In which Hal gets his butt saved by a strange individual...

Hal wasn't prone to cursing, but, then again, no amount of fucks would adequately describe his current situation.

He blasted that giant, cloaked thing that had him trapped in its shadowy-like tentacles over and over again, but his attacks merely phased through it harmlessly. Each attack was getting weaker than the previous until his ring only produced a few pathetic sparks.

I don't get it; there should still be plenty of juice left in the ring, he thought to himself desperately, uncharacteristic fear and dread creeping in.

Almost too uncharacteristic, almost too unnatural. Hal could feel himself getting more lethargic with each passing second. The tentacles that were wrapped around him tightened before slowly making its way to his face…

Suddenly, the night sky was illuminated by a brilliant purple light. Hal only had a glimpse of what appeared to be a bolt of purple energy going straight through the creature's head before the creature exploded. The force sent him flying back and Hal couldn't even get his bearings together in time to land-

-on something surprisingly soft. The impact caused a few, shimmering white feathers to fly up in the air. Hal slid onto his butt on the roof of the building, and he got to his feet and turned around to see a massive pair of beautiful, feathered wings unfurl then disappear to reveal a young girl dressed in a strange, black and gray uniform, poised with an obsidian bow in hand. A bright, eye-catching red ribbon was tied into her long black hair.

"Uh, thanks," Hal said as he got to his feet, still a little disoriented from the whole ordeal. The girl, her expression betraying no emotion, gave a single nod in acknowledgement before she swept her hair out of her face in a single, elegant movement, the action causing the moonlight to glint off of the diamond-shaped amethyst embedded into the back of her hand.

Something small and white hopped over from the shadows to stand beside her. Hal's eyes, though hidden by his mask, widened in recognition.

"An Incubator," he breathed out. The slightest bit of surprise broke out on the girl's face before she composed herself in a heartbeat. The Incubator promptly jumped up, landing on the girl's shoulder before her wings appeared once more and she flew off into the night.

"Hey, wait! I just want to talk!" Hal shouted afterward, his body surrounded by the familiar green aura before he gave chase.