“Hey! Anyone seen Prox?”

“Uh, no…”

“Darn it! The Commander wants him!”

There was a wide panic in the Anichneftís’ base. When the Balandians reported Proxus first initial “success” to their leader, it naturally raised interest in him. Their commander, who was usually laid back and disinterested, suddenly became anxious as he looked for Proxus all over the place. He even walked into the cafeteria, where a group of Balandian soldiers were snacking on their lunch; Bellow guts.

“Everyone, listen up!” Announced the Commander, his voice had a powerful boom to it. It caused everyone to stop their chattering and pay attention to him.

“Yes, Commander Wŭshí!” Shouted everyone in the cafeteria with a synchronized voice.

“Good, good, we’re all quiet now… Listen up.” Everyone now had a good look at Wŭshí. He was pretty tall with sheep-like horns, and a pitch black, gooey body. What was arguably the most distinctive feature of him were his eyes. Unlike most Balandians who had crescent-shaped eyes, Wŭshí’s eyes seemed to be two open yellow circles, with 4 lines spread and sticking out on each side of the circles. Within the circles were small, yet constantly spinning spirals for pupils. In other terms, he had crosshairs for eyes. The other two noticeable features of him were the 3 large X shapes marked across his forehead, and the two strange weapons. One large one strapped on his back, and a smaller one, holstered on his waist. They were 2 of the 6 legendary Crescent Arms, weapons believed to have unrivaled power when it came to ranged battles.

“As you all know, Mr. Kókkino did a pretty good job handling the whole scouting thing, good for him! Now… Here’s the tricky part: We can’t seem to find him… Annnnnd, I’d be lying if I said Lord Kataktitis wasn’t giving me an earful for losing one of my men like that.” He chuckled.

“We are so sorry, Commander Wŭshí! We should’ve had someone keep an eye on him! We’ll accept any punishment!” One of the Balandians pleaded, kneeling down.

“N-No, there’s no need for that, really. Balandians are wild ones, I’m not surprised he just got up and ran, really. However… We do need to find him. I’ve decided to pick him again for our next mission, and we can’t really do that without him…”

“Sir, with all due respect, if he’s not available, wouldn’t you pick someone else to substitute for him?” Asked one soldier.

“I was just about to say that, actually! Thanks for speeding along with my briefing. I’ve decided to pick Judas Regen as our substitute. However, he has another job, too. Mr. Regen, please stand, I know you’re here!”

“Oh? Y-Yes, sir!” That unique voice, it was Judas. He stood, looking at the Commander with his square shaped eyes.

“Good, good. I'm not a big fan of looking into people’s personal files, but from what it seems like, you and Mr. Kókkino have a history with each other, is that correct?” He said, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes of course. We went to the academy together.”

“Good, then you wouldn’t happen to have an idea of where he ran off to, right?” Questioned the commander. There was something in his voice that had a menacing air.

“Judas, you’ve got yourself into a real pickle…” Judas cleared his throat, looking nervous.

“Y-Yes sir! I do believe I’ve got an idea. The other night, I noticed Prox run out from the barracks. I have no idea why he did it,” Regen bit his lower lip as he hesitated. “Buuuuuuut, I believe he wanted to take the wormholes that appear in the bellowlands. Possibly because of the boredom of waiting for another teleporter charge.” Judas explained, he was careful to leave out the details about him giving the idea to Proxus to leave to the bellowlands.

“I see, so you’re saying he took a bellowland wormhole, and now he is in Krobus?”

“Yes, that is exactly what I am saying, sir.”

“Very well. The R&D branch knocked up another charge, so whenever you’re ready, please go outside. Consider this a retrieval mission.”

“Yes, Commander Wŭshí! Right away!” Exclaimed Judas, saluting.

“Oh, and make sure to crush all those who stand in the way of his retrieval, I understand you’ve got yourself some nasty psychedelics.” Ordered Wŭshí.

“No sir,” Judas shook his head wildly. “They’re deliriants. In my opinion, they’re much more nasty than psychedelics.” He said, raising a finger and squinting an eye. It was a habit of his to act overly animated.

“Hehe, either way, make sure to use what you have against the opposition.”

“Yes, sir!”

Judas ran outside, he noticed the large teleporter, spiraling and inviting Judas to step through it.

“Proxus… Just what have you gotten yourself into…?”

And then, he walked through the portal.

VIP

The sensation of warping was an interesting one. He felt his body stretching to unbelievable lengths, but it never seemed to hurt. This lack of pain sparked a fixation in Judas.

“This is interesting… I gotta study the workings of this little machine…!”

----------------------------------------

With the cell broken down, Aleckrine stepped through the debris with an annoyed expression on his face.

“You really could’ve just grabbed me out…” He criticized.

“Maybe, but breaking stuff is so much more fun!” The rebuttal from Kreffica made Aleckrine groan. As they walked out the corridor of cells, Aleckrine turned to make taunts and faces at the other prisoners, who all looked at him with rage.

“I hope you get hit by a sword and a lead ball at the same time…” cursed one of the grumbling criminals.

“Ha, keep dreaming, fatso.”

“Hey now, Fox, don’t make fun of the dudes here. Have you ever heard of karma?”

“Karma? About as valuable as the crap stain under my shoe.”

“You gotta watch your mouth, young man.” Kreffica scolded.

“Ohhh great, now you’re talking to me as if you were my mother or something.” Groaned Aleckrine. If it hasn’t been made obvious, he’s not good at being good.

The two exited the building to see Proxus totally wailing on the watchmen.

“This our new guy?” Asked Aleckrine. He looked at Proxus up and down.

“I’m guessing you’re who we came– VWOOM –Here for, yeah?” Proxus was so rudely interrupted by a watchman mid sentence, the nerve! He blasted him away with another Októ.

“Mhm. You’re a lot more calm than I expected.” Snickered Aleckrine.

“If I wasn’t at the moment, the big girl would’ve tore me apart…”

At that immediate moment, Proxus felt something within him. It felt like some sort of signal, calling him to go somewhere else.

“Oh! That’s the teleporter. Well, I did what I wanted to do, I don’t see why I shouldn’t leave these knaves behind.”

Proxus anticipated for him to return through the portal he once used, but then, nothing. His body didn’t warp, he wasn’t seeing the black grass and purple skies. He looked at the unchanged environment with a confused face. Kreffica stared at Proxus, just as confused as him.

“You alright? You look like you felt something rough.”

“No, It’s nothing…” Proxus shook his head, but the strange event still had him flabbergasted. He couldn’t figure out how and why his signal to retreat returned the moment he received it.

“This kid, is he a…” Aleckrine noticed the unconscious John. He walked up to him and touched his skin, it was noticeably more rough and harder than regular human skin.

“Oh, he’s a Stone Elemental. Just like me. Thanks, new guy.”

“Hm? What’re you thanking me for?”

“For putting him in his place. If he’s down, then that means less competition for my seat.”

“Huh…?” Proxus scratched his horn in confusion, raising an eyebrow. Kreffica leaned in to whisper in his ear.

“Of all the Stone Elementals, he’s able to generate the highest volume of stone. He’s very proud of that.”

“You got that right, Juliet. Whenever I see a fellow Stone Elemental whom I see as opposition, I can’t resist the urge to drive them into the ground to remind them of who’s the biggest, baddest one around. Thanks to you, I don’t have to do that.” He was able to hear Kreffica’s whispering, befitting of his title.

“Geez, are you insecure or what?”

“Insecurity? Pfft, as if. I just looove bullying the weak.” He said, his eyes widening wickedly.

“Alright, tough guy. Just so you know, this one’s mine. I won’t let anyone lay a hand on my prey.”

“You wanna prove that? I’ll gladly fight you to the death as soon as I get these revanite shackles off me.”

The two stared at each other in a standoff. Kreffica sighed and shoved them away from each other.

“Hey, hey, hey! Did we forget that we’re supposed to be in a team? That means we don’t murder each other.” Kreffica said, trying to break up the dispute.

“Hmph!” Both Proxus and Aleckrine looked away from each other before sighing.

“Good. Now we gotta get the heck out of here.”

WHAM

Aleckrine felt a hard punch to his cranium. The next feeling he had was being hurled into the air, and landing into the walls of one of the prison buildings. His vision was blurry, and he had to blink several times to even make some sense of his sight.

“What… Was that…?”

Kreffica and Proxus turned, they saw John. He was bleeding from where Proxus slashed him. Proxus’ eyes widened in shock.

“How the heck are you still getting up?! I told you to stay down!”

“And I was planning to… koff…. But your friend here said something that I just can’t let slide…” John said, the stone gauntlets he formed were working all their effort to not fall apart.

“I’m done. Kreffica, wreck this guy.”

“Phew, this oughta be good.”

THUD

A lightning-quick swing to John’s body. There was something off, however. There was a large cracking sound, and there was certainly a shockwave made. However, it felt as if her weapon never went past the point of impact. It was like it was halted by some sort of impregnable shield. It was at this moment when she could see what halted her swing.

Creck krackl…

“Oh man… That would’ve killed me…”

“What the–”

There it was! It was like another layer was made over where John was struck. There were cracked, segmented pieces of stone over his arm. Whether it was on instinct or something he quickly thought of, it annoyed Kreffica.

“So you just harden your swing and all is fine, huh? You’re really a nuisance!” Said a vexed Kreffica.

“No… I still feel the force behind it, and it hurts. This layer of stone is only protecting my body from actual damage.” John... Why did you explain... sigh, this is why you're about to get demolished right now.

“That so? Then you have to feel this, right?”

THUD THUD THUD

Three more attacks, each one worse than the last. John staggered heavily, struggling to keep his stance. Kreffica smirked, as she went for one more hit. Aleckrine, who got up and reached over to Kreffica, stopped her.

“Let him get up. Let him get up.”

Kreffica made sure John was not getting back up. She threw an uppercut that made John’s life flash before his eyes, it knocked him down with a mighty impact. With that, I think our main character is gonna stop getting random power-ups, I hope.

“GURRKREEEEEEE!!”

Shocked by the sudden noise, the three turned and looked up at the terrible screech. That’s when they saw a sight that made the hearts of Aleckrine and Kreffica sink. Even Proxus, who had never seen a sight like this, figured it was bad news.

A Large, reptilian-like winged beast was flying in the air. It had a long, rounded snout with a multi-colored dewlap sagging under it’s long neck. It was possessing a snow pattern across its back. It rapidly flapped its bat-like wings, which spanned enough to cover at least seven or so meters. Its tail was long, with spiked ends that looked dangerous to be struck by. It had two riders saddled on the backs. The both of them were all wearing heavy, tough-looking armor. They seemed to be carrying spears.

“Shoot, it’s the coppers, we have to get out of here!” Yelled out Kreffica, he picked up Aleckrine and Proxus and made a break for the exit of the prison. Proxus was confused.

“Coppers? Who–”

“The Copper Saber, an elite fighting force of the law. We’d be beef-witted to face them.” Explained Aleckrine. He pointed up at the winged animals the men were riding on.

“See those wyverns they’re riding on? They can breathe out either fire, ice, or bane-

“Blah blah blah- Let’s just go already!”

“Breech hole. Fine, get a move on”

As he said this, the beast swooped down. The wyvern opened its gaping mouth, where a chilly air came out from it. The chill soon turned into a blizzard-like blast of snow and ice. Kreffica attempted to step away from the wave, but some of the ice snagged onto her coat, slowly freezing it.

“Darn it! This was custom made, too!”

Setting down Proxus and Aleckrine, she grabbed her coat and threw it behind her. She then drew the club on her pants, gripping it with the newfound strength of a dozen men. Proxus looked at her in awe.

“Did she just throw away her coat for fun?” He asked. Aleckrine shook his head, before smirking.

“Her coat is different from the rest of Omegum’s coats. Since you’re an impatient scoundrel, I’ll just let you see for yourself.”

Proxus looked at Kreffica, noticing the sudden increase in the size of her muscles. While her base form was nothing to scoff at, her body as it was at the moment made her drained state look small in comparison. From the arms, to the legs, to everything else in between. She looked as if she could split the Earth’s core in two.

“Oh, I see what you mean… Blast, I didn’t know she was this strong…”

“Oh boy… Taking off the coat after so long feels so liberating!” Kreffica tilted her neck back and forth, cracking it. She tapped her cheeks before putting on a face of determination.

“Alright, who’s up first?”

Kreffica spun the kanabō in her hands, warming up for the smackdown she would lay out.

“You life of blasphemous treasons ends here, Omegum scum!” One of the Coppers said.

“That’s what they all say.”

THUD

The monster descended to the ground, its feet making a booming shockwave as it stared down Kreffica. The wave shook everyone in the area, all except for Kreffica. As it began to open its mouth, she saw no time to waste.

SPLAT

A hard smack to the wings of the wyvern. Within a brief moment, its left wing was completely destroyed, a visceral mix of green and blue fluids spurted out from the base of the wing.

“KREEENZN!!”

The wyvern was screeching in pain as it appeared to back away from Kreffica. Disappointed by the wyvern’s fear, the two riders hopped off to face Kreffica themselves.

“You may use full Oni strength, but you shall not defeat the two of us.” One of them said with a stern voice, It was hard to hear his speech when it was being muffled by the visor he was wearing across the face.

“Well, I’d be lying if I said I’d beat a group of coppers without taking some damage, but that’s what challenges are for, yeah?”

Alecrkine scoffed.

“Kreffica, don’t get ahead of yourself, you aren’t beating 6 coppers all by yourself. Get rid of my shackles so we can get out of here.”

Kreffica sighed and scratched her head, chuckling.

“Oh, alright then. You do have a point, I guess.”

Kreffica picked up her coat and wore it once more. Her body shrank from the culverbifc draining her strength. She walked up to Aleckrine, grabbed his hand, and banged it against her abs. It shattered completely.

“There we go.” Aleckrine smiled. Even though he only had one free hand to control his Element with, it was more than enough to do what he wanted to do. He placed his free arm on the ground.

“Everyone, get around me, quickly!” Aleckrine ordered. Within an instant, Proxus and Kreffica shuffled near Aleckrine. He leered at the Coppers, who were rather confused at what he was doing. That’s when he uttered a phrase that made his intentions clear.

“Stovation!”

Kremble…

Walls of earth and stone rose up and surrounded the three criminals. Just before the Coppers realized what Aleckrine had done, the walls sank underground, carrying Aleckrine, Kreffica, and Proxus with them.

“Hmph. It appears this is the technique he used to escape.” Uttered one Copper officer.

“What is it? I’m a little puzzled.” Said the younger Copper.

“From what I saw, I believe Foxtrot created a personal room for himself and his allies, and is using that to traverse underground.”

“Oh! So like those elevation devices from the Old World?”

“A distant comparison, but correct. Well, no matter. Our priority at the moment is to provide first aid to these three.” The older Copper gestured towards the fallen John, Lolly, and Napalmic.

“You can use your Candy Element to restore them. I shall perform an investigation for our report.”

“Yes, of course.”

The younger copper nodded his head as he paced over to the three defeated Elementals. He glanced at their wounds, deciding what sort of healing technique he’d perform.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

“Hm, doesn’t seem viable to use a single target healing move when all three have some gnarly injuries. I’ll evenly spread the healing, then.”

Tip tip

With two quick taps of his foot, a field of pink, gooey fluids spread out, surrounding John, Lolly, and Napalmic. They weren’t fully healed, but it was definitely enough to wake them.

Napalmic was the first one to raise himself. He shook his head and scanned the area with an expression of puzzlement. He then noticed the liquidy field he and the other two were sitting in. He looked up at the copper.

“Cripe, A copper… What did ye’ put me in for?” He said, grinding his teeth and eyes narrowed.

“Oh, your criminal record doesn’t interest me. I was merely ordered to heal you and your friends. They should be getting up now.”

Napalmic felt the crushed feeling in his body fade away, with less smoke plumes shooting from his fire. Just as he felt himself heal, John, followed by Lolly, got themselves up, too.

“Shoot… Waaht in the heck happened to me…?” Lolly said, scratching her head and with one eye shut. She glanced at the Candy field, then back to John, who was also looking staggered.

“Darn it… Darn it…! How did I not beat them…!” John was angered by something that set him back. Lolly was rather concerned, so she walked up to him and tapped his shoulder.

“Hey, John, are ya’ aahlright?” She said in a voice of worriedness. She raised an eyebrow, befuddled by John’s state.

“I failed to stop those three… I should’ve beat them! How could I lose against some criminals?!”

“Oh, those weren’t just any old criminals, they’re Omegum.” It was the young copper.

“But I just know I could’ve beaten them! If only I-”

“Do not delude yourself. Those were two of their leaders. There isn’t any universe where you could have beaten them.”

John’s eyes widened as a face of shock and despair played across it. He stared at the Copper.

“You… Are they really that strong?”

“Indeed.”

“Aye, John. Don’t be so weary, I fought against tat’ Oni girl. She gave me a tousie brawl, tat’ one.”

“But, you don’t get it! I should’ve been able to keep them out, so how…”

“Listen, kid. You’re not built for taking on an entire organization of criminals, leave this to professionals like us, alright?”

John grumbled as he narrowed his eyes.

“Fine… Have it your way.”

“However, it’s not all doom and gloom,” The Copper started to explain. “Thanks to your efforts, you three were able to buy enough time for us to arrive, in fact…” He pointed at Napalmic, he tilted his fire head in puzzlement. “I believe something like this deserves a pardon.”

“Oi, what in the bleedin’ world are ye’ talking about? Wasn’t I placed here because I killed people?”

“Well, to tell you the truth, we recently finished a revised investigation behind your crimes. We found that in almost all of those cases, you weren’t the actual culprit. The one crime where you did cut down someone had a perfectly justifiable reason, too. You’re free to go, Mr. Fehìonas.”

“Wait,” Began Lolly, she placed her hand under her chin as she squinted at the copper. “How did ya’ll know to come here when it was gettin’ aahll chaotic?”

“We were planning on arriving here to drop the pardon to Fehìonas. We speeded up our pace when we received an electrical signal, with an emergency request of assistance.”

“Ohhh, Ohkay!” She grimaced as she remembered the Lightning Elemental Napalmic knocked out. “Dis’ is a purty Candy technique ya’ got here.” Lolly’s eyes sparkled as she admired the field she was standing in.

“Thank you, young girl. It’s as simple as stomping a burst candy and letting its innards gush out.”

Napalmic walked up to John and placed his arms around his shoulders.

“C’mon, lad, you can’t go down.”

“Thanks… Napalmic…”

“Morgetten, I’ve made the investigation.” The older sounding Copper returned, looking at Morgetten. He turned to face his older partner.

“I see.” He turned around back to John, Lolly, and Napalmic. “Alright, we’ll leave now to report our investigation. You kids stay safe, yeah?”

The three nodded their heads in acknowledgement.

“Good good. Goodbye.”

The Coppers hopped back onto the wyvern. Morgetten created a wing of gum to substitute for the missing wing. They then soared into the air, leaving the trio at Rubiyang. As they scanned the area, they saw all the fallen, defeated guards along with the destruction caused to the area.

“Sheesh! That was one mean mollywhopping!”

Surprised, John, Lolly, and Napalmic turned to see Yawalc. He was clapping his hands and nodding his head.

“Oi! Who are you?” Interrogated Napalmic.

“Oh, c’mon, I’m sure you’ve seen this outfit before.” Yawalc said as he tugged on his robes. Napalmic soon realized that he was standing in the presence of an Angel.

“O-Oh, forgive me! I know I’ve sinned!”

“Oh no no no, I’m not here to deliver divine punishment or anything. What I did come here though, is to give you a divine mission! How does that sound, eh? A mission from the heavens!”

Napalmic sheathed his blade. He looked at the angel with an intrigued expression.

“Aye, I’m listening.”

Yawalc’s eyes glew in delight. He clapped his hands together whilst smiling.

“Okay, okay. Napalmic, you have been selected by the Grand Elemental himself to go on an adventure with these two, plus two more, to travel around the world so you may find a way into the Badlands, conquer the Balandians there… And vanquish King Bio.”

“King Bio, huh? I believed I heard o’ him. Me’ gran always called him the devil.”

“A befitting name.”

“There’s this one question that’s been bugging me…” John spoke as he scratched his head.

“Hm? What is it?”

“Just… Who is King Bio? What in the world makes him so scary? I’ve heard how he lead the Balandians, yes, but I feel like there’s more to it. Could you educate us?”

Yawalc tilted his head before sighing.

Snap!

With a snap of his fingers, John, Lolly, and Napalmic were transported to a grassy hill. They were conveniently seated under a large tree, giving them relaxing shade.

“Woah! Where in the gosh darn heck arre we?” Asked Lolly as she turned her head round and round at the sudden new environment.

“They’re just plain old hills, hold your horses. Anyway, I quickly healed those guards and cleared their memories, they won’t remember what happened. With that out of the way… Buckle up and sit down. I’m about to tell you the story of King Bio…” He floated slightly above the ground, hands on his hips.

John, Lolly, and Napalmic sat down with their knees crossed as they looked up at Yawalc. Napalmic inched forward, worried his fire would ignite the tree.

“I’m sure you all know what the Old World was, right?”

The three nodded their heads in understanding. We’d make some joke here about the Old World, but I was told we were writing a fantasy action novel, not a history textbook.

“Yeah, it was awesome… But I suppose it’s impossible to have nice things without something coming along and screwing it up. I believed it was during… the 21st century of the Old World that it all kerplunked.”

Lolly moved forward, interested.

“Well don’t leave us in da’ dark! Tell us!”

“I’m getting there, okay? To put it in simple terms: The Grand Elemental felt something evil grow within himself. Something foul, rancid, and just about any other similar adjective. He despised this growing evil, so he performed a ritual to separate this corrupted side of him. This dark side… Is King Bio.”

“!!” Every one of the three faces were in total shock and surprise at the reveal. They were so confused and flabbergasted. They leaned into each other as they discussed something,

before looking back at Yawalc.

“C-Continue, please.” Requested John.

“With the separate entity now on the loose, The Grand Elemental promised Bio no conflict if he simply stayed in hiding from the humans. Bio agreed… But he's not infamous for his ability to keep promises. He instigated a world-wide war that ended in a total reset of humanity as we know it. Electronics, machines, all those modern marvels? Done, finished. There was no sign of it ever coming back, too. To make matters worse… Oh, excuse me, I forgot readers don’t like long paragraphs. Quick, someone interrupt me!” Yawalc slapped his cheek as he quickly glanced at the three.

“Oi, but wouldn’t people quickly return to how it was in the Old World?” Asked Napalmic, his eyes and face having a perplexed look to them.

“Eh, that’s what the Angels thought, too. However, it was pretty hard to do so when Bio decided to run a second round and started a war of his own. He created a powerful army of loyal Balandian foot soldiers to overwhelm mortals.”

“Just how the heck did we aahll survive?” Lolly continued to scratch her chin.

“Well, they probably teach you about the timeline of the first war, so there’s no need to explain what happened. However, you should know this: The Badlands dimension was created for the simple purpose of banishing King Bio and his army.”

“So the Badlands were created as an end to the war?”

“Precisely. I wouldn’t even consider the banishment an end to the original war, only delayed for an indefinite amount of time. You could say this is some sort of… Thousand Year Blood War.” Yawalc said, looking at you with a sly expression as he bounced his eyebrows up and down.

“Why did ya’ say it like dat’?”

“My bad. Anyhow, that’s why you three were chosen. You three, along with the two others whom you’ll meet along the way, are the ones the Grand Elemental saw fit to take on King Bio and bring an end to this war.”

“Well, this should be simple. If we’re the chosen ones, that means we’re going to win no matter what, right?”

Yawalc looked nervous, as he sucked in air through his teeth, scratching his forehead.

“Welllll… Notice how I didn’t explicitly say anything about chosen ones or prophecies. You were only chosen by the Grand Elemental because he thought you were the best choices. Whether he was on to something or he was senile… Time will tell.”

“Hm, so there’s no guarantee… I’ll still try, though. If it means bringing about hope and peace for everyone, so be it.”

“Dat’s the spirit, John! Aah’ll be right behind ya’.” Exclaimed Lolly, raising her arm into the air excitedly.

“Aye, me too, lad.” Napalmic calmly said, folding his arms.

“Thanks, guys.” John carried a soft expression of sincerity.

“Hey, let’s go over each other quickly before we set out. Just a little icebreaker?” John chuckled.

“John Bayani. Judging from how this adventure is going, I guess I’m the leader.”

“Lolly Mitchell! Expert in aahll things healin’ and ranged tusslin’!”

“Napalmic Fehìonas. If you need me to take down a huge group with ease, I’m yer lad.”

“Excellent! Now that we’ve all introduced each other…” Yawalc began. His upbeat tone turned into a stern one. “I have to get you three whipped into shape.”

“WHAT?!” The three yelled out in disbelief, they were all voicing their protests over each other. Yawalc couldn’t make sense of their babbling.

“Look, I know you’re excited and all to begin a cool, epic odyssey… Buuut, I’ll be honest. At the level you guys are at, there’s no way we can just rush our way through this, you know how much the Angels bet on you guys?!”

“Wait, betting? As in, gambling?” Asked John in perplexion.

“You heard me! Everytime a big fight happens, like the skirmish that happened at Rubiyang, we Angels place our bets on who we think will win. P.S.: We always bet on the good guys.”

“What do Angels even bet with…?”

“With these!”

Yawalc held out his hand as if to show something to John, Lolly, and Napalmic. They all shook their heads in befuddlement as there was nothing in his palm.

“Oh! My bad, I forgot mortals can’t comprehend our stuff. Here’s something you can understand.”

Poof! A shining, golden coin of elegant design appeared forth in Yawalc’s hand. Lolly and John gazed in awe, while Napalmic was still very confused.

“So Angels have their own money?” Napalmic wondered.

“You could say that. Let’s just leave it at that, kay’?”

Yawalc returned the coin into his robes, and cleared his throat.

“Now, about getting you three into the fighting mood, I luckily know a guy who knows a guy who can brush you three on the fundamentals of combat!”

The trio tilted their heads in sync, as if to ask “Who?”.

“He’s known by many as ‘The Black Wind’. Others know him as ‘The Gale Torpedo’. His name is… Dalauan Rayegro.”

----------------------------------------

“Are they back yet?”

“No.”

“Are they back yet?”

“No.”

“...Are they back yet?”

“No! Stop asking that!”

Mister A was peeved at his henchmen constantly asking him the same question. It was always something along the lines of whether or not… You know, I think you readers are smart enough to know whom the goon was asking about.

ZRILLLLL

A large hole was drilled from below, catching Mister A and the henchman by surprise. As they watched the floor crumple and break apart, a large cube-shaped stone construct rose from the opening. They watched in confusion as the construct ascended, stopping at a certain point. Eventually, a rectangular-shaped opening was made, revealing the three people within the rising stone: Proxus, Kreffica, and the culprit, Aleckrine.

“Fox! You’ve gone goofy, wrecking our base’s floor!” Yelled Mister A in anger.

“Don’t worry about it, boss. I’ll cover it up with some stone till you get your guys to replace the floor.”

Kreffica stepped out, carrying Proxus over his shoulder. She had a big smile playing on her face.

“Well, at least the babe busted ya’ outta the slammer, eh? So, Juliet… What’s with the missing eye? Did ya’ go behind the eight ball or somethin’?”

Kreffica groaned and snapped her head to the side. Veins of anger were bulging on her forehead as she grinded her teeth, cursing something under her breath.

“Ha! A Fire Elemental burned my eye off! The nerve of some people! It’s a good thing this outfit is fire resistant, or else I’d have to come back buck-naked!”

“I don’t think the boys here would complain if ya’ did. I’ll go get ya’ a eyepatch.”

“Huh?” Proxus began to speak. “Why are your guy’s clothes fire resistant?”

“You got it all wrong, ya’ see? It’s only Kreffica’s outfit that’s like that. Culverbifc is pretty good with heat, ya’ see?”

“Oooh, I see.” Proxus nodded. This was a rare feeling for Proxus. Normally, he’d get aggressive with everyone in his sight. He’d often provoked fights with many excluding the likes of Judas. However, it seemed as if Proxus had finally begun to warm up to Omegum.

“Welp, you two got Aleckrine back. With that outta the way… Proxy, do you wanna become an official member? It’ll be the best decision ya’ ever made in your life, ya’ see?”

With a sudden cross of the arms, Proxus shook his head. Nevermind. It appears even I, the narrator, can make incorrect assumptions.

“Kólasi* no! I barely know any of you weirdos! I have no reason to join you. And besides… YOU STILL HAVEN’T TOLD ME WHY YOU TOOK AWAY MY SHINY GEM!!”

“That really why you’re acting like you took some chin music? Alright then, busta’. If I explain what an Acreage is, will you stay with us?” Mister A said, pulling out the gem he had taken. Proxus gazed in awe. He nodded his head.

“Yeah, yeah, sure. As long as I get it back…”

“Buckle down, buster. You’re gonna need to take notes.” Mister A stowed away the crystal inside of his coat, licking his lips. “Kreffica! Put im’ down!”

“Huh? Bu-But Proxus helped us! Why should we kill him?!” Kreffica exclaimed in shock. Her eyes widened as she shook her head.

“No, you boob! I meant that you set Proxy down so he can stand!” Mister A barked, his tone sounding fierce and coarse.

“O-Oh… My bad, Mister A… Heh heh…” Her face became flustered. She shut her eyes and gave a nervous laugh. She placed Proxus on the ground.

“I don’t care about listening to an explanation for something I already know about. I’m going to my room.” Aleckrine announced. He stepped out of the Stovation construct and dropped it with his hand. He left the room they were in.

“The Acreage Ten, or as we like to call em’, Acreages, are a bunch of really pretty lookin’ gems. Ya’ with me so far, buster?” Mister A tilted his head, squinting at Proxus, who nodded in understanding.

“Good, ya’ jerked a nod. Of course, being nice to look at ain’t their only purpose. That would be as useless as a so-called ‘lady friend’ who just abuses ya’.” Mister A smiled in anticipation. “It’s said that when all ten Acreages come together, their energies screw with each other, creating an entry to the Badlands!”

Proxus’ eyes widened. If what had Mister A said was true, then he might have a new way to return back home to the Badlands.

“Really?! Where are the rest of them?”

“We don’ts know. They’re really hard to find, less’ they start shining. It’s random, but whenever they feels like it, the Acreages will start shaking and glowing, getting brighter and brighter the closer you are to one. We figure the spot where it’s shining the most acts likes an arrow pointing toosa Acreage’s location, sorta likes a compass!”

“So… What you’re saying is they go off at random and point to the nearest Acreage?” Proxus simplified what Mister A had said, sparing impatient readers (seriously guys. This is a novel, chill out. You can come back to this any time, no rush.) of a beefy explanation.

“Attaboy! We already got this one, and another in our possession. Soon we oughta find em’ all!”

A question arose in Proxus, one he couldn’t help but to let out.

“And you want to go to the Badlands… Why?”

“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, AH, AH, AH, AH, AH, AH, AH… huff HAHAHAHAHAHAHA, AH, AH, AH, AH, AH, AH… huff HAHAHAHAHAHA!!”

Mister A laughed maniacally. He raised his hand and grabbed his fedora, wagging a finger as he tried to stifle his laughter. His howling broke into short “ah”s before evolving into that roar once more.

“What’s so funny?” Asked Proxus, confused.

“Just let him be, Proxus. Mister A gets really excited when he talks about something he’s passionate about.” Explained Kreffica, it was clear she was no stranger to these fits of laughter. Mister A finally calmed down, clearing his throat.

“Ahem, my bad. If ya’ really wantsa know: We plans on using the Acreages to enter the Badlands, and gather up some Balandians. If we’re lucky… We may even get the Devil himself on our side!”

Proxus’ eyes shot up in surprise in confusion. He had a rough time figuring out if Mister A was being confidently stupid or stupidly confident.

“You idiot! What makes you think King Bio is going to work with you?! To heck with that! He’ll just ice you on sight!” Proxus yelled out. Kreffica glanced down at him, and patted his head.

“Pipe down, let him talk.”

“Thanks, Kreff. Anyhow, Bio may not be all cuddly, but if we can convince him to helps us, he won’t interfere in our plans for control of the criminal underworld.”

“And… How do you plan on convincing Bio?”

“Simple. With our experience with this world, combined with our huge numba’ of goons and busters, there’s no way he wouldn’t work with us for the benefits. He’d have to be a big sap if he doesn’t see how he shouldn’t help out the people who freed him, yeah?”

Proxus grumbled angrily.

“You people are pretty stupid… Y’know what? Fine. I’ll join your group, if it means I’ll eventually come back to my land, I’m down.” Proxus tilted his head, smiling. At last, he was convinced to fully join as a member of Omegum.

“Ha, that’s the spirit, kid. You may not be a gang leader, but I gots the feeling you’re strong enough to be in our ranks. You’ll be… Omegum R: Romeo.”

“R… R…? Why not P? P for Proxus, eh?” He said this, raising an eyebrow and winking. He pointed his fingers at Mister A, who was unamused.

“P’s already taken. R is the only open spot.”

“What happened to the original Romeo?”

“That’s for another day. For now, let’s get ya’ all dressed up.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.”

Proxus and Kreffica left towards a changing room. After some time, Proxus put on his new outfit: A white, open leather jacket, revealing his chest underneath. He wore a rather baggy pair of black jeans. Kreffica, who was the first to see his new change in clothes, smiled.

“Does this look good? I picked a leather jacket because I’m not a big fan of trenchies.” Proxus looked down at his outfit, striking a few poses.

“You look badass in that! I’m sure you’ll make a good impression on the rest of the Omegum leaders when you meet them.”

“Really now? How do you know?” He asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Well, Mister A likes you, that’s already a good sign.” Kreffica closed her eyes, a firm thumb-ups thrown up as if to say “You got this!”

“Good, good.”

Suddenly, Mister A barged into the room, smirking. He tipped his hat in respect.

“Hey busters. Nice outfit, Proxy. We’re starting a meeting to officially introduce ya’ to Omegum. Are you coming or what?”

Proxus looked up at Kreffica, who smiled and nodded her head. He reinstated his attention to Mister A, giving a similar smirk.

“Yes, I’ll go.”

“Good! I’ll see you’s two at the gathering, Romeo and Juliet.”

“Of course, Mister A!”

He left the room, waving his hand. Kreffica began following Mister A, with Proxus coming behind her. A new chapter was about to begin in Proxus’ life, and he couldn’t wait to turn the page. Not one bit.

----------------------------------------

“Dalauan? Dat’s a pretty cool name. Is he cool, too?” Asked Lolly, interested in this new person.

“Is he the next guy we need on our team?” Added John to Lolly’s question.

“Is the lad strong?” Interrogated Napalmic. A smile was beginning to creep up on his blaze.

“Oof, you guys would have aced this quiz if John had a different question. He’s not the next important mortal, but he’s a highly impressive, skilled Elemental. You could learn a thing or two from him.”

“So, where is he, then?” Questioned John.

“I certainly didn’t pick this place out of randomness. Look, I placed you three riiiiiight in front of the town he lives in.”

Yawalc floated off to the side. John, Lolly, and Napalmic all noticed a small, quaint community. There weren't even barricades or walls like most cities. It was like one could simply leave and enter the town whenever they felt like it.

“Oh wow… Wait, why don’t you just skip the traveling part and teleport us straight to his town?” Asked John, he was confused by the inefficiency of being warped near a town instead of straight into it.

“Oh, c’mon. Don’t be lame like that, John. Where’s the fun in the destination if there’s no journey? The nerve…” Yawalc began to feel a sudden vibration in his body. His time was nearing its end.

“Oops, sorry. I’ve been pushing my luck with how long I’ve been staying here. I’ll be off now!”

Yawalc flew up in a hurry, before melting into a bunch of glowing particles.

“That Yawalc Angel… Does he–”

“You get used to it.” John and Lolly simultaneously responded to Napalmic’s question, staring at him.

“Well, that’s that. Who’s ready to learn how to fight?” John asked his new group of friends, smiling.

“Yup! Aah cain’t wait to see somethin’ cool!”

“Aal be damned if Dalauan teaches me something I don’t know about.”

“Speaking of which, Napalmic. You said you’d reveal how you ended up in jail after we got you out of Rubiyang, right? I think now’s as good as ever.”

“Of course, lad. It all started like this…”

And so began a journey of a band of friends, seeking the world to reach the Badlands and destroy King Bio on behalf of holy orders. What sort of techniques will The Black Wind teach our heroes? Will Omegum get their hands on all the Acreages? And just what sort of complications will occur between Proxus and Judas? We hope to cover all of those questions and more in our next, exciting installment.

TO BE CONTINUED IN VOLUME TWO!!