We got to follow the adventures of Kadlin Bearsmasher and Becky Joy the last chapter. This time, we're following Sebastian Dash and Konall Bearsmasher - with Vixen and Faline thrown in for good measure!

There's a nice mix of humor and action here, with a brand new key location introduced at the end.. and a host of villains, including a few surprises at the end.

Konall walked through the crumbling, burning wreckage. The heat was getting to him. Why couldn't this Odin-forsaken Seaside Town have some snow in it like a normal village. Spaz was helping Kadlin with something, so the berserker was alone, which was okay.

A random goblin fell into the street and looked at Konall. He began to shout in alarm, then stopped. Perhaps the arrow in the middle of his skull made him contemplate the necessity of stealth as a survival tool. Who could say? Another Goblin tried to sneak up on Konall, only to find his life cut short by Sebastian's trademark broadsword, driven through his back. Dash pushed the corpse off his sword with his boot, then turned to survey the situation.

"They seem to be preparing this area for the pyromancers," Dash noted to Konall without bothering with a greeting.

Konall turned rapidly, pulling out an axe. "Oh, it's you."

Dash was unimpressed. "Yeah, you don't need the axe."

Konall grinned. "You're right. Frame like yours, a dagger would do."

Konall and Dash heard two girls giggling from behind a half burned curtain. Konall tossed a hatchet that cut the curtain down, exposing the furries behind it.

Vixen and Lapine looked shocked; they looked like they were just making out. Lapine blushed. "Thanks for the goodluck... makeout Vix." Vixen stuck her tongue out. "Anytime bunny."

Dash looked away.. after a second. "Ahh.. I'm surprised to see you two here." His cheeks turned a bit redder.

"Well," said Konall, "that was... um. I'm just admiring your fur and it's very... You two would make a great pair of coats."

"I think he actually meant that as a compliment," said Dash.

Konall spoke up, "So, what brings you two here?"

"Other than providing the provocative makeout scene?" added Dash.

Vixen spoke first, "You know, putting out fires, saving the day, getting a little bit of bunny action on the side. You know, hero stuff." Lapine simply nodded.

"Good timing, since I'm expecting a pyromancer to show up any minute," Dash noted.

Konall swore. "I hate mages."

Lapine looked mad. "Maybe mages hate you!"

Konall glared at her. "They hate me because I kill them. Oh, um, not you. There's some good mages. Like you and my sister."

"Maybe we'll get lucky and it'll be the old fashioned punk with a torch type?" Dash suggested.

A spectral voice echoed around them. "Tremble in fear. Quake in terror. Wet your pants. For Grimdeath the Incinerator is here to destroy you." Thirty seconds of maniacal laughter followed.

Dash waited for it to end then blinked. "I read about you. Didn't you used to be a traveling children's entertainer named Buffy the Jovial Joker?"

"That," said the voice, "Um, that was in the past. I have improved in might, wisdom, and majesty since that time. I mean, no, that wasn't me. You're thinking of someone else."

The mage conjured several hawks made of pure flame, which dove at our heroes. Konall swung his haxxor at one, but the massive weapon went through it without connecting with anything solid. Likewise, Dash's sword failed to have much effect, despite the mystical enhancements of the blade. Vixen tried to pickpocket Grimdeath but burnt her paw "OW mother-" Vixen was interrupted by a rush of water summoned by Lapine, she took out two of the flame elementals.

Konall ran at the mage, hammer drawn, but Grimdeath conjured a wall of fire that the norseman didn't dare risk running through. Dash attempted to sneak around him, but the wall of fire extended itself to prevent that. Dash cursed under his breath.

Lapine threw a water ball at the mage. "You need to cool off!" She tossed four more at him, trying to bring down the shield.

The water ball sizzled into steam, but the mage looked like it had weakened him anyway. "That's not cool. Well, it was cool, it was very cooling. But it was also mean. Now I kill you to death!"

Grimdeath conjured a fiery tornado that streaked toward Lapine. Showing her amazing fox like agility, she turned and ran, throwing her body wildly to avoid its path. It rumbled into the distance and started to turn around to make another pass for our heroes. It conjured another set of fire creatures to go after Dash, Lapine and Konall, but the effort left its fire wall weakened. Showing tenacity that'd make a spam witch proud, Konall placed his shield in front of him and charged through the weakspot in the fire. The heat was tremendous, and all but deadly. Only Konall's armor and shield kept him safe, and even that began to burn his skin in the brief moment it took him to cross the wall of fire and slam into the mage. Buffy, oops I mean Grimdeath, braced for the impact, but it wasn't any help at all; the force from Konall send him flying backwards, slamming into a wall. His body fell still as Konall advanced on him.. then fell, overcome by the effort of breaking through the fire wall for his sole attack. One by one, every bit of fire conjured by the malevolent mage began to vanish.

"Time to finish this off!" Dash said, flying through the air at the mage, sword held high, ready to deliver a killing blow. Unfortunately, Dash found himself shoved to the side by a blur through the air. Dash tumbled, and found himself fighting off Cattaras Whiteclaw! Dash dodged and parried, unable to get a good counter attack going. Not that he really had time. As Dash ducked, Cattaras focused his chi again, streaked back in a blur towards the fallen mage, and let out an ominous laugh. Lapine and Vixen stepped in front of Dash, ready to attack. Cattaras, however, had other plans.

"Not today, meats," Cattaras growled. "We've got other plans."

With a sudden streak of green and black magic, a mirror appeared before Cattaras, with the Jester King of Beats jumping off a nearby roof to land behind Cattaras. He held a small, unassuming glass sphere in his hand. The mirror inherited the same unholy, ominous globe that the sun orb had, a dark reflection of the Jester King's power.

"The Sun Orb!" Dash, Vixen and Lapine cried out in unity. Dash lept forward into an attack rush as Vixen pulled out and threw a handful of throwing stars. Meanwhile, Lapine prepared and fired off a quick fire burst at the mirror. It was poetic motion, to be sure. As Dash rushed forward, Vixen's stars twisted mid air, curving around one side of Dash, expertly thrown by Vixen. Lapine's fire blast twisted up in the air, slightly bending around Dash's other side, growing in intensity as they rushed towards their targets; the enemies and that ominous mirror.

The three began slowing down, though not by choice. It was as if time and space wrapped itself around them and began to squeeze. In the distance, the flames of the burning buildings intensified, and then suddenly vanished, letting off a blast of frigid air. Dash wondered if the fires vanishing was good or bad.

If you've ever taken a rubber band, pulled it, then suddenly let go, you could relate to how Dash's body felt when the pressure slowing him down suddenly released, and he found himself flung forward! He found his broadsword directly in contact with a parry! Dash's eyes could hardly orient themselves in time for him to react to a parry. Dash dodged, but the ninja blade caught him on the arm. He blinked, finding himself sword to sword with a twisted ninja version of himself.

A baseball bat cut swiftly through the air, deflecting the throwing stars away from their intended target and torward Vixen, who dodged it. The foxshape turned around, seeing a rebel'd, leather clad, orange furred version of herself with another baseball bat. Meanwhile, a pink rabbit swiftly went after Lapine with sais, deflecting Lapine's magic attacks expertly. Lapine fell square on her butt. She muttered and looked up. Standing in front of her was a pink version of herself, in a black leather bikini, covered in chains and wearing a black collar. She went into a fighting stance and Lapine prepared to cast a shield in front of her.

"Master, they're obviously here to stop us from freezing this wretched town over!" the pink version of Lapine called towards the ominous copy of Dash. Evil Vixen took a swing at 'good' Vixen and shouted, "This green furred bitch is trying to kill me!" Good Vixen dodged the baseball bat and prepared her staff to counter attack. "I'm trying to kill you? You're trying to kill me!"

The three felt chilled to the bone, looking around them. It was Seaside Town, but frozen over enough to make Lil Canadia proud. The town looked so much like Seaside Town, only with less buildings. What sparse buildings there were, however, were much larger than anything Seaside Town had. The evil Dash stepped back, growling orders at the other two. "They're obviously here due to Lady Whiteclaw's betrayal of us. But you'll never stop us from freezing this wretched town for eternity! Destroy them, my pets!"

His dark goatee wiggled with his evil laugh. Both sides braced themselves for a fight. The time for talking was over!

Also, I wonder where and when Grimdeath will show up again?