CHAPTER EIGHT
The heroes
made their way over Williams Square, past the highway, and into Louis
Forest. They landed on the soft dewy grass, trees and boulders dotting
the calm landscape. Here and there the soft green glow of Circle rituals
were still evident. Upon seeing the mages conjuring their spells,
Top Ten knew that the Beast had not yet arrived in Founders Falls.
They also realized it was preternaturally quiet as though before a
storm. No birds sang, no insects buzzed. They had experienced this
before. It was like Perez Park when they had first encountered their
foe.
They stood together, all eyes moving, searching for what was
coming. Scrap was still on his communicator, calling in more of the
team, hoping that they would all arrive before the enemy.
Kunai was
looking over the park, shaking his head. "I don’t understand," he
rubbed his chin through his mask. "I lost this thing last night. It’s
nine o’clock in the morning. It should be here by now."
"It’s drawn
to magic," Tropic shrugged. "There are lots of little islands in Talos.
Lots of Circle of Thorns on them."
"Yes. It probably stopped to take
some more…magic juice from them," WillowWind agreed, grimacing.
General
Scrap rejoined the group, stowing his communicator back on his belt.
"Well," he sighed, "I called just about everyone. The people I talked
to said they’re on their way." He shook his head and tugged on his
earlobe. "Left messages for the rest. I hope they get them in time."
"You didn’t call me," a feminine voice said softly.
The team turned
toward the voice and saw her there, leaning heavily against a tree,
as if that was the only thing keeping her upright. She wore her Top
Ten uniform, holding the edge of her cape tightly in her right hand.
The outfit was covered with dirt and grass stains, she had a thick
white bandage wrapped around her forehead and she looked down her
nose at her friends through red-lensed glasses.
Miyaka stared at the
woman with an arched eyebrow. "Deep Phreeze?" She shook her head in
astonishment. "Phreeze, aren’t you supposed to be in the hospital?"
"They said they wanted me overnight for ‘observation’," she grinned
crookedly. "They observed me. It’s daytime. I left."
Ryuuhoshi crossed
to the ice wielder smiling. He grasped her arm and helped her to a
small boulder. As she sat he chewed on his lower lip and said quietly,
"You know you’re in no condition to help us, don’t you?"
She looked
up at the dark ninja with one squinted eye and said frostily, "You
going to try and stop me?" Phreeze’s clenched fists quickly encased
themselves in ice. Ryuuhoshi smiled under his mask and threw up his
hands in surrender.
WillowWind smiled warmly at her newly arrived
teammate. "Scrap didn’t call you. How’d you know where to find us?"
Deep Phreeze snorted, shaking her head. "You guys are all over the
news."
"What?" Buttercup asked in surprise.
"Yeah," the ice blaster
nodded then looked in the faces of her friends. She raised her eyebrow
in disbelief. "What? You didn’t think people would notice?" She looked
from one hero to the other. "You fight some kind of demon in Perez
Park. Then you have this huge battle with the Knives at the train
station in Steel. Then you blow up a mansion. And then you‘re seen
flying over Founders Falls." She paused shaking her head. Finally
she said quietly, "The police were looking for you, you know."
"The
police? Why?" Scrap stood frowning, arms crossed over his chest.
"Youblew up a mansion! But when they got there they found several paintings
and pieces of artwork that had been stolen…and several people with
ties to a few criminal organizations," Phreeze smiled broadly. "The
news said the police think they’ve busted up an art smuggling ring.
Most of the people there had outstanding arrest warrants out on them."
She laughed lightly. "Without meaning to you guys wiped about twenty
cases from the books."
Willow frowned. " ‘Blew up a mansion’…please,
I only blew up a little bit of it," she said softly to no one in particular.
Tropic lowered his head and smiled.
Phreeze looked around the park,
turning her head this way and that, a slight look of pain on her face.
"So…where is this thing?"
"That’s what we want to know," came a booming
voice from above. The heroes looked up to the sky and grinned at the
sight. Four more of their teammates had arrived, the yellow and gold
Top Ten shield flashing as the early morning sunlight danced across
their chests.
Scrap stepped forward with his hand outstretched. "Hey!
That was quick."
Lord Nikon landed lightly in front of his friend
and shook his hand warmly. "You sounded…well, it sounded pretty urgent."
TuxedoGin and Novak landed amongst the team. "Yes," Tux added, "it
sounded like you were talking bout the end of the world." He grinned
as he greeted his teammates.
Tropic smiled sadly. "It pretty much
is," he sighed.
Cyber-Blade landed next to Miyaka, the two katana
wielders nodded in greeting. "That bad?" he asked.
"Knowing this group,
it probably is," a new voice called out. The team all turned to the
sound and saw a figure speeding up the last few yards of a hill towards
them. Umbral Fist skidded to a stop directly in front of Ryuuhoshi.
"So, what are we facing? Some kind of demonic purse snatcher?" he
grinned.
Temptations scowled at the dark scrapper. "No," the warrior
said seriously as she rubbed the length of her broadsword with an
oiled cloth. "Not by half."
Buttercup sighed and explained to the
new arrivals more of what they were going to face. As she spoke the
color drained from Nikon and TuxedoGin’s faces. Cyber-Blade and Umbral
looked at each other with skeptical expressions.
"You know," Novak
said with a shake of his head, "after this is all over I’m just gonna
stay in Atlas and arrest Hellions."
The heroes grinned at the energy
blaster when a ghostly voice behind General Scrap spoke. "So, it is
true then."
Scrap started in surprise, spinning toward the voice,
his hands already glowing with power. He dropped his hands when he
realized who it was. "Geez, Padre, don’t sneak up on me like that.
It’s been a long day!"
Padre Ares hovered in front of the team and
nodded in apology to Scrap. He turned his attention to Tropic. "It
is as I feared?" His red horns seemed to glow against his jet black
skin and the eldritch fire flowed from his eyes as he stared at the
fire blaster.
"Aye, priest" Tropic said quietly, "the Spawn is here."
The dark controller landed in front of the ancient fire blaster. He
stroked his chin and muttered, "I have always feared the Thorns would
do something…foolish." He glanced up at Tropic. "But on this scale…"
"They made a mistake and it’s killing them," Valya frowned. "And then
it’s going to kill everything else."
Top Ten stood in silence, engulfed
in their own thoughts. The reality and desperateness of the situation
finally beginning to become apparent. If this Beast was allowed to
open the gate, the armies of Hell would stream into this realm. And
when all was prepared, when the living had been subjugated, when goodness,
light, purity had been perverted, the Dark Master would come and reign
supreme over the entire planet.
Hell on Earth.
"Look!" WillowWind
gasped. "Look at the sky!"
The heroes looked to the south. Beyond
a raised range of boulders the sky had begun to turn a misty green.
As they watched it began to swirl and it’s color deepen. And then,
piercing the quiet morning, a long drawn out scream; a wail of such
hopelessness that some of the heroes flinched.
Tropic looked at the
teammates and whispered roughly. "It’s here."
The nineteen adventurers
nodded to each other then raced to battle. They came around a jutting
stone and saw for the second time Satan’s child. It had grown since
their battle in Perez Park. All the magic power it had taken had caused
it’s size, it’s muscle and power to swell and thrive. It was well
over fifteen feet tall now. Great slabs of hard muscle twitched and
flexed under its oily black skin. It’s huge wings fluttered, moving
spasmodically in the cool morning sun. And it’s eyes leaked green
fire, a magic force to powerful to contain.
"What the hell is that?"
A voice exclaimed from behind the team.
They turned and saw more of
their team arriving, answering the call as heroes are wont to do.
Lord Nikon grinned as they came and greeted each other. There was
Dr. Silver, a powerful empath. Blue Fox Sly and Aeroxon, both deadly
scrappers. Mr. Heaven and Serridus, two defenders who’s energy powers
augmented their force field and empathy skills. L33t On3, Ebola Zaire
and Flint Fingers, warriors welcome in any battle, a controller and
blaster of fire and a scrapper of living bone.
Johnny Cognito grinned,
almost in relief. "Am I glad to see you guys!"
L33t On3 smiled back
and looked beyond the team to the Beast. "You guys having demon problems?"
Johnny snorted. "No. Devil problems." At L33t’s raised eyebrow Cognito
pointed at the Beast and said, "Son of the Devil. Trying to open a
gateway. Hell on Earth. It’s got to go."
Flint Fingers nodded. "Ok,
simple enough."
Top Ten watched for a moment as the Beast grabbed
and drained an Earth Thorn Caster. It tossed the Thorn’s mummified
husk aside and tore apart a Behemoth Master. The sky above had deepened
in color, the thick swirling green now blocking the bright sunlight
and shrouding Louis Forest in shadow.
"So what’s the plan?" Nikon
asked and grimaced as the thing pulled apart a Guide.
TuxedoGin eyed
the monster for a moment then regarded the gathered heroes in front
of him. He scowled, nodding his head all the while, then took a deep
breath. "All right, we do what we do: defeat the enemy." The team
smiled, confidence evident on their faces.
"Right," General Scrap
said as he turned from watching the Beast tear apart another Circle
mage. "Damage dealers in tight. Controllers, lock him down. Blasters
at range. Defenders keep us going." Scrap looked at his teammates,
his face grim, as if he were receiving bad news at the doctors. "The
plan’s simple. We have to get that thing to expend so much of it’s
power on us, it’ll weaken eventually and we’ll be able to destroy
it." He gazed briefly at Buttercup and Tropic. "I hope that’s what
the Tablet means."
Tropic sighed and nodded and beside him Buttercup
whispered, "I hope so."
Lord Nikon breathed out deeply. "Ok," he said,
his voice no more than a rough whisper. "Ready!"
Behind him, one by
one, the heroes of Top Ten answered "Ready!". And then, like a force
of nature, they charged down the hill.
The Beast held a Death Mage
in his vice-like grip, all the magic power of the man flowing in green
tendrils into his open maw. Out of the corner of his fiery green eyes
he saw the collected heroes rushing towards him. The monster grinned,
it’s sharp teeth showing in the darkening forest. "Fools," it whispered,
and the very ground seemed to tremble. "Are you in such a hurry that
you must run towards death?"
The Blasters halted and released their
first salvo, peppering the Beast with blasts of energy and fire, electricity
and ice. Closer still to the monster the Controllers stopped short,
attacking, trying to contain the enemy with tar, radiation, and living
imps of fire doing their best to confuse the animal. The Defenders
were closer still. Mr. Heaven encasing each teammate in a bubble of
energy; Cadecus already sending forth his healing aura. Finally, the
damage dealers, the Scrappers and Tanks, in close to the Beast, attacking
with all their might.
In Founders Falls it sounded like a small explosion
in the middle of Louis Forest. Those looking towards the park saw
the green swirling glow in the sky and flashes of light reflecting
from it. People new to Paragon City stared in wonder. The long-time
residents knew what was happening. Something about this battle felt
wrong to them and they gripped the hands of their children and hurried
for cover.
In the park the battle was fully joined. The sky lit up
with the blasts ricocheting off the Beast’s tough armor-like hide.
The swords of Temptations, Miyaka, Cyber-Blade and Aeroxon hacked
and slashed at the monster, the sharp blades bouncing harmlessly off
it’s oily skin. The pinpricks of their weapons coupled with the claws
and spines of Blue Fox Sly and Ebola Zaire only served to annoy the
great demon and it howled it’s aggravation to the sky.
The Beast swung
it’s great fist in a sweeping arc trying to swat away the heroes pestering
it. The hand caught Blue Fox Sly full on and sent him hurtling, rolling
across the soft grass. The end of the strike glanced against Cyber-Blade
and tossed him in the same direction. Blue was able to stop his tumbling
and as Cyber rolled past reached out and caught the sword master by
the arm. The two men looked at each other and, wordlessly, rushed
back to the fray.
Umbral Fist was slowly coming to the realization
that this…demon was immune to his dark powers. Touch of Fear, Shadow
Maul, Soul Drain were all proving ineffective against the Son of Satan.
So he did what he could, hitting the Beast with his bare hands.
"Rotate!"
TuxedoGin’s voice was barely audible above the battle. "If you need
to rest someone will take your place!" He attacked the monster with
fervor, punches and kicks bouncing off the thing’s tough hide. Buttercup
leapt up and delivered a spinning kick to the Beast’s side but she
could tell it did no damage. Still they fought on trying desperately
to make it expend all it’s energy on the team.
"Idiots!" The Beast
shouted. "You cannot stop destiny!" It’s huge tail swung about. Aeroxon
was able to jump over it but Miyaka saw it coming a moment too late.
She tried to duck, to bob out of the way, but the forked appendage
struck her slightly and she fell dazed to the ground. The Beast closed
in on it’s helpless prey, raising it’s foot, ready to stomp one of
it’s tormentors into the ground.
"MIYAKA!" Temptations screamed and
rushed towards her friend. But she knew she was too far away. The
warrior gripped her broadsword tightly and watched in horror as the
huge foot came down.
Suddenly the monster was encased in a gigantic
ball of electricity and another figure swooped in, grasping the prone
heroine and rocketing her from harm’s way. Temptations breathed out
heavily in relief as she saw Captain Denmark gently place Miyaka on
the ground a safe distance from the fight.
"Shocking, isn’t it?" a
voice called from above. Temptations looked up and saw the source
of the electric power. Blighting hovered there, the dark haired woman
crackling with energy, sending another blast into the Beast.
Denmark
flew over and hovered next to Tropic and Elendil, joining them in
hurtling blast after blast at the monster. El shouted over, "Glad
you could join us!" and grinned at the energy blaster.
"Blighting
and I were in Striga thinning out Council when we got Scrap’s message,"
he smiled back. "How come you guys never fight a den of evil shoplifters?"
"It’s just not us," Blighting answered back. "Now let’s kill this
thing!"
All the blasters unloaded on the Beast at the same time. Energy,
electricity, fire and ice hit the animal at the same time.
And did
nothing.