A Saga of Heroes 36 (Patreon)

“It was subtle at first, I mean, as subtle as anything is with Bitch…”

Saga stood patiently while Tattletale explained the situation. From the corner of her eye, she spotted Shadow Stalker pacing around with her arms crossed, waiting for an excuse to use violence on the criminal.

The thief continued. “She started missing team meetings. And whenever she showed, she just looked so angry. And I could tell she was angry, but I couldn’t figure out the reason.” She sounded so frustrated, like it personally offended her that there was a bit of information she couldn’t figure out. “We’re not exactly a ‘tight’ group; everyone does their own thing on their own time. But we always have to make sure Bitch’s actions don’t come back to bite us.”

“Like?” Saga prompted.

“Like pissing off the Empire,” Tattletale grumbled. “She always raids their dog-fighting rings.”

It took Saga a second to register that. “Their what?” Oh, those absolute assholes…

“Sick fucks.” Oh, what do you know, even Shadow Stalker was indignant. “Should put a bolt in all their heads.”

Taylor would have made a snide comment about Sophia actually having any sort of compassion for anything. Sounded like those rings fit her fucked up philosophy. But… dogs? No, even she seemed to have her limits, at least.

“Anyway, it wasn’t until the last time I saw her that I was able to get a better read on her. And it’s…” She let out an explosive breath. “Fucking frustrating. Like, with subtle cues, I can tell what someone is thinking. Or how they think. And with Bitch? She’s always had this very animalistic mindset. And I’m being literal here; social cues go right over her head. She sees a lot of things like a dog.”

Taylor frowned and tilted her head. “For real?”

“The point is, reading her was always easy for me. So, when one day I started getting some weird mixed signals, I got worried. It was like there was this… load of information passing through her mind, t-through her damn body! I dunno how to explain it!” She threw her arms in exasperation. “Like her being was being… amped up to be even more animalistic! Like I was looking at her, and my power didn’t ‘see’ a human; it saw a beast!”

“Hmm…” Saga tapped her chin. “Would you say she was taking the ‘aspects’ of an animal?”

“Yeah.”

“You think she’s around this area?”

“Most likely, been trying to follow her.”

“And this flood of ‘information’,” She continued. “It’s more than just her brain; it was permeating her at a core level.”

“I couldn’t make heads or tails of it. I mean, I could. But trying to put it into words gave me a damn headache…”

“Okay,” Saga slowly nodded. “Based on what you told me, and my own investigation here, it feels like this is the work of memoria contamination.”

“Memoria,” Tattletale’s eyes narrowed. “Memory? No, more. Thought. Pure thought. Thoughts made physical... You think a Path power is changing her.”

Shadow Stalker’s hooded head snapped in Taylor’s direction. “Is that possible?”

“Memoria is information made tangible; it’s memory and imagination turned fragmented into pieces of reality.” She explained, trying to put Constance’s and Mem’s teachings in a way they’d understand. “It’s events, people, and concepts recorded into the universe.”

“What the fuck does that even mean?” Stalker grumbled, clearly feeling out of her depth.

Taylor continued. “And it can be manipulated. It can also affect reality when it’s gathered in large amounts. I’ve been tracking a… let’s call it a leak of memoria, but it’s been flashing in and out of existence around this area. If what you say is right, then Bitch might be affected by a bunch of memoria carrying the concept of beasts.”

Tattletale stared at her for a moment, looking like she was on the verge of a headache. “You saw something created by memoria before. You think Bitch is being turned into a thing.”

“I… won’t know for sure until we find her.”

“Okay,” Tattletale sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. “Okay, okay, okay. So what we need to do now is go over to that Empire building.” She pointed at the structure they had been surveying. “It’s a dog-fighting ring.”

Taylor felt very tempted to get some of her strongest summons out and tear every single Nazi she found limb from limb…

“Bitch is gonna be there any moment now. So we just have to wait-“

“You are waiting here,” Stalker called out, pulling out a pair of zip locks. “We’re gonna get your teammate, and we’re gonna arrest you two.”

Tattletale rolled her eyes. “Fuck’s sake.”

“Calm down, Stalker,” Saga said, raising a hand and standing between the two. “She knows her teammate, and her power can help us here.”

“She’s a fucking criminal!” Shadow Stalker growled. “She has an arrest warrant! Why the hell are you defending her?!”

“I’m not,” Taylor replied firmly. “But she’s been helpful with our investigation here. Besides, she’s not Empire. She’s just a common thief.”

“I’m right here!”

“She’s doing us a favor, and we pay her back by ignoring that she was here.”

“Oh fuck off. I’m not gonna let one of these pieces of shit walk away.”

“So-Stalker!” She really didn’t want to start a fight with Sophia here. It’d draw too much attention and cost them time. Time they were already wasting.

“Sure, call your bosses.” Tattletale did not look nervous in the least. She merely crossed her arms and smiled smugly at Sophia. “While they cuff me, I’ll happily let them know how you almost killed my teammate with a broadhead bolt.”

Sophia froze, and Taylor’s gaze snapped between her and the criminal.

Tattletale’s grin widened. “You’re not meant to have those, are you? Just like you’re not meant to be patrolling here. I bet that’ll trigger an investigation, and they’ll find all sorts of fun things you keep hidden~.”

“You little bitch.”

“Take me down, and I’ll drag you down with me.” Tattletale didn’t warn her. She made a promise. “Think of it as a little truce. You two help me here, and I’ll be inclined to help you in the future.”

“As if I’d ever need help from you.”

“In this case ‘help’ means I won’t tell your bosses how much of a psycho you are.”

Shadow Stalker looked like she was trembling with barely restrained anger.

Saga put a hand on her shoulder, more of a threatening gesture than a calming one. “Let it go, Stalker. We do this job tonight, and then we all go our separate ways. Got it?”

Stalker shook her hand off her shoulder and walked away, grumbling. “Fine. Fucking whatever.”

Taylor sighed to herself. Handling Sophia was like handling a loaded gun. Fuck, she really didn’t want to be playing babysitter today. Not with one of the people she hated the most, and with a criminal. But… if Tattletale’s teammate truly was the source of this memoria leak she was feeling, then it paid to cooperate with her.

“Thanks,” Tattletale casually said. “Had a feeling this could go either way.” She blinked a few times. “Though she’s much less angry than I thought she’d be…”

“Hmph,” Taylor gave her a noncommittal grunt. “Just don’t go stabbing us in the back, and we’ll be okay.”

“My!” She exclaimed with an exaggerated gesture, putting a hand on her chest with all the dramatic acumen of a novice actor in a public play. “You think so poorly of me! I’m hurt.”

“You’re still a criminal,” Taylor deadpanned. “Forgive me if I don’t exactly hold you in high regard.”

“Wow, you have high standards, huh?” Tattletale looked at her, and Taylor felt like she was staring right through her. She hoped her veil kept most of her expressions hidden, but it seemed Tattletale still had enough to pick up information. “Oh, you really do.”

“I’m a hero.” Taylor merely replied. “Trained by one of the best heroes the universe has known. Of course, I do.”

“Tch. You see, thinking ‘villain’ and ‘evil’ are the same thing is a bit naïve. My job is solely for the money; I’m not here to be some crazy anarchist or sick murderer like a lot of other villains are.”

Taylor was not impressed with her argument. “With the power you have, I’m sure you could have found other ways to make money.”

Tattletale’s expression twitched for just a second; it was barely perceivable, but it was there. Whatever Taylor said, she had touched a nerve. Well, it wasn’t her business. And she didn’t want to antagonize her when they were supposed to be working together for now.

“At least you have enough sense to leave something well enough alone,” Tattletale grumbled before rearming herself with what had to be a practiced grin. “Come on, don’t tell me working with me is any worse than working with Shadow Stalker.”

The glare Taylor gave her was enough to make Tattletale know she overstepped. The blonde liked to run her mouth, obviously. But Taylor hopefully conveyed enough anger and loathing in a stare for Tattletale to shut up and not dig further into the subject.

She held up her hands. “Alright, sorry.”

Good, she could follow her own example. Taylor gave her a look over, trying not to stare so much at her form-fitting outfit or the pretty symmetry of her face. She had to admit she really pulled it off for a villain. Most villains’ outfits were either too edgy or downright impractical. Pretty girl, shame she was a criminal.

Tattletale grinned at her. “Are you checking me out?”

“Wha-? No!”

“Aww, don’t be shy. It’s really flattering.” She gave her a grin and a wink that made Taylor blush.

Oh, for fuck’s sake. What was it with her and blondes?! Did… Did she have a thing for blondes? Christ and Fuli, don’t let it be so…

Tattletale not so subtly flicked her blonde locks. Fucking Thinkers…

“Would you two stop?!” Stalker cried out from her perch on the roof’s edge. “Be a fucking bi-disaster in your own time, Saga!”

“Fuck you,” Taylor grumbled.

“Tch, you ain’t my type.” Sophia snorted and turned her attention back to the building.

Tattletale leaned in close to Saga and whispered. “You’re getting there, actually.” She beamed at her with all her teeth.

…And Taylor felt like throwing herself off a building with that piece of information lodged in her mind.

Fucking Thinkers.

Holding a stakeout with a criminal and Sophia was a tense affair. Taylor could tell the vigilante was holding herself back from harming Tattletale, and the Thinker did not help matters with her snide commentary. Seriously, it’s like this girl’s power was about how to annoy people with maximum efficiency. And she was so smug about it too; Taylor had to wonder if Thinkers really thought themselves so smart because they had powers that let them figure stuff out for them.

Might be wrong of her, but Taylor desperately wished for some disaster to happen, if only to get out of this irritably uncomfortable position she was put into.

That’s when she felt a flare of Memoria, condensing itself so rapidly it felt like a tiny piece of Memospace manifesting in the physical world.

“She’s here!” She quickly called out, getting their attention. “Come on, quickly! We gotta move before-!”

They heard shouting, gunshots, and howls.

“Fuck!” Tattletale gritted her teeth.

Taylor didn’t even stop to think; she summoned a meteoric eagle and grabbed Tattletale. The blonde yelped as Taylor held her close while grabbing the eagle’s talon; the construct flew the two of them toward the warehouse with Sophia jumping down the building. Taylor was certain her Breaker state allowed her to survive falls, so she was the least concerned for her. Well, that was one reason, really.

They watched Empire goons flee in terror. Ignoring the heroine and the criminal at her side, they were all utterly terrified, and given the roars and howls they could hear from inside the warehouse, Taylor got a good feeling as to why.

“Those are her dogs!” Tattletale shouted as Shadow Stalker reached them; she waved for them to follow her. “Come on!”

“Don’t give me any orders,” Stalker growled despite herself, following anyway.

The sounds of fighting and beasts were easy to follow, and the trio entered the warehouse…

…only to run into a massacre.

There were these enormous lizard-mammal things, giant beasts of dense musculature and scale-like skin, with bone spurs jutting out of their backs and joints. Claws that looked sharp enough to rend metal, and enormous jaws big enough to swallow bones. The things were mauling Empire goons unlucky enough to get in their way, and just for a moment Taylor felt bad for the Nazis.

Cages with poor dogs trapped inside were being torn apart; the canines fled at the first opportunity. The one responsible for breaking them open was, by all accounts, a type of massive werewolf.

The creature was very dog-like, perhaps more wolf-like, tall and imposingly muscular, with thick brown fur wrapped around its body. Its limbs were long and corded, armed with sharp claws; remnants of torn clothing clung to its form, hinting that this thing had once been a person. The beast inspired such a primal aura of dread, a basic instinct that made Taylor feel she should flee.

“Shit!” And given Sophia’s reaction, she was not the only one.

“Bitch?” Tattletale spoke up, and Saga really didn’t want the thing’s attention to be on them. “Bitch is that you?”

The werewolf snapped its gaze at her, fangs bared on its snout as a snarl built up. There was just so much rage in this creature, so much uncontrollable animalistic fury.

And there was a bunch of memoria gathered in this thing, reaffirming any suspicions she had. This felt like the Witch in memospace, a mutation, a manifestation of pure memoria warping someone into a creature that bordered between memosprite and mortal.

And it was angry, so very angry.

“Bitch, it’s me.” Tattletale raised her hands, her voice weak and frightened. “You remember me, right? We’re partners.”

‘Bitch’ crawled on all fours, looking like she was about to pounce.

“Fucking hell!” Stalker cursed, loading her crossbow. “This was a bad idea!”

“Don’t!” Tattletale warned her with a hissing voice. “You’ll make her attack us!”

“Look at this thing! I’m not taking any chances!” She leveled her crossbow, and before Taylor could stop her, she fired.

The bolt buried itself in her shoulder, making Bitch grunt in the same way one would do when they got a splinter. She took out the bolt, revealing the wound to be closing before their very eyes. Then she crushed the bolt in her claws.

The trio stared, stunned.

Bitch roared at them.

Sophia realized what she had just done. “Oh fuck.”

The beast jumped toward them, clearing the distance in the blink of an eye, her claws poised to tear them limb from limb. Taylor swiftly manifested a Praetor; its half-finished arm backhanded Bitch with a powerful blow, knocking her back and sending her crashing against a bunch of crates.

Her monstrous hounds noticed their masters had been hurt, and quickly roared in anger, rushing toward the group.

“Stand back!” Saga shouted, summoning three more Warriors. “I’ll try to subdue her!”

“Don’t hurt her!” Tattletale called out.

“I’ll try!” Saga hissed, keeping her eyes on Bitch while she directed her Titankin Warriors to keep the huge beasts at bay. “Stalker, you got any tranquilizers?!”

“A few,” She grunted, rummaging through her pouches. “Don’t fucking know if they’ll work with a regenerator like her!”

“Just pump her until she stops moving!”

Saga had to keep her focus split between her large Praetor and her Warriors, being the only things in her arsenal that would be able to physically match Bitch’s monster hounds, and the wolf-woman herself. A task easier said than done; while they all fought with animal savagery, there was intelligence behind those eyes, an instinct that let them keep up with Taylor’s constructs.

One of her Warriors lifted one of the hounds and threw it against a wall, only for another hound to jump over its back and maul its head with its shredding teeth. The second Warrior quickly assisted it with a rocky punch that pushed the beast away. The final one was wrestling with the final monster dog, prying its jaws open as its claws scratched over the summon’s body.

Bitch was in a league of her own; her claws scratched deep into the Praetor’s armor. Her speed allowed her to remain out of reach of its heavy blows, and whatever strikes that did cut through her hide, they healed in a matter of seconds. It was like fighting Lung all over again, something huge and strong with a powerful regeneration ability, but unlike the dragon man, at least the wolf woman didn’t seem to be escalating her powers the more the fight went on. Bitch dodged a cleaving strike from her giant construct and jumped over its body; her claws dug into the Praetor’s head and pulled with a furious roar.

Taylor’s eyes widened as this werebeast ripped her construct's head from its body, making the Titankin dissolve into sand and golden dust particles. Stalker quickly moved to the side, firing bolt after bolt loaded with what Taylor dearly hoped was Brute-rate tranquilizer.

They seemed to have some sort of effect, as Bitch’s growls were chuffed and cut short, making the wolf woman shake her head and snort a few times, as though suddenly feeling dizzy. Taylor reached into her reserves and summoned two Praetors; sweat dripped down her brow as she took a quick look at her Warriors, hoping they wouldn’t be weakened as they held Bitch’s dogs at bay.

She had the Praetors pile on Bitch, pushing her to the ground and restraining her. Taylor rushed to the wolf woman, who weakly struggled as the tranquilizers did their work. But her struggles became stronger by the second, showing the effect wouldn’t last.

With one of the Praetors squeezing Bitch’s maw shut, Taylor put her hands on her head and called on the Remembrance, delving into Bitch’s psyche to root out the corruption.

The experience couldn’t be any more different than Oni Lee. The gang member’s mind had been shattered like glass, and all Taylor had to do was grab the scattered pieces and put them back together. Here? It felt like she was fighting a turbulent current. The seas of animalistic rage fought against her, pushing back the more she tried to reach into her.

“Come on!” She clenched her teeth and squeezed her eyes shut, redoubling her efforts.

“Brutus! Judas!” Tattletale shouted at the monster dogs, “Angelica! Heel!” But it was no help; the beasts wouldn’t stop fighting her warriors while their master was in jeopardy, at least in their eyes.

Taylor managed to make some progress, going further into Bitch’s mind. And good gods, what a mind it was. From the things she was able to glimpse in the memories, these… this wasn’t how humans viewed the world; this was more akin to an animal. Was this an effect of the memoria contamination turning Bitch into an animal, or was she just like this to begin with?

In her mind’s eye, Saga gasped as she stood before a giant wolf. A monstrous thing created from the memory of animals, fueled by anger and… pain. So much pain. This creature was vengeance given form, retribution at its most primal, a desire for survival.

And it was possessing her, wearing her skin until Bitch became it.

No wonder she had turned into this.

Saga sought to pacify the beast with memories that would soothe an animal. An ample field of green, endless freedom that only the wilds could offer. The warmth of a home, the feeling of the sun’s rays.

For a moment, it felt like it was working, as Bitch’s struggles lessened. Her eyes fluttered, her growls dimmed, like she was falling asleep.

Almost there, almost…

The wall crumbled apart as a massive thing made of metal burst through.

The trio gasped, staring in fear as another wolf entered the scene. Not one of sinew and fur, but of pure metal, a sea of shifting blades, plates, and hooks in the shape of a wolf. An abomination of man-forged weaponry given a primal form.

Its blue eyes glared at them with unmitigated fury.

“Fuck…” Shadow Stalker swore.

Hookwolf had arrived.

And he was not happy.                                             

His arrival… made things complicated.

Bitch’s eyes snapped open. Red rage flooded through every inch of her body.

Tattletale pulled Saga away, just in time for Bitch to lash out with a burst of titanic fury, breaking free of her Praetor’s grip and tearing them to pieces. Bitch grew, her muscles swelling while her bones cracked and enlarged, tearing through any remnant of clothing still clinging to her as her proportions became far too long and monstrous. She looked more like a cross between a bear and a wolf, and twice the size of the former.

Bitch roared at the metal wolf. And Hookwolf roared back at the giant wolf-beast.

From here, it was insanity.

Taylor had never seen such carnage before. Beast against beast. Bitch’s claws managed to cut through and dent the metal in Hookwolf’s body, unleashing a type of anger that felt personal to Taylor. Her body regenerated through the damage created by Hookwolf’s metal form slamming into her, tearing through flesh and spilling blood in torrents. But a fight between flesh and metal was not one Bitch could win, for even though her claws were mighty and her will unyielding, Hookwolf’s body was still a giant mass of shredding destruction.

He caught one arm in his jaw and tore it off. He mauled her chest and then opened her stomach. Taylor felt bile rise in the back of her throat as this massacre became a bloody spectacle. He pinned Bitch’s bloody and still regenerating body under his large metallic mass, seeking to finish her off piece by piece.

“Fuck!” Stalker swore, her body frozen as they all stared at this horrifying scene. “Fuck!”

“Bitch!” Tattletale called out in impotence as her teammate was being torn limb from limb. “Help her!” She pleaded, and Taylor had to act.

She summoned archers that quickly aimed at Hookwolf; their bolts of light splintered over his enormous and dense figure, unable to do any true damage to the metal monster. She dismissed them and instead summoned a Praetor, making it charge against Hookwolf, and the Nazi reduced it to shredded stone just by slamming his full body against it.

Taylor panicked, and instead summoned a Noontide Gryphon, hoping that its sunburst attack would be strong enough to at least stun Hookwolf. But once more, it proved futile as the Empire elite merely smashed through it before it had enough time to charge its attack.

“Don’t you have anything stronger?!” Stakler shouted, turning her bolts into shadows and firing them at the giant metal wolf. Taylor saw them enter Hookwolf but never get out, so they most likely materialized inside him, but they clearly had no effect.

Fuck. She had faced Lung; why couldn’t she do this?! But… with Lung she had help, from a fellow Pathstrider, and a veteran cape. No matter how much she progressed, she was still a novice compared to some monsters out there. If she couldn’t win even with her arsenal of powerful summons, of the mighty concepts made physical from Amphoreus itself, then what could she do? What did she have that could-?!

"You're a Remembrance Pathstrider; your mind is what you have!"

Those had been Mem’s words when she fought Lung, when her constructs weren’t enough. She had to rely on her own imagination, her ability to conceive things in her head to actually make a difference.

This shouldn’t be any different.

Taylor dismissed her summons that kept Bitch’s hounds at bay, letting them loose against the Nazi if only to win a bit of time. Hookwolf swatted them away like they were just pests, his metallic limbs piercing through the flesh and drawing some ichor-like blood. She channeled her Path energy, letting it flow from the depths of her soul through every inch of her skin.

Metal. What was useful against metal? Heat? She wasn’t sure she could make something hot enough to melt him. Cold? His body shifted too much for that to be use short term. So instead, she channeled an element that made her teeth shudder as currents of energy washed through her.

Storm. Think of a storm. Rain. Thunder. Lightning.

Saga summoned a localized storm cloud inside the warehouse. It flashed and roared with thunder.

“Holy shit…” Tattletale muttered in awe.

Hookwolf looked up, paralyzed by the sight.

Saga screamed as she let loose all the fury of the storm she could muster; bolt after bolt of lightning struck Hookwolf repeatedly, his metallic form making for the perfect conductor as the discharge flowed everywhere through his entire body. His form shook; the metal shifted as it spawned and jutted out multiple bladed weapons and hooks in wild arcs, looking like his power was having a seizure with all the electricity.

Hookwolf’s metallic form collapsed; arcs of electricity still flowed between the multiple blades jutting out from his body.

Saga gasped, falling to her knees as she felt utterly exhausted. The adrenaline still kept her going, but her reserves felt drained.

“Is he dead?” That was the closest Taylor had ever heard Sophia sound afraid.

Tattletale gulped. “No…”

Hookwolf shifted.

And he rose once more.

Saga’s pupils quivered as she stared at the giant Nazi metal wolf, shrouded in electricity, growling at her with a metallic, flanged sound.

Hookwolf leaped at her, and Taylor braced, instinctively holding out her arms in front of her face.

There was a metallic screech and the rattling of chains. It made sense; Hookwolf formed chains of his body too.

But… why wasn’t she dead? Why did she feel intact instead of reduced to minced meat?

Taylor dared to look up, and gasped.

Chains were manifesting everywhere through arcane-looking sigils, wrapping around Hookwolf’s form, coated in blue flames hot enough to make the metal in his body glow with the heat. Hookwolf’s eyes darted from side to side in panic, unable to move as his limbs and the bulk of his body were all ensnared in the chains.

“Oh my, what a mess you got into this time.”

Taylor spotted a figure in white leaning over Bitch. The wolf woman’s body was regenerating, healing the missing parts. Yet at the same time it was shrinking; the muscles and fur melted away, the body proportions returned to those of a young human woman who couldn’t be older than Taylor. She was completely unconscious, and she was naked…

Constance snapped her fingers and clad Bitch’s figure in a shirt, pants, and a trench coat. Bitch’s dogs underwent a similar transformation, their forms shedding the extra mass and matter, reverting to mere dogs who limped toward their master, whining and licking her face. Constance made a shushing sound, tenderly scratching their heads. “She’ll be alright.”

Tattletale rushed to Bitch, making sure she was alright as she knelt next to her. She visibly sagged and ran a hand over her face. “Fucking hell…” She sounded both tired and relieved at the same time.

“Oh, thank God,” Taylor sighed in absolute relief. “Christ and Fuli, I’m so happy you’re here, Constance!”

Shadow Stalker rounded on her. “Don’t say her name out loud, you dumbass!” She froze, as if suddenly processing her words. “Wait, how do you know her name?”

Taylor suddenly felt very confused. Did Sophia know Constance?

The blonde criminal looked at the two. “How do you two know her?” Tattletale asked, her eyes narrowing and then widening. “They know you, but as different…” She looked back at Constance sharply.

“I like the twist this play took.” The Memokeeper grinned in a way that Taylor hadn’t seen before. It unnerved her. “Don’t you?”

Tattletale’s lips trembled. “Oh… Oh shit…”

“Um, what’s going on here?” Taylor muttered.

Tattletale looked like she wanted to run, but she was paralyzed by fear.

Constance sounded… amused. “My, I didn’t expect you three to meet up at the same time.” She chuckled. “What an interesting turn of events.” Her tail swayed as she rested her cheek on her palm with a dainty gesture. “Seems I’ll have to accommodate things so this night plays out more consistently.”

“Accommodate?” Taylor muttered. “C-Constance, what are you talking about?”

“Run!” Tattletale suddenly shouted. “Run before she changes your memo-!”

“Shhhhhhhhh”

The world suddenly fell to absolute silence. Tattletale’s panicked voice. Hookwolf’s struggle in his ensnarement. There was nothing but Constance’s sound as everything began to look hazy, like a mirage in the desert.

“Let’s try this again, shall we?”

She snapped her fingers.

And the world melted away in blue flames.