come on, let’s go!” Ralph said, as he went into as much of a sprint as he could holding his stuff, as Sora followed him.

Making quick time, Ralph and Sora found themselves in front of the scene of the explosion, which was another bank. Ralph sat their stuff down, as he took out both his blasters from his pockets, while Sora also took out his single blaster, as they carefully walked in. There was smoke, debris, and bodies scattered around, though no one seemed dead. Though coming from the smoke was goggled man in the flight suit, carrying two large bags of money. He quickly noticed Ralph and Sora, and seemed surprised. “Aww what the hell man, the cops shouldn’t’ve gotten here that fast! You two are ruining everything!”

“Sorry man. We aren’t cops, but we can’t having you blowing up banks for money. People can get hurt, and it’s really not good for your karma either.” Ralph took a close look at his suit. “So you the bird guy that’s been robbing banks? The Green Sparrow or something?

“I heard he was the Blue-Jay, or something.” Sora commented.

The man rolled his eyes at this. “None of those. I’ve been trying to workshop a name, but nothing seems to be sticking.”

Ralph seemed to think for a second. “Hmm…What about the Great Falcon?”

The guy shook his head. “Nah man, I can’t be copying his name. Plus he was the hero of his cartoon, I can’t be taking a good guys name.”

Ralph shrugged. “Well you got a point.”

Sora looked annoyed. “Ralph, he just blew up the bank!”

Ralph looked back at Sora, also annoyed. “I know that man!” He then looked back to the bird themed bank robber. “…I gotta say though, I’m digging the outfit. It’s got that homemade feel to it, but also a little steampunk vibe to it a bit. A little polish, and I think you could have a good suit on your hands.”

The bird man smirked at the compliment. “Thanks bro! I’d say the same, but you look a bit underdressed for this standoff.” He paused for a second. “So if you aren’t the cops, are you those C list World Savers that helped during the bug attack last week?”

Ralph looked hurt by that comment. “Aww come on, C list?! I feel I’m at least a B list.”

Sora kept serious at the moment, not letting his guard down. “Yeah, we’re a part of the World Savers, what of it?”

“Got some mad respect for your skills, that’s what. I’d rather not fight you bros, but I get the feeling that even if I didn’t kill nobody that you’re gonna try and stop me anyway.” The bird burglar said.

Ralph nodded. “Yep. Kinda in the job description man.”

Sora narrowed his eyes. “If you’re smart you’ll turn yourself in, and we’ll save yourself a beating.”

“I dunno little man, I really need this money…” He looked down at the bag and smirked. “…But if ya want it so bad, catch!” He then chucked both bags at Ralph and Sora, causing them to jump out of the way. The bird man then opened his jetpack wings, and flew out past them, grabbing the bags as he did. “Sorry dudes, it’s nothing personal!” He said, flying past.

Ralph got up, noticing his tape deck was knocked over by the force of the flight. “Hey man, watch the tunes! I just bought this!”

The bird mans eyes raised a little at this. “Oh shit, my bad man…Wait, is that a boombox? Dude, what you got in it?”

Ralph looked slightly confused. “Uhh…Some classic rock, currently Loverboy, why?”

“Shit my man, you got some good tastes!” He said, sounding excited.

Ralph chuckled. “Heh heh, see Sora, I told you people liked my stuff.”

Sora was looking very angry now. “Ralph, are you serious right now?!”

The bird man chuckled. “Tell you what?” He then dropped the money to the ground, and took out his SMG’s. “Let the music play! We’re gonna have a dual! If you can take me out before the song you play ends, then you win. You take too long, and I bail with the money. What do ya say, World Savers?”

Ralph looked hyped, as a huge grin appeared on his face. “Aww hell ya! You’re on Storm Eagle!”

Sora sighed, but then took out his beam sword from his pocket, preparing for battle. “Well…at least we’re fighting.

“Hmm…Storm Eagle is cool, but I think it’s taken…Ah well, let’s do this shit!” ‘Storm Eagle’ said, waiting for Ralph to start the tunes.

Ralph looked to Sora and smirked. “You’re about to see my real skill at play. Watch and learn!” Ralph moved their stuff, as well as the tape deck out of the way, as he hit the play button. It started playing ‘Turn Me Loose’ and Ralph took his blasters back out.

The bird bandit smirked, as he looked excited. “Man I love this song! I’m gonna enjoy kicking your asses to it!”

“Your taste is music is respectable Hawk Man, but I don’t lose!” Ralph said, starting to open fire with Ion blasts from his blasters.

The bird man swooped to the side, as he started firing with his SMG’s at Ralph and Sora with Ion charged bullets. It seemed this bird man wasn’t looking to going out murdering people, but people were still getting hurt. “Hmm…Hawk…That could work…” He mumbled to himself as he flew around firing at them.

Ralph seemed to be dodging around the attacks easily, looking entirely ecstatic. Sora, however, was forced to block shots with his reflector. He tried to return fire, but the bird man was too fast. “Ugh! I can’t get a clear shot on him!” Sora complained.

“Sounds like a skill issue, you shouldn’t have skipped out on advanced target practice. Let me handle the shooting then, and you go in for a direct attack.” Ralph said, running in with his blasters, firing more.

“A direct attack on a flying enemy? Really?” Sora groaned, beginning to feel more useless in these battles, as he joined in on Ralph’s blaster fire.

The bird man dodged these attacks pretty easily, until Ralph’s onslaught finally began to make progress by striking his wings, causing him to spin slightly. He quickly regained control, and flew head first at both of them. Ralph dodged the charge, while Sora blocked the sharp wings with his beam sword, but was only able to repel the attack. The birdman quickly went into an SMG attack, staggering Sora back by the force of the ion bullets, and slowing his movements. “Be lucky those aren’t real bullets, otherwi-bah!”

But he was interrupted by a shockwave bomb of Ralph’s. “Be lucky that wasn’t one of your grenades!” Ralph said, following up the attack with ion shots from his blasters.

The birdman retreated backwards by use of his jet wings, opening fire on Ralph with his SMG’s. Ralph seemed to dance around the bullets, dodging them with little effort, and shooting his SMG’s out of his hands when he had an opening. The birdman recoiled back, as he took one of his grenades and tossed at the ground to serve as a distraction. Sora quickly rushed in, and taking the ornamental sword off his back, he used it like a bat to hit the grenade back into the air. The sword almost looked like it glowed for a brief second, but it could’ve been the glare of the sun. Ralph then shot the grenade while it was airborne, causing it to explode in the air. While Ralph and Sora dealt with the grenade, the birdman collected his SMG’s. “You two are pretty quick, but you’re still running out of time.”

Ralph had his blasters trained on him. “It aint over till the music stops buddy, and I’m just getting started!” Ralph said rushing back in with Sora following.




Back at Cole Works, Aqua was back in the exam room with Dr. Tennent and Dr. Necor, as they were speaking with her. “So I was discussing our findings with Dr. Necor, and we are about 97% sure the cause of your episodes is some trauma from your childhood. We haven’t entirely ruled out the possibility of psychic attack, but with our current understanding, we believe it’s unlikely.” Tennent explained to her.

Aqua looked troubled at this news. “…Honestly, I was starting to hope it was an attack. At least that would tell me the answer is just removing the cause. But now…I don’t even know what to do.”

“There are a few options we can try. We can arrange you a therapist to speak with, sometimes with proper therapy trauma can be over come. Medication can also help, but it’s not a guarantee.” Dr. Necor explained.

Aqua sighed to hear this. “Those both sound like…long term fixes. I need to be ready to deal with this at any fight now.”

“Medicine is the quickest fix, but it may not have proper results. Another option is to face the cause and overcome it, but that can also very in results.” Tennent explained.

“Well…I guess I can try medicine for now, and then try and speak with one…If I don’t know the cause, I don’t know if I can just ’get over it’.” Aqua answered.

Tennent nodded. “Very well. Then when we’re done here you can speak with Miss Johnson on your way out and we can arrange a time for your next visit, as well as when you pick up your meds.”

Aqua thought about this for a moment, and then remembered Rem was waiting for her right now. For some reason the thought of Rem finding out she had some sort of trauma she couldn’t fix would make his job harder worried her. She didn’t want to do that to him. “Can…can I just call back in tomorrow and get that handled? I’ve got someone waiting, and I’m not sure I want them to know those details…”

Tennent nodded. “Of course, that won’t be any problem at all. Miss Johnson will also provide a sheet with you if you’d like to make those arrangements on your own. Just mention me when you do, and they will go through the proper channels.”

“I will say this, Miss Aquarius.” Dr. Necor started. “An important part of recovery and moving through such trauma is a support group. Do what you feel is best, but keep that in mind.”

Aqua nodded, somewhat guiltily. “I understand, thank you very much, both of you.”

Tennent then stood up, and shook Aqua’s hand. “It’s been a pleasure meeting you today Miss Aquarius. If anything at all comes up, please call us. And thank you for your service to all of us. Miss Johnson will see you out.”

Necor nodded as well. “Indeed. Thank you for your service.”

Aqua shook Dr. Tennent’s hand, and gave them both a slight bow. “It’s no problem, and thank you all for your assistance today.” And with that Aqua headed out of the exam room

Outside Maylene was there to meet her, with a sheet of paper she handed to her. “This is just a brief summery of your visit today, as well as the contact information that Dr. Tennent went over regarding medication and therapists.”

Aqua accepted the paper. “Thank you very much.”

“Your boyfriend has been a bit worried about you, by the way. He’s been asking about how you’ve been fairly often.” Mayleen informed her.

Aqua blushed slightly, not expecting to hear that. “W-wait, what? Boyfriend? He’s been what?”

Mayleen giggled to herself slightly. “I think it’s very cute honestly. He clearly cares a lot about you to ask that much, he seems like a great guy.”

Aqua was going to correct her, but thinking on it, it might’ve been easier to just let her think that for now. She wanted to leave as soon as she could, and also she just wanted to entertain the idea for a moment. “Yeah…he is a pretty great guy. Me and the others are lucky to have him.” The two of them continued to the lobby with minimal talking. “Thank you again for your help today!”

Maylean nodded, with a smile on her face. “Feel free to come by again for any reason. Have a good rest of your day!”

Aqua nodded as she then turned and walked over to Rem. “Hey, I’m sorry for the wait.”

Rem stood up at this point, as he shook his head. “It’s alright. You find out what was bothering you?”

Aqua shrugged. “They didn’t find much…It’s looking like it could just be nerves. It had been a long time since I was involved with such a high stakes battle.”

Rem frowned, not sure if he was happy to hear that or not. “Well…if it is just nerves, then it should pass then. Though it would be better if we didn’t have to worry about any more battles at all…”

“So do I…” She sighed. “Well anyway, let’s not worry about that right now during our time off. Come on, let’s so see the shops. We need to find your hobbies!” She said with renewed energy.

Rem looked surprised. “You really want to? I’m kinda surprised you remembered. I mean it’s not a big deal to me, I always seem to be busy.”

“Of course I remembered! I was thinking about what kinds of places to take you while I was waiting back there.” She then folded her arms, looking almost bothered. “Plus it’s not good to just be ‘busy’ all the time. You need some you time so you can relax. Being on edge all the time isn’t good for you, so let’s just try and have some fun.” She then grabbed his arm, and started dragging him out of the building.

Rem laughed a little nervously as he followed her out. “Well I guess it couldn’t hurt to be a little less high strung. It’s just been such a long time I did something for fun.” Rem paused for a brief second. “Well aside from the beach the other day, or the festival in town earlier this summer.”

“Well then what’s some things you used to do for fun as a little kid? You had to have had something you liked to do.” Aqua asked as they started walking the streets.

Rem seemed to be thinking about it for a moment. “Well me and my sister used to play pretend or with toys when I was young, but honestly seeing how much bigger our world was, its way bigger than I ever could pretend.”

Aqua giggled slightly. “I used to actually make up stories as a kid. I never had many friends growing up, and I never got out much, so I used to pretend what I thought others or the big world was like. Now I just enjoy reading the stories of what other people imagine. I don’t have the time to make up stories now. Guess we’re both guilty of that.” She said, giggling a bit more.

Rem laughed a bit. “You’re right I guess. Though I’d love to read those stories of yours sometime.”

“Oh? Sorry to say, but I never wrote them down. I just used to tell them to my toys or anyone who would listen. Maybe if I can remember them I can write them down sometime.” Aqua said, quiet for a moment before continuing. “So what else?”

Rem looked like he was having a hard time thinking of something. “Well…I didn’t get much of a childhood, so I didn’t get the chance to develop many interests…Oh! One thing I used to do with my sister was play video games.”

Aqua looked confused. “Video games? What’s that? I think I’ve heard people mention them in passing, but I’ve never asked about them.”

“Oh, well it’s…Well you know how we played board games a while back? It’s like those kinda, but you play them on a tv or some other device with a screen. But the kinds of things you can play are different from what you can play on a table. We played by connecting this sphere looking thing to the tv, I think it was called a Gamesphere or something.” Rem chuckled a bit, remembering something. “There was this one game me and my sister played a lot. It was called The Adventures of Lynn, where you played as this adventure girl that explored strange worlds or dungeons. Or this one called Ultra Fighting Brothers, were you’d play different characters and make them fight. My sister was always better at it then I was.”

Aqua suddenly looked like she understood something, as she gasped slightly. “Oh! I might’ve seen something like that before. I remembered seeing people do things on their phones at the office in the break rooms before, but they never looked like videos or cartoons. I just never wanted to disturb them by asking, but when the moment passed it would leave my mind.”

“Yeah I’d heard they make them for phones now, but you know that I don’t really have a proper phone. I just use the telepath stones and light prisms.” Rem said.

Aqua nodded. “Well that’s true. I don’t have one either honestly. But…it sounds like it could be fun. I’d like to try that sometime. The one about going on adventures sounded fun. It makes me wonder how close someone’s ideas are to the truth.”

Rem chuckled. “I could see you being good at the puzzles in those games. You’re really smart.”

Aqua laughed nervously. “Well thank you, even if Eric is way smarter than me.”

Rem laughed a little. “I doubt Eric would play games like those, seeing as how busy he likes to keep himself creating things. But maybe he would if it was the right game.”

“Eric was really good at Clue night. I remember Kari looking so crushed every time Eric found her out.” She giggled again. “Maybe we should do something fun like that tonight. It’s hot, maybe I should make homemade ice cream.”

Rem looked surprised. “You know how to do that?”

Aqua nodded. “Ice cream making is one of Water Human’s cultures special deserts. Humans might’ve learned the hard way how, but when you can control liquids and temperature it’s all a matter of practice and picking flavors. We should think of some ideas on what we should make.”

Rem smiled at her. “Sounds like a great idea.” He was happy she seemed to be in a much better mood than when they first left, so he was happy to help however he could.




Back with Sora, Ralph, and the bird burglar things weren’t looking so good. They weren’t losing, but they weren’t gaining ground, as time was running out on their dual. Gun fire kept being traded back and forth, with no real progress being made. He was dodging blaster fire too well because of his flight suit, but Ralph was too skilled to really get hit either. Sora waited for a moment when Ralph was under fire, and he tossed his beam sword at the birdman. The sword struck one of the wings, but it only did minor damage by not fully slashing through the wing. The birdman reacted by throwing down more grenades, and while the explosion didn’t directly hit Sora, it did send him flying into a building. “Sora!” Ralph exclaimed, before quickly turning to shoot the birdman. But rather than an energy blast, he fired a concussion bomb, as the force caused him to drop one of his SMG’s. While he was stunned he fired a few Ion blasts into the wings, causing some short circuiting. Without giving Ralph much time to react, the birdman flew at high speeds into Ralph, tackling him. He flew him into a building side, smashing him into a wall! Before Ralph could respond, the birdman repeated this attack a few more times, before he let Ralph fall to the ground.

The birdman retreated backwards, picking up his lost SMG and putting them both away. Ralph was recovering, but the birdman was ready to pull a retreat. “You got my wings good, I’ll give you that. But I think this is over.” He picked up the bags of money at this point, and was starting to fly away. “See you bros around! It’s been fun.” He then started to fly away, but due to the damage caused to his wings, his speed wasn’t as fast. And from above, Sora had landed on the back of the suit! “Hey man, get off! You’re weighing me down!”

“That’s the plan, ‘man’!” Sora said, as he drew his decorative sword from its sheath, and struck the back of the suit. A flash of light from the impact made the sword look like a curved sword like scimitar for a moment, before looking normal. The impact caused a lot of damage, as the suit began to spark, and the jet function failed, causing them both to crash down into the street below. Ralph quickly caught up, as he and Sora quickly hit him with a few Ion blasts, keeping him unable to move.

“That was some quick thinking Sora!” Ralph said.

Sora smirked. “I couldn’t have done it without all the shots you pulled off. You’re already an impressive shot as it is, but you move like a different person when the music is playing.”

Ralph chuckled. “Music just moves me man, what can I say?”

The birdman groaned. “Damn man…I wasn’t counting on losing today…Guess I shouldn’t have counted you dudes out…”

Suddenly Ralph heard the sounds approaching police sirens, and he quickly took out his telepath stone. “Yo Eric! We took out that bird burglar, could you get us a lift? We got police coming.”

Eric responded quickly. ”No problem. Give me just a second while I lock onto you.” And within a few seconds a portal appeared. Ralph and Sora quickly collected their stuff, as they took off before the police arrived.

Not surprisingly, Officers Landon and Buck had both arrived after they left, seeing the damage caused by the airborne thief. “Ugh! Look at this mess! Quickly officers, spread out and make sure no one is hurt. You’re with me Landon.” He said, heading towards the body. “Well well well, if it isn’t Owlman, all nice and wrapped up for us.”

Landon looked confused. “I thought he was called the Green Robin.”

“Ugh…none of those man…” The thief mumbled.

“Well it doesn’t matter what your name is, you’re under arrest for theft of several banks and destruction of public property.” Buck said putting cuffs on him. “Would be nice if we could’ve nabbed those vigilantes, but catching bird boy here is still a nice ending to today. Looks like we’re going to cage this bird.”

“Ugh, bro don’t…not the puns…It’s worse than not being able to shut you up myself…” He mumbled.

Landon helped Buck get him to his feet. “Guess them’s the breaks for getting your wings clipped, huh?”

Buck laughed a little at that. “Good one greenhorn!” But the feathered thief just groaned more as he was hulled off into a cop’s car.




While all the action of today had been going down, Karen, Brett, and Kari were still at the harbor on their stakeout. Kari looked like she was going to pass out, as she downed the rest of a bottle of water. “Man, we’ve been here for hours…” Kari mumbled.

Karen pulled her binoculars away from her face. “This is weird. We should’ve seen some kind of movement, but I haven’t seen any signs of anything at all.”

“Do you think maybe they left through another secret passage?” Brett asked.

“I mean it’s possible…but it seems rather sloppy to leave the van behind like this. I would’ve expected better from the Rose’s…” Karen said, thinking out loud. “Come on, I think we’ll just need to get inside ourselves.” Karen said, jumping off the side of the building they were on.

“Finally! Out of this heat!” Kari exclaimed, as she and Brett followed her lead.

After carefully inspecting the area Karen approached one of the doors. She expected to need to lock pick the door, but…she noticed the handle looked like it had been melted off entirely. Something told her that the Roses weren’t responsible for this, as she carefully opened the door, keeping one hand on the handle of one of her swords. The building seemed dark, but empty, as she signaled the others to follow her. After the three of them entered, they carefully started moving forward. It seemed to quiet for anyone to be here, and…it seemed like a nasty smell was filling the air. Something similar to rotting meat. Once she was sure the place was empty, Karen spoke aloud. “I think we’re alone. Someone try to find the lights so we can inspect the room.” After a little bit of fiddling around in the dark, someone managed to find the warehouse lights. When the lights came on, they found the building to be empty of nearly anything. There were some emptied containers, looking forced open. “This…doesn’t feel right.”

“What do you mean? The Rose’s steal stuff all the time.” Kari said.

“Maybe.” Brett started. “But you remember the last time we hit one of their warehouses. It didn’t have that same ransacked feel to it. It was much more clean and organized. This doesn’t have the same feeling to their past work. Plus if this was their building, why damage it?”

Karen was looking around, until something caught her eye. “Guys…Come here.” She said, as the two of them came over to what she found…and Kari looked like she was going to be sick. Brett looked mildly disturbed, and Karen didn’t look very phased. There was a body of a Rose Thorn Gang member. It had the triple rose symbol with the color yellow. But…the skull of the body looked like it was melted. The hair and skin were gone, leaving only the skull sitting in a pile of some slime. The rest of the body below the neck was still there, but this person was very much dead. “Someone beat us here.”

“Ugh…that explains the awful smell…” Kari said, trying not to gag.

Brett looked around, now noticing there were a few more bodies in the room. Though…not quite as bad as this. “Who…would do something like this? What kind of enemies did the Rose’s have?”

Karen looked around a little more, and noticed a camera in one of the rooms’ corners. “They must have some security room around here. Split up and look.” She said, as the three spread out.

After some looking around, Brett managed to find the security room, also looking forced into. “Over here guys.” Brett said to them.

Karen and Kari caught up with Brett, looking over the room, until Karen found the computer. “Let me see if I can get into the camera footage. If I can, we might be able to learn what happened. I doubt the protection on the computer is anything I can’t hack.”

Kari looked surprised. “Man, you pick up a lot of skills being an assassin, huh?”

Karen gave a slight chuckle. “You learn a lot on the job…There we go! Easier than I thought.” She did a little digging on the computer before she found where the video files were stored, and after a few minutes of looking through the footage, she found something. “Here we are…It looks like a shoot out happened.”

Looking into the video, the Roses were under attack by the skull patterned hoodlums that had been spying on the Roses before. Most of the Roses were wounded or dead, as the large man with the cloth skull mask was approaching two Rose members. They were both blonde men with blue eyes, one looking younger than the other. One had the Twin Rose pattern, and the other had the Triple Rose. The Triple Rose was trying to help the Twin Rose back up, when he turned to see the large bodied man form a mass of a purple sludge that he then fired at them. He fired a blast of electricity at the sludge, causing an explosion to scatter them. The Triple Rose was blasted back, while the large man walked through the explosion after him. “No where left to run now…” As he approached the Triple Rose, he leaned up to blast him with electricity point blank, but the large man was barely phased, as he stomped on the leg of the Triple Rose with full strength! A bone was clearly broken, as the Triple Rose screamed in pain. “Hmm…Is this the full might of the great Lighting Rose? I’m not impressed. You Triple Rose’s have all gone soft.”

Lighting Rose was in a lot of pain, as he fought to get up. “Ugh…W-who are you guys…anyway?...”

“Hmph! The fact that you don’t know shows that Black Rose hasn’t prepared you guys for us.” The large man then picked up Lighting Rose, as he struggled to get free from his grip, shocking him while he was lifted by his head. But the hulk of a man wasn’t bothered as he stared into Lightning Rose’s eyes with a bloodshot eye through the mask. “Let me show you all a demonstration!” And then suddenly his hands glowed a sickly green and purple color, as suddenly where his hands made contact with Lightning Rose’s skin was causing smoke to appear, as his screams got louder! It quickly became clear that the mans hands were coated in a powerful acid, as it was burning through his skin! Lighting Rose amped up the power as much as he could, but to no use, as soon his body fell slack. Then with a powerful roar, the skull hulk covered Lightning’s entire head in acid, as a massive amount of smoke came from the head of Lighting Rose. After a few more seconds, the man dropped Lighting Rose’s body to the ground, landing in a puddle of his melted flesh.

The Twin Rose recovered, and his eyes widened as he cried out in anguish! “Noooooo!” He got up, and quickly charged at the hulk, electricity filled his hands. “You bastard! You’ll pay for what you’ve done to my brother!” But he was he was met with a powerful punch to his gut, as a force blasted him backwards.

The skull hulk looked at the Twin Rose he blasted back. He didn’t kill him, but he was left in serious pain. “…Let that be a lesson to you Roses. Spread the word to your higher ups that your time running this cities criminal underworld is over. Because Toxin’s gang is back in town, and we’re taking this city back. Come on boys! Pack up the tower goods, we’re heading out!” The skull hulk said, as he walked away from the body he left as a half puddle on the floor. The other members of the Toxin gang moved into packing up the stolen parts of the Tower of Power’s machinery.

Karen, Kari, and Brett were in shock and disgust at what they just watched. “That’s….that’s horrible…Not even the Roses deserve an end like that…” Brett commented.

Kari looked like she was sick to her stomach. “Ugh…How…how can someone even do that to another living being? Or how they could even do it at all?”

Karen looked the least bothered, even that scene had bothered her a bit. “I’m not aware of anyone with powers like that, but my time under Volks effected my gathering of information for a few years. But I’m willing to bet that Eric or Aqua can find out for us. At least we know what happened here, and where the stolen stuff went.” Karen then inserted a thumb drive into the computer, and copied the video onto it. “Come on, let’s get back outside and contact Eric. We’ll need to go over this with the others and see how they want to handle this.” She started heading out.

Brett and Kari followed her. “I’m worried…If gangs this strong start fighting each other, people are bound to get hurt…” Kari said, sounding disheartened.

Brett nodded. “I’m worried too. Hopefully we can handle this before it becomes a full blown problem.” So the three of them departed the harbor, making way for the factory to bring Eric the news. The poison of a new threat was already beginning to infect the city, but how far would it spread?


…End of Data Log…