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Ch 16: It got worse



The fish people led them through the portal and into envy. It consisted of rocky path ways above a great lake, Prisoners were submerged to the near freezing water with fishes nibbling at them in accordance with punishment regulations section 534 chapter 9. They were brought to the leader of the fish men; he wore a blue fish mask and was dressed like a villain from the eighties down to blue dishwashing gloves. “Bow before your mighty master, Mer-Man!” he declared.

Michael groaned “Couldn’t we have at least gotten an actual villain?” he was prodded with the spear to make him shut up, it didn’t work “Is it too much to ask for Skeletor?” he sighed and shut up when spears were put to his neck.

“I am twice the villain he ever was!” Mer-man yelled back, offended by his comment. He regained his composure “Very well, let the arena decide your fate!” he declared and the fish men cheered.

“At least it couldn’t get any worse.” Izazu reassured Michael.

“A fight to the death!” Mer-man, not hearing Izazu, cried and the cheer gave way to an excited roar.

“It got worse.” Michael told him.

“Pretty much.” Izazu agreed. After the fanfare died down they were sent to the holding cells to wait for what amounted to their public execution as far as the group was concerned. “Well, it’s not like it could get any--” Izazu’s mouth was covered by Diamond and the quickly approaching fish guard turned around and walked back to its station.

“It’s official, you’re cursed.” Diamond told Izazu “I’ll take my hand off if you promise not to say it.” She struck a deal and Izazu agreed to it so she took her hand off his mouth.

Michael gazed longingly out of the cell and at the stone wall in front of them, light hitting the water below the cat walk where their cells were gave the wall a blue glow. The fish men took their weapons before they were tossed into the cells, even patting them down to find the concealed weapons though one fish man lost his life when the fish man patted her down. Frankly, Michael was surprised how thorough they were in going as far as binding Vincent’s and Diamond’s magic with collar seals. “Diamond?” he asked her.

“Yeah?” she asked from a slumped position, the fight with the Leviathan took a lot out of her and she needed time to recover her energy.

“Why is a loser like Mer-man in charge of envy?” he asked her “He seems barely competent if that.” He didn’t turn around to look at everyone else.

“As far as I know, he’s not.” Diamond told Michael “He’s the demon equivalent to a war-lord for the Mer clan.” She played with her hair, twisting it around her finger.

“Then who is?” He asked, dreading another big fight.

“My guess, it was the Leviathan.” She smiled a little when she heard Michael sigh in relief.

“Now we have to get past that idiot and find the portal.” Vincent interjected and got up “I don’t care how, but we’re getting out of here.” He said “no one tells me how my life will end.”

“Oh that explains why you got cold feet and ran.” Diamond took a verbal jab at Vincent.

Vincent paused and looked at Diamond “never mind.” He decided not to explain it, he figured she wouldn’t believe him if he tried even so he wouldn’t bother. He turned to Izazu with a dire look “Say it.” He commanded, figuring this was their best shot.”

“But it will get worse.” Izazu protested his command.

Vincent was going to threaten him but Diamond intervened “We’re going to be executed in front of a bunch of fish men; we don’t even have anything to defend ourselves with.” She let it sink in “Face it, we’re pretty much screwed.” She reminded Izazu.

“Guess it couldn’t get any worse.” Izazu mumbled without thinking about it and two fish guards arrived to brutalize them, cause it was fun.

One stabbed at them and Vincent grabbed the shaft of its spear and yanked it away “How did he do that?!” the guard cried in confusion.

“I don’t know!” the other one cried in anxiety.

Vincent impaled the one still arm with the newly liberated spear, causing the fish guard to drop his keys. Vincent then kicked the unarmed fish guard off the cat walk into the waters below, where the fish man somehow managed to drown. “I’m still a demon.” Vincent reminded them and used the bars to get the dead body off of the spear. Michael grasped the keys and used them to spring the cell door. “Give me that.” Vincent snatched the keys from him and began searching for the ones to the collars that he and Diamond wore.

Both collars dropped to the ground with heavy ka-thunks and Diamond rubbed her neck while Vincent popped his “Thanks.” She told Vincent with a sigh.

“You were dead weight with that collar.” He told her coldly; though he wanted to say that it was no problem his pride and maybe ego wouldn’t let him say it.

Michael picked up the other spear “Two down.” He told Vincent, who walked past him.

Vincent looked back and gave him a smirk “More to follow.” He responded.



While the group was staging an escape, Mer-Man admired their weapons after they were added to his collection. “Ah, the sweet spoils of war.” He smiled and turned to a shining blue crystal that held a woman of royal stature, in a coma like state. “Isn’t that right, my pretty little queen.” He laughed. The group burst into his trophy room; ready to fight “You beat my warriors?” he was honestly surprised “Inconceivable!” he declared, dismissing the thought completely.

“You’re the last one.” Vincent told Mer-Man and pointed the spear at him.

“Says you!” Mer-man laughed and threw down a smoke ball on the grown. An ink black smoke issued and began to take form.

The resulting demon was 7 feet tall easily and had a muscular frame under its armor. It had burning red eyes on its otherwise inky black body, its unique ability to create shadow versions of any weapons its master has and wield them to their full potential earned it the name Weapon Master. Weapon Master formed a shadow Nirvana and shadow chains, in its right and left hands respectively.

“What the crap…” Michael looked up at it and then looked at Vincent, who gave the go ahead to attack. Michael was about to attack but was stopped when Weapon Master turned his spear into a staff with one swift attack and then into a bunch of splinters with a second attack.