Ixiie/Ixiie vs. The Arcadian Wind

From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe

A bank of fluffy white clouds drifted high above the streets of Paragon in complete serenity, or what would have been complete serenity if one of the clouds was not arguing with itself.

“I’m just saying,” said the cloud in a voice like a drive-thru speaker, “you already have wings! What do you need a jetpack for?

“I told you!” it responded in a child-like, female voice, “They’re only good for short hops. There’s no way they could get me up here. I’d be too tired!”

“That’s bunk. I see people bigger than you flit around on wings just like yours.”

“They… They must have some form of magic flight. The wings are probably just for show.”

“But, you’re some crazy wind demon, aren’t you? How can you not be able to fly?”

“Ok! Fine!! I can’t fly! There! Are you happy?? Do you see the stupid ship yet? I’m gonna run out of jetpack fuel.”

“Hold on.” Several noisy servos whirred within the floating fog bank. “You know, this would be a lot easier if you’d ditch the cloud.”

“Oh, yeah. That would be great!” yelled the smaller of the two voices, “Let’s just fly around in the vicinity of the magical airship. (Let’s see. What was the word you used? Oh, right. It was bristling.) The airship bristling with anti-aircraft guns. Yes, why don’t I just get rid of our cover so you have a better view of me being blown to bits!”

“Ok, shut up. I see her. She’s out over the bay.”

There was the sound of a small turbine, and the argumentative cloud detached itself from the rest of the herd and headed out towards the harbor.

“Hey wait! You have wings!” said the cloud’s childish voice as it drifted off, “Why do you wear those rocket boots all the time??”

There was a pause, and the cloud responded in metallic tones, “I like the rocket boots…”

The other clouds were happy to see the talkative one go. Drifting serenely takes a lot of concentration, if you’re a cloud.

________________

Defense Turret G-7 had an overwhelming urge to lace the little cloud tailing The Arcadian Wind with near-molten flak, it just wasn’t quite sure why. It defaulted to what it normally did when it was confused. It fired anyway.

Ixiie got out an, “Aaaaaa!” before she had to spiral out of the way, narrowly avoiding the shower of hot scrap metal. “You said that the ship wouldn’t see a cloud as a threat!!”

The Knocker King’s voice came out through the tinny speaker in the robot head at her waist, “Hmm… Ohhh! She must be tracking you by your magical signature. That’s my girl!”

“Stop cheering for the thing trying to kill me!!” Ixiie yelled at the robot skull as she fell back to avoid another volley. By this time a number of other turrets were also becoming confused and were firing wildly in her vicinity. “Why didn’t you tell me it could do that before?!!?”

“I didn’t know if it would pick up non-fae.” The knocker’s grin was audible, “Anyway, you were all fired up to go. I didn’t think mentioning it would have stopped you.” This was followed by the sound of a crinkling paper bag.

He’s right, Ixiie thought, she would have gone anyway. She assessed her situation. She wasn’t in any real danger from the flak cannons as long as she kept her distance. But she couldn’t do that. The Balefire was on that ship, past the rain of scrap metal. Leaving without it wasn’t an option.

There was a loud roar from the rear of the ship, and her options decreased.

“It’s climbing!” Ixiie yelled as she gave chase, the turbine on her back whirring louder, but the ship had already begun to accelerate out of reach.

“She’s trying to shake you off! It’s too late. You won’t catch her now. Head back to down and we’ll try again later when she isn’t so spooked.” The knocker’s voice was again followed by the sound of crinkling paper.

Ixiie paused for a split-second, and remembered why she was here.

“The hell with that!”

The miniature hurricane erupted from the cloud, obliterating it as the jetpack’s afterburner flared to life. The turrets of The Arcadian Wind whirred gleefully as they finally trained on a clear target and let the shrapnel fly. For a moment, the sky was black with steel.

The little demon rose like a comet as her wall of wind sliced the metal storm. Payload after payload of metal bits scattered as they collided with the storm or were left in the imp’s wake. Above her The Wind’s lead began to shrink rapidly. Over the sound of cannon fire and abused jet engine, a metallic voice cheered.

“Wooo! Nice moves Blue!”, The Knocker King said through a full mouth, the crinkling on the paper bag becoming constant.

“Ok, what’s that noise!??”, the imp yelled into the skull, “What are you eating??!”

There was a pause, the sound of a few unpopped kernels hitting the floor, then the skull said, “Nothing.”

“Popcorn!!? I’m up here getting shot at and your watching me and eating popcorn, aren’t you!! That’s not funny you red-headed, pointy-eared jerk!!”

The insult had cost her. As the little demon rose higher the air had become thinner, and the wall of wind less effective. Ixiie turned her attention away from the robot head at her waist in time to avoid only some of the shrapnel blast.

The imp let out a scream as hot metal tore into her left side. The jetpack began to weave erratically as the damage from the blast and the low fuel supply began to take its toll. Ixiie was brought back from her world of hurt by the sound of and insistent and fatal sounding beep from the engine on her back. The airship was so close. The robot at her side was yelling something but she wasn’t listening.

There was no time to think. Only act.

Ixiie redoubled the hurricane’s power and unbuckled herself from the failing flight device, swinging herself on top of it with her good arm. Her own wings unfurled behind her, catching the air currents as she lept.

The jetpack spiraled off into a cannon, destroying it in a fantastic explosion Ixiie would have really loved had she been paying attention. The turbine’s final boost propelled the imp over the top of the ship, where it rose to meet her.

She landed on the wide wooden deck with a thud and stood up, clutching her left side. All around, knocker bots began to detach themselves from their resting places and level their guns at her. The frantic sound at her hip caught up with her.

“Blue? Blue! Are you ok??”

Ixiie looked around at the hoard of armed robots pressing in around her, blood beginning to pool by her left boot, and broke into a wide grin.

“Never better.”, she said as the air around her began to spin.

____________________

Operative Marshal reviewed his troops. Every scumbag and lowlife he could scrounge up sat preparing for the invasion in the tiny ships hold. And now, Paragon was visible through the grimy fishing vessel’s portholes.

It was a daring but solid plan built upon months of covert reconnaissance. Many of the more powerful heroes avoided Atlas Park for some reason, leaving the linchpin of their fair city wholly unguarded. He would swoop in, destroy city hall and it’s time portal, and Recluse’s victory would be assured.

Marshal looked again to the assembled might of the isles. He felt he should say something.

“My Brethren!”, he began, “Today is the day! Today we march into the center of the shining city and claim it for our own! Today marks the end of the reign of heroes!” A communal and not unenthusiastic grunt rose up from the assembled villainy. “No longer will these weaklings have their refuge. We will hunt them down, and when they lie defeated before us it is we who shall control! We who shall reign! The spider’s web shall stretch out over all!” Another, louder cheer echoed throughout the hold. “The jewel in the crown lies there for the taking, and take it we shall! We shall have our revenge! We shall have our destiny! Hail Arac…”

There was a tremendous crash as the tweedlebot ripped through the cargo hold roof making a robotic “Waaaaaa!” noise, and tore through the ships lower hull a split second later. Water began to pour through the large hole in earnest.

Operative Marshal was struck speechless, which is just as well, because he wouldn’t have been able to say anything relevant seeing that the second bot stuck the engine room two seconds later.

The explosion was visible from quite a long way off.

An hour later, the invasion force crawled up on the shores of Talos Island, where they were promptly arrested by Fisionette, adding a great deal of insult to injury.

________________

The tornado sent three more bots flying off the deck of the Arcadian Wind before dissipating. The air was thin up here and they were hard to maintain at this altitude. Ixiie’s personal hurricane slammed another two together, creating a pile of steaming metal that the imp managed to get behind in time to avoid the flying shrapnel launched at her from the robot crew’s shotguns.

“Ok, I’m here! Now what?” she yelled rather urgently into the disembodied robot head on her hip.

“You need to get to the engine room,” a voice replied through a malfunctioning speaker over the sound of shot reflecting off the smoking pile of machinery, “It’s below deck. There’s a door.”

Ixiie checked.

“You mean the door all the shotgun robots keep pouring out of?” A moment of concentration later and another tornado began teaching mechanical men the joys of wingless flight.

“Yeah… That would be the one.”

Ixiie used the confusion caused by her pet natural disaster to run the Medicom over her left flank. She winced as bits of metal ejected from her wounds plinked onto the wooden deck below. The device wasn’t powerful enough to heal the injuries completely, but at least she stopped dripping blood everywhere.

The roar of the dissipating tornado petered out and was overtaken by the sounds of heavy metal footsteps. Ixiie took a quick peek over her improvised barricade before the shrapnel began to fly again.

She blinked in confusion and looked again.

“Didn’t you say there were only robots on this ship?” she said, detaching the head from her waist and bringing it up to eye level.

“Yup, once you get past these guys your home free.”

“Then what, pray tell, is that!” The imp hoisted the robot’s head over the intervening pile of scrap.

“Oh hell no!” the knocker yelled as bits of flak bounced off the robot’s skull, “Blue! Get through that door! Now!”

“Aaa…” The imp began to protest, but tucked the decapitated robot under her arm and braced for impact.

The force of the miniature hurricane shattered the wall of scrap and sent it flying through the first rank of bots. Ixiie bolted down the long deck as The Wind’s remaining metal defenders showered her with shrapnel. The wall of wind deflected the worst of it, but the sheer volume of projectiles was overwhelming.

Ixiie gritted her teeth as the fresh wounds tore open, but she kept running down the massive deck, the doorway focused in her mind. Somewhere through that door was the Balefire. There was no leaving without it. She was nearly there. She could see the figure through the door, a tall, handsome figure, grinning from ear to pointed ear as he pressed the large, red button.

There was the clang of metal against metal as the thick steel panel sprang up where the doorway was a second before. The small demon careened into the metal plate, bouncing off and sprawling on to the deck, a stream of blood trickling from her nose. An alarm started to blare.

“What… What happened?” Ixiie yelled at the robot head now rolling around on the deck, still stunned from the impact.

“$%#*! #^%@ *#^%! %## )$&& (@&$% (#^$@$@*^$&#!” The string of auto-censored swears rose over the sound of gunfire and alarms.

“Knocker!!” She was still being pelted with bits of hot scrap, and through the pain she could make out the decretive structures that lined the ship’s deck beginning to sprout cannon barrels.

“He put the ship into lockdown! %#&! You gotta move Blue!!” The increasingly less decorative-looking domes now started to train their barrels on the various moving objects about deck.

“Who did what? What’s going…” The first volley of laser fire tore into the ranks of knocker drones. Ixiie sprang out of the way as two small burn marks smoldered where she had been laying. She ran clumsily over to the metal head as the pair of turrets that had a bead on her fired in her wake.

“What do I do??” She yelled, scooping up the head and yelling into its face, “What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?” As the little demon ran around frantically the turrets finished reducing the bots to rubble and began to train on her.

“Calm down! Aaa…” the severed head began as Ixiie let out a yelp. She had caught a laser blast in the shoulder.

“#%&@! Get to the pilot’s console! It’s up there! Move!” the knocker blared through the malfunctioning speaker.

The imp turned to look for her destination and took two more blasts in her right leg. She let out a cry as she pushed off of the deck and unfurled her wings, letting the wind carry her above the ship, laser blasts nipping at her heels. She landed hard on the upper deck and tumbled to a stop, clutching the head of the knocker’s robot to her chest. With a concentrated burst of wind she sent a shard of scrap through the turret at the back of the boat and scrambled behind the console.

For a while, Ixiie did nothing. She sat behind the protection of the console, balled up next to the head of Knocker’s robot and listening to the whir of the turrets as they searched for her. Blood dripped from the lacerations that now covered her body, she had broken her nose in the collision with the door and the laser burns throbbed and stung in the cool air. Still, she’d take this to sitting around worrying any day.

If… When she got the Balefire, it would all be worth it.

After several minutes the imp lifted her head off her knees, looked down at her decapitated companion and smiled.

“So, how do you work this thing?”

________________

The Arcadian Wind was angry. The little blue thing had chased her all the way up here, destroyed several of her turrets, nearly wiped out the crew and didn’t even have the decency to die from the laser blasts. Now it was hiding behind the control podium where she couldn’t get a clear shot at it.

It was just rude!

And it was doing something behind there! And talking with someone! Someone familiar. The annoying little thing had disabled the rear turret, but maybe she could still use it to hear…

“No, the red one with the purple stripe.”, said the familiar voice, though distorted through a low-quality speaker.

“K.” came the voice of the annoying little blue thing. She really, really didn’t like that creature.

“Ok, now splice that wire with the Subdermal Interface.”

“Huh?”

There was a robotic sigh “The bluish, boxie thing.”

“Ohh! Why didn’t, you just say that!”

There was some digitized muttering the The Wind couldn’t quite make out, then “Ok, cut the aquamarine wire and the pink polka dot wire and splice it with the Overflow Ri… The (sigh) Green Tubey Attachment.”

“K.”

The sounds of unknown work floated up from the control panel. What was that creature doing? Who was giving her the instructions? She wanted to shoot the little blue thing so very much!

“K. Done”

“Alright, disconnect that large red and yellow wire.”

There was a “Fzzzzzt” from behind the podium and a yelp of pain.

“Oh yeah, that’s probably live. Watch out.” The statement was followed by a robotic snicker.

“Jerk!” A hollow, metal thud rang out and the mechanical head the blue thing had been carrying rolled out from behind the console, a number of wires now running out from its base. Several turrets whirred to firing position, but a small, blue hand shot out and retracted the metal skull before the she could get a lock. Stupid little blue thing!! The Wind fired anyway, scorching the deck where the head had sat.

“Hey! Careful with the equipment!”

“Well, quit being such a jerk!”

Nothing much happened for the next twenty seconds, then, “Ok, unscrew the big metal ring thing, there should be a bunch of wires coming out.”

“K. Umm so who was that guy. You know, inside the ship.”

“*%@&*@& Gentry! In MY ship!” The robot spat by proxy, “%#@* that! You’ll kick his *#@ for me, won’t you blue?”

“Is he guarding the Balefire?”

“With his life.”

“Then yeah. Yeah I will”

“Awesome. Anyway, four of the wires should be blue, pull out some slack on them and connect them to the receptors at the base of the skull. That should do it.”

“K.”

The ship heard four sharp clicks and felt the loss of control. Someone was putting away her defense turrets! That stupid, vile little creature! How dare it…

The ship stopped. Even remotely, The Arcadian Wind instantly recognized a familiar hand as it gripped the controls.

Well, she thought, it was about damn time.

________________

Ixiie waved an experimental hand out from behind the podium, and when it was not immediately riddled with laser fire, she stood up.

“Hey! Put me up so I can see!”

The imp lifted the disembodied head of the Knocker’s mech and wedged it between two of the many levers on the control panel. She heard a robotic whoop of joy.

“Wooo!! Daddy’s home!! Do whatever you want now, Blue. I’m taking my baby on a victory lap!” The engines flared green as the flying fortress began to cut through the skies of Paragon.

“Just try and keep it level, ok?” said Ixiie, running the Medicom along her laser-burned leg, “Can you open the way to the inside?”

“Done and done.” The sound of the retracting thick metal security door rang out across the deck. “Hey. Be careful in there. And don’t break anything!”

________________

The strange orange glow from the ship’s oil lamps reflected in strange hues off of the redwood interior. Ixiie followed the sounds of the roaring engine, the ship tilting back and forth as Knocker took his joyride. Several of the security bots stood inert at their stations, no longer perceiving her as a threat. Several decks down she began to feel the hum on of the engine in her boots, and finally came to a large and intricate door that seemed to pulse with the rhythm of the engines.

It was locked. As the handle juggled she could hear movement inside. Not the heavy movement of the bots, but nervous, organic movement.

Ixiie grinned wide and knocked.

“ESPizza!” she called, beginning to trace a circle of arcane symbols on the door. There was more movement and now a low muttering from inside.

The imp sighed loudly. “Anyone think about pizza in there?? Come on guys! If you don’t pay for it, it comes out of my check!” The circle was nearly complete. There was more motion and louder muttering.

Ixiie finished her work. “You sure you don’t want it?? It’s pepperoni and tentacles!” The imp slammed her hand in the middle of the summoning circle, and pushed.

Yells and screams floated through the thick oaken door, followed by sounds of bodies being flung about a cabin. Ten seconds later there was a click, and the door opened into the hall.

“Thanks Nex!” said Ixiie, high-fiving one of Nexakikblortch’s black appendages as they began to sink back to whence they came. Having an Unmentionable Horror from Beyond as a friend came in very handy at times.

The imp picked her way through the unconscious elven bodies strewn about the small cabin to the door across the room. It hung ajar, a green glow emanating from beyond.

________________

The Balefire danced happily within its spiral cage, tubes and wires sending its energy to the pulsing engines. The green firelight and the oil lamps combined to send colors that most likely didn’t exist into the far corners of the engine room, which seemed to double as a workshop. As she stepped out from the doorway onto the upper level, Ixiie looked down at the strange shadows playing off of the benches lined with tools and half finished inventions. All she could think was that Coz would love to see this before the metal backhand struck her from behind.

Her forehead smacked the metal railing and the imp fell to the floor, stunned from the impact. She felt the metal fist close around her arm and lift her into the air.

The fist belonged to a tall, muscular elven man, decked in fine, deep blue clothing lined with gold. A handsome face slightly marred by an evil sneer was flanked by two pointed ears and topped by a captain’s hat, under which flowed long, golden-yellow hair. The large, cybernetic legs that flowed from the Gentry’s magnificent longcoat matched the finally crafted mechanical arm that now lifted the small blue demon to eye level.

“Who are you and why should you not die?” the fae spoke in melodic tones spiked with hate.

Ixiie recovered quickly. “I’m from the Paragon City High Cheerleading Squad. I’m selling candy bars so the team can go to the national finals in Cleveland. Wanna buy one mister?”

The fae let out a short chuckle, and the fist compressed. Ixiie’s forearm snapped like a dry twig. The imp screamed.

The tornado sprung up around the fae, but the combination of the high altitude and heavy robotic limbs served to make it wholly ineffective. The elf’s hair and clothing danced dramatically in the wind.

“Oh dear, is that all? You seem to be out of your element little girl.” The Gentry’s patented Sneer of Superiority reaching its peak.

“Yeah, you’re right,” Ixiie agreed, wincing as she dangled from her broken limb, “I’d be in real trouble if that’s all I could do.”

The elf caught full force of the dark energy bolt in the face, dropping the imp as he howled with rage and clawed at his eyes. Ixiie threw another gout of black fire into the captain’s stomach and ran down the stairway to the platform where the Balefire sat burning.

The imp reached into wherever it is she keeps things and slowly drew out the lantern with her good arm. She carefully but quickly detached the wick and advanced towards the emerald flame. That’s when the hurled wrench caught her in the small of the back.

Ixiie heard the sharp sound of the lantern clattering to the floor mixed with the low thud of the captain landing after his leap from the balcony. She crumpled to the floor and had just enough time to roll onto her back before the large mechanical foot pinned her there.

“You stuck me, insect!” the elf screamed, “You have the audacity to barge into MY hold! Attempt to steal MY fire!”

“It’s not yours!” Ixiie interrupted, and paid for it. The foot descended, cracking ribs.

“You ARE a defiant little thing.” said the elf, regaining his composure over the demon’s yelp of pain. “I really expected you to be begging for your life by this point. That’s rather my favorite part; I was so looking forward to it.”

“Well, from what I hear,” the imp spoke hoarsely, “you’re not supposed to beg for mercy until you loose.”

“You believe you can defeat me?” the captain allowed himself the cliché of a haughty chuckle; “A pity you will not live enough to appreciate the gravity of your mistake. You just waltz into a Freehold and think you can topple its master?”

“Sure, I can beat you.” The imp said, a broad smile arching across her face, “I just had to keep you talking long enough for the thundercloud to form. It was taking a really long time up here.”

The first lightning bolt struck before the Gentry could even turn around. The elf was thrown back by the blast and was still staggering as the second bolt threw him through a nearby workbench, showering him with tools and robot parts. The elf groaned on the floor as his mechanical limbs coursed with overloaded electricity

Ixiie stood up and limped over to the fallen lantern. She slowly retrieved it and held it up to the emerald flame. A small ball leapt from the large fire onto the waiting wick, and the imp sealed it away in its new home. The imp hung the lantern on her hip and laboriously made her way back to the door.

Halfway up the stairs she stopped, turned around and stumbled over to the fallen captain. Then she kicked him in the ribs.

“Jerk!”

________________

The Acadian Wind was descending by the time Ixiie make it back on deck. The wind blew strong in the lower atmosphere and she took a moment to let it flow over her. She made her way to the side of the ship and collapsed against the sidewall.

“Did you get it, Blue?” the Knocker King’s voice seemed to come through clearer now for some reason. The imp held up the lantern in response, the little green flame burning away inside.

“Woah! To be honest, I was only giving you a 50/50 chance of making it back.” The speaker blared, “Good on ya!”

Ixiie just smiled and peered over the railing to enjoy the view.

She did not enjoy the view.

Grandville loomed of the rest of the archipelago below; the great spire casting is shadow over the rest of the islands. The imp glared up that the control podium.

“Where the hell are we??!” she yelled, knowing exactly the hell where they were.

“Umm… I…” the knocker began, “Well, I figured since I got my ship back and everything, that is should bring it… to where… I was…”

Ixiie could see it now. Any minute the sky would be swarming with Arachnos Fliers and she’d be in a world of hurt she was wholly unprepared to deal with. She took it out on the mechanical head.

“What were you thinking!! You floppy eared…” began the rather long insult, but she was cut off.

“Cool it, Blue. I’ve got you covered.”

The sounds of small rockets off the side of the ship drew Ixiie’s attention. A few moments later Tweedle Prime settled on The Arcadian Wind’s deck.

“HELLO!! DO NOT WORRY LITTLE IMP! PRIME HAS BEEN INSTRUCTED NOT TO DEVOUR YOU!” The giant bot made an attempt at a reassuring smile.

“There are no words to express the depth of my loathing for you, Prime” the knocker yelled through the tinny speaker, “Just deliver the package.”

The great mech opened its chest cavity and carefully retrieved a paper-bound package, placing it in front of the imp. It then proceeded to dive off the ship plummet back to the isles below.

“Great, it’s gonna take me forever to find all his pieces…” the knocker groaned as Ixiie opened the parcel.

The imp laughed. Her crushed ribs protested but she laughed anyway. She laughed long and hard and if she had looked down at her hip, she would have sworn the tiny Balefire was laughing too…

________________

Several Arachnos Fliers did indeed come up to intercept The Arcadian Wind. The lead transport pulled along side, attached itself and lowered a gangplank. Two Arachnos operatives strode out onto the deck and approached the control platform, where a disembodied, robotic head sat next to a small demon in a maid uniform.

“Ah, gentlemen. Come to give me a reward, have you?” the Knocker King said through his bodiless envoy.

“Reward?” scoffed the senior officer, “You’re violating Arachnos airspace with this flying monstrosity! I order…”

“But sir!” the knocker continued, throwing off the monstrosity comment, “I’ve just come to return this servant creature to you. I found her stolen by Sky Raiders and she insists that she is property of Lord Recluse.”

“I thank you for offering to assist one a lowly as I.” Said Ixiie, channeling her inner street urchin, “I do hope to get back to work in the Giza as soon as possible!” She bowed. Low, to hide the wince.

The officer was taken aback. “Aaa… Very well. No reward, but Lord Recluse thanks you for returning his property to him. You are to leave this airspace as once!”

“Oh, yes. Right away! Thank you for your mercy, kind sir. There no way my battleship is any match for your… spider… planes.” the knocker’s grin danced on every word.

“Oh sir!” the little blue demon-maid said as the officer’s subordinate shuffled her into the Flier. “I humbly request that you allow me to visit a hospital! Those Sky Raiders beat me unmerciful, they did! I am afraid I will not be able to perform my duties at peak efficiency until I am healed!”

As Ixiie was placed on the flier, she took one look back at the knocker bot’s head, and smiled in thanks.

________________

The Arcadian Wind rose above the cloud line and into the endless sky. All it would probably take is some paperwork with the spider-goons and he could land her in the bay, climb aboard and be home. For the Knocker King, life was good.

A metal hand clamped around the robotic head, tore it from the control console, and threw it from the ship at a good velocity. Before it got out of earshot it managed to get out a single phrase.

“Son of a %@*^$!”

________________

As the Arachnos flier landed on the pad outside the St. Martinal medical center, there was the distinct sound of two grown men in spider costumes hitting opposing walls of a flying transport vehicle simultaneously.

Ixiie removed the lantern from wherever she had put it as she walked towards the entrance to The D. She watched the merry little flame hop around. It almost looked like it knew where it was being brought and why, like it was eager to help. It seemed to know its importance. And to Ixiie, it was the most important thing in the world.

________________

That night, the Rouge Isles News at Eleven reported that a freak tornado tore through downtown St. Martinal, none killed but dozens injured.

All of them jerks.