Etienne looked over to the entrance, and in his delirious state he struggled to identify the figure.
Nairobi stood defiantly and stared at Floren. She held a giant screw in her right hand, and a hexagonal metal nut floated above her head and spun slowly.
"I never received any intel on you…" Floren said aloud.
Nairobi pointed her giant screw at Floren, and the tip of it extended out to pierce him. One of the tree roots on the ground rose up and blocked the attack.
She made a motion with her left hand, and multiple giant screws sprouted out of the ground, creating a barrier around Etienne.
Floren nodded his head as the tree root protecting him sunk back into the ground, "I see. So you can control all manner of metal objects, and you can manipulate their properties. Let's see how you do against this!"
Sharp barbed branches descended through the large hole in the ceiling, racing toward Nairobi at blistering speeds.
Without a motion on Nairobi's part, the hexagonal nut above Nairobi's head moved to protect her. The nut spun faster and faster until it was nearly a blur. Sparks flew when the branches struck the nut, causing them to recoil backwards.
Etienne, delirious as he was, watched on in awe.
"So this is what Nairobi is truly capable of. She really was taking it easy on me when we first met."
Floren's anger was clearly visible, "You think you've got it all figured out, huh? If those measly powers are all you've got, then you've already lost!"
Floren placed both hands on the ground and smiled at Nairobi. The ground under them rumbled for a few seconds before a giant Venus Fly Trap sprouted up in an instant. Nairobi watched on inquisitively as her hexagonal nut returned to float above her head.
The Fly Trap looked in Nairobi's direction and roared, rending the air. Nairobi reached into her pocket and pulled out a handful of screws. The screws lifted into the air in uniform fashion, and they remained frozen for a few seconds. Without warning, the screws shot out like a shotgun blast, piercing through the Fly Trap. The Fly Trap writhed in pain before falling to the ground.
Floren looked at in shock for a few moments before turning to Nairobi and smiling.
"I see…so I underestimated the metahumans in America too much. Perhaps some of you have the strength to contend with the unranked. Fine, I'll take you seriously! Biosph—"
"Florence. End this farce now," A commanding voice called out from behind Nairobi.
Nairobi jumped back and moved closer to Etienne, who was still kneeling on the ground.
Etienne looked toward the voice and recognized him immediately by his gaudy pink vest and pink hair.
"Cupid!" Floren called out, "Look, Cupid, I planted the World Tree, just like we talked about. I—"
Cupid leaned in the doorway of the factory, "Forget the tree, Florence. The queen wishes to speak with you, and she's not pleased."
Floren's eyes widened in fear, "The queen? What? Over a few humans? Cupid, please! You have to defend me! You have to tell her I only came out here on your orders!"
Cupid shook his head, "I'm a member of Esoterica's royal family. I'm under obligation to do no such thing."
A dull white glow began to pulse around Floren's body.
"I believe the queen will see you now," Cupid stated dryly.
Floren flailed his arms, "Wait! You can't let her do this Cupid, wait, please!"
The dull white light enveloped his entire body, and he vanished.
Cupid turned to Etienne, panting and kneeling on the floor.
"Ninjaman. Tell me, why didn't you try to sneak in try to assassinate him? Floren's abilities are quite formidable, but he has the constitution of a regular human. Even a regular stab wound would incapacitate him."
Etienne shook his head, too weak to respond properly.
"That's not what heroes do!" Nairobi hissed as she put a hand on his shoulder.
Cupid asked, "I came here to tell you that His and Her Majesty, the King and Queen of Esoterica, noticed you. It's nothing for you to worry about now though, after speaking with the Black Company, it seems you have many more pressing issues."
Cupid stepped toward them, causing Nairobi to raise her giant screw in defense.
Cupid put his hands, "I only came here to offer you a word of advice before I go. Meta human abilities are never as they seem. There's always more to them, there's always another application. Do try to remember that, it may save your life one day."
A dull white glow began to pulse around Cupid's body.
He waved his fingers at Etienne, "Toodles, Ninjaman! I'm sure we'll be meeting again sooner than later."
The dull white light enveloped Cupid's body, and he vanished.
Etienne looked at Nairobi and smiled before collapsing onto his back.