Episode 8: Unexpected Guest

On a cliff, looking over the small town.

A woman in a helmet, wearing a leather jacket, pulls up to the edge of the cliff on her blue motorcycle. The woman takes off her helmet, revealing her short blonde hair with a red streak through it. She looks down at the small town and laughs softly. "This is the place. Better let this bad boy out now."

The woman reached down to a small satchel that sat on the side of her blue bike. "Ugh, this thing is so freaking gross."

She pulled out a small fleshy ball that twitched gently before throwing it up in the air. The fleshy ball grew as it fell and sprouted wings. A giant eye was revealed by the now large ball.

The flying eye looked at the blonde woman and spoke with a familiar voice. "Jack, my dear, are you in place?"

Jack sneered at the flying eye. "God, I'm never gonna get used to your voice coming out of that thing, Doc, but yea, I'm in position."

Dr. Yang speaks through the flying eye and laughs maniacally. "I can send my beautiful child out to play. This is truly a glorious day."

A black portal then opened behind Jack, revealing a small shadowy figure no bigger than 5'5. The tiny figure walks out into the clearing to reveal a small woman in a skin-tight black jumpsuit. Her short black hair accompanied by piercing green eyes shocked Jack, who had just noticed her large, pointed ears. "What is that Doc?"

Dr. Yang's laugh intensifies. "That, my dear, is the next step in evolution. However, you can just call them 2207,"

The small woman approached the edge of the cliff and spoke in an almost robotic voice. "Targets acquired, five in total. Preparing to intercept. Estimated interception time 2 minutes."

2207 leans down in a sprint position, before Dr. yang spoke. "Jack, my dear, I would start making my way down if I were you."

Jack let out a loud sigh. "Fine, but I need a raise for this bull."

2207 spoke in their cold mechanical voice. "Starting interception now." Then, in an instant, the cliff explodes from the sheer force of her movement. Time until interception...

2 MINUTES

In the small town.

Duke looks at the flash card. "This riddle makes no sense."

Ryan scoffs. "What does it say, tenth-place?"

Duke chuckles softly as he thinks. 'Tenth-place? I guess he's not bothering to learn our names.' Duke brings the flash card up to his face. "It says, "A man who was outside in the rain without an umbrella or hat didn't get a single hair on his head wet. Why?"

Ryan quickly speaks up. "The answer is that he's bald."

Don, still thinking about the riddle, turns to Ryan with wide eyes. "That's right. How'd you know the answer so quickly?"

Ryan, still looking forward, blankly answers Don. "It's easy." Then Ryan scoffs. "Well, I guess for a loser like you, then it might not be."

Don looks at Ryan with content. "Hey, Ryan, why do you keep calling us losers or our ranking, rather than our names?"

Ryan laughed. "Because second-place, that's all you guys are to me. Numbers and your numbers tell me I'm the winner and you're the loser."

Don scratches his head, accepting defeat. "Fine, well what does the homeless man being bald have to do with finding the Inquisitor?"

Nina speaks up, catching everyone's attention. "We are most likely looking for a bald homeless man."

Duke nods in agreement. "Let's look around for this, uh, bald homeless man."

Mai, who was walking ahead of the group, raises her hand, causing the group to stop. Don looks over toward Mai. "What's wrong, Mai?"

Mai reaches for her Katana. "Someone or rather something is coming, fast."

The group all prepares for whatever Mai is sensing. Duke pulls a large handgun, checking the magazine to assess how much ammo he had. "Is this also part of the test?"

Ryan's arm glowed bright red. "I don't think so. Now that I sense it, whatever that's coming toward us is at least Combion level."

Don pulls out the black blade that he now claims as his. "What's a Combion level?"

Duke puts the magazine back into his large handgun. "All Daemons have a classification level for how dangerous they are. Fiends are mindless beasts like the Screaming Skulls we fought in the first exam. They are also the weakest. Ghouls are more humanoid, but just as mindless. Then there're Combions they are intelligent, and deadly they are the highest-ranking among regular Daemons."

Sweat rolls down Don's forehead as he thought. 'That must mean Rolo was a Cambion. I've defeated one before so I know I can do it again.' Don smiles. 'I'm excited!!!'

Nina pulls two white gloves from her back pocket as her eyes glowed a fiery red. "Finally, I get to destroy something. Now, this is more my speed."

Time until interception...

1 MINUTE.

Back at the edge of the small town.

Silva sits meditating. His ears wiggle as he hears an engine approaching from behind him. The engine roars until the bike it was coming from flys over Silva. Silva grabs his Katana and in an instant slashes right through the flying bike. The two now separated pieces of the bike slam into the ground exploding. Silva turns up toward a tree where Jack was hanging. "You dodged my attack, impressive."

Jack screams at Silva. "No, not impressive, you frigging idiot. I had just bought that gorgeous beast and you killed her!!!" Jack then lets go of the tree branch she was hanging from and takes off her leather jacket to reveal a shirt with a giant flaming skull on the front. "Your gonna pay for that, you jack wagon!!!" Jack's eyes then glowed a bright blue as a blue guitar appeared in her hands.

Silva turned to the flying shadow that flew past the two of them and straight toward the small town. "Was that a Daemon?"

Jack laughs as blue energy swirled around her. "First you total my baby, then you ignore me? I can really tell that you're a hit with the ladies."

Silva, still looking up at the sky, responds. "No, not really many women have told me I have a bland personality." Silva, then readies his weapon toward Jack.

Jack laughs. "Really? I couldn't tell, but don't worry, guy, I'll end your suffering." The two Miracle users prepare to attack.

Time until Interception...

30 SECONDS.

Above the small town.

The flying eye hovers over to see Team 1 preparing for 2207. The eye focuses on the group before the man, watching from the other side of the eye, notices a familiar face. "Lord Ryan!?" Dr. Yang laughed at an almost insane level. "This is magnificent! There is no one I'd rather see to test the limits of my child, other than Lord Black himself!" Time until interception...

10 SECONDS.

In the small town.

Mai exclaims. "Our unexpected guest is here!"

Time until interception...

3

2

1

Instantly, the figure smashes into the street, creating a dust cloud. Piercing green eyes open to look at the group. Then suddenly a sword-like object cut through the dust, instantly piercing Duke. The group looks over at Duke to see the long blade-like object stabbed into his stomach. Duke looks down and coughs blood before the sword-like object gets pulled from his body.

A shocked Don screams.

"DUUUUUKE!!!"