Homeless For the Holidays, Season 2: The Battle of Penguin Point

Prologue- An Old Family Restaurant

Penguin Point Penitentiary. To outsiders, it was merely a family restaurant, a place to stop for a meal with the kids before moving on. Above all, it was cheap, which was the only excuse parents needed in an economy as poor as this one. But they never stayed for long. The only ones who stayed for long in this place were the few cursed for their wrongdoings, those forced to remain here until their souls rotted away. For that was the true nature of this place. Wesley knew it all too well.

Ten years, to the day. You would think that any man would lose track after such a long stretch of time. But Wesley kept track. He counted every rise and fall of the sun as he swung his mop back and forth across the tiles. "How?," he would often repeat to himself. The one-word question could mean a number of things; how had Baker survived his imprisonment here? How had he found his true power in such a situation? How had he been strong enough to stop my scheme? But answers never came. All that came was the call of the warden, Eddie, beckoning him back to his cell for the night. To await another sunrise. Reluctantly, he did so, for this was the fate he was stuck with ever since he had bet everything against Baker and lost. Another sunrise was all that awaited him now.

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"Jack! Get up!," he heard, the familiar feeling of water splashing onto his face causing him to jolt up out of bed. "Sheryl," he said, half relieved and half upset. Before he could continue, however, his wife interjected "they're attacking again."

There was no need to continue. Ever since Wesley had built the nether portal ten years ago, demons had been wreaking havoc all over town, even after their master's imprisonment. Even if he couldn't find a way to stop them for good, Jack had sworn to defend the homeless shelter at all costs. Running out of his tent, he spotted his foe, a humanoid beast wearing what looked to the untrained eye like a security guard outfit. Brandishing its flashlight, the creature set its sights on Jack, raising its weapon over its head as it charged. Lacking the time to properly prepare, he leapt out of the way, firing his grappling hook at the demon as it charged past him. It shrugged off the attack, turning to face its opponent once more.

"Die, monster!," Jack challenged, "you don't belong in this world!" In a horrific, deep voice, it replied "it was not by my hand that I was once again given flesh. I was called forth by lord Wesley, in order to pay him tribute!" "Tribute?," Jack fired back, "Wesley steals childrens' souls, and makes men lose their jobs!" "Perhaps the same could be said of all men," the sentient creature said with what looked like a shrug. Shaking his head, Jack replied "your words are as empty as your soul. Mankind ill needs a savior such as him." "And WHAT is a man?!," the guard roared, enraged, "a miserable little pile of secrets! But enough talk. Have at you!"

Just then, it charged again. Jack was able to dodge by sliding under the guard's legs, confusing it for a moment. Brandishing his katana, he slashed at his foe's back, hearing as it roared in pain. Whirling on him, it brought its flashlight down, the force of the attack requiring Jack to use both hands to block. Rearing up for another strike, Jack slashed at just the right angle, knocking both of their weapons to the ground. The monster followed through with a kick, knocking Jack several feet back as he coughed up blood. It let out some kind of diabolical chuckle.

"Is this the strength of the man who defeated Lord Wesley?," it asked, retrieving its baton with a flourish. Approaching the injured man, it prepared for the killer blow. "Omae wa, mou shinderu," Jack said, and as the baton came within centimeters of his head, it suddenly stopped. "N-Nani?," the security guard gasped, bewildered. Suddenly, it flew over Jack's head, crashing into the ground behind him with the force of nine reindeer. Even for a demon, such strength was unbelievable, and Baker had done it without even touching him! Seconds later, Jack's stand revealed itself, taking the form of a humanoid penguin with rippling muscles. "S-so strong...," the guard muttered, barely able to speak after such an injury. "You see," Jack explained as he approached his defeated foe, "Foreigner gains strength for every dollar I donate to the homeless. It was only thanks to your master that I learned this power."

The guard could barely muster a response other than coughing up some blood. Rolling his eyes, Jack, pointed at its face, his stand grabbing it by the throat. "Talk now," he commanded, "why do your forces continue to attack the shelter, even ten years after Wesley's defeat?" The creature coughed again, answering in a panicked tone "our only wish is to free lord Wesley from his prison... we will do this by any means... necessary!" Jack snapped, and Foreigner lifted the guard's head, slamming it back into the ground and forcing another pained groan out of it. "WHERE ARE THEY???," he shouted, his tone scaring even the hellish being. "P-Penguin Point!," it answered, terrified, "he's being held at Penguin Point! I swear that's all I know!"

"Penguin Point," Jack repeated. It was almost ironic. The same place Wesley had had him imprisoned ten years ago... he now met the same fate. He doubted his foe would find a way out of such a place, and he had no desire to taunt his adversary the way he had taunted Jack during his own captivity. But if he left things as they were, the homeless shelter would be in danger for untold years. One way or another, he had to try.

Turning back to the guard, he heard whimpering pleas for mercy. Unfortunately, he had tried mercy in the past. He had shown it to Wesley, the very man who would become his archnemesis, back when they were merely master and apprentice. And if nothing else, Jack had learned that mercy was not an option worth entertaining. Waving his hand as he walked away, the Baker heir said "you're as cold as ice." With that, Foreigner flexed its fist, and within microseconds, the guard's body instantly transformed into pure ice, retaining its shape but completely devoid of life. Its duty finished, Foreigner faded away, awaiting its master's next call.

Picking up his phone, Jack sent a message to his wife, who had likely evacuated with the rest of the shelter. "Get the kids and the van," his text read, "we're going to an old family restaurant."