|| ✨ 2022 WATTYS WINNER ✨ || || x8 FEATURED || Kill the monsters. Claim the bounty. Escape to Alaska. ------------ Ten years ago, an event known as The Turning upset the balance of Earth's ecosystems. Demons emerged from the depths of Hell, dragging along with them obscure creatures from old myths and legends. In the midst of all this chaos, eighteen-year-old Raine Barlow makes a living by hunting monsters. No price is too high, no monster is too deadly. Her goal is simple: to make enough money to escape to Alaska -- where her parents are rumored to be held. And Raine just might be able to do it: the mayor of Eureka has agreed to pay her $10,000 to escort his young daughter to the City of Dust -- a former metropolis surrounded by walls and secrets. Armed with poison-tipped crossbow bolts, her own brand of small magic, and an aging battle-elk named Winston, Raine and her charge must trek across the dust-covered and desolate stretches of a California highway, all the while trying to avoid the monsters and demons who are trying to take over the world. Cover created by @Shreya_VA

"I know, he hits me, but it's okay. It's just another form of punishment, I'm strong, I can take it." Harsh yellow eyes narrowed at this, Bronze felt his heart rate pick up on instinct. The man mirrored Silverflash's rage, highlighting their similarities to be crystal clear. Both men tower over Bronze; both demand perfection; both crave molding him into a shadow of themselves. One lacks concern for his physical well being, one casts aside his mental. "Bronze." He stumbled back, ripped from his thoughts. The man was above him, standing as Silverflash would before a beating. "Bronze, are you afraid right now?" His pride wanted him to answer the question with a strong, defiant no, but his trembling body betrayed him. He couldn't move a muscle. The past five years Bronze had to train himself to respond as such before being beaten to death. "Answer me," he shut his eyes. No matter what he does or says, no matter how he begs, Silverflash will always beat him. This man won't be any different. "This is what I mean, Bronze. If it's just another form of punishment to keep you in line, then why are you too afraid to answer me? Has it made you afraid?" It felt like minutes passed in silence, Bronze had almost forgotten the question before he could bear to answer with a muffled: "I... I don't know." "Should a punishment ever make a child shutdown with fear?" "I'm not a child!" The words spat out like venom. Masked eyes slightly crinkled, the lunatic was smiling. The boy was wrong, he was a child - but the determination - the spirit! The man knew he could train Bronze, mold this abused soul into exactly what he wanted. "How do you feel about an apprenticeship?" * * * This memory rolled over in Bronze's head as he lay in bed. He was disgusted himself by even thinking of it, the man was a murderer. Even so, it still felt he had a choice to make, a life-long one at that: Bronze, Silverflash's sidekick, hero of Hildburn, or Coppershot, a world-class assassin's protégé?

Robin is kidnapped by Slade after the Red X incident. Unable to escape, Robin must endure the hardship under Slade's capture. After Robin is nearly beaten to death, Slade's friend intervenes on Robin's behalf and demands they start anew. But will the bond they begin to form tear down Robin's morals, or will it throw the old saying "Can't teach an old dog new tricks" out on its tail? Full Summary: Robin; the Boy Wonder; ex-protégé of Batman the Dark Knight; leader of the Teen Titans; protector of Jump City, California; and civilian named Richard 'Dick' Grayson never imagined that certain decisions he'd make would have such a transcending impact in his life. What was a simple decision to go undercover and try to win the trust of his arch enemy, Slade, only ended up destroying the trust of his four best friends. Not only that, the enigma Slade has his single eye on Robin and desires the Boy Wonder's abilities for himself. Kidnapped by the all powerful criminal, Robin cannot hope to escape and must endure the terrible hardship of being under the man's capture. In the midst of his struggles to escape, Robin does something dangerously foolish and ends up being harshly punished; beaten until unconscious. Angry at Robin's treatment, Slade's best friend, Wintergreen, intervenes on his behalf and demands that Slade change his tactic so that the two of them may start anew. 'Who is Slade?' Will Robin be able to see past the stiff molds of Hero and Villain? Will he ever be able to see past the mask and see the true man behind it? And will the bond they begin to slowly form tear down Robin's morals; or will it throw the old saying "Can't teach an old dog new tricks" out on its tail? A story of sorrow, of pain, of hope, and of change - the impossible tale between a Hero and a Villain, and that even the blackest of hearts have a glimmer of light within them. Warnings: Violence, physical abuse, and later on, mild corporal punishment. No slash.