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BTW, sorry for the wait!!! All comments and critiques are welcomed here and on my Google Docs(https://drive.google.com/open?id=1WCUVSwMSYy9c23IDW3ayIhGadFWCfIkHqDuIhrFTU0w) For other chapters, I will post them on here later. But you can find the archives on my FA and Tumblr with pics included. FA: http://www.furaffinity.net/user/ecchimultiverse/ Tumblr: http://ecchimultiverse.tumblr.com/ First Chapter | Previous Chapter | Next Chapter BTW, sorry for the wait!!! All comments and critiques are welcomed here and on my Google Docs(https://drive.google.com/open?id=1WCUVSwMSYy9c23IDW3ayIhGadFWCfIkHqDuIhrFTU0w) For other chapters, I will post them on here later. But you can find the archives on my FA and Tumblr with pics included. FA: http://www.furaffinity.net/user/ecchimultiverse/ Tumblr: http://ecchimultiverse.tumblr.com/ First Chapter | Previous Chapter | Next Chapter Chapter 14: Bunny Date Part 2 The heavy thuds of Marvelous Man’s loafers and light steps of Gene Lightfoot’s running shoes echoed in a white hallway. After an interesting lunch at Toto’s, Marvelous Man had one last area for the date that he was sure would work: a viewing of the many paintings and installations at the Skyway City art museum. Like the Skyway City mall, the art museum was much bigger than Sunnysville. There was also the perk of most of the paintings and other artworks not being Apollo self-portraits from the very god himself. The rabbit demigod stopped in his tracks and turned towards a painting that caught his eye. Posing with a thoughtful gesture, the action was immediately betrayed by his radiating of confused emotions. “Such intricacy,” commented Gene. Marvelous Man tilted his head, while his brows furrowed. The two were staring at a blank canvas. The musclebound hero then took a closer look at it and corrected himself. It was painted in white; technically a “painting”. Looking down at the placard next to the “painting”, the canvas descripted, “White Oblivion of the Fractured Mind: A contemporary piece that reflects the artist’s perception of how people are crushed by the ever-ensuing modern stresses caused by technology and new social standards.”. Marvelous Man could feel anger stir within himself. He criticized, “It’s pretentious garbage. It’s literally a canvas painted white. It’s so pointless. And the description about how all this white reflects modern stresses is such bullshit.” “Thank goodness,” sighed Gene, “I feared that I did not ‘get it’.” Marvelous Man frowned, “Let’s just...go to another section that’s not so contemporary.” As the dating duo continued their walk, the Totochtin prince smiled. “I did not expect you to be so passionate about art,” giggled Gene. Marvelous Man blushed, “My dad taught me about all kinds of art: Graphical, musical, acting, etcetera. It helps that I’ve got a talent in those things too. But...yeah. I just think that art needs to elicit emotions other than confusion, disgust, or buyer's remorse. And the thoughts that run through your head shouldn’t be, ‘This is art?’. Sure, it could make it memorable, but the feeling is always temporary. Not like true art.” “I can agree to that,” nodded Gene. While wandering further into the museum, the daters’ eyes scanned the paintings and sculptures they passed by. They appeared well made but unremarkable; nothing worth talking about or staring at for more than two seconds. A good portion of them were simple shapes or realistic fruits. Marvelous Man halted his touring upon spotting something peculiar. He turned towards the art piece that caught his attention and began to give it a better inspection. It was a painting depicting a sort of ceremony between two men standing next to each other. One of the men had an olive skin tone and was dressed in a white toga with traditional Greco-Roman accessories. The other man was of Asian descent and was garbed in what appeared to be a traditional, red Chinese wedding outfit for grooms. In between the men was a large two-handed sword wielded by both men simultaneously. Both of them held the sword with one hand, while their free hands brandished a shield styled by their cultural backgrounds. Rabbit ears twitching, Gene stopped in his tracks. He appeared to have realized his date was no longer following him and turned around. Following back to where Marvelous Man was standing, he stood next to the musclebound superhero and examined the painting. The Totochtin prince remarked, “Ah, this is the marriage ceremony the outside world obsesses over correct?” “I guess. But I’ve never seen a style like this before,” shrugged Marvelous Man. Gene pointed, “What does the plaque say?” Looking down at where the bunny demigod pointed his finger at, Marvelous Man spotted the exhibit description label next to the painting. He then read the passage out loud for Gene to hear. “Union: An oil painting depicting a new marriage style gaining popularity in the U.S. known as a mixed culture wedding. The betrothed wear clothing and shield that reflects their cultural or ethnical background as a way to honor where they come from. By lifting a two-handed sword together with one hand, it symbolizes their unity and love to combat any harm or misfortune,” he read. Marvelous Man looked back at the painting, “That’s actually really beautiful. I wonder what a wedding is like in your homeland.” Gene looked up at Marvelous Man. “Oh. I am sorry to tell you this, but we Totochtins do not have the marriage rituals. Such marital unions do not exist in our country,” stated Gene. Marvelous Man stares down at Gene, “Why not?” The Totochtin prince was silent for a few seconds. His eyes gleamed the struggle of trying to put together words to exposit something that can only be felt. “Our tribes believe in a more...mutual love that is shared with every person. It is in a way like the polyamorous love. We all support each other and never feel alone or unloved. It is why we are so open with the sexual intercourse. It is both affection and an enjoyable activity to take part in,” explained Gene. He continued, “But we do have what we consider ‘favorites’. A person we would be deeply saddened by their absence and feel great joy by existing in the same room with them. Though such things are not long term. Eventually, they will lose interest and go their separate ways without any of the heartbreak. It is somewhat like your culture’s monogamy, but we Totochtin can have more than one favorite. Though having more than one can be uncommon.” Marvelous Man said nothing as he was stunned by Gene’s “traditional values”. The rabbit superhero turned his attention back to the marital painting and said nothing for a few seconds. Gene smiled, “I do find it fascinating. To choose a person with the intent to stay with them until the very end. As they say in your culture, ‘Til death do us part’.” “What’s wrong with that?” frowned Marvelous Man. From all the explanations and how Gene found marriage to be “fascinating”, Marvelous Man felt that Gene might be subtly mocking the sanctity of matrimony. As if his people’s way was superior. Marvelous Man could see Gene’s face becoming neutral. The bunny demigod replied, “I apologize if my remark sounded like the slander. Sometimes, what I say does not translate well enough to provide the context. But I do find marriage to be...interesting. It seems to only serve the purpose of insuring one is not lonely during their existence. Even when amongst their own kind, you people can still feel rejected.” Marvelous Man paused for a moment; trying to find the right words to say. “The world is a big place. Your...Totochtin race might feel whole because it's small and everybody can easily fit in somewhere like a...thirty piece puzzle box,” sighed Marvelous Man, “But outside of your small country, the world...it’s more like an infinity puzzle where almost nothing fits, cause all the pieces are from different puzzles. Not everybody is like you where they can have everything and just easily fit in together with everybody else. Sometimes...just being able to fit with at least one piece. To be part of that one thing can be enough against the infinity we can’t fit into.” “...That is very chaotic,” murmured Gene. Marvelous Man shrugged, “I guess so.” The two continued onward with the tour in silence. Every few seconds, the two would stop at an art piece and absorb the scenery for a moment before moving on. As the dating duo passed a sculpture of a nude Totochtin demigod posed sensually, a thought occurred to Marvelous Man. “Can I ask you something personal? You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to. Umm...you said you weren’t originally stationed to this region. What’d you mean by that?” requested Marvelous Man. Gene hummed, “Hmmm, well. My pilgrimage took place in Africa a few years ago. During that time, Doug was visiting Africa’s D.A.B. when the village I was visiting was plagued by a demon. I was careless and was captured by the demon and his possessed villagers. My gratitude came when Doug and his teammates freed me, and we vanquished the demon together.” “After the event, I finished my pilgrimage and returned home. Doug followed me and had the misfortune of being captured by my tribe. He convinced me to join the D.A.B., and I convinced the other tribe’s new prince to come with. We explored the world together and learned many things. But after a year, the other Totochtin princes wished to return home. I still desired to learn more of the world and the unique qualities one cannot find in my country. So I decided to stay with Doug, here, in Skyway City,” continued the rabbit superhero. Marvelous Man nodded his head as the two continued to walk. He spotted a canvas ahead that confused him. From his current perspective, the far away oil painting was full of black and white scribbles with no coherent design to it. The muscular superhero spoke up, “That reminds me. Did you hear anything back yet from the D.A.B. about the Skeleton Lord?” Gene shook his head. “I have not. They cannot find any answers on who or what the Skeleton Lord is. They cannot even find his whereabouts. All I know so far is a partial motive,” replied the Totochtin prince. Marvelous Man questioned, “And what’s that?” “You asked the Skeleton Lord what the point of doing all those terrible things was. He said to you, ‘When one has the power of a god and their purpose has turned to ash, the only thing one can do is burn the world itself.’. From there, I can ascertain he truly was powerful. Or he himself perceived himself as powerful as a god. But something happened to him. Something destroyed his purpose, and he is now vexed enough to destroy the world,” stated Gene. As the two passed in front of the scribble painting, Marvelous Man finally saw its true form. It was scribbles of not just black and white against a grey canvas, but also other colors included. The erratic strokes amalgamated into stick-like and skeletal figures being chained down to unseen depths. Thin, yellow halos encircled the figures’ heads while emanating a pink aura with pink flowers. Though such bright colors and details could be easily overlooked when the chaotic strokes that form absolutely nothing embraces the whole canvas. Marvelous Man frowned, “So you think he used to be a good guy?” “Or perhaps he was neutral,” answered Gene. The pair soon stopped to look at a pastel painting of the mountains. The rabbit superhero’s white bunny ears twitched, as he turned around. Looking across from himself, Gene spotted a bulky security guard staring at him. The man had hungry eyes and lewdly grabbed his crotch. The Totochtin prince licked his lips while nodding. As the security guard walked towards to the restroom next to himself, Gene smirked. He spoke up, “I am feeling sexually famished. I will regroup with you shortly after I have sated it with the security man.” Marvelous Man turned to watch Gene make his way to the museum’s bathroom. He could feel the bunny demigod emanating lustful emotions. “Oh...okay,” he replied. After watching Gene disappear into the men’s restroom, Marvelous Man then heard a camera shutter click. His eyes instantly stung as his vision saw only white for a few seconds. He blinked several times while looking down towards where he felt the source of the flash came from. Eyes adjusting back to normal, he saw the two people he least expected to show up. These two were the ones he most certainly did not want to see at the moment. Marvelous Man frowned, “Mom, Dad, what are you two doing here?! And where have you been?” Standing steps away from Marvelous Man was his mother holding a digital camera. As a goddess of love, Aphrodite was beautiful no matter what she wore. Even if all she wore was unsexy mom clothes. She always made the clothes beautiful; never the other way around. As for Marvelous Man’s dad, Apollo would be the god of vogue if not for his other deity powers and responsibilities. He struck a pose one would find in a glamorous fighting manga: arms twisting at angles around his torso, his toned leg muscles extended like he were about to do warm-up leg stretches. To embellish himself even further in his flamboyant style, he sported a golden viking helmet with a white tuxedo and golden-rimmed, non-prescription glasses. “I could sense your love, sugarplum. I just had to see my baby boy on his first date!” smiled Aphrodite. Apollo chimed in, “Yes, we were so curious about this Gene boy, that we just had to watch. You got great tastes. He’s a prince, beautiful, and hypersexual. Almost as if you’re dating me.” Marvelous Man’s eyes went wide, as he felt his stomach lurch. Bits of bile ejected into his mouth. Was he really having a Freudian moment where he was dating someone that had an overabundance of characteristics like his father? “Ohmygosh. Please stop talking…” he gasped. Aphrodite grinned, “Well, he’s still a great catch, honey. And don’t worry, Gene only has similar features to your father. He’s got none of Apollo’s jawbreaker center.” “Bitch, please. It is a glittery, gooey center of bitchiness at the very least,” sassed Apollo. What his mother said did not make Marvelous Man feel any better. But the first part of what she said stirred his curiosity. Marvelous Man asked, “Hey, mom. Since you’re the goddess of love and all...Are you...Are you able to see if Gene and I are meant to be? Is he my one true love?” Aphrodite gently grasped his son’s hands and looked up into his eyes. She smiled with sincerity. “I can’t tell you that, sugarplum. It will only ruin the moment whether I say yes or no. Just enjoy your time with him and never regret it,” she answered. Marvelous Man sighed, “Okay...Uh, hey. Do you know anything about the Skeleton Lord? I figured you might’ve heard of him, since both of you are gods and kinda immortal. He’s able to raise the dead and has these skeleton powers.” The goddess of love looked at Apollo. “Skeleton Lord?” she said. Apollo pursed his lips; thinking as seconds ticked by. He snapped his fingers, “Oh, right! Yeah, we know nothing about him. Just word of mouth that he was some guy wreaking havoc on the other side of the world, yadda-yadda. But he never stepped a foot in Greece. Sooo, wasn’t in our jurisdiction and wasn’t our problem.” Marvelous Man’s heart dropped. He was hoping that they knew more, but it was a dead end as well. At the very least, they were able to confirm his existence from ancient times...Which brought up another question. “By the way, where’s Papa?” he asked. Aphrodite smiled and rolled her eyes, “Oh, he decided to stay behind. You know how passionate he can get about you, honey. Doesn’t want to end up intimidating your date and causing the love of your life to flee in fear of a war god. Besides, he says that he’s satisfied just watching your battles. Marvelous Man’s mother paused. “It’s funny though. The only time he’s bragged about your encounters was with the PB&J gang. He’s been quiet since,” she frowned. The musclebound superhero felt thankful Ares did not tell his other parents about the Skeleton Lord encounters. Aphrodite could be a bit too coddling and overprotective. Whereas, Apollo would run his mouth; overembellishing the truth and causing Marvelous Man’s mother to freak out even more. It was surprising to know that Ares did not try to talk to Marvelous Man at all. Papa is the worst of the three when reacting to any misfortunate events that crosses their son. He must have been scratching his scars like a mad man; creating newer scar tissue over the old ones. Apollo tapped Aphrodite’s shoulder, “Oh, we have to bounce. Our little hero’s date just finished getting railed.” “Okay,” sighed Aphrodite, “Good luck on the rest of your date, sugarplum.” The two gods waved at Marvelous Man before walking off and disappearing around the corner of another gallery. Though the meeting was very brief, Marvelous Man enjoyed it. It was nostalgic, and he wished he had more time to talk to them. But that would have to be for another time. Turning towards the bathroom, Marvelous Man spotted Gene exiting. He saw Gene smile as the bunny demigod walked towards him. “I am sated for now. Let us resume the tour,” said Gene. Marvelous Man watched Gene take the lead. He enjoyed watching the bunny demigod’s naked, ample bottom bounce. The musclebound hero then smirked upon seeing semen leak from Gene’s buttocks and trail down the rabbit superhero’s sinew legs. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> After the museum viewing, the date began to come to a close. There was one last thing the two had to do before Gene was escorted back to the D.A.B. Marvelous Man cradled Gene in his arms as they flew to their destination and landed in front of an abandoned subway station that resided in a run-down neighborhood. It was the Ridgemont subway station of where they had the second encounter with the Skeleton Lord. Marvelous Man felt guilt twinge within him; remembering how he failed to save the homeless community that dwelled within the subway. Released from Marvelous Man’s grasp, Gene landed on his feet. He then surveyed the area before speaking. Gene stated, “We can perform the send-off here. We do not have to do it at the exact spot. The ritual only has to be close enough for the spirits to notice it.” “Oh, okay,” nodded Marvelous Man. Gene asked, “Did you bring the toys?” “Yeah! I hand-carved them like you asked. But how come you wanted thirty?” questioned Marvelous Man. The musclebound superhero reached into his pockets and pulled out a wooden, hand-carved rabbit in each hand. Any craft that involves art was no problem for Marvelous Man to handle. Placing the wooden rabbit toys on the ground, he then repeated the process. This went on for several minutes until he had a pile of thirty rabbits. During which, Gene replied back. The Totochtin prince explained, “Because I wanted to make sure there was enough for each victim that died here at the hands of the Skeleton Lord. Did you remember the lighter you were supposed to bring as well?” Diving into his pocket, the musclebound superhero took out a kitchen blowtorch used to caramelize creme brulee. Marvelous Man sheepishly smiled, as he handed the device to Gene. “Are you okay with a caramelizer? It’s the only thing I could find around my apartment,” said Marvelous Man. Gene analyzed the device before pulling its trigger. A small, blue flame erupted from the lighter’s tip. Gene nodded, “It will do. Before we begin, could you please provide music with your harmonica? I request something somber.” Marvelous Man delved into his pocket again to reveal a his golden harmonica, Duskbringer. Pressing the instrument against his lips, he gently blew into it. The musically-gifted hero picked up speed while blowing different notes and began to play the sad tune Gene asked for. Squatting down with his lengthy meatus and red tie loincloth drooping against the ground, Gene positioned himself in front of the wooden bunny pile. The Totochtin prince pressed the caramelizer’s trigger; causing its blue flame to emit. Aiming the lighter, Gene contacted the flame against the hand-carved toy sitting at the edge of the pile. The toy lightly hissed, as the flame took effect and began its devour over the wooden rabbit. The bunny demigod repeated the process on the other toys at the edge of the pile. Once completed, Gene stood up and stared down at the inflamed toys. The red fire continued its spread from the edge of the toys to the ones residing in the inner pile and on top. The crackles of the fire’s light sparkled against Gene’s red-tinted aviator sunglasses. Once the pile was completely covered in flames and converted into a small bonfire, Gene clasped his hands together. “Oh lost souls. The unfortunate hand of death has claimed you,” chanted Gene, “But it does not mean your existence ends here. Come to the fire of my burnt offerings. For each of you, I give you a toy.” The Totochtin prince continued, “Let it remind you that you were all once children. Let the memories of childhood come back and transform you back into your nerelongful ways. Become the child you once were and let the burdens of your previous life fall away from you. Go now. Fly back to your gods and let your flesh be the soil for new life. You will not be forgotten. And the strong shall fight on for you and our god’s honor.” Seconds past after Gene’s speech ended, while Marvelous Man continued to play. A strong gust of wind blew out of the subway station’s empty entrance; bits of leaves and garbage flew with the current. The wind then breezed into the small fire of toy offerings. Rather than gusting past the tiny bonfire, it changed its flow straight upwards. The smoke and flames became ensnared by the swirling, narrow vortex; spiraling up like a tornado inferno. The flaming vortex continued for a few moments before the wind eventually died down to a whisper flowing out of the abandoned subway. When the last wisp of air escaped into the spiraling vortex, the thin tornado dispersed as well as its flames. Ceasing his harmonica play, Marvelous Man watched the wondrous miracle before he looked down at the burned offerings. He spotted cold charcoal instead of burning cinders left over from the spiritual event. He then saw Gene squat down again at the pile. The Totochtin prince scooped up bits of the cool charcoal. He rolled it in his hand before crushing it between his fingertips. Standing back up, Gene turned towards Marvelous Man. The bunny demigod then extended his arm out to reach up to Marvelous Man’s face. Using his charcoal-covered fingers, he then marked the muscular hero’s forehead. “While it might have been luck or our extraordinary strength that ensured our survival, we must do our part to spread our greatness and assist the greatness of others to flourish,” said Gene. After marking his partner, Gene proceeded to mark his own forehead. He smiled, “The ritual is now complete. We may head home whenever you are ready.” Marvelous Man silently nodded and scooped up the rabbit superhero. With Gene cradled securely in his bulging, muscular arms, the bulky superhero flew up into the air. Gene remarked, “You know...I had taken part of the funeral ritual so many times for my tribe’s elderly, but had not given it a passing thought. But now that I have performed the send-off for the souls who died the unjust death...I see it from a new perspective. Those words actually have meaning.” >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Nightfall began its approach, as the two said not a word during the flight. Marvelous Man was entranced by the event and was silently processing on what Gene had said to the fallen souls. Approaching the Demon Affairs Bureau building, the musclebound superhero began his descent. Marvelous Man touched the ground in front of the building seconds later and relinquished his grip of Gene. The Totochtin prince stood without help and turned to look up at Marvelous Man. “Much gratitude for the transport and assisting me with the send-off ritual. I cannot thank you enough for your kindness,” bowed Gene, “I believe this is where we part the ways for the night.” Marvelous Man looked a way for a moment and bit his lip. He clenched his hands with all his might for a berserker’s rage of courage. “C-can I...kiss you? If that’s okay with you,” he requested. Gene hummed, “...Yes, I do believe this is part of the dating custom wherein both people kiss each other. And your outside world media also dictates that this would sometimes lead to the intense sexual intercourse…” The bunny demigod paused for a few more seconds; his eyes reflecting intense thinking. “Would it be alright if we did not? It is not part of my people’s custom to kiss, and it seems like such an unsanitary thing to do,” he proposed. Marvelous Man’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. It sounded like insanity. A sexual carnivore demigod believes kissing is an unsanitary idea?! His thoughts became verbal, “Aren’t you the type that sucks on the dick that just fucked you?! That’s even more unsanitary!” Marvelous Man instantly covered his mouth. He stared back at Gene with a shocked expression. Gene became surprised as well and looked away; his face showing a musing over what his date had just said. Seconds after, Gene looked back up at Marvelous Man. “I believe the expression I am meant to say here is ‘Touche’,” smirked Gene. Taking a slow breath, Marvelous Man gently placed his hands on Gene’s shoulders. He pulled his date forward with featherweight force and leaned down. Lips pursed and carefully aligned with each other, the muscular hero closed his eyes before contact. It was a soft peck. Embraced against each other for seconds, but it never went further. Gene’s lips felt like soft pillows, and his scent was a mix of honeysuckle and earth. This was enough for Marvelous Man to feel connected. To feel like a real person, and not some character stuck in a kid-friendly sitcom or comic book. His blood was rushing; pounding in both his head and his manhood. After everything he had been through, this brief moment made it all felt worth it. Releasing his delicate grasp and romantic embrace from Gene, Marvelous Man then realized he had stopped breathing during that kiss. He took a deep breath through his nostrils, and stood up straight. With adrenaline and high emotions wreaking havoc his body, it took all of the muscle hero’s will to not tremble and fall apart right after. The romantic giant then looked down at his date; beaming with love-struck excitement. His first kiss was everything he thought it would be. He grinned, “So...how was that?” Gene looked up in thought and bobbed his head left and right a few times. “Mmmm...It was cute,” he hummed. Next Chapter

All comments and critiques are welcomed here and on my Google Docs(https://drive.google.com/open?id=1gQvhmvMuH7W25FUYIcVptO-mBVS_c1y7FVf2ZV72eGM) For other chapters, I will post them on here later. But you can find the archives on my FA and Tumblr with pics included. FA: http://www.furaffinity.net/user/ecchimultiverse/ Tumblr: http://ecchimultiverse.tumblr.com/ First Chapter | Previous Chapter | Next Chapter Chapter 13: Bunny Date Part 1 Standing outside of the Barticle Troy Mall, Marvelous Man stared at his smartphone’s clock. It had been one week since Marvelous Man asked out Gene, and he was only now becoming a nervous wreck. During the week when he was not investigating supernatural occurrences with Gene, he had been shopping at the shopping mall with Gemini to buy more clothes for his planned date. To Marvelous Man’s misfortune, his busty pectorals were too big for the largest clothing sizes the stores had available. This also included pants due to his thunderous thighs being unable to fit through the pants sleeves. The musclebound hero had no choice but to do custom ordering, which would take two weeks for completion and shipping. Thankfully, he was able to find non-erotic, elastic clothing to barely fit him in the meanwhile. He sported a red wool sweater vest with a deep v-neck underneath his black leather coat. The v-neck was stretched to the limit by Marvelous Man’s chest; lewdly exposing the muscular cleavage. As for clothing his lower half, he decided to use his Papa’s khaki kilt. There was no way he could use sweatpants to make himself look like dating material. And for footwear, Marvelous Man switched out his black boots for a pair of black loafers and red knee-high socks. The golden wreath was still adorned on his head. Marvelous Man knew he might have looked like a combination of weird fetishes for a porno that probably involved a spanking ruler or a pole, but it was the best he could do within a week. A familiar, soothing voice called out, “Greetings, Marvelous Man! I hope you had not been waiting long for me. This was the agreed time for my punctual arrival, was it not?” Marvelous Man looked up from his phone to smile at his date. His body seized and his fingers trembled at his nervousness, as his heartbeat now thumped at a dangerous rate. Gene’s apparel for dating was quite...unusual from what Marvelous Man was expecting. Gene’s choice of fashion consisted of...almost nothing. In place of his usual shoulder straps, white rabbit fur sprouted. The fur also grew on the back of Gene’s hands and circled around his shins and calves. For some odd reason, there was a ring of white fur around his right thigh; as if it were a wedding garter. As for the clothing Gene actually wore, he had on a red silk tie...around his waist. It was tied in a windsor knot that acted as a sort of fancy loincloth. The tie drooped low enough to expose his white pubic hair, but high enough to cover his indecency. His choice in footwear conflicted with the formal tie, due to being a pair of running shoes. Though, at the very least, it was color coordinated, because it too was red. The running shoes also had a rabbit footprint logo melded onto the sides; a Lightfoot brand Marvelous Man recognized during his shopping the past week. To top it all off, he wore golden aviator sunglasses. Its mirror lenses displayed in its frames were also red with shades of yellow reflecting on the rims. “Oh, no. You’re right on time. I just got here a few minutes ago,” lied Marvelous Man. In actuality, he had arrived at the mall entrance an hour before. He had nothing to distract him from the emotional duress he was feeling and decided to go inside. Using the shopping mall’s directory, he found the building’s arcade zone. He then purchased some arcade tokens and searched for his favorite dancing rhythm game, Doki Doki Beat, which did not take long to find. He played nonstop for forty-five minutes on Cardiac Arrest difficulty without breaking a sweat. A perk to being Marvelous Man. Marvelous Man gestured at Gene’s outfit, “You, uh, look nice. I, umm, is that real fur?” “It is,” nodded Gene, “This is my native form or ‘civilian-wear’ as your culture would call it. Though when I must put on the D.A.B. outfit, I regress those parts for a better fit.” Marvelous Man questioned, “And I guess it doesn’t cover the crotch?” “That would be silly if I were capable of such feat,” laughed Gene. He then pointed to his tie, “Oh, yes! If you have not noticed, I am wearing the tie as per your culture’s dating ritual.” The muscular superhero could feel Gene emit the emotion of happiness. “Around your waist?” asked Marvelous Man. Gene crossed his arms, “It did not feel comfortable around my neck, and it did not drape down far enough to prevent the illegal indecency.” Marvelous Man’s eyebrow raised in shock. He did not expect Gene to have such an extravagant “outside view” to foreign customs and to how the bunny demigod approached them. “Makes sense,” he nodded. A pause hung in the air for a few seconds. Passerbys snapped photos of Gene from behind, but some of the more courageous ones also took photographs of Gene’s front. Gene started, “If I may ask, how does one initiate a date?” Marvelous Man cleared his throat. “Well...we do fun stuff together. I was thinking we could start with checking out the bookstore in Barticle Troy Mall,” answered Marvelous Man. Gene frowned, “I see...Is that not a fun activity for an individual?” A cold sweat formed at the back of Marvelous Man’s neck. He could not believe he proposed such thing. It sounded stupid the moment it left his mouth. Marvelous Man hoped Gene did not sense his unsureness. He quickly thought of another activity. “Yeah, you’re right. Maybe we could get lunch then, if you’re feeling up to it,” he suggested. Gene looked up for a moment, “That is fine. I am feeling, what you call, the pangs.” “Cool,” smiled Marvelous Man, “I was thinking we try something exotic.” Gene’s face lit up, “I know of a most acceptable place.” >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Dance music pulsed and echoed from four-story brick building. Its sign betrayed the building’s mood by having in a white, elegant, cursive font displaying the name, “Toto’s”. However, next to the sign was a neon-lit outline of a naked man with bunny ears similar to Gene Lightfoot. Marvelous Man looked to Gene. “Are you sure this is a restaurant? It looks like some weird gentlemen’s club to me,” he said. Gene nodded, “Yes. And you are also correct with your recent comment. Toto’s caters to both sexual and nutritional hunger.” The musclebound hero stared back at the building, as he scratched the back of his head. “Umm, yeah...when I said exotic, I didn’t mean buffalo mystery meat from the buffet table,” remarked Marvelous Man. Gene spoke back, “There is such a thing as the buffalo mystery meat?” Marvelous Man is not usually the type of person to openly snark about such things. He surprised himself by uttering his snide remarks out loud and was further surprised that Gene failed to understand the point of his comment. “...Nevermind,” he said, “Let’s just go inside then.” As the two approached the entrance, a human bouncer. He was a bulky man with an unflinching stern face that could not be compromised. Though that was immediately shattered when he laid eyes upon Gene. His cold expression transformed into shock and fear, as he sidestepped away from the entrance. The bouncer bowed, “Y-your highness! So good to see you, sir, I mean, your highness! You look great today, Prince Gene.” Marvelous Man looked down at the bunny demigod. He did not remember the Director or Puzzles mention that Gene Lightfoot was a prince. Then again, he did not bother to research Gene’s public superhero profile the Department of Metahuman Registration provided. “Much gratitude, Peters. I am wearing the tie for the occasion of dating my partner, Marvelous Man, and we wish to dine here,” stated Gene. Marvelous Man could feel his heartbeat increase and his cheeks flush. Somehow, it felt scandalous for Gene to publicly announce their courtship. The bouncer stood up straight, “Sure! I’ll alert the chefs, your highness. Uh, will this be a private venue? I can kick out everybody if you want to. Or are you going to be dining on the top floor?” “That will not be necessary. I do not wish to disturb our patrons. We shall partake our meal with everyone else,” smiled Gene. The bouncer nodded, “Right away, your highness! Let me first get the door for you, Prince Gene.” >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Being led inside, the bouncer guided the dating duo across the interior. It was almost how Marvelous Man pictured it to be. A dark-lit and spacious room that is illuminated by dim, red light bulbs. The only exception was the catwalk close to the back; those had white spotlights to showcase the main event. Marvelous Mad had to admit that there the interior design had a bit of class to it. The music, on the other hand, played a genre that could seem “classy” to some people: K-Pop. Surprisingly, he did not see a buffet table of buffalo wings. One thing Marvelous Man definitely noticed was the entertaining staff. The dancers that pranced about the seated clientele and dancing poles all had a bunny theme to their appearance. There were a mix of transpecies rabbit men, and human and Soulem males that wore rabbit ears and had rabbit tails taped above their rears. There were also some human men that appeared to have those rabbit parts grafted onto their skin; though it was impossible to distinguish if it was done by science or magic. Some were dressed in sexy outfits or displayed in what barely be defined as clothing. Others were completely naked; carrying on idle conversations while their front and back moneymakers were being groped by the customers. It seemed that Toto’s hired all types of people. As long as they had obvious rabbit parts on their being, it did not matter whether the staff were fat, skinny, or muscular hulks. Amongst the lusty-eyed and groping clients, Marvelous Man spotted a person he was surprised but not unexpected to see. He saw the flirtatious, purple-suited ghoul splayed out on a sofa. Sugar Skull had erotic entertainers beneath both arms; playfully running his fingers over their bodies. He was doing the tidbit about “what’s better than one penis?”, while the strippers felt about the ghoul’s crotch region with wide eyes. The sightseeing ended when the group arrived at a curtained doorway at the other side of the room. Upon stepping through the curtains, Marvelous Man spotted an elevator steps. The bouncer escorting the two daters was kind enough to press the elevator button before furiously texting on his smartphone. Marvelous Man stood awkwardly with K-Pop music beating in the background while waiting for the elevator to arrive. Gene appeared unfazed, but he most likely sensed the uneasy emotions his date was emanating. >>>>>>>>>>>>> The second floor had a more classy appeal with bigger tables to serve for fine dining; rather than small, reinforced tables to hold drinks and strippers. There was still strippers, both dressed and nude, strutting about with the customers and dancing on poles. As for the lighting, it was regular light with a slightly dim illumination. Marvelous Man speculated this was for the sole purpose of seeing the food they ate, that did not include the staff’s hindquarters. Oddly enough, some of the erotic entertainers served themselves on top of a giant silver platter; posed prostrated with cream cheese frosting and a garnish on top of their raw derriere. At least Marvelous Man hoped that was cream cheese frosting glazed on those butt cheeks. Right when the two demigods were led to a private booth by the bouncer, a waiter arrived at their table. The waiter gave the them the restaurant's menus, as the two sat down. While Gene picked up his menu, the bouncer’s face became furious upon seeing the menu and dragged the waiter back towards the kitchen. Marvelous Man found that event odd, but decided to focus his attention on his date. He watched Gene stare at the menu with a perplexed face. It was almost as if the menu confused the Totochtin prince. Gene then put down the menu and smiled at Marvelous Man. “I will have whatever you decide. There is so much, that I cannot choose,” he said. Marvelous Man smiled back, “Okay.” Looking at the menu choices and its ingredients, the food selections seemed more exotic than Marvelous Man anticipated. Some of them used animals not at all considered in American dishes and others used fruits and vegetables he never heard of. To make things worse, he was incapable of verbally pronouncing the dish’s names. It was as if someone randomly threw letters together and called it a language. Thankfully, the popular dishes came with pictures. “I think I’ll go with these kebab things. Looks tasty,” pointed Marvelous Man. Gene nodded, “Then I shall have the same.” The waiter from before appeared right after their agreement. He appeared nervous and sweaty. With shaky hands, he handed Gene Lightfoot another menu. “I’m so sorry for the mistake, your highness. Here is your special menu,” the waiter bowed, “A-as you know, Prince Gene, everything you and your guests orders here at Toto’s is always free. I’ll give you two a few more minutes to figure out what you all want.” As the bunny demigod received the menu, Marvelous Man noticed something unusual about it. Instead of English or the western alphabet, the menu was written in what appeared to be scribbles. Marvelous Man guessed it was probably written in Gene’s native language. Perhaps there was something more “off menu” that a Western audience might not at all enjoy. Either that or it’s easier for Gene to read, since English is not his first language. “Much gratitude. However, we have already come to the decision of what we wish to order,” said Gene. The waiter smiled, “Excellent! What would you like to order?” >>>>>>>>>>>>>> “So...Prince Gene. Is that because you’re actually royalty, or because you own this place and want people to call you that, your highness?” inquired Marvelous Man. Gene giggled, “I can tell that you are addressing me in the sarcastic tone. And to answer your question, I am both. However, the ownership of Toto’s is a shared venture by all the Totochtin tribes. But we do not own just this Toto’s. Toto’s is a global franchise, and the chosen Totochtin use the businesses as a rest stop during the pilgrimage.” “And I’m guessing that you’re royalty, because you were chosen by your rabbit god?” said Marvelous Man. Gene nodded, “That is correct.” Marvelous Man surveyed the area around himself before looking back at Gene. For a person like Gene, it made sense why this place would be a rest stop: sex, food, and a place to sleep. Everything the bunny demigod would need is here before continuing onto the supposed pilgrimage. “So why Toto’s? For our date, I mean. Is it cause the food is free?” he asked. Gene looked at one of the pole dancers. Marvelous Man could feel Gene emitting small emotions of sadness. His eyes looked as if the rabbit superhero were reminiscing. The bunny demigod replied, “My apologies if this is not to your liking, Marvelous Man. Whenever I get the homesickness, I come here to feel better. The food Toto’s serves is of Totochtin cuisine. The chefs are able to replicate the flavors almost flawlessly, that it almost makes me feel I am back home.” “I do not wish to cause any misunderstanding, Marvelous Man. I do enjoy my time here at Skyway City and all the new discoveries the outside world offers,” continued Gene, “...But there are times, that I wish to be home amongst my brethren. The laws, customs, and the chaos the outside world has still feels so alien to me. I have stayed outside of my country for over a year, but I do not think I will ever truly be comfortable. Have you ever felt that way?” It was something Marvelous Man felt he could not shake since arriving in Skyway City. In a twisted way, he did miss his old home. Not because of the people, but it was all he knew. He knew how to act a certain way and how everything worked; even if it was all so suffocating. Here in Skyway City, he was constantly on his toes of having to learn new things and feeling shameful of his ignorance. He replied, “I have. I used to live in Sunnysville, and I get what you’re saying. Things work so differently here. And it still feels a bit weird to talk to people, and I’m not even sure how to talk back half the time. I worry that I’ll say the wrong thing and...they’d get hurt.” “Yes. It is unfortunate that we must endure those trials. But I am grateful that I have this place, Doug, and now you to help me feel better,” smiled Gene. Marvelous Man uncontrollably smiled back for a few seconds before realization hit him. He questioned, “Wait, who’s Doug?” “The Director. He is my best friend, and the one who convinced me to join the D.A.B. Though I do not believe his familiar delights in that knowledge,” answered Gene. Marvelous Man looked back in disbelief, “Puzzles? I know that he comes off as cold, but I’m pretty sure he likes everybody...or at least tolerates them.” Thinking back, Puzzles seemed to be extra blunt whenever the conversational topic referred to Gene. “He seems to tolerate me the least. But I am at peace with that. After all, I do not know what it is like for someone you truly care about to go missing for twenty years. It must be hard to watch Doug treat some other person as more than just a coworker. I can always sense the intense jealousy Puzzles the smoke imp has for me when Doug and I do the ‘hang out’,” remarked Gene. Before Marvelous Man could ask any more questions, Gene changed the subject. The bunny demigod inquired, “I have been wondering something. You say that you like me, and I can sense your libido. But why do you not want to fuck me? I have called out many times with my sexual advances. Am I doing something that you do not understand?” Marvelous Man’s eyes went wide as he became silent for a few seconds. The background neo soul background music bombarded his ears. For some reason, he felt like he was pulling out his own teeth when trying to answer the issues of intimacy. “I...I do l-like you. It’s just that...I’m kinda...shy about sex stuff...with other people,” he stammered. Marvelous Man mumbled, “And cause...I’m a virgin.” Even though his voice became quieter at that last part, Marvelous Man knew it was a useless effort. Gene’s bunny ears were real and could definitely hear every word he said. The musclebound superhero could already see the confusion on the bunny demigod’s face. “I apologize, but I have never understood such a word. It does not exist in my language. I have always heard it in your American films, but I have never comprehended it. What does that mean? Is it like the sexlexia?” questioned Gene. Marvelous Man was floored by the query. While it felt great to be the one that knows something, it was bewildering to find someone that does not know what a virgin is. How does Gene not understand with the context provided in movies? He responded, “Wh-what?! No! I mean, that’s not a real thing! A virgin is...It means...that I’ve never had sex.” Gene’s head tilted in further confusion. “Not ever?!” he exclaimed. Marvelous Man flushed, “...N-no.” Gene’s face became that of pity. He looked as if he was talking to a person that had never seen the sun before. Marvelous Man could not help fidget about in his seat. “I just...I just want my first time to be special. And...if you like me as more than a friend...I’d like to experience it with you,” sighed Marvelous Man. The rabbit superhero’s expression softened; as if touched by Marvelous Man’s statement. He smiled for a moment before Gene seemed to be struck by realization. He blurted, “So that is what the flower is for! It is a symbol of virginity! That must explain the white lily’s common use in the romance films with the love interest!” Marvelous Man found Gene’s outburst to be cute. It was not often that he saw the Totochtin prince break from the usual calm demeanor into an extreme emotion. But then he began to sincerely wonder when their order would arrive. Next Chapter

All comments and critiques are welcomed here and on my Google Docs(https://drive.google.com/open?id=11TnIR4aIg1Pt_hZeCRSi7f8fBsYphn8zmoEz2lYXRyE) For other chapters, I will post them on here later. But you can find the archives on my FA and Tumblr with pics included. FA: http://www.furaffinity.net/user/ecchimultiverse/ Tumblr: http://ecchimultiverse.tumblr.com/ First Chapter | Previous Chapter | Next Chapter Chapter 11: Consequences The hallway of the Demon Authority Bureau's fifth floor echoed with the muffled sounds of crashing and cursing. The source of the noises emanated from the closed office of the head of the D.A.B.’s North American region, Director Doug Skye. “Fatherfucker!” screamed the Director. Seconds ticked by as Marvelous Man uncomfortably fidgeted about in front of the door. He stood there; clad with nothing but his jewel-encrusted, golden athletic cup suctioned to his extra large delicates. To his left was his field analyst, Fairuza. Still as a statue, she clutched her book with a strong vice while twiddling the edges of her cream white hijab between her fingers. On Marvelous Man’s right, Gene posed with a relaxed demeanor. Marvelous Man could see his partner’s behavior as an act, as he could feel the bunny demigod emit trepidation. The continuing profanity and smashing finally died down as the doorknob begins to click and twist. The door slowly opens to reveal Puzzles standing behind it. The smoke imp stood straight with a professional poise, while the blended scent of jasmine and lavender escaped into the hallway. Whatever worry he had was held frozen underneath his crystal blue eyes. He gestured with his chin, “Come in.” Taking lead, Marvelous Man ducked underneath the doorway as he entered. Gene and then Fairuza followed behind him. Although Marvelous Man’s legs were mighty with tremendous muscular power, they trembled at the what the Director might do. It took all of the musclebound hero’s willpower to not fall down with each small step he took. The barely clothed hero surveyed the inside of the office to briefly study any notable damages. The interior was still the same as the last time he saw it. A cobalt-colored carpet flooring with scenic paintings and glowing runes adorning the walls. All the furnishings, including the plants and statues, remained intact. Even the cherrywood desk the Director was currently seated behind showed no signs of splintering or impact. As for the Director, small beads of sweat perspired on his forehead, as he drew shallow breaths of exhaustion. It was obvious that he had recently engaged in a physically rigorous activity. He had his hands placed on top of his desk; intertwined with a slight tremble from leftover adrenaline. And his usual Southern gentlemanly smile was replaced with a struggling, neutral flatline. Puzzles’ expression changed into shock the moment he turned around. After letting Gene and Fairuza inside, he hurriedly waddled back to the Director’s desk. Marvelous Man spotted the smoke imp kick the remains of a splintered wooden baseball bat back underneath the cherrywood desk. Puzzles then stared up at Marvelous Man with a look that said, “You saw nothing!” As Puzzles dissipated into smoke and reappeared on top of the desk, Director Skye raised one of his hands and slowly waved it with his index and middle finger extended. The room itself responded to his magical gesture and softly closed the door behind the three squad members. The Director sighed; letting out any building tension he had within himself. “So before we get into the meat of this meeting, I wanted to address a curious elephant in the room,” he said. The Director turned his attention to Gene, “Now, Gene. I am most certainly glad that you had not come back from the mission bare-ass naked. It’s a new record for this being twice in a row.” Director Skye’s eyes then shifted to Marvelous Man. “That being said, what happened to your outfit, Marvelous Man? I distinctly do not remember you wearing...that earlier today,” he said. Marvelous Man stared at the cherrywood desk, “We were fighting a monster, and it was melting into acid. It pulled me into itself, and, well...it melted all my clothes off except for my cup. And we wanted to report our findings as soon as possible, so I didn’t have time to change...Sorry.” “No need to apologize about that. It happens,” sighed the Director, “But I think it’s time we get back to the proverbial meat I just stated a few seconds ago.” He continued, “I’ve went over the statement Fairuza gave to me about how the mission went. There is honestly only one thing we can say about this. Puzzles?” “You all fucked up. That was our only chance to bring down the Skeleton Lord, and now we have no way of tracking him,” said Puzzles. The Director corrected, “We all fucked up, Puzzles. And the root of the stem of mistakes started with me. I had grown too lax with the Nemesis Branch being a safety net if a supervillain grew too powerful. I should have sent in some field agents earlier. Maybe we could have prevented that slaughter. Then again, maybe not. At the very least, you two managed to survive with very minimal injuries.” “Still, none of this looks good on the D.A.B. as a whole. People were murdered by the Skeleton Lord, and he got away. And since the Skeleton Lord committed multiple homicides, this case will have to be shared with the Skyway City police department. But I will say that it's fortunate that the Skeleton Lord has not truly shown any initial signs that his power level has gone up. Unless he can destroy a building in one blow, it’s subjective enough for him to remain a C-Rank. Meaning that we can still handle this case rather than passing it on to only the Nemesis Branch and the other boys in blue,” said Director Skye. Marvelous Man felt embarrassed at himself. Though he survived the ordeal with the Skeleton Lord and his monster, it was still a mission failure. Even with all that muscle and superpowers, he felt powerless at his situation. The Director concluded, “So in the meanwhile, you all are on standby until the Skeleton Lord shows up again. Now if there’s nothing else y’all want to say, then you are dismissed.” With nobody else commenting, Gene took a step forward. He no longer emoted the emotion of trepidation, but rather curiosity. “If I may inquire, sir, what will happen to the deceased? Will there be a funeral held for them or perhaps will their kin be notified of the passing of their lives?” asked Gene. Director Skye shook his head, “No, there will be no funeral for them. And as for their next of kin, we don’t know who was killed. Nobody was keeping track of who was in that homeless group, and the only remains not melted by Marvelous Man that was briefed in Fairuza’s report was...Puzzles?” Marvelous Man flinched at the remark, while the smoke imp picked up a digital tablet that lied next to him. Fiddling it with his cat-like paws, seconds passed by until he found an answer. “Martin Walsh, Boss. No family or known friends that we have to talk to about his death,” reported Puzzles. Gene’s eyes became wide with shock. His hands clenched, as he emitted ripples of anger. Marvelous Man forcibly calmed himself; mentally telling himself that those were not his own emotions. The rabbit superhero protested, “But we must lay them to rest! It is only fair that we carry out such a duty as fellow beings. Will not the citizens of Skyway City be restless upon knowing their homeless have been preyed upon?!” The Director paused; placing a hand over his face. He sighed, as the hand slowly slid down. He looked at Gene with cold honesty. “As far as the citizens of Skyway City are concerned, they don’t give a damn that homeless people were killed. Especially since those people in the subway were rejects from other self-sustaining homeless communities. Matter of fact, some would find it as a blessing that they were murdered. They most certainly will not be missed,” he stated. Director Skye continued, “Now if you want to hold a funeral for them, be my guest. The D.A.B. will not divulge any more of their resources for that sort of thing other than purifying the area to prevent supernatural activities. And with it being an abandoned subway station, gods only knows when we’ll get to that.” The air held still tension, and time seemed to slow down with every heartbeat that rang in Marvelous Man’s ears. Marvelous Man could feel the anger from Gene increasing, as he saw the bunny demigod’s shoulders tense. He wanted to shout at the Director for saying such thoughtless things. He wanted to support Gene’s claim...but no words could come to his head. Marvelous Man did not know the right response to such an event. Saying anything but the right words could hurt them. … No, that’s wrong. This isn’t Sunnysville. Marvelous Man was not in Sunnysville anymore, and none of the people here are soulless androids...he hoped. Marvelous Man flicked his gaze over to Fairuza for any support. She had her head bowed with her eyesight anchored to the cobalt carpet. Fairuza seemed to hug her book tighter; as if trying to be absorbed into the hardback itself. “So be it,” gritted Gene. The bunny demigod stormed towards the door. The anger he broadcasted now came with a hint of sadness. After opening the office door, he slammed it shut behind him with a considerable amount of his super strength. The door instantly glowed and boomed from the impact. The light surrounding the door appeared to be some sort of thin, translucent barrier. Instead of exploding into splintering pieces from the amount of force Gene used, the door remained intact. A glowing rune shimmered on top of the glowing door, as if it were the barrier’s power source. It then faded away a second later; along with the glowing barrier. Puzzles ears perked up upon seeing the barrier. Turning around, he waddled across the desk to where the Director sat. The smoke imp leaned forward and whispered into his master’s ear. Director Skye looked at Marvelous Man, “Mr. Marvelous Man, it has just occurred to me that you have used a new power that has not been stated in your profile. Now regulations would stipulate that you march right into the DMR and update your profile.” Before Marvelous Man could form words in objection, the Director held up a hand. “But. I am willing to look the other away from this issue just this once. HOWEVER. If you use those new powers of yours in public, you forfeit that privilege and will bounce your bubbly muscle ass back into the DMR. Are we clear?” spoke Director Skye. Marvelous Man swallowed. He realized that if he his newfound power were catalogued into his superhero profile, other companies would probably hire him for that purpose. And even worse would that people could be afraid of him. And that elated feeling of inflicting pain onto other people...he did not want to become that kind of person. He nodded, “Yes, sir. Crystal clear, sir.” “Good. Y’all are dismissed then,” said the Director, “Oh, and one more thing, Marvelous Man. Go to the second floor and get cleaned up. You smell like puke.” >>>>>>>>>>> The locker room on the second floor’s Shower and Onsen floor was empty, as Marvelous Man ducked underneath the entrance’s doorway. The musclebound hero was glad to not find Gene in a spit roast threesome again. He did not find Gene’s openly sexual practices disgusting, but he could not help but feel embarrassed when encountering it. Marvelous Man sauntered over towards a random locker on the top row. Pulling open the latch with one hand, he place his other on his golden athletic cup. The muscular hero sighed a mix of relief and disappointment, as his jewel-encrusted cup hissed a suction release. Lifting the cup off, he felt his large testicles wetly slap against his overly muscular, tree-trunk thighs. Marvelous Man then felt cold air caressing his moist, hefty package. As the sweet, musky smell of his cum wafted up to his nose, he inspected the inside of his golden athletic cup. The interior was slathered in layers and ropes of his musky ejaculation. Marvelous Man knew that he experienced some emissions during his return to the D.A.B. and his meeting with the Director. But he was so stressed from the recent events, that he hardly noticed. He questioned if that was why he was able to maintain his composure after poisoning the Teratoma, when he would usually run away until the feelings of anxiety cleared. Placing the cup inside the teal locker, he then closed it. Marvelous Man made a mental note to clean the golden athletic cup later when he arrived back at home. More than likely, he would do it after he was done being Justice. He wanted a break from superhero work, as it was starting to become a bit too gritty for his mental health. >>>>>>>>>>>>>> Slowly thumping his heavy body into the shower room, Marvelous Man found the area occupied by Gene on the other side of the room. The bunny demigod was standing underneath an activated showerhead and had his back turned to the hulkish hero. Marvelous Man could not sense Gene’s broadcasted emotions, and Gene gave no acknowledgement at Marvelous Man’s presence. The white rabbit ears drooped heavily with being wet from the shower. It was as if the bunny demigod was lost in thought. Hot water cascaded off of Gene’s naked body; streams of water filling in the hard crevices of his musculature. Unlike Marvelous Man’s inflated muscles, Gene’s muscle anatomy was more compact. All that flesh wound tightly and twisting into each other like ropes. He reminded Marvelous Man of marble human sculptures chiseled with realistic skin folds and flexing sinew that made it seem alive. There was so much power within this smaller person that Marvelous Man could now appreciate even more. Though the only place that was not hard with compact muscle and sinew was Gene’s buttocks. A layer of fat encompassed the bunny demigod’s glutes to give it a round, bouncy appeal. The water itself bended around the derriere; as if it were cupping the cheeks in worship of the rabbit adonis. However, that soft layer still quivered under the might of Gene’s muscular bottom whenever he lightly swayed underneath the showerhead. Marvelous Man spoke up, “Uhh, Gene?” The rabbit superhero turned around to face his caller. He gave a small smile, but his eyes betrayed that action by reflecting hints of sadness. “Greetings, Marvelous Man. Have you come to cleanse yourself with the shower?” he asked. Marvelous Man nodded while heading towards the showerhead next to Gene. Like the tiny quakes he gave off with each weighty step, it vibrated throughout his body. Every action causing his excessive muscles on his thighs and pecs to jiggle; almost as if he were stuffed to the brim with semi-solid mercury. He replied back, “Yeah. Director Skye told me I smelled like puke.” Gene paused for a moment. His eyes fluttered with the attempt to recall a memory. “Yes, like your culture’s saying goes, he does not beat around the bush,” said Gene. Standing next to the bunny demigod, Marvelous Man turned the shower’s handle on. Hot water sprayed onto his protruding pectorals; breaking off into multiple miniature rivers that travel around the pec shelf’s curved angles. While pleasing to a voyeur’s eye, it was another annoyance for Marvelous Man that he had grown used to with products not accustomed to his size. He was too tall for the showerhead to naturally spray him, and he was too big and wide for the water to reach every part of him without trickling down the upper parts of his expanded anatomy. Gene’s ears twitched to attention. It seemed as if he had felt Marvelous Man’s frustration. He looked up at his partner, “Is there something that troubles you?” Marvelous Man was about to say no, when he realized a problem in his current situation. “...I don’t have any soap. You got any on you?” asked Marvelous Man. Gene stooped down for a second before standing up straight again. He grinned, while he held a green and yellow body wash bottle in his hand. He inquired, “Do you have any discretions with the honeysuckle scent?” “Naw, it’s fine. I like the smell of those flowers,” smiled Marvelous Man. Gene replied, “I am most glad to hear that. Please sit down, so I may apply.” Marvelous Man’s eyebrow rose, as he slightly tilted his head. “Huh?” he said. Gene stated, “You are too big to lather yourself, am I correct? I have brothers as big as you, and they need help with the lathering of their backs. Their muscles are too big to be flexible enough to reach their backs.” Marvelous Man felt embarrassed. It was true what Gene said. Nowadays, he had to use a long body brush to apply any body wash on his backside. “Y-Yeah. Thanks,” said Marvelous Man The bulky superhero complied and sat down in a seiza position. His tree-trunk thighs laying on his calves, and his round, ample buttocks resting over his heels. With his back arched straight and sitting at a lower height, the water was finally able to spray his whole being. He was glad for the help, but it felt uncomfortable to seem vulnerable to a person he wanted to be equal to. Marvelous Man’s shoulders twitched, as he felt a thick amount of cold gel squirted onto the base of his neck. After the application, Gene rubbed his hands into the body wash gel. The rabbit superhero kneaded the soap across Marvelous Man’s bulging, muscular traps and around his shoulders. Gene’s fingers at first felt bony and rough. But seconds after their maneuvering, they became a gentle massage. A light moan escaped Marvelous Man’s lips, as tension evaporated from his affected muscles. Every part of him that was touched felt like it became a malleable clay of pleasure. However, one part of him beneath his torso became an unbreakable cylinder-shaped clay of pleasure. Marvelous Man gave himself a mental headshake. He needed to focus and say what he wanted to say to Gene. He spoke up, “I...I just wanted to say I’m sorry. About what Director Skye said. It was really harsh, and he should’ve at least helped a bit. With the funeral, I mean.” The bunny demigod stopped his lathering for a moment. He softly smiled and resumed his scrubbing. “I am not sure why you feel the need to apologize. But I appreciate the sentiment,” said Gene, “What the Director said reminded me of what the elders of my tribe have said. That outside of our country, the rest of the world is strangled by chaos.” With the top of Marvelous Man’s back completely soaped, Gene applied more honeysuckle-scented body wash on the hulking hero. “In my tribe, every person is important. All of my brethren serve a role that can benefit everybody or at least an individual. Outcasts do not exist,” he continued. Marvelous Man hesitated, “But...isn’t that cause it’s a tribe? Tribes are much smaller than countries like the U.S. And with so many people in these big countries, there isn’t enough resources for everybody to be important. Outcasts are kinda unavoidable.” “Then perhaps the breeders should be more mindful on the quantity of their offspring,” retorted Gene. Marvelous Man grinned, “Are you trying to tell people to not have sex? Because that’s kinda impossible.” “I suppose that it is hypocritical of me to say such things,” giggled Gene. The sitting superhero laughed at Gene’s comment before calming down. Marvelous Man could feel Gene rubbing the soap onto his lower back. Each thick ridge of muscle softened; turning his back into a map of sensitive bliss. At every knead, his mind became soft and sweet like cotton candy, and his hard erection ached for release. He needed to voice his true intentions to Gene before he was too stimulated to think. He cleared his throat, “I, uh, I also wanted to say that...if you’re serious about having a funeral...I’d like to help out. With whatever you need...and stuff.” “I accept your assistance. But as of this moment, I would like to focus on other things. I still feel displeased from the most recent event,” said Gene. Marvelous Man nodded, “Um, Sure...sure, okay. Can I ask you something? Last one, I swear.” “Proceed,” replied Gene. Squeezing his thick thighs with his hands, Marvelous Man gathered what courage he could. It was becoming harder to speak as his back muscles melted at the bunny demigod’s touch. His heartbeat began to increase from the struggle of pronouncing his next words. He hesitated, “Would you…would you go out with me? I like you a lot even though we just met. Would it be okay if we went on a date, so I can get to know you better?” The rabbit superhero ceased his scrubbing. “Hm? Ah, this is an attempt at courtship, yes? No man has ever asked me out on a ‘date’. I have always wondered what it would be like to do such things as enacted by the outside world’s media.” said Gene. He paused for a second, as Marvelous Man’s heart raced. The bunny demigod smiled, “Yes, I would like to be taken out on the date. It sounds like an amusing activity.” Marvelous Man was elated. He felt like he could do endless super jumps. It was a simple act of asking; but to Marvelous Man, it was a giant step towards adulthood and being an individual. Now he truly thought of himself as a marvelous man. “Now perhaps I can take this chance of getting to know your body better,” said Gene. The rabbit superhero leaned forward; his tight body and hard erection pressing against Marvelous Man’s lower back. Gene’s arm snaked underneath Marvelous Man’s swollen lats. Maneuvering his hand in front of the musclebound hero’s cobblestone abs, he grabbed Marvelous Man’s swollen sexual muscle. Squealing in surprise, Marvelous Man’s flight power activated by reflex. The surprised man propelled forward into the air. With no thought of direction or stopping within the next second, he slammed straight into the tiled walls. Next Chapter

No more once-a-day updates. You're now caught up. Chapter 13 will be done by hopefully next week. All comments and critiques are welcomed here and on my Google Docs(https://drive.google.com/open?id=1XbcU-m63WlyPjz2UTFi5WrfkFFo0gdYmuGCyGT5tQOQ) For other chapters, I will post them on here later. But you can find the archives on my FA and Tumblr with pics included. FA: http://www.furaffinity.net/user/ecchimultiverse/ Tumblr: http://ecchimultiverse.tumblr.com/ First Chapter | Previous Chapter | Next Chapter Chapter 12: Unordinary Sleepover After his embarrassing fiasco, the musclebound hero quickly cleaned off his remaining suds and excused himself. He rushed through the lockers and applied the golden athletic cup to his genitals; not taking notice that the inside of it is now clean and dry. Afterwards, he left the D.A.B. premises and flew home. Marvelous Man landed in an alleyway that was a block away from his apartment building. On his way back home, he realized that he had needed to find out where his shopping bags from the mall spawned at. It could have materialized either in his apartment or in the building’s foyer. That was how it worked back in Sunnysville in his three-story house. Marvelous Man rationalized to himself that the bright side of this world-building discovery would be introducing himself to the building’s staff. But perhaps not as Marvelous Man. Placing his golden-encased wrists on top of one another, he held them high into the air. Marvelous Man took a deep breath; bracing himself for what is next to come. He chanted, “Marvelous Muscle Magic, Metamorph!” The muscular superhero was instantly transported into the familiar vacuum where his transformations take place. His only clothing, the jewel-encrusted athletic cup, exploded off of him. The colored paint that form his clothes then proceeded to slap his naked body; jiggling his glutes, pecs, and thighs in the process. Finally emerging from his transformation dimension, he donned the clothes of his original persona, Justice Starr. Justice shivered from the stimulation and took a breath to calm himself down; forcing his erection to soften. He then stared at his black tank top and khaki kilt and suddenly realized that he never bought any shoes. Outside of his heroic form, he would be vulnerable to any broken glass or pebble lying on the ground. Justice made a mental note to himself to buy more shoes at a later time. The bodybuilder strode out of the alley and made his way towards the apartment building. Justice caught a look at his home as he walked down the sidewalk. From a ground-point perspective, the building looked as if it were a skyscraper after Justice lost count of the floors. As he approached the entrance, he spotted a doorman standing guard at the building door. He was an old man that appeared to be in his sixties with a bulky physique. Although the bulkiness might be attributed to his red, military-style overcoat; adorned with golden buttons and braided cords linking over his shoulder. He had white, fluffy mutton chop facial hair connecting to his bushy mustache. Atop his head was a red peaked cap, a style military officers would wear, pinned with the hotel’s golden logo on top of it. The doorman looked up at Justice as the muscular man came closer. His hazel eyes had a mixed expression of curiosity and intimidation, but his mouth kept smiling. He spoke with a soft, gruff voice, “Good evening, sir. Can I help you with something?” “Yeah,” nodded Justice Starr, “Uh, my name is Justice Starr, and I-” The doorman’s eyes sparkled, “Ah! Mr. Starr! We were expecting you! Come in, Come in!” Pulling open the door behind him, the doorman waved Justice in. He bowed his head at a slight angle; as if he were addressing royalty. Justice smiled and ducked underneath the door frame. Before he had time to observe the welcome lobby after stepping inside, the doorman zoomed around Justice. “Terribly sorry about that, sir. We can have that door redone to be more acquainted with your height,” said the doorman. Justice stammered, “O-oh, no! It’s fine. I’m used to it.” “Good to hear. Right this way to the front desk, Mr. Starr,” guided the doorman. The doorman power-walked across the lobby; scuffling against the red carpet runner. His shuffle came to a quick end, as he stood in front of a mahogany brown reception desk. Behind the desk was a red-haired woman wearing a grey power suit. She leaned over the mahogany desk, as the doorman whispered into her ear. After the murmuring was finished, she stood up straight. Her piercing grayish blue eyes gazed at Justice upon his arrival at the desk. She smiled, “Good evening, Mr. Starr. Welcome to the Piscelemartie. I must say, you are even more handsome than your photo.” Justice felt weirded out by the comment. Perhaps his parents leaked a photograph of himself to the apartment staff? “...Thanks?” said Justice. The clerk chuckled, “Oh, I’m sorry. All staff are given photos of our residents, so we can easily recognize them. In any case, I just need a confirmation of identification before we proceed any further. Your butler stopped by earlier to drop off your IDs. So this should just take a few minutes.” Justice did not say anything. He knew he definitely did not have a butler. More importantly, how did that “butler” attain an ID of his? The bodybuilder dug into his pockets and felt around...it was empty. >>>>>>>>>>>>> “Thank you for waiting Mr. Starr. Now that you’ve been confirmed, here are the keys to your penthouse. I realize it’s a bit old fashion, but the residents here feel safer having low-leveled technology to counter modern day burglars that can easily hack any pin pad or fingerprint scanner lock,” she said. The clerk handed back Justice’s driver’s license with a set of silver keys on top. Justice accepted the items and placed the keys and his card into his khaki utilikilt’s pocket. Justice nodded, “That’s alright. And thanks.” “Oh, and one more thing, Mr. Starr. Your butler has been waiting for you with your purchases in the waiting lobby. That’s in the next room. I hope you have a wonderful stay here at the Piscelemartie,” said the clerk. She pointed to a regal set of black doors. It had an interesting pattern of grooves carved into it, which complemented the golden doorknobs. Justice replied, “Umm, thanks.” As Justice opened the doors and ducked underneath the doorway, he wondered who this butler was. He had never seen anybody other than his parents in his apartment when he arrived during the day and night. The inside of the waiting lobby had a lavish, calming style. There was a large wall-mounted television with a red leather sofa in front of it and black leather chairs strewn about. A crystal chandelier hanged in the center of the room while glowing softly. On the other side of the lobby was a row of four elevator doors with a metallic being standing next to it. It was a chrome-plated robot with metal bunny ears and had rows of shopping bags scattered around itself. The robot had a white mood ring circulating around its head that was located where its mouth should have been. Its choice of fashion was a zaffre drawstring fundoshi, hunter green utility belt, and brown flip flops. “Gemini?” said Justice. Gemini’s three microscope-like lenses rotated to its longest scope before he waved at Justice. His electronic voice projected a posh English accent. He greeted, “Good evening, Master Justice. Shall I fetch you a cup of tea and the morning newspaper?” Justice’s eyebrow flexed up in confusion as he walked towards Gemini’s location. He was sure that Gemini did not talk like that earlier. Justice then noticed Gemini’s mood ring change to a light blue. “Ha! I’m just messing with you!” laughed Gemini. Upon hearing Gemini’s accent change back to his usual American accent, Justice grinned. He questioned, “So you’re my butler?” “Oh, I just said that, cause they were getting ready to kick me out. It was the only thing that popped in my head at that moment when they weren’t going to let some nobody wait around in their building,” answered Gemini. Justice asked, “How’d you find out where I lived?” The mechanical being pointed at the shopping bags near his feet. “You left your wallet in your bags, and I looked up your address with the driver’s license inside. But yeah, the uptight lady at the desk held onto it, since you haven’t check in your residency yet,” said Gemini. Justice spoke, “Oh…” “Which brings up the question,” said Gemini, “Why didn’t you check in before you went shopping? Better yet, why the heck did you just drop all your stuff instead of taking it with you when you ran off? Is burning money part of your hobby?! Cause ya might as well have doused it all in gasoline and flicked a match onto them!” Gemini’s mood ring turned red. Justice hesitated, “Uhhh...I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking.” Gemini sighed as his mood ring changed to white. “I mean, what were you expecting? For them to just appear in your apartment? Did you, like, used to having servants back at your previous home or something?” he said. Justice felt a cold sweat run down his neck. He tried to smile, “Heh, yeah...I kinda did. It was silly of me to think they’d just respawn in my home. I’m really sorry about that. Thanks for bringing all my stuff back here.” Justice realized he would have been royally screwed were it not for Gemini being with him earlier today. It is now definite that the real world does not inherit the same rules as Sunnysville does. “It’s fine. I know you weren’t being a dick. And I didn’t have anything to do today, so I was fine waiting around here instead of just keeping all your things. So lucky you,” shrugged Gemini. Turning around, the robot pushed an elevator button. He then remarked, “By the way, what kind of name is Piscelemartie?” “Sounds like a pasta,” commented Justice. Gemini picked up a few of Justice’s shopping bags before facing Justice. “Right?!” exclaimed the robot. As the two waited for an elevator to descend to their level, Justice looked down at Gemini’s loincloth. He pointed, “Oh, hey! You’re wearing the Mokko fundoshi I got you today!” Gemini’s mood ring shifted to a shade of pink. “Well...yeah. It was really nice, and I thought I’d wear it. You were right, though. I do look good in it. I’m kinda liking the zaffre color now,” replied Gemini. A second passed by as Justice looked up at the electronic display of what floor the elevator was on. Justice smirked, “So did you soil your white ones?” “Fuck you,” said Gemini. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Inside of Justice’s home, Gemini sat on Justice’s leather couch. He stared at an enormous, wall-mounted television that was playing a live-action soap opera about cat people in an alternate time period. The heavy thuds of a big person echoed in the penthouse, as it drew closer to where Gemini sat. Gemini turned his head, “I still can’t believe you live in this penthooooo-” The robot’s mood ring flashed to a dark red, as he spotted the noisemaker. Gemini’s lenses adjusted itself; bringing into focus at the source of what rendered him speechless. Justice thumped his way in front of the couch with a Carnal Desires shopping bag in his hand. His bulky body bounced with every step until he stopped. Looking down at the skinny robot, the bodybuilder found it cute that he caused Gemini’s metaphorical jaw to drop. The muscular being was nearly exposed. Other than sporting the shiny, silver thong he bought earlier, he was nearly naked. His tree-trunk thighs pushed out his pouch, but it was not enough to support the thong. Filled to the brim with the sexual mass, the silver pouch took on a round, pendulum shape. It sagged heavily from all the weighty meat and orbs in Justice’s crotch that it left the base and part of Justice’s penis exposed. The silver thong itself contrasted with Justice’s milk chocolate skin; making his filled pouch appear even bigger. “So what do you think?” smiled Justice. Gemini stammered, “Uh, uh...GREAT! Just...great. G-R-E-A-T…” The robot gave a thumbs up gesture that shook uncontrollably. “Yeah, it feels really nice to wear this,” nodded Justice, “Though kinda disappointed that it couldn’t cover up my dick’s base. I guess they’re not used to making it for big guys like me, hehe. Gotta say, I like how the fabric plays with my hole...Sorry, am I saying too much?” Gemini’s lower body squirmed. He replied, “Nnnnnope!...N-not at all. Umm, could I see your behind-YOU FROM BEHIND?!” Although the robot’s outbursts seemed odd, Justice decided to pay no mind. He figured Gemini might have some programming quirks or glitches that were not apparent. After all, he had just met his new robot friend today. Justice could have missed it, due to being occupied with shopping. “Yeah, sure,” said Justice. Rotating himself, the bodybuilder had his back facing Gemini. The robot’s gaze started from atop Justice’s nape, slowly trickled down the expansive back with many crevices of muscle packed in, and finally stopping upon the glutes. Justice’s buttocks were so big and round, it practically swallowed the thongs tail; buried underneath globes of muscle and fat. Only the very end connecting to the rest of the slim, silver waistband was able to escape the musclebound cheeks. Justice dug his hand into his shopping bag. At that same moment, Gemini began groping genital-lacking crotch. The robot’s mood ring changed to grey, as he looked down at his sexual gesticulation. Looking back up at Justice’s overly plump derriere, Gemini’s mood ring switched back to dark red. In what seemed to be an unconscious movement, Gemini then started to lightly punch his crotch. Small clanging sounds rang from his crotch that went by unnoticed by Justice. He spoke up, “So I was thinking we could do some fingernail painting just to see how the coats-. Whoops.” A small glass vial of silver nail polish slipped from Justice’s grasps. It fell through the air faster than the bodybuilder could react. Clinking onto the ground, bottle remained intact. “Oh, thank goodness. It didn’t break,” sighed Justice, “Well, that was lucky.” Without even squatting, Justice bent over. Years of martial arts and some gymnastics allowed his bulky body to have great flexibility. As long as his bulging muscles were not fighting with each other for space, he can easily bend his body into splits and difficult yoga poses. With his head down at his knees, Justice’s buttocks flared. His strained back muscles pulled up his globes of muscles to expand with more perkiness, while Justice folded himself in half. Gemini’s mood ring flickered nonstop between orange and dark red. The sight of seeing Justice in a vulnerable position for surprise intercourse cause the robot to pound his metal crotch even harder. His arm pistoned like a steam train at full speed. It sounded as if a crowd of people were in the room hitting their pots and pans together. The metal banging noises were no longer inaudible to Justice’s ears. Quickly picking up the nail polish vial, he stood up. Justice turned around to see Gemini paused in mid-action of punching himself. “Arrre you okay?” asked Justice. Gemini looked from Justice, to his hand, down to his crotch, and then back to his metal hand. During that moment, his mood ring switched from a dark red, to a grey, then yellow, and finally stopping at a shade of pink. He hesitated, “I’m just...beating myself up cause...I don’t have any fingernails?” “Oh. That’s too bad,” frowned Justice. Gemini nodded, “Yeah, I don’t got any toenails either.” The robot wiggled his feet. His toes were actually a fused appendage with only a gap between the big toe and his fused little toes. While not the most visually pleasing for those appreciative of feet, it served its purpose of fitting into shoes and the brown flip flops Gemini currently wore. “But that doesn’t mean you can’t test them yourself,” chirped Gemini. Justice shrugged, “Yeah, ok.” The muscular man sat himself down on the couch next to Gemini. Justice shook the bottle for a few seconds before reading the label. “Guess I’ll try out...Cock Cage Silver,” sighed Justice. The robot’s mood ring changed to sky blue. Gemini spoke in a high pitch voice, “Oo-lah lah. How fancy.” “Shut up,” smiled Justice Twisting the cap off of the nail polish bottle, Justice placed the glass vial between his pecs. His pectorals flexed; clamping shut around the tiny bottle and securing it in place. Gemini chided, “So those do serve a purpose other than making you hot or resting your drinks on it.” “They do. But I’m not sure if I should be insulted that you're calling my pecs a serving tray or be flattered that you called me hot,” giggled Justice. Gemini said nothing back, as his mood ring switched to pink. While the cap’s brush to his nails with a silver coating, a curious thought bubbled in Justice’s mind. He spoke up, “So I was wondering. Do you have to, like, follow that ‘laws of robotics’ stuff?” Gemini looked Justice in the eye, while his mood ring blinked into a green color. “Umm, no. I’m a Soulem, not some junky AI,” he replied. Justice looked away, “Oh…” “You don’t know what that is, do you?” questioned Gemini. Justice’s eyes went wide, “...No?” Gemini’s mood ring changed to white. “No offense or anything but have you been living under a rock or something? How do you not know this stuff?” asked Gemini. Justice’s heart began to race. He wanted to get up and run. Thankfully, he was so focused on brushing his nails, that he had enough mental clarity to keep still. Justice could not think of a good excuse and instead let the words roll out of his mouth. “Cheesedoodle,” he answered, “I mean...I was homeschooled...out in the country.” Gemini’s mood ring became purple. “So you’re just an ignorant, rich jock, huh?” assumed Gemini. Justice nodded, “Yep, that’s me. It’s why I left to...learn more about the world. My parents felt I was old enough to do it myself and gave me this place.” As Justice finished putting the final coat on his last fingernail, Gemini’s mood ring switched to white. “Huh...okay then. A bit fucked up, but okay,” shrugged Gemini. He began to explain, “So I’m what’s known as a Soulem. I can pass that Turing test, cause I basically have a digital human soul. And I get the soul from my dad’s-, I mean, my creator’s brain scan. I get all his personality, quirks, subconscious fears, and even his knowledge. So that means I get free will. Yay. Now sometimes Soulems can inherit their creator’s memories to become a 100% robot copy of their creator. But that’s usually for great cops or scientists near death.” “So yeah, the basic history for us Soulem was that a scientist invented the brain scan thing cause designing an AI with emotions and stuff was exhausting. And with having a digital human soul, people were more likely to trust us and less likely to think we’d start some sort of uprise to extinguish the human race. Then a few years later, we were able to get civil rights and be treated as people,” continued Gemini. Justice stared at his nails to make sure he coated perfectly. It was interesting to hear Gemini give an exposition about Soulemkind. Though amidst the explanation, Justice remembered something the Soulem said earlier. He inquired, “So what about pleasurebots? You mentioned them at the mall earlier with Sugar Skull.” “Yeah, they’re Soulem too, but they’re more of a unique brand,” said Gemini, “They’re Soulems who’re already ‘awoken’ and whose sole purpose is to be a sexual slave to mankind. So they get off on being called a pleasurebot. I’m pretty sure I don’t have to explain how they originated.” Justice guessed, “Brain scan of a kinky person?” “Heh, that’s a nice way of putting it. I prefer the term ‘super slut with zero inhibitions’,” laughed Gemini. Justice giggled, “That’s mean. So what do you mean by awoken?” The Soulem’s mood ring turned purple. “In simplified terms, humans pretty much call it robo-puberty. It’s...basically when a Soulem’s complex emotions become unlocked. Ya know, stuff like love, lust, or even depression. Or even those emotions that can’t be easily put into words, ya know? It’s when they experience something that causes those emotions to be ‘awoken’ and become a truly developed being. Mazel tav for them. But I haven’t gone through it yet, or otherwise, I’d have a penis already,” explained Gemini. Justice smirked, “I bet it’d be in the shape of a drill.” Gemini’s mood ring changed to sky blue. “Yeah, cause I want to dig right into your love tunnel,” he joked. The Soulem immediately looked away as his mood ring became pink. Justice bursted out laughing. He felt so caught off guard by Gemini’s remark, that he could not help but laugh. His laughing died down a few seconds later. Gemini resumed his exposition, “Sooo, yeah. Unless you’re a pleasurebot or inherited the memories from your brain-scanned human, you’re not an awoken Soulem. Cause when we come to life without either of those factors, we’ve practically got the emotional intelligence of a baby. And we kinda need to have a little more than that if we want to be able to handle those complex emotions and carry out our purposes.” “And...what’s your purpose?” asked Justice. Gemini’s mood ring became red, as he kicked off his brown flip flop. Lifting his leg up, he firmly nudged his chrome-plated heel against Justice’s thigh. The Soulem scoffed, “How could you forget already? I told you it was to see if robots could perform magic.” “Ack! Cold!” flinched Justice. Feeling Gemini press his foot into Justice’s enormous, muscular thighs felt like a metal rod that was kept in a freeze. Justice immediately scooted away. He then rubbed his thigh in an effort to rub the cold away. As he did so, he looked up to see the Soulem’s mood ring turn sky blue. Justice questioned, “So if you’re not awoken, then why have that mood ring thingie on your head?” Gemini rolled his head as if he were expressing an eye roll. “Well, obviously I still have emotions. Just not the more complex ones. And also, cause, I kinda don’t have a face. Can’t really express myself with these lenses I have here,” he answered. Gemini tapped on one of the scopes that contained his optic lenses. Justice nodded, “Oh...right. Well, it’s actually kinda cute on you. I like it.” The Soulem looked at the television after hearing Justice’s remark. His mood ring’s color shifted to a shade of pink. “...Thanks,” said Gemini. Justice turned to the television as well. The soap opera of the cat people was still playing. The scene appeared to be a calico catman seducing a persian catman by rubbing his tail against his. The bodybuilder commented to himself, “I wonder where those furry people came from.” “Oh, they didn’t come from anywhere. They’re transpecies,” spoke Gemini. Justice’s eyebrow flexed up, as he turned his head to Gemini. He said, “Transwhatnow?” Next Chapter

All comments and critiques are welcomed here and on my Google Docs(https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Xp3Efz4F7g0cC_7KjwckI1X-FG-NtstAQEEniShWM8k) For other chapters, I will post them on here later. But you can find the archives on my FA and Tumblr with pics included. FA: http://www.furaffinity.net/user/ecchimultiverse/ Tumblr: http://ecchimultiverse.tumblr.com/ First Chapter | Previous Chapter | Next Chapter Chapter 10: The Teratoma A soft patter echoed in the chamber of the empty subway tunnel. It was a slow sound that beaten to the rhythm of a person taking small steps in the black space. What was not swallowed by the darkness was ebbed away by the dim light bulbs embedded in the tunnel walls. In the passing glow, a form began to reconstitute into visibility. Pale feet with barely a sinew underneath the chapped skin appeared; moving in tandem with the pattering sound. Underneath the next dim light, a section of a red cloak materialized and draped over the feet. The cloak fully reformed underneath the next light with the hood bulging from the equine skull underneath. The Skeleton Lord’s movement slowed down. His body wobbled for a moment before the villain braced himself against the wall. His breath raspy as if he were in need of an oxygen tank for a man of his antiquity. “Not yet,” he muttered, “That invisibility should have held out longer.” The Skeleton Lord hissed, “Silence! I should have had more than enough energy to do anything. I slaughtered all those gypsies! It should not have taken much to reform me. Silence, the lot of you!” He paused for a moment before continuing. “You are right. You always are. We will get more. We must educate these sows and hedge-borns on who we truly are. Poxes on adventurers and their crusades,” rasped the Skeleton Lord. Seconds ticked by as he said nothing. A wail escaped his lips as his body became limp against the wall. The Skeleton Lord cried. A suave Latino voice echoed in the darkness, “Wow, and I thought I was fucked up after getting stuck in limbo for a little while.” Turning around, the Skeleton Lord spotted Sugar Skull in the yellow-tinted glow. The purple-suited ghoul was leaned against the wall next to the Skeleton Lord. The spinning cartoon flowers stared out towards the vast darkness of the subway tunnel. “You are...the peculiar ghoul I met not too long ago,” he recalled, “Tell me, do you remember your name?” Sugar Skull nodded, “I do. But I’ve decided to go by a new name. And for bad guys like you…” The ghoul took a step towards the Skeleton Lord and squatted down. His yellow flower eyes gazed into the villain’s shadow-veiled face. The spinning flowers in his sockets began to wilt into a blackened shrivel. Its husk crumbled into bits that dissolved in the emptiness of the ghoul’s eye sockets. “You can call me, Deathshade,” said the skulled man. Deathshade’s face twisted like an owl’s; trying to look upside down without moving its body. The bones in his neck clicked, as his chin swung up in a clockwise motion. Upon reaching the axis of his neck snapping, the ghoul relaxed his neck and unleashed the kinetic energy stored in those muscles. His skull rattled with a multitude of bone clicking sounds; reverberating in the air and through his own body. Yellowish green spores exploded from Deathshade’s fleshy neck and decorated skull. The spores spread themselves a small distance before completely dissipating. With Deathshade’s face peering close to the Skeleton Lord’s, it was an expected outcome for the Skeleton Lord’s exposed exterior to be coated in the deathly spores. The Skeleton Lord coughed and lurched over. His skinny pale hands braced against the ground as the supervillain heaved. Black sludge erupted from the Skeleton Lord’s mouth. It splattered against the pavement as he continued to vomit. The volume he emitted was enough to fill a medium-sized can of tomato soup. During his regurgitation, the pigments of the supervillain’s pure white skin began to change. Speckles of a peach color appeared in scattered areas before collecting in a mass and spreading up his arms upon every upheaval. Deathshade stood up, “I was not expecting this to happen. But whatever.” The Skeleton Lord’s black emissions came to a slow; dribbling out the sides of his mouth. He wiped his lips with his arms and paused. The supervillain stared at his arm; turning it to observe the living pigments in his limbs. “Wh-what have you done to me, ghoul?!” he gasped. Deathshade shrugged, “Eh, guess I have time to do some, uh, exposition. You see, I’m a very special ghoul. I have three powers. The first is that I can regenerate. So all those mortal wounds won’t cause me to, umm...atomize. I can keep on fighting instead of respawning at a later time.” The ghoul leaned forward and pulled his leg back into the air to build up power for a second. Immediately after, he swung it with full force. The tip of Deathshade’s long boot toe rammed into the Skeleton Lord’s torso. The impact caused the supervillain to be flung away a small distance and landing on their back. Bit of red liquid sprayed from the cloaked man’s mouth. He moaned in pain. “My second power is my poisonous spores. They usually spray out like that, but it’s also contained in my blood. Now, as for what they can do, well,” Deathshade giggled, “I honestly don’t know. The effects are always random. But I do know they even the playing field for me. One time, I saw a man cough up his own lung. Like he got hit with that, uh, what’s that thing called again? Oh right!” He delivered another swift kick into the Skeleton Lord’s side. More red liquid escaped from the supervillain’s painful gasp. “Mustard gas. But as for what happened to you, I’d say...welcome back to the living. Hahaha! That’s actually a first. To make an immortal mortal. Bet you’re allergic to lead now, huh?,” said the ghoul. Deathshade reached into his sleeve, “Which brings up my third power…” The ghoul pulls out his black pistol from the purple sleeve. Planting his foot on the dazed Skeleton Lord’s chest, he bent down and aimed his weapon into the supervillain’s face. “GUN,” he chattered. A pillar of bone arose from the darkness beyond the dull light’s rim and speared into illuminated area. Its pointed end thrusted into Deathshade’s chest; puncturing through. The pale bone pillar continued to extend with abundant speed and began lifting Deathshade into the air. Upon piercing into the concrete wall with its sharp tip, the pillar of bone ceased its growth. The ghoul’s torso was held in place against the wall by the bony spike. His eye sockets’ vast emptiness transformed into pixilated television static. Deathshade held onto his firearm during the brief attack and held it up; undeterred by the attack. He took aim at the Skeleton Lord. A bone spike the size of an arrow shot from the darkness. It briefly whistled as it penetrated the ghoul’s gun-holding wrist. Steadfast with the same force it used to lodge into ghoul flesh, the bony spike continued its propulsion. The impaling barb flew overhead and penetrated the wall; leaving Deathshade’s arm to hang limply with his wrist pinned. In the process, the ghoul became unable to have a steady grip on his black gun. The glock fell onto the ground with a metal clang. Deathshade stared down at the supervillain, while dark blood dripped through his purple teeth. An insect-like limb made of bone extended itself from the bottom of the Skeleton Lord’s robe. Angling itself, it pushed against the concrete floor as a means of propping up its master. The Skeleton Lord accepted the assistance and stood up. As if ignoring the ghoul’s existence, the Skeleton Lord faced the original direction he was taking before the ghoulish interference. The supervillain hobbled forward as the bony limb repositioned itself to act as a stabilizer and maintain its master’s balance. The remaining rows of wall-embedded subway lights in the Skeleton Lord’s path flickered off. Starting with the furthest, it slowly dominoed its way until reaching the villain. Deathshade saw the Skeleton Lord wading further into the darkness until completely enveloped. The soft pattering noise the supervillain’s footsteps made slowly echoed until mute emptiness filled the tunnel. The ghoul sighed, “That’s what I get for talking too long…” Pulling out his smartphone, Deathshade opened the messenger app and selected “Bruja”. The ghoul coughed without warning; spurting blood onto the screen. Deathshade wiped his phone’s screen against his purple suit in an attempt to clean off his blood. He began texting in Spanish: Deathshade frowned. Using his thumb to swipe, he opened a puzzle game app. It seemed that much time was going to pass before help arrived for him. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> The sloshing of raw flesh grew louder as Marvelous Man spotted a bulky object making its way into the clearing the three heroes stood in. Sliding through the entrance the Skeleton Lord came through, the mysterious being’s true form became revealed by the ground’s imbued illumination. It was a mass of exposed sinew tissue with patches of skin and hair strewn about itself; sloshing like liquid mercury. Scattered around the monstrosity were human limbs struggling to grasp and kick itself forward, while the exposed sinew lurched and rolled. It seemed as if hordes of every part of the human body were stuck together with no purposeful intent; leaving the organism’s anatomical structure to be a pure mess. Eyes of different colors attached to the abomination’s body and even at the end of some fingertips. Mouth orifices dispersed all over the monster that moaned and gurgled with a mixture of saliva and bile. The teeth were missing from the gums and were instead scattered in rows on the monster’s limbs and mass. Brain matter and internal organs surfaced in some areas; pulsating with undead determination to keep on living. Marvelous Man gagged at the sight of it as the abomination slowed to a stop upon its hideous reveal. It reminded Marvelous Man of a cancerous tumor he discovered on a medical mystery show he watched with his father, Apollo. “What the hell is that?!” exclaimed Octomentist. Marvelous Man answered, “Some sort of...human-sized teratoma…” “Marvelous Man…” called out Gene. Marvelous Man turned to his partner. He could see a saddened expression on Gene’s face. Gene Lightfoot spoke, “I can feel the agony of that creature. They are in an immeasurable amount of pain. Marvelous Man, can you heal them?” Marvelous Man stared back at the Teratoma monster. He could see parts of itself pulsating and small green smog emitting from its many mouths. “I...I don’t know. Maybe if I supercharge it, it could work,” he guessed. “You want to what?” said Octomentist, “Well, as long as they’re not lashing out, I guess we should try something.” Gene nodded, “I request that you please hurry. They are already quite agitated. If you tarry any longer, it is likely they will become volatile.” Taking a step forward, Marvelous Man then stopped for a moment upon spotting the Teratoma’s green exhales. He remembered the Skeleton Lord’s warning and briefly reached into his pocket. Upon pulling it out again, he revealed in his grasp the jewel-encrusted golden athletic cup. Marvelous Man resumed forward motion, as he applied the athletic cup to his face. The athletic cup suctioned itself over the shining superhero’s mouth and nose. It’s black rubber lining and silky insides felt like the gold-plated cup was softly kissing his face. Other than the soft suctions around his face, Marvelous Man felt like he was breathing without a cup on it; due to no warm backdraft of his own breath. His shaky nerves became calm, as he could smell a light fragrance of sugar cookies within his magical breathing apparatus. Within a few steps of the Teratoma, its eyes turned to Marvelous Man. One of its arms reached out to grasp him. The arm gestured at the muscular superhero with the body language of curiosity rather than maliciousness. Marvelous Man reciprocated and clasped the monster’s hand with both of his own. It chilled him to see all those eyes staring out at him. But he could not help but sense a sort of sadness, confusion, and pleading with each one he briefly looked into. Marvelous Man closed his eyes and hummed; calling out the light within him with his full concentration. His light within obeyed and expanded outward. The light made contact with the Teratoma’s hand and imbued itself onto its surface. Marvelous Man was hit with an immediate medical feedback as the light spread itself further down the arm. The light analyzed the Teratoma’s tissue to be made of many different human beings that were forced together. The monster should have immediately fallen apart and necrotized. What seemed to be holding the Teratoma together appeared to be the bone ingredients, collagen and calcium, acting as a bonding agent. Marvelous Man knew such a thing is an impossibility and figured this could only occur due to magic or whatever the Skeleton Lord’s weird bone ability was. Instinctually, Marvelous Man realized that supercharging the Teratoma with his light would most likely do nothing. The monster was a new being that was created from dead parts. There was nothing to heal. But...he was not sure if it was the light or maybe sudden insight, but he could feel that it was possible for him to undo what has made the creature into what it currently is. The light would need something else from him to do it. Something that was not a positive expression or memory. “I’m sorry, Gene. There’s nothing I can do,” said Marvelous Man. Gene protested, “But what about-?!” “Supercharging it won’t work. It’s not wounded. Just...mutated. I know I can’t do any of that gene therapy stuff with my powers. But...I think I can unmake it,” explained Marvelous Man. Gene frowned, “But would that not kill it?” Marvelous Man looked at the creature’s eyes. “It’s better than what it is right now,” remarked Marvelous Man. Gene shook his head, “No. We cannot kill them! They...they can still be saved! If we bring them to the D.A.B. then the magical researchers can try to find the cure to restore them.” “Back to what? Corpses? Those people were already dead before they got turned into a Frankenstein’s monster. You think your company can help that thing? If anything, your magical researchers would just poke at it until there isn’t enough IV and shock paddles to keep it alive. No different than any other scientist,” spoke Octomentist. She turned her attention to Marvelous Man, “I think you should go for it, Naked Justice. Put them out of their misery. They shouldn’t exist like this.” “No!” exclaimed Gene. Marvelous Man did not have to see Gene’s eyes tearing up. He could feel himself being whirlpooled in Gene’s sadness of anguish and disapproval. It was crushing, and Marvelous Man could feel his tear ducts beginning to activate. He did not want to hurt Gene. But what else could he do? Gene pleaded, “Fairuza, I beg of you to tell me that they are wrong!” Silence held in the air before Fairuza replied. Her voice echoed softly in Gene and Marvelous Man’s head. “I wish I could, Gene. I’ve been doing magical scans on that creature, but...nothing in the archives can assist with that level of transmogrification. Not even our best medical practitioners can help. I’m sorry, Gene. The people that were made into that monster were already dead. Nothing legal can remove death’s hand on them,” clarified Fairuza. Gene’s lips trembled, “Marvelous Man?” “I can...I can try to bring them back. But I’d have to unmake it first,” swallowed Marvelous Man. Gene turned away, “Do what you must.” Marvelous Man sighed, as he opened his eyes. He gazed at the Teratoma before he closed his eyes again. “I’m sorry,” he thought. He spoke softly, "It's alright. Everything will be okay." Marvelous Man mentally surrendered himself to his light; letting it feed on any part of him to fuel its other ability. From the depths of his memories, thoughts about seeing Sugar Skull getting impaled from the first encounter with the Skeleton Lord bubbled into his mind. He could feel the terror he tried to bury within himself become freshly undug. This memory then connected to a similar one he had when he became Marvelous Man on his first transformation. Seeing that chicken being broken and poisoned by his own fathers. It felt as if it had just happened a moment ago. The light that fed on these memories began to darken into a shining blackness. It no longer seemed warm and friendly as it illuminated the Teratoma and extended itself to completely blanket the abomination. It appeared to be cold and whisping about like a dark aura. It almost seemed to whisper dark secrets in a hushed voice. Spitefulness awakened within Marvelous Man. The betrayal and hurt he felt about his parents secrets felt as if it were maximized by a magnifying lens. Negative emotions swirled like a tornado within him. All those years of lies. All those years of loneliness without a real person to talk to outside of his parents. The times he felt the impulse to commit violent acts throughout his entire life began to stack up in one place. It was all too much. It hurt so much. He wanted somebody to feel that pain. To know the same level of emotional pain he endured and even more. To cast this burden of negativity on another person. Anybody. Marvelous Man commanded his dark light to attack the Teratoma. His dark light analyzed the pitiful monster and gave the superhero new insight. He could see into the mutant’s brief medical history. Though the Teratoma had not recovered from any wounds nor endured any, its undying cells experienced a sort of acidic breakdown before being magically reconstituted as the newly-born abomination. Other than trauma to the tissues that could no longer divide, the medical history of the victims themselves could not be found. The spiteful Marvelous Man did not care about the last fact and focused his attention on the acidic breakdown. Without having to command, the dark light proceeded on Marvelous Man’s intentions. The whisping aura of darkness seeped into the Teratoma; traveling into every cell. It whispered to every tissue one final secret before it became silent. Vanishing like smoke, the dark light disappeared with its task done. The collagen and calcium bonds that once held the Teratoma’s cells together began to erode. Acid bled through every part of the monster; slowly dissolving it. What anatomy that had existed for those few minutes fell apart into a mix of acid and biotic goop. Amidst his attack, Marvelous Man felt good. His mind was covered in a numbness of euphoria as he used his own negativity to melt a being. It felt good to lash out. To hurt someone else in order to ease his own pain. He had never tried to maliciously hurt somebody until this moment. It did not matter if this new ability was losing its intention of helping someone. And it was intoxicating. Feeling death’s approach, the agonized creature reached out to Marvelous Man with its limbs. It pulled the muscle-bound hero in a disorganized embrace with arms and legs wrapping around him. Its many mouths hyperventilated; trying to last as long as its melting body could. “Marvelous Man!” shouted Octomentist. Marvelous Man was shaken out of his mindset upon being grappled by the slimy limbs and the overwhelming feeling of extreme distress. He realized this was not the emotion he was actually emitting. Rather, it was Gene’s. Within the Teratoma’s embrace, he could feel the monster’s heartbeat as he sunk deeper within the melting horror. Marvelous Man had his body curled in a fetal position. He could hear it beat erratically before it began to slow down. His skin became irritated from the acid as if he were covered in aftershave lotion. Unknown to him, the acid destroying the Teratoma was eating away his clothing; leaving him naked with only the golden wreath on his head and the jewel-encrusted athletic cup on his face. Marvelous Man tried to command his light to begin the healing process; mustering what goodness he had left in him. The light within him weakly reached out and analyzed what it could. There was nothing to heal except the Teratoma itself, because it was the only thing the cells took shape of. It was not able to reverse the hands of time to go back to how things were. It could only mend things together that existed in the present to keep the wounded living on in the future. No amount of singing, melancholy, or happy memories could bring back those dead people. The last heartbeat thumped through the Teratoma’s body, as its mouths exhaled their last poisonous breaths. The monster lost complete physical structure and began to flatten. The now mixed acidic biotic goop that bled onto the ground immediately evaporated. As it deflated, it uncovered the naked superhero; laying on the ground like a giant, muscular newborn. With the last bits of the monster finally vaporized, Gene and Octomentist ran to their teammate’s side. Marvelous Man slowly turned his head up to Gene. Gene kneeled down and placed his hand on his partner’s bulging shoulder. Marvelous Man was overwhelmed by the concerning emotions Gene emitted and felt the motivation to move. With carefulness, he slowly stood up; his body no longer emitting smoke from the evaporating acid. He stared down at the bunny demigod, as he took off the gold-plated athletic cup off his face. Marvelous Man could still see a sliver of hope in Gene’s eyes. He hesitated, “...I’m sorry, Gene. I couldn’t...I couldn’t bring them back. Their cells were so corrupted, I...couldn’t find the...shape to restore them to…” Marvelous Man saw the sliver of hope dissolve in Gene’s eyes like the Teratoma. He wish he could say more. Something to bring back that hope. But the memories of what he had just done came rushing back. He unmade a monster that needed help, and he liked it. No, it was not “unmade”. It was more like he poisoned the creature to have its past eat away at him. That euphoric feeling he felt during that poisoning now came with an aftertaste. One that was fouler than bile and ate away at him. The person that enjoyed hurting someone was not who Marvelous Man was. Not who Justice was. But it was him. Marvelous Man threw up. Next Chapter

All comments and critiques are welcomed here and on my Google Docs(https://drive.google.com/open?id=1fWR-rfdhN_UycbGeWAlGpvy-jsMu8pgkb8-dx5GR7XM) For other chapters, I will post them on here later. But you can find the archives on my FA and Tumblr with pics included. FA: http://www.furaffinity.net/user/ecchimultiverse/ Tumblr: http://ecchimultiverse.tumblr.com/ First Chapter | Previous Chapter | Next Chapter Chapter 9: Celestial Meteor It was half an hour later that the two gathered their supplies, and Marvelous Man flew to the location. Gene Lightfoot was in his rabbit form; cradled in Marvelous Man’s brawny arms and nestled against the bulging pectorals. During the flight over, Marvelous Man could feel Gene emitting the emotions of frustration. As Marvelous Man began his descent to a street corner across the abandoned Ridgemont subway station, he observed his surroundings. The Ridgemont subway station appeared to be located in a desolate ghetto with decaying structures and broken windows. The area itself was tucked far away at the edge of Skyway City by the decrepit factories that shut down a long time ago and no longer billowed smoke from its tall chimney stacks that could blanket the sky. As for the subway station’s entrance, it was partially bordered up on its top half. The lower half showed marks of being plied off; definitely evidence that somebody was still residing in the abandoned subway. Nearing the ground, Gene leapt from Marvelous Man’s embrace and shifted back into his humanoid form. He stood up straight and closed his eyes. His white bunny ears twitched in different directions as if he were trying to detect any sound like a sonar. Marvelous Man placed a hand on a patch that was freshly ironed onto the shoulder of his black jacket. The decorative patch was the D.A.B. logo; fonted in white and outlined in cobalt blue. While it advertised Marvelous Man’s association, it was enchanted to act as a telepathic communicator with his own teammates and anybody else able to receive the psychic signal. He projected his thoughts, “Faraiza, we got to subway station. We’re in front of it right now.” It felt weird for Marvelous Man to use his thoughts to call out to someone. Like screaming into a void, but the screamer cannot hear the sounds they emit. It was best to not think about how thoughts sound in one’s own head. Regardless of how he felt, Faraiza explained that it was the only way to use his new communicator. “Yes, I have visual of it now. Gene, do you detect anybody?” replied Faraiza. Gene paused, “...No. I do not sense the presence of anyone at all. This is most suspicious.” Marvelous Man could hear the voices of his teammates echo in his head. There was no direction of where the noise originated from. It was all around him and inside himself. He shivered at this first experience of telepathy. “Should we head inside?” he asked. Faraiza answered, “Not yet. I’m not detecting any traps, but I think you should stay put and survey the entrance. I’ll do some quick research to see if there’s another way in. If Gene’s not sensing anybody, you two could be walking in a trap. Either that or the homeless community moved before the Skeleton Lord arrived.” “Roger,” nodded Gene. Gene turned to a dilapidated building on his right and appeared to be analyzing its structure. Its door removed some time ago, and any of its windows that were not already shattered had a layers of grime filmed over it. The bunny demigod pointed, “Let us take shelter in there for now. Their windows on the second floor have a vantage point for observing the subway entrance.” “Alright,” complied Marvelous Man. The two heroes went inside the building without saying a word. From what was left of the interior, Marvelous Man surmised the structure used to be a bakery or cafe on the first floor. The second floor seemed to be an office and an apartment. As the duo wordlessly settled in front of grimy windows, Marvelous Man felt it was the best time to break the ice. There was a certain tension about Gene, but he was not sure if it was due to the mission they were currently handling. He took a cloth he found on the floor and wiped the dirty layer off of a window pane, as he carefully chose his next words. Marvelous Man hesitated, “Hey, Gene...are you okay?” “Yes, I am well. I have no physical condition that will hinder our progress,” replied Gene. Marvelous Man swallowed, “Yeah, I know. But...That’s not what I meant. Are you emotionally okay? You seem tense. Is it because of the seriousness of our mission or what the Skeleton Lord did…” The emotions in Gene’s eyes seem to withdraw for a moment before coming back. The rabbit demigod began broadcasting the emotions of uneasiness. “It...It is not what he did to me that leaves you to perceive that I am having the shaken...It is what he said,” hesitated Gene. He continued, “That...thing said that it was responsible for the death of my people. That he is the reason why my race is a multitude of tribes scattered and hidden across the earth. I had never conceived that my tribe was once united with all the other tribes, but I have also never heard of it happening before. If what he said is true, should not there be history records of this Skeleton Lord?” Marvelous Man looked out the window to keep watch over the subway entrance. He did not know that Gene was part of an actual race. But it did make sense when the Skeleton Lord kept calling Gene Lightfoot that name. It just did not occur to him until the bunny demigod brought it up. There was also something he remembered in the debriefing. “There should’ve. I mean, your people should’ve known if there was a maniac like that. But not even the magical researchers know about him. Like he never existed,” agreed Marvelous Man. Gene’s rabbit ears twitched, “Or maybe nobody wanted to remember he existed. The Skeleton Lord seemed surprised that we did not fear him or even know of his name.” The white rabbit ears on Gene’s head began to droop. Marvelous Man then felt an all too familiar emotion wash over him. Loneliness. “But my people were not just united,” said Gene, “He said we were many. We populated everywhere with the humans. And all of my ancestors had the rabbit ears. All of them. To not only be able to explore the world but also be chosen...I cannot help but envy that such a thing might have happened at one point.” “But..aren’t you doing that right now?” questioned Marvelous Man. Gene shook his head, “It is not the same. Not many know of the ways of my people, and not many have the curiosity for discovering it. You see, all of our Totochtin tribes have only one person in every generation to be blessed by our rabbit god. The choosing happens after a tournament is held to find one who is victorious over their other brothers with their own strength and skill.” “When one is chosen to receive the rabbit ears and have their potential to be unlocked, they must go on a sacred pilgrimage. They must scour a region and find other male warriors to challenge them to combat. If one is able to best our chosen, he gifts the warrior with the best sexual experience he will never find anywhere else. This is an exchange to reap the victor’s seed, so it can be used to birth a new generation for our tribe. The chosen one will continue the process until he has completed exploring the region. And thus, our tribe becomes stronger with every descendant, and the cycle begins anew,” explained Gene. Marvelous Man willed his face with all his might to not express bewilderment. With no mirror around, he was not sure if his body betrayed him or not. He wondered if being baffled was also an emotion and hoped Gene could not detect. He saw Gene give a small smile as if he knew or was aware of how his culture was perceived by outsiders. Marvelous Man cleared his throat, “So...I guess your time here in North America is limited, huh?” “Yes, but also no. I was not assigned to this region,” twitched Gene, “I am sorry, but my story will have to be shared for another time. Someone has arrived, and they are curious.” Staring out the window, Marvelous Man spotted a woman in a red female kung fu uniform with visor sunglasses over her eyes. He immediately recognized her. “Octomentist?” he said to himself. Gene glanced, “You know of her?” “I met her yesterday. We teamed up to fight the PB&J Gang,” answered Marvelous Man. Octomentist looked about as if she were searching for someone. She looked up where Marvelous Man and Gene were stationed at for a few seconds before resuming her exploration. Gene inquired, “Is she from the Arkos Division?” “Yeah, how’d you know?” said Marvelous Man. Gene replied, “Most members from a superhero company dress themselves according to the colors their companies favor. It is much like how I dress with the blue to proclaim my association with the D.A.B. Though some people do the compromise by carrying a colored accessory in relation to their employer yet wearing whatever colors they please. Just like you.” “Oh,” spoke Marvelous Man, “So should we go down there to talk to her?” Gene crossed his arms, “There is no need. I believe she has found us, because she is now amused.” His rabbit ears twitched. “She is now within the building,” said the bunny demigod. Hearing the stairs creak, Marvelous Man turned his attention to the doorway. The echo of footsteps slowly drew closer. Seconds later, Octomentist appeared in the hallway right outside of the room’s entrance. Octomentist smiled, “Hey there, Naked Justice. Didn’t think I’d see you so soon. How’s my sidekick doin?” “Umm, doin alright. What’re you doing here?” asked Marvelous Man. Octomentist answered, “Saw you passing by. Thought I’d track you down, since I didn’t have anything better to do. Saw you upstairs with my visor’s thermal vision. Though I didn’t think you’d end up here in the ghetto. Congratulations on getting picked up by the D.A.B., by the way.” Marvelous Man was confused by Octomentist’s remark. He was not sure how she already knew. A second went by until his mind finally comprehended that his communicator patch gave away a context clue. “Oh. Thanks. Uh, this is Gene. And we were trying to find a guy that’s hiding out in that abandoned subway down there,” pointed Marvelous Man. Gene cutted in, “I believe this is one of the situations that we must exercise discretion, Marvelous Man. It would not be wise to divulge any more information regarding the mission.” “It’s cool. I think I’ll just tag along anyways. Or I could just charge right down there while screaming my head off. I’m sure he won’t notice me,” grinned Octomentist. Faraiza’s voice ringed in Gene Lightfoot and Marvelous Man’s head before they could say anything. She stated, “I’m sorry. I couldn’t find any other alternate entrances inside. You’re going to have to proceed through the front. But before you go, there’s something else I need to ask of you two. I’m sending a picture to your scrolls.” “Marvelous Man could you open your scroll?” asked Gene. Marvelous Man nodded, “Sure.” Reaching into his pocket, Marvelous Man retrieved his electronic scroll and silver-rimmed visor glasses that looked exactly like the Director’s. However, the electronic scroll Faraiza gave him was completely different from Director Skye’s scroll. Instead of resembling an extravagant Torah, its features were more like an oval-shaped object. “You don’t need the glasses. This information isn’t private. Besides, it’d be good to let your third party know about this. Don’t worry, I won’t tell anybody about her involvement,” echoed Faraiza. After nodding and placing the glasses back into his bottomless pockets, Marvelous Man proceeded with opening his scroll. He pressed the button on the top side of his oval scroll to unlock its features with a small click. Gently pulling at its sides, the scroll’s outer shell broke apart to reveal a transparent plastic sheet. It glowed with a hushed light of blue and white. Octomentist grinned, “Oh, hey! Those are the mobile alpha prototypes the Arkos Division sent out to the other hero organizations to try out before it’s released for retail. Glad to see it being put to use.” Marvelous Man ignored Octomentist’s statement and continued. Flipping open the panels on the scroll’s sides, he pressed the buttons hidden underneath to move the scroll’s digital cursor. He then selected the messages icon and found his first new message. Opening it, he found a headshot picture of a caucasian man with messy brown hair. Marvelous Man then heard Faraiza’s voice echo in his head. “That’s Martin Whalsh. He’s supposedly the leader of that community. Try to save him first. If you do, he can really help us out for future investigations or make it easier to move the homeless somewhere else,” said Faraiza. Gene replied back telepathically, “We will do our best, Faraiza.” “Why are you guys just staring at the screen? And who’s that?” spoke Octomentist. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> The three heroes stood steps away from the subway entrance. A gust of wind blew from within; moaning to forbode them from entering. The sunlight that was able to poke through the opening revealed stairs that paved downward into unknown darkness. Gene stated, “I will go forth and do the ‘inside sweep’. Faraiza and I will alert you on whether it is safe to proceed or if something is amiss.” His form began to shrink, as he shapeshifted into a snow-white rabbit. The bunny demigod’s animal shape twitched its nose for a moment before bounding into the entrance and hopping down the stairs' descend into the black abyss. “Huh, the files weren’t kidding. He really can shapeshift into a bunny,” remarked Octomentist, “By the way, it sucks that you got a Rank D. A little bit of downtime with this company, and you’ll get C Rank in no time.” “Thanks,” nodded Marvelous Man. A bloodcurdling scream ringed in Marvelous Man’s head. It sounded similar to Gene Lightfoot’s but as if he were in unimaginable pain. Faraiza’s voice interrupted the telepathic transmission. She spoke urgently, “Marvelous Man, you need to get down there! Something has traumatized Gene, but I’m not sure what!” Marvelous Man turned to Octomentist with wide eyes. “Something went wrong,” he said. Placing his hand on Octomentist’s shoulders, Marvelous Man commanded the light within him to illuminate himself and his friend. The two charged forth with Marvelous Man in the lead. As they entered, Marvelous Man punched the boarded planks on the top half of the subway’s entrance; splintering it in half and leaving enough room for the shining hero to dash through without ducking. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Faraizah guided the pair as to where Gene was located. After treading down the steps and crossing over the train tracks in the pitch blackness, they found a large clearing with blanket tents and houses made of cardboard and tin sheets built against the walls. They spotted Gene in his humanoid form; laying in the center in a fetal position. Marvelous Man shouted, “Gene!” He ran towards the fallen hero and placed a hand on his back. Marvelous Man’s light analyzed Lightfoot’s body but found no physical wounds to heal. Marvelous Man crouched down to get a better look at Gene and noticed a small puddle of vomit next to the bunny demigod. “There is so much pain here. So much horror. Fear. Despair. All of those people...gone,” murmured Gene. The bunny demigod looked up at Marvelous Man. His face was wet with tears, and his eyes were nearly clouded with catatonia. Marvelous Man could feel Gene emitting his own feelings of sorrow. He then realized if the broadcasting of Gene’s emotions were to continue, it could affect the team’s ability to fight. They were in no place to take their time to talk about their feelings. Marvelous Man needed to temporarily override the bunny demigod’s feelings and quickly asked himself what he could do. He could hit Gene with a slap or light punch. That always seemed to work in movies and anime. But that did not feel like the right approach for Marvelous Man to do, and Gene could react with even more negativity. If he were an empath like Gene, he could have injected positivity into Gene to balance him out...but he actually could do that in theory. As Marvelous Man closed his eyes and reached into his black jacket’s pocket, Octomentist walked past the two kneeling heroes. An object sparkling from Marvelous Man’s light sat on the ground by its lonesome. She scooped it up, while Marvelous Man pulled out his golden harmonica, Duskbell, and started playing it. Octomentist turned to music playing with her mouth pursed to exclaim. Her shouting came to an abrupt halt, as she saw Marvelous Man. Marvelous Man blew his golden harmonica with minstrel skill and jammed to an upbeat tempo. His light fed on the music and became supercharged. It obeyed Marvelous Man’s commands and began to extend itself. Bursting from the floor Marvelous Man was kneeling on, it enveloped Gene Lightfoot and dispersed to the rest of the ground. Upon sensing Gene’s sorrow to quell, Marvelous Man ceased the playing of Duskbell. He opened his eyes and spotted Octomentist; holding one of Gene’s silver spheres. He asked, “Where did you find that?” “Right here,” said Octomentist. She paused for a moment, as she looked about her surroundings. Octomentist hesitated, “Is that...blood?” It was Marvelous Man’s turn to observe the area. Before illuminating the area, the light shining off of him and Octomentist lit their line of sight only steps ahead in the vast darkness. This caused tunnel vision upon spotting the emotionally disturbed Gene. Now that everything around them was revealed and nothing to distract Marvelous Man, he could see everything. Blood. The dark red liquid splattered everywhere; from the walls to the makeshift homes and even the ground. It were as if a giant blood-filled balloon exploded everywhere or some sort of horror film setting. The scent of iron flooded Marvelous Man’s senses, and despair filled his stomach. With no visual contact of the homeless community, the blood, and the silver ball, a connection was made. Marvelous Man immediately placed his hand on the D.A.B. jacket patch. “Faraiza, I think we’ve been set up!” he telepathically exclaimed. Faraiza choked, “I see it. Oh my gosh...there’s so much blood. If Gene’s ball is here, then where’s the Skeleton Lord? Did he know we were tracking him?” Gene slowly began to stand up. His posture no longer exhibited that of a deterred person. The bunny demigod joined the telepathic conversation. “I am sorry, Faraiza. I sense that they are all dead,” he said. Octomentist muttered, “This is all kinds of fucked up.” A soft patter echoed in the opening behind Octomentist. However, everyone was too engrossed in the gore decor to notice. “So this is how you all survived my onslaught of the undead. The star child’s odd ocarina can enchant the field with daylight, as well as yourselves,” noted the Skeleton Lord’s voice. Octomentist turned around to face the Skeleton Lord, as she took a step away from him. The Skeleton Lord, garbed in his red cloak and the equine skull resting on his head, continued to proceed forward. Gene Lightfoot slid his hand into his utility belt’s pouch of silver spheres. The Skeleton Lord calmly spoke, “I had a feeling that silver marble had a tracking spell on it. It appears I was correct. If I were wrong, well, then I would have enough time to absorb the fleshes of this gypsy caravan. Sadly, I was only able to absorb their fear and blood. But I must admit, it became a bit messy on that last part.” The Skeleton Lord’s red cloak billowed as the insides rustled. His arms extended from the curtain with an object in its grasp. It was the decapitated head of Martin Whalsh; the leader of the subway homeless community. “And killing this fellow first made the fear flow right out of them. I assume it was because he is their chief and also because I killed him,” he said on a tangent. Octomentist leapt forward. Pivoting her waist to pronounce a stronger strike, she whips her golden arm towards the Skeleton Lord. Her golden left arm changed its shape; transforming into a golden machete. Four skeleton arms bursted from within his red cloak. Their white, bony hands caught the golden blade above the Skeleton Lord’s shoulder; right before the weapon could reach the neck. The golden machete shook from Octomentist trying to muscle through the gentle, skeletal grasps. Without even flinching from the murderous attempt, the Skeleton Lord slowly turned his attention to the blade for a moment. The Skeleton Lord changed his gaze to Octomentist, “Hm, a monk with killing intent. Or perhaps you are one of those mystic knights?” Octomentist did not answer but immediately reacted. Two of her right chrome arms placed their inner sides on top of one another. Palms flexing out, the chrome arms were tucked close to her side and aimed at the Skeleton Lord. A stream of water as powerful as a fireman’s hose jetted out of the palms. It sparkled with a layer of electricity coursing through. The electrified aqua punctured through the Skeleton Lord’s abdomen; soaking and billowing the back of his red cloak. The Skeleton Lord convulsed from the electrical currents spreading throughout his entire body. His hands lost their grip on the decapitated head and causing it to land with a soft plop. As the Skeleton Lord began to teeter towards the ground, Gene withdrew a silver ball from his pouch and threw it faster than a professional baseball pitcher. It whistled through the air, as it was aimed towards the stunned Skeleton Lord. The adrenaline pumping throughout Marvelous Man allowed time to slow down for just a moment to see the sphere about to bore into the Skeleton Lord’s hooded forehead with only a pen’s length between the two. A tendril of bone shot out from beneath the Skeleton Lord’s cloak. As it stabbed into the ground, it caused the Skeleton Lord to rocket into the air. Gene’s silver sphere completely missed piercing the Skeleton Lord’s head before the sudden velocity. The Skeleton Lord’s body hung limply high above the other heroes with the bone tendril continuing to extend and thicken from under the red cloak. Three more bone tendrils stretched out from behind the red clothing; rooting into the ceiling to stabilize the first tendril’s balance. The Skeleton Lord looked as if it were a daddy-long-leg spider that was short of four bony legs. “Lightning enchanted water? Well, that is a first,” remarked the Skeleton Lord. Grabbing his golden wreath, Marvelous Man threw his projectile. It whizzed like a buzzsaw; flying up towards the Skeleton Lord. The spider-like bone legs pulled the Skeleton Lord higher up towards the ceiling, as the golden wreath was about to reach the Skeleton Lord and saw through. Missing its target, the wreath returned to Marvelous Man, while the bone legs began to shift. The spider bone legs crawled across the ceiling with the Skeleton Lord gently swaying beneath. His bony appendages made its way to the other side of the room behind Marvelous Man and Gene. As he was lowered to the ground in front of entrance, the Skeleton Lord clapped. The Skeleton Lord cackled, “Well, go on then. Entertain me! Show me things the warriors of the past have not already done!” Surging forward, Marvelous Man bounded towards the Skeleton Lord with Gene following behind him in rabbit form. The shining hero activated his flight power and twisted himself in a counterclockwise motion. He completed two rotations before aiming a slamming right elbow at the Skeleton Lord’s face. A skeletal arm extended from underneath the Skeleton Lord’s cloak. It caught the powerful elbow without even wincing. The sudden stop of the muscular man’s deadly gymnastics cause the wind trailing with his huge body to billow the Skeleton Lord’s red cloak. As Marvelous Man was held in place, the white rabbit bounded underneath his musclebound frame. Gene arrived at the feet of the Skeleton Lord and transformed. As he shapeshifted back into his humanoid form, Gene Lightfoot rose up into the air while executing a spinning uppercut. His fist connected with the underside of the Skeleton Lord’s pale, white jaw. The brittle sound of bone popping and cracking emanated from the blow to the Skeleton Lord. As Gene continued ascending above, the Skeleton Lord’s head flung back from the blow. His body nearly recoiled, but his spider bone legs dug into the floor and walls to stabilize himself. The skeleton arm released its grasp on Marvelous Man’s elbow before immediately clasping onto the bunny demigod’s left shoulder. Three more skeletal arms lashed out from beneath the red cloak. Clamping underneath Gene’s right shoulder and legs, they held the bunny demigod steadfast in midair with the limbs pulled into a spread eagle position. The Skeleton Lord reached out with his own pale-skinned hand and groped Gene’s crotch that dangled like plump blue fruit. His jaw shifted itself back into place with the sound of bone snapping itself together. “I have to say, lust energy has far more power in it than absorbing one’s fear. Still, it is quite difficult to...milk lust energy if one is not a Totochtin. But I have learned many ways to milk fear,” smiled the Skeleton Lord. Upon his elbow being released, Marvelous Man swiveled his brawny body in midair towards the Skeleton Lord’s left side in a clockwise motion. He launched his right fist in an overhand punch upon arriving next to the villain. Another skeleton arm rose from behind the Skeleton Lord’s red cloak. It appeared to be a right appendage that began to wave in a counterclockwise motion. As the top of its wrist briefly touched the golden encased underside of Marvelous Man’s, it reflexed immediately. The skeletal hand grabbed Marvelous Man’s jewelry-covered wrist and yanked it forward. At that moment, the trajectory of Marvelous Man’s punch was now under the control of the bony hand. Marvelous Man’s fist was guided downwards in front of the Skeleton Lord’s neck. The shining hero could see his fist completely missing the molesting villain that did not bother to even look in his direction. He had no time to move away in the instance he was pulled closer to the Skeleton Lord. Two more skeleton arms thrusted out from the cloak. Both had their bony hands curled into hard fists as they aimed at different areas of Marvelous Man’s body. The first struck the right side of the hero’s face. With the skeletal hand holding onto his wrist, he could not be flung back. He had no choice but to take the brunt of the punch as it twisted into his cheek. Marvelous Man felt his vision and hearing blur at the powerful blow. Though Marvelous Man had bulletproof skin, blunt and hard attacks could still hurt him without ever having to break the epidermis. The hero himself had discovered firsthand that the fist was both of those things. At the same time, the second bony fist pounded into Marvelous Man’s right side of his torso. The aim of this strike targeted below his ribs and impacted with a twist against Marvelous Man’s kidney. Pain instantly seared throughout his body at the same moment his face got pummeled. The skeletal fist that punched the hero’s face then snaked over Marvelous Man’s muscular punching arm. It cupped Marvelous Man’s armpit and lifted with a small amount of force, while the hand holding the bracelet-covered wrist pulled it in towards the Skeleton Lord. This action locked the extended arm in place, as it caused hyperextension to counter any resistance from Marvelous Man. Were it not for the pulverizing strikes to his face and kidney, he would have screamed at feeling his arm reaching the point of breaking in his elbow. Seeing her teammates already subdued by the Skeleton Lord as Octomentist sprinted towards them, she pressed one of her right chrome hands on her chest. It began to emit a dark aura and manipulate her gravity to weightlessness. Octomentist dove forward before the antigravity took complete effect over her body. Upon complete hovering with no force to ground her, Octomentist aimed another cybernetic right arm behind her. The arm’s ability activated a burst of air pressure steaming out of her palm and increasing her flight speed. The multi-armed heroine positioned her arm to keep herself low enough to be close to the ground without any accidental contact. Octomentist maneuvered herself to zip past the Skeleton Lord on his right side while shapeshifting her golden arm into a pickaxe. The Skeleton Lord took no action to what appeared to be some sort of confused retreat, as she flew through the entrance the heroes came through. Once past, she immediately swung her golden pickaxe arm into the cemented ground; piercing into it with ease. The stem of the pickaxe began to extend itself, as it thinned from increasing length like a rubber band. The torrent of air coming from her other chrome hand ceased, and Octomentist’s flight came to a slow with her golden arm acting as an anchor. She then lifted her gravity-manipulating arm from her chest; releasing her from weightless and gently rolling onto the ground. After a few tumbles and her golden arm shifting back into its original form, Octomentist stood up with urgency. The right chrome limbs that emitted water and electricity combined once again. Octomentist quickly took aim at the Skeleton Lord’s back and fired a streaming torrent of electrified water. The charged current splashed into the cloak’s wet spot where Octomentist’s first shot could not pierce through. The stream failed to break open the Skeleton Lord’s red cloak but managed to split into smaller electrified drops when penetrating the fabric. The villain convulsed, and his body became limp. The skeletal arms that held the other heroes in undignified poses released their grasps, as the spider-like bone legs started to crawl up the ceiling with the Skeleton Lord in tow. Octomentist ceased her attack the moment she saw the Skeleton Lord move upwards. The eight-armed hero ran to Gene Lightfoot and Marvelous Man in an attempt to assist them. “How annoying,” mused the Skeleton Lord, “Would you like to know how I wringed every last drop of fear out of those gypsies?” He continued, “You never torture the old in front of the others. They already know death is coming for them. No, you start with the young. Their terror increases the others’ maternal fears by tenfold. And a whole lot of children to torture creates so much fear for me to absorb. Unfortunately, this caravan only had a baby. Well...one makes do with what they have.” As the Skeleton Lord continued to chat and cackle, Marvelous Man gave his stretched arm a few shakes before squatting down like a sumo wrestler. He placed his fists on the ground and raised his hard, round glutes high into the air. Marvelous Man slowly inhaled through his nose as he concentrated his leg muscles to soak up as much kinetic force as it could provide before liftoff. He relaxed his arms and focused the direction he would be flying towards. With his legs to provide the lift, he would straighten his arms at the last second to adjust his angle. Marvelous Man felt his chest and stomach expand to its fullest with all the air it could take and knew it was time to unleash the collected potential within his powerful calves and thunderous thighs. His thighs and biceps flexed; veins and muscular cords bulged and outlined against his skin. The cement underneath his feet cracked. With the force within his arms and legs unleashed, Marvelous Man rocketed forward; leaving behind a shallow crater indented with his own footprints and fistprints. The glowing, musclebound body shot up like a shimmering firework before its timed explosion. Marvelous Man’s aim held true, as he soared towards the Skeleton Lord. Activating his flight power, the shining hero tucked himself into a ball as tight as he could and began to vertically rotate. Marvelous Man stuck his right leg straight out, while his spinning gained more speed. Becoming a buzzsaw-like blur like his own golden wreath, Marvelous Man continued to whirl closer to the Skeleton Lord. The villain saw the spinning hero for only a second before he zipped above the Skeleton Lord between rotations. Marvelous Man’s aim and timing held true; he was right where he wanted to be . The muscular hero completed his cycle and slammed his heel into the Skeleton Lord’s back. The force of the heel drop kick jerked the Skeleton Lord downward. His spider-like bone legs could not handle the sudden direction his body went and immediately snapped off. As the Skeleton Lord fell with great velocity, Marvelous Man’s homing attack propelled himself further up. Right when Marvelous Man successfully attacked the Skeleton Lord’s back, he straightened his body and twirled himself upside down. His black boots were to the first to land on the ceiling and absorb the powerful impact resulting from his super jump and kick. The concrete top chipped and rippled with cracks that traveled to the edge of the ceiling. From the ground perspective of where Gene and Octomentist stood, it looked as if Marvelous Man had sprouted stone angel wings. Marvelous Man’s muscular body crouched against the fissured ceiling, as he spotted the Skeleton Lord plummeting into the blood-stained floor. The ground shattered underneath the villain with a plume of dust and debris flying up from the hole. With the smoke now obfuscating the Skeleton Lord’s body, Marvelous Man decided to not take any chances. His thighs flexed with visible veins on the skin; fighting against the sudden kinetic force that would have pinned him there for a few seconds. He activated his flight powers again and pushed off the concrete dome. In midair, Marvelous Man performed a forward flip to readjust himself. He clasped his knees together as tight as he possibly could and directed them down at the hole the Skeleton Lord resided in. Through the crashing descend in the smoke, Marvelous Man looked like a bright meteor entering the Earth’s atmosphere. The brawny superhero blasted into Skeleton Lord’s crater; resulting in a thunderous boom. A small gust of wind and dust brushed against the other two superhero spectators as more smoke rose into the air. Seconds past after pebble-sized cement pieces finished scattering into the air and clattered back onto the floor. There was no sign of movement from the man-made hole. “Marvelous Man?” called Gene. Faraiza’s voice echoed in Lightfoot’s head, “He’s alright, Gene. I can see him slowly getting up, but he’s a bit too shaky to keep himself steady.” “Much gratitude, Faraiza,” said Gene. The bunny demigod ran to the deep crater that was beginning to clear of smoky debris. He spotted Marvelous Man struggling to stand as his legs were wobbling like a newborn deer. Gene held his hand out, “Here, let me aid you.” “Thanks. I landed really hard on my legs. I’m kinda surprised they’re not broken” coughed Marvelous Man. Accepting the assistance, the white-eared hero pulled Marvelous Man out of the hole. Gene could see Marvelous Man was still having trouble standing up, as Marvelous Man’s bulging legs were still shaking. The bunny demigod scooped up his D.A.B. partner with gentle ease and held him in a bridal carry fashion. He carried his partner back to Octomentist without any trouble. Marvelous Man’s body weight was no match for Gene’s super strength. “Gotta say, that was a sick move you pulled there, Naked Justice,” remarked Octomentist Hey, wait! Can’t you fly?” Marvelous Man’s eyes widened, “Oh...right. Sorry, brain is a bit mushy from all that G-force.” Faraiza’s voice interrupted Gene and Marvelous Man’s thoughts. “I’m sorry for breaking up the good feelings and all, but just what were you all fighting? I couldn’t see the voice that was talking to you, and I have a visual of everything in this room. Something was damaging this room, but it was completely invisible to me,” she said. Gene projected his thoughts his D.A.B. teammates, “The emotions and aura of the Skeleton Lord are invisible to me as well. I fear this person has the ability or magic to mask his presence. Only the naked eye can perceive the Skeleton Lord.” The white rabbit ears on Gene’s head twitched. He turned his attention back to the Skeleton Lord’s hole while carrying Marvelous Man. “What’s wrong?” Marvelous Man asked aloud. Gene frowned, “If I were to give the guess, I would surmise that the Skeleton Lord is putting himself back together again.” “Oh my fucking gosh, when will this Humpty Dumpty son of a bitch stay broken?!” exclaimed Octomentist. The sound of bones shifting and cracking into place emanated from the small pit. It was a soft echo that began to increase in volume, as a shambling silhouette rose from the hole. Though dusty, it was undoubtedly the red robe of the Skeleton Lord with the hood being distended by the equine skull headgear. “Cursed wretch,” spoke the Skeleton Lord, “To arms, my guardians!” With his bone structure reformed, the villain stood straight up. Eight skeleton arms stretched from the red cloak; brandished with a weapon in each hand. The top two hands held a bow and arrow. The pair underneath the long-range weapon was a circular war shield welded with bumps and intricate designs, and a sword with a hook-shaped blade that Marvelous Man recognized as a scythe sword. Below the sword and shield wielders were short-handed axes, etched with runes, held in each hand. The last set of hands held a glaive polearm; its black blade decorated with silver white bell-shaped heather flowers that formed into a hook on the blade’s back. Marvelous Man activated his flight power and floated from Gene’s arms. He positioned himself standing straight and gave his legs a shake while hovering. While his legs felt like useless limbs filled with pins and needles, the rest of body felt twitchy and unstable. He would need a few minutes to recover and be at full strength after pushing his body to the limit twice with no intervals between those wall-cracking bursts. But Marvelous Man knew he had no time for breaks before round two with the Skeleton Lord began. “My body is too noodley to hit him hard like that again,” he frowned. Gene nodded, “That is fine. I request that you stay in the air. I will need your assistance with the air support. Please catch me and throw me back at the Skeleton Lord. The use of your wreath will also be appreciated. I will lead the attack. Octomentist, if you please, try to counter his attacks, to create the opportunity for me.” The bunny demigod pulled his right arm over his chest to stretch his shoulder muscle before switching to the other arm. He continued stretching his muscles as the other hero spoke to him. “Alright. But I’m out of water, so I can’t do the electrified water attack that’s been stunning him. And I’m running low on electricity with my Lightning Arm,” nodded Octomentist. Gene gently smiled, “We will manage with what we have. Marvelous Man, please begin the first attack.” Obeying Gene’s command, Marvelous Man threw his golden wreath at the Skeleton Lord. The bunny demigod dashed forward upon seeing the projectile with Octomentist and Marvelous Man following his lead. Gene placed a hand in the silver ball pouch on his utility belt. A rune glowed on his blue fingerless glove, as he swirled his index and middle finger within the pouch. The silver balls within the blue pouch reacted to Gene’s finger motions and the glowing rune. Right when a sphere was plucked by Gene’s fingers, another ball shapeshifted into a long, silver cord and linked itself to the chosen weapon. The cord then connected to two other orbs to form a bolas projectile. Gene pulled out the silver bolas from his pouch and began rotating the other two weights over his head. The bunny demigod kept his eyes targeted at the skeleton arms equipped with the bow and arrow. The archer arms had the arrow nocked on the white bowstring and its obsidian arrowhead aimed at Gene. As the arrow was being drawn back, Gene released his silver bolas. The projectile spun through the air and shimmered from Marvelous Man imbuing the ground with light. Accompanying in front of the silver bolas was Marvelous Man’s golden wreath; flying at a much lower angle that could decapitate the Skeleton Lord. The shield-wielding skeleton hand lowered its equipment in front of the Skeleton Lord’s face to block the incoming attacks. The golden wreath that aimed for the villain’s neck bounced off the shield and changed its course; boomeranging back to Marvelous Man. The shield ignored the silver bolas, as its trajectory would miss any harming intent towards the Skeleton Lord. Slinging over the shield, the bolas’ silver cords caught itself on the skeletal forearms of the archer arms. The spherical weights of the bolas wrapped around the forearms; tightening and tangling the cords to prevent any easy escape. The gap between the arm holding the bow and the other drawing the arrow was slammed shut. Smoke started to emanate from the binded bones as the arms exposed to the silver bubbled and sizzled. Gene dug his hand back into his silver sphere pouch and grasped a handful. With an underhand throw, the balls spread in different directions within a cone arc at the Skeleton Lord. The shield wielder held its ground; propped in front of the Skeleton Lord’s face. As for the other skeleton limbs that were not bound, they seemed to understand the poisonous touch of Gene’s silver and withdrew inside the villain’s red cloak. The silver balls pelted against the shield and cloak with the force of a shotgun blast. While the ones that pummeled against the cloak and rolled away after dealing internal damage, the rest that bombarded the shield lodged into it with large impact dents. As the distance between the charging Gene and the defending Skeleton Lord thinned for close combat, the bunny demigod lept. He planted his hands atop the dented shield’s rim and pulled himself up. Using it as gymnastic beam to leapfrog over, he split his legs open. Gene hoisted himself into the air with his spandex-covered crotch dangling in the wind. With quick reaction, the bunny demigod threw his arms up while sailing over the Skeleton Lord. Marvelous Man flew to Gene’s aid. Catching his partner’s hands, Marvelous Man carried him over to the other side of the room. The musclebound hero twirled upon approaching the wall. Halfway into his rotation, Marvelous Man’s bulky body graced his direction and tossed Gene in an underhanded motion. Gene’s nimble body gained brief altitude before gravity began pulling him down towards the Skeleton Lord. The villain turned to face Gene, as the rabbit hero notice movement billowing underneath the Skeleton Lord’s red cloak. A tip of a black blade peaked out from the robe. Seeing the ornamental glaive being speared towards him, Gene Lightfoot grinned. He shapeshifted into a snow-white rabbit right when the glaive was only a second away from impaling him. The black blade of the polearm completely missed Gene, as he gracefully landed on top of the blade’s flower bell-shaped hook. Continuing his motion, rabbit Gene hopped down to the pole part of the weapon. The white rabbit transformed back into Gene’s humanoid form. As his body landed on the pole, he hooked an arm and leg of his around it. The bunny demigod contorted his body; twisting down the glaive’s staff with the grace of a professional pole dancer. While completing his first revolution around the pole, Gene kicked underneath the shield. The defense-wielding arm flung back from the powerful attack; leaving the Skeleton Lord’s head unguarded. Upon Gene’s second revolution, he gripped the staff with both his hands and flung his legs open in a wide barrage. Both of his blue boots concussed the side of the Skeleton Lord’s head; causing the villain to become momentarily dizzy. As for the third revolution, Gene turned his body inwards towards the pole. He tucked in his legs before immediately ejecting them out and thrusting it into the Skeleton Lord’s solar plexus. The sudden propulsion inflicted upon the villain cause the skeletal hands to lose their grip on the glaive. A soft crack emanated from the binded skeleton archer hands. The shaking from the Skeleton Lord caused the weakened archer hands to snap at the point where the silver bolas tied and dissolved them. The Skeleton Lord stumbled back, while Gene landed on his feet with the decorative glaive in his hands. Four skeleton legs stretched beneath the villain’s robe; lifting their master to prevent his fall. Balance restored, the Skeleton Lord cursed. “Cursed wretch,” he muttered. Gene spear-chucked the glaive at the Skeleton Lord. As it sailed through the air, its staff end began to dissipate into black smoke. The shield wielder intervened and swatted at the glaive with its dented shield. The polearm weapon spun into the air, as it completely evaporated into black soot. The Skeleton Lord’s red cloak fluttered, as the pair of skeletal hands armed with short-handed axes presented themselves again. The two skeleton hands clanged their axes together as if signaling their own war cry. As the blades reverberated against each other, the runes etched on the handles began to glow a soft blue light. Electricity emanated from the runes and wildly coursed through the axes; zapping multiple, short bursts in every direction like a plasma lamp with lightning. The quadruped skeleton legs charged; pairing with each other to form their own synchronized left and right legs. As the Skeleton Lord stampeded towards the heroes, the axe-wielding hands twirled their weapons. With Gene in chopping distance, the left bony hand swung its axe in an overhand motion. The electricity from the axe crackled the air as it drew closer to Gene’s neck. Octomentist stepped in front of her teammate. She lifted one of her right chrome arms; her wrist limped and relaxed. The top of her chrome wrist made contact with the underside of the attacking skeletal arm’s wrist. All of the wild lightning that raged from the axe now harmlessly coursed into her Lightning Arm. At the same time, one of Octomentists left chrome arms vibrated with ferocity as she swung it upward in a karate chopping motion. The attacking arm sawed through the skeletal forearm without any resistance. Octomentist twisted her body; her back facing the Skeleton Lord. She reached out with her Lightning Arm in a preemptive attempt to intercept the other axe-wielding arm. As predicted, the other skeleton arm swung its electrified axe at her. Octomentist’s Lightning Arm caught the attacker by the wrist and absorbed the electricity sprouting from the axe. Her feet slid about to reposition herself to face her attacker, while the hand of her Lightning Arm briefly relinquished their grip to snake underneath the bony wrist. After completing its slide underneath the skeletal wrist, the chrome hand reestablished their grip on the other side of the wrist. Octomentist yanked the axe-wielding arm, as her vibrating, left chrome arm thrusted forward in a palm strike. The skeleton arm shattered into bits from the vibrating attack. “Kyaa!” exclaimed Octomentist, “Thanks for the recharge!” The shield-wielding hand’s partner, the scythe sword, thrusted up from the red cloak as though it was proclaiming its reappearance. In the same moment of striking itself in the air, the bony hand brought down its scythe sword with slicing intent. Sliding her left leg back, Octomentist brought her gravity-negating arm up to block the the scythe sword’s blade. Her hand limply hanged, as the arm itself instantly generated its dark aura. The scythe sword descended upon the chrome arm. At the point of contact with the arm’s dark aura, the blade silently bounced. The sword never got past the anti-gravity field to clang with the arm. Instead, it reacted like magnets with identical charges. The skeletal arm of the scythe sword flung back with its weapon as if it were hit with a whiplashing force. With her defense successful, Octomentist twirled away from the Skeleton Lord. At the same time, a whirring noise echoed. While the scythe sword wielder struggled to regain control of itself, Marvelous Man’s golden wreath approached from behind the skeleton arm. It sliced through with no effort; the action similar to a saw blade cutting through cheap wood. The scythe sword and the skeletal hand wielding it clattered onto the concrete floor. The wreath curved around the shield wielder, as it made its return back to Marvelous Man floating unnoticingly in the background. Among the confrontation with Gene Lightfoot and Octomentist, the Skeleton Lord and his guardians took no notice of Marvelous Man’s whereabouts. The Skeleton Lord literally disarmed of offensive weaponry, Gene lunged forward and grabbed the villain’s red cloak. The bunny demigod lifted the cloaked man and pivoted his waist. The cloak itself seemed to be bonded to the Skeleton Lord, as the evil man was yanked into Gene’s twisting vortex. Gene’s body rotated with the red robe billowing. Upon completing his three-sixty spin, the rabbit hero threw the Skeleton Lord across the room with all his might. The super strength from Gene caused the Skeleton Lord to fly too fast for him to be able to process a counter maneuver. In the one second of flight before colliding into the wall, the Skeleton Lord looked like a badminton birdie. The Skeleton Lord impacted against the wall with a thunderous slam. Though the concrete wall cracked with bits flying off, its layers were deep enough to handle the shock rather than be instantaneously obliterated. The Skeleton Lord was in a huddled mass devoid of humanoid shapes within the wall’s newly created shallow crater. All four of the skeleton legs and the shield wielder that were attached to the Skeleton Lord now crumbled from all the force. Gene’s bunny ears twitched, “Impossible...” Bones cracking and snapping together and flesh squelching resounded from the Skeleton Lord’s prolapsed body within the red cloak. The cloak undulated with its contents poking and prodding the fabric, before the cloak fell from its crater from all the movement. It landed on the ground with a stifled splat. Black ooze leaked onto the glowing floor until it sizzled and immediately evaporated seconds after contact with the light. “What the hell is keeping him alive?” said Octomentist. The sound of cracking and squelching continued, as the robe slowly rose up. Shape within was rapidly taking form of something more humanoid. The heroes could only gape in horror at how undead this monster truly was. Marvelous Man knew he had to move, but he felt paralyzed at watching the abhorrent display. The nauseating sounds finally ceased as the Skeleton Lord’s form was now restored. Marvelous Man flew back to Gene’s position; hovering next to his partner. “Totochtin. Star child. Heroes. At first, I thought of you as a fun distraction,” spoke the Skeleton Lord, “But I now see that much has changed since I have been sealed.” A wail of an unknown beast emanated from the Skeleton Lord’s entrance next to the villain. Heavy thumpings can be heard; increasing in volume as it drew closer to the entry way the Skeleton Lord used. The Skeleton Lord resumed, “Ah, it appears my creation is nearly complete. I made this amalgam when I realized my absorption of the gypsy caravan’s flesh was to be interrupted. The process of formation would be slow, so my whole intention was to distract you. But allow me to dispose some wisdom for you three. You should mind the gas it belches. It is quite toxic.” The Skeleton Lord turned to his entrance. He paused for a moment. “When we meet again, Totochtin, I will ask you a very important question. One that can save your race should your reply be yes or doom their fate to be with the rest of the lower beings I will extinguish,” he said. Marvelous Man shouted, “Wait! Why are you doing all this? What’s the point of doing all these terrible things?!” The Skeleton Lord stood there silently. His form ebbed away to invisibility in seconds. The Skeleton’s voice echoed the clearing with an emotionless tone: “When one has the power of a god and their purpose has turned to ash, the only thing one can do is burn the world itself.” Next Chapter

All comments and critiques are welcomed here and on my Google Docs(https://drive.google.com/open?id=1I5XrV7wcuO9hhzVcqM3M8BnykDhi56XbVNxjdy1aD_4) For other chapters, I will post them on here later. But you can find the archives on my FA and Tumblr with pics included. FA: http://www.furaffinity.net/user/ecchimultiverse/ Tumblr: http://ecchimultiverse.tumblr.com/ First Chapter | Previous Chapter | Next Chapter Chapter 7: Haute Couture A silver key attached to a cherry-topped ice cream sundae keychain dangled between Justice’s fingers. It gleamed in Justice’s eye; echoing temptation. This was the key that allowed Justice to be free of his cage, but now it seemed to serve the purpose of letting him back in. So much had occurred in one day. His parents revealed that his hometown has always been fake, and the only reason for being created was to become a superhero that entertained his parents. He failed to capture a supervillain more than once, as well as being humiliated. And he had also experienced terror; a possibility that he could die and helpless to assist others. It was a lot to process. At least back in that fake world, it was safe and predictable. He wondered if he had decided to use the key to go back to his gilded cage, would he ever come back out? His thoughts then wandered back to last night when he met that bunny boy, Gene Lightfoot. He was strong and had lots of willpower. There was also a hint of carnal gluttony, but thinking about that part started to make Justice blush. And then there was the part where Gene invited him to the D.A.B. headquarters to file a report to help support Gene’s claims and shed some extra light on what had transpired. Thinking further back, there was also Sugar Skull; a perverted ghoul that was interesting to converse with. And then there was Octomentist. She was from the science-themed hero organization and was tough, but she meant well. Realization dawned on Justice. Yesterday was the first time he was able to interact with anybody without having to stick to a script. He could talk about anything without causing people to malfunction. His circle of friends no longer had to be his parents. There was so much risk in the real world, but it was all worth it to be able to socialize with other people and express himself however he wants. He also needed to get their personal phone number, if he wanted to continue talking to them. Filled with the inspiration to get outside, Justice decided to get out of bed. His muscular body of overbound proportions wrestled the golden sheets off his naked body. The silk sheets that grazed against his milk chocolate skin felt very pleasurable; combined with his king-sized memory foam mattress, it was like resting on a cloud that stimulated Justice to desire masturbation. The feeling was further increased when his long, meaty tip and full sack brushed against his euphoric bed sheets. His meatus then began to fill with the inspiration to release and erected itself into a hardened form. Justice cupped his hairless purse, full of his plum-sized sexual fruits, with one hand before dragging his fingertips over the crevice of his inner thigh, across his cobblestone abdomen, and then fiercely groping his sight-obscuring pectoral meat. His hips slowly gyrated against the golden silk, as he licked his lower lips and lightly bit them; a low moan escaping his lips in the process. As for the other hand, it gripped his erected dark chocolate bar; lazily pistoning until slithering away towards somewhere more enticing. It snaked down, passing underneath his pouched orbs of manliness, until reaching his pleasure hole. His fingers petted the hole’s moist rim; eliciting another low moan from himself. Without any resistance, a finger slid through the small gape and into his fleshy love tunnel. Then two. Then three. Each time his fingers effortlessly slipped in, Justice bucked and gasped sharply. Justice’s thoughts wandered to Gene and his encounter with him. The rabbit-eared demigod trapped in the Skeleton Lord’s dark magic that nearly brought him to orgasm. Without the circumstance of being in danger, it was quite sexy to dwell on that image. Justice remembered Gene’s body quiver from pleasure, and then he thought about Gene using his strength to dominate Justice himself. For as long as he could remember, Justice always felt an attraction to strong men. While it was fun to use his own hands to play with himself, he enjoyed the assistance of sexual toys more. He made a mental notation to pick up some pleasure tools later on. Justice then wondered if Sugar Skull really did have a ghost jelly cock. The possibility of the ghoul possessing one seemed exotic and oddly erotic. Justice groaned with bliss, as his groping hand switched to and fro with his bulbous pecs and more fingers slipped into his stretched hole. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Stepping out of his room, Justice made his way down the hall. He felt relaxed as his mind was still swimming in the euphoric afterglow. Though that was slowly disappearing due to his hunger pangs. Justice’s stomach grumbled, as he wish he had some clothes to put on. The only thing he could find in his room, other than bed sheets and curtains, was the apartment complex’s complimentary fluffy bathrobe. Had Justice been an average-sized person, the robe would have fit perfectly. Instead, all Justice could manage to do was tie it into a makeshift Japanese loincloth in order to at least cover up his manhood. While the penthouse apartment was his new home, he was not about to strut around naked when one of his parents could have dropped by unannounced. Justice made another mental note to purchase some clothes before shopping for lube and dildos. As Justice passed through the main hall, he noticed a change in his surroundings. Most of the statues and artworks portraying his dad, Apollo, was replaced with statues and other artwork renders of Ares and Aphrodite. Justice figured Papa and his mom had a talk with Apollo and wanted to be included in the final design. He then spotted different weapons and photographs of happy moments with his family framed across the wall. Upon arrival into the kitchen, Justice saw a black garment bag draped on a dining chair and a greeting card on the wooden dining table. Nobody else but Justice appeared to be in his apartment. Most likely, his parents must have stopped by earlier to drop those items off, while he was asleep. He approached the table and picked up the card. The front of the card had a cartoon cat with its fur soaking wet and dripping water onto a blank floor. It did not look pleased at the slightest. The front card read, “Heard you didn’t have a great day.” Opening the card, it was the same cat, but it was covered in a blanket looking satisfied. The rest of the card read, “But it’ll get better with love and some R&R”. Underneath the text and cartoon was his parents’ signatures. Aphrodite’s font signature of “Mom” was basic with a cute, curvy shape to it. Ares’ “Papa” looked as if it were written by a first grader. Apollo’s signature was the biggest that took over half of the blank space; written with his own name in huge cursive letters with big and fancy loops. Even in writing, Justice’s dad wanted to stand out. Justice then noticed some scribbles from Papa written on the opposite side of the card’s cartoon and signatures. Ares wrote, “Left you a spare of my clothes. Apollo really wanted to buy you new clothes, but I insisted you were old enough to buy your own. Spared you from skinny jeans. You’re welcome.” Turning his attention to the garment bag, he unzipped it to find a hanger draped with a black wife-beater shirt and a khaki utilikilt. Justice did not mind wearing kilts, as it felt nice to have his family jewels and muscular thighs being cooled during hot weather. And other than being more flexible to move with it, he knew his masculine body complimented well with the garment. Though it was not as if he had any other choice; seeing as how his only other option was to walk around in the fluffy, pink fundoshi loincloth he was currently wearing. He did not feel like challenging the boundaries of public indecency laws. The overly muscular bodybuilder then became distracted by his hunger pangs becoming more noticeable. His stomach felt as if it were thumping like a gorilla beating its chest. Justice hoped his family stocked the cabinets and fridge with food as he wandered over to refrigerator. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Marvelous Man floated inside of a parking garage on the third floor; scanning the area around him for any passerby. Only parked vehicles and deadening silence were on the only things on that level. He then glided to a corner and placed his bracelets together. Marvelous Man chanted, “Marvelous Muscle Magic, Metamorph!” The area around the superhero became a spaceless vacuum, as his clothes exploded like confetti holograms. His naked musclebound body continued to float in the vacuum with the second phase of his detransformation about to begin. Spanking sounds echoed in the chamber with paints of black and creamy tan striking with wall paint strokes at the musclebound body from every angle. The black paint slapped his back and torso; causing his meaty pectorals to jiggle in the process. The creamy tan paint swatted the spherical glutes and tree-trunk thighs; making them bounce in every direction. The slapping and spanking started slow and gained speed with every passing second. Accelerating the whipping to a point where the noises were no longer separate and became too many to keep track of. The paint collecting on the milk chocolate skin began to form into clothing fibers. This process continued in the void until Justice’s kilt and black tank top became fully formed. The timeless vacuum around Justice collapsed as his bare feet landed on cool concrete. He shivered, “Why is everything I do a sex thing?!” >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> The automatic doors that led from the parking garage to the Barticle Troy Mall slid open as Justice walked through. It was researched on his smartphone that Barticle Troy Mall was the largest shopping district in Skyway City with the most clothing stores. A five floor paradise for shoppers, and the most likely to lose children at. Conveniently, they also had a store that catered to adult paraphernalia. Though Justice needed to go to the D.A.B., it was still an hour before noon, and he figured he had enough time to purchase his personal essentials. As Justice began to integrate into the mall’s main artery, he surveyed his surroundings. The interior was packed with stores side by side; stretching off into the distance that created the feeling of taking a lifetime to visit every store in the mega mall. What surprised Justice the most was the diversity of the patrons that his parents never mentioned. Though when one is told superheroes are real, it was to be expected that there would be a richness of racial variety. And when Justice was superheroing, he hardly gave the civilians any attention other than keeping them out of harm’s way. Amongst the many humans that shopped there, a splash of science fiction and fantasy existed in the fray. Robots, cyborgs, and even supernatural and mythological beings walked about gossiping with others, including humans, or getting lost in their cell phones. Some were dressed with modern clothes, while others were garbed in armor or loincloths or other articles of clothing that reflected their culture of origin or beliefs. One thing that seemed to never change was overweight security guards. “Get back here, you stupid toy!” shouted an electronic voice. Justice turned to a voice and saw an eastern red dragon made of paper the size of his fist fly over his head before a chrome-plated robot jumped into his view. The bipedal machine apparently leapt, because it began to tackle Justice. While the robot was not too heavy for the surprised man to handle, it was enough to upset his balance and send the bodybuilder to the ground. He grunted as the impact and the robot’s weight pushed the air out of his lungs. The electronic voice spoke out, “Oh my gosh! I’m so sorry! Are you alright?!” The voice seemed to originate from somebody that was nearly face to face with Justice. Justice looked about and observed that the only person close enough to say that was the robot that had no lips. In general, the chrome machine lacked a face. On the section where its mouth was supposed to be located, there was a colored pink ring, like a glow stick, that circulated around the head. As for the eyes, it appeared to have three microscope lenses that differed in size. All three were located on a single rotator in the center like a mythical Cyclops. The only other feature on the mechanical being’s head was its ears. It had rabbit-like ears that seemed to resemble Gene Lightfoot’s. Justice felt pressure on his chest and gazed downwards. On top of his pectoral mountains were the droid’s hands; digging into and groping his chest as a means of trying to sit itself up. Even though the robot’s hands were of an average adult human size, it was not enough to contain the pec meat that spilled between the digits and outside of its grasp. And while it was a pleasant feeling, it was neither the right time or place for such foreplay to occur. “I’m okay, but could you please stop groping me?” asked Justice. The robot looked down and noticed its hands molesting Justice’s watermelon-sized chest. The chrome droid let out an inaudible squeak and immediately released its grip. The ring’s pink color seemed to intensify as if it were some sort of mood ring. The robot apologized, “Sorry!” “And get off of me,” said Justice. The robot stood up, “Sorry.” Brushing himself off, Justice rose up and surveyed the rest of the chrome automaton. Not did it seem to have ears similar to Gene’s, its height and body type were also alike. If the two were in a dark setting and the robot’s mood ring turned off, Justice would have a hard time distinguishing the two. It also seemed to be wearing an odd combination of clothes consisting of a white drawstring fundoshi loincloth with its string tied into a bow, a hunter green utility belt, and brown flip flops. “Why did you tackle me?” questioned Justice. The robot’s mood ring’s color shifted to white. It sighed, “I was trying to catch the dragon toy that flew over you. It’s over sixty dollars, and constantly on back order. Made the mistake of activating its seal before tying a string to it.” Justice turned to where the toy would have flown off to. “Don’t bother. It’s long gone now,” said the robot. Justice shifted uncomfortably, “Sorry.” “It’s not your fault. Though maybe if I had upgraded my body to be like a gymnast, I could’ve vaulted over you...though I think I’d need a pole vault and some doves for when I pole vault over you in slow motion,” remarked the droid. Justice giggled as the robot’s mood ring changed to sky blue. “Well, I’m glad there’s somebody around here with a sense of humor,” said the robot, “I’m Gemini,” Justice held out his hand, “I’m Justice.” Gemini looked down and observed Justice’s hand. He hesitated for a second before reciprocating Justice’s gesture of friendship. “Weird name. I would’ve figured names like Wall or Ox would’ve done you justice,” said Gemini. Justice giggled, “Did you seriously try to make a pun out of my name?” He began to walk forward with Gemini following next to him. “I know. It’s low-brow humor. I’m sorta rusty at jokes since...I don’t really have anybody to talk to at work,” shrugged Gemini. Justice asked, “You work alone?” “Naw, it’s just that everybody is a jackass. They see me as a joke or furniture or whatever and talk behind my back. Just because I’m not an organic being doesn’t make me less of a person for trying to study magic. So I get back at them by speaking in beeps and whirs. It all means jackshit, and it pisses them off. It’s awesome,” answered Gemini. Justice laughed, “That’s kind of an asshole thing to do. So you study magic?” “Yeah it’s what I was programmed for. My dad, I mean, creator was interested in seeing if a robot can perform magic. So I just try to analyze spells and enchanted items and see if I can understand how they can work. Currently, I’ve found that magic has a unique wavelength when my ears try to tune in. Haven’t been able to zero in on it yet, but I’m getting there,” explained Gemini. Justice thought back to his encounter of the dying magic that tried to keep the Skeleton Lord sealed. He questioned, “What about smell?” “Smell?” said Gemini. Justice nodded, “Yeah. When I found magic that died out, it made a popping noise and smelled like burnt popcorn.” Gemini tapped his chin as his mood ring changed to purple. “Interesting. What sort of magic was this?” he asked. Justice answered, “Uhhh, sealing magic.” “Did it have a color?” questioned Gemini. Justice replied, “Blue.” “When and where did you see this happen?” pressed Gemini. Not wanting to reveal his secret identity, Justice quickly surveyed the stores closest to him as a means of finding an excuse to distract Gemini. A few steps away, he spotted a boutique he needed to go into, Battlefield Delicates & Activewear. The shop seemed to cater mainly towards underwear and brief-style clothing. Underwear was a definite need for his wardrobe. Justice pointed, “Uhh, Oh hey! I need to get some clothes from this store. Want to come in with me?” “Mmm, Sure. I never went clothes shopping before. I mean, other than going to the supermarket to pick up the stuff I’m wearing right now. With exception to this Mokko fundoshi,” replied Gemini. Justice looked down at him, “Why not?” “Never saw the point of buying more, since I don’t soil it as easily as you organics do. No offense,” shrugged Gemini. Justice spoke back, “None taken.” As the two walked inside, Justice observed the interior. It looked no different than the clothing stores he shopped at back in Sunnysville; albeit with minor changes. The boutique was a small shop that had mannequins showing off the boutique’s flashiest clothing, thematic colors of brown, red, and grey strewn about, clothing racks with different styles and size, and a mix of electronica and heavy metal music softly playing from the store’s speakers. A small Latino sales clerk appeared from behind the purchasing counter and waved at the two. “Welcome to Battlefield Delicates & Activewear! How can I help you today?” he greeted. Justice waved back, “Oh, hi! I’m new here. Do you have anything my size? I’m an Extra Large.” “Of course! Everything you see here does carry an XL size. Have a look around and let me know if you need anything. We do have a changing booth in the back corner of the store,” nodded the sales clerk. Justice wandered the store with Gemini silently following behind. As they passed by the swimwear section, Justice snatched up swimming briefs that had colorful designs and patterns. There were other styles that caught his eye; such as mankinis and similar swimwear that were just as revealing. Gemini finally spoke up, “So why are you picking up so much? Don’t you only need one if you’re going swimming? Or is this for your daily activities when you’re walking around and stuff? Or...is it because you keep soiling them to the point that they have to be disposed?” “What?! No! I just like it. The designs are really nice, and I’d look good in it,” exclaimed Justice, “So it really is legal to wear all this in public places like this?” The robot pointed to his hunter green utility belt. “Pretty much. As long as your bits and tits are covered, you can wear as little as you like. I used to only wear a loincloth, but then I had trouble with transporting my personal effects around. Ya know, wallet and change and stuff. So I wear this cause of the pockets,” explained Gemini. Justice nodded, “Oh. So your job is okay with you dressed like that?” “Well, they don’t say anything, so I guess so,” answered Gemini. The two wandered over to the loincloth section. The area was lined with furs and long cloths meant to be fastened into a fundoshi-style loincloth. As Justice browsed the fur loincloths, he was slightly amused by a row that seemed to confirm a demand for fake fur loincloths; most likely for the people that wanted to feel like a barbarian without the feeling of blood on their hands. He picked up a few furs that felt really soft and turned to Gemini. Justice pleaded, “Can you hold a couple for me?” “Sure, I guess,” complied Gemini, “Hey, don’t dump the whole thing on me!” The mood ring on Gemini turned red as Justice began placing all his collected garments into Gemini’s arms. “Sorry, I’m running out of space on my arms,” apologized Justice. Gemini exclaimed, “Then stuff it between your pecs! There’s lots of space there!” Justice resumed his perusal while Gemini slowly calmed down with his mood ring becoming white. As Justice began to browse the fundoshi cloths and select whatever appealed to his tastes, a thought came to him. “Hey, I just thought about something. Do you have a favorite color?” questioned Justice. Gemini paused for a moment, “Hmmm, not really, no. You?” “Well...it used to be gold, but not anymore,” said Justice. Gemini pressed on, “Why?” “It’s...I don’t feel like it...it doesn’t really express me anymore. I don’t feel like I’m the best anymore. And gold is such an awesome color that winners wear. But I’ve only just been getting by, and there are people out there much better than me,” admitted Justice. Gemini followed Justice into the underwear section and said nothing for a few seconds. He then moved in front of Justice but kept close to his side. He stated, “So why not go after silver? Getting by is still winning. It’s just not the end result you wanted. It might not be as great as gold, but silver is still great nonetheless.” Justice stopped in his tracks. Gemini had a point. Silver is still an accomplishment and quite pretty; as well as shiny. “Hmmm, I guess you’re right. I think I’ll get seven of these then,” agreed Justice. Standing in front of a clothing rack full of shimmering silver thongs next to gold ones, Justice began picking them up. He would definitely look just as good in silver, and it would complement his golden bracelets. Gemini inquired, “So if gold isn’t your favorite color anymore, why do you still wear the bracelets?” “It’s a birthday gift from my parents. Besides, just because gold isn’t my favorite color anymore, doesn’t mean that I don’t like wearing golden jewelry,” answered Justice. After picking up other selections of thongs, jockstraps, and string bikini underwear, Justice and Gemini dropped the collected garments on the check-out counter in front of the store clerk. The store clerk scanned each clothing while asking his default question if they found everything to their liking. Justice responded with his scripted yes. Another thing that never changed even outside of the artificial word; store employees always asking the same questions and saying the same phrase. A few minutes passed by in silence after Justice’s reply until the clerk finished scanning all the clothes. The store employee looked up at Justice, “Your total is three thousand, six hundred and eighty-five dollars and sixty-eight cents.” Justice reached down into his utilikilt’s pockets and found only empty space. He never bothered taking his wallet and phone out of Marvelous Man’s jacket before transforming back. If he wants to get those two things back, he will have to transform again. “Shit…” gritted Justice in a hushed voice. He smiled at the clerk, “Umm, I think I left my wallet in the changing room. I’ll go get it and be right back.” After excusing himself, Justice powerwalked towards the corner end of the store where the changing room lied. He entered the stall and tapped his golden bracelets together. A small flash of light escaped from the stall twice but went unnoticed both times by his new friend and the clerk. Justice then exited the changing room and slowly waddled back to the cash register; trying to keep his massive erection tucked behind his tree trunk thighs. He reached into his khaki kilt’s pocket and retrieved his leather wallet. Pulling out a black debit card from it, he handed it over to the store clerk. Gemini turned to Justice, “The hell kind of job allows you to blow that amount of cash?” “I’m actually in between jobs right now. My parents, ummm...they left me a trust fund. And I’m buying this much cause I accidentally forgot to bring my clothes with me when I moved here,” explained Justice. Handing Justice back his debit card, the store employee began to stuff Justice’s purchased garments into several bags. The cash register completed the transaction and printed out a receipt during the bagging. The clerk then snatched the receipt and handed it, along with the filled shopping bags, to Justice. The retail associate chimed, “Thanks for shopping! Hope to see you again!” Justice thanked the clerk and accepted the items. Still feeling flustered from the transformations, Justice decided that he would finish his clothes shopping another day. After all, it was perfectly legal for him to wear his purchased clothings in public, so there was no longer an immediate need to find something to wear as Justice. With his shopping bags, he and Gemini exited the store. It was time to obtain the utensils for his adult needs. But first, he needed to find a directory. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Having walked passed a music store and up another floor, the duo arrived at the erotica store, Carnal Desires. The entire interior of the store was painted with a layer of black and random areas bathed in the rays of blacklight. Strewn about, there was aisles of sexual toys, lingerie, and DVDs. Though what stood out amidst this outlet was a small table carrying a wide selection of nail polish that was located in the center of the store’s foyer. “All right! I need to stock up on fingernail polish. I left my whole collection at home,” said Justice. Picking up a shopping basket he spotted next to the store’s entrance, Justice made his way to the nail polish table. The bodybuilder rapidly plucked every shade and placed it in his basket. Gemini’s mood ring turned to gray as he watched his friend shop. Gemini questioned out loud, “Why is there a nail polish section in this erotica outlet?” As Justice heard his friend’s inquiry, he looked at the label of the current polish he had in his grasp. “I dunno, but it’s pretty-...oh,” responded Justice, “It’s all sex pun names. Precum Clear.” Gemini’s mood ring turned to sky blue, “Ha! Well, at least they function as nail polish, right? That’s all that matters.” “Yeah, you’re right,” grinned Justice. With one of each color in the basket, Justice made his way to the sex toy aisle and eyed the rows of lubrications bottles within that area. He picked up each brand and sampled drops of it on his fingertip; rubbing his fingertips together to test its viscosity and slickness. Eventually, he settled on bottles of strawberry and grape flavored lubricant, a really slippery lube branded as Unicorn Cum, an itch-irritant lube branded as Crack Addict, and ultrasound thermal gel lubricant. Justice also included a few bottles of massage oil in case if he invited someone like Gene over for something more...sensual. The two made their way further down the aisle into the rows of dildos differing in height, width, color, and even species. Justice browsed passed the smaller, beginners selection and inspected the ones for more advance users. Grabbing a couple that suited his fancy, he began stuffing a few into his basket. Gemini’s mood ring flared pink, “H-Holy shit! You can actually fit those in you?! That one’s as big as my fist!” “Yeah. I’m naturally loose, and I’ve had a lot of practice. I’ve even deepthroated them when I was in the mood,” shrugged Justice. Gemini shook his head, “Nooo...That?! No way you could fit that in your throat! Don’t you humans, ya know, throw up? Cause of that bulimia stuff.” “Nope. I never had a gag reflex. Made sword swallowing really easy when I tried that one time,” reminisced Justice. Gemini crossed his arms, “Prove it.” “Okay,” said Justice. Deepthroating was always an easy feat for Justice, especially for a dildo that size. It was a bit amusing for Justice to see Gemini so shocked. Though he had to admit, performing oral on a sex toy in public to amaze his friend was a bit arousing. Picking up the toy Gemini exclaimed about, he held its bulbous head to his lips. A tumbling sound of rubbery thuds echoed on the top shelf next to him. Turning to the noise, Justice spotted a decorated skull. It was perched above the top shelf of toppled dildos; staring down at him. In each of its sockets was a blinking red light in the center, while white pixelated words “REC” appeared in the top center of the empty, black sockets. The skull seemed to breathe heavily like a stereotypical voyeur pervert. Justice’s brow flexed in confusion, “Sugar Skull?” “You know this guy?” said Gemini. Marvelous Man personally met the Sugar Skull and would have knowledge about the ghoul’s existence. Justice, however, did not. Justice lied, “No. That head is a sugar skull. The kind from Dia de los Muertos.” “That is correct. But I’m not just any sugar skull. I’m THE Sugar Skull,” proclaimed the ghoul. Sugar Skull began to clumsily climb over the aisle dividing shelves; his torso crossing over and knocking over other dildos in the process. The dildos rolled off the shelf and made rubber plattering sounds upon floor impact. It was surprising to see Sugar Skull not glowing at all after being supercharged last night. The ghoul continued, “And I-” The shelf holding up the sex toys and the upper half of Sugar Skull’s body collapse. Upon the echo of bent metal, Sugar Skull careened towards the ground. Justice and Gemini took a step back for the ghoul to land between them, rather than on them. His fall was broken by the floor dildos; causing his back to land in an uncomfortable, jagged fashion. “Aye!” grunted Sugar Skull, “I’m okay. I just need to move into a more comfortable position.” The ghoul used his legs to push off the ground and slide himself forward. After two soft pushes, Sugar Skull’s head was directly underneath Justice’s khaki utilikilt. Justice rolled his eyes. Of course Sugar Skull would do something like that. “Wow, you are packing! Do you have a permit for that, uh, concealed weapon?! Perhaps you should squat down, so I can inspect it. Maybe even have a taste of your fruit salad. Don’t worry, I love licking the rim of the bowl too,” exclaimed Sugar Skull. He paused for a moment, “Oh. You probably couldn’t see, but I was, umm, waggling my long blue jelly tongue at you.” Gemini’s mood ring flashed green before switching to a concentrated orange. As the colors flashed, the robot stepped forward and stomped on Sugar Skull’s crotch. The ghoul wailed in pain, while Gemini continued to grind his foot against Sugar Skull’s privates. Sugar Skull immediately rolled away from Gemini’s assault and stood up. His eyes changed back to spinning, yellow cartoon flowers. The ghoul winced, “I think you misheard me. I didn’t ask you to crush my balls. Though I’m not opposed to it. I’m just not in the mood for it right now.” “Well, I’m not in the mood for you sexual harassing my new friend,” fired back Gemini. Sugar Skull smiled, “Ohhh, so you were feeling left out, huh? It’s fine. Everybody wants to touch the living contradiction of life and death. So tell me, how big is your robo dick?” Gemini’s mood ring returned to white while crossing his arms. “I don’t have one,” he said. Justice and Sugar Skull both said, “Huh?” “I don’t have one. I don’t have a penis cause I’m not a pleasurebot,” explained Gemini, “...And cause I haven’t gone through robo-puberty yet…” The ghoul broke out in laughter. His purple teeth chattered for a few seconds before his face became completely serious. “Wait, how old are you? Because I don’t mess with kids, and I’m not going to touch any robo jailbait,” said Sugar Skull. Gemini sighed, “There’s no laws for robot pedophilia...I don’t think...But if it helps, I’m physically six months old. Mentally, I’m nineteen years old.” The air hung thick with awkward tension, as rave music played in the distance. “Huh. Well, that’s sort of killing my erection,” said Sugar Skull. The ghoul turned to Justice, “But perhaps I can resurrect yours, hehe. Tell me, what’s better than one penis?” Before Justice could answer, Sugar Skull stepped towards him. He closed the gap between himself and Justice until they were within kissing distance with each other’s faces. The ghoul grabbed Justice’s hand and placed the palm against the loins of his purple pants. “Two penises,” whispered in Justice’s ear. The curiousness about Sugar Skull went up another level. In the palm of Justice’s hand, it actually felt like there was two penises residing in the ghoul’s nethers. Gemini’s mood ring changed to green. Gently wringing his hand away, Justice stepped back. He declined, “Sorry, but I don’t even know your name.” “Oh, how rude of me,” apologized the ghoul, “My name is Sugar Skull. A ghoul from Limbo. My job is to investigate any supernatural things that could be hiding in the human body. I am excellent at searching every crevice and places that are in need of being touched.” Justice held out his hand in an attempt to greet. Hopefully to distract Sugar Skull from making the effort of seducing him. He introduced himself, “I’m Justice. Justice Starr.” Sugar Skull reciprocated the handshake. “A pleasure to meet you...or will be, hehe. Say, have we met before? Perhaps in a dark place? Your body is very familiar,” said the ghoul. Justice shook his head, “I don’t think so. I just moved here yesterday.” “Hmmm, well, I do not usually go for big guys. But you are very cute. You remind me of a hero I met last night,” mentioned Sugar Skull. Justice began to sweat, “Oh?” “Yes. And maybe I’ll see him and you again soon,” flirted Sugar Skull. The ghoul reached into his purple sleeve and pulled out a business card. He placed it in Justice’s basket. Sugar Skull winked with a heart emoticon, “My card. In case you wish to discuss later...or maybe something more. Adios.” As Sugar Skull turned to walk past Gemini, Justice picked up the card from his shopping basket. Other than his name, phone number, and email printed on it, there was big cursive text that read, “Let’s make each other feel alive~”. Justice flipped the card to see if there was anything else printed on it. It was a greyscale photo of Sugar Skull’s naked, chiseled body covered in rose petals and lying on what appears to be a fur rug. The ghoul’s head was cropped out of the photo as well as his nethers. His hands were sensually placed with one on the edge of his chest, and the other on the crevice of his diamond cut hips. It seemed that no matter what Sugar Skull did, it was always a flirtatious opportunity to get into his pants. “What a creep,” huffed Gemini. Justice shrugged, “I think he means well. He just...gets caught up showing off. I admit, it is a bit charming. C’mon, I gotta go buy this stuff, and I don’t want to be caught with the wrecked dildo shelf.” The two made their way to cash register and proceeded the checkout with the store’s clerk. Thankfully, the total price was not as ridiculous compared to the Battlefield store, so Gemini did not bother to raise questions about his income or work history. Perhaps the trust fund excuse extinguished any further monetary query. After all, it was only a measly five hundred dollars; an amount that Justice considers to be petty. As the two left the store with the recently purchased adult toys and lubrication, Justice remembered something. It was something he needed to give his friend before anything else. It was not too weird to be giving gifts to somebody you just met, right? “Oh, right! I almost forgot,” he said, “I got you a gift!” Digging through the clothes of his Battlefield shopping bags, Justice searched for Gemini’s gift. His eyes glittered as he found what he was looking for. Pulling it out, the gift revealed to be a drawstring fundoshi. “Here! I got you another Mokko fundoshi!” presented Justice. Handing it to Gemini, the robot held it in front of his eyes. The lenses on Gemini’s head rotated as it seem to be scanning the garment. His mood ring changed to a thoughtful purple. He analyzed, “It’s...very blue. It’s dark...yet very bright. What shade is this?” “I know, right? It’s Zaffre. It’s like a shade of cobalt or lapis. I got you this, so you had more variety. And in case you soiled the one you’re wearing, heh. Blue is a friendly color, so I figured your coworkers might liken up to you more. Plus, I think it’d look good on you,” explained Justice. Gemini’s mood ring changed to pink, “Oh...thanks. It’s very nice. Thank you.” “You’re welcome. Hey, do you know what time it is?” smiled Justice. Gemini replied, “Ummm, it’s 12:36 P.M. Why?” Justice’s eyes went wide. He had spent too much time socializing and shopping. The goal was to spend thirty minutes of gathering some of his necessities and handling the rest after he visited the D.A.B. Headquarters. But even though he failed to accomplish this goal, he did not feel completely bad about it. “Oh, man! Sorry, I gotta go! Running late! I’ll see you later!” said Justice. Justice dropped his shopping bags and took off; sprinting towards the parking lot. He could hear Gemini calling off into the distance, but there no time to reply. Justice knew it was rude to leave his new friend abruptly and leave all his shopping bags there. However, he was on a tight schedule and could not waste a second more. In Justice’s mind, he quickly rationalized that his bags would appear at his apartment within an hour. After all, that is how it worked in Sunnysville, so the same should happen in the real world. Because if it did not, then Justice would be royally screwed. Next Chapter

All comments and critiques are welcomed here and on my Google Docs(https://drive.google.com/open?id=1clnFFt_ZwfeJeUXQiPmhIxQrXwpfgMXWT2pBbBqaOAE) For other chapters, I will post them on here later. But you can find the archives on my FA and Tumblr with pics included. FA: http://www.furaffinity.net/user/ecchimultiverse/ Tumblr: http://ecchimultiverse.tumblr.com/ First Chapter | Previous Chapter | Next Chapter Chapter 8: Reporting to the D.A.B. Floating down to the ground, Marvelous Man landed in front of the D.A.B. public headquarters. Finding it was no issue with the help of his smartphone’s GPS. The muscular hero looked up at the five-story building and found its architectural design to be quite basic. The only thing that helped the structure to stand out was its holographic sign floating at roof level with blue flames levitating on both sides of it. It had the acronym “D.A.B.” in a cobalt color font with a subtitle underneath explaining what the letters meant. Marvelous Man couldn’t tell if the holographic sign projection was caused by magic or science. Marvelous Man walked through the sliding doors; mindful to duck his head underneath the door frame. Inside, the foyer hallway reminded him of his old high school. The ground was paved with tiles of white and navy blue resilient flooring. The walls were painted with a drab white and aligned with propaganda posters encouraging membership and the importance of the D.A.B. Not too far away, there was a gray, curved reception desk with a bored woman sitting behind. In the back of her was another hallway trailing further inside the building. There were rows of black chairs lined against the walls that were filled with a few elderly people. Stepping up to the reception desk, it took a few seconds for the bored woman to look up from the book she was reading to take notice of Marvelous Man. Her eyes widened at the surprise visitor and clamped her book shut. Immediately, her attitude changed to a more welcoming attitude. She greeted, “Hi! Welcome to the D.A.B.! The Demon Authority Bureau. I’m Sophie. How can I help you?” “Hi. Umm, I’m Marvelous Man, and I came here to give a statement about what went on in the graveyard yesterday. Uh, this guy named Gene told me to come in,” said Marvelous Man Sophie directed, “Oh, right! We’ve been expecting you. The head of the bureau wanted to speak to you personally about that incident. Just head down behind me and take the elevator to the fifth floor. It’s Room 506.” Oh...okay. Thanks,” said Marvelous Man. Following Sophie’s directions, Marvelous Man headed down the hall behind her. The hallway itself was basically the same as the foyer with the exact flooring and wall color. Minutes passed by until he came upon a set of elevators on his left. He pushed the button and waited for the elevator to arrive. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Marvelous Man stood in front of a door with an engraved plaque “Director Skye of the North American Region”. He sighed; trying to calm himself while his heart wouldn’t stop beating so fast during the elevator ride to the fifth floor. He knocked with a hard tap to establish his presence. A second passed by before the door swung open by itself. The voice from within the room called out, “Enter.” Marvelous Man complied and ducked his head underneath the door frame as the door closed behind him by itself. Inside, the spacious office was furnished with plants, statues, and other furniture with a flooring covered with a cobalt-colored carpet. Amongst the wall was scenic paintings hanged and glowing runes painted on empty spaces. At the back of the room, the wall was replaced with a glass pane; letting in sunlight and giving a scenic view of the city. Before the wall-sized window sat a cherrywood desk with a man residing in it. More than likely, he was the Director of the D.A.B. “Marvelous Man, I presume?” said the man. The Director at the desk spoke with the drawl of a Southern gentleman, and his vocal tone sounded soothing and deep. From far away, the muscular hero could see that other than workplace knick knacks, the cherrywood office desk had a desktop and some sort of creature huddled on top. Marvelous Man nodded, “Yes, sir.” “Splendid. Please, have a seat,” said the man. Marvelous Man complied and walked forward. In front of the Director’s desk resided a cream-colored armchair. He sat himself down in it. It might have looked nice, but it was not at all comfortable for Marvelous Man to sit in. It did not help that the chair’s fabric was cheap and causing his thighs to itch. Observing the man at the desk closer, Marvelous Man could tell that the Director dressed with as much sophistication as his accent. The man wore a cobalt suit with a pearl white vest and a navy blue tie to complement the whole ensemble. The suit itself seemed to bring out his milky white skin and auburn hair. His hair and beard were well trimmed to give off the impression of a successful businessman. The creature at the desk looked to be a sort of furry imp with baby goat horns. It resembled a fluffy grey cat, but its head was slightly bigger than his body and wore a suit similar to the Director’s. The imp’s crystal blue cat eyes were adorned by a pince-nez glasses that lacked any arms and rested on the imp’s pink cat nose. It sat at the edge of the cherrywood desk, pawing at an electronic tablet that was as big as its head. Marvelous Man found the creature to be adorable, and that it seemed the D.A.B. took its company colors very seriously. The Director stood up and held out his hand. His physique seemed to be that of a bit bulky to fill out the suit but still be slim. He greeted, “I’m Doug Skye, Director of the North American Demon Authority Bureau Region.” Marvelous Man grasped the hand to shake. He immediately had to stifle a painful groan as his gentle handshake was met with a tourniquet-strength grip. Not wanting to lose face, he kept smiling. “Nice to meet you, sir,” replied Marvelous Man. Director Skye released his grip and pointed his open palm at the fluffy cat imp. He introduced it, “And this here is my familiar, Puzzles. He’s a smoke imp.” The feline familiar looked up at Marvelous Man. Its voice and accent sounded as if a middle-aged Russian man’s voice box was implanted in the imp’s throat. “A pleasure,” said Puzzles. As Puzzles went back to fiddling with his tablet, Doug sat back down in his black leather chair. Director Skye spoke, “Now first of all, I just want to let you know that I appreciate your assistance with taming those unrested souls back at the New Forest Cemetery. But I have to say that I was not expecting you to be this big. Gene really understated your size.” “...I’m sorry?” said Marvelous Man. Doug waved his hand, “Oh, don’t mind my tangent. Anyways, let me just review your file before we go any further. Puzzles?” “Already on scroll, boss. Just put on glasses,” said the imp. Director Skye nodded, “Thank you.” Opening one of the desk’s drawers, he pulled out a black eyeglasses case. Doug snapped it open to retrieve a pair of silver-rimmed visor glasses. The visor glasses’ lenses had a blue tint, and its narrow height was slightly bigger than the Director’s eyes. The lenses began to light up with a square of multicolored pixels in front of Doug’s eyes. Director Skye then gestured with his right hand in the air; as if he were scrolling and zooming in an image on an invisible tablet. Marvelous Man looked down and noticed an object sprawled open on the desk in front of the Director. It looked like a paper scroll that he saw in world history textbooks about the Torah. However, it seemed that the paper was substituted with a transparent plastic sheet that glowed with its own pixels. “So it was you that caused the graveyard to shine like a Christmas tree, am I right?” questioned Director Skye. Marvelous Man felt like this was about to be an interrogation, and he was not sure what the correct answers were. Marvelous Man could not help but feel tense. He swallowed, “...Yes, sir. The effects are temporary. So it should go away, uh, soon.” “Oh, it’s fine. That cemetery got back to its gloomy self about an hour or so ago. The people living close by were pissed that your light was bright enough to wake them up. But none of them got hurt, and the only damage was a couple of smashed graves and a bunch of holes in the ground,” mused Doug. The Director continued, “So other than having the proverbial powers of a flying brick, you can enchant people and objects with light, and you can heal wounds or poison.” “Yes, sir. I can also throw my wreath like a boomerang...even though that’s not my powers. I just thought that you should know,” answered Marvelous Man. Doug nodded and took off his glasses. Folding and then perching it next to his electronic scroll, he turned his gaze back to Marvelous Man and folded his hands together. “Well, you definitely have a very diverse array of skills. But I think it’s time to get to the point of our meeting. I’d like you to tell me what happened last night,” spoke Director Skye, “And don’t worry about your encounter from Sugar Skull. Gene testified that you were not involved with whatever that ghoul was trying to do.” Marvelous Man complied, “...Alright.” >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> “And after that, I went home. That’s about all that I can remember about last night,” admitted Marvelous Man. Director Skye had his hand cupping his chin, as he listened and mulled over Marvelous Man’s testimony. Marvelous Man felt that the Director had suspicion in his eye. Doug spoke up, “I see...So when did you fuck him?” “...What?” said Marvelous Man. Director Skye cleared his throat, “Gene Lightfoot. My investigating agent that has the rabbit ears. When did you have intercourse with him. It’s alright to say it. You’re not in trouble. Every man at this company has had some sexual encounter with him at least once. I just need to know when it happened. Was it before, after, or even during the altercation with the Skeleton Lord?” “Wha-No, no! I didn’t have sex with him! I mean...I really did want to, but I didn’t,” exclaimed Marvelous Man. Puzzles stopped fiddling with his tablet and looked up. Director Skye leaned forward, “So what kept you from chasing after his bunny behind?” Marvelous Man thought hard about why he did no such sexual deeds with Gene. It happened more than once that he got an erection with the desire for Gene’s body. But every time, he found a way to counteract those feelings. “...I know this sounds silly, but...Whenever I felt this gigantic urge to...have sex with Gene, I just thought about how much I loved being a superhero, and that I needed to do my superhero duty at that time,” answered Marvelous Man. Puzzles and Doug looked at each other for a moment before turning their attention back towards Marvelous Man. Director Skye smiled, “How’d you like to work for the D.A.B.?” “Huh?” said Marvelous Man. Puzzles spoke up, “Bossman said would you like a job?” “Oh...I-I guess so. Why?” asked Marvelous Man. Puzzles explained in his thick Russian accent, “Because of your powers, and you are less likely to fuck up. Everybody wants to play ‘hide the salami’ with Gene. That is why he is forced to work alone or with female field agent. Unfortunately, all our female field operatives are high ranked and had to go fight monsters in another realm from invading ours. So we’re short on staff, and you would make good partner for Gene.” “You see, Gene is very special. Other than his super strength, shapeshifting, and his sensitivity to sound cause of the, ya know, rabbit ears, he’s a level two empath,” stated the Director, “That means he can pick up the emotions of other people and even emotional fingerprints recently left on objects or places. He could even detect a person’s aura and know who exactly they are and where they are. Well, as long as they are in the close vicinity of him. His power makes him perfect for recon and investigation for the D.A.B.” Marvelous Man thought back to his encounter with Gene last night. It now made sense as to how the bunny demigod detected him and the skeletons coming out of the ground. Director Skye held up his finger, “But...this is where it start becoming a double-edged sword. He doesn’t know this but while he’s receiving all those emotions like a radio, he’s also broadcasting his own to everybody around him. And because of his...background and his unquenchable thirst for sex…-” “He makes everybody horny,” butted in Puzzles. The Director nodded, “Yes. And usually, that ‘broadcast’ of his can be canceled out by a strong will. So it’s supposed to affect lesser beings and the less inhibited. But with him having universal good looks that can appeal to anybody, everybody that looks at him drops their guard for a second and are immediately infected by his libido. And thanks to our enchanters, it’s why this room, the female staff, and our suits are warded against his ability.” “Oh...wait. Why aren’t the men warded?” questioned Marvelous Man. Puzzles chimed in, “Being the company cum dumpster helps bring up work morale for the male staff and keeps them from moving on to other jobs.” Doug glared at his familiar. “What? It’s true,” shrugged Puzzles. Director Skye sighed, “So now that you know Gene’s...specialness, would you like to join our organization? We could use someone of your skill set, and we’d start you off with a nice salary.” Marvelous Man paused. It was all happening so fast. He needed field experience to rank up, and this was opportunity at his doorstep. Only somebody insane of self-righteous would forgo this chance. “Sure, I mean, yes!” he exclaimed. Director Skye smiled, “Splendid. Puzzles show him around and get him his communicator and scroll, while I push the paperwork through. Now Mr. Marvelous Man, I’d appreciate it if you could start immediately. Seeing as how Gene has to track down the Skeleton Lord before he actually tries something nasty this time.” “Um, yes, of course,” nodded Marvelous Man. Setting down the tablet on the desk, Puzzles immediately transformed into grey smoke. The smoke drifted over to Marvelous Man; resting upon his shoulder. It then reformed back into the fluffy imp that sat and stared at the muscular hero. He reasoned, “I have tiny feet, so I’ll be riding on you. Come on, let’s go find Gene first.” “...Okay” said Marvelous Man. Director Skye called out, “Oh, and one more thing, Marvelous Man. I’d like it if we kept this conversation about Gene’s abilities to ourselves. Especially from Gene. He has no idea that he can influence the emotions of others, and I feel that him knowing that information could hurt himself. Emotionally, that is.” Marvelous Man did not know Gene that long, but anybody with a conscience wouldn’t like to know that they can literally affect the minds of others. If Marvelous Man had that power, he would probably not be able to differentiate who is actually being sincere and who is being swayed by his own emotions. And all those men Gene had sex with...it could possibly cause Gene to believe that he was a raping them all this time. “Yes, sir,” he nodded. Getting up, he waved at the Director and excused himself. Even though Puzzles looked to be as heavy as a toddler, Marvelous Man could barely feel any weight pressing down on his shoulder. One thing he found odd was that Puzzles smelled like a blend of lavender and jasmine. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> As Puzzles explained what each the purpose of each floor was for, he guided Marvelous Man to the second floor: The Shower and Onsen Floor. It was the first obvious place to look for him other than the Training Floor located underground. If not in either places, he would be on the dormitory third floor. Puzzles went on with his lecture, “This is where our employees go to relax and get cleaned up. The water is refined and heated with magic and elemental familiars, which can help field agents recover from wounds faster. On this floor, we also have saunas, and all the facilities we use here are separated by gender. The walls have also been warded to keep out peeping eyes that try to ghost through objects or use clairvoyance or astral projection or whatever. Bossman cannot handle another lawsuit, and my aromas can only relax him so much before he gets a stroke. That was figure of speech. He hasn’t had a stroke...yet.” “Oh...So does Gene get dirty a lot if this would be the first place to look?” questioned Marvelous Man. Puzzles replied, “Yes. I did say he was the company cum dumpster, yes? The men get rejuvenated here and get horny when he’s around. Everybody naked and willing, it’s like candy land for him. Check the locker room first.” Marvelous Man saw Puzzles point to the door for the male locker rooms. He could feel the overwhelming sense of lust washing over him and erecting his primal member. This was not at all like Marvelous Man to get an erection for no reason. That part of his life passed after puberty. Obliging the fluffy smoke imp’s commands, the muscular hero pushed open the door and ducked underneath the door frame. The inside smelled of sweat and musk and echoed with slapping sound effects and the moans of males in ecstasy. Marvelous Man immediately spotted the origin of the smell and sound ten steps away from him. On all fours, Gene Lightfoot was naked and perched on top of a locker room bench. There were two men with him as well with one in front of Gene and the other behind him. Both of them impaled the bunny demigod in a spit roast fashion with their own erect primal members. The one in front of him was a young, caramel-colored Latino man with a swimmer’s build, and the one invading Gene’s rear was a smaller, chubby Caucasian. “I-I-I’m sorry!” stammered Marvelous Man. Backing up, the muscular hero bunked the back of his head against the door frame. Puzzles’ head also collided; causing him to yelp in pain and rub the back of his head. The imp complained, “Watch what you’re doing, you colossus! I told you what he was going to be doing. Why were you so surprised? Nevermind, I’ll take care of it myself.” Puzzles transformed into his usual gray smoke and glided down to the ground. After reforming himself on the floor, he fixed his tie and waddled to the door. The fluffy imp pushed open the locker room door and let himself in. A few seconds later, the sound of a muffled explosion detonated within. The three men Marvelous Man spotted taking part in lustful acts ran out the room sputtering and coughing. The room behind them was filled with smoke that slowly wafted out the entrance. Puzzles nonchalantly walked outside with a satisfied grin. “Must you do that, Puzzles?! I do not find that amusing at all! You could have waited until I was finished with the sex,” coughed Gene. Puzzles sneered, “It’s amusing for me. Besides, three is a crowd, and the best way to break up crowds is to use tear gas. I could try to use a stink bomb scent, but I wasn’t sure if you three had the fetish for that sort of thing.” “But to change subject, now that you’re here and well enough to fight, we need to prep for today’s mission. The magical researchers should have pinged the Skeleton Lord’s location by now with the orb you lodged into him last night,” he stated. Puzzles turned to Marvelous Man, “Go to the magical research facility on fourth floor. You can’t enter without someone like me, since you chose to not release your real name. So just wait outside until we get back. Gene needs to get his spare uniform on the dormitory floor, and I need to make sure he does not ‘get lost’.” “Sure,” nodded Marvelous Man. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Though the sliding glass doors were the entrance to the magical research facility, it paid no mind to Marvelous Man’s existence. Unlike the other floors he was previously on, the fourth floor had its own foyer before actual entry into the facility. Marvelous Man supposed that whatever they researched in there was of great importance. There was no keycard slot or numeric keypad, for typing in a password, next to the door. The muscular hero wondered how someone with higher clearance was given access to such a place. Beyond the glass door was another hallway; turning in another direction to hide its secrets. The elevator door behind Marvelous Man chimed. Turning around, he saw the door opening; revealing the fluffy Puzzles and a freshly-clothed Gene. The rabbit demigod had his arms crossed with his face not hiding any shred of annoyance. As for the smoke imp familiar, his face appeared neutral, as he straightened his little navy blue tie. Transforming back into grey smoke, Puzzles flew over to Marvelous Man’s shoulder and reformed itself back into its suited furry form. The imp sat down as the glass door in front of them slid itself open. Marvelous Man took initiative and trudged on through with Gene following behind. After turning the corner in the hallway, the travel was cut short as they arrived to a spacious room. The area appeared to be a small Victorian-era library with shelves lined with books, and the wooden walls were adorned with masks, portraits, and mystical runes. It reminded Marvelous Man of the Director’s office but with more antiquity to its style. While most of the places in this building seemed to be dull in every sense of the word, important places like this and Director Skye’s appear to give off their own personality. The library seemed to give off a homely tone; complemented by a fireplace and a ticking grandfather clock in the corner. As Marvelous Man scanned the room, he noticed something odd about it. Though it was expansive, there was no other doors leading to other rooms, and the library was not big enough to fully fill out the fourth floor. The staff in this area was also small, since he counted less than twelve people in the library. He would most definitely have to ask about this floor later. A woman of Iranian descent looked up from her book while sitting at a wooden table across from them. Upon spotting the three, she closed her tome and stood up. She wore a cream white hijab with a navy blue gown and appeared to be in her late thirties. The woman bowed, “Good evening, Mr. Puzzles and Gene. I’m so sorry that I did not see you earlier.” “It’s no problem, Fairuza,” replied Puzzles, “This is Marvelous Man. He’s new and is Gene’s partner for now. Marvelous Man this is Fairuza. She’s a sorceress and your field analyst for now.” Fairuza looked up at Marvelous Man, “Nice to meet you.” “Good to meet you too,” nodded Marvelous Man. Puzzles spoke up, “So have you managed to locate the Skeleton Man?” The field analyst nodded and opened her book while whispering to it. The printed text began to rise off the page and float in the air. The words collected itself into a small ball that levitated above the book. Fairuza then gestured with her free hand and caused her hand to flow with a small grey aura. The ball of words broke apart and started to form a map with traffic lines and simple building shapes. Once the map was fully complete, she pointed to a sphere of words that was pulsing on top of a road. “With Gene’s ball, I located him underground in the abandoned Ridgemont subway station and hasn’t moved since. But I find this concerning, because this is one of the homeless communities in Skyway City. He could be hiding amongst them, which isn’t that hard with what Gene said about his complexion…” she stated. Puzzles speculated, “Or he could be holding them hostage or something much worse. What about the scribes? Were they able to get a visual on him?” “I’m afraid not,” shook Fairuza’s head, “They’re being blocked or warded by something. And the police department haven’t received any calls or complaints yet.” Puzzles questioned, “So what do we know about Skeleton Lord then?” “Well...nothing. There’s no historic mention of a Skeleton Lord. Even the magical archives are drawing a blank. The magical researchers are still analyzing the building fragments, but all I can say is that he’s really old. Do not take him lightly. He was sealed away for a reason, so he could be a Rank B villain or above. I’ll let you know more when the magical researchers get back to me,” explained Fairuza. Puzzles sighed, “Then we need to nip this in bud or else the Nemesis Branch will take over this case. And then bossman really will have a stroke after shouting about them stealing all our work and funding.” The smoke imp straightened up. “Alright. You two need to get in there and find the Skeleton Lord. Do not engage him until after you have safely evacuated the homeless. After that, take him down. Dead or alive, just take no chances. He raised skeletons when he was at his weakest, so there’s no telling what he could do after getting some rest. Gene go pick up your weapon. The enchanters have modified it a bit to help you catch runaways. Fairuza please give Marvelous Man his communicator and scroll,” commanded Puzzles. The situation felt tense to Marvelous Man as his heartbeat accelerated. The threat of the Skeleton Lord appeared to increase with every passing moment. He already had a difficult time when him and Gene were assisted by Sugar Skull to temporarily thwart the ancient villain. Without the ghoul or anybody else’s assistance, could they really handle it? Next Chapter

All comments and critiques are welcomed here and on my Google Docs(https://drive.google.com/open?id=17l528VwpFEInuBuZ1Al9vFvQXxVFwa_BbZBLVxbRQ1k) For other chapters, I will post them on here later. But you can find the archives on my FA and Tumblr with pics included. FA: http://www.furaffinity.net/user/ecchimultiverse/ Tumblr: http://ecchimultiverse.tumblr.com/ First Chapter | Previous Chapter | Next Chapter Chapter 6: IT COMES Sugar Skull turned around as he heard the popping sound, and his eyes grew wide. Immediately, he then swiveled his body back to Gene Lightfoot and grabbed the rabbit demigod’s wrist. “RUN!” he shouted. Pulling Gene with him, the ghoul dashed as fast as he could to the exit. Marvelous Man realized something dangerous was about to happen and backed out mausoleum while bumping the back of his head on the marble doorframe by accident. Marvelous Man stifled his yelp of pain and ran into the darkness. He remembered a tree not too far from the marble structure and made his way towards it. Not sure if he was about to run into the tree at any second, he commanded his light to flick on at a glow dim enough to see where he was going. Upon spotting the wide tree, Marvelous Man ducked behind it. He peered out and spotted his new acquaintances chasing after him. Reaching the glowing hero, the two huddled up behind Marvelous Man and stared at the mausoleum. Seconds passed by as nothing happened, except for the glowing hero’s wood softening. Marvelous Man remarked, “Isn’t it supposed to explode?” “Maybe? I didn’t want to take any chances,” shrugged Sugar Skull. The marble building exploded as bone, smoke, and blood ejected from within. The organic shrapnel and smoke that escaped began to withdraw back to the site of explosion and form a dome slightly bigger than the mausoleum that was just there. Seconds crept by as the dome’s area began to shrink. Shrinking and shrinking until it reached the average height adult human height. The dome then dispersed like wind blowing away sand to reveal what was underneath. Amidst the dissipation stood a figure wearing a hooded cloak that encased his entire body. The cloaked person did not move, while the three metahumans stared on from behind the tree. Marvelous Man whispered, “He’s not moving. Should we...see if he’s alright?” “I am not sensing any emotions from that person. He may not even yet be awake,” spoke Gene. Sugar Skull whispered back, “No choice. Let’s check it.” Walking around Marvelous Man, Sugar Slow slowly approached the hooded figure. The other two followed suit after the ghoul; nearly tiptoeing as a means of not accidentally causing the hooded figure to violently lash out. Sugar Skull held out his arm to signal to the superheroes behind him to go no further. He then pointed down; revealing with Marvelous Man’s dim light that there appeared to be a wide ring surrounding the hooded figure with a whisping black smoke fallout. The liquid-like smoke curdled with solid chunks of darkness strewn amidst the smoky pool. Marvelous Man and Gene Lightfoot walked up next to Sugar Skull and stood at the edge of the fallout ring; with the light at close range, the bits of darkness at the edge dissolved from the dim illumination. “...Excuse me,” weakly called out Marvelous Man. Marvelous Man coughed and thumped his muscular chest a few times. His compatriots stared at him. Marvelous Man projected his voice, “Excuse me, sir...or madam. Are you alright?” The hooded figure said nothing and kept standing there. Seconds later, it slowly turned to the three investigators and casually baby stepped towards them. “Ah…” he said in a deep, old raspy voice, “I have visitors. How rude of me. Come, come.” The hooded man raised his arm. A bony, wrinkled white hand motioned the trio with the gesture of welcoming one into their own home. The pool of smoky darkness in front of the three parted to form an aisle leading to the mysterious being. Marvelous Man began to take a step forward when Sugar Skull grabbed his arm with a tight grip. Marvelous Man looked at Sugar Skull; about to question why he was stopped. Sugar Skull’s flower eyes transformed into a set bear trap before immediately snapping shut. The trap shifted back into the cartoon flower eyes as Sugar Skull turned his attention to the hooded man. “We’re fine here,” said Sugar Skull. The man chuckled, “You ghouls. Always so cautious. Oh, how things never change. I wonder how many centuries have passed since I was sealed? Perhaps even a millennium?” “Just who is it that you are?” questioned Gene. As the hooded man approached closer, Marvelous Man’s dim light revealed the cloak to have the color of dried blood. There was something bulky underneath the hood, but the three could not identify as to what it was. “Who? Who am I, that you ask? Oh...I’ve been gone so long that I’ve been forgotten. Not even the limbo-ling is terrified of me. Have you not been told, little Totochtin,” pitied the man. He proclaimed, “I. AM. THE SKELETON LORD.” “And you want to take over the world?” said Sugar Skull. The Skeleton Lord hummed, “Something like that-.” A booming clap like thunder ringed in the air next to Marvelous Man. The hooded man crumbled to the ground as Marvelous Man and Gene reeled in pain from the ringing in their ears. Sugar Skull held a smoking pistol; aimed at where the Skeleton Lord was standing a second ago. Marvelous Man moaned, “What the fuck!” Standing back up, he could feel the earsplitting noise dissipate in his ears. “Sorry, I didn’t warn you. But I had to kill him when he said he wanted to do world domination. Bad guys sealed away for centuries are put away for a good reason,” apologized Sugar Skull. Marvelous Man looked down at the groaning bunny boy. Crouching down, he placed his hands over Gene’s that was covering their human ears. He spoke calmly to Gene, “Here, let me help you.” Commanding the light from within, Marvelous Man’s hands glowed with light as bright as a soft candlelight. The light stretched onto Lightfoot’s human ears and then extended its envelopment on the white rabbit ears. Marvelous Man fed the light with the happy memory in his teens of painting a portrait of his dad, Apollo, who was very proud of it. The light diagnosed temporary noise-induced hearing loss; painful, but no permanent damage. Gene’s ears shimmered brighter as the tiny ruptures and active nerve endings were soothed and healed. Marvelous Man released his gentle grasp, causing Gene to look up at him as the major discomfort in Gene’s ears evaporated. “Feel better?” smiled Marvelous Man. Gene grinned, “Very much so. Thank you.” The heart rate beating within Marvelous Man’s chest began to accelerate as did the organ in his bikini. His mind began drawing a blank on what to do next. “Your thunder arrow managed to pierce my steed’s skull. Bravo,” said the fallen Skeleton Lord. Marvelous Man and Gene stood up to face of the shot villain. As if being pulled by strings, the Skeleton Lord’s body calmly levitated off the ground. The body rotated in the air until it was held in a bipedal pose. The Skeleton Lord continued, “That would have killed me. It really would. However, I traded my flesh for immortality. What you struck was...well, let’s just say it was a dried-up puppet” As Sugar Skull aimed his black glock to fire again, the Skeleton Lord flicked his bony hand like he was commanding one to rise. A sharpened bone the size of a pillar torpedoed out of the whispy smoke close to Sugar Skull; shooting towards the ghoul. The bone pillar punctured into Sugar Skull’s chest; staking all the way through and lifting his body into the air. Crimson blood spurted from the impact and splattered on the side of Marvelous Man’s face and jacket. Marvelous Man slowly wiped the liquid off his skin and brought it in front of his eyes. Time seemed to come to a crawl as it dawned on him as to what red dampness was. He slowly turned his head to see his ghoulish fellow speared off the ground by the pointed end of a cracked, yellowish spike. The black void in Sugar Skull’s sockets were no longer animated with flower petals, but was filled with the snow of TV static. Sugar Skull looked down at Marvelous Man and shakily rose his arm to give a bloodied thumbs up. “...I’mma k…” he coughed. Marvelous Man could feel a lump in his throat forming; making it hard to swallow. His mind could only focus on the gored ghoul, that he could barely register a liquid trailing down his muscular thighs. There was nothing heroic about this situation. Marvelous Man was caught in the very battle his parents feared. The Skeleton Lord chuckled, “Well, now. A ghoul that does not vanish after being killed. How very interesting.” Dashing through the smoke, Gene moved at such a blurring speed that the smoke parted in his wake. The bunny demigod leapt; twisting his waist to the left as his right leg whirled upwards into the air. Lightfoot’s swinging kick connected with the bulky, hooded head and sent the Skeleton briefly launched into the air. Something underneath the hood loosened and detached; flying into the air and leaving the hood to be bulky no more. The Skeleton Lord crumbled to the ground once again with the bulky object falling down next to him as a horse skull with a bullet hole in the forehead. Gene twirled in midair, changing his direction to face the Skeleton Lord with a second strike. He hit the smoky ground with such velocity, that the rabbit man landed huddled close to the ground with his hands and feet clawing into the ground. As his body slowed down, Gene arched his back to charge right back at the Skeleton Lord; his blue spandex pants strained against his tight, muscled buttocks. The black smoke on the ground reacted by twisting its matter around the bunny demigod’s limbs to prevent any further movements. Lightfoot struggled at the ensnaring darkness as it anchored his body with his posterior wiggling in the air. The Skeleton Lord’s figure repeated the levitation and rotation process until he was presented with himself standing upright. “My...what a kick. When did Totochtin become this powerful? It would definitely have made it more of a fun challenge to slay your kind back then,” mused the Skeleton Lord. Gene’s eyes widened, “...What?!” The Skeleton Lord bent down to pick up the horse skull and softly dusted it with the side of his pale hand. With his back turned to Marvelous Man’s light and unhooded, the Skeleton Lord’s face remained obscured by the night and shadows as he walked to Gene Lightfoot. He then placed the equine skull back on his head while continuing his approach. “Yes, they were but a lecherous bunch, they were. Most of them did not even know how to fight. Your gods wasted their gifts and gave every one of your kind those ears you sport. But I was well aware of the dangerous potential your race had. A pity though. It seems I failed at snuffing out your elders, and now your gods finally understood how fearsome you could become,” he sighed. Gene gritted his teeth, “You are a mon-” Solid blackness launched out of smoky ground; taking the shape of a phallic form, it shot into Gene’s mouth and gagged any other words the bunny demigod was about to say. Within touching distance, the Skeleton Lord petted Gene’s head as the phallic dark matter slowly thrusted back and forth in the rabbit man’s orifice. “Now, now. I can’t have you mad. I still have use for you before I absorb your body and soul. It’s the lowest form of spiritual energy, but I feel like having fun after feeling my loins burn with your arrival,” he said. The smoking darkness pinning down Gene began to erect upwards like a pole. As it rose, Gene’s crouched form slowly splayed in a spread eagle pose. The black tube in Gene’s mouth separated from the shadowy ground and split the severed ends into straps. The dark straps wrapped around Lightfoot’s head and connected with each other upon reaching the back of the cranium. Even amidst all the action, the humping black cylinder never lost pace sliding up and down Gene’s throat. The Skeleton Lord’s bony hand reached out to touch. His pale fingertips graced against underneath Gene’s naval. Eyes closed, Gene shuddered as if he were lightly touched with something cold. The Skeleton Lord traced his fingers upward; over the naval, across the muscled abdomen, and then reached Lightfoot’s chiseled chest. A soft moan escaped the bunny demigod’s gagged lips, as his body meekly wiggled from sexual stimulation. The Skeleton Lord glided his hand over Gene’s left nipple and playfully tweaked it. The robed being licked his lips, “Mmm, before I sip on your lust energy, I just have one more thing to give my attention to.” The Skeleton Lord turned his direction to face the shocked Marvelous Man and the impaled Sugar Skull. “Marvelous...Man...break...it,” gurgled Sugar Skull. Hearing Sugar Skull call out to him, Marvelous Man broke out of his stupor. He looked at the goring bone that speared the ghoul into the air. The shining demigod knew he needed to get Sugar Skull down without sending the impaled being flying and being injured even more. An idea came to Marvelous Man. Floating up to the penetrating bone, Marvelous Man angled himself and wrapped his wide, powerful thighs around the yellow spearing column. His thunderous legs flexed; tightening its muscular cords like a boa constrictor squeezing its prey to death. The bone pillar cracked for a moment before immediately splintering in half from the deadly crushing force of Marvelous Man’s quadriceps. Sugar Skull fell to the ground with a thud; the impaled half of the bone still lodged into his torso. Marvelous Man instantly knew that he did not think things completely through. Marvelous Man apologized, “Ohmygosh, I’m so sorry!” As Marvelous Man descended back to the ground as Sugar Skull struggled to pull out the yellow splintered bone out of his chest. “It’s fine. I’ll be ok in a few minutes. I just need to get this out of me,” said the ghoul. Marvelous Man spoke, “Oh. Sure.” Lightly applying his foot on Sugar Skull’s ribs, Marvelous Man yanked the broken bone pillar out of the ghoul’s torso as it made a squelchy plop sound. “Thanks,” grunted Sugar Skull. As he lied on the ground, he noticed the ring of smoky darkness extending whisps of itself in an attempted to ensnare Marvelous Man. Marvelous Man was ignorant of the blackness due to his back being turned for attending his fallen comrade. There was not enough time for Sugar Skull to gather the energy to shout a warning to the illuminated hero. The shadowy ropes shot through the air, but then dissolved the moment it became fully illuminated by the light encasing Marvelous Man’s hulking body. More tangling darkness ejected out, yet the result was the same. The Skeleton Lord observed from afar of the effect and quickly flicked his pale hand to command another bone spear pillar to appear. As Marvelous Man was about to assist in healing, a yellowish bone column sprung from the ring of darkness. The impaling bone rammed Marvelous Man in the back and thrusted him into the air. With Marvelous Man knocked away, only pale moonlight lit the graveyard. The Skeleton Lord frowned, “Hmmm, not what I intended, but it will do.” He turned his attention back to the erected Gene Lightfoot; binded and molested by solid shadows. Darkness encased the bunny demigod’s spandex-layered godhood and began to vibrate. Black tendrils extended from the dark binds and playfully pulled at Gene’s cocoa nipples. Lightfoot could only helplessly wiggle and moan as his mouth was being raped by the shadow phallus. The Skeleton Lord grazed his hands against Gene’s smooth body; gradually sliding all over the place and even dipping underneath the waistband. As he did so, a purple smoke seeped from Gene’s body that trailed behind the Skeleton Lord’s hands. The purple smoke that appeared from all the touching started to flow towards the Skeleton Lord’s face as if he were drinking it in. Meanwhile, Marvelous Man tried to regain his senses after being flung high into the air. Marvelous Man activated his flight power; steadying himself as he inhaled oxygen to recoup the breath that was knocked out of him. His thoughts were snapping back together and then he realized how high up he was. Everybody looked like large ants beneath him. Perhaps this time, he should try a stealthier approach. He commanded the light to retreat back inside of him, as Marvelous Man quietly descended to the ground. Marvelous Man levitated as low as he could without touching the earth beneath him. Clenching his arms and legs as close as his bulky muscles could allow him to, he flew as fast as possible towards Sugar Skull. Upon reaching the ghoul, Marvelous Man came to a halt above Sugar Skull and quickly analyzed the wound. The hole in Sugar Skull’s torso was beginning to close a third of the way. And while the speed of the healing factor was amazing, it wasn’t fast enough. Sugar Skull wheezed, “Don’t worry about me. Help Gene.” “We’ll get him, but I need to heal you first. I hope this doesn’t feel too weird for you,” said Marvelous Man. Placing his hands on Sugar Skull’s shoulders, Marvelous Man commanded the light within himself to flow into Sugar Skull and heal the hole to a close. Marvelous Man knew he needed to hurry, so they can save Gene. The floating hero then began to hum a tune in order to supercharge the light. The light greedily fed on the humming song and illuminated Sugar Skull’s whole body. Tissues of bone and flesh grew at an explosive rate and sealed the gaping hole in Sugar Skull’s chest within seconds. Sugar Skull trembled with renewed energy and lightly patted around his freshly healed torso. The TV static in his eyes transformed into the usual cartoon flower shape. However, each of the individual petals were shifting into different rainbow colors and the flowers themselves were spinning at an alarming rate. His purple teeth chattered, “Oh my God! I feel like I got a caffeinated happiness injection! Why do I feel like practicing my guitar and the need to work out?! Why am I glowing like a rave stick?!” “Probably a side effect of supercharging my healing powers. It should wear off, I think,” said Marvelous Man. Levitating higher up, Marvelous Man held out his hand for Sugar Skull. The glowing ghoul accepted the hand and was helped up. During the handholding, Marvelous Man tried to command the light to dissipate from Sugar Skull, but it was no use. Whatever stealth plan Marvelous Man was developing was now rendered null. Sugar Skull was illuminated too brightly and could be instantly spotted by the Skeleton Lord. Sugar Skull looked at Marvelous Man’s face and noticed his blood splattered on the hero’s face. He quickly pulled a handkerchief out of his sleeve and wiped the blood off in one stroke. Marvelous Man gave him a quizzical look as the ghoul said nothing. Sugar Skull pointed at the Skeleton Lord’s pool of shadows, “The Skeleton Lord’s darkness can’t handle light. And I think all his bone attacks come from that darkness. If we can shine bright enough, his attacks won’t touch us.” “...What’s he doing to Gene?” squinted Marvelous Man. Sugar Skull chattered, “Something. And we need to stop it right now.” Marvelous Man commanded the light within himself to envelop his body and glow as bright as it could. Sugar Skull dashed forward, as he bent forward to sweep up his gun. The ghoul then stuffed his black glock inside his sleeve; disappearing without any stretches or outlines it. The whisping blackness dissolved in Sugar Skull’s path, as he made his way to the Skeleton Lord. The circumference of the light he expelled was expanded even further with Marvelous Man hovering above him; shining like daylight. As they drew closer, Marvelous Man could see the Skeleton Lord draining some sort of purple smoke from Gene Lightfoot. He then grabbed his golden wreath from his head and commanded his light to imbue it with the shining element. Once he could feel it glow, Marvelous Man threw his wreath forward. The golden athletic wreath obeyed Marvelous Man’s intentions and sailed through the air. Right when it reached close to the oblivious Skeleton Lord, it curved around the supervillain. The wreath then turned sideways and attacked the Skeleton Lord’s wrists; buzzsawing through them with a quick whiz. The Skeleton Lord could only hold up and stare at his amputated forearms as his hands fell into the smoky darkness. “CURSED WRETCH!!!” screamed the Skeleton Lord. Turning around, the disarmed villain spotted the two shining metahumans charging towards him as the golden wreath returned to Marvelous Man. The Skeleton Lord shouted again, “Cursed wretch!” Arrows of bones launched from the surrounding blackness that was not disintegrated by the light. The bone arrows bounced off of Marvelous Man’s overly muscular body without leaving a mark. Sugar Skull was pierced with shallow wounds, but the effect was reversed almost immediately with the wounds already closing and pushing out the arrows. “Throw me!” shouted Sugar Skull, “Throw me at him!” Without question, Marvelous Man picked up the ghoul as he spun in a counter clockwise motion to increase the velocity of his throw. Upon completing his twirl, the muscled hero flung Sugar Skull at the Skeleton Lord. Sugar Skull cackled with his flower eyes furiously spinning with its petals warping into different spectrums of the rainbow. The Skeleton Lord stood there for a moment in fury before a thrown Sugar Skull collided into his chest and abdomen. The robed being was swept off his feet by the attack and fell to the ground with a hollow thud and tumble. Sugar Skull immediately rolled back onto his feet and stood up. Reaching into his sleeve, he pulls out a folded butterfly knife. The ghoul playfully pivoted the twirling handles as he casually walked to the fallen Skeleton Lord. When he was within striking distance, Sugar Skull completely unsheathed the blade. During this event, Marvelous Man flew to Gene; bounded by dark binds and stretched into spread eagle. The black tentacles still played with the bunny demigod’s body, but there was no purple smoke emanating from him at the moment. Marvelous Man took notice that even though his body fully illuminated the shadowy binds, it would not dissipate. Marvelous Man floated up to Gene’s face, “I’ll get you out in a second!” Gene could only glance with his eyes barely opened as the phallic darkness kept thrusting itself into his mouth. Marvelous Man had to admit that the display in front of him was very erotic. He could feel his heroic meatus fill with his justice essence as the familiar oppressive erogenous emotion weigh down on him. Marvelous Man shook his head and focused on his need to be a hero at that moment. With his mind clearing, Marvelous Man figured that perhaps he needed more light. He placed his hands underneath Lightfoot’s armpits and commanded his light to spread onto Gene. The light obeyed, and it spread from his hands to encasing the entire body with shining brightness. The vibrating black binds slowly disintegrated like paper devoured by fire. With Gene in his grasp, Marvelous Man slowly descended as he could feel the rabbit man’s lucky third limb poke with hard aggression at his diamond-cut abdomen. Marvelous Man drew close to the ground and allowed Gene to gently land on their feet. “You okay?” asked Marvelous Man. Gene cracked both sides of his neck, “I am alright. Though I would have liked to have been left to cum before the rescue, I still have gratitude for what you did. I have, as your country puts it, the blue balls and need to work out my frustration.” Other than the oppressive sexual energy putting pressure on him, Marvelous Man could also feel some anger pressing on his emotional state. But he resisted. Marvelous Man searched about for a few seconds before spotting Sugar Skull approaching the fallen Skeleton Lord. “There they are!” he pointed. An animated horse skeleton emerged from underneath the Skeleton Lord; spraying a light layer of dirt as it rose. The skeleton equine neighed as it stood on its hind legs for a moment. Sugar Skull, caught in the small dirt explosion, stumbled back as he tried to clear earth from his eye sockets and mouth. The Skeleton Lord sat up straight on his steed; his hood no longer bulked by the skull that was now attached to the horse. Black smoke connected to his severed arms and seemed to be channeling something. The Skeleton Lord jeered, “It appears that in my most weakest, even a Totochtin, a ghoul, and a star child can best me.” The twirling darkness attached to the Skeleton Lord’s stumps began to narrow as it revealed to be connected to something it was pulling. It pulled from the shadowy pool the Skeleton Lord’s hands that Marvelous Man severed. Like a fishing rod, the connected blackness reeled in the dismembered extremities with haste until the limbs were connected. The dark reel then oozed outside the wound like pus before being absorbed into the skin and sealing up the cleaved area. As it did so, the wound Marvelous Man inflicted appeared to have vanish; showing off bony, pale wrists with no scars. “But I must thank you, Totochtin. When I was unsealed, my strength was that of a morning dewdrop on a leaf. And with what I was able to drink from you, before I was oh so interrupted, is now able to fill a small tin cup,” boasted the Skeleton Lord. Raising his white hand into the air, he snapped his fingers. The pool of smoky blackness expanded far across the graveyard’s expanse; beyond what the three fighters could see with their illuminated bodies and the light of the full moon. The ground beneath began to vibrate. The Skeleton Lord proclaimed, “A gift to you. For the generosity and entertainment.” The skeleton horse neighed and took off; galloping away with the Skeleton Lord’s blood red cloak fluttering in the wind. Gene reached into a pouch on his belt and pulled out a silver sphere the size of a large marble ball. The shining, bunny demigod threw the silver ball at the Skeleton Lord. It whistled through the air for a brief second before piercing into the Skeleton Lord’s side. The Skeleton Lord lurched forward but showed no other sign of being in lots of pain. With the dirt finally dusted out of himself, Sugar Skull ran back to the two superheroes. Gene’s ears twitched as Sugar Skull rejoined them; lining their backs to each other. “There is too many of them. I cannot keep the count,” said Gene, “All of them are underneath us.” Marvelous Man exclaimed, “What, zombies?!” “They have arrived!” shouted Gene. Bones of skeleton corpses breached through the smoky pool of darkness. Skeletal beings clawed and clamored their way through, as the whisping blackness began to intertwine with the skeletals’ structures. The smoke on the animated skeletons solidified itself into swords, axes, and even black medieval armor that covered parts of the skeleton. Sugar Skull pulled out his handgun from his sleeve. With the two heroes having their backs turned on the ghoul, Sugar Skull took the butterfly knife in his hand and briefly stabbed himself on his side before quickly pulling out. He winced a bit, as he took up a fighting stance with his black glock resting on the wrist with the bloodied blade. One hand aimed at the boney creatures, while having the other ready to stab. Already, his self-inflicted wound began to heal. He spoke, “I really hope this army of the damned is the slow moving kind.” “Hush those words unless you wish to inflict the jinx upon us,” said Gene. Marvelous Man held up his fists; ready to fight as his sexual tool finally went limp. The armored skeletons charged forward with their weapons raised. Sugar Skull fired his handgun; piercing the craniums of the raised dead in front of him. Marvelous Man threw his golden wreath and decapitate a few before returning. Gene reached into his pouch and hurled a silver ball; boring through helmets and pulverizing skulls into boney bits. The skeletons who weren’t caught in the retaliation stopped to gaze upon their fallen brethren. The armor-mimicking darkness on the damaged skeletons dispersed into smoke before being immediately absorbed into the bones. It restructured and mended together all of the broken pieces as the inking blackness pulled the recovering boney creature to stand up straight. The pool of whisping darkness beneath them intertwined once again to form weapons and armor. Sugar Skull shouted, “Switch to close combat! Our light should stop them from recovering if we stick close to them!” The three stood their ground; ready to embrace the onslaught. Sugar Skull fired at the skeletons’ kneecaps to cripple those that drew in close to him. He then stabbed and slashed at the exposed bone parts with his bloodied butterfly knife. The boned creatures painted with only a dab of Sugar Skull’s blood shivered for a second before disintegrating into a pile of dust. After each attack, the ghoul would have to duck and twirl about to avoid the swings and stabs of the skeletal beings. Gene Lightfoot ducked and weaved through the skeletons’ strikes; getting as close as he can before corkscrew punching through their craniums. He would follow up his punches with a roundhouse kick and swing his toned legs at any armored skeleton that would try to ambush his turned back. At any moment Lightfoot was about to be over encumbered by the attacking numbers, he shapeshifted into a small white rabbit and hopped away to a better offensive position. This would leave his opponents slashing at the air and befuddled with confusion. Marvelous Man parried away the skeletons’ weapons with his golden bracelets before lunging forward to grapple the black armor. Quickly whirling about, he would slam the armored skeleton he grabbed into the attacking fray; smashing the other bony creatures into pieces. After creating a small clearing, Marvelous Man would then toss the skeletal being high into the air and let gravity take care of the rest. The trio kept repeating their actions, but the numbers never seemed to diminish. Every time they moved away to dodge or fight more armored skeletons, their light drifted away from shining upon the remains. And every time it happened, the pool of darkness would seep into the bones; restoring them back to fighting condition and gifting them with armor and weapons. “There does not seem to be any end to these skeletons,” noted Gene. Sugar Skull stabbed another armored skeleton; causing it to atomize into dust. He shouted, “We need more light! Marvelous Man!” “I’ll see what I can do, but you guys need to cover me,” said Marvelous Man. He brought his right leg up high into the air before slamming it down; axe kicking an attacking skeleton into many splinters. Sugar Skull answered back, “That’s fine. But you need to get us somewhere else. Too many to fight!” Activating his flight powers, Marvelous Man flew above the reach of the skeletal creatures before diving towards his temporary teammates. He scooped up each one with an arm wrapped around their torso. Marvelous Man then increased his altitude in the hopes of finding a fitting spot to defend and unleash a mass illumination. “Go over there!” pointed Sugar Skull. Marvelous looked to where Sugar Skull indicated. It was another mausoleum located a distance away; appearing newer than the one that housed the Skeleton Lord’s coffin. None of the bony creatures were there, and it would take some time for the damned to reach them. If things did not go as planned, the three could climb up to the top of the mausoleum to defend their point or escape. He complied and landed in front of the marbled structure as he released his grasp on the two beings he carried. Emptying the magazine from the black glock, Sugar Skull pulled a pistol ammo magazine from out of his sleeves and reloaded it into his handgun. He cocked his gun, “We will try to buy you some time. Try to clear away all this darkness. It’s empowering them with armors and weapons and restoring them. If you can do that, me and the bunny boy can clean out this bony mess with ease...Wow, I feel very articulated speaking English now. All the words just come to me so easily. Like juxtaposition and-” “Please focus,” interrupted Gene, “We must let him concentrate, and we must defend him from the dark spawns.” Sugar Skull sheepishly grinned, “Sorry.” As Gene fished in his belt pouch for more silver balls, Marvelous Man tried to think. He could try to make himself brighter, but he needed to completely dissipate the dark pool of whisping shadows that covered the whole graveyard. So if increasing the intensity of the glow from his hulking body would not be enough to get rid of all the Skeleton Lord’s darkness, he needed to administer his light a different way. Marvelous Man looked at the grass and dirt beneath his feet that his bodily illumination exposed from dispelling the blackness around him. An idea came to him. He commanded his light to extend from his feet and irradiate the ground with brightness. Sunlight shined from the earth and shot into the sky like a piercing spotlight. Marvelous Man frowned as the light could only expand far enough to create a pillar of daylight that encircled only Marvelous Man. The light needed more energy. Gunshots rang from Sugar Skull’s gun as the horde of armored skeletons charged towards the three fighters. Gene barraged the unit with his silver balls; breaking down lines of skeletons into little bits. Scores of skeletal beings would fall from the cover fire, but they would keep getting back up with the help of shadowy pool to piece them back together in only seconds. The army was slowly gaining territory. Marvelous Man knew he had to supercharge his light, but he felt he would have to do more than humming in order to imbue the graveyard grounds with light. He would have to sing. Putting his hand in his pockets, Marvelous Man cleared his throat. “When the night has come, And the land is dark, And the moon is the only light we’ll see,” sang Marvelous Man. His light fed on his song and began to grow; expanding at a quickening rate and encircling his compatriots. Marvelous Man wished he had an instrument to go with his solo act. “No, I won’t be afraid, Just as long as you stand, stand by me,” continued Marvelous Man. He could feel a cold, metal rectangle dance at his fingertips. Marvelous Man quickly pulled it out to reveal a golden harmonica. There was a name etched on the plate: Duskbell. Most likely, a gift from his dad, Apollo. It was better than nothing. Marvelous Man shrugged and began to play the chorus. The muscle memory from practicing this pocket instrument back in his artificial world came flooding back into his fingers. He cupped the golden harmonica and blew into the holes. His body swayed with the somber notes that cried for his darlings to stand by him. The light engorging on his songs and his emotions became supercharged even further; expanding at an explosive pace. Plants and insects began to burst out of the ground and thrived on the healing brightness. The spread of the imbued daylight had completed its encompass of the graveyard within seconds. Any residue of the Skeleton Lord’s smoky pool of darkness had completely vanished as well as the skeleton army’s weapons and armor. The whole graveyard property looked as if it were plucked from a sunny day and thrown into a setting that was in the middle of the night. Everybody but Marvelous Man stopped what they were doing to stare at the new scenery. Sugar Skull muttered, “Holy shit...” The ghoul and the bunny demigod looked at the musical hero before turning their attention back to the mass of naked skeletons. “Victory is within our reach!” cried Gene. The two charged into the shocked fray as Sugar Skull stabbed himself in his side to give his blade a new layer of blood. Gene motioned his right hand as if he were picking up something. A yellow rune symbol glowed on the back of his fingerless black gloves. The silver balls Gene previously threw, with exception to the one lodged into the Skeleton Lord’s back, rose from the ground and floated at Lightfoot’s waist height. Gene shapeshifted into a white rabbit and bounded towards the floating spheres. Upon reaching a sphere, Lightfoot would transform back into his human form and uppercut the nearby skeleton into pieces during the process. He would then whip his legs and arms about; roundhouse kicking and hook punching at the bony beings close to him in order to create a small clearing riddled with skeleton parts. After that, the bunny demigod would grab his sphere and hurl it at the crowd of skeletal creatures. The skeletons reacted to the punctures by exploding into trails of bony fragments immediately after the ball exited them. Shapeshifting back into a white rabbit, Gene would move on to the next floating silver ball. As that went on, Sugar Skull shot any skeletons a small distance away from him and slashed indiscriminately with his bloodied butterfly knife at close proximity. The bony beings he attacked would shatter from gunshots or disintegrate into piles of dust from the slashing. He cackled maniacally as his purple teeth chattered. The attacks from the two carried on without ever stopping. The skeleton army shrunk with bone fragments littering the graveyard as Marvelous Man continued his song. Upon reaching the end of his song, Marvelous Man looked up to see the two fighters lightly panting and walking back to him. Gene stretched his arms as Sugar Skull pulled out a handkerchief from his sleeve to wipe the blood off his blade. Marvelous Man cheered, “Great work, you guys! That was a close one!” “Actually, I should say that to you. Without you, we’d have to retreat. And that would have been pretty bad if that army of damned got out,” remarked Sugar Skull. Gene nodded, “Agreed. But I was wondering, your musical device increases your power, yes?” “Well, kinda. My light power feeds on positive things like emotions, memories. And when I do something artsy like singing or playing an instrument, it kinda supercharges it to heal or light more stuff up more. I don’t really know all the side effects, to be honest.” explained Marvelous Man. Sugar Skull snapped his fingers, “Aha! So that’s why you were singing when you healed me.” “Pretty much. We were in a pinch, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to heal fast enough,” remembered Marvelous Man, “Oh, right! Here, let me take care of that.” Placing his hand on Gene’s shoulder, Marvelous Man commanded the light embracing Lightfoot’s body to fade away. Gene eyed Marvelous Man’s hand and saw his bodily illumination beginning to dim and then vanishing altogether. Gene smiled, “Much gratitude for that action. Will you be taking away the light surrounding him as well?” Marvelous Man looked from Gene’s gesture to the shining Sugar Skull with rainbow flower eyes. Sugar Skull’s purple teeth chattered uncontrollably. “Uhhh, I can’t really control any light I supercharge. It’s one of the side effects. It should go away soon...I think,” he said. Sugar Skull gave a thumbs up, “It’s fine. But this supercharge is giving me a weird high. Like, a high where I feel really good and confident about myself and that I should do something productive. Yes! Loving this fluent articulation with big English words!” Gene cocked his head at Sugar Skull in fascination. After being amazed, he turned his attention back to Marvelous Man and started fishing his hand into his pants’ pocket. The bunny demigod pulled out a business card, “I see. I will have to collect my projectiles and report this event to my superiors. I would find it most appreciative if you were to visit the D.A.B. headquarters and give the supporting statement to my superiors as well. The address is on the back of the card I am about to give you.” Taking the business card, Marvelous Man observed it. It was a cobalt blue card with the organization’s name spelt vertically in order to create a horizontal acronym. The first and last words were colored in white, the middle word’s color was in navy blue. Reading it vertically, it spelled: Demon Authority Bureau. Marvelous Man briefly wondered who had the idea to name their organization after the word “dab”. “Oh, sure! I’ll drop by to help out,” grinned Marvelous Man. Gene smiled back, “Wonderful news. Before I return to what is abbreviated as the HQ, perhaps you would like to join me in a victory threesome?” Marvelous Man’s eyes went wide. He would love to engage in intercourse with this handsome man. But he felt too emotionally exhausted to feel excited, and yet he felt another emotion rising within him. Shyness. “Wh-what?!...I mean...Here? I mean, uh, I-I have some things to take care of. Important things! Maybe later, or something,” stammered Marvelous Man, “OKAYBYE!” Taking off, Marvelous Man flew to his home. It only took minutes from the graveyard to reach the roof of his penthouse apartment. Staring at the installed pool and Jacuzzi while landing, he questioned for a short moment about who is responsible for maintaining the water’s hygiene. He entered the rooftop door and made his way down the steps to his apartment interior. It was dark inside. “Hello?” called Marvelous Man. Nobody answered. Commanding his light within to shine, his body radiated with enough illumination to light up the room and part of the hallway it was connected to. He looked around for a few seconds before spotting the light switch and went to flick it on. Marvelous Man stood there for a moment before his nose detected a rancid stench. It smelled like a poorly-maintained bathroom. Realizing something, he cupped his bikini-clad crotch. He sighed as his shoulders hung in embarrassment. Next Chapter

All comments and critiques are welcomed here and on my Google Docs(https://drive.google.com/open?id=1eM-QYOab19bheMRu-kyTHwi1COJztr7GpwvYsnXH6rQ) For other chapters, I will post them on here later. But you can find the archives on my FA and Tumblr with pics included. FA: http://www.furaffinity.net/user/ecchimultiverse/ Tumblr: http://ecchimultiverse.tumblr.com/ First Chapter | Next Chapter Chapter 2: Stars & Stripes What started as an angry stomp out of the house escalated into a full on sprint. Justice ran down the sidewalk with the wind grazing over his swole, naked body, and his heavy pecs bouncing in the air. He kept sprinting without slowing down for even a moment as he passed over crossings and bridges. Justice's anger-fueled charge finally came to a stop when the sidewalk ended at a forked road in front of the artificial town's mall. Even though sweat collected on his chocolate skin with liquid trails glistening down his diamond cut six-pack, Justice breathed as if he had taken a brisk walk. Taking a moment to observe the choices in front of him, he decided to enter the mall. It was a habit of his to go to the arcade's rhythm platform game and dance his frustrations away. Inside, Justice felt the cool tiles absorbing the heat on his soles, and the other mall citizens staring at him. It didn't matter to Justice, because the people weren't real. They were androids built without any social interaction programming. He knew all they could do was stare and follow whatever their programming purposed them to do. So instead of doing his enraged naked walk to his room or some other part of the house as usual, he would go dance at the mall's arcade to vent his frustration and anger even faster. Justice strided into the arcade; blinking lights and players scattered all over with the scent of pizza grease wafting in the air for some reason. As he approached the back of the arcade, he spotted Doki Doki Beat; the dancing rhythm machine that never moved during his whole life in this fake world. Picking up a few game tokens from a stack sitting next to the selection buttons, he inserted the tokens in the slot and pressed the Player One start button. It was always weird how after Justice told his parents what his favorite arcade machine was, there was always a stack of tokens on that machine that he alone used whenever he visited. Now he knew why. Justice stepped onto the game's platform and tapped the selection buttons a few times before choosing a hyperactive J-pop song on Cardiac Arrest difficulty. The screen faded for a moment before appearing back with empty outlined directional arrows and a background filled with nauseating bright colors and smiley-faced hearts. Right when the song started, the screen was immediately assaulted with rainbow color changing directional arrows rising from the bottom at blinding speeds. Justice instantly reacted by stepping on directional arrow buttons built into the platforms. He danced and stepped in sync with all the arrows on the screen; never missing one. His body was so attuned to the game's music and rhythm, even his rhythm pole and sac bobbed and swerved with the beat. >>>>>>>>>>>>> After exhausting all the available game tokens, Justice exited the arcade. He noticed his mother, Goddess Aphrodite, sitting at a food court table across from him; sipping through a straw on a milkshake. It seemed no matter what she did, it always made Aphrodite's curvy body look beautiful. Even if all she wore right now was just simple jeans, plain black sandals, and a yellow shirt with the radioactive logo. Justice sighed and decided to go visit her. Aphrodite smiled as Justice sat across from her, "Hey there, sugarplum. Feeling a bit better?" "A bit..." nodded Justice, "...I don't hate you or my dads, mom...but I am angry at what you all did." Justice's mom stopped drinking her milkshake, "...I know. I'm sorry what we did, honey. But you have to know that we didn't put you in here just to make you into a superhero. It was to make sure you didn't hurt anybody while we were raising you." "Because I wouldn't be able to control my superpowers? Wait, do I have any?" questioned Justice. His mother gestured her empty hand with a maybe. Aphrodite spoke, "You should. We all gave you a sliver of our essence. At the very least, you have very superior genetics. Normal people don't get big like that from doing a hundred pushups every day without a needle's assistance." Justice's mother pulled out her phone and texted for a few seconds before standing up. "Can you come with me, sweetie? I want to explain more about why we did what we did in a more comfortable area for me. My limo is outside." requested Aphrodite. Justice's frown slowly creased into a small smile, "Okay, mom." Justice was more than happy to leave the mall. The seats were styled with a grid of holes along the back and bottom. And when he stood up, his bubble butt and the back of his tree-trunk thighs were indented with polka dots all over. As the two walked back to the entrance, Aphrodite remarked, "You know I really do love you, right?" "Well of course you have to say that. You're the goddess of love. You have to love everybody," giggled Justice. His mother hugged his muscular arm that was wider than her head. She smiled, "Yes, but I love you on a greater level than everybody else. A mother's love is powerful, and you will always be my baby." When the two exited the mall, they were greeted by a white limo and its chauffeur parked in front of the mall's entrance. The chauffeur simply bowed without a word and opened the door for Justice and his mother. After letting his mother enter first, he struggled to get in; angling his body in order to allow his bulky to get inside the limo. "You know, I think I already know what my weakness is," joked Justice, "It's doorways. Ever since I hit fifteen, I've had to keep ducking whenever I went into another room, and now I also have to enter in sideways as well. I'm too tall and too thick." His mother smiled, "You are perfect as you are, honey." After chauffeur closed the door behind them and drove the limo back onto the streets, Justice's mother opened a cooler and pulled out a milkshake cup. "I got you a blueberry pie milkshake," said Aphrodite as she handed the cup to Justice. Justice grinned, "Awesome! Thanks, mom!" Justice's mother smiled. Even though he towered over her and looked like he could bench-press a truck, he still looked like a child; hunched over while sipping through the straw of his milkshake with both hands. "You're welcome," said Aphrodite, "So back to what I was saying earlier about protecting you from harming others...The thing is...Even though we gave you a sliver of our essence, getting it from one god is the limit for any being to handle. If a mortal were to receive from two gods, there's a good chance they could become violently insane, die at an early age, or both. And from three...well...your chances did not look good, but we took those chances anyways." Justice connected the dots, "And that's why you put me here. To make sure I didn't hurt anybody if I went crazy...Why did you take such a risk then?" "...Your fathers and I wanted to relive the glory days so badly. Having our demigod children going on adventures, fighting bad people, and winning in our honor. But the bad people had evolved. Some of them had grown powerful enough to make us flinch. We did not want to send our child out to that world to simply die before drawing their sword. So we did something very drastic and made you." answered his mother. She continued, "We were lucky to spend all these years raising you into a fine man. And now, you can unlock the rest of your powers and become a fine superhero...But if this isn't what you want, I understand. It was very selfish what we did, and I love you more than my glory days." Justice looked down at his milkshake and continued to sip. "I guess...I could give it a try. It'd be cool to have some superpowers. Besides, you all kept me so busy, I didn't have enough time to try out college," said Justice. His mother smiled as the limo slowed down to a stop and parked. After the chauffeur opened the door, Aphrodite exited the limo first before Justice struggled to follow suit. Right when Justice finally got out, he noticed the limo transported them to the town's beach. His mother spoke up, "I agreed to meet your fathers here. They have a gift for you that will turn you into a real superhero. We were supposed to give it to you after the cake, but your fathers' loose lips sent you into your nude rage." "Sorry," blushed Justice. Aphrodite sighed, "It's not your fault, honey. Your whole world got turned upside down before you could even have cake. It's understandable. Come on, let's go meet up with your fathers." >>>>>>>>> "I'm glad you're not angry anymore. I kinda expected you to go on a murder spree across the whole town. We honestly thought you finally cracked, cause of all the power in you," admitted Papa Ares. Justice looked down, "Yeah. But I just couldn't bring myself to do it. The robots aren't bad and didn't really do anything bad to me...that wouldn't be right." Apollo stepped in next to Justice; holding a present-wrapped box. "Good to hear then! Water under the bridge! Love prevails and family is important. Yada yada yada. Time to open your birthday present!" interrupted Apollo. As usual, his dad, Apollo, likes to act like a diva and does not like being unincluded from a conversation or event. Even his clothes screamed for attention of how fashion-forward he was; a sky blue buttoned shirt with a red ribbon tie, light khaki pants and shiny brown loafers. His papa, Ares, on the on the other hand unintentionally calls attention to himself by wearing what he feels is "casual". This entails him mainly wearing a wifebeater with a necklace made out of construction chain links, a black utilikilt, and black army boots. Justice turned to his dad, "Oh, right. Thanks, Dad." Apollo held out the gift; a velvet black box wrapped with a white ribbon bow. Justice gently picked up the gift from Apollo's hands and undid the ribbon. He then opened the box, which opened like a jewelry box. Inside, two large wrist-sized golden bracelets shimmered on top of black pillows. "So this is the gift that'll turn me into a real superhero?" asked Justice. Apollo nodded, "That it is. They're magical bracelets that we got your Uncle Hephaestus to make. It will activate your powers and transform you into the outfit we designed for you." Justice looked up for a moment. The last time they made something together, they created Justice from a multitude of earthy materials they each liked rather than agreeing on one kind of earthy substance. "What? Don't you want to try it on?" said his dad. Justice stared back down at the shiny gold bracelets and exhaled a small sigh. It couldn't be that bad. After all, he turned out fine, and maybe this outfit will look great. "Sure, I'll try it on," answered Justice as he set down the box. Squatting down he picked up one of bracelets; grazing his fingertips against the cool, smooth gold as his other meaty tip grazed against the sand. The bracelet was very thin and felt very light like cheap plastic jewelry. Justice noticed that this bracelet was not the type one sticks their hand through, but the kind that clamps around one's wrist. Justice opened the large bracelet and closed it around his wrist as it made a light clink. He then picked up the other gold bracelet and repeated the process. Hearing the other bracelet clink together securely, Justice took a moment to stare at his bracelets. Oddly enough, the golden bracelets clung to his wrists like a second skin. His body could barely even feel the shiny jewelry. Justice then looked at the rest of his body. Nope. Still naked. Maybe the outfit was only showing under his pecs? After all, his pectoral muscles stuck out long enough to form a shelf and block a small portion of his vision. Justice groped underneath his pecs. Still nothing. Justice stood up, "I don't think it's working. I'm still naked." "Oh, right!" Papa remembered, "We forgot to mention that it activates after saying the catchphrase. Each of us chose a word for the catchphrase and you have to finish it by saying a word that you feel would unlock your outfit and powers." "And you have to say it all while having your bracelets touching each other," chimed Apollo. Justice sighed, "So what's the catchphrase then?" In order, Aphrodite, Ares, and Apollo smiled and exclaimed their chosen word for the catchphrase: "Marvelous!" "Muscle!" "Magic!" Justice stared at his parents with an apathetic glare, "...Okay." Raising his arms above his head, Justice placed one wrist on top of another. "Marvelous Muscle Magic..." Justice paused, "Metamorph." The space around Justice vanished into vacuum of blending bright lights and stars as he felt his body fall and fly at the same time. Justice realized that his whole body became paralyzed and could not even move his pinkie. He could then feel ribbon-like tentacles reach out and wrap around his torso, feet, ass, and groin. The ribbons squeezed as it began to spread up his body. The ribbons that binded to his feet and torso were black. The ones binding to his feet began to take the form of black buckled boots. The other one wrapping around his torso enveloped over his arms and began to divide over his abs and bulbous pecs into an unzipped black jacket. The ribbons that cupped his male package and only able to squeeze a portion of his large round ass were blue and started to form a swimming bikini. However, the hugging ribbon's color began to change and mimic the pattern of the United States of America's flag. The portion that groped his package turned into white and red stripes, and the rest remained blue with white stars scattered about. Justice then felt something warm wrap around his head. A bright, tube-shaped light encircled his head for a few seconds before it exploded and took the form of something more narrow; a golden wreath that Greek champion athletes used to wear. The empty space that held Justice in zero gravity collapsed, and he landed on his feet back into reality. He stood there for a few minutes, shocked by what transpired in reality as a second but felt like forever in that spaceless pocket. His body, garbed with his new heroic uniform, glowed with a soft aura. Justice stammered, "WH-WHAT?! WHAT THE FUCK?!" "Language, sweetie," said his mother. Justice spoke back, "Wha-what was that?! I-I-I was floating in an aurora and attacked by tentacles! I feel so violated!" "You'll get used to that...eventually. Besides, that was your outfit being fitted on you. There's no monster in your transformation void, so you're perfectly safe," said his dad. Papa tried to change the subject, "Um, hey, why don't I just zip this up for you. I bet you'd like your new look when you find a mirror, son." "Oh, that reminds me. MIRROR GIRLS!!!" screamed Apollo. Two girls in unremarkable clothing ran up to Apollo; carrying a mirror. They were Apollo's personal androids that followed him around while carrying a body-length mirror for Apollo to gaze into at any moment. In the past, Justice figured they were miserable assistants that were paid well enough to serve his dad's vanity. Now it is clearly obvious they are soulless androids. Apollo commanded, "My son needs mirror time." The girls turned to Justice and set the mirror in front of him. At that time, Justice was paying attention to his Papa approaching him and grabbing his jacket's zippers. Ares paired the zippers together and began to zip up. The jacket slowly closed over Justice's diamond-cut abs until it reached up to Justice's mammoth pecs. Ares pulled up at the zipper, but it wouldn't budge. "Ummm, I guess you should've skipped chest day a few times, son. Hehe..." joked Papa. Apollo commented, "Don't worry about it. I figured this would happen. The last time I measured you was when you were eighteen. On the bright side, I made sure to leave enough space for your arms, and you'll look more appealing if you show your abs. Bitches love abs. But if you want to work with a boob window, then I salute you." "I'll just keep it unzipped. Papa, can you take a step back? I want to look," said Justice. Papa stepped back while Justice unzipped his jacket. Justice looked up and saw his reflection. He was in awe as he twisted his body about and posed to see all the visible angles of his new outfit. Justice smiled, "Wow, I look really good in this. Thanks, you guys. So what are my powers?" "Oh, riiight. The powers. So here's the thing...we don't know. I can diagnose you, but I want to be surprised by what you can do," answered Apollo. Justice nodded, "Okay. I think I want to try..." He looked up at the sky and smiled. "Flying," said Justice. His mother tried to speak up, "Sweetie, I don't-" Apollo placed his hand on Aphrodite's shoulder. "Let's just see what happens. I highly doubt he'll be able to fly. And if he doesn't, at least I'll get a good laugh out of this," hushed Apollo. Justice took off sprinting at a speed faster than any modern drug-enhanced olympian; causing giant boot-print dents in the sand while kicking up a flurry of sand into the air. After feeling that he picked up enough speed, Justice jumped forward with his right arm fisting straight up. Gravity did not take hold, and his body kept climbing in heights. Justice cackled, "OH MY GOSH!!! I'm seriously flying!" He stopped flying and turned around to look down on his parents. The jaws of the three gods dropped. "Stars above...He really is flying! Can any of you fly?!," said Apollo. Aphrodite shook her head, "Sorry, no." "Neither can I. But I thought you could fly, Apollo," spoke Ares. Apollo sighed, "Not really. I have to use my chariot if I ever want to get off ground. As far as I know, only Hermes can fly." "Gold star for you, Justice. Now come on down, so we can test your other powers," shouted Apollo. Justice shouted back down, "Okay." Justice's body gently floated back down to where his parents were. As he arrived towards the ground, the tips of his feet lightly nestled against the sand before the rest of the appendage rolled onto the ground; barely shifting the sand itself. "So what's next?" asked Justice. Papa coughed, "You're not gonna like this, but I need you to hold out your hand." "Ummm, okay?" said Justice. As Ares walked up to Justice, his son held out his hand. Ares instantly grabbed Justice's wrist and pulled out a switchblade from his pocket. Activating the knife's spring to eject the blade, he slashed at his son's exposed palm before Justice had time to react. Justice flinched back right when Papa released his hand. He screamed, "What the heck, Papa?!" His father looked at him with sad eyes. "I'm sorry, but you would've said no if I told you what I really was gonna do," apologized Papa, "Are you bleeding?" Justice shouted back, "Of course I'm-!" He looked at his hand and saw no blood. Not even a scratch shown on his black palms. "I knew it! Invulnerable skin! Lots of superheroes have to have it nowadays. Looks like your survival rate just skyrocketed. No need to test your strength, by the way. We figured you're already plenty strong," smiled Apollo. Justice kept staring at his hand, "Huh..." "Oh, what wonderful news! My baby will be just fine. That just leaves one final test," said his mother. Aphrodite waved at her limo, "Daisington, be a dear and bring out the chicken." Justice looked up. "Chicken?" said Justice. The chauffeur exited the limo with a cage in his hands. He carried it over to where Aphrodite stood and froze in place in front of her. Aphrodite gestured to the cage, "If you please, Apollo." "Of course," said Apollo. Opening the latch, Apollo pulled out a black chicken. His hands gave a dark glow for only a second, but it was obscured underneath the feathers for Justice to see. His dad then handed it over to Papa Ares while the chicken calmly balked. "We want to see if you can heal this chicken," explained Apollo. Before Justice could say anything, Ares grabbed the chicken's wing and applied pressure with his fingertips. The bone in the chicken's wing snapped with a piece poking out of the skin. The chicken wailed in pain and struggled in the war god's grasp. "Friggety hell, papa!" screamed Justice. Ares handed the chicken to Justice, "Try to heal it, my son. Whether it dies in pain or not is up to you." Tears started to form in Justice's eyes as he cradled the chicken. "...But...how?!" said Justice. "If there is light within you, you need to let it shine," explained Apollo, "Let that light envelop those you care about and give it the intention to heal. Close all wounds; undo mistakes. Just like with flying, you'll know if you can do it." Justice looked down at the crazed chicken and sympathized its pain. He spoke softly, "It's alright. Everything will be okay." As Justice place his hand on the broken wing, he hummed a tune. He wished with all his might that the wing would feel. And then he felt it. His dad was right. He could feel a light inside of him. It felt small, but it also felt like it was feeding on his happy thoughts and memories. The light he felt within himself grew like a hungry flame. Justice compelled the light to shine out of his hand and heal the chicken. The light within him obeyed, and his hand began to glow with a golden hue. It exposed the poultry’s problems to Justice's mind, and he realized it suffered more than just a broken wing. Poison was seeping through the chicken's body, and Justice knew it would not have mattered if the wing was actually fixed. The light he was giving off is able to fix the wing, but would not be able to stop the dark poison in time from reaching the egg-layer's heart. He called on the light within him to shine brighter, but it was already at its limit. The chicken's wing glowed with golden light that spread to the rest of its body, but the light did not have enough power to go within the poultry to target the poison. To focus on more than one issue, it needed more positive energy to feed on. Justice realized this and allowed the light to envelop him and take anything else it needed to grow more powerful. And when the light fed on his humming, it became supercharged. Justice began to glow and then pulsed a ray of blinding ray of light. As the light from Justice faded, the glowing chicken in his arms calmly cooed. It vomited a black ink, which steamed and fizzled upon hitting the ground. "Marvelous. Simply marvelous," said his dad. Apollo approached Justice and placed his hand on the flightless bird. His hand glowed with the same golden shine Justice gave off. Apollo guffawed, "Not only did you heal the wing, but you cured the poison in it too! And...you can give objects a light attribute." Justice's eyebrow rose. "What do you mean by that?" asked Justice. His dad answered back, "Basically, you can imbue anything with the element of light for a certain amount of time. So you can make anything glow in the dark, including yourself, and even make it bright enough to light up a whole room. It can also be used to fight against anything with a weakness to light. So if you want to make some vampires sparkle, get ready for fireworks." Justice stood there shocked with the glowing poultry in his arms. "Wait, vampires are real too?!" exclaimed Justice. His dad nodded, "You bet your quarter-bouncing hiney they are. And put down the chicken, we don't need it anymore." Justice released the chicken, and it flapped its wings as it hit the ground. It pecked at the sand a few times before wandering off. "That wasn't a nice thing you two did," said Justice. Apollo shrugged, "It was either that or a real person. And you can't heal something that's already dead or not alive. Odds are, you would've been less scarred if you healed an animal." Justice said nothing and pawed at the sand with his foot. "Nevermind him, sweetie," spoke his mother, "We only did it with the best intentions. And now you know what your powers are. Aren't they cool?" Justice mumbled, "I guess so..." They really were cool. "So before we send you out there to be a hero, I think it's time for you to choose your hero name," said Aphrodite. Justice's eyes lit up, "Really?!" Papa picked at his scars. "Well...sure. You are the superhero after all. It's not like we wanted to pick a name for you. That would be selfish," spoke Ares. Justice thought for a moment. There was so many things about his new powers that was amazing. But like his dad, Apollo, there was not really a specific word that could encompass everything about Justice's skills. Rather, it was the ones with broader strokes of definitions like: super, awesome, or fantastic. But there was one word his parents said that stuck out and ringed with his feelings. Justice smiled, "I want to be called, Marvelous Man" His dad clicked his teeth. "Eh, let's just put a pin on that for now," said Apollo. Aphrodite leaned towards Ares and whispered, "So what did you want to call him?" Papa had stars in his eyes when he whispered back. "The Shining Fist!" he said. Next Chapter

All comments and critiques are welcomed here and on my Google Docs(https://drive.google.com/open?id=1S2X7W_eTFgdphMIZ3b8ca52rGaEJR70-r4tyufYy5lA) For other chapters, I will post them on here later. But you can find the archives on my FA and Tumblr with pics included. FA: http://www.furaffinity.net/user/ecchimultiverse/ Tumblr: http://ecchimultiverse.tumblr.com/ First Chapter | Previous Chapter | Next Chapter Chapter 5: Digging into Trouble Taking his phone out of his black jacket’s pocket, he felt hunger pangs in his stomach. Marvelous Man floated into the air while setting his phone’s guidance coordinates to his new address he saw on his driver’s license. He hoped his parents stocked food in the fridge. As he sailed through the sky, he noticed how slow he actually was compared to the people that passed by him earlier in the day and during the DMR examination. His smart phone chimed every now and then on how close he was to reaching his destination. It now told him that he was within 15 minutes of arriving to his new home right after the sun had set and night had taken its hold over the skies. Below Marvelous Man, Skyway City was bright with shining lights of its lampposts, store and restaurant signs, and bustling traffic of cars. Even the windmills were lit with its own lightbulbs; though most were just illuminating the propeller’s center with a cautionary yellow, others had the windmill blades lined with colored lights that created images, like the face of a flower, when spun. When crossing over an old graveyard, he spotted a wandering ray of light originating from a trespasser’s flashlight. Marvelous Man remembered what Tim said about getting more field experience and decided to check it out. It was most likely nothing, probably some young adult that was dared into venturing the graveyard at night or an amateur ghost hunter. Either way, it would be easy experience for trying to talk like a hero and boost his bruised ego a bit. Marvelous Man softly landed behind a tree, tucked a small distance away from the trespasser, and took a peek at their back. The person was of medium adult height and carried a flashlight and shovel. The clothes were obscured by the night’s darkness, but it had the shape of a formal suit with odd modifications at the neckline and coat tail. Their shoes also had a weird boot shape, and their head appeared to be completely bald. The D-Rank hero guessed they were some kind of graverobbing crook and began to hover above the ground. Silently gliding forward, he made his way to the supposed grave robber. Upon being a couple of steps close to arm length, Marvelous Man commanded the light within him to encase himself and shine brightly. The moment he began to glow as bright as a car’s high beam, Marvelous Man spoke in his heroic tone. He spoke, “Great night for gravero-!” The crook spun around to face Marvelous Man while emitting a high pitched scream that mimicked a scared little girl. For a moment, Marvelous Man saw the crook’s face before seeing the shovel being flung at him. He raised his arms with his golden bracelet-encased crossed over each other to block the shovel’s blade. Marvelous Man felt his wrists briefly vibrate as the shovel bounced off of the golden bracelets. He then began to question himself if he hallucinated seeing a human skull before the shovel was thrown at him. “Don’t do that! You shouldn’t sneak up on a person! It’s not cool!” exclaimed the scared person. Lowering his arms, Marvelous Man confirmed his suspicions. He really did see a human skull. A skull decorated in bright colors and markings like a Mexican sugar skull: neon green outlining his eye sockets and chin with a flowery shape, pink painted around the nose socket and accenting parts of the head, light purple coated on the teeth and top sides of the skull, and black lines etched onto the forehead that looked like a simplified of a peacock. A skull that sat where the head is; attached to neck’s skin and muscles. Within each eye socket glowed a cartoonish yellow flower that spun. Marvelous Man hesitated, “Wh-what are you?!” The man with the skeleton head shielded his eyes from Marvelous Man’s shining, bulky body. He spoke back with a Mexican accent. “I’m a ghoul from limbo,” answered the ghoul, “Now is there a dimmer switch to you? Because you’re blinding me, and not just cause you have a big dick...probably. But just so you know, if that switch happens to be your nipples, I’m a professional at getting them to tune into Tokyo. If you know what I mean, hehe.” Marvelous Man knew nothing about ghouls from limbo. All he mostly learned back in his fake world about mythical creatures were either from Greek mythology or video games. Perhaps this pervert has a weakness to light. “No way! My light is going to send you back to limbo where you belong, evildoer!” he said. The ghoul sighed, “Oh, my gosh. That is racial profiling, pal! You are profiling me for being a ghoul in a graveyard. Okay, first of all, I’m not a creature of darkness. I’m from limbo. Not from hell or created from dark thoughts. But I was reborn by dark magic. Anyways, not the point. Not the point. Now look, look at me. Not bursting into flames or whatever. See?” Lowering himself to the ground, Marvelous Man observed the skull man and confirmed that he did not seem to have a lethal allergy to light. “And second, just because I’m a ghoul, doesn’t mean I’m evil. Okay? For all you know, you would be beating up an innocent person who is trying to dig their grave and go to bed in it. That’s why Congress passed that law, so you superheroes could learn to be more sensitive to people that are different from you,” continued the limbo being. The ghoul was right about everything. Marvelous Man automatically assumed they were up to no good just because they had a skull for a face and a shovel. If he hurt an innocent person without actually investigating the situation, he could never forgive himself. In his own words, Marvelous Man felt like a dickasaurus rex. The bright light encasing Marvelous Man dimmed to the illumination equivalent of a campfire; enough to illuminate the immediate surrounding but nothing beyond. Marvelous Man apologized, “...I’m sorry. You’re right. It’s not cool of me to think right then and there that you’re a bad guy cause you’re a ghoul.” “It’s fine. Nobody got hurt. And wow, you are big! Someone has been taking their daily dose of vitamin S,” said the skull man. Marvelous Man’s face contorted in confusion before turning into insulted realization. “What’re you...,” his eyes furrowed, “Hey, wait a second! I don’t take steroids, I just work out a lot!” The pervert guffawed, “Ha! Right. I bet all you did was just a hundred pushups, situps, and squats. Oh! And a six mile run! Haha!” “Not exactly...But I would admit that I took steroids if I actually did it,” said Marvelous Man. The ghoul walked over to his thrown shovel and picked it up. Scratching his neck with the shovel’s blade, he looked at the waning moon. Even though the limbo being had no facial muscles, Marvelous Man could understand the facial expression they were making for some reason. The skull man smiled, “Yeah, I feel like you actually would admit something like that...So what’s your name? You new around here?” “I’m Marvelous Man. And yeah, I’m new around here. What about you?” he asked. The ghoul answered, “Good guys and innocents know me as Sugar Skull.” Sugar Skull turned around and began heading towards where he was originally heading. Marvelous Man followed him. “So what do bad guys know you as?” asked Marvelous Man. Sugar Skull stopped and looked at Marvelous Man. His tone became serious. He fired back, “Are you a bad guy?” “...No” answered Marvelous Man. Sugar Skull smiled, “Then you don’t have to know. Hey, maybe later, you could come back to my place, so we could ‘get to know’ each other better, amigo. I bet you want to know if I got a ghost jelly cock or a fully fleshed one. Either way, I can still get an erection and give you some latin passion until the sun comes up, chico.” “Ummm...Not really. But thanks for the offer,” declined Marvelous Man. Sugar Skull chuckled, “It’s okay. You’d be surprised how often that line works with guys and girls. Besides, big guys like you aren’t really my thing, but you’re pretty cute.” He tilted his head and emoted winking with his eyes that involved his right flower eye becoming blank and his left flower eye turning into a red heart. After his brief wink emoting, his eyes turned back into the spinning yellow, cartoon flowers. Carrying the shovel over his shoulder, Sugar Skull resumed his pace. Marvelous Man activated his flight powers and levitated in front of Sugar Skull; observing him. He wore a suit shaded in violet with golden buttons on his jacket and trousers. The odd modifications Marvelous Man vaguely saw appeared to be large flower petals blooming from the suit itself at the neckline, sleeves, and even the coat tail. The blooming petal neckline peeled far back enough to fully expose Sugar Skull’s neckline and the cleft of his slim, chiseled chest. There was also a broach pinned on his suit’s left breast depicting a symbol of a weeping closed eye. The footwear Sugar Skull wore consisted of maroon boots with the pointy tip extending upwards at a curled angle long enough to be noticeable but would not incapacitate his ability to run. “So...Are you here to dig your grave and sleep in it?” questioned Marvelous Man. Sugar Skull cackled, “HA! In this suit?!” “...Then what are you here for?” asked Marvelous Man. Sugar Skull answered back, “I’m here to grave rob.” Marvelous Man stopped and planted his feet on the ground. He posed heroically with his fists resting on his hips. “You know I can’t let you do that,” he said. Sugar Skull stopped in front of Marvelous Man. He sighed, “Do we have to fight? Because that would be such a hassle. And not to mention, we’d probably destroy these graves on accident during our little, uh...skirmish. I’d rather not disrespect the dead. Well, the completely dead, heh.” Marvelous Man looked about himself and realized that the graverobber was correct. Use of his powers in previous battles did cause plenty of property damage. He wondered how much of a hindrance all that destruction was to the civilians for a supervillain that couldn’t get caught by him. Marvelous Man gauged Sugar Skull to be a nimble ghoul with no discernible weaknesses as of yet. And utilizing those powers to defeat Sugar Skull would definitely cause harm to the gravestones and possibly the graves itself. So how does one defeat a bad guy without going overboard with their ability for a situation that could be taken care of by normal people? Marvelous Man pulled out his phone from his black jacket’s pocket and begins tapping a phone number. Sugar Skull tilts his head in confusion as Marvelous Man puts the dialing smartphone up to his ear. “What are you doing?” asked Sugar Skull. He answered back, “Calling the police.” The cartoon flower eyes in Sugar Skull’s sockets morphed into a pair of hourglasses for a few seconds before returning back into the spinning, yellow flowers. “Ha! That is very funny, Marvelous Man!...Wait, are you serious?” he said. The dialing tone ended as a female dispatcher’s voice echoed. She spoke, “911, what’s your emergency?” “You really are serious!” exclaimed Sugar Skull. Sugar Skull giggled before Marvelous Man held up his index finger to signal Sugar Skull to be quiet. He spoke into the phone, “Yes, I’d like to report a graverobbing that’s happening in…” Placing his hand over the phone’s microphone, Marvelous Man looked to Sugar Skull. “Hey, which graveyard is this?” he asked. Sugar Skull answered, “New Forest Cemetery.” Marvelous Man spoke back into his phone, “New Forest Cemetery. Yeah. He said his name is Sugar Skull. He’s got a skull for a face, and it looks like it’s decorated for Day of the Dead-.” “We call it, Dia de los Muertos. Just so you know,” interjected Sugar Skull. Marvelous Man nodded, “Yeah, Dia de los Muertos. Yeah, he’s wearing a purple suit and is about...medium height, I guess? Yeah, okay. Thank you.” He clicked his phone off and placed it back into his jacket’s pocket. Marvelous Man looked at the ghoul. “They’re sending some cops over here to arrest you,” he stated. Sugar Skull shrugged, “Okay. Thirty minutes is still enough time for me to get what I need.” He walked around Marvelous Man and continued on his way to the grave he was looking for. Stopping for a moment, Sugar Skull looked back and wiggled his behind at Marvelous Man. “But, hey, if the police don’t catch me by the time I get out of here, you can chase me down. Maybe tie me up and make me confess my sins,” he flirted. Marvelous Man rolled his eyes and smiled. He changed the topic, “So why are you stealing from a grave?” “It’s a magical artifact the Bruja wanted me to find for her. She said it’s got a lot of dark magic in it and didn’t want other magical evils to find it. Oh, you probably don’t know she is. The Bruja is a powerful witch I work for.” answered Sugar Skull. His treading slowed to a halt, as he pointed his flashlight to a mausoleum. The building housing the grave within was decored with statues and engravings of demons, imps, and even some rune symbols. Sugar Skull remarked, “Ah, here it is.” As the two drew close, it became apparent of how old the mausoleum really was. Time had weathered down the marble architecture’s decorations; morphed and deteriorated to a faceless and declawed form. All the whiteness of the building had dulled to a gray with layers of grime and bird droppings. The entrance to the structure had been blocked off by wall of cement. “She did say it would look obnoxiously old and foreboding,” spoke Sugar Skull. He approached the entrance and knocked. The blockage hummed with a thickness that no normal human can penetrate without the use of powerful tools or explosives. The ghoul turned to Marvelous Man and pointed at the cordoned off doorway. He requested, “You’ve got super strength, right? Can you knock this down for me?” “Yes, I do have super strength. And no, I’m not going to help you graverob,” frowned Marvelous Man. Sugar Skull shrugged, “Alright. But you might want to leave then. Cause if the cops find you here, you’ll probably get, uhh...implicated.” Marvelous Man looked at the sealed entrance. “That’s true. But I don’t think that’s going to happen, if you can’t get in,” he replied. Sugar Skull grinned. Digging into one of his sleeve openings, he pulled out a crystal doorknob that was shaped like a skull. He proclaimed, “Ta-da! Presenting the Bruja’s magical gadget, the Skeleton Knob. It lets me make a door out of anything.” Facing the cemented blockage, Sugar Skull gently planted the knob’s stem into the wall without resistance. A sound of a heavy stone being slightly shifted echoed from the sealed entrance. The crystal skull’s eye sockets then glowed a neon green. Sugar Skull gave the knob a twist and proceeded to push against the newly-made door. The door grinded against the marble floors, as it was slowly pushed open by the ghoul. Once the door had been opened all the way, Sugar Skull took a step back. “Phew...I really...did not expect it to be that heavy…” he panted. Marvelous Man awed, “Wow, that was pretty cool.” “Yeah...I’m really glad when she goes through her anime phase. She invents all these weird magical gadgets, but they’re pretty useful in my line of work,” said Sugar Skull. Marvelous Man’s eyebrow flexed, “And what is your line of work?” “Mostly this. But sometimes I have to teach an asshole a lesson if they try to, uh, get smart with her,” answered Sugar Skull. Marvelous Man walked up to the doorway and covered his nose with his sleeve upon sniffing air of dust and decay escaping from the mausoleum. He then noticed the light his body was giving off only illuminated part of the room and the edge of what appeared to be some sort of stone alter. Knowing that he did not want to commit trespassing, Marvelous Man looked down for something to use and found a stick next to his boot. He picked up a stick and attributed it with his illumination ability. The stick began glowing with pure white and the intensity of a spotlight. He then tossed the stick into the partially lit interior; flooding it with light to reveal everything for the two acquaintances to observe. Sugar Skull complemented, “That’s a really useful power.” “Thanks,” grinned Marvelous Man. The stick landed with a soft thud against the dusty, marble floor and exposed the interior to be a room with not a stone alter, but a stone sarcophagus. More runes and symbols from different languages and cultures were etched about the room and even on the sarcophagi. Marvelous Man could feel something pulse from the room, but it felt as faint as a weak ripple across a lake. Sugar Skull frowned, “No wonder the Bruja wants me to get it. The magic here has almost faded.” “What does that mean?” asked Marvelous Man. Sugar Skull explained, “It means that whatever magic has been here to keep something big and bad sealed here is almost gone. If I can extract the artifact from here, it should make whatever’s in here, ummm, what’s the word for it? Inactive?...uh..Ah! Inert!” The ghoul pointed at the etched symbol on the stone sarcophagus’ lid. It glowed a barely visible blue light. “You see that seal on top of that grave thingy?” he said. Marvelous Man nodded, “Yeah. Is that the last bit of magic stuff you were talking about?” “It is. I’ve seen magic stuff like this before. It’s basically magical plastic wrap right now. If it gets damaged in any way, we’re big trouble,” answered Sugar Skull. Taking a few steps inside, Sugar Skull then faced Marvelous Man. He spoke, “You can fly, yes? Can you keep watch from afar? This’ll be easy for me. Buuuut, just in case, if I’m not out in ten minutes, you should probably head to the D.A.B. and report this. I’m really sure that the cops can’t handle whatever gets out.” “Sure,” nodded Marvelous Man. As the light encasing Marvelous Man’s body dimmed to nonexistence, he began to float up into the air and saw Sugar Skull pull out a child’s fishing rod toy from their sleeve. It was the type of fishing rod targeted for little girls due to the obnoxious hues of pink splashed all over the toy. He flew high enough to be above the trees and hovered a small distance away. Marvelous Man kept his eye on the mausoleum but started to feel the pangs of hunger. He reached into his jacket’s pocket and searched for a snack. His fingers felt a candy plastic wrapper and pulled out the object to reveal a protein bar. Marvelous Man decided he needed to make a mental note for later and store more snacks into his magical pockets. Minutes passed after the bar was eaten, when Marvelous Man noticed something approaching the magical architecture. A white rabbit scurried up next to the grimy, marbled doorway and sat there for a second. The little animal crept to the entrance and peered in. A moment after, it charged in. Marvelous Man found that odd. Why would a creature want to wander into a lit building with a ghoul inside? If anything, it would run the other direction the moment it would see Sugar Skull. Aren’t animals spooked by supernatural things? Marvelous Man descended back down and landed in front of the mausoleum’s opening. He then heard a scuffle breaking out from within and saw the cause of the commotion. A half-naked man with bunny ears attempted to jump kick Sugar Skull in the face. Sugar Skull simply ducked by lowering his head down at an acute angle and spun around the bunny man. Upon completing his spin and ending up a small distance behind his assailant, Sugar Skull casted the line from his toy fishing rod. The pink plastic hook sailed through the air, and its destination was the rabbit person’s behind. Upon reaching the perky buttocks, the hook fazed through the blue pants that bunny man wore. The pink hook disappeared for a second before exiting out of hindquarters without leaving a mark. As the plastic hook hit the ground, Sugar Skull’s cartoon flower eyes spun faster. “¿Estás en plan comando? Que rico. Quizás te gustaría ir a mi casa donde puedo meterme en tu agujero y ver si podemos llegar al País de las Maravillas.” he flirted. The half-naked man turned to face Sugar Skull. He was of African descent with skin lighter than Marvelous Man’s. The rabbit ears on his head appeared to be real due to it appearing to be fused to the skin and not to a band. The fur on the ears matched the man’s hair in a shade of snow white. Though what seemed most odd was that this person not only had rabbit ears, but also human ears. His face looked sleek and proportional to that of a magazine fashion model. For some reason, Marvelous Man felt overcome with the desire to ravage the man rabbit. It was not hard to figure out why, the bunny-eared person had an athletic torso cut like a jewel with no shirt to cover the toned ebony. The only thing he wore on his upper body was black, fingerless combat gloves, and straps that wrapped over his shoulders and pits and connected to each other over the muscular back. As for the lower end, spandex-like pants stretch and hugged every part of those legs to the point that it looked like ocean blue skin; showing off the athletic cords that housed much power. The pants made no effort to pack in his luscious package and hung like how hanging fruit; bulging and ready to be suckled on. It reminded Marvelous Man of a thick banana and soft plums. The heroic pole snugged in the patriotic battle bikini twitched and began to embiggen as Marvelous Man’s primal power began to flow into it. The need to mate felt so heavy on his mind. It felt like it was the only emotion he could feel, as it began to flatten the others. But in his heart, he knew that there was still an important task to do first; he needed to be a hero at this moment. Even though he had a rough start at being a hero, he began to love it. A sense of calmness washed over Marvelous Man. The thought of that seemed to break a hold on whatever force was causing him to feel overbearing lust. Focusing on that ember of love, his mind began to clear and he felt like himself. He shook his head and tried to listen in on what they were saying. The assailant smirked, “Quizás luego. Pero primeramente debo llevarte adentro. No puedo permitir que andes de pesca por demonios o lo que sea que estabas intentando hacer.” The ghoul paused for a moment; surprised by the unexpected Spanish fluency. “Ha! Hellspawns!” guffawed Sugar Skull, “I was doing no such thing! I was simply...retrieving an, uh, unclaimed item!” The rabbit person crossed his arms, while Sugar Skull’s yellow flower eyes transformed into hourglasses. The hourglasses flipped onto their other side once the few black pixels of sand reached the bottom. Before the hourglasses flipped again, they changed back into their cartoon flowery form. Sugar Skull pointed at the rabbit man, “Hey, wait a moment! You’re that superhero sex fiend! Uhhh, Gene Lightfoot from the D.A.B.! What are you doing here?” “The local law enforcement received a call about a skeleton man trying to rob the graves. They requested that the D.A.B. do the looking into, and I was chosen for the investigating. And so you are aware, I am not a fiend. I am a demigod,” answered Gene Lightfoot. Gene’s rabbit ears twitched as if it detected something, causing Gene to look up at Marvelous Man. Gene called out to him, “Who is it that goes there?” Ducking his head underneath the doorway to enter, Marvelous Man revealed himself to Gene and Sugar Skull. The ghoul turned around and grinned with his purple teeth. Gene’s eyes widened with marvel. Though Marvelous Man was still engorged with primal power, he was oblivious to the strain of his battle bikini from focusing so intently on the situation in front of him and not under him. “Damn, Marvelous Man! I mean, uh...we don’t have to worry about the police coming. They just sent this bunny boy, Lightfoot,” said Sugar Skull. Gene’s eyes switched to and fro between Marvelous Man’s tented American flag bikini and Sugar Skull. He questioned, “So you are with the ghoul on robbing the dead?” Seeing Gene switch to a fighting stance, Marvelous Man raised his arms with open palms to show nonaggression. “Oh, no! I just called the police on him, because I didn’t want to accidentally destroy any graves while trying to catch him,” he explained. One of the rabbit ears on Gene’s head bent down as a sign of skepticism showed on his face. Gene pointed at the sarcophagus, “And this?” “That’s a coffin with a magical seal on it,” said Sugar Skull, “It’s keeping in som-” The blue magic symbol on the stone lid turned black as the sound of a sizzle and pop, like an exploding battery, emanated from it. Marvelous Man could see smoke begin to rise from the dead seal, and the smell of burnt popcorn danced in the air. Next Chapter

All comments and critiques are welcomed here and on my Google Docs(https://drive.google.com/open?id=1xbPEoWBErXCCWu0eYhIwd8hoGI8K4kQTDCYoDgTWH3k) For other chapters, I will post them on here later. But you can find the archives on my FA and Tumblr with pics included. FA: http://www.furaffinity.net/user/ecchimultiverse/ Tumblr: http://ecchimultiverse.tumblr.com/ First Chapter | Previous Chapter | Next Chapter Chapter 4: License to Hero Marvelous Man floated high in the air as he thumbed away at a smartphone he found when searching his jacket’s pockets for a phone. After the PB&J Gang’s escape, he decided to take Octomentist’s advice and research the Arkos Division and the DMR. Skimming a few articles and the company homepage, Marvelous Man discovered the Arkos Division is one of three global private superhero companies. Their specialty lies in alleviating scientific problems like runaway war machines or mad scientists. Arkos Division mainly recruits heroes that achieved their powers through technological or biological means. As for the Department of Metahuman Registration, they exist for people with superpowers to be registered and have the chance to be employed. Other than that, there was nothing but websites garnered to hating the DMR. Marvelous Man did not bother to look further into the hate and tried to find directions to the local DMR. His phone managed to locate a DMR building close by; prompting him to take off in the direction his smartphone pointed to. Evening rush hour had started with other superheroes zipping by him and a flock of geese nearly crashing into him as he made his way. Upon arriving at the Department of Metahuman Registration building, Marvelous Man gently landed in front of the entrance. He noticed that the building itself was dull. It had no unique shapes to its architecture, nor any statues stationed about. It was just a big bricked building reaching five stories high with its sign nailed near the glass entrance door. Colorful costumed folks and normally dressed citizens entered and exited every few seconds. Taking in a big inhale for a feeling of confidence, he then strode into the building. Inside was a lobby paved in white with rows of chairs strewn about; some were empty, but others were filled with the people he saw going in. Marvelous Man noticed a line of people queuing in front of the Information Desk and decided to get in line. >>>>>>>>>>>>>> After fifteen minutes of painfully inching forward with only basic gaming apps to occupy him, Marvelous Man made it to the front. He approached the Information Desk when the old Philippino lady behind the desk shouted next. He leaned on the blue counter to be at a closer eye level with the clerk. She smelled like melons and cantaloupes. “How can I help you, sir?” she asked. Marvelous Man hesitated, “Ummm, I’d like to register myself to the DMR?” The clerk nodded and immediately fired back with a serious face. “As a superhero or a metahuman civilian?” questioned the DMR clerk. Marvelous Man frowned with confusion. Was it not obvious by the way he was dressed that he wants to be a superhero? Then again, he did have his golden athletic cup suctioned on to his gifted front with nothing to cover his over-enhanced back end. For all that woman in front of him knew, he was just a metahuman stripper. He smiled, “...Superhero.” The clerk shuffled about; finding specific papers and then typing at the computer stationed next to her. A small receipt printer printed out a ticket with big black numbers on it. Ripping the ticket out of the printer, the clerk pulled out a clipboard from underneath the desk and clipped the paperwork and ticket on it. She then highlighted a couple of sections on the paperwork with her highlight marker before handing the clipboard to Marvelous Man. “Please have a seat and fill out the paperwork with your real name. There’s another box on there where you can list your superhero name if you so choose to. Please know that your real name will not be made available to the public and will be protected by the US government under the Mask Act of 1934,” explained the clerk. She continued, “However, you have the right to make your name public and can do so by selecting the box on that form I just gave you. The box has a warning listed above it explaining the dangers of publicly releasing your real name. Please have your forms filled out with proof of ID before your number is called. If at anytime during your grading, you can tell your inspector that you wish to opt out of being registered as a superhero and be registered as a metahuman civilian. Do you have any questions?” "Ummm, no. Thank you," said Marvelous Man. He turned around and walked about the lobby; searching for two empty seats next to each other to comfortably support his bulky body. The words the clerk said echoed in his head, but all that information felt garbled like static snow on a television screen. Finding an empty set, he settled himself down on the small seats, each of his bare glutes filling up chair. Marvelous Man stared at the paperwork and felt lost. This was nothing like the comic books he read, and it was nothing like back at home. In that fake world, he never had to worry about social security numbers and technical paperwork that drowned comical human resources and accountants into late overtime. He realized that this was the real world and proceeded to quietly sigh with his eyes closed; letting out his frustration and trying to calm down. Marvelous Man was in his twenties and must do boring adult things if he wanted to accomplish his childish dreams. Looking back at the forms and ticket number, he questioned if he even had a social security number or ID. Marvelous Man tapped at the clipboard and thought that his first step of tackling this grown up hurdle was finding his proof of identification. Obviously, one would find such a thing in a wallet. Slipping his right hand into the pocket of his black jacket, he focused his thoughts at finding a wallet. After all, he guessed that he would find a phone in his magical pockets, and a smartphone appeared. Feeling his fingers grip a soft rectangle, he pulled out the object to reveal a black leather wallet. Marvelous Man smiled at his small discovery and luck. He opened the wallet and found within: a crisp twenty dollar bill, a shuriken throwing star, a driver's license of Justice Starr, a social security card, a frozen yogurt restaurant stamp card with three of the five slots stamped, a credit and debit card, and an XL wrapped condom(ribbed for his or her pleasure). Retrieving the driver's license and social security card, he began filling out the DMR superhero registration papers. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> "Now serving: E-626 at window number five," echoed a feminine voice. Looking up from his smartphone, Marvelous Man glanced at his ticket and noticed that it matched what the automated announcer said. It was about time they finally called him up, because he had been waiting for over forty-five minutes. He then made his way to booth window five which looked no different than the Information Desk he visited. After getting situated with the teller and giving his completed forms to them, Marvelous Man was guided through a set of doors, located next to the Information Desk, to a basic medical room with a medical bed, medical equipment, and a sink. There, he was examined by a nurse for a vision test, heart rate and blood pressure check, and questioned for any allergies. Upon completion, the nurse guided him through the hallway to a locker room filled with other men and told him to store any equipment or magical tools that are removable into the lockers. Marvelous Man could only leave with unremovable equipment and his own bare undergarments on if he wanted to proceed. The nurse then explained how to lock his locker with the digit pad on the locker door and to look at the sign outside the locker room and then proceeded to leave. Marvelous Man knew that his bracelets were not going to come off, because he needed them for his powers to stay unlocked. However, his golden athletic cup, wreath, boots, and jacket needed to be stored away in order to continue his superhero registration process, but that led to another problem. He would be nude if he took off his cup, and he knew they would not allow him to process if he were naked. Walking to the nearest row of lockers, he passed by a few undressing superheroes as he stood in front of an available locker he randomly chose. Marvelous Man opened his locker as he tried to observe the other men. The two men in his locker row stuffed their costumes into their individual lockers before slamming it shut and inputting their own digit passwords using the pin pad. Clad only in their underwear, the other men then made their way to the locker room exit; leaving Marvelous Man the only person in the locker row. He took a breath and concentrated on what he could accomplish. Placing his hand on his athletic cup, he pulled with force; expecting resistance. The cup’s suction immediately released with a popping sound and leaving the uncupped goods hanging in the cool air. Marvelous Man felt a bit disappointed at his action. It felt so good and natural to have his meaty portions canned in such a soft container. Placing his jewel-encrusted cup back into his jacket, he focused on his next: getting semi-clothed. Marvelous Man really wished he went back to retrieve his peanut buttered battle bikini, but he was so caught up in the moment of being recognized as a hero that he forgot. It would have been great if his flagged garment was magic, then it could have come right back to him. A thought occurred to him. His clothes were actually magical. They appeared when they transformed. So why shouldn’t his costume reappear if he were to transform again? Marvelous Man placed his bracelet-covered wrists together above his head. He exclaimed, “Marvelous Muscle Magic, Metamorph!” The familiar vacuum he felt during his transformation appeared about himself. He could feel his jacket, boots, and wreath explode into scattering light particles, while he sailed in the empty space. After feeling his costume completely ebb away, the vacuum surrounding himself immediately dissipated as his bare feet graced the locker room’s cold floor. Reappearing in his naked glory, it was none other than Justice Starr. Justice looked down at himself and bent down slightly to glance over his pec shelf. “Oh, right. I wasn’t wearing anything when I transformed,” observed Justice, “Well...at least I know it works. I should probably get some clothes soon.” Repeating his arm motion and chanting the words, Justice transformed back into Marvelous Man. He shivered and hugged himself after once again experiencing the ribbon tentacles molesting every sensitive part of his body. “That’s definitely gonna take a while to get used to,” remarked Marvelous Man. Taking off his equipment except for his bikini, Marvelous Man placed the contents with the locker and slammed it shut. He then inputted a complex, four-digit pin: 1-2-3-4. Marvelous Man felt secure in his combination and headed towards the locker room’s exit. In the hallway, he noticed a sign informing to metahuman registrars to head to the gymnasium for in-depth grading; the “You are here” map attached to the sign was an immense help for Marvelous Man as to which direction he should take. After a couple of twists and turns in the hallway, the map’s directions led him to a spacious gymnasium room with gymnastic equipment and a running track being used by other registrars. There was a machine that looked like it could fit a person to measure their strength with slots to put their arms and feet in located in the far corner. Marvelous Man felt confident about his ranking and knew he would score high. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Sitting in a small office, a small man swiped and poked a digital tablet at his desk, while Marvelous Man sat across from him. The man’s stubble showed days had gone by since shaving, and his white dress shirt was wrinkled with slight stains scattered amongst the sleeve’s fabric. His nametag held the name, Tim. The sound of tablet pawing carried on in the awkward silence as Marvelous Man smiled with assuredness. Tim looked up with a small smile, “So looking at your results, you are going to be registered as a D-Rank superhero.” Marvelous Man stopped smiling; a confused expression took over his face. “Wh-...What?” he said. Tim repeated, “I said-” “N-No, no. I heard what you said. It’s just that...wh-what? I’m a Rank D? Not a B or at least a C?” questioned Marvelous Man. Tim looked down at his tablet, “Mmmmmm...Nope. D-Rank. See the thing is, you’re not as super as you think you are.” “I’m not?! But I can fly and heal, and I got super strength!...sir,” spoke Marvelous Man. Tim swiped at his tablet, “Yeeeeaaaah, that’s the thing. Your strength test on the pressure machine shows that you can lift four tons. That’s not actually impressive for super strength.” “It’s not?!” exclaimed Marvelous Man. Tim shook his head, “Nope. It barely qualifies as super strength. See...the strongest unenhanced human in history was Louis Cyr, and he could lift two tons. So being able to do twice that is pretty...marvelous, but not really super. If I had to hazard a guess, you’re only that strong because of your size and the strength needed to keep you standing up and staying nimble. And I’m guessing you’ve had a lifetime of intense training with really great genes from your parents to get as big as you are now. At the very least, your amazing strength is not only in your arms, but also in your legs too. So super jumps are no problem for you. Gotta say, I’m surprised you can run faster than an Olympian sprinter when you’re built like a tank.” Marvelous Man said nothing; shocked by what he heard as Tim tapped on his device. His parents raised him and gave him their essence to become a superhero. Just how super was he not? “You mentioned your flight ability, right? The flight course the DMR put you through didn’t really have much to say. It’s super that you can levitate your body and maneuver through the courses hoops, but that’s about all you can do. You were clocked at thirty miles per hour, which is the same as your running speed,” continued Tim. Tim halted his talking for a moment, while swiping at his gadget. He resumed, “Going down the list of tests done to test the powers you wrote on your registration form, there was positive results about your healing and light ability. You were able to illuminate the registrars and heal their broken bones and bruises, from the combat testing, in a short amount of time.” Marvelous Man perked up at hearing the review. Perhaps there was still a chance at getting his rank upgraded from a D to a C. “And then there’s the invulnerability testing,” said Tim. Marvelous Man hesitated, “...what about it?” “Well, your nerve endings aren’t super at all. They still react like a normal person’s does...probably even worse since the nerves aren’t destroyed if nothing breaks through your skin,” said Tim. Marvelous Man grew frustrated, “But...what does that have to do with my bullet-proof skin?” “You got shot with a rubber bullet and keeled over,” spoke Tim. Marvelous Man shot back, “Hey, shots to the gut will always hurt.” “Be it as that may...the same result happened again with a real bullet. Knowing now that your body’s pain receptors are very normal, it could become a liability in the fight against powerful villains. You may be able to survive deadly hits, but the pain from receiving those hits could paralyze you. But just so you know, this flaw is not counted against you in the grading of your rank. After all, your body was able to stop the bullets, and that’s what matters. I just wanted you to be aware of your limits,” said Tim. Marvelous Man sighed, “So...what? I’m a D-Rank, cause I’m not super enough? Did I do terrible at the combat testing too?” “Actually…” paused Tim, “You did great on that. You were able to handle the sparing robot’s competition sparring mode and won against its level nine combat mode. Who taught you?” Marvelous Man wondered if he should tell the truth. At this point, would it really matter, since he already wrote down his real name? It’s shown that he’s not as powerful as his parents thought he would be. “My papa. He’s the God of War,” he said. Tim looked up before shrugging and returning to his tablet swiping. A few seconds later, he set down his device and crossed his fingers. He gazed at Marvelous Man with a compassionate face. Tim spoke, “Look, I know this isn’t what you wanted. But unless you can shatter a building with your own fist or can run fast enough to go back in time, most superheroes will either end up in E or D-Rank or sometimes C. You do have the qualifications to become a C-Rank, but you lack one thing and that’s experience.” “...I don’t understand,” frowned Marvelous Man. Tim explained further, “You don’t have any field experience. You could get trained by the God of War himself to take on all the sparing bots in the world. But it just doesn’t mean jack if you can’t apply that to real combat and show you have the nerves to handle the stresses of fighting supervillains. Field experience is why normal people who served in the army can get a D-Rank if they want to become a superhero. Though you gotta watch your back if you ever fight a normie that’s above a D-Rank.” Tim coughed; trying to get back on topic as he noticed he was going off track. “Anyways, there’s a silver lining to all this,” spoke Tim. Marvelous Man sighed, “And what’s that?” “Well, for one, you don’t have to take a morality test. Because of some superheroes using excessive force in the past when fighting normal criminals or even the nonthreatening supervillains, Congress passed a law for sensitivity courses for newly registered heroes and the ones that committed excessive force. The bill doesn’t get enacted until a month from now,” said Tim. He continued, “The other thing is that you have to get some field experience, and you can get promoted to C-Rank. So if you join a mom & pop team or something for at least a year, you can file for a promotion. Though if you get caught up in something newsworthy, like saving the world, that stuff will get you automatically promoted. Though if you get an upgrade in your powers somehow, you can go through the DMR testing again to get promoted.” “...Okay,” nodded Marvelous Man. “Oh, and one last thing,” remembered Tim, “Since you’re a D-Rank, you qualify for trademark over your name. And since the name isn’t used by anyone in the US, you have full custody over your name and image. Anyone using your hero name or likeness for profit is liable to be sued by you. This right for trademark is available for everyone that is D-Rank or above. Anyways, congratulations on becoming a registered superhero. Head back to the lobby, and you’ll have your photo taken for your hero ID.” Tim held out his hand to offer a hand shake. Knowing that Tim was just doing his job, Marvelous Man tried to smile and shook Tim’s hand with a gentle shake. “Thank you, sir” said Marvelous Man. Tim smiled, “No problem. Have a nice day.” >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> After having his photo taken and his new hero ID printed for him to carry, Marvelous Man exited the Department of Metahuman Registration’s glass doors. He finally understood why there was so much hate towards it. A white woman with bunned up blond hair took notice of him. Clacking in her heels as fast as she could, the woman waved at Marvelous Man with one arm with her other clutching her rubber-padded tablet. “Marvelous Man! Mr. Marvelous Man!” exclaimed the woman. Marvelous Man stared at the woman waddling up to him. She wore a light blue business outfit complimented by blue-rimmed glasses and color matching heels. He flexed an eyebrow, “...Yes? Can I help you?” Reaching within arms-length of the ebony hero, the woman stopped and held out her hand. “Hi, I’m Peachy Lexton. I’m a scouting agent for the Nemesis Branch,” sparkled Peachy. Marvelous Man shook her hand with the strength of a toddler. He smiled down at her, “How do you do?” “Fine, thank you,” smiled back Peachy, “I’m here on behalf of the Nemesis Branch to talk about your future. As you may or may not know, the Nemesis Branch is one of three global private superhero companies. Our company specializes in combatting apocalyptic-type problems like alien invasions or world-destroying beings.” “And you want to recruit me to help fight that stuff?” questioned Marvelous Man. Peachy pursed her lips, “Ummm, not exactly, no. You see, Nemesis Branch only accepts the best of the best, which means getting superheroes that are B-Rank or higher. But we make special exceptions for C-Ranks.” “But I’m not a C-Rank. I’m a D-Rank hero. And even if I was C-Rank, what special exception would your company make for me?...Wait, how’d you know my name? I’m not part of a superhero team yet,” spoke Marvelous Man. Peachy gave a professional smile, “Well you see, Mr. Marvelous, the moment you’re registered, your superhero name and profile get released publicly for all superhero organizations to look at if by chance they want to immediately hire you for the certain qualities you possess. Of course, we hold no knowledge over what your secret identity is if you did not sign the waiver to publicly disclose that. With Nemesis Branch, we have our system put a ping on newly registered heroes with special abilities we’re looking for and anybody B-Rank and up.” “Oh...so what’s my special ability that you’re looking for then?” asked Marvelous Man. Peachy tapped her black, rubber-padded tablet. She replied back, “Well, our systems detected that you have the ability to heal injuries. Is that correct?” “Yeah, but I’m not sure what I can and can’t heal. I just know that I can mend bones and cure poison,” admitted Marvelous Man. Peachy’s eyes grew wide. She grinned, “Really?! That’s amazing! Well, I’m not sure if you realize this, Marvelous Man, but metahumans with the power to heal are very rare. The ones that become superheroes are rarer. And with your invulnerable skin, well, you’re practically a diamond in the rough. Most known superhero healers are pretty fragile and are usually kept away from the action if they can help it. But you can be a valuable field medic, since it would be harder for most attacks to be...lethal against you.” “So...you don’t want me to punch stuff and say a cool catchphrase. You just want me to be used as support for the other heroes?” said Marvelous Man. Peachy paused, “Well...yes. But you can still say a cool catchphrase while giving the other heroes a second wind. You could say...Oh! You could say, ‘Heroes never die!’ or something like that.” “I guess...,” sighed Marvelous Man. Peachy fished into her outfit’s pocket and pulled out a business card. She handed the card to Marvelous Man, “Here’s my card with my contact information. Give us a call when you become C-Rank. The Nemesis Branch could really use a hero like you. I know you probably wanted to be like those big heroes you see on TV, and you still can. It’s just that your role would be different, but it would still be important nonetheless, Marvelous Man. Anyways, I have to head out. Take care.” “Have a nice day,” murmured Marvelous Man. He looked at the card and was impressed by its design. It was a black and shiny plastic card with golden writings on it including the business name and phrase, “Nemesis Branch: Cutting down destruction’s hubris”. Just as Peachy said, the card had her name and contact info, and there was also a golden logo of a tree acting as a hilt to a sword. As Marvelous Man placed the card into his pocket, he noticed the sun was setting. He remarked, “Geeze, it’s almost night time. How many hours was I gone?” Next Chapter

All comments and critiques are welcomed here and on my Google Docs(https://drive.google.com/open?id=1xbPEoWBErXCCWu0eYhIwd8hoGI8K4kQTDCYoDgTWH3k) For other chapters, I will post them on here later. But you can find the archives on my FA and Tumblr with pics included. FA: http://www.furaffinity.net/user/ecchimultiverse/ Tumblr: http://ecchimultiverse.tumblr.com/ First Chapter | Previous Chapter | Next Chapter Chapter 3: Hero Patrol "Are you ready to head into the real world, sugarplum?" said Justice's mother. Justice hesitated, "Sure, but...why is the portal here?" The four family members stood in front of dirty loan office. The sign's neon light bulbs shaped to form "CashIThere" flickered with a dull yellow light that only lit the letters "shIThere". A police siren echoed from a small distance, while a dog laying beside the building howls into the air. The glass doors entrance is supposed to project an inviting atmosphere, but is contradicted by the metal bars soldered on. Justice watched a homeless android woman push a shopping cart filled with miscellaneous junk and cats. She muttered about alien space pies as she disappeared around the loan office building's corner. "We figured it'd be the last place you'd go into if you ever accidentally found the portal. Apollo designed this place to look like a shithole, so you'd stay away from it," explained Papa. Justice stared at the sign, "Makes sense." Apollo grew impatient and walked towards the door. "Well, let's get a move on. I feel like I'll get tetanus if I have to keep looking at my masterpiece any longer," huffed Apollo. The four went inside and observed the pathetic lobby. The walls were painted with a cheap coating of white that chipped and peeled at the edges of the wall. The dark blue carpet contained a multitude of mysterious stains and black gum. And the line of chairs against the wall were cheap white lawn furniture that would instantly shatter under Justice and Ares' muscle weight. Fluorescent light bulbs hummed loudly with moths circling about. The white counter next to the employee door was fenced with a glass divider riddled with bullet holes markings. An unkempt woman sat behind the counter; reading a magazine with a cigarette in hand. Her hair looked as though it were a nest for birds, and the lenses of her large glasses were cracked. Apollo approached the counter, and the woman looked up. She inhaled her cigarette until it reached the orange tip and gave a slow exhale that blanketed the glass. As the smoke quickly dissipated, she apathetically gazed through Apollo. She spoke in a deep, cracked voice, "Fuck off. Can I help you?" Apollo ignored the first part of her statement and said the password. "I'd like to speak to your manager with a cherry on top," said Apollo. The woman says nothing and pressed a button underneath the counter. A buzzing sound emanated from the employee door. Ares stepped to the employee door and pulled it open. As the buzzing stopped, the other three entered through the door with Ares following behind. Apollo led the group into a blank hallway that echoed with every step they took across the tiled floor. When the family finally made it to the end, they entered an empty room with only an unremarkable white door. Justice pointed at the door, "Is that the portal?" "Yes, it is, sweetie. I know it doesn't look much, but it has to look boring if we want to hide it," said his mother. Justice's dad pulled a silver key, keychained to a picture of a sundae ice cream with a cherry on top, out of his pocket. Apollo holds the key in front of Justice, "And this is the key to activating the portal. And as much as I want to cut the ribbon to this event, you should do it, Justice." Justice accepted the key; confused by his dad's action. "Umm...thanks, dad," said Justice. Stepping forward, Justice placed the silver key in the keyhole and turned. He heard the lock give a subtle click. Pulling the key out, Justice turned the knob and pulled it open to reveal a room to a luxury apartment. Soft jazz softly echoed in the spacious apartment, as Justice walked in. Ignoring the lavish leather furniture and the large entertainment system in the living room, he noticed small statues and paintings of Apollo strewn about. Apollo stepped in front of Justice and waved about, "Welcome to the real world. This is your new home! It's a penthouse apartment with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and roof access that has a pool and jacuzzi up there. I decorated the place myself, if you couldn't tell." "Oh, we could. Your 'style' stinks of desperations for attention," remarked Ares. Apollo glared at Ares; ready to throw some shade. He sat down on a chair and crossed his legs, "I think that's what your utilikilt's brand name is." Absentmindedly stuffing the keys into his black jacket's pocket, Justice ignored the quarrel and explored the penthouse. All the walls on the penthouse's exterior was nothing but see-through glass; exposing a bustling city with tall, clear windmill generators wherever he looked. As he walked about, he found the staircase leading upstairs to the roof access. Justice went up the staircase and through the door. Outside, he found a built-in jacuzzi steps away from the door and a pool beyond that. Justice browsed about the two waters, while feeling warm air breeze graze across his face and tree-trunk thighs. "Everything alright, sugarplum? Do you like the apartment we got you?" asked his mother. Justice turned around to see his mom following behind him. He gave a small smile, "It's nice. Dad tried really hard to make this place look nice...maybe a little too hard? I don't know. But I just wanted to know. Where am I? I mean, I'm still in America, right? The USA? Cause if I'm not, then it's gonna be a bit awkward wearing this." Justice tugged at his American flag bikini. "Of course you are," giggled Aphrodite, "We're in Skyway City. It prides itself on being on the forefront of wind and solar energy." Justice paused, "And...what state is tha-?" His mother stomped the ground with a loud thud. "Sorry. Spider. You know how they make me feel, honey," said his mother. After rubbing her feet against the ground a few times, Aphrodite looked up at her tall son. She cleared her throat and attempted to change the subject. Aphrodite spoke, "So would you like to patrol the city and see if you can fight some crime?" Justice looked at the many windmill towers and its see-through blades. "Yeah, I guess so. I'll see you all later then. Love you, mom," said Justice. Justice floated off the ground, and his body propelled forward. His body moved as if he were in water as he slowly flew off the building. It was time to start patrol as Marvelous Man. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> A few hours past as Marvelous Man took in all the new sights and sounds of his new hometown. So many buildings, windmills, solar panels, and Vietnamese restaurants; he would have to check out that last one. But the one thing that made Marvelous Man's heartbeat rise was seeing the people. Actual flesh and blood people; not soulless androids. Marvelous Man wanted to go down and talk to every person he could see, but he knew that would come off as weird and creepy. An alarm echoed in the air as Marvelous Man looked down to see a bank he was passing by. He turned back to the bank and positioned himself above the entrance before releasing himself from his levitation ability. Wind howled by his ears while falling ten stories up. The ground zoomed closer to him, as Marvelous Man prepared to do the iconic superhero landing pose. Right when he reached second story height, he realized he miscalculated his fall. Instead of landing on the smooth pavement in front of the bank, he was about to land on the stone steps leading into the bank. The moment it dawned on him, it was already too late to change the placement of his legs or activate his flight power. His body slammed into the stone steps with a thump, causing his body to roll to the side of the steps after landing on an edged structure. He curled his body into a fetal position and grabbed his right shin. Marvelous Man hissed, "Ow, shit! Sssssss...ow..." His brain throbbed with pain and the sound of pulsing blood. The sound dissapated seconds later and he could hear the bank's alarm ringing in his ears. The bank robbers would be out any second, and he had to stop them; even if his leg was now a throbbing ligament of pain. "Get up. Getupgetupgetup. GET UP!" muttered Marvelous Man. He staggered to the bottom of the steps as he felt the pain in his shin started to dull from adrenaline coursing through his body. Marvelous Man crossed his arms as he waited for the robbers to come out; doing his best to look intimidating even though he wants to lay down and cry. Five small gelatinous monsters exited the bank in glee before stopping in front of Marvelous Man upon noticing him. The one leading the charge, carrying a potato sack filled to the brim above its head, looked as if it were made entirely out of peanut butter. His followers seemed to be sentient jam with each one consisting of a different flavor: Strawberry, Grape, Blueberry, and Raspberry. They all had round, rectangular bodies with simple, pointy limbs and gelatinous horns. Their faces were empty slots like those of a jack-o-lantern; glowing with a soft yellow light. Marvelous Man arched an eyebrow at them before regaining his intimidating composure and clearing his throat. He projected in a heroic voice, "Stop right there, evildoers. Surrender now, and I won't slam the book on you too hard." Marvelous Man kicked himself on the inside. It sounded cool in his head, but it was so cliché and stupid to hear himself say it. What seems great to say in comic books is completely different from saying it in real life. The gelatinous foes stared at him for a second before bursting out in high pitched, impish laughter. The peanut butter monster retorted back in a deep, male cockneyed accent. "Piss off, you overstuffed cottage pie slag!" spat the leader. The leader spun around and tossed the cash-filled sack to the hench behind him that looked like blueberry flavor. In that same motion of spinning back to face Marvelous Man, the peanut butter being grabbed the pointy arms of the henches standing next to him, strawberry and grape flavored jams. The two jams transformed into muscular gelatin arms intertwining with strands of peanut butter and connecting to broad peanut butter shoulders. The leader's body transformed into a chiseled torso that still had the jack-o-lantern face. Upon facing Marvelous Man, the strawberry gelatin forming the right arm propped the torso up on its hand with the arm straightened out. The grape-flavored left arm whipped in front of the hero and ejected a grape-flavored projectile intertwined with pieces of peanut butter. Marvelous Man was caught off-guard by the sudden shape shifting and projectile and could not react in time to block or dodge. The purple and tan gelatin collided into his face and exploded; splashing into his eyes and mouth. The superhero screamed in surprise as he could feel some of the jelly, albeit tasting like delicious grape jam, go down his throat. The peanut butter villain chuckled, "I'm gonna need a fag from graping all over your face, slag! Okay, boys. Penguin out!" The little blueberry and raspberry beings dove forward and slid on their round bellies. With Marvelous Man's thunder thighs pushing each other away to form a wide stance, the jelly people had no trouble sliding under him. They left behind a trail of their bodily fluids as they slid underneath Marvelous Man. The leader leapt onto the red and blue gelatin trail and slid on his back. In the sparse seconds of sliding underneath the hero, the grape jelly hand transformed into peanut butter. The transformed hand reached out and groped the superhero's patriotic bulge. As the grape-flavored arm pulled down, the peanut butter palm stayed firmly attached to the extra-large bulge, except for the exterior of the hand. The hand exterior stretched; following the arm's direction, until it became planted on the ground and detached itself from the arm. Immediately after, the strawberry-flavored right arm whipped up and slapped Marvelous Man's beefy, bubble buttocks; leaving a large, pink gelatin handprint staining on the star spangled pattern. His ass jiggled like jello as his patriotic pole twitched from the sexual harassing stimulations. After wiping the purple and brown gunk from his eyes, Marvelous Man turned to face his foes and saw the last of the flavored jellies jump into a red car revved on. The car took off right when the door slammed shut; leaving smoke to waft in his direction. "Crap. Stop!" shouted Marvelous Man, "What the-" He stepped forward in an attempt to chase after the vehicle but stopped after feeling something pull and leash his red and white striped loins. Looking down, he noticed his American flag bikini was tethered to the jellied ground by a stretched out handprint of super sticky peanut butter. Marvelous Man tugged at his battle bikini and then leapt back in an attempt to break the adhesive bind. The result of his effort caused his lower body outfit to be stretched by the resilient peanut butter; leaving his well-endowed sexual gear to be a hair's breath away from flopping out before his elastic outfit snapped him back to where the peanut butter was rooted at. Marvelous Man stumbled for a moment before looking up. He could see the red vehicle starting to become a spec amidst the traffic for every second he's wasting on escaping the sandwich spread leash. Marvelous Man took a breath to quickly calm himself and figure a way out of his predicament. Trying to handle the situation delicately did not work, so now it was time to turn to force by using his super strength. Squatting down like a sumo wrestler, he placed his hands on the ground and raised his round, supersized beefcake rump high into the air. Marvelous Man slowly inhaled through his nose as he concentrated his leg muscles to soak up as much kinetic force as it could provide before liftoff. He felt his chest and stomach expand to its maximum capacity of air intake and knew it was time to unleash the collected potential within his powerful calves and thunderous thighs. His thighs flexed; veins and muscular cords bulged and outlined against his skin. The cement underneath his feet cracked. With the force within his legs unleashed, Marvelous Man rocketed forward; leaving the cracked ground indented with his own footprints. A garment with the American flag design flapped onto the broken surface. Marvelous Man soared through the air with the wind whistling into his ears. He zoomed over the cars and saw the vehicle he pursued after began to grow bigger. The villainous passengers of the automobile noticed him and alerted the driver. The red car turned a sharp left onto another road; swerving around other vehicles and disturbing the flow of traffic. Activating his flight power, Marvelous Man steered himself towards the third story of a skyscraper on the road his foes turned onto. He flipped his body and landed feet first on the building just beneath the windows; causing the building's side to crumble and the windows next to it to crack. Without stopping after landing, Marvelous Man sprinted across the wall like a ninja with the help of his flight power to hold him up. He looked down to see that he was getting closer to the fleeing automobile. Reaching the edge of the skyscraper's side, he knew he was within lunging distance. Marvelous Man stopped at the end and squatted again to gain power in his legs. He shot off like a bullet from a barrel; damaging more of the structure in the process. Soaring down with his levitating ability to help turn, he guided himself toward the red car. Upon reaching the vehicle within striking range, he punched the car's trunked; denting and flipping the red getaway in the process. Marvelous Man tumbled onto the ground. He kept rolling like the spinning speed of a blender until he hit the stone wall of a spa. The car fell on its back and skidded across the street with sparks flying. It clipped another automobile, which caused that vehicle to swerve violently down the street with its horns blaring. The flipped red car then crashed into a row of vehicles parked by the curb. Propping himself on his elbows, Marvelous Man coughed. "You look like you could use a hand getting up," said a familiar, posh voice. Marvelous Man looked up and saw his dad, Apollo, offering his hand for assistance. For some reason, Apollo was carrying a fancy, opened umbrella even though it wasn't raining. He accepted his dad's help. "Dad," smiled Marvelous Man, "Thanks." Apollo glowed with delight, "Of course. It's my duty to help my son. I am the best father that ever existed even after time itself ends. Speaking of which, F-Y-I, Hephaestus modified your golden wreath to be a precision-guided boomerang. Depending on your intention when you throw it, it could be sharp or dull when you make it hit five enemies or so at once. So you might want to use it next time to cripple any runners." Standing up straight, Marvelous Man dusted pebbles off his black jacket. "It would have been great if you told me that before I came to the real world. Could've really used it a few seconds ago," he said. Marvelous Man's dad pursed his lips and looked away; trying to show a face of innocence. Apollo answered back, "That's why I said next time. Anyways, I'm going to blend in with the crowd now. Toodles." Apollo's son watched him walk away towards the murmuring crowd that had begun to increase in numbers to watch Marvelous Man. Everybody watched Marvelous Man with their recording cell phones, but nobody paid any attention to Apollo. Before Apollo integrated into the crowd, he turned around to say something the just occurred to him. Three chrome fists uppercutted the right side of Marvelous Man's face; sending him twirling briefly into the air before belly flopping onto the ground with his jiggling behind facing up at the sky. He groaned and could taste a bit of blood. Because of his crash on the ground, he accidentally bit the inside of his cheek. "Under Arkos Division jurisdiction, you're under arrest for destruction of public and private property, endangering misuse of superpowers, and public indecency!" said a woman. Getting up, Marvelous Man turned to the voice and saw a woman. A blue cycloptic visor covered her face, and her black body was garbed in a sleeveless, red Chinese martial arts outfit. Her biological arms were replaced with four cybernetic arms on a rotating disk attached to each of her shoulders. However, one arm, out of her eight, was gold plated; rather than chrome. The gold plated arm held out a flipped-open wallet that revealed a platinum badge with capitalized letters engraved with the logo of the combined letters: "AD". Marvelous Man knew the woman said something to him a few seconds ago, but his ears could only hear the sound of blood painfully pumping through his head. His hearing began to come back as the woman flipped the wallet and placed it back into the pouch on her belt. She then took up a kung fu stance with her arms posed in a mix of defensive and offensive readying strikes. She spoke, "I don't know what makes you think you can go around trashing the city, but my Arms of the Element will discipline your ass!" Marvelous Man held up his hands to show compliance. "Wait! I'm a superhero. I was chasing a bunch of criminals in their red getaway that I flipped over there!" he explained. "Oh, yeah?" scoffed the female superhero, "Then what's your name? Naked Justice?" Marvelous Man obliviously stammered, "Wha-N-no, it's-" "Don't care. Who were you chasing then?" questioned the woman. He answered back, "They're...it's hard to explain...they were made out of peanut butter and jelly, I think? They gooed my face." "The PB&J Gang? Shit. Hope you didn't swallow," cursed the woman, "And do you not feel a breeze between your legs?" Marvelous Man looked down, "What're you-?...Dang it." The multi-armed hero turned her attention to the flipped vehicle. "Peanut buttered your shorts, and you accidentally ripped them off trying to chase them?" said the woman. He slouched, "Yeah." "You're not the first ones they've done that to...so I've heard. So real talk, the name's Octomentist. What's your name, and you seriously don't have an extra pair in your pockets or something?" she asked Before Marvelous Man could answer, he heard Apollo speaking in a hushed voice behind him. His dad spoke, "Extra by the ways before you got hit, I got your uncle to make you an athletic cup that'll suction to your crotch in case of any wardrobe malfunctions. You can also attach it to your face as a breathing apparatus for water, space, or toxic gas. Just reach into your pocket and think about it. Going now. Toodles again." "Sure, I think so. And it's Marvelous Man," answered Marvelous Man. Octomentist retorted, "Got that right with a thing like that." He reached into his black jacket's pocket and frantically thought and begged for the cup to appear in his pocket. Wriggling about, a smooth, cool object touched his fingertips. Marvelous Man grabbed hold of the object and pulled it out; revealing it to his own eyes that it was the athletic cup his dad just told him about. It was gold plated with jewelry encrusted on it. The front bulged out to make space for holding an athlete's above average bat and ball sack. Inside of the cup, it was matted with memory foam and covered with a black fabric that felt softer than silk when Marvelous Man touched it. The inner rim was lined with a soft, black rubber; most likely to assist with suctioning to his face or private area. Placing the cup over his overly meaty proportions, the cup quickly hissed upon touching his skin. The cup sucked the air out of his covered space and suctioned itself snugly to his groin. Marvelous Man exhaled a light moan. It felt like his heroic loins were being held and caressed by multiple pillowy hands. His sexual parts were overly stimulated by the new sensations that they started to pulse into bigger proportions. Marvelous Man knew that if he allowed himself to stay still, the euphoric feelings he felt would soon spread to the rest of his body and lock him into an orgasmic paralysis. He remembered that there was still supervillains on the loose, and he needed to stop them. Marvelous Man shook his head and focused his attention to Octomentist. She was already halfway to the car, while he was busy applying his golden athletic cup. The driver's door to the red car bursted off the hinges as it was kicked by a big raspberry jam foot. The foot then shifted and launched out of the new opening with other colored jellies and a large portion of peanut butter. It landed not too far from the vehicle and sat there for a second before the pool of sandwich spread attempting to reform itself. The peanut butter leader's head poked out of the pool and continued to rise. The large puddle shrank as the athletically lean torso with muscular jelly arms reformatted and rose. The fusion grew taller and the puddle disappeared in order to form sturdy, colored, gelatin legs with strands of peanut butter and fused to a peanut butter pelvis. The cockneyed fusion looked down at Octomentist approaching him with unflinching confidence. Her cybernetic arms slowly rotated as if they were trying to decide which arms should be the main offenders. "Ello, Octomentist. Come for round two, love?" said the PB&J Gang. Octomentist glowered, "Villains don't get a round two. This is just a continuation of our first match before you ran off." The PB&J Gang began to circle around Octomentist in a counterclockwise direction. "C'mon, love. You know you can't beat me. You work for the Arkos Division, and we're outside your sciencey jurisdiction. That organization tries to put magical things in their sci-fi containers, and the blokes then wonder why it blew up in their faces," PB&J Gang chuckled. He then noticed Marvelous Man running up to him. The fusion chided, "Well, if it isn't Naked Justice. Looks like you found something to cover up, but ya still look like a slag." "My name is Marvelous Man!" exclaimed Marvelous Man. Marvelous Man grabbed the golden wreath off his head. He then twirled himself into the air like an acrobat and threw his gold plated wreath. It shimmered as it sailed through the air like a spinning saw blade. The wreath moved in a spiral motion while making whirling sounds. It was PB&J Gang's turn to be caught off guard, as he stood there watching in surprise at Marvelous Man's shiny weapon. He did not expect projectile weaponry and failed to keep his eye on the swift threat. The spiral-moving wreath came within range of the fusion and sliced his shoulder; sawing through without hesitation and severing the purple jelly arm from the peanut butter torso. PB&J Gang screamed, "Jelly Jam Grape!" "Kyaah!" cried Octomentist. She dashed towards the disarmed being, while one of her left chrome arms began to smoke like dry ice and condensate a layer of crystallized moisture on its own limb. Thrusting forward, the subzero arm palmstruck PB&J Gang's pink right arm; instantly spreading its freezing temperature and hardening the arm into a strawberry-flavored popsicle. The golden limb above the ice arm shapeshifted its hand into a sledgehammer's head and swung in an overhanded motion. The frozen appendage immediately shattered. Before allowing the armless being to react, Octomentist jumped with one of her right chrome arms aiming underneath her and shooting a powerful stream of air; boosting her jump. Another cybernetic left limb instantaneously heated up until it looked like molten metal and proceeded to karate chop the peanut butter neck. The cut through with ease and left a melted wound. Octomentist's other right arm reacted by emitting a dark aura and then punched the leader in the face. PB&J Gang were yanked back by the punch as if their gravity shifted in a horizontal direction for only a moment. They splatted against the wall and oozed onto the sidewalk; losing their form. The peanut butter gurgled in pain, while Jelly Jam Grape managed to reconstitute themselves without being noticed. Grape looked in horror at their wounded gang and waddled as fast as he could on his pointy legs. He dove forward and penguin slid on his belly, while Marvelous Man's golden wreath returned back to him. On the way to his partially fused boss, he slid over the frozen pieces of Jelly Jam Strawberry and absorbed the remains into himself. Octomentist spotted Jelly Jam Grape sliding past her. She exclaimed, "Shit! Get it before it returns back to the gang!" Marvelous Man caught his boomerang wreath and looked for the runaway jam. Upon locating him, Marvelous Man threw his weapon and hoped his golden projectile would make it in time. The wreath curved in an arc; flying high up before going back down. The shiny accessory rocketed; angling itself to the Jelly Jam minion and catching up. Crashing upon the ground to reach its mark, the weapon missed as Jelly Jam Grape lunged himself into the air as a formless goo. "Crap!" shouted Marvelous Man. Jelly Jam Grape landed on the oozing PB&J Gang and quickly shape shifted into a muscular arm. The arm then gripped the curb and flung itself and the peanut butter and jelly puddle it was attached to. The arm turned back into formless grape jelly right before the sandwich spread mass splashed onto a storm drain grate; flowing down the grate's holes and disappearing in seconds. Octomentist turned to Marvelous Man, "No way in hell I'm going down there. You?" "Nnno?" said Marvelous Man. She sighed, "Don't sweat it, big guy. They're a Rank D threat level. The PB&J Gang like to make life a living hell for us heroes, but they wouldn't try killing any civilians. What did they do to make you rampage all over the streets?" "They robbed a bank. The stolen money is in their getaway car," answered Marvelous Man. Walking over to the red car's busted open driver doorway, Octomentist then kneeled down and reached for the potato sack bag. As she headed back to Marvelous Man, she was about to open it but then paused. She tossed the sack to Marvelous Man, "Hey, I need you to confirm for me that this is what they stole." He caught the bag and began to open it. "Um, okay," said Marvelous Man, "I didn't actually see the money in the bag, bu-AUGH!" Blue paint exploded out of the potato sack's opening; covering his face in blue. Marvelous Man drops the bag due to surprise. Octomentist cackled with all eight of her cybernetic arms grabbing her sides. She bent over from all her laughing and nearly fell over. She gasped, "Oh my gosh, that shit never gets old! Ahaha, I'm sorry, but I just had to see how much of a rookie you are. And cause it's totally hilarious." "Whatever," pouted Marvelous Man. He knew it was a good prank, but Octomentist was not his friend. If they were closer as friends, he too would have laughed. But as of that moment, he felt his kindness was being taken advantage of. Octomentist regained her composure, "Okay, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Here, bend down and let me clean that paint off you. No tricks this time. Pinky swear." She extended eight chrome pinkies to show her sincerity. Sighing, Marvelous Man decided to trust her again and leaned down until his face was at her head's level. Her golden hand cupped underneath his chin, and the fingers began to flatten and spread across Marvelous Man's face as a golden sheet. When the sheets approached the paint, the golden foil was so thin, that it was able to slip underneath the paint without harming the skin. Upon getting underneath all the paint, Octomentist pulled her fingers off his face and flicked the paint onto the ground before reforming the hand back into its original form. Ocotomentist then applied one of her chrome hands on his left cheek while another was aimed above the placed hand. The hand on his cheek became wet and leaked all over his cheek. Octomentist's water arm moved over Marvelous Man's face in an attempt to rinse off any remaining residue. The other arm hovered over his face blew a current of air to blow away the wet trails. Upon finishing the wash and dry, Octomentist extended one of her hands in a friendly gesture. "There. We good now?" she asked. Standing up straight, Marvelous Man looked down at the cybernetic hand. He realized that Octomentist is surely a jerk, but she means well. And this could actually be his first living friend. He accepted her hand with a gentle touch as Octomentist squeezed down like a hydraulic press machine. Marvelous Man's face did not flinch. He smiled, "Yeah, sure. We're good now." "Cool cool. You did a good job helping me there. Oh, yeah! Here, hit me up if the Arkos Division accepts you, or if you wanna team up and be my sidekick for a bit," said Octomentist. She handed Marvelous Man a business card she pulled from her belt's pouch. Marvelous Man took the card and observed it. It was a shiny, red business card designed to look like a computer circuit board. Its imitative metallic connectors were colored with a reflective platinum as did the Arkos Division’s logo printed in the center. Flipping it over, more letters were printed in the platinum color. Other than her name and email, he noticed something peculiar. He looked up at her, "C-Rank? What does that even mean? Is that like some sort of superhero GPA?" Octomentist tilted her head in confusion. "Seriously? Were you living under a rock or something?" she asked. Marvelous Man looked away; thinking of a short and sane way to explain to Octomentist. He answered back slowly, "Sort of...My parents knew I had superpowers when I was born...so they kept me...in a safe place to train my powers, so I couldn't hurt others on accident." "Oh..." said Octomentist, "Well, first of all, my GPA is higher than a C. I'm a 3.8, okay? C-Rank means I'm a hella good fighter, but I can't really go toe-to-toe with somebody that can level a building with a punch. If you want to be a superhero nowadays, you've got to register at the DMR. That's short for Department of Metahuman Registration." Octomentist picks up the bag, "Anyways, I gotta report this to the Arkos Division. I'm sure you can look up the rest of the info. If you still don't understand anything, you got my card." "Thanks, Octomentist," smiled Marvelous Man. She turned to leave, "It's cool. Thanks for sidekicking, Naked Justice." "It's actually Marvelous Man," he said. Octomentist grinned, "I don't care." Next Chapter

All comments and critiques are welcomed here and on my Google Docs(https://drive.google.com/open?id=1ADiYHAzM7UIKpYcyjI1df7P36mGaKGvzsegUybXQ7n8) For other chapters, I will post them on here later. But you can find the archives on my FA and Tumblr with pics included. FA: http://www.furaffinity.net/user/ecchimultiverse/ Tumblr: http://ecchimultiverse.tumblr.com/ Next Chapter Chapter 1: Becoming Marvelous Sweat trailed down the cleft of two massive pectorals as a black bodybuilder pushed a revved lawnmower. His milk chocolate-colored skin stretched at maximum to contain his overpowering musculature that was almost breaching the limits of his own clothes. The sweat clung to his white tank top; making the clothing nearly see-through. His jean shorts grasped his glutes of perfect, round orbs as his golden thong exposed itself to the air every now and then from the man leaning down to push. It was another ordinary Thursday for Justice Starr in the town of Sunnysville. And every Thursday, he’d mow the lawn for old lady Judy. The weather was always perfect for grass to grow like weeds. Every day, except Monday, was always sunny with breezy winds to give that tropical feeling of not being too hot but always warm enough to wear something loose and enjoy a day at the beach. And like clockwork, it would always rain the moment it became Monday and stop immediately when the day turned into Tuesday at twelve o’clock. Everything was extremely predictable; from the weather to how people interacted with each other. The citizens always said the same things and always did the same things. Justice learned to always follow a certain script when interacting with the townspeople. Because otherwise, he would accidentally hurt them. The only people with free autonomy was Justice himself and his parents, but it never occurred to Justice that such things were odd. It was just the way things were since the day he was born for over twenty years. As long as he followed the script, he could fit in with everyone. Reaching the end of the lawn’s last strip of grass, Justice released the lawnmower’s lever and wiped his sweaty brow. As the lawnmower’s engine died down, Justice surveyed his efforts on the front yard; another perfectly cut lawn for old lady Judy. Like clockwork, old lady Judy came out of her house, immediately after the engine no longer sputtered, and shuffled down her porch. She was an old white lady that always wore an ugly white sweater with cats on it to complement her turquoise sweatpants and slippers. Judy adjusted her brown horn-rimmed glasses as she looked up at Justice. She smiled, “Well done, Justice! My yard looks excellent!” “Thanks, miss Judy. Is there anything else I can do for you?” grinned back Justice. Judy waved her hand, “Oh, no. I needn’t anything else, young man. Just leave the lawnmower, and I’ll put it back later.” “Hehe, okay. You’re stronger than you look for pushing this mower back into your shed,” blurted Justice. His eyes went wide. He did it again. He accidentally went off script. The emotions on old lady Judy’s face melted upon hearing what Justice said. Her eyes seemed to be looking through Justice and off into the distance. Judy spoke, “INPUT CANNOT BE DESIGNATED. DIRECTORY NOT FOUND.” Justice knew he had to get back on script, or else Judy would be stuck there for good. He inhaled a deep breath to calm himself and remember his lines. “A-alright! See you next Thursday!” he said. Judy’s eyes and face snapped back to their smiling facade; acting unaware of what transpired seconds ago. She waved, “Bye, dearie.” Walking to Judy’s driveway, Justice picked up his golden cruiser bike and took off. He pedalled onto the black-paved main road that was built next to the beach. While Justice did have a license to drive, he enjoyed how relaxing yet exercising it was to ride a bike. Justice gazed at the beach as his bike coasted down the road. The sands were soft and white with the cerulean sea calmly lapping on the shores. Seagulls could be seen and heard cawing softly in the distance. A couple of people were strewn about with children playing by the waters, their parents soaking in the sun, and the young adults competing in beach volleyball. It was as if the beaches seen on postcards had become a reality. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> The golden cruiser came to a slow as it neared the picket white fence of Justice’s home; a colorful three-story house. His home stood out from the rest of his culdesac neighborhood with its scarlet and pearl white paint and lush, green lawn. “Hello there, neighbor!” said a man. Looking past his family’s property, Justice spotted their next door neighbor, James Wilson. James was a moose anthropomorphic being that lived alone. Every Friday, he would visit Justice’s home to drop off muffins he baked himself, and the flavors would always be different every week. As usual, the moose was watering the lawn in the afternoon. Though he would also do this on the rainy Mondays for some reason. Justice waved at the moose, “Hi, Mister Wilson.” “Lovely weather, isn’t it. So swell,” spoke James. Justice nodded, “Yeah, it is.” Opening the fenced gate to his front yard, Justice guided his bicycle onto the lawn and laid it down. It was not going to rain until Monday, so he had plenty of time to put it back in the garage when feeling to do so. The muscular man then walked to the front door and opened it with ease. Though Justice’s family had the keys to their own home, they never saw the point of locking. There was never any actual crime other than the shopliftings at the supermarket. As Justice entered his house, he noticed how quiet it was. No sounds of loud television or quarreling echoed the halls of his home. “Papa? Dad?” called Justice. A voice called out, “In the dining room!” Justice crossed the foyer and turned to a room with a dining table small enough to seat four people. Sitting in the chairs were his two fathers: Papa and dad. Papa was big with muscles of a hard worker and covered in body hair and scars. Justice’s dad was slender with features of an athletic catalogue model. Out of the corner of his eye, Justice spotted banners pinned on the walls printed with the words, “HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!”, and a plastic tablecloth with balloon designs on it draped over the table. He smiled. He was so caught up with helping out old lady Judy and gazing at the beach, that he forgot his own birthday. Justice started to wonder what his presents would be until he noticed that his fathers had very serious looks on their faces. “Hey, papa and dad...is everything alright?” asked Justice. Papa motioned his hand to an empty seat, “Sit down, son. There’s something we need to talk about…” Doing as he was told, Justice took one of the empty chairs and seated himself. It was very unlike his fathers to show such expressions unless he did something wrong. “...Did I do something wrong?” questioned Justice. Papa shook his head, “No, no. It’s nothing like that, son. It’s just...well...there’s something we’ve wanted to tell you for a long time, but...we weren’t sure when the best time it was to break it to you and-” "Are you and Papa getting a divorce?!" choked Justice. His lips quivered as thoughts of his small family splitting race through his head. Today on his birthday, his fathers said there was something they needed to tell him but did not know how to best explain something so shocking. Justice Starr saw enough movies to figure out what they were trying to hint at. Justice's fathers, Papa and dad, sat across from their hulking son, Justice. For as long as Justice could remember, they were always married to each other and fought like an old couple. But it now occurred to Justice that he had never seen the two show actual intimacy towards each other. They both stared at each other for a small moment. Papa scratched his scar and coughed, "Wha-! No! I mean, kind of..." "If by kind of, you mean never married," snarked Justice’s dad. Papa stared daggers at Justice's other father. The snarky man shrugged, "What? It's true. We've never been married and neither do we love each other, Ares. We just agreed that this was a better choice than the polyamorous marriage Aphrodite proposed. Would’ve looked weird if you only spent time with Aphrodite and not me. Cause I know you two been snogging each other on the side." Justice's eyes widened, "...You’ve been cheating on dad with mom, Papa?!" Papa looked away as he continued to scratch the scar on his arm. The person Justice called mom was a surrogate mother that lived with Justice and his fathers. Justice had a close bond with his surrogate and thought the closeness between her and Papa was them just being best friends with each other. Justice stared at his dad, as a thought occurred to him. "Then why are you with them?" questioned Justice before he paused, "...Dad, are you...ya know, shooting blanks? And needed them to make me?" Papa bursted out laughing, as Justice's dad became flustered and punched Papa's arm. Papa’s skin barely rippled from the punch. Papa shrugged, "What? You gotta admit that's a good cover story for why we're together. At least he inherited your imagination, Apollo. But better." Instead of flipping out with his voice transforming into a high pitched dog whistle, Justice's dad took a deep breath. This made Justice feel a bit unsettled, as this broke from the usual of what his dad usually did when provoked by Papa. "No, Justice. I'm not infertile. Mortal problems like that don't affect me. But that brings us back to the topic of the truth. Something that we've known but have been hiding from you all this time. So we decided to tell you today on your twenty...." paused Justice's dad. He looked at Papa for support. Papa guessed, "...fifth?" "You guys don't even know how old I am?!" exclaimed Justice. A curvy black woman came through the doorway with candle-lit cake on her tray. It was Justice’s surrogate mother that he always called mom. She was slightly taller than his dad, though Justice figured it was probably her fluffy afro hair that allowed her to seem so tall. She smiled, "Happy birthday, sweetie! It's your favorite." "Does she even know how old I am?!" accused Justice. Before Justice could achieve emotional meltdown, his parents quickly distracted him by lighting the birthday cake candles and singing happy birthday. It was very apparent now that they had lost count of how old he actually was, as the cake only had the words “HAPPY BIRTHDAY JUSTICE!!!” frosted on it with simple balloon frosting designs and a mess of frosting confetti. No numbers could be found anywhere on the cake. Not one to abandon tradition, Justice complied and blew out the lit candles as his parents frantically moved about to slice a piece of cake and serve it on a plate for him with a plastic fork. The cake that he has always had as part of his birthday tradition was a cookie cake. No extra layers of frosting; just a giant chocolate chip cookie that is treated as a cake. Justice wanted to be upset at the shocking news that came to light. But he could not resist the deliciousness of something sweet. Especially something as enticing as cookie cake. He picked up the given slice and proceeded to eat it with his fork. The sweetness dissipated his anger. But it could only last as long as he kept eating. With what little time his parents had before Justice became upset again, they explained everything. After a few more slices, Justice rested his fork down on the empty plate covered in crumbs. He sipped his half-empty glass of milk as his parents finished their explanation. His gulps echoed in the air, while his parents stared at him with the look of worrisome expectations. Justice looked at his family, "So, I'm a demigod son of three Greek gods. The gods of war, love, and...inspiration, I think?” “I’d say that’s a general enough word to describe my complex roles, yes,” nodded Apollo. Justice continued, “How come you all didn’t bother changing your names to...I don’t know, make me feel a bit normal, I guess? I honestly thought you guys just liked feeling unique. I mean, who really gets named Apollo, Ares, and Aphrodite at birth?...Other than your births, I mean." Justice's parents all looked at each other; saying nothing. "Oh, and then you tell me that I wasn't even born normally. Not even like a test tube baby?" questioned Justice. Aphrodite spoke up, "Well...no, sugarplum. We made you out of a mix of sand, clay, and mud...We couldn't decide which one, so we all just used what we thought would give you a good body. Then after Apollo sculpted you as a baby, we each gave a small part of our essence to give you life. Thank goodness you didn't explode." Justice's mouth dropped. "Nevermind, I’m not going to question that. But okay. So to make me, you all took a page out of the...what was it, bible?" said Justice. Aphrodite hesitated, "...It was actually from an old comic book before they went out of business. Because, uh, superheroes became a real thing." In all his years of living in his town, Justice had never seen an actual superhero. They were never reported in the news or found on the internet. To Justice, superheroes are a work of fiction that are fun to cosplay. "Superheroes are real?!" shouted Justice. Papa Ares huffed, "Told ya we shoulda had superheroes in this world. Probably would've made this go a lot easier." "Wait..." said Justice, "Why did you say it like that?" "Way to go, Ares. We've already shocked him enough in one day," sighed Apollo. Apollo leaned over and placed his hand on Justice's, "Listen, Justice...what he means to say is that...this world you're living in right now...it's not real. You're in a sort of hyperbolic time chamber, so you could be raised into a superhero." The memories of his whole life in his hometown flashed in his mind. It made no sense. Everything felt real. How could this world not be real? He has explored nearly every space within his town. There was no fake props or food. Everything functioned as it should have. Even the people... The townspeople never really acted like Justice and his parents. In all of his memories, it seemed that all they ever did was react to certain actions and dialogue. Playing only one role but never trying to branch out of it. "Are the people in here even real?" trembled Justice's voice. Aphrodite hesitated, "No, honey, they aren't. They're androids created by Hephaestus to act human. Well...to a certain point. We had him mass produce them in a short amount of time that they didn't really have much social programming in them." It made sense now. He was not the abnormal being. There was a completely rational explanation as to why he felt so alone and could not get along with anybody else. The only way he could interact with the people was by going along with whatever their roles were. Listen to teachers and take their tests. Order something at the fast food register. High-fiving the school jocks. This truth felt too heavy. It felt too much. "So I've lived in a fake world with people I couldn't ever befriend or fall in love with. All so you could...make me into a superhero?" said Justice as tears began to well up. He pulled his hand away and looked at Apollo, "That's why you encouraged me to do bodybuilding and boy scouts." Justice turned to Ares, "And why you got me to do different martial arts and volunteer as a firefighter." He shifted his gaze to Aphrodite. "And why you...wait, we didn't really do anything," paused Justice, "All you and I did was go shopping for clothes and hang out at beaches and clubs and that one nudist resort and…You were helping me feel comfortable with showing off my body, weren’t you?!" Aphrodite gulped. Her voice trembled as her eyes teared with recognition that she had deeply hurt her own child. She tried to speak in a calm manner, "We just wanted to make you into a marvelous superhero, sweetie." Justice's bare feet tapped against the wooden floors for a few seconds as his hands began to squeeze into a hard fist. Everything he had known was a complete lie. He felt that his own parents raised him with only one goal in mind, rather than helping him to realize his life’s opportunities. It was all too much. He stood up and began his ritual when pushed to extreme anger; taking off his clothes. He needed to feel free. Justice ripped off his stretched yellow polo shirt. "I need...some time alone," gritted Justice. While angrily thumping his way to the front door, he unbuttoned his jean shorts; letting it fall as he kept moving. His exposed, round glutes jiggled as he continued his thumping. And before he slammed the door shut, Justice pulled off his golden thong. Next Chapter