One way to make a co write better is to capture a little of the style and magic of each character that contributes. This co write succeeds, like a lot of co writes do. This one maybe does it better than most, really capturing the style of each of the four player characters involved in it. This co write benefits a good deal from that.

Action, humor and drama, this one has all three!

 
<Hey Daze whereabouts, some time after Zed separates from Jay> (Warning: cursing)

"Hellhounds with scorching eyes and ravenous jaws, frighteningly livid at any and everything. Gluttonous succubae, always yearning for another lover to craft chains of lust around. Pale floating wraiths that envy everything you have, and steal and suck at you till only a bone-numbing void testifies where you fell." Zed paused in his rant to release a few vehement swear words as he tried to disentangle himself from his predicament. “And then there are those who beg falsely for salvation, when they truly wish for company in their sins. Why do tentacle demons and their groupies ever need to exist? Gah!!” Meanwhile, the victim/ tentacle groupie gasped and quivered periodically as the tendrils slithered around her scarcely-clad figure. Her cutoff jeans limited the number of appendages writhing around her legs (though they were slipping off inch by inch), but a large outreach of the slippery things had wormed their way into her kite top where…

Zed leaned against a building wall, catching his breath afterwards. He counted himself lucky that the Hey Daze creature hadn’t been stronger or gotten a better grip on him; as well, he felt stained as he thought about the female’s treatment. It would have been a feat to rescue her at the time… “Come on, snap out of it – replaying it in your head isn’t going to keep you safe here.” Zed said to himself. <Sniff, sniff…> “And searching for the source of fermented Kool-Aid and perspiring women would also be a horrible idea.”

Konall crashed through the wall, hammer end of the haxxor tearing apart purplish stone. "Oh yeah!" He drank a glass of fermented Kool-Aid and then looked around. “What in the helheim are you doing here?”

"Trying to help out, while not tackling your sister directly?" offered Zed. "Because I had a slightly less-suicidal plan going for this option."

“She’s here already? I thought she was still alive? And how’d you die?”

"Not what I meant, warlord. I was going to help with the search for Catrina, or see what could be dug up about Dark Gods down here. And I got a bargain with death so it wasn't … you killed yourself to come here???" blurted Zed.

“It won’t stick. I don’t think so. It turns out if you drink too much, you can kill yourself. Who knew? Anyway, not an honorable death. I have someone with an antidote and healing skills on hand. Instructions to bring me back at the last minute. I’m only mostly dead. I called in a few favors to get a push to this side for a bit. Spaz is a demon, so he gets in easy.”

"... Small favor that you're one of a kind, boss. You want to pick a direction, be my guess - just not that way, or that-a-way. First is where I last saw someone … off-his-rocker; second had some random tentacles all about."

“Well, the plan needed some magic, and I’m not happy about that. But when you’re in a bind you’re in a bind.”

"Ah. Well, I should... warlord, there's someone who looks like Catrina running away from a menage of assorted demons. Could be a dud, but should we take the chance?"

“Yeah, I just came from wrath. If it’s not her, I get to skin something furry and Catrina-shaped. That’ll get me calm.”

* * *

"Oh Goddess.. .oh Goddess.. oh Goddess."

Catrina repeated the words over and over to herself quietly as she sneaked through Hey Daze. It was just her luck that she had run after that.. well 'psycho' but he was the only guy down here that could help her. Now he had lost her- or she him- and what was worse the part of town she found herself in was the one- part she had wanted to be far, far away from! Nearly every road was a blind alley- every citizen too well equipped for their jobs down here... and, to her overworked mind, too attentive to her passing- she'd only just avoided two rapes so far, and she knew her luck was running thin!

Catrina took the scent of the air again, expecting demons all around and she wasn't surprised there. No, what surprised her was a familiar scent and one that she didn't readily place. She sniffed again, getting up from her crouch and making her way toward its source.. speeding up as she got closer until she pounced the Konall-shape.

"You'll spoil his swing, and possibly earn it, if you don't vacate your spot, Catrina," hissed Zed from above.

“Hey,” said Konall. “I’m here to save you and... yeah. Let’s go.” He turned, disappointed, heading toward an exit.

"You.. you are?" came the feline's reply, truly not believing. "I mean.. I've been so hateful and evil and... oh GODDESS!" Catrina finally took the moment she'd needed to since coming here- and broke down on the warlord's chest.

"I'll scout ahead then, boss?" Zed came down from his rooftop perch, and checked the streets ahead for any foes. He thought it best not to around while Konall 'comforted' the distraught Feline. After finding one closed-off alley, and starting down the next one, Zed started wishing for some North Ireacan luck...

Konall had a code of conduct. Crying women got treated with care. Evil murdering feline bitches got skinned. Konall, faced with both, just stood there paralyzed with Catrina in his arms. Which was probably better than any action he would have chosen to take.

“We gotta go,” said Konall, walking toward Zed.

"May.. may I come?" Catrina said unnaturally quietly.

“Yeah. I gotta rescue you.”

"Konall! I need you to throw something at my voice!" came a reverbing cry, as Zed sped back towards his allies. He hoped he could time this right, otherwise -!

Konall held Catrina in one arm and tossed a hatchet at the sound with the other. Zed ducked under the projectile, thrusting his spear to the side while swinging his leg up in the opposite direction. Knocking down the speediest pursuers, Zed caught up with the group. "Sorry, boss, milady - shit hitting the rooftop in 3 minutes tops..."

“Uh, Catrina, can you be less of a handbag, more of a cape?” said Konall.

Catrina let go.. pulling herself together and going for her katana. "I'm sorry... it's just that so much has happened today. These assholes will not take me for their pleasure."

"Keep that fighting spirit up - there's enough to be a challenge for three.. son-of-a, he's back!"

“Two!” said, Konall. “Wait. What? How did he?”

"Who?" said Catrina, searching ahead and gasping. "How...?"

[A voice came out of nowhere.]

"Honey, I'm home!"

A familiar figure stepped out of the shadows with a lampshade on his head.

"Great.. now we will survive, and a little bit of my sanity won't," said Zed bitterly.

"But Zed, I thought you loved me?" said the ever so familiar voice.

"You did? I mean.. you've MET this guy?" Catrina said in disbelief.

"Yep, me and Zed had some pretty fun times," said Jay as he took off his party lampshade.

Zed wanted to reply but there was the pressing matter of a demon horde coming towards them; what with the demons' reeking of any manner of foul scents, Zed closed his mouth and locked onto his first target.

The rest of the party were starting to get ready for battle, Jay pulled out his battle trident, his gleaming shield, a look appeared in his eye that made him look focused, as if there was a completely different person standing there.

Konall hammered into the demon hordes with his haxxor, swinging wildly. Well-hung minotaurs were knocked aside until one caught him after a swing and knocked him to the ground, horns drawing blood.

Jay marched into battle with his shield raised, in preparation for any attack that came his way.

Catrina froze for a second as the thought of what was about to happen if she lost it here- she then roared and lashed out at the demon reaching for her, hacking into it.

Zed took a flying leap at the chest of a minotaur-like demon, crashing into its chest before rocketing off to whip his spear at another one close-by. He moved a little too slowly away, and was grabbed and flung underfoot a trio of large hellhounds. Slicing at their heels brought them down, their jaws snapping at him as he avoided their falling bulk.

Konall saw a minotaur heading at Catrina. It didn’t count if she died naturally, right? He’d tried his best. No. He threw a hatchet and hit it in the side, giving Catrina enough time to block its attack. Then he grappled with the minotaur on him and caught it in a bear hug, cracking its ribs. The pain caused it to give way, and he threw it off him and impaled it with his sword.

As Konall assessed the situation, a minotaur was a second away from hitting him, but a flaming trident appeared out of nowhere, and impaled itself into its torso, turning the monster into ash, and a blur flashed by him and disappeared with the weapon.

"Oh great, starting out with the big guys. I'm gonna be hurtin' forever!" Catrina attacked another minotaur as he approached her, but two others were joining him in the fight. She knew that she'd be overwhelmed soon. And then I get what I deserve for all that was done in my name, she thought.

"Knock, knock - sorry, but this move is just plain wrong." Zed flipped his spear entirely about, and cracked one minotaur dead-centre of its rawhide thong. The beast keeled over, clutching itself reflexively and baying in pain. "You mind fighting, and not reminiscing, Catrina?"

=======

One after another, Left and right, minotaurs fell at the hands of Jay, even without his shoulder demon there to assist, He was a fearsome sight, one by one, the left flank of the herd was turning into dust, the breeze piled the ash into a overly large hill. At the sight of the hill, Jay reverted into his old self, he took a look at the pile, then his shield and exclaimed, "Is it winter time already? 'Cause I have an awesome sled."

Anyone who saw what happened next wondered how a silver shield could be used in such a way.

========

Catrina hissed as she went to one knee after a particularly heavy blow from a minotaur- her swords slipping from her grasp. She felt their paws grabbing onto her, lifting her and trying to carry her away. She struggled- but that only seemed to turn them on.

As they were about to drag her away, a sight no one ever thought would happen, one with the utmost hilarity happened, one that drew even the minotaurs to fall to the ground laughing.

It was Jay, dressed up in an ACME Female Minotaur costume. As he walked to the minotaurs he tried to act feminine, and in retrospect it was really hilarious.

Catrina stared.. then shook her head and looked at the minotaurs. "I.. I am soooo very sorry about this."

Right as she turned to look back at Jay, he started to sing "Don't You Wish Your Girlfriend Was Hot Like Me?".

"Oh brother!" She muttered, then decided to use the confusion to sneak back to the others- and her katana. She looked over at the others. "I mean.. I know I should thank him but how do you thank..." She pointed and shuddered- before being forced to take on a cow that was having nothing to do with another female- even a fake one.

Crazy huh? Even now, years later, it always feels like a plot twist - and a very smart one- that Konall is the one to get to Catrina first rather than Sebastian Dash. I love it!

A little bit of Cat's sexual story telling via the minotaurs (I know, they should be capitalized, but they're not so I'm keeping it that way), Konall and Zed's excellent storytelling and contrasting styles, and Jay's must-be-edited-slightly insanity.

Good mix all around.. and the story is really getting the action on! But next up is something a little different and more rare - a Becky Joy solo.