[ Battle in the Dock: ]
Hilda: *Kicks a demon with incredible strength*
*Loading another shell, she pulls a lever on the side of the blaster*
*The barrel extends slightly, exposing a turbine portion that begins to spin and glow*
*Out blasts a wave of energy missiles that lock onto the mooks, blasting them into oblivion*
Aisha: *Has turned both hands into claws, pupils narrowed to slits*
*Yowling, she darts from place to place, leaving a trail of carnage in her wake*
Hilda: *Tugs the pins out of a couple of grenades with teeth, lobbing them into the midst of a large cluster of demons*
*The explosion tears them to shreds*
*By now, Yoruichi and Namah have used their chance to try and mend some of Terra, Jinx, and Negative Man's wounds*
Zev: *Simply stands before them, staring down a number of demons as they approach* Say, I propose to you degenerates that we play a game.
*Two lunge, only to be knocked far off and disintegrate from Zev's kicks*
Zev: I'll fight all of you without using my hands or my magic once. Would that make it fair for you?
*Arms crossed, he watches as five conjure demonic blades and lunge toward him*
*Leaping up, Zev spins and knocks all of them over with a roundhouse kick*
*Barely after landing, he disappears with a flicker just as two more blades fall on him*
*He reappears above the two demons, kicking one so hard that the shockwave kills the other*
*Howling, five more demons charge him, blades drawn*
Zev: *Pushes off of the ground with one leg, spinning other leg around*
*His next kick destroys each of them on impact, without a trace*
*Just as the other eight prepare to attack, Zev disappears*
*Next, he appears balanced on top of one's head*
*With a movement almost like dancing, he kicks each of the others lethally in the face*
*Flipping back from atop the last demon's head, he kicks it in the back of the neck*
*Landing, he allows it to fall and die before disappearing*
Namah: Okay Zev, seriously, you need to learn when it is not appropriate to show off.
Zev: *Uncrosses arms, ignoring her* Is this really the best that Serrator could provide? The Netherworld must have become quite tepid since I was last there.
???: You cannot imagine, my lord. *Appears from a portal at his side*
Zev: *Nearly jumps out of his skin at the golden eyed man's appearance* Who are you!?
???: *Wolf's tail swishes idly* I'm not surprised you don't remember me. I am Fenrich, Lord Raregroove. I was 400,000 years old when we first met.
Zev: ...? Fenrich? *Something begins to dawn on him* No way! How could I forget - ?
Fenrich: It matters not. Allow me to handle the leader of these ruffians for you. *Lays a hand on sternum and bows slightly* All is for my lord.
Zev: ...The sentiment's appeciated, but -
Antberry: *Appears before the two, a huge, spiked club in hand* Rrrrgh!! Fenrich, you meddling mutt!! Have you and your forces still not given up your futile attempts at revolution in the Netherworld!? No matter!! I won't let you stand in Lord Serrator's way!!
Fenrich: How quaint. You, barely a step up from the Aku Koi that Serrator has amassed, hopes to stand before the former Steward of our world's most terrifying leader.
Antberry: ... *Gives Zev a glance, not making a move* ...You've got me...Spitting mad!! *Sends a glob of acid hurtling towards Zev's allies*
Fenrich: *Kicks out to the side, unleashing such a burst of wind that the projectile splatters harmlessly onto the metal floor* Are you quite finished?
Antberry: RRRRRGGGGHHHH!! *Charges at Fenrich, club raised overhead and picking up great speed*
*In the next moment, Fenrich has intercepted Antberry and planted an elbow in his solar plexus*
Antberry: *Tumbles back, wheezing in pain and dropping weapon* Hggg, hggg!
Fenrich: *Charges, fist raised and surrounded by glowing energy*
*His blow to Antberry's face sends the demon flying back*
*Face crushed in, he fades without even growing large like most of his kind*
Hilda & Aisha: *All their enemies defeated, approach the group*
Ryoko: *Descends with Ryo-Ohki, in cabbit form, on her shoulder* ... *Glares at Fenrich*
Aisha: Who's this guy? *Looks at Hilda curiously, expecting her to know*
Hilda: ... *Sigh* He's the one who tipped me off to the trouble Zev was in, and gave me the coordinates to pick you up and to pick up Ryoko up from the aftermath of her fight with Nagi.
Namah: *Approaches Zev* That still doesn't explain how you two know each other.
Zev: Well...I guess I need to fully explain the situation between when I broke the hold on Ryoko, disappeared, and returned someday. *Scratches at head* After I first defeated Ryoko, something pulled me through space until I found myself in a world of spirits and demons. For a time, I became that quasi-Universe's ruler. Fenrich protected me while I recovered, and became my loyal Steward. He never once complained when I left matters in our branch of the Netherworld in his hands whilst I returned to this Universe. I still can't thank you enough, Fenrich.
Fenrich: Please, do not thank me for fulfilling my duties. All is for my lord. *Turns to the rest of the group* I was content, for a time, to leave my master to matters in this world...But I'm afraid that our world needs you once again.
Zev: I'm gonna guess that Serrator has been encroaching on the territory I left to you?
Fenrich: That, and more. Perhaps we should discuss this elsewhere.
Zev: Do you have somewhere that we can easily return to the battle where we're needed?
Fenrich: I know just the place. *Folds hand over sternum, bowing shortly* All is for my lord.
*He opens up a portal which begins to draw in everyone - Terra, Jinx, and Negative Man included*
*Before anyone can protest, they've been dragged through without a trace*
*Only silence is left behind*
~ ~ ~
[ Control Room, Omega Supreme: ]
Serrator: *Continues to direct Blackout's forces*
*Abruptly and with a crackle of dark energy, a man appears behind him*
*The man has fair skin, short, messy blonde hair, and a strong chin with a short beard. Behind his wire-rimmed glasses are a pair of menacing blue eyes, and the most notable parts of his ensemble include a crimson suitjacket with a blue chest and shoulers, a white tie, and a ruff of white fur around the collar, as well as white gentleman's gloves*
Octoroo: Ooh-ah-ooh! What do you think you're doing, showing up unannounced like that!?
Serrator: Octoroo's right. You are only to approach me when called, spellcaster.
???: Come now, Serrator! I only wished to tell you that my little pet project eliminated an entire fleet of Vongola Famiglia ships en route to assist your enemies!
Serrator: Hmph. I'd tread carefully referring to that monstrosity as a "pet project." You're meddling with powers far outside what you can control. I insist that you command that abomination to self-destruct posthaste.
???: Sorry, no can do. It's already on its way to eliminate the Galactic Government base on Barjimoa.
Serrator: As usual, you can't help but make a scene in everything you do.
???: *Folds arms, smirking* Serrator, I can't help but feel you're jealous of how much power I've been able to coax out of the Weapon.
Octoroo: Ooh-ah-ooh!! You have no right to insinuate such a thing, lowly human!!
???: Oh, and are you going to do something about it, you ugly little mollusk?
Serrator: He's not, but I'm very close. *Levels staff with the man*
???: *Holds hands up appeasingly* Very well, very well. I see I've overstayed my welcome.
*Without another word, he disappears in a flicker of darkness*
Serrator: ... *Goes back to managing the controls* ...
Octoroo: Ooh-ah-ooh... *Keeps mixing medicine*
~ ~ ~
[ ???, Hellish Fortress: ]
Namah: *Groggily awakens, facedown on hot stone*
*She looks around, finding herself in a burned-out fortress atop a sea of magma*
*To her surprise, Namah feels no more pain than if she were laying her cheek against a sidewalk in summer*
*It's then that she hears a giggling noise nearby, and moves to investigate cautiously*
Namah: ... *Finds a trail of clothes leading her down a staircase into a pit* ...She didn't.
???: She did. *Appears to be a zombie with a mohawk, hooked nose, and long ears* The name's Zommie, Jr.
Namah: ... *Leaves him behind at the entrance* ...God.
*She finds Aisha, buck-naked, flexing her impressive muscles and halfway-submerged in the magma pool*
Namah: What in Sam Hill are you doing, woman? *Idly picks up Aisha's shirt, looking it over*
Aisha: Hmhmhmhmmm~! *Flexes arms* I'm surprised you can talk, mrow-how~! You're obviously stunned by the superior physique of my Ctarl-Ctarl body!!
Namah: I'm stunned by something, alright. And you do have quite a lovely "physique." *Waggles eyebrows*
Aisha: Myow~! *Back turned, flexes arms once again* I appreciate the compliment! I'm glad you can appreciate the work that goes into maintaining the incredible musculature of the proud Ctarl-Ctarl!
Namah: Mmmmm-hm. *Folds her shirt and lies it down* Gonna just leave you here, Aisha Clanclan. I'll wait for you up above. Maybe talk to the zombie.
Aisha: You do that~! *Dunks down into the magma gleefully*
Namah: *Heads back up the stairs* ... *Looks over at Zommie, Jr.* About how hot's that magma?
Zommie, Jr.: Only demons should be able to survive in it, though it's not as hot as real magma. *Shrug* She wouldn't stop hootin' and hollerin' about how the Ctarl-Ctarl bathe in natural magma regularly. I really wish I didn't have to deal with so many obnoxious freaks.
Namah: Really preachin' to the choir on that one. *Sits beside him, legs folded up and held against chest* You seen any of the others?
Zommie, Jr.: Yeh. Master Raregroove and Master Fenrich headed to the Situation Room, but first, I think the latter too your injured friends to the Healer's Room. The other three or four, I don't know about.
Namah: Thanks. *Falls silent, tail gently tapping against Zommie, Jr.'s leg* ... ... ...
Zommie Jr.: ... ... ... *Says nothing to her*
---
[ ???, Noxious Caverns: ]
Yoruichi: *Walks through the area, nose crinkled at the stench*
*She carefully avoids the sickly green water, as every stone that falls in is ate up by acid*
*All over are huge, glowing, brightly colored and patterned mushrooms; slithering shapes can be seen nearby*
*Picking up the sound of combat, Yoruichi uses shunpo to hurry towards the source of the noise*
*There she finds Hilda, shooting large, horned skull-topped slimes in futility*
Yoruichi: *Is about to approach, before Hilda carefully loads a shell that gives Yoruichi an odd feeling*
Hilda: *Extends the barrel of her gun, causing the turbine to spin faster* Caster Shell No. 12: Lightning.
*She fires, sending out a bolt of blue energy that swoops up above the slimes*
*It extends a number of whorled arms, before dropping large spears of blue lightning*
*The slimes screech, instantly destroyed by the attack and disintegrating at great speed*
Yoruichi: ... *Approaches cautiously* ...You the one they call "Hot Ice" Hilda?
Hilda: ... *Holsters gun, removing right glove and rolling up sleeve to reveal a mechanical arm* Who's asking? *Looks over the joints in her arm's elbow and fingers*
Yoruichi: Nobody. Just someone who's caught wind of your reputation. Mind if I follow you out of here?
Hilda: *Finished looking arm over, rolls down sleeve and replaces glove* I don't care.
*She draws her blaster again and starts walking up a gentle incline*
Yoruichi: ... *Shrugs, following after her* Thanks.
Hilda: You're welcome. *Falls silent again*
Yoruichi: *Chooses to not speak, either*