It broke the barrier within seconds. It had skill in breaking through shells.

It was met with resistance that was short lived.

The screams died out quickly. Every moment, another one faded. They didn’t even see what was killing them.

One after another, holes emerged in their heads, and their brain juices squirmed out and disappeared.

Blood was now everywhere amongst the various corpses. Soldiers from TUHF, their unloaded magazines with empty guns in their bloody hands. Mixed in were the fewer Supervillains, there was nothing alive in the room. Just bodies covering the floor, limp across the stairs, and gore everywhere.

It knew the fight here was over, but it knew more people were fighting in the mansion. It needed to feed. More food was to be had.

While it knew how to kill as a primary survival function, it knew more than death. These brains were souls to it, and it studied souls from inside its stomach.

It needed more though. It needed to return them to whence it came. It only had mere minutes to gather them before it was forced to leave. It’d be sucked back from whence it came.

This plane was one of zillions to it, and many more souls were out there to reap, so it returned to it’s hunt.

It tried to. But a potential target seemed to have accidentally hit it with a beam of ineligible energy. It was struck with force aside as the laser hit a man holding a gun, the man was disintegrated into nothingness. It seemed to learn more about this universe through these feeble minds. It needed more. It could learn so much.

The user of such powerful energy manipulation would be the first to be abducted. It’s brain was precious.

It saw the creature. Unlike the others, he wasn’t made of flesh, he was made of a crystalline shard from the trails of a comet. Fascinating. The creature floated, and looked straight at the aberration through shiny energy nodes like that of pupils. It sensed it’s presence. It couldn’t see it though.

Such power and grandeur! The creature's shimmering golden form was sublime!

Another group of enemies approached and the creature's hands extended. A thousand tiny star shaped lights launched out of his hands and obliterated them.

It must have this creature’s brain.

It ran toward the creature, knowing that it’s invisibility would protect it. Incorrect, the creature sensed something and fired another laser straight at it, launching it back to its previous position.

It felt strange. A similar strangeness to when it got displaced once more to forever wander to where it was called. It only had limited time until it would be forced to leave.

To make matters worse, the creature seemed to have several friends cautiously waiting behind him. They must be nearly as powerful as him, someone that powerful would have to be selective with their allies.

It attacked again…

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

“Your meal, Quincy.” Captain Canadia said to me, handing me a mundane plate of scrambled eggs through the door. I guess it was something, and it was protein too, so I suppose I’d eat it.

“Thanks sir.” I showed gratitude, taking the food. “Any news on how the attack is going?”

“I don’t have any contact with Gammal.” he replied stoically.

He was about to shut the door, when I put my foot in the way of it.

“Hey, I’m gonna just be honest with you. You are a nice dude, but your partner is honestly kinda being a dick.” I told him, hoping perhaps to change his mind.

“I don’t mind. But you…” he huffed, closing his eyes and shaking his head. He looked at me with a firm gaze. “You killed Bluejay. It’s honestly an honor that he chose me to help him capture you.”

It was hatred. I felt guilt. But that soon wouldn’t be the thing on my mind as we’ll both discover.

For now, I pulled my foot out from the doorway and sat down in my bed. He shut the door without a word.

I ate the eggs. I thought.

I was really a murder, wasn’t I? I’d kill Bluejay, and I remain shameless about that. But I’d killed so many people. I’d killed kids for god’s sake! What kind of a monster remains so nonchalant about that?

Me… apperentally.

I began to remember their faces. I remembered that kid I’d strung up in a noose back during the attack, my now fading scar from his screaming friend a vicious reminder. I remembered Verdict, a traitor of TUHF that once was very kind to me. They sent me to kill him.

I’d killed so many more. Men, women, young, old. It didn’t matter.

I tried to justify myself. I’d been forced to kill these people by my employers. I could easily put the blame on TUHF, but I couldn’t put it on poor Stocklord. I had to blame myself. It was my fault.

But now I knew that I had to sneak out of here. Because my friends needed me. And the sooner that I did, the sooner I could make this right. The sooner I could go back to my old life. My comfy life.

My life at a desk.

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

“There is something here!” Roland shouted, his voice in his shifted form flanged and spacey.

“What is it?!” Twee asked panickedly.

He didn’t reply for a second, looking around with a frantic poise. He threw several stars rapidly, flying like shurikens into the body of something. They stuck onto a transparent surface which then moved in for another attack, shrieking the virginal cry of an organ.

“It’s invisible!” Roland sneered, locking his arms with the creature, the sticking stars and the sounds the only thing discerning the creature’s existence. It shook and convulsed, trying to strike him, however in its fit, Twee struck it with a stray gun in panic.

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It flopped off, but it’s aggression continued. It leaped at Twee, pushing her to the floor, crushing down upon a supervillain’s body so hard that she heard it’s bones crunch.

“Fuck!” she yelped, struggling to hit it. Luckily, before the creature could feast using it’s razor barbed tongue, Selene shot a cross into it, knocking the beast off Twee’s struggle.

“Thanks, Selene…” she huffed, getting up and looking for it. The cross hadn’t stuck inside of it, and it then ripped out the stars and tossed them to the floor, the light made of solid matter dissipating with a small flash as its use ran out.

Only it’s horrific sounds remained.

“I am not going to be the first to ask what the FUCK this thing is, right?” Sal gasped a breath, his head darted, following the groans and low pitched toots.

“Yeah, but I’ll be the second…” gulped Roland.

“Stick together, we can come to each other’s aid faster.” Selene suggested, going invisible. “I’ll be right here beside you.”

“We need to kill it though,” Sal brought up. “But it sure takes a lot of hits…”

“We need to restrain it or something.” Twee added, suddenly turning to the left as the monster seemed to be on the main staircase. “Like, now.”

“I thought I’d heard your shrill cries!” said a familiar voice. “The slaves have called their little friends to kill us!” LeCroux said with beserker rage, turning out of a room slowly with a shit eating grin across his manic face.

In his hand was a broadsword made of what seemed to be taffy or bubblegum. Whatever it was, it probably was lethal despite the appearance, given the mood he seemed to be in, and the blood dripping from it’s blade. He strode forward from the hallway across from them, his posture like a greek titan.

“LeCroux, this was not us.” Roland demanded.

“I am sorry Roland, but I’m afraid you are on the wrong side of this room for me to believe you.” The Candyman stopped, hefting his sword from his shoulder to point toward his enemies. “So say your prayers to whatever metaphysical entity you traitors worship!”

“Well… I never liked your fudge anyway!” he rebuked, intentionally petty. “Or was it toffee?”

“Given that fudge isn’t candy… yes.” he sneered, seething. “I have performed the liberty of trapping you all in this death-bubble together. Now, only one party here lives.”

“Don’t tell him.” Twee told the three others, nudging her head to the fading organ sounds.

“Tell him what?!” LeCroux shouted.

“Just kill him!” Sal shouted back, wasting no time in igniting and tossing a fireball toward LeCroux. He dodges aside and tosses several peppermint spikes forward, mixed in with pink gum.

Sal ducks as the attacks whiz past above his head, but the gum hits his feet before he attempts to get up and move, he trips over, and crashes to the floor.

“Just listen out for the creature, we need to deal with LeCroux.” Twee orders, ripping the metal frames from the glass panels of the front door and shaping them into two janky knives.

“What about me!?” Sal yelped. “What if that thing jumps on me!?”

“Listen out for it, I’ll be right here, Sal and Selene.” Roland affirms, firing a distraction laser so Twee could run in to strike.

Immediately, LeCroux backs up, barely dodging the blast before Twee inserts herself, swinging manically with intent to kill. The flashes of quick metal barely miss The Candyman’s throat before he backpedals, then sweeps the leg, knocking the demonette to her feet.

He’s not done though, he sees the shurikens just in time, but only dodges a mere ten, being hit by the other five. Roland’s vision tightens, steeling himself as he begins firing more and more and more. LeCroux is caught in the barrage, and doesn't stand a chance. He’d taken a fight he couldn’t win, and as he falls to the floor, he’s met with Twee’s eyes.

“Just wait a sec-”

His agony was cut short. Twee’s metal was already through his neck, wet in crimson red, oozing out onto the ground like black syrup. His death was as quick and random as his appearance was. Just a pawn in Courtney’s court. Or maybe a more powerful chess piece or something, I dunno man.

“About time.” Twee spoke, standing up and brushing off. The blood had stained her ludicrous maid outfit. “Finally, an excuse to change this disgusting thing…” she muttered.

“Alright, luckily, it seems our invisible friend is gone.” Roland sighed, the tension not gone, but temporarily relieved.

Sal had finally managed to get the gum off of him. “Glad that’s the last time I’ll be stuck in that shit.”

“Hey, Roland… You fought well…” Twee admitted. Roland would have smiled, but his crystalline face could show no emotion.

“I would lie and tell you that it was for you, but in all honesty, LeCroux had it coming.” he said.

“Well, that’s great and all that we killed the bad guy, and you two are getting along… but we may have a concern.” Sal announced.

“Yeah?” asked Twee.

“Roland, remember how you mentioned our invisible friend being gone? Yeah, both of them are gone.”

“Oh shit, Selene!”

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

It was only a little while after I finished my eggs that I heard the sounds.

So, obviously, if I hear banging and punching outside my room, I would investigate. But I didn’t.

Anyone could be out there, thieves, criminals, rogue supervillains? What if a bird flew in!? Well, I wouldn’t let my curiosity overwhelm me. I would stay in this room, and I would not check unless someone broke down the door and-

The door flew off its hinges, barely missing me. Without a second thought, I got up, I guess since I had an excuse to investigate.

As suspected, someone had gotten to the Captain. His bruised and blood body taking it’s final breaths in the corner. I looked with more interest at who did it, though.

“Oh… it’s you...”