Warren and Akane slowly walked forward, the wooden floor beneath them creaking with each step. They were in a study with reddish brown walls. Bookshelves covered the walls to the left and right, each bookshelf large enough to touch the roof. The room was lit by artificial lights installed in the ceiling. About 7 yards in front of them was a ping pong table placed in front of a large window pane. A man was at the ping pong table, holding a small green racket in one hand, an orange ping pong ball in the other. He had short curly black hair, a short but thick black beard, and wore a black tank top with grey cargo shorts to go along with his black combat boots. Despite never seeing him before, it was clear to Warren and Akane that it was James Mason in the flesh.

“Hey, welcome! Wanna play a game of ping pong?” he asked jovially.

Warren quickly took out a knife, Akane her tanto blade, and threw them at him. The weapons flew over to him in the blink of an eye, but he caught both with his left hand. He held his hand forward, revealing he held Warren’s knife between his index and middle fingers, Akane’s blade between his ring and middle fingers, and finally the ping pong ball between his ring finger and pinky.

“Come on guys, no need to fight. You can take turns.” he said, dropping the weapons.

He tossed the ping pong ball to them but Akane took out her katana, slicing it in half before it made contact with them. He stared at the destroyed ping pong ball, sighed.

“Really? You could’ve just said ‘no thank you’.”

Warren brandished his grenade launcher, fired it at Mason. The end of the study exploded, blowing out the window pane, covering that portion of the room in smoke.

“So we’re getting straight to the fighting huh?” Akane and Warren heard behind them.

They glanced back, and saw Mason standing inches away. They both jumped to the opposite sides of the room to make space. Neither attacked, both trying to process how he moved so quickly.

“That ping pong table was a gift. In fact this whole estate is a gift so I don’t want to fight here. It’d be rude to have this place destroyed. So let’s take this outside shall we?”

He calmly walked back to the end of the study, leaped out the window into the garden below.

“Let’s beat this guy quickly, I have questions for him.” Warren stated now that he and Akane were alone.

He took out his blade, began to run after Mason. He made it to the blown out window but stopped, turned back to Akane.

“Akane come on” he beckoned.

She stood still, surveying the room.

“Where’s the other one?” she pondered.

“Other what?”

“...Nevermind we don’t have time.” She dismissed, motioning for Warren to keep going.

She joined him and together they jumped out of the building.

Once the study was empty a man wearing a raven mask entered the room, holding a large bucket of popcorn. He wore a red long sleeved silky jacket that covered him to his knees. His pants were black and loose fitting. The man stopped in front of the destruction. He looked left, right, back to the destruction.

“Oh shit are we late?” he asked aloud.

“No, I think we’re right on time.” a voice answered behind him.

The man turned around, saw his compatriot. The room’s latest entrant wore a rat mask and a white robe which covered everything on his body except his hands.

“My uncle probably has them in the garden right now. Doesn’t want them tearing up the place.” the rat masked man elaborated.

“Aight good shit.”

The raven masked man walked to a nearby chair, carried it to the end of the study, placed it down so he could see everything in the garden. The other man followed suit.

“Hey Andrew, you seem real calm about this. I mean ain’t your uncle risking his life right now?” the raven asked, lifting his mask up halfway so his mouth could eat.

Andrew slowly nodded, answered “This whole test was my idea so I can’t be that worried can I?”

“Guess not. Surprised your uncle went along with it. I mean I think most people would be wary of putting demon blood in their veins. You did tell him there was a good chance his head could’ve exploded upon injection right?”

“Nah my family never cared about minor details.”

The raven looked at Andrew for a brief moment out of shock, turned back to the garden.

“So how’d you know this Warren guy would come here?”

“Because I know what kind of man he is. He’s like a dog. Once he gets the scent of something, he’ll hunt it to the ends of the earth. Of course what he’s got a scent of is me.”

“Still it’s crazy how you set all this shit up.”

“I wouldn’t say I planned it all out or anything. It’s more like...a coincidence I guess. Owl asked me if I knew any good test subjects for his new demon serum. That’s when I thought of my uncle. When Owl told me there had to be a combat test to see if the demon blood was truly effective at raising one’s power I said to myself ‘Aye ain’t my best friend after me?’ That’s when I decided to kill two birds with one stone. My uncle can kill Warren while proving that the demon blood injection was successful. Funny how things line up so perfectly.”

“What if your uncle gets killed?”

“Then the demon blood serum didn’t work, duh.”

“....Goddamn Andrew you're ruthless.”

The two peered into the garden below, the raven masked man noticed Akane.

“Wait, is that the girl who came with Warren?” he asked.

Andrew nodded.

“I thought your uncle’s bodyguard handled her.”

“Looks like she failed. Guess the second hero’s entourage is stronger than I thought. Though they did kill Amon so I shouldn’t be too surprised.”

“....She’s hot.”

“Yup.”

“....And I cussed her out. I didn’t know she was so hot. WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME!?”

“I told you she was cute.”

“YEAH BUT NOT LIKE A FUCKING TEN OUTTA TEN!”

The raven shot up, spilling his popcorn, kicked the debris of the ping pong table away in anger.

Andrew laughed, and said “Hey Josiah, calm down.”

“I can’t! I ruined it! I can't get pussy now after I yelled at her!”

“It’s ok you never had a chance anyway.”

“What?!”

“You’re 16 and she’s probably way older. You shouldn’t be so horny anyway.”

“Didn’t you lose your virginity at 16?”

“15”

“Then shut the fuck up! Maybe I still have a chance.”

“Think she’s about to die though.”

“...Fuck! Can I save her? Like at the last minute? She’ll like me if I do that right?”

“Nope.”

“Why not?”

“My uncle wouldn’t let you.”

Josiah groaned, kicked some more debris.

“Hey you spilled the popcorn. Go get some more” Andrew ordered.

“Yeah yeah...man life sucks” Josiah said, grumbling to himself as he left the room.

Alone Andrew looked into the garden below. Eyeing Warren he said to himself “This is going to be good.”