5.19

Hunter, Jimena, Silas, Claw, and Brickla stood in solidarity as they looked upon the Trash Queen.

Clearing three feet taller than the rest of them, the Trash Queen was an imposing figure. She looked at each of them in turn, locking eyes. Hunter felt a surge of fear as she looked at him, but he pushed that aside.

“Very well. Are we going to do this?” The Trash Queen asked.

“You know it!” Hunter formed his three javelins and rushed in for the attack before anyone else could react.

“So impatient to meet your end.” The Trash Queen cackled again but Hunter pushed any fear and doubt he had to the bottom of his gut. Hunter embraced the anger that slowly took over.

The Trash Queen easily parried all three javelins with her spear. Hunter advanced on her, but she stood her ground.

Each stroke and thrust of the javelins carried a weight and ferocity that Hunter had never wielded before.

He kept her at bay and snuck in underneath the raining blows, unsure of what to do.

Hunter closed the gap and brought a fist up, determined to get her face but she saw him and let out an ear-piercing scream. With the wind knocked out of him, Hunter was sent flying back by the shockwaves of the attack.

Jimena and Silas ran to his side. They helped their friend to his feet.

“You okay?” Jimena asked.

“Yeah.” Claw and Brickla shook their heads.

“Don’t be so stupid next time,” said Brickla. She called forth bricks and they swirled around her body before forming into the shape of a strange brick creature. Like an elemental of fantasy, the bricks formed shapes that would normally be impossible.

Claw grabbed his ice gun in his arm and readied his metallic arm. He looked over his shoulder at the three teens.

“If you want to be a part of this, we work as a team. Don’t be so pigheaded, it’ll only put you all in danger.” Claw puffed out more smoke from his cigar and both he and Brickla started their assault on the Trash Queen.

“I’m sorry. I just, I didn’t know what to do. I wanted to end her myself, for what she did to Stick.” Hunter shook with frustration at himself.

“We get it. But don’t put yourself in danger like that next time. We gotta do this together. We’re a team.” Jimena had a hand on each of Hunter’s shoulders and she looked straight into his eyes.

“Sorry.”

“Stop apologising, you’ve already said that. Now, how can we help in getting rid of her?”

“I have no idea.” The three of them watched the other two heroes slug it out with the Trash Queen.

Brickla moved with a sense of liquid-like manoeuvrability. She rose and fell and shifted her mass with graceful ease.

However, the Trash Queen held her off with little effort as she stood defiantly in place.

Claw ran up Brickla and leapt at the Trash Queen. The ice from his weapon spread forth and slowly encased the Trash Queen.

For a moment it looked as though the ice may hold her in place, but she snapped free and thrust her spear-arm at Claw. Her spear ran through his shoulder, and she stood there a moment, Claw raised from the ground.

Brickla surged forward and launched half of the mass of bricks like a frightful geyser at the Trash Queen. The Trash Queen threw Claw to the side and embraced for the impact of Brickla’s attack.

The three teens ran over to Claw to check on the veteran. Blood oozed out from the puncture wound, but he was standing back on his feet before they had reached him.

“I’m all right. But we need to help Brickla, she won’t last long by herself.” Claw used his ice gun to staunch the bleeding from the wound.

The four of them watched as the Trash Queen stood up among the assailing bricks and let out a horrendous scream. The hairs stood up on the back of their necks. A lot of the bricks crumbled to dust, leaving Brickla exposed.

A flash of fear rocked through Brickla’s face as she desperately tried to close the gap that was now in her form. The Trash Queen rushed forward and thrust her spear at Brickla.

Luckily enough, Brickla had just closed the gap in time and the spear sparked against the bricks.

“Are you four going to join in this fight? Don’t tell me you’re all too frightened to do anything,” chuckled the Trash Queen.

Jimena blasted a hail of slime balls at the Trash Queen. The rapid-fire impact of the slimeballs was enough to distract the Trash Queen that Silas was able to smash into her. She braced and her feet moved a few inches. Silas bounced off of the Trash Queen’s body and sailed back toward the group.

Hunter had his three javelins whirling around his body and he took a few steps toward the Trash Queen. Claw stood by his side. Jimena strafed away, continuously blasting the Trash Queen from the side.

“This is more like it. Come on, fight me with everything you’ve got. This night has been such a bore.” Hunter and Claw rushed at her from the front. Silas waited for a moment while Brickla surged forward from the side.

Claw extended his mechanical arm and wrapped it around her legs. Hunter pressed forward, as did Brickla and Jimena.

Before they could get much closer to her, the Trash Queen let out a bursting scream and they were all pushed back by the blast.

“You have to do better than that.” The Trash Queen cackled again.

“Are we too late?” Hunter looked up to see both Woolpack and Gauzelle standing at the entrance of an alleyway.

“You couldn’t get here any sooner?” Hunter joked.

“Wanted to make sure you had some fun first,” said Gauzelle.

“More lambs for the slaughter?” laughed the Trash Queen.