1 Episode 1 - Last Living Souls

The sight of defeat.

The young man in hero costume kneels with both of his hands on the ground breathing unsightly in the center of a local park at nighttime, trees and the like torn apart from a battle that just ended. A bit of blood continues to flow out of his wounds, there's sharp pain searing through his entire body while his mask and glasses lie broken on the ground.

There's no point in calculating, planning or strategizing, it was a total defeat and humiliation. His friends lie unconscious on the ground around him, one of them upside down inside the fountain, another one hanging barely by a broken tree that was torn in half.

Soul: My weapon won't move anymore. Dammit. I lost completely. A perfect defeat, a miscalculation...

Blood spewed out of his mouth each time he tried to speak, but he couldn't stand it, couldn't accept this conclusion.

A rather thin young woman dressed in black, dark tattoos on her face, floated in the air before him. She didn't have even a speck of dust on her despite everything that just happened.

A beautiful princess of death, looking down on him like a lioness to its prey, savoring the moment, tasting it. Loving each hateful gaze the defeated hero gave her.

Soul: Just you wait, Zoe...

----

Going back a few months before all that...

Los Angeles, June 12th, 20xx.

It was a beautiful day outside. Birds were singing, flowers were blooming, summer was right around the corner and the general public carried on with their daily lives. Until, at the center of the city, a building started lockdown procedures due to an alarm going off.

The citizens around simply scatter, avoiding the area, but a little kid saw, while looking up, a young man with a gray-ish dark mask and clothing jumping from a window at the 21st floor. He makes a little spin in the air, with a smug smile on his face, and starts to use the wind itself to glide forward.

Little Kid: Woah! He can fly!

Police cars arrive just as the young man flies away mounting on his invisible drones, soon enough to start chasing him without ever stepping a foot out of their cruisers.

Officer: Soul, this is the LAPD! Get down and surrender right now!

Soul: Did that ever work?

Officer: He's not stopping. Shoot him down.

The officers started to shoot at him, thankfully due to the distance, and his rather thin physique, he wasn't shot. However, his smug smile died in a jiffy as he noticed two local superheroes flying after him.

One of them bashed his body against Soul, making him fall to the roof of another building. Getting up, holding his head, feeling a small bump, he looks at the two heroes landing before him, asking for surrender.

Hero 1: Please, son, surrender.

Hero 2: We don't know what you're going through, but stealing from others will never pay off.

Soul: That's cool and all...

Soul raises his hand and a gust of wind blows around his hand, showing a big ass green spear that he grabs while preparing a defense pose.

Soul: ...But I didn't ask.

Hero 1: You don't actually believe that you--

Giving no moment for reply Soul dashes at the heroes, ducks and raises his body while swinging his spear, hitting both of their chins in the process, throwing them backwards to the edge of the roof.

One of them was about to fall off, still stunned by the previous hit, but the other held his arm quickly, but Soul gave them no moment to breathe as jumps, used wind to propel himself forward, spinning in the air with the spear at high speed and hitting the heroes, forcing both to fall off.

Soul: Good, take me out of here.

Wind sweeps around him once more and he prepares to use it to glide away, but the current is cut midway by another power as five more heroes land in a circle around him.

Hero 3: You're surrounded and outnumbered.

Soul prepared his spear for another fight, he knew that in no way in hell he would be able to outrun so many heroes.

Soul: I like those odds.

----

Around an hour later, somewhere else, a man sips his coffee while sorting through some documents in his office, groaning when he finds the one he's looking for.

His reading stops, however, when someone knocks at his door and enters, showing the head of a young woman in uniform similar to his, but with less stars on the shoulder.

Adagium: What do you want, Terry?

Terry: Commander Adagium, sir, they got him. The young thief you were looking for.

Adagium raised from his seat, eyes widened and a relieved smile on his face.

Adagium: Soul?

Terry: Captured today at city center, word is he put up quite a fight. He's just been transferred to one of your cells.

Adagium left all the papers on the desk and hurried out of his office. Was excited? Happy? Soul's capture picked up his interest enough to change his mood from the groaning of office work.

Arriving at the detention center of the base, he found the heroes responsible for the capture, some of them really damaged, and Soul, unmasked, sitting inside the cell, alone.

Adagium: Good work, fellas.

Hero 1: If the damage control doctors didn't say my partner would survive the fight, I would've thrown this miserable rat from a skyscraper and say he fell down the stairs.

Adagium: Ah, suicide by hero, lovely, can you all go take your credits and get the fuck out of my base?

They leave, staring daggers at Soul, who couldn't care less. The capture itself wasn't what was bothering him that much, but how he was captured, after kicking their asses and getting surrounded, anyone would be taken like that.

Adagium: Soul of Artist.

Soul: A Artist. The A is important.

Adagium: Wouldn't then it be "an artist"?

Soul: What do you want?

Adagium: Pay you a coffee.

Soul's cell opens and he is free to leave, though escaping is impossible due to the bracelets that were locked into him, disabling his powers, so he just follows him to the cafeteria, where they both sit together.

Soul: SO, what does the commander of the American IBI want with me?

Adagium: Straight to the point, huh? You must be popular with the girls.

Soul: How's that even relevant? What do you want, man?

Adagium: Make you some questions for starters.

Soul: Like?

Adagium: I'm curious. How does it feel to be sold out by the most wanted art thief in the world?

Soul: I'M the most wanted art thief in the world.

Adagium: You were.

Soul grinned his teeth hearing that, clenching his fists under the table.

Adagium: But perhaps I can give you a chance to redeem yourself.

Soul: I am no not looking for redemption.

Adagium: What about payback? I mean, wasn't it too perfect that you got surrounded so fast?

Soul: You just said someone sold me out.

Adagium: And perhaps you could work for me to get them.

Soul: I don't want to join your super hero club, man. Thieves and Heroes don't mix up.

Adagium laughs at his face.

Adagium: What? I don't want you to join my organization. You are irresponsible, undisciplined and have too much of an ego. Frankly, I'm sure one of the reasons you chose thieving was due to your inability to stay in a job for too long for not obeying orders.

Soul: You know what, forget it. I'm not going to help you with anything.

Adagium: Then, I'm afraid you'll be sent to Luna's Abode then.

Soul: You wouldn't.

Adagium: Art thievery, evading arrest, property damage... A 19 year old putting up a mask and committing such crimes is grounds for the crime of villainy, which will be your one way ticket to Luna's Abode.

Soul: Villainy?! I didn't--

Adagium: So unless you want to be a male escort for free behind bars for the next 20 years, you'd be wise to take my offer.

Soul lowers his head and sighs.

Soul: What's the job?

Adagium: Ever heard of "The Great Hunt"?

----

Los Angeles, June 13th, 20xx. Adagium's office. Morning.

Soul was putting up a newly made uniform and mask, the guys from the sewing club were watching for any issues, concentrated, while the thief and commander continued to talk.

Soul: You've been preparing this for quite some time, weren't you:

Adagium: I pride myself in being prepared. You were on my list for this job for a while now.

Soul: Ah, yes, call the thief to enter in a bounty hunting international competition that will probably spam over months.

Adagium: Better than 20 years being used as human ona--

Soul: Alright, alright, I get it. Why the new uniform though?

Adagium: To fit the narrative that you are a changed man. That you dropped your old days.

Soul: I Did?

Adagium: Did you?

Soul: There's also another issue.

Adagium: That is?

Soul: To enter the Great Hunt, you need a team.

Adagium: Yes, and?

Soul: I'm not a team player.

Adagium: You'll learn, you're a smart boy.

Soul: Who are the others? I take it that, since you so carefully handpicked me, you chose other people to play part in this farce.

Adagium: As I said, you're a smart boy.

---

West Hollywood. Afternoon.

Soul and Adagium, both in casual clothing, stood before a tall building. Adagium took off to the entrance, while Soul kept looking up, raising an eyebrow.

Soul: The Fox Utopia?

Adagium: One of the most busy nightclubs in the city.

Soul started to follow.

Soul: That much was a given. You don't come to West Holly just to sightsee. Honestly it is kinda depressing seeing this area while the sun's still up. Why are we even here?

Adagium: This place will be your team's base.

Soul: You're joking.

Adagium: Why would I? It's well hidden from a competitive point of view. Your tournament rivals wouldn't find you here and even if they did, there's nothing to see but partying.

Soul: Well, it is the most "nightlife" busy part of the city...

Entering, there is a platform overlooking the main area with a stairwell leading down, kinda impressing Soul for some seconds before following the commander again.

Reaching to the main hall, empty with the works just preparing for the night, the two find some other people who seem to be waiting for something or someone.

Adagium: Terry, how's things?

Terry: Almost all of them are here.

Adagium: Mister Soul, your teammates.

One of them, a young looking girl with long black hair, jumped backwards, startled by their sudden arrival.

Adagium: This is Treesap. Our infiltration specialist.

Treesap: H-Hello!

Soul: Your name is "treesap"?

Adagium: I decided that, due to this team being assembled as a one trick pony, codenames would be better.

Soul: Hm. What can you do?

Treesap: OH! This!

She waved her hand and a small snake came to her from where she was sitting, slithering up to her shoulder.

Soul: You control snakes?

The snake then was set on fire, but the animal was fine with it, rubbing against her left cheek.

Treesap: Ow, ow, ow.

The snake goes back to normal and looks at Soul with what looks like a smug look on the animal's face.

Adagium: That one is Jynga. He'll be our spy.

Jynga: Information gathering, stealth, breaking and entering, that sort of stuff.

Soul: Aren't you the son of that famo--

Jynga: That's isn't relevant, thief.

Soul: Point taken... Can you fight?

Jynga: If the situation needs.

Dante: These two will get along just fine.

Adagium: This is Dante, our heavy hitter.

Dante: Howdy.

Soul: What's your magic trick?

Dante: I'm a warrior specialized in the ability to dispel and resist magic, powers and the like.

Treesap: Wait, you're THE Dante? The one who single handedly saved 300 IBI troopers from enemy bombardment in Cuba?

Dante: It was only 250, the media does like to romanticize much about that day.

Soul: What are you, a fan?

Treesap: I mean, he's a hero!

Jynga: So are you. Technically there are only heroes here, beside him of course.

Soul: That was directed at me, wasn't it? Is there someone else?

Adagium: Well, you already know Terry. She's my eyes and ears, you liason to me and my most trusted officer.

Terry: On a more useful note, I'll be the team's tech support.

Soul: So... The nerd.

Terry rolled her eyes and ignored the comment.

Adagium: For now, two people are absent, but--

Fae: EXCUSE ME!

A smaller woman in a mask and hero suit came in a hurry, puffing hard.

Adagium: Ah, yes, this is Fae, our Magic and Ranged attacker.

Fae: Hi.

Adagium: She doesn't talk much. She's also the one who recommended you to the task.

Soul: Gee, thanks.

Jynga: If it weren't for her, you'd be sent straight to Luna's Abode after getting your ass kicked.

Soul: Did I ask?

Dante: Alright, you two, easy-peasy now.

Soul: He's the one who's got a problem with me.

Adagium: Quit it. You all will be living here, together, until the end of the tournament, so I suggest you grow up and suck it up. You all know what's at stake here.

Soul: I don't?

Treesap: Also, we'll be living here? Can't it be somewhere else?

Adagium: All teams in the competition need a base to regroup and I already paid the owner for your staying at the penthouse, upstairs, and free pass.

Soul: Don't change the subject. What's "at stake" here? You want us to enter the bounty hunting word cup for what reason specifically? And why us when you command the IBI in all of the West Coast?

Jynga: Use your brain for a moment, will you? Why else would some big shot commander want to outsource people for a mission?

Soul: What? You can't trust your own people?

Terry: Yes. We believe that the pillars of the superhuman community are... Compromissed. And this competition will be the source of some uprising.

Adagium: I want a team of my own in it, but made of people who have no ties with the government.

Dante: A warrior, a thief, a mage, the tech genius, an info gatherer and an infiltration specialist...

Adagium: There's one more person who isn't here. Our assassin, but they will join you later. Now that you are all introduced, go to your rooms, where your stuff and new uniforms were already moved into.

Terry: Follow me.

Jynga: Before that, how do we know that mister second world's best art thief here won't escape to do whatever he wants?

Adagium: FORMER second most wanted.

Terry: Because, if he does escape, we'll just capture him again. And then just sentence him for Luna's Abode for life.

Soul: You wouldn't do that.

Terry: The commander wouldn't. But I would. It would be simple, just a quick threat on a judge's family.

Treesap: Remind me to not get on her bad side...

The group followed Terry upstairs while Adagium stayed behind.

Adagium: It's a bit too early to drink, don't you think?

He looked behind and looked at a guy dressed in a blue hoodie drinking at the corner of the place.

Adagium: Though I know you don't like to drink yourself. What do you think, Blue?

Blue: These are the guys who you claim to be able to save the fucking world?

Adagium: History is made of unlikely heroes. So does fiction.

Blue: Hm...

He spins his glass in silence, thinking, before taking another sip.

Adagium: You will take care of them, right?

Blue: Getting paid to babysit doesn't sit well with me, but the money is good enough of a reason, though it won't last for long.

He looks at the commander.

Blue: They won't last past the first round of the tournament.