Dynamo: An Odyssey

## Gorilla City - Chapter 1

A man with blond hair walks into a video game store. He has on black sweat pants and a white t-shirt. He looks through the games one by one. He reads all the titles and looks at the cover art of all the games. A store worker walks past the blond man.

Worker: What Up Sonny?

Santino: Nothing much. You?

Worker: Just work.

Santino: I hear you.

The worker walks off and Santino takes a game off of the shelf. The game has some chaotic looking people on it. Buildings are destroyed behind them and they're smiling.

Santino: Looks fun.

Santino walks over to the front desk and puts the game down.

Worker: Will this be all for today?

Santino: Yeah, that’s all I need.

The worker rings Santino up. Santino grabs his game and leaves the store through the front door. Santino walks outside. A 15 foot tall gorilla is destroying buildings and picking up cars. B.L.A.D.E. soldiers are shooting at the gorilla. The bullets bounce off the gorilla and it turns its face towards the soldiers. The gorilla picks up a car and throws it at the soldiers. The soldiers jump to the side and dodge the car. The car flies to Santino while he continues to walk away. Santino turns around and sees the car about to collide with him. The car slams into the ground, sliding across the pavement. The car moves a few feet back and stops.

Soldier: What, did he die?

The car flies off and slams into the side of a building. A man stands there in black and gold armor. His knight looking helmet is pure gold. He is wearing a black skin tight suit. Above the ¾ black sleeves is gold shoulder armor. He’s wearing gold gloves that fit his hands perfectly. His torso has three gold straps on it and a vertical gold line that makes the suit look like it’s a button up. His legs have no designs on them. His calf armor has small lines of gold in the mostly black price of armor. His shoes are black with gold straps on the top.

Santino: You can’t handle a big fucking monkey.

Soldier: Dynamo…

The gorilla jumps onto the side of a building. The gorilla jumps left and right from building to building. Santino flies up and follows the gorilla.

Santino: You can’t lose me! You’re loud as shit!

The gorilla finds a construction area. It jumps off the building and through the steel bars of the partially built building in the construction area. The gorilla lands on a wrecking ball. The ball swings back and forth from the force of the gorilla. The gorilla rips the cord attaching the wrecking ball to the machine. It swings the wrecking ball using the cord and throws it at Santino. Santino dodges to the side as the ball flies past him. He grabs the cord and spins around before throwing it back at the gorilla. The wrecking ball hits into the partially built building instead of the gorilla. A giant beam and some rubble falls onto the gorilla. Santino flies down to the ground. As he lands on the ground the gorilla knocks the rubble off itself and beats on its chest.

Santino: You wanna go fist to fist?

The gorilla charges at Santino, stomping it’s large feet. The gorilla steps on a metal pole. The gorilla’s foot grabs a hold of the pole and his leg shoots up. The pole flies out of his foot’s grip and soars through the air at Santino. Santino stands still. The pole hits his chest and bounces off. The gorilla slams his arms down on top of Santino. Dust flies up from the ground. The dust clears and Santino is holding up the gorilla’s giant arms. Santino looks cocky with a snarky smile.

Santino: I didn’t want to beat up wildlife, but you threw a car at me.

Santino becomes somewhat transparent and the gorilla phases through him. Santino’s body becomes normal again and he turns to the gorilla.

Santino: Wanna be the gorilla that jumped over the moon?

Santino uppercuts the gorilla in it’s back. The gorilla soars into the air and through the city. Santino follows the gorilla with his eyes until the beast goes out of sight.

Santino: Now it’s time to go home and play some games!

Santino hears the sound of bullets. He sees B.L.A.D.E. soldiers firing pistols at him. Santino moves his fist around. Every bullet bounced off of his fist and hits the soldiers.

Santino: Good thing they have bulletproof vests.

Santino sees the soldiers start to painfully get up. Santino crouches down to the ground. He pops up and flies into the sky. A wave comes off of him as he lifts from the ground. The wave makes a sound like thunder.

 - - - - - - - - - - - -

Santino lands in an alley. He takes off his gloves. As he takes off his gloves, the suit he is wearing transforms back into his normal clothes. He walks out of the alley and over to an apartment building. He walks inside and up the small stairs to one of the top floors. He unlocks his door and walks inside his apartment. Santino looks at his ps5.

Santino: My beautiful baby. I’m so glad I was able to get one of you.

Santino takes the plastic off of his game cover. He opens up the game and puts the disk into the ps5.

Santino: Why do you have to put the disks in so awkwardly?

The disk slides into the console. The ps5 turns on and Santino turns on his TV.

Santino: This is gonna be dope.

## Ozak - Chapter 2

All that can be heard from Santino’s apartment is gunshots and clicks. Santino sits in a chair with a controller in his hand. He looks determined.

Santino: You only killed me 14 times. You ain’t shit. You just got lucky! Let’s see how you do on the 15th. Your luck is ‘bout to run out.

Santino loses again and the level restarts.

Santino: What the Fuck! I’m done, that’s it. I’m never playing this game again.

Santino gets up. He looks back at his controller and then looks at the TV screen.

Santino: Fifteen minutes and I’ll be back to kick your ass game.

Santino walks over to the fridge stretching. He opens the fridge door to see nothing in it.

Santino: Damn, I need to go shopping. Walmart’s always got me covered.

Santino looks at the time.

Santino: I would go, but it’s 2am. So, I’ll just play more games.

 - - - - - - - - - - - -

Hours later, Santino wakes up in his chair. As his eyes open it feels like the sunlight is attacking him. As he gets up he sees his game is still on.

Santino: What time is it?

Santino looks at the clock.

Santino: Damn, is it really already lunchtime? Now I’m really starving.

Santino leaves his apartment and locks his door. He walks down the small steps and almost falls. Santino leaves the building and starts walking down the street. He continues down on the sidewalk until he sees a building with the sign “Donut Empire.” Santino steps inside the building and stands in a small line. He starts messing around with his phone. Soon he is at the counter.

Santino: I would like a ham egg and cheese on a croissant, a blueberry donut, and… the usual coffee please.

Out of the corner of Santino’s eye he sees a figure. Santino steps to the side while the workers take other people’s orders. The air carries the man’s whisper from across the room.

???: In the back, now…

The workers finish with Santino’s food. Santino sits down in one of the chairs. When he looks up he sees the figure is gone. He eats his food and drinks his coffee. Once he finishes he throws away his trash and walks out the back door. As the back door shuts, someone grabs Santino by his collar and slams him against the wall.

Santino: Ozak, how have you been?

Ozak is wearing a large black trench coat. The trench coat is open in the middle. The middle of his torso has no clothes, but is pitch blacker with a space like look to it. He almost looks like a void with stars on him. The trench coat covers most of his legs. The only thing you can see is the black boots on his feet and some remnants of the black pants he is wearing. His face has the same void look as his face except his eyes are bright white like two stars. He wears a black fedora on top of his short white hair.

Ozak: You sat there for fifteen minutes. What if someone was in trouble?

Santino takes Ozak’s hand off of him.

Santino: Don’t show up randomly and tell me to do something even though no one is in trouble. What’s your problem anyway? I do stuff for you all the time and you don’t do anything for me.

Ozak: You never have anything important going on.

Santino: You do?

Ozak fixes the collar to his coat.

Ozak: Always. Take the manhole cover off the sewer.

Santino puts his gold gloves on and his suit appears on his body. He takes the manhole cover off the sewer and Ozak starts moving his hands around. Ozak’s hands glow with a white light and a portal appears in the sewer.

Santino: Can’t you make a portal on a wall or something?

Ozak: No.

Ozak picks Santino up by the back of his shirt and drops him into the portal. Ozak drops into the portal and the sewer sucks the manhole cover back onto the top.

 - - - - - - - - - - - -

Ozak and Santino walk out of a giant white portal. There is technology everywhere. They walk around in a spaceship looking base. Ozak walks over to a control panel. The whole room is just colored grey. Everything in the room is grey except one black glass looking wall that is in front of the control panel. A wall of black moves up off of the glass. Santino sees Earth through the glass.

Santino: What’s wrong with Earth now?

Ozak: What have you been doing? You fought the gorilla just a day ago. You didn’t question the random attack?

Santino: Maybe it broke out of the zoo.

Ozak: What zoo is in your area? There isn’t a zoo in a 100 mile radius of your home. You were in walking distance from your house. What gorilla would have been fifteen feet tall?

Santino: Okay, okay. You’ve made your point. Stop being an ass about it.

Ozak: You know the curse of those gloves.

Santino: It hasn’t caught up with me yet. You told me last time that I had years left before this would happen.

Ozak: I thought so, but what other explanation do we have?

Santino: You can’t come up with something?

Ozak: Your gloves are a threat. They attract enemies and monsters to you.

Santino: So what do I do? Leave my city?

Ozak: Leave Earth.

Santino: Hell no!

Ozak: You will be the embodiment of chaos if you stay. Everywhere you go you will bring destruction and chaos.

Santino: Every hero does.

Ozak: Heroes are supposed to stop chaos when it appears. Not stop the problems they cause.

Santino: I’ll become a nomad. If the gloves are supposed to get stronger and stronger then I will be a nomad for years.

Ozak: I just said-

Santino: I’ll stop all the enemies before they cause a problem. Never staying still will give me the advantage. No enemies will be able to predict where I go.

Ozak: What if the monsters become stronger? What will you do then?

Santino: I’ll still stop them.

Ozak laughs.

Ozak: You act more like a hero everyday and you’ve never wanted to be. All you ever want to do is play video games and not be bothered by the rest of the world.

Santino: And you’ve always been in the world's problems. Stop budding in.

Ozak: We’ve made a deal Santino. You must travel the world.

Santino: Fine.

Ozak moves his hands again then he pushes his arms out. A blast of white energy slams into Santino and sends him flying into the portal. Ozak looks down at his controls.

Ozak: Keep your promise Santino.

Consequence - Chapter 3

Santino appears on top of the manhole cover. A donut empire worker is taking out the trash. He sees Santino and runs away. Santino takes off his gloves and walks around the building to the street. He strolls down the sidewalk. Santino stops in front of a house. He looks at the small white middle class house. As his eyes scan the house he sighs. Santino knocks on the door. In a minute a woman opens the door.

???: Sonny!

The woman jumps on Santino, hugging him.

Santino: Hey Zoey. Been a while sis.

Zoey lets go of him.

Zoey: Come in.

Santino walks inside the house. Zoey closes the door and they both walk over to the couch. Santino sits down.

Zoey: Do you want a drink or anything?

Santino: No, I’m fine.

Zoey sits down.

Zoey: Why don’t you come around anymore?

Santino: Just got shit to do.

Zoey: I know the feeling. I’ve been working two jobs just to keep this house. Luckily it’s almost paid off.

Santino: I can help you pay it off if you need. I have extra money-

Zoey: No, you have your own rent to pay. I can handle it. What about you? What have you been busy with?

Santino: That’s actually the reason I came here. Something’s come up and now I have to make a decision. If I do what… My job asks that I could help a lot of people, but I’ll have to leave everything.

Zoey thinks for a minute and smiles.

Zoey: What do you have here?

Santino: Uh, a home, you, friends…

Zoey: But you could get a new home anywhere, and people are all over the place. With the gloves you have, you have an obligation to help people.

Santino: You know about the gloves?

Zoey: You weren’t a good liar when you were a teenager. Maybe you shouldn’t have put the gloves on in the backyard.

Santino: So glad I don’t do that now that I live in an apartment complex.

Santino stands up and Zoey does the same. Zoey hugs Santino.

Zoey: Will I see you again?

Santino: I’ll try.

Zoey: I’ll miss you.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Santino walks along the sidewalk. He steps up to his apartment building. He opens the door and walks in. He walks up the long staircase of small steps. Santino stops at his door and slowly opens the door up. He closes the door and takes off his shoes.

Santino: I was really hoping Zoey would have given me a reason to stay.

Santino sits down at his consol.

Santino: I might as well play some games before I have to abandon all my stuff.

Santino hears the sound of stomping. The force from the stomping feels like an earthquake under him. As he is wondering whether his apartment is about to collapse he quickly slides on the god gloves.

Santino: No way-

A giant red laser destroyed Santino’s building. Santino’s armor comes over his body as he gets blasted back by the laser. He feels like his body is on fire. The push back from the laser sends him through other buildings and onto the street’s pavement. Santino starts to pull himself off of the ground. He has burns and bruises on him.

Santino: Fuck. What has the power to do that?!

A giant spider leg slices through a building as the monster walks. A red giant bug looking creature with eight metal spider legs follows Santino. The creature has a giant cannon on its back. The cannon starts to glow red.

Santino: Shit!

Santino flies up and soars to the left. The red laser fires and Santino dodges it. Santino flies around the monster. He flies in and punches the monster in its body.

Santino: It has a metal shell over its body too.

Santino tries to fly away. One spider leg comes up and pierces Santino’s back. Santino quickly moves to the side. Only getting a cut on his side.

Santino: Those legs are a fucking problem. Wait, it’s legs!

Santino flies at one of the spider's legs at full speed. He punches the spider’s leg and his fist rips through the metal. Santino lands on the ground. The monster tries to step on him. Santino catches the leg. The metal on the monster’s leg starts to turn gold. After holding the monster’s leg for a minute. Half the spider’s leg is gold.

Santino: Unlucky for you. I control gold.

Santino makes a fist and the gold on the spider’s leg crushes. Santino flies up and stays still for a minute like he’s charging up. The monster's cannon turns to him. Santino flies at the spider's legs. He flies straight through two of the spider’s legs. As the monster falls over the cannon shoots a blast destroying more of the city. The monster can’t stand with half of it’s legs. Santino flies over to the cannon and rips it off the spider’s back. He drops the cannon on the ground and grabs the spider by one of it’s legs, but struggles to hold it. He spins the spider around and throws it.

Santino: I should just throw everything. Then you don’t have to clean up.

Santino looks at the destruction the monster caused.

Santino: This is all my fault.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Santino is flying over to Zoey’s house. He feels someone following him.

Ozak: I expected you to leave after that monster destroyed a few city blocks.

Santino: This is that last thing I am doing.

Ozak: The monsters keep getting stronger. One day you won’t be able to stop them.

Santino: Then when I die, why don’t you take over for me? You seem to be doing that anyway.

Ozak disappears.

Santino: Fucking magicians.

Santino lands on Zoey’s doorstep and knocks on her door. He slides a letter on the floor under the door. Santino looks up and flies away. Zoey opens up the door. She looks down and finds a letter. She closes her door and walks to her living room opening the letter. She opens up the letter to find a card. The two sides of the card split and she sees a check for thousands of dollars with a note written at the bottom of the card.

Zoey: Thank you.

## Nahla - Chapter 4

Santino flies through the air. The wind fights against him as he moves through the air seamlessly. He flies past birds that get scared and move away from him. Santino looks down as he soars over a forest.

Santino: I don’t remember this forest being here. What forest even is this?

Santino sees a covering of leaves. He gets a little suspicious the longer he looks at it. Santino starts to descend into the forest. He falls through the leaves and lands on the ground in a superhero-esque pose. Santino stands up and looks around. Below the trees covering of leaves is dark. There are many glowing plants around and pitch black mud. Santino looks around. He hears a slight growl.

Santino: Wolves?

Something jumps on top of one of the tree branches. It stares at Santino with green eyes.

Santino: No, it’s definitely not a wolf. It’s waiting for me to run. It wants me to turn my back.

Santino turns around. He hears dead silence. Quickly, Santino turns around hearing a roar. The jaws of the beast are above him. Santino puts an arm under the top and above the bottom of the beast's jaw. He holds the beast’s jaw open. Santino realizes the beast looks like a lion with huge fangs.

Santino: A saber tooth tiger. I thought you were extinct.

Santino throws the tiger up into the air. The tiger rapidly falls down. Santino spartan kicks the tiger before it hits the ground. The tiger is sent flying into a tree. The tree shakes from the impact. A few leaves slowly fall through the air. The saber tooth tiger picks itself up. The tiger slowly walks away. Santino sees a trail of blood following the tiger.

Santino: Did a piece of wood stab it?

The tiger falls over. Santino sees the tiger’s breaths slow. Santino walks over to the tiger and crouches down. He pets the saber tooth tiger as it closes its eyes.

Santino: It was walking this way.

Santino walks through the forest. He moves the branches out of the way. He moves through thorn bushes and the thorns don’t even manage to scrape his skin. Satino looks in between two trees to see something that resembles houses. Santino steps through the trees. He feels the bark on the trees. The bark looks beautiful, but it has a rough texture. Santino looks at the houses made of the same wood he just touched. The houses look dirty almost as if they come out of the ground. Vines cover over the houses. The glowing plants brighten up the village. Santino walks through the village. He sees elf-like people. They have gray skin and pointy ears with white hair. As he passes by everyone they look terrified of him.

Santino: They probably don’t get many new people around here.

One elf walks over to Santino holding a spear. The spear has a flowing tip on it.

Santino: You can’t hurt me with a spear.

The elf starts yelling at Santino in a different language.

Santino: This is America. We speak English here.

The elf spins his spear around and slashes at Santino. The spear slices Santino’s torso. Blood comes out of Santino’s wound.

Santino: I was just joking! That spear can hurt me?!

Santino levitates just above the ground and quickly moves over to the elf and punches him in the head. The elf is sent flying through the air and onto the ground. The spear falls out of the elf’s hand and onto the ground. All the other elves stare at Santino horrified. A woman runs out from the trees. She has on an orangish fitted top with genie pants. Her long brown unkempt hair with sticks in it that goes past her shoulders. Her skin is mixed. She wears no shoes and looks human. She starts speaking the elven language. While looking at Santino annoyed. Santino lowers himself back onto the ground. The woman stops talking and the elves look calmer. They all go back to walking around.

Santino: Um, sorry…

???: Why did you attack him?!

Santino: He attacked first. I wasn’t going to fight back, but those spears kind of hurt!

???: You can fly! Just fly away!

Santino: I didn’t really think of that. Sorry, my bad. I shouldn’t have just come in here starting fights.

???: Then leave before they get tired of having you here.

Santino: If they hate people then why are you here?

???: I speak their language.

Santino: Where can I learn this language? Is it just in some book?

The woman sighs.

???: Just leave.

Santino: Okay, I just wanted to know whether you were yelling eleven slurs at me.

The woman giggles.

???: Fine, you want to learn something? Then follow me.

They walk through the trees.

Santino: So what are you, an explorer?

???: Somewhat.

Santino: Then, shouldn’t you be wearing more exploring clothes?

???: Aren’t you a human? Shouldn’t you be wearing human clothes?

Santino: I’m obviously not a regular human. Does that mean you're not either?

???: Your not just stupid then.

Santino: I like to think of myself as somewhat of an intellectual.

???: What do you read?

Santino: I never said I read. I’m a natural born intellectual. Oh, I forgot to ask. What’s your name? I’m Santino.

They see a small mud hill. The hill is covered with the glowing plants.

???: My name is Nahla. This is what I have been studying.

Santino: Those stupid plant things?

Nahla: You wouldn’t think they’re stupid if you knew what they are.

Santino: What, they have some powers or something? Oh, is it like a video game where you can use them to make spells?

Nahla: Kind of.

Santino hears a bark. A pup that looks like the tiger from before is below him growling. Santino crouches down and the tiger backs up.

Santino: Even the babies have long teeth. It looks so dumb.

Nahla takes one of the mushrooms off of the hill. She starts speaking in elven tongue. She raises a hand above the plant and taps the top of it. The plant dissolved into some sort of powder.

Santino: Is this your pet?

Santino’s voice changes to a more aggressive tone.

Santino: Wait, did you kill that tiger?

Santino stands up. Nahla looks at him.

Nahla: Have fun.

She raises her hand to her mouth. She blows the powder into Santino’s face. The powder seeps into Santino’s mask. The world starts spinning. Santino falls onto the ground. He sees Nahla stand above him.

Nahla: You have no magical power, do you?

## Magic Eyes - Chapter 5

Santino wakes up in a circle of fire. He can feel the heat almost biting him as he moves away from the center of the circle. Sparks come off of the flames and hit his skin. The sparks sizzle as they burn him.

Santino: Ah, what the fuck is this? This is what a magical shroom high is like?

Reddish brown bricks make up the walls of the room he stands in. Santino tries to fly up, but his powers are inactive.

Santino: There has to be some way to escape this.

He gets closer to the flame. His skin burns, and he backs up.

Santino: I can’t even get close to the fire.

Santino’s face becomes more serious than he normally ever looks. His mind races on how to get out of the fire death trap he has gotten stuck in.

Santino: There is no way out.

A clump of bricks on one of the walls starts shaking. The bricks slowly move to the side leaving a hole in the wall. Nahla walks through the hole in the wall and the bricks close the room back off.

Nahla: You baby. You’re still stuck in the fire circle.

Santino: You’re the one that studies these mushrooms. I can’t get out of here.

Nahla raises her hand and quickly moves her hand to the right. The fire vanished like a strong wind dissolved it. Nahla looks at Santino’s face.

Nahla: That’s what you look like.

Santino realizes he doesn’t have his armor on.

Santino: Stupid mushroom high.

The two of them walk around in the room.

Santino: Are you looking for something?

Nahla: Yeah, but you won’t be able to find it.

Santino: The fire thing was a mishap. I can help.

Nahla: You need to pass each challenge to move onto the next. You couldn’t do anything in that fire. If you could then you would be able to see magic.

Santino: Wizard eyes?

Nahla: I thought you would be able to use magic because your gloves have so much magical power, but you didn’t create those gloves.

Santino: All my power comes from those gloves. You should have asked. Now I’m stuck in- Wherever this is.

Nahla: It’s the magic dimension. This is where a “wizard” pulls their magic from.

Santino looks serious again.

Santino: How long have we been here?

Nahla: A few days maybe. Time works differently here.

Santino: A few days in regular time?

Nahla: Um, maybe. Usually it takes a few days for someone who has never been here to wake up.

Santino: I need to leave.

Nahla: Why-

Santino: Those gloves are cursed. They attract monsters to me. If I stay in one place too long then I end up getting attacked.

Nahla: Then you’ll have to help me get out of here.

Santino: You just said I couldn’t.

Nahla: If your gloves are magic, you might be able to bring them here.

Santino: I’ve never been able to summon my gloves.

Nahla: Maybe not on earth, but the gloves are connected to this plane.

Santino: You talk like everything is so easy. Magic, dimensions, summoning. I’m not Link, I can’t just do everything.

Santino puts out his hands and tries to summon his gloves. He waits for a minute with his eyes closed. Eventually, Santino gets annoyed and turns to Nahla.

Nahla: Nothing?

Santino: Nothing.

They stand in silence for a minute.

Nahla: I know I make everything sound easy, but I’ve been practicing magic for years. How long do you think it took me to figure out how to move the fire like that?

Santino: A few minutes?

Nahla: Six months. I had to figure out that I needed to move the fire by researching in books. Then I trained to move the fire for months. When I said you have no magic I was just messing around with you. That test is one of the hardest ones to pass. Give yourself time to learn how to summon. If you really did get it first try, then you would become the greatest wizard anyone has ever seen.

Santino takes a breath. He closes his eyes and Nahla grabs his wrist. A red aura moves from her hand onto Santino's.

Nahla: Now summon the gloves.

A small portal opens up in front of Santino. The golden gloves fly out of the portal and crash into Santino. Santino opens up his eyes and looks around. He sees his gloves on the ground and picks them up. As he puts on his gloves, his suit comes over him. Santino can see the magic coming off of the walls. There is a slight glow on all of the bricks. He looks at Nahla and he can barely see her because of the blinding red aura covering her.

Nahla: Now you can see everything. My magic eyes aren’t great so I need you to lol for the brick that has more magic than the others.

Santino starts looking around. He gets close to the bricks as he walks. Once his trip around the room is over he realizes none of the stones on the wall are different. Santino looks up. He sees an aura coming off of a brick on the ceiling. His feet start to levitate off the ground. Nalha looks at the ground ashamed.

Nahla: I’m so stupid. Of course it was on the ceiling.

Santino punches a hole through the ceiling. He flies into the next room. Nahla stands under the hole. Then she moves her hands. A gust of wind blows her up into the next room.

Santino: Is that how we get out?

Santino’s eyes are focused on the path ahead of them. They stand on top of the brick room. Above them is the dark purplish sky. The path ahead of them is a triangle. The path thins until all that is left is a point. Above the point is a skinny portal. As Santino moves his head around he sees different locations in the elven forest. Santino moves to take a step.

Nahla: No!

Santino: What?!

Nahla: If you fall, you’ll die. It’s a magical dead zone. You won’t be able to fly.

Santino takes a step back. He runs towards the portal. He jumps like he is about to tackle the portal, jumping over the skinny part of the triangle. He rolls onto the ground and sees the hill with mushrooms. Above the hill is a green elf with brown gear on. The gear looks like light armor made for the jungle. The elf’s face is covered by a brown type of wrap. The elf holds a bow with an arrow pulled back.

## The Green Elves - Chapter 6

Santino stares at the green elf as it gets ready to fire an arrow. Nahla walks out of the portal. The elf quickly points the bow at Nahla and fires the arrow. Santino catches the arrow.

Nahla: A green elf.

Santino: What’s wrong with this elf? Just built different?

Nahla: I don’t know. I’ve never seen a green elf.

The elf draws back another arrow.

Santino: Yell some elf at it. Make it’ll stop attacking us.

Nahla tries to speak in elven tongue. The elf does not respond and fires another arrow. Santino catches the arrow. Gas explodes out of the tip of the arrow.

Santino: Should we leave? This elf can’t do anything to me.

The elf hops down from the tree. She runs over to Santino. She jumps spin kicks. Her foot slams against Santino’s cheek with no effect. The elf takes out two glowing blades that look a little bigger than daggers.

Santino: Do all elves have broken weapons?!

Santino dodges as the elf slashes her blades. The elf spins around and fires something out of some gear on her wrist. Santino stays still. The chain fired out of the gear goes straight through Santino’s stomach. The elf pulls Santino close and slices across his torso with both of her blades. Santino falls onto the ground.

Santino: Nahla, help!

Nahla starts moving her hands around. She blasts the elf back with wind. As the wind stops a circle of fire comes around the elf. Nahla moves her hands in a circle. The wind kicks back up again and spins the fire. The fire gets taller and taller until the elf is in the middle of a fire vortex. Nahla kneels down next to Santino while she watches the fire vortex.

Nahla: Are you okay? I thought you would be able to handle the elf.

Santino: I did too. I’ll be fine. It’s just a stab in the stomach. I’ll get over it.

The vortex slowly dissolves away until all that’s left in the elf on one knee disoriented. Santino stands up.

Santino: Ask the elf why she came here.

Nahla tries to speak to the elf, but she does not speak back.

Nahla: No use.

Three elves come out from the trees. One of them looks more formal than the rest. The elf has a smug attitude almost as if he knows more than everyone else.

Elven Noble: Who do you work for? Answer my question. I only give so many chances.

Santino: We work for no one. If you ask who we work for then you must not know who we are.

The elven noble looks furious.

Elven Noble: Do you know who I am? I am a noble! How dare you send your monsters after my village and then talk down to me.

Santino: Send monsters to your village?

Elven Noble: Don’t play dumb! The monsters were looking for something. We know they were sent!

Nahla whispers to Santino.

Nahla: Were the monsters after you?

Santino: I think you mistake the purpose of the monsters. They weren’t looking for something. They were looking for someone. They’re trying to kill me.

Elven Noble: Either way, you brought those monsters to my front door.

Santino: Let’s make a deal. I leave and no one has to fight.

Elven: We will check that village for you to make sure you left, or else we’ll kill everyone there.

The elven noble leaves with his troops. Nahla looks at Santino.

Nahla: Look what you did. You got me kicked out of the village!

Santino: I’m sorry, maybe you shouldn’t have drugged me.

Nahla starts packing up her stuff in a satchel. She puts some glowing mushrooms in a bag.

Santino: Where are you going after this?

Nahla: Around the world. I study the places with the most magic.

Santino: Then why don’t I travel with you? I can make up for getting you kicked out of shroom land.

Nahla: You bring monsters wherever you go.

Santino: It’s not as bad as it sounds. Plus, they take a day or two to catch up.

Nahla: Fine, but if I want to study something. Then you’re going to have to leave.

Santino: Deal.

Santino sees a small elf looking at them. When the elf notices Santino is looking his way, the elf runs.

Santino: How long was that elf watching us?

Nahla: What elf?

Santino walks off in the direction the elf went. Nahla finishes packing and follows him. They walk back into the village. Santino sees a few guards and the little elf stands behind the guards. Elves start to crowd around behind the guards. Nahla starts speaking to the elves and the elves yell at her.

Santino: They don’t trust us?

Nahla: They think we’re working with the green elves.

Santino: It’s time to go then. Can you fly?

Nahla: I already told you I can’t.

Santino: Then grab onto my neck.

Nahla holds on. Santino soars into the air. He breaks through the layer of leaves and branches. Nahla closes her eyes and makes a face.

Santino: When was the last time you saw the sun?

Nahla: A few years.

Santino: You said you wanted to study magical places. So, where are we going?

## Curse - Chapter 7

Santino lands on the ground. Nahla lets go of him.

Nahla. We need to find a better way to fly.

Santino acts sarcastic.

Santino: You didn’t like it?

Nahla: You move around too much and my arms got tired!

Santino: I’ll try not to move so much.

They start walking.

Nahla: Where’d you bring us?

Santino: Since you couldn’t remember a magical place I brought us to the sauna. I need to wash off after being in that forest. The mud and shrooms got on me.

Nahla: Stop being a baby.

Santino: You’re just used to looking disgusting all the time.

Nahla: What?!

Santino: With them sticks in your hair and your dusty ass feet.

Nahla: What about you? Have you ever washed your suit?!

Santino: I don’t have to. It’s magic. Everytime I put the thing on it’s fresh.

They both go silent as they walk towards the sauna. Nahla looks furious. They step inside the Sauna building. The worker looks at them.

Worker: There’s nobody else here so you can go together or-

Nahla: Separate!

Santino chuckles at how mad Nahla still is.

Worker: You may walk in.

Santino and Nahla split up and walk into different rooms. Santino sees an old man relaxing in the sauna. He gets in the water and sits at the opposite side of the sauna from the old man setting his gloves down on the floor. The old man looks up at Santino.

Old Man: I see your cursed.

Santino: What are you? Some kind of all seeing fortune teller?

Old Man: I like to think of myself more as a god. That doesn’t mean you have to.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Nahla sits in the water of the sauna. She lowers herself until her mouth is under water.

Nahla: Do I really look that bad?

Nahla pulls a stick out of her hair.

Nahla: Shit, he’s right.

Nahla looks to the side of the room. There are chairs, brushes, and other items.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Santino: How did you know I’m cursed?

Old Man: How did I know?

Santino: That was the question.

Old Man: I’m asking you.

Santino: Did you have these gloves at one point?

Old Man: I am the one that cursed them stupid! I cursed them with a terrible awful curse!

Santino: Do you know how to uncurse them?

Old Man: No. I don’t even know what they are cursed with.

Santino: So, you can’t help me?

Old Man: I might know someone who can uncurse those gloves though. Take this as a token of your legendary status. I don’t normally ever tell how to undo my curses.

Santino: Get on with it! Who can uncurse these gloves?!

Old Man: Alex Miller.

Santino: Who is that?

Old Man: Some tech geek in northern Montana.

Santino: Northern Montana!? We’re in Arizona!

Old Man: Do you want to break the curse or do you want to be forever cursed with a terrible curse?

The old man gets out of the sauna and grabs a staff. He uses the staff as he walks to the door.

Santino: Wait, who are you?

Old Man: Just a regular old man.

The old man slams the stick onto the ground. The water from the sauna floats through the air and circles around him. After a minute the water hits the floor and slowly moves back into the sauna. The old man is gone.

Santino: Regular old man my ass.

Santino lays back as the water rises in the sauna.

Santino: At least he’s gone now. I can finally relax.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

An hour later, Santino walks out of the sauna with his gloves back on. Nahla is talking to the worker. Nahla’s hair is long and straight. She is wearing white clothes that the sauna offers. Nahla is smiling. She turns to Santino and walks over to him. Her mood looks a little worse.

Nahla: Now I know where we can go.

Santino: Are any of the places north from here?

Nahla: Why north?

Santino: There’s just something I want to see there.

Nahla: You’re a sight seer?

Santino: Not a big one, but now and again I like to see something cool.

Nahla: The closest one that’s north of here is in California.

Santino: To California it is then.

Santino and Nahla walk outside the building.

Santino: Nahla, I wanted to apologize. I shouldn’t have said you were disgusting. You aren’t disgusting I was just over exaggerating.

Nahla: It’s fine. I’m over it. You were right, I needed to clean up. I was just in the forest for so long that I got used to living like that. I’d rather you be honest with me like you were then you be scared to tell me something.

Santino: Then it’s time to go. Where exactly in California are we going?

Nahla: King City.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Water soars through the sky. The higher the water gets, little pieces freeze and start falling. The ball of water goes over the edge of the mountain and lands on the snow. Water slams down onto the ground. As the water hits the snow on the ground, it instantly freezes creating a path of ice on the ground. The old man walks on the path of ice. Through the foggy air filled with snow making the air hard to see through, the old man sees a deep red shadow.

???: Stick called for you.

Old Man: I know. I wouldn’t be here if he didn’t. That old bastard.

???: Follow me.

The old man follows the red character through the snow.

Old Man: Why didn’t you send one of your underlings? You’ve come to me like Stick owns you.

???: This matter is too important. Stick is watching the thing right now.

The two men continue to walk through the snow. The old man sees a glimpse of a building. As they get closer to the building it looks more like a castle. They walk to the front door. The door is guarded by assassins wearing dark armor. One of the assassins opens the door for them. They walk through the door as it closes behind them. The hallways are laced with torches on the wall to brighten up the dark interior of the castle-like building. The man in red steps up to one of the torches. He pulls the torch down. The noise of a chain moving comes from behind the wall. The man in red lets go of the torch and the chain pulls the torch back into place. The wall slowly moves to the side. The old man follows the red character inside the small room. The wall slowly moves back as they step inside the room. In front of them is some type of small orange portal. Stick is standing in front of the portal.

Stick: Kai, does the portal seem like it’s growing to you?

Kai: I don’t know. You’ve been the one sitting here watching it for days.

Old Man: Why did you bring me here Stick? I already know about this problem.

Stick: You always know more than you lead on. Now tell me what you know and leave all the bullshit about curses out of it.

## Orb - Chapter 8

Santino cuts through the air and he flies over to King city. Nahla holds onto him with her face half buried into his back, blocking her face from all the wind hitting them. Her eyes are squinted as she tries to look around.

Nahla: Do you wear a helmet just to keep the wind out of your eyes?

Santino: No, do you want a helmet?

Nahla: No, I don’t want a stupid helmet. Are we almost there?

Santino: We’re right above the city.

Santino slowly lands down on the ground. Nahla lets go of him. They stand on top of a building. Santino looks around.

Santino: What does the place look like?

Nahla: It’ll look like an old church or a temple.

Santino: Should be easy enough to find in a city.

Santino slightly levitates as he moves across the buildings. Nahla follows him using wind to boost herself enough to leap across buildings.

Santino: Do you want me to just carry you?

Nahla: I’d rather be on the ground.

Santino: Then I think we should split up. We can cover more ground if we split up.

Nahla: See ya.

Santino blasts off. Santino moves through the city looking at all the buildings.

Santino: A gym. Ooh, Donut Empire…

Santino lands on a building.

Santino: I’m not finding it. Maybe it’s outside of the city. That makes more sense then a temple being inside a city.

Santino turns around. He sees a man standing on the other side of the rooftop. The man is wearing heavy dark armor. Red highlights several different parts of his armor. Santino can see the underside of his cape is red as it moves in the wind. The tall man stares at Santino with gleaming red eyes.

???: Dynamo, Arizona hero, what are you doing in my city?

Santino: I didn’t know I was famous.

???: You're not. What are you doing in my city?

Santino: I’m looking for some magical temple. I can’t really tell you. I’m not a huge magic fan. You seem smart, maybe you know why I would need to go there.

???: The temple of Osiris.

Santino: Isn’t that Egyptian? You would think those temples would be more in Egypt than America.

???: Doesn’t matter where you are, you’re still scared of death.

Santino chuckles.

Santino: True. Who are you? Just some hero that protects this place?

???: I’m Jack The Ripper. Most call me The Ripper. I was prepared to take you down, but as long as you leave after you look at the temple we shouldn’t have a problem.

Santino: Where is the temple?

The Ripper moves his arm and points north.

Santino: Nice to meet another hero.

Ripper: I’m no hero.

Santino slowly rises from the ground. Then he flies off. The Ripper watches his every move until he’s out of sight. He looks around for Nahla. Once he finds her he flies down.

Nahla: Did you find the temple?

Santino picks Nahla up by her hips and starts flying to the temple.

Santino: Someone told me where it is. I guess there are other heroes around.

Nahla: Why are you holding me like this?

Santino: Saving a few seconds. I didn’t feel like landing.

Santino flies over the city. Nahla looks around as Santino keeps moving forward.

Nahla: I’m not seeing anything. Are you sure the temple is this way?

Santino: I’m not sure, but I really hope I wasn’t lied to.

They keep moving. Nahla loses her faith that they will find the temple. They enter a swamp-like area. Then Nahla sees something strange.

Nahla: Fly down.

Santino: Did you find it?

Nahla sounds impatient.

Nahla: Fly down!

Santino starts moving closer to the ground. As they lower Nahla sees the strange building. The building is covered in moss, vines, and mud. The building is almost completely camouflaged into the swamp. Santino puts Nahla on the ground. He levitates just above the swamp. Nahla steps in the mush of the swamp.

Nahla: Really Santino! You put me in the swamp and then float above it!

Santino picks Nahla up and puts her in the temple.

Nahla: I don’t even have shoes.

Santino: You need to go clothes shopping.

Nahla: I thought guys didn’t care about clothing and stuff as much as girls.

Santino: Maybe your clothes are just that bad.

They walk inside the temple as Nahla wipes her feet on the temple’s dirty stone floor. Santino opens the door to the temple. There are many engravings on the door. Nahla walks in and Santino follows. The Ripper is leaning against a wall flipping a butterfly knife around.

Santino: How did you get here before us?! Wait, why are you here?!

Ripper stops flipping his knife.

Ripper: This is my city. I know the routes and I need to make sure you didn’t come here to take a weapon.

Santino: If I was a villain, do you really think I would be known as a hero in my town?

Ripper: You never know a person until you know every one of their secrets.

Santino: You kinda sound like a creep. Do you stalk people?

The Ripper: I track villains down. I don’t stalk them. When I find them. I stop them.

Nahla: Okay-

Nahla is looking at a table in the middle of the room. A giant orb is in the middle of the table. Around the orb are scriptures that Nahla is reading.

Nahla: It says it needs two mages. Santino, you’ll have to do.

Nahla puts her hands on the orb. Santino does the same.

Nahla: Can you still see magic now that we aren’t in the other dimension?

Santino: No.

Nahla: Then tell me if you start to feel dizzy or sick. It could drain you of your magic and not the gloves.

The orb starts glowing green. Santino collapses onto the ground. The Ripper sighs and walks over to Santino.

Ripper: Get up.

Santino grabs The Ripper’s arm and gets to his feet.

Ripper: You’re a fucking idiot.

Santino: But the orb is glowing.

Ripper: What does the orb do, girl?

Nahla: Don’t call me girl. The orb is only for mages. You can use it to see.

Ripper: To see? The future?

Nahla: Or the past. I don’t know how to use it, but I can learn. I have tons of books-

Ripper: Too dangerous. No one should be able to see the future. Destroy the orb.

## Destroy It - Chapter 9

Ripper: Destroy the orb.

Nahla: No, I’ll keep the orb safe.

Ripper: When people get new powers, they change. You don’t know what kind of person you’ll be with that orb, and I definitely don’t. I’ve seen people change first hand. Now, destroy the orb.

Nahla: Whoever you’re talking about isn’t me. I wasn’t born with magic. I had to work to get it. That magic didn’t change me.

Ripper: Didn’t it? You think you’re the same person? Maybe you are, but why don’t you look back on your life. Make sure you aren’t just saying something to keep that orb.

Nahla starts thinking.

Ripper: You change the most once you get power that you could never have. Power that is greater than what you should have. Who is to say that magic wasn’t just too small a factor to change your nature?

Nahla looks a little nervous. Santino looks at her.

Santino: Nahla, everyone changes over time. When something new comes up in your life you adapt and change. That's how it works. Don’t let him fool you into thinking adapting is changing for the worse.

Santino looks at The Ripper.

Santino: You knew that you were manipulating her. Why?

The Ripper starts walking away.

Ripper: I wanted to see her unwavering soul. Test if she would break down at a little question. She did, but you Dynamo…

The Ripper turns around.

Ripper: You’ll keep her in check.

The Ripper leaves the temple. Nahla stays looking down at the orb. She looks upset as thoughts run through her head. Santino looks at her and sees she is in her own little world.

Santino: You okay?

Nahla looks like her soul comes back into her body. She looks over at Santino.

Nahla: What did you say?

Santino: I asked if you were okay.

Nahla: I’m fine.

Santino: You don’t look it. Are you sure you want to keep that orb? If you’re that worried about the stupid thing then you can leave it here.

Nahla: I want to take the orb. I’ll be fine. That guy just got me all shaken up.

Santino: Since magic time is over, and you obviously need a break. Why don’t you go shopping like you said before.

Nahla: Are you not coming?

Santino: I have to make sure nothing attacks this city or else that Ripper guy will try to beat me up or something.

Nahla: before you leave, can you fly me over the swamp?

Santino: Sure, but when you go into the city you will probably need shoes to go into any of the shops.

They both walk outside. Nahla grabs onto Santino and they fly over the swamp’s mucky area. Santino puts Nahla down on top of a roof and flies away. Nahla jumps down from the roof and finds a shoe store. She walks inside the building.

Worker: No shoes, no service.

Nahla: I’m here to buy shoes.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Santino levitates high in the air. He sees a pack of wolves running through the swamp lands. The wolves look larger than normal. The wolf's eyes are blood red. A red gas comes off the wolf's eyes.

Santino: Are they getting faster? In the forest the monsters never even found me.

Santino thinks for a second.

Santino: Are these the monsters that attacked the elven village?

Santino holds out his hand. He concentrates and gold starts to form in his hand. The gold slowly forms the shape of a hammer. Santino descends to the ground. He slams into the swamp.

Santino: I wish I could ask you why you want the gloves. It’s not like you can use them. They don’t fit paws.

The wolves growl as they stare at Santino with bloodlusting eyes. The wolves all run at Santino. There paws stomping on the ground. The first wolf opens its mouth as its jaw is about to clamp down on Santino’s head. Santino slams the hammer onto the wolf’s stomach. The wolf rolls on the swamps muddy ground. A wolf bites onto Santino’s leg. Santino can feel the wolf’s teeth pierce his skin. Santino slams his hammer down onto the wolf. Another wolf bites his arm, throwing off his aim.

Santino: That’s it.

The rest of the wolves jump onto Santino and bite onto him. Santino flies up into the air. He looks down at the ground and takes a breath. Then he flies as fast as he can into the ground. He slams onto the ground. Santino lands crouched with one of his fists in the ground. He can see all the wolves blasted off of him. All of the wolves land on the ground. Santino stands up looking around. The wolves start to pick themselves up.

Santino: Do I really need to beat the shit out of these wolves?

The wolves run back at him. Santino slams the hammer on the wolves head while it was running. The next wolf jumps up. Santino moves his hammer up, smashing the top of the hammer into the wolf’s stomach. Then Santino jumps up and pounds the wolf on it’s back. The wolves hits the ground, kicking up mud. Another wolf runs up to Santino. Santino grabs the wolf by its snout. Gold comes around the wolf’s snout like a muzzle. Santino throws the wolf into another wolf. The last wolf jumps at Santino from behind. Santino turns around and grabs the two sides of the wolf’s jaw and looks into the wolf’s eye. He slams the wolf onto the ground.

Santino: There teeth are fucking sharp. That’s ridiculous.

## Milo - Chapter 10

Santino lands on the ground. Nahla gets off of him. Santino’s feet land in soft grass. Trees are scattered around. The trees' deep green leaves sway in the wind. In front of Santino is a small pond. The blue waters of the small pond has frogs jumping from lily pad to lily pad. A slight breeze blows past Santino and Nahla. Santino takes off his gloves. His suit dissolves off of him. He drops onto the ground and lays down next to the pond.

Santino: I feel like I haven’t taken off that suit in forever. It’s like taking your socks off after working all day.

Nahla: Enjoy it. Tomorrow we should be in Oregon.

Nahla sits down Near Santino.

Santino: After that can we go to Montana?

Nahla: What’s in Montana?

Santino: Just a sight.

Nahla: Like the Whitefish Mountain?

Santino: I guess. That’s not where we’re going though.

Nahla: Why so secretive?

Santino: It’s a surprise.

Nahla: I tell you everywhere we go. C’mon, I don’t like surprises-

A noise catches their attention. A man is whistling as he walks near the lake. He crouches down and splashes the pond water on his face. The man is average height with a muscular build. He wears tribal clothing. A giant axe is on his back. A few pieces of wood are set down next to him.

Santino: Ay! Who are you?

Nahla looks at him.

Nahla: We just showed up. You're already acting rude.

The man looks up at Santino and Nahla.

???: This is my pond, humans. You must leave.

Santino: We’ll leave before the end of the day.

???: No! You must leave now!

Santino: Why? Do you sleep in this pond?

???: You don’t get it. It’s dangerous.

Santino: I’m stronger than I look, guy. If a spooky monster shows up I’ll be fine.

Nahla: What kind of danger?

???: The pond is dangerous. That’s why I live here. To protect it. I was given the sworn duty.

Santino: By who? The lifeguard? Told you not to let anyone drown?

???: No, a smart man. He was a scholar and always carried a book with symbols on it.

Nahla: Could you read the symbols?

???: No, he wouldn’t teach me how to read the symbols.

Santino: Since we’re asking questions. What exactly makes this lake dangerous?

???: I don’t know. The scholar said the lake was dangerous but never told me why.

Santino: I think he was just fucking with you.

???: No, every night he stood at this lake yelling words I didn’t know. He knew it was dangerous.

Nahla turns to Santino.

Nahla: That sounds a lot like a mage.

Santino: What’s your name?

???: My name is Milo.

Santino: Alright Milo. We’re going to see how dangerous this pond really is.

Milo: You can’t!

Santino: When does the pond become dangerous?

Milo: I won’t tell you.

Santino: Then I’ll sit here and wait. My guess is nighttime.

Nahla: It'll be okay Milo. We know how to handle monsters and magic. I’m a mage and Santino takes down monsters all the time.

Milo: I need to go get someone that can help.

Milo runs off. Santino and Nahla sit there looking at the scenery and talking. Soon, Milo returns on the back of an animal. The animal is a giant turtle. On the turtle's back is a type of saddle. The turtle’s saddle is big enough for multiple people.

Santino: How will this turtle help?

Milo: The turtle knows magic.

Santino: Alright Nahla, there’s a point where magic is believable, but this ain’t it.

Nahla: You don’t need to believe him. He doesn’t even believe us. You’ll see if what he says is true.

Milo gets off the turtle and sits on the ground. Time flies by. Soon the sun has moved to the opposite side of the sky. The sky turns orange preparing for darkness. Santino wakes up from a nap.

Santino sees Nahla and Milo still sleeping. He looks into the pond. Something immediately catches his eye. In the center of the pond the water is black. The rest of the water is normal. He looks up at the sun and sees the sun slowly lowering. He looks at the black water and sees it’s slowly growing. Santino walks over to Nahla and lightly shakes her. Nahla starts to open her eyes.

Santino: Milo was right.

Nahla yawns. Her eyes are mostly closed, still getting used to the light.

Nahla: About what?

Santino: Look at the pond.

Nahla sits up and looks into the pond.

Nahla: The water is turning black.

Santino: You know magic. Is it like anything you’ve seen before.

Nahla: Maybe. It could be corruption.

Santino: What would that lead to?

Nahla: Uh, monsters, it could corrupt the other land outside the pond… Corruption changes land into the dark land. Anything you get in the dark lands will come to the corrupted lands.

Santino puts on his gloves. The golden suit appears on him. Milo wakes up and looks at the pond terrified.

Milo: It’s happening! The pond is changing.

The sky becomes dark and the corruption makes its way to the end of the pond. As soon as the corruption hits the end of the pond, it stop. Nahla looks at the pond.

Nahla: There is a barrier here. The corruption can’t move any further.

Milo: The dark water can’t, but it’s champions can.

Black hands rush out of the dark water and grab Santino. The hands pull Santino in the pond. Creatures start crawling out of the lake. The creatures look like they are made out of the pond’s dark water. As the mice the water making up their body splashed around. Milo takes out his axe and starts swinging at the creatures. He chops the head off of one of the water monsters. The water that makes up the creature hits the ground and slowly moves back into the pond. Then another creature is formed.

Nahla: Protect me Milo. I’m going to find a way to cure this pond.

## Dark Water - Chapter 11

Santino is on all fours. The black water is sticking to him. He rips his arms out of the water’s restraints. As he stands up his feet continue to get black water wrapped around them. Santino flies up and rips his legs out of the water. He moves over to dark ground. His feet land on the ground as he looks over at the pond. Pitch black frogs jump across the lily pads with their pure white glowing eyes.

Santino: What is this place? Is this where the corruption comes from? Some kind of dark dimension?

Santino looks at a rock on the ground. He crouched down and tried to pick it up. His hand moved right through the rock like the rock is water. Santino looks pensive as the rock reforms.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Nahla is on her hands and knees. Milo is striking the monsters down as they come with his axe, but the monsters persist.

Nahla: You have to keep all the different creatures in the circle

Milo: They just keep coming.

Nahla: You have to or else this will go on all night.

Milo keeps slicing at the monster, but they come one after another to take him down.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Santino sees the trees made out of the water all around. He moves his hand through a tree and it has the same effect as the rock.

Santino: I think I’m starting to understand this.

Santino sees wolves made of water. They chase after a water bunny.

Santino: This is just a recreation of the area around the pond. I don’t think this is another dimension. So how was this place created?

Santino walks over to the pond.

Santino: Since I came in through the pond, I should be able to leave through it.

Santino hears steps in the water. He turns around and looks behind him. A dark water version of Milo stands with his axe out. The dark Milo runs at Santino. Milo’s axe swings at Santino. Santino ducks under the axe and punches Milo in his gut. Milo moves forward into Santino’s shoulder from the force of the punch. Milo slams the axe onto Santino’s back with the sound of ripping. Some blood trails down Santino’s back. Santino pushes Milo off of him. Dark Milo throws his axe at Santino. The axe spins as it cuts through the air. Santino hits the axe away. The axe clinks as it hits Santino's golden glove. Milo front kicks Santino. Santino blocks the kick by pushing Milo’s leg down. Milo’s axe hits the ground with half the blade into the watery dark land. The axe looks like it melts into the ground disappearing. In Milo’s hand the axe reappears. Milo slices at Santino, cutting through his torso. Blood starts leaking from Santino’s wound.

Santino: Fuck, is Milo really this good of a fighter?

Milo slashes his axe back and forth. Santino knocks the axe out of his hand again. Milo punches Santino in the jaw with a right hook. In the air, the axe turns into water and soars back into Milo’s hand, reforming into an axe. Milo slices Santino’s leg with one movement of his axe. Santino falls onto the ground with Milo standing above him. Gold starts to appear in Santino’s hand. Milo swings his axe down on Santino and Milo hears a crack. A small piece of gold is chipped off the new gold hammer Santino used to block Milo’s axe. Santino moves his hammer up. Milo’s arms are pushed back, and Santino jabs him in the stomach with his hammer. Milo moves back a few steps and Santino gets to his feet. Santino jumps up and slams his hammer down into Milo’s head. Milo turns into water absorbing into the ground. Santino’s hammer hits the ground with no effect and Milo appears next to him. Santino swings his hammer to the side, bashing Milo’s shoulder.

Santino: I can’t beat water. I have to get out of here.

Santino looks around while Milo’s watery body reforms his shoulder.

Santino: The pond. If I came here through it then I should be able to use it to leave.

Santino runs to the pond and jumps in. The dark water sticks to his body wrapping around him and pulling him down. Milo runs over to Santino and swings his axe in a hopeful effort to kill him before he is pulled completely into the pond. Santino disappears into the pond and Milo misses.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Milo is swinging his axe, still knocking down the water monsters. Nahla watches him as she comes up with a plan.

Nahla: Milo, will these monsters follow us?

Milo: Yes they will.

Nahla: Then we need to run. Once we get far enough away, kill the monsters.

Nahla and Milo start running. The pond creates a few more monsters then stops. Six monsters chase them down.

Nahla: Now Milo!

Milo turns around and chops all the monsters down with his axe. The monsters turn into water and start moving back to the water. Nahla runs back to the water. As soon as he gets to the pond she gets down on her hands and knees speaking in some different language. She abruptly stops while watching the water come closer to the pond. She waits for the water. As soon as the water returns to its home, Nahla speaks in the different language, finishing the spell. The barrier around the pond turns green. The green aura from the barrier mixes with the pond, slowly clearing the pond of all the dark water. As soon as the dark water clears, Nahla sees Santino floating in the water. Milo runs into the water and grabs him. Milo pulls Santino onto the land.

Nahla: He’s got cuts. What was he fighting?

Milo: The pond.

Nahla takes off Santino’s gloves and starts giving Santino CPR. She starts giving him chest compressions. Then she punches his nose and breathes air into him. She keeps doing chest compressions. Santino coughs up water and sits up. Nahla takes a breath.

Nahla: Thank god you're alive.

Santino: I just needed a little air. You think I wouldn’t survive that?

- - - - - - - - - - - -

The sun rises as Santino and Nahla get ready to leave. Milo stares at the pond, losing himself in it.

Nahla: What’s wrong Milo?

Milo: I have been here with this pond for so long. It’s my mission to makes sure this pond does not hurt anyone for years. What do I do now?

Nahla: You could always come with us. We travel around the world looking for artifacts. We could always use another person to help us out.

Santino: I’m not flying him too.

Milo: I don’t need to be flown. I have my turtle.

Santino: How are you going to keep up with me on a turtle?

Milo gets on the turtle. The turtle starts running circles around Santino. As soon as the turtle stops Nahla gets on.

Santino: Is that thing even a turtle?

Nahla: Are you getting on?

Santino: I think I’ll fly.

The turtle runs off and Santino follows it.

## Adventurers Guild - Chapter 12

Nahla is running through a temple. She jumps over spikes and lands onto the sandstone platform. Two axes swing down. Nahla stays still and the axes move right past her. She steps away from the axes. A plate on the floor sinks as Nahla takes a step.

Nahla: Shit.

Nahla moves her hands. Wind blasts her forward. Arrows fly out of the walls. Nahla is blasted into a door away from the rest of the traps. Santino flies through the hallway full of traps. Santino carries Milo by his arm. Santino sets Milo down at the door before lowering to the ground.

Santino: Nahla, you were just flexing. I could have flown you over that nonsense.

Nahla: I didn’t get hit did I?

Santino: Not the point.

Santino kicks the temple door. The old door doesn’t open, it crumbles under the pressure of Santino’s kick. Santino crawls through the hole in the door. Milo and Nahla do the same.

Nahla: And what was that?

Santino: Looking cool. Some things need precision and style.

Milo: What are we looking for?

Nahla: I think it’s a book.

Santino look at Nahla like she’s stupid.

Santino: You don’t know?

Nahla: I have an idea!

Santino and Nahla start arguing. Milo sees stairs and walks up them. He finds a podium with a note card on it. He grabs the note card and walks back down to Santino and Nahla.

Santino: You can’t be trusted with anything!

Nahla: Who tried to start a fight in an elven village he had never been to?

Santino: I had that covered!

Nahla: And I have this covered.

Milo: It’s not here.

Nahla: What?

Santino laughs as Milo hands Nahla the card.

Nahla: We need to find Maya Davis. This is her business card.

Milo: She beat us to it.

Santino: Lost cause. We don’t need it. You don’t even use the orb.

Nahla: I’m still learning how to use it.

Santino: Then we’ll find a new trinket for you once you figure out how to use it.

Nahla starts walking out of the temple.

Santino: And now she is going to find this Maya woman. Meet us at Medford once you’re done!

Milo: What are we doing?

Santino: Something more important.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Nahla is in front of a giant building. The building is beautifully built. The design looks old fashioned, almost making the building look like a relic. The building is just off of a city that Nahla couldn’t be bothered to learn the name of. Nahla walks over to the door and grabs it’s golden handle. Above the door is the words “Adventurers Guild” on a gold plate. The giant door slowly opens. Nahla sees an opening room. There is a desk with a man standing behind it. Everything in the room looks so old that it should have dust on it. The giant door slams shut as it closes on its own. Nahla steps up to the man at the desk. The man’s hair is so gray it almost looks white. He wears a monocle that goes perfectly with his brown suit.

???: It has been a while since a mage came to the adventurers guild. Do you want to become a part of this illustrious group?

Nahla: Um, no. I came here because of this.

Nahla hands the man the card she found in the temple.

???: Oh, you want the artifact.

Nahla: I actually wanted to see Maya, but if I could just get the artifact that would be great.

???: Follow me.

A servant comes out from a door and leads the two into it. They start following the servant down a long hallway. The servant is wearing a tux with his hair slicked back.

Nahla: What’s your name?

???: My name is Walter Churchill.

Nahla: Churchill? That’s a unique last name.

Walter: I come from a noble british family. My family was full of explorers and archeologists. We founded this group in 1865. This guild has become very popular since then. We have a multitude of artifacts that we keep safe from monsters and villains.

Nahla looks excited.

Nahla: How many artifacts do you have?

Walter: Too many to remember them all my dear.

Nahla: Is Maya just one of the adventurers that have signed up with the guild?

Walter: No, she isn’t just a regular member. She is my daughter. She has her mother’s last name.

Nahla: How long is this hallway, jeez?

Walter: The guild needs a lot of different rooms.

Nahla: You’ll never need a bigger building with how many rooms you have.

Walter: You would think so, but most of the rooms are filled with treasures. We don’t just pile them all over the place like savages, so they take up most of the space.

Nahla: Do guild members live here? or is it more of a place to store artifacts?

Walter: Not many people live here, but our doors are always open. The rooms are fit for kings with masterly crafted furniture. The beds here are a delight to sleep on.

Nahla chuckles.

Nahla: You don’t need to sell me on it.

Walter: You’re correct young lady. I don’t have to sell this place, but I like talking about it. Many of the members are never here. They’re all young and spry. Always out adventuring. It’s a pain that I can’t be out there with them.

Nahla: Why can’t you?

Walter: These old bones just can’t keep up anymore.

The servant opens a door.

Walter: Ah, our door, finally. Step in.

Nahla walks into the room. She sees one trinket on a podium. The trinket is a green glowing cube. The cube floats barely above the podium.

Walter: I’ll finally have someone to talk to. Forever.

The servant closes the door. Nahla runs up to the closed door. She grabs onto the handle and pulls with all her might. The door won’t budge. Nahla looks around to see anything to pry the door open with. She sees the podium. The podium slowly starts to be enveloped in a dark green color. Nahla turns back to the door.

Nahla: Get me out of here!

## The Great Divide - Chapter 13

Santino and Milo sit on Milo’s turtle.

Santino: Does this thing have a name, or is it just Turtle?

Milo: I call him Big Green.

Santino: That name is perfect. I didn’t know you were a master at names.

Milo: I do see myself as a master.

Santino: I’m terrible at names. People call me Dynamo and I don’t even know why. I think some press came up with it because one day I started hearing the name Dynamo all the time. I don’t even really like it.

Milo: You don’t live in that city anymore, right?

Santino: Yeah.

Milo: Then why don’t you come up with a better name?

Santino: Like I said. I’m bad with names. I’d rather have Dynamo than for me to come up with something worse.

Milo: I get it. Where are we going?

Santino: We're going to Medford. We might take a stop or two before we get there though. I bet Nahla is gonna take a while before she makes it to Medford.

Big Green starts running along a bridge.

Santino: Does this bridge connect into the city? I thought we were farther away than that.

Santino and Milo sit in silence looking around at all the trees and land around the bridge.

Santino: It must be weird traveling around after staying at that one pond for so long.

Milo: A little weird.

Santino: I know the feeling. I was a city kid until a little while ago. Now I’m traveling the world.

Milo: Is it fun?

Santino: Eh, ups and downs. Depends on the person I guess. Something that you just have to decide yourself.

They hear a noise from under the bridge. Santino flies off of the turtle. He lowers himself below the bridge. He sees an old woman who collapsed. He lands on the ground and rushes over to her. Santino tries to help her up.

Old Woman: Oh, thank you.

Santino: Why are you under a bridge?

Old Woman: I’m a traveler. I have nowhere else to be.

Santino: You have no home?

Old Woman: I did once, but it’s far too gone for me to ever find it dear.

The old woman sits herself against the bridge.

Old Woman: I can tell when someone has a good heart. I want a good person to have this.

The old woman holds out her hand. Santino puts his hand out and she drops a little blue coin into his hand.

Santino: Thank you.

Santino looks at the woman. Her mouth forms a smile as her eyes close. Santino flies up to the top of the bridge.

Milo: What happened?

Santino: A woman gave me this.

Milo: It’s blue.

Santino: Yes it is Milo. I don’t know what it does. I didn’t get a chance to ask.

Santino rubs the blue coin with his thumb. The coin starts vibrating faster and faster. Santino throws the coin into the air. A blue portal forms in the air.

Milo: Woah. The woman must have been a witch.

Santino looks in the middle of the portal. The blue coin floats in the middle of the portal.

Santino: Milo, jump in first. Let’s see where this thing goes.

Milo: Me?

Santino: The coin is in the center of the portal. I’m going to try to grab it.

Milo looks nervous as he inches closer to the portal. Milo jumps into the portal. A puff of blue smoke comes out of the portal and Milo disappears. Santino gets ready to jump in the portal. He gets a running start and then leaps. As the portal starts to envelop his vision, Santino grabs the blue coin. The portal disappears, leaving the bride empty.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Santino falls onto the ground. Below him is a hard brown rock. The rock almost looks like it should be dirt. Santino looks around. He sees Milo looking down at something. Santino stands up next to Milo. He looks at the hole in the ground. An orangish color comes from the ground. A man is standing behind them. The man wears white robes. His blue hair comes out of the hood of the robes.

???: Why have you come here? For the sake of power?

Santino: Power? No, what even is this place?

???: You have somehow come to the Great Divide.

Milo: Divide what?

???: It divides the forces that one can manipulate. Without this barrier the forces would collide.

The man slows his talking down.

???: Why are you here?

Her eyes become a yellow color.

Santino: A woman gave us a blue coin! We are just here to see what this place is!

???: Then leave. This place is becoming too dangerous for anyone to be here.

They feel earthquakes beneath them.

???: Don’t come here again!

The man blasts them back with blue energy. Milo and Santino crash into the bridge. Big green is sitting in front of them.

Santino: Everyday I learn there are parts of the universe I never knew about. Space can’t even surprise me now with this shit happening.

Milo: Who was that guy?

Santino: Some guy that just blasted us back to earth. We need to keep this coin on us at all times. I don’t know what that place was, but the man seemed to be protecting it from people wanting power. No wonder that woman gave me this coin. I have to protect it.

Milo: We’re never going into the portal again?

Santino: I don’t know. I would say that we shouldn’t, but we’ll never know what’s going to happen.

Milo looks like he’s thinking.

Santino: Come on. It’s time to go to Medford.

## Maya - Chapter 14

The green from the podium continues to spread. The dark green colors start to convert the floor to the same ghostly aura. Nahla bangs on the door as hard as she can.

Nahla: Help! Let me out!

Nahla takes a step back from the door and takes a breath. She looks at the door and starts moving her hands. Wind flows around her hands as her two hands move around each other. She sends the blast of wind forward. The wind hits the door. Nothing happens.

Nahla: No, no, no. I have to open the door. I have no idea what that relic does.

Nahla creates a fireball in her hand. She sends the fireball into the door. As the fireball dissolves she realizes the door is unaffected.

Nahla: What?! The door is sealed!

Nahla walks over to the door. She puts her hand up. Foreign purple letters come off of the door like a hologram. Nahla reads the letters.

Nahla: It’s a weak spell. I can break it.

Nahla Turns around and sees the giant green spot in the middle of the floor. The green spot continues to grow, spreading faster by the second. Nahla turns back around and starts speaking in a foreign tongue. The green grows closer. The purple letters slowly disappear as Nahla speaks. Then the seal breaks and the purple letters fade away. Nahla opens the door and quickly steps out of the room. She shuts the door and runs down the hallway. Walter is happily walking in the hallway. He sees Nahla and looks scared. Nahla slams Walter into the wall.

Nahla: Where is your daughter?

Walter: She’s at the Tomb of Abraham! Please don’t hurt my daughter!

Nahla: I’m not going to, but if she is anything like you then she doesn’t deserve relics.

Nahla says something in a different tongue. Then she walks off. Walter sees green come out from under one of the doors in the hallway. He tries to move and sees a purple seal on his feet.

Walter: You can’t do this! I’ll be trapped here forever!

Nahla: You wanted to do it to me. Why can’t I?

Nahla walks out the front door of the building as the place gets devoured in a green aura.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

A temple stands before Nahla. The large temple is made of marble. The giant blocks of marble that make up the temple are so large they are unclimbable. Nahla walks up to the temple’s open door. The giant marble door is open just enough for her to slide inside. Nahla walks on the stone below her feet. Down a long path of stairs she sees a hallway. Traps are set up all over the hallway. All the traps look like they have gone off. Arrows are stuck into the walls. At the end of the hallway is a boulder. Nahla walks through the remains of the hallway. She climbs over half broken spears that come out of the wall. Nahla finds another door. She opens it up and walks inside the room. The room is filled with statues of people with markings of old writing all over them. Stairs lead up to a platform. On top of the ledge Nahla can see a woman.

Nahla: Are you Maya?

The woman walks over to the edge of the platform. She is wearing (description).

???: How did you know I was here?

Nahla: I talked to your father and he tried to trap me in his guild.

Maya: How do I know that you aren’t lying?

Nahla: You know your father. Would he do that?

Maya thinks for a second.

Maya: Why are you looking for me?

Nahla: You got a treasure before I did. I started tracking you down to figure out who you were, but then your father attacked me. I don’t want someone like your father having powerful artifacts. So I wanted to know whether you were like him or not.

Maya: Why would you track me down for a treasure I got first? You want me to give you this?

Nahla: That’s not what I meant-

Maya walks away from the edge of the platform. Nahla sees a pulse of magic come off of the platform. The statue’s eyes glow. The statues break out of their stone settlement and start walking. One of the statues slams it’s arm down at Nahla. Nahla rolls to the side dodging the statue’s arms. Nahla moves her hands around.

Nahla: I haven’t practiced earth magic much, but I can try to do something.

Nahla pushes her hands forward. Rock spikes come out of the ground and stab through the statue’s body. The statue punches the rocks, breaking the rocks down. Then the statue walks forward, the rest of the rocks crumble as the statue walks. The statue punches Nahla in the chest. She hits the ground struggling to breath. A piece of rock falls from the ceiling and lands on the statue. Nahla looks up to see the temple is starting to crumble down.

Nahla: Put the artifact back!

Maya looks down at the statues coming to life. She sees rocks falling from the ceiling. Then Maya takes a breath and puts the artifact back into its place. The statues stop. Then they walk back to their original locations. Maya jumps down from the ledge and runs over to Nahla.

Maya: We need to get out of here before the temple falls in on us.

Maya helps Nahla up. Nahla coughs as she catches her breath.

Nahla: I’m good. Let’s just go.

They run out the door. As they get to the hallway they see pieces of the floor have fallen. Maya jumps across the tiles like she has done it one thousand times before. She lands on a piece of floor that has no floor around it. She takes a step back and runs across the wall. She lands on an area with more flooring and rolls. Nahla jumps up and blasts herself over with a blast of wind. Nahla reaches for the ledge of the floor. She barely misses and Maya grabs her hand as she falls. Maya pulls Nahla up to the floor and they run out of the building. They run down the outside stairs of the temple. Behind them the temple collapses. Dust flies out from the temple.

Nahla: Thank you for saving me.

Maya: I couldn’t just let you die.

Nahla: You really know your way around a temple.

Maya: I’ve been going through them since I was a kid. My father took me everytime he went on an adventure. When I grew up I started doing it on my own, but lately he has been weird. He’s mad whenever someone comes to the guild because we don’t see him often enough, but then he yells at us for not getting more artifacts. I just don’t feel like going back there.

Nahla: You could always come with me. I walk around with a group. We look for magic items and travel around.

Maya: I can’t just leave my father.

Nahla: When you come back just tell him you went out to get more artifacts. You said he wanted more artifacts.

Maya: Okay. I’ll go with you, but where is the rest of your group?

Nahla: We’ll meet with them at Medford.

## Atlanteans - Chapter 15

Santino sits on the edge of a building. He throws rocks into a trash can that sits on the other side of the street. Milo watches him.

Santino: I fucking bet you can’t get ten in a row.

Santino hands Milo a rock. Milo throws the rock and misses the trash can. The rock hits the ground.

Santino: You couldn’t even get one in.

Santino whips a rock at the trash can. The rock slams into the metal can and the trash falls over.

Santino: That’s how you throw a rock.

Someone speaks from below the house.

Nahla: Stop throwing rocks down here!

Santino: Finally. Took you forever to show up.

Santino flies to the ground. Milo jumps off the roof. They see Maya and look confused.

Santino: Who’s this?

Nahla: It’s Maya. She’ll be traveling with us from now on.

Santino turns to Maya.

Santino: What can you do?

Maya: I know a lot about artifacts and I can make my way through a tomb easy.

Santino: Of course you would want a girl that can help you get artifacts. Alright, everyone get on the magical giant turtle so we can go to Portland.

Maya: What? Turtle?

Santino: She didn’t tell you about the giant turtle?

The turtle comes out from an alleyway. Milo and Nahla get on the turtle.

Santino: That’s your ride.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Santino flies into Portland. He overlooks the city. Santino’s eyes overlook the many buildings all around. Far into the city there is a body of water that flows from the ocean. Santino lands on the ground and the turtle stops near the building. Santino walks to the edge of the roof and looks down at Milo, Nahla, and Maya getting off of the turtle.

Maya: This creature is amazing. Who could have thought of a giant fast tortoise.

Milo: No, it's a turtle.

Maya: It walks mostly on land. Wouldn’t it be a tortoise?

Milo: No.

Santino: Why did we even go to Portland?

Nahla: I heard that there are atlanteans here.

Santino: Fish people?

Nahla: Uh…

Maya: They are like people, but they can live under water. You wouldn’t be able to distinguish an atlantean from a human. I don’t know why they would be here since they live in the Atlantic.

Nahla: That’s why I want to see them.

Santino: You three find the fish people. I’m going to look for someone.

Nahla: Who are you looking for?

Santino: Someone that knows where to go.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Nahla, Milo, and Maya get off the turtle as it stops on the Portland beach. They hide behind a rock looking at the water.

Maya: What do we do if Atlanteans show up?

Milo: What do we do? Why are we looking for them?

Nahla: I just wanted to be able to see them. We can’t get closer because I heard they are aggressive.

Milo: We have to leave the fish people alone?

Nahla: We’ll have to.

They see the water start moving to the side like something is rising.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Santino lands in a back alley. He takes the manhole cover off of the sewer. He drops the manhole cover on the ground. He can hear the clinking of metal. Slowly a portal appears in the sewer. Santino jumps into the portal. He feels a second of dizziness and then he appears in Ozak’s spaceship.

Ozak: What do you need, Santino? I’m busy.

Santino: With what?!

Ozak: I protect the planet. I’m busy with everything.

Santino: I need to know where Alex Miller is.

Ozak: Which one?

Santino: He lives in Montana.

Ozak typed something on the computer. Santino feels the ship shakes as it moves around the earth and stops at Montana.

Ozak: The most famous one is an engineer in Helena.

Santino: Thank you.

Ozak: Don’t forget to watch out for Atlanteans. You know they hate you.

Santino texts Nahla and leaves the ship. Ozak goes back to his work.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

People in armored suits come out of the water. Their suits look like scuba suits, but they have water filling up the inside. They all hold tridents in their hands. One man is leading them. He has no scuba suit on. He has armor only over his legs and torso. He has a long cape that follows behind him. He has blond hair and pale skin.

Maya: I need to speak with them.

Maya comes out from behind the rock.

Maya: Hello, I mean you no harm. I just want to know about your people.

The leader points at Maya. One soldier lifts his trident up and a blast of water flies out. Maya jumps behind the rock and the blast of water disperses as it slams into the rock.

Maya: Why are they so aggressive?

Nahla: I don’t know.

The Atlanteans procede to move through the city.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Santino leaves the sewer and steps out of the alleyway. He sees he is surrounded by Atlanteans.

Santino: Shit.

Santino flies into the air. He is blasted out of the air by water. Santino lands on the ground and an Atlantean cuffs him. They pick him up and drag him away As the Atlanteans get back to the water, Nahla sees they have Santino.

Nahla: We need to help Santino!

They all hop out from behind the rock. Atlanteans turn around and shoot water at them. The Atlanteans move into the water keeping Nahla, Milo, and Maya at bay with the blasts of water.

Nahla: We can’t get closer.

Maya: And we can’t follow them in the sea.

Soon the Atlanteans all go under the water.

Milo: We couldn’t help him.

Nahla: We’ll find Santino.

## Under Seas- Chapter 16

Santino is cuffed in the back of what seems like an underwater spaceship. The ship glides through the water. Santino feels like he is in the back of a moving car. Santino sits in a weird seat he has never seen before. In front of him is another seat. He sees someone is sitting. In front of the other man is a giant window. Outside of the window is water as far as the eye can see. Other ships like the one they are in pass them by. Santino realizes there is a pane of glass in between him and the other person.

Santino: He can’t breathe air.

Santino kicks the glass and breaks a hole in it. Water starts flowing into Santino's part of the ship. The other person turns around angry. The person is blue with fish-like anatomy and gills. A crack that spreads through the rest of the glass starts growing when Santino moves his foot. The glass shatters and the water flows around in the ship. The water reaches above Santino’s head. Santino headbutts the atlantean into the glass window. The window cracks a bit. The atlantean picks up a trident next to him and thrusts the weapon into Santino. The weapon barely cuts into his skin. The atlantean runs him down with the spear pushing Santino up against the back of the ship. Santino kicks the trident up and off of him. Then he jumps to the top of the ship. He gasps for air for a second and then he feels something grab his foot. Santino is pulled down into the water and slammed against the bottom of the ship. The atlantean stands over him with the trident. A blade of gold appears in Santino’s hand. The atlantean slashes at Santino, but Santino cuts the atlanteans torso. He sees the fish man’s red blood flow into the water. Santino thinks to himself.

Santino: ‘How do I get out of the ship?’

Santino swims up to the top of the ship and breathes for a second. Then he swims back down looking for a way out. He looks out the window and sees rock.

Santino: ‘Shit.’

The ship slams against the rock. Santino and the water move all around while the ship spins out of control. The ship hits several rocks as it falls down to the bottom of the ocean. Everytime the ship hits a rock it stills for a minute shaking before the spinning continues. Then Santino feels the ship dragging against the ground as the momentum stops. Santino swims to the surface of the ship gasping for air. There is barely any air left in the ship. As Santino’s head stays at the surface he sees the water level climbing. He swims down the the bottom of the ship to see a hole in the window. Santino sits himself in the atlanteans chair and starts kicking the window. With two strikes the glass breaks and Santino starts swimming away. He makes it twenty feet and his lungs feel like they are drained. His movements slow and his eyes close. He stops moving.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Santino wakes up coughing water out of his lungs. He looks around gasping for air. The first thing he sees is bars. The bars look like a dark iron. He feels the rough texture of rocks on his hands as he moves his hands on the floor. His eyes darted around the room. The walls are made of the same dirty white rock that is on the floor. Water droplets fall from the ceiling and travel down the walls of the rooms. Santino stands up and walks over to the bars. He feels the bars and tries to pull them apart. The bars don’t move and Santino looks down at his hands holding the bars. He realizes he doesn’t have his gloves.

???: We’re both locked down here, big guy. You ain’t getting out.

Santino: I remember that voice.

???: You should. It hasn’t been too long. I don’t think you’ll ever forget my voice Sonny.

Santino: Who are you? You must be someone I know.

Santino hears someone moving against the rocks. Two hands slam against the metal bars as the man pulls his face to the bars. The man has a long malicious smile. He wears armor-like gear, but the gear is ripped enough that the armor may no longer be useful. His blond hair is unkempt. His dark eyes are large and sporadic. Santino thinks the man may be trying to look into his soul. He is holding onto the bed like a spider monkey.Both his arms and legs are holding the bars.

Santino: Doug?

## Poseidon’s Trident - Chapter 17

Years ago, Santino, Ozak, and Doug were on a boat floating at sea. Doug puts on his scuba gear. He holds the helmet in his hand. Santino has special gear on. His gear only covers his head with air tanks on his back. Ozak stands behind the wheel of the speed boat.

Ozak: You both will go down to Atlantis. The Atlanteans got possession of Poseidon’s trident. With that trident they can control the seven seas.

Santino: If they already have it then won’t we be killed if we go down there? We’ll be going into a domain the Atlanteans have absolute control over.

Ozak: They have it, but they can not use the trident yet. A group of Atlantean soldiers retrieved the trident. They are bringing it to the king who I believe is the only Atlantean that may be able to wield the power of Poseidon’s trident.

Doug: Then we beat up the Atlanteans, show em who’s boss, and steal their shit. Easy as taking candy from a baby. What kinds of weapons do these fish people run arou- No, swim around with?

Santino: Yeah, what do these fish people have?

Ozak: They modeled their weapons after the one they worship, Poseidon. They have two types of weapons. Obviously the first type of weapon is the trident. They tried to recreate Poseidon’s powers by installing the tridents with the ability to fire consecutive blasts of water. Their force can even knock you down Sonny.

Doug: Look at you Sonny! You finally found something that can knock you on your ass.

Ozak: The second type of weapon they use are water guns.

Doug: Did you come up with that name?

Ozak: They normally use bigger weapon types. They are like water cannons. They shoot highly compressed shots of water. Watch out for those. They can destroy your air tanks.

Santino: Stay close, or else they’ll keep us at bay with blasts of water. I think I can manage that. Doug might need some back up.

Doug: I do all the work. Thank the blade.

Doug flips the knife in his hand. The blade is a normal sized combat knife. It has a wooden handle wrapped in black cloth. A metal cover goes over the handle. The fine steel of the blade has a tiger carving engrained in it.

Santino: You lucky you have that knife. You’d never be able to catch up to me without it.

Doug: You’re jealous.

Ozak: Watch out for sharks.

Santino jumps into the water. Doug puts his helmet on and takes a deep breath before leaping into the water making a splash that sends some water onto the boat. Ozak turns off the boat’s engine. He sits down in his chair and opens his mini fridge. He pulls out a sandwich and starts eating.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Santino and Doug swim down as fast as they can. Santino moves much quicker than Doug. Santino is almost out of Doug’s sight.

Doug: I hate this guy. Always showing off.

Doug’s blade glows yellow. His body glows yellow for a second and he starts swimming faster. They both swim as fast as they can. The pressure of the sea can be felt leering over them. They see nothing but darkness. The flashlights on their helmets turn on, but it doesn’t make the darkness any less terrifying as they swim deeper into the unknown. Hours of what feels like aimless swimming goes by. They can’t tell whether they are swimming further down or higher up. Then Santino lands on the ocean floor. Doug lands a minute afterwards. They start speaking to each other through intercoms.

Doug: Fucking figures. Ozak’s dumb ass can’t read a map. He dropped us in the completely wrong location.

Santino turns on his helmet’s night vision mode. He looks around and sees all the rocks and hills under water. He sees something moving in the distance. He zooms in on the moving thing. He sees the group of Atlanteans.

Santino: Fish people. They are 2 clicks north.

Doug: That’s a whole damn mile.

Santino: Then swim. Maybe it’ll go faster.

They both start swimming as fast as they can. In a few minutes they stop swimming. Santino crouches behind a rock. Doug does the same. The group of atlanteans will soon swim past them.

Doug: How do we get close?

Santino: I’ll shoot at them with gold. That’ll distract them. You run in while they are focused on me.

Doug: Get ready for fish kabobs. Cut perfectly.

Santino makes gold bullets in his hand. He stands up from behind the rock and walks forward. The Atlanteans see him and put up their tridents. The gold bullets move out of Santino’s hand and fire at the Atlanteans. An Atlantean above the others aims his water cannon. The cannon is a dark steel color with blue colored sides. The sides glow as it charges. A bullet grazes the Atlantean’s shoulder. The man doesn’t falter. He fires the cannon. Santino makes a shield of gold and tries to block the blast. The force of the water pushes Santino through the water like he’s nothing. Santino only stops moving when he hits a rock. Doug stays behind the rock waiting for a good moment to strike. One of the Atlanteans cautiously swims past Doug’s rock to see if Santino is dead. As he moves past Doug’s rock, Doug pulls him down behind the rock. The Atlanteans look shocked. Then they see red come up from behind the rock. The Atlantean’s body slowly rises from behind the rock.

Atlantean: (Someone hides behind the rock)!

They blast the rock with their tridents and guns until the rock pulverizes. Doug raises his hands in defeat and smiles. The Atlanteans blast him with water. Santino rises up from the rock. Santino sees his air tank is damaged. Gas is leaking out. He quickly tries to come up with a plan. He stands up and slowly walks over to the Atlanteans. He hold up his hands as he walks over to them. They look at him with their guns raised and aimed. Doug looks at Santino dumbfounded. Santino kneels down to the Atlanteans with his hands raised.

## Doug - Chapter 18

The Atlanteans cuff Santino and Doug. Doug tries to fight back from getting cuffed. He struggles but the Atlanteans quickly grab him and force the cuffs on him. Slowly Santino and Doug are walked back to one of the Atlantean’s ships. The Atlantean’s stuff both of there prisoners into one ship. Santino and Doug sit down in the chairs. A man gets in the chip and starts driving it while Santino and Doug sit in the back.

Doug: What the hell?! When do you give up so easily? We could have taken them. Our bad we didn’t know the water cannon can’t be blocked. After that we would have beat them up.

Santino: It’s not about whether we could fight them or not.

Doug: Then what is this about? You just felt like getting captured?

Santino: The air tank on my back broke like Ozak said. If I didn’t get us captured I would have drowned.

Doug: Ozak said watch out for one thing and you couldn’t even do that.

Santino: My bad. I didn’t expect the tank to break that easily. I tried to block the water blast, but as you saw, that didn’t go too well.

Doug: We need to find a way to stop that cannon before we break out.

Santino: Is there a way to stop it?

Doug: That’s what we need to figure out.

Santino: Water is all around us. Once that shot is fired the damage is done.

Doug: Fine, we take out the water sniper then.

Santino: That's all we can do.

Doug: How exactly do we take him out when this fishy sniper has long rang on us.

Santino: Keep everyone off of me and I’ll throw a gold javelin at him.

Doug: You better put some power behind your arm. You are throwing that javelin under water.

Santino: I’ve got it.

Doug: I have one question.

Santino: What?

Doug: When Exactly are we supposed to take these people down because your little air take is missing the air that you need to be able to fight underwater.

Santino unlocks the air tank from his mask. He moves the air tank out from behind him. The air tank falls off the seat and hits the ground.

Santino: I’ll have to use the ship.

Doug: You are going to die. Without fail you are about to drown at the bottom of the Atlantic ocean and eaten by fish people.

Santino: I can hold my breath.

Doug: Long enough to fight fish soldiers? I don’t think so.

Santino: That’s the plan. That’s the only way to do this. Once we beat up these fish soldiers take one of the ships. You’ll have to fly it because-

Santino looks at the glass wall between them and the Atlantean driving the ship. He specifically looks at the water on the other side of the glass.

Doug: I’ll shofer you up to the surface where you can breathe.

Doug grabs the knife out of his back pocket. He glows for a second and then he moves the knife around. The knife grinds on the metal of his handcuffs and the handcuffs snap. He shakes his arms out and then slices through Santino’s chains.

Santino: Whatever metal they use is strong. We should ask Ozak what they use.

Doug: I couldn't care less. I’m no blacksmith.

Santino: Whatever.

Santino makes a spear. He stabs his spear through the glass. The spear pierces the Atlantean driver. Santino can see blood on the spear as the Atlantean droops over the control panel of the ship. They feel their ship hit the ground and drag to a halting stop. Doug spins his knife around.

Doug: Let’s go kill some fish!

Doug opens the door to the ship and jumps out while Santino forms another spear in his hand. Doug swims out. Santino hears shots. Santino swims out and sees the Atlanteans shooting water out of their tridents. The Atlantean leader aims his gun. The gun’s blue sides light up. Santino throws the spear as hard as he can. The spear slices through the gun, disabling it. The general starts swimming away from the fight. Santino sees the general looks like he is moving towards one of their ships. Santino follows the general.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Doug: You fish can’t do anything to me.

Doug swims at the fish. They blast Doug with water. Doug slices the blasts in half with his knife. He gets close to an Atlantean. The Atlantean swings his trident at Doug. Doug blocks the strike with his knife. Doug front kicks the Atlantean in the stomach. The Atlantean moves back and Doug grabs the Atlantean’s trident pulling the man closer. Then Doug stabs the Atlantean in the stomach with his knife. The knife turns in the Atlantean’s stomach. Doug lets the Atlantean fall to the ground and starts using the trident to blast back at the Atlanteans.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Santino swims up to a ship and opens the door to the air side. He gets in the ship. He sees the general with a new gun. The golden trident is laid against the wall next to the general. The general charges up the gun aiming it at Santino. Santino puts out his hand trying to create a spear as quickly as he can. The gun fires. All the water in the ship propels forward in one giant wave. The glass shatters and the wave slams Santino into the back of the ship. The general puts down the gun and picks the trident up. He swings the trident. Santino looks up still distorted from the wave. The general is slashing the trident down on him. The gold spear finishes and Santino blocks the trident’s strike. Santino kicks the Atlantean in the stomach and his body moves back. Santino stabs his spear forward. The general stops his foot down on the spear and thrusts his trident forward. The trident moves straight for Santino’s head. Santino lets go of his spear. The general falls down a bit and stabs Santino through his stomach. Santino can feel the three spikes on the trident go through him.

Santino: Ah!

The general quickly rips the trident out of Santino’s stomach. Santino drops to his knees and the general kicks the spear to the other side of the ship. Then the general gets ready to decapitate Santino. He swings his trident and Santino moves his hand closing his eyes. Santino hears the trident drop.

Santino: ‘Thank god.’

Santino looks up at the gold spear inside the General’s chest. The general falls to the ground. Santino picks up the Trident as he stands up. Santino swims to the top of the ship. He breaths in the small air pocket that's there. Then he swims to the door. He opens up the door and moves outside. Doug is standing in the middle of the floating dead bodies of the Atlanteans. Red water is all around Doug.

Doug: You got the trident! Nice.

Santino sees lights from other ships off in the distance.

Santino: Get into the ship! Others are coming!

Santino and Doug swim over to one of the ships. Santino holds his stab wound as he swims. Santino gets in the back and Doug gets in the front. Doug looks around trying to find the controls. He presses a few random buttons and the thing starts moving. Doug pulls a lever that makes the ship move faster. He steers the ship up and pulls the lever as hard as he can. Santino looks out the back window to see ships following them. Water blasts fly by the ship. One of the bullets hits a mountain. A giant rock starts falling from the mountain.

Doug: It’s going to hit us!

Doug sees a button he recognizes on the ship. He presses the autopilot button and grabs a trident.

Doug: I need to stop that boulder.

Doug opens the door to the ship and swims out. Santino sees the door quickly close. Santino can see very little out of the window. He watches Doug swim up to the rock. Doug charges up the trident and blasts the rock. The rock splits into two. Half of the rock falls to the right of the ship. The other half falls to the left, hitting Doug.

Santino: No!

Santino looks out the back window and sees the rock slowly falling.

Santino: Doug!

## Swim - Chapter 19

Nahla: We have to go after them.

Maya: We can’t follow them. Their home is the water. We can’t move as fast as they do and we can’t fight them.

Nahla: What do we do then? Just sit here and wait?

Milo looks shocked.

Milo: There has to be a way to get him back.

Nahla stares at the water. She looks at the endless nature of the water. It looks like if you fell in you’d fall forever. Nahla looks like she got an idea.

Nahla: The magical dimension!

Maya: The magical dimension?

Nahla: You can travel to different places through the dimension. There are a bunch of different portals to earth there. One of the portals has to be the way to get to Santino.

Maya: How do we get to the dimension?

Nahla takes a deep breath.

Nahla: I can bring you, but you have to know that the place is dangerous. We’ll be traveling through a lot of different places. If neither of you have magic then you will most likely die during the different challenges. You two barely even know Santino. Especially you Maya. I can’t ask either of you to go with me.

Maya: I- I don’t want to go.

Milo looks around.

Milo: Me neither.

Nahla looks at her phone.

Nahla: Then go to Helena Montana. I’ll meet you two there with Santino.

Milo and Maya walk off.

Nahla: I don’t even know Santino that well, but he would save me if I needed it.

Nahla reaches into her bag and grabs a mushroom out. She taps the mushroom while speaking in tongues. The mushroom dissolves into a powder. Nahla breaths in the powder. Her eyes slowly close.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Nahla wakes up on the floor of a room. The room is solid rock. Nahla stands up in the room. She sees no opening anywhere. It almost looks as if she has been encased inside a rock.

Nahla: I’ve done this before.

Nahla looks at a specific part of the room focusing as hard as she can. She moves one hand down and a rock door forms. The door swings open. Nahla walks out of the room and through the door. Cautiously, Nahla walks down a long hallway. The hallway is a dirty white. Every few feet there is a black line along the entire hallway. The line makes the hallway look like it's been created from giant white blocks. The hallway is only a few feet wide. It reminds Nahla more of a tunnel than a hallway as she walks down it. Nahla meets an intersection with three different paths.

Nahla: Left was fire. That’s where Santino was. Right was air.

Nahla stares down the middle pathway. She feels like she is going to have an anxiety attack.

Nahla: Middle must be water.

Nahla slowly walks down the middle pathway. She looks terrified of what could be on the other side of the tunnel that she has been aimlessly walking down. Nahla stops moving when a door blocks her path. The door is the same color as the tunnel. It’s so invisible the only way you can tell there is a door is from the barely visible handle. Nahla opens the door. She closes it behind her. A blue room stands before her. All the walls are painted with a dark blue color. Below her feet is a floor matching the same color as the walls. In front of her feet is a giant tank. The tank looks like a circular underground pool. Nahla can’t see any animals in the water. She sees some coral and sand at the bottom of the pool.

Nahla: What am I supposed to do?

Nahla reaches out in the water. She touches the water and quickly moves her hand back like she touched a hot stove. Nahla holds her hand above the water. She moves her hand around but nothing happens. Nahla sighs.

Nahla: I can’t control the water if I am afraid of it.

Nahla tries to stick her hand in the water. She can’t do it. Nahla stands up and starts pacing.

Nahla: It’s for Santino.

Nahla walks over to the door and turns around. She takes a deep breath.

Nahla: I need to.

Nahla runs at the pool and jumps. She lands in the pool kicking up water. Her eyes close and she starts picturing something.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Young Nahla is following a mage in robes. Nahla looks to be about six.

Mage: Nahla, you will pass this test. If you don’t. Lashings.

Nahla: Yes, Sir.

The two walk into a room with a pool.

Nahla: What do I have to do?

Mage: You will go under the water and try to use your abilities to move the water around. You want to move water away from your mouth and nose so that you can breathe while underwater. Do you know what to do? Tell it back to me.

Nahla: Move water away from my mouth and nose so I can breathe.

Mage: Good. Get in the water.

Nahla walks over to the stairs. She steps down the stairs and into the water.

Mage: Come over here.

Nahla swims over to the side of the pool.

Mage: Are you ready?

Nahla: Yeah.

The mage grabs Nahla’s head and pushes her down into the water. Nahla flails her arms around. The mage holds her there for twenty seconds. He holds her there checking the watch on his arm. Then he lifts her up. Nahla is gasping for air.

Mage: Breathe... Again.

The mage pushes Nahla’s head back into the water.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Nahla swims up to the surface. She is gasping for air.

Nahla: I’m okay. I can do this. I just need to figure out what is different in this room. What do I need to change?

Nahla looks down at the water. She sees the one piece of coral. She smiles and swims down to the coral. She moves her hands around to control the water.

Nahla: It’s like controlling the air.

Nahla uses the water to pull up the coral. The piece of coral lifts up. Under the piece of coral a door rises from below the sand. Nahla closes her eyes and pictures Santino in her head. She grabs the door’s handle and it glows with a gold aura as she opens the door.

Tellal - Chapter 20

Santino is holding the iron bars.

Santino: Doug? You’re alive?

Doug: Who the hell else would it be you fucking scoundral. What an Ironic twist of fate. I tried to sacrifice myself for you and then you get yourself captured by the same fish that I saved you from.

Santino: Have you been in jail this whole time?!

Doug: Just in jail? No. Been a slave? Yes.

Santino: What are you talking about?

Doug: The Atlanteans have created all these different contraptions. Humans are far behind them in that, and you were almost killed by a general. You think these beings would just throw me in a jail to rot?

Santino: So they make you do what? Mine?

Doug: No, fight. They make us fight for their own entertainment.

Santino: You made me think that they forced us to do something productive.

Doug: It inspires their own people.

Santino: I understand why. I want to know what you have been doing this whole time. Have you just fought enemy after enemy everyday?

Doug: Not every day. It depends on what they are doing that day. Sometimes the colosseum doesn’t have a fight. Other days they do a 24 hour battle royal.

Santino: So they-

Doug: When one of their champions lose they make them fight all the useless fighters. They make fighters come out one after another for twenty four hours.

Santino: Why? No one will sit there and watch for that long.

Doug: But they do. Don’t worry. You’re a new fighter. What they will do is put you up against a decent fighter for a limited amount of time. You’ll be able to take out the fighter so don’t worry.

Santino: They have a whole system? How do these Atlanteans always watch these shows?

Doug: Same times every day. Usually one day’s battles only last an hour. It’s more of a tradition for them to watch people fight in the colosseum.

Santino: What if they make us fight each other?

Doug: They won’t.

Santino: How do you know?

Doug: They make their own Atlanteans fight newcomers so that they aren’t killed instantly.

Santino: Makes sense.

They sit in silence for a minute.

Santino: Doug.

Doug: Yeah?

Santino: I’m sorry I didn’t go after you when you got hit by the rock. I thought you died, and if I left the ship I would have drowned.

Doug: At first I was so angry at you that everyone I fought here I pretended they were you. I beat them to a pulp because I was so angry that I was just left behind. Neither you nor Ozak came back for me. Then I realized that I can’t expect you to know I was there. Even if-

Santino: We did go back down for you. Ozak and I looked for you, but you were gone. I thought you died. It never even crossed my mind that the Atlanteans captured you.

Doug: Then you did all I could ask for. If you jumped out of the ship to save me you would have just ended up here with me.

Santino: We’ll break out of here together.

Doug: Don’t get too hopeful.

Atlantean guards walk over to Santino’s cell.

Atlantean: You will be fighting Tellal in five minutes.

Doug's eyes widened.

Atlantean: You will get your gloves before the fight.

The guards walk away.

Santino: What’s with your face?

Doug: You're not fighting a decent fighter.

Santino: Then who am I fighting?

Doug: You're fighting a champion. You’re going to get beat to shit.

Santino: Then I’ll just have to fight as hard as I can.

Doug: No, I’ve fought her. Nothing I did worked.

Santino: You’ve never fought me.

Doug: I have always kept up with you.

Santino: Have you?

The guards come back.

Doug: You son of a bitch…

The atlanteans open up the door on Santino’s cell. The grab Santino and drag him out of the cell. One Atlantean puts a collar on him. The other pushes him forward.

Atlantean: Walk.

Santino walks forward. They walk through a long hallway until they reach the stairs.

Atlantean: Climb.

Santino starts climbing the staircase.

Santino: What exactly does this collar thing do?

Atlantean: When its on. If you try to escape. You will instantly be knocked out by electricity. It shoots volts up to your brain telling your brain to go to sleep.

Santino: Great. Does it work underwater?

Atlantean: Yes. It’s waterproof.

Santino: That’s always good. Can’t have electronics under water if they aren’t waterproof.

Santino tries to act calm as he leaves the stairs. They walk him into a booth. He sees an iron door in front of him.

Santino: Cool, cool. Where are my gloves?

One Atlantean hands Santino his golden gloves. Santino puts the gloves on and his suit comes on top of him. He looks down at the collar and it’s still active.

Santino: ‘Damn.’

Atlantean: The door will fall. You will walk out.

The two Atlanteans leave the booth. A door closes behind them, shutting Santino in. Santino can hear faint cheering from the other side of the door. Then the door drops down. Santino walks out onto the sand of the colosseum's battlefield. He hears booing as he walks over to a woman in the distance. Santino stops once he gets to a little mark on the ground. He looks at the woman. She has long pink hair, pale skin, and armor. Her armor is blue and gold. She has tight fitted blue atlantean battle gear. Gold highlights are all over her torso and legs. There are two gold plates on her shoulders that look like giant shurikens. Those gold plates hold up her blue cape. Her armor looks like it’s made of mostly cloth and light armor. On her back is a sheathed sword with a gold handle and blue case.

Tellal: I have chosen to fight you in your own turf, surface dweller. The colosseum will stay mostly air as long as we fight. I hope you will show me the same respect in battle.

Santino: Uh, thanks. Really helps.

Announcer: Fight!

Tellal slowly walks over to Santino. She presses down on her gold plates. They fall off and her cape lays on the floor. Her hand reaches back and unsheathes her sword. The sword is pure steel with waves in the blade like water. Santino creates a gold sword in his hand. He starts running at Tellal. Tellal does the same. Their blades crash into each other. The audience can hear the sound of the metal bang against each other. Tellal swings her blade for Santino’s stomach. Santino barely manages to block the blade. Tellal’s blade stops right next to Santino’s side. Tellal side steps and slashes Santino’s side. Santino grabs his side and slashes his blade for Tellal’s shoulder. Tellal parries Santino’s sword. The gold sword splits in half.

Tellal: You can not fight me. You are not a good swordsman.

Santino: I’m not good with many weapons.

The handle of Santino’s sword grows to become a warhammer.

Santino: But I am good at using my strength.

Tellal swings her blade. Santino blocks it with the warhammer’s handle. He pushes the hammer forward, moving Tellal’s arm up. Then Santino jabs Tellal in the stomach with the back of the hammer’s handle. Tellal stumbles back. She looks up and Santino swings his hammer. The hammer collides with Tellal’s right shoulder. Santino hears a crack and Tellal flies ten feet and into the ground. Tellal lifts herself up with her left arm. She grabs her right arm and pops the bone back into place.

Tellal: You are an actual warrior. I’m sorry I didn’t fight you like one.

Tellal stands up. She runs at Santino kicking up sand as she runs. Her blade slashes at Santino’s leg. She cuts the back of his kneecap. Santino drops to one knee. Tellal runs from behind him and stabs at his back. Santino turns around and blocks the sword with his hand. The sword collides with his gold glove. Dust kicks up like a tornado around Santino from his turn. Santino slams the front of the warhammer into Tellal’s stomach. Tellal falls backwards into a roll. She lands on her feet, crouched down.

Tellal: Time to add in a little water.

Water from above the colosseum comes down in vicious streams. Santino drops the warhammer and creates a gold shield in his hand. The streams of water splash into the shield, corroding it. Little by little gold pieces fly off of the shield. Then the shield snaps in two. Water keeps coming. Santino swings his arm down. The gold hammer descends from the sky coming down on Tellal.

Announcer: Time’s up.

The streams of water stop mid air and drop onto the ground making a splash. The gold hammer lands next to Tellal. Dusts fly up as Tellal hears the sound of the hammer hitting the sand. Tellal and Santino stare each other down as they both walk back to their booths.

I Trust You - Chapter 21

Santino lays on a hard rock surface above the ground. The surface is rectangular and looks like it could be used as a table. Dynamo lays on the surface as a bed. Doug does the same in his own cell. Both Dynamo and Doug lay in the dark with their eyes open. They just stare at the ceiling.

Doug: I watched your fight.

Santino: Was it entertaining?

Doug: A little. You were kind of getting washed by Tellal’s skill. You’re lucky you have the power to back yourself up.

Santino: Did I look that bad?

Doug: To a professional? Yeah. The crowd probably thinks of you as a fan favorite now. You held your own against a champion in your first fight.

Santino: What is it like living here?

Doug: Don’t tell me you’re thinking of living here-

Santino: Of course not. I just want to know.

Doug: You fear every time a new match comes up because you never know whether they’ll pin you against someone just so you get killed. You wonder everyday whether people still like your battles because if they don’t you’ll die. You fight to survive just so you can get thrown back into a jail cell with a hard ass bed. You don’t know what will kill you first, back pain or the colosseum.

Santino: Hm…

A portal opens up outside of Santino’s cell. Santino gets out of bed and runs up to the bars. The only source of light in the room is the portal. Nahla walks out of the portal still wet from the water. Guards run up to Nahla as the portal closes. Santino can barely see anything in the dark. One guard swings his trident at Nahla. Nahla moves her hand and blasts him with wind. The atlantean guard slams into Santino’s cell’s bars. The other guard blasts water from his trident. The water stops inches in front of Nahla’s face. Nahla struggles and pushes her hands forward. The water launches into the atlantean. The guard near the cell bars picks himself up. Nahla grabs his trident from the floor. The guard runs at Nahla. Nahla swings the trident and the guard blocks it. The atlantean guard kicks Nahla in the chest forcing Nahla to the ground. Santino creates a gold throwing knife. He whips his arm forward, throwing the knife into the guards back. The guard falls onto the ground next to Nahla. Nahla stands up with the other guard. The other guard takes off his water damaged mask. Nahla fires water from the trident at him. He uses his gauntlets to block the blasts of water. Doug reaches his arm out and grabs the back of the guard’s collar. Doug pulls the guard into the bars. Nahla runs over and swings the trident, knocking the guard out.
‘
Santino: Nahla, I love you. You are amazing.

Nahla holds out her hand. Fire ignites in her hand, shining light. Nahla uses the light to find and grab the key off of the guard Doug is holding. Once she grabs the key Doug drops the guard onto the ground. Nahla unlocks Doug's cage and then Santino’s cage.

Santino: I didn’t think you would come. How did you get here?

Nahla: I used the magic dimension.

Santino: Last time when we finished we just ended up in the same place. I thought it was more like a dream.

Nahla: It can be. Depending on the portal you leave through you will end up in a different place.

Santino: So how do we leave?

Nahla: Can this guy use magic?

Santino: His name is Doug. He was an old partner of mine. He has a magical knife. Will that help him like the gloves helped me?

Nahla: It should.

Santino: When you said “Depends” does that mean that our bodies disappear from here or-

Nahla: They will, but you have to give it some time.

They hear alarms go off.

Santino: So we need to find somewhere safe to stay?

Nahla: Yes, but only for a little while. It should only take us somewhere between five and ten minutes.

Doug: C’mon, stop asking questions! We have to go before we get run down by a school of fish!

Doug runs out of the room and through the hallway. Santino and Nahla follow closely behind. They scale the stairs as fast as they can. They see a speaker above them.

Speaker: Prisoner Santino Shaw has escaped.

Santino: How do they know my name?

Doug: We’ll talk about it later.

They see guard run up from in front of them. They see a line of guard blocking them from going forwards. Santino turns around and sees another line of guards behind them.

Santino: We forgot there is only one exit to the prison!

Doug: I see that!

The guards aim their tridents. Then from behind they hear the patterning of running footsteps. A blade slashes through the backs of one line of soldiers. Santino sees Tellal standing with her bloody blade as the bodies of the atlanteans fall to the ground.

Tellal: Follow me.

Santino, Nahla, and Doug run behind Tellal. The guards fire blasts of water from their tridents. Tellal stops the water with one motion of her hands. She pushes her hands forward and the blasts of water fire back at the guards. Tellal runs off and Santino’s group follows her. She leads them to a room. She opens the door and the group walks inside. Tellal slams the door shut and pushes her body against it.

Tellal: Why did you break out?! The whole colosseum is bustling with guards. You can’t escape Atlantis! The ships to leave here are miles away!

Santino: We can. You just need to protect us.

Doug: We can’t trust her! She’s a champion! Who’s to say that she won’t just kill us?

Nahla: Do we have any other option? We’ll get caught anyway.

Nahla takes out a mushroom and turns it into dust. She blows the dust into Santino and Doug’s face. Then she looks at Tellal.

Nahla: I trust you.

Nahla breathes in the dust and lays down.

## Open Eyes - Chapter 22

Santino opens his eyes. A gray fish is staring at him. Santino jumps back once he sees the fish's weird face. Air bubbles fly out of Santino’s mouth as he moves back from the fish. Santino realizes he is under water. When he reaches the surface he gasps for air.

Santino: How am I alive?

Santino looks at the ledge. He climbed up the ledge and stood on the surface. He looks at the blue room. The room has no doors in sight. Santino looks at the water and sees coral on the sandy floor. Santino closes his eyes and focuses. He looks around with his magic eyes. He can’t see magic anywhere. He looks up at the ceiling and finds nothing. Santino crouches down near the water and finds nothing below the water’s surface.

Santino: Damn, where’s Nahla?

Santino hears a door opening. He turns around and sees a blue part of the wall open up like a door. Nahla stands in the doorway pushing the door open. The white hallway behind her is so mesmerizing it almost looks like a portal. With a second glance Santino can tell what it really is.

Santino: Why don’t we ever show up in the same place?

Nahla: I don’t know. One of the many mysteries about this place I’ll never figure out. C’mon, we have to find Doug.

Santino follows Nahla into the white hallway. As they walk Nahla keeps her hands on both sides of the hallway.

Santino: Do you need help walking?

Nahla: No, I do this to keep barings on where I am. When you're in a room like this you can easily lose track of how far you’ve gone. Some people would go mad in this kind of place.

They stop at a door the same color as the walls. It almost looks completely invisible.

Santino: A dead end.

Nahla: No, this is the door to the wind area. I came in through the fire area and you came in through the water. So Doug is either in the wind or earth area.

Santino: How do you get to the other places if there is only one door?

Nahla: The hallway only leads you to the door you want to go through. That’s why you only see one pathway.

Santino: The door changes.

Nahla pushes the door open and walks into a new room.

Nahla: All the time.

As they take a step forward into the room they see the blue of the sky. Once their feet leave the white hallway the door quickly shuts and they feel like they are falling. Santino tries to fly but nothing happens. They see a spec of something below them. As they fall the spec gets closer soon they realize the spec is a human.

Santino: Doug, are you okay?

Doug: I’m fine. Except for the fact that I’m living everybody's worst nightmare!

Nahla: It’s okay. I remember this trial.

Nahla waves her hands around and they all stop moving.

Doug: So what? If you didn’t come and save me I would have been stuck falling.

Nahla: Aren’t you happy I saved you?

Nahla turns around and walks up to a door that has appeared behind them.

Santino: That was not there.

Nahla opens the door. Santino and Doug follow her through the opening. They stand on a square platform that looks to be in the middle of space. In front of them is a portal.

Nahla: Hopefully this is the portal out of here.

Doug jumps into the portal.

Santino: After you.

Nahla walks into the portal and Santino follows her. Santino opens his eyes to see earth. He sees scarce trees around and grass beneath his feet.

Santino: We’ve escaped Atlantis!

Doug looks at the sky in amazement.

Doug: It’s been too long.

Santino: What are you going to do now?

Doug: I don’t know.

Santino: We’ll we-

Doug: I know you Sonny. You don’t turn down a mission. A mission made me lose years of my life. I’m not doing that again. I hope we see each other some day, but for now I have to create my own path.

Santino nods his head.

Doug: And don’t tell Ozak I’m free. He’ll try to get me to do a mission.

Doug walks off.

Nahla: Now we need to go to Portland. Wherever that is from here.

Santino: I have no idea, but you ain’t got no turtle so I have to fly your heavy ass now.

Nahla: I am not heavy!

Santino: You’re like a towing on my back.

Nahla: Good.

Nahla holds onto Santino and Santino flies into the air.

## Purple Stone - Chapter 23

Santino lands on a building in Portland. Nahla lets go of him.

Nahla: We’re finally here.

Santino: I had to stop and ask someone where we were because you can’t read a map.

Nahla: There isn’t any service up in the sky? How was I supposed to use an app?

Santino: I said a map not an app.

Nahla: Oh, I didn’t see you finding out where we are from a map. It’s harder than it looks when you have no idea where you are. What was even worse was the monsters chasing us.

Santino: Yeah, I get it. Where did you tell them to go anyway?

Nahla: Uh, Portland.

Santino: They could be anywhere in Portland?

Nahla: Yes. It’s better than checking around the world.

Santino: Get on.

Nahla grabs onto Santino. Santino flies into the sky and soars around as fast as he can. His eyes dart across the city scanning for Milo and Maya. He sees them standing in an alleyway. Santino lands on the ground near them.

Santino: Why are you hanging out in an alley?

Maya: Why not! We had to stay outside so you could find us, but people were everywhere. Why if all places Portland?

Santino: There is someone here.

Nahla: I thought you said it was something you wanted to see.

Santino: No, it’s someone. He can take the curse off my gloves. I won’t have to always move around. If I want to I won’t even have to leave a city. At least I hope he can. I was told he could.

Nahla: Who?

Santino: Alex Miller.

Maya: We’ve seen signs of him posted everywhere. He is the owner of a big business here.

Santino: Which one?

Maya: I think it said Zinc Incorporated.

Santino: Zinc Inc. What a great name. Is it a lab?

Maya: Yeah.

Santino: I’m going to check it out. Y'all can do whatever until we meet back up here.

Santino flies into the sky. He quickly looks around for the tallest building. A giant sign on the building says Zinc Incorporated. Santino soars through the sky traveling closer and closer to the building. He sees a balcony on one of the top floors of the building. His feet land on the balcony. Inside the building he sees a man with medium length wavy black hair. The man sits behind a desk looking at Santino like he’s crazy.

???: What do you want from me?

Santino: Are you Alex Miller?

???: And if I am then what will you do next?

Santino: I need help. I was told by some crazy old man that you could help me.

Alex: What do you need?

Santino takes off his gloves.

Santino: These are magical, but they have a curse. The gloves attract monsters wherever you go. So I constantly have to be on the move.

Alex: I can try to remove the curse, but it’ll be messy. Follow me.

Alex walks into an elevator. Santino joins him. Alex takes off his necklace with a key attached. He puts the key into a keyhole in the elevator control panel. When he takes the key out the elevator moves up to a room that no button reaches. The elevator doors slowly slide open. Santino sees a giant room. There are book shelves, desks, and trinkets. In the center of the room is a big machine. Alex walks over to the machine.

Alex: If anything can reverse the curse, it’s this. This was a machine I built to give objects power, or, as you can imagine, take it away. When this thing turns on it will send out shockwaves of power. That’s why I said it would be messy. We just need a power source.

Santino: What kind of power source?

Alex: A magical one. There is a place right outside of here. I wasn’t able to get it because the place is restricted. Magic can’t be used there. That means your gloves won’t work either.

Santino: I know someone that can get it for us.

Santino texts Nahla. Within half an hour Alex comes out of the elevator with Nahla and Maya.

Santino: Where’s Milo?

Nahla: He didn’t want to come.

Alex: Milo…

Santino: Huh?

Alex: Nevermind. The name just reminded me of something.

Santino: Maya, we have a mission for you. You see this big machine here? It needs a power source. The closest power source is in a…

Alex: An underground temple. You’ll find a purple stone. That is the power source.

Santino: I can bring you to the temple if you want me to.

Maya: That would be simpler.

Santino and Maya walk into the elevator. The elevator goes down one level and they walk through the building. They stop at the balcony and Maya grabs onto Santino. Santino rises off of the ground and moves through the air like a jet. Soon he was at the outskirts of the city. Santino was looking around for a place that resembled a mine. As soon as he saw it out of the corner of his eye, he started descending rapidly. Maya holds on tighter as they come at the ground like a comet. As the ground approaches nearer, Santino slows down and comes to an almost delicate land. Maya lets go of him.

Maya: That was terrifying.

Santino: Was it really that bad?

Maya: Yes.

Santino: Fine, I’ll be a bit more gentle next time then.

Maya walks up to the mine. It resembles the entrance to a cave except in the cave are stairs leading down to a dark unknown area.

Santino: I’ll wait right here for when you come back up.

Maya walks down the stairs. Each step the tunnel gets darker. Then as Maya reaches pitch black. The tunnel gets brighter again until the stairs stop. Maya steps off of the stairs and into a room that looks like a dungeon. There are lit torches on the wall. The rooms look like something in an old castle. The walls are made of stones and the ground is pure dirt. Maya sees an open path in front of her. She leaves the room through a tunnel. As she walks through the tunnel she hears the dirt start to move. A skeleton hand comes out of the dirt reaching out for something. The rest of the skeleton climbs out of the dirt. The skeleton swings the iron sword he holds in his hand. Maya grabs the skeleton’s arm and kicks him back. The arm pops off of the skeleton. Maya takes the sword out of the dislocated arm’s hand. Then she cuts off the skeleton’s head.

Maya: This place is guarded by the undead.

Maya walks into the next room. The floor is made up of only iron spikes. Above the spikes looks like a jungle gym for a dare devil. There are tons of different obstacles to get to the other side. Maya takes a deep breath.

Maya jumps onto a swinging rope. She holds on tight and swings herself back and forth. The rope starts moving and she jumps over to a ladder on the wall. Her body slams into the ladder. Before she falls, she holds onto the steps tight, saving herself. The ladder starts to fall down and she jumps over to a pole coming out of the wall. As Maya holds onto the pole she looks around for something to jump to. All that is in between her and the next room is a bar above the area for the next room. Maya jumps onto the bar and the bar snaps. She falls down and pushes herself off of the wall. Maya lands on the dirt surface. In front of her is the tunnel for the next room. Maya walks through the tunnel. At the end of the tunnel is a podium. The podium has a purple stone in the center of it. Maya walks over to it.

Maya: When I remove this. I’ll have to beat up a lot more skeletons.

She picks up the stone and starts to feel the ground shake.

## Santino - Chapter 24

Maya looks at the walls as they shake. Skeleton hands come out of the wall. An army of skeletons land on the ground and start walking over to Maya. Maya hears a noise. It sounds like something is cutting through the air.

Maya: What’s happening?

Santino flies in through the tunnel. He moves through the air like a jet. His body cuts all the skeletons as he flies through them. He lands next to Maya.

Santino: Let’s get out of here.

Maya: How do your powers work?!

Santino: Once you pulled the stone my powers worked.

Maya grabs onto Santino and Santino flies back through the temple. Maya sees everything as a blur as Santino quickly moves through the rooms. Before Maya knew it, they were in the air, flying back to the city.

Maya: I might not have made it out if you didn’t come and get me.

Santino: Thank god the stone stops blocking off powers once it’s picked up.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Santino and Maya come through the elevator.

Nahla: How did you-

Alex: I gave him a key. Did you get the power source?

Maya: Yup, right here.

Maya hands Alex the purple stone.

Alex: Perfect.

Alex puts the stone into the machine.

Alex: All we need is your gloves.

Santino: One thing. Someone might try to stop us if he sees those shockwaves. Nahla, can you stall him?

Nahla: Who?

Santino: He uses magic. His name is Ozak. He won’t kill you. He’s a hero, but he won’t understand what we are doing.

Nahla: Yeah, I can stall him.

Santino and Nahla walk into the elevator. The elevator doors close and the elevator slowly lowers.

Nahla: Don’t you think he would agree with you if he was a good guy?

Santino: No, he’ll probably think it’s too dangerous.

Nahla: Is it?

Santino: I don’t think so.

The elevator stops. Santino and Nahla walk over to the balcony. Nahla grabs onto Santino and they fly down to the ground. Santino runs to an alleyway. Nahla follows him. He lifts up a manhole cover and a portal starts forming.

Nahla: Do I just jump in there?

Santino: Yup. You’ll be on his spaceship. Try not to break anything. You might get lost in space.

Nahla jumps into the portal. Santino flies up to the balcony. He goes into the elevator. Soon he is up at the top of the building.

Alex: Can we finally get on with this?

Santino: Now we can.

Santino takes off his gloves. Alex opens up a part to the machine. Santino puts his gloves inside the machine.

Maya: Do we just wait once the machine starts?

Alex: Yeah, I mean… It shouldn’t take all that long, but we’ll still have to wait.

Alex closes the part to the machine and presses a button. He steps back and the machine starts making noise. A purple wave of energy comes off of the machine. They hear something from the elevator. It sounds like the elevator dropped. A few minutes later the elevator door slowly opens as if someone is prying it open. The door opens up just enough to see someone’s face.

Alex: He’s here!

Santino: Milo?!

Milo pulls the door open. He takes a few steps forward.

Milo: I’ll be taking the gloves.

Santino: What?

Alex: I thought I stopped you when I stopped your pond from spreading!

Santino: You were the one who put the barrier up? Milo, who are you?

Milo: My name is Milo. I was created from the dark pond that you made pure. Alex is the mage who put the barrier up to stop my pond from spreading. You don’t have your gloves. The only one that can fight me is Alex.

Santino: No.

Milo runs at Santino like a bull. He slams his shoulder into Santino’s chest. Santino falls to the ground struggling to breath. Milo throws his axe at Alex. Alex dodges the axe. When he looks up, Milo is standing in front of him. Milo wails on Alex. He punches him again and again slamming his hands down on Milo’s head and torso. Then Milo gives Alex one powerful right hook. Alex falls to the ground knocked out. Maya grabs a knife off of one of the desks and stabs Milo in the back. A seal of purple letters comes around the knife. Milo tries to pull the knife out, but the blade won’t move. Milo grabs his axe and hits Maya in the temple with the back side of his axe. Maya hits the ground in a daze.

Santino: You forgot about something else I have Milo.

Milo: Your coin. Give it to me. They’ll never give you any powers.

Santino: It’s worth a try instead of just dying to you.

Santino tosses the coin. A portal appears and he jumps into it. His hand grabs the coin and the portal disappears. Milo runs up to the portal, but it disappears before he can jump in it.

Milo: Damn you!

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Nahla walks through the portal on Ozak’s spaceship. Ozak is standing at the control panel, watching everything. He intently looks at the controls and earth. Nahla takes a step thinking Ozak doesn’t see her. Before she can get any closer Ozak puts his hand up.

Ozak: Why are you here, girl?

Nahla: To fight you.

Ozak sees a red energy wave from Santino’s location on earth. He turns to the girl and starts walking over.

Ozak: To distract me. Move out of the way. I need to stop Santino.

Nahla: I’m not letting you through this portal.

Ozak: You are a petty wizard compared to me.

Nahla: You're not a mage, are you?

Ozak raises his hand. A black energy appears in his hand like he is holding black fire.

Ozak: Be scared.

Nahla blasts Ozak back with wind. Ozak slides on the ground, but does not fall over. Nahla keeps up the wind. Ozak slowly walks forward. The wind doesn’t do anything but slow him as he walks closer. Nahla stops the wind. She sent a fireball at Ozak. Then the wind again. When the wind collides with the fireball, the fire engulfs the entire spaceship. Nahla sees the fire get sucked into something. In Ozak’s hand is a little black portal. The portal disappears when the fire does.

Ozak: I don’t know why you are helping him. If he just takes off the gloves then monsters won’t follow him.

Nahla: Wait-

Nahla looks at Ozak. When she blinks he is gone. Then she turns to her side and Ozak slams his forearm into her head. Nahla hits the ground hard. She sees a gauntlet under his trench coat. Ozak picks Nahla up and throws her over his shoulder. He walks through the portal carrying her.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Santino appears on the rocks of the Great Divide. The man from before stands there.

Santino: I need your help.

???: You need nothing.

Santino: Milo, the man I was with before, took my gloves. I need the power to be able to defeat him.

???: Last time you came here I asked you if you wanted power. You assured me you would never need it.

Santino: I can’t see the future. Is there any way you could give me power for like ten minutes. So that I could get my gloves back.

???: You can’t ask this of me.

Santino: Who are you?

???: My name is Kakakol. The protector of the Great Divide.

Santino thinks for a minute.

Santino: If I go back there he will have a way to get here. He wants power. He’ll come here to take it. This place is crumbling. You can’t be distracted by him.

Kakakol sits in silence.

Kakakol: I will give you powers for three minutes. You will get the strength to be able to take your enemy down. Then you will never ask anything of me again.

Santino: Done.

Kakakol points at Santino and Santino glows orange.

Kakakol: You will be bestowed your power and the timer will tick once you leave this realm.

Santino: Thank you.

Santino throws the coin and jumps through the portal. He takes the coin with him.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

A portal appears where Santino left. Santino walks out of the portal. Milo is standing with an axe in his hand. Santino glows orange.

Milo: He really gave you powers.

Santino: Hell yeah he did.

Santino runs at Milo. Santino’s fist shoots forward and slams into Milo’s gut. Milo comes a little off the ground when he gets hit. Milo falls back to the ground and elbows Santino’s shoulder. Santino feels nothing and front kicks Milo back. Milo throws his axe at Santino. Santino knocks the axe out of the air. Milo runs at Santino. Santino does the same. When they are about to collide, Milo rolls on the ground and picks up his axe. Milo heavily swings his axe into Santino’s back. Santino’s back starts bleeding and he falls forward.

Milo: You may be stronger than me, but you can’t shrug off an axe.

The machine stops. Milo runs over to it. Santino starts picking himself off the ground. Milo opens up the machine and takes the gold gloves out of it.

Santino: No!

Milo drops his axe and puts on the gold gloves. The gold armor appears on Milo’s body. Milo starts levitating. In less then a second he appears in front of Santino. He gives Santino a right hook, and Santino flies back. As Santino is moving through the air, Milo appears behind him and slams his arms down on Santino’s head. Santino is forced into the ground.

Milo: You had all this power. Wow, I never noticed. Seems you never use it.

Santino coughs blood. Milo hears someone. He turns around and Ozak flies through the wall, breaking the wall. Ozak lands on the ground and puts Nahla down.

Milo: Another person trying to stop me.

Milo flies at Ozak. Milo punches, but Ozak grabs his fist. Then Ozak headbutts Milo. Milo’s body moves back. Ozak pulls him in and knees him in the stomach. Milo bends over from the pain. Ozak pushes Milo over and Milo falls to the ground.

Ozak: I believe you said Santino never used his power. He used it better than you can. You never noticed because he doesn’t take joy in beating people up that can’t fight back. Look at you. I pushed you over and you fell.

Ozak stomps on Milo’s stomach and pulls the gloves off his hands. Ozak walks over to Santino.

Santino: What's up Ozak?

Ozak stomps on Santino’s stomach.

Santino: I deserve that.

Ozak: What if removing your curse caused monsters to come to this city? Think about the consequences of what you do, Santino.

Ozak drops the gloves on Santino.

Santino: What about you. Doug’s been in a prison the last few years.

Ozak: He’s a soldier. He got caught. That’s part of the job. Directly causing civilian deaths is not.

Ozak flies out of the hole in the wall. Santino stops glowing orange. He puts his gloves on and stands up.

Santino: What are we going to do with Milo?

Milo picks himself up.

Milo: What are you going to do with me? Nothing. I am just dark water. You can never stop me.

Milo turns into dark water and the water washes out of the hole in the wall. Santino runs over and sees the water turn into droplets as they disappear into the city.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Everyone wakes up. They move down to Alex’s office.

Santino: Thank you Alex. Now that this curse is gone, I can do whatever I want.

Alex: If you ever need something else, come to me. I might need payment next time though.

Santino: Nothing’s ever for free.

Alex: Not in the business world it isn’t.

Maya, Santino, and Nahla get in the elevator. The elevator slowly descends.

Santino: What are you going to do now Maya?

Maya: I don’t know. I guess now that you have finished your journey I’ll start my own. I’ll figure out what I want to do.

Santino: Good on you.

The elevator stops. They start walking through the lobby and Maya runs off.

Santino: What are you doing Nahla?

Nahla looks off.

Nahla: Did those gloves only attract monsters when you had them?

Santino: Why?

Nahla: You risked Maya’s life, told me to beat up Ozak, and Milo almost killed us so that you could keep the gloves.

Santino:...

Nahla: Why do you need them so bad?

Santino: What am I without the gloves? The only thing I am outside of the gloves is some guy that likes video games. You wouldn’t have kept me around if I wasn’t as strong as I am.

Nahla: You almost got us killed so you could feel better about yourself. Goodbye Santino.

Nahla walks away. Soon she disappears into the crowd. Santino leaves the building and flies into the air.

Santino: Back to home.

Santino flies away.