The Alta Heroes (J.F.)

Unintentional Salt to Another Wound

Silencer, holding Raptor close to him, sets him down on his bottom as he makes his brother sit up while he reaches for his belt. Fear courses through his veins as he just manages to find the ointment for his brother's injuries. Removing the entity's robes, Silencer firmly rubs the ointment on his wound located on his back. Thankfully, it's just a severe bolt that left some severe burns. The village they pillaged a month ago has really good ointment that can painlessly heal burns. Once the stuff is applied, Raptor sighs with relief.
"I swear, you need to be more careful," Silencer sits criss-cross applesauce before continuing his lecture. "We're not our master." His scolding is soon interrupted by Raptor going on the defensive.
"Brother, it was just an accident. I've been through worse." Raptor's remarks earn him more scolding from his brother.
"Yeah; and last time you said that, you nearly bled to death from picking a fight with two of Demlordian's knights."
"They had it coming, and you know it," Raptor remarks once again. Silencer, although wanting to think of a good comeback, sighs and continues a civil talk with Raptor.
"Yes, yes. Just don't tell father about it."
"Don't tell me what?" Evilkin's voice shakes them out of their conversation like that. His holographic presence appears on the communication device the rational brother dropped whilst grabbing the potion for the crazy brother. Silencer immediately grabs the device so that he and Raptor can speak with their master.
"Father. How goes things on your end?" Raptor says, hoping to ease themselves out of the situation.
"It isn't as tedious compared to your situation. How's your journey?" The cold entity says whilst his arms are crossed. These two better not be slacking off again or he swears.
"Well, it's going. We haven't made much progress yet, but it's going," Raptor spits recklessly. Silencer looks at Raptor like he'd just spelled doom for them. He wants to smack his brother on the back of his head, but he knows that wouldn't solve the problem. Thankfully, because they are just starting their journey, their skins are saved.
"Fine. Raptor, be more careful. Silencer, don't baby him. He can heal himself," Evilkin says after a sigh. The two brothers nod before Evilkin continues talking.
"Just continue this mission, and don't let these blunders become frequent." Evilkin then ends the call with both brothers trying to decide what to do next.
"Let's go to another location after I heal up," Raptor blurts out.
"What? What about-" Silencer gets cut off when Raptor explains himself.
"Just let those kids go for now. They're not a threat to us. At least, not yet."
"Well, why not kill them now?" He asks, quite annoyed at this answer from his brother.
"Where's the fun in that?" Raptor snarks.
"Because they'll become a threat to us later!" Silencer shouts angrily.
"Brother, these kids are too weak. Let them improve their craft. Plus, you and I hadn't had a good fight in three months. Three months!" Raptor explains sarcastically but passionately. Silencer rolls his eyes in annoyance before thinking for a moment. Yes; his brother can be a bit arrogant, but he did have a point here and there. Also, he's got a point regarding them not having a good fight in a while.
"What do you suggest we do? Let them get strong enough to at least try and kill us?" Silencer sarcastically comments.
"Exactly! They've got potential. You don't wanna squander that, do you? Here's this: we'll let them improve, learn to be a better team, give us the fight we desire, and then we'll slaughter them. Better yet, we can even track down and murder the ones they love. That sound good?" Raptor questions. Silencer agrees, despite having much doubt in his mind.
"Fine. But, what about that town? I owe that man for shooting you."
"Ohh, we'll just paint the town in his blood." Raptor chuckles along with Silencer as they look for new locations they could visit. On the other side, darkness is all Asori is surrounded by. However, her consciousness forces her to get up, her eyes squinting a bit before adjusting to the hospital room in front of her. It's very clean and well decorated. The pearly white walls, the marble floors, comfy beds, and some get well soon balloons. Asori immediately looks to see Ashley sitting there. She's getting up as well although she doesn't want to. Asori hops outta bed to wake her, shaking a bit frantically to get the job done.
"Ashley, wake up!" Asori says firmly.
"Five more minutes," Ashley grunts.
"Ashley, now!" Asori yells while shaking Ashley. The redhead smacks her hands away from her and stands up with a jolt.
"Fine, fine! God!" Ashley snarls. Asori can't help but cringe at that reaction. Ashley immediately regrets her outburst shown through her guilty frown and slight head turn. Getting out of bed herself, the two look to see Dennis opening the door.
"I see you kids are up. You feeling ok?" He asks compassionately.
"Yeah, we're good. How about the others?" Asori asks with concern. Dennis leads them into another room where an older man stares down at them with a stern, angry face. Jayden, Shadow Bird, and Aubrey see them enter the room, their faces wracked with sorrow and guilt. It doesn't take long for the five misfits to be sat down near a separate table to be scolded by the police commissioner.
"What the hell were you kids thinking?!" The man yells right off the bat. The entire team, aside from Asori, doesn't feel frightened by this man's tone. The police commissioner places his hands on his scaly temple before taking a breath from his snout and continuing his scolding.
"I mean, these were dangerous men from another universe or whatever! You could've gotten other people killed! You all could have gotten killed!" Jayden, right after this yelling, tries to explain their reasoning for their apparent recklessness.
"Sir, please let us explain!"
"No! I talk, you listen! Got it?!" Jayden shuts up at that point, knowing he can't say anything that won't lead to them getting arrested.
"I don't care if you're from another universe or whatever! You kids aren't superheroes from a comic book! You don't just go off and fight a bunch of psychos just because you have those weird powers you got! God, how could you kids be so stupid?!" The police commissioner nearly screams with all the rage he has left in him. The team isn't intimidated by this as mentioned before, Asori's nervousness fading only slightly thanks to being with the team. They've practically been in these situations one too many times. They can handle it. A few short moments pass of the police commissioner walking back and forth. His arms are crossed and he takes a few deep breaths to calm himself down. Once he calms down, however, he turns to the team of teens, his stern scowl not leaving his face.
"Okay, what do you have to say for yourselves?" The man barks. The team takes glances at each other before looking back at the man. How can they spin it in a way he can understand? How can they convince this man he should let them go? Asori, out of instinct, raises her hand to defend the team.
Vincent looks at her and says, "Ok, missy. Let's hear you out." Although Jayden wanted to speak first, he'd figured Asori should contribute her worth to the team. Taking a deep breath, the purple and black-robed young lady speaks up.
"You know how we're from another universe, right?"
"Well, from what Dennis told me," The man says whilst taking a quick look at the lieutenant.
"And from what else you told him: you guys met this entity named Starsis, he sent you here to collect some crystal shards, he even gave you those superpowers, and that's where your story ends so far," The man says. Asori nods before speaking up again.
"And if we don't get all the shards in time, Evilkin, his evil brother, will use all his restored power to enslave the entire multiverse in darkness. So, please sir. We have to leave here. Now," Asori says with desperation dancing in her voice. The police commissioner sighs once again as he turns his back on the teen team.
"Why can't this Starsis guy do this one himself?" The police commissioner mutters under his breath.
"He's working on a project to seal his brother away forever. Sir, I know you're worried about us, but we can handle ourselves. Just please let us go," Asori pleads. The man turns back to them, the teens' gazes just pleading with the man to let them go and continue their journey. Placing his hands on his hips, the man takes another deep breath to think this through, his eyes closed whilst thinking. These kids should be in school. These kids probably have families worried sick about them. Why the hell are they risking their lives just for some powerful guy?
"Vincent, please," Dennis says. Opening his eyes, Vincent looks at Dennis with a look suggesting the insanity at that statement. Then, he looks back at the team, and then back at Dennis. Soon, his focus goes back to the team along with a final sigh.
"Fine," Vincent says in defeat. These kids are good kids. They deserve to try and save the multiverse or whatever. Plus, it will only be a matter of time before they break out of their incarceration.
"Thank you so much, sir," Asori says with a bit of joy in her voice. Everyone gets up from their seats and walks towards the door.
Vincent orders, "Hold on, now." Vincent makes the team face him so he can say some final words to them.
"You kids stay out of trouble," Vincent says sternly. The team, taking glances at each other, nod their heads to the man.
"Will do, sir," Jayden says before shaking his hand. The team then shakes his hand as well to show this man the respect he deserves.
"We never got your last name, sir," Shadow Bird says with a charismatic look on his face.
"Commissioner Lovecraft of Fic-City," Vincent says with a more relaxed tone.
"Nice to meet you," Asori says with a relaxed smile before the team walks out the door. Vincent wants to stop them, wants to convince them what they're doing is stupid, but a bigger part of himself tells him to stop worrying about these kids. They can take care of themselves, after all.
"Here you guys go," Dennis says as he hands the teens the items that were dropped during the fight, the backpack and device being one of them.
"Thanks, Dennis. See you around," Jayden says more positively.
"Sure thing, you guys. Be sure to come back sometime," Dennis tells them with a smile. Jayden thinks for a minute before following up with his own comments.
"We'll think about it," Jayden says, some head nods from the group following suit before they leave the station. A call soon rings on the device as the group answers it right off the bat. Starsis appears with a look of chill and kindness.
"How goes the journey, kids?" Starsis says in a cheery tone.
"Ohh, we just got one of the shards from Fic-City. And, we had a run-in with Silencer and Raptor," Jayden admits while he and the team walk. The light entity's smile fades into a frown whilst speaking with the team.
"I see. Did they beat you kids pretty bad?" He asks sadly.
"Dude, it's ok. We've all been through worse," Ashley admits, her and Jayden's black eyes having been healed by Fic-City's advanced medical technology.
"Well, keep it up. You've been inactive for two days straight, and I fear Evilkin's sons will collect more shards than what you already have," Starsis warns in a more firm voice. Asori's eyes widen at that point. Shit! They need to find a new location now!
"Understood, Starsis," Jayden says, his tone just as firm as the man who's calling them. The call ends soon after that exchange with the team walking toward a nearby park to sit down and get together a game plan for the next location.
"Maybe we should try that one. It's the one closest to the other locations," Asori says whilst pointing to the far left location. The location in particular looked as if she's suggesting they're going to the arctic. Ashley can use her fire to keep herself warm, but that for sure won't last long. The leader, after looking at the location for a while, turns his focus towards the other locations.
"I'm feeling this location would work the best for us," Jayden says as he points his finger towards the far right location. It looks like the location is nothing but a landscape of eternal rain. What's worse is that the place is called the Fog of Despair.
"Dude, that's incredibly depressing," Shadow Bird remarks, Aubrey having the same reaction.
"Yeah. Don't you think we should go for something... happier?" Aubrey suggests calmly.
"Well, I think we can handle it. Just because it looks depressing doesn't mean we can't push through it," Jayden suggests in a rational, collected verbal gesture. This is so the team can grow stronger in all the right ways, according to him. It's what many of his heroes did. So why can't they? Aubrey feels a bit stupid for giving that comment, this being best shown through her frown. However, this isn't the time for her pouting fit, for the multiverse is at stake.
"Ok. This location is right up your ally, Asori," Shadow Bird remarks as he clicked toward the Village of Mythical Arts. Asori's eye lit up from this realization, but she remains determined with her choice of location.
"I mean, it does look interesting, but I'm more for my location," Asori admits without any shame whatsoever. Ashley, her emerald eyes having caught the last specific location, opens her mouth to voice her opinion.
"This location looks pretty good." Ashley points out her suggested location just after saying those words. The Blasphemous Scorcher appeared like the volcanos there are more dangerous than Mount St. Helens during its eruption in 1980. The team then looks over to the location and makes looks of great intrigue, and a great amount of fear. Shadow Bird knows that volcanoes can be deadly, so how the hell will Ashley know the volcanos won't erupt on them? Asori, filled with fear, opens her mouth to try to convince Ashley to chill with this location.
"You sure about that? I mean, we might get scorched alive if we even stepped foot on that fire pit." Ashley sighs in annoyance before opening her mouth to go and bat for her location.
"Well, at least we don't have to freeze to death and instead see some cool ass stuff."
"Uh, this location isn't a blizzard, Ashley, as you can see," Asori says while she shows the team her location again. This is the Clearsky Glaciers, not Antarctica. Asori doubts that when they get there; and when they're searching for the shard, they'll freeze to death.
"Maybe the same could be said about my location," Ashley says in a snarky, semi-angry tone.
"Dude, you're suggesting this location just so that you could see some things explode. How about we get to one where we're focused on the mission instead of traveling to cool places?" Asori says in the same annoyed tone as her. Jayden's anger builds up inside him. He doesn't want this anymore and these guys need to get their shit together. God, why is this bullshit happening again?! For Christ's sake, this is just about locations they're trying to find, and they think now it's time for another one of their petty arguments?! Jayden's anger starts showing through his face forming into one of fury. Aubrey notices this. A part of her wants to try and calm him down, but she feels she'll only make things worse. Shadow Bird has the same mindset as the yellow hooded teen as the situation escalates.
"Look, I just had a suggestion for a shard we could get! Why are you acting like a bitch who hates fun?!" Ashley snaps.
"Hey, it's not my fault I was raised by a total dickhead who controlled my life! I'm sorry I'm not a happy-go-lucky flower girl this team needs-" Asori's snapping back gets cut off before it even starts.
"Guys, stop!" Everyone finds themselves unable to speak thanks to Jayden lashing out. After some silence, Asori's shaky mouth opens up.
"J-Jayden, we're sorry. We-" Asori's apology gets shut up by Jayden's command.
"Why don't you two go for a walk?" Jayden says in a calmer tone.
"Dude, we-" Ashley's pleas immediately get shot down by Jayden's frustration.
"Just go! Now!" Jayden nearly screams. The two girls, after a short moment of standing still, leave in separate directions. Aubrey and Shadow Bird go together on a walk too to clear their heads. Jayden places his hand on his forehead and sighs. Why? Why can't these two just stop fighting over stupid shit? What are they gonna fight over now? How they think one Linkin Park song is better than another? Taking three deep breaths to calm himself down, Jayden goes back to looking at locations so that the team doesn't have shitstorms like this again. Ashley leans her back against the wall of a random building in utter defeat. Her eyes seem like waterfalls have buildup in her eyes. She wants to cry. Let out all of the pain she's been forced to bear since she was a kid. But, what good will that do? Crying isn't gonna fix her past. Crying isn't going to make her team like her. And, most of all. Crying won't bring her parents back. Speaking of her parents, she pulls out her locket from her pants pocket. This is the last thing she's gotten from her parents. Well, from what she remembers at least. They're so happy. So full of life and hope. They're ashamed of her, so why else haven't they called or written a letter to their kid? Tears soon escaped her eyes, some of them landing on the locket. Ashley quickly wipes her tears away with her arm and lets out only a sniffle. Putting the locket in her pocket, Ashley took a deep breath and made her way back to the park. Asori's expression is no different. She's mentally done right now. It's like everything she does pisses people off. Speaking of pissing off, that's what Asori's starting to feel right now. Why can't Ashley stop being angry with her?! She's trying her best, and she's just being a total douchebag! Sighing in frustration, Asori holds her head down in shame. Why is she being so critical of her right now? That's sure as hell not going to fix herself. She needs to try harder so that what happened between her and Jerrod doesn't happen again. That's a fate worse than death. Taking a deep breath, Asori goes back to the park. During her walk back, Sam comes up to her.
"Yo, Asori!" Asori turns to see Sam coming to greet her.
"Hey, Sam," Asori says in a more somber tone.
"Heard about the fight you guys got into? You ok?" Sam says with genuine concern in her voice.
"Yeah. We're fine. What's up?" Asori asks. Sam soon thereafter hands her a comic book which makes Asori's eyes beam with excitement.
"Dude, this Vader comic is what I've been hoping for all my life!" Asori says whilst she holds the Darth Vader and the Lost Command comic tightly. It's exactly how the purple and black-robed girl envisioned it. Beautiful, articulate, and domineering. Just like the Dark Lord himself.
"Thanks so much!" Asori squeals with delight.
Sam remarks, "No prob. It's just my way of saying thanks for keeping those creeps from destroying my shop."
"Of course, Sam. Well, I better get going. See you around," Asori says as she runs toward the park area. The gal wears a stupid smile on her face as she runs towards the park. Asori's definitely gonna come back here. This place is so cool. And, it's filled with genuinely good people here. Aubrey and Shadow Bird stroll through the park as they silently contemplate what to do next. Aubrey can't help but feel scared for the team. How are they gonna rise above this? What are they gonna do? Are Ashley and Asori gonna continue fighting? Aubrey hides these worries with a neutral frown. She needs to be in control, after all. Shadow Bird feels the same way. Even though those guys honestly scared the crap out of him with their sheer power, he knows he can't just buckle down to this pressure. Many of his idols never do that. Moments of silent walking later, and Dr. Mackinder's calm voice soon enters the scene.
"Well, how are you two doing?" The two teens' doubts and fears soon go away before giving small smiles to the psychologist.
"Hey, Dr. Mackinder," Aubrey says with forced cheerfulness.
"How are you two doing?" The man asks truthfully.
"We're good. Sure, we got our asses kicked; but it wasn't that bad," Shadow Bird boasts.
Dr. Mackinder says wearily, "Be sure not to take things too lightly, Young man. You five could've gotten killed out there."
"We know, Mr. Mackinder. But, we just did what we had to do. Do you know Spider-Man's famous quote?" Aubrey says in a determined manner.
"Ahh. With great power comes great responsibility, correct?" Dr. Mackinder responds.
"Yep. Although Commissioner Lovecraft wasn't too happy about what we did, we thought it was right," Aubrey admits unapologetically.
Wisely, Dr. Mackinder says, "Be sure not to take on too much responsibility, you two. Sometimes, just because you can do something doesn't mean you should, for you're only going to apply too many things onto your plate."
Aubrey says politely, "Will do, sir."
Dr. Mackinder explains, "I mean, those two were frightening, don't get me wrong. However, they're not the only terrors this city's experienced." The teens' curiosity soon peaks at that point. Terrors? Is there a supervillain or two in this town? However, they're forced to drop it once they remember their mission.
Dr. Mackinder, with a smile, only says, "Well, I best be off."
Aubrey chuckles and says, "Us too, Doctor."
Shadow Bird says proudly, "See ya around, Doc." The two then make their way back to the park where Dr. Mackinder looks on for a short moment before walking towards another place. Jayden looks through the location options whilst his team is out and about. After some thinking, he internally admits his team isn't mentally prepared for the Fog of Despair. Perhaps they'll visit it when it's the second to last location. He feels choosing either the Blasphemous Scorcher or Clearsky Glaciers will only provoke another mental scuffle between Ashley and Asori. So, he mentally makes his decision. The four team members soon arrive with Jayden standing up and looking at the team with a serious look.
"You guys ready?" Jayden asks, hoping the team's gotten their shit together. The team nod to reassure Jayden they're good.
"We're going to the Valley." The team makes their way towards him as he gets the device ready for takeoff. They soon teleport away from Fic-City, their spirits still intact, but their mental strengths barely surviving the mental attacks.