So there I was, face to face with what seemed to be the rejected version of a Tim Burton movie. The female figure in front of us had more hair on her face than Chewbacca and teeth that would make a shark feel insecure.
"What the hell are you, huh?" I asked, with that perfect mix of charm and tactlessness that only I can muster.
She just smiled that smile that would make the Joker ask for a phone number, and her nails began to grow into claws that Wolverine would say, "Hey, that's patented!"
I looked at her and thought, "This isn't a demon, not even a second-rate villain. This monster is like the boogeyman, if the boogeyman had a bad day. But being here, on this island, can only mean one thing…" I paused, looking directly at the mansion.
"Blake…"
The Boogeyman or Baba Yaga are fearsome creatures that inhabit a dark dimension known as the darkness. A place where the light of reason does not reach and where fear manifests in its purest form. Blake, with his innate ability, is the only one who can cross the veil that separates our world from this shadowy reality. He not only has access to this dimension but also exerts control over these terrifying beings.
Sam, on the other hand, possesses an arsenal of innate abilities that make him a formidable combatant. His mastery of hand-to-hand combat is enviable, but Blake has something Sam does not: an army of bogeymen at his command.
At that critical moment, Blake decided to send one of his boogeymen to confront us. The irony of the situation was palpable. The character I had created, with simple keystrokes, sent one of his monsters in an attempt to eliminate me. And what's even more ironic is that I had come to this island precisely to preserve Blake's life.
"Kant, this would be a great time for you to use your fire ability, you know?" I said, trying to stay calm while Kant was behind me, shaking more than jelly in an earthquake. "Seriously, man, any time now. A little monster barbecue would be nice."
---
Suddenly, with an agile retreat, Dean narrowly escaped the lethal claw. The creature, a mass of shadows and deadly intentions, didn't miss a beat; it advanced, its claws slicing through the air with a thirst for blood.
Dean, with the calm of the damned, murmured, "Dismantle."
It was chaos in the form of a word, the command that unleashed the hurricane. Thousands of cuts appeared out of nowhere, a wild dance of invisible blades that threw the creature back. Each strike, though not lethal, was a push from death itself, a warning - Dean was not prey, he was the predator.
The creature hesitated, confused by the unexpected outcome. Its eyes fixed on Dean, the masked man who, for some unknown reason, showed not the slightest sign of fear. His arrogance was like a thorn embedded in the creature's existence.
"You will be the first to fall," it growled, starting a walk that quickly turned into a run, a whirlwind of fury and sharp claws towards Dean.
"D-Dean, she's coming!" Kant exclaimed, his voice trembling with fear.
Dean let out a long and heavy sigh, a prelude to internal storms. "If they lose their cool in front of this aberration, how will they face the demons that already infest this island?" he pondered.
The bogeyman, with the speed of a whirlwind, advanced, ready for the confrontation, a distorted smile adorning her face. "I will kill you! Kill you all," she hissed, the promise of death in every word.
But in an instant, the moon was eclipsed by a shadow darker than the night. Confused, the bogeyman turned around and there was Viktor, fists clenched like war hammers. A punch was thrown with the force of thunder, finding its home in the creature's rib.
Thrown into the air, the creature spun, but with the grace of an acrobat, regained balance and landed softly. "Tsk," she clicked her tongue, irritation and surprise mixed in her gaze.
James, Kant, Caroline, and Valete watched, agape. Viktor, who was previously thought dead to them, now appeared, imposing and unharmed, his torn shirt the only sign of the previous battle with the ground.
"You took your time, Viktor," I said as I advanced towards the threat that rose before us. Viktor, with a sudden gesture, tore what remained of his garments, revealing a torso sculpted by battles and scars. Without hesitation, he joined me, walking towards the bogeyman.
During the recruitment process for my team, I had examined Viktor's history. His story was marked by violence and revenge, culminating in the murder of his wife and her lover. Captured in combat, he was sentenced to death, but fate had other plans. Viktor possessed the gift of regeneration, an ability that allowed him to heal from fatal wounds, defying death itself.
Heroes tried countless times to end his existence, but all efforts were in vain. Eventually, he was confined in 'Pandora's Box', a prison intended for the world's most feared villains. However, during an attack on the prison, Viktor managed to escape, and his notoriety led him to be recruited by the high court, an organization that recognized his lethal and indomitable potential.
The bogeyman began to tremble, not from cold, but from a rage that made the air around vibrate. "Who do you think you are? Damned humans!" she growled with a voice that would make ice shrink back. "Think you're big stuff?"
"Definitely not," I replied with a smile that was half mockery, half challenge. "But you know how it is, when you mix two meters of muscle with a cup of vengeance, add a touch of malnutrition, a pinch of sarcasm, a bit of paternal responsibility, and a handful of drones… what do you get? Us."
James, Kant, Caroline, and Valete looked up, and there was a gleam in their eyes, a light of hope that seemed to say: "It's not over yet." They, who had been more downhearted than sea level, were now fishing their hopes from the bottom of the well to place them high above their heads.
"And if there's something you need to remember, besides the fact that you're going to get a beating that will send you back into Blake's lap, it's that when you form a team of supporting characters, you have three possibilities: they can die, they can fail, or they can win. And if they win, well, prepare to see the world turned upside down. Or rather, prepare to see fate dance the tango with irony."