Insane Cafe 4: The Insane Frontier

[Serris]

(Ikusis VII)

Rainbow was located on Ikusis VII, a heavy industrial planetoid that manufactured all sorts of goods for Polaris. Metal rich lava oozed from small volcanic vents, providing a handy source of power and valuable metals to the many factories that dotted the planetoid.

The living F-22 had been stored inside a warehouse that held numerous vehicles in various states of repair, hoping that they'd mask her from sensor readings. Of course, unlike the other vehicles, she was firmly secured to steel anchors set deeply into concrete and rock by massive steel cables wrapped around her landing gear. Her fuel had also been drained and all her ammunition removed. Of course, her emergency transponder had also been removed...by cutting into her airframe. This left a sizable patch of grey, bare composite material on her back where they removed the transponder.

There was the sound of the doors opening. Several men with rocket launchers stood by ready to fire while a nattily dressed but unarmed man entered.

"What do you motherf---ers want?" the living F-22 snapped.

"It's time for the show." The unarmed man was surprisingly chipper about it.

"Go stick your head up my afterburners. I'm done performing for your sick entertainment."

"Oh, don't be like that, girl. You're the star of the show!" The man's tone was similar to one that would be used with recalcitrant performing animal. He held a remote in his hand.

The living F-22 turned her baleful gaze upon the man. Even unarmed and shackled, the sheer size of the plane made the glare quite impactful. "Do you not understand 'no' or is your head too far up your ass to hear me?"

The man with the remote scowled. "I didn't give you a choice." He pressed a button on the remote to undo the shackles of the living F-22. Another button apparently knocked out the living F-22 as armored shutters closed over her eyes and she became still. "Good girl," he said, petting the now suddenly docile living machine's flank.

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

(Space formerly occupied by the Dreadzone)

"Will do. Zanasiu out." He leaned back with a bag containing what little booty could be swiped from the station before it crashed into the moon. The ODIN trooper was piloting the small shuttle back to the Spire. He opened the bag and looked inside. Two nearly identical USB drives. Both of them had timestamps on them, which suggested they may be security or arena camera footage.

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

(Cuorola)

The arena at Cuorola had finally been taken and all opposition neutralized. It was a vicious, long battle that cost the lives of over fifty Spirarian soldiers...no thanks to the gladiators who were all too willing to attack the soldiers simply for one last taste of unfettered combat and Vox's surprisingly well-trained and well-equipped guards. Blue and red lights played over the parking lot as law enforcement from wherever they could be summoned had arrived to arrest all the staff, take all the macabre trophies as evidence (and repatriate them so they could be properly and respectfully disposed of).

The commander sighed as they took of their helmet and breathed in the air. The once luxurious arena was now more or less fit only for demolition as the fancy decorations and carpeting had been torn apart by weapons fire. Scorch marks, bullet holes and flat out missing chunks marred the fancy walls. They ignored some of their own soldiers helping themselves to the few valuables that escaped damage. "Captain Carson, the arena at Cuorola is now under our control. Local PD has taken all staff into custody and is removing evidence. Request permission for railgun bombardment."

Several seconds later, Captain Carson replied. "Request acknowledged. Send location and coordinates on planet when bombardment is required. Return to the Spire. A medical team will be on standby. Over."

"Acknowledged. Out." The commander then turned to the other soldiers "All right, we're leaving this iceball behind! Take anything you want as a trophy of our liberation and head back to the shuttles! Move it!"

[Nick22]

as ratchet flew arounddreadzone headeing towards the next planet an connection request pooped up on his screen. ' 3371-Alpha, this is Rivet. do you read me?" " I read you Rivet" ratchet replied then gasped as they image of a bluefemale  lombax appeared on the screen. ""You're a lombax."Ratchet started yeah, we're pretty rare in your galaxy, or so I've read' Rivet chuckled. ' Anyway, i'm coming to lend a hand with this Chong business. Bounty on him is  now 100 Trillion bolts, posted by some wizard guy.. dead or alive doesnt matter. i had to re-read the notice about 10 times to make sure that amount was real. "" we could always use more hekllp, Chong';s as slimy as the eelians of squida 8' Ratchet said. " i'm ratchet. and thats Clank. i have another Lombax working with me...' Angela Cross, I know. the only 2 Lombaxes in the entire galaxy. i dont want to know the Odds of you two running into each .  Suffice to say.. they;re extremely low. Anyway, look for my signature  Beta 3578C Rivet said. Rivet out." ratcht looked at Clank atas the screen went dark. " She cant be from our dumensuion, can she?' " Most unlikely, then again our diuimnsion is a very large place.' Clank said.

[Serris]

(Pottermore)

To say that Pottermore was in a state of disarray would be putting it mildly. The Wizengamot had convened an emergency meeting due to the sudden spike of aurors, obliviators and even hit wizards being killed in action.

"All rise for Chief Witch Bryony Alder."

The aforementioned politician, a young woman with black hair and light skin entered. Instead of wearing the traditional pointed hat, she opted for the more modern shawl and cloak combination. She then cleared her throat. "You all maybe seated," he said. "Now then, the Wizengamot normally does not convene every time a member of magical law enforcement dies. However, this is an exception as there has been a disturbing uptick of deaths and assaults on members of magical law enforcement. Furthermore, whoever is doing this shows utter disregard for the Statute of Secrecy as witnesses have reported them performing magic in plain sight of Muggles. Prime Minister Fudge has already been notified and he will be joining us shortly."

Murmurs filled the room as the gathered wizards and witches speculated on the new threat. Most speculated that it was either the return of "You-Know-Who" or a new dark wizard. A few possibly even considered that Carlotta Pinkstone, the witch famous (or infamous) for her anti-Statue of Secrecy campaign had either recruited more violent anti-Statute followers or had become one herself, seeing as her previous acts of civil disobedience didn't seem to be getting anywhere.

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

(Spire of Winter

The shuttlecraft entered the landing bay where the ship's medical team was on standby. With smoothness and precision the product of long hours of training, they swiftly ferried the wounded and the dead to the medical bay. The surviving soldiers unloaded the goods that they had taken from the stadium and hauled them off to the ship's treasury.

Captain Carson was not present as she was guiding the ship towards Cuorola.

[Nick22]

Fudge soon walked into the room, carrying a briefcase and a file given to him by his security detail. " He took a seat and sighed " This situation is getting out of hand. Half of the Oblivatior team is missing, and the number of missing witches and wizards now stand at 130. 130, at minimum." He looked around at the other gathered wizards and witches." Does anyone have any suggestions?"

Nick had taken flight, the magical powers of his dragon form protecting him from the cold of space . A large collection of asteroids caught his eye and he made his way to it. As he approached, he caught sight of an abandoned ship floating in the asteroid field, and he recognized the ship immediately- it was the Phoenix " So Chong didn't need it anymore, so he tried to destroy it." Nick glowered as he reached the ship. Impacts from asteroids were evident, and Nick reached a hangar Bay and flew inside. Lights flickered on and off, and debris was everywhere. Nick drew Saba from his side and held it aloft as he walked along the hallway.
Kovu was given a large lunch to eat, and the freedom to pick what he wanted to eat. Fries, burgers, shakes and steak were all piled on his plate

[Serris]

(Pottermore)

Chief Witch Alder looked around the room and spoke. "So far from what our sources from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement have told us, they can safely say that is not the work of Pureblood extremists or the Death Eaters. While most of the dead appear to have been killed by spells, there are quite a number who have been injured or killed by guns. I fear that Carlotta Pinkstone may have taken her anti-Statute campaign to more violent levels."

An older wizard visibly paled. "You mean to say that Muggles may be collaborating with this new magic user?"

Chief Witch Alder scowled. "I did not say that. All I said is that some of the victims have been killed by non-magical means. Right now, I recommend we find Carlotta and interrogate her...under Veritaserum. Furthermore, I suggest we monitor anti-Statute of Secrecy groups."

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

(Ikusis VII)

Thanks to the modifications that Vox's crew had done to her avionics, Rainbow was only partially in control of her own body. The living F-22 was allowed to turn her weapons on her competitors but she was physically unable to do the same to Vox or any of his lackeys; if she tried, the modifications would block her weapons from firing. Same if she tried to escape the arena; her control surfaces and thrust vectoring capabilities would be moved so she would be forced out of her path.

Needless to say, the battle that was set up was between Sly Cooper and Rainbow. Machine vs living being. Stealth vs stealth.

Despite the choking atmosphere of ash and corrosive gases, the crowd was perfectly ensconced inside the controlled atmospheres of their ships. It would be contestants who would have to suffer the heat and deadly atmosphere.

[Nick22]

sly was thrown into the arena, having only just recent been untied by Mertavius. all the green wizard had given him to fight with  was his cane and a single blaster. ' better not miss ' mertavius had said before vanishing. .  sly was stiff and his injuries from the beating  Mertavius had given him were evident. he would be much slower than he normally was, granted the restraints placed on rainbow meant she was far from 100% herself, but still he was facing an armed plane with lethal firepower while weak and injured ' surely you can see that I am in no condition to fight " sly protested to Vox.' ' we dont care how many broken bones you have or whether you're missing a finger or two. what matters to us is, the fighting. " retorted a guard. ' but your own rules stipulate that prisoners must be in a physical state that they can reasonably fight!" look furball, that wizard of yours is on his way, and we want to see if you can hold out until he gets here. considering the fact thats hes destroyed some of the best fighters in dreadzone with ease., getting you two to stop fighting should be a cakewalk. afterall, you both work for him, right? "the guard sneered. ' ' best get ready, the fight starts in 10 minutes 'he pressed a button and a countdown began  on a huge screen on the battlefield, " if i get out of this, I'm never mocking carmelita;s shooting with her pistol ever again.' sly grumbled.
 (Other side of Ikusus VII)
 stripetail magicked onto a flat plain, and upon  appearing a countdown appeared in the sky. ' ' this time, I decided to do things a bit differently".  Mertavius said appearing on a rock above Stripetail. " Simply leaving prisoners in a ship tethered to a deadline has been too easy for you.  this time, your friends are forced to fight each other in the arena. What vox doesnt know is I've placed a magical explosive  in one of the cameras timed to go off 1 minute and 10 seconds after the fight begins. the explosion will ignite the surrounding gasses and heat up the atmosphere many times over. i calculate that the temperature will rise to at least 100000 degrees, (and likely much higher than that) which will turn your racoon friend to ash in an instant and reduce your living plane to useless junk within a couple seconds.  she can fly, but she;s been so tampered with she cant fly out of the arena, which would be the only way to escape the fireball. the explosion likely will kill everyone watching the fight too, come to think of it. ah, what's a few thousand mortal lives snuffed out?" the countdown, set at 11 minutes and 10 seconds began ticking down. ' Better hurry wizard' Mertavius smirked, and vanished. stripetail summoned his glider and began racing off across the plane at a very high rate of speed. he would need to go at least 2000 miles an hour to reach the arena in time.

- Vuashu and sima had brought foods and drink as ' offerings of thanksgiving' to the shrine ' thank you great ozai, for helping to save Kovu" they intoned as they bowed.  the if the shrine glowed black, ozai was not pleased. if it glowed blue he was not present , if it glowed green he was pleased, and if it glowed pink , he was ecstatic. ' the shrine glowed gleen a sign at the master of mawashii was aware of the situation, and pleased at Kovu's rescue. the offerings vanished and the two  worshippers were surprised to see what replace it ' a promotion for both of you  is in order, a rise in rank, in your faiths.' came a voice from the shrine.  each sect had 7 ranks , both Sima And vushu were of the lowest rank in the sects ( Tower for vushu, Underking for Sima) , well until now.

[brekclub85]

"How did it go in there?" Kiara smiled as Vushu and Sima stepped out of the Mawashiian shrine. "I can tell you two look really pleased with how it went."

................

"Hey darling," Kitty purred to Tiger, rubbing his stomach. "How about we go hang with your friends for once? I go out with my own so many times, it's only fair you get some stuff you like as well."

[Nick22]

definitely ' tiger chuckled. ' a meal and something for my new routine with the Indian mice.. they think i'm a god so..' he pulled out a piece of paper.' I'm actually doing the paperwork for it.,.' he chuckled. ' they approached the shrine as Sima and Vushu were leaving now wearing their new robes. 'Excuse me ladies' tiger said," but as followers of Ozai what would you say is necessary for divinity?' The pantheress and lioness looked at each other then at Tiger " Tiger , a god must manifest great power, and protect his followers.  We follow different aspects of Ozai, i follow his aspect of lord of the underworld, while Vushu is.. more concerned with his intellect. how many .. followers do you have?"Sima said .  i'm not sure.. maybe 200?' 200 thousand, well thats a pretty small number but its not nothing." no, no, not 200 thousand' Tiger laughed. " 200, total, ' and I'm applying to e recognized as a god.'Vushu sighed." the difference Tiger is that ozai has already been around for several thousand years and has tens of  millions of followers. you've got 200... I guess thats enouygh if they all believe in you and give you offerings. . " vushu said as tarrax approached his huge form towering over the others ' Excuse me ladies. come with me Tiger the cat. I wish to talk to you." the enormous dragon said, motioning with a claw. 

[Nick22]

Tiger followed the massive dragon,  gulping audibly. . " i.. want to help the mice that consider me a god. protect them, have some fun with some abilities. " tiger said. ' like.. calming the weather or something. ' ' Tarrax lead Tiger out to a bare field, then had him stand in a circle ' ' first- a  demonstration. show me your abilities.  i'll even be a bit sporting ' tarrax gestured and in a flash of the tribe of mice that considered Tiger a god were gathered on a surrounding circle., and they bowed in Tigers presence. ' W-what do you want me to do/' Tiger asked as Kitty approached and took a seat. ' Anything. create a apple pie , or a pumpkin, or a pile of corn. anything associated with the harvest. You ARE a god of harvest after all. " Tarrax said, ok. ok. Apple pie' Tiger proclaimed... and nothing happened. ' Apple pie!" he repeated.. and still nothing. Apple pie! pumpkin pie! Grape pie!' he intoned.. and still nothing. tiger looked over at tarrax whose face had not changed. 'make they pray to you' Tarrax said. ' my dear mice, Pray to me so i can create .. a feast." One by one the mice prayed, and Tiger commanded again for am apple pie.. and still.. nothing..' usually something happens by now.' kitty said ' it has whenever he tries this in the past .' Perhaps it is simply a matter of trying too hard. '' Tarrax mused. ' relax, Tiger" kitty ' called out.  ' picture something positive.. like.. your wooing of me..' you didnt give up !' Finally, tigers paws began to glow and he created a large apple pie brimming with apple slices. , tiger sank to his knees. ' t-there' he panted.  " i finally did something." " Give me your application>' Tarrax said. " you're going to destroy it.." Tiger figured. "  no. theres a minor Gods division on the council. minor gods get approved much more easily than major gods. Now let me be clear, that doesnt mean you'll be okayed' Tarrax said. " Most arent, in fact. I know, because I'm a council member myself.' He said.  Tiger smiled and handed over the application. ' when will i get a response?' tiger asked. " It depends on the number of applications.' Tarrax said. Remember we get applications from across the omniverse. Every planet wants their divinities and gods recognized , no matter how small."" why dont we celebrate with a pizza?' kitty said as tarrax flew off. " make it a stuffed crust cheese ' Tiger said  the pair walked back towards the town.

[Serris]

(Ikusis VII)

Sly also had a variety of weapons available to him. They were just hidden throughout the arena and he had to get them before Rainbow got him with her ordnance.

As Rainbow was moved out onto the runway by an aircraft tug, she pondered how to handle this situation. The living F-22 needed to give a convincing performance or else the crowd or her "owner" could decide to spice things up with some unwanted antiaircraft fire...or worse. At the same time, she was aware that Sly was a member of Stripetail's group and that her weapons could very easily kill him...even with a "near miss".

The "owner" of the living F-22 rubbed her flank and spoke. "Come on girl, show them what you're made of!"

Call me "girl" one more time and I'll launch one of my anti-tank missiles up your ass, Rainbow thought.

It was then the announcer spoke. "Folks, one minute remaining until the battle starts!" A timer projected in the smoggy sky showed a live countdown. The crowd cheered in anticipation. Indeed, several of them held up banners supporting their preferred fighter -- Rainbow or Sly. Indeed, one could be forgiven that what was about to transpire was a friendly sporting instead of a lethal battle to the death between two enslaved beings.

[brekclub85]

Kovu was sitting down, surprised at the quality of the hospital food. "They really went all out," the dark lion said between bites, "I have to commend their service." As he ate, he heard his beloved's voice. "Hey Kiara," Kovu waved, "Back so soon, I like that about you."

...................

Carmelita decided to look over the latest Interpol case files. "So many new incidents since I was held captive," she growled, "I'll have to work overtime to bring all these freaks to justice," she said to Neyla.

She went over to Stripetail. "Can I be a part of the next rescue squadron?" requested the inspector.

...............

"You know Tiger," Kitty smiled as they went to get their pizza. "As a god, you could probably demand offerings and even sacrifices from your followers," she said. "So you could fill your belly any way you'd like."

[Nick22]

The image of Stripetail paused at Carmelitas question " If you want to volunteer, then that's fine. I might have a slot open for Stygia, be warned that planet has constant lightning storms and strikes, you'll need to come prepared."

Stripetail raced inside the arena as Sly dove away from a series of shots from Rainbow." Rainbow ! Sly ! Find cover! Stripetail said as he reached the middle of the arena and jumped  off his glider" Mertavius has enchanted the cameras to explode." Explode?" Sly said " seems like a small thing.." Mertavius doesn't do small things, and that includes explosives." He scanned the arena, the problem was that there were dozens of cameras, he would have to destroy all of them to find the bomb.

Ruskin entered the study room carrying a tray of foods" They have some good grub here Cinder." He said with a big grin as he found a seat." Hey, what are you doing?"he asked as he noticed Cinder hanging with Skylands " Just looking at the books Skylands has, she's studying for her school. They have schools for dragons where she is from." A dragon school? That sounds cool, but I just use the castle library " Ruskin said " Hi Skylands " he waved " I'm Ruskin. You want a doughnut?" He waved a glazed doughnut " I've got loads" I could go for a chocolate doughnut " Skylands said " Thanks." Cinder grabbed a couple glazed off the tray as Skylands took a chocolate doughnut.

Tigeress and Jing finally reached the ruins where Po and Panda King were. They found Po resting against the remains of a wall, his left arm in a sling and his left leg wrapped in bloody bandages. " Panda King had nearly no rockets left he was cradling two rockets in his lap, and his attire was ripped dirty and looked like he had been in a fight " Jing... Tigeress " Po said softly " Glad you found us. We crashed our escape ship and we were under fire by some of Vox's goons. My leg and arm are broken, probably. So I will not be doing anything for awhile. " You have a date with her Po" Tigeress said " We'll put you into a wheelchair if we have to. " Tiger and Tigeress are coming with " Jing said as she hugged her father, and hugged Po as best she could, given his injuries " We need to get out of here " Panda King said " " I'm not sure how we are going to get them into the ship. It wasn't really designed for more than 2 people, and not folks who are the girth of your dad or Po" Tigeress said to Jing. As she said this the four of them came under gunfire from the valley below." " On second thought, we'll have to make do. Po , lean against me " Tigeress said. " It will be slow going, but our ship is nearby.

Kiara smiled as she entered the room and kissed Kovu on the lips " You're looking good, granted you always look good. " she gazed at the spread of food Kovu had." Mind if I grab some fries?" She asked as the Fongoid nurse came in" ok, lion, you've passed the tests, and will be released in 15 minutes. I just need you to sign some things and you'll be free to go."

I could create food for myself too" Tiger said as they reached the pizza place. Panty and Arlene were in front of them in line waiting to get a pizza for Oliver- who was running errands for Sneed, in particular clothes shopping." Hi Kitty, Hi Tiger " Arlene said " Just picking up stuff for Oliver and Ollie." Hey Panty. Tiger here is applying for a god hood. He wants to be a harvest god for Green River " Ah, a Harvest god, minor division " Panty said looking at Tiger with interest " I never turn down a god , no matter what division they are in. " Tiger blushed at the busty pantheress who was smiling broadly at him" There's a god application get together tomorrow as luck would have it, I'm one of the emcees, the other one is always a surprise. You'll get something to eat, and some training to hone your abilities. For instance, you have a ability called " Mate Summon " this means whenever you want to talk to Kitty, you can call her to you from wherever she is,regardless of what she is doing. She could be shopping, dining or sleeping, you can call her." There's no declining a summon?" Kitty asked " Nope, since you are a follower, not a fellow god. " Suppose I'm in the shower?" You'll be clothed when you show up, don't worry " What if I'm in the middle of something intimate? Suppose I am kissing Dixie, Arlene, Tigeress or Luca?" Kitty asked.
"
 Well that's just tough luck for your girlfriends. You can't refuse a summon, so you'll have to explain the situation to them. You'll probably have to have a makeup make out later, in all probability." Panty shrugged " They'll have to get used to it. As will you." Kitty paused " Alright, any other abilities he will get?" Food creations, weather control, and protection of the town and surrounding areas." Panty said. " Some of the abilities have to be known only to the god himself however."
Fudge shuffled through the reports focusing on the report of a wizard named Secore Flaggins, who was reportedly injured by a gunshot wound, and was currently recovering at Pottermore Magical Hospital

[brekclub85]

"I missed you two so much," Jing said to her father and Po. She gave her fiancé a gentle nuzzle as they made their way back to the ship. "We'll get you both back to safety soon, I promise." She loaded some fireworks that both her and the Panda King could use as weapons.

..............

 "We both always do," Kovu grinned to his mate as he kissed her back. "Sure, the fries here are pretty good. Nice and crisp." He was pleased by the nurse's news for him. "I hope my room's been maintained in the time I was gone," he chuckled.

..................

"I can't wait to find out what they are," Tiger nodded, and blushed seeing Panty up close and personal. "Would you like to share a meal with us? I know you're one hungry gal," said the soon to be harvest god of Green River.

[Nick22]

Sure, why not?" Panty said." I'm always hungry after all. Order as many pizzas as you think we can eat."
Vitani and Kopa arrived to help Kovu leave the medical wing, with Vitani holding a nice sweater for her brother to wear " Let's get you out of here bro." Vitani said " We have a dinner date set for 6, which will double as a " welcome back " party for you. I got your favorite- double grilled gazelle. It was all I could do to keep Li Ella and Vushu from eating it, it smelled so good. " We ordered plates of it for them too" Kopa chuckled.

As Po limped along with help from Jing sounds of gunfire grew nearer and louder, along with voices." What's the plan for getting us out?" Po asked " Well, this ship has a small cargo area for goods, and one of you will have to be in the area. Probably Panda King since he's bigger. " Jing said. Tigeress reached the ship and frowned. Gunfire had hit the wing leaving large holes which were leaking fuel." Guys, we are in big trouble. I don't think the ship is able to fly in its current state ."
Jing looked around desperately as O
Po leaned against the plane, he was exhausted. A rustling of brush soon revealed a group of armed macaws, who aimed their weapons at them. " Vox will pay us handsomely for you lot" said a large blue macaw" Panda King aimed one of their small number of rockets at the macaws, but before he could fire, a flurry of gunfire pelted the ground in front of the macaws, the kind that could only come from a large weaponized ship. The macaws scattered from the onslaught, and a blue ring of light covered the area around the plane. Tigeress looked up to see a bright light eminating from a large ship, that had Phoenix on its side. " Hey guys," came Nicks voice through a loudspeaker " Good thing I was in the area. I 'm activating the tractor beam. You'll be in Hangar 6, just make your way to the restaurant in the middle of the ship. I have medical supplies there to tend to any injuries you have. Please forgive the mess, Chong trashed the place as he abandoned ship." The beam soon pulled the three pandas and the wolfess, along with their damaged ship onboard.

[brekclub85]

"It's easy to go clothes shopping for Sneed," Oliver told Ollie, "He just wants copies of the same yellow vest he already has. You've been working with him for longer, just how many of these does he own?" He piled the vests into the shopping cart, the cats already having bought the bear some snack foods for later.

............................

Jing began nuzzling Po all over. "I'm so happy to have you back, my flabby fiance," she smiled, "I won't let you out of my sight again. When we get back, I'll nurse you to full health to the best of my abilities."

...............

"I'm always prepared, ready to rescue the innocent and enforce the law," Carmelita nodded, reloading her shock pistol.

....................

"10 million for aiding the seer, Nick, you've done a good job and made a profit," Nick Wilde grinned, looking over the money he had been provided in exchange for his assistance. He truly meant well, he just liked getting paid for doing so.

..................

"Thanks guys, I've missed these kinds of meals," Kovu smiled. "Sima will be there too, right?"

[Serris]

(Ikusis VII)

Rainbow quickly looked around the arena. It was incredibly hilly with the flat spots being either actively flowing lava or unstable newly hardened lava flows. The one safe spot was her airstrip that had been provided so she could refuel and rearm (and prolong the bloodshed demanded by the crowd). Obviously, that was well within the arena. Seeing as there was no safe space, she opted to flee.

Vertically.

The living F-22 lit her afterburners, accelerating past the sound barrier with a sonic boom that elicited roars of approval from the crowd. Then she pulled into steep climb (in a manner that would have likely killed an organic pilot) with her afterburners at full power. A trail of fire marked her path as she rocketed high into the volcanic atmosphere.

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

(Cuorola)

A flash of light from the icy planet was visible from the virtual windshield as the massive iron slug from Spire of Winter's railgun utterly erased one of Vox's arenas. All that was left was a large crater gouged in the planet; a permanent reminder of those who fought against Vox's cruelty and ambition.

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

(Pottermore)

Carlotta Pinkstone, the witch most known for her anti-Statute of Secrecy campaigns was standing at Rowling Square, the main hub of Esbenshire, a Muggle town that overlapped with the Wizarding farm town of Kornacs. Of course, Kornacs had been made Unplottable and was protected with Muggle Repelling Charms as per Statute regulations. Despite that, many Esbenshirians noticed that their electronic equipment tended to malfunction at unusually high rates and pictures taken in the area often had unusual features in them. And of course, there was the spotting of magical flora and fauna.

The red haired Witch had a table with a banner reading "Kornacs: The Secret Right In front of You!". The table had all manner of magical items as well as flora and fauna on display as well as copies of The Daily Prophet. And there was a large crowd.

Carlotta smiled and started to speak. "I'm sure everyone knows of Esbenshire's reputation as a center of weirdness."

Murmured agreements rippled through the crowd.

"What if I was to tell you the cause?"

Silence.

With a flourish, she whipped out her wand. "Magic!"

Uproarious laughter came from the crowd. "Ah, skeptics?"

With a quick flourish of her wand, she Conjured as safe next to her table. "You may inspect the safe to determine it is real."

Before she could show off her next magic ability (Transfiguring a stapler to a chicken) a group that she immediately recognized as Aurors pushed through the crowd.

"Carlotta Pinkstone, by the authority of the Ministry of Magic, you are under arrest," one of the Aurors said, holding out his badge.

She chuckled. "What going to throw me in Azkaban again? This'll be my--"

"Petrificus Totalus!"

Carlotta immediately became still and with a flick of the wand, her inert form and an Auror Disapparated.

Shouts of "Obliviate!" were heard as the remaining Aurors attempted to wipe the memories of the Muggles present. Satisfied that everyone had been Obliviated, the Aurors Disapparated.

In their haste to arrest Carlotta, the Aurors had forgotten that camera footage and electronic recordings were not affected by the Memory Charm.

[Nick22]

Sly looked around for a place to escape, as Stripetail began to destroy the cameras in the arena with a flurry of well placed spells. Finally his spell hit one of the cameras and revealed a shielding spell." Found it, unfortunately I only have 15 seconds. I'm going to have to contain the explosion in spell and shield you and the onlookers. Whatever you do Sly, do NOT leave the shield until I tell you. You will likely get covered in snow." Snow?" In this heat, that snow won't last long. Better that, than feeling the heat of a several hundred thousand degrees explosion." Do what you have to Stripetail " Sly said.
Stripetail cast a flurry of blue orbs which spread around the arena and extending up to the atmosphere . As the final blue orb left his claws, the camera exploded and Stripetail commanded " Compelius" as the energy spread out from the camera it was contained in a shield, which expanded as the energy moved outward and expanded.

 Stripetail moved his claws in circles, controlling the energy as he moved along in a circle. " Not bad wizard, not bad" Mertavius appeared on a floating cloud in the middle of the arena " But as you well know, contain spells require a lot of energy and concentration. You shift focus, even for a moment and that energy gets released , and those protective shields vanish as well. So , wizard, your choice, protect your flying machine, or the ones down here ? Agorcia!" Mertavius commanded and a huge blast of  black energy shot from his staff , and raced upwards toward Rainbow. The energy interacted with the shield around Rainbow and was deflected away " Get away if you can Rainbow " Stripetail said into his walker talkie " That shield won't last long if Mertavius keeps attacking.
It's not meant to be a long term protection "
Stripetail turned back to containing the energy of the magical explosion which was growing with each passing second. Stripetail focused and aimed the glowing ball at Mertavius " Have a taste of your own medicine Mertavius " Let's see how you fare with the heat from 250000 degrees. Destressio!" The energy was thrown right at Mertavius, whose eyes widened in shock and dismay as the immense energy raced  towards him, and struck him, burning away his garments and emitting a roar of pain from the wizard. Mertavius was driven into the arena wall gashing out a huge hole in the wall. The energy blasted a hole that went all the way out to the outmost wall of the arena. The energy shot outward, away from anyone watching the arena fight , it hit a large body of water vaporizing it as it finally dissipated against a nearby mountain range, burning away all the forest cover on the mountainside. Stripetail released the containing spell as Mertavius slowly stumbled out of the hole, his skin hanging off of his muscles and bones in strips  and his eye sockets were empty." You will pay for this wizard " Mertavius rasped, then started as a small pile of coins appeared at his feet " I hope that's enough Mertavius . Paying for my staff is expensive, after all" Stripetail smirked " I didn't mean THAT kind of pay, seer!" Mertavius spat out blood "Don't be asinine! " You left me in a similar state in the Apollo Sanctum. We're even now. Return to your Sanctuary, and use the next few weeks to reflect on your deeds. " Stripetail said  " I'm going to burn every mortal friend of yours to fine ash, and make you watch! " Mertavius spat out a large black glob and vanished in a green flame.
Sly slowly approached, shaking off snow. " Remind me never to steal from you. I owe you big time."

" I need to rest first Jing" Po said as they slowly made their way down a ruined corridor " Po , you are very lucky. Jing is smitten with you.  She made me copy all your fighting poses and moves. Your Crane pose is murder on my knees" Tigeress said " Why did you do that?" Po asked Jing" It was for.. a painting of you I'm working on. I'm not finished yet though. It has me you, my father, your Tigeress and our Tigeress having a tea party on a hillside. I'm still working on the dumplings and food " Jing said " Jing is a good painter, gets it from her mother " Panda King said with a smile.

Of course she is " Kiara said as Kopa helped Kovu walk out of the medical wing " Vushu and her are ordering Mawashii portions of fried chicken. Drumsticks, of course " She chuckled" You are getting 3 months of vacation. You don't have to do anything " Kopa said. " Just relax."
He wants 25 vests" Oliver said looking at the list" and a green sleeping suit. Do they have them in his size?
Luca and Arlene had coffee as Sneed kept sleeping on the bed, snoring every so often. Flash and Mona carried a tray of doughnuts in from their chores, and set them on the table, both girls had just over 200 dollars left " Help yourself mom" Mona said " We have loads Miss Arlene " Flash said.

[brekclub85]

"You mean it? 3 whole months.....taking it easy," Kovu smiled, his eyes gradually shifting towards Kiara's rear as she led the group over to the dining area where Sima and the others were. "I've missed some sights so much...." he smirked mentally.

He waved to Sima as they eventually approached. "I'm out of the medical wing," he told his sumo lioness girlfriend.

.......................

"They should," Ollie replied, "He's the only animal I know who wears them in an XXXXL size." Sneed didn't have much of a fashion sense, clothes shopping for him meant buying copies of what he already had, and he never varied it up.

"Hopefully all the food we got him is enough for a day," Oliver chuckled as he checked off more items from the list of things to get Sneed.

......................

"I can give you a painting of myself, so you can always marvel at my beauty even when I'm not around," Jing offered her fiancé with a grin. "Oh, how I missed your big flabby belly, your handsome fatness....."

"We should be reaching a place where we can recuperate soon," the Panda King told his daughter, Po, and Tigress.

................

Tiger looked down at his big stomach. "My god attire should be something that shows this off," he told Kitty proudly, giving it a pat. "You're the fashion-minded one, you have any suggestions?"

[Serris]

Even with her magically enhanced engines, Rainbow still was incapable of outrunning Mertavius's attack. Luckily, Stripetail's shield protected her. Unfortunately, the attack was so powerful that the shield shattered in a massive blast, that sent her into a spin.

Swearing frantically, the living F-22 fought to pull out of the spin and continued to rocket upwards with afterburners on full power. When she had climbed past 150,000 feet, she figured she was safe enough. She adjusted her flight path and throttled back her engines so she entered a slow, descending loop to give her enough time to avoid Mertavius.

And avoid him she did. Almost an hour after Mertavius had left, Rainbow had reached 10,000 feet and was low enough to see Stripetail. "I owe you greatly for saving both myself and Sly," she said.

[Nick22]

I don't leave a friend behind " Stripetail said in reply " Drobot is the last of our group still unaccounted for. For now I will send both of you to the Spire. I'm sure Carmelita has work piled up for you, Sly. After all, crime doesn't take a vacation. As for Rainbow, I'm sure that you have some repairs you need after fighting for the last few weeks. To say nothing of any mucking Vox did to you in captivity, which he almost certainly did to prevent you from trying to escape . I will make sure you are both paid for your time in captivity and any hospital stays . I'll see you both later. Teleportius!" Stripetail commanded and magic enveloped both Sly and Rainbow, causing both of them to vanish.
Cinder and Ruskin chatted with Skylands ,Warfang, Young  Spyro, Old Spyro, Ember and Dragon, as they compared their realms and Dragon told the younger dragons about her princess guarding gig. " Sounds pretty boring, guarding one human " Cinder said ." Especially when she was locked up anyway." It was a job" Dragon said " In my country, dragons don't exactly have a large number of jobs available to us. We're guarding something or someone, or using our fire to burn something. That's about it. I think there's a couple that fly people around but that's rare." Dragon shrugged