FicWad

-Ace sat down staring back at Jeffery’s castle, now just a speck on the horizon. His face was twisted into a scowl, his eyes burning with hate. He was dreaming up dozens of ways to kill Jeffery, but first he had to learn how to play by his rules. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly before turning away from the Dark Territory to address his crew. Feral and Ruckus were arguing about what they should do. Ruckus wanted to turn the boat around and kick Jeffery’s ass, and Feral was pointing out what a stupid idea it was. Pyro sat alone silently staring at his open palm. Rooster was looking to Ace like a dog waiting for its masters command

-“This shit isn’t just a bad trip, is it?” he asked. His voice was shaky and a little scarred. “This shit is real?”

-“No it’s not a drug trip,” Ace said. His voice was confident. He wouldn’t show weakness to his gang. “But it’s not real either. You heard what that punk said: this is all some kinda fucked up dream.”

-“Yeah, but that guy said he’d kill us in six months. What the fuck are we supposed to do?” Rooster’s eye’s were quickly becoming panicked. He was beginning to lose it. Ace marched over to him, and slapped him across the face so hard that it knocked him on his ass.

-“You all know what to do. Some punk challenged us to a fight, and we’re going to give him one. He’s an arrogant little shit who thinks he can fuck with anyone because he’s been pushing around grandmas. We’ll teach him what happens when you mess with the Fallen Angels!”

-“But how are we supposed to fight against those powers of his,” Feral asked.

-“He said we have that power to,” Ace said. He looked over at Pyro, still sitting with his back to everyone. “Pyro, he said that fire of yours was like his power. How do you do it?”

-A small fire ball appeared just above Pyro’s palm, and he stared into it intently, as if it were the most important thing in the world. The others watched in amazement, and Ace waited for an answer. “I don’t know,” Pyro said at last.

-“What do you mean you don’t know?” Ace asked. He was beginning to lose his patients. “If you don’t know how you’re doing it, then why is there fire in your hand?”

-“It’s there because I want it to be,” Pyro said. His voice was calm, almost dreamy. His head tilted slightly to one side as he watched the red and orange flames flicker up into the air around the ball’s edge.

-“Because you want it to be?” Ace said, almost to himself. He thought about that for a moment. He knew Pyro wouldn’t deliberately mislead him. He just had to ask him the right questions, but his friend had meant what he said. The fire was there because he wanted it to be there. Ace remembered what Raven had said about only that which he willed was real in this world, and that gave him an idea. Ace and the others had been relieved of their weapons, but Ace wanted his back. He held out his hand and thought about his blade. He pictured it in his mind, the serrated edge, the curve of the blade, and black ridged grip. He willed it into his hand, but nothing happened.

-Ace starred down at his empty palm and felt angry. If there was one thing he hated, it was being denied what he wanted. He closed his eyes and focused all his thought on his blade, not just what it looked like, but how it felt in his hand as well. The cool touch of the steel, the sound it made when he drew it from its sheath, the faint smell of oil. He thought over and over again, “I want my blade”. Ace heard several small gasps, and opened his eyes to see his blade resting in his hand. He didn’t remember closing his fingers around the handle, or even feeling the handle appear in his hand, but there it was. He squeezed his fingers tighter to reassure himself that it was real. As real as anything could be in this place.

-“How did you do that?” Feral asked.

-Ace raised the blade up and smiled. “I wanted it,” he said. He looked the blade over, and the smile faded from his face. If he could have anything he wanted, why settle for a normal knife? He concentrated on the blade, focusing on different aspects of it. It was easier now that he had something with substance to work with. The weapon began to morph as if it weren’t solid. The pummel and front of the guard grew out to meet each other, forming a solid guard for his Ace’s fingers. Spikes popped up along its front edge, with a larger one on the bottom. The blade grew longer, and the serrations on the back grew and curved back like a saw. The end of the blade widened, and the grip became a coiled red chain. Ace’s smile returned to his face bigger than ever as he inspected his work. “I think I’m gonna like it here.”

-Ace looked up to see that Pyro had managed to take his eyes off of his fire ball long enough to look at him with the faintest smile on his face. Ace nodded to him, and Pyro went back to his burning sphere. The other three were staring at Ace’s new toy in slack-jawed amazement.

-“How the fuck did you do that?” Rooster said. His voice was a little too high with excitement.

-“Like Pyro said, it’s all about wanting it,” Ace said. “You just have to concentrate hard enough on what you want and vualla.”

-“Cool,” Rooster said. “I want a bitch to suck my dick then.”

-Ace narrowed his eyes at Rooster. “Try something smaller and more useful, before I kick your ass.”

-Rooster thought for a moment. A smile formed on his face and he held out his hands and closed his eyes in concentration. Ace and the others watched in suspense to see what Rooster would conjure up. They were disappointed when nothing happened.

-Ace sighed and shook his head. He looked at the knife he was holding and realized he had nowhere to put it. That was easily remedied. He looked down at his hip and focused on what he wanted. A leather scabbard slowly took shape until it was perfectly suited for his new weapon. Ace sheathed his blade and looked at the others with a smirk. “It’s easy when you know you can do it. Ruckus, you try.”

-Ruckus thought for a moment. “I’ve never been much for guns. I like my fists.” he said.

-“How about some brass knuckles then,” Ace said.

-Ruckus smiled and looked at his fists. The muscles in his arms bulged as he tightened his fingers, focusing on what he wanted. Very slowly, metal gauntlets formed. They seemed to grow right out of his skin and expand like a liquid until they went from his knuckles to halfway up his forearm. Small spikes popped up on the knuckles one at a time. Ruckus punched one hand into the other palm and gave a grin. “Oh I like this.” he said, admiring his handy work.

-“I thought you might,” Ace said. “Feral, your turn.”

-Feral picked her nails and then smiled wickedly. She opened her hand and watched as her nails extended and turned into cat-like claws. She looked at Ace, still smiling and now with wild eyes. “This has possibilities,” she said.

-Ace looked at Feral’s new makeover and said, “Kinky.” he looked back to Rooster. “Any luck, dumb ass?”

-Rooster was sweating with effort. He gritted his teeth and glared at his empty hand while whispering, “Come on.” the others watched him, but their expressions were not very hopeful. Finally, something began to take shape in Rooster’s hand. A small metallic sphere grew to the size of a baseball. Rooster laughed out in triumph and began molding the glob into the familiar shape of one of his desert eagles. “Oh baby, I missed you!” He conjured up a twin more quickly than the first, and formed a pair of holsters on his back as he had had before. He looked at the others with a smug expression.

-”Well now that we have the basics down. Let’s experiment a little,” Ace said.

-They spent the next several hours playing with their new powers, modifying their new weapons, their clothing, and their surroundings. Ace had a brand new 57 magnum that he could fire without reloading, a trick Rooster had also applied to his own guns of which he now had nearly a dozen. At first he had tried to find a place for them all, but it had been a hopeless effort which only served to amuse his companions. The Gatling gun in particular had proven impossible to carry realistically. Ace had suggested he simply turn his eagles into whatever kind of gun he wanted. It had taken some practice, but Rooster could now turn his cannons into any weapon he chose within seconds.

-Ruckus had focused on manipulating his new gauntlets. He found he could extend the spikes from them to any length when he threw a punch, or will the metal to form over his entire body, becoming a kind of living armor. Feral worked on her body modification, growing claws, sharp teeth, muscles, and even a prehensile tail. She and Ruckus practiced sparing with each other to test out their new abilities. Feral was fast and agile, while Ruckus relied on brute strength. They were a good match for each other, neither managing to do any real damage to the other.

-Pyro sat launching fire balls into the ocean. Each blast was larger than the last until they put Hiroshima to shame. Ace finally stepped in and said, “Knock it off before you blow us out of the water.“ Pyro turned his head to look at Ace with an unreadable blank expression. Then he burst into flames. The others gasped in surprise. His body was a pillar of swirling fire, but Pyro remained standing, unbothered by the flames licking up his body. Ace stared at the red and yellow ball that he guessed was Pyro’s face and said, “Fine, but shoot the shit up into the air.”

-After several hours of experimenting, watching the others fight and bicker, and hearing the rolling waves of the ocean, Ace found he was growing bored. “This shit is too easy,” he said. “Let’s try something a bit harder.” Ace looked at the monstrous head towering over him and got an idea. “Fuck that asshole.” Ace held out both his hands and concentrated on the empty space in front of him. He formed a clear picture in his mind, envisioned it filling the empty space he was staring at, and willed it to be there. A small metallic blob appeared, hovering in the air. It then grew, and grew larger still until it was the size of a man. Ace molded its form, stretching it out, expanding its ends. Bit by bit it took the shape of a motorcycle, but Ace saw no reason to stick to conventions. He could finally have the ride of his dreams, literally. The base of the handle bares became a screaming skull with the yoke turning into fangs. machine guns grew out of the hollow eye sockets. The tires were covered with curved blades like a saw. The gas tank, which Ace knew was unnecessary, was now a holster for two Uzi machine guns. It was painted white and black like a skeleton

-Ace walked around his new bike, tracing his fingers along its surface. The smile on his face showed his approval. He looked to the others and said, “Make yourselves some bikes. We’re not riding on this fucking turtle.”

-They all did as they were told, conjuring a custom vehicle that suited their personalities. Feral’s was similar to Aces with a head as the base of her handle bars, only hers was the head of a wolf. Her tires were circular saws with gagged blades designed for tearing through flesh. Her bike was blood red. Rooster’s ride reflected his gun fetish, with two Gatling guns resting on each side of the front wheel. The duffle bags at the back sides had been replaced with surface to air missile launchers. It was covered in army camouflage. Ruckus had given birth to a bastard child of a bike and a tank. Its wheels were two feet wide, and the bike was armor plated. Unlike the other bikes in which the rider sat up straight, Ruckus had to lay flat on his stomach and lean forward on his like a racing bike. Unlike a racing bike, Ruckus’s had a metal canopy that slid into place, protecting him in its steel shell. A narrow window wrapped around the front of the bike for him to see out of. His ride was monochrome grey. Pyro’s bike was a low rider with flames for wheels. The seat looked like molten lava, and the entire bike was glowing red hot. The air around it was filled with heat waves, and steam arose where the tires met the ground.

-Ace looked at his Fallen Angles and nodded his approval. “Alright, time to ride,” he said.

-“How?” Rooster asked. “We’re in the middle of a damn ocean.”

-“Don’t you get it,” Ace yelled. “None of this is real. We can do anything we want to, and I want to ride.” Ace spun his bike around so it was lined up with the back of the monster’s giant head. He pressed a button on his handle bars, and his machine guns fired. The bullets tore the beast’s head apart. It only had time to issue a single bellow of complaint before it was reduced to raw meat. Ace laughed manically and revved his engine. He released the brake, and his bike shot forward, using what remained of the monster’s neck as a ramp. Ace howled as his bike soared through the air before landing on the water. Rather than sink, its tires sent water spraying out behind it like a jet ski, and it remained on the surface.

-Feral gave out a barking laugh before she followed suit. Rooster and Ruckus did the same, followed by Pyro. Ruckus’s engine roared much louder than the others, and Pyro’s bike seemed to ride on steam as it touched the water, all of them rode along the surface, continuing in the direction the demon had been taking them.

-It wasn’t long before they saw land on the horizon. The group made a race out of it for fun, weaving around and cutting each other off. They laughed and taunted, firing their vehicles’ weapons at each other. They attacked one another with blatant disregard for safety, but none of them were actually injured. Ruckus’s bike shrugged off even direct hits; Pyro had formed some kind of heat shield around himself through which nothing seemed able to penetrate; Feral dodged everything, and Rooster and Ace quickly learned to heal and repair any damage they took. When they were in the final stretch, Ace conjured two grenades which he threw behind his bike. The explosions created a wave which acted like a wall to the others while Ace just surfed it towards shore, beating the others to the finish line. His reward was to be swarmed by demons the moment his bike touched solid ground.

-Hundreds of dog-sized creatures scurried out of holes scattered along the beach. They had thin bodies, streamlined heads with no visible eyes, large mouths with very sharp translucent teeth, and long narrow tails with a balls at the end which had two sharp hooks on each side. They closed the gap to Ace with astonishing speed, running on all fours like a cheetah. Snarling and hissing, the demons charged.

-Ace was only surprised for a moment. Rather than feel intimidated, he was thrilled. A grin spread from ear to ear on his face as he rode straight at the stampeding beasts. He let out another maniacal laugh as he fired his bikes guns into the growing mass, and tore it apart. Black blood splattered the beasts, the ground, and Ace’s bike as he drove right through them. His front wheel tore the flesh of the creatures too slow to get out of his way. Ace drew the Uzis and began firing into the mob. He didn’t need to hold the handle bars to direct his bike or fire its guns; it did what he willed it to do. Several of the creatures managed to grab onto the back of the bike, but a quick glance from Ace, and that area of his ride grew long spikes to puncture the hitchhiker.

-Explosions erupted on the beach, followed by hysterical laughter. Ace spared a glance to see that Rooster and the others had made it to land and were joining the fun. Rooster’s guns were blazing in every direction as he laughed uncontrollably. Feral and Ruckus just ran the monsters down, slicing or crushing them. Pyro stopped his bike a ways away from the others and waited for the beasts to swarm him. He sat perfectly still with his head bowed, arms crossed, and eyes closed. When the nearest demon lunged at him, Pyro looked up and said, “Burn.” a swirling dome of fire erupted from him and expanded across the beach’s surface, incinerating all the demons caught within it.

-When the smoke cleared, the beach was littered with the corpses of demons. The water was dark with blood and body parts, and smaller demons crawled out of every dark crevasse to feast of the carrion. Ace looked over the carnage with a satisfied smile. “Damn,” Ruckus said. “I think we overdid it. I wanted to kill a few of them with my hands, but I guess we didn’t leave any alive”

-“Plenty more where they came from,” Ace said. “In fact, let’s go find some more. I wand this whole place cleared out for us. Spread out and kill anything you find.” The others did as ordered, each going off in a different direction. Ace remained on the beach, looking at the sea of bodies before him. He dismounted his bike and walked out among the blood and gore. He held out a hand to the dead, and began to concentrate. One by one, the body parts melded together, forming new creatures shaped according to Ace’s will. Before long, Ace had an entire army of slaves standing before him, ready and willing to carry out his orders. They looked more human than they had before, but they still retained many of their demonic features such as claws and sharp teeth. Ace had liked those.