Chapter 1
The Lohrman Building stood in the heart of Steel Canyon overlooking Blyde Square. Built in the early fifties it was, at that time, a modern marvel incorporating design and function unheard of in construction and architecture.
The Lohrman brothers, Martin and Albert, had always been at the forefront of development and business in Paragon City. Lohrman Brothers Mercantile Trading had grown from a dry goods store to its present standing as one of the premier precious stones venders in the world. It was as great a source of pride for the brothers as it was a temptation for the criminal element in the city. And with the emergence of supervillains Lohrman Brothers Mercantile Trading had become a very enticing target indeed.
On this day it had proved irresistible to the Freakshow. Seven of them had made their way in through a loading dock, into a freight elevator and up the fire stairs until they reached the 40th floor offices of the precious stone dealers. Visions of millions of dollars worth of diamonds and sapphires danced in front of their eyes. It would be easy, they told themselves. Get in, terrorize the people, get the goods, get out. But things went bad from the moment they stepped onto the floor.
They hadnt counted on an emergency failsafe triggered by an alert guard, automatically shutting the gems in a time locked safe that proved impossible to break into.
They hadnt counted on an alert secretary pressing the silent alarm.
They hadnt counted on the Paragon City police cordoning off the building and sealing every exit.
And they hadnt counted on Top Ten.
Several members of one of the largest and most powerful Super groups in the city descended upon the building. An explosion marked their arrival as a hole appeared in the 40th floor wall. A Tank Smasher and his gang of six stood transfixed for a moment, staring through the gaping hole and into the sunny blue sky over Steel Canyon. Blocking their view was a man and a woman dressed in blue leather, with yellow accents, and a shield of that same yellow upon their chests.
The woman leapt forward, landing directly in front of the Tank. He stood a head taller than her and he looked at his men with a smile. He raised his hammer hand high above his head and brought it crashing down, striking her, trying to drive her into the floor like a nail. The smirk left his face when he realized the blow had absolutely no effect.
The woman smiled sweetly and, flashing brilliant white teeth, whispered, "My turn." She jumped into the air and kicked the Tank squarely on the side of the head. When she landed she unleashed a series of strikes so fast and so powerful the eye couldnt follow her hands and her target was left dazed on his feet. His six henchmen, mouths open in surprise, looked at each other and ran. She smiled and springing into the air, struck the Freak boss with a back kick, knocking him into a wall.
Her partner threw his hands forward and a bolt of pure energy surged through him and into the Tank, hitting him in the chest and knocking him through the wall and into the office beyond, his back nearly bending in two as he rammed into the heavy oak desk inside.
The woman, Buttercup, and the man, General Scrap, leaned in and looked through the hole, watching as the Tank slid off the desk and onto the floor.
"Impressive," Buttercup said, nodding her head.
Scrap grinned crookedly. "Not my first time."
They heard the sounds of battle around the corner and began to make their way towards it when suddenly a blast of white hot flame shot between them. They looked behind them and saw the Tank, on his feet but engulfed in the fire. Slowly he crumpled to the floor once more. The pair turned to seek out their benefactor and in the sky outside the ruined wall hovered Tropic, his eyes leaking red fire and his hands still smoldering.
Gracefully, he glided through the hole in the wall and landed in front of the pair. Buttercup smiled in greeting. General Scrap just nodded his head.
"Youre late," the big man said.
Tropic shrugged. "Its a big city," he said in his low, gravelly voice.
The sounds of the fighting beckoned them again and they rushed to join the fray.
Rounding the corner they were greeted with the sight of a Freak Stunner hurtling towards them and not under his own power. Tropic and Scrap leapt to the side and Buttercup practically threw herself to the floor to avoid being struck by the criminal. He flew past them and hit the floor, bounced twice, and lay still.
Buttercup scrambled to her feet and saw WillowWind grinning at her. The energy powers she wielded had caused the Freak to careen down the hall. The dark haired woman yelled to her three teammates as she turned back to battle, "Sorry!", and looked directly into the face of a Freak Chopper, his axe already arcing towards her head.
Before the blow could strike the Chopper was knocked to the side, his head striking the wall with a crack and leaving a large indent in the plaster. A huge blade came crashing down across his chest and he fell unconscious to the floor. The tall woman leaned close to the thug and whispered in a strangely accented voice, "Broadsword beats axe."
She turned to WillowWind. "You OK?"
Willow smiled up at the tall blonde. "I was ready for him. It was part of my plan, Temptations."
"Your plan to get sliced in two?", Temptations grinned. "You may have to rethink your strategy."
She ducked suddenly as General Scrap jumped over her. Buttercup ran past them and said, "More to do!" She continued on, her gaze riveted to the end of the hallway. The remaining four Freaks had appeared there and had to be caught. Willow, Temptations and Tropic followed in their comrades wake.
Suddenly the four thugs were surrounded by a ring of fire and a huge blast of flame engulfed them. Scrap turned to Tropic, his long blonde hair whipping about. Tropic shrugged.
"Wasnt me," he said simply.
The trapped Freakshow dropped and from around the corner Elendil appeared, his hands still glowing from the heat. Tropic smiled slightly. Elendils powers practically mirrored his own and he nodded his head in greeting.
Elendil stopped and bent over, resting his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. He looked at the rest of Top Ten and shook his head. "Thats a lot of steps," he breathed out.
General Scrap laughed out loud. The fire blaster had climbed 40 flights of stairs and still took out four of the enemy. "Better late than never," he said as he helped the man stand up.
The hostages had been saved, the Freakshow were on their way to prison and the police had taken statements from everyone in the city, it seemed. When Top Ten was finally finished with the incident it was almost eight oclock and night had fallen over Steel Canyon.
They had gathered on the sidewalk in front of the Lohrman Building and were discussing what area of the city was in most need of patrol when a voice called out to them from above. "Did I miss it?"
They looked up and WillowWind smiled in greeting. Her good friend Valya had arrived accompanied by Cadecus. Both were members of the Super group. Valya, a powerful warrior whose control of the earth was absolute and Cadecus, a valuable ally and friend, a fearless healer who had saved their lives more times than could be counted.
They landed next to their friends and Valya asked again, "Did I miss it?"
General Scrap shook his head. "Youre late."
Valya frowned. "Its a big city!" She looked at Willow and grinned. "I was all the way at the crash site when I got the call," she said, brushing her thick red hair back from the two horns that sprouted from her head.
Cadecus nodded. "Yeah, I met her at the train in Brickstown and we got here as fast as we could."
Temptations laughed. "You missed it! Elendil had to climb 40 flights and he still took out four of
", her voice trailed off as she looked at her friends. "Cad? Are you all right?"
The tattooed man looked up at her. "Im
not sure
," he said and fell dazed into her arms.
All around her, her teammates were beginning to waver on their feet. But no, not all of them she realized. Herself, General Scrap, Elendil and WillowWind all appeared to be fine. She had grabbed Cadecus and was holding the dazed man. Scrap supported Buttercup, Willow had Valya and Tropic was holding onto a lamppost for dear life.
And as quickly as it happened, it ended. The four affected heroes stood straight under their own power, shaking their heads as if trying to knock water out of their ears.
Elendil asked the question they all had on their minds. "What the hell was that?"
Buttercup looked up, rubbing her temples. "I dont know. It felt like someone was standing behind me
breathing down my neck."
"And cold. It felt cold," added Cadecus, turning his head from side to side.
Valya frowned. "It was like something was trying to take the strength from me. Like it was taking
sucking the
"
"Life."
They all turned toward Tropic. He was standing at the edge of the sidewalk almost in the street, staring off into the distance.
"What?", asked the General.
"Sucked some of the life out of us," he said quietly and spoke no more.
"But why you guys?", Temptations asked. "How come we all didnt feel it?"
They stood in silence in the cool night air until finally, "Magic!"
They turned to WillowWind, who said it again. "Magic. Dont you see? They all either got their powers from or use or are magic." She looked at Valya, the concern plainly visible in her expression.
"I guess that makes sense for now," Valya said, smiling at her friend, "but
". Her voice trailed off as she tried to think.
"I know," Cadecus nodded, "but what was it? And more importantly
"
"What could have caused it?", General Scrap finished the question, a deep frown etched on his face.
"Somethings here that shouldnt be here." Tropics voice was quiet, no more than a rough whisper.
WillowWind looked at the rest of the team and then crossed to the fiery hero standing at the edge of the sidewalk. "What do you mean, Tropic?", she said from behind him.
He turned his head and spoke over his shoulder, "Somethings here," and returned his gaze to the horizon.
Willow turned to the rest of Top Ten and finally they all looked in the direction Tropic continued to stare in. An audible gasp slipped from Buttercups open mouth and all the heros eyes widened in surprise.
In the distance the sky above Perez Park glowed a malevolent green. It swirled and glimmered, not the reassuring, restful glow of the force field walls, but a color that was uncomfortable and disturbing. At that moment, two police cars headed for the park sped past the gathered heroes, their sirens wailing like a child waking from a terrible nightmare.
"Somethings here," Tropic whispered once more and then, as one, they began to make their way to Perez Park.
to be continued...
Tropic
CHAPTER TWO
Perez Park had once been a beautiful place, a lush green respite from the rapid pace of city life. Families could picnic on the thick grass or see a play outdoors at Gaiman Amphitheatre. Lovers could walk through the tree-lined paths in the depths of the forest, arms about each other, whispering their sweetest thoughts. Everett Lake provided wet blue coolness on the hottest summer day. It had been a beautiful place.
Then came the Invasion. The War. After that, Perez Park became a haven for gangs warring with each other or preying on the unwise citizen foolish enough to enter their territory. A place for living automations to chatter and build. Where the undead and the disaffected roamed freely. And a place where the Circle of Thorns worked their arcane magics.
The animal emerged from below ground, pushing past a wood gate that blocked the entrance to Oranbega. It's glowing red eyes surveyed it's surroundings. It was in the middle of a dense forest, a babbling creek nearby nearly masking the sounds of the prey at hand.
The thing's nostrils quivered in the twilight, the waning sunlight still filtering through the leaves above. It smelled its prey and it's eyes could see the green tendrils of arcane enchantments weaving their way amongst the tree trunks. The monster smiled, it's razor sharp teeth still flecked with blood, and made it's way from the cave entrance into the deep woodland, following the green magic lines.
A moment later it came upon a glade and was bathed in the sallow moonlight just beginning to shine. It stepped out with no fear still following the mystic path ahead.
"Hey! This is our turf, Thorn!", a gruff voice shouted out.
It turned towards the voice and saw a young man in a tattered jacket striding purposefully towards it. His face was painted white like a skull and behind him several of his friends gathered, smirks on their faces.
"You deaf, Demon?", the thug asked. "I said this is our land. Get out!"
"I am no demon," it said matter-of-factly.
The gangster smiled. "No, you're just dead!" The switchblade appeared from nowhere and slashed at the animals midsection. The Skulls murderous grin turned to shock as he watched the blade break off on the thing's hard skin and go sailing into the bushes.
The fiend's clawed hand slashed out and cut the thug in two, torso landing to the left, legs to the right. His friends eyes grew wide at the sight of their severed comrade and as one they rushed forward.
And as one they died. The thing spared them not a thought as he continued on, following the magic trail, killing all in his path.
Top Ten arrived in Perez Park, moving past the police barricades, through the gates and into a graveyard. All about them bodies were strewn. The Skulls and Hellions, Vahzilok and Lost, all lay dead about the park. Some were nearly ripped apart, others sliced open and all still had a look of horror frozen on their faces by the rigor of death.
"My
God," Cadecus whispered, the empathy defender feeling more than the others the terribleness of the scene.
They all walked forward, their boots squishing. Looking down Temptations saw that the ground had turned to mud from the blood of the slain. She was a powerful warrior and death was no stranger to her but the scale here was almost beyond her. "I dont underst
what could have done," she gestured around her, "this?"
Tropic shook his head. "I dont know," he said quietly. His fiery eyes flared bright as he looked at the devastation.
"Did you feel it too?", a voice called to them from above.
They looked upwards and saw the dark form slowly approaching. General Scrap nodded in greeting as Bzald landed gracefully beside them. The black clad figure looked at his teammates, his red glowing eyes the only thing visible from of the dark swirling shadow that perpetually cloaked him.
Buttercup smiled grimly. "Some of us. We think it only affected those with some magic in them."
The dark figure stood silently for a moment, one hand stroking his chin. "That would seem to be the case," he said. "I was in Dark Astoria locked in combat with a Shaman and his cohorts. Of a sudden it came over us both and we two were staggered. His zombie thralls collapsed almost immediately. Luckily I was able to recover more rapidly than my foe and defeat him." Bzald looked at his friends and then the bodies surrounding them. He shook his head. "It was most disturbing."
Elendil glanced about them. "Thats an understatement. How did you know to come here? Perez doesnt border on Astoria or Talos Island.
Bzalds red eyes took in the battlefield and said absently, "I exited Dark Astoria and just
followed the feeling." He paused for a moment and said finally, "It led me here."
Temptations listened to the dark mans story. "Well, now that were here, how do we find
whatever it is were looking for?"
"Hey! You guys come look at this!"
The gathered heroes turned and saw WillowWind and Valya near the high stone wall that separated the park from the few office buildings across the road. Willow was waving them over and Valya was crouched over a dark form.
As they converged on the two heroines they saw the body was a Circle mage. Tropic and Cadecus squatted next to Valya and examined the remains. It was indeed a Circle of Thorns adept, a Madness Mage by the look of him. Valya stood again next to WillowWind and watched the two men.
Tropic leaned back and stroked his goatee. "Cadecus?", he asked and motioned at the corpse.
The healer nodded and held his arms out directly over the dead magicians chest. A white aura flowed from Cadecus hands and as quickly as he started, he closed his hands into fists and drew away from the body. He looked at Tropic, shaking his head, one hand tugging at his lower lip.
"Well?", asked Buttercup her gaze shifting between them.
"Hes Circle all right," Tropic began, "but its different. The other bodies here are practically torn apart and hes pretty beat up too, but theres something different about this one." Tropic pointed down at the body. "Look at his skin. Its wrinkled
calcified
like hes been mummified or
" Tropic shook his head and pulled on his goatee again. "I dont know."
"And theres something else." The assembled heroes turned towards Cadecus. "Just now when I tried to get some reading off him, there was nothing." He saw the confused looks on the faces of his teammates. He sighed and explained. "Everyone has some type of aura or
presence
that remains with them, even in death, for a while at least." He paused and looked at the Mage. "He had nothing. Nothing."
Valya looked at the body and then at Cadecus. "Like hed been
drained," she said quietly.
"Of everything," Tropic whispered. He looked at Temptations again. "You asked how we find what were looking for
" The gathered heroes of Top Ten looked at each other and then the stiffening remains sprawled about them. Then Tropics low voice broke the uneasy silence. "We follow the bodies."
Tropic and Temptations led the way, carefully picking their way through the seemingly unending corpses littering the unnerving quiet of the park. The heroes were silent, each lost in thought, all trying to remain focused on the matter at hand and not on the dead pointing the way to
what? The unknown was more worrisome than their surroundings. They had seen battle and death before but, with the exception of a few, not on this scale. Not knowing what they were facing was a frightening proposition.
Still they pressed forward. Up ahead they saw movement and, as one, immediately took defensive postures but quickly relaxed again as they caught sight of the familiar colors of the Top Ten uniform and the four individuals wearing them. The four teammates saw the larger group at the same time and waited for them to approach.
Ryuuhoshi shook his head. "Whats going on here?", he said looking over the devastation. "Ive never seen anything like this."
Miyaka gripped her katana tightly and nodded a greeting, her short dark hair bobbing slightly in the still night. Deep Phreeze wrapped her cape close about herself, eyes hidden behind her red tinted glasses. Her ice powers warded off the cold but she shivered now amongst the dead. Johnny Cognito stood silent, tendrils of inky blackness gathering at his feet.
"I cant say Im not glad to see you," General Scrap told them, "but how did you
?"
"We were arresting some Family goons in Independence Port when we saw it." Ryuuhoshi looked up at the swirling green sky. "You can see it from all over the city."
Buttercup frowned. "You cant see Perez from IP. You mean that
"
"You can see it from all over the city," Ryuuhoshi said again.
Cadecus grimaced and looked skyward. "That means the ordinary citizens are going to panic." Like most of the heroes inhabiting Paragon City, Cadecus had little faith in the citys police forces. He and the others had seen them run from trouble too many times to think they could count on them now.
"Then lets find the people responsible for this and finish it before more die," General Scrap offered. "Ill bet that the Circle of Thorns is behind it. Once we track them down we can
"
Johnny Cognito scowled and looked at the bodies near him. "The Circle? Look around you! The Circle are getting killed along with everyone else." He shook his head. "I dont think they decided to get themselves killed en masse!"
Elendil nodded. "He has a point
but Im willing to bet that they at least had something to do with it." He gazed up at the sky, an angry green cyclone swirling ominously. "Lets keep on going. Follow the bodies and see where that leads us maybe well
"
He stopped speaking, interrupted by an unearthly howl. He raised an eyebrow and returned the stares of his teammates.
"I guess we know where were going," Miyaka said with a crooked smile.
"Stay together," Ryuuhoshi whispered as they moved through the bloody mud towards the sound.
The heroes moved quickly through the park, skirting the thick forest line and following the edge of the small rivulet of water that lead to Everett Lake. They still had to step over the bodies littering the ground but now they noticed more Circle of Thorns among the dead. All of them had the same mummified, drained look as the one they had found.
Tropic and Buttercup looked at each other silently, a gaze of concern between them. The Circle were a group of very powerful magicians. Whatever could do this was head and shoulders above that power. The two heroes knew that what they were dealing with was deadly, dangerous, and maybe stronger than they. They continued on, though, knowing also that they were probably the only thing standing between
something and the rest of Paragon City.
The group emerged on the bank of Everett Lake and followed it towards the gate to Skyway City. They rounded a stand of thick trees and there, in the middle of the Amphitheatre, they saw it, gripping a Circle Thorn Wielder by the shoulders. A green mist was flowing from the helpless victim, from his mouth and eyes, into the open maw of the huge thing. Remnants of the mist drifted upward to the sky joining the swirling mass above.
The Thorn Wielders body began to shrink in the animals grasp as his power, his magic, his very essence was drawn away. When the monster had taken all there was, he simply cast the Thorn aside to join the others strewn on the Amphitheatres stage, all sucked dry of every bit of life and magic. It turned then and noticed the heroes of Top Ten watching it. It sensed the magic in some of them but there was not enough there to warrant its attention.
Until it heard the scream, "ATTACK!", then Top Ten had its complete attention.
As one the heroes surged forward assaulting the black demon with the practiced confidence earned with hundreds of battles: melee team moved forward to engage the villain directly and range heroes held back, peppering the fiend with blasts of ice, fire and energy. But it soon became clear that this
thing was not going to fall to conventional battle strategies.
Miyaka sliced away at the thing, striking it with slashing blows, her katana dancing over the hide of the animal so quickly only a blur of silver could be seen. Temptations stood beside her, the great broadsword in her hands hacking down on the ogres armored hide so hard the impact threatened to jar the blade from her hands. Both blades had the same effect - none.
The demon roared in annoyance and swung its huge hand, slapping Temptations away. The heroine tumbled in the grass and dirt, a cloud of dust rising in her path. She finally came to rest some twenty yards away at the edge of the lake already rolling to her feet and heading back to join the fray again.
Miyaka continued her attack, still trying to carve the beasts skin, while behind her the blasts from her teammates attempted to disorient their foe. On the other side Ryuuhoshi and Buttercup struck with all the skill of their martial arts training. Thunderous strikes and kicks landed on the beast, hands and feet moving faster than the eye could see. But the thought became clearer in their minds that they were doing no damage at all.
Suddenly, the animal leapt over them and headed out over the lake towards the abandoned boathouse. "Keep after it!", General Scrap shouted. "Weve got to take it out before it can do mor
". The rest of his words were lost to the wild sounds of fighting.
Top Ten pursued it, blast after blast hitting the fleeing demon. "Were not hurting it!", Elendil shouted as he unleashed another blast at the beast. He watched as the things tail struck Miyaka and sent her flying. She hit the ground and tumbled across the grass, leaving a smoking trail of dirt.
Ryuuhoshi watched as Miya tumbled away and, in the split second that his attention was diverted, the thing's tail struck him as it swished back. The dark ninja was lifted from his feet and hurled some thirty yards away, finally hitting the ground and somersaulting several times before coming to rest on the cool green grass, dizzy and stunned.
He clambered to his knees, shaking his head, trying to recover. Ryuuhoshi watched the battle with the demon unfold. Valya and Cognito were doing their best to slow it down and the rest of the team were hitting it with everything they had.
Suddenly he saw Bzald swoop in, trying to get a decent shot at the thing. He watched in horror as the animal struck the shadowed controller with it's huge fist. Bzald took off like a rocket, spinning through the air and then hitting the ground and going airborne once more, sailing directly over Ryuu's head. Bzald's back slammed into the hard trunk of a large tree, nearly snapping the man in two. He fell to earth and lay there, unmoving.
Ryuuhoshi ran to his friend. "Bz! Bzald! Are you ok?" He crouched there next to him looking into the red, glowing eyes.
"Can't...move...", Bzald said, his shadowed face a mask of pain and fear.
Ryuu looked up, searching for the healer, Cadecus, when above him Deep Phreeze tumbled overhead and smacked into the concrete of the force field wall with a sickening wet thud. She fell at least twenty feet and lay still.
"Cadecus! Cadecus!"
The healer turned from the battle and saw the ninja frantically waving him over. With a last healing burst, Cad hurried over. He looked down at Bzald and, using his power, determined the extent of the man's injury. He looked over at Phreeze and then to Ryuuhoshi. "Take them to the hospital."
"What?", Ryuu asked in surprise. "Can't you..."
Cadecus shook his head and looked back at the carnage near the demon. "No. Get going! Get back as quick as you can!" With that the healer returned to the fray.
Ryuu frowned, picked up Deep Phreeze and, placing his hand on Bzald, activated the medical transporter and the three heroes vanished.
"Keep at it!", WillowWind yelled. She fired another blast at the thing. Valya had surrounded it with quicksand and Cognito added to it with tar, both heroes striving to slow the fiend down long enough for their team to stop it. Valya and Willow closed in trying to maximize the chance to strike. In back of the beast Elendil and Tropic did the same. Temptations and Buttercup still stood toe to toe with the thing, hitting it with everything they could muster.
Elendil hit it with a huge blaze of fire, not really hurting the beast but certainly getting its attention. As the beast turned toward the fire blaster its great forked tail swept into Valya knocking her away.
The demon looked down at the blaster and its clawed hand jabbed toward him. Elendil had stopped his assault for a moment and had taken a knee, resting, trying to regain some of his strength. He never saw it coming.
"EL!!", Tropic screamed and pushed the man out of the way. "ARRGGHH!!" Another scream burst from Tropic. Looking down he saw the talon of the beast jutting forward from his side. The villain had thrust its sharp nail through him from behind and, just as quickly, it withdrew the claw. Tropic fell to the ground, fire erupting from both sides of the wound.
"TROPIC! NO!", Elendil screamed and rushed to his friend. The fiery hero lay on the ground for a moment and then climbed to his hands and knees. "Trop, are you..?", Elendil asked, fear and concern in his voice and on his face.
"Just
got to
catch
my breath," he said between heavy breaths. Suddenly a scream rent the night air and both heroes turned to the sound. The animal had grabbed WillowWind and held her high above his head, one great hand wrapped around her leg, and was already swinging his arm down trying to drive her into the ground as if she were a hammer.
Valya cried out as she saw the dire trouble her friend was in. She ran towards the beast but knew already she wouldnt make it in time. Elendil unleashed a bolt of pure flame at the thing, hitting it directly in the chest. The demon shrugged it off, still swinging the struggling heroine towards the hard cold earth.
Tropic rose to his knees, dazed and faint from the wound his body was still trying to heal. He took his hand from his side long enough to shoot a weak blast of fire at the black beast. That done, he collapsed to the ground once more, watching helplessly.
The ball of fire hit the beast in the chest again. Howling in agony the thing dropped Willow some ten feet to the ground. Valya made it to her almost as soon as she landed and, scooping her up, practically carried her from harms way.
The beast turned to Tropic, its nostrils quivering, and stared for a mere second at the fire blaster. Then it turned and simply bounded away, swallowed by the dense forest of Perez Park.
Near the force field wall a figure appeared seemingly from thin air, wearing the Top Ten colors. "What the hell was that?", it asked incredulously.
"Kunai!", General Scrap called out. He ran to the lanky fighter, holding his left arm tight to his body. "Follow that thing! Let us know where it goes, but for Gods sake, dont attack it! Go! Go!"
"Right! Got it!", the stealthy warrior exclaimed and ran towards the forest, already seeming to disappear from view as he neared the thick trees.
Scrap watched Kunai go and then turned to the rest of his team. All had been injured in some way and Cadecus was going to each of them, the soothing green waves of his healing aura washing over them and making them whole again. Buttercup was on her knees, the midsection of her uniform bearing four claw-like tears. Temptations left shoulder pad was missing and the sleeve had split at the seam. Willow and Valya appeared to be all right but both were covered with dirt and sweat. Tropic was in his feet, supported by Elendil. And as he took stock of himself, Scrap noticed finally the deep gash in his arm.
Cadecus came near him and he felt the heal. He looked at his arm again and watched as the wound disappeared. Cadecus nodded at him, "You ok?" Scrap nodded in return.
"Well, we just got our [censored] kicked," Miyaka said plainly. She too was covered in dirt. Her uniform was covered with grass stains and the seam on one side of the short skirt she wore had split all the way up to the waist, showing, in flashes, the white panties she was so fond of wearing.
"Miya
"
"No, really, every part of our [censored] were just kicked. If there was an [censored] in the vicinity, it was kicked." She kneeled down at the edge of the lake and splashed the cool water on her face, washing away the grime.
"Miya
please
," Scrap began.
"Shes right," Tropic said quietly, still holding his side as he approached the group. Elendil stayed near but Tropic was standing now under his own power.
WillowWind walked up and rested her hand on his shoulder. "You all right?"
"Good as new," he said, removing his hand from the wound, revealing the two charred holes, front and back, in his costume. Not even a scar remained.
Buttercup sighed and stared into the forest after the beast. "So
what do we do now?"
"Simple," Temptations said. She gripped the hilt of her broadsword so tightly her knuckles were white. She looked at her teammates, her eyes low and growled, "We track it down and return the favor."
to be continued...
Tropic
CHAPTER THREE
"Simple, huh?", Johnny Cognito frowned as he wiped the dirt from his forehead with the back of his hand. It left a smudge over his right eye but he had already begun to rub his palms together, trying to rid himself of the dark earth. Behind Temptations he could see the HAZ-MAT personnel entering the park, beginning the depressing task of gathering the bodies littering the quiet landscape.
"Look around you, Tempt," he continued, waving his hands, "that thing just killed everything here. Its not gonna be simple. Its gonna be rough
and after seeing how it threw us around I think our chances are pretty slim."
Scrap walked up and laid his hand on Johnnys shoulder. "So, we give up?"
Johnny looked at the man with a smirk. "Of course not, you know better than that." He shook his head and looked at the ground. "But we cant beat it
not right now."
Cadecus nodded in agreement. He eyed the rest of Top Ten. Buttercup kneeled down by the edge of the lake, resting back on her ankles. She stared unseeing into the cool blue water as Miyaka stood next to her fiddling with her skirt, pulling the sides of her white panties up high on her hips so that the front and back dipped below the waistband and out of sight. Cad shook his head.
WillowWind and Valya were standing at the lake as well, Willow brushing some of the dirt from Vals thick red hair and Val pulling a twig or two from Wills dark mane. The leg of WillowWinds costume, where the demon had grabbed her, was torn, ripped down the front and back exposing her smooth, tan skin. Tropic stood near them silently, staring with smoldering eyes in the direction the thing had run off to.
"We need to know more," the defender said. He looked at the group and asked, "What do we know so far?"
"Its big, its strong and its pretty much impervious to whatever we threw at it," Buttercup said, absently rubbing her hand over the claw marks in her uniform.
"I dont know about that," Willow shook her head, "I think Elendil and Tropic hurt it"
"No," Tropic frowned. The red-skinned hero turned to Willow and smiled. "I dont think so, but
" He shook his head. "I dont know. Anyway, Im almost positive its not supposed to be here." The gathered heroes looked at Tropic expectantly. He shrugged and, shaking his head said, "It doesnt feel like one of their Behemoths."
Johnny squinted an eye at him. "What? Another dimension or something?"
Cadecus nodded, one hand rubbing his chin. "Thats entirely possible: another dimension or plane of existence. The Circle are certainly capable of pulling something like that over or
it made the jump on its own." The healer shook his head, "We just dont know
yet."
Miyaka sighed. "Well, we know we cant hurt it."
"But it can hurt us," the voice said from above. Ryuuhoshi landed gracefully among his teammates, his eyes darting quickly past and around them, looking for the animal they had been fighting. "Is it gone?", he asked, the anger in his voice almost slapping his friends faces.
"Yes, a few minutes ago," Scrap replied. "Kunai is following it." He briefly recounted the final moments of the battle and then asked "How are Phreeze and Bzald?"
Ryuuhoshi looked at each hero in turn when he spoke, "Phreeze is in a coma. The docs think shell be alright but they want her to wake up on her own."
"And when do they think thatll be?", Valya asked.
Ryuu shrugged. "Hour, day, week, month. Your guess is as good as theirs. They said theyll wake her if she goes beyond a certain point but they didnt tell me what that point was."
"And Bzald?" Willow eyed the dark ninja.
Even though the bottom half of Ryuuhoshis face was covered those gathered thought they could see him frown. "They think that
he may have
they dont
"
"Just say it, Ryuu," Tropic said softly.
The ninja paused for a moment and then, "Its his spine. He cracked it on that tree pretty hard. The doctors knocked him out and have him tied down so he cant move and hurt himself further." The heroes were frowning, their brows beginning to knit together in worry and anger. "But theres so much swelling in there they cant tell if any bone shards or nerves or whatever are causing any damage. They said they had to wait but
" He paused again and this time seemed almost unable to speak.
"Go on, Ryuuhoshi," Cadecus urged.
"They think his legs may be paralyzed." The statement hung in the air between them with a presence all its own. Ryuu looked at his friends, his eyes showing all the emotion he felt. "They dont know."
General Scrap sighed heavily, "Well, lets find some people who know about this thing so we can hunt it down and make it pay." The rest of Top Ten looked at him, anger and resolve clearly etched on their faces.
"Well, we know it hates the Circle of Thorns," Miyaka declared.
"
or needs them," Tropic intoned, pulling on his lower lip.
WillowWind tilted her head as she looked at the blaster. "What do you mean, Trop?"
Tropic glanced at the bodies strewn about the landscape. "The others he killed but the Circle he sucked dry. I dont think he was as interested in their lives as he was in the magic he could siphon from them." The shook his head and ran his hand through his tall spiky hair. "He wanted their magic. Their lives were just a bonus."
"But why?", Temptations wondered aloud.
Cognito shook his head and frowned. "Well, I guess if we need to know about the Circle of Thorns we need to go to the source. And theres only one place I can think of."
"Oh, dont tell me
," pleaded Temptations.
Buttercup sighed, "Oranbega."
"I hate Oranbega," Temptations said simply. The other heroes around her voiced similar sentiments. The magic city stood deep underground, a safe haven for the Circle to practice their arcane spells and brew their concoctions. It was fraught with portals and gates, demons and mystics that gave even the bravest hero pause. But Cognito and Buttercup were right: if one wanted to know what the Circle was up to Oranbega was the only place to investigate.
Elendil nodded. "All right. I think theres a gateway within the thickest part of the park. Lets get going before we
"
"Wait," General Scrap interrupted. "Not all of us."
"Why not?", Miyaka asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Theres someplace else to go too." Scrap looked at the expectant group and said finally, "Me, Cadecus, Temptations, Tropic and Buttercup will go to Oranbega. The rest of you go see Azuria at M.A.G.I. in city hall. Something this big, theyre probably already working on it. Lets find out what they know."
Suddenly Tropics low, gravely voice was heard, "Look at the sky, he said quietly.
They looked up and saw the green tempest above them begin to dissipate. The nighttime sky could now be seen through the mist, the light of the stars finally showing through.
At that moment Scraps communicator sounded. "Yes?
Kunai! Where?
OK
I see
No! No, dont do
I understand but it would be suicide
Yes
Yes
OK
Just keep following it and report back when it moves again
I understand
OK." He placed the device back on his belt and turned to the other members of Top Ten. "Its in Faultline and its doing the same thing."
The heroes eyes narrowed and Valya whispered, "We have to stop it."
"All right, lets get going," Scrap sighed. "Lets meet at that park below the Green Line in Steel in
an hour, right?"
They nodded and began moving in the direction of their assignments. Tropic stood for a moment stroking his goatee, a deep frown on his face. The thing was in Faultline now. "Lots of Thorns in Faultline," he thought. Tropic had the beginnings of an idea about the demon and he didnt like where his thoughts were taking him. He breathed out heavily then turned and caught up to his friends as they sought out the entrance to the magic city.
to be continued...
Tropic
CHAPTER FOUR
The heroes carefully followed the thin trail through the thick trees, edging ever closer to the entrance of the magic city. All had been there before, on one mission or another, and all had hoped never to return. Oranbegas cold stone corridors seemed never ending, filled with Circle minions and worse. It was a dangerous place made even more so due to the nights events.
As they moved further into the dense forest they noticed that the dead began to appear less and less until finally no bodies were apparent. The team was silently thankful for that; they had seen too much death tonight and this was a welcome respite. They also noticed there was complete silence. No birds. Not even the buzzing of insects. It was as though every living thing had fled in the wake of that monster. It was
disturbing, to say the least.
Suddenly, they came to a glade of soft grass and dirt and across the expanse a formation of rock sprang up just at the tree line. Imbedded in its face was a wooden door made up of four planks, "NO TRESPASSING" crudely written in black paint over them. They crossed the glade, General Scrap and Tropic in the lead, the rest spread out behind them.
"There it is," Scrap nodded.
"Hey! Over here!", Cadecus called out. The team gathered around the healer as he crouched over the ground. A huge footprint was outlined in the damp earth, the claws clearly visible.
"Well," Buttercup sighed, "we know it was here."
"Or
there could be two of them," Tropic said, his head low and hiding a crooked grin.
Temptations stared at the red-skinned man with a raised eyebrow. "Oh, thank you very much, Tropic," she said with mock outrage. The fire blaster grinned and shrugged. The others looked at him and, shaking their heads, and made their way to the wooden gate and Oranbega.
They pried open the door and entered the city. They stood in a type of foyer, floor and walls of stone, and around them bookshelves holding arcane tomes and artifacts, candles and bones. Directly ahead of them a triangular arch beckoned. Beyond that lie the halls and buildings of the city.
But there was something
not right.
Buttercup breathed in and frowned. "Whats that smell?"
Temptations had already noticed it and held her broadsword at the ready. She looked at the archway then turned to her friend. "Death," she said simply and quietly turned again to the arch.
"And blood," Tropic added, the iron-copper scent permeated the place. The others may not have been able to sense it, but the fiery hero could. He had smelled it enough in his long life. And he also knew that the place reeked of it. And he knew how much of it was needed to cause this stench.
"Listen," Cadecus said softly. The heroes looked at each other. There was no sound. No chanting. No shuffling footsteps. Nothing.
General Scrap frowned and said, "All right," and as one they entered the archway and Oranbega.
**********
They felt the eyes on them as soon as they entered City Hall. Here was a place where fledgling heroes began their careers, heads full of dreams of glory, their costumes crisp and clean. In their thoughts every battle was won with effortless skill and defeat was so foreign a concept it didnt even register as a possibility.
Then they saw Top Ten stride purposefully into the building and across the great hall towards the hero assignment offices. The six heroes were covered with dirt and grass stains, their uniforms ripped and torn, but still walked straight with grim resolve. They felt the eyes upon them and heard the murmurs of surprise and paid them absolutely no attention.
They walked to the small hallway to the right of the building and down the few steps to the assignment area. This was the first stop for new superheroes in Paragon City but sometimes even the more experienced crime fighters needed help. Through the double doors on the right were the offices of the Modern Arcane Guild of Investigation and hopefully some answers.
Both doors swung open and they headed for the reception desk where a disinterested young woman sat, a hands free microphone and earpiece on the left side of her narrow face. Her dark hair was pulled into a tight bun and her blouse was buttoned up to her neck. The seam in the sleeves of her business suit was razor sharp. Her lip curled slightly as she looked the heroes up and down. "Yes?", she said with an exasperated sigh, "may I help you?"
"We need to see Azuria right away!", Willow exclaimed.
"Do you have an appointment?"
"An
appointment?," Valya repeated incredulously. "Um
No, but
"
"Well, Im sorry but things are a bit hectic at the moment," the receptionist interrupted. "If you could be lambs and have a seat well see if we can fit you in. Thanks"
The heroes looked at each other with astonishment. Miyaka stepped forward. "Look..," she paused to read the nameplate on the corner of the desk, "umm
Renee, this is very important. Theres a
"
"And you are
?", Renee cut her off.
"Um
Miyaka."
"And I would know you from
?"
Miyaka turned to her friends her eyes wide, one eyebrow arching upwards. Johnny Cognito answered, "Were from Top Ten."
Elendil nodded, "Surely youve heard of us?"
"So
there will be ten of you
?"
"No, no
its a Super Group," Ryuuhoshi tried to explain, "and weve really got to see Azuria. Its very impor
"
"Yes
well
as I said its going to be very difficult to fit you in but if youll just have a seat over there well see what we can do. Thanks so much." Then she turned and answered the phone, effectively dismissing the stunned heroes.
"Oh, thats it," Valya growled.
Azuria looked at the report in her hand and frowned. No matter how many times she read it, it still said the same thing: dead in Perez Park with special attention to the Circle of Thorns; swirling green mist over said park; some monstrous entity causing both presumably. She smiled a bit. "Theyre all monstrous entities," she thought.
M.A.G.I. had been aware of something for a couple of hours now, ever since they had all felt the
draining. Some of her people were still very wobbly, others, like herself, had throbbing headaches but all still worked, concerned over the occurrence, especially because they really had no idea what was going on. All the information they had was based on second and third person accounts. No eyewitnesses had presented themselves as yet. The only things they were sure of was that it was magical in nature and it didnt belong here.
One of her aides handed her another printout. The mist in Perez Park was dissipating and beginning to form over the area known as Faultline. The young mystic tugged on her lower lip wondering what that could mean when, from outside the double doors, there was a thud and what seemed to be a very short scream.
Suddenly the doors burst open and six costumed individuals stood there, disheveled and dirty. A red-head with horns had a hold of Azurias receptionist by the scruff of the neck, controlling the struggling woman effortlessly. Azuria pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head. Renee was very good at her job, but was difficult to say the least. She had been in no less than a half dozen other departments and had been moved from each. It was only a matter of time before some hero or other had had enough of her
abruptness.
"We need to see Azuria ASAP!", called out the horned woman.
Azuria sighed and, looking at the woman said, "Valya, yes?"
Valyas head jolted back in surprise. "Umm
yes. How did you
?"
"We know many things," the young woman replied. She stepped forward confidently. "I am Azuria. What can I do for Top Ten?", she said, smiling at their bewilderment.
Finally WillowWind stepped forward. "In Perez Park," she said hastily, "theres a demon. Its killing everyone. But it takes the Circle of Thorns and
"
Now it was Azurias turn to be surprised. "Youve seen it?"
"Seen it?", Ryuuhoshi snorted, " We fought it!"
"Quickly, come in," and Azuria hurried to call her staff to her.
A sly smile curled Valyas lips as she looked at the receptionist still in her grasp. In a voice that dripped with sugar she said, "Could you be a lamb and wait outside, thanks so much," and with a flip of her wrist tossed the annoying young woman through the doors.
Renee landed with a thud on her backside, the skirt of her prim and proper business suit riding up revealing a zebra striped g-sting and matching garter belt holding up black lace top stockings. She screamed as she tried to pull her dress down and her eyes shot daggers at Elendil and Johnny Cognito as they watched her.
Johnny nodded as he looked at Elendil, one eye squinting at his friend. "Its always the quiet ones."
As he closed the doors, Elendil looked past Johnny to their teammates Miyaka, WillowWind and Valya. Elendil shook his head and said, "Dude, we dont know any quiet ones!"
When they were all gathered Azuria spoke. "Tell me everything you know."
**********
The quiet was the most unnerving. As they crept further into Oranbega the unnatural silence seemed to press in on them like a great closing hand.
They had at last become somewhat used to the bodies lining the corridors and chambers of the magic city. Uncountable numbers of mages and mystics, guides and slaves filled the whole of the place. All were in the same condition as their brethren above in the park: drained of life and magic leaving only a mummified husk which once was human. Many of the Circle had literally been torn apart and pieces of bodies blocked their path on more than one occasion.
At least Buttercup and Cadecus had stopped throwing up. Tropic smiled with sympathy at the woman. Although Buttercup was a very dangerous fighter she was probably the gentlest soul he had ever met. Cadecus was having a harder time of it due to his empathic nature. The very thing that made him an extraordinary healer was also causing him the most distress. It was as if he could feel the pain of the Thorns and it made him very unsteady on his feet.
They rounded a corner and came upon a flight of stairs leading downwards. Temptations had the lead and, holding her great broadsword tightly, began to descend the stairs. She kicked a severed foot from her path and General Scrap watched it tumble down the steps. Behind him Cadecus stumbled slightly and he reached out to grab him.
"You OK, buddy?," Scrap asked, the concern evident in his voice.
Cadecus nodded. "Just not used to seeing unpeopled feet rolling around," he smiled.
"Ill try to be more careful," Temptations said over her shoulder and the healer grinned in gratitude.
Another flight of stairs identical to the first appeared in front of the group. When they reached the bottom a huge cavern opened up before them. Wooden bridges spanned the gap between the stone ledge they stood on and an enormous building on the other side of an underground river. Circling the cavern were stone carvings of gigantic heads, waterfalls flowing from the sculptures open mouths.
"Wow," Temptations whispered with awe. As she scanned the area she saw more dead strewn on the bridge and floating below in the water. "They havent been dead that long," she said confidently.
"How can you tell?", frowned Buttercup.
She pointed down at the bodies in the water. "Theyre not swelled up yet."
Buttercup grimaced. "Gross," she said matter-of-factly.
"Indeed," whispered Tropic, his gaze sweeping over the building across from them. It was at least six stories tall and they had to search every inch of it.
"Lets get moving," Scrap said and the team moved over the wooden bridge and entered the temple.
They began their search at the top and worked their way down. Every chamber they entered contained the same grisly contents: dead and dismembered bodies. The sightless eyes of the dead stared upwards as if asking God why this had befallen them. The blood of the slain had not had time to dry and their feet stuck in the vicious fluid. Still they continued downwards, examining every room and hallway.
The team reached the bottom floor of the structure. They searched a few rooms with the same results and then followed a short corridor in back of the temple. Suddenly the hall opened up into a large cavern. In the center of the cavern a large flat stone sat, marked with etchings. Five lines lead away from it to five round stone platforms, one larger then the other four.
Tropic froze in the corridors arch. "This is where it came through," he said in a rough whisper.
"Are you sure?", Scrap asked. His eyes surveyed the cave. "How can you tell?"
Tropic strode forward and stood in the center stone. "Here. Look. You can see the scratches from its feet on it," he pointed down at the slab. "They preformed some type of ritual," he said, waving his hand at the other stones.
"Yes," Buttercup continued, "the lead mage stood there at the larger stone," she paced to it and then to the other, smaller stones in turn. "Earth, water, fire, air," she said indicating each stone circle.
Temptations stood near Tropic, looking at the center slab. "What are these markings on it mean?", she asked pulling on her lower lip.
Buttercup joined them at the slab. "They were just etched in recently," she frowned. "But the language
is that Sumerian?"
The others looked at her with raised eyebrows. She sighed and grinned, "I work with ancient antiquities in the Paragon City Museum of Natural History."
"Huh," Cadecus smiled, "Super Librarian."
Tropic smiled and then turned his attention to the markings. "No, not Sumerian," he shook his head. "It looks almost
it could be
" At once both his and Buttercups eyes widened and they said in unison, "Arkandian."
Temptations looked at her teammates. Tropic covered his mouth with his right hand, rubbing it back and forth. Buttercup had folded both arms over her chest and looked as if she were going to hug herself unconscious. "So
who are these Arkandians?", she asked.
Tropic and Buttercup looked at each other as if trying to decide if their friends could be trusted. Buttercup finally raised her hand and shook her head as though she were giving permission for Tropic to explain.
The fiery hero took a deep breath. "So far in history, there have been maybe three arcane groups that were evil for the sake of evil. The Hun Lords of the Feuer, who
created me, the Circle of Thorns and the Arkandians. The Hun Lords and the Arkandians are no more. A millennia or so ago they battled it out amongst themselves and regular humans chose that time to strike and wiped them out." He looked deeply into the faces of his friends. "They were evil incarnate and theyd make the Circle of Thorns look like the Girl Scouts." He paused and looked at the slab again. He shook his head. "The Arkandians were worshipers of death, the hands of evil. If the Circle was messing around with one of their spells
"
There was absolute silence in the cavern. Finally General Scrap nodded. "Well, lets keep looking. Maybe the others
.did you hear that?!"
The group stood shock still and they heard it again. It sounded like a bottle rolling over a cement floor. And it was coming from below them. They hurried out of the cavern to the outside of the temple. There they looked down over a low rock wall to where the waterfalls emptied far beneath the city.
They looked at each other and, as one, leapt over the edge into the deluge.
to be continued...
Tropic
**********
"We are almost certain this thing is from another dimension," Azuria explained. "The only other feasible possibility would be another plane of existence."
WillowWind nodded her head. "So, Tropic was right."
Azuria looked at the super heroine with a raised eyebrow. "Tropic? Tropic is involved in this?"
"Umm, yes," Willow answered warily, "he and some others from our team are investigating Oranbega. Why? What do you think hes
"
"Oranbega," the young mage cut her off, nodding her head in agreement, "a wise course of action."
Willow regarded the woman with a furrowed brow. Why was she interested in what Tropic was doing? She disliked the secrecy and subterfuge that usually accompanied supers with magic based powers. "Its probably for our own good," she thought to herself, "some of that stuff is wicked
literally." She was roused from her thoughts by Miyakas next question.
"So whats the difference? Another dimension and plane of existence are the same thing, arent they?", she said as she looked at a magical artifact tightly sealed inside a glass case. The thing looked to be made of solid gold and as she leaned closer to it, she seemed to hear inside her mind "Free me
free me
free me
" Miyaka stood straight abruptly and stepped backwards.
"No, not really," Azuria was saying, "and dont get too close to that." She waited until the young woman rejoined the group before continuing. "Another dimension is just that: a place where our physical laws may or may not apply. The sky may be green, the grass orange. Truly, another world." She paused for a moment to collect her thoughts. The headache she had received from the materialization of this new demon was still bothersome. A soothing spell she had cast for herself hadnt taken effect yet. She rubbed her forehead and spoke again.
"Another plane of existence is part of our world but not, if that makes any sense," she smiled. "Think of someplace completely beyond and devoid of reality but still part of it. For example, the home of the gods on Mt. Olympus."
"Or the Democratic party," Johnny Cognito added.
The rest of his teammates turned and stared at him with looks that one would reserve for the village idiot. "What?", he asked innocently.
"No," Azuria said with annoyance.
Elendil nodded his head. "Ok
so how do we send it back or kill it? We threw everything we had at it and barely scratched it. Is there some
"
Azuria held up her hand to stop him. She frowned deeply and looked at the heroes in turn. Finally she nodded her head and said, "There may be a way
"
**********
They landed some 300 yards down, far below the great temple and up to their thighs in dark green water. Several Circle bodies floated about and Buttercup retched again, but luckily did not vomit. Tropic smiled at the martial arts mistress in sympathy and shook his head. She grinned back weakly then turned her attention to their surroundings.
They were in another large cavern, rough rock walls sloping upwards. High above them the waterfalls continued to cascade, pouring hundreds of thousands of gallons of water around them but the level of the water did not change. The team moved forward and found they were in a small lagoon. In its center a circular column of rock rose upwards to the giant building and around it were small caves and ledges. Top Ten kept to the wall of the cavern and began their search.
"This shouldnt be possible," Cadecus whispered. "The water should be swirling around from the waterfalls and the river. The current should be immense."
Scrap nodded. "I agree. But it is the magic city. Things work a little differently here, I suppose."
They rounded a corner and ahead of them on the right was a ramp that lead to a large portal, blue and green color churning madly inside it.
"Portal," Temptations grunted, indicating it with the pommel of her sword.
"Yes, itll take us back to the temple," Tropic whispered.
His teammates looked at him, the question on their faces. "How do you know that?", Buttercup said with a raised eyebrow.
"Wait!," Cadecus whispered urgently. Up ahead there appeared to be another ramp and as they drew closer they saw an altar squatting at its end.
At the altar was a robed figure and it looked like he was
sweeping?
They surged forward but Cadecus held his hand out to them. "Stop!" he whispered. The teammates held up and the defender strode forward towards the robed man.
When he stood in front of the ramp, still thigh deep in the tepid water he said, "Hello."
The Thorn spun around with a surprised scream and dove behind the table. He gripped the edges of the altar with his fingers and poked his head above the rim so that only his eyes showed.
Cadecus held his hands up. "Were not going to hurt you," he said in his most soothing tone.
The mans glowing green eyes frowned in response. "You are not the masters," he said warily.
"No, no were not. It looks like they are
all gone."
The robed mans eyes knotted together again and Cadecus could feel the fear rising from the poor fellow. "You are doing a very fine job cleaning this shrine," he said, changing the subject all together.
Temptations and Tropic looked at each other in confusion. "What are you doing?", Temptations hissed at the healer.
Cadecus held his hand low and waved them back. Tropic shrugged at Temptations and shook his head. The fire blaster stole a glance at Buttercup and General Scrap. Both had questioning expressions on their faces as well. Tropic returned his attention to Cadecus and the Thorn minion, ready to attack if the need arose but intrigued at how the healers game would play out.
The minion raised an eyebrow and looked around at his handiwork. "The masters require cleanliness," he said matter-of-factly, an odd statement considering the mutilated bodies
surrounding him.
Cadecus nodded in agreement. "Yes, and they will be pleased." He paused for a moment and then, making a show of surveying his surroundings, said, "if they come back." He waited for another moment, studying the reaction of the minion. "You saw what happened here, didnt you?" It was more statement than question.
The Guide was standing now and met Cadecus gaze. Even though the green eyes were all that was visible beneath his dark hood, the defender could almost feel the fear and worry coming from the man. "They said that it would bring us power," the frightened man said softly. "They thought they could control it."
"What did they conjure up?"
"I do not know. I am only a slave in their orbits."
Cadecus smiled knowingly. "Even I know that masters have no secrets from those that serve them. And I think you are smarter than they imagined." The slave looked up at him and his glowing eyes seemed to be
smiling? Cadecus pressed on quickly, not giving the lone survivor a chance to waver. "What happened here?"
"They brought it forth," the minion began, " all the rituals had been preformed and the stars and planets were in alignment. My master said they had to hurry, the chance to conjure only happens every few millennia." The man sighed. "Then it came and ignored their commands. And its voice wondered who had summoned He That Has No Name." He paused. "It was very angry and killed everyone in its path." The Guide gestured at the altar. "Bodies were flung everywhere. One struck me and I hit my head. And this," he waved his arms at the cavern, "was what I found when I awoke."
"He That Has No Name?", Cadecus repeated and he felt Tropic stiffen behind him. He spared a glance at the red-skinned hero and saw a very deep look of concern.
"Yes," the minion answered, "if only they had found the Tablet."
At the mention of the word "tablet" the heroes became even more interested in the minions tale. "Tablet?", Cadecus asked urgently. "What tablet?"
The Guide regarded him as if he were an idiot. "The Tablet of Traume, of course," he said with a raised eyebrow. "It tells all of the Beast, how to direct it or stop it if need be. My masters tried to locate it but it had been taken from its repose and they were unable to find it before the ritual was to be preformed." The Guide shook his head. "They said they were strong enough to control it." He sighed once more. "They were wrong," and then his eyes darted around the cave, waiting for the swift retribution that came for doubting his lords.
Cadecus returned to his teammates. "The Tablet of Traume", he repeated. "Anyone know anything about it?" They all answered in the negative.
"He said it would give them the power to control it or stop it," Scrap nodded his head. "The Circle couldnt find it but we have to. Its almost time to meet up with the others. Lets get going."
Cadecus looked at Tropic. "When he talked about this thing with No Name you looked pretty worried. Why?"
Tropic tugged at his goatee. "In this realm if you know a demons name you have power over it," he said softly, his eyes low. "It was never named." He looked at his teammates. "There is some plan here of the demons own making and I dont
hopefully this tablet can help us."
"What about this guy?", Buttercup asked. "We cant leave him here."
Cadecus agreed and returned to the minion. "Thank you for your help," he said quietly.
The man turned and looked at him with a tilted head. It was the first time he had been thanked in
well longer than he could remember.
"Whats your name?", the defender continued.
"Name?", he asked in confusion.
"Yes, Im Cadecus. And you are
?"
The Guide thought hard for a moment, his brows knitted together in concentration. Then he said brightly, "Slave."
"No, no," Cadecus smiled, "surely you had a name once. Think back."
The man looked at the healer and began to concentrate a little harder. With the death of the Circle mages and the lack of their magics, their hold over the man had started to fade. Suddenly his eyes opened wide. "My name is
Steve
Steve
," the green glow began to fade from the fellows eyes. "Steve Satterwhite
" He pushed the hood back and revealed a man in his forties, hair graying slightly. "I was
in the park
and they
oh, God
I have a wife and
a daughter
" Tears started to stream down the mans face. "Oh, God
how long have I been?
where is my family?
I dont
"
The defender stepped forward and put his arm around the mans shoulder. "I dont know but well take you to some people that can find out."
And then the sole survivor of Oranbega left the magic city in the company of heroes.
**********
"The Tablet of Traume," Miyaka repeated, eyeing Azuria, the question evident in the statement. "What does it do?"
Azuria frowned. "Were really not sure. In the ancient texts its said to hold some power over the demon that passes through the gate. Whether this is the demon they spoke of
," she shook her head, "I do not know."
The heroes looked at each other and Ryuuhoshi glanced at the display cases. "Where is it? Is it here?" He turned to Azuria. "Do you have it?"
The young mystic sighed heavily. "We did."
"What does that mean?", asked Valya.
"A week or so ago, one of our holding facilities was broken into. Several artifacts were taken, including the Table of Traume."
WillowWind raised an eyebrow. "Well, cant you find it?", she asked urgently. "You have ways to track these things down."
"We have tried every measure at our disposal," Azuria said. "They have all failed," she shook her head. "We are at a loss to understand it."
"So let me see if I got this right," Cognito said slowly. "You had the one thing that could stop this demon guy and save us all and you lost it
and now you cant find it."
"We didnt loose it," she said looking down her nose at him, "it was taken."
Johnny shook his head. "Six of one, half a dozen of the other, baby," he said under his breath.
"All right," Elendil sighed, "lets get going. Its almost time to meet the others. Maybe together we can find this thing."
The teammates nodded and began to leave the offices. Willow was the last to go and Azuria reached out and grabbed her arm lightly. "What
?", Willow said in surprise and turned to the young woman.
"The time is coming, child. You must be very brave very soon," Azuria whispered urgently, "know that you are strong enough."
WillowWind took a step back and the mystic dropped her arm. "What do you mean? I dont understand," she said in confusion.
"Tell him
he will know what to do when the time comes."
"What? Who? What are you talking about?", Willow asked but the woman would say no more and was taken by her aides deeper into the M.A.G.I. offices. She watched her go then turned and hurried to catch up with her friends, her mind churning with questions that had no answers.
They all arrived at the small park below the Green line train station in Steel Canyon at about the same time. Ryuuhoshi and Temptations had both exclaimed "Tablet of Traume" in unison and then looked at each other with one raised eyebrow. Both teams then told what they had found out.
"So its from another dimension or plane, Valya said, "but Azuria isnt sure if the demon from the tablet is the one that is here."
"Yeah," Willow continued, "she also said some stuff to me while you guys were leaving about being brave soon or something."
"What?", Valya asked. "I dont understand."
"Neither do I," said Willow with a short laugh. "And then she said, Tell him he will know what to do when the time comes," in her best imitation of the mystic.
"Well, what does that mean?", Ryuuhoshi wondered with a confused expression.
WillowWind shrugged. "No idea," and then, "very spooky though."
Tropic shook his head. "Hmm
well, anyway we have to find that tablet."
"Yes," Buttercup nodded, "but you say that Azuria and her people cant find it or sense it?"
"Thats what she said," Miyaka scowled.
"Well, theres only two explanations I can think of," Ryuuhoshi added. "One, its miles away or two, its shielded from their probes. Maybe we should
" At that moment his communicator began to buzz and he stepped away to answer it.
Elendil continued where Ryuu left off. "I think we should hit all the gangs in town with ties to magic." The others agreed and began counting off the various groups in town who had some association with the mystic.
Cadecus started to tick them off on his fingers. "Hmmm, we have the Hellions, Tsoo, I think we can cross the Circle of Thorns from the list, who else
"
Ryuuhoshi rejoined his teammates, a broad smile on his face. "That was the hospital
Phreeeze woke up
they think shell be ok."
They all breathed a sigh of relief, glad their friend was going to recover. Cognito spoke up, "Now, we just gotta get Bzald squared away and well be good."
"Hell be all right," Tropic said confidently as General Scraps communicator sounded.
"Yes," Scrap answered, "
Kunai! Where
?
I see
ok
no
same thing
just follow it
I know but were working on something here
.we may have a lead
right
keep me posted
ok
"
He looked at the others. "That was Kunai. It did the same in Faultline that it did in Perez. And its on the move again."
"Where to?", Tropic whispered, a far away look on his face.
"Talos," Scrap answered, "the outer islands."
"Ithaca and Circe," nodded Tropic. Circle of Thorn mages infested those islands and he now had a clearer idea of what the thing was doing. The Tablet of Traume would confirm it once they found it. "We have to find that Tablet as soon as possible."
"Yeah, but we dont even know where to look!", Valya exclaimed.
"Perhaps we may be of assistance in that regard," a womans heavily accented voice said. Suddenly, surrounding the team in the moon lit park, materialized twenty women clad in charcoal gray second skin spandex, their eyes covered by red goggles and all brandished razor sharp katanas .
Elendil gazed at the women surrounding them and said in a dull voice, "Great. Knives of Artemis."
To which Johnny Cognito replied:
"Oh, Crap."
to be continued...
Tropic
THE BEAST
A Top Ten Adventure
Prologue
Cartoran hurried through the cold stone corridors of Oranbega, his long white beard trailing behind him. His aids struggled to keep pace with him and their feet echoed throughout the lost city.
The time was approaching and Cartoran had to make sure all was in readiness. Long had the Circle waited for this moment. From the first reading of the ancient scroll their excitement was almost a physical presence within Oranbega. Now the time was here. The moon, planets and stars all aligned in the proper order in their proper place. The chants had been prepared and the readings had long ago been completed. "Power is at our doorstep.", the mage thought as he entered the cavern the ceremony was to be preformed in.
In the center of the cavern was a large round flat stone glowing blue with the ruins and markings that had been etched with care. Five lines led away from it to four smaller stones with similar characteristics. Upon each stood a Circle of Thorns mage representing the four elements: Fire, Water, Earth and Air. The fifth line led to a larger stone much like the others. It was raised higher, however, and this was where Cartoran took his place. The attendants spread out around the room circling it, their green eyes glowing with anticipation.
Cartoran raised his arms and began the ritual. "We call upon the Darkness "
"O-Wah ", was the response from the elementals.
"We call upon the Dusk "
"Tanna.."
"We call upon the Twilight "
"Siam "
"We demand the Power "
"O-Wah Tanna Siam!"
"We command you come forth "
"O-Wah Tanna Siam!"
"We command you!"
"O-Wah Tanna Siam!"
"We Command You!"
"O-Wah Tanna Siam!"
"WE COMMAND YOU!!"
"O-Wah Tanna Siam O-Wah Tanna Siam O-WAH TANNA SIAM!!"
Suddenly, all light was drained from the room and a still coldness took its place. Then an explosion of light and there, in the center of the circle, it stood. Twelve feet tall and covered with thick slabs of muscle. Its appearance was like a Behemoth Overlord but it was black, larger, thicker with a great forked tail that swished slowly back and forth. The demons mouth held row upon row of razor sharp teeth and atop its head sat two curling horns. Its eyes glowed red with anger and its black bat-like wings twitched and fluttered.
"Who has summoned I That Have No Name?", the demons voice grated and rasped like two slabs of concrete scraping against each other.
Cartoran stepped forward, a look of superiority on his face. "We have, Demon! The Circle of Thorns has called you forth. With you at our command, to do our bidding, the world above will tremble and the Circle will have the power!"
The demon studied the sorcerer, looking him up and down. It turned its head back and forth surveying the room. Finally its gaze again fell upon Cartoran.
"Command? Bidding? Fool! I serve no one but He Who Has Not Named Me. And the power I reserve for myself!". With that pronouncement hanging in the air its great fist swept Cartoran aside flinging him into the cavern wall where he fell to the ground dazed.
The mages and attendants in the room fell silent, stunned at this turn of events. Then as one they charged the demon, yelling their battlecrys which turned to screams almost immediately.
The demons sharp talons sliced one of the mages nearly in two. Another was picked up and hurled 30 yards away into the wall of the cavern and then fell 40 feet to the floor, broken and dead. It cut through the Circle like a scythe leaving blood and entrails in its wake.
Cartoran groggily rose to his knees. Slowly he took in the sight before him. The mages, the guides, masters and overlords and even slaves were strewn about. Life had fled the cavern and left behind only misery.
Suddenly the demon was before him. Cartoran recoiled in fear but the animal wrapped its two hands around his head and pulled him to his feet.
"So, fool, you wanted power.", the demon sneered.
Cartoran hung limply in the demons grasp. "I dont understand. The ritual was preformed. You should be in our power, demon." Even now the mage could not understand his failure.
The demon laughed. "Idiot! I am no demon! Look into my eyes, little magician and see what you have brought forth this day!"
Cartoran looked into the glowing red eyes and screamed. And as the animal twisted off his head and tossed him aside the last thought Cartoran has was, "We have doomed the world!"
The demon looked about and sniffed the air. The fear was an almost palpable presence. It heard the yells and calls coming from adjoining chambers. It smiled, flashing its long razors of teeth and made its way from the cavern into the cold stone corridors
And Orenbega screamed
to be continued
Tropic