Episode 9: Potion-Born Hunters
The warehouse ruins smoldered under the first light of dawn. The crew had driven Khaos Hyde and Poison back through a collapsing rift with the Aether Guard's desperate help, but the cost was high — everyone was battered, low on energy, and the Pillar's white-blue lights were growing closer on the horizon.
"We can't stay here," Peter growled, wiping toxic residue from his arms. His super durability had kept him standing, but even he looked worn. "Too exposed."
Nathan, still pale from the fight, checked a burner phone he'd scavenged weeks ago. "I know a place. Rhino Valley. It's a few hours out — clean, beautiful city on the river. My cousin Devonte lives there. He's not in our world, but he's family. Might give us a safe spot to regroup."
Kevin nodded, the Mythical Matrix still faintly glowing on his chest. "Anything to get away from whatever the hell just happened."
Rhino Valley – A City of Glass and Green
Rhino Valley lived up to its name: rolling green hills surrounding sleek modern towers that reflected the sun like polished horns. Waterfalls cascaded through carefully designed parks, and the air smelled of blooming flowers and fresh rain instead of rust and blood. It was almost too peaceful after the nightmares of East Hollow.
The crew arrived under Nathan's layered illusions, posing as ordinary travelers. They met Devonte Murtizy at a quiet riverside café tucked behind flowering trees.
Devonte was a tall, broad-shouldered Black American man in his early twenties, with sharp features, neat braids, and an easy confidence. He wore a casual hoodie and jeans, but his eyes held the same sharp awareness as Nathan's.
"Cousin Nate," Devonte said with a grin, pulling Nathan into a quick hug. "You look like shit. And these the friends you warned me about?" He nodded respectfully to the group, lingering a moment on Kevin. "Rampager, huh? Word travels fast even out here."
Wyatt shook his hand. "Nice place. Feels… normal."
"That's the point," Devonte replied. "Rhino Valley stays off the Pillar's main radar. Mostly. But I've been hearing rumors. Bad ones."
Before they could settle in, screams erupted from the park across the river.
A group of five newly-created Wrathborn burst from the tree line — their eyes glowing with unstable Glimmer energy. Their bodies were twisted: one had jagged crystal claws, another moved with unnatural stretching limbs, a third spewed fire from cracked skin. They weren't natural awakenings.
They were made.
Leading them from the shadows was a pale, gaunt man in dark cultist robes embroidered with white-blue heart fragments. His face was half-hidden by a hood, but his manic smile was visible. Gillan Dahmer — a high-ranking Pillar cultist and alchemist.
"Rampager!" Gillan called out, voice carrying unnaturally across the water. "The White-Blue Heart Pillar grows impatient. Since you resist the call, we create our own army. These potions awaken Glimmers in the unworthy… and bind them to our will."
He gestured, and the five potion-born Wrathborn charged across the river, using their unstable powers recklessly. One stretched his arms like rubbery tentacles, trying to grab Wyatt. Another hurled fireballs that left trails of unstable energy.
Kevin stepped forward, circuits blazing. "You're kidnapping people and turning them into monsters?!"
Gillan laughed. "A small price for salvation. The Garden Behind the Fence demands worthy keys. You will be ours — willing or broken."
The battle spilled into the beautiful park. Tourists fled in panic as Glimmer chaos erupted.
Peter tanked the front line, his super durability shrugging off fire and crystal slashes. "These kids are sloppy. Potions must be half-baked."
Derek (Volt) chained lightning through the water, electrocuting two of the potion-born at once. Ferrum Ironfist ripped metal benches and streetlights into weapons, impaling another attacker.
Nathan created dozens of illusory duplicates of the crew, confusing the unstable Wrathborn. One potion-born swung wildly at phantoms and accidentally impaled himself on Ferrum's iron spikes.
Wyatt stayed close to Kevin, pipe swinging. "These guys aren't like the others — they're dying faster, like their bodies can't handle it."
Kevin confronted Gillan directly. The Rampager mantle surged as he unleashed a focused destructive wave. Gillan raised a glowing vial and drank it on the spot — his own body twisting with fresh power. Bone spikes erupted from his back as he met Kevin's attack with a counter-blast of unstable energy.
"You cannot stop the harvest," Gillan hissed, spikes lashing out. "More will come. Dozens. Hundreds. All hunting the Rampager."
Kevin roared and drove his glowing fist through the cultist's defenses. The impact shattered Gillan's bone armor and sent him crashing into a fountain. The remaining potion-born Wrathborn, seeing their creator fall, began destabilizing — some exploding in bursts of raw Glimmer essence.
Gillan coughed blood, smiling even as he crawled toward a hidden escape rune. "This is only the first batch… Enjoy Rhino Valley while it lasts."
Peter stomped on the rune before Gillan could activate it, then delivered a brutal finishing blow. The cultist went still.
The park fell silent except for distant sirens.
Devonte emerged from cover, eyes wide. "Damn… Nate wasn't exaggerating about you guys."
Nathan clapped his cousin on the shoulder. "We need a real safehouse, Dev. Somewhere off-grid even for this city."
Devonte nodded grimly. "I've got a spot. But if they're making Glimmers with potions now… this war is getting bigger than all of us."
Kevin stared at the bodies of the kidnapped and twisted victims. The Mythical Matrix burned with quiet fury on his chest. The Pillar wasn't just hunting him anymore.
It was turning the whole world into weapons against him.
End of Episode 9