Thatguyinastore

ArcRift

"Lex Luthor?" Combustible repeated the name in a confused sounding tone, "You mean the guy who runs Lexcorp?" the thug shrugged, "Not much, really. Just that he and Superman weren't exactly pals or anything before he went crazy." A moment of silence befell the group, and then, "Why do you ask?"

He then turned to face Ultron when he said his lines about his shiny heads, and the stuff about him being a "run of the mill thug". "Hey! I resent that!" Combustible shouted angrily as he pointed a finger at Ultron's chest - although he refrained from outright jabbing a finger into it or anything. "I'll have you know that I'm more than just a 'run of the mill thug'! I mean, how many people with lightbulbs for heads do you know, pal?"

The thug's rant was cut off when Otto interjected. He was quick to comply, holding up both hands and nodding, "You ain't gotta tell me twice, pal!" Combustible gulped and took a step back, clearly intimidated by Otto's sort of half-threat. However, once he did eventually calm down, Combustible slumped forward slightly with a sigh, "Look, he didn't tell me much. I was just brought in by Firefly because he said he needed someone with 'management skills' or whatever. He told me that the job was out here in Metropolis, and I'd be paid more than the scraps Cobblepot leaves me. But what he didn't tell me was that hostages were involved, and when I refused... well..." he thumbed to the closet that was behind him.

"That's the honest to God, one-hundred percent truth," Combustible held up a hand. "Scout's honor."

@ClownTown @SomeMekBoy @Jeff Jones @Crow @KageBaka @FactionGuerilla @TheElenaFisher @MorgueofCrowz @Lazaro1505 @XeroUltra @darkred

ArcRift

Ben's natural talent for key molding would inevitably lead to him finding the right key, and with a loud CLICK!, the door was unlocked... only for Captain Falcon to break it in half completely moments later.

Joel blinked, "Wasn't exactly serious about the key-related powers thing, but..." the man shrugged as he stared at the now empty frame. "At least we're free now-"

Before Joel could leave, however, a noise came from the nearby unconscious hatter. It was a crackling noise, followed by what sounded like a slurred, almost pained grunting sound. The Mad Hatter was still very much unconscious, but as you soon found, it wasn't him that was making the noise. At least, not intentionally.

Those cracking noises quickly turned into several small, controlled explosions across his entire body. Blood spurted out of the fresh wounds from every individual freshly made wound. It flew out, nearly hitting those of you closest to Hatter in the face. The pain alone would've normally been enough for about anyone to wake up in horror, but it seemed like the Hatter was able to just sleep right through it. Not that it mattered, though. Because moments later, his entire body was engulfed in that explosion...

And then, as the smoke cleared?

The Mad Hatter was gone. Not even a single trace of blood was left.



"...shit."

@davefromdiscord @Crow @Midle1998 @TheElenaFisher @Jeff Jones @Paper94 @KageBaka @Starmaker @Second2Last @darkred @Attesa

ArcRift

Ultron's background check on Combustible would reveal that he was actually a rather low level thug from Gotham. His priors mostly included petty thefts and the occasional bigger heist. Nothing as bad as Firefly in terms of mass arson or straight up murder. He seemed to be known for working underneath another villain known as Oswald Cobblepot - A.K.A. The Penguin.

@ClownTown

ArcRift

"I mean... what's there to know?" The lightbulb head asked as he leaned against the nearby wall and crossed his arms. He turned to Ciri, then, and made a noise that could only make it sound like he was smirking. "Name's Mister Combustible, sweetheart." He waited for a moment, then, before shrugging and continuing his explanation, "Firefly's a B-List villain from Gotham. Obsessed with burnin' shit to the ground.... dude's got burns on ninety percent of his body, so I guess it's some form of coping mechanism."

The "man" shrugged again and pushed himself off the wall, "He hired me to look after those asshole thugs..." he turned in the group's direction and fell silent for a short moment, "Of course I didn't listen. Harmin' innocent lives for no reason ain't really my thing," Combustible thinbed toward the nearby closet he'd been trapped in. "That's why he locked me in that there closet."

@XeroUltra @TheElenaFisher @Crow @KageBaka @FactionGuerilla @QizPizza @Yamperzzz @Jeff Jones @ClownTown @SomeMekBoy @Lazaro1505 @BoltBeam

ArcRift

"You're fine, kid," Joel responded to Lilith as he made his way to the door, stepping over the Hatter as he did so. Shantae seemed to have things covered from there, anyways. So while she made her way over to Lilith, Joel made his way made his move to open the door. His hand wrapped around the knob and he pulled....

And the door didn't budge.

"Sh-shit!" Joel grunted angrily as he tried his best to get the damn door open. But no matter how hard he tried, it wouldn't budge. Within time, the man had given up, and turned to the rest with a dejected sigh. "You guys wouldn't happen to have any weird... door-related powers you could use right about now, would you?"

@Second2Last @Attesa @Jeff Jones @Crow @KageBaka @Midle1998 @TheElenaFisher @darkred @davefromdiscord @Paper94 @Starmaker

ArcRift

As Grey's fist struck the Hatter's face, a loud, thunderous clap rang out the clock-shaped arena. A bright flash filled the room, sending a sharp pain through all your heads. But as soon as that pain appeared, it was gone, as was the heaviness that had plagued your heads mere moments prior.



When the vision around you all cleared up, you found that you were in some old, dusty dining room. The table you'd been seated at was quite messy, with all the tea and treats either spilled over or smashed to bits. And all the while, the Mad Hatter's body was laid out on the ground, arms and legs sprawled at his sides. A stream of drool spilled from the corner of his lips - but he was still breathing, so there was that.

"C'mon..." Joel grunted through heavy breaths as he holstered his gun. "Let's get goin'..." And then, the man turned to the door, which was now visible to the group as a whole.

Oh, and Sougo was fine now too, in case you were wondering.

@Attesa @TheElenaFisher @darkred @davefromdiscord @Jeff Jones @Paper94 @Midle1998 @Second2Last @KageBaka @Starmaker @Crow

ArcRift

"Wha- yeah, Superman was missin' for weeks before he turned back up and started killin' everyone!" The light-headed thug exclaimed as he held up his hands. If anything, he at least sounded pretty confused about everything. And compared to those last guys, he certainly seemed more than willing to cooperate at the threat of violence to his person.

He pointed a finger in Otto's direction when he pointed out told Bardock not to kill him, "I think you should listen to the Webhead!" he exclaimed, "A-after all... what good am I to ya dead, right?"

To his relief, Bardock soon did indeed drop him to the ground. He breathed a sigh in said relief once that was done, and proceeded to brush his fancy suit off with both hands. "Thank you." he said with another sigh, his voice a bit sarcastic but generally pretty thankful. He made his way over to the partially destroyed wall and began to lean against it, "So... you guys wanna know about Firefly, right?" he held up both hands, " 'Cuz, I can tell ya about Firefly. Not so much Superman. That's above my paygrade, ya know?"

Even though he was trying to play things cool, his stiff body language and shaky voice made it clear that he was more than likely pissing his pants right about now.

@BoltBeam @XeroUltra @ClownTown @TheElenaFisher @FactionGuerilla @KageBaka @Crow @SomeMekBoy @Jeff Jones @QizPizza @Lazaro1505 @MorgueofCrowz

ArcRift

"Let you go?? Let you go???" The Mad Hatter giggled crazily and shook his head while continuing to rub his hands together. "Oh, no no no no no!" He definitely felt like he still had the upper hand - that much was obvious. The Nekomata's words behind him would have been enough to make any other man's skin crawl in terror. In truth, he too felt that familiar chill as she grew closer. Her cold breath brushing against his neck and sending shivers down his spine. Those threats were so vivid... so detailed...

And yet, as he turned, his grin couldn't be wider.

"Alice!" The Hatter exclaimed as he held out his hands in an almost loving fashion. He giggled and actually took a step toward her, "I've been waiting for you to show such malice!"

However, before he could finish his manically induced giggle fit, Date knocked him over with one single right hook to the face. He stumbled as the fist connected, the hat falling off as he did so. The clock seemed to slow down a bit as he fell to the ground, as the distorted world around the group began to break up more and more. The short man simply flinched up at the group and attempted to scurry back like the coward he truly was.

Only one thing left to do now.

@Starmaker @Attesa @TheElenaFisher @Crow @KageBaka @Second2Last @Paper94 @Jeff Jones @Midle1998 @davefromdiscord

World of Light

Ellie

Tostarena Town
Rank 1
6/10 EXP

@Rockin Strings @Zoey Boey @TruthHurts22 @DracoLunaris

---

Ellie furrowed her brows as she heard the first of them speak - the imp, to be specific. Why were they heading for the mountain...? She supposed that place would be free of infected. They couldn't survive very well in the cold, after all. Not on their own. But... it was chilly as fuck up there. Like- anyone who wasn't a fucking penguin would probably freeze in those kinds of temperatures. Not that she'd ever been up there... but she'd been in cold-ass places before. They fucking sucked without the proper gear. Hell, they even sucked WITH the proper gear.

She slid back a bit to hopefully stay more hidden - crouching down further as she did so. Hopefully these fucknuggets wouldn't have the bright idea to check behind any doors. The shit they were talking about was making Ellie pretty damn suspicious, especially as the shorter kid with the goggles started talking. She didn't get a good look at whoever he was talking to - but it sounded like he was missing people? Ellie could relate to that, at least. Just about everyone could these days. But losing people didn't make you an inherently good person. Everyone's lost people, after all.

But... as fate would have it, the goggle boy decided to make the very shop that Ellie was hiding in his first place of interest.

"Shit!" Ellie muttered to herself in a whisper. The door had been wide open, so as Raz made his way in, she simply backed further behind it. She stayed crouched all the while - making sure not to make a sound. Her hand hovered near her hip, where her gun was. She was more than prepared to open fire on this dork if she had to. But for now, staying out of sight was her main priority. Ultimately, she should've seen this coming. They did say that they needed supplies, after all. She should've just stayed in her room...

Before long, even more people made their way into the shop, much to Ellie's chagrin. 'Geez... how many of these assholes are there!?' she thought to herself as she watched them all make their way in. Some big guy... some thin guy... bunch'a weirdos, basically. They all shouted back and forth like some kinda arguing family. They seemed to be tight on cash - which, ya know, made sense. Who the hell carried cash in the post-apocalypse? No one, from what she knew. That was one of the things that she liked about this place. They managed to have the closest thing to a functioning society that she'd seen in like... ever, really.

Among this group was a tall lady with red hair. She reminded her of Marlene, sorta. She had that like- air about her. The kind of air that screamed, "I don't take shit from anyone!" Had she not been hiding from these people (and generally just not a very trusting person at all), maybe she'd have admired her more. But ultimately, she knew that more than likely, these people didn't have the best intentions. Even if the lady in question had immediately apologized to her-

Oh. She'd been caught, hadn't she? Well, shit.

"Uhhh..." Ellie slowly stood back up and tried to play things off as cool as she could. She was surprised that this lady hadn't called her out immediately for creeping around like this. But then again, she supposed that in this kind of world, people acting suspicious was pretty normal. Everyone did what they had to do to survive, after all. That survivalist instinct was what made shit like this seem ordinary. "It's... fine." Ellie assured the woman, seeming pretty awkward as she spoke.

She still absolutely did not trust these assholes at all. People could seem like the nicest folk alive, only to then stab you in the back as soon as it was turned. But Ellie definitely couldn't be openly hostile to these guys, either. She had a whole crew with her - and some of them were pretty fucking big dudes too, from the looks of things. The rest of her crew had since left the shop to go grab some grub from the nearby eatery. Ellie had never tried any authentic Mexican food before she'd ended up in this place. The shit they had here tasted fucking fantastic, though. Smelled great, too. It was definitely better than the scraps those soldiers handed out back in the big cities.

But Ellie was getting a tad off track.

She kept her distance from Jesse as they spoke. Ellie was definitely more tense than the other - which was obvious from just her body language. She kept her hand near her gun at all times, ready to draw it at a moment's notice. She was just about to question Jesse further... when another one ran in. For a brief few moments, her and Jesse had been the only ones left in the shop, with everyone else having long since left. Ellie was tempted to follow them... but she was sure that getting the info she needed here wouldn't be hard at all.

The other one that ran in was definitely like- weird. He had the worst case of bed-hair she'd ever seen. Like, she gets it. In a world overrun by infected fungus people, nice looking hair wasn't something most people were concerned about. But... c'mon man. She knew five year olds who could do better than that. His clothes were a whole other area of concern - really, that was all more than enough to give him an uneasy look all around. But it was more of an embarrassed uneasy as he ran in all jovially.

But then he stopped and gave her a look in turn. But it wasn't the awkward, embarrassed kind. No, no. This one was much more familiar to Ellie. It was the suspicious, very uneasy kind. The kind of look you gave someone when you weren't sure if you were gonna let them go, or beat the hell outta them. Ellie's hand drew closer to her gun as she locked gaze's with Sora. It was hovering right over it at this point.

"He a... friend of yours?" Ellie asked Jesse in an uneasy manner. She gave Jesse a side-glance as she spoke, but she kept her primary focus on Sora on the while. One sudden move, and she was ready to fill this clown-shoes wearing motherfucker with about seven or eight different holes.

Or just one, if she managed to get the headshot.

---

1,088 Words
+3 XP

ArcRift

"Noooo!! Nooooo!!!" Mad Hatter cried, his screams turning into what sounded like sobs as he fell to the ground - totally unconscious due to Grey's efforts. "You defeated my pet!" The Hatter sobbed some more, and over the course of the next few minutes, those sobs turned to what sounded like a sort of low hiss. "It's not over... it's not over! My mind control still poses a threat!"

The income of the thugs was very few now - with only one or two every minute or so. It was pretty easy to remove the masks at this point, even if the compounding weight on your heads was enough to make the weaker-willed pass out ten minutes ago. But very luckily, just when it seemed like hope was lost, a bullet rang out.

The bullet from Date's gun had struck the clock, and with it, the world around you all seemed to distort just the tiniest bit. For a brief moment, the world itself returned to normal - and with it, your heads began to clear just enough for you to stand once more. But perhaps most importantly...



In a burst of red, the Mad Hatter was revealed. He was standing there with a fiendish grin, rubbing his hands together like a Saturday morning cartoon while humming to himself, and muttering the occasional taunt under his breath. He didn't seem to notice that his cover had been blown just yet...

@Attesa @KageBaka @Jeff Jones @TheElenaFisher @Starmaker @Paper94 @Crow @davefromdiscord @Midle1998 @Second2Last