Avatar of KillamriX88

Status

Recent Statuses

4 mos ago
Current *Cthulu will remember this*
12 mos ago
If you're buying "health food bars" make sure you check the sugar content. A little natural sugar is normal, but it ain't heathy if it has 20g added sugar.
1 yr ago
Being a small pepper.
1 yr ago
Just shout to the heavens "UWOH SEGGS" and wait for divine inspiration. Or your family's disapproval. Whichever gets there first.
1 like
1 yr ago
I love when I shovel myself out, drive through a snowstorm to get to work on time... and then my boss calls me 5 minutes after when I was supposed to arrive that he's not coming in and to go home...
3 likes

Bio

Facts about me:
1. I like writing.
2. I like cats.
3. I like RWBY. (#Yangbestgril)
4. I am 30 years old...
5. I have graduated college.
6. I'm trying to get better at drawing.
7. I'm a dude.
8. I eat far too much cheese.
9. I watched a Markiplier video once. Now I have a crippling Taki addiction. Don't send help, just more Takis.

Various, relevant links:
https://www.fanfiction.net/u/1700005/KillamriX88

Most Recent Posts


@Crowvette



To say Vernon was mad would have been a dangerous understatement. There were already a few gangbangers missing teeth and suffering from near terminal frostbite to prove this. Some of them were members of his own family mob. He wasn't being particularly discriminate in who he took his frustrations out on.

He'd already been riled up by William's injuries, but now some prick from another country had moved in to take over? No, THREE of them had. His family had soon enough been able to sniff out the other two as well. Ward, Vala, and Jasper.

It was all putting him in a perpetually foul mood. Finally, though, he'd come up with an actionable plan. Something that might make him feel better and also solve one of his problems. If all went well he'd never have to see that dimwitted girl Andras ever again. Whose bright idea had it been to grant near limitless power to her of all people?

The gods really did have a sense of humor.

He found himself in a poorer neighborhood. He knocked on one door in particular, a grin sprouting on his face as the door opened.

"Hello... Cyan." It was not a happy grin.

"Oh... uh..." Cyan swallowed hard and took a startled step back. Without being invited, Vernon stepped past the threshold into the house.

"Anyone else home?" Vernon asked, glancing about.

"Y-yes-"

"Don't lie," Vernon admonished the boy. "We need to have a little... chat."

"Um... um..." POP! And just like the Cyan turned invisible.

"Oh for the love of..." Vernon groaned and then let out a quite literally chilling screech. Ice and frost soon coated the floor except for two very conspicuously foot-shaped spots. Vernon reached out and grabbed at seemingly thin air, but it certainly felt like Cyan's throat. "Cut the invisibility bullshit before I freeze your neck and snap it off your shoulders," Vernon warned him. "I'm not going to count, so before I lose my patience..."

"Wh-what... do you want?" Cyan shivered as he faded back into sight.

"Why does anyone want anything to do with you? I need to use your fancy little ability."

"It doesn't work that way! It's fifty-fifty that something bad will happen instead!" Cyan whined, feeling his ankles going numb.

"To me?"

"D-depends on the wish..."

"Then I'm not too concerned." Vernon jerked the boy forward, popping him out of the ice and dragging him to a nearby chair and shoving him into it.

"B-but what about me?" He was the far more likely victim.

"Again. Not concerned."

"I am!"

"Be more worried about what I 100% will do to you right now if you keep complaining!" Vernon snapped.

". . . what do you want me to do?" Cyan whimpered helplessly.

"Let me ask you this. If you wished for world peace, what would happen? Or... to end world hunger?"

"Well... I guess either it'd work or the world would go into a never ending war. Or... maybe I'd never stop feeling hungry. Or everyone would... or all the food would rot or something... I dunno. It's just... the bigger the wish, the worse the possible consequence. Normally the backlash would only hit me, but... something that big could affect everyone. I don't see how there could be an equal negative effect that would only hit me." Cyan shrugged weakly. "I've never tried though."

"So, say I wanted you to mess with someone else... could you?"

"I... don't see why not. As far as I know, the only limit is how much risk I'm willing to take." Cyan swallowed hard. Was he about to be forced to buy a ticket to hell?

"Good. I want to remove the random chance from someone else's power. Well, a little anyway. Ironic, isn't it?" Vernon chuckled. "Did William ever tell you about his foolish little plan?"

"To... end the feud between schools?" Cyan wished he'd just get this over with.

"Oh no. Something far more obnoxious. He wants to 'fix' Vittorio Twinveil and Galbrek Ravenovich. Most especially the former," Vernon's face clearly displayed his disgust. "He wants to resurrect their lost loved ones. Thinks if they're alive they'll calm those two down. Apparently they were murdered and that's just oh so sad-"

"I-I can't do that! If I get unlucky it'll probably just kill me!" Cyan jumped out of his chair but Vernon slammed him back into it.

"So will I if you try to run again. And relax, I already figured that much out. I'm going to try something a little less drastic. You're a valuable tool. Can't risk breaking you on a coin-flip now can I?" Vernon smirked.

"Th-then you won't kill me yourself-" He went silent and his pupils shrunk to pinpoints as Vernon held a frosted over finger a centimeter from his eye.

"Clever. But I have other things I can do to you that could be worse. Ever wonder what it would feel like to get frostbite on your eyes?"

"No..."

"Well start wondering. I figure it'll motivate you to behave." Vernon chuckled. Cyan imagined it. He decided Vernon was probably right.

"Fine! What the hell am I doing then!?"

"Andras." Vernon stepped away. "She can draw these cards that let her do just about anything. However, even with William's help, she can't seem to pull the right cards to bring back the dead. It's random you see. But you can do anything too, can't you? Make her draw the right cards."

"Oh..." Cyan blinked. That... didn't sound too bad actually. The backlash would probably be annoying, but not remotely world ending. Probably. He'd have to see what the coin would accept.

"Well there you have it. Chop chop."

Cyan sighed and summoned his coin, "Ok..." He closed his eyes and thought about what he could wager. Well, if he was trying to remove chance from Andras's cards... why not do the same to his coin? "Umm... Heads Andras draws the cards she needs to undo the past... Tails my next coin-flip is an automatic tails." No, that didn't feel right. He let out a miserable groan. "N-next two coin-flips then." And so... he flipped it.

Heads.

Wait, really?

Both he and Vernon stared at it in shock, contemplating the actual gravity of what they'd just done.

And then Cyan screamed and yanked his hand back as if the coin was on fire... because it was. The metal had turned bright, almost molten red. It tumbled through the air but then suddenly stopped mid-flight -- perfectly horizontal. It then SLAMMED to the floor with such force that the floorboards cracked, leaving a sizzling indentation in it.

On the bright side it was still heads.

"What... the fuck was that?" Vernon blinked.

"I-I... don't know. It's never happened before." Cyan clutched at his burnt hand. "I... I guess it's possible something tried to stop my wish?"

"Hmph. Perhaps fate refuses to be denied." Vernon smirked. How poetic. "Though... your wording leaves me somewhat concerned. I said bring back the dead, not undo the fucking past! Fuck it, close enough I suppose. Well done, Cyan. Don't leave town, OK? Knowing this idiot she'll STILL find some way to fuck this up." He rolled his eyes. He then scoffed. "Oh quit being a baby and give me that!" He grabbed Cyan's hand. Vernon's icy skin quickly soothed the circular burn on the back of Cyan's hand. "There. We're even." And then he promptly left.

"Th-that's... even?" Cyan was left sitting there in bewilderment. What the hell had just happened?
Mephisto's Student Council Room


Ward was confused. They thought he still had Clara's phone? He had discarded that about as quickly as he'd found it. In this very room, for that matter.

"I am new, yes," Ward told Bak. "I've spent a majority of my time trying to understand how this school works to be honest. In the end I decided that the quickest course of action would be to attempt to address the council all at once at one of your meetings..." He shrugged. "As for the phone you speak of, I left it in this room. If you haven't seen it... well..." He'd have said someone else must have taken it, but as much as he'd have liked to be petty and blame Diana, he knew she had left right after him, so that was far too unlikely.

However, there was another explanation.

"I believe I left the phone... here." He pointed to the table, a few feet to Bak's right. "Now, if none of you have it, then it is likely still in this room." He stepped around the table, glanced back at the doorway, and then looked to a bookshelf that sat behind the table, across from the door. He bent down and reached under it and when he pulled his hand back, he held the phone. "Ah, almost as if it was sent flying somehow..." Like something had exploded nearby, perhaps.

Diana meanwhile frowned, knowing exactly what he was insinuating.

"Here you are." Ward placed the phone next to Bak. "So, I'll cut to the chase. I've come to this city with a few goals in mind, goals that would be much more easily accomplished if I was a part of your council and not stuck on the sidelines. My conundrum is that I've transferred in my final year of schooling. I hardly have the time to work my way up, now do I?"

"Wow, yeah... sounds like a you problem to be honest," Vernon scoffed. "Thanks detective, but you can go now."

"Well, I see Diana here. I must confess, Diana. I wasn't aware you had decided to enroll after all." Ward wasn't going to give up quite that easily.

"I had people to advocate for me. I don't suppose you do as well?" Diana crossed her arms.

"Yeah, so since you don't, uhhh, bye." Vernon leaned forward for emphasis.

"Well, I'm sure I could find someone. But I see I've overstayed my welcome," Ward capitulated. "Though I do think I will take you up on your offer later, Bak."

"Aww, come on guys, we're being rude to the new guy," Rurik suddenly spoke.

"No, no, shut the fuck up!" Vernon shot back to his feet. "You're just doing this to spite me!"

"Would I do that?" Rurik asked.

"Yes!" Vernon snapped. "You have no good reason to speak up otherwise!"

"OK fine then, in the spirit of spiting you..." Rurik slowly stood up as if the act of straightening his legs was more effort than he really wanted to give. "I heard he kicked Gabriel's ass. So he's strong enough. Not to mention, you know, he's here and Gabriel's not so he's got the guy beat on attendance too."

"Yeah, trespassing, great." Vernon glowered.

"Well, that and he hasn't yelled at me yet..." Rurik shrugged.

"I'm going to kill you if you don't shut up."

Cel sat back all the while, watching the drama unfold. Judging by how Diana had started bristling the second Ward showed up, he wasn't sure he wanted Ward around. Not for the overflowing affection he may or may not at all have had for Diana, but because he had the sneaking suspicion that if Ward stayed Diana might not. However, keeping Ward around might also piss off Vernon which was tempting.

Unfortunately he had been busy lately and knew next to nothing about Ward, so a decision was hard for him to reach just yet. Well...

"So, Ward is it? What are these goals of yours exactly?" he broke his silence to ask.

"Well, Rhea is an influential city, the influential city, but as of late it's in a precarious position. The cultists that attacked will return, and with every attack they launch they will erode the foundations of this city," Ward told them. "My family has run across them before. Ironically, they find us to be an abomination. Pot calling the kettle black as it were. I have my personal motives, I want to spread my family's influence to this city. It being under siege is both an opportunity and a motive for me to act. After all, if the cultists have their way I can't have mine. I simply need a platform from which I can take action. So long as the cultists lose, I hope that the rest of us can all win."

"Oh, so that's how it is. Why didn't you say so? Yeah I don't care." Vernon was at his wits end. If anything, he liked Ward even less if that were possible. He didn't need some asshole muscling in and carving out a piece of the Rhea pie for himself. This was his city, not Wards.

"Vernon." Cel slowly turned his head, shooting a look straight through the gangster wannabe. "Shut. Up."

"Wh-..." Vernon's voice got caught in his throat. He bared his teeth in an angry sneer, but he broke long before Cel ever would have, looking away and sitting back down. The memory of Cel's blade flying toward his throat was still a little too fresh in his mind.

"Look, I don't personally have authority to add you to the council. I'm not sure any of us do..." Cel admitted to Ward. "But I do have one question. I don't care about the details necessarily, but I'm detecting some hostility between you and Diana. So, Diana, what's your stance on all this?"

"Say what you really mean, Lightbringer. You mean will I keep my end of the deal if he's allowed to join, don't you?" Diana narrowed her eyes. Of course she wasn't thrilled by the idea, but how much was her grudge really worth to her? "Maybe. But there will be a lot more conditions."

"Of course there will be..." Cel sighed. Greedy little witch. Well, it was one of her endearing qualities he supposed. "Well, we can work around that if it comes to it." He took a deep breath. "We have other things to worry about today, Ward. You told Bak you'd speak to her later, so do that. The rest of us will keep what you've said in mind, I'm sure." A smile split his face, but his eyes still held the same soul penetrating look he'd given Vernon. Oh, he'd keep Ward in mind. Such grand designs required one to fly high -- and great heights left the door open for great falls. It would be a shame if someone stuck their foot out at an inopportune moment.

"So wait, we're asking the new girl what she thinks but I have to shut up?!" Vernon was incredulous. Was Diana even really a council member yet?!

"Yes. Yes we are. As much as I loathe to agree with the wet noodle-"

"You mean me, don't you?" Rurik frowned.

"-you've been very... loud today. But that's about it. Something going on in your personal life, Vernon? Care to talk about it?" Cel raised an eyebrow.

"Oh fuck off..." Vernon just huddled down in his chair.

"I... see..." Ward cleared his throat. "Very well, thank you for hearing me out. I'll see you later, Ms. Bak." Ward nodded politely and took his leave. Well, it hadn't been a total loss. In fact, it may have been a very important first step. Time would tell.

@Gentlemanvaultboy@AtomicNut@supertinyking



Vernon mostly ignored Luigi as the boy stormed in. He seemed mostly focused on Bak and if he wanted to play mechanic, that was fine.

"Oh, so we're discussing Clara? So you don't fucking know then? Nobody knows where she is, do they? Well that's just fucking fantastic," Vernon snapped. She was literally the only person he respected around here. Sure, he had a healthy "respect" for certain people based on how difficult they'd be to deal with in a fight, but he didn't make a habit of listening to anyone but Clara. No one else could really match her presence.

"As opposed to just plain old fantastic?" Rurik rolled his eyes and reluctantly dragged his feet off the table and onto the spare chair he'd been provided.

"One more fucking word and I swear-" Vernon grit his teeth, but made to take the chair Bak had offered him. For the moment he'd play nice. He didn't dislike Bak, he just had absolutely no fucking desire to deal with her as a leader for more than the duration of this meeting. Her little display of refusing to believe Diana was a witch because of all the childish stereotypes she apparently believed was proof of exactly why.

Before Vernon could even step around the table to sit, someone else stepped through the door. Or rather, the poorly repaired door that was currently hanging at an odd angle.

"Ah, so you are holding a meeting today. Oh, and if it isn't Diana here after all." He, and Diana at the very least would recognize him as Ward, spoke. "Greetings."

"OK, and who the fuck is this?" Vernon threw his arm in a dramatic gesture toward the intruder.

"Ward Cross," Ward answered for them.

"You become a member of the council while I wasn't looking?" Vernon raised an eyebrow.

"Not quite. But interestingly, it seems the usual channels for the council have all been inconveniently cut off. Head of the school is unavailable, and the head of the council is... missing?"

"Yeah, sucks to be you. Get out." Vernon glowered. He just didn't have any patience today. "You have three seconds before I force the issue."

"Oh, well, if I'm not welcome, so be it." It seemed he chose not to push his luck and held his hands up in capitulation before stepping back out.

"Wait, didn't Deeana say Ward might know stuff?" Rurik chimed in, if only to press Vernon's buttons. "Hey Ward! You know stuff?!"

Vernon was silently fuming and shooting daggers at Rurik when Ward slid back into the room, a tiny, knowing smile on his face. "Well, that depends, what is it that you think I might know?"

Vernon's face twisted in frustration, "Oh bullshit, like this guy knows anything!" he spat before stomping over to his chair. "Just kick him out, Bak," Vernon growled and sat, arms and legs crossed.

"Well, since he seems to be deferring to you..." Ward looked over to Bak. Ah yes, the strange girl who disciplined people with bullets. She was hard to miss as she stomped around the campus gunning unruly students down. "I'll leave it in your hands. What shall it be? Hear me out or kick me out? I can't promise I can solve your immediate problems, but I was hoping to speak to... you, I suppose."
(because the site still doesn't let us delete our posts)
Hello... Nurssse

@Scarifar@AtomicNut



The nurse, one Ms. Mia Petros, stared in stony disbelief at the most pathetic and cliched excuse Meredith could have given her. Unless the stairs had been thoroughly consecrated, she found this unlikely.

'So that was a fucking lie.'

"Thank you, uhh-" OK, what was this girl's deal again? Michelle? Belinda? Was it that she was two people, or that she only thought she was two people? What name was she supposed to use? She winged it. "-Michelle, but after such a bad fall she could still have a concussion, even if the surface damage has healed."

It was about then that the two, plus one, girls would notice that suddenly a long, scaly appendage had snuck past them. Originating from under the nurses dress and stretching past them to bar their way to the door back out was a huge, serpentine tail. Then suddenly it burst into action and coiled around Meredith's body, dragging her over to the nurse's side.

"Listen, kid..." Up close Meredith could see that the edges of the nurse's face had begun to grow scales. "I used to be a student at St. Lucifer's, 'cept back then I couldn't control my powers so well. Trust me when I say I have an idea of what you're dealing with." Her tail unwrapped itself from Meredith and then reached across the room to pull a chair over. The tail then retracted back under her dress, with a not so pleasant sound, and the woman sat, crossing one leg over the other, the tail nowhere to be found anymore. "Now you can tell me, or not, but I suggest you don't try to lie to medical professionals about your injuries. Especially when it's that obvious." She sighed. "Professionally, there's not much else I can do here... but personally I wish you'd let me help."

She had a good idea of what had happened to Meredith. Someone else must have done that too her. She was a half-demon, that gave her all the motive and clues she needed. And, perhaps still being a bit bitter deep down, she really wanted to know who it had been...


@Gentlemanvaultboy



Vernon had been... busy. His attempt to deal with Galbrek himself had failed pathetically. Quite simply the man had no-showed on him. After that, sources told him that Galbrek had effectively imploded all on his own and brought down some hefty retribution. Whether or not this meant William and Andras were free of him was up in the air, but Vernon could deal with that later.

Unfortunately going to his sources had meant going to his family... which meant getting sucked into that mess. And then the cultist attack had hit some of their "resources," those being people that gave them money in return for not being kneecapped, etc. There had been a lot of shit to deal with. He hadn't even been able to attend the tournament. Afterward he'd visited William in the hospital, but he hadn't managed to time it for one of William's few moments of wakefulness and so he'd kept his visit brief. His bedside manner was frosty at best anyway.

However, when Bak called a meeting, he figured he'd been absent too long. Because, quite frankly, why the hell was Bak calling the meeting?

He showed up moments after Cel and Diana.

"Ah, I see. Great, put a pin in that will you?" Vernon took an exaggerated step over to the table and slammed his palms down on it, the unnecessarily loud sound bouncing off the walls. "Bak, dear, where the fuck is Clara?" He had noticed she wasn't in the room, and now he was hearing she was absent?

"Not here, apparently. Don't see me crying about it..." Rurik chimed in from the end of the table where he had his feet kicked up.

"No one asked you. Now shut up before I shut you up."

"Do it, bitch. You won't." Rurik rolled his eyes. Vernon glared momentarily, but returned his gaze to Bak. This was unbelievable. He left for a few days and Clara vanished and Rurik got cocky. Well, cockier.

Collab w/ @AtomicNut




The door seemed to be silent for a moment, before hushed whispers were heard inside. The doorknob creaked very slowly, before the sultry, decadent figure of Nyxdaemona was in full view. Today her dressing code... was oddly normal. She could pass off as a normal woman, even. "Huh, Wolf. And the tick is nowhere to be seen. How... peculiar."

"Watch your tongue before I rip it out!" Wolf's hand shot toward her throat to grip her in a chokehold... And then he snapped back to reality where he was simply standing meekly in the doorway before her. He was surprised by the sudden intrusion of his own, violent thoughts, leading to a brief moment of awkward silence before his mind rebooted.

"I need to..." He swallowed hard. Now that he was there, he found actually maintaining the courage to do this was harder than he'd anticipated. "I need to, uh... talk to you...actually..."

"Most peculiar indeed. You desire to talk with me, and not my daughter." Mona commented before slowly getting out of his way. "In you go, then. It is safer nowadays, what with demonic cultists running around. So much that my poor darlings are afraid..."

"I... see." Wolf replied and stepped in. "It's... not that I don't want to talk to Meredith, but I'm pretty sure she's not here. I don't really know how to find her right now." He sighed. Again, he needed a second to gather himself. "Any... idea why she wouldn't want to come home?" As innocent as it may have sounded coming from Wolf, it was a heavily loaded question.

"Not coming home... That is where you are mistaken. She is coming home and performing her duties admirably... " She paused. "She is just avoiding you."

"Maybe." Wolf wouldn't have been surprised. Was it true? He supposed Meredith could have truly gone home in the end. "And what do you know about that, then?" It was true enough that Meredith had reason to avoid him, if perhaps only out of shame. Mona must have known something, but how much had she learned? Had Meredith told her?

"Apples dont fall far from the trees" Mona said, a small smile forming in her lips. "Does it really matter how much I know? "

"If we were talking about her father that would be fine," Wolf said, not caring about the insulting implications of what he said. "But she kidnapped my friend and used her as payment to have Vera killed." He was done mincing words. Something about her demeanor, he felt like he was being mocked. And with everything that had happened, it was enough to light the fire once more. "Doesn't sound like Victor. You must be proud of her."

Mona chuckled lightly. "What mother would not be proud of her own daughrer. But i have to admit, little man, that the audacity she had as of late is refreshing."

"I don't buy it." Wolf frowned. "She's not Victor, but she's sure as hell not you. You twisted her somehow. Now she promised me to never do something like that again, but I know that if you have your way, none of that matters." It was quickly approaching the angriest Wolf had ever felt. "I'm giving Meredith a second chance. I'm not willing to let you waste that. I know your story. You've had your fair share of second chances already, to the point where it makes me wonder if me just coming here to talk is being too kind." His eyes narrowed as his jaw tightened. "My mother never trusted you. I used to think she was too paranoid. Not anymore."

"Oho" Mona seemed to raise from the table ever so slightly. "No, coming here is proof of your confusion. And naivety. Veiled threats and strong language under my own roof..." She paused. "Did you actually know my other daughter favours you too? What would she say if she were to witness this." The demoness raised to full height. "I only lit what she repressed from so long ago. She did the rest. Well, that and probably that Galbrek brat. "

"Your roof? You being alive at all is a mercy I'm not sure you've earned." Even dwarfed as he was by the demoness before him, he didn't flinch -- even if he maybe should have. "So let me unveil it for you. My existence should be a threat to you, or do I need to remind you what my family does for a living? If I have to choose between you and Meredith, if I even think you're you're trying to twist her mind again, I will come back and it won't be to talk. I suggest you don't give me a reason to."

"And yet, you are no threat. Even a rich girl with a sharp tongue can make you cower"

"Try me." He glared back at her, unblinking. "I dealt with Galbrek, I'll deal with you. Just give me a reason."

"Anna, Wolf is in here." Mona added, and the sounds of wings were heard at his back. "He came here to play."

For a moment, Wolf's pupil's shrank to pinpoints. It was a look quite unlike him. A look of someone almost entirely consumed by rage. He'd never before had the chance to sit still and consider his anger. Never had to bottle it up. In those rare moments of fury it had always just been a quick snap before he swung away. In this moment, however, it could only escape through his eyes as he expressed the resolve he'd found deep down.

But it was brief.

Foreign as the feeling was, it was easy to return to something more familiar. An admittedly shaky smile as he turned to greet Ana.

"Hey! I, uh, heard you guys were scared so I thought I'd come keep you company for a bit..."

She was a child. She didn't need to deal with this today. For the time being, Mona could have whatever kind of victory she saw this as.

Anna was pretty unresponsive, her gaze tired and nervous, like a bird she was caged long ago. "Outside is scary." She added, as her usual bravado had been drained out of her. "Too many weird people. Can you make them go away? I can be a good girl if it's what it takes..."

"Oh my, poor thing is still so scared, Wolf. Pay no heed. She needs to rest." Mona added as she hushed her daughter out, having achieved her point. "It will be okay, my little imp... the bad men are gone." She finished as she indicated the exit to Wolf, but not before whispering one last time. "I have seen you grow up, Wolf. I know what and how you think. And i know how to bid my time. Here is some food for thought. Instead of spitting threats, why don't you be true to yourself and talk to little Mer?"

Easier said than done, considering he had no idea where to find Meredith.

"No... I don't think you do." He made his way toward the door and stopped. "Ana! If you hear from your sister let me know! I don't live far, it's safe. I promise."

"Try the school. She is still St Laurels." was Mona's reply.

With a final withering glare at Mona he left the house. He walked quietly for a time before his knees began to shake and he broke into a cold sweat.

What the hell had he been thinking?

@Gentlemanvaultboy



Rurik, contrary to the norm, had been on his best behavior lately. He'd arrived to school on time, his uniform was in order, and he'd actually gone to a class. Look, no one was perfect.

Whether this was out of pity for or fear of Bak's sour mood was hard to say. It was definitely one of those, though.

And then Bak's call came through. Well, not really. Rurik's phone had long since been destroyed and his family couldn't afford to replace it. Rather, unfortunately, he found himself for the second time in recent memory dealing with Cate Accia.

"Oh for fuc-" Rurik tried to duck and turn away, but she was already locked onto him. He'd have rather had Bak locked onto him to be honest.

"Language."

"Wh- Did you forget where you are?" Rurik tilted his head in disbelief.

"I'm a staff member. I deserve more respect," she replied.

"Uhuh. So, Cate, what do you want?"

Cate pursed her lips for but a moment, otherwise remaining unphased, "I said we'd talk later. It's later. So let's talk."

"No thanks, I'm good."

Three minutes later in Cate's office...

In the end, it seemed no didn't mean no to Cate. He found himself sitting across from her at her desk.

"Fine. Here we are. What do you want, Cate?" Rurik grumbled impatiently.

"I may have underestimated you a little," she began. "But first, let me ask. Do you dislike me?"

"Nooo, what would make you think that?" Rurik stared blankly.

"I see. Do you know why I stopped contact?" she asked.

"Because I'm a huge disappointment to everyone I meet?" Rurik shrugged.

"Yes, actually," she responded with startling candor. Well, not so startling coming from her. "But lately you've been getting up to quite a bit of trouble. I wonder why that is."

"It's me. How is that unusual?"

"Oh, it is. Your usual brand of trouble is schoolyard fights and insubordination. But now? That night on the rooftop? The park-" That made Rurik flinch. "Yes, I know about that. Then the arena afterward too, and that scuffle with the St. Laurel's boy. All quite different from the norm with you."

Rurik scrunched up his face and looked away, "Yeah? How do you figure?"

"You avoid everything you can. You run. You're one step away from being a coward. No, maybe you really are one," she told him.

"OK, staff or not, I'm one twitch away from flipping you off. Is there a point to this?" Rurik was getting a little angry now. Somehow she was able to push his buttons. Then again, his buttons had been a little more pushable than usual as of late.

"I'm figuring out what's changed."

"Psychoanalyzing me now?"

"Interesting, and using bigger words than usua-" His glare got her to skip to the point. "Well why not. There are some common elements at each instance. Bak was there, you two have a history-"

Rurik just scoffed.

"Hm."

"Hm? What does hm mean?" Rurik bit back.

"No, you're right. I believe you."

"I didn't say anything!"

"You resent her too much."

"Wh- I do not!" he shouted.

"Well then. Maybe not so much as you used to then." Her lips twitched into a smirk for a moment. No doubt feeling pleased with how she was getting a rise out of him. She was reading him like a book. "Something else then, some-"

"I'm fucking done." Rurik shot to his feet.

"Very well. I have my answer anyway, at least I think so."

"Yeah, cool, so happy for you." Rurik made his way to the door.

"Speaking of Bak, she's looking for you. I believe she's calling a council meeting. I thought you might want to know, since you apparently don't resent her," she told him. Rurik's eye twitched, but he didn't respond. "Go on then, we'll pick this up later."

Bak was one thing, but the whole council?

Yeah, fine, he'd go... but who else was going then?





@AtomicNut



Wolf felt like he'd slept for days. He'd been up and down, sure, but he'd spent most of the time sleeping. He'd woken up long enough for Vera to take him home and then once again it had been lights out.

Finally, once he was up for good... he'd spent the next while wishing he were back asleep. His dreams hadn't been the best, but they were better than being awake. All he could think about was the narrowly averted disaster. It hadn't been a tragedy, but at the very best it had been bittersweet.

"Fools and fools tales..." . . . "You say that, and you do not realize two important things, Wolfram Koenigsmann. One is that you're sentencing her to go back with her hellish mother for atoning for her crimes..."

Every now and then the words wormed their way back into his head and he'd spend the next five minutes white-knuckling and gritting his teeth.

"And ... I ... was tired. I listened to whom I should not. Sacrifices. I tried to sacrifice an innocent girl for just your smile. That's how desperate I was!"

CRACK!

Before he even realized it, he found his fist buried in the nearby support-beam. A splintered indentation of his fist was left in it. Red mist wafted off of his knuckles before he took a deep breath and managed to calm down, if only a little.

Next thing he knew he was dressed to go out, but he hadn't found himself at the front door, but the back. He walked a few minutes out in the deep woods behind his house. He heard branches rustle and felt eyes watching, but soon his way was barred.

The huge white wolf with its monstrous eyes. It bared its fangs at him, pressuring him back. Wolfram didn't flinch, but lifted a hand and stepped forward.

This time it snarled viciously and snapped at him, ropes of saliva beginning to drip from its mouth.

"Rhudi..." Wolf clenched his jaw. Frustration was bubbling up in him, but soon it was smothered in a wet blanket of defeat. "You still blame me. Still hate me."

There was nothing in the vicious animal's eyes to say otherwise. He knew were it not for the control his father had over him, the wolf, Rhudi, would have already set upon him.

"Well why wouldn't you?" Wolf sighed and turned his back. He felt Rhudi's hot, rancid breath wash over him as the beast let out an unnatural roar. It took everything in him not to flinch and just keep walking away.

He kept going until this time he did reach the front door. He was in a terrible frame of mind. He should have stayed home. Nothing good could come of him leaving with the thoughts he had racing through his head. But leave he did.

He had perhaps the worst possible idea.

"You say that, and you do not realize two important things, Wolfram Koenigsmann. One is that you're sentencing her to go back with her hellish mother for atoning for her crimes..."

A short while later he found himself at the Blackgate household knocking on the door.
Hello, Nurse!

@Scarifar@AtomicNut



The two, yet also three, burst into an... empty office. The nurse had little work to do at St. Laurel's. It was a quiet, peaceful school. Not like Mephisto's, where injuries and bone-breaking brawls were practically an hourly occurrence. However, at Belinda's panicked scream, a door to a side-room within the office burst open and a woman stumbled out, made it about two steps, and tripped, falling onto her face.

"Wh-what!? I'm awake!" She lifted her head up and blinked. She wore a long dress that obscured even her feet and with a white overcoat on top of it. She was blonde, with her hair tied up, though her bangs were left loose and nearly completely covered her eyes. A wave of hot air billowed out of the doorway after her, but she quickly stood and shut it behind her. "OK, what sseems to b- OH DEAR GODS! What the f-" The woman shuffled over to Meredith only to recoil in disgust at her half-melted face, having to slap her hand over her mouth at the last second. The woman retched but managed to keep her lunch down by some miracle.

"Um, um, um, bed!" she led them over to one of the sick beds to sit Meredith down. The nurse then took a deep breath... then another and leaned it to... smell Meredith's face. "Uhh..." and then she just looked confused. She pulled her bangs back to get a better look, and the two-in-one would only see her confusion grow. "It's... like acid damage, but... and there's no scorching..." Then, perhaps shockingly, the nurse's eyes changed. Then again... and again... First slitted and reptilian, then all black, and then reptilian again, and then finally back to normal. "I don't understand..."

It had all the signs of an acid burn, minus any sign of chemicals. She supposed she should probably ask what happened-

"Wait." Ah, of course, she recognized this girl. She produced a tablet, typed in Meredith's name... and there it was. In the end there had been no hiding it. From students, perhaps, but the higher ups at the school were well aware that Meredith was a half-demon -- not that it had been much of a secret from anyone after the tournament. And just like that, all panic left the nurse's face. "Ah, well, she'll be fine then." She shrugged. She then reached up onto a tall shelf, her body almost seeming to... stretch. No normal person, lest they were over seven feet tall, should have been able to reach such a high shelf, and yet...

"You girls are in luck. The last nurse, well, doctor, was up to some weird stuff. Got fired a few months ago for doing experiments and stealing school funds. We were supposed to burn all his stuff, but I managed to hold onto most of it!" She shrunk back down to their level with a small box in her hands. She then froze, realizing what she'd just admitted. Her head snapped around to glare at them, eyes once more reptilian. "You didn't hear that." Then in one swift move she popped the box open and then jammed a syringe into Meredith's neck.

It would feel like fire laced with lightning was shot into her veins. Moments later her face would knit itself back together so fast the skin seemed to practically pop back into place. This was followed by a sudden hiccuping fit and then the overwhelming urge to sneeze. Somehow the most unusual thing was yet to come when her sneeze would produce smoke and fire.

"Ah, shit... I was supposed to use the one on the right..." The nurse pursed her lips while staring regretfully at the box and the syringe she was meant to have used still lying in it. "Well, it should be fine. Uhh, just don't exhale on anyone too hard and try not to burn the school down. Should pass in an hour or two." Meredith would find breathing out to be rather... unusually tingly. The nurse cleared her throat and stretched her way back to the shelf to replace the contraband box. "So, more importantly. What the heck happened in the first place?" she asked when she came back down.

&






The problem with Vala collapsing wasn't just that it called her competency and endurance into question... it was that she had been holding Cassius up. His bruised solar plexus was still leading to some wobbly knees. However, before he could join her on the ground, a slender arm held him up.

"Thank you miss-" he told the girl... named... Dmitry.

Oh.

"Uh, I mean, th-thank you... Dmitry?" Cassius swallowed hard. Uniform mess up indeed.

Cassius did as Mitya suggested, focusing on his breathing. Soon enough his legs steadied up again and he was good. Well, mostly. He was still forced to breath through his mouth as his nose was still somewhat clogged from the swelling and congealed blood.

"Sure, no problem, I'll take you to the main office," Cassius said and nodded. "Err, one second."

That said, he couldn't just leave Vala on the ground. He felt responsible somehow, having been the first person to engage with her after her speech. He knelt down to shake her shoulder gently... and suddenly he arm shot up and grabbed his shirt collar. Her grip was like iron and he realized that sleeping or not, that absurd power was still coursing through her.

The next thing he knew he was flipped onto his back, Vala over him, fist reared back.

"H-h-hey! Fight's over!" Cassius wheezed and held his hands up in surrender.

"Whu-" Vala blinked, slowly remembering where she was and what she'd been doing. Then her eyes snapped wide and she let him go, slapping her hands over her mouth as she gasped in shock. "I-I'm shorry!" she still slurred a bit. She then shut her eyes hard and shook her head rapidly. "OK... OK..." She blinked again, rapidly as if trying to focus. "I'm g-" hiccup "I'm good now..." she blushed a bit in embarrassment.

Cassius sat up, coughing a bit again. At least he hadn't been punched this time.

"Um, um, here!" Vala suddenly held her flask out for Cassius.

"Um, I don't thinking numbing myself with alcohol is a good idea..." Cassius pulled back a bit.

"It's not booze..." Vala frowned, again pushing the flask toward him.

"Oh, uhh..." He supposed alcohol didn't make people that strong. "So... what is it?"

"Blood!" She grinned.

. . .

"What?" Cassius's pupils shrank to pinpoints.

"It's a long story, but it makes me strong! For other people, a few drops makes them feel better!" she insisted.

". . . OK." Well... he didn't want to be rude. He took it tipped it, but the golden liquid within oozed out very slowly.

"Careful, not too much though. Then you get side-effects." Vala warned him as the liquid finally dripped into his mouth. Between the strange taste and the belated warning Cassius coughed and sputtered. It was weird; like liquid pop-rocks. It had no real flavor, just sensation and warmth. However, the pain quickly faded and he could once again breathe through his nose. All was well that ended well, he supposed.

"Th-thanks." He handed it back. "Anyway, um, Vala this here is Dmitry-"

"A girl named Dmitry?"

"Err, no, he... Never mind. He's new here too, so I'm gonna show him around and bring him to the main office-"

"OK! I'll come too!" Vala smiled and popped up onto her feet.

"Oh. OK." Cassius supposed it was fine, she was new too after all. He might as well bring both. "So, uh, right this way." He nodded to Mitya and began leading him, and Vala, into the school. He gave brief descriptions of what halls led where, covering as much as he could on the short trip to the office.
Rumblings of a Storm






It was early one day at St. Laurel's. A commotion quite unbecoming such a prestigious school was brewing. Attention was drawn to the large fountain in the center of the main courtyard. Students were gathering around to stare at the strange girl who had perched herself atop the fountain. Finally it seemed a large enough crowd had gathered for her liking.

"PEOPLE OF RHEA!" She shouted suddenly, startling a fair few of students below. "Classes start soon, so I'll keep this short. I know that times have been hard recently, but fear no longer! My father has sent me here to save you all!" She announced this all with a confident and cheerful smile.

She was met with mostly dumb stares from the befuddled onlookers.

The painful silence that ensued seemed to shake her confidence slightly.

"Uh, d-do you have any questions? I know this is very sudden!"

"Well, uh, the name of our savior would be a good start..." From within the crowd, Cassius had taken pity on the poor girl and chosen to humor her.

"Oh! Of course!" She jumped down to a lower level of the three tiered fountain. "Vala Ace, at your service!"

"I see. Well, I think it's just hard for them to believe that one girl can do all that much, Vala," Cassius told her.

"What? Because I'm a girl?"

"Well, by girl I mean child... and the fact that you're just one person," Cassius explained, "I mean, we had some of the strongest people around there, but they could barely even slow them down." He hadn't witnessed it, but he'd eventually heard what had happened.

"Oh, I get it! I need to show everyone what I can do!" Vala's face lit up.

"Err, I-I suppose that would help, yes..."

"Are you strong?"

"Uh, I mean-"

"Hey, is this guy strong?" she asked the crowd. The response from the crowd seemed to indicate that most people thought Cassius was fairly capable, leaving Cassius blushing slightly. He hadn't realized he'd had a reputation of any sort. "Perfect!" Vala hopped down in front of him. "Fight me."

"Wh-what?"

"Right now. Fight me."

"I don't think I should." This wasn't Mephistos. Random fights in front of the school weren't really appreciated. But soon the crowd began egging them on. It seemed they wanted Cassius to put this newcomer in her place.

"You said it yourself right? I need to prove what I can do. So I need someone worthy to prove myself against. The people have chosen you! Are you going to let them down?" She looked at him quizzically. The peer pressure was getting intense, and finally it broke him.

"O-OK, just like a quick sparring match, OK?" he relented.

"Perfect!" And suddenly Vala pulled a flask seemingly out of mid-air. Immediately Cassius reacted, snatching it out of her hands.

"What, are you crazy?! You can't bring alcohol to school! Where are you from!?"

"Oh, don't be so silly! This is different!" She told him, holding it back up again. Wait, what? When had she gotten it back!? She twisted the neck of the flask twice, and it began to glow slightly. She threw her head back and drank from it. She then took a stumbling step forward, the flask seeming to vanish as her hand dropped.

"Alrigh... lesh go... fight!" she slurred.

"Uhm..." Cassius didn't feel right- BAM! Vala suddenly lunged forward, spearing his gut with her fist. Cassius felt himself slide back a few feet and was left clutching his stomach before falling to his knees, struggling to inhale. He broke out into a cold sweat immediately. That had... that had really hurt.

"O... OK... I get it..." Cassius wheezed and pushed himself to his feet. He took a few unsteady steps before using his power to accelerate himself into a run. He tried to surprise her with a high-speed punch, but she swayed away from it. He kept going and rebounded off the edge of the fountain, accelerating himself again to throw himself into a mid-air spin-kick that caught Vala across the jaw.

This spun her around and he aimed to follow up while her back was turned, but she suddenly bent over and took a step back, backing herself into his still aching midsection, doubling him over. She then rapidly stood up and the back of her head slammed into his face.

"Ugh... guh... not again..." He clutched his now bleeding nose.

"Waz wrong... thought you was a tuff guy..." Vala stumbled despite standing still as she questioned him.

"F-fine... have it your way..." Cassius took a deep breath. SNAP! HE thrust his arms forward, loosing an explosion right at her. Her eyes widened before the flames engulfed her. When the smoke cleared she'd been thrown back quite a bit and was lying on the ground staring up at the sky. Rather than get up, she pulled her flask back out and twisted it again and took another drink.

She then coiled up and sprang back up... and over... face-planting herself back onto the ground with her butt sticking up into the air. Fortunately, or unfortunately for those watching, she had shorts under her skirt. However, she then pressed her palms to the ground and tucked one of her feet under her, this time launching herself forward like a torpedo in a ridiculous burst of speed.

Cassius got a glimpse of her eyes, and they were almost lifeless, but scarily focused. She reared a fist back as far as she could and then threw it forward. Cassius grit his teeth, waiting for what was undoubtedly going to be an even worse punch than the first. However, it seemed she was still conscious enough to show mercy as at the last second her fist unfolded and instead she palm struck him, though this still resulted in him being catapulted right out of the courtyard into the nearby hedges.

Somehow, Cassius found himself unable to pick himself back up this time. He felt like he'd been run over by a truck -- twice.

However, a bit later he felt himself being dragged out of the bushed and onto his feet. Vala, well inside his bubble of personal space was holding him up and patting him on the back jovially, "Sho how'd I do, huh, huh?!" she asked, speech still slurred.

"P-pretty good..." Cassius squeaked out as his lungs tried to reboot themselves.

"Shee! I told you I'd shave everywun!" She threw both her hands up in victory... and promptly collapsed onto her back. "I did it..." she mumbled sleepily and promptly started snoring. Cassius hoped she could last longer in a real fight before falling asleep...





It had been some days since his botched meeting with the witch, Diana, and now Ward was an official member of St. Lucifer's. It was time, then, for his proper introduction. He showed up to his first class, some sort of science class he was fairly certain, and the teacher gave him a halfhearted introduction and told him to find a seat.

"Oh please, we can do better than that," Ward ignored the man. "Hello, my name is Ward Cross. I come from a neighboring country because your city has been troubled as of late. However, trouble does not always mean disaster. Sometimes it is an opportunity-"

"Pfft, who does this guy think he is, Clara?" he heard someone chuckle in the back of the class. He ignored it.

"I will be getting to know you all to see who among you may aid me in taking advantage of these trying times to make a difference. There, I believe that will suffice."

"Oh really? Mr. Big Shot here to show up all us plebs?"

"Fuck off, dude!"

". . . how trite." Ward muttered.

"And why the fuck should we care?"

"Because, unlike most, I have the will and the ability to do something. So I might as well take charge," Ward told them.

"Please, Mr. Cross, take a seat," the teacher groaned.

"Is that so?" And then one student in particular stood from his seat and the teacher immediately threw his head back in despair.

"Fine, just don't break anything. I'll be back in a few minutes," the teacher quickly gathered a few of his things and fled the room.

The student in question was Gabriel Brekke. If Clara was the Queen of the school, Gabriel was considered to be the King -- not that the two were so closely associated. While Gabriel was on the council, he usually didn't bother himself with doing much. He seemed content to sit atop his throne, only rising when he felt challenged.

"Yes," Ward replied. "What? Do you need an example? Is that what it takes to get through to you people?"

"Maybe it is." Gabriel stepped around his desk, squaring off against Ward. "So you have the will?"

"In spades." Ward's tone hardened in response to challenge.

"Hmph." Gabriel's face scrunched up, not looking impressed. Suddenly a spectral figure shot out from Gabriel, swinging violently at Ward. Many of those watching were surprised that Ward immediately began dodging successfully... until Gabriel shot forward in a blur, merging with the spectral figure once more and slamming his fist into Ward's stomach. Ward doubled over, falling to a knee. "Better than expected... but that's not saying much." He turned to go back to his seat.

"So quick... to proclaim victory. To me, that's a sign of weakness," Ward coughed. Gabriel turned around at the exact second Ward rapidly rose to his feet. He was caught off guard when a baton suddenly sprang to existence in Ward's hand and cracked him across the face.

Before Gabriel could retaliate, chains sprung from the floor, binding his wrists and neck. He found himself unable to pull free, as if something was clawing at the back of his mind, stopping him from giving it his all.

"You there!" Ward pointed to a student at the back of the room. "Open that window for me!" The commanding tone in his voice had the student obeying practically before he realized it.

"Wait, why?"

"The teacher did say not to break anything..." Ward's voice suddenly held a hint of malice as chains and shadow began to wrap themselves around his arms.

The next thing anyone knew, Gabriel was flying out of the recently opened window and crashing to the ground outside. Ward also stepped out the window, coils of chain forming steps for him to climb down.

Outside he found Gabriel struggling to his feet.

"Ahhh, not done? I'm impressed." Ward clapped slowly. More spectral figures launched at him, but he swatted them away like clouds of fog. Finally, Gabriel himself charged forth, fist first, but his hand was caught in Ward's palm. He twisted until the pain forced Gabriel to kneel. "I think that's quite enough, don't you?" he said icily. Gabriel stared back defiantly, but then to the shock of many onlookers, averted his eyes.

It was over, and as far as many were concerned -- Mephisto's had a new king.





King stood surrounded by all those he'd managed to gather that day. They stood in the church that served as the makeshift base of operations. They gathered to welcome a prospective new member. He claimed to be from a neighboring country, wanting help out in light of recent events. Oh, King had seen through him immediately. He had ulterior motives, but that just meant things would no doubt become interesting in he allowed this. Keep the rest of his group on their toes and allow them to grow, and if this newcomer became a true ally in the end, then all the better.

"All right new guy! Go ahead and introduce yourself, I think this is everyone we'll get today," King told him.

"Good! My name's Jasper, Jasper Aldon!" He told them.

"You a rich kid? 'Cause you talk like you're normal but you walk like a rich kid," Vera, who'd come along with Wolf, questioned him. "If you're just gonna be fake, I'm out of here."

"Whoa, not one for warm welcomes, huh?" Jasper laughed. "Fair enough, you got me. But I don't feel like it. My family barely takes the bronze medal when it comes to wealth in my country. It's enough that I feel like a commoner when they look down on me. It's a smaller country, so even third place doesn't mean much to some," he told them.

"Yeah, sure, whatever." Vera rolled her eyes.

"Vera..." Wolf sighed. He'd thought she'd been a little more humble lately, but apparently old habits died hard.

"Well, you're here to help, right? Well it's been some pretty serious stuff lately. You aren't just some pampered kid with a big head, are you?" King rode a fine line between judging and testing the boy. "It was pretty rough."

"Of course not! Strength is needed just as much as money to keep respect where I come from. I've had to push myself since I could walk just to keep up," he said.

"Great, then one last push to prove what you can do should be fine, right?"

"Oh, a test? No problem!" Jasper nodded.

"Wonderful. Wolf, you're up!" King snapped his fingers.

"Wait, what?"

"Oh just do it and get it over with." Vera rolled her eyes.

And so, Wolf and Jasper were soon facing off in the main aisle of the church. Wolf was armed only with this shield. There were no safe guards to stop him from accidentally killing Jasper if he used his sword here. A shimmer came over Jasper as the two engaged. Jasper was quick, uncannily so. Not enough to be quite superhuman, but enough that it didn't feel right. With neighter gaining an immediate advantage, Wolf finally dodge and turned, aiming to strike Jasper across the face with the edge of his shield, however a blue energy washed over Jasper and redirected the strike away from Wolf.

The shimmering around Jasper intensified and he spun and struck the back of Wolf's head with his elbow, knocking the boy to the floor. He then kicked Wolf in the ribs, sending him tumbling away with great force. One couldn't say Wolf had made any mistakes, but still Jasper had the upper hand by a wide margin.

"So, is that good, or-" Jasper began to speak but suddenly Vera marched over to him.

"This is pathetic," she whispered harshly. "Look, if you want a real fight you're gonna have to make him mad."

"Oh, uh, how?"

"Hit me."

"What?"

"Just do it. Not hard, just p-"

"I'm not hitting a girl I just met!" he frantically whispered back.

"Then I guess you belong in third place-" SLAP! Vera stumbled back and all three just stared in shock for a moment. Vera that he'd actually hit her, Jasper that he'd... actually hit her, and Wolf that some guy they'd just met had hit his girlfriend.

Well, in the end, it did the trick.

A spike of anger shot through Wolf and in a flurry of red he barreled at Jasper, his spiked armor and warhammer bursting into reality around him. He swung and Jasper had to quickly lean aside, but Wolf's other hand soon wrapped around Jasper's neck.

"AHEM!" King loudly cleared his throat. "This is getting intense! Why don't you take it outside before we upset the priest?" As soon as Vera had been struck, King had made his way to the front doors and opened them.

Wolf acquiesced... by tossing Jasper into the air and batting him out the door with his hammer. The new boy rolled to a stop a few dozen feet from where he'd began and blinked rapidly as he tried to get back up. That one had stung a little... OK a lot.

"Guess... I can't hold back, then," Jasper said as he staggered to his feet. He hadn't wanted to do this, he was supposed to be working with these people, but right now this Wolf guy seemed to be on the warpath for real. He shut his eyes and just before Wolf closed in once more to bring his hammer down, twin jets of flame, like wings, burst to life over his back and his hand shot out. He caught the hammer in his palm and stopped it dead.

His eyes opened, having turned a blazing amber color and his hand tightened, more and more, around the hammer. First there was a crunching sound, and then suddenly a chunk of the hammer's head was smashed in Jasper's hand. Wolf, caught off guard, was left open as Jasper speared his knee into Wolf's gut. However, he was on the warpath. He immediately gathered himself, the hammer repairing itself in a swirl of red smoke and he swung again, horizontally, with full force. A lesser being would have been pasted.

Jasper, however, backhanded the hammer so hard he tore the head clean off of it. He then surged forward and with three rapid punches, took Wolf off his feet and left him airborne before he found a handhold and swung Wolf back to the Earth and left him in a small crater. This time, Wolf was left stunned and out of sorts -- to the point he lost focus and his armor faded away.

"Hoo boy..." Jasper exhaled, returning to normal. "Hey, you all right? Had to take it up a notch when you went for my head there!"

"AH, he'll be fine!" King grinned. This was good. Jasper was powerful. Just as he'd suspected, his inclusion to their group would keep everyone on their toes. Whatever trouble loomed in the boy's wake would no doubt keep things interesting for quite some time. "But since you just damaged public property what with that crater you put in the sidewalk, I think it best we all jet and reconvene at a later time..."

And then a small shiver went up his spine. King could see the pieces landing on the board, but there was still something else yet beyond his sight. That "trouble" that the boy had brought with him. No, not brought with him. Something Jasper was following. And then he knew, powerful as Jasper was... the boy was out of his depth.

So what did that mean for the rest of them?

Ah, he was sure it'd be fine.
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