Tapewolf

ALT Mermul looks appalled at the destroyed truck and mobile home. Mermul: "That's AWFUL! And... if they're still around... they might kill US too!" Fiskul: "Not sure. If this is the work of a dragon supremacist, they'll probably leave us alone. If they're strung out on a dominance trip, they might want a fight." Fiskul: "I'm more worried about the Hunters. They'll want revenge... and well, they might blame YOU." Mermul: "But I'm just a courier!" Fiskul: "And they're Hunters. Any excuse to kill a dragon will do..." Mermul: "Sorry, kid, but your life may just have got a LOT more complicated. I'm definitely going to escort you to Tarnover, and we need to go NOW. It'll look REALLY bad if we're seen hovering next to this... mess." The two dragons fly onwards.

ALT Quirk: "I have some beds I stole from the barracks. Sometimes P3T3R visits, so you can use his. I might have to find something else for the cat." Lautrec: "I can sleep on the floor if necessary. Something soft would be nice if possible, a mat or a rug would do." Quirk: "I have towels." Quirk removes a cover from a wall panel and begins hotwiring the door controls, revealing a hidden passage to his hideout. Quirk: "Now, there's one thing you need to know..." Quirk: "I sleep in a cupboard. I'll lock the door from inside with a logic puzzle. DO NOT open the cupboard except in dire emergency." Xerian: "What?! Why?" Quirk: "My combat implants, remember! If they fire up while I'm unconscious, I may go into a killing frenzy. I can only solve the door puzzle when my murderous tendencies have abated. If I open it, I should be safe. But if YOU open it, I might be dangerous." Xerian: "I don't BELIEVE THIS! I'm trapped on an alien spaceship with a mad murderer!" Quirk: "...Rude!"

ALT Ernst sits in his cell, staring into space. It is noticeably darker as dusk approaches. Suddenly there is a clang and he looks up to see a solemn-faced guard who has come to escort him to the execution square. Guard: "It's time, Neckbreaker." The guards - one looking pleased, the other solemn, lead him through the prison to the courtyard. Ernst composes himself stoically, and ponders what his life has led up to. Ernst: "The injustice of this world is too much to bear..." Ernst: "...If this TRAVESTY is all it has to offer, then I don't want to stay in it."

ALT Flux waves their uninvited guests goodbye, and slowly transforms back to their angel disguise Flux: "BYEEE! Glad you sorted it out! Never come back, I'm a hermit!!!" Flux: "Well, that was... something. Time to go back to doing whatever it is I do." Flux: "Wait, I never got my window fixed! AGH!" THE END

ALT Lady Finch is getting desperate. Finch: "I can tell you the coordinates. I'll even show you how to make the jump device carry several people. But in exchange, I want to go with whoever you send! That's all I ask! What do you say...?" Daxxon: "I say we KILL her!" Finch: "But then you wouldn't have the coordinates, would you, Daryil?" Daryil mutes the mic Daxxon: "DO we need them? Part of you is in Grunmore, isn't it?" Daryil: "It's not that easy. Their shield greatly weakens my avatar. We need to use the jump device somehow." Finch: "Do we have a deal...?" Daryil: "Not necessarily. Your position is a lot more precarious than you think, Lady Finch. I am the Lord Daryil... All who oppose me will be turned into a sort of jam-like substance." Daryil: "You see, the thing is, we have ANOTHER of your androids here, which Daxxon managed to destroy. But her brain is still intact, so we don't actually need you at all." Finch: "I... I'm sorry... I just want to be with my SON!"

ALT Keaton reflects upon her clan's viciousness Keaton: "There's a dozen reasons Jyraneth would want me killed. But that goes for pretty much ALL her Children, except for the fanatics, and they usually get THEMSELVES executed." Keaton: "Things have changed since The Lady was in power. Beings have a bigger piece of the pie and Creature allies to protect them, so anti-Being crusades are dead in the water." Keaton: "Turns out, without HER to protect us, killing Beings for fun ain't exactly a survival trait." Keaton: "And I wanna survive." Keaton: "So if that means fighting ALONGSIDE Beings instead of killing them... Then that's what I gotta do." Josh: "But you WOULD kill Beings if you could...?" Keaton: "Why bother? We were told it was our duty as members of the clan. But now the clan's broken up. We used to do it 'cause The Lady'd kill us if we didn't. But now she won't even TALK to us anymore."

ALT Mermul flies through the Disputed Territories with Fiskul in tow. They spot a cloud of thick, black smoke. Mermul: "...Oh SHIT." On a rough track through the forest, a flatbed transporter lorry lies on its side, burned out with the tyres aflame. It has Hunter livery and is intended for transporting a slain dragon's carcass for processing. Two charred skeletons lie next to the truck, without skulls. Mermul: "EEEK! D-did YOU do this? And their HEADS are missing! T-trophies...?" Fiskul: "Not ME, no! I said... life is precious. Even shits like Hunters don't deserve THAT. No... Someone else did this. And urgh... that's not just Hunters they've been killing! Look!" Fiskul: "See...? THAT was a mobile home! Migrants hoping for work in Taria, I'd guess..."

ALT Quirk reveals the Emperor's plan Quirk: "The Emperor plans to conquer your worlds. He's abducting members of your race to learn your weaknesses. But I think that bit's winding down now and they're starting to get to the INVASION part of the plan." Lautrec: "So, about your assassination gig... Do you take commissions...?" Xerian: "LAUTREC!" Lautrec: "Sorry, boss, warrior robot and all. So! Who actually IS the... uh..." Lautrec falters as the lights suddenly dim Xerian: "What's going on? Is the ship being attacked?!" Quirk: "No... It's evening, shipboard time. The lighting varies to simulate a day/night cycle." Quirk: "We're almost at the hideout, and I should probably prepare for bed once we get there." Xerian: "Perhaps it's for the best... It's getting for my bedtime too. I HATE adapting to different lengths of day..." Quirk: "I can wake you if you need it."

ALT Having asked to cut a deal, Lady Finch has just revealed that she destroyed Yvonne. Daryil grins like a crazed game show host. Daryil: "That's quite a deal, Lady Finch! Indeed... How can I possibly refuse..? And, if you make it through to the end of THIS round, you'll have won an all-expenses-paid trip to Marlbury jail, with a special, personalised tour of the execution chamber!" Finch: "Perhaps, Lord Daryil... But hear me out. First, where is Richard?" Daryil: "Safely in my sanctum." Lady Finch looks horrified, fearing that she has made a catastrophic misjudgement. Finch: "...NO!" Daryil: "Just kidding. Actually, your lot kidnapped him, as you presumably expected." Finch: "Yes. You want to get into Grunmore, but you need the coordinates. With Yvonne's brain destroyed, you can only get them from one place. ME." Daryil, sadly: "...Are you so eager to betray your own clan, Albeth?" Finch: "THEY TOOK MY SON!"

ALT Injured Nigel keeps talking, probably too concussed to notice his doppelgänger on the comms screen. Nigel: "She hid and jumped my when I entered... She must be on the run somewhere..." Daryil: "Oh, I think we've found her, HAVEN'T WE, 'Nigel'?" Daryil: "Real Nigel, get to sick bay and organise the missing persons list when you can." Lady Finch gives up and reverts to her base form. Daryil: "Lady Finch, you've done a LOT of VERY stupid things lately, but that really takes the cake. You are aware that I can THINK you dead, right? And that my chief of security wanted you beheaded even BEFORE you assaulted him...?" Finch: "I want to make a deal with you, Lord Daryil." Daryil: "THAT takes a lot of balls! Ooh! Do you still have Nigel's trouser department?" Finch: "I have destroyed Yvonne." Daryil and Daxxon stare dumb with astonishment, and Ashley on the comms screen has fanned out in shock.

ALT Keaton has landed at a rural railway station, having deposited Tim safely on the ground. Josh and Jason come into land beside her. Josh: "Reckon they'll pursue us into Fairwater?" Jason: "It'll suck if they do. Both for us, and for them. Fairwater'd have 'em killed." Keaton: "Nah, I think we're good. Wanted to land at the station anyway. Catch a ride. Carrying people while flying... What a pain in the ass!" Tim: "What do you WANT with me...?" Jason: "I thought you LIVED in Fairwater. Surely you'd be used to seeing Creatures?" Tim: "In the outskirts... We don't get many 'Cubi there. Some people want to secede because the King is an incubus..." Jason: "It cuts both ways." Jason: "Someone wastes a 'Cubi, the King has their head. 'Cubi wastes a Being? The King has THEIR head. If EVERYONE feels safe, nobody is wasting nobody!"

ALT Fiskul: "Like I said, I'm special. I am The Devourer, destroyer-of-all-things, and I can get bigger if I need to. How else could I eat the world?" Mermul: "That's true... But then, why are you so SMALL?" Fiskul: "Being big is tiring. It's exhausting work." Fiskul: "I think the idea is that I get bigger as I consume the world. But like I said, I don't wanna. So I just stay small for the most part." Fiskul: "But, for scaring off Hunters, for carrying an unconscious dragon to safety, well... THAT needs more bulk." Mermul: "I'd assumed most of us would LOVE to be bigger. More badass, right? Nobody messes with a bing dragon. Even HUNTERS think twice about that." Fiskul: "True. But you know what they say... Dragonkind seek to dominate and enslave the weaker, this is our nature and cannot be changed, as a result we're mindless beasts, blah blah blah." Fiskul: "That is a gross oversimplification. We are individuals with different ideas and priorities. But it IS sadly true that we DO have

ALT Quirk continues to lead his new allies down the maintenance duct Xerian: "There was this blue-green guy who distracted our captors. Are they your friend...?" Quirk: "Oh! Is THAT how you got away? That would be P3T3R. He's weird." Xerian: "Don't take this the wrong way, but YOU'RE weird. Hearing voices in your head, that's not normal! At least, not where we come from!" Quirk: "That's probably what P3T3R has too. Maybe he does random chaotic stuff to block them out? To be honest, I'm not sure how HE escaped being captured himself, but he's clearly not one of Them. At least, not YET." Xerian: "'Not YET?!'" Quirk: "Well, if they capture him, he'll become a drone." Quirk: "They'll remove his free will.. And turn him into one of THEM."

ALT Ernst awaits his fate on death row. The guards outside are discussing the execution. Guard: "How are they setting up the scaffold? Is it a beheading or a hanging?" Guard: "It's a beheading. Hanging's too slow for a Demon..." Guard: "Really? Shoot! I had my money on a hanging!" Ernst looks horrified because he realises he's not going to get a trial after all Guard: "I thought the last Demon they beheaded broke the guillotine when he hardened his skin..." Guard: "Heh, yeah... They still haven't fixed it. They'll use the old fashioned block and axe. No chance of that happening THIS time, he's got anti-magic cuffs!" Guard: "Heh, good! Oughta be a nice crowd for that one! C'mon, we'd better get back to patrols." The guards leave, and Ernst clutches his head in anguish Ernst: "...no..."

ALT Daxxon is vengeful about the kidnap of his boyfriend. Daxxon: "WHERE ARE THEY?! Where's Jakob, and where are the people who took him?!" Daryil: "Underneath Grunmore. Look for any abandoned house in Kingsfield Road, most of them have a hidden lift down into the complex. But I suspect they've warded it all to prevent Taun's agents getting inside." Daxxon: "DAMMIT!" Daryil: "I know, Dax... But we can probably get in using their jump devices. Yvonne should have the coordinates. Ashley, how is our prototype?" Ashley: "The copy? So far it's worked in the lab..." Nigel appears on the screen, Daryil looks at him oddly Daryil: "Nigel...? Is there something wrong? Did Lady Finch escape?" Nigel: "She's fine. Just letting you know." Daryil: "Good. Now-" An alarm goes off, and Nigel looks around wildly. The screen splits three ways to add a second Nigel with a big gash on his forehead. Nigel: "She... She escaped..."

ALT Mermul asks about the fate of the would-be dragonslayers. Mermul: "You haven't answered my question about the Hunters. I heard a crash... I think. I was pretty out of it by then. What happened to them?" Fiskul: "Yeah. They crashed their car trying to flee my wrath!" Fiskul: "They had a spotter helicopter, mind. And they'll likely have sent for a truck to haul your carcass back to Atlantia. If they needed help, they'd have got it. And if they're dead... Well... Don't mess with dragons, right...?" Mermul: "If they crashed it themselves, it's not your fault..." Mermul: (Wait, why am I reassuring the personification of evil...?) Mermul: "Hold on... How did you even GET me to safety?!" Fiskul: "I stole their meat wagon. Drove it here myself, with you strapped to the back." Mermul: "That's NOT funny!" Fiskul: "Would've been, if it was true!"

ALT Commander Steve is not pleased about Mary asking to turn an executed criminal's head into a prop for Halloween. Steve: "ABSOLUTELY NOT! Dammit, Mary! Killing someone without a bounty doesn't make them a free-for-all, it makes things much, MUCH worse!" Steve: "It's a paperwork nightmare! I have to JUSTIFY it! I'll have to file a report, send photos of the body AND the head, send the local courts a recording of the judgement, witness statements and everything!" Steve: "...And if they found out his head has been turned into a fucking YULETIDE DECORATION, YOU'LL be explaining to the magister why you should stay out of jail!" Mary: "Gods dammit!" Steve: "This is what we're going to do, Mary. You are going to put him in the cooler. Head AND body, both whole and unmutilated. No 'saving bits for later'." Steve: "I will send a message to this Queen Featherstone, offering to repatriate his remains in exchange for those of Roger, as soon as the inquest is over. Mrs Falstein deserves that muc

ALT In his office, Daryil stands up and makes a decisive move Daryil: "Right. I know exactly what I must do next." Daryil goes to the calendar where he'd been ticking off days he liked, and turns the latest tick into a cross. Then he calls up Nigel, head of security, splitting the screen with Ashley Daryil: "Nigel, what's the situation?" Nigel: "The attackers seem to have left, but we're still on high alert. I'm organising a roll-call to see if anyone's missing." Daryil: "Very good. I know you're busy, but can you check on Lady Finch and Hayley? Top priority. We need to make sure they're still in our custody." Nigel: "At once, my lord." Daryil: "Sheila, Syd... Can you fetch Illiath here, please? Be careful, in case there are stragglers." Syd: "Yes, sir!"

ALT Back in the guildhall, Mary is trying to give Steve a winning smile Mary: "STEEEVE..." Steve: "What IS it, Mary?" Mary: "There's a DEAD GUY in the basement!" Steve: "That would be the prisoner I just executed, right...?" Mary: "Can I have him? Pretty please..." Steve: "You ate half an hour ago, Mary." Mary: "No, no! I only need the HEAD! He's not a bandit, he doesn't have a bounty on him! He's got no resale value!" Steve: "You want to EAT HIS HEAD...? GROW UP, MARY! That's a cliché act of pointless maliciousness only a teenage demon would even consider!" Mary: "No! I want to CARVE it! He'll make a beautiful Hallow's Eve decoration!"

ALT Mermul is starting to freak out again Mermul: "Or... Or maybe I'M crazy! Maybe the Hunters really DID blow my head off and I'm in some kind of purgatory..." Fiskul: "I can't prove you're alive. I CAN prove I'm immortal, but, well... You'd have to kill me." Mermul: "I... I'd rather not." Fiskul: "Good. Figured you weren't the type or you'd have killed the Hunters yourself." Mermul: "YOU didn't kill them, did you...? You were yelling about taking their SKULLS!" Fiskul: "Nah, I'm not the type either. But THEY didn't have to know that!" Mermul: "...But you're the WORLD-EATER! Your JOB is to kill EVERYONE! Not that I'd encourage you..." Fiskul: "Hey! I never ASKED for that job! When the prophecies mark you as the Chosen One, you usually think it's going to be something NICE, right? 'You are the one foretold who shall fell the evil tyrant and bring peace!'" Fiskul: "I got lumped with the task of killing everyone and everything, but all it's done is make me realise how precious life re