Hey guys, RJ Writing Ink. No funny intro this time because me and the others are doing something...special. Enjoy part three to this little, original arc that I came up with.
Spongebob Narrator: That Same, Undisclosed Part of LA...
"MALDITOS FRACASOS!" (YOU FUCKING FAILURES!)
That was the first thing everyone heard come from the room that the Mountain commandeered to be his office. The second thing was the sound of something very large and heavy getting wrecked by the Mountain.
In this case, Hector "the Mountain" De La Cruz hit an unused desk so hard that his fists left noticeable indents in the wood and metal. The man hadn't finished yet, though. Inside the room, the Mountain began to grab hold of anything superfluous lying around and took it apart with his bare hands. Dusty shelves had their sides ripped out with the nails still in them. An empty stapler slammed onto the desk, the metal bending and twisting into unnaturally bent angles. Then, for the coup de grace, he picked up a chair and threw it out the window, scattering glass everywhere.
The reason for the towering Mexican giant's disturbing display of violence was simple. It was the same problem plaguing the Cartel for the last few weeks and making the lives of everyone in LA's underbelly harder.
"PUTO MAGO AZUL!" (FUCKING BLUE MAGUS).
That problem was the "Amazing" Blue Magus, AKA the real-life superhero that set up shop in Los Angeles. AKA, the little azul asshole that established himself as the bane of every crook in the city.
Though, if the rumors were true, this mysterious hero was starting to strike out against criminals all over California. There were reports of him appearing in one town to stop a bank robbery, only to turn up to capture a carjacker on a highway on the other side of the state minutes later. It was like the guy could be everywhere at once!
Of course, all this did was increase the mystique surrounding this masked vigilante, on top of the fact that guy seemed to be able to use freakin' magic! That shouldn't have been possible; magic wasn't supposed to be real! It was just something people wrote about in fiction or a metaphor for something amazing. Or a blanket term for everything that people didn't understand. That was how it had always been; nothing seemed to suggest otherwise.
Until the Blue Magus showed up and gave the middle finger to the laws of science with actual freakin' magic. The Mountain's people had seen the rumors online. Many people with too much free time on their hands debated on Reddit and YouTube whether this guy could do real magic. His detractors said it was impossible; all his acts were elaborate illusions and props.
Well, try telling that to the Mountain's enforcers after what happened a few nights ago. According to them, they were in the middle of putting a pair of their upstart pushers in their place. Then, out of nowhere, the Blue bastard showed up and, in the words of the few guys that got away, froze several of them in raspberry-flavored ice or stuck to a wall with super glue. Another guy got hit by this weird mist and started tripping balls. As for the ones that got out before the cops showed up, they waddled back with their underwear over their heads.
Oh, and to rub salt in the wounds, the Magus took the cocaine that started that whole altercation. The LAPD announced they'd seized it the next day after finding it outside a nearby precinct.
In other words, the little blue mierda had not only gotten several of his people locked behind bars but seized valuable products they needed to sell to the people of LA to fund their operations. More importantly, they needed funds to send to the higher-ups down south.
As much as no one wanted to admit it, the last decade hadn't been kind to the Tijuana Cartel. What had once been one of the most feared drug cartels in Mexico had seen a massive loss in power. Now, they found themselves fighting for control of the city that was their namesake from rival factions, and from what they heard about back home, they were losing. They need this money to rebuild the Cartel and reaffirm their status as the dominant force in Baja, California.
And the Blue Magus had just decided to get in their way. Thanks to him, the LAPD was now on the lookout for them, forcing them to lay low, staying off the streets and away from their…" customers."
All of this had left the already temperamental Mountain in an extremely foul mood, and no one in the Cartel was dumb enough to intervene as he threw what geeks would call "a Kylo Ren." Which was just another word for a hissy fit.
No one, except for this new guy that went by the name of Miguel, who chose to knock on the door to the Mountain's office/rage room. When the door swung open, the 20-something Mexican-American in a polo shirt found himself face to face with a livid Mountain glaring down at him.
"What is it?" The Mountain asked, his voice so low that it almost sounded like a growl. It was enough to make Miguel almost piss his pants. Those that were watching either frantically looked away or made the sign of the Cross.
"Um, senor…?" Miguel found himself struggling to find the words he needed to say. Fortunately, a small part of his brain remained rational enough to remember why he'd done this. "The, uh, Boss is on the phone and wants to know what is going on?"
The Mountain continued to stare at his subordinate for a few seconds that seemed to drag on for an eternity. Then, at last, the stares of the Mountain finally ceased.
"Get someone to clean up the mess," was all Hector De La Cruz said before walking away without another word. The others, not wanting to leave their Boss any angrier, immediately scrambled into his office to clean everything up.
And no one said anything when Miguel did piss his pants a little. They couldn't blame him.
"So, if I am to understand this correctly, Hector…" the voice said over the phone, "the reason why you've failed to meet your quota for this month…is due to a child?"
The man speaking to Hector never let his voice raise in volume; he always kept it in the same calm, even tone. Some would call it professional sounding, and those who knew the Boss of the Tijuana Cartel had another word: cold.
"Si, Senor," Hector replied, his voice unusually polite. This was the nature of their relationship. The Mountain may have been powerful, could lift a fully grown man over his head, and had cunning, but the Boss was on a whole other level. That was why he was the Boss, and considered the best hope for a new beginning for the Tijuana Cartel.
"I was not aware that things had gotten so bad up north that we have begun to lose to children, Hector," The Boss said.
"Si, Senor. But this kid… they're saying he isn't some normal kid."
"Yes, I have heard the news reports. He calls himself the Blue Magus. They claim that he can use magic. That he's some kind of magical superhero like-"
"Doctor Strange?" Hector guessed.
"More like Doctor Fate, in my opinion. I never liked Marvel," the Boss said. "Or Disney, for that matter."
"Senor, whatever this penedjo thinks he is, I can assure you that the stories of him are exaggerations-"
"Hector," the Boss sternly said. "I think you and I both know that that is a lie. Otherwise, I wouldn't take time out of my busy schedule to talk to the man I consider one of my best agents."
The Mountain had to admit, the Boss was right about that.
"What do you propose we do, Senor?" Hector got right to the point. "Magic or not, you have seen what this bastardo can do."
"Indeed. I have seen the footage. These are not the moves of some thrill seeker or a reckless teen. Whoever this Blue Magus is, he knows how to fight. More importantly, he has been in actual fights. For someone so young to be so familiar with battle…well, the less said, the better."
"Say the word, jefe, and I will handle him personally," the Mountain skipped straight to the point that the Boss seemed to be getting to.
"Not alone, you will not. I cannot afford someone so valuable to the Cartel to be bested by this child. You will need help, and this is why I am sending you the Vibrora Cinco."
Hector's eyes widened at this last part. "The Vibrora Cinco? Senor, are you sure that is necessary? They are among our most valuable members! We need them to-"
"I am well aware of how badly we need them to assert our control over Tijuana," the Boss said, his voice making clear that he was not happy to be reminded of something they considered their job. "To do so, though, we need more capital to recruit more people and acquire more product."
"But can we afford to bring them up here?"
"At the moment, yes. In light of the recent clashes in the city, things have become quiet. Each of our rivals is laying low, so the attention from the authorities can have time to fade away. We can afford to send our best assassins up north."
"And what will I do?"
"You will do what you do best, Hector," the Boss said. "You will direct the Vibrora in the hunt for this Blue Magus. And when you find him…eliminate him."
"Any objections to how I do it?"
"None, so long as you ensure that the public sees the aftermath. I want everyone to know that we are the ones who took him down."
The Mountain grinned. He was officially being let off the leash for this job, just the way he liked it. "Don't worry, Senor," he told the Boss. "I've wanted to get my hands on that little mierda since he showed up. When we're done with him, the Blue Magus will be nothing but a warning, and no one will cross the Cartel, ever again."
"Ahh, another successful day of patrolling the streets of Los Angeles," Comet said, contently sighing as he rode Cloudy over the night sky of Echo Creek towards his host family's home.
This had been his new routine since becoming the Blue Magus. He'd get out of School, change into his costume, zip over to LA, and fight crime late into the night before heading home. If he got busy, he would do it close to dawn. Who needed to sleep when he had a spell that could give him 8 hours of it in five minutes? It was so efficient!
Granted, that did mean he might've neglected his homework for a few nights, but he had that covered. That Spell he used to do his homework online after the Mewberty debacle seemed to work the same for the physical stuff. At least it gave him enough right answers that he could pass.
As Comet and Cloudy came in for a smooth landing on the balcony of his tower, Comet thanked his loyal Spell for another night well done before sending him to…wherever his Spells went when he didn't use them. After that, all he had was to put away his costume, hit the hay, and repeat the process the next night. And no one remained the wiser!
"Yep, the life of a hero isn't easy…" Comet thought aloud as he went to his closet. "But it is rewarding to see all those people happy and safe."
"Well, at least that makes one of us then."
*Record Scratch*
Comet froze mid-step and then turned his head to look behind him. There, sitting in his chair in her pajamas, was an irritated Marcia Diaz.
Right, Comet corrected himself. Marcia was the only one aware of what he'd been doing, and that was only by accident.
"H-hey, Marcia," Comet nervously said. "What-what's going on?"
"Oh, nothing, Comet," Marcia said. "I just wanted to check up on you and ensure you're doing all right."
"At 11:00 at night? You're usually getting ready for bed by this time." Marcia kept a pretty strict schedule for going to sleep every night. She made sure she'd be asleep by 11:00-11:30 every night without fail.
Seven Hells, the only time Comet had known her to be awake at this time were the time she helped him with his sleep-spelling. That, or when it was Friendship-
Ohhhhh, crapbaskets. Comet mentally cursed himself as the realization of what day it was hit him.
"Marcia? Did I happen to miss-"
"Yes, Comet. You missed Friendship Thursday," Marcia bluntly told him. "You know, the night you came up with for us every week? The time when we watch whatever we want, play whatever games we want, and eat whatever we want. That Friendship Thursday."
Marcia didn't bother hiding the feelings of hurt in her voice, a fact which made Comet wince. "But Marcia, I had a good reason. I was out fighting crime, and I just lost track of time, and the next thing I know-"
"Comet, this more than just you missing Friendship Thursday!" Marcia told him in disappointment. "Ever since you started going out and playing hero, we barely see you. You never talk to us at School, you don't spend time listening to Karla's music to see how she's improved. You don't even pull pranks with Jonah anymore!"
"Wait, I thought you hated when we-"
"That's not the point, Comet! You haven't been spending as much time with us as you used to." Marcia snapped at him. "Not since you decided to start playing hero!"
"Well, I mean, I have been neglecting my friends a little," Comet conceded. "But Mar-Mar, this isn't going to be forever, you know. I'm doing this until we see that movie in a few weeks, and I'm going to stop. Probably."
"Comet," Marcia deadpanned, "the movie comes out tomorrow."
"WHAT?!" Comet asked, flabbergasted. "When?! How?!"
"It's called 'time,' Comet, and since you started this superhero stuff, you haven't had time for your friends."
"Huh…I guess you're right, Marcia," Comet said, conceding the point.
"Of course, I'm right, Comet. Can you please put that costume away before someone spots you and connects the dots? The last thing we need is for you to attract unwanted attention."
"Oh, fine. I was getting ready to turn in for the-wait, what's this about unwanted attention?" Comet grew confused by what Marcia said. What could he be doing that was attracting unwanted attention?
Marcia groaned as she realized her best friend had failed to consider something very important. So, it fell to her to explain everything.
"Comet, you have spent the last few weeks running around Los Angeles Narwhal Blasting every criminal you could find."
"Yeah, that's what I've been doing ."
"And you've been doing the same thing in Echo Creek since you first came to Earth, right?"
"To be fair, I was fighting Ludo's gang," Comet quickly pointed out. "But yeah, that was pretty much what I did. I don't see what the big deal is, though."
"Comet, you haven't been keeping your magic a secret from people. Or all your fights with Ludo," Marcia pointed out to him, like it was the most obvious thing in the world (which it should've been.) "Sooner or later, someone's going to put two and two together and figure out that you're the Blue Magus. And when that happens-"
"You're worried that all those thugs and bandits I've pissed off will be running for payback, aren't you?" Comet guessed, much to Marcia's surprise. "What? I'm not dumb, Marcia. I know why Spider-Man and many other heroes keep their real identities secret."
"Then why aren't you worried about that happening, Comet?"
"Because, unlike Spider-Man, I have the resources to deal with them all, regardless of whether I'm here. I have my magic, your karate, Jonah's alchemy, Karla's got Kevin, and we all have the Guardians. Any criminals who came looking for us would get their asses kicked," he confidently bragged. "I mean, it's not like these lowlifes are on the same level as the Sgt. O's bots or Toffee," he confidently laughed.
Realizing that there was no winning an argument with Comet with the way he was now, Marcia let out an exasperated sigh. "Forgot it. Just do whatever you want, Dragonfly!" She said as she made for the door before pausing. "Look, just…promise me that you'll be at the movie premiere tomorrow, alright? Please? We've been looking forward to this for weeks, and it would make everyone else upset if you didn't show up." With that, Marcia left Comet's Tower and went to bed for the night, leaving Comet alone to gather his thoughts.
At least until the Laser Puppies came running in and yapping at him.
Spongebob Narrator: The Next Afternoon...
"Hrmrmmmm...stupid Marcia, worrying over nothing," Comet grumbled as he flew over the city of LA in the late afternoon/early evening. He hadn't been able to focus today, and he was too excited to see the Dragon Ball Super film with his friends. But perhaps more relevant to him at that moment was that he hadn't been able to get what Marcia said out of his head.
Comet didn't understand. Why was Marcia freaking out over this? She hadn't gotten that upset at him since the sandwich beast...which, in hindsight, was pretty stupid of him. But what he's doing as the Blue Magus was different. These weren't bloodthirsty Monsters, vicious pirates, ruthless machines, or Uncle Eternia that he was facing. It was just some two-bit lowlifes that were all bark and no bite. Even Ludo's guys had been more of a challenge than them, and these guys couldn't even land a punch on him!
I don't get what she's so worried about this time. I can handle a bunch of bandits. Hells, the Kingsguard used to take me to catch criminals in the Forest of Certain Death and let me watch as they beat them up!
Plus, Comet meant what he said in his argument with Marcia. Like it or not, his circle of friends from Earth wasn't what one would call normal. They'd all seen their share of fighting, and they could take care of themselves. Besides, they weren't that well-equipped from what he'd seen of the criminal element on Earth.
I'm probably one of the most powerful people in this dimension. Unless someone decided to gather the Dragon Balls, build a working Gundam or Iron Man suit, or drop a nuke on me, there's little anyone could do to stop me, Comet thought to himself as he continued one last sweep of the city. It was getting late, and soon it would be time for him to meet up with Marcia and the others.
Little did Comet know, his self-confidence was about to be tested.
"Any sign of him?"
"No, Senor De La Cruz," came the voice over the walkie-talkie. "El cabroncete no ha aparecido." (The little fucker hasn't shown up yet.)
"Anyone else got eyes on him?"
"Nothing yet, Mountain. What about you, Coral?"
"Nothing on my scopes."
"Mojave here. Nothing so far."
"Querétaro, got nothing-wait hold on a second…."
The Mountain waited for the member of the Vibrora to say something, and he didn't have to wait long.
"¡Señor, lo tengo! ¡Está volando sobre la ciudad, dirigiéndose en nuestra dirección!" (Senor, I've got him! He's flying over the city, headed in our direction!)
"Yo también lo veo. Está volando directamente hacia nosotros, ¡y ni siquiera lo sabe!" (I see him, too. He's flying right towards us, and he doesn't even know it!)
"Do any of you have him lined up?"
"Si, Senor! I can take the shot now! He won't even know what hit him!"
"No, Roca Bandas" the Mountain said, his voice as cold as the summit of an actual mountain "We stick to the plan. "
"Si, Senor," everyone said at once in agreement.
Comet was so wrapped up in his thoughts about everything that he almost didn't notice it. However, whether it was by luck, training, or the will of whoever ran things, he did. He looked down at his chest and saw a tiny red dot close to where his heart would be.
For a brief second, Comet didn't understand what this dot was doing there. Then, the realization hit him. He'd played enough COD to know that this meant-
Comet didn't even bother finishing the rest of his thought. He knew he only had a few seconds to react. Instinctively, he raised his Wand to protect himself as-
BANG!
The echo of a gun going off came from the rooftops of a skyscraper currently under construction. The bullet whizzed through the sky towards its target, traveling at speeds that most eyes couldn't track, save for those who had the training to do so.
Thankfully, Comet wasn't like most people. Not even bothering to call out the magic, he threw up an invisible force field. Or rather, part of one. The bullet was coming so fast, Comet only had time to create the barrier in the spot that he thought the bullet would hit. It was a risky gamble, but he didn't have much choice.
Thankfully, his gamble paid off. Rather than pierce his flesh and tear through bone and organs, the projectile bounced harmlessly off the force field before ricocheting into the steel girders of a nearby building.
"OH MY CORN!" Cloudy screamed. "WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT?!"
"Señor, el disparo no conectó. Lo desvió, tal como dijiste que lo haría," (Sir, shot didn't connect. He deflected it, just like you said he would.)
The Mountain smirked from his hiding spot in the unoccupied industrial portion of Los Angeles.
"Muy bueno, Roca. Now that we have his attention, Terciopelo, bring him down."
"¡Oh si bebé! ¡He estado esperando para usar esto!" (Oh, yeah, baby! I've been waiting to use this!)
"The rest of you, make sure he doesn't escape!"
Comet tried to process what in the Seven Hells just happened. Who shot at him? For that matter, why would they shoot at them? He hadn't done anything wrong!
Sadly, those questions would have to wait. Comet could hear more guns going off near him, accompanied by the whizzing of bullets headed in his direction.
"Oh, crud!" Comet let his reflexes take over as he got into a standing position atop Cloudy and began weaving his Wand around in the air. "Bulla Spiro!" Instantly, a magical, pink bubble of air appeared around Comet and Cloudy, one he then reinforced with another spell: "Titanium taco shell!"
Comet honestly didn't know where he came up with that name, since it was just a bunch of taco shells that lined the innards of his air bubble. Given how he was trying not to get hurt at the moment, he couldn't complain. Especially not when the bullets bounced harmlessly off the shells.
Now, though, there was a new problem. As long as Comet and Cloudy were inside the bubble, they were safe, but they couldn't move since the former couldn't see. And if he couldn't move, then he couldn't fight or get away from whoever was attacking him. Not one of Comet's brightest moments.
As bullets bouncing off metal taco shells could be heard outside, Cloudy began to panic and hyperventilate. "Oh, no, oh no, oh no! What are we going to do, Comet?"
That was the same question that Comet was racing to find an answer for at that moment. If they stayed where they were, they could try and wait out his attackers and then break for it. But if he did that, they might hit him with something worse.
Comet felt a headache coming on. He wasn't used to thinking this much in the heat of battle.
Screw it, Comet finally decided before leaning down to look at Cloudy. "Cloudy, you still with me, buddy?"
"Yeah, barely!" Cloudy fearfully admitted.
"Listen. As soon as I drop the shield, I need you to fly as fast as possible. We need to distance ourselves and whoever's trying to kill us."
"You got it, Comet!" Even though he was scared, Cloudy would still do what Comet asked. It was his job to help Comet, and he'd see it through to the end.
"All right! On three!" Comet began to count down. "One...two..."
"How much more can that mierda estúpida take?"
"Doesn't matter!" the Mountain shouted over his walkie-talkie. "Terciopelo, do you have him?"
"Si, Mountain," came the voice of the assassin Terciopelo on the other end. "Just say the word."
The Mountain didn't know why, but something told him that the Blue Magus was planning something. A little bastard he may have been, but the boy wasn't a fool. As soon as they stopped to reload, he would either bolt or take them down one by one. They needed to do it now if they wanted to get him to their level.
"Take the shot."
"Si, Mountain," Tercipelo said, not wasting time questioning the Mountain's orders."
"...three!"
Instantly, Comet dropped the barriers protecting him and Cloudy, leaving the latter free to fly far, far away from where they were...
...is what they would've wanted to do. No sooner had they dropped the shields, though, than did the gunfire stop. It soon became apparent why.
Comet didn't see where it came from, nor did he need to. All he needed to hear was the whooshing sound of something flying through the air at high speeds, and the loud ringing in his ears that only came from an explosion at close range. All he needed to feel was the heat from the blast directly beneath him—the sensation of being thrown from Cloudy towards the earth below.
For a few seconds, Comet's vision went black. When his eyesight returned, he saw the ground rushing to meet him in an embrace that would only spell certain death. Now beginning to panic, Comet started waving his Wand again, aiming it at the ground as he tried to think of something to save himself. The next thing he knew, he was sitting in an open-air bounce house in the middle of an old industrial park in some Los Angeles. He was surprised, dizzy, and more than a little confused about what had happened to him.
Still, at least Comet was alive, and that's what mattered. Too bad Cloudy got turned into vapor by the explosion, and he might not be happy about that the next time he summoned him.
"Next time I see Cloudy, I should ask him if being summoned like he is is painful," he thought aloud as he tried to steady himself to his feet. "All right, I have no idea what that was all about, but I need to get out of here, and I've got other things to do tonight."
"I would not be in such a rush to leave, senor."
Comet froze as he got out of the bounce house. He had no idea where that voice came from, but it was close. And judging by the tone, whoever was speaking didn't sound friendly.
As if to validate Comet's thoughts, a figure emerged from the warehouse entrance directly in front of him...and he was fucking big. Like, absolutely massive; at least 7 feet tall, maybe even close to 8. And to make matters worse, underneath the black jacket and worn-out shirt, he was jacked like it was nobody's business.
I didn't even know Humans could get that big, Comet grimly noted as the giant of a man continued to walk towards him.
"Please, senor," the man spoke, his voice gruff and deep like he was constantly trying to growl something. "Don't leave after we went through all this trouble to bring you here. After all, I can imagine that the famous Blue Magus is not someone you can meet on just any day."
Even though Comet felt a little intimidated by the man's size, he couldn't help but smirk at the mention of his superhero identity. "Well, looks like my reputation precedes me," he said, trying to sound as confident as he felt. When faced with intimidating opponents, one thing that Comet had learned to do was not allow them to scare you. If they did, you'd be more likely to make a mistake. And in the heat of battle, mistakes could get you killed. "So, you know who I am. But I don't know who you are."
"My name is not something you need to know, Magus," the giant told him as he glowered at the boy. "But, if you need to address me, then you can simply call me...The Mountain."
"The Mountain?" Comet stood there, puzzled for a moment, before he connected the dots. "Oh, I get it. Because you're so massive," he joked. "So, did you do all of this," Comet gestured to the area around him, "so you could ask for an autograph? Because I'm pretty sure I don't want to give you one since you tried to blow me out of the sky."
"Oh, no, Magus. I did not want your autograph or selfie." The Mountain then picked up a stray brick lying on a wooden crate. "What I want-" The Mountain then began to squeeze the brick between his massive hands until, much to Comet's amazement, he snapped it in half!
"-is to do that to your head." He snarled with a vicious look on his face, leaving Comet speechless.
"So, I take it, then, that I pissed you off somehow. Though that isn't really out of the ordinary for me," Comet admitted.
"You can joke about this all you want, you little mierda! But that not's going to change the fact that you have made enemies out of people that a wiser man would've left alone!" The Mountain shouted.
"Okay, so now I know that I pissed you off," Comet casually said. "Did I put some friends of yours behind bars recently?"
"You did more than that, chico loco! You took what was ours and gave it to the cops! Not only did you rob us of the product that we provide to the people of this city, but you've made things much harder for us to do our work!"
"I took something of yours? Oh, you mean that cooler full of that weird powdered sugar! Yeah, I don't understand why your guys were getting so worked up about it, so I gave it to the cops instead."
"That was cocaine, you maldito idiota!" The Mountain shouted again. "I was going to make a small fortune selling that to the people in this crazy city, but you had to get involved and get the police looking for us!" Comet swore that when the man stepped forward, he left a small crater in the concrete underneath.
"Ahd your point is? I'm pretty sure that we're not supposed to do drugs unless they're prescribed by a doctor." Comet was failing to see why this guy was so mad at him. Or, he might have understood and was just trolling the Mountain for the fun of it.
"I would be less concerned about that then I would be regarding your prospects of living to see tomorrow, chico," the Mountain threatened. "By the time we're done with you, Magus, all the people of this city will remember you for is how he hung your body in the streets and splattered your blood all over the walls."
"Holy shit, that is hardcore," Comet conceded. "But if you know who I am, then you should know what I'm capable of. And, no matter massive you may be, I doubt you can handle-" Comet then struck a pose with his Wand, "-all this on your own."
The Mountain smirked. "I never said that I came alone."
As if on cue, five more people appeared in front of Comet. They ranged in size and attire, but they had a few similiarities between one another that made them stand out to Comet.
First, they were all clad in a bizarre fusion of kevlar vests and pads and narco-inspired clothes underneath. Secondly was how each man, regardless of their hairstyle, had shaved off the left portion to make way for a tattoo of some kind of serpent. Each one had a different snake on their heads, and they had even gone the extra mile by dyeing their hair to match the color of their respective snake. It was one of the strangest things that Comet had ever seen.
Lastly, they all seemed to be armed and packing heating. A man who dyed his hair red with a white stripe between a thick band of black in the center had a ton of knives crammed into various pouches on his gear. Another guy with black-topped hair with blonde sides was carrying various pistols in holsters. Yet another guy was carrying two assault rifles on his back like they were swords!
All told, this group looked like absolute bad news for Comet.
"Allow me to introduce to you the Vibrora Cinco, some of the deadliest assassin's in the Americas," the Mountain told Comet as he gestured around him. "However, you may call something else entirely."
"And that would be?"
"Your executioners."
Comet felt a bead of sweat drop from his face as he heard this. Regardless of how much magic power he had, hearing someone say something like this was still unsettling.
This could be trouble.
To Be Concluded!
*In Jay's Workspace, rain's falling from...whatever counts as the sky in this bizarre dimension as RJ "Jay" Writing Ink stands at a podium. Before him is a crowd of everyone that's ever appeared in the Workspace: Janna, Omnitraxus, Omnitraxus Prime, Spongebob Narrator, Ed, Eddy, Plank, TFS Nappa, DAU Kermit, Slick Goku, GIR, the Warner Siblings, Freakazoid, Lemongrab, Baby Yoda, Slick Goku, She-Hulk, and Rex from SXR123. All of them are either dressed in black or wearing black armbands as they look at the image of the person they're honoring. Hovering behind Jay is a series of holographic images of the late Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain.*
Jay: I never planned for any of this to be shown here, in this story. However, given the passing of Queen Elizatbeth last on September 8th, 2022, I felt that we should do something to honor her.
Queen Elizabeth was a truly remarkable woman, the kind that only shows up once in a few generations. From the day she turned 21, she promised to dedicate her life to her people. And even as she oversaw the gradual disbanding of the empire that once ruled a quarter of the world, she remained a pillar of stability and continutiy. She saw more than a dozen Prime Minsters and just as many US Presidents come and go during her reign, along with several Popes. She saw the rise and fall of Facism in World War II, where she played her part in helping to kick the Nazi's ass. She saw the fall of Communism and the birth of the modern world. And during her long life, she saw her fair share of both joy and sorrow.
Elizabeth may not have been some great warrior like Comet or Star Butterfly, but in a world where monarchs were becoming more and more sidelined in favor of newer forms of government, she remained a steadfast example of what Kings and Queens should aspire to be. She was the heart and soul of Great Britain for seventy years, and without her, the world seems a little less brighter. But now it is time for her to rest. She has more than earned it.
Everyone: May she rest in peace.
Janna: Regardless of what the haters may say.
Jay: Not the time Janna. Save it until after the funeral on Monday. Speaking of which, we're going to be watching it together. But until then, let's show the reader's some currency and respond to
READERS REVIEWS
LockAndKey989: You were worrying over nothing. Not even Comet's dumb enough to do coke.
Julalya: This actually isn't the final chapter. I meant for it to be, but ...real life.
NightAroma: Hate to disappoint you, but that didn't happen this time. Comet took it straight to the cops. As for the human villains, I thought it would be a good idea to give Comet someone new to fight while Ludo's off doing his own thing. And I have plans for them down the line.
Also, did you look up who the herbalist was? I loved the Inheritance books as a kid.
The Wandering Hippie: the Tijuana Cartel was powerful, but from I read online, they're a shadow of their former self. This was meant to work into that by showing how desperate they are to rebuild their power base and become a dominant power in Baja California. And to clarify, Comet's seen Spider-Man: No Way Home. Even if he could protect his Earth friends from crime, he's not going to take chances. Not after what happened with Toffee.
Yeah, "Storm the Castle" really affected Comet.
Also, yeah, I like Chris Paolini's work as a kid. Even if it borrows story structure from Lord of the Rings and Star Wars (trust me on the latter one. It followed the same formula.)
You know what to do: fave and follow this story, and follow me on Twitter (JZ-Gaming), Insta (RJ Writing Ink), and YouTube (Jungoguy)
See you guys next chapter. If I'm lucky, I can get it out next Friday! Also, try to guess who I based the Boss on.
RIP Queen Elizabeth II (1926-2022).