The $yndicate Chapter 1; Battle Orphans

The Veritas: Seventh Moon; Shin Shigaitsukiyomi. The Ultraviolet Moon.

A.K.A. The Lawless Land.

The Ultraviolet Moon was aglow with its brilliant light from the luminescent purple haze that covered it, magnifying its beauteous light across the Veritas Universe.

Within the Ultraviolet Moon, there was a land made by the Creator, Tymon, directly in the outskirts of the Lawless Land's Lawless City, Valhalla. This place was known as 'Tymonland'.

However, before there was a Tymonland, there was a single orphanage that is now part of the care plan that Tymonland offers. This was known as the 'Broken Homes Orphanage'. It has always resided in the Lawless Land of Valparaiso, and, though it is well taken care of now, it used to be somewhat shoddy. It wasn't until Tymon -- under the guise of his alter ego, Khrona -- started to develop the orphanage that it became a mixed utility for the Veritas. The children had the secret training to survive in the Lawless Land, making them assassins from young ages. Adept at their abilities due to their superior underground education, the children were capable of protecting the orphanage, providing for the orphanage, and protecting themselves.

Today, the Broken Homes Orphanage still teaches these specialized skills to its children, and they are taken care of day and night by the Mechanica that are stationed throughout the land. This helps the children stay healthy and supervised. The orphanage, as it was stated, is also part of Tymonland as one of his personally funded buildings, since he invested much into it under his alternate self, Khrona. Thus the children have the opportunity to enjoy the Tymonland services and attractions, and even compete in their own tournaments for prizes or work there instead of in the Lawless City or in the Diamond Mines.

Things seemed spectacular all up until the Dark Messenger appeared, which made the children grow quiet. The Dark Messenger hovered over the crowd of children quietly, panning over the lot of them in search of one in particular...

The children were all independent in their own appearances, each unique in their own way. The Dark Messenger was strange in appearance, definitely, but there was one child that was stranger than the others. A wispy existence, seeming to fade in and out periodically, clothed in a dark oversized sweatshirt with a hood ever covering two low, but sharp red eyes. The sweatshirt covered most of his body and the hood made it impossible to see his face beyond the two piercing red lights that were this child's eyes. He was sitting alone, and seemingly appeared literally out of nowhere only a short period of time after the Dark Messenger arrived, as if he'd never been there before and suddenly just was.

"Hey, Mac," the child called out to the Dark Messenger in a rather suspicious tone, "You Lookin' For Me?" The 'Shady Kid', as he was called, stood from his seat and slipped his hands covered by the oversized sleeves into his sweatshirt's front pocket. He walked to the Dark Messenger and guided it over to a dark corner of the orphanage that seemed to be a spot he frequented that was made specifically for him and his shady dealings.

The seemingly lost Dark Messenger immediately recognized the Shady Kid and the flame upon its head flared up in excitement as it was guided toward the dark corner where they'd soon be talking. "Shady Kid!" the Dark Messenger greeted with familiarity, "Our Lord insists that we awaken the fullness of the $yndicate throughout the Veritas, and the cutthroat faction is stationed here in the Broken Homes Orphanage, led by... You. Hmhm." The swirling dimension eyes of the Dark Messenger gazed into the Shady Kid, smile widening as it went on, "Mobilize the Battle Orphans and make 'The Call'. It's time for the secret operation to begin."

The Shady Kid was silent briefly after the Dark Messenger spoke, but eventually walked off to a secret passageway within the confines of the orphanage and gave a passive, "You Got It," to the Dark Messenger as he departed into the catacombs.

Shady Kid walked for a while underground until he came to an opening that seemed to be the entrance to some sort of club. He opened the door and found himself among his allies -- some of the Battle Orphans that had been specially trained within the Broken Homes Orphanage. "Children," Shady Kid spoke out to them monotonously, lowered lids never raising and an eternal glare of frustration seemingly in his eyes, "The $yndicate Has Come Once Again To The Broken Homes Orphanage And Is Now About To Mobilize To Secure The Entire Seventh Branch Of The Veritas." He nodded his hooded head and paced up and down between the orphans. "You All Are The Best Of The Best, Able To Go Up Against The Cutthroat Ruffians Known As The Valparaiso Denizens That Do Everything From Petty Theft To Organized Crime. Even With The Mechanica Bringing Order To The Lawless Land, They Have Still Managed To Deal In The Shadows, Away From The Machines."

Shady Kid paused.

"That's Where We Come In." His voice suddenly perked up, and his eyes became more predatory, as if looking at prey. "The Battle Orphans Are Going To Take To The Darkness And Start Putting Those Loafers To Work. We'll Recruit Them Into Tymonland To Work Alongside The Battle Orphans That Will Maintain Tymonland Hand In Hand With The $yndicate. Those Of The Valparaiso Denizens That Prove Especially Uncivil Will Be Taken To The 'Crystal Castle' Stadium For Bouts With The Battle Orphans To See Which Will Go To Work In The Diamond Mines. That Will Keep The Unruly Ones Of Both Sides In Line, Since The Mechanica Are Over The Diamond Mine Harvest." Shady Kid was pretty stoked about it, but his chill demeanor and relatively dark personality didn't allow for him to express too much enthusiasm, even if he felt excitement.

"Battle Orphans, Battle Stations! To Tymonland!" Shady Kid gathered the Battle Orphans and led them out of a corridor that led into the desolate plains that were the Seventh Moon's surface. Tymonland was right across the street, but the Broken Homes Orphanage was technically connected to it. It was just not good to have an amusement park so close to a place where people live and sleep due to noise pollution. Fortunately, it was just far enough away where the trek could be made on foot and the orphanage remained undisturbed.

On their way, Shady Kid whipped out a cell phone and started to dial someone. It rang briefly before someone with a gruff voice answered. Immediately, the Shady Kid stated, "It's The '$hadow Bo$$'. We're About To Execute The Secret Plan To Dominate The Lawless Land Completely." Those were the only words he said before he hung up the phone and slipped it back into his sweatshirt pocket.

Soon, the Battle Orphans led by Shady Kid reached the entrance of Tymonland, which had an unnecessarily gaudy-yet-attractive sign that invited everyone into Tymonland's presence. "Spread Out..." Shady Kid said with a certain familiar old-timey accent. The Battle Orphans were bid to their places in Tymonland working behind the scenes and also in the foreground, though with a cover role to hide their true natures as Battle Orphans.

"Can The $yndicate Hear Me? This Is The $hadow Bo$$. Mobilize Within Tymonland And Begin Operations." Shady Kid took a special path down one of the darker parts of Tymonland that looked like authorized entry only and disappeared into that darkness as the $yndicate was allowed to continue its startup.

"Roger that, $hadow Bo$$," the same gruff voice from before on the phone call said on an intercom immediately after the Shady Kid spoke. "Oi, get the 'Perfect Panda Pack' on this, stat!" On the other end of the intercom, a member of the $yndicate that stood in for the 'Grand Panda' when he was away was reclined with his back to the wall and gazing out of the window of what looked like a tall building. He spun around and it was revealed that he was a small grizzly bear with pink ears who was wearing a business suit and smoking a fat cigar. "Tell em 'Smokey Da Bear' dispatched them for the Grand Panda, and we want the 'Panda Panda Party' from the 'Perfect Panda Pack' to oversee the operations of running Tymonland out in the open."

The smoking bear -- aptly named 'Smokey' -- seemed to be speaking out into the open and his voice was simply heard as he talked. It was unclear what sort of method he was using to communicate with the rest of the $yndicate on the line with him, but it didn't seem to matter. He was rather quickly responded with, "Yes, sir!" and soon after, the Panda Panda Party of the Perfect Panda Pack spread themselves out about the Tymonland premises.

The leader of this particular faction of the Perfect Panda Pack was named 'Panda Panda', as it was her 'Party' that was established before the Perfect Panda Pack was created. It had priority and so did Panda Panda, so she was given authority over everyone in that faction.

Panda Panda was a rather adorable young lady who was ever dressed in a panda-themed mascot costume. She donned a giant bulbous panda head and a round body with round panda paws that served as gloves and boots. Her white hair resembled panda teeth when she wore the panda head, but it only added to the attraction of the mascot suit. Her Party consisted of her loyal servants: Pain, the amorphous metallic slime; Puppet, the emotionless silent floating puppet doll; Robot, the Mechanica servant that works as the muscle; Discord, Puppet's floating hand puppet brother that wields a butcher knife; and Poppy, another puppet related to Puppet that is a doll on a stationary stick with one long, elastic arm and a regular proportioned arm.

When receiving her orders, Panda Panda stopped her hunt for Kiyoshi and instead focused all of her attention on the new objective. "Okay," Panda Panda said to her party, "We've got to go out there and be presentable, everyone! We'll worry about Kiyoshi and the animals after we're done!" Normally, Panda Panda was chasing after the wild and untamed Kiyoshi in order to get creatures from the Veritas to go into service, but Kiyoshi fought for the freedom of the animals. Panda Panda didn't particularly agree with the captivity of the creatures of the Veritas, but she also had a personal hand in the business that used them for their services in the background that Kiyoshi did not understand because she was a wild aminal. Yes. Aminal. Kiyoshi is what is known as an 'Aminal'. She is the protector of the 'Aminals' of the Veritas that Panda Panda seeks out.

That aside, Panda Panda was still an avid member of the Veritas specialized group known as the 'Perfect Panda Pack', and had other business besides just abducting aminals. The Perfect Panda Pack functioned as a personal unit for the Grand Panda, who is one of the Creator's alternate forms. The ever loyal Panda Panda went out with her crew and had them enter the several different attractions of Tymonland.

Robot went to the 'Robo Domo-O', where Mechanica typically fought here for special prizes. However, the 'Robo Dome-O' was an open area; all forms of combatants were welcome. It was simply made initially as a place for Mechanica to face off at before it became open to interstellar tourism. Robot stood at the entrance and served as a greeter for anyone who happened to want to watch one of the shows at the arena.

Puppet hovered off to the 'Playhouse' -- one of the Veritas owned franchises that made a great sum of its revenue on its own. There, Puppet would bond with the 'Omocha' toys that the 'Playhouse' sold and watch over the franchise like a security camera.

Pain slithered off to the cafe, 'Chateau Maldoche Dolores', entering through the dark chambers that served as the front door. Inside, Pain stood motionlessly at the bar like a statue, not moving at all and hardening in its position. It watched over the cafe and would protect it should anything go awry.

Discord floated off to the 'Tenseinium', the 'Exhibition Hall'. The floating hand puppet stocked the displays and maintained order where the works were as well as in the souvenir section when people wanted to visit the Gift Shop.

Finally, Poppy was sent to the 'Deadman's Den; The Forbidden Hotel'. There, the puppet served as a coat rack... And... A spy!

Meanwhile, Panda Panda handled mascot duty and steadily made her rounds about the Tymonland area to periodically check on every location and make sure everything was okay. After a few rounds, she reported in to Smokey Da Bear. "Mister Smokey?" Panda Panda inquired, "This is Panda Panda of the Panda Panda Party from the Perfect Panda Pack. My unit has secured Tymonland and the Battle Orphans are in their positions. We are standing by and waiting for further information, sir."

"Excellent!" Smokey commended Panda Panda, "I'm sure the Grand Panda would be pleased. Anyway, I'll get in touch with the $hadow Bo$$ and see if he's ready to take the Battle Orphans and the $yndicate out into the wastelands." He ended communication with Panda Panda and contacted again the Shady Kid. "Hello, $hadow Bo$$?" Smokey spoke out into the air, "Yeah, the Panda Panda Party is maintaining the Tymonland front right now and the $yndicate is in order, ready for action whenever you give the word." Smokey smirked, taking a long puff of his cigar. "Just tell me when and we'll be all over the Lawless Land."

When we next saw Shady Kid, he was coming from a door behind the scenes with a group of his Battle Orphans, and they were heading toward the 'Gift Shop' connected to the 'Exhibition Hall' that all served as part of the 'Tenseinium'. There, the hooded child stood at the front desk and eyed the equally shady shopkeep up and down, letting their sharp eyes meet in the middle. He simply said to the shopkeeper, "Mr. Cheeks..." and raised his eyebrow suggestively before leaning over the countertop... Equally as suggestively. Seemed like the Shady Kid was expecting something from the shopkeeper named 'Mr. Cheeks'.

Mr. Cheeks was a gray mouse with overly large cheeks. He was small, but not as small as a normal mouse; more like the size of a small child. He sat in his stool to oversee the counter and when his eyes met with the Shady Kid's, he immediately understood what it meant. "Ah, yes sir..." Mr. Cheeks said compliantly, shifting his eyes from side to side, "... If you will wait one moment..."

The mouse turned around and pulled out an unreal amount of weaponry from within his cheeks, then turned back around and placed all of it on the table. "The 'Secret Stash' only for the '$hadow Bo$$'." Mr. Cheeks nudged the pile of weapons closer to the group. "Thank you for doing business with the NeoZero World Shoppe; Valparaiso Branch." Mr. Cheeks shuffled his cute little mouse paws as his eyes continued to dart from side to side shadily.

Shady Kid's eyebrow lowered along with his eyes as he wrapped his overly large sleeves around the pile of weapons and withdrew them to himself. "Pleasure Doing Business With You, As Usual," said the Shady Kid as he began to equip the Battle Orphans that were set to accompany him to the journey through the Lawless Land. "Make Sure To Tell 'Shopkeeper' To Set Up The Black Market For The Valparaiso Denizens So That They Can Do Their Backdoor Business With The Veritas On The Lowdown."

When the Battle Orphans were fully armed, Shady Kid motioned for them to follow him to the battlefront... All of that desolate wasteland spread across most of the Lawless Land in a bloody mess: Rue. Anything that wasn't the marked 'Tymonland' or 'Valhalla, The City Of Ruin' was known as the blood red battlegrounds of 'Rue; The Warrior's Wasteland'. Even worse was, the only way to enter 'Valhalla, The City Of Ruin' was to go through the 'Reversal Plains' that separated that part of the Lawless Land with a portal-barrier that inverted the very beings of what passed through. Though this didn't always happen when entering, unless one had command over the 'Reversal Plains', then one would have to pass through it in order to exited the isolated realm of the Lawless Land. Fortunately for the Battle Orphans, the Shady Kid was the $hadow Bo$$ and could control the miasma that was the Reversal Plains.

"We're Going To Take Them By Storm," the Shady Kid explained to the Battle Orphans, "We'll Infiltrate The City Through The Shadows And Join Up With The Color Factions That Are Safehouses For The Different Members Of The $yndicate. We Want To Get A Majority Of The Valparaiso Denizens Into Either Tymonland Or One Of The Color Factions, And If Not, Then Into The Crystal Castle Stadium Within The Diamond Mines." When Shady Kid spoke, he spoke fast and concisely, readying himself by placing his hands within his sweatshirt pocket. "Move Out, Battle Orphans," the Shady Kid commanded.

The Battle Orphans immediately darted off into the Reversal Plains, coming out within the depths of Valhalla, The City Of Ruin -- Central City of Valparaiso. Before the miasma from the Reversal Plains cleared, they all spread out among the several hidden spots around the city. Oddly enough, the Shady Kid stayed out in the open and continued walking normally as if nothing was going on.

Nothing at all.

The Shady Kid had balls to walk directly into the middle of Valhalla without any type of protection. Granted, after the gentrification of the Lawless Land thanks to the Mechanica movement, there was much less crime. However, whatever could go on in the shadows away from the machines' prying eyes definitely did. Shamefully, the Battle Orphans would come across some of these things as they passed through the dark alleys and corridors that made up the deeper network of the City Of Ruin.

Still, there was a front man. In fact, this particular man was the suspected leader of the Valparaiso Denizens. He was involved in pretty much everything that went on and was in the know about everything that happened in the Lawless Land, and pretty much everyone accepted him as their 'paternal' figure or 'leader' figure of sorts. And so, this man, in his relatively suave -- but not too fancy -- attire that simply uttered 'smooth' from every fabric stepped forward somewhat threateningly toward the Shady Kid and exchanged looks with him. "Youse a kid?" he asked. "Ain't no kids in the Lawless Land no more. Only raggedy ass adults trying to make it in this world." The Shady Kid didn't seem at all familiar to this man, and he knew everyone. Then again, as he just mentioned, children were a rarity around these parts. "What's a kid and his little... Rats..." The man whistled sharply, summoning his brutish companions from the darkness, who had some of the Battle Orphans in hand. "... Doing in a rough town like Valhalla? Ain't you kids happy over at the orphanage, where we left yas?"

Like the man has insinuated, many of the orphans that resided in the Broken Homes Orphanage came right from this location. They were the Valparaiso Denizens' blood children. Though there were some people who were brought from other parts of the Veritas, the vast majority of the children belonged to the Valparaiso Denizens, who lived it up on their own in the City Of Ruin after relieving themselves of their burdens. "We ain't make this place for no kids, ya dig?" The man placed his hands before him, locking them across his lap. "So, you and the little shits oughtta scurry on back to your rat hole where we left yas and keep out of grown folks' business." The man popped his jacket, then turned away from the Shady Kid defiantly, disappearing without a trace as he turned.

Likewise, the other Valparaiso Denizens that captured the Battle Orphans turned and disappeared, taking the Battle Orphans with them into the unknown of the darkness.

Soon after the Battle Orphans disappeared, the Shady Kid would get a transmission from Smokey. "$hadow Bo$$!" Smokey exclaimed, "The $yndicate's got a lock on your team! They've been taken into the buildings throughout the city. We can have the Godfather's factions initialized at any time to surround each location with each different team under the $yndicate's jurisdiction." The $yndicate was already spread out through the Seventh Moon due to previous endeavors done here in the past. Every part of this moon was divided into portions for the colored factions, and the different sections of the $yndicate fell under the jurisdiction of whichever faction they were part of. It was only the neutral land of Valhalla that had yet to be claimed, and that was where the neutral party, the Valparaiso Denizens, were.

"What are ya trying to do, $hadow Bo$$?" Smokey asked the Shady Kid. "Our main problem with conquering the Central City is the Mechanica. They belong to the Royal Family, sure, but they also follow the lawlessness of the Lawless Land as well as their basic programming, leaving this as the only 'True Neutral' area. It's just that because of the convenient shade that the Mechanica make, the Valparaiso Denizens who once ran rampant can now remain protected from anything major without a total Mechanica assault... And anyone who tries to invade directly has the Mechanica and their protocol to answer to. The city's totally secure."

It didn't seem like the Shady Kid was all that surprised by the actions of the Valparaiso Denizens, but was pleased to have Smokey contact him again. "If We Rush In, They May Execute The Team," Shady Kid explained to Smokey. "The Best Course Of Action To Avoid Stirring Up Trouble Would Be To Find The Boss And Talk Directly To Him. Any Leads On That Source, Smokey?" Shady Kid continued walking through the dark alleys, weaving about in avoidance of the Mechanica that roamed the main streets.

"Ain't no need to go lookin'," the man's voice spoke up from behind the Shady Kid. "You and yer friends don't belong here. So quit tryna be a big man, kid." The man sucked his teeth a bit, then stepped forward slowly. "Ya see, we remember when the $yndicate came and ran us out the first time. Ain't nowhere else on this planet to go to without runnin' into one of you sons of bitches. Barely any place to do anything we want to anymore!" Slipping his hands in his pockets, the man continued. "We may not be able to take down the army of machines that now live here, and we may not be a match for those color factions that made their settlements down here, but dammit if we can't handle some little brats that we gave life." He spit at the ground and finally stepped forth before Shady Kid.

"Go home, kid," the man insisted, "We'll drop the little brats off back at the orphanage. Make any stupid decisions, though, ain't no one coming home to mama tonight. Get me?" He smirked. "Of course, you ain't gonna just walk away scot-free. In fact, youse guys are gonna pay the price, since I hear the orphanage is doing so well thanks to the Godfather's protection." Now, the man's mouth curled into a disdainful frown, and he turned his head away dismissively. "What we wouldn't give to be on the Godfather's good side, eh? But no, the guy hunts us down and beats us up when he wants to have his way. If that wasn't the exact spirit of Valparaiso, I'd definitely have some extra feelings for the guy." It was true that Valparaiso was the land DESIGNATED for people who wanted to do whatever they wanted, but... The downside was that the Mainland of the Veritas also had the same privileges.

"Yeah, this place used to be paradise for us. Now we're more miserable than ever. Can't just live a peaceful life of crime in this city anymore..." The man shook his head solemnly. "We've been chased out more times than we can count, and even with the factions taking over the outer areas, the city still remains neutral territory. We like it that way, ya know? The machines don't do anything unless we bother them. It can be a pain, but it's made us more crafty when we wanna get something done." Eventually, the man sighed and said, "Anyway, that's enough of the personal sentiments for now. We've got what we need outta you kids. I'll turn em loose."

The signatures that Smokey was picking up on would disappear momentarily before all reappearing at the Broken Homes Orphanage all at the same time. The captors left the Battle Orphans at the orphanage and disappeared, reappearing around Shady Kid. "There," the leader said, "The kids are safe at home. They may be broke now, but at least they're not here anymore." The Valparaiso Denizens started backing away slowly, their forms destabilizing slightly into a shadowy form, the man saying as they continued to faze out, "Don't come after us again." Those were the last words the man said before disappearing with his group.

Before Shady Kid could speak, Smokey came in again on the communication device. "$hadow Bo$$! The Battle Orphans are back at the orphanage. Regroup with the team and we'll try to track the Valparaiso Denizens again!"

The information that the Valparaiso Denizen leader provided made the Shady Kid think a bit about the situation they were in. He pondered the thoughts all the way back to the orphanage, where he came to a very critical conclusion upon his arrival.

When Shady Kid saw that the Battle Orphans were safe, he started to say to them, "... My Team... I Have Heard The Cries Of The Valparaiso Denizens And Realize That Even Though They Are A Lowly Brood, They Still Have Their Own Ideals That Make Them Independent. We Shouldn't Try To Take Them Into Captivity Just Because They Are Bad For The Economy. Instead, We Should Try To Work With Them And Have Them Willingly Cooperate With The $yndicate."

Some of the Battle Orphans looked at the Shady Kid with confusion, and others looked away with discontent, as if unsure of themselves.

The Shady Kid noticed these reactions and cocked his head to the side. "What's Wrong?" he asked, "Don't You Agree That We Should Seek A Peaceful Solution?"

It was then that the Battle Orphans spoke up. Someone said sheepishly, "... We want to go with our parents," and gazed at the Shady Kid with a certain fearful conviction that made them stand upon their decision.

This notion surprised the Shady Kid, who was not prepared for the Battle Orphans to be influenced so easily. "But These Are The People That Abandoned You To Pursue Selfish Endeavors! You Cannot Possibly Want To Be With Them Now Simply Because You've Met Them In Person, Right?"

Unfortunately for the Shady Kid, that wasn't the case at all.

The Battle Orphans looked around a bit, then someone said to the Shady Kid, "If we don't go back to them and try to right the things wrong in our families, we may end up like them one day when we're too old for the orphanage."

The Battle Orphans made a solid point, and the Shady Kid could not deny them. With a heavy, reluctant sigh, he bid them off. "... Goodbye, Then," Shady Kid said to the Battle Orphans, "... Have Fun With Your Parents."

The Battle Orphans saluted the Shady Kid and then took off for Valhalla again to rejoin the Valparaiso Denizens.

The city of Valhalla seemed quiet as the Battle Orphans entered, but the Valparaiso Denizens were most certainly around. When they heard of what the Battle Orphans were saying, they immediately took it as an advantageous opportunity. "Welcome home, kids," the leader said warmly. It wasn't until a few moments later that the leader opened up again with, "We're gonna go make some money at the Crystal Castle stadium. Since you came armed, we figured that you might as well be put to work and make yourselves useful by making us a little extra pocket change in the Diamond Mines." He chuckled. "Youse can fight real good, right? Yeah, show us what you've got in the arena, then!"

The former Battle Orphans weren't exactly thrilled to hear this, but they figured it could be some bonding time they could spend with the adults. The parents seemed all too happy to claim their children now, which was how the children knew who their respective parental figures were. Under the comfort of their warmth, the children were persuaded to travel to the 'Land Of Diamonds' where the Diamond Mines were. There, they went deep into the 'Land Of Diamonds' until they saw the stadium.

Each child was talked into competing in a tournament for a ridiculous sum of money, sponsored by the Diamond Mines that belonged to Tymon. What they weren't prepared for was... To face each other in deadly combat. The children were wary, but the adults looked like they had it all together.

Valparaiso Denizen: "Eeeh, now go on out there and make papa some diamonds, Jimmy...! Er, Timmy... Or... Whatever your name is."

Jimmy/Timmy?: "My name's Jamal."

valparaiso Denizen: "Is that right? Well, Jack, get your ass out there and make some moolah!"

Jamal did as was instructed and went into the back to prepare for the fight. In fact, all of the children went into the back and didn't come out. Each of the Valparaiso Denizens looked to each other and smirked, then went to take to their seats in the stands. As they did so, they mumbled some things amongst themselves.

"You got the deal in the bag?" one of them whispered to the leader.

"You got it, pal," the leader said confidently, walking briskly, "You just let the kiddies do all the work and our pal behind the scenes running the joint will make sure they don't get in our way." It seemed like the Valparaiso Denizen leader had some connections around the Crystal Castle... Who would have guessed?

Suddenly, Smokey was back on the line with the Shady Kid. "Bo$$!" he cried urgently, "The situation has changed! From what I'm gathering around here, the Valparaiso Denizens are sending the Battle Orphans to fight each other at the stadium! They're craftier than they look!"

There was some noise in the background, but it seemed to be mostly the sound of flustered movement. "I can get the $yndicate to move into the Land Of Diamonds immediately in order to perform a rescue mission. Each faction will send in their units to serve as an audience for the battles and ensure the safety of the Battle Orphans during the time of the battles." Smokey seemed to have things under control, as he'd been in the office on the Seventh Moon ever since the $yndicate first claimed the land and the Grand Panda instructed him to watch over the events that went on in the Lawless Land.

"Mobilizing forces," Smokey said to Shady Kid, the $yndicate rather sneakily making their way to the Land Of Diamonds from every direction. To anyone on the outside, it would simply look like a crowd of people that were attracted to the event going on in the stadium. The Valparaiso Denizens shouldn't have known about the $yndicate color factions unless they wore their colors to the event -- which they were instructed not to.

Soon, the stadium was filled with a roaring crowd that joined the Valparaiso Denizens in the stands, all of them making sure to keep tabs secretly on the Lawless Ones so that they could not escape should they figure out that the audience was actually mostly the $yndicate.

It was a shock to the Shady Kid to hear Smokey telling him that the Valparaiso Denizens set the Battle Orphans up like that. They were highly skilled assassins, but they weren't as street savvy as their parents. Most of their time was spent in the orphanage. Granted, they were trained to face people like their parents, but they were being pit against each other, which was something else entirely. In the end, they were still just children at heart -- something the Shady Kid couldn't deny or refute.

"Good Work, Smokey," Shady Kid said as he rushed out into the outskirts, "I'm On My Way To The Crystal Castle. Just Make Sure That The Valparaiso Denizens Don't Suspect A Thing." Before too long, Shady Kid started to fade out and dissipate into shadows whilst he ran. When he next reappeared, it was at the entrance to the Crystal Castle in the Land Of Diamonds. He arrived just in time to see the first match.

Naturally, the leader of the Valparaiso Denizens fitted himself with a VIP seat away from most of the crowd, and he was sitting near someone that looked like they worked at the stadium. The uniform of the staff at the Crystal Castle was a sparkling suit that glimmered like a gem, normally whitish, like a diamond. The two of them were speaking to each other in a chummy manner and frequently pointing to different locations about the stadium.

It wasn't until the leader pointed off into the direction of the Shady Kid that he noticed him and immediately disappeared into the shadows. The Crystal Castle staff member briskly walked into the back and the two of them were out of sight.

Meanwhile, in the stadium, Jamal was facing off against Muffintop. She was a fair young lady with a tattered dress on, equipped with a submachinegun. Jamal had a pair of large blades that resembled shears; one for each hand.

Jamal: "Muffintop! I don't want to fight you! Don't you remember when we trained together back at the orphanage?"

Muffintop: "I don't want to fight you either, Jamal! But my dad says that his whole life is riding on this... If I had known his life was so rough, I..."

Before they could finish speaking, the referee -- the same staff member from the stands -- came out to start the fight.

Referee: "This match will be determined by the first person who is incapacitated, be it through death or rendering unconscious. Anything goes. No time limit."

The two children averted gazing at each other.

Referee: "... Fighters ready?"

The two children reluctantly looked to each other and readied themselves.

Referee: "... Battle!"

The referee ran off to the side behind a protective crystal covering, which was transparent so that one could see through it. Though his attention seemed to wander across the area, as if he was looking for someone...

In the ring, Jamal lunged at Muffintop with his giant shears, aiming to snip her head off in one quick motion. The shears were large and strong enough to be able to cut through straight bone, meaning any attempts to hold the shears off with the hands or arms would be met with demise.

But Muffintop didn't need to touch the shears, as she simply pointed her gun toward the crux of the shears where they were bound together and fired off a few rounds to knock them away. She hopped back a bit and then proceeded to open fire on the falling Jamal.

To keep up appearances, the crowd kept on cheering when the battle began. But some of them began to tamper with the match from the stands. Many of them had basic abilities, and some of those abilities were of metal and magnetism. With that in mind, there were people in the $yndicate that were able to control the bullets and have them miss as well as guide Jamal down to the ground safely. They executed this smoothly to make it look natural, and they didn't do it for long.

Smokey suddenly came in on the communication device again. "$hadow Bo$$! You have to find the leader right now! The 'Shopkeeper' has been dispatched to sell popcorn at the stadium. Rendezvous with the Shopkeeper ASAP. He already has his orders and is waiting for you. Smokey out." Just as quickly as he started speaking did he go silent again, leading Shady Kid to act again.

After receiving the update, Shady Kid made his way toward the Shopkeeper, who was a short, mysterious man shrouded in a robe with a hood upon it that covered everything about his face except his long, sharp, protruding nose. The Shady Kid went to him and collected some popcorn and proceeded to watch the match.

Shady Kid: "Oh, Shit. I've Got Shit To Do, Don't I?"

Shady Kid turned to the Shopkeeper and said to him, "Yeah, You Know What To Do. Post Up At The Entrance And Belligerently Sell To The Valparaiso Denizens. Make Sure Not To Miss Any Of Them..." For some reason or another, the Shady Kid seemed to know what the true nature of Shopkeeper's business was, and would leave him to it after it was confirmed that he was indeed on site. "I'll Go Into The Back And Try To Get The Kids." Shady Kid looked around shadily as he crept into the shadows backwards, his red eyes glowing as he seeped farther back into the shadows and through the back door...

As soon as the Shady Kid made it into the back, he was met with a domineering darkness all around. Though it probably didn't affect the dark-personality-having Shady Kid all too much, that wasn't the point of the pitch blackness all around. The Battle Orphans were all standing in the darkness, some scared and others confused. They weren't aware of who they were going to face next and they could not see each other. The circumstances they were in seemed extremely odd, but none of them spoke up, even after seeing the light of the door from when Shady Kid entered.

???: "Well, well, well... Came to participate, kid...?"

The all too familiar voice of the Valparaiso Leader came through the darkness along with the sound of his suave shoes' heels against the hard floor. "You're in luck... We were missing one more fighter. Didn't know what we were gonna do about that. Nice of you to offer yourself." He couldn't be seen in the darkness, only heard.

All the while, Jamal and Muffintop were unaware of the assistance that they received from the $yndicate. The two of them continued fighting as if nothing happened.

When Jamal was stably on the ground, he rushed at Muffintop with his shears before him, the both of them together being large enough to make a makeshift shield to deflect any oncoming bullets.

Muffintop shot at him of course, but the shears protected him from the gunfire. Even as they did, Muffintop noticed that the shears were only protecting the upper torso of Jamal and afterward shot at his legs.

Hit, Jamal came to the ground hard before Muffintop, now at her mercy. "No, Muffintop..." Jamal pleaded as he held his leg, "Don't do this..."

The girl placed the gun up to Jamal's head, hesitating to blow his brains out momentarily. Suddenly, the gun began trembling, and tears began to stream down Muffintop's face. "I'm so sorry, Jamal..." Slowly, she began to pull the trigger...

The $yndicate kept Muffintop from shooting Jamal for the time being, but time was short. Eventually, the battle would have to continue. They only hoped that the Shady Kid got everything done before one of the Battle Orphans killed each other.

For now, the $yndicate remained mostly focused on keeping casualties at bay, but it wouldn't be long before the actual Valparaiso Denizens in the crowd became suspicious and unruly. They didn't have much time.

Back behind the scenes in the darkness, Shady Kid's glowing red eyes allowed for him to be seen clearly throughout the darkness, and little did everyone else know, those red eyes could see through the darkness just fine. So, Shady Kid was able to eyeball the Valparaiso Denizen leader who thought he was under the cloak of darkness, and didn't say anything as of yet. Shady Kid heard the audience outside and knew that they were getting to the climax of the fight. He had to move fast.

"Bold Of You To Come Straight For The Leader Like This. But Unfortunately For You, I'm Not Here To Do Any Fighting." Shady Kid hatched an idea while he was talking, and he knocked the man down in order to rush toward the kids. "Everyone! I Know You Can See Me! My Eyes Glow In The Dark. Quickly! Follow Me And I'll Get Us Out Of Here!" Shady Kid located the back door and opened it so that the Battle Orphans could escape.

As eager as the Shady Kid was to save the Battle Orphans, some of them did not take his offer to escape when he showed them the door. They stayed in the darkness silently as the ones who were ready to depart did so.

"Hahaha, ya see?!" the man said, rising to his feet and dusting himself off, "These kids wanna be with their parents! Ain't nothing gonna get em to come with you!"

The sound of a round of shots resounded in the stadium, and then violent cheering.

"Heh, seems like that battle's done for," the man continued to say. "Aight, kids. The next bout is bout to happen. Get on out there and make mama and papa proud." The Valparaiso Denizen leader extended his arms and guided the remaining children toward the stadium, where the referee would join him after cleaning up the body of Jamal and letting Muffintop go back to her chambers.

Referee: "What an exciting match! It seems like those projectiles were just too much."

Valparaiso Denizen Leader: "Eh, and before we begin, let me just make an... Adjustment to the settings a bit, yeah?"

The Valparaiso Denizen leader whispered into the referee's ear, then they both nodded to each other. Soon, the referee declared, "The next battle will be a free for all! Last one standing wins the prize!" The Battle Orphans were all lined up in a circle, facing each other. "Ready...?" the referee asked, jogging a bit toward the entryway, "BEGIN!" As soon as he said this, he opened the door and went somewhere else. The Valparaiso Denizen leader simply disappeared into shadows, waiting for all hell to break loose.

The very moment it was clear that the children were going to massacre each other, the $yndicate had to act. The crowd poured in from the stands to stop the children and separate them before they could begin the fight.

Smokey: "Yo, $hadow Bo$$! The $yndicate has the Battle Orphans secure! The $yndicate is moving out back into Valhalla whilst the Valparaiso Denizens are distracted."

Just as quickly as they came did the $yndicate clear out, leaving the lesser number of Valparaiso Denizens high and dry in the stands. The Shopkeeper was instructed to act upon his orders and stop the Valparaiso Denizens from exiting by use of his exemplary sales skills. The mysterious large-nosed cloaked man cleared his throat as the $yndicate all rushed through the exit in a hurry with the Battle Orphans, saying once they left in a monotonous voice, "Want to buy some crack?"

Decoy set, the $yndicate quickly encroached upon the City Of Ruin, Valhalla, where they escorted the now defunct generation of Battle Orphans. They expected the Valparaiso Denizens to follow, surely, but not before the $yndicate apprehended all of the buildings in the city that the Valparaiso Denizens used as hideouts and secret headquarters for their crimes. They'd have a nice surprise waiting for them when they got back to the city and found that their hideouts from the Mechanica were occupied. That would then leave them to wander the streets with the rather strict machines, who were also known to regularly 'purge' the streets if they were alerted to or involved in a crime. It was their method of maintenance in the Lawless Land, and, besides the Tensei that actually owned the planet, they ran the show.

It was time to let them do what they did best.