Time is Up:

A portal whirled to life deep within the reaches of a dark, dank cavern. Stalagmites and stalactites decorated the speleothem with an eerie resemblance to a set of monstrous jaws, while the drip…drop of water intermittently broke the silence. Through the portal ran Blitz followed by Skid, both mortified from their last encounter. Skid collapsed to his knees and cried hysterically, while Blitz kept his eyes on the portal, praying that Vince would run through it at any second.

“C’mon brother, I know you made it…I just know you did…” Blitz pleaded to himself.

“He’s dead yo! I can’t believe he’s dead!” cried Skid as he pounded his fists on the dusty cavern floor.

“No! SHADDUP!” shouted Blitz, his eyes still locked on the portal.

“I saw it for myself asshole!” Skid snapped as he stood up. “He was still on the ground, and Ramasses was about to attack him with a spell.”

“Nooo! Then I’ve gotta save him!” Blitz made a mad dash for the portal, but it was too late. It disappeared just before he reached it.

“Dammit!” Blitz cried at the top of his lungs while angrily swinging his fists where the portal once stood. “Not you Vincent.”

“He’s gone. We’ve lost him,” Skid walked up to Blitz and put his arm around him. They both cried into each other’s shoulders; their echoes softly crept throughout the cave.

A look of shock washed over Blitz’s face as he thought about all of the harm they had caused since they fi rst gained their powers. “Wow dude, we’re responsible for a lot of deaths. It was like a trance or something. I don’t know about you, but until now I never so much as batted an eye at it.”

“Holy crap, that’s so messed up yo,” Skid agreed shamefully as he kicked a rock across the cavern floor. “Are we gonna get it! Unless…”

“Unless what?” Blitz was almost startled by the possibility of a solution.

“Well,” Skid hesitated, “Vince tried to use the power of the Flow to save us and the entire world from Vearios. Damn yo, imagine if he had actually gained the power to change time.”

“Yeah, he woulda fixed everything,” agreed Blitz glumly. “Funny how it took us losing him in order for us to trully understand what he was about. The Flow didn’t make us sick, it just enhanced the screwed-up perspectives we already had.”

“True… true,” Skid nodded as he took notice of the cavern they were in for the first time. “But who says that it’s too late yo? I sure as hell don’t. I say that we both stop the games and get down to business!”

“Sounds like a winner to me!” said Blitz as he extended his hand. “Truce?”

“Truce!” Skid was more than happy to shake Blitz’s hand—and it was then that he could finally feel a sense of hope. “After we kick Vearios’s ass, we can use the Retro-Travel to bring Vince back and undo everything, including V-Day!” Just as Skid finished his statement, another portal materialized before them about ten feet above the ground. “Skid, there’s another portal, and not a moment too soon! Let’s get the hell out of here bro!” Blitz grabbed Skid by the shoulders and pointed him towards the portal.“Cool yo, I’m ready for anything!” said Skid as he marched towards the portal.

Then without warning, Emmen burst through it—kicking up a cloud of dust as it landed on the cavern floor in front of the boys. “CRAP! Except for that!” cried Skid. “I read about that bastard online, run!”

Emmen glared at them with eyes of hateful destruction as they ran away in terror. But it could not pursue them right away; it heaved and gagged before vomiting a disgusting glowing sludge. Its glow lit the entire area a brilliant shade of violet. Emmen looked as if it had lost a great deal of power since its battle with Shee. Even so, it still possessed incredible strength and was clearly too powerful for the boys to handle in melee combat. The boys ran deep within the dark maze of stalactites and stalagmites, as far away from the toxic glow as they could.