Chapter 5

The Destruction of the Cloisters

Thorn spurred her horse along a foreign path, she hoped this risk was worth it. Her senses vibrated and whirred through the empty prairie.

She found his emanation.

The one with wings.

It grew stronger as she approached.

His fear was so strong it was a taste.

Must get back.

Fear was the hardest emotional not to empathize with. She had to remain focussed.

Below him, Flight saw the caped figure of Thorn.

"Oh Crud."

She heard his voice. She could feel the breeze of his wings against her face lessen. He was landing. She turned around and grabbed her bo staff. And jumped off the horse.

She judged the air around her. He was getting closer.

"Alright lady, Tag you’re it."

She rolled away from his assault.

Thorn lifted her hand and his pistol gravitated toward her hand. She tossed it aside.

Flight flew higher.

"Okay. I guess this isn’t going to be a fire fight then."

She turned to face the noise.

"Would Milady prefer a wind fight then?"

She braced for impact.

"Air attack."

A huge gust of wind knocked her over upside down. She crashed into the ground, landing on her feet.

"Damn you’re good."

Thorn split her bo staff into quarters.

Flight watched her strange action in wonder. She started using the bo like nunchuckas. She kept on spinning them faster and faster. The air started to rush around her, and around him.

"Alright what’s going on."

The nunchuckas cut through the air creating it’s own static electricity. A field of pure magnetic power started forming. Lightning crackled around her head.

Flight tried to fly straight.

"Oh no you don’t." He used his air attack to counter her magnetism. He flew up as high as he could.

"Talk about your animal magnetism."

A bolt hit him the second he opened his mouth.

He winced.

"All right fine baby. You want a piece of me."

He curled himself into a ball

"Fine."

He hurtled into the duck fists first. Knocking her over. She reattached her bo staff.

"Man I feel like Super Pig."

The second he spoke she smacked with the butt of the staff.

How is she doing this?

The hit was good but wide so Flight ripped the staff out of her hands. Her natural strength was not really strong at all. He yanked it away easily and forced her to the ground.

She flipped him over her and they began circling each other.

"Well that’s just-"

She kicked him.

"Oh I get it. You only attack when I talk."

She kicked him weakily in the stomach.

Flight turned the staff silently and walked around her. She didn’t even notice.

He brought the bar against her chin.

"What a matter with you? Are you blind or something."
Thorn struggled against the bar, and knocked off her mysterious hood.

Flight dropped the staff.

"Oh my god."

He stepped back.

Thorn had to catch her breath.

"Of course you idiotic big mouth." Thorn said.

Where she should have had feathers, she had green fleshy skin, covered in brown veins pumping blood. Even her bill was covered in these veins, all up her forehead, quivering and pumping.

But her eyes. Her eyes were worse. Large and pink, like two venus fly traps, with long red tipped tendrils where there should have been eyelashes.

She grabbed her staff.

"Sometimes you have to pay the price to get what you deserve."

She said dramatically but facing the wrong way.

"I’m over here."

Flight said pouncing on her. He punched her in the bill, and put her in a headlock, her wiry blond hair added to the gruesome effect.

"You get beaten by an ugly stick? You look at yourself or something?"

Thorn couldn’t break out of the headlock. He put the hand restraints on her.

"You’ll never get all of us. You’ll never get it back."

"Get what back."

"The Elludium is too powerful for anyone to own. And we need it."

"Lady what are you talking about?"

"Don’t play dumb with me." Thorn said. "Frappe’s got it so well hidden you’ll never find it. I couldn’t even find it."

Flight turned away from her repulsive face.

"No matter what you do to me. It won’t matter."

"But it’s gonna hurt."

He knocked her unconscious with the steel staff and tied her to a fence post.

"Well Miss Pickle Puss McDucke it’s been a real trip." He saluted. He pulled the hood back over her face, and planted a homing device on her bill. Hey she couldn’t see it anyway.

He flew back to the ranch.

***

Flight arrived. He landed.

"What’s up?"

"We just ran into some of our new friends. Lets mosey on outta here."

Static and Random ran to their horses.

"I’ve always wanted to say that." Flight cooed.

Serena watched the three young men and looked at the sky.

"This is gonna be harder than I thought."

She ran inside and prepared for trouble.

Thorn walked all of twenty feet before realizing there was a homing device on her head.

What a complete moron? Like she couldn’t hear the thing buzzing on her bill. Just because he knew she couldn’t see it. She came across a strange emanation. Normally she would have run at the sight of a baby snarfidrax. But she had a wicked idea.

Don Karnage spurred on his horse.

"Hiya." He said squeezing his heels into the beast.

Oracle could barely keep up edging her horse along mentally as well.

The Don Karnage stared back at her.

Oracle glared this was going to be the deadliest race.

Flight, Static and Random arrived to the place where he left Thorn tied up.

There was nothing there.

"I left old Picklepuss here."

Random sniffed the air and looked at a tiny sliver of wood.

"She ran in that direction. Into the grass field."

"She escaped. Man she is good."

"How are we gonna catch her now?"

"I attached a blinker to her head."

"How’d you do that?"

"Well she can’t see it. She’s blind."

Static asked horrified "You beat up a blind woman?"

"She started it throwing you across the street and stuff."

"But we’re supposed to be compassionate and understanding. How is gonna look if we beat up blind women?"

"What’s a matter Sputterspark afraid they’ll kick you out of the Junior Woodchucks?"

"We must hunt her now." Random cut off the senseless debate.

"The Homing device says she’s going that way." He pointed towards a tree

"No she’s not. She starts that way but changes directions. Over there"

"Uh Random. This is the way she’s going. The Homing device doesn’t lie."

"Look you can go one direction, we’ll head the other." Static suggested.

(DJK)

Random and Static padded along silently.

Thorn lifted her head.

There was something wrong.
She heard only one voice. She saw two bodies.

That other one is clouding his mind from me how is it possible. Usually it was when thoughts were complex and many that she could read minds, but this one had only two thoughts in his head.

Hunt down.

She arrived at the Cloister.

Frappe and Disquette stared at each other.

"Where’s Justin?"

"We found the assasins. They lured him out to the graveyard. You’ve got to.

"Whoa Frankie take it easy." Frappe said holding her up.

Buddy stared at his son smiling.

"You go off son. I’ll take care of her."

"I’ll be all right if I can stay awake. I fought Flight. He knows my weakness."

"God I never should have let you go to chapel alone at a time like this."

"I can take care of myself."

Yeah well, Daddy’s money isn’t going to get you out of this one."

"Shut up you plebian half wit."

"Plebe. God, you don’t even know how to insult right."

"Are you implying I don’t know what Plebian means. It means some uncultured, pathetic, …knobby-"

"Let’s give Lil Miss Moneybags a big hand she used a word under four syllables."

One of her and Frappe’s fights would definitely keep Frankie awake, if she didn’t evaporate him first.

Disquette was on guard.

"Hey Frankie, were you followed."

"I couldn’t tell, my head hurts."

"I think we have incoming."

"What, how could they have found me? I planted that homing device somewhere else."

"They must have tracked you on foot."

"Oh Uncrappe." Frankie complained. "They found the Cloister."

"Don’t kill yourself Moneybags. These aren’t your average Toughs. These guys are friggin crazy."

Brian sighed.

"I better start packing the equipo. I’m gonna miss this old place."

"It’s just a building. We’ll find another." Frankie said.

"I’ll contact Don Karnage immediately and tell him."

"Come on Frappe, we gotta drive them away from the Cloister." Dolly said.

"But what about Frankie."

"I’ll take care of her Frappe. You go drive those assasins away." Brian said.

Frappe darted his head a few times.

Frankie would have stared had she the same eyes.

"Get out of here you Plebe."

"I’m not a plebe."

Dolly jumped in the truck.

"We can move faster if we split up."

"What are you doing?"

She looked suspiciously.

"I’m taking the truck. I can’t float around in a ice cloud like you can’t."

"Dolly, please I’ll drive. That truck contains the elludium. They’re going to be."

"So that’s where you hid it." Dolly smiled.

"I can’t let you take that risk."

"You have to. This is an emergency. If the FO get to the Cloister before we clear out they’ll have access to all our information, our contacts, who the cell leaders are… This is for the Revolution."

The young duck stared at him.

"We’ve got to lure them away."

The dog looked at his brave young comrade

"With any luck their intelligence reports still say that I have the elludium. If you run any trouble forget about the elludium and run. You hear me Quackerwitz?"

"We’ve got to lure the FO away."

Disquette revved up the truck and sped into the corn field.

"Goodluck."

Frappe changed his essence to something more suitable.

Random sniffed the air.

"They’re getting closer. They are aware of us. Our doom sees us, and looks out towards that hill."

"Which one? Static said trying to see Random’s hand through the wheat in the field.

All of sudden a huge ice cloud came from the north and a big truck came from the south.

"That will do."

Static and Random stood back to back.

"Static, you will take the truck I will take the ice monster."

"But Random have you ever fought an Ice monster before."

"Have you ever tried to keep up with a truck."

"Be careful Random."

"Likewise Sputterspark. We’re not done yet."

The teammates split up.

Static grabbed onto the passing truck’s back muslin. The car jostled and bumped against the uneven as surface as he tried to pull himself up.

(bla bla bla)

Disquette looked over her shoulder and was shocked to find Static there.

"Future One’s Pull over."

"Skull!"

"It’s not Skull. I’m Static Sputterspark. Now pull this truck over right now."

"Okay then."

She slammed on the breaks knocking Static off balance. She started slamming foot on the breaks.

Static was flung around.

"Is this pulling over?"

"Dolly what are you doing?"

"You stupid jerk. I trusted you. I thought you were a nice guy."

She slammed on the breaks and Static fell back again.

"Me. You’re the criminal here. You’re the Time Pirate. I was just following orders."

"Follow this."

She revved the engine with all it’s might.

Static lurched forward and banged his head on the dashboard.

Dolly looked up.

"Static!" She stopped the car, and ran to his side.

"Oww."

"You’ll live." She said after examing the lump growing on his head.

"That really hurt."

"Well I’m sorry. It was supposed to." She said sarcastically.

Static frowned angrily.

"I’m sorry Static."

"It’s okay."

"Truce."

"Why not? You’d probably beat me anyway."

Random stood tall before the oncoming ice cloud. He sniffed the air.

"Chocolate."

The ice crystals stung against his bill, bill and eyes like a thousand knives. They cut the flesh on his face. He bled slightly. He wondered if he was appropriately dressed. He shivered.

All at once the ice crystals solidified into a form, and had Random in a headlock.

"Most impressive. Any other opponent would have passed out in hypothermia."

Random shivered painfully.

He cut the ice creature in half with his scythe, and rolled out of his deadly embrace.

The ice dog stared at his opponent.

"Let’s see if I can’t perforate you. Suffer at the claws of Frappucino Pedicure."

Through his green long ice claws jabbed out.

He struck at Random’s head. Random barely had enough time before he struck. The ice claws sliced the end of his pony tail, he rolled through the dog’s body, bracing for the dog’s next attack.

"I’m not Mom, but I can throw down."

Random stared coldy. This wasn’t right. Why wasn’t the dog using his powers? He was trying to egg Random into a blade fight. When he could have easily tried to freeze him solid.

He parried the blows of the dog’s icy claws. He wasn’t very good. But for sheer surprise value it was an effective illusion. Random countered with several ineffective well placed blows.

He lurched back.

Frappe lunged at his neck.

Random broke the claws off on that hand.

Frappe could never win in a blade fight. But he couldn’t lose either. It was an utterly pointless attack, unless the opponent was trying to stall. Why didn’t the dog just blast him with an effective ice attack instead of toying with him. And what was he stalling for.

He didn’t have time to waste.

He rolled out of the way.

He threw his most instinctive attack. A fireball.

The dog looked fearfully. The fireball knocked him over.

Random stood up and prepared his next magical attack.

Frappe sat floundering in this foreign melted form. The game was over, and the duck was going to win.

Random remembered the most effective way to get rid of ice was not fire but salt and water. He summoned a stream of seawater, which blasted the melting dog to the ground.

Frappe was completely incapacitated he clutched his arm. He was wincing.

Random approached with his last fire ball.

Frappe closed his eyes and laughed through the pain.

"If you kill me you’ll never get the Elludium, if you don’t kill me, you’ll never get the elludium. I know I shouldn’t brag but you’ve lost already."

Random held back his attack.

"I’m not the one melting into the prairie." Random said ghoulishly.

"I thought I could scare you off. I guess I underestimated your courage." Frappucino said trying to breath.

Random stood with his fireball burning in his hands.

"I must know. Why do you smell like chocolate?"

"You’re a wizard, I’m a cup of coffee. Who did you think was going to win?"

"You’re nature is mortal, unlike water, coffee cannot reconstitute itself once evaporated, it is a brew not the liquid itself."

"That’s absolutely 100 percent correct." Frappe said in a strangely theatrical voice

"All this time you knew that you couldn’t have beaten me and you know this dark flame shall send you to your death."

"You know you are a pretty depressing duck."

"I must know." Random said extinguishing the flame, crouching over the puddle of his opponent.

"You’re not getting a word out of me."

Random pointed at his shoulder.

"Why did you engage me?"

"Frequent flier miles."

A huge painful hiss of steam.

Frappe winced, he was actually feeling pain.

"Free with your proof of purchase…"

Random tried to maintain his concentration,

"Act now and the slice-o-matic comes free with

Random hit him in frustration, through him.

This creature was very brave. Why couldn’t he just give and save himself?

"I won’t stop until I have an answer." Random said ferociously.

"Well then you are going to be here a long time after I am dead, because last time I heard grass doesn’t talk."

"Why were you trying to stop me?"

Frappe used his last strength to look up at him coldly.

Random stood up.

"I’ll leave you then. After the truck."

Frappe gasped.

"You can’t."

He tried to pull himself up.

"You’ve revealed it all." Random said. "I had suspicions about that truck."

"No."

"You lead me in the opposite direction, so the truck could get away."

Frappe winced at his defeat "Yes."

"Whatever this elludium nonsense is it will be in there."

"It’s not."

"It is."

Frappe closed his eyes.

"How about that. Outsmarted too. I thought you would just let me die with a shred of dignity. I knew I should have learned how to lie better."

"I’m off then."
"Dolly."

Random threw his attack.

The ice dog froze completely solid.

Random knocked on his forehead. His suspicion had worked.

"And you better hope Sputterspark is not harmed, or you’ll wish I had thrown the fire ball."

Random left the dog in the field and headed in the direction of the truck.