A/N: I was quite excited to get this chapter out and ready, part of it is because this is just the first step of hitting the calm before the climax. I would also love to thank all of you readers for your kind, wonderful feedbacks as well as for following this story as it progresses on. It really brings a smile to my face that people enjoy the story, regardless of the wild, cartoony way that I present it to be in order to stick closely faithful to TF2 And Skullgirls cartoon, wacky aesthetic. Thank you all for your support and wonderful feedbacks. :)

PS: As someone who has a soft spot for Beowulf, especially after finishing his story mode on 2nd Encore, I feel a little depressed during the making of his parts into this chapter... Also, we will have another three Skullgirls characters making their first appearances for the first time into this crossover...

Disclaimer: I am only responsible for the grim, wacky plot of this crossover. All characters, and original soundtracks of Team Fortress 2 and Skullgirls franchises belong to their rightful owners from Valve Corporation, and Lab Zero Games.

(Skullgirls OST: Daybreak)

"You must be forgetting something. I am a six thousand year old wizard. And the fact that Soldier is also after the Skullgirl, perhaps we can come into an agreement to take down the Skullgirl together. If we defeat her, surely we can easily deal with her minions. Then we can call it an end to this mess. And while we are at it, the Anti-Skullgirl labs would be left alone. I can speak about that to Princess Parasoul, considering how gullible she can be at this current desperate situation. How does that sound, Mister Birdland?" The statement never left Merasmus' mind. And while Parasoul strongly disagrees to let Big Band free while under their supervision, the mischievous wizard had to put in his best efforts trying to get to Parasoul's good side in order to persuade her, reminding her of the threats that exist in the city of New Meridian. Using such logical words for his statements to be valid reasons to have Big Band be of good use.

"And you suggest Ben Birdland to be a useful ally, despite the illegitimacy of the Anti-Skullgirl labs? Merasmus, we don't have such time, or reason, to trust personnel outside our authority -" "You may not see Ben Birdland as an ally, I may perhaps respect that, but I see him as a valuable tool on helping us locate the Skullgirl." Merasmus interrupted in a much more reasonable tone. Parasoul frowned, but she didn't said anything. "Princess... Think of the opportunity. While there are two different threats in New Meridian, one of which is easy to deal with, and the other, a much more dangerous threat. We can think of dealing with the Medici Mafia, but our main priority is the Skullgirl. Ben Birdland has the experience of tracking down Skullgirls, and even has the expertise in combating them that may benefit us -" Merasmus stopped. He was wise enough not to reach the point of bringing up the former Skullgirl, Queen Nancy into the subject. He didn't wanted to make things worse than it already is...

Parasoul sighed, looking pretty much hesitant to speak. "And if we don't lock him up, in exchange for helping us, we would leave the ASG labs alone..?" Merasmus reluctantly nodded. "Out of his heavy request, your highness. He seems to be more protective to this Lab 8, where he works for. But it would seem that he doesn't care much about those on Lab 0." Parasoul sighed again. "That's because Ben, much like every authorized personnel is aware of what Lab 0 is capable of. Their intentions are completely unknown. That alone, is enough to give us a red flag not to trust them." There was a small pause. Merasmus inhaled shortly before reluctantly asking. "Ben Birdland mentioned Lab 8's history... And it's deep relation with Lab 7... I do not know much about your histories, but whatever may have happened on that tragedy involving Lab 7... I do hope that maybe we can set aside whatever personal issues you and Lab 8 have with one another... We will need help that we can get, and as much help that we can get if we are to fight legions of undead Skullgirl minions." There was a long pause. No response. Merasmus let out a small sigh, with the feeling that it was still worth the try persuading the Princess, he decided to make his way back to Big Band, who was still in the interrogation room...

"It was a mistake, Merasmus... A huge mistake..." Parasoul suddenly said as he was making his leave. Merasmus stopped on his track, then turned his attention back at the older Renoir Princess. Her voice sounded soft, and somehow, hushed... "Princess..?" Merasmus asked to know what Parasoul meant. The princess let out a heavy sigh with her eyes shortly closed. A small frown, mixed with a hesitant look was on her face. She opened her eyes to focus on Merasmus before responding. "What happened to Lab 7... It was a mistake... It's was not only on behalf of the Black Egrets - It was my full responsibility..." She paused, looking down on the floor, which was a show of distancing behavior. A sign of shame. "Misinformation, false accusations, etcetera... It was the first sting operation of the Black Egrets by the time it was declared legitimate by my father..." Merasmus felt like he knew where this was going, and so he decided to guess it for himself... "What Ben Birdland told me back in the interrogation room... It was all true, then..? You... Destroyed Lab 7, a literal orphanage, housing homeless rescued refugees..? And even almost got one of his fellow ASG operatives killed and costed her an eye of her own..? That was all true..?" Parasoul didn't said anything after that. She just distanced her attention away from him, eyes only staring down at the floor. Merasmus frowned. "You killed those innocent people... All those homeless refugees, rescued presumably from Medici Mafia, and then you just came in, executing everyone... Princess, I can look past over the fact that you never even mentioned about Queen Nancy's transformation into a Skullgirl, and this 'tragedy' of Sienna Contiello and her mother's transformation into a Skullgirl. But what I cannot look past over is the fact that you even kept a secret about the Anti-Skullgirl labs. When you keep implying that they're illegitimate, vigilante activities are to not be tolerated, and yet, you've done something that cannot be tolerated... You killed good people under their name. I can understand Lab 0 as an exception from being good, but Lab 7... You killed people, innocent people and you simply call it a 'mistake' just because..? Misinformation? False accusations?" Merasmus lost control on his sudden tantrum. "How can I ever trust you if you will keep such secrets from me..? I understand, I am only along for the journey to fight the Skullgirl, and that's the end of our bargain. But I never said that I will fight on your behalf out of naivety. I must know the things that I should know of before getting myself involve into something that I sure hope I will not regret." Merasmus sighed as he stopped. He then took a deep breath and continued. "I apologize, Princess... I do not mean disrespect, but my point stands... How could I ever trust working with someone who's been keeping secrets? Who is to say that you will not turn the tide on your favor once we do defeat the Skullgirl? Who is to say that you will not arrest me, or worse; Execute me just so because of misinformation and false accusations like what happened to the people of Lab 7..?"

Parasoul frowned. Finally, managing to look back at Merasmus, she replied. "I will openly admit that it was indeed a mistake. It is a burden that I carry, and will carry for the rest of my life... But not once, have I kept such a secret to use against others, Merasmus. Yes, I've kept quiet about my mother's history of being a Skullgirl, and yes I never bothered mentioning to you about the tragedy of Sienna Contiello, but if you were in my position - Someone forced to shoulder such responsibilities at a certain young age, someone who's committed a mistake on the first time of serving your own kingdom, someone who's lost people that trusted you just because of a certain mistake... Would you still risk mentioning all of that and end up losing the trust of the stranger, kind enough to make a bargain, helping you on your own responsibilities that you could barely fulfill..?" Parasoul stated. Her tone was a little firm, but somehow, cracking... Almost as if on the verge of breaking down. But there was no sign that she was near of being in tears. She was completely in the opposite, despite her current look of shame. "If I told you all of this, you would no doubt think the same... That we are just posers of propaganda. Partially, it is true. Most of the people that served before the Black Egrets were all used in the War out of propaganda, and my father even used innocent, naive people for propaganda way back during the Grand War. And yes, my family had rigged the propaganda event of Beowulf and Grendel by secretly reaching out to Lab 0 to weaken Grendel by drugging him. My family had done such things for the safety of our kingdom and our very own nation... But I plan to change that, Merasmus. I plan to correct those mistakes, from the Grand War, to all of the propaganda, to the corruption littering the city of New Meridian. But how would I fulfill that, when almost everyone else falls to corruption so easily? While others, sure may remain pure against corruption, but barely trust, and even despise me and my people for only trying to protect them from corruption and harm of the Medici..."

There was long pause. Perhaps Merasmus had triggered Parasoul's breaking point... This was the only time he's seen the Princess, so filled with mixed emotions. Anger, disgust, shame and mostly, regret. "Princess... I... I apologize -" "No. You were right, Merasmus... How can you trust someone like me..? I openly admitted everything that I've said to you. And I've openly admitted to confirm everything that Ben Birdland told you, all to be true... If I can keep secrets, I will personally tell you that I cannot make to keep lies. I can only hope that you will see that. This is indeed a desperate time in need for me and my people... It always is, every seven years..." Parasoul paused. Looking down once more, she let out another heavy sigh before continuing. "... This is why so many vigilante activities occur once every seven years... The fact that the Black Egrets could barely handle the Medici Mafia, they could even barely handle protecting their own people against a Skullgirl. From their point of view, someone has to do something, isn't that right, Merasmus..?" She looked at Merasmus, only looking at her blankly for some reason. She can't blame the wizard if he now thinks of her the way most people think of her and her Black Egrets. "Vigilantes. Vigilantes everywhere... From the ASG labs, their various operatives, their living weapons. And then there's also Deep Violet, another vigilant, and then there were also those old rumors about Sienna Contiello, resurrected back to life not once, but twice, to fight her mother, Selene Contiello, and even those rumors that she was also resurrected to fight my mother seven years ago now. Then, we have Big Band. Ben... One that I used to look up to. Also trained me how to fight... Then there's the child star Annie... Rumoured to be seen countless times during events of Skullgirl attacks from many years back. And now, there is you. Merasmus, the six thousand year old wizard, and your psychotic, mercenary companion, Jane Doe... We are all after the Skullgirl, and out of our different perspective, especially to most of the other vigilantes, is because the Egrets barely fulfill their responsibility. I, barely fulfill my responsibility no matter how hard I try." Parasoul paused. Taking a deep breath, she then continued.

"We can't just deal with the Medici Mafia... They can turn tides and tables under their favor... They can control not only the local law and authority. But even parts of politics here on this nation. They can use anything, and anyone against me and my family, and to the people that follow our ideals to rid New Meridian of corruption. And I wouldn't doubt it if we even try to go after them that easily. The Medici will get us back. That's the reason why the Egrets and I are despised, because we can't commit to something that we are all reluctant to deal with... And then, we have Skullgirls... They only occur once every seven years... But that doesn't make it any easier for me and my people, does it..? When we could barely deal with the Medici, we just had to have to deal with another threat, but worse. This is what makes this certain time as a desperate one. A need for those that can actually do our responsibility better than we can. But that doesn't excuse vigilantes to roam around, risk lives and collateral damage just because of a Skullgirl. We still need authority... An actual authority that isn't manipulated..." She paused one last time before finally finished statement. "I will fulfill my end of our bargain. We can speak to Doctor Isaac about his discontinued machine that he had been working on, and hopefully he can still salvage that, despite my huge disagreement on authorizing such technology. But all I ask, is for you to fulfill yours in return. You do not have to trust me, and you may despise me however you see fit for the actions committed by my family, but please.. Do spare my people, as they are only following their orders - This is the only thing that I ask of you apart from your end of our bargain, even if I have to force myself to agree with your request to have Ben Birdland as an asset in the middle of this desperate time. We will leave Lab 8 alone, just as Ben wishes in his terms. But understand, that it is the only thing I can offer, and nothing else."

This comepletely shatters Merasmus. His blank face was good enough to mask his emotions in front of the Princess, but deep down, he feels regretful for this... No strings attached... Indeed, he wants to keep it that way... But secretly, and even now, he cares for Parasoul as a good person with noble intentions. But he doesn't want to be overly attached to a stranger just because of her struggling kingdom. He doesn't want to get too attached because what are the chances, that he might not want to go back..? Back to where he, and Soldier belonged to..? And sure enough... The thought of a seven year cycle of Skullgirls is very concerning for these people to live with, but Merasmus doesn't intend to stay in the long run...

He pities Parasoul for this, and all he could do is to help her and her people, only this once. And the sad truth that Merasmus knows, is that once he's done with this bargain... They'll be on their own again after another seven years, where another Skullgirl will emerge. But what would Soldier think of this..? Surely, the deranged lunatic would have something to say in response, or reaction..? Would she also feel the same way that Merasmus feels about this world..? Only along for the ride until they reach their destination..? After a long silence, and both of them in thought, Merasmus finally decided to say something. "I will keep an eye on Ben Birdland while he helps us on locating the Skullgirl. And as for the Medici... Surely if you'd only let me, your highness..." Parasoul looked at him. "You are suggesting to commit vigilantism? You do realize that there would be certain parties that are presumably aware of your involvement with the Black Egrets by now..." Merasmus only smiled gently. "I have my ways, your highness... And If I say that I still trust you, despite keeping information, would you trust me back..? After all... This is a desperate time... And once we are through with this, you will be on your own, against a another Skullgirl within the next seven years..."

Parasoul took a long, hesitant pause. Merasmus does make a good point... But what does she have to lose now..? This truly was indeed a desperate time in need... She cleared her throat and slowly began. "What do you suggest..?" Merasmus smiled gently and replied. "I can deal with the -" Merasmus was interrupted when Adam came rushing into the room . "Commander Parasoul, Molly's intercepted NMPD radio reports that down town just a hundred miles away from Maplecrest is currently taking under siege of mass bombings!" this immediately drew Parasoul's and Merasmus' attention away from their topic. "Bombings..? Foreign military..?" Parasoul asked but Adam shook his head "No, sir. It wasn't specific to where the bombings came from. Also, a series of reports were stated that there has been a mass resurrection of skeletons from the local cemetery, terrorizing both Medici's and local NMPD alike."

"It could be the Skullgirl..." Merasmus thoughtfully guessed to which Adam nodded in agreement. Parasoul however, was pondering. "But why would the Skullgirl be resurrecting minions this soon..? All tracked records of former Skullgirls so far have the same information that Skullgirls tend to avoid public attention, unless they have finished hoarding mass legions of undead minions... A Skullgirl would usually focus on gathering minions if anything, especially at this current early time of their presence..." This got Merasmus into thinking as well, to which he then responded. "But this Skullgirl is different, your highness. She has a personal issue with the Medici, perhaps that could be why she is resurrecting minions early on, if you say that Skullgirls tend to hoard their legions before causing destruction." Parasoul thought about this, but looking at Adam she immediately spoke. "Adam, gather four firing squads and have an assault convoy prepared, we're moving out." "Yes, sir!"

Turning to Merasmus, Parasoul reluctantly spoke. "About what we've talked about -" Merasmus interrupted. "Do not think of it too much, your highness. We don't have much time to spare now, if we are to speak of our topic again, Princess, there will always be another time." Merasmus said with an assuring tone, and Parasoul, still reluctant, gave a slow nod in reply.

(Team Fortress 2 Soundtrack: The Art of War)

Several loud explosions followed the dozen sounds of chaos within down town outside Maplecrest. People of all kinds, in all wierd appearances and species began dying from the skeleton hoards that Bombinomicon summoned. At least he made good use of that local cemetery... But does he care that people, even if innocent or not dies? Of course not. He was only protecting himself from a dumb idiot that apparently came attacking him from out of nowhere... And then came the feds, intervening them from their fight, which later gained the attention of a hoard of mafias... Oh, how Bombinomicon enjoyed how it later turned into the slaughter of these bizarre looking humanoids, despite only trying to 'protect' himself from a certain large idiot that tried to wrestle him...

"Haha..! You idiots are no match for me - I am Bombinomicon! The eldritch book of all evil..! Also, I am having the greatest moment of my life, now that Merasmus isn't here to keep holding me back..!" Bombinomicon launched a couple of large bombs from the front of his book cover then watched as it decimated dozens of civilians, and police officers alike. Turning his attention to the dead bodies, Bombinomicon casted the same resurrection spell that he used to bring the skeletons to life, adding fresh mafia and local NMPD corpses into his flock, the eldritch book of evil then gazed down at the large idiot that tried to wrestle him with a folding chair. "You idiot! You think you can catch and sell me to the black market? Merasmus is my only legit owner..! But now that he's not around, I can take your soul into the under world! Oh, no wait! I can just take your eyes! Curse them like I did to young Tavish Finnegan Degroot, eh..? Good idea..!"

The large man tried to get back up on his feet, and just as Bombinomicon was about to catch him, the eldritch book of evil was shot down from behind. Although the bullet didn't really do anything. More likely just stunned the book and shot down the ground, the book immediately regained consciousness to turn to his attacker. The one that shot Bombinomicon with precise hit was a mechanical looking woman, wearing such a fancy, elegant black gown and hat that had a single white feather. Her face was completely covered by a thin black veil. Ignoring the large wrestler man who was slowly limping away from the scene despite being heavily injured, Bombinomicon turned his attention to the woman. She's got a very tight body and is sexy hell, he'll give her that, but to Bombinomicon, this mechanical woman is just another being for him to kill. "You wanna piece of me, lady? If ya want, then come over here and try then..!" Bombinomicon challenged. The woman just snickered before cocking the large gun mounted on her mechanical arm. "You're labeled as an item, possible valuable possession for the Medici... I'd want you in one piece if Lorenzo wants to have you under his possession..." The woman replied before dashing in swift speed towards Bombinomicon, who wasn't even threatened just laughed maniacally, and in response to his sexy attacker, launched several large bombs.

(Team Fortress 2 Soundtrack: Playing With Danger)

Beowulf couldn't believe it... He was outmatched by a talking book. He could've sworn that it was just a magic, floating chair with words scribbled on it. Just minding it's own business while shouting 'Soldier' and 'Merasmus' or something like that... Both names, completely unfamiliar to him... Beowulf's brain couldn't process too much thought and information even for one at a time, so he decided to hide on one of the street alleys, sat down next to a dumpster and tried to tend to his wounds... Trinity that book, Bombinomicon or whatever his name was did some real damage on him... But as he tended to his wounds and injuries, even though he ended up messing badly, Beowulf was confused... Why did that book, the 'contestant' that challenged him into a duel not know who he is..? It even looked like he was the one that attacked the book first since. To which he just literally did while the book was just mindlessly floating around down town looking for two people. Beowulf couldn't understand, and his brain couldn't process anything out of this thought... Zane said that book, Bombinomicon, or whatever, was a contestant who was challenging him... But he didn't looked like a contestant at all... More likely so, that book looked like it was just literally minding his own business until he attacked... "Dammit, Beowulf... I think you screwed up... Hopefully I don't go to jail for this... Dammit, I should probably stop thinking about this... My brain hurts trying to think... Focus, buddy. Focus... Just focus on your injuries... You got a big fight later tonight... Just think about that..." Beowulf tried assuring himself.

But now his mind was stuck thinking about what he just did... There wasn't even anyone holding a camera when he attacked that book... People just panicked, and even called the police... It didn't certainly looked like the Medici Mafia was part of the match either, as they just randomly came pursing the book... Now Beowulf was confused as he sat next to a dumpster thinking... "Hey! Who the hell are you!?" A loud, gruff voice demanded. It was also male. Immediately turning his attention to where it came from, Beowulf saw a girl. She was a minor, wearing the traditional Maplecrest schoolgirl uniform, except, it was looking all filthy. And she was laying asleep on a dirty rag next to another dumpster. "Wha..?" Beowulf looked confused, but then he was slapped in the face real hard by a long, brunette black hair, which surprisingly came from the girl's hair. "I'm talking to you, chump! Who the hell are you!? This is our spot, get lost!" Beowulf was stunned to see a pair of yellow eyes, and a wide mouth with large, sharp and pointy teeth on the back of the girl's head... Her hair can talk..? "Wait a minute... You're a rapist, aren't you!?" The hair exclaimed and started growling. "Oooo, don't you dare touch Filia or I'll kill you..! -" Beowulf immediately raised his hands in defense and tried to reason.

"W - Wait..! I'm not doing anything, I swear! I... I was just running away..." The hair growled in a threatning manner and soon enough, dozens of sharpened hair tentacles started to surround Beowulf. He's too injured to fight back, but still... He didn't want to risk getting a kid hurt... "That's what they all say, just a bunch of low life scums trying to get their hands on Filia, she's 16! You pedophile..! -" "Look, buddy I don't have any intentions, I swear..! I was just hiding from a hoard of skeletons and dead people brought back to life..! They're killing people..! And they're everywhere..! You gotta believe me... Also... I'm really tired from all the recent fighting and I'm real injured right now... Can you please let me stay here for a bit, at least until I get my bearings then I'll leave, I promise..!" The hair paused and stared at him. "The Skullgirl? She's resurrecting undead minions now? This soon? Don't bull crap me..!" They are suddenly interrupted by a series of gunfire and inhuman screams. Turns out, Beowulf's statement proved to be true. But they are then interrupted by the sound of yawning from the girl, now waking up. "Samson... Did you find anything for us to eat..?" The girl, Filia's, voice sounded a little high pitched, then looking at him in surprise, the girl asked. "Um... Who are you -" "Not now, kid. We got company." The hair named Samson interrupted. "At least tell me if we have something, or anything to eat please, Samson... We haven't eaten since yesterday..." The girl's voice was weak. Beowulf stared at the poor girl. "You two are homeless..?" Samson growled. "Isn't it obvious shithead?" Beowulf glared back and replied defensively. "I was just asking..." Filia sighed and replied to him. "Yes, mister. We've been homeless for a month now, and for some reason, the Medici Mafia keeps chasing after us..." Samson looked on edge by this statement, but Beowulf, despite having a hard time trying to understand the situation, replied. "You two should come with me then. I don't think it's safe to stay here, not with those skeletons and dead people around killing everybody -" "The hell we aren't! You think I'd trust Filia with a stranger like you? A buffed man with a folding chair? Fat chance, I ain't risking her safety around pedophiles! -" "Samson, we don't have any places to go... Also, I think he's right... We really should be finding a safer place to lay low..." Filia weakly replied, her eyes staring at the sight of skeletons passing by, chasing down some group of unarmed civilians. Mostly of them presumably all homeless like Filia and Samson...

Beowulf managed to muster whatever strength he had left before looking at Filia and Samson. "We can take the other end of this alley... Could be another way around... Oh! Here..." He took out a pair of oatmeal bars and handed them to Filia. "Sorry, it's all I have... Hope it's okay..." Filia had a beaming smile on her face. "Thanks you, thank you, thank you..!" She weakly responded as she gladly accepted the food, but as she handed one to Samson, her hair just scoffed. "I may have eating habits, but I can last longer without food. Just take it, kid." looking over to Beowulf, he pointed one hair tentacle and continued. "Just so you know if we're going with you, I'm keeping my eyes on you, chump." Beowulf just rolled his eyes, but despite his stupidity, he understood the hair parasites' behavior of being protective to its host... Most parasites are anyway. "Let's just go before any of these things finds us..." "Did the Skullgirl really brought the dead back to life..?" Filia slowly asked as she slowly munched on an oatmeal bar. Beowulf sighed and replied as they walked. "No... It was some kind of cursed, talking book that did... It killed people, police and even Medici, too... I uh... Kind of pissed it off to begin with, and then it brought dead people back to life with so many skeletons..." "You what!?" Samson exclaimed in demand. Beowulf sighed. "It's a long story..."

(Skullgirls OST: In Rapid Succession)

The convoy of Black Egrets finally arrived with Merasmus levitating himself above. After a bit of a while of travel, they arrived too late. The town was decimated, undead minions devouring civilians, police and Medici mafia alike, and dozens of skeletons brutally attacking from almost every direction. The Egrets formed a defensive position with Adam announcing through a megaphone for all civilians in sight to evacuate the premises immediately.

Staring into the chaotic sight, Merasmus looked at Parasoul, who apparently had long began instructing her men to take down as much of the skeletons and the resurrected undead while requesting for backup through a hand radio. He needs to protect the Princess, regardless of her flaws... It's the only thing he can do while he's involved with her people... Deciding to stay close while fighting off some undead minions, Merasmus noticed something was off... As he looked all over the chaos, there were several dozens of Medici Mafia corpses. Most of them, mangled remains, no doubt devoured by the undead, while several others now mindlessly attacking as undead themselves... Merasmus tried to come up with a summary of what may have happened, but as he tries to process and speculate within his thoughts, he was interrupted suddenly by the convoy of mafias, evacuating some of their own mafia still alive...

"Hostiles inbound! Egrets, Merasmus, get ready!" Parasoul shouted as she readied her umbrella, Krieg with one hand, and her Luger pistol with the other. Immediately backing away next to the Egret soldiers to take cover from gunfire from the mafia, Merasmus saw a group of armed women among them. Most of them were dressed in black playboy outfits, and were all wearing white bunny masks, and most of the women were firing among the standard mafias, while a few were evacuating a wounded mafia, who was wearing such elegant black gown and hat that had a black veil covering her face. She looked mechanical judging by her right arm, completely made of metal, with a large mounted gun attached to it. And she looked badly injured as well, despite firing at the Black Egrets. Merasmus charged forward and attacked a couple of the mafias while levitating above ground. "Merasmus, no! That's Black Dahlia among them..!" Ignoring Parasoul's warning shout, Merasmus was shot on the abdomen, but considering that he can just heal himself, he ignored the wound and attacked a coupe more Medici Mafia, giving the Black Egrets the upper advantage to advance forward.

As Merasmus was getting closer to the convoy, the woman with a mechanical arm and mounted gun leaped above and roundhouse kicked him, sending him stumbling back. But he didn't fell, and instead, Merasmus retaliated with his wooden staff. "You fool..! You are no match to a six thousand year old wizard..!" Merasmus remarked as he fought back. But his woman was really fast and good in close combat, perhaps even the most deadly of these mafias... "You talk like that abominable book. If I couldn't kill it, I could at least certainly kill you..." The woman, Black Dahlia replied. This caused Merasmus to lose focus on fighting. What book..? He was then upper kneed in the jaw and was shot again. This time, Merasmus fell. "Hmph... Pathetic, even for a wizard... The Renoir must be really desperate to hire even a discount wizard from the northern nations..." Black Dahlia cockily remarked as she cocked her large mounted gun, ready to shoot Merasmus as she lowered the barrel down onto his face. "... Don't worry. I'll make sure you get buried right next to Sienna Contiello once I'm through with you. Then I'll get that damned book for Lorenzo..." "Merasmus..!" Parasoul suddenly came to his rescue, attacking Dahlia with Krieg, preventing the skilled mafia from killing the wizard. If, Merasmus can be killed... After all... He always has an emergency stock of 'Kill Me Come Back Stronger' pills that Soldier even once stole from him... To which, Merasmus took a small jar and popped one of those magical pills...

As his body slowly healed from the two gunshots, Merasmus noticed the Black Egrets dealing with both the undead and skeletons, while the other half of their own dealing with the Medici Mafia... With no time to waste, Merasmus began to assist the Egrets, and even saved Adam from being overwhelmed by undead minions. "Commander Parasoul..!" Hearing one of the Egrets shout in panic, Merasmus immediately saw the sight of Dahlia gaining the upper hand on Parasoul, as the Princess sustained several hits from her attacks. This ultimately infuriated Merasmus... This is one, cocky mafia, but not because of being a woman, she'll be an excuse from being harmed by him...

To see Parasoul get beaten over by other people, Merasmus felt sorry for her... She's already struggling so much to try and bring law and order within her kingdom full of corruption. Then it all came into a flash. A quick, motion flash of everything that he was told, and everything he knows about Parasoul Renoir... Her mother becoming a Skullgirl. Her having a younger sister govern birth by that same Skullgirl, and the other being forced to shoulder such responsibilities that only fits the roles of King and Queen. Now this... To shoulder bring beaten, and humiliated, and taunted by a filthy mafia... Merasmus' eyes glowed green. No strings attached... Yes, perhaps... But getting to know Parasoul overtime as he became further involved with her and her people, Merasmus had slowly grown closely attached to her - That Princess, is his friend... And he will protect her at all cost while he's still involved with her.

Merasmus charged and Dahlia, and unexpectedly for both Dahlia and Parasoul, Merasmus slammed his staff at the mafia, before grabbing the by the arm and slamming her onto the ground. The Egrets were all too occupied dealing with undead and skeletons, and mafias alike. It's all up to him to protect Parasoul. After all... She saved him from close call death... He owes her one...

Facing groups of mafias and the armed playboy bunny women of Black Dahlia, Merasmus warned as his entire body glowed green. "Merasmus..? What's... Happening to you..?" Parasoul simply asked as she groaned in pain. But Merasmus did looked back, and only stood in defensive stance in front of her, facing a bunch of Medici Mafia. "Take a step, and I will slaughter you all. Harm Princess Parasoul, and I will slaughter you all. If you try to shoot - I will slaughter you all..!" Merasmus immediately held Dahlia by the neck, and despite Dahlia shooting at Merasmus over and over with her mounted gun, the bullets didn't do anything other than ricochet. Parasoul tried to get back up on her feet, and thankfully, she managed to do so but only stayed behind Merasmus. She wanted to do something to help, seeing her men dealing with the resurrected minions and the other mafias, she felt helpless... But she was wise enough to know her limits at least...

But all of a sudden, Merasmus slammed Dahlia onto the ground so hard before charging at the Medici. His glowing green form seemed to serve as some kind of bullet proof shield, making him completely invulnerable to all damages as he brutally massacred the Medici mafia one by one. Parasoul couldn't let him risk himself all on his own, and so, she charged forward assist Merasmus. "Stay close to me, Princess!" Merasmus firmly shouted as he grabbed, slammed and even grabbed and tore apart Medici mafias, regardless of Parasoul, being extremely disturbed about his method of dealing with the criminals.

"This... Isn't... Over..!" Dahlia suddenly dashed toward them to attack them both, but thankfully, Parasoul was quick enough to deal with Dahlia's charging attack by using Krieg to block her every attack at such well-timed blocks. Merasmus, getting sick of this cocky mafia, finally summoned on his own spell for the very first time in this bizarre world. "Horseless Headless Horsemann..! I call upon you to slaughter the Medici Mafia..!" The scene was interrupted as a green, non lethal explosion came on sick a quick flash. Parasoul coughed from the smoke while Dahlia was forced to stumble back from the small explosion. Then what her eyes saw, terrified Parasoul. It's was a tall skeleton, wearing ripped clothing and a pair of old and worn boots. The skeleton was so tall that it was even as tall as Merasmus, however it wasn't a full skeleton, as it's head was entirely a literal pumpkin with a creepy carved face for Halloween... The tall skeleton also wielded a large one sided axe, that even has the same carved face on the pumpkin, engraved on the back of the axe... The skeleton laughed loudly, and just by its laugh and presence alone, it terrified the remaining Medici as they all began backing away.

"Headless Horsemann... Silas Mann... I require your assistance to protect Princess Parasoul from all harm... Slaughter the Medici Mafia..!" Merasmus commanded as he gestured his hand directly to the remaining Mafia. Silas Mann, or the Horseless Headless Horsemann laughed maniacally and happily obliged to his command. Charging at full speed towards the Mafia, all screaming in panic while firing frantically at him. It was a horrific sight for the Black Egrets and Parasoul, but Merasmus was proud of the massacre as he focused on fighting off Dahlia, who was now getting desperate to escape his attacks, especially when Parasoul joined them. "Somebody ordered a Beat down!?" Big Band suddenly came flying from above in his rocket booster and dropped on the ground with a shockwave. "Where have you been..? We could've used your assistance..!" Parasoul snapped as she helped Merasmus fight Dahlia. "I had to separate for a bit, Parasoul! Saw a horde of undead minions breached outta the town and terrorizing the highway. Had to clear 'em up! I've also taken point ahead for the incoming backup, they should be here shortly!" Big Band immediately replied as he joined the princess and the wizard on fighting Dahlia.

Dahlia was becoming desperate more and more to escape as she was immediately surrounded by the three, all attacking her at the same time. And to see a cursed, large abominable skeleton slaughtering even her best mafia assassins before her eyes, she was forced to finally retreat by the time the Horsemann joined the fight. Unfortunately for Dahlia, her escape via Medici rescue helicopter came at a price of her own mechanical arm with her mounted gun, when the Horsemann unexpectedly chopped it off with his large axe. Dahlia cursed the abomination, despite it being literally cursed didn't even reacted to her threats as she got away with the Medici helicopter. Big Band wasn't about to give up however. "I'm gonna go after-" "No... Let her go, Ben..." Parasoul immediately cut him off. She let out a sigh and focused her attention back at the Black Egrets. They're taking some casualties as well... "We can worry about Dahlia for another time... For now, let's focus on this task at hand." Big Band let out a small defeated sigh before nodding. He then questionably eyed the Horsemann, who was back to slaughtering undead and skeleton minions this time, before looking at Merasmus. The wizard only smirked as his body from glowing green returned to normal. "If the Skullgirl can summon undead hordes, so can I. But I have a bit of variations to choose from to summon." Big Band just slowly shook his head, clearly deciding not to question the ability of the wizard.

As they eventually finished off the remaining undead and skeleton minions, mostly thanks to the help of the Headless Horsemann, backup then soon arrived. Big Band, despite still reluctant being around the Egrets offered to help the soldiers clear out the nearby streets in case of any straggle undead and skeletons. Merasmus, heavily thanked the Horsemann for his help before summoning him back to the underworld. Then after, came Parasoul approaching. "I wanted to thank you, Merasmus... For saving me... Again..." Parasoul slowly said. But she remained eye contact to clarify that she meant what she said. Merasmus only smiled softly. "Princess, I only returned the favor. You saved me from Black Dahlia... And I think it's only fair to return the favor that you've done." There was pause as they both stood in the middle of the chaotic scene with several Back Egrets moving all around, trying to secure the area. "About... What we've discussed... Earlier back at the headquarters, Merasmus..." Parasoul hesitantly began. But Merasmus interrupted her with a weak smile. "I still trust you, your Highness... But like I said... If we are to talk about that again, there's always another time for that. Just, not right now I suppose..." Parasoul slowly nodded before letting out a small sigh. "You're right... But thank you, Merasmus... For saving me... And I want you to know that I trust you, too..." "At any time, Princess. While I am involved with you and your people, I will protect you. There is no need to thank me."

(Skullgirls OST: The Dreams We Left Behind)

"The hero that did the impossible; the man that defeated a monster. He rallied a nation at war... There was a time when everyone could say "I know Beowulf". During the Grand War, the people of Canopy Kingdom were gripped with a terrible fear, of the race of savage giants known as the Gigans. They were unstoppable. Then, came Beowulf... He defeated the brutal Gigan warrior, Grendel, in a no-holds-barred exhibition match as the nation watched. Seeing her son defeated, Grendel's mother was consumed by rage and lashed out. But our hero didn't flinch - The hag went down... That day, Beowulf became a legend. It wasn't long before Wulfamania was running wild... Beowulf, the Champion of a nation - A natural entertainer, remembered for his "Wulfpack" of fans, and for action figures that Canopy Kingdom's little boys couldn't live without. But when the War ended, the patriotic spirit that fueled the adoration for Beowulf, began to fade...

After he left the ring, he was stuck with bit parts of cheap action flicks, game shows, and even infomercials. He didn't go out with a growl, but with a whimper, as the 'Bad Wulf Man' in the popular kid's show Annie of the Stars. Beowulf disappeared from the public eye... How long has it been since anybody's heard that famous howl..?"

(Skullgirls OST: The Crowd Goes Wild)

The day eventually dawned... The MMO arena went wild, and was entirely filled with cheering large crowds. Chanting Beowulf, over and over... But speaking of Beowulf, he wanted to confront Zane about that side match with a magic large book... Unfortunately, he never got the chance, as he was immediately rushed for medical aid, and was forced to wait till evening for the main event to begin...

Several contestants, one after another, despite his injuries, he had to toughen up just to beat them all in the ring one by one. Among them was this young woman, Cerebella, as she's called, proved to be a great challenge to him. Her orange colored muscled hat proved to be a great match to his superior strength but their battle only lasted at two minutes tops, with Beowulf winning against her. "You okay..?" Beowulf whispered genuinely. Cerebella just grinned as she gently rubbed her arm. "Yeah... Don't worry about me. I'm just happy I got to be a contestant to be in the ring with you. I'm a huge fan by the way - Oh! Wait... Before I go..." Cerebella immediately removed her hat and took out a marker before handing both of it to Beowulf. "Would you mind singing Vice Versa for me? I know this is a one time only thing but, wouldn't wanna miss out the opportunity, would I..?" Beowulf grinned and gladly signed his signature on the hat. "Thank you so much..! I'll be with the other contestants watching you perform - I'm so happy you're making a comeback, good luck..!" Cerebella finally stepped out of the ring after her defeat.

"Well ain't that a kick in the head!? Beowulf is on a 21 win streak tonight! He really is the wildest there is, was, and ever will be..!" A penguin referee announced through a microphone as he approached Beowulf. "You had a great run on your career, and now, after half a decade of retirement, here you are again, and back at it at the ring..! Do you have any messages to all of your loyal Wulfpack fans?" Despite the lingering thought about what happened earlier... He was slowly thinking about it to be an incident much rather be than a duel... But seeing the all kinds of flashes of lights and cameras... He was still live on stage in the MMO arena... Slowly taking the microphone from the referee, Beowulf took a moment. Beowulf finally began to announce to the whole public while live on television. This was the moment he's always been waiting for... After so long since the defeat of Skullgirl Queen Nancy... This very moment has come...

"Are you ready, Wulfpack..? Are you ready to howl!?" Beowulf confidently began, as the large crowds from all around the large arena went wild, then came several dozens of howling from all crowds. This was it. In just a moment's time, he can feel the Hype that he used to receive from all his Wulfpack... Beowulf took a deep breath, and then he continued. "I've fought hard to make it back here... And tonight we've got the surprise out for you..! I've agreed to all these mystery matches - For you..! I'm doing it all for you out there, New Meridian!" "Playing to the crowd, just like always... And they're eating it up. How nice for you, Beowulf..." Zane suddenly spoke right next to him, somehow wearing a sinister grin on his face. "We still have one final mystery match... So make the most of your monologues before you get into the final match..." Zane slowly said, his voice sounded off for some reason. Then, he walked out of the ring. Beowulf confidently smirked, completely disregarding Zane's sudden off attitude as he focused back on the large crowds of audiences. "Tonight, after this whole event, I promise you the biggest match of my career! And these? All these matches are pathetic! So I'll make a new promise to you right now, New Meridian! More than the promise I made long before about fighting for our nation! And that new promise - Is that I am going to take on the Skullgirl..! You hear me New Meridian? I'm gonna take her down..!" The large crowds began to cheer for him once again, and even came dozens of loud howls... This is his time. It's Beowulf time.

"LISTEN HERE, MAGGOT! IF ANYONE'S GOING AFTER THE SKULLGIRL - THEN IT WOULD ONLY BE ME..!" Beowulf immediately spun around to see the same woman that he met with the gremlin looking child. And sure enough, she and her partner was standing on the opposite side of the ring. "Oh, it's you guys..! I was wondering get when you'd show up..!" Beowulf, happy to see the two familiar faces replied but made sure not to speak through the microphone in his hand. "You guys got your scripts, right?" He asked, but the two only looked at each other confused. Then the child, just laughed. "As if we need scripts to whoop your ass, Bad Wulf Man! Wake up you idiot! You're living a lie! You were never a real hero! They just used you as a propaganda folk!" Beowulf felt insulted. Perhaps this was all part of their given script..? After all, Zane said that each random contestant were given their own different scripts for their marthes against him, right..? But somehow, Beowulf didn't felt right... "C'mon, Soldier! Let's knock some sense on this idiot!" "ROGER THAT - HIHI-YEEAHHH..!" The gremlin was the first to charge toward him, with Soldier standing back as a tag in partner. Trinity, Beowulf hoped that these two have scripts... Otherwise... "Pie in the face!" Beowulf was slapped in the face with a cream pie, then followed by a couple of punches and kicks into his torso, forcing him to step back a couple feet away. "GO KICK HIS ASS FOR ME, PEACOCK..!" Soldier cheered outside the ring, then came Cerebella cheering loudly for him from the opposite side of the ring. "Get her, Beowulf..! Use your Wulf Slam..!" Cerebella shouted.

Beowulf, after taking so many direct hits from Peacock finally manged to retaliate back by slamming his folding chair down onto the gremlin, sending her falling back down. Beowulf immediately whispered just to make sure "You okay..?" Peacock growled and immediately got up. "Wise guy, eh!?" She immediately charged and began sliding into her knees while playing a banjo. "Rockin'..!" Beowulf took another hit, but this gave him the chance to grab Peacock and slam her down. "GREMLIN, TAG ME..! TAG ME..!" Conveniently, Peacock managed to swing a spiked bat at Beowulf, hitting him in the torso again before seeing him falling down. "Soldier..!" Peacock happily mused as she tagged herself out of the ring, then came the woman, Soldier, holding a shovel with one hand. Beowulf stared at her with a reasoning look on his face. "Uh... You're not really taking this serious... Right..? Please tell me you two got scripts -" Soldier let out a scream and charged at him in full speed before swinging her shovel. Maybe she and Peacock did have scripts and were all playing along..? Beowulf thought so as he retaliated by hitting Soldier with punches a couple of times and swinging his folding chair onto her. Soldier, despite taking amounts of heavy hits, managed to keep up and even blocked some of his attacks, mostly just the folding chair. But as Beowulf managed to knock her down, Beowulf took a huge breath of relief. "Soldier..!" Hearing Peacock's shouting for her partner and the loud cheering of Cerebella among the large crowds, Beowulf saw two more familiar faces... It was the one-eyed child imitating Annie and the fairly attractive woman who was also with her... The child, was shouting directly at him, but Beowulf couldn't hear neither make up what she was trying to shout due to the insanely loud shouting and cheering from all crowds. But judging by her face, the child looked serious and was even making hand gestures directly at him to get off the ring. But unfortunately, Beowulf doesn't have the capacity to understand even hand gestures...

As he tried to process what was even going on despite the live event, Beowulf heard Soldier grunting shortly then turned around to to see if she was okay. It was all too late, as Beowulf was struck with the shovel right into the face, then followed by a solid punch into the jaw, causing Beowulf to stumble back. "Booo..!" Cerebella began booing at Soldier, with Peacock, on the other hand, cheering loudly for Soldier as she continued hitting Beowulf at intense movement. "Yeah, go beat his ass, Soldier..!" Beowulf tried to block which worked eventually, but as he even managed to hit Soldier successfully even for a couple of times, the woman wasn't stopping on her attacks and beforehand, pulled a pair of pickaxes. "YOU NUMBNUTS DON'T KNOW HOW TO DOMINATE..!" It was so fast that Beowulf barely dodged the first of the pickaxes, but he wasn't so fortunate enough to dodge the second one, which literally penetrated through his left side, causing him to yelped in pain. "GREMLIN..!" Soldier tagged out shortly and immediately came running ridiculously towards him was Peacock.

"Beowulf, fight back..! Don't let them beat you..!" Hearing Cerebella's cheers for him, Beowulf tried to do his best to counterattack Peacock. Although she wasn't as difficult to deal with unlike Soldier, but Beowulf began feeling all of his sustained injuries from all the previous contestant he had fought earlier on, and especially all of his recent injures that he sustained from that magic book that he fought earlier. He wasn't even sure for how long he can keep up as his body was now starting to lose its endurance due to the amount of injuries he sustained. "Board to death..!" Peacock suddenly stepped on a wooden plank and sent Beowulf flying above. "Soldier..!" Peacock immediately tagged out, and Soldier suddenly came rushing in and began attacking Beowulf by the time he landed face first. "U! S! A..!" Soldier shouted as she continually attacked with her shovel. "Nooo..! Beowulf..! Fight back..! Protect yourself..!" Cerebella shouted frantically as she watched Soldier literally slam a shovel on Beowulf's face, stunning him.

All in a short flash. His world felt like it was spinning. The bright lights, all kinds of cheering noises.. Then those several thuds of punches and kicks, even the hard swing of a shovel was all Beowulf even noticed. This was his moment... To finish this went, then to hunt down the Skullgirl, to prove himself as the same hero that New Meridian and the entirety of Canopy Kingdom used to idolize... Where did he went so wrong... "AMERICAN BOOT..!" A solid, upper kick up on the jaw finally sent Beowulf crashing down at the center of the ring. The large crowds all fell into silence, apart from the small series of gasping... "Nooo..! Beowulf..!" Cerebella immediately rushed to his aid, followed by paramedics. "Trinity, this wasn't supposed to happen, you were supposed to win..!" Cerebella continued, but then she glared at both Soldier and Peacock, who were both cheering on their victory. Beowulf coughed slowly as he was being placed on a stretcher. "It's alright... It's... Alright... I still got the howl... But I can't give up now... I -" "No. You're too injured to fight now... It was unfair, but you can't risk getting yourself hurt further, or worse..." Cerebella immediately interrupted, but she never left Beowulf's side as the paramedics began taking him away out of the ring. He really sustained a lot of damages...

(Skullgirls OST: Fugue In Three Goddesses)

After the shockingly twisted end in the event, Beowulf couldn't believe what happened. But he wasn't affected from being beaten by Soldier and Peacock... He was more affected by the questionable thoughts within his mind about the whole matches that Zane had arranged for him... None of them, even Cerebella, much like Soldier and Peacock seemed to look scripted at all... But speaking of Cerebella, she stayed sitting right next to him laying on a medical bed. Beowulf felt happy that at least he's got a loyal fan... But with Cerebella, sound asleep on her seat, Beowulf forced himself to get off the medical bed, and snuck out of the infirmary... Making his way to Zane's office. He felt the need to confront him...

Barging into Zane's office, Beowulf found Zane with a very unpleasant look on, his face as he sat down behind his desk. "Zane, what the hell just happened?" Beowulf immediately began to confront his former manager. "I thought you said all those contestants were given scripts for their performances in the ring?" Zane just sighed and bitterly replied. "They were. Much like that side contestant that was challenging you earlier. And yet you even failed to beat him. A talking book... You didn't even stood a chance against a woman, and a disfigured child... Pathetic, Beowulf... And I thought you were the 'Wildest there is, was, and ever will be' aren't you..?" Beowulf glared at Zane. "Pathetic!? I'm pathetic!? Those matches didn't even looked scripted at all..! And I kept thinking that maybe they were all just playing around, but all those people in the ring with me looked like they got hurt really bad! Even I got hurt really bad! And don't get me started with that damn book that you wanted me to attack! That's right! It didn't looked like he was even a contestant..! You got no idea how many police and Medici even got involved with me and that book and also? That woman and kid, Soldier and Peacock!? I could've hurt them on purpose if the whole match wasn't even scripted to begin with..!"

Zane shot him a cold look. "And what exactly are you implying, Beowulf..?" "What am I implying..? Is that you just rigged the match randomly! You have any idea how bad it'll get if any of those people in the ring with me got killed!? I'm trying to be a hero not a murderer..!" Zane just scoffed. "Always an ignorant fool... You never changed..." Beowulf glared at Zane even more and questioned. "What exactly are you trying to imply..?" Zane just scoffed again. "I'd ask you the same question. Doesn't it ring any bells to you..? By now you'd probably realized... That you can't pretend. It was rigged... Always has been. Even that very event where you even became so popular for in the first place... I'm surprised that you still haven't even figured it all out much like everyone else - That Grendel was drugged. That you're no hero..." Beowulf stopped back in surprise. "What're you -" "Think back to that day, Beowulf. Grendel's elderly mother, sobbing over her dead son, put up more of a fight than he did. Didn't she?" At this point, Beowulf clenched his fists... Looking back to all those memories during that event against Grendel... The Gigan didn't even gave him a challenge at all... But... That was impossible... Him, not actually a hero..? Beowulf couldn't believe this... No, he can't believe... "Strange, isn't it..? That an elderly woman would be harder to best than a warrior in his prime? The only way to rile up the people was to show that the Gigans could be beaten. It was a setup. The Medici's worked with the government. Then the Renoir's and Lab 0, altogether secretly had a one time only agreement... And it came off perfectly..." Beowulf was lost for words from what he's hearing... He couldn't believe, neither find the proper way to react to this... "No..!" "You know it's true, Beowulf... Don't you think that it's time to hang up the chair..? Apologize to the crowd - And leave the ring..."

Beowulf has had enough of this... "That ain't gonna happen... The ring is my house..! Nobody leaves the ring without a fight..!" Zane only laughed, but his sinister grin from earlier returned... "Oh, you already left the ring with a fight... Didn't that woman, Soldier and her hideous partner, Peacock, both bested you out on the ring..? You couldn't even best a floating, talking book... But doesn't matter... Because your line, ends here..." Beowulf growled and glared harder. "You're insane..!" Zane's sinister grin grew even wider... "No, Beowulf... You're the one - Who's IN Zane..!" Zane's voice suddenly change into a distorted one, really hard to recognize, but his body exploded into a large biomass, with several tentacles quickly entangling Beowulf all over...

FAQs:

1. Beowulf will make a return, much like Miss Fortune, as they will also have their roles within this crossover.

2. By now, even after his random encounters, Bombinomicon is presumably somewhere around New Meridian, causing more trouble while searching for Soldier and Merasmus, while completely not giving a damn on what's even going on within the story itself.

3. Black Dahlia will become Soldier's main rival within the Medici Mafia (I already have plans on how this will turn out, so please be sure to stay tuned)

4. Filia and Samson, as well as Cerebella will be occurring additional support characters for Soldier and Merasmus. But which is which, that Soldier and Merasmus comes across with either of them..?

5. In the Team Fortress 2: Scream Fortress comic, it was shown that Merasmus has magical pills called 'Kill Me Come Back Stronger Pills' to which Soldier even steals from him back when they were still roommates. And yes, as crazy and random as this may sound, this is indeed confirmed as canon in the official Team Fortress 2 lore.

6. In the established Team Fortress 2 lore: The father of Redmond, Blutarch and Grey Mann; Zephaniah Mann, had a brother named Silas Mann who somehow died and later on became the undead Horseless Headless Horsemann. Details and whatever bio about the Horsemann is currently unknown as to how he died, and how he became the Horsemann etc. Silas Mann also has a picture appearance within an old photo of Zephaniah Mann, Redmond and Blutarch Mann, along with Barnabas Hale, and the late ancestor of the Administrator. But the old photo was shown to be ripped off with a piece, which contained Silas Mann, separating him from the older cast on the old photo. But as little information is known about the Horsemann, he is a neutral boss in Scream Fortress that would hunt down players and kill them with such devastating attacks. His character will also remain faithfully the same to his canonical character, but for the sake of this story, the Horsemann will be at least loyally serving Merasmus, as Merasmus is the only means of the Horsemann to be summoned in this story's case, much like Monoculus will be in future chapters.

7. Sienna 'Squigly' Contiello being mentioned a few times in some chapters such as this, is a bit of foreshadowing. (Possibly for Merasmus..?)

Thank you for reading!

~Defective Demon 666~