Episode 16: Soul Searching

Having been beamed home from Space Court as suddenly as they departed, the Ne'er-Do-Wells found themselves once again in the basement of the Red Dragon. After sharing some words of celebration with Selene- who had saved the world with, to quote Angus, "a heaping pile of bullshit-" the group turned their attention to Ivy, who was beginning to awaken from her rest. The Jailer, her wings completely deteriorated, explained that she had taken a mortal form to pass her role onto Ivy, and that she would have about a decade of human life to train the new angel before she took her leave from this earth. With her new body and new-found magical strength, Ivy placed a seal over the Hell Mouth, warning the Ne'er-Do-Wells that she could only hold it tight for so long. Lily volunteered her teleportation skills, that they could take the time that Ivy saved them to gather their remaining allies for the imminent battle.

After a bit of discussion, the team decided to search for the remains of Mutants United first. Selene made use of government contacts to track Valkyrie to her hometown of Big Sky Montana, where she had settled after the events in Washington nearly a year earlier. Lily urged them all to join hands and prepare themselves, and in an instant they were on the small town street, where a terrified civilian beheld them and then quickly shuffled away. Selene and Page made their way into the nearest general store to look for their mark. They learned from the owner that Valkyrie- or, Corona Lemon- had not been seen since she awakened as the 'first mutant,' and that her long-deceased family used to live in a house atop a nearby hill. The group journeyed there to find nothing but a mattress in the corner and a few old newspaper clippings on the top floor of the house. The articles described how Corona's mutant powers had killed her parents and countless others. Page and Boanna wanted so desperately to use what DNA they could find of hers in the house to cast a tracking ritual, but the group knew that they were short on time as it was. With no leads as to where she might have gone, the group was reminded by Lily that she might just be mourning her parents' death as they spoke.

So the Ne'er-Do-Wells traveled to the nearest cemetery, where they found the unfortunately conspicuous glowing and winged woman kneeling by her parents' graves. The Cybro had picked some flowers, which he left there for her. The others pleaded with Valkyrie for her and her allies' assistance, but she promised them that she had no hope left for the world. She told them she had been a criminal all along, and if she'd known the President's true intentions, she would have sided with him as well. With no memory of her life before she became the mutant she is, there was nothing for her to do but despair, alone. Even Shade had left her and was never seen again. Still, wanting the heroes to leave her be, she lent them the sword that she was through using, and Cybro took it up. Disappointed, the Ne'er-Do-Wells contemplated their next move.

Dr. Nezhizen, whom Carrion had recently employed in building him a new set of legs, was then working in a secret lab in Arizona. Lily took the team there and he was less than pleased to see them again. They had stolen his life's work- Mungo- and they had no right to ask him for anything else, he told them. However, after much deliberation he decided that his business would not exactly thrive if the apocalypse came, and that he could lend them some aid. He produced a small vial of liquid that he had been developing since the beginning of his necrocological career; it could revive the dead as they were, but it would not repair the damage done to a body and would therefore have little benefit for the undead. Carrion pocketed the vial and the Ne'er-Do-Wells left their former enemy to his work, promising not to pester him again.

They decided next to have a chat with President Sparkles, who had been a loyal but distant ally to the Ne'er-Do-Wells since they rescued the country from the former president. As soon as they dreamed it they were poofed into the Oval Office, where the Unicorn President's melodic voice informed them that they had heard their call. They asked the President what they could do in a crisis like this. For diplomatic reasons, they could not involve themselves in magical affairs such as this directly. However, they could offer a single airstrike granted that it was on American soil. As a last resort, they promised that their unicorn magic could seal The Family in Hell if need be, but it would force President Sparkles to depart from this dimension entirely. Not wanting to say goodbye to them just yet, The Ne'er-Do-Wells promised that they would try to keep the demons at bay on their own. President Sparkles ensured the team that, if they needed their magical assistance, all they had to do was keep a rainbow in their hearts and wish.

Lastly, Cybro suggested that he recover and reactivate the League of Douchebag scientists for the coming fight. Since Sapphire City had since been evacuated, the prison where they were being held had been too. Selene made a call and learned that the prisoners were brought to Alcatraz, so Lily transported Cybro and a few others there. They attempted to negotiate their way in, claiming that the President had given them leave to pardon a few high-profile prisoners. They made the call and President Sparkles did in fact permit them to take just one prisoner with them, so Cybro strode proudly down the cell block in search of Broseidon, Lord of the Brocean. On the way he spotted many eclectic characters, including the Big Chicken, The Evil Chair, The Old King, and finally, his cyborg friend. Cybro reactivated Broseidon and poured a can of Natty for him, but as soon as he was able he reached for Cybro's throat. Not needing to breathe after all, Cybro explained to his companion that they needed his help, and if he refused, there would be nothing left. No Natty; no lacrosses; no bros, and no hos. The two reconciled and left the prison, ready to take on the world.

A whisper in the Ne'er-Do-Wells minds told them that they were running out of time, so they had Lily take them back where they started. Ivy was there and straining to keep the portal sealed. They'd gathered their allies- and thought they weren't much- the team felt ready to confront what they had unwittingly unleashed. Ivy dropped her spell, Page gathered what books she could salvage from the messy basement, and the team fled outside to the street. As soon as they emerged a massive, clawed red hand burst from the earth below and out crawled the demon on Wrath, still wrestling with the chains he'd torn from his prison. The 30-foot monster perched himself on the street and the Ne'er-Do-Wells stared down their greatest foe yet. Just then, a crash was heard from inside 'Max's Hall of Mirrors' as Evine teleported through. Flustered, she brace herself as well.

The battle was furious, befitting of a Wrath demon's name. Carrion pried a lamppost from the street and hurled it with all his strength at the demon, but it only bounced off his massive body. As soon as she could Ivy flew into the fray, using her magic to bind the unrighteous demon in holy chains. These slowed him down, and the other magic users pelted the demon with projectiles while he struggled. Still, he was able to let out a massive cone of flame, completely incapacitating Boanna and Blank Page while the others dodged or took shelter behind Carrion, who still carried Arcane Angel's fire-proof amulet. Broseidon and Cybro attacked at range, shaping the water from nearby fire hydrants into massive blades that struck the demon straight on. Carrion climbed to his back and began to drain, but the purely chaotic energy from the demon's life force began to tear the zombie's body to shreds. While Ivy cast her curing light on the fatally injured magicians, Angus fired his homing missiles and kept the demon at bay. Selene and Evine focused their efforts on protecting the injured with telekinetic barriers, and as soon as she could, Selene signaled to call in the air strike. Missiles soared and exploded all over the demon while he struggled in his chains. Enraged by Carrion's assault on his essence, Wrath raised his massive fists and brought them down, crushing Carrion into the ground with his brains leaking onto the pavement. Page was able to offer her assistance before it was too late, but the battle was not looking to end soon enough. Cybro and Angus then picked up the pace, taking the fight directly to the demon's most sensitive areas. After giving them a bit of a beating, Cybro tore the demon's massive testicles off with a torrent of demonic blood, and Wrath could not stay conscious another second. Suddenly a familiar 'pop' was heard as Barrow Si appeared to claim his prize. He reached into the massive demon's chest and ripped out his heart as the Ne'er-Do-Wells watched in horror. Boanna moved to fire a hex at him, but he was gone as quickly as he came. Lily, who had been waiting nearby, 'popped' away after him.

As soon as they imagined the crisis had been averted, Daniel ran panicked down the street to inform the Ne'er-Do-Wells that the magical police tape he'd place around the site of Fenrir's departure was beginning to tear. Though they shouted at him for being a coward, they heeded his warning and braced themselves as the very fabric of space-time began to rumble. The air itself opened up and out climbed the bloodied paw of Fenrir, whose body was mangled beyond imagination. He reminded Angus of his promise to return, and as he spoke he bit down on the demon heart he'd been holding in his massive maw. The wolf began to transform into something so much more; a wide mouth growing over half his body, thick scales replacing the flesh he had lost, and a long tail stretching out nearly 60 feet behind him. Taking on the body of his presumably fallen brother- Jormungandr- Fenrir prepared to devour his old enemies.

As the Ne'er-Do-Wells assumed their fighting stances, the beast roared and shot forth the poison that dripped from his fangs. It struck Broseidon, Blank Page, Selene and Boanna full-on, burning through their flesh one second at a time. Ivy fluttered about in attempt to get everyone back in fighting condition, but she was too slow for Broseidon, whose cyborg arm was eaten entirely away. Carrion climbed the beast and tried to drain, but Fenrir laughed and promised he'd get nothing of his. Angus prepared his homing missiles and Boanna her hex bolts, but most were too afraid to approach the giant open mouth of the wolf-dragon-demon-hybrid. Evine attempted to seal his jaws with her vines, but they were far too strong and snapped the bindings away. Knowing in his circuitry that it was time, Cybro cracked a can of Natty and threw it from his golden lacrosse stick toward the sun, pleading to Brodin for assistance. Brodin descended from the heavens with fanfare and glorious poses, then uppercut the beast right in the mouth, travelling back and up where he came from with the force of the punch. A rain of Natty Lite misted over the urban battlefield and healed the wounds of those who enjoyed its taste (so, Broseidon). He used his power over liquid to construct himself an arm made of Natty. Fenrir merely took a bite of a nearby building to recover his wounds. The fight was far from over though, and with the Ne'er-Do-Wells at a loss for strategy, it was only right when an old friend appeared to save the day. The shadow of a massive fist, attached to a hulking form swinging a massive sword over his back, struck the wolf head-on, and the team recognized the previously missing Mungo and cheered. Behind him followed the voice of his brother Alexi, projected from inside a massive mech-suit that came ready to rumble. As the Ne'er-Do-Wells recovered from their horror and shock Alexi moved in on the beast, but walked head-first into his jaws as he clamped them down on the metal armor. The rending of metal and bone and one last shrill scream were all that they heard as Alexi was swallowed by Fenrir. Carrion, seeing an opportunity, gathered his lamppost and looked at Mungo. The giant undead pried Frenrir's jaws open so the smaller undead could shove the lamppost inside, holding them in place. Mungo patted Carrion on the head and told him to "be good" before plunging into Fenrir's mouth, which snapped closed again and broke the lamppost in two.

The team watched in horror and Fenrir laughed as he swallowed both brothers. Feeling a bit of 'heartburn,' he paused to cough as the grey fist bursh out of his chest and Mungo returned, horribly bloodied and carrying both Alexi and the demon's heart. Fenrir's body disintegrated around them as the magic users rushed to heal them. But it was not enough. Mungo spoke eloquently, telling his friends that he had gone 'soul-searching' throughout the world. He'd always believed that he was created to kill and therefore lacked a soul, until he found his true family. Together they taught him that a soul was something that had to be earned, and could also be lost. He'd earned his by doing his utmost to protect his family- his Fuzzy Friends- from The Family. With one last injunction to do what's right, Mungo's 'life' expired, and Alexi awoke to find his recently reunited brother dead beside him. Though the team recognized that he had ended his life gladly, they could not shake their sorrow, and Boanna in particular felt as if her own heart had been torn out. While Ivy and Alexi repaired what was left of the Fuzzy Friends, Cybro and Page took the demon heart from Mungo, destroying it with a few smacks of Gerald's hard cover. Broseidon begged to go back to jail rather than continue the fight, and the Ne'er-Do-Wells found themselves alone again.

Daniel finally emerged from his hiding spot and ranted that the fighting was not over yet. Once again upset with the slothful ex-demon, the Ne'er-Do-Wells continued to gripe when Daniel suddenly fell to the ground, dead. Behind him was an old enemy, dressed in the same purple jumpsuit as before and holding the still-beating demon heart in his hand. Zinger declared that he was back to claim his vengeance and ate the heart before anyone could react. He began to change as well, his arms growing longer and hairier and his belly drooping to the ground. Curling horns rose from his head and the team suddenly felt tired just looking at him. Angus dropped to sleep and the others, exhausted, prepared to rid the world of this now demonic nuisance. Though he now embodied the sin of sloth Zinger was no slower, and the team found it tough just to land a hit in their weakened states. Page flipped through Gerald to find an invigorating spell and cast it, while those unaffected by the aura of malaise attacked the Zinger head-on. Boanna, utterly fed up with the course of events, blasted the comedian with demonic magic. He joked as he zipped about the battlefield, avoiding a strike or projectile here and there. Selene peered into his thoughts only to find them clouded by a repetition of his catchphrase, "zing zing zing zing zing..." Luckily, Blank Page was able to zap him with her lightning and slow him down while Cybro and Carrion did their best to punch him out. The team pulled the demon heart out of the hairy sloth-body and the fight was over as soon as it began, allowing the oppressive exhaustion over them to lift.

Before they could truly rest, however, that blasted 'pop' signaled the arrival of yet another old enemy. Felbix, the gaudy gold demon of Greed, appeared to taunt the Ne'er-Do-Wells into fighting her once again. She told Carrion that she was looking forward to 'getting to know his family' and flew backwards away, toward the castle on Carrion Island. Enraged and afraid, Carrion latched onto Cybro and the two took off after her, the rest of the team following behind. They blasted Felbix with every projectile they could manage, but she was always just a bit faster than the fastest of them and had a shield prepared to deflect anything they threw at her. A successful bolt to the chest revealed that she was an illusion after all, and Carrion phoned the DC apartment to confirm that the real Felbix had already gotten to Constanza and the children. The team flew to the island and up to the tallest tower, where the demon waited with her four captives kneeling beneath a ton of gold each, suspended by magic. After a bit of back and forth she explained that she'd brought a friend to play with the heroes while she played with Carrion's family, and she shrouded the five of them in a bubble of gold coins she'd pulled from Constanza's vault. Her friend emerged from the tower- Sonata, the magical girl- and erupted in anger at the fact that the Ne'er-Do-Wells had stolen the hero's glory that was supposed to be hers. They'd humiliated and ruined her, and now she was going to take her vengeance. She summoned her elementals and musical barrier and the fighting began again.

Fueled by pure hatred for the misguided girl, Boanna blasted at her servants with dark magic. The air elemental spread a mist throughout the air, but Page cleared it with a firebolt and crept slowly toward the musical barrier. Angus rushed at the fire elemental, seeking vengeance for what he'd done to Ivy before. Ivy herself then burst through the clouds, plunging her sword through the flaming head of the elemental and turning it to ash. Cybro and Carrion attempted to shake the golden barrier loose, but Cybro's cannon jammed and Carrion's strength was not nearly enough to move the magically sealed coins. Sonata played a tune to weaken the heroes, as Earth crushed Angus to the ground. Air attempted to choke Page, but she resisted, refusing to let it into her lungs. Suddenly the mysterious Spirit elemental unleashed a powerful song, knocking most of the team backward and knocking Carrion and Cybro completely off the tower. While the brawlers recovered, Page had teleported closer to Sonata, and she raised her book in timid fury to crush the girl's violin outright. The elementals dissolved and the barrier broke, leaving Sonata defenseless to an enraged Boanna. She plunged her dagger into Sonata and the girl bled profusely, saved only by Ivy's quick care. Boanna and Ivy argued, the angel insisting that Felbix was to blame and that Sonata did not deserve to suffer for actions she'd committed under Felbix's influence. She left the battlefield to take Sonata to the hospital.

Carried by Cybro back onto the tower, Carrion began to pound at the golden barrier until Felbix showed herself. The team saw her hostages encased in a solid layer of gold as the demon sauntered slowly toward them. As quickly as she could Evine managed to wrap Felbix in entangling roots, and Carrion took advantage of her defenseless state. He latched onto Felbix's face and started to drain, only to find his veins were being filled with liquid gold. Felbix, seeing the opportunity, began to move the gold inside him until it threatened to overtake his brain. Boanna flew up behind her aunt and stabbed, but the knife was insufficient to break her demonic skin and pry out the heart. Meanwhile Angus had fired off a homing missile, which became confused and struck Boanna unconscious instead. Page shot lightning at the gold demon, expecting her decorations to be excellent conductors. Cybro attempted to grapple with the bound Felbix as well, but found it difficult to get a hold on her. Stuck as he was in Felbix's golden grasp, Carrion 'non-lethally' bit at her throat, pouring fountains of demon blood into his mouth and ending the battle. Unfortunately the battle itself was but another distraction, as Barrow Si then appeared once again to take his sister's demon heart from her still-bleeding body. Boanna awoke to find her father there, holding his prize, and he invited her and her friends to come and join him "at the place where it all began." He disappeared once again.

The battle over, the team then turned their attention to the still imprisoned bodies on the tower. Cybro attempted to melt through Gregor's golden casing, but his plasma cannon burned too hot and hurt the werebear instead. Evine thought to herself and decided that the gold could not possibly be skin-tight, so she formed a protective barrier around Gregor's body and under the gold and pulse her magic outward. After a bit of effort the gold shattered and he broke free, sobbing. Evine proceeded to free Lucy and Barney, checking with the others first before freeing Constanza. Once the gold was broken the family all collapsed to the ground and Carrion reunited with them in a tearful hug. He apologized for letting them come to harm again, told him he'd do better next time, that he still had one final fight to win. Constanza told him she'd wait for him no matter what, that she'd love him no matter what he looked like, that 'all five of them' would be a family again soon. Carrion stumbled over his words before she revealed that she was, in fact, pregnant with a 'Freddie Jr.,' and the two kissed in celebration. He gave the children the 'space candy' he'd taken from Space Court and they giggled about the cooties their mother and new father were sharing.

Recognizing that this was their final chance, The Ne'er-Do-Wells decided to settle their personal affairs before making their way to Barrow Si as a team. Cybro phoned the makers of Natural Lite and thanked them for their service, then hung up, leaving them to assume he was 'just another crazy.' Page called her mother, who'd begun dating again, and had scheduled a sort of family reunion for the next Sunday. Page promised to be there. She called David as well, making him promise that- if she did not survive the final battle- he would tell her family what she was, and that she was sorry. Angus leaped over to the Sapphire City Hospital, where he found Ivy watching over the injured Sonata. They talked about how Boanna had gone mad, and that if he had to, he should do what was right to end her. He too knew that he might not survive, so Ivy asked him why he'd make a promise to marry her if he couldn't keep it. He reminded her that his proposal was "if we survived," and she relented, giving him her last bew of moondrops for luck. Boanna prayed. She prayed to the one person she knew would listen, and he filled her heart with a sort of warmth. Then she knew what she had to do. Cybro phoned the Iroquois Confederacy and thanked them for the sport of lacrosse, and then hung up, leaving them to assume he was 'just another crazy.' Evine contacted her people in Avalon through a mirror, telling them about what might happen and what they might have to do should the Ne'er-Do-Wells fail. Selene was ready to protect her new-found home as well, and with her loose ends tied up, she and the other heroes reconvened in Sapphire City.

The streets were empty as they walked toward the Bank, reliving their journey as heroes in reverse. They saw the stadium where they fought Mutants United; the oil tanker where Cerebralsaurus Rex had parked his invention; the graveyard where Nezhizn's lab once was; and finally, the white pillars of the Bank itself, as unblemished as it was before Mungo and Lily first attacked it. As soon as they walked inside the doors shut behind them and the whole inside was dark, illuminated only by woodland trees that had somehow found their place indoors. Boanna recognized the scene as her native Ireland, where Barrow Si first tortured and killed her over 600 years ago. He greeted her, explaining that Lily had fought him and lost, and that she'd find herself reformed after the 100-year's orgy he'd sentenced her to. He had the two demon hearts he stole in baskets on an altar, protected by magical barriers. All Boanna had to do now was see the error of her ways and fulfill her demonic legacy, and then it would all be over. The magic barrier he'd cast inside the bank would not be dispelled until one of the two of them was dead. Page began to pray to Coyote; Evine and Selene readied their shields. With no further reservations, the Ne'er-Do-Wells confronted their worst and final enemy.

Barrow Si was as graceful as ever, using his mere presence to taunt the heroes as they fought. He asked Boanna how strong-willed she supposed her friends were and locked eyes with Carrion, compelling him through magic to commit 'acts of envy.' Angus prepared his homing missiles once again and Selene prepared to read the demon's thoughts, learning that he planned his attacks ahead of time to take out the Ne'er-Do-Wells one by one. While Page and Evine protected themselves and each other, Cybro and Boanna rushed at Barrow Si, attacking him with ultimate rage and varying degrees of success. Carrion, envious that Angus still had his whole face, leaped at the Uberjack with his teeth bared. Angus managed to deflect the bite but was pinned helpless by Carrion's grapple. Page attempted to break the demon's mental grasp by smacking Carrion on the head with Gerald, but the zombie hardly noticed. Barrow Si then unleashed his own magic, controlling the plants around him to hold the Ne'er-Do-Wells to the ground. Evine fought his control and managed to free her allies from the vines- all except for Carrion, who still held Angus firmly in his grasp, and drained nearly all the life out of him. Selene used her verbal wiles to daze the demon, mocking the fact that he'd always be a lesser creature than those he envied. Page shot lightning straight through the gold-infused Carrion, smoke pouring from his eyes as he was knocked unconscious by the blast. Angus, Cybro and Boanna continued their assault, but an aerial blast of fire from the demon's hands knocked Boanna to the ground, burning near to death once again. While the magic users helped their friends recover Angus's missiles finally struck true, stun-locking Barrow Si and knocking him too out of the air. The barrage of missiles and axe-swings proved overpowering, and the Envy Demon fell unconscious as well.

Before they could even stop to think, the team minus the unconscious Boanna removed the demon heart from Barrow Si and destroyed the hearts that were now unprotected by his magic. As Angus's axe came down on Barrow Si's heart, a shock reverberated through it and the team was knocked aside, the axe and Uberjack separated as well. Boanna arose and took the hear between her claws. She'd finally have the revenge she'd waited for. But something was wrong. She explained to her so-called friends that she'd lost her faith. Seeing everyone she loved perish- her adoptive father, Ivy, Mungo- seeing all that senseless violence had corrupted her once-pure spirit. But she was always a demon, and the magic inside her would always crave more. She would take the power Barrow Si offered her. But she wouldn't do it because she believed herself worthy of it. She loved the world, and merely wanted to protect it from itself. She was nothing, powerless; but the world she'd come to love deserved someone stronger than the monster that she was. Though the Ne'er-Do-Wells, who loved her, protested, she made her peace and bit down on the demon heart. She grew to the size of the demon's they'd fought earlier, a massive purple and while ruffled dress swirling around her graceful form. Horns rose out of her head and evil swirled in her eyes. She offered that she was a merciful goddess, that her friends could choose to join her on her quest to cleanse the earth. Cybro consented; he didn't like this, but he knew better than to oppose the 'way the wind blows.' He stood beside the demon and the others rose to confront the woman they once trusted.

Boanna's prideful powers awakened, and she compelled her former teammates to kneel before her. Crushed by gravity as they were, they could hardly resist her, and even the axe would not move to return to its rightful owner. They tried to rise against her influence but failed. Page had turned invisible and hidden, Selene and Evine doing their best to protect themselves, but no one could physically bring themselves to oppose Boanna. She walked over to the prone form of Angus, who tried to will the axe to return to him. He could not, and he saw the blade that was once his descent upon his neck. Then all went white, and bagpipes were heard in the distance. Angus was alone amidst the sound of revelry until he noticed two large men approaching from the shadows. He recognized his idol, the original Uberjack, who introduced the other man as Odin himself. They revealed that Angus had died a hero's death, and that he was in Valhalla, which had once been cut off from the human world. The magical destabilization brought about by recent events had brought Asgard and Midgard closer and closer together, and now the gods among men once again. The world would have its Uberjack back, if Angus desired it. He could stay in Valhalla and live eternally among the gods. Or, he could return to earth bearing the full power of the Uber-axe inside him. If he perished in this form, then that power would be destroyed forever and Angus might not be able to find his way back to Valhalla. He would take that chance: for his world, and for the woman he loved.

Boanna was shaken by the sounds and sights that followed. The axe flew into Angus's hands as he grew to his full power, bulking up under a layer of Pictish tattoos. His beard grew instantly and flowed over his shoulder. Bagpipes rang out in celebration. He noted that, "for an Irish woman, she shoulda known better than to fuck with a Scotsman." He readied his axe. He struck at the demon, once, twice, and three times. Though she resisted, his cuts struck true, and the team watched as their two friends-turned-deities were locked in mortal combat. Cybro revealed himself then, aiming his hand at Carrion. He dialed President Sparkles on his hand's transmitter and mocked the gullible Boanna before self-destructing once again. Though she'd predicted his betrayal she did take some damage from the blast. Carrion caught the hand and told President Sparkles of the turn of events: that they had an Uber-God on their side, but were unsure of how long they could hold Boanna back. The Unicorn promised that they would ready the sealing ritual and release it if need be. All Carrion had to do was call upon him with the rainbow in his heart, and they would know what to do. He climbed Boanna's dress and tried his best to drain her while Angus took the lead.

Blank Page was utterly shaken by the sight of her friends turning against each other. She thought and thought, and then decided to turn toward Boanna. She flipped to a page in her book that didn't look too worn or read. She prayed to Coyote one final time, entreating with him to do what he would do for her, in Selene's name instead. Then she burst into flame, biting into Boanna and blasting her off to the wall. Page lay helpless and unconscious with Gerald in her arms. Selene read the demon's mind, learning that she planned to crush Page underfoot. She called out to Coyote and he rushed in, forming into a fist of desert wind and slamming Boanna into another wall of the bank. Page was protected by Evine's barrier, and the Ne'er-Do-Wells were protected by Angus's furious axe-swings. He fought the demon until he noticed that her wounds were stitching shut as quickly as he could deal them. She decided that this battle was pointless, that they would never see the truth. She urged them to consider their actions, let magic do what it would. After all, Carrion was a creature of dark magic, Angus and Page held magic artifacts, and Evine was a magical creature herself. Magic would do what it would, and she would wait for her turn. She burst through the bank and flew away, and that was the end.