Tiny Men Hunters (Interlude) (Patreon)

In the shadows of a sprawling metropolis rife with corruption and criminality, the enigmatic "Tiny Men Hunters" operated covertly, their grim mission clear: to shrink and capture their targets, training and auctioning them off to the highest bidder. But there was little room for sympathy in this dark world, for the diminutive captives were often vile wrongdoers, deserving of the unique brand of justice these hunters served.

Bee, the shrewd and resourceful leader, held the reins of the group whenever their elusive boss was absent. Pup, a massive, bald-headed enforcer who always donned a chilling dog mask during their dark auctions. Stunk, the tallest and perpetually drowsy blond, seemed slothful, yet his knack for capturing elusive prey was unmatched. Ox, a robust and muscular man with striking purple hair and a distinctive nose ring who assisted Pup in orchestrating these enigmatic events. The group's newest member, Honeybadger, a formidable man who had previously worked as a security guard at a ritzy resort, brought his imposing presence to their cause. Lastly, Ray, one of the oldest members, had recently returned from an unexplained hiatus, harboring a dark secret: he had been abducted and brainwashed by the "S Group," a shadowy conglomerate of the wealthy and powerful, quietly plotting to control the city.

Our tale commences with a daring raid by the Stature Protection Unit (SPU), an organization tasked with combating height-shrinking-related crimes, on the Tiny Men Hunters' clandestine base. The "S Group" had revealed their location, putting their secret operations at risk. However, the hunters, ever vigilant for such sudden assaults, were prepared. Armed with special formulas and unique abilities, they successfully shrank the SPU agents and emerged victorious.

During the chaos of battle, Mr. W, an enigmatic figure who appeared impervious to the SPU's weapons, unexpectedly lent a hand to the hunters. His true identity remained shrouded in mystery, casting a shadow over his involvement. The SPU agents, in their shrunk state, lay incapacitated at the hunters' feet.

Mr. W spotted a particular SPU agent who had managed to evade the shrinking process. Sensing the agent's terror, Mr. W decided to take a different approach.

Mr. W unleashed one of his small robotic wasps, a seemingly innocuous insect-like machine with a sinister secret. As it darted toward the lone SPU agent, it injected a potent hallucinogen into the agent's bloodstream. Instantly, the agent's surroundings twisted and distorted, and his perception of reality became a nightmarish kaleidoscope of bizarre and surreal imagery.

Disoriented and overwhelmed by the hallucinogenic effects, the agent's fear intensified. The once-confident SPU operative found himself unable to comprehend the situation, unable to discern friend from foe.

As Mr. W's colossal form loomed over the terrified agent, the hallucinations reached a fever pitch. In this altered state of consciousness, the agent saw Mr. W as an otherworldly, monstrous figure with horns, four arms and a long tail. His fear reached a crescendo, allowing Mr. W to easily disarm and subdue him.

With the agent incapacitated and wracked by hallucinations, Mr. W swiftly confiscated the agent's communication device and initiated contact with the SPU director, offering assistance to the beleaguered law enforcement agency saying he had found one of his agents unconscious.

Meanwhile, amidst the wreckage of their raided base, the Tiny Men Hunters scrambled to pack their belongings. Pup meticulously gathered the shrunken captives preserved in jars, each one a malevolent figure awaiting retribution. In the midst of the chaos, HB stumbled upon a collection of loose pages from an ancient book. Though the text was indecipherable to most, HB exhibited an uncanny ability to extract fragments, revealing tantalizing hints about seven giants.

Ray had been closely monitoring Honeybadger's growing interest in the ancient pages. When Honeybadger briefly departed to transport boxes to the basement, Ray seized the pages, concealing his true intentions.

Suspicion began to fester within the group, and Ray approached Pup with concerns about Bee concealing secrets. Pup, however, dismissed Ray's claims, steadfast in his trust in Bee.

Undeterred, Ray unveiled the pages to Pup, falsely attributing their perusal to HB. Though Pup discerned the hidden text, he feigned ignorance, perpetuating the veil of secrecy surrounding the ancient pages.

With tensions escalating, Pup covertly alerted Bee to Ray's potential compromise. After their conversation, Ray quietly slipped away to the room containing the equipment for their live auctions. There, he encountered a tiny man who had once been a notorious TV producer, infamous for his ruthless treatment of employees. Shrunk as punishment for his tyranny, this shrunken man had been aiding Ray in his covert machinations.

Ray's sinister plot reached its zenith as he seized another shrunken captive—an SPU agent who had secretly colluded with the "S Group." This particular agent had prepared a devastating bomb with the intent to obliterate the Tiny Men Hunters and their secret base.

Suspecting betrayal, Bee and Pup had taken preemptive measures. In a desperate bid to safeguard their comrades, Bee deployed his tiny robotic bees, who swiftly shrank and gathered the remaining hunters, spiriting them away to their secondary base.

As Bee anxiously awaited the return of his mechanical allies, a thunderous explosion reverberated through the city, signaling the detonation of the bomb. The fate of the Tiny Men Hunters hung in the balance, leaving the story poised on the precipice of intrigue and uncertainty.