The Red Hands were on the move, searching with intent. After the attack on their safe zone, Bob and his crew became high-priority targets. Names were circulating. Descriptions passed around.
And the ones showing up? Just a few members from a much larger network.
Darius "Ironjaw," one of the underbosses of the Red Hands, led the operation himself. His massive frame moved through the ruined streets like a walking fortress, his heavy footfalls cracking stone beneath him.
Felix "Viper," his right-hand enforcer and Fog Repeller operator, slinked through the shadows beside him, barely making a sound.
Tobias "Gravedigger," the executioner known for his brutality, carried his cleavers across his shoulders, grinning as if he could already smell blood.
At the front, desperate for redemption, Ethan "Bullhorn," a disgraced former enforcer eager to reclaim his place, had ambushed Sly before and was now desperate for payback.
"We find them, we finish them," Darius said, his voice like grinding stone. "No mistakes."
Ethan clenched his fists. "Sly is mine. I don't care about the others."
Felix chuckled. "That's cute. But if you screw up again, we'll leave you where you fall."
Ethan ignored him, eyes burning with determination. He had already failed once—this time, he wouldn't run.
A Red Hands scout ran up, panting. "Boss! We've got movement near the west sector. Might be them."
Darius cracked his knuckles. "Then let's pay them a visit."
Bob's crew had stopped in a run-down settlement, a temporary safe zone for travelers. It wasn't much—crumbling walls, makeshift barricades, a handful of survivors clinging to whatever life they had left. They had been avoiding direct conflict, letting search parties pass rather than risking an unnecessary fight. The Red Hands were on the move, and picking the wrong moment to engage could turn lethal. The group wasn't planning to stay long, just enough to grab supplies and move on.
Then they saw her.
A girl—barely ten—running straight toward the Pink Fog.
"What the hell is she doing?" Sly asked, watching as she sprinted past a group of stunned survivors.
Bob cracked his neck. "Dunno. Guess we'll find out."
Before anyone could react, Bob moved. His steps were heavy and fast, each one pounding against the ground as he closed the distance in seconds, covering the distance faster than anyone expected.
The girl was inches away from the fog when Bob grabbed her by the collar and lifted her off the ground like she was a stray cat.
"Whoa there, kid. You forgot to check the 'certain doom' sign before running in."
She thrashed in his grip, kicking wildly. "Let me go! I have to find my brother!"
Bob blinked. "Oh. Family thing. That explains the reckless charge into danger."
Gabe walked up, hands on his hips. "Bob, put the kid down before you break her."
Bob carefully set her down, but she immediately tried to run past him. He blocked her with one massive arm like a brick wall.
The girl glared up at them, her eyes fierce. "He went into the fog and never came back! I have to go find him!"
Iris crouched down to meet her eye level. "What's your name?"
"Mira."
Iris gave a small nod. "Mira, if your brother didn't come back, then—"
"He's still out there!" Mira shouted, fists clenched. "He told me never to go into the fog. But he also promised he'd always come back!"
The crew exchanged looks. They had all seen what the Pink Fog did to people. If her brother had been out there this long… the odds weren't good.
Sly exhaled through his nose. "Look, I get that you want to find your brother, but going in there alone? You won't make it five steps."
Mira's eyes burned with frustration. "Then help me!"
The group went silent.
Then Bob sighed. "Alright."
Everyone turned to him. "Bob, really?" Gabe asked.
Bob shrugged. "She's got guts. Can't let her charge in alone, right?"
Iris crossed her arms. "So what's the plan, big guy?"
Bob grinned. "We get her a front-row seat in our mobile safe zone."
The plan was simple. Keep Mira safe, move into the fog, and find any trace of her brother. The crew had done riskier things before. What they weren't expecting was company.
While they moved through the fog, shadows shifted in the distance.
Gabe in his Glint form and leading the way ahead of the mobile safe zone, narrowed his eyes at the fog. Something moved in the distance. His wings shifted as he slowed. "We've got company," he said, keeping his gaze forward.
The reply came through immediately. Laughter. Then a voice. Smooth, taunting. Felix. "Going somewhere, boys?"
The Red Hands emerged from the ruins, cutting off their path.
Darius stepped forward, arms crossed. "You made a mess last time. We're here to clean up."
Ethan locked eyes with Sly, fire practically burning in his gaze. "I told you I'd come back for you."
Sly groaned. "Ugh, you again? Dude, I barely remember you."
Ethan twitched. "I REMEMBER YOU."
Bob cracked his knuckles. "Alright, let's make this quick."
He stepped forward, towering in his Goliath form, ready to charge.
But then Tobias, the Gravedigger, moved first. He pulled a strange device from his belt—metallic, with a glowing core pulsing at its center. Without hesitation, he aimed it directly at Bob, still towering in his Goliath form.
He pulled the trigger.
A pulse of white energy burst outward, ripping through the Pink Fog. Within seconds, the mist vanished, leaving a wide zone of clear air around them.
Bob's fists clenched. Something was off. His Goliath Glint was gone. Without the fog, his transformation had dropped instantly, and the strength he relied on had vanished with it.
Sly swayed on his feet. "Okay… I don't like that."
Iris's eyes widened. "The fog… it's gone?"
Tobias smirked. "Oh, don't tell me you've never seen one of these before. This, my friends, is a Fog Repeller. And guess what? We've got one more shot."
Darius stepped forward. "Without the fog, you're just flesh and bone."
Bob rolled his shoulders. "Yeah? Still pretty good at breaking bones."
Felix grinned. "Let's test that."
The Red Hands rushed forward.
Bob met them head-on—but something was off. His usual overwhelming strength wasn't there. The absence of the Pink Fog made him… slower.
Felix lashed out, his body snapping forward like a coiled serpent. Bob barely stepped back in time as the Viper's bladed tail sliced through the air where his head had been.
Gabe, still in his Griffin form, remained attached to the cart, his wings tensed and ready to move at a moment's notice while keeping Mira protected. Iris, in her Valkyrie form, and Sly, in his Specter form, fought back, trying to hold the Red Hands off.
Bob, now back to his normal form after losing his Goliath Glint, tried to engage, but the Fog Repeller was already pointed at them again. Gabe had no choice. "We're not winning this fight. Pull back!" he ordered.
Sly gritted his teeth, then vanished in a flicker, reappearing on the opposite side of the fight, drawing attention away from the cart. As the Red Hands turned toward him, Iris leaped onto the cart, immediately returning to normal as she landed inside the mobile safe zone. Bob didn't hesitate, jumping in as well, gripping Mira tightly.
At the last second, Sly used his shadow step, blinking onto the cart just before the Red Hands could catch him. With everyone aboard, Gabe, still in Griffin form, flapped his wings and pulled the mobile safe zone away, dragging them farther and farther into safety.
Ethan shouted after them. "COWARDS!"
Darius didn't chase. He just watched, arms crossed. "They'll be back. And when they do, we'll be ready."
Bob's crew disappeared into the ruins, the laughter of the Red Hands echoing behind them.
Gabe's powerful wings beat against the air as he pulled the mobile safe zone cart, dragging it farther and farther from the Red Hands. The wind rushed past them, and the sound of their enemies shouting faded into the distance.
Bob sat in the cart with Mira still held close, feeling her tiny fists trembling against his chest. Iris, now back to her normal form, adjusted herself, making sure Mira was unharmed. Sly lay sprawled on the floor of the cart, catching his breath after his last-second jump.
"We good?" Gabe called out, still in his Griffin form.
"Still breathing," Sly muttered, rolling onto his side. "That was too close."
Bob exhaled and loosened his grip on Mira, letting her sit up. "You alright, kid?"
Mira looked up, her voice small. "Are we… still going to look for my brother?"
Iris didn't hesitate. She placed a hand on Mira's shoulder. "Yes. Nothing's changed. We'll find him."
The safe zone cart came to a halt near the outskirts of the ruined district, where the Pink Fog swirled ominously ahead. Gabe finally released his grip, staying in his Griffin form, wings shifting as he steadied himself.
Bob cracked his neck and stood up. "Alright. We move carefully. We find anything that looks like a clue, we follow it."
At Bob's instruction, Iris and Sly jumped down from the cart, landing lightly on the ground. Still in human form, they stepped into the Pink Fog and waited. It would take some time before their Glint forms kicked in.
Mira remained inside the cart, gripping its edge tightly as she scanned the ruins with hopeful eyes. "Go that way," she pointed, her voice filled with certainty. "This place… I know it. It's near our old house."
The crew exchanged glances before nodding.
Bob ruffled Mira's hair. "Then let's go find him."
---
The deeper they went into the fog, the quieter it became. Each step felt heavier, not just because of the thick, eerie mist, but because they all knew what they might find. Mira's brother had been missing for too long.
Sly stepped ahead, scouting the area. "Footprints, pretty recent. Someone's been walking through here."
Iris frowned. "Could be anyone." But as she looked at the thick fog swirling around them, unease settled in her chest. Fades were known for being mindless, wandering predators. Yet this one had returned to a familiar place. Why? It made no sense. They were supposed to lose all reason, all memory. And yet, this one had come back to its old home.
"No!" Mira insisted. She leaned forward from the cart, gripping its edge tightly. Her eyes darted across the ground before she pointed at something half-buried in the dirt. "There! Stop the cart!"
Gabe halted their movement, and Iris moved carefully through the fog, retrieving the object Mira had spotted. A necklace. A simple, rusted chain with a small metal tag attached. Mira's breath hitched. She turned to them, eyes wide with recognition. "This is his!"
Bob sighed. "That's our sign. We keep moving."
They pressed forward, following what little evidence they could find—scraps of torn fabric, faint trails in the dirt. The fog swirled around them, shifting unnaturally. It wasn't long before Sly held up a hand, signaling for them to stop.
"There," he whispered, pointing ahead.
A silhouette stood motionless in the fog, hunched slightly, its shape barely human. The air around it pulsed with something unnatural.
Mira gasped. "Brother…?" When he didn't respond, her voice wavered, more desperate. "Dale!"
Bob's grip tightened.
Dale was still standing. But he was no longer human.
---
Not far, the Red Hands found them first, emerging from the ruins near what looked like an old alleyway entrance on the far side of the street. Bob's crew had approached from the west, sticking close to the cover of the ruined buildings, while Dale stood motionless to the east, just beyond a collapsed structure that had once been a house. The thick Pink Fog curled between them, shifting unnaturally as if aware of the tension. If they got too close, Dale would attack—just like any other Stray Fade. But before they could decide on their next move, movement in the alleyway made Bob turn sharply. A voice cut through the mist.
Felix's voice cut through the fog. "Well, well. Looks like we caught up."
Bob turned sharply as figures emerged from the ruins—Red Hands, armed and ready. Darius led the group, arms crossed, his expression cold and focused. Felix slithered beside him, his bladed tail dragging across a stone with a screeching grind. Behind them, Ethan snorted through his nostrils, massive fists clenched, his gaze locked on Sly with burning hatred.
Tobias lifted the Fog Repeller, pointing it toward them. "Let's make this easy. You've been a thorn in our side for too long. Surrender now, and maybe we won't break every bone in your body."
Bob scowled. "Yeah, I'm gonna have to pass on that."