by Danny
Danny Hearn collapsed to one knee before the possessed bodies of his teammates Tobias Christopher and Lance Lorenzo.
"You know, it seems like I never see you guys anymore," Danny said softly. He was beginning to feel faint from blood loss, and the pain from his rib was becoming excruciating. He wasn't a warrior. He wasn't used to this. But still, he stood to his feet. "Hi, guys... still possessed, then?"
Danny closed his eyes and wished really, really hard that the pain would go away. It didn't. He immediately lost his faith in the power of wishing.
"How are you feeling, Danny?" Kristofer Schanz asked, stepping in front of the injured Danny.
"Under-riffic..."
"I'll handle these two. They seem to be possessed. I'll distract them, you find Kalunga. Hopefully, if she's distracted enough, the spell on these two will wear off. Go!" Schanz said, and ran off down one of the many corridors.
Tobias zipped off after him, trying several times within the first few seconds to tackle Schanz. However, he always missed, or slipped over at the last moment. Lance followed, and the same fate befell him.
"Right. So he has Pete's luck powers... none of this is making any sense..." Danny sat down for a moment. Right... so I have to take on Ma Kalunga, insane voodoo queen bitch. I'm injured here. I can barely stand. And I keep losing blood... Ah, shit.
Danny stood and tenderly touched his side near the open wound that was still leaking blood. "Hal, is there any way we can cover this up? At least stop it from bleeding until I can get it treated back home?"
"Oh, yeah, what with the cutting-edge medical treatment they have there. Maybe once they're done with the damn stitches, they can use some leeches on you. Then let's go burn some witches!"
"Yeah, I know, I hate having to rely on primitive crap, too. But it has to do. Now can you cover up the wound?"
"How do snake scales sound? It'd at least keep it closed for a while, stop the bleeding."
"Fine. Scales." The pain in his side intensified for a moment, then Danny felt thick snake scales begin to form over the wound. A second later, the flesh was closed up, held together by a sheet of green scales. "Right. Now to find that crazy woman who plays with dolls."
Meanwhile, in another place and another time that was only a few rooms and a few seconds away from where Danny was (things like that were a little funny at the Castle of Crossed Destinies), Ma Kalunga stood up, wiping the last of the stinging cobra venom from her face. She cast a quick spell to improve her vision. Danny's impromptu attack had left it blurry.
Her eyes still hurt, but she could see. She needed to be able to see. She needed to be on full alert for what she was about to do, to kill that damn Animal Man. She strode down the corridor that she had seen him stumbling away through. He would pay for what he did to her. No one caught Ma Kalunga off-guard like that.
Stepping through a grand archway, she found herself in a garden, a lush garden, a sprawling garden. Plants stretched off for what seemed like miles in every direction. Of course, depth perception was not to be trusted in a place like that. She strode through the garden purposefully, gracefully, not running, just striding, as if she was in no hurry.
A crumpled shape drew her attention. Looking closer, she realized with some glee that this was indeed her prey. Danny was there in the garden. He lay on the ground, clutching his broken rib. He may not have been bleeding anymore, but he lost a whole lot of blood when he had been. And it was starting to catch up with him. He could barely stand.
"No..." he said softly, seeing his hunter approach.
"You. You, now, will die," she said to Danny.
"I'd rather not," he replied.
She crouched down next to him and reached out a bony arm. She clasped his neck, tightly. He let out a pathetic rasping noise. "Try to breathe. You may as well taste oxygen one last time," she said.
He struggled, vainly. But her grip was tight, forceful. And he was weak.
"Your friends will be broken at the sight of your lifeless body. I can't wait to see what they do. Break down crying... threaten me... scream empty curses at their imaginary God. That's always the best part. And Mr. Smith, he will be... impressed..." she said, trailing off.
"Not feeling too well?" Danny asked at the sickly look on her face.
"What... what's happening?"
"Poison arrow frog. Its entire skin is coated in a paralyzing poison. You can let go of my neck now." She let go of his neck and fell backward to the ground. "And this is what we in the business call... a trap," Danny said, standing up.
She looked at him, a mixture of rage and confusion crossing her face. Her eyelids began to falter, and she began to lose consciousness.
"That's what you get for messing with my team. Bitch," Danny said, kicking her across the head. She fell into unconsciousness.
Danny went to find the rest of his team.