Lust, Blaze, Hayze, Eve, and Saige arrive at Vargas’ cabin’s smoldering remains.
Hayze:
Vargas! Vargas, are you here? Vargas!
Lust:
It doesn’t look like he is, Hayze.
Hayze:
*grunts*
Hayze starts searching around. Lust turns to Eve and Saige.
Lust:
Where are the others?
Saige:
They took a wrong turn back at the fork in the trail.
Lust:
What?! Why didn’t you tell us? Who knows where they could be.
Eve:
You were too far ahead, and the radio’s dead!
Lust:
Oh, I see… Well, I hope they’re alright.
Hayze:
Hey, guys! Look!
Hayze found some footprints.
Hayze:
Tracks, and it looks like three sets.
Blaze:
Do you think they belong to Vargas?
Hayze:
Mhm, I don’t know why, but he traveled with two Iota goons off in that direction.
Eve:
So, all we have to do is follow the footprints, and we’ll find them.
Hayze:
Yeah, so come on, let’s go.
Hayze gets on his snowmobile.
Lust:
Hayze, wait! The others got lost.
Hayze:
Huh? What do you mean?
Saige:
We don’t know where they are; the GPSes breaking made them veer off in the wrong direction.
Hayze gets a concerned look on his face.
Hayze:
If I know Iota, he wouldn’t have just sent two of his men. He probably has a couple others skulking around the forest.
Hayze thinks for a moment.
Hayze:
Alright, you guys follow the tracks; I’ll head back and search for them.
Lust:
Hayze, what did I say earlier? I’m in charge, and I’ll decide what’s best.
Hayze:
With all due respect Ms. Lust, you need to help Vargas. I lived in these forests for three months; I know my way around them. So I’m the best person to search for them.
Lust:
Hm… those are good points. Alright, but be careful.
Hayze:
I will.
Blaze:
Wait, let me go with you.
Hayze:
Hm? Why?
Blaze:
I don’t think you should go alone.
Lust:
Yeah, me neither. Take Blaze, Hayze.
Hayze:
Alright, hop on.
Blaze hops on the back of Hayze’s snowmobile, and the two drive off.
Lust:
Alright, girls, let’s start moving.
Saige and Eve:
Right.
Lust, Saige, and Eve begin following the footprints on their snowmobiles.
Saige:
(Be careful, Hayze… I have a feeling about this.)
Khold laughs.
Khold:
Looks like we hit the jackpot, brother.
Blaine:
Indeed we did, brother. We can kill six birds with one stone.
Khold:
Yeah! Wait… six minus one is three, so we’d only kill a fourth of them.
Blaine:
There’s so much wrong with that I don’t even know where to begin.
Khold:
Hey! It’s not my fault I didn’t go to school!
Blaine:
We both didn’t, idiot! We’re brothers!
The whole group watches Khold and Blaine bicker, dumbfounded.
Ivy:
(I’ve never seen these two before, they must be new additions to the Iota Movement.)
Alexis:
So, uh… are you two gonna keep fighting? Because we can go.
Khold:
You seven aren’t going anywhere!
Blaine:
You literally just acknowledged there are six of them!
Khold:
Shut the hell up!
Blaine:
What my brother means is you are all going to die.
Khold:
Of course, we’re willing to be cordial and allow you to pick the order.
Alexis:
So, you’re that confident, huh? Well-
Blair:
So, are these fights going to be one-on-one or?
Khold:
Hm? What do you mean?
Blaine:
She’s asking if we’ll fight them as a pair, Brother.
Khold:
Oh, of course not. We’ll each fight three of you, one at a time.
Blair:
And we get to make those selections?
Blaine:
Of course.
Blair:
Cool.
Alexis looks confused.
Alexis:
*whispers* Blair, what are you doing? We have to get out of here!
Blair:
*whispers* I know, I’m working on that.
Alexis:
*whispers* What? What do you mean?
Blair:
*whispers* Just watch. *normal volume* Okay, then I’ll fight the strong one.
Blaine and Khold:
That would be me.
Blaine and Khold look at each other.
Blaine:
There’s only one way to solve this.
Khold:
Right.
Blaine and Khold:
Rock, Paper, Scissors!
Blaine and Khold begin playing Rock, Paper, Scissors.
Blaine:
Stop throwing rock!
Khold:
No! You stop throwing rock!
Demetri:
*under his breath* This hurts to watch.
Blair starts melting the ice on the snowmobile treads.
Blair:
This will only take a minute.
Alexis:
We might have more than that.
Khold and Blaine switch to throwing paper.
Blaine and Khold:
*frustrated grunt* Stop that!
Gus:
What should we do?
Demetri:
Escape, duh.
Ash:
I think he means after that.
Alexis:
Yeah, we have no clue where the others are, so even if we drive off, we might not be able to find them. And then there’s the other problem…
Demetri:
Huh? What’s that?
Alexis:
If we don’t know where we are, how did these guys know precisely how to find us?
Ash:
Uh… yeah, that’s kind of a problem…
Ivy thinks for a moment.
Ivy:
Signal!
Blair:
Huh?
Alexis:
What did you say?
Ivy:
Iota has a subordinate named Signal; he can block, track, and magnify frequencies. He must be the one messing with the GPS and radios.
Alexis:
And he’s probably using the snowmobiles to track our locations.
Ash:
So, we need to abandon these things; otherwise, they’ll keep finding us.
Ivy:
Yeah, pretty much.
Alexis:
Okay, so-
Blair:
Wait a second, how do you know this?
Demetri:
Yeah, I’m curious about that too.
Ivy:
Well, I- uh…
As everyone awaits Ivy’s answer, Blaine throws scissors.
Khold:
Dammit!
Blaine:
Looks like I got first dibs! Hmm… should I choose the flat one or the fat one?
Gus:
Hey! Demetri’s not that big!
Demetri:
He’s talking about you, dumbass!
Blair:
Gus, create a smokescreen!
Gus:
Wh- but we-
Blair:
Do it, now!
Gus exhales a massive cloud of smoke, engulfing the entire group alongside Blaine and Khold.
Khold:
*coughing* What the hell?!
Blaine:
*coughing* They’re trying to escape!
Blair:
Everyone scatter! They can’t follow all of us!
The group begins running in multiple directions.
Khold:
Where are they going, brother?
Blaine:
I can’t tell! It sounds like they’re splitting up!
After a few minutes, the smoke clears, and Blaine and Khold are alone.
Khold:
Dammit! They got away!
Blaine:
No, they didn’t.
There are three groups of footprints heading off in three directions.
Blaine:
We can track them.
Khold:
Okay, I’ll follow this trail, and you can pick another.
Blaine:
No, Zaire would want us to stay together.
Khold:
*frustrated grunt* No, he wouldn’t! If we don’t split up, most of them will get away!
Blaine looks at his beacon.
Blaine:
Zaire is locked in battle with the guardian, but it looks like one of the footprint sets is heading in his direction. Signal can take care of them. *into the beacon* Julio and Yusuf, the group we found have abandoned their vehicles and split up. Head to our location and follow the footprints going south.
Julio:
*beacon* Roger, we’re on our way.
Blaine:
See? Now 2 out of 3 are taken care of, so we can handle the last group.
Khold:
*nasal grunt* Fine.
Blaine and Khold begin following one trail.
Khold:
Let’s just kill them quickly so we can move on to the next group.
Blaine:
We will, brother, we will.
Vanguard laughs.
Vanguard:
Well, Exciton? What do you say? Shall we see which of us is stronger?
Exciton:
What’s there to be seen? The answer is obvious: It’s me.
Vanguard:
*nasal grunt* Confident as ever, Exciton. It’s okay; you can enjoy these last minutes of us being at nearly even strength. Once my subordinates fetch me that ring, I’ll show you what being inferior is like.
Exciton:
You’re not getting your hands on that ring as long as I’m here!
Vanguard rips off his shirt.
Vanguard:
Exciton, my friend, you don’t understand. You’re not a part of this equation anymore.
Exciton:
Why not?
Vanguard:
Because you’re too busy fighting me to help those students.
Vanguard charges at Exciton, but he blocks with a crystal wall. Absorbing his punch and breaking Vanguard’s hand, but it instantly heals.
Vanguard:
Defending, Exciton? That’s not like you.
Exciton:
Oh, yeah? I’ll show you!
Exciton leaps atop his crystal wall and encases his arms in crystals.
Exciton:
Take this! Exciton Burst!
Exciton blasts a barrage of crystals at Vanguard.
Vanguard:
This again? Didn’t you learn from before?
Exciton:
Of course!
Vanguard:
Huh?
Exciton’s crystals slice into Vanguard’s feet and lower legs, stabbing through them and pinning him to the ground.
Vanguard:
*frustrated grunt*
Exciton:
It doesn’t matter how fast you can heal if my crystals are still in your body!
Exciton releases the crystals on his arms and leaps down before Vanguard, who struggles to remove the crystals keeping him in place.
Exciton:
Having trouble?
Vanguard:
Get your laughs out now because soon you’ll never have anything to laugh about ever again!
Exciton:
*nasal grunt* Sorry, pal, but this fight ends right now.
Exciton puts his hands together, and a crystal forms between his palms.
Exciton:
It’s been a while since I had to bust this one out, but I think I’ll dust it off for you.
Vanguard:
It won’t work.
Exciton:
We’ll see about that.
Exciton aims the crystal at Vanguard’s neck.
Exciton:
Take this! Glass Cannon!
Exciton fires a single massive crystal at Vanguard. Decapitating him.
Drunk Billy and Rubber Man:
Master!
Exciton lowers his guard.
Exciton:
Heal that.
Exciton starts to walk away, but Vanguard’s head regenerates, shocking everyone.
Exciton:
You’ve gotta be kidding me!
Vanguard:
Oh, Exciton, this is no joke.
Vanguard screams as he rips the remaining crystals from his feet, freeing himself. His feet then completely heal.
Vanguard:
This is your nightmare!
Vanguard punches Exciton in the jaw, sending him crashing into a Maoi.
Exciton:
*groans*
Aaron, Justus, and Silver watch Exciton and Vanguard’s battle, trembling.
Silver:
If that’s what one ring can do…
Justus:
We can’t let him get his hands on another one.
Aaron, Justus, and Silver turn their attention to Drunk Billy.
Drunk Billy:
Aw… do you kiddies wanna fight me? How cute!
Aaron:
You’re going down, buddy!
Drunk Billy:
It’s pronounced, Billy!
Wes:
Oh god, another stupid villain… are we magnets for this shit?
Justus:
Wes, Zach, protect Black Hollow, Piper, and the ring.
Zach:
Right, will do!
Zach tosses Alden aside and runs to Black Hollow.
Zach:
*grunts* He’s out cold…
Wes runs to Piper’s side as she stares down Rubber Man.
Piper:
So, what can you do?
Wes:
I can reflect things.
Piper:
Is… is that it?
Wes:
Look, lady, I do not need this from you right now.
Rubber Man extends his arms.
Rubber Man:
Hand over the ring, or I will unleash my ultimate attack!
Wes:
Oh yeah? We’re not afraid!
Rubber Man begins tickling Wes.
Wes:
AH! NO! WE’RE VERY AFRAID!
Piper begins playing her flute.
Piper:
Melodious Maestra: Song of Paralysis!
Wes and Rubber Man both freeze.
Piper:
Zach, right? Attack him now!
Zach:
On it!
Zach extends his bone claws and tail and charges at Rubber Man.
Zach:
Take this!
Exciton:
Zach! Wait!
Zach stops inches away from stabbing Rubber Man.
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Zach:
Wh- why, Exciton?
Exciton:
Rubber Man and Drunk Billy are heroes! They’re under the control of Vanguard. They’re innocent, so you can’t inflict a fatal wound!
Zach:
But then-
Piper:
You’re running out of time!
Zach:
Huh?
Piper’s paralysis ends; Rubber Man knees Zach in the jaw, sending him crashing into a Maoi.
Zach:
*groans*
Exciton:
Zach!
Vanguard:
You should pay attention to your own battles!
Vanguard knees Exciton in the chest.
Exciton:
*pained grunt*
Vanguard:
Hahaha! Huh?
Exciton grabs Vanguard’s forearm.
Exciton:
Crystal Prison!
Exciton begins encasing Vanguard in crystals.
Vanguard:
Damn you!
Vanguard punches Exciton, releasing his grip. Vanguard then leaps back; his entire left arm has been crystallized.
Vanguard:
*frustrated grunt* How dare you!
Exciton:
Now you’ll have to start using your right hand to fight, which will put those rings you cherish dearly in danger.
Vanguard:
(He’s right, I need to be careful and be less aggressive. Luckily, time is on my side.)
Drunk Billy begins walking towards Silver, Justus, and Aaron.
Aaron:
Okay, boys, follow my lead, and we can take this guy.
Silver:
Aaron, we’re not even sure of what his quirk is yet.
Aaron:
And? It doesn’t matter what it is. We’ve got this!
Aaron transforms his arms into M1919 Brownings and opens fire on Drunk Billy.
Justus:
Aaron!
The bullets bounce off of Drunk Billy like they’re nothing.
Aaron:
Huh… so, that’s… not what I expected.
Drunk Billy:
I think I found my first target!
Drunk Billy runs up and smashes Silver in the chest.
Silver:
*pained grunt*
Aaron:
Huh… that was misleading.
Drunk Billy chucks Silver into Aaron.
Aaron:
*groans* There it is…
Justus uses his rocket boots to spin kick Drunk Billy, but Billy blocks by catching his ankle.
Justus:
(His reaction time is increased as well!)
Aaron and Silver start to get up.
Aaron:
Alright… new strategy, let’s-
Drunk Billy throws Justus into Aaron.
Aaron:
Bitch!
Silver creates wrist, elbow, and shoulder blade blades from his liquid silver.
Silver:
Blade Storm!
Silver begins slicing Drunk Billy all over his body but leaves zero damage.
Silver:
What! How durable are you!
Drunk Billy:
I am the Devil! My Berserk strength is enhanced by my blood alcohol level of 1. Making me the perfect warrior!
Silver:
Wait, did you just say you have a BAC of 1-
Aaron and Justus are getting up.
Aaron:
If he does that again, I’m gonna be pissed-
Drunk Billy throws Silver into Justus.
Aaron:
Thank you-
Drunk Billy jumps at Aaron, grabs him by the face, and repeatedly slams him into the ground.
Aaron:
*muffled* FUCK ME!
Silver and Justus stand up.
Silver:
He’s got one of those Tarot quirks, just like Lilith and the others.
Justus:
Which one?
Silver:
He said “The Devil” I’m not sure exactly what that quirk does, but his strength, reaction speed, and durability are heavily increased.
Justus:
So, similar to Kevin’s quirk, but he seems completely cognizant; I wonder why?
Silver:
That’s it!
Justus:
Huh? That’s what?
Silver:
His name is “Drunk Billy” he must always be inebriated! His brain is so used to being buzzed that any drawbacks his berserk powers have are mitigated completely.
Justus:
So, he’s drunk?
Silver:
Yeah, I guess this gives another meaning to the word “tolerance.”
Drunk Billy throws Aaron at Silver, but Silver opens a canister of silver dust to catch Aaron safely.
Justus:
Aaron, we figured out his-
Aaron:
He’s strong; I got that. I don’t need any more details. Do you guys have a plan to beat him yet?
Silver:
No, got any ideas?
Aaron:
I say we test the lengths of his durability.
Justus:
Are you sure that’s a good idea?
Aaron:
Hey, we’ve been getting smacked around already. What’s the harm in seeing how far we can get with our best attacks?
Silver and Justus look at each other for a moment, then nod.
Silver:
Alright, let’s do this.
Aaron puts his arms together and forms a mortar. Justus readies his rocket boots. Silver channels all his silver dust into a massive mound and levitates it above Drunk Billy.
Aaron:
On 3! 3!
Justus rockets towards Drunk Billy, throwing his shield at him. Billy blocks it, but that leaves him wide open.
Justus:
Colossal Justice!
Justus begins hitting Drunk Billy with a barrage of intense punches. He then springboards off Billy’s face to get away from him.
Justus:
Now, Aaron!
Aaron:
Ballistic Bombardment Times 15!
Aaron fires a series of 15 mortar shells into the sky. Silver creates holes in his mound of Silver for the shells to pass through as they explode and devastate Drunk Billy and the ground around him.
Aaron:
Alright, Silver, finish this!
Silver:
Silverclad Barrage: Avalanche!
Silver’s mound of dust crashes down on Drunk Billy with destructive force. All three boys are breathing heavily.
Justus:
Did we get him?
Aaron:
Oh no! Don’t ask that-
Drunk Billy emerges from the dust mound practically unscathed. His clothes were destroyed entirely except for his tighty whities.
Drunk Billy:
That was fun!
Aaron:
Shit!
Silver:
Those were some of our best attacks!
Justus:
And he took them like they were nothing!
Drunk Billy:
I’m a pro hero enhanced by the power of the Vanguard! You three don’t stand a chance against me!
Drunk Billy leaps into the air and descends upon the three of them.
Silver:
Who’s first?
Aaron:
I have a strange feeling that it’s-
Drunk Billy bitch slaps Aaron so hard that he gets sent flying through one Moai and into another.
Aaron:
*groans* Me…
Silver:
Aaron!
Drunk Billy:
You’re next!
Drunk Billy grabs Silver and pile-drives him into the dirt.
Silver:
*muffled groan*
Justus:
Silver! No!
Justus charges at Drunk Billy, who casually grabs Justus and cracks the boy’s back over his knee.
Justus:
AHHHHHH!
Record Scratch.
Justus (Naratting):
Yup, that’s me. I bet you’re wondering how I got into this mess? Well, it all started about 4 seconds ago when I made the worst decision of my life.
Justus:
Silver! No!
Justus charges at Drunk Billy, who casually grabs Justus and cracks the boy’s back over his knee.
Justus:
AHHHHHH!
Justus (Naratting):
And that sums it up.
Drunk Billy tosses Justus aside like a ragdoll.
Drunk Billy:
You three bore me!
Silver:
Fuck… you…
Drunk Billy:
Looks like you get to die first!
Silver:
Joy…
As Wes recovers from his tickling, Rubber Man and Piper are at a standstill.
Piper:
(I could try my paralysis again, but those two aren’t ready to follow up with an attack yet. I guess I’ll have to try a different song.)
Piper begins playing her flute.
Piper:
Melodious Maestra: Song of Heaven!
Zach, Wes, and Rubber Man all start smiling.
Wes:
Wow… this feels really good.
Zach:
Yeah… my pain from getting thrown into a rock is going away.
Rubber Man starts to lose control of his rubbery body.
Rubber Man:
Wh- what the hell is going on?
Piper:
This song relaxes the muscles of all that hear it. Meaning you can’t control the stretching property of your body. It also will help my allies recover.
Wes:
Yeah… this feels great.
Piper:
Just be careful, you might piss your-
Wes pees his pants.
Piper:
self…
Wes:
Dammit! Twice in the same pair of pants!
Piper:
Wait… twice?
Zach stands up.
Zach:
Alright, I’m ready now, Ms. Piper!
Piper:
Then attack now; I can’t use my Paralysis song again until the Heaven song’s effects end.
Zach charges at Rubber Man, who is completely helpless.
Zach:
If I can’t go for a fatal blow, I’ll just do this!
Zach wraps his tail around Rubber Man’s neck and throws him to the ground.
Zach:
Take that!
Rubber Man feels no pain thanks to the song of heaven, but his body is damaged from his collision.
Rubber Man:
You seem to be the group's muscle; removing you from play would be in my best interest.
Zach:
Huh? How are you gonna do that-
Rubber Man manifests his quill and stabs it into Zach’s ankle.
Zach:
AH! WHAT THE HECK!
Zach attempts to kick Rubber Man, but he rolls away from Zach and manifests his book. Then, he begins writing in it with Zach’s blood.
Zach:
Huh? What is that?
Wes gets a look of realization.
Wes:
Zach! That must be his Vanguard quirk! You can’t let him finish what he’s doing!
Piper:
My song is about to end! Stop him now!
Zach:
On it!
Zach runs up to Rubber Man and smashes his tail into Rubber Man’s face, knocking him away and forcing him to drop his book.
Zach:
Take that!
Rubber Man:
Hahaha! You were too late!
Zach:
Huh? I was?
Rubber Man:
Take a look for yourself.
Zach picks up the book.
Zach:
“Forget how to breathe?” What does this mean?
Suddenly Zach begins choking.
Rubber Man:
You’re done for now!
Zach drops the book and falls to his knees, holding his neck.
Zach:
(What the hell? Why can’t I breathe? What did he do to me?)
Wes and Piper look confused.
Piper:
What’s wrong with him?
Wes:
It’s gotta be whatever he wrote in that book.
Rubber Man kicks Zach in the gut, sending him flying backward.
Zach:
(I did not need the wind kicked out of me!)
Wes runs to Zach’s aid.
Wes:
Zach! What’s wrong?
Zach:
Can’t… breathe…
Wes:
What? Why?
Zach:
I… don’t… know… how…
Wes:
(Huh?)
Wes spots the hierophant book and notices what’s written in it.
Wes:
(Shit! That must be some sort of curse, but how do we stop it?)
Zach starts turning blue.
Rubber Man:
There’s nothing you can do, his body needs air, and he has no clue how to get it. He’s finished.
Wes:
(That’s it! His body needs air!)
Wes punches Zach in the face, knocking him out cold.
Rubber Man:
Huh?
Piper:
What did you do that for?!
With Zach now unconscious, he begins breathing naturally.
Wes:
It doesn’t matter if Zach doesn’t know how to breathe. If he’s not awake, his body will do it independently. So, ha! Your plan didn’t work!
Rubber Man laughs.
Rubber Man:
My plan was to remove that fool from the fight, and that was accomplished! It doesn’t matter if he wasn’t asphyxiated; Master Vanguard will just kill him later.
Wes:
Oh…
Rubber Man:
You two don’t stand a chance against me without his muscle!
Wes:
Oh yeah?! I’m all the muscle we need!
Rubber Man laughs hysterically.
Wes:
Yup… I realized the moment I said it.
Vargas and Zaire stare each other down.
Signal:
Sigma and Iota going head to head. I wonder what’s gonna happen?
Vargas creates two amaryllis fireballs in his hands.
Zaire:
Guardian, you will not win this battle. My task is to retrieve that ring, and I will do anything to complete it, including killing you.
Vargas:
You think death scares me, boy? If I was afraid to die, I would have fled from this forest hours ago.
Zaire:
(What? So he knew we were coming too? How?)
Vargas:
When I’m done thrashing you, your soul will be trapped inside the Sigma Ring for all eternity. A fate far worse than death.
That
should scare you.
Zaire:
It doesn’t.
Vargas smiles.
Vargas:
Then I think it’s time we need this quick intermission and resume this fight!
Vargas begins blasting a barrage of fireballs at Zaire.
Vargas:
Infinite Assault: Burning Amaryllis!
Zaire:
(He’s not foolish. He knows I can block these with the power of Iota. He’s planning something…)
Zaire opens a warp gate and steps into it.
Vargas:
(So, he caught on, but now the question is: how much did he catch?)
Zaire reappears, standing on the branch of a nearby tree.
Zaire:
(I’m a man of honor, but this mission is too important to let something like that get in my way.)
Zaire speaks into his beacon.
Zaire:
Marsh, are you in position?
Marsh:
*beacon* Almost. Why? Do you need me to take a shot?
Zaire:
If you can put a bullet in the back of this guardian’s head, take it. Don’t hesitate.
Marsh:
*beacon* Roger.
Zaire:
(It’s time for me to pull out an old classic of Master Iota’s.)
Vargas patiently awaits Zaire.
Vargas:
(Where is he? And what’s he planning?)
A warp gate opens behind Vargas; Zaire attempts to stab him with his wrist blade again, but Vargas counters by spinning around and nailing him with a point-blank fireball, setting him ablaze.
Vargas:
You fool!
As Vargas watches Zaire’s burning body fall to the ground, a knife enters his back.
Vargas:
AHHHH!
Signal:
(Woah!)
Vargas looks over his shoulder to see Zaire standing behind him with his wrist blade inserted into Vargas’ lower back.
Vargas:
(What?!)
Vargas looks forward and sees Zaire’s burning corpse is gone.
Vargas:
(How did he do that?!)
Zaire:
It’s good for you that you only need one kidney to live.
Zaire removes his blade and kicks Vargas to the ground.
Vargas:
*coughs up blood* (How… how did he do that?)
Signal:
(Oh, I get it! He’s using the power of Mental Mirage! The same thing Master Iota used to throw Colossus off his game! That probably isn’t the real Zaire either, and that wound Vargas just suffered is all in his head. I guess the old man doesn’t get cable out here. Otherwise, he could have seen this coming.)
Zaire steps on Vargas’ back.
Vargas:
*pained grunt*
Zaire:
Hand the ring over right now.
Vargas:
Never!
Zaire:
Then I guess I’ll have to take it by force.
Vargas:
I’d love to see you try.
Zaire:
I will!
Vargas closes his eyes. Zaire readies his wrist blade.
Zaire:
Time to die!
Vargas:
You’re right; it is time.
Zaire:
Hm?
Vargas stands up with 0 pain and wraps his arms in flames. Then, he begins spinning in place.
Zaire:
What are you doing!
Vargas:
Infinite Assault: Spiraling Amaryllis!
Mirage Zaire fades alongside Vargas’ wound. The real Zaire and Signal both look worried.
Zaire and Signal:
(He knew all along!)
Vargas’ flames shoot off in every direction, creating a flaming tornado. The eye of the storm is in the shape of an Amaryllis.
Zaire:
(Damn!)
Zaire opens a warp gate and escapes, but not fast enough to avoid getting burnt on his left arm and leg.
Zaire:
*pained grunt*
Signal ducks for cover behind a tree, but the intense heat of the tornado applies second-degree burns to the back of his arms and neck.
Signal:
AHHHH!
Vargas’ attack ends, and the clearing has expanded as the trees on the outside edges have been burnt to a crisp.
Vargas:
*nasal grunt* Nice try.
Zaire reappears in front of Vargas.
Vargas:
Did you really believe I wasn’t briefed on what the Iota Ring is capable of? A foolish mistake.
Zaire:
You’ll pay for that.
Vargas:
I highly doubt it.
Blair and Ivy are walking through the snowy forest together.
Ivy:
I don’t think they’re following us; they must have chased after the others.
Blair:
Yeah… right.
Ivy:
Hm? Is something wrong?
Blair:
Yeah, now that we’re alone, you can answer my question from earlier.
Ivy:
Huh? Oh… um… I-
Blair:
What’s your name?
Ivy:
I- it’s uh…
Blair:
You’re the girl… the one who killed EMD and tried to kidnap me.
Ivy is taken aback.
Blair:
Tell the truth.
Ivy:
I… Yeah… it’s me.
Awkward silence.
Blair:
*scoffs* I can’t believe Hayze brought you with us. I’m sure your friends will be happy to see you.
Ivy:
They’re not my friends! Master Iota abandoned me; I’m not with them anymore.
Blair:
And why should I believe that?! A couple of weeks ago, you killed Hayze in cold blood. You’re
totally
someone worth trusting.
Ivy:
I’ve changed! Hayze showed me that I no longer have to be on the wrong side. I can help you.
Blair:
Help me? I’m not even sure I should keep walking with you. With the amount of pain and suffering you’ve caused, you have some nerve trying to blend in with our class.
Ivy:
I’m sorry, I did all those things. But I only was with Iota because I thought that was my only choice. I didn’t have anywhere else to go!
Blair:
I’m sure that’s what Hayze told you, but he’s a little too nice for his own good. You always have a choice; you chose to stay with Iota and do his bidding. You chose to kill EMD. And now, I’m choosing to leave you out here in the cold.
Blair starts walking away.
Ivy:
*frustrated grunt* Fine! Walk away! I don’t care about your opinion anyway. I’ve changed, and I don’t need
you
to believe that. Hayze told me I could fight for the side of good, and I know he’s right. I won’t let him down, so you can walk away from me, but I’m not going anywhere!
Blair ignores Ivy.
Ivy:
(It’s not safe for us to travel these woods alone, but I’m afraid if I follow her, she’ll get violent. What can I do to convince her to at least tolerate me?)
“
Blaze:
You can go with your girlfriend.
Hayze:
Uh, she’s not my-
Blair covers Hayze’s mouth.
Blair:
I like this kid. “
— Chapter 177
Ivy:
I guess I’ll just take solace in the fact that I trust Hayze more than you.
Blair stops and turns around.
Blair:
What did you just say?
Ivy:
Hayze trusts me, so you must not trust Hayze’s judgment.
Blair:
I do, just not with you.
Ivy:
Well, the only reason you were able to escape the Vampire Queen’s lair was because Hayze believed in me and didn’t kill me. You all would have died there if not for me!
Blair:
Oh yeah, I’m sure you gave him that information willingly!
Ivy:
I did… because he proved to me that he was trustworthy.
Blair:
How?
Ivy removes her prosthetic hand, surprising Blair.
Ivy:
My whole life, my quirk’s incredible power was a curse. One that made me a second-class citizen. I joined Iota’s group because otherwise, I would have just been an orphan living on the streets, waiting to die. I thought those were my only two options for the longest time. But Hayze kept telling me that they weren't, that I could be “normal.” I didn’t believe him, so I tried to silence him. But then, when we were fighting in the Vampire Queen’s facility, he cut off my hand, weakening my quirk. He proved I could trust him; he always told the truth when he said I could be different. He’s right, and I don’t care what your opinion is about that. So, go ahead and walk away.
Blair is quiet for a moment.
Blair:
*sighs* Fine, you can come along, but that doesn’t mean I like your company.
Ivy:
Thank you.
Alexis and Demetri catch their breath from their encounter with Blaine and Khold.
Alexis:
We probably shouldn’t stop; if they’re tailing us, we won’t have long before they catch up.
Demetri:
Hey, you’re also tired. Don’t act like this is all on me.
Alexis:
I know, but we need to keep pushing. We’ll have to fight them if they catch up to us, and I’m not sure how well that will go.
Demetri:
Why? Because I’m here?
Alexis:
That’s not what I-
Demetri:
We’ve faced these guys before, and outside of the masked girl, they weren’t much more powerful than us. Plus, we’ve all been training for the past year. So it’s not like we’ll be crushed or anything.
Alexis:
These two weren’t there a year ago, and I have a strange feeling about them. They seem… powerful.
Demetri:
So what? So are we.
Alexis:
Demetri, you’re really pushing me into a corner here.
Demetri:
Just say it.
Alexis:
*sighs* Fine! I don’t feel confident taking them on with you here.
Demetri:
There, it’s out in the open. Look, I get that I’ve done nothing to inspire confidence this last year and a half, but I understand that this is life and death, so trust me when I say I’m ready to give it my all.
Alexis:
Your all is what I’m afraid of…
Demetri:
Yeah, well-
Suddenly a black fireball flies between them; the heatwaves are so powerful they actually knock Alexis and Demetri back.
Khold:
Sorry, were we interrupting your character development?
Blaine:
I guess you’ll have to wait for the next chapter, assuming you’re in it.
Demetri:
*frustrated grunt*
Alexis:
I told you they’d catch up!
Demetri:
Yeah, and I had a plan for that!
Alexis, Blaine, and Khold:
Huh?
Demetri reveals he laid his puppet strings as a trap that Blaine and Khold are standing over. The strings shoot up and connect to various parts of their bodies.
Khold:
Dammit!
Blaine:
He got us!
Alexis:
Nice work, Demetri!
Demetri:
See? I’m not a waste of space!
Blaine and Khold both start laughing.
Demetri:
Huh?
Blaine:
He actually thought he got us, brother!
Khold:
Did you see the look on his face!
Demetri:
What are you guys laughing about?! I’ve got you bound! You can’t move any part of your body!
Khold:
Yeah, but we can move our quirks!
Blaine covers his entire body in black flames, burning up Demetri’s strings. Khold encases his body in ice; he then shatters the ice and strings.
Demetri:
Shit…
Blaine:
There’s nowhere to run now.
Khold:
And definitely nowhere to hide.
Alexis gulps.
Alexis:
(Looks like we have to fight these two… more than likely to the death. They seem powerful, but if there’s one thing that terrifies me…)
Alexis looks at the flame Blaine threw at them earlier.
Alexis:
(That flame’s still burning…)
