Dallas grabbed the latch & unsheathed it with a sloppy rattling. 3 alarmed figures jousted maniacally to enter inside: an ultra short brunette with a wavy pixie cut + blocky n[o]se spread over wide lips - ...Anika zen Weyjes’ tumbleDressed like a frayed blueberry with rugged olivEyes. Aside her ambled a scrawny guy with curly straw hair, glassy orbs popping inside rims. That was Finley Hooksclott, of emaciated jowls. His knuckles & forehead were bloody.

Beside them, a high-maintenance Strawberry~blond had a Bun clamped in place, wearing a flowery green skirt over black leggings, among bracelets and beads: Amelia Shimmjord's Pond*blue peepers skittered like shaken snowglobes. Across her hourglass torso stretched a contour-conforming chocolate fabric, arms the color of ripe french fries, hanging beside a purse streaked in abstract foxy sunset. She was quietLeaking tears over a dot of a nose, composure fidgeting like the royal purple drizzles of dye either side her jaw.

Each of the assistants were smudged with ash, & Amy's skirt had ragged edges missing.

Capone complained, “What’s wrong ouThere now: being chased? Or just chasing the AC?”

Fin ventured, through an almost menacing hook of a nose: “Ever heard of piranhas or Thunderbirds round these parts?”

“Oh hell,” I puffed. “It sounds unusually fishy...” Images of the sliding chest upon the Crustacean whiCHewed up Buck's foot, THUN%DARED to the soles of my own.

Nika [barely breaching 5 feet tall] pointed despondently wrapped inside baggy jeans, to the far side of the Building. “Shredded some trees like cardboard..." She blubbered. "Didn’t y’all hear??”

My brain raced relentlessly. “Are the other two hurt?”

“Not horriBLEed,” Hooksclott stammered, as his rims jiggled. “Ruby drove a chess piece into the mud that pulled the chompers down a rainbow drain."

“Blast it all!” Dallas fumed. "Is the money safe?"

Amy finally sounDecided: “Fortunately yea, since Falco managed to intimidate the Hawk with that rocket Blaster ~ It wasn't supposed to get HurriCrazzzYet..” she whined.

Two heavier shadows cut the tail-end of her speech, clomping up to the Entrance view. Bulky Becca the no-nonsense giant with a Raging cascade of dark oils for hair, transferred her end of an RPG to Saul, so she could remain scouting treetops to the flank side. Saul Waggire (locally famed as Falco) sported a fleSHoe of a nose nowhere nearly dusty in complexion as his half-bro Sig, splashing out under a limp lick of hair. By the ruggedness of thaTall face and pointy chin, I’m sure nobody ever bothered for his ID when engaging Up*scale Festivities. He wore a blacKnapsack that didn’t strain against whatever contents were sheltered within.

The alleged Witch backpedaled through the doors behind him, then brutally threw ’em closed and barred it from the inside - a blatant ruby slash flared one side her ribs through the fabric of a creamy tye-dye top. Rubecca undoubtedly eclipsed 6 foot, chunky in thigh & very Busty as her billowing hair-Cloak accentuated past her hips, where she fitted herBottle-patterned earthy trousers. She blasted around whipping a small sludge spatter,#* as she tried to take stock of the greeting area & our disconnected gang. All her features were rounded but a tad pinched, especially her cylindrical bulleTip of nose. There was some kind of bulginGreen sigils plastered on the side of her neck & exposed ribcage, skin surface favoring my own raw flusHide. The slashes indicated no exorbitant blood loss. “Good thing you hadn’t set out from here yet,” The Becc@-Hemoth remarked. “We’ve got a stalker dilemma.”

Oh; she seemed to be addressing ME wiThose turbulently-retreating emerald irises dimmed with eye shadow the final shades of twilight. I was gobsmacked, as i reasoned she should’ve been addressing Ca’Phony. Apparently he'd taken stock of her and quickly slipped off to the side of the bunch, pretending he cared about calming the other gals' nerves. Witch meant I needed to formulate some kind of response to her prompting.

I prayed the simplest whim, trying to scrap up something worthy to reply. Fortunately, I was interrupted by Amy’s swells: “Becca, that was so elegant how you dispatched those killer fish. You saved most of my outfit,” she approved.

“Greater...” Nika plunged. “Becca saved the ENTIRE outfit. We were getting eaten alive!”

DallaScoffed. "Almost like she knew exaacctly what to bring along to prevent it. What if she's just trying to look the Hero."

"That's harro-WIN," corrected Nika.

"That's beside the point!?" Capone refuted.

Ruby’s candy pink lips barely parted when she spoke. “Yada yada, view me dangerous,” she inflected. "I figured the air had cloistered too resonant this spring. Many of you should perform similar feats after today - if you hope to cover your own asses before what's snooPestering approacheStatement."

That sounDeaDelightFowl. “We got a similar treatment on the way in," I stabilized my voice. "Just not as hot a barrage. We’re counting on up#Scaling -- Over THERE,” I pointed. “Gearing up defenses; you won't be the only one with body wards. Bet you’ll appreciate the potion-rooted elements.”

The few muscles which she had unbunched, cranked below her Neon*nicked neck - nonchalantly following when I pointed over to the remainder of the Cluster between near the Bar. “What’s striking is that I never pegged this place to be all-purpose..." She evaluated. "And while managing a relaxed aura too. Just what the doc ordered, because weee didn’t have any luck with the missiles.”

Yowza, it was like the essence of Panther painted proudly upon side of the Shack, had sprung into her body. Sayy, now there was a task for her if we really wanted a trick up our sleeve..

Falco, who mirrored my slim stature [aside from being all legs] opened his mouth to add to the last of what Ruby described. “Wheeze can likely fix 'at now, with so mini heads cominggg Tuggg’ither.” - his message fell with only traces of convincing.

Bec-Hemoth nodded her assent, and then continued. “Except i can't know whether we’re being eavesdropped on.”

My cheeks scrunched. “Raptors can’t get in here. Even the porthole windows are barred.”

BoTHeir faces wavered between each other with uncertainty, pleading something indiscernible.

"Ruby, can you poison foes by any chance?" I asked.

"Not potent enough," she minimized, before leaning forward & sank fingers around my damaged wrist. "Ngh," I grimaced. The grip wasn’t tight, but it WAS acrid. She gave a momentary pause, and the edges of her corneas danced in concentration. I felt awkwardly hollow, somewhaTransparent. Her nostrils tilted, then relaxed, but didn’t quite let go until relaying, "By idolizers's blood, you don't lean back from my embrace. I can sense youReservedly inclusive... Today you can grow out of it; posing unassuming passive won't help you overcome barriers. Bluff more gesture, rotate inTunation, and you'll realign befitting temptation.”

I nodded, floating a smile, but rubbed my wrist when it was released. “Hey; boundaries,” I sighed. “I'm a straight shooter, but I don't exactly like demands.”

The Mage's smirk could have peeled steel. "There you go, speak your mind. May your work ethic be as stronger than your sugarcoating."

"Come on, you can't be funny and fanaticaLuxurious." I turned to Saul. "Does she always shrink people down to size?"

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"Pff," he smirked. "She's unfoldinggg where you're missinggg your special role. Rollinggg with it is a good sign."

"Well i think the guns can arrange a betteRole at the moment than i can muster," I remained furtively fertile. "So whatever you offer best be more invigorayTacting than emotional counseling."

“Speaking of work,” The Dictator resounded. “Let’s quit standing around like ninnies.”

Ruby's plunginGems slid over, like she was waiting for him to lay out some strategic order; CaPointed as he hatched: “The geezer's gonna demonstrate some ancient substances at the counter.”

Becca had his fingers shuttering, just by tapping her temple: "I'm not having an idle chat, Hornet. Be ready to sacrifice a thing or two, and DO. NOT. Boast to critters that may come offerinGifts." Her shadow hovered closer over me and crouched to a whisper: “That Figurehead’s not got his garden in a row. If we get through this jam, I’ll show you it’s more rewarding to splinter mediocrity's bark.” My throat went dry, unsure whether that was an invitation or a warning, but knowing i was spellbound.

Then she strode away to go calculate who really had their head screwed on around here. Everyone began to trail her intrepid figure like goslings toward the Weathered bar Cook...

Malibu waved. “Welcome new troopers!”

The look on Pheo’s face as the Bec@Hemoth approached, was one of pining admiration. This may have gone unnoticed by most for preoccupied news of dread, or otherwise astonished by Amy’s preppy outfit & swinging shoulder bag.

Siggy’s reunion with his step-brother ended up breaking the ice, as he gushed, “Falco!” to which Saul hurriedly ditched the missile launcher to wrestle into each other’s arms. "Got all your fingores eh!" In fact, it was more like the ice thawed at the flip of a switch.

Amy’s outlook brightened & she scooted over to Rovo, asking why in the world he was holding a FrencHorn. As she got closer, the nodes and filters around the perimeter of the machine became evident, and she was made aware that it was a Freeze Ray. She burst into bubbles, raving about how that should be perfect for dismantling the Great Grouchy Beak outside.

Anika -[as many of our counterparts]- became consumed with the smorgasbord of articles strewn across the counter. Observing behinDown the back of her head, I could see the creamy Triang^Tail tapering toward the nape of her neck, a holster between her spinal cord.

She pushed regarding information over what this Science Fair Layout was necessary for. When Gutt outlined that we had been about to initiate some ultra-rare & complex defense mechanisms, she snatched up the chance to attacHerself to supervising the unclaimed phobic field, sitting unstimulated.

She swiped the dropper greedily with stubby fingers, & drained the gunk down over the amphi-Bean amalgam. The sauce hit the Bowl and wobbled on contact, briefly glowing a tainted purpYellow, and began to jerk through squirts of evaporation. Before our unblinking eyes, we watches consistency transform until there was nothing except a lone brown scale thrumming up at us. Gutterson whistled, long and slow, before externalizing: “What a splendor!”

The Tyrant’s jaw unhinged. “I’ve never seen anything develop so fast...”

“Welcome to the club Biggg britches,” Ruby scoffed.

Dallas instantly raised his palms in defensive reflex, and insisted, “I didn’t ask to go around causing Time-warp effects. It’s just crossing my path while seeking other merchandise.”

Saul (a reknowned champion of bio-engineering) jeered, “That’sss not time warp you moron, that’s amphiBlouse geneticcK code beinggg resurrected!”

Then, as if the scaly fabric wished to signal it’s approval of Falco’s assessment, it quivered, to which a dozen teency legs sprouted out underneath it. However, they remained in stationary crouch.

Rovo’s brow morphed. “I think it’s mutating.”

“Inna whut?” Buck sequestered. “A table for rodents? A paper airplane?”

Gutterson divulged, “A limited-time sticker.”

Siggo pointed out the clock overhead, near the dangling lantern fixtures. It was 10:02 a/m. “We’ve a pinched schedule as well. Mind getting to da poin'?”

“Good point, dawg,” interjected Capone. “I’m gonna dial Planchorva and tell him we’re running late so they won’t Sail away before we can say hi.” He briskly pulled out a phone and walked into the nearest room.

Malibu scratched his chest proudly. “As for the drake scales, they sorta hook on via suckers.”

“Aw yeah!” bursTrent. “Like leeches??”

“Close,” my Village Fillage rebutted. “But more like pollen or fungus.”

“Ewww,” moaned Amy. “Slime is nasty! I'd rather deal with vampires.”

Pheo snorted. “You act like extra-sensory enhancements come cheap? You must be spoiled. Knuckle down and dirty if you wanna wear any strength - grit ain’t Inherited.”

“Whoaaa,” both Gutt and Siggy tried to placate with velvet on their uvulas.

Amy glued her hands to her hips, accentuating triangular breasts. “I didn’t say I wouldn’t try it, Miss Steam-punk. I do realize someone else does the hidden work behind a gift.”

Pheo snapped, “Alright Smart mouth, good luck trying to put in the secret operations when time calls.”

“C’mon sis,” Rovo plead. “Don’t give anybody a harder time today.”

Ruby shook her head. “This is why I rarely congregate in public,” she spat. “People criticize each other over insecurities.”

“Breathe people,” Gutt broached. “A team needs Its emotions in concordance. Don’t sever the unification of your numbers.”

Finley adjusted the window panes around bulging eyes. “Panic however, is debatable,” he Stoicly assured. “Which ESP should reduce. So I’d like to know how long the effects will last?”

Gutterson answered, “AbouTwo hours. Here -” he held out the bowl to Anika. “Paste the scale to your skin somewhere it’s unlikely to get scraped off.”

She grabbed it uncertainly, employing only 3 stubby fingers, and slid it under her turquoise dragonfly shirt. Then all her muscles recoiled in shock, & we could all see her teeth antsily set to grinding. “It’s crawling. Down. My ribs!...”

“It’s settling toward a symbolic location,” Gut reassured.

Nika whimpered & her shoulders hunched. “Feels like goddamn spiderrRrz..”

Buck grinned. “Don’ be silly; I count-neD four whole more legs than my baby Basil even haz.”

She glowered sidelong at him, appearing like she was about to vomit. Instead she just hissed, “Go shit webs, SpideRoof.”

Finally she gathered her balance against the counter. “It st-topped over my belly buttoNow; What happens next?”

“You’ve survived the surf!” our Senior congratulated. “Just don’t project a tide of ill-will against us. That particular ability is all-too easy to control. Also for the five of you just joining us, you may desire to select a firearm of your preference from the white bag.”

Falco shuffled his palms together, vigorously. “My pleasure.”

At this point, I realized I had yet to choose any weapons myself. Although being the one who transported the supply, I already knew of what was left, that I wanted a Solar-Lamp or a Rifle. I headed toward the Bag, with several new faces brimming around me for a turn.

The original batch of our members remained at the counter, with Gutter rallying to make more seasoned “Omelettes” while minimizing fuss over who got which one. First of all, he had to advise Buck that Acidic abilities wouldn’t be very compatible with the Boxing Mitts he’d be swinging (since you wouldn’t want to punch and enemy who you just splattered in putrifying sizzles, therefore possibly decomposing the Titanium gloves.)

Mournfully, Buck surrendered the point, & Trent decided he’d be down to play the messy part instead. (Which the majority, including myself, were not eager to try).

In front of me, Saul collided content when he spotted a TAR model. He stepped back and quietly inspected the settings without aid.

Gaudy Amelia arrived about the same time as myself, so I took advantage of the opportunity to strike up some dialogue with the sweetheart by explaining how each had various unique functions - since she was professing no experience with ammunitions, I recommended a Solar-zaPump or else a chemicTAR-wafterproof Hoser, which wouldn’t kick back with any gritty gunpowder grunge. She thanked me and elected to use the device which would sparkle lasers.

Hooksclott’s honey-head, seemed not to put much deliberation into the fetching process. His knobby wrist hooked a shotgun, and he nodded without saying a word. On the other hand, Anika found herself unable to decide between a collarbang HAT or UZI - so gleefully snatched both, & squished on a black ballcap.

Beck@Hemoth plodded over, doused in weary patience, slowly rubbing up the rigid mass of an Assault Rifle. (But that had apparently not been her sadis'Fancy from the outset - it was a means to bend). Moments later as we slipped back among the Throng, I obseeved she espied a mutual rapport between Siggy about headwear & latin culture. He happened to be leaning over the Scepter, and it was really the prize Spout that made her crimson fingernails cravenly pump all through crypto’Grammars.

Their cHATter branched off into how it was a funky sort-of Flailing Mace, & then he delved into how it had proved to act as a regenerative agent upon Buck. She persuaded Siggy to trade it, since he was bogged with bow and automatic, plus better yet she had a tool belt extension previously a strap for extra missiles, now serving no purpose. He didn't want to play healer anyhow, so they swapped.

All that remained to commence before our departure from the Shack, was to get everyone their ”2-Hour" dosage.

Trent’s acid Scale cooked up a frothy yellow, speckled with ginger. Before it even fully coagulated, Dudley was already shoving another Egg at Malibu. It coruscated blue, gray-crowned, and read D#windlow...Phission*_ “How’s anybuddy ‘post to know whaddit means like ’@t?” he complained.

Fin slapped his own knee. “The same way we all have to decipher through your horribly thick accent!”

A chuckling rippled through our midst. + “Corny,” Becca stamped it.

“Haw. How kyoot Four-eyes,” Buck harangued Hooksclott. “Fi dint no-no bedder, I’d swear use a urchin unner them peepers. Ven’muss addat, not no cuddly type.”

The Dictator returned from his phone call about then, and overhearing the matter he stated: “No more time for banter people; Planchorva is reserving us 15 extra minutes - before the Turncoats are packing out with no remorse.”

“Stingy marauders,” Amy jabbed.

Capone tucked his phone away. "We're not the only business they have, sweetcheeks."

A Tremor suddenly rocked the Shack like a Tilt-a-World. Scraping lurches, littered across the shingles. “Crap,” Ruby immediately breathed. “I had just ’laxed on that Liability.”

A croaking voice showered from above: “Whooo'z stocking venom of disrespect in there? Is that any greeting for your Grandma Gurjivow?”