Relish this later... the time has come.

As soon as the smaller vessel is above the Arena, a flash of violet-azure light bursts into being; the modest Airship then floating back towards it larger counterpart.

Hakai shouts out to the Onlookers. "And here, ladies and gentlemen! We have the Chosen of Machae! The Heroine of Bludbag! The Arch-Imago! The one! The only! Citrinas Pumpklin!"

Standing awkwardly straight, a fair skinned woman with long, unkept, faded blue hair, and tired eyes with hues like the prior lightshow is present, dead center in the arena. Atop her head is a dark, ditzy wide brimmed hat, with a small pumpkin pin tacked to a belt. Over a white blouse (which showed quite a bit of cleavage), the Heroine was adorned with an overcoat that seemed a size too large. Her legs bore thin, black stockings, with ringed golden designs swirling around them. Covering her hands were odd gloves; a dark purple, and with overly long, red fingers, which drooped past her fingertips. She had no weapon; and no desire to be here, it seemed, as she stood, unmoving, watching the rafters.

The two humam combatants of the Arena, still who were in the midst of their battle, smile wide; pulling odd bottles from underneath pieces of their armor, and chugging them down...

I think I know where those two unaccounted for Agents are...

The muscles of the gladiator infiltrators bulge, as they lift their weapons high; charging the newly arrived Chosen.

"For Lord Urgog!" Yells one.

The other repeats. "For Lord Urgog!"

"What the Hells... what are they doing!?" Asks Hakai, up in the Announcer's Cage; the crowds going silent in shock.

I'm unsure of what exactly happened. In the blink of an eye, the loose fingers of Citrinas' gloves shot forward from an absurd distance; impaling the two Agents skulls, placing the two stood into a stupor as the Chosen finally spoke; plain faced, and uncaring.

"Ok... Mhm... Got it. You two were... distractions." Says Citrinas, pointing a finger up into the rafters.

"Pull-Edict."

With that utterance, one of the other Agents was yanked from the crowd, a Compuro, flung down and onto the hard metal surface of the Arena floor; the sounds of his joints shattering into metal shards on impact made Eve visibly twitch. The Chosen pulls her stretched fingers free from the heads of the gladiators, allowing them to fall like puppets with cut strings; the holes freshly drilled into their skulls gushing with blood, with pieces of minced grey-matter slogging out in tandem. Both sets of fingers quickly lash out once more, piercing the metal of the Machine's head.

"Oh my me... I always hated that power." Says Ariel from inside the Alma. "When do we join in again? I'd rather not see any more Brain-Bores today."

"Once they've made their move." I answer. "We have no idea where three of their main players are..."

After pulling her disturbing fingers out from the Compuro's head, Citrinas looks up to us, tilting her head slightly. She seems to zero-in on Eve, before another of the Agents, a Harpy, swoops down into the Arena. Several of the entrances into the Arena; the ones meant for beasts, open. Out from the south-most entrance comes another Agent; wielding a whip, and egging on something from inside the walls. All I can make out are three pairs of sinister, red eyes...

"Obliteration-Edict."

And just like that, the Harpy, the Beastmaster, and the unseen beast erupt into a mixture of blood, bones, and ash; all flesh and sinew reduced to atoms in a matter of nanoseconds. All while Citrinas maintains her blank stare towards Eve.

"Holy... feck..." Whispers Trix, now hiding behind Zana's hat. "Do... do we need to be here? I think she's got it handled."

Ten more rush down into the Arena, although this time, they aren't any of the Agents I had spotted. These were normal Bludbag Citizenry, some of which hurt themselves as they leapt down from the rafters. With Gods Eye, I spot some unseen **** tethered to their backs, leading back to...

"Dispel-Edict. Clock-Edict. Frost-Edict."

The tethers are snapped, and all ten of the citizens begin to move backwards; mirroring their movements in reverse as they rise past the walls they had just leapt from. Those with twisted ankles, or broken legs, miraculously heal. All the while, a spike of ice, the size of a sewing needle, flies from one of Citrina's outstretched fingertips with the speed of a bullet, impaling the eye, and brain, of a Gorgon in the rafters; the Agent responsible for the mind-control.

Citrinas sighs, possibly bored of the oncoming enemies; she raises a hand, snapping her fingers.

"Teleportation-Edict."

In a flash of violet-azure light, all of the ordinary citizenry seem to vanish; Hakai and Kaki included, as the Speaker-Mace of the Announcer drops down and into the Arena, and a few slips of paper float to my feet. The remaining Agents, now out in the open, seem to panic. Some scurry towards exits, others try jumping from the rafters; this time out into the city.

"Teleportation-Edict."

The remaining Agents, all twenty four of them, suddenly appear within the Arena in a flash of violet-azure light. Some were still mid fall, breaking their legs on the metal flooring. Others try to open unseen doors, only to grasp at air. Some were mid-step at the stairways just past those doors, twisting an ankle or simply tripping as they re-materialize.

Citrinas seems highly unimpressed. "Ugh... nothing new. Nothing special. I could be reading my stories right now!"

That was when I heard it... Two heartbeats; heartbeats belonging to unseen figures, ten paces behind the Chosen. A sound that had suddenly appeared from nowhere, as their figure finally unveiled itself from it's perfect illusion. Helen, the Bandaged Woman, and the Demi-God, Halicarnassus. The former had just finally finished what must have been an unheard, lengthy Incantation; the Cosmic Vibrations echoing out painfully upon the words being spoken.

"Flesh Puppet, Mirror!" Calls Helen, cackling as the spell shoots forward a shadowy double of herself into Machae's Chosen.

"Oh Gods..." I rasp, looking to the others. "Go! Go!"

Citrinas, still seeming bored, raises a hand. "Obliteration..."

The Chosen goes still, her body no longer moving as she wishes. We descend; some flying, others tagging along, or even just leaping down without a care. As we land, I see Citrinas panicking as she lifts her hand, her actions mimicking that of Helen. I try to rush forward to stop whatever was happening, only for the amassed agents to stand in my way. As I slam my fist hard into the now-very-broken face of one goon, I see a dagger in the hand of the bandaged woman, lifted with that same hand.

Helen plunges it into her own heart, moaning as she does so. "Oh fuck~ That's the spot."

I don't see her, but I hear Citrinas' heart skip a beat as she's hit with a sudden shock; screaming in pain. Another stab, another scream; and another, and another.

"Stop! Stop it!" Ariel shouts, his Sister calling out his arms with a rushed Incantation; the two then speaking in unison. "Stop hurting her!"

The entire party has engaged the Agents by now; some armed, others not. I see Ashes, taking the arm off of a toothy Orc woman, as Zana blasts a hole through the head of an enemy at her friend's back. Cilla calls out an Incantation, once more kicking with the **** of cannon-fire as she weaves from enemy to enemy. Scott, with the sounds of a clicking stopwatch, finds himself pulling his freshly stuck needles cleanly from the pained eye-sockets of a four-armed, four-eyed warrior. Less impressive, but nonetheless helping, a cackling Trix darts from foe to foe, pricking them in the toe, butt, or private areas with her needle-sized blade; causing them to drop their weapons, or fall to their knees in pain. Eve, lacking soil, calls her vines out from the corpses of the first two Agents that Citrina's felled; a disgusting, but effective bandage. A far less disgusting sight, Sammy was simply allowing our enemies to slash, stab, or bash her; leaving their weapons partially melted as she sucker-punches them into either of Ihsrom's domains.

Finding myself face to face with a spear-wielding creature; a man sized lizard of sorts, I feel an instinctual understanding of the chains wrapped around my arms; They feel similar to the Hook... On his first thrust, I whip my right arm forward, wrapping the Lizard-Man's leg with the Black-Chain. With a crack of the chain, a wave of shadows shoots across the length of the chain; exploding into Shadow-Flame at it's end. Flicking my left arm, I send the White-Chain out and around his neck; cracking the chain, and causing a massive flash of Light. Now blinded, the Lizard-Man drops down, trying to put out the Shadow-Flame, as it spreads across his body.

Not caring to watch I rush through the horde of opponents, cracking my Black-Chain as I went; setting four more of our enemies ablaze. Finally, I exit the grouping of Agents; finding something I didn't want to see.

Citrinas, laying still on the Arena floor ****; her heart beating like a drum. Sitting patiently, as if waiting for me, were four people. The Minotaur Tavernkeep, Helen, Halicarnassus, and the Waitress with Purple hair.

The body of the Succubus twists; becoming the likeness of Tomoko. "Oh, sweetie! You're back! How many more stories do you have to tell?"

I grit my teeth; chains rattling in my hands. "You die first..."

She laughs obnoxiously. "Oh deary... you have no idea who you're.."

"Enough." Snorts the Minotaur. "Drop the Illusion, Un-Carna."

Snapping her fingers, at the Tavern-Keep, she snarls. "Don't call me that. Urgog."

The form around both the Minotaur, and the Waitress, fades; the massive, green-skinned form of Urgog now stands above me. At his side, the Stitched Woman, Un-Oz, flicks out a hand of cards; smiling as she fans herself with them.

Urgog; Urge. Standing at eight-feet tall, was an imposing figure to say the least. His mess of black hair dangling down from his head, obscuring his face. Two straps were across his chest; one bearing beads, and the other bearing a massive keg. His shirt, and a long pair of gloves obscured his physique, but the slightly jutting beer-belly was the only thing soft about his appearance. His massive legs were covered half-way by a pair of shorts, with a floral pattern. He wore a pair of simple sandals, two-sizes too small for his massive feet.

"...Brother." Says my Twisted Other, pointedly. "You, and this Chosen, are coming with me."

My grip around my chains tightens; I speak with "Where will we be heading... Urge."

The Orc raises an eyebrow at that word. "Home."

I hear the clashing of steel, the pounding of faces, and the blast of gunfire come to an end behind me; my companions panting, and the Agents, defeated. Gabriella; her eyes glowing gold, charges past me.

"Gabbie!" I yell, confused as to what she was doing.

But she doesn't answer back; instead the voice of her Brother comes from her mouth, roaring in divine rage. "I swear to Me! If you lay even one more finger on her!"

A razor-sharp card is thrown at the raging God, forcing Gabbie/Ariel to swat it away with both divine arms; leaving her wide-open for the incoming, massive, green fist. The Neophyte is sent flying, a orb of golden light suddenly appearing around her to soften the impact with the wall of the Arena. Impacting, the shield shatters, tossing our friend to the ground. I see Ariel materialize, placing glowing hands over his sister as she begins to spew blood from her mouth, yet more vita streaming down her forehead.

"No! I didn't mean to take over! Gabbie! Stay with me! No no no no no..."

I could barely hear Urgog speak as my ears began to ring; he chided. "She'll live... the next one won't."

"Agreed. You're next!"

I lash out my chains at the mountain of muscle, cracking both as they fly; only for them both to be grabbed by the massive meaty mitts of my Other. He raises his hand up, flinging me into the air, before slamming me back into the dirt. All the air in my lungs is **** out, sending my head spinning as I begin to see stars.

".gnithgif potS .niw t'nac ouY" Says Un-Oz, her voice strained; anxious even.

I rip my chains out from Urgog's grip; getting a small look of surprise from him as my mind flickers in an out of my control. "I. Will. Kill. You. Little. Mouse."

"Fine..." Says Urgog. "...then I suppose my little spy will have to convince you."

Spy? What is this? Some sort of joke?! There's no one here who...

The Angry-Green-Giant points a finger to... Eve. "Come on then. Do it."

The Compuro's screen displays a (!?) "What!? What are you..."

The small, silvery weasel named Dart slithers out from Eve's cloak, jumping towards my party, and unfurling like parchment in an emerald glow. Now, with furred, exo-skeletal arms wrapped around Zana's neck, and a scorpion's stinger pointed at her chest; a Worgenfaust woman, dressed in loose furs, winks to her boss.

Urgog, for the first time I had seen, smiles. "Well done, Bose. For this, I'll let you keep your father's skull after I kill him."

"Oh, Master... you'll get me hard talking like that." Says the damned trickster; rubbing herself on Zana gleefully as she spoke. "I'm glad my mission in the Wyrdwood failed now... drop your weapons!"

"S-stop..." Whispers Zana in-between gasps for breath; the grip on her throat far too tight.

Everyone complied; Ashes first amongst us to do so. Urgog's spy then slowly led Zana over, past us. Each step, I heard Zana grunt in discomfort; all while that bitch continued to rub against her. Once she reached her destination, she pinned our friend down, holding both arms behind her back; rear aimed to the sky. All of Urgog's cronies began laughing. All except for Un-Oz, who had her eyes set squarely on her once-other-half; a manic look in her ever-changing eyes. I was fuming, each second causing my blood to boil more, and more.

"Now." Says Urgog, who seemed almost... uncomfortable... with his own words. "You will each line up, and be given a Mark of Submission. Once that is done, I will take you to our Lord Brother... if you do not comply."

He waves a hand to Bose, who pulls down her fur skirt...

Revealing a dripping, red cock; twelve inches in length, with barbs that hurt to even look at.

"I will have my servant **** your women." Says the Bastard, Monster, Soon-To-Die Worm. "She can't impregnate them... but they will never forget. If you attack; Bose will inject her venom into the girl. She will die. Painfully."

I fall to my knees, impacting my fists into the hard steel surface of the Arenas floor, just barely keeping my sanity as I hear these words. Tears are falling down my cheeks; I can barely control my own body as the images of what he's saying pop into my mind.

"I... I'll... You..." I growl out; my body searing as I try to find a way to kill the Worgenfaust fast enough.

"Just do it!"

What... what did Zana just say...

"Go ahead! R-**** me! Kill m-me!" Yells the Mousey Mage, seemingly uncaring for her dire situation; she looks up to us, tears in her eyes. "Just fight! Don't w-worry about me! You have to fight!"

Bose takes this as a signal; grasping Zana's skirt...

Before a card is thrown; slicing the would-be-****'s cock clean off.

"Aaagh!"

"!retsiS ym morf yawa yatS"

Un-Oz throws several more cards; one slicing into Bose's eye, another into her chest, and yet another into her kneecap. Quickly dashing across the Arena, she takes a hold of Zana in one arm, rushing away.

"!thgiF" The Stitch Magician calls, not noticing the incoming stinger...

As it impales Zana in the stomach.

Un-Oz quickly slices the stinger from the tail, tossing yet more cards into the monster; one slicing it's throat; the other hitting the freak's other eye. I grasp my chains; heart pounding out if my chest as I rush rabidly at the closest thing I can see. Something I can take my rage out on; something I can hurt.

Urgog.

Chains wrapped around my left fist, I punch as hard as I can towards his face; only for his hand to catch it. He squeezes down, trying to crush my hand; as he does, I whip the Black-Chain around his arm, flicking it as hard as I possibly can. My only thoughts were killing the thing infront of me as the wave of shadows rushed down the chain; exploding into a mass of Shadow-Flame. His hand releases mine, and I strike once more; smashing Urgog's nose to splinters as he's sent sliding back several paces.

I can hear my friends rushing to fight as well, but my attention is drawn from them by an unwelcome sight. Urgog's arm, which was dangling by but a few fleshy threads, had begun to regenerate; rapidly. Within the second, it had already returned to it's full strength. With his shirt and gloves having been burnt to crisps by the blast, the Orc rips their remains from his torso; revealing two tattoos, one on each one. A burning inferno on his right arm, and a freezing blizzard on the left.

"Damn it!" He growls, enraged. "You just had to say yes! That's all you had to do! Now... I'm going to have to kill every last one of you."

My heart-seizes up at his words; my wrath having peaked moments ago... this was something different.

Words spilled from my mouth. Words with sincere, unbridled, passion. Words I wasn't entirely sure were my own.

"What would Lu think, Damian? What would he say, knowing what we've become? What you've become!?" I say; feeling a warmth in my chest.

"Shut... up..." He murmurs; putting a hand to his head.

"Would Mom like that her son is just like his real Father!?" I shout, the warmth breaking out; glowing in my chest.

"Shut up!" He commands, both hands now grasping his skull.

"Would Bell ever forgive us!?" I roar, the glow reaching from the bottom of my feet, to the tips of my hair.

Urgog lunges for me. "I'll kill you!"

I only had one word to reply with.

"Enoch!"