Author's Note: Here is the ending. I hope y'all have enjoyed this story. Please show your support any way you can, whether it's helping this wonderful site or by seeking out other stories I've written (including any on Amazon).
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Chapter 32
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The clouded remains of the nether realm was shaking violently when the League and their villainous companion exited through a portal of Mortar Mage’s making. He did not trust the one they took to enter the realm, nor even the idea of crossing the realm to get there. He barely had the energy left to make the new portal, too.
Not two seconds had passed after the last person got out that the portal fizzled out. They were back in Nerva, and the Circle mages they had left behind slowly faded across the entire city including the island chain that the heroes were on.
Fumes rose from the bodies. Many of them were alive, only barely, and they would need medical attention, Mortar surmised. Those now-mortal men and women were lucky to be alive. He examined one nearby with Psi Wizard’s aid. The Circle mage’s eyes were a little red, but the ones who had touched any amount of water and survived were completely human. The next question, after the hospitals were done treating them, was what the law was going to do with these mages who’d lost so much of their power and malice.
“Amazing,” said Psi Wizard.
Mortar Mage said, “Find one without fumes, pour water on them, and get back to me. Do it quickly.” This fascinated him. He hoped that the water in this plain of reality still had the same effect as they had all witnessed in the other realm.
“Right. I’ll be right back.” Psi Wizard departed for his search.
Trash Knuckle said, “It’s been fun, but it’s time to go. The sun’s coming up, and I doubt any of us wants to be seen with one another.”
“Trash,” said War, “thanks. If we find another party for you to crash . . .”
“No invitation necessary. See you around, weirdoes.” Then he ran off in a laugh.
Walter said, “I’ve had worse allies, that’s for certain. Anyways, Mortar, I’m going to go ahead and call for medical help for these mages, if that’s alright with you.”
“By all means,” Mortar replied.
Walter pulled out his phone and called an acquaintance of his who oversaw many medical facilities along the Northeastern States.
“Hey, Frank? It’s me, Walter. Oh, a hell of a night you say? I see. I see. Dear, oh dear. Well, I’m calling about some robed men and women who are passed out here in Nerva. They’ve been spotted in the city and Striga as well, really? OK, OK, thanks. I’ll let you get on with your job; let me know if you need anything.”
“Well?” asked Princess Undercut.
“The hospitals are filling up like crazy even without these Circle mages all over the place.”
“I mean, what now?”
“We still need to get help for these men and women,” said Mortar. “Once I have the energy, I can get them to other facilities across the country with Walter’s help since he’s better with people than I am, but, when these mages awaken, they’ll be in shock without their demonic essence or powerful magic. The water will be dangerous to anyone with blood or spiritual link to the Circle’s demons, and we don't know how far this reaches yet. Psi should be confirming that any moment now.”
“It sounds like clean-up duty,” noted Walter. “Alright, we’ll take this in shifts, and find more people who can cast portals as Mortar suggests. We’ll rest at the mansion, and wait there for word on Mary and Kyra.”
Princess Undercut asked, “Mary and Kyra? Do you think they’re still alive?”
“You’ve already thought them dead once, and they turned up over the weekend with one of them having transformed into a fine young woman. If we wait long enough . . .”
“They’ll come back to us as strapping young men?”
“I’m not sure how I feel about this constant of gender swaps being a thing now in Paragon. But, seeing as how anything’s possible at this point, let’s go home and wait.”
“Hello, I’m filling in for Monica after the events of last night. Get well soon, Monica. Meanwhile, the search is on for answers as authorities and mystics investigate the fallout we had here in Paragon City.”
“One week after The Event, we are hit with the equally devastating Rancor Night, as it is now being called.”
“Both police and the feds are on the lookout for a former Vambraceman, Captain Bates. He has been missing since the Siren’s Storm a few days ago. When asked if they believe the man is still alive given the heavy casualties suffered at the Vambracemen base, authorities could not comment at this time.”
“An estimated twenty-three million in damage has been reported across the city during the events of Rancor Night. This officially outweighs the property damage of The Event, but the cost in lives was mysteriously less staggering.”
“Lynn Libaridian makes news again today as she expresses sorrow for the victims of Rancor Night. She and her husband Rilwan East have expressed a desire to aid the homeless with their new collection of . . .”
“The National Guard has come to Paragon City in response to recent crises. However, due to our dealings with the Vambracemen, the National Guard has been met with less than a hospitable welcome. As they have tried to remind us of events six years ago, at least one group of protesters tell them to 'Go find another city to bother.'”
“Could last night have been part of an ancient alien conspiracy? One researcher seems to think so.”
“This would never have happened if the President got off his high horse and did his job rather than try to push affordable medicine and gay rights down our throats. Now we have Rancor Night to add to the atrocities under his administration.”
And the news reports kept going, some more ridiculous than the rest, well past the afternoon. People continued to let themselves be glued to their televisions and radios rather than looking outside where the real news was happening.
Heroes were busy that day. There were lives to save from a force that had come and gone, but its impact persistent, and the people worn thin.
Her senses kicked in all at once, and Mary coughed up a lung with the amount of water coming out of her throat. She felt so strange.
“The other one’s waking up,” announced a voice.
Mary held a hand over her eyes to block the sun. She was surrounded by number of people including a lifeguard. She looked to her left and saw Kyra coughing and spitting while facing the ground.
“You’re both going to be OK,” said another voice. “We’ve called for ambulances, but they’re totally swamped still. Here, let me help you up.”
Even though her sense were back, it took moments to realize that she was still a woman and men were touching her. And nothing was happening. Nothing except for a towel falling from her ample boobs. Were they lighter and smaller now, despite still being huge?
She knelt down to swipe the towel, and dizziness took her over as Mary stood back up.
Everyone was crowding her and Kyra, and asking more questions than they could answer at once. It was taking a long time just to process the fact that her horns and wings were gone, she could touch anyone without such a dangerous consequence as before, and she was still a woman.
Why were there so many questions? Why couldn’t these people leave her alone to figure out her own questions for herself?
“Stop, please!”
The bold, masculine voice did not come from either Kyra nor Mary. The crowd, falling silent, turned toward a hero who had just shown up on the scene. Mary recognized him as the one who she encountered at the police station however many days ago. She wasn’t ready to count yet.
The hero escorted Kyra and Mary to a more comfortable spot on the beach. Peregrine Beach; they knew this place. The same hero assured everyone that the ladies would be fine in time, but they needed to give them some room to breathe.
“Thank you,” said Mary.
“Yes, that was almost as painful as cutting my hand open and drowning,” said Kyra. “How did we get here?”
“I don’t know. Maybe it was luck.”
“You hate luck, Mary.” Kyra rested a hand on Mary’s face. “How is any of this possible?”
The hero cleared his throat.
Mary said, “Oh yes. I never did get your name. What is it?”
“It’s Saelum Blaster,” said the hero. “I’m sorry, have we met somewhere? Your voice is familiar, and there’s something about you.”
“Maybe you’d recognize me with horns.” She imitated them with her index fingers. “And darker, more ashy hair.”
“What? That hero from the other night? But, those looked so real.”
“They were.”
“What happened to you?”
“It’s such a long story. I doubt you’d believe it if either of us knew where to begin.”
“Maybe over a cup of coffee or tea sometime?” Please say tea. Please say tea. Nobody else drinks that around here.
Mary and Kyra grasped one another’s hand. Kyra asked, “Both of us?”
Unless they’re taken. Saelum thought. Damn.
Meanwhile, at the entrance to the beach, Tatiana and Wyatt arrived by car after Walter had received a tip about two naked women washing up on the beach, and that they were being resuscitated. They hurried out of the vehicle and went looking for their friends.
“Mary!” Tatiana called out.
“They might be unconscious, or maybe someone took them to the hospital already,” Wyatt said.
“I don’t care. Mary! Kyra!”
“Or maybe that’s them over by that hero.” He pointed by some trees where two women were sitting before a man in costume. That poor man felt like he had just been shot down.
The two of them joined the small group under the shade provided by the trees. Tatiana gasped when she saw Mary without her horns, her wings, or—
“Where are your clothes?” Tatiana asked.
Mary replied, “They were woven with demon magic, so it could have had something to do with that . . . maybe? I don’t know. I think the succubus’s knowledge is gone too.”
Tatiana hugged both women. “Don’t scare me like that again, you two.”
Wyatt looked around the beach, and said, “You know, this beach looks familiar.”
“We live in Paragon, and have been to the beach a few times, sweety. Of course it’s familiar.”
“No, I mean really familiar. Isn’t this the same stretch of beach with that detached sewer system?”
The girls stood and looked along the shoreline. Further down the beach, by some rocks to the south, there was a sewer opening. They laughed. Of all the places to have ended up, they reunited here.
In the place where this all began.
“Do I even want to know?” asked Saelum Blaster.
“Long story,” said everyone else.
Wyatt said, “You know, if that same gang pops out of that hole in the ground, I’m laughing.”
Mary said, “If that happens, I’ll gladly find out what they’re up to and bring them down if I need to.”
“With what clothes?” asked Kyra.
Just then, the opening to the sewer opened, and a member of the Freakshow walked out of the detached sewer tunnel. He was too busy nodding his head to the music coming from his headphones to notice people watching from the trees.
Kyra leered back at her lover, who now coated herself in a fresh suit of ice armor. Then she phased out of sight with her electric field.
“Alright,” Adamast Cross began, “rest time is over.”
She smiled through her ice armor, and gave chase with Kyra right beside her.
.
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Epilogue
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People gathered at a stadium in Galaxy Park to watch a number of talents, such as singers, dancers, and comedians. Tonight was a special night.
After over a week of her mom saying she would visit if Kyra would perform in front of unknown thousands of people, Kyra relented and agreed to dance for her parents and so many strangers.
Kyra sat in front of her mirror, doing her last few touches to her outfit and make-up, when Mary walked in with a bouquet of roses.
Also, a phone.
“What’s this?” Kyra asked.
“A gift from Warren. He said he’d explain later, but Tatiana’s been bugging him to give us all a way to keep in touch with one another more easily.”
“Because yelling from the kitchen that food is ready is so difficult, Tatiana.”
“At least he’s busy with things that won’t cause the city immediate harm. Somehow, that just doesn’t get old.”
“Nice roses.”
“Thank you. I thought they went well with my evening dress.” Said the woman that used to be a man not even a month ago but was now doing alright living as the opposite sex.
“Maryann.”
“But, they look better here, waiting for you when you get back from your beautiful performance.” Mary set the roses and phone down on the table. “When’s your turn on stage, by the way?”
“Any minute now. Did you get a good seat?”
“I tried, then I ran into your folks. They had an extra ticket.”
“And they recognized you?”
“Strangely yes, they did. I still had to tell them my new name, but your mom knew right away who I was, rather than my sister or anything.”
“I never could hide anything from her.”
A man in a headset peeked into the room. “Miss Hobbs, you’re up in five minutes.”
“I’ll be right there! Go on, Mary, I’ll see you and my folks later.”
They kissed, much to the surprise of a few other performers still scattered around the large make-up room. Then Mary left.
Kyra sighed with delight, and told herself she could do this. She glanced at the phone a split second before the screen flashed a neon green. She had received a message.
“Hello? Is this working? Sorry to intrude.”
Raising a brow, Kyra typed a response. “Who is this?”
“Are you guys ready to go? We’ll be late if we don’t take a portal over to the stadium in the next couple minute or less,” said Jeff.
Walter said, “Just about. Now, Warren, why are we doing this now?”
“Because,” started Warren, “we’ve been using this house as our base for a couple weeks, and I’ve begun to redo our communications. On a night like this, it’s a good idea to be prepared. Then nothing will happen. See?”
“I’ll take your word for it.”
“All I have to do is turn the switch, and our old base computer will be online, better than ever.”
“Perhaps I should have brought a fire extinguisher the size of Rexplosion.”
Warren ignored him and smiled while flipping the switch no bigger than his thumb. The computer system lit up. Across the rooms of the mansion reserved for the League’s base of operations, systems turned on without incident.
And for that, Warren clapped his hands together.
The new meeting room now had the same holographic screen as the old one used to, but in higher definition. The computer’s scanner probed the entire house with a pair of green and blue lights, so now it could pick up any person or animal on the premises.
Mortar Mage would have to upgrade that sometime, as well as redo the city scanner. But, tonight, Warren was a fan of entertainment.
“Let’s go,” he said.
“I’ll catch up,” said Walter.
When the others had gone, he set down the old group photo, a new one, and a single flower upon the meeting table. The flower was a hot pink with white edges, and it was a favorite of an old friend. Walter rubbed a finger over the older group photo.
“Have a good night, little miracle.”
Once it was alone, the computer scanned the photos and then the Japanese Lily. Everything was working perfectly. Every file and folder inside the computer's mainframe was intact, as well as so many systems. The computer’s voice whispered an “ooh,” before running its limited memory banks. All of the old files were intact, including a hidden fragment from an unknown source.
Kyra set her phone down and walked away. Hopefully, no one would try to steal the nice flowers or phone while she was on the stage, dancing her heart out.
A second message came while she was away.
“I’m someone who can be your ally. Good luck on your dance. –Joule_SAIkatsu15”
Somewhere in Paragon, a girl’s scream sounded.
