And so, here's Part 2. The characters here belong to their respective owners. Since Reece Woolridge/PrimalPrince presented Abyss and the ZhiZhuis to this world first, he owns the copyright issues for them.
Team 4, Sahara Square
The arid air rippled with heat. The sand scorched under foot. Even with the giant heaters deactivated in wake of the attack, the temperature remained relatively high.
Carapace, Ahsoka Tano, Commander Tower, Sheila the Kangaroo and Amy Rose were all aware that they were sweating profusely. They were sure their enemies were trying to drive them into collapsing from dehydration.
Carapace found himself wishing his Miraculous outfit didn't come with a hood. Even with the heat power-up mitigating the heat, the hood wasn't helping. He threw his shield like a boomerang at the ZhiZhui surrounding him. He drew his bubble wand and fired red suds at Grublins. They exploded like mines, scattering earth and rock across the sands. Recalling his shield to his hand, Carapace whacked a Desert Stormtrooper in the face with it, hard enough to crack his helmet. When another fired at Carapace with her RT-97C heavy blaster rifle, the teen deflected the shot towards a Sandworm that had just burst from the sand.
Amy Rose swung her large Piko-Piko Hammer at a Shade Elite. It went flying into the air. It flew several metres and smashed into a nearby building. Several Sith Acolytes sent Force Waves at Amy. She slammed her Hammer down, propelling herself into the air, and then swung her Hammer around rapidly to levitate herself. She dodged the blasts of lightning from the Acolytes. Once she was above one of them, Amy brought her Hammer crashing down on the ground in front of him. He flew into the air.
Sheila the Kangaroo bounded up and kicked him hard towards his comrades. They managed to redirect the Human projectile away from them. When the Acolytes sent more Force blasts, Carapace jumped in and defended them. Using his wand, Carapace encased Amy and Sheila in protective bubbles. Nodding in thanks, the two bounced the bubbles high into the air. Amy and Sheila literally bounced off the heads of the Acolytes, the Force attacks deflecting off the bubbles. Sometimes, Amy swung her hammer and Sheila punched out, for extra wallop. The Acolytes collapsed one after another, dazed. The Hedgehog and Kangaroo dropped the last one together, slamming him into the sand up to his neck.
As their bubbles popped, Amy and Sheila saw Badniks swarming from all sides. Amy signalled to Carapace. She raised her Hammer. Carapace nodded. Sheila also caught Amy's drift. The pink Hedgehog and Kangaroo ran at the Turtle-themed hero. Carapace knelt down, his shield held up. As enemies closed around them, Amy and Sheila jumped up high. They slammed down on the shield, Amy with her Hammer, Sheila with her feet. There was a loud, ringing 'PIKO!' A wave of energy was released in all directions. The Badniks were flung into the air. The sand was littered with piles of robot parts. Carapace, Sheila and Amy fist-bumped.
Ahsoka Tano was surrounded by a whirlwind of white energy. The Togruta's blades sliced through several Drophyd defenders in quick succession. A sentry snapped with her with his pincers. But the hollow montrals around Ahsoka's head sensed him coming. She ducked his pincers, reversed her right-hand blade and thrust it into the Drophyd's chest. The Drophyd's metal body exploded, expelling the fish-like alien from his container. Ahsoka threw him towards an enforcer advancing on her. The enforcer was briefly blinded when his fellow smacked into his face. This left him open to Ahsoka throwing her lightsabers like boomerangs. The white blades sliced through the enforcer's leg joints. The body thumped into the sand, crushing several Drophyds beneath it.
Commander Tower sat within the cockpit of his personal mech, Diablon. He swiped at several Purge troopers, smashing them to pieces. Saber Guards leapt at the mech, their blades raised. Tower took aim and fired with Diablon's wrist cannons. The Guards were caught in mid-air and blown to bits. An Egg Hammer swung its weapon at Tower. Diablon grabbed the Hammer and used it to swing the robot away. A Nefarious Guard bot advanced on the Commander. It locked hands with Diablon and the two engaged in a grapple. Their hover jets were pushed nearly to their limits as each tried to overcome the other. Eventually, Tower broke the stalemate by using Diablon's head laser to melt the Guard bot's head.
All of a sudden, the temperature began to get, impossible as it seemed, even hotter. It soon became apparent why. Flame-troopers and Protoguards equipped with flame throwers were advancing all around them. The sand was blackening at their feet.
One aimed a long-range thrower at the heroes. Ahsoka leapt forward and raised a hand. The flames were dispersed harmlessly. The Togruta closed her fist. The flame thrower's barrel was crushed. But it was still only one weapon disabled.
As if things couldn't get more serious, AT-STs came striding towards the group, as did Hero Orcs and Elephant mutants. The chicken walkers took aim and opened fire.
Carapace quickly raised his Shell-ter around Sheila, Amy and Ahsoka, who had gathered around him. Tower activated Diablon's own shield. The shots pinged off the defences. Still, these wouldn't hold them forever. Tower looked at his allies. They nodded. It was time to bring out the big guns; or rather, the big explosion!
Lowering his shields, Tower pressed a few buttons that released the energy reserves pent up in Diablon. In seconds, the electromagnetic generators were fully charged. A moment later, a blast of energy was released in all directions. The Flame-troopers and Protoguards were atomized. The AT-STs were blown over backwards, smashing on the sand. The Hero Orcs tried to avoid by diving into the sand, but didn't quite make it.
Satisfied, Carapace lowered his Shell-ter. Amy smirked tauntingly down at the body of a Flame-trooper and pulled a face. She kept her Hammer ready, just in case.
Without warning, a wave of immense heat swept over the pink Hedgehog. She dived back as a shot of fire blasted the sand, leaving a smouldering line of molten glass.
Red, the Dragon Elder turned Dark Sorcerer of Fire, glided towards them. Smoke furled from his nostrils.
Amy, Carapace and Sheila groaned internally. They just had to throw another flame-thrower at them!
Tower aimed Diablon's cannons at Red and fired. Red simply blew a little flame and waved his staff. Next moment, the little flame transformed into a monstrous creature made entirely of flame. The missiles flying at it simply melted the moment they made contact.
The group scattered as the flame creature swooped towards them, turning more of the sand into molten glass. Ahsoka extended a hand towards the creature, took it in the Force, and after a few moments, the flames dissipated. But the Togruta was now breathing heavily.
Red raised an eyebrow, his paw extended. Would his enemies yield?
Having quickly fed Wayzz, Carapace stood ready with Amy and Sheila. Ahsoka raised her lightsabers. Tower re-commenced Diablon's energy charges. That was their answer.
Red shrugged. It was their funeral.
The first thing he did was extend a hand towards Diablon. The next thing Tower knew, the mech's energy levels shot into overload. Red lights began flashing. The temperature became like that of an oven turned up to maximum.
Tower quickly slammed the eject button. He shot out of the mech just in time, and his team-mates ran for cover, as Diablon exploded.
Sniggering, Red waved his staff. The explosion quickly reshaped itself into another fearsome creature of flame; this time, a cockatrice. It reared high, let loose a blood-curdling shriek and flew after the heroes. Red himself also pursued, shooting streams of flame from his snout as he went.
Even as they ran, Carapace and Ahsoka deflecting the shots of fire, the heroes weren't deterred. Fire always had its limits, and they were prepared to throw a dose of cold water on Red's excitement.
Team 5, Gazelle's mansion
In the grounds of a relatively modest mansion, several mutants and Changelings were trying to apprehend the residents: Gazelle and her four Tiger friends and co-dancers. The key word is 'trying'. Gazelle was overwhelming their senses with loud music and vocalising blaring from speakers. She wasn't all looks and voice. And her four Tiger co-dancers, all wearing earplugs, were mauling the intruders with their claws and fangs.
Yet, some troops were managing to endure the music and onslaught. Reinforcements had already been called in. They wouldn't be bested by a singer and her Kitties!
Fortunately for the 'singer and her Kitties', their tactics served their purpose as stalling, while their own back-up arrived.
Sirens cut through the air, even above the loud music. Next moment, with a loud crash, two police trucks burst through the gates and screeched to a halt nearby. The Changelings and Mutants looked round surreptitiously.
The driver's door on the first truck opened, and a robotic leg ending in an organic-looking paw stepped out, followed by a cyborg Doe with grey fur and matching-colour armour with white and purple highlights, and a purple eye gleaming through the crack in the visor covering her face - Lieutenant Judy Hopps. She was followed by a Red Fox with armoured police attire - Detective Nick Wilde - and an azure Tomcat with full-body Knight's armour - Thomas Holmes. Then, the back doors of the van sprang open and the Chaotix Detective Agency sprang out. Inspector Carmelita Fox jumped from the cab of the second truck, her Shock Pistol primed. Armed G.U.N. soldiers and police burst from the back.
As Gazelle and her Tigers ran for cover, the mutants and Changelings opened fire at them, with guns in the case of the mutants, or magic in the case of the Changelings.
The police, soldiers and Freedom Fighters sheltered behind the trucks. Judy, however, stood her ground. Laser bolts and magic bursts ricocheted off her body like milk duds.
The cyborg Doe calmly advanced on the enemy. Even shots to the joints didn't make her break step. She took aim at several mutant Alligators and fired in quick succession. The minions fell over backwards, bleeding holes in their brows.
Some armoured mutants advanced on Judy as she reloaded, aiming to avenge their comrades. But before they'd gotten two steps, they suddenly staggered. Cuts appeared on their legs, even though it seemed nothing had touched them. Their armour seemed to fly off their bodies. The police and soldiers, seeing their opening, darted out and unleashed a hail of bullets and shock blasts. Several creatures were felled instantly.
But the rest were saved by the timely arrival of Field Stormtroopers and Dark Troopers. They burst through the garden walls, firing relentlessly at the gunmen, who quickly dived back for cover.
Judy, of course, weathered their shots and returned fire. She was quickly joined by Thomas Holmes, fully protected by his armour. The azure Cat deflected stun shots with his lightsaber-sword hybrid. When a Dark Trooper charged forward, it was instantly dismantled and reformed into a new firearm for Thomas. He and Judy sent a hail of gun and blaster fire at their enemies. This drove the troopers back significantly, allowing their allies to advance forward and close the distance.
One Changeling tried to match Judy strength-for-strength by assuming her form. He charged at her and threw a punch. Judy caught it deftly. There was a loud crack. Howling in pain, the Changeling was defenceless against a blast of fire from Vector's snout.
Other Changelings tried to confuse the soldiers and police by pretending to be comrades, or Gazelle, or her Tiger friends. Unfortunately for them, they couldn't fool Charmy Bee. The excitable Mobian Insect slammed his sting into them, piercing their chitin and slamming them to the ground.
Ray the Flying Squirrel swooped over the fight, giving various gunmen lifts across the battleground. All the while, he dodged shots and blaster fire, and delivered swift kicks to enemy heads.
When several Changelings flew at Ray and Charmy, the two linked hands. They flew in a tight circle very fast. The emotion-craving insects were thrown back.
Vector leapt into the air, brought his hands together and came slamming down on top of an Elephant mutant. He went back-to-back with Judy and Mighty, punching and kicking any trooper, mutant or Changeling foolish enough to go near them. Mighty grabbed two Dark Troopers and slammed them together like fly swatters. Vector seized a mutant in his jaws and flung into a nearby wall with enough force to shatter it. Judy took a big bound into the air and slammed her feet onto a Dark Trooper, burying it up to its optics.
A mutant Cobra unleashed a blast of energy from his mouth. Vector countered with his own sonic shriek, resulting in destructive interference (meaning they cancelled each other, for those who don't get it). The equilibrium was broken when Nick Wilde got the Cobra square in the eyes with pepper spray. The Cobra barely had time to clutch at his face with his paws, before Vector's sonic wave blew them back into a mutant Elephant.
Espio the Chameleon phased into sight next to a Field Trooper. Briefly startled, the latter threw a punch at the ninja. Espio deftly evaded the punch, and the next few the trooper attempted. Eventually, he caught the trooper's arm and twisted it. There was a snap. Before the trooper could cry out, Espio's foot caught him in the stomach. He then hefted the trooper over his head and threw him bodily into a horde of Changelings. Espio then expertly drew two of his shuriken and threw them in opposite directions. Two mutants who had been running at the ninja fell instantly.
One mutant Cobra managed to strike at someone invisible. Next moment, Thomas Holmes phased into sight. He collapsed, dazed. The mutant, seizing his chance, pounced on Thomas, pinning him to the ground and peeling off the Cat's helmet. Before anyone else could come to Thomas' aid, Gazelle came out of nowhere. She bucked the mutant hard in the side. He flew right off Thomas, and Mighty, curled into a ball, barrelled into the mutant hard enough to kill him. Thus was felled the last enemy.
Straightening his glasses, Thomas accepted Gazelle's hand to help him up. The azure Cat smiled gratefully at the popstar. Gazelle, though a little dazed, beamed in return.
Just as the boy bent down to pick up his helmet, however, a shot came out of nowhere. It hit Thomas square in the back. It ricocheted harmlessly off the boy's cuirass, but did send him forward into his face. He was knocked out.
Over the roof of the mansion came Doctor Maverick Sphinx, better known as Dr. M. He was attached into the collar of his massive mutant hybrid. It had the head of an Elephant Seal, long Sloth arms and the legs and tail of a Reptile. Cybernetic implants gleamed across its body that ensured Dr. M's control. So that was why Thomas had been incapacitated.
Judy, incensed at what happened to her old friend, reloaded her gun, as did the other officers and soldiers. Gazelle gathered up the unconscious boy, and ran for cover. At Judy's signal, the armed heroes opened fire.
Dr. M was protected by an energy shield. His mutant was not so lucky. It roared and shrieked as bullets and blaster bolts chewed into its flesh. Mighty and Vector ran forward. Vector clamped his jaws onto the mutant's arm. Mighty punched the creature hard in the knee. There was a loud crack.
The mutant howled in pain and rage. It slammed its fists into the ground repeatedly. The police and soldiers were shaken off their feet. Only Judy remained standing. She continued to fire at the mutant's face.
Suddenly, she was seized in one of the mutant's massive hands. Even with her cybernetic body, Judy struggled in the creature's crushing grip. If this thing crumpled her like tinfoil, she doubted even the combined effort of all the mechanical experts in the League could repair her.
Charmy Bee buzzed down in a blur of yellow, black and orange. He stung the chimeric mutant straight in the eye. The beast shrieked in agony. It dropped Judy and staggered backwards, dragging its broken leg.
Dr. M snarled. It would take more than pestilential heroes to stop him and his beauties!
Carmelita and Vector helped Judy to her feet again. They all caught M's gaze. Judy raised her gun, cocked and ready.
It was Dr. M's move. Dead or alive, they were bringing him in!
Team 6, Marshlands
The Marshlands were an area of freshwater wetland in the north-western region of the city. Usually, it was quiet and serene. The gentle whisper of water and soft chorus of Mobini creatures would radiate softly from all directions.
But right now, the waters were constantly rippling as robots, troopers, mutants and creepy-crawly creatures advanced.
Rarity, also known as Radiance, was standing on a diamond construct to keep her hooves out of the water. She wasn't getting her hooves wet. Her bracelets aglow, the white Unicorn formed a giant fist out of magic energy. It flicked away two Changelings that flew at her. It turned into a pair of scissors and snipped the head off a Grublin. Several Splitterbots each got hit by a diamond projectile, causing them to explode.
Swamp troopers clad in green armour attempted to fire at Radiance. Their shots deflected harmlessly off more diamond shields. Radiance used her scissors to incapacitate them with nerve pinches. For the last trooper, however, she changed his armour into embarrassing clothes. Going red, the trooper scampered away.
Radiance didn't get much chance to snigger. A mutant Cobra hit her from behind with an oral blast of energy. This lifted Radiance off her platform. She landed in the marshy water in a heap. Dripping wet, slightly murky, and incensed, the beautiful Unicorn surged to her hooves and whirled on the Cobra. Next moment, a large missile materialized in front of Radiance and shot towards her assailant. The Cobra shrieked and ran for it.
Radiance glared after him. She was too distracted by what her hair and suit had been practically ruined to register that certain individuals were taking aim at her. Luckily for Radiance, Viperion had her back.
The snake-themed superhero shot out of the undergrowth. He wrapped his prehensile body around one of the invisible would-be attackers. The cry alerted Radiance, and as she looked round, the figure phased into sight. It was a Shadow trooper, garbed all in black.
The trooper managed to activate one of his flash grenades. A moment later, there was a blinding flash of light. Radiance and Viperion buckled, clutching at their faces, apparently blinded. As Viperion slid off his captive's body, he and his fellows primed their T-21 blaster rifles, ready to mow them down.
Just then, Sergeant James Byrd burst out of the water. The military Penguin slammed his helmeted head into the nearest trooper. Said trooper was knocked cold. Before her fellows could shoot Byrd, he dived back into the water. The elite squad scanned the water for tell-tale ripples.
Without warning, Viperion and Radiance sprang up. They had faked being blinded!
Of course, the Shadow Troopers weren't going down without a fight.
Radiance ducked a punch aimed at her neck. She tried to raise a shield, but the trooper had clamped a magic neutraliser on her horn. In retaliation, Radiance grabbed his arm in her hooves and twisted it hard. The trooper yelled in pain. Radiance threw him into his nearest comrade.
Viperion caught a vibroblade in his lyre and twisted it from a trooper's grip. Another trooper tackled him to the ground. Two more pounced on the boy. Viperion sank his sharpened fangs in a trooper's leg. This made him slacken his grip. Viperion took advantage of this to slither free, narrowly avoiding a shot.
Byrd emerged from the water again. He fired a missile. The troopers ducked it. One managed to disable Byrd's jetpack with a well-placed shot. Yet as he went down, Byrd managed to body-slam into the nearest soldier, tackling him to the ground. The Emperor Penguin then laced off another rocket towards more troopers. It didn't actually hit anyone, but the explosion did blow them off balance. Radiance downed them with energy constructs shaped like rocks.
Murray Beaufort slammed his fists together, igniting flames on his gloves. He delivered a powerful right hook to an Egg Pawn. It exploded in a plume of flame, catching a few fellows in the process. He slammed his powerful belly into a Shade Elite. The Hippo bopped a ZhiZhui on the head, hoisted it bodily from the ground and threw it as a projectile. The arachnid creature slammed into an Egg Hammer, which toppled over with a loud splash.
A mutant Elephant made a running charge at Murray. The Hippo caught the mutated Pachyderm's outstretched hands and brought his charge to a halt. With his attention focussed on Murray, the mutant had only a second's warning. Brax Lectrus struck the mutant over the head from behind, stunning him. Murray lifted the Elephant off his feet for a powerbomb. Brax grabbed the mutant around the chin. Together, they slammed their opponent to the ground, dunking him hard into the water.
Several Protomantises and Sith War Droids lumbered towards the two big guys from all sides. Murray and Brax shared a wink. Brax summoned two weapons - a Leviathan Flail and a Peacemaker. Tossing the Flail over his shoulder to Murray, the Khegral hefted the Peacemaker onto his shoulder and let loose with rockets. Protomantises and Droids blew up spectacularly. Murray swung the Flail about in wide arcs. The ball struck its targets with tremendous force, sending 'bots smashing into their fellows. Any shots that did make through simply deflected off their strong armour.
Of course, they didn't have unlimited ammo. And even armour couldn't completely neutralise the impact of countless shots. Soon, both Murray and Brax had run their weapons dry. Brax tried to summon more, but the continuous fire was disrupting even his honed focus. The war bots were closing in. Murray drew in a deep breath and let loose a Guttural Roar that shook the bots to their rivets. But they weren't cowed.
Just then, a haunting tune started up. At once, the war bots stopped firing. They began to sway and dance, as if in a trance. Which they were. Viperion was strumming his lyre, his eyes having turned yellow with slits for pupils.
Radiance, Byrd, Brax and Murray snickered at how silly the war droids were looking. But they still had a job to do.
Radiance created various hand-held weapons that pierced, shot, cleaved or blew up random droids. Byrd blew up some more with his own rockets. Murray smashed in faceplates with powerful punches. Brax riddled the rest with various laser shots.
As the last droid fell, Viperion ended his musical number. Murray gave him an appreciative pat on the shoulder. The snake-themed boy smiled.
However, they soon found themselves faced by a new threat, in the form of Shock, the Dark Guardian of Poison. He emerged from the trees at the edge of the marsh, leaving sickly green stains where his massive paws had been.
Before any of them could react, Shock unleashed a blast of gas from his mouth that had a sweet, musty smell; like peaches.
At once, all five heroes quickly ducked down, covering their noses and mouths. Viperion's Snake Miraculous did grant immunity to poisons, but even he wasn't taking chances with nerve gas!
Radiance could hear Shock thundering towards them, hoping to exploit their lack of defence. Reacting quickly, she formed a barrier in front of them. The resultant, almost-immediate, thud told her she'd been just in time.
Radiance created fans to blow the gas away, before getting to her feet. Her teammates did likewise.
Shock, though still a little dazed, was undeterred.
Brax and Byrd fired at the traitorous Dragon; as does Radiance with energy-created guns. But he raised a shield composed of Poison to protect himself. And Shock didn't stop there. A wave of Poison began to spread across the marshland. Grass withered. Flowers shrivelled and died. Mobini mini-beasts and fish perished.
At once, Radiance created a platform underneath herself and her friends and levitated them all clear, just in time. Alas, the white, beautiful Unicorn was starting to sweat and pant. She couldn't keep this up for much longer.
Shock spread his massive wings and soared up after the heroes. He shot jets of Poison and Acid after them. Brax and Byrd retaliated with gunfire. Murray tried unsuccessfully to intimidate Shock with Guttural Roars.
They had to think of some way to stop Shock; and fast!
The platform Radiance had created was starting to flicker.
Team 7, Gentle Heart Memorial Gardens
The sounds of battle seemed to have faded into almost nothing in the silence of the cemetery. In the presence of the dead, the wider world seemed insignificant and trivial.
ZhiZhuis, Shadow troopers, Changelings and Grublins were advancing between the headstones. They'd been lured there by a team of heroes. But they weren't sure why. Were they really trying to scare them or something? No way would a bunch of dead bodies stop them.
Manic Hedgehog, Cynder, Kit, Rena Rouge and Penelope Bouwmeester were huddled together behind a mausoleum. Manic was watching the enemy advance towards their location.
One of the ZhiZhui then did something that would prove extremely stupid in hindsight. It dared to reach into the nearest grave and pull up the skeletal remains of the dearly departed Human. It was hoping to draw out the heroes.
It did achieve the desired effect. Bristling at this defilement, Manic turned to the others with a grim expression and nodded once. Rena Rouge and Cynder grinned at each other.
A Shadow trooper glanced around uneasily as he edged past graves. He was thankful that his helmet hid his face, because he was sweating with nerve. One of the heroes they'd been pursuing had been Cynder. She was said to have unnatural abilities connected with the undead. What if she…?
He shook his head a little. No way. The reports had to have been exaggerating. He had to focus. After all, an enemy could easily attack a distracted foe in the dark…
The trooper blinked beneath his helmet. How had it gotten dark so quickly?!
His comrades were just as surprised. But then, they remembered that Cynder had Shadow abilities. That had to be it!
Next moment, the ground began to shake slightly beneath their feet. Was it an earthquake?! No, that wasn't possible! The city was far away from any fault lines.
A skeletal hand covered in rotting flesh burst suddenly from one of the graves. Then, the reanimated Mobian Horse rose slowly from the grave. Dirt tumbled off his decaying form. Dead eyes stared at the intruders to his resting place.
And he wasn't alone. More people emerged from their graves too. The Human skeletal unearthed moments before also came to life (figuratively speaking).
At first, the troops did nothing. Surely, this had to be an illusion, courtesy of Rena Rouge… until the zombie Horse's shrivelled hand closed on the nearest trooper.
At this, he opened fire. His comrades, trying to resist the feeling of dread that was settling over them, did likewise. The ZhiZhuis slashed at them with their various weapons. The Changelings bit at them with their fangs. The Grublins dove into the earth to try and stop the zombies.
But, unsurprisingly, the zombies could not be stopped by laser shots, dismemberment, bites or internment. The Changelings, terrified of being devoured, flew up and away from them. However, even this didn't help. Something large grabbed them out of the air.
The Shadow troopers had just watched some of the ZhiZhuis get ripped apart before their eyes. They decided to make a tactical retreat. Using a grenade to blow a gap in the horde, they activated their cloaking devices, and filed quickly into the shadowy mist. They kept close together, in case more zombies appeared.
The Grublins dived into the earth for cover. The ZhiZhuis went in another direction.
Strangely, the zombie horde didn't pursue.
The ZhiZhuis didn't get far. They soon ran into what appeared to be a very tiny girl. She blinked up at them innocently. The spider creatures quickly overcame their surprise and raised their weapons to strike.
The girl's blue eyes flashed red. Then, she grew, rapidly, into a giant metallic monster that towered over the ZhiZhuis.
The spider creatures took swipes at the monster that towered over them. But, as with the zombies, their weapons barely phased the metal monster. She took massive swipes at the ZhiZhuis before her. One, she squashed with her large hand. Another tried to withdraw to a safe distance. This proved a mistake, as a second mechanic monster reared up behind it. It was the last thing the creature ever saw.
Ghostly wails reached the ears of the fleeing troopers. The ground beneath their feet continued to shake at regular intervals. But they pressed on. One decided to call for reinforcements by pressing a button on his comm-link.
Something struck him hard on the side of the head. This startled his comrades. He was invisible. How had he-?
Another was struck in the chest by a flying piece of earth.
At this, the troopers fired in all directions. But there was no sound of bolts hitting flesh.
A blur of blue and silver swept through their ranks. Two more troopers fell. A third was tackled by a green figure, which whacked him across the helmet, before abruptly vanishing again.
The remaining troopers had their blasters shot out of their hands from random directions. This left them unarmed.
By now, the troopers' morale was completely shot. They couldn't explain why. It didn't make any sense; they were trained to be professional, no matter the situation. Whatever it was, they simply huddled together in fright.
From the shadowy mist emerged Cynder, hovering on a flow of Wind with her wings outstretched. Her face and wings were now bone white with black markings. Her eyes were pupil-less pools of poison green. The symbol of the Undead was emblazoned on her chest in the centre of an outer ribcage. Ghostly spectres swirled around her. Her hands were spread out.
The troopers edged backwards, trying not to make any sudden moves that might provoke Cynder. They jumped when something dropped right in front of them. It turned out to be the Grublins, all crushed together into a tight ball.
Cynder smirked at the sight of the cowering troopers. So much for the Empire's elite force! Either their training wasn't as effective as they thought, or her Fear powers were stronger as she thought.
A massive three-headed mechanic monster reared up suddenly behind Cynder. Red eyes gleamed down at the troopers. Smoke furled from their nostrils. Unconscious Changelings dangled from their maws.
Cynder began to gather energy around her paws; clearly, her coup de grace.
At first, the troopers finally lost it. They turned and fled, screaming and wailing, stumbling over each other in their haste to escape.
The moment they were gone, the shadowy mist dissipated. The zombie horde from earlier vanished. The first metallic monster to appear turned back into Kit. Penelope had her Hydra mech put the Changelings down.
Manic and Rena Furtive approached Cynder, grinning as the black Dragoness returned to normal. Cynder laughed - rather darkly, it was true - but her teammates remembered how elite troopers were sent running in fear. They too began to laugh, even as the team exchanged fist bumps and hi-fives. Cynder and Rena in particular performed a sort of complicated handshake, which involved slaps and bumps, high and low.
Even Abyss, who was watching from a rooftop nearby, saw the humour in what had happened. The giant spider-like Kwami of Fear was actually impressed by their elaborate ruse. Using fear to scare enemies away; that was something she definitely approved of. In another life, they could have been valuable allies to her…
Abyss gave a shrug, which made her large breasts bounce a little, as red webs formed in her four hands. Such were the current circumstances. It was time to show these idealistic fools what real fear was!