It was an unusually quiet day in the merchant town of Akbarel in Norvondire. 

The rookie heroes and their newest member, Jerome, had just entered the town only ten minutes ago. The group has been traveling by groundcar for the past six hours. Now, they were on foot and sliding their way through the crowded streets of the marketplace. 

Jerome has been here with his father and sister many times, before they met Azrael, Manny and Meth. Mostly, they came here for supplies, since Jerome and his family traveled around the Dreamworld a lot. Other reasons they came here are to meet up with some of Trident's few teenhood friends and contacts, who would sell him information on the whereabouts of Hybrids.

This is why Jerome was feeling uneasy. 'This town isn't bustling as much as usual. The people here know the Hybrids fairly well and there's a good chance Father has been here telling lies about me. No doubt, everyone is keeping their eyes on me. I'd better move carefully.'

So far, Jerome could care less what happens to the Andurunans. Being childhood friends, he would be somewhat angered if the Viscount's daughters were to die, but he'd ditch the orphans and the short-tempered punk first chance he gets. He understands that Igrath Winters was counting on him to protect them, but finding his family was at the top of his priority list. The Andurunans protection was second on the list.

The morning following the Hybrid family's betrayal, during breakfast, Lilith and Namah Calah both claim to have briefly unleashed their Power. Namah used her Power against Tinsel Nanaja to send her flying into the ceiling using energy claws (much like Kali's, except Namah's claws could stretch and bend by her will from her fingertips). Lilith used her Power to suck the life out of some tongue monster (nicknamed "Smiley" by Mace) when it swallowed her whole. Mace, Whip, and Bast have yet to use or reveal their Power.

Jerome thinks he can use the Viscount's daughters Powers to his advantage, depending on which lapdog Trident sends first. If they're as inexperienced as they claim, they may be little use to Jerome in battling his family.

Lilith looked at Jerome, who led the group through the market. "So, Jerry, been here before?"

"Yes," Jerome said plainly. "Akbarel, a town known for its cheap stores and stands, underground smuggling movements, and gangs of thieves. Me and my family have been here dozens of times."

"What exactly do you mean by 'family?'" Mace asked. "Is bounty hunting a family business or something?"

Jerome looked to his right to see a small bar. "I might as well explain myself. Come on."

The others followed him inside. Across the street, in a shadowy alleyway, a dark figure watched the group go in. Grinning, the figure retreated into the shadows.

* * * * *

Ten minutes later, the whole group sat at a table with drinks. 

Jerome, beer in hand, said, "My family is me, my father Trident, and my sister Kali. Me and my sister are both orphans, like Mace and Whip. Though, unlike them, we were adopted by our father as babies, so we never got to live at our orphanage or know who our real parents were. The rest of the family is my best friend Manticore, the stealth master Mephisto, and the oldest of the family Azrael. Technically, they're of no relation to my father, so they're not really our official relatives. But, because we always stay together as a group, we pretty much started considering them as family. We Hybrids are violent people, so I guess you can say bounty hunting is part of our tradition. We've taken out quite a few important people with hefty lucre amounts on their heads in the past ten years.

"My father is a very quiet man. I don't know why. I guess he's seen more things than any of us have ever seen or ever will. Maybe, he went through a lot in his younger days. Whenever we ask him, he just changes the subject. His Power is psychokinesis, the ability to move objects or control others using your mind. For as long as I've known him, my father has been training daily, pushing his Power beyond its limit, mastering it and perfecting it. I honestly don't understand why he was so obsessed with training himself with his Power. I think I'm starting to get the idea. I believe he wants to use his Power to do something. Possibly form an army of civilians by taking over their minds and forcing them to be his personal army or something like that. After what happened between me and him yesterday, I have no reason to doubt he may have something like that planned.

"My sister, Kali, can be kind and warm-hearted when not in battle and be vicious and blood-thirsty during a fight. She wears claws welded onto rings on her hands and uses her Power to create energy claws that run along her claw rings. No one has been able to survive her attacks and live to tell about it. She's just too wild and strong to beat or evade.

"My best friend Manticore, or Manny, has always freaked me out ever since I met him. Though, like me and the Calah sisters, I learned to get used to his disturbing frame of mind and his sadism. Because of his ruthlessness, he always has a violently themed wisecrack ready to be blown out of his lips. He has the Power to telekinetically control his blood. If he suffers an injury that bleeds, he can use the exposed blood like strands of rope and tangle you in it. After that, you're completely helpless as he tosses you around by the other end of the blood rope. He also doesn't have a pain threshold. He's completely immune to it, but not immune to death. Because he's also a sadist, he's never without a knife and his favorite flowood axe so he can torture his enemies to death and mutilate their bodies.

"Mephisto, the smarter young member of the family, uses invisibility. He is completely undetectable by every piece of sensory technology ever invented. Targets have been found mysteriously dead because Mephisto slips in to a nearly impenetrable compound or building undected or unseen by anyone. He is also smart to boot, so he's been known to talk circles around me and the others.

"Now, Azrael, he has to be the smartest man out of any of us, as well as the oldest in the family. He has no Power and almost no ability to defend himself, but he's a skilled politician. My father is the official representative for the Hybrids, but he's gotten a lot of advice from Azrael. He has taken my father's place in antechamber gatherings and been able to outtalk all the diplomats in there. He helps us plan out our strategies and battle plans and is always ready to voice his opinion about our behavior, as he is also the most respectful and well-mannered person in the family.

"Well, that's everything there is to know about my family that's important. Now that you know what they're capable of, you'll know how to deal with them if you come across them. Though, you'd better have a battle plan ready in advance, because there's no standing around and planning out the situation. You'll be dead in a heartbeat if you do." 

Jerome looked around at the whole team. "Well, that was an earful," Mace commented. "Really wasn't expecting that much of an answer."

"Do you have any idea why they would attack you?" Lilith asked.

"Like I said, they claimed that they were with the Nightmares, or they at least hinted at it. Azrael was probably the last one to agree to join them. I saw him in the Viscount's office leaning against the desk. He didn't look at all pleased. I guess I'll save him for last and see if he'll be courteous enough to give me some straight answers."

"Don't you think you should find him first?" Mace suggested. "I mean, maybe they have a good reason for siding with the monsters. Don't you think you should make sure before you do anything hasty?"

"What reason could they possibly have for joining our mortal enemies?" Jerome growled, making everyone at the table lean back. "The less allies the Nightmares have, the better. If defeating the Nightmares means killing my own family, then by the gods, I'll do whatever it takes to make them pay for joining the demons!"

The table went silent as everyone sipped on their own drinks. Sitting her water aside, Lilith asked, "So, uh, how exactly did you survive their ambush yesterday?"

"Well, as you all already know, I'm immortal. Because my Nightmare genes are dominant, I've inherited their immortality. To this day, no one has been able to explain how the Hell Hybrids even came into existence. I have no doubt in my mind that the Nightmares probably are most likely to have something to do with this. Maybe, I can figure out how I was born while traveling with you guys. Maybe, my father already has the answer and he's been holding it back this whole time. Which is why, the sooner I find him, the sooner I learn the truth behind his motives."

Rising from his seat, Jerome proceeded to the counter for another beer.

~~~~~~

As Jerome sat at the counter and ordered another beer, he inspected the bar. Everyone was minding their own business: Drinking and socializing.

The thing was that Jerome was the first to walk into the bar and for the slightest second, everyone was looking at the door, as if they were expecting someone to barge in. As soon as his face was in view, everyone turned back to what they were doing.

Jerome didn't like this at all. 'Maybe, we should've just kept moving on to the shops, grabbed our supplies, and headed out of here. I've got a bad feeling about this place.'

He grabbed his beer and walked back to his friends' table. "Guys, I think we may be in trouble. Get out of here and get to the market. Purchase whatever supplies you need and get out of this town. I think the people here are about to ambush me."

"What?" Liltih asked, confused. "Why would they do that? What's going on?"

Jerome resumed his seat and spoke quietly. "My father, I think I know why he's been training so hard all these years. I think he's trying to become strong enough to take over the minds of a town-full of people all at once. As strong as his Power is, he's never been able to pull something like that before. Now, I've got the sneaking suspicion that all these people are working with him by their own will or he's manipulating them. I still can't tell from which."

"Well, if you ask me, I'd do what he says and bail out of here," Mace proposed. "I've seen scroll-movie trailers of scenes like this before at electronic stores. A group of would-be heroes find themselves stuck in the middle of some town where all the citizens are being possessed by some monster. I don't want to stick around and see if that scenario will come true."

"Are you kidding?" Namah asked with a grin. "That sounds like the perfect scenario for me. I'd practically blend into the crowd."

"Um,... no," Lilith disagreed with a sidelong glance. "I suggest we do what Jerome says and leave this town. We'll stop by the stores and get what we need. Then, we'll head to the town of Macbeth."

Bast glanced at Jerome. "Are you coming with us?"

"I wouldn't be telling you all to leave this place if I was going with you. I'm going to stay right here and see what happens next. Just go. I'll see you guys later."

"All right," Lilith said, rising from her seat. "Be careful, Jerome."

"Sure."

The Andurunans followed her lead and filed out of the bar.

Jerome took a drink of his beer and took in the environment of the bar. 

He was fairly certain the Andurunans were going to be fine. Though, the Hybrids were now under the rule of Nabonidus, Jerome was sure the Hybrids had all of their attention focused on him, not the Dreamkeepers. Nabonidus probably hasn't even issued them any more orders since the incident in the antechamber yesterday. Because of this, the Hybrids were free to do what they wanted until Nabonidus summons them. 

Jerome continued to look on as he prepared for the worst to happen.

* * * * *

Almost an hour has passed and Jerome has not moved from his spot in the bar. The Andurunans had to be out of town by now. 

Suddenly, Jerome spotted something in the corner of his eye. The bartender behind the counter was looking straight at him. Then, the bartender bent down, out of sight. He appeared a second later and threw something at Jerome.

The Hybrid tilted his head to the left and a knife embedded itself into the wall behind Jerome.

The bartender and the customers at the counter were now staring at Jerome, their faces completely blank. Slowly, they approached him. The customers at the tables surrounding Jerome rose from their seats and walked towards him. They smashed their bottles against the tables, creating jagged knives from the bottle necks. 

Jerome jumped up from his chair and summoned his katanas. It was apparent that these people were being controlled. Jerome didn't have to guess who was doing it.

He knocked his table over to slow down the mob. He braced himself as the people in front of the crowd charged.

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Jerome jumped on the edge of the overturned table and leaped over the forward advance of Dreamkeepers. He landed on the head of one Dreamkeeper with one leg and proceeded to acrobatically hop along the crowd's heads until he landed at the door. He had no intention of spilling blood, as these people were not acting of their own free will or properly armed. On top of that, he didn't want to think what kind of method the possessed townspeople had in mind to keep him restrained, should they manage to put him in temporary death or capture him somehow.

The Hybrid bashed his way out the door and slammed it behind him, leaning against it forcefully. Almost instantly, the people inside the bar were trying to smash their way out in an effort to chase him. Jerome held the door back, then began looking right to left. Two separate crowds, one at each end of the street, blocked his path. All were holding lighted torches and various sharp objects. Strangely enough, none of them were carrying guns.

As Jerome kept the door pinned, the people inside the bar eventually started smashing out the window on either side of the door. From the ends of the street, the mobs slowly advanced. 

"Wait, what am I doing?!" Jerome asked himself out loud. He let the door go and immediately jumped into the air. Instantly, the door flew open just as several other people managed to get out through the windows. Jerome grabbed the edge of the bar's roof and flipped up and onto the roof. 

He looked down to see the mobs from the street moving in on the bar, all keeping their blank faces on Jerome. The mob from within the bar started shouting garbled noises as they hopelessly reached up to Jerome, who was nowhere in their reach.

'No doubt about it, Father is doing this,' Jerome thought. Clenching his fists, Jerome summoned his katanas as he raced across the bar roof and jumped onto a building in the rear of the bar.

That's when he heard shouting behind him.

He shot a look over his shoulder to see various flying Dreamkeepers closing in on him from the bar roof. Bats, dragons, birds, all in varying colors and sizes. None looked like experienced fighters, but they were all armed with torches and blades.

"Man, you people are really starting to get annoying," Jerome moaned as he took off across the roof. He put all of his strength into his legs as he could tell from the distance of the next roof that a street was almost below him. With a single grunt, Jerome leaped into the air, the flying mob right on his heels. He stretched out his legs as reassurance that he would land on the building. Suddenly, a window in the building opened and a springer rifle barrel slid out following his trajectory.

"Oh, fuck..." Jerome muttered as the weapon fired and tagged him in the right shoulder. He shouted as his momentum quickly died and he fell straight to the ground. 

He slowly got up as he gripped his right shoulder, which was bleeding horribly. However, his wounds heal much faster when he's conscious. As he jogged into a nearby alley, the blood retreated back into the wound and the wound sealed itself, spitting the springers out onto the ground as the springer holes vanished.

"Guess, I stand corrected," Jerome remarked. "Now, these people ARE annoying!"

Jerome looked up as he ran to see his flying pursuers tracking him from above. No doubt, the mob was following their airborne scouts, hoping they would lead them to their prey.

"Sorry, people," Jerome muttered as he pulled out his six-shooter. "But, I've got things to do and a family reunion to attend."

He aimed at his nearest target and fired. His shots went right through the wings of a cardinal. The Dreamkeeper screeched as he spiraled down from the sky and smashed onto a nearby rooftop. 

Jerome attempted to fire his next four shots, but decided against it. The flyers were all flying about in dizzying directions, making aiming more difficult. Now was his chance to get out of their line of sight. Jerome ducked beneath an overhang as the flyers kept swirling about while continuing to fly along the alley. Jerome turned around to face a door beneath the overhang. He bashed it down and entered the structure. It appears he was in the storage room of a china shop. He proceeded into the house and, sure enough, found himself inside of a china shop. He looked around and noticed various dining plates and decorative jars were shattered among the floor, as if they were dropped. Quite possibly, the customers and workers here were taken control of and had dropped their items to go attack Jerome. 

The Hybrid glanced outside as dozens of figures ran past the windows. People were shouting, but this time, they were speaking normally.

"Gotta find him! Gotta find him!"

"I think he's hiding in that fruit stand over there!"

"Has anyone checked Milo's underground gun store?"

"I thought I saw the back door to Mara's china shop broken down! Come on!"

'Damn it!'

Jerome was trapped in this one shop, but maybe not for long. Everyone was rushing down the alley, heading for the back door of the shop. As soon as everyone was off the street, Jerome raced out the front door, the edge of town only a few more blocks away.

* * * * *

Jerome finally stopped to look back at Akbarel. He was not shocked to see the hundreds of people, all stumbling around the streets, filing out of the buildings they were searching before their minds were freed. Trident knew Jerome was there and he knew Jerome had left.

What scared Jerome is the fact that Trident was going far enough to take control of Dreamkeepers to make them do his dirty work. What disturbed Jerome even more was the fact that Trident has never taken control of hundreds of Dreamkeepers before. This was a brand new feat for him.

'Is this why he was always practicing most of the time he was awake every day of his life?' Jerome asked himself. 'Is this what he's been planning for? To take over the Dreamworld? But, he's under the command of Nabonidus! Surely, he's not stupid enough to challenge the authority of Nabonidus himself over the domination of the Dreamworld! He MUST have a plan! But... why? Why would he even do this? What is he planning? There must be a reason for this!'

Turning away from the frightened town, Jerome proceeded to Macbeth, in hopes of catching up with the Andurunans.

'Well, whenever I find my father, I'm going to make damn sure I find out what's going on!'

With that, Jerome walked down the sandy hills outside of Akbarel.

* * * * *

In the shadows of the buildings just outside of the town, a dark creature slithered along the black walls, watching Jerome. The creature smiled at its retreating prey.

'Oh, don't worry, Jerry. Your time will come soon enough. And, when it does, you're going to wish you were truly dead.'

The creature did a back flip high into the air, landing on one of the small building's roofs, just as the full moon revealed itself from an overcast night sky. 

The creature pulled out a small axe to make sure it was sharpened. As it holstered the blade, it smiled once more. 

The creature was a Hell Hybrid. 

And, that Hell Hybrid was Jerome's best friend, Manticore.

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