The abandoned district of Z-City. A ghost town that humans and monsters both feared going to. The humans generally agreed that there was something wrong with the place, something that seemed to attract monsters from all around to argue and take territory. The damage done to this part of the city caused it to be a place too dangerous for many to walk in, even. It was as though a war was constantly being waged there, as though monsters of incredible power fought for dominance in the heart of the least-populated area on the map.

The monsters came there looking to find out more about what was going on there themselves. Many powerful being came to try and assert dominance themselves, hoping to find what was causing such chaos and why so many other monsters came here. Which is why, when they get to the city, they are confused as to where anyone and anything is.

All mysterious beings reported to be seen going into the city, such as Mosquito Girl, Konbu Infinity, and Freeze-Dried Fish, are never seen coming back out. All highly dangerous beings, all never to be seen again.

"...Which means that, no matter what, we have to be wary going here. We could be dead the moment we cross the gate," finished the mysterious being Venus mantrap. "There is something not right about this place. What force could bring so much evil to one place, and what force could then prevent it from leaving?"

"Maybe we'll even find some humans in here," Face Ripper stated. "My blades have been waiting to find something to sharpen their edge on for a while now. I'll rip and tear anything I can find in there. This force will be powerless against my blades!"

Phoenix Man responded. "That isn't going to do you any good. Being more powerful than us have gotten destroyed here. Your arrogance will be what gets you killed here. Calm yourself down, we'll fight only if we have to. For now, let's investigate and see if we can figure things out first. Perhaps there really is a breeding ground of monsters here. What use is getting worked up going to do for you? You can't win against this kind of power using your brute strength."

Face Ripper only scoffed at him. "If you don't believe you're up for the task, you can back out now. I'll handle this on my own, and my blades will get their share of blood. If you feel that you want to become a burden to us, that blood could be yours."

"This argument isn't going to get us anywhere," declared Mantrap. "Let's get moving here, whatever is there is there, and we'll deal with the situation as it comes."

The trio quieted down for a short while after that. They knew nothing about what they would face when they got there. There were many theories, of course, but they couldn't know which one was correct. A breeding ground was surely a possibility. Mysterious beings that killed whatever came in their path, be in man or monster, was surely another possibility. Mosquito Girl was no push-over with her swarm of minions following her every command. Konbu Infinity had powerful tentacles, with enough power behind them to crack bones, but flowing smoothly enough to maneuver through tight spots and allow Konbu near-infinite angles of attack. And Freeze-Dried Fish...

Some force powerful enough to take down all three of them had seemingly no combative weakness. They could take down armies of flying enemies, handle a wall of steel konbu, and break through the power of Freeze-Dried's Frostbite attack. This had to be the work of some force of nature, it seemed. But no, even the force of nature Vaccine Man fell here. Phoenix Man was trying to come up with some plan to handle such a powerful threat. It was undetectable, had no assigned loyalties between humans or monsters, and could leave such marks of power in its collective wake.

Phoenix Man believed that even between the beings they would meet there, there had to be some disputing going on. From what view they could get of the district, abandoned buildings were fallen, that which was previously a 15-story apartment had a hole the size of a giant broken through it, and the lamp posts were slightly bent. Perhaps they could use the disputes between the beings there to get the upper hand. If their enemy couldn't even coordinate themselves together properly, perhaps that could lead to an opening for an outsider to trump them...

"No turning back now, I suppose," said Venus Mantrap. They were inside the abandoned city. The fear that they felt slid onto even Face Ripper, if only by a small amount. They were here.

"I'll scout the land from above," stated Phoenix Man. "Venus Mantrap, Face Ripper, stay alert. Don't start fights you don't have to. I'll come tell you as soon as I find a place of interest."

Face Ripper still mocked him. "If you're too scared to stay on the ground, fine by me. That just means I'll get the first kill on these beasts. You do what you want to do, I'm going to find some fresh faces for my blade to meet." After speaking, Face Ripper started running off to find whatever beings lived here.

"Stop, Face Ripper! We can't go separate ways, we..." started Venus Mantrap, but he was already gone.

"Alright then, I suppose I'll follow the plan then. Go find the location, I'll look closer to the ground," Venus Mantrap told Phoenix Man. Then, they were all seperate, looking for what there was to find.

It had been half an hour, and none of the three could find signs of life. They eventually met back up at the request of Phoenix Man to discuss what they would do next.

"Man, this sucks, I haven't found a single being around here. Where could they be hiding in this city? I want to get my blade at them for making me waste so much time!" Face Ripper was getting annoyed. "I say we start making a ruckus, maybe they'll come out of hiding if we can get them to come see what is going on."

"Maybe our best course of action is to recruit some monsters that can dig and come back," suggested Venus Mantrap. "Maybe they're hiding underneath the ground."

Phoenix Man was ready to agree with Mantrap on this. Maybe the air wasn't the only place good for finding hidden places where things could be hiding. Maybe some mole monsters could be of used to them. However, his thought was interrupted by Face Ripper.

"Hey, looks like some idiot got lost. Someone's wandered their way into this dangerous city."

Venus Mantrap and Phoenix Man both turned to look where Face Ripper was looking. Indeed, a ways away there was a human walking down the street. He wasn't particularly memorable, although Phoenix Man was pretty sure humans normally had hair on their heads. He was walking in the same direction as them, but at his own pace, not seeming to have noticed the trio of monsters yet in his path.

"Finally, a fresh face for me!" declared Face Ripper. "I don't care if this is worthless blood, I need to let out this frustration, and this human is right up to be a volunteer, it seems!"

As Face Ripper rushed to intercept the human for a petty kill, Phoenix Man and Venus Mantrap both decided to let him go. It was true that he had been frustrated during their time here, and they hoped that maybe letting out some of his frustration here would make him more tolerable on the walk back.

They saw his blades come down for the head of the human, and saw the buildings themselves shake from the power of his slice. The dust created by this blow started to cloud up the monster and human, and Phoenix Man just started turn around, ready to accompany Face Ripper and Venus Mantrap back just as soon as Face Ripper would step back to them.

Phoenix Man watched the dust settle with a sideways glance, hoping that he could convey the message to Face Ripper with his glance that it was time to go just as soon as he could make eye contact.

Except...

The dust was settling, and there were no longer eyes to make contact with for Face Ripper. Or much else.