"Wait, we forgot...where's Trizel?"

As the room landed, Ted's mind wandered to who wasn't with them. Sid showed up at the last minute, but Trizel never did. The last he saw him was before he fell to what he was sure would be his death.

"About Trizel," Sentenza grumbled.

Sploosh

Sentenza was interrupted as the room itself shook and then suddenly burst into raw slime and goo. It covered all of them, even the horse in a sticky, viscous mess.

"Ugh, this is never going to come out," Og'drimun complained.

Lulu tried to wipe her face clear, but only managed to smear the material even more. "Yeah, that's worse than cleaning out the dunk tank."

"How did it lose integrity like that?" Sid queried.

Narissa twirled her fingers around her face. The goo slowly peeled up from her skin and left her looking immaculate as it pooled into a floating ball above her hand. "Seems the plan worked. It finally got severed from the last vestige of power in that place."

"Then, it worked?" Sid added.

Narissa nodded.

"Guys, Trizel?" Ted reminded them as he spat out goo from over his lips.

It was disgusting. The texture was uncomfortably familiar to liquified animal fat, and it had a slightly metallic taste that made his spine shiver.

"He's gone." Sentenza said firmly. "Lost in that place. Dead."

"We couldn't find any trace of him." Narissa explained. "And that was before the entire thing began to fall apart. Well, before it began to fall apart even quicker than it had."

"How did you?" Sentenza asked.

"Things don't happen in a vacuum. Everything you did before I got there left an imprint." Narissa explained. "They're not really that hard to read you understand."

Ted was really upset. Dead? How could Trizel be dead? They didn't even...he hadn't...

Ted slammed his fist into the ground angrily.

"Such poor souls." Azrail walked up to the group with a curious look on his face. "You seem to have been through quite a bit yet...you appear both new and like you've been here before. Now, why is that?"

Sentenza instinctively drew his gun and aimed it at the frail looking man. As the weapon aimed at him, Azrail raised his hands up to the sky.

"No need for that. We're all lost souls here." Azrail said.

There was a derisive snort as Abraham let his foot dangle from a beam high above them. "I'd be careful if I were you. That snake in the grass is a whole lot less understanding than he looks."

"Why Abraham, I'm hurt. After all we've been through." Azrail sighed as he kept his arms in the air.

Narissa eyed the two men warily, as Og'drimun seemed more focused on desperately trying to smear the goo off of himself. Nugget and Bakade were too exhausted to do much but lie there in the goo, and Sid and Sentenza both seemed about ready to join the two girls on the ground in exhaustion.

Ted took a step forward. "Who are you?"

Azrail smiled and bowed his head slightly. "Who am I? Why, such an interesting question. I could tell you my name, but does that truly describe me? Maybe my occupation, but is that who I am, or just what I do? My hobbies? My ideology? No, all just hold a part of the vital whole. Why, to truly know me, I'm afraid I must detail my long and sordid history. Or perhaps, a simple story might..."

"Would you cram a sock in it?" Abraham interrupted. "Just think of him as a deadly dictionary that'll talk you to death if you give him the chance."

"Rude as always," Azrail sighed. "Just because you shun a proper chance at knowledge doesn't mean they will as well."

Sentenza eyed Azrail warily. It's like he could tell something was off about him.

"Your call boss. I say it's easier to get rid of them now." Sentenza suggested without even pretending to hide his intentions from the two men. "Before they get a chance to become a problem."

Azrail smiled wearily and Abraham let out a loud laugh.

"So quick to rush to judgement. Why, I had an old friend who was very similar. He was even my supervisor for a time." Azrail monologued. "Whatever mission I was on, he always wanted everyone executed. 'No loose ends,' he would say. Well, this one time you see, we were out on patrol. There were rumors that a test subject had escaped confinement and was causing trouble. So..."

"Still can't take a hint?" Abraham interrupted again. "Just shut yer trap!"

Abraham clenched his fist and scowled at the frail old man. "Or I'll forget our little drinking truce, and get back to finishing you off with my own two hands."

Azrail sighed. "Such a mindless brute. Truly, I do weep for you Abraham."

"They're not attacking us," Ted declared. "So, I don't see a reason to attack them at all."

"Ah, at last, someone with some sense." Azrail smiled as he lowered his hands and turned towards Ted.

"Wait, did you say drinking?" Sid asked. "What were you..." he paused and looked all around them. "Curious, what...when did this all happen here?"

"The buildings?" Azrail suggested.

"Correct," nodded Sid.

Abraham snorted. "Hah! Now that's interesting. You see..."

"WHAT IS ALL THAT RACKET!" A commanding voice boomed over all of them.

"What's that?" Narissa asked as she seemed to be appraising the two new men.

Azrail let out a weary sigh. "That sounds like our good friend, the principal."

"YOU KIDS BETTER NOT BE CAUSING ANY TROUBLE, OR THERE'LL BE HELL TO PAY!" Harold's voice echoed out even louder than before.

"Principal?" Ted asked. "The principal of what?"