Chapter 10

“Argh, this is soooo boring!” whined The Imp. 

The laboratory was brightly lit. White cabinets lined the walls and high-tech machines hummed softly in the background. The dark scientist was swirling a milky white mixture in a flat bottom flask, inspecting the content closely. Nothing seemed out of place in this state-of-the-art lab, except for an oddity in the middle of the room.

The massive figure of the once-powerful sorcerer laid haphazardly on a metal table. His thick neck resting on the edge of the table, with his head tilted back towards the ground. A void look washed across his face as drool slowly dribbled down the side of his mouth. The muscular chest heaved up and down as the man panted from the sexual exhaustion. Sensors were plastered all over the fallen hero’s beefy physique – on his temples, his pert nipples, his thick veiny rod, and exposed melon-sized balls. 
 
“Ughh…” moaned Imperial Flame as he shot another jet of cum into the milking pump that was encasing his impressive 12′ erection. Over the last few days, Dr. Grim had been working Imperial Flame to the limit. He had collected gallons of the precious white essence to study. At first, The Imp was excited, but it grew old quickly to see a mindless hunk ejaculating repeatedly. 

Staring at the result of his work, The Imp folded his arms and scowled, “He’s a mess.” 

It was fun to push the stoic hero to the point of betraying his own mentee and comrade. After all, with The Imp’s submissive magic, he could easily force the hero to spill the beans either way. 

The villain whimpered to the scientist, “I need another hero, Dr. Grim. Can we get Ember Man now?” 

“Patience. We are not ready yet. That Elementalist is too powerful. Your beasts won’t stand a chance,” muttered the petite man. 

Staring at The Imp with a stone-cold set of eyes, he reached for a list from his desk drawer. 

“Do you have these beasts? We will need them for the next step.” 

Scanning through the list, The Imp smiled slyly. “Not all of them… But I can see where this is going. I love it.” 

“Then go and get them,” ordered the scientist.

The Imp frowned. Irked by being treated as an errand boy, The Imp stared at the man for a short moment, contemplating on whether he should comply with a being beneath him. 

“Fine. It will take a day or two,” The Imp raised his hands in surrender. This scientist’s personality and thoughts are beyond the sprite’s comprehension. Through centuries, he never encountered anyone as odd as this scientist, and he was intrigued to see how it will turn out. For now, he will go along with the man’s schemes. 

With a wave of his hands, an interdimensional portal opened. The Imp took off for his tasks.

The scientist looked down on his monitor, studying the details of a Top Five. He murmured under his breath, “According to my calculations, you have to be next.” 

Chapter 11

“The whole place was scotched to ground. Black soot covered everywhere. There was rubble laying around. Ember Man went bat crazy when he saw what was left of the metal bracelets that cuffed Imperial Flame. Man, the scene was horrible,” described the silver-clad hero. 

Phantom sat leisurely spread out on a swivel desk chair. His silver skintight costume clearly defined his lean muscular frame. His round shoulders and strong back rested against the back of the chair. The sleeves of his super suit extended across his thick toned biceps and veiny forearms, ending off at his wrists, exposing the hero’s masculine hands. A sliver hooded mask rested just below his nape, exposing his handsome facial features. The hunk has boyish good looks with thick brown hair and matching brown eyes. 

“Sigh… We haven’t had any clues to getting True-Blue out or locating Imperial Flame,” responded Wits as he typed away at his workstation. Being the team’s intel, the hero was certainly not doing a good job. “Our search teams have been scouring the harbor and its surroundings for the past week with nothing.” 

*Buzz*

Phantom’s communicator went off.

“Looks like mission dispatch has something for me,” glanced Phantom. “Hmm… Arson at the Cindra University of Music and Science. Flux… and Geo. God, am I playing the babysitter today?”

Wits got up from his workstation, towering over the other hero. Standing at 5’9 (182cm), Wits smiled at Phantom, who stood at 5’7 (167cm). Leaning in the unsuspecting silver hunk, he whispered into his ears, “Jack. Babe. Stay safe, okay?”

Phantom’s handsome face turned bright red as Wits held his chin and locked lips with the hero. Both heroes shared a fleeting moment of warm intimacy. Breaking off the kiss, the taller hero stared passionately in Phantom’s brown eyes and gently ruffled his sandy-brown locks. “You are adorable when you blush.” 

“W-what…,” stuttered a flustered Phantom. “Y-you just caught me off guard. That’s all.”
 
Quickly pulling up his hooded face mask to hide his reddening face, he said, “Y-you stay safe too… Babe.”

Wits dropped back into his desk chair, with a gleam in his eye. They just got together recently after Phantom was dumped by his long-term girlfriend due to his spontaneous heroic disappearances. Wits made sure to tease his handsome and adorable boyfriend as much as possible while he was still exploring the new side of his sexuality. 

As the silver hero left the office, Wits continued to study his charts and readings. The telepath hero was a gorgeous young man himself too. The tall hunk had his own set of boyish looks and a sunshine smile that stole the hearts of countless fans. He sported a rugged stubble that adds to his masculine charms. His costume was a white dress shirt with a set of black dress pants, easily mistaken for a confident and sexy business executive. The hero wore his shirt loosely, with the top two buttons undone, exposing the cleavage of his toned and smooth pectoral muscles. A navy-blue waistcoat wrapped around his body, highlighting the hunk’s slender waist. To complete his hero look, a classic black domino mask rest across his attractive face. 

The Cindra Alliance had taken devastating hits with True Blue’s demise and now Imperial Flame’s capture. Wits had to do something. As he continued to study the readings on this display, a clue came to light. Just a while back, a reading revealed that interdimensional magic was used near Orange Walk District where True Blue was found. And another similar reading just a few days ago near Oar’s Rest Harbor where the video of Imperial Flames was sent from. 

Interdimensional magic is rarely used. Are these readings related?
 
*Ping… Ping… Ping…*

The monitor showed another reading that interdimensional magic was used at Oar’s Rest Harbor currently. Wits bolted up from his seat. He finally had a lead after so long. 

*Buzz*

Wit’s communicator went off at the same time.

“A Kaiju sighting out in Blue Fields Outskirts? Ember Man and Velocity are being dispatched there. With myself,” Wits muttered under his breath. Conflicted between the Kaiju threat and interdimensional magic, the hero must decide quickly. 

Wits decided to drop a text to the other two Top-Five. “I got a fleeting lead on Imperial Flame and possibly True Blue. I must go before I missed it. I will join you when I’m done.”

Grabbing his jacket and helmet, the telepath left the room. 

Chapter 12

Finger-combing his curly copper-red locks, The Imp stepped forth from the portal after getting what he needed. The sound of waves breaking against the harbor greeted him. 

“Easy-peasy,” gleamed the striking being as he took a deep breath of the salty air. The hot sun was blazing down at the peak of noon over the cries of the seagulls. “Good to be back on Earth!”

The portal opened near a warehouse at Oar’s Rest Harbor. Yes, the exact same place where they captured and enslaved the veteran hero, Imperial Flame. The Imp smiled as he stared at the scorched wreckage. He had Imperial Flame blazed down the place after they were done. He recalled the moment when he saw Ember Man and Phantom over the monitor. The fire hero was so enraged that he burst into flames in his anger. 

The Elementalist is indeed as powerful as what the doc described. I can’t wait for that moment I make him my pet.
 
Their actual base was just underground from the debris, about a mile beneath. Shielded with stealth technology, it would stay hidden from sonar and other detection devices.

“Well, the last thing before I knock off,” The Imp pouted with contempt. Placing his hands on the ground, he focused his energy. The ground vibrated as a large amount of magical energy was released. The cries of the seagulls went silent momentarily. A few beads of sweat surfaced on his forehead as the powerful being overexerted his powers. As quickly as it happened, the vibrations resided. 

Damn… It’s really been a while since I used so much magic power.
 
Panting slightly, The Imp returned down. 

——

“Have you got what I requested?” asked Dr. Grim. 

“I’m curious about what you want to do with these ants. It wasn’t easy finding their queen, you know.”

Dr. Grim responded in his monotonous voice as he gestured towards a large glass terrarium, “Chameleon Ants are exceptional beasts. Apart from being extremely aggressive, they have the natural ability to take on the properties of the materials they consumed. Put them in here. I need to prepare them.”

Looking through the glass of the ant farm, The Imp wriggled his fingers cheekily. Countless tiny orange magic circles spawned against the glass. An army of Chameleon Ants marched forth fearlessly into their new home, seemingly primed for battle. The Imp giggled playfully, “Looks like one of the movie scenes I just watched.” 

The scientist raised an eyebrow. “What about the Kaiju?”

Rolling his eyes, The Imp made a hand motion mimicking the scientist’s words. “Yea, yea, it’s out. It took so much effort just to summon that huge monster. You are no fun. Do you know that?” 

“Good,” looking at his monitor, the scientist smiled as he knew his calculations were right. “Seemed like we have a visitor. Go and greet him.”

Pissed off by the constant disrespect he was getting, The Imp shot an angry glance at the scientist. “Fuck, man! I’m not your doorman. Stop asking me to run your errands.”

“He’s one of the Top Five. He’s worth your time.” 

Still fuming, The Imp stared at the monitor in contempt. He agreed reluctantly, “Well… At least he’s cute.” 

Chapter 13

Zipping through the streets of Cindra Metropolitan on his motorcycle, the scene quickly changed from buzzing city life to a calm and serene harbor. Under the blazing heat, most of the shipyard workers were working under shade, leaving the harbor quiet.

Taking off his helmet, Wits took a deep breath, filling his lungs with the salty ocean air. Usually, he would call on reinforcement, but Velocity and Ember Man were busy with the Kaiju, and Phantom was off on the arson case with Flux and Geo. Even though there were other heroes back at the base, Wits hardly had opportunities to work with any of them, much less asking them for help on an impromptu mission. This time around, he intended for this to be a quick survey trip before heading back to support Velocity and Ember Man. 

With his motorcycle parked by the curb, he walked toward the scorched warehouse, where Imperial Flame was held captive just a week before. True to Phantom’s descriptions, the place was covered floor to ceiling in black soot. Rubble laid waste around the area. Only a few walls and fixtures remained standing. The place would have been dark if not for the bright sun rays streaming in through the gaps.

With a detection device in hand, the sensors were picking up remnants of interdimensional magic. Whoever opened the portal had left but their magic lingered. Since the hero was here, Wits thought he might do a quick survey of the area, and quickly noticed something out of place. 
 
“Hmm… These footprints. They seemed… fresh,” observed the telepath hero. Studying it further, it seemed almost too fresh with its clearly defined edges, as though it made within the last couple of minutes. “The person that made these is probably still around here.” 

Alarm bells went off in his mind as his telepathic abilities suddenly detected another being approaching quickly. A silhouette agilely slipped behind him towards the exit. Standing in the way of the sun glare, Wits could barely make out the figure.

“I hope you are not leaving so soon. We haven’t had fun yet,” said the shadowed figure.

Squinting his eyes, he was confident that this was the person who traveled across dimensions. Wits questioned cautiously as his instincts were urging him to leave immediately, “Who are you?”

This person exudes a very strong aura. I need to be careful and can’t engage in direct combat. Need to figure a way to give him the slip. 

Stepping away from the glare, the figure was a tall, slender, and muscular man with copper-red hair. He was casually dressed in a white oversized V-neck shirt and a pair of blue jeans. Light freckles sprinkled across his handsome face. The youthful-looking man appeared harmless but was most definitely not, in the eyes of the experienced telepath hero. 

“People call me ‘The Imp’. But since you look so delightful, you can call me anything,” replied The Imp as he licked his lips, eying the hero’s features from head to toes. 

“The Imp?” 

“Yup, right from Hague Domain. Do you know where that is?”

Wits remained silent as he concentrated on his focus. His dark brown eyes glowed a hue of light blue.

The Imp continued, “I heard that you are one of the big five Supes, called Top Five or something. Very powerful people with super-powered abilities. But… you don’t look very tough. Are you sure you are powerful? I only like to play with powerful beings, preferably males. They tend to last longer, and the sounds of their screams are some of the sweetest sounds in the world.” 

Wits furrowed his brows. Almost there.
 
“Well… I guess we just have to find out if you are strong -” The Imp paused abruptly. His body was suddenly frozen in place. His eyes stared ahead at Wits, with a similar faint blue glow.

Wits smiled as his eyes continued to maintain the hue. During the villain’s monologue, he had been sending telepathic waves directly into The Imp’s mind, attempting to gain control over the being’s mind and body. With The Imp paralyzed, escape would be a breeze.
 
Maintaining his concentration on the mental link, he walked cautiously toward the exit, standing just by The Imp. He could never be too careful with these powerful beings. The Imp stood frozen in place, his eyes still facing forward. Studying at the villain’s features up close, Wits felt a surreal aura emitting from the man. His features looked human but at the same time, unreal. Wits whispered to himself in deep thoughts, “What… is he…-?”

Out of the blue, The Imp’s eyes returned to their brown shade. A wide grin cracked across The Imp’s face in an instant. Not giving the hero any time to react, his right hand shot up toward the hunk’s throat. Wits’ glowing blue eyes widened in shock as the vice-like grip lifted him off his feet, choking him. His mental link into the villain’s mind broke off and the recoil was a massive throttling headache.

“Uugh… Im-impossible…” struggled the hero, as he gripped the choking hand. He landed a few kicks onto The Imp’s chest in vain. No one had ever undone his mental link this quickly before. He had let his guard down. 

Turning his attention to the hero, The Imp rubbed his head with his free hand, as if massaging from the mental intrusion. “Man, what was that about?”

Without warning, he flung the hero by the neck, across the debris-filled room. The hulking hero tumbled across the rubble before he laid belly-down.

“Argh…” moaned the red-faced telepath hero as he got up on his feet, still stunned by how quickly The Imp regained control. A gray layer of dust from the debris covered his face and body. His toned body was scratched up from the throw and his white dress shirt was torn slightly when tumbling across the sharp debris, revealing his tanned skin beneath. His lean muscular form heaved heavily, attempting to recover from the suffocation.

Smiling at the panting hero, The Imp laughed, “Mind tricks don’t work well on me. I play the games to enslave people.”

Leaping onto a short wall, The Imp sat dangling his feet playfully. He raised his hands and four large orange magic circles appeared on the ground in front of him. 

A magic beast stepped forth from each magic circle. A wolf beast (Lycan), a large serpent with venomous fangs (Basilisk), a four-legged beast with a lion body and an eagle head (Griffin), and a gray-skinned Humanoid male with a set of gauntlets.

“Telepaths don’t do well with numbers,” giggled The Imp. “I hope you play with my beasts well. Otherwise, it will be too easy.”

Being outnumbered, Wits can’t take over numerous minds at the same time. It would be too taxing to take over the minds of four powerful beasts, even for the world’s most skilled telepath.

Placing a finger on his temple, his eyes glowed soft blue as a blast of mental energy was directed at the Griffin. With a focused mental takeover, the beast quickly fell under Wits’ control and its eyes glowed a similar hue to Wits’. Now the playing field was more even.

The Griffin swiftly tackled the Basilisk and engaged in a brawl with the snake beast. Wits refocused his attention on the Lycan and the grey Humanoid. His eyes glowed a deeper blue as he activated his secondary power. 

Wits was an Augmentation Telepath. Besides telepathic abilities, he was also able to enhance the abilities and physical attributes of himself and others.

“Enhance strength, defense, and agility,” the hero muttered under his breath.

Feeling a new wave of energy surged within him, he leaped forth and exchanged blows with the Lycan and Humanoid. The Lycan bared its razor-sharp claws and attempted to slash the hero, whilst the Humanoid delivered electric-charged jabs with a pair of gauntlets. Wits dodged the incoming attacks and countered with precision and force. 

I need to end this quick. Controlling the Griffin and augmenting my abilities at the same time is a massive strain on my mind.
 
With his enhanced strength and speed, he swiftly executed a perfect back thrust onto the Lycan’s solar plexus, sending the beast crashing through a wall. 

An electric-charged fist flew right in front of his face as the Humanoid took the chance to attack. Wits expertly side-stepped from the punch and stepped in to deliver a forceful gut punch. In the meantime, the Lycan recovered from the kick and approached the hero for another exchange. 

The fight went on for a good 15 minutes, in which Wits expertly avoided near-fatal attacks and effectively wearing down his opponents.  

“SCREECH!” A loud high-pitched shriek suddenly echoed through the wreckage. Wits had just dodged the Lycan’s slash and looked over to the source of the cry. The Basilisk had coiled around the defeated Griffin and injected it with venom through its large fangs. The distraction was a fatal mistake for Wits. At that moment, a sharp pain stabbed into the hero’s back as the Humanoid landed a punch directly onto his spine. Blue electricity filled his vision as his nervous system was short-circuited. 

“Argh!” cried the hero as he lost control of his body from the tase. The electric-charged punch sent the hero collapsing onto the ground on all fours. “F-fuck…”

The Lycan stepped forward and launched a powerful kick into the hero’s rock-hard abdomen, sending the semi-paralyzed hunk tumbling through the demise.

“Oomph… ohhh…” moaned Wits in pain. If he wasn’t in his augmented state, his injuries would be far more severe. Recollecting himself, the hunk struggled to stand up. The hero was at a major disadvantage with these numerous foes. Thoughts raced his mind as he tried to figure out his escape plan.

With his current physical injuries, it would be a challenge but not impossible. His eyes glowed a bright blue as the hero shot powerful mental waves towards the Lycan. With the Griffin being taken down and the Basilisk distracted by its prey, he released his control over the Griffin and took over the Lycan. 

Without warning, a blue-eyed Lycan slashed at the Humanoid. The two foes engaged in a brawl of their own. 

Yes! Now it’s my chance, thought the hero as he bolted towards the exit.

“I am impressed!”