Clouds gray, a loud rumbling. Rain pouring down on a distant horizon. Flashes of lightning in the sky, dancing up and down, zigzagging. Cool breeze blowing swiftly. The waves, jumping with the wind, splashing on the shores and flowing up and over on the surface.
Atop the surface, a boat moving in, a small ferry moving across the water. Under the platform, a group of four in rain coats together, the group of Dilan, Derrick, Monte, and Amber, looking off to the shoreline about a mile ahead of them, a small harbor town.
“So… this is it then...”
“Yeah… somewhere in that town we’ll find out what happened.”
“Maybe we’ll find Zaraka with this one.”
“Can we really be that lucky Derrick?”
“Don’t talk about luck right now. Two of us nearly got put in the ER or worse.”
“Alright, sorry man… uh, Amber, how-”
“Like, don’t bother talking. I’m not in the mood.”
“Er… right… so Derrick, what’s the plan?”
“Go into that town, find out what’s going on, and then see if we can find out what’s going on with the enemy. We find out who hurt our friend… and make them pay!”
“I just… don’t see how we’ll find out anything here, you know?”
“It’s worth a shot… plus maybe the thing we’re after is another monster that’ll follow us here.”
“You really think that-… yeah you’re probably right.”
“The things we’ve gone up against lately have just not been that smart.”
“I’ve… definitely noticed.”
“What’s the problem here again?”
“Gillman, or rather gillmen. Supposedly they’re… fish people, I believe.”
“Fish people? Are you for… never mind, why would I question anything with this job.”
“Like, Monte, Derrick, why not include the rest of us.”
“Then speak up. Monte and I are able to discuss the mission ourselves you know with you guys listening.”
“Who died and made you the leader?”
“ONUS’s President.”
“Queen.”
“More like a corporate president actually.”
“Whatever.”
“Guys, focus. Whatever attacked me and hurt Sam is out here somewhere potentially and that something is dangerous.”
“You kidding me? Wolf Beast and Gator Tator were easy, we only lost to Imp King because we weren’t accustomed to our powers at the time.”
“But what if they aren’t all push overs?”
“Uh, hey guys, we’re here,” came the voice of an older gentleman, black beard and stache, standing just behind them. Turning to him then forward, it was true, they had already docked.
“Oh...”
“Thanks Captain.”
“Right-”
-
Walking forward into the town, the group forward looking around, yet another town of people down, looking up, hiding, blank stares, though here a spell of emptiness soon accompanied by despair of the town itself, a broken state, old school just like most others with few industrial upgrades.
“Ugh… no time for this. Oi, where can we find the Gillman!?”
Many eyes staring back, chattering commencing, then a crash, down in an approach a massive figure, looking now forward upon the group, snarling. Quick to pop out into view, several intangible objects surrounding that figure, a hooded jacket wearing entity of very humanoid appearance.
The heroes, turning to face, would get ready.
“Who are you? Are you the Gillman?”
No answer.
“I’m talking to you! Judging by your attitude and those things, you must be the guy. Take up positions!”
“But Derrick, are you-”
“Yes I am sure!”
“Alright...”
“Amber take the front, Monte the right, I’ll take the left. Dilan, the rear. This formation should be keen. Monte and I are physical combat types, Amber not so much, you especially.”
“Wait so is that my left or-”
“Why do, like, I have to be center stage?”
“And why can’t I prove myself?”
“Guys just focus!”
“Not happening,” came the grunt of the thing before them, then the intangible entities launching forward right at the four. An annoyed Amber taking a step forward, mouth open, a super sonic shriek pulse sent flying from her mouth right at them though quickly, dust blowing up, the entities still on the approach.
“What the-”
THWACK!!
Sent flying back and rolling, Amber flipped, flopped, and finally crashed on the ground, a glance forward in shock. Monte and Derrick quick to jump to the left and right of one entity, the presumed hitter, Monte’s leg up and Derrick’s fist flying.
“Gotcha now!”
“This is it!”
KAPOW!!!
CRASH!!!
Crashing through a window went Monte, off to the other Derrick into a water troff with only his legs sticking out, leaving just Dilan wide eyed, “Your attacks went right through and hit each other!”
“Ugh,” came the grunt of a rising Monte, the spitting of water from Derrick.
“What was that?”
“You hit each other right through these things!”
“Then… that explains Amber missing but they hit her-”
“These things can probably slip through things like ghosts, targeting them is useless!”
“How do we beat them then?!”
“Take out the guy controlling them of course!”
“Hmph… easier said than done outsiders,” came the mumble and with the snap of his fingers, twenty more quick to appear around him as if to guard, with seven breaking off and moving forward towards Dilan, the rest from earlier also.
“Man, we can’t do a thing like this-”
“Watch me!”
“Monte no!”
“HYRAAAAAAAAAAAAA- UAH!!”
Sent flying back, the charging Monte having gone for the mystery person was immediately sent flying back and off the side of the dock into the lake, having been struck by several ghouls.
“I don’t know who you four are but forget it and leave here now.”
“No way pal!”
“Derrick, hold it!”
Derrick, quickly called out by Dilan, Amber stumbling passed with an aggravated expression looking at the entities and the mystery person, scowling.
“Hey buddy, that was just me warming up, here’s my hello!”
“Amber, don’t!”
Mouth opening and with a grunt, a massive shriek, the ground ripping itself apart with fragments flying, wood send shredding, glass around shattering, people shouting with their ears covered to their knees, though the mystery man and the entities standing just fine.
KERPLOW!!!
Five strikes to Amber and back she went, crashing into Monte climbing out upon the docks, both flying back in. Derrick, glancing back quickly, then forward to the mystery person with arms crossed looking back it would seem, as if waiting.
“Why you-”
“DERRICK!!”
The shout of Dilan, a glance over, surprised.
“Look, I know what this means to you, you think it’s your fault as the self proclaimed leader that Sam got hurt and I got messed up almost but this isn’t helping matters. We don’t know this guy, we need to retreat.”
“Tch… but… oh- fine… for now, we’ll play it your way. Retreat!”
Dilan taking a back away, Derrick doing the same, glancing back as the entities slowly would begin to vanish, the captain from before pulling both Amber and Monte from the water. One final glance back… and then, the mystery person’s disappearance.
-
“That was… GAH!!”
“Derrick, calm down, we don’t know what we were getting into back there.”
“No but like, I wanna kick that guy like a horse for getting me soaked.”
“He flung me, twice… and then threw you into me. I have more of a right to be angry.”
“Guys… let’s contact Ms. Galakin quick and get an update.”
“Actually mates, I have a message for you, here,” came the voice of the captain, then the tossing of an old tape recorder, “She left it cuz ya’ll was out of radio range I guess and your boss won’t be back for awhile. I’ll leave ya to it.”
Looking down, the tape playing, “DreamScapers, this will be my last official transmission back to you as I’ll be out directing an investigation personally. You’ll have to link up with Flare or Damerick for now but I have an update on your bad luck. Please contact Damerick and or Flare immediately for an explanation, I think it’s a being known as The Goblin King, they’ll best explain the situation and how dire it could be. Talk when I return, talk to them now.”
The tape ending.
“Oh great, another weak enemy to fight?”
“I don’t know… she said it could be dire.”
“Like, we’ve heard that before.”
“Hmm… we’ll check on Sam, then arrange the meeting with the two of them… as soon as we can. If it’s this Goblin King then it clearly isn’t that Gillman guy and probably not who we encountered. We’ll leave that to another squad or something for now in which case.”
“Right,” they all chimed.
“Let’s hope this goes quick, for Sam’s sake.”
ns 15.158.61.21da2
