"Shame..." The will-o-wisp murmured and it reformed into a human, a small girl with long blue fiery hair that touches the ground. Her dress is a lily white and she wears the lamp shade on her head like a straw hat and bandages around her eyes. She picked up the golden coins and let them clatter back onto the table. "Well we will meet again Mr. Daniel O'Hara..."

"I don't mind the simple variety," Nocturn replied to the woman. "I can accept this plain one, I appreciate the offer."

He wondered why he was so nice. Perhaps it was due to a full stomach, or that maybe he had to because this was another world and he had to survive through to kill a hated foe. Perhaps. Maybe a method in madness.

Either way, he fished out his payment from his pockets and handed it to the woman once everything was done. He then waited for Matthew to finish as well.

The spider lady looked at the coins then smiled. "The bandanna is for free, after all I just sell cloaks and cowls." She disappeared back through the folds of fabric. The two walked back to Loch, meeting up with Dino on the way. Loch then led them safely through the chaos to the town's ates then down a dirt path that led them through rolling green hills. The guide told stories and sang songs as they walked, creating a pleasant mood around him. Soon he pointed out a hill that the path ran over, explaining. "That's the last hill, over that and we'll be by the dimension gate and you can continue on your journey." As they drew closer they saw a silhouette sitting on top of the hill, a canvas in front of him. "Oh that must be Carter." Loch shaded his eyes to see. "Must be testing out new dyes. He makes them out of insect shells and sometimes flower petals." Loch took Bartholomew by the hand and began jogging forward, raising his hand and waving it. "Carter! Carter!"

The artist looked up and waved, in his hand a sheet of paper. Bartholomew saw the paper and sprinted ahead, letting go of Loch's hand, already expecting to see butterflies or birds. Carter flapped the paper and small bat wings came out, then came out the rest of the object. But it wasn't a bat or a toy, it was a cage. A large bird-like cage that swooped down and swallowed Bartholomew before flapping into the sky.

"What the hell?" Loch began sprinting but was stopped by a black knight that grew from the ground, its lance at Loch's throat. "Carter what're you doing?"

"What I should have done a long time ago." Carter called down, picking up his drawing pad and tucking it under his srm as he walked down the hill.

"Let Bartholomew go!" Loch urged, pushing down on the lance. The knight looked back at Carter who gave a dismissive wave and so it backed off.

"Loch let's go back to being just us." Carter walked up to Loch. "Don't you remember the good old times?" Carter placed his hand on Loch's shoulder.

Loch shrugged the artist's hand off. "What're you blathering about? Let go of Bartholomew."

"Bartholomew, Bartholomew, you sound like a broken record. Why is that boy so goddamn important to you?"

"You know why! He's my-"

"Your what?" Carter interrupted, "Your little brother? That's bullshit and you know that! You think I'm stupid? Six years ago your mother's sister gave birth? Six years ago was the Laboratory job!" Carter pushed Loch. "You stole that boy! You broke the one rule we had! You left a survivor!"

"He was a baby! He doesn't deserve to die for what he was put through! He deserves to live a life!"

"So you abandon your calling for this one kid? How about all the other kids and babies who're suffering because you aren't, because we aren't doing our job anymore? You're just using this as a selfish reason to tap out!"

"Is that so wrong?" Loch sighed exasperated. "Is it so wrong to stop killing people?

"Bad people Loch! People who deserved to die!"

"So Bartholomew deserved to die?" Loch waved his arm up to the boy stuck in the cage. "He was experimented on! He's not a bad person!"

Carter crossed his arms. "Collateral damage."

"Collateral damage?" Loch stuttered. For a short moment Dino, Nocturn, Celestial, and Lilith could feel a violent release of bloodlust from him as he punched Carter in the face. "How dare you!" He yelled.

Carter raised his hand, warding off the knight from attacking Loch. He shuffled through his robes and pulled out an envelope. "A contract? Who on me?" Loch growled.

Carter shook his head and pointed up. "On your little boy."

"You sent a contract out on Bartholomew? You petty bastard." Loch grabbed Carter by the nape of his robe and drew back to punch him again.

Carter offered him the letter. "No someone else, look for yourself."

Loch snatched the letter and pulling out his knife, cut open the seal. He pulled out the letter and read it. He turned around and stared at the group, asking only one word, "Why?" He marched up to them and past a few until he reached Lilith. He gave her the letter and asked, "Why did you do it? Is this why you kept asking? I'm asking you Miss Lilith, why?"

The letter was a cream-colored parchment, on it was Bartholomew's name on the top, a picture of him in the middle, followed by his bounty which was an impressive 1000 gold, then the reasons for the bounty which was blank, and finally who assigned the contract. If it weren't for the fact she absolutely knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that she did not sign this contract, it would've fooled her as well. The penmanship was impeccible for even Walter to look at it funny. "What in the world?" He asked. "When did you? Why would you?"

Lilith listened to the conversation, rather curious. Maybe she was to finally find out what was going on. As the discussion continued, and Loch approached her, Walter appeared behind her with his arms crossed, staring down the man. After hesitating for a moment, she took the paper to take a look at it. The woman's eyebrows were repeatedly raising, then forming a frown over and over again, as she kept reading these few words.

"Im afraid I don't understand...This is my signature, but I didn't sign the paper..." Lilith started slowly, still staring at the sheet. "I was asking out of pure curiosity, and you can ask any of people here present, that I ask way too many questions... Other than that, I have no idea what this is." She folded the paper and gave it back to Loch. "I've never been here before. I would have no reason to sign a contract on a child that I barely know, less, that I wouldn't even know where to go and who to ask for such...service. We all needed a guide after all. " Lilith stopped for a moment and fixed her glasses, sighing. " I'd really have no reason to wish both of you any harm...Apparently in contrast to your friend over there, and he seemingly knew who's name was inside the sealed letter..." Her eyes raised to look at Carter. "As well as he possesses impeccable, one would say 'magical' skills when it comes to art, colors and ink...Is that enough from my part?" She crossed her arms as well, waiting for a response.

Celestial's head was reeling. Things had gotten so intense. He watched as Loch punched the man. He wanted to stop him, but something told him intervening would only have negative consequences. When Loch opened the letter and walked over to Lilith, Celestial was shocked. But when she defended herself, he started to calm down. It made sense. She didn't even know these people before now, right? So there'd be no reason to want to harm them.

Loch shook his head, "Carter's magic doesn't work like that. His writing is god awful to begin with. No I won't hear it. I want to see proof. Carter!" The artist drew a chair and desk and placed it in front of the group before placing down a quill pen and ink pot.

"Write your name below that one. And don't try to use your dd hand or purposely alter how you write. And not another word. I won't hear it, regardless if your tongue is silver or wooden. I just want to see."

"I did admit that the signature looks exactly like mine...Whats the point? " Lilith sighed again and approached the table anyway.

"Don't sign anything...Which part of what she said you didn't get, pal? Walter spoke up with his deep voice. "She didn't do anything, I was with her the whole time...You, were with us for most of the time. Except for when we went shopping...All we did was to get the ring fixed, bought the liquor, then came back, nothing in before, between or after...That scrap of paper you have there is a false, and you would realize that if you had ears..."

"Fake?" Carter picked up the envelope. "No I assure you, this contract is very real. Isn't that right Loch."

The other nodded. "That seal isn't something you just have... but why Bartholomew?" He covered his eyes. "This isn't right... maybe if I offer myself they'll take off the hit on Bartholomew..." He groaned. "I mean I can prove that I am Loki after all..."

"Are you serious?" Carter grabbed Loch by the shoulders. "You'd sacrifice yourself for that boy? You have gotten soft... no weak..."

"Being soft isn't the same as being weak." Loch shook his head. "That boy deserves to live a life."

"In exchange for yours? No! I won't allow it!" Carter raised his hand, spreading it open.

"No Carter! Leave him alone!" Loch grabbed at Carter's arm trying to wrestle it down but the knight intervened, pulling him away.

"Loch... I'm doing this for you." Carter smiled and clenched his hand.

"No!" Loch screamed as the cage crumpled in on itself, crushing Bartholomew within. The small boy's limp arm hung out as the cage fell to the ground. Loch crumpled to the floor sobbing and Carter went over to console him.

"There there, we'll find another one."

"You heartless bastard! He was condemned damn you! Condemned! Cursed to go to Hell and you sent him there! I wanted him to smile and laugh till he grew old, but because of you!" Loch grabbed Carter's collar.

The artist batted Loch's hands away. "Life is just as miserable anyways, he had nothing to look forward to."

"Don't try to justify yourself here! I'll kill you!" Loch tackled Carter and the two wrestled on the ground. More knights grew out of the ground, ink soldiers that created a blockade, separating the group from Loch and Carter.

They saw Loch get the upper hand and began punching Carter but the artist did nothing in retaliation. Finally Loch pulled out his butterfly knife, snapping it open. "The only thing that makes me regret killing you." Loch roared. "Is that I'm sending your twisted soul to the same place as Bartholomew's! " He stabbed down and the scene froze. The knights melted away and blood pooled under Carter, but the two seemed to be stuck in a stasis, Carter's arms reaching up as if to hug Loch as the man stabbed down furiously.

A portal opened in front of the group, a dimension gate. It was a tear in this dimension into a new one, a slit in space and time. The rolling hills and blue sky peeled back to show simply a swirling black and purple portal. Their time here was done.

Nocturn gazed at Loch and Carter. Their electromagentic shrouds were bright, visibly agitated. Bartholomew was the same, bright but this time, it reminded him of fear.

He crossed his arms, watching the events unfold but he kept a more mindful eye on the Knight and Bartholomew, one wrong move and the guard would feel his flesh ripped from his bones.

When the cage crumpled, Nocturn's own insides burned. He charged forwards even as the blockade of ink soldiers grew in size. He thrashed, his strength should be able to allow him to crush all these fake soldiers. He's destroyed entire squads before in his time to get away, right now, its vengeance. The boy didn't deserve death, he didn't deserve caging for his appearance.

He had agreed with Loch entirely, Bartholomew deserved life. Nocturn screamed the boy's name. Despite the brevity of their relationship, Nocturn identified with the boy.

"You sick fuck!" He yelled at Carter.

Then everything went silent. A portal had opened up signalling that they had to go. Nocturn took a moment to watch the blood pool under Carter, satisfied but not satiated. He wanted to kill the man himself but decided that it was enough that Loch did it.

It was enough for now. He pulled himself away from the soldiers and fixed his cloak. He then moved along with the rest, silent like the first day they met him.

Dino randomly stumbled into the group, following them without saying a word. As they reached the top of the hill and the events unfolded themselves, Dino was expecting a trap. His left hand was standing inside his pocket, grasping one of the flash flares. But by the end of it, the Irish man was just sad. Sad for Bartholomew, for Loch, even for Carter.

When the portal opened he began walking towards it, before passing by the shishkebab that Loch was making out of Carter. Dino staggered a bit, before halting his march. He stared down at the two, contemplating an idea. The man dropped his cross and turned back, heading for the table. As he got there, he pulled out a roll of paper from his pocket and opened it up. He then grabbed the brush and scribbled the name 'Carter' along the bottom of it. After finishing, Dino threw the brush back into the ink bottle and turned around, walking back towards the cross and the men. When he reached them, Dino simply kneeled down, placing the paper right next to Carter's head. As soon as the paper left his hand, it also became frozen in time. Dino stood back up, grabbing his cross.

"Sorry, kiddo. Be strong."

And without any word, Dino walked through the portal.

Lilith seemed to be unfazed, except for that she wasn't smiling anymore and her eyes looked rather...'sad.' The woman just stood there, staring, with her hands in coat's pockets.

From what she heard and understood, the boy's soul was not to reach it's 'preferred' destination, whatever it was in that realm. Really, the biggest possible grief for any Tenabrean, the soul not being able to reach The Church. If it was anywhere else, she could try and pull the spirit back, try to send it somewhere else, but here? She simply had no understanding of the laws, ruling over this spiritual realm, as it seemed to be twisted, stretched between various worlds that created this place. Too many paths crossing and entangled with each other, too many destinations for her to guide a soul through. There was nothing she could do, not even hum her incantation.

The woman lowered her gaze, letting out a quiet sigh, before going through the gate.

Celestial watched in horror as the little boy died. He wanted to scream, but Nocturn beat him to it. So instead, he watched as tears welled up in his eyes. They began to spill down his face. When Celestial was back home, he always dreamed of adventure, all this death and sadness was not what he had in mind.

He cried for the boy and he cried for Loch. He couldn't imagine the pain he was feeling. Carter deserved the fate he suffered.

A portal opening, showing that it was time to move on. But Celestial stood and cried as the other members passed by him. Finally, after getting his shit together, he sniffled and wiped his eyes. He walked over to the portal, glancing back one last time before stepping through.

Matthew watched as the events ramped up. Or tried to anyways. See, it's hard to observe a situation when you're covering your eyes the whole time. When it was all over, Matthew peeked up and saw everyone starting to walk through the portal. With a heavy sigh, Matthew moved to join them, deciding not to look at the unrealistically frozen guys as he did so.

Everything was likely going to get a whole lot worse.

As the portal snapped shut behind the group, someone began to laugh. His laugh filled the field, rolled over the hill, and was swept into the sky along with the dandelion seeds. It was strange, though Carter was dead, the ink cage he had made had not dissolved away like the soldiers, hiding the gruesome body of Bartholomew. The Carter that lied on the ground dissolved into a puddle of ink, the paper with his name on it floating on it before drowning, soaking in the black ink until it disappeared below the depths.

Loch simply continued kneeling there, his eyes soulless, his arms limp at his sides, some strands of hair was plastered to his tear-streaked face. He made no move and so no words as a shadow of a man casted over him, a lone figure walking down the hill. He simply looked up and stared at Carter who smiled back, placing his hand on Loch's shoulder. "Come on Loki, we have work to do." He helped the broken hitman up and slowly began making the journey back to the city, neither giving the ink cage that began melting away a second glance.

The group walked down a tunnel for a while, the same color as the portal entrance, just a swirling mass of purple and black. Soon there was a light at the end of a tunnel and as they walked through, they fell.

The first thing that hit them was the smell, disgusting, of burning coal and gasoline. The stench of human filth combined with the heavy smell of iron simply hung upon the city like a cloud. The whole city was blanketed by a grey-brown smog, the skyline shining blurrly through. They fell perhaps thirty feet, landing ontop of a pile of metal rubble. Arms and torsos, bits and pieces from interiors, and heads of long dead androids.

Their impact sent some of the remnants rolling down to the bottom, clattering and clanging, and it woke up the inhabitants. "A new trash drop?" A voice called out, crackling, "That's not normal, it's off schedule."

"Who cares?" A higher voice called out, scratchy and ruines. "I only need a few more parts until I'm finished."

"Finished..." more voices echoed and the bottom of the hill illuminated with multiple small dots. Eyes of broken and malfunctioning machines, that were casted aside, thrown away because they were no longer of use or too outdated. Some began hopping up the hill, others could only crawl, but they were all repeating the same flow of. "Just one more piece. Master I'm coming back. Please I'm fine, look I'm almost complete. I'm not trash. I'm not garbage. I'm almost finished." Hundreds of voices as they pushed their way up the hill.

From under them, Dino could feel something grab his leg and looked down to see an android, one eye unlit and its half its jaw rusted. It held onto his leg with one made of scrap metal and one it seemed to have come with, covered in plates to resemble a police uniform. "Please spare a leg." It coughed. "I need it to protect the people."

From the insides of a police compound, lifeform sensors went off and the cops looked at where it was triggered. "Lifeforms in the junkyard. How the hell did they get there?" A cop began holstering a pistol.

"Does it matter?" The other one threw him the keys to the helocopter, "If we leave them there those deranged androids are going to rip them apart, try to use them for parts."

"Stupid fucking civis." The other sighed and the two headed out.

"Oh lay off, they're probably aiming for a quick penny scavenging."