Paladin's Academy

Act I, Chapter 3: Street-side Rescue

A standoff has emerged between the three men and the hero. It looks like Quinn's desperate prayer has finally been answered.

The hero sports a black jacket with white and yellow highlights. His mask covers his entire face, while his suit covers his entire body.  On his chest, right on the upper right-hand side, there is a little "SW," yet on his back, the "SW" is as big as a number on a jersey. The three men fidget between themselves; they know exactly who he is and how low their chances of winning are. Yet they stand their ground as Joseph steps forward, pointing at the hero.

"Streetwise!" he screams, "This doesn't concern you. Leave now, and your transgression will be forgiven!" 

Streetwise gently places Quinn down on the floor. He wipes the blood off his face and creates a makeshift bandage to wrap around his arms and legs.

"Hey, everything's going to be okay. I got this," Streetwise says, trying to comfort Quinn.

"Thank you," Quinn smiles, as he passes out.

Streetwise gently places Quinn down, as he stands up and walks slowly toward the men. 

All three stand frozen as if they've lost control of their legs. Joseph musters up the courage to walk forward, confronting Streetwise.

"Don't you ignore me, boy, I said leave before it's-"

With one fell swoop, Streetwise punches Joseph in the gut, sending him flying. The blow creates a small shockwave that knocks the other two back. The wall crumbles from the force of impact, covering Joseph in debris.

"So, are you two just going to stand there? Or?" Streetwise asks, putting his hands in his pocket.

The two men quickly charge him, but the gap in their power is too far apart. They try to land their hits, but Streetwise is just too fast for them.

Streetwise deals a swift kick right on the second man's face, knocking him out.  The third man immediately backs off, creating distance between the two.

"How about this?" Streetwise approaches the third man, "I'll give this one to you for free," He says as he points at his face.

"You son of a Bitch!!" the third man exclaims as he punches him. However, the hit doesn't connect; there seems to be something stopping the blow.

"What's wrong, scared?" Streetwise remarks. "Here, look closer."

Suddenly, invisible ropes bind the third man's body, rendering him unable to escape.

"What the hell are these things?" The third man screams.

"Well, they're these-"

Using the ropes, Streetwise slams the man into the ceiling and then onto the floor, causing him to pass out. 

"Guess you'll never know." Streetwise chuckles.

Joseph then rises out of the rubble, to the surprise of the hero. His bloodshot eyes glared at the two heroes.

"How was your nap?" Streetwise quips.

"This is not the end, STREETWISEEEEE!!!"

Joseph extends his arms out, lifting the other two men telekinetically. When all three make contact, a bright flash of light erupts from the trio. The light dissipates, revealing the three have combined into one, a creature with three heads, a pair of wings, and six arms. Their combined form is called 'Tatlos.'

"And the boss has entered his second phase," Streetwise laughs.

Tatlos tries to hit him, but Streetwise is still too fast for them. He continues jumping around as Tatlos uses his wings to try and catch up.

"What's the point in combining?" Streetwise replies while hitting Tatlos in the chest. "You may have gained thrice the strength, but you also tripled your stupidity!"

Tatlos finally catches an opening, but unfortunately for him, Streetwise's defenses are up. Something takes the hit for him, causing Streetwise to bounce back.  Tatlos goes on the offensive, trying to hit him, but it feels like there is a forcefield between the two of them. Streetwise then yawns and looks at his phone.

"Are you even trying?" Streetwise questions.

Streetwise then goes on the offensive, unleashing a flurry of attacks, and landing consecutive punches and kicks.  Tatlos continues throwing wild haymakers, only managing to hit the air. Even with their power tripled, Tatlos stood no chance against him.

Something materializes from Streetwise's arms. Numerous glowing white ropes burst out as he wraps it around Tatlos' body. He then proceeds to throw the beast around, slamming him to the nearby wall until he throws them up, smashing the roof. Streetwise then jumps up and socks the three heads all at once, causing the three men to split apart, and land on each other's bodies.

"Three strikes, and they're out!" Streetwise quips.

Numerous police sirens can be heard outside.  "Uh, oh," Streetwise whispers to himself. He uses his ropes to grab Quinn from the side. He then jumps to the roof and makes his escape, barely avoiding the police.