No Man's Land: Lore

No Man’s Land
Act 3

Setting: No Man's Land is run by a PMC known as -Paladin-, it was originally designed as a city with a defense system to stop atomic bombs. It was redesigned nearly 50 years ago when the world nearly destroyed itself in economic and social ruin. Nukes did not destroy the world, but society did. Crime became a rampant problem in the world, and because of this, prisons were made by the various nations that at one point made up the United States. But none were as great as No Man's Land, the prison created in the neutral land of the Mojave Desert. Only the most dangerous criminals in the world are sent to No Man's Land, this includes political prisoners.

The City: It is surrounded by massive walls that dwarf even the sky scrapers of the city, there is a holographic shield that forms a barrier in the sky, the walls are impossible to break out of, only one prisoner in the prison's century long history has escaped, and that prisoner was brought back in. Soldiers with technology far ahead of even the most advanced military guard every inch of the interior of the wall. Very rarely does -Paladin- send guards into the city, it isn't their concern what goes on inside the city so long as they don't break out. There is an incredibly complex security system keeping watch over the walls. The city itself resembles any other city if it lay in ruin, imagine a city that has continuously withered and been destroyed over a century, but was never repaired.

Limitations: In No Man's Land, at a glance it looks just like our world, but it is a very strange world. There are no "Powers" or such, but there are very strange happenings. Mutants, cyborgs, and even psychics are possible, but are very rare. When making a character, use the Batman Rule, named in honor of Batman's villains. How out there can your character be? Look at Batman's villains, if your character is too strong to fit into that, or too strange, then you've gone too far. Use the Batman rule when making your character. You're allowed to go really out there when making a character, but don't push it. There may sometimes be exceptions to powers and just how far this rule can be pushed, however fantasy/supernatural elements are barred from this RP.

 

Terminology

- Super Criminals: What most of the characters are in some way or another. To even get sent to No Man's Land, you have to commit a crime (or enough crimes) to be considered a SERIOUS threat to humanity. The new breed of criminals, vastly most successful and often more flamboyant than the old breed, are known as Super Criminals. Pretty much every character in the RP (and many of the NPCs) are Super Criminals. If your character isn't a Super Criminal, chances are they will be eventually in the RP OR the just don't they're a Super Criminal. Think of Super Criminals as not unlike supervillains from comics, though minus the costume (This is not always true, most Supr Criminals seem to dress awfully strange either way.)

- Super Drugs: Special drugs originally developed by powerful cartels for their enforcers. These Super Drugs often give its users enhanced abilities, but are highly addictive to the user. The most infamous Super Drug is known as Trollblood, which gives its user enhanced strength and durability, causing the user to develop green or blue skin and fangs, and is highly addictive.

- Paladin Tech: The outside world's technology is far ahead of No Man's Land when it comes to weaponry and tools of war, everything else, not so much. Paladin Tech is what the inmates call any advanced technology that gets itself smuggled into No Man's Land. The technology is highly sought over but has become much more common since The Inquisitor incident.

- Freakshows: Any sort of mutant, those with different appearances than any normal human. Stegs, Hannibal, and Buddi are good examples of Freakshows. A Freakshow is not a definite term, there is no clear definition for a mutant either. Anyone who is really "different" is often named a Freakshow, please note that this term is not seen as a derogatory term by inmates, but a badge of honor.

- Cybernetics: Cybernetics are advanced technology that is placed to upgrade the human body in some way. A Cybernetics user would best be known as a "Cyborg". This can range from anything to replacement limbs, a true half man-half machine hybrid, or even a simple enhancement to upgrade eyesight or the like. Cybernetics aren't extremely popular to most inmates, for obvious reasons many are not keen on turning themselves into cyborgs and losing a part of their humanity. However, those wh do use cybernetics often grant themselves access to a whole new array of possibilities.

Summaries

Pre-RP Start
The Old Times
In the year 2020, everything would change. A series of events known as The Cataclysm would topple the various governments of the world. Social anarchy erupted, and in the end the world was left a wasteland, separated into several despotic city-states with ruined economies. The world suffers, crime reached a new-time high, and crime syndicates and gangs ruled the world. By 2042, it has become the norm. Of these criminals, the toughest, most feared and respected criminals would be known as Super Criminals. Also known for somewhat of a dramatic flair, these men and women became real-life supervillains. It was because of this that an abandoned city would be walled up and rechristened as a prison for Super Criminals. It would be known as No Man’s Land.

A little known fact in this day and error is that the world was just as bad as it is now before 2020. In 1962, the Soviet Union would collapse. China had become a nuclear wasteland, Europe had devolved back into a medieval society. Meanwhile, The United States would become an Orwellian Government would almost complete control over the world. The Cataclysm was in fact simply the fall of The United States, which ruled all of North and South America, Asia, and Africa at the time. A lone soldier for this very government known as Yuri Dragovich, hunted by his own government, would unintentionally set forth the cataclysm.  However, little is known of just how this happened.

Vulture Formation
On February 25th, 2042, Josephine Beaumont of PALADIN was given a mission: the elimination of Subject 3. Subject 3 was the first inmate in the prison’s history to successfully escape. While captured once again soon after his escape, the inmate had seen the current state of the outside world: chaotic and weak.  Subject 3 managed to steal several intelligence reports from PALADIN as well, getting a detailed view of the reality of the situation, and realizing just how detached and problematic the situation had become. Subject 3 was returned to No Man’s Land, but he was christened a great hero. Known as “The Great Leader” he would give rise to an organization known as “Conqueror Worm”. Josephine’s mission was to eliminate Subject 3 and bring down the Conqueror Worm organization.

Josephine Beaumont would go under the alias of a super criminal, known as Homewrecker, and given a background of having ties with the Russian Mob. Soon after reaching No man’s Land, she would become companions with Elliot “Inferno” Payne and Akuryo “Vampire” Beckwood. Josephine planned on traveling to Highend to receive assistance from The Family. The Family, a collection of mob bosses, were collaborators with PALADIN. Both organizations shared a mutual bond to keep themselves in power. The three super criminals traveled through No Man’s Land, but their journey was not without its conflicts. The three would face off a horde of maniacs in The Slums, The Carnival of Crime, and when they eventually got to Highend, a civil war within The Family.

Mr. Gold had organized a rebellion against the leadership of The Family, the council of Mob Bosses that run the organization. The Rebellion nearly sent Highend into chaos. At the time, a member of the Council of Gentlemen (A collection of The Family’s most high-rated hitmen and assassins) was in Highend to fight for the bosses, Mr. Ghoul. Also at the scene was an assassin working independently, Bunny Mio, the Crimson Angel of Death. Both assassins fought against Mr Gold’s Rebellion, along with Josephine’s group. In the end, the rebellion was subjugated when The Don, the most well respected mob boss at the time, simply walked out of his mansion. The sheer fear and respect many of The Family members had for that man, even those rebelling against him, completely ceased their conflict. Mr Gold immediately fled from the city.

The Family gave Josephine Beaumont its blessing, and agreed to give them the resources needed to expand into an organization if they hunted down Mr. Gold. Josephine agreed, and Mr. Ghoul decided to follow her group. Meanwhile The Crimson Angel of Death decided to pursue Mr. Gold herself for his bounty. Josephine began to expand her organization, adding the super criminals Ivy and Duda as officers. The climactic battle between Josephine’s organization and Mr. Gold would be fought in Carrion Land. Carrion Land was a dead patch of land in the city well known for being where corpses were tossed to. It constantly had a flock of vultures swooping around it searching for their next meal. This was where Mr. Gold was hiding. However, once Josephine reached Carrion Land, she and her organization was at a crossroads with Conqueror Worm, the very organization she had set out to destroy. Conqueror Worm had agreed to give Mr. Gold support against The Family in the form of Father Death, an assassin and super criminal well known and feared in the city, along with his death-worshipping followers. However, in the end Bunny Mio would shoot off on of Mr. Gold’s legs, and Akuryo would finish the job and kill the man. Seeing no purpose in fighting anymore, Father Death and his Deathworshippers retreated. Josephine’s organization was successful, with Elliot Payne suggesting they name their organization “Vulture Team” in honor of their first great victory.

Conqueror Rising

In January 25th, 2042, Jade Fentom would return to No Man’s Land after his escape with new ambitions. Chief among them was to unite No Man’s Land, create a powerful city-state to which the time had never seen before, and then use it to finally unite the world, ending the effects of the Cataclysm. At the time, Jade Fentom only had the support of his two “nurses” Catherine and Mocha. However, he and his two minions would not have any problems growing their organization. Jade had a reputation for escaping the prison, he was the first, and many flocked to join his side. For the most part though, they were trash, footmen and punks that Jade had no interest in beyond being cannon fodder. So Jade set out to find some of No Man’s Land’s more lucrative Super Criminals to recruit to Conqueror Worm. Jade had realized that some of the most talented and ambitious people in the world were all gathered in this city. If he could successfully recruit talent, he could achieve his dreams.
The first on his list would be a Super Criminal known as “Hell’s Chef”, a butcher and killer that the denizens of the city feared. Surprisingly, Jade and his “nurses” (which had now grown in number) had found themselves on great terms with the Chef. This man known for his cruelty and power had gotten along with Jade very well. The next would be Figaro Luttan, a well-known associate of Jade’s before he had become a Super Criminal. Now, they had both become feared and respected men in No Man’s Land. Figaro would agree to join Jade if he could prove his intellect. The two decided to play a game of chess, whilst debating each other on Jade’s vision for the world. In the end, Figaro would lose the game of chess and give in to Jade’s demands, joining Jade on his mission.

Jade had two more Super Criminals on his list to recruit, but unexpectedly a third approached Jade on his own. He was known as Vero, a member of the Assassin’s League and The Crimson Angel of Death’s greatest enemy. Jade happily accepted his request then moved forward to recruit the new Super Criminal on his list: Hannibal Krieg. Hannibal Krieg ruled a section of No Man’s Land, and had an elite paramilitary organization at his beckoning. He would prove to be a more difficult man to deal with. Hannibal would only agree to serve Jade if he could win against him in a fist fight between the two. Hannibal was a huge man, bustling with muscles, and a Freakshow with spliced shark genes. Jade on the other hand, was a scrawny doctor, or at least by appearance. However, in the fight between the two, Jade would reveal his talents as a martial artist. Taught in an ancient form of Chinese martial arts, Jade defeated Hannibal in battle, though it was close. And then came the last Super Criminal.

He went by the moniker “Father Death” his real name was supposedly Kraven, however Jade believed it was an alias. Unlike the other Super Criminals, Father Death was immediately hostile to Jade and his organization, now known as “Conqueror Worm”. Kraven and his Deathworshippers would battle it out with the forces of Conqueror Worm. However, unlike Hannibal, Jade and Kraven could not end their fight. Jade feared losing his life, he had grown tired. Kraven matched him in every way in the fight, even as Jade disarmed the man of his weapons, he was brought to the knowledge that Kraven was an equal to him in hand-to-hand combat. But then the unexpected happened, as Jade spoke of his ideals and dreams for No Man’s Land, his goals and aspirations, Kraven listened. And Kraven understood Jade. The two had started in war but would end that day as friends. Kraven agreed to work for Conqueror Worm, along with his Deathworshippers. On that day, Conqueror Worm formally announced their existence to No Man’s Land. In that announcement, they made a statement of war to PALADIN, stating that it would be brought down. Only Conqueror Worm deserved to rule this city.

Act 1

Prisoner’s Inferno Arc

May 26th, 2042. Vulture Team had created its base of operations in an abandoned military bunker in the city. The city had now been split between 5 criminal organizations. Vulture Team, Conqueror Worm, The Family, Black Dragon, and those following a mysterious figure known as The Inquisitor. Vulture Team had grown in the last several months, however it still had the least influence of the 5 factions. Josephine, Elliot Payne, and Akuryo met in The Slums of No Man’s Land, and formally recruited her to the organization after Mr. Ghoul had left to return to The Family a few months back. Meanwhile, Ivy and Duda would meet a young Conqueror Worm officer known as Ryder Mercy.
Under the leadership of Josephine, Elliot and Akuryo organized a riot against Conqueror Worm in the streets of the city. There had been growing hostilities between the two organizations since the battle at Carrion Land, just as Josephine had wanted. She had no idea just who this “Great Leader” was, but her mission was to eliminate him. She was to use her own criminal organization to wage a gang war, and destroy Conqueror Worm without anyone ever realizing who she really was. The riot would be what kick started the massive “Gang War” that would last a whole year. It would later be known as the “Vulture Riots”. Vulture Team succeeded in gathering some numbers and rioting against Conqueror Worm, only for Hannibal Krieg and his paramilitary group to attack in an effort to enforce for Conqueror Worm. Akuryo and Hannibal would engage in a duel, for the first time two Super Criminals from two massive criminal organizations would face off. Hannibal would win this battle, but left Akuryo alive. However, the Vulture Riots were put to an end, as most of Vulture Team’s rioters were gunned down. This seemed to end in a defeat for Vulture Team, except it was merely a diversion on Vulture Team’s part. With Hannibal still putting down the riot, the Conqueror Worm Palace would burst into flames. Elliot Payne had left a bomb in the building while the organization was primarily concerned with the riot in the streets. With this, Vulture Team would gain another victory against Conqueror Worm.

Whilst the Vulture Riots were setting the streets of No Man’s Land ablaze, two other battles were happening simultaneously. Ryder Mercy had just met Ivy and Duda, becoming good friends with them. Not knowing he was consorting with the “enemy”, Ryder was watched from afar by Father Death. Branded a traitor (though perhaps only because Father Death felt like killing Ryder), Ryder was attacked by Father Death. The three super criminals fought together against the man, but in the end they could not best the super criminal. Ivy, Duda, and Ryder retreated. Because of this Ryder would join Vulture Team, leaving behind Conqueror Worm forever. Meanwhile, Bunny Mio and Vero would face off in a final duel with each other. The last time they had fought each other was before either was in No Man’s Land. One was working for Vulture Team, the other for Conqueror Worm. In the end, Vero was gunned down. This marked the first time an officer for either faction would perish.

New Friends and Enemies Arc

All of Vulture Team was gathered within its bunker for the first time. The organization had just finished welcoming Ryder Mercy to the organization when the news arrived that Conqueror Worm had placed a hit on Elliot Payne for the destruction of the Conqueror Worm Palace. Chief among the assassins out for his head was Father Death. In an effort to lure out the assassin, Elliot, Ryder, Ivy, and Duda left the bunker and moved to the streets far their base of operations. It did not take long for the assassins to arrive. A conflict broke out, but it only ended up with Duda and Elliot retreated, Ivy captured, and Ryder setting out to rescue Ivy.

Meanwhile, a new face appeared at the Vulture Bunker, apparently figuring out their hidden location. He went by the moniker “Gangsta Pimp” (yes you read that right). To say this man was eccentric would be an understatement. Speaking in the third person, constantly spouting out horrible lies, and constantly followed by funk music: Gangsta Pimp was not initially welcomed. However, this changed as Josephine realized that this man was a genius when it came to running criminals organizations, he himself seemed to have his own “criminal network” in the city, and had access to an abundance of resources. Gangsta Pimp even agreed to transferring inmates from other prisons into No Man’s Land to bolster Vulture Team’s numbers following their recent losses.

Ryder met with Father Kraven in an abandoned church, it was there where the two criminals would engage in a duel with each other. They had fought each other before, and Ryder had retreated that time. This time it would be different, the two engaged in a battle that would shake the very ground they fought upon, culminating in the destruction of the abandoned church and Ryder rescuing Ivy. At the time Kraven was thought dead, caught in the explosion that destroyed the church. Ryder was critically wounded in the battle, leaving Ivy to bring him back to the Vulture Bunker.

Vulture Team all gathered back at the bunker once again, many of them wounded. Neither did they know that Father Death had placed a tracking device in Ivy’s wounds after she had been captured. When Ivy was brought back to the bunker, Conqueror Worm discovered Vulture Team’s hideout. Gangsta Pimp and Bunny Mio would bicker about how to treat Ivy’s and Ryder’s wounds, arguing the whole time until the tracker was discovered in one of Ivy’s wounds. Much insanity ensued. Before Vulture Team could correlate its forces, Conqueror Worm attacked. By now Conqueror Worm’s power had grown, its numbers in the thousands while Vulture Team had a measly few hundred. A battle ensued between the two factions as Conqueror Worm laid siege to the Vulture Bunker. Its officers included Jade Fenton, Justice Avenger, Gari Bellua, The Ripper, and Hell’s Chef. Vulture Team was put into full retreat, Bunny Mio was captured. Ivy and Duda were almost lost as their battle with Hell’s Chef took a disastrous turn, only for Gangsta Pimp to crash his “Gangsta Mobile GoKart” into the Super Criminal. Josephine and Jade Fentom battled each other in the fog of battle, neither knowing that the other was the leader of the opposing faction. Vulture Team was in full retreat, suffering from many losses. However, there was still hope. Gangsta Pimp had not only began preparations to transfer more inmates into No Man’s Land from other prisons, he had also agreed to bring in Ryder’s long separated gang back together.

Highend Arc

In retreat, Vulture Team moved to Highend, the home of The Family. There they would be given shelter, Conqueror Worm would not attack unless they wished to start a war with The Family as well. Seeing as how The Family’s power dwarfed both faction’s at the time, this would not be a smart move. While everyone in Vulture Team was recovering, including the leader of the organization Josephine, Gangsta Pimp and Ryder Mercy were given leadership in the organization. These were seen as desperate times, as both officers were new faces, yet no one else was fit to work at the time. Meanwhile, The Family assigned a supervisor to Vulture Team while it stayed in Highend, Henry Ghast. Henry was secretly another member of PALADIN, and Jo’s liaison and personal friend.

At first fate seemed to favor Vulture Team. It was well on its way to recovering, Gangsta Pimp, Josephine, and Ryder even enjoyed a drink at the local bar. Meanwhile Bunny had convinced the Conqueror Worm officer Bravery known as “The Justice Avenger” to betray Conqueror Worm and work to free her. The officer immediately departed from the Conqueror Worm Palace (now being rebuilt) to get into contact with Vulture Team. Following him was the nurse of Jade Fentom, Mocha. Bravery came into contact with Elliot Payne, whom was still making his way to Highend after the battle at Vulture Bunker. Together they fought Mocha, whom was defeated and captured. She would later be used as a bargaining chip to free Bunny Mio. Bunny’s freedom was negotiated by Josephine Beaumont and Gangsta Pimp. With Bunny back and Vulture Team gaining more officers, there was much rejoicing. Josephine and Gangsta Pimp grew closer. Things seemed to be going well…

They did not last. The night after their celebrations, Duda was killed in the streets of Highend. Meanwhile Ryder and Kraven (Also known as Father Death), both in wheelchairs following their battle at the church, faced each other again… in wheelchairs… on the sunset. Because of their battle, The Family began to distrust Vulture Team. Ryder and Kraven had fought too close to Highend, which was a neutral zone. The next morning Gangsta Pimp accused Bravery of killing Duda, nearly murdering him. A lone super criminal known as Emilia arrives in Highend at the time, speaking with an agitated and drunk Gangsta Pimp following his falling out with the organization after attacking Bravery. Father Death would return to Highend a few days later, claiming to be Duda’s murderer. Ivy and Ryder start a fight with the man in the middle of Highend, leading to Vulture Team being banished and Father Death retreating.

The Gauntlet Arc

Following their leaving Highend, Vulture Team was in an all-time low. The faction was dispirited, Gangsta Pimp and Akuryo were missing, and Kraven had succeeded in getting them kicked out of Highend. Yet, there was still hope. Upon emerging from Highend, Vulture Team was greeted by thousands of new faces, including Ryder’s gang. Gangsta Pimp’s promise had come to pass. Vulture Team also gained two new officers, Wynn, Ryder’s second in command of his gang, and Emilia, the Valkyru. Gangsta Pimp also returned, now back to his spirited and amazingly annoying self. With this, Vulture Team began a campaign to take over No Man’s Land.

Thus began a series of events known as The Gauntlet. Three major battles were fought in a single night. The first two at the same time. They were known as The Battle for Baker Street and The Battle for The Crater. In both battles, Conqueror Worm and Vulture Team deployed thousands. The Battle for The Crater had Bunny Mio, Emilia, and Bravery lead thousands to gain a valuable tactical location against Conqueror Worm. In their way was Hannibal and his Paramilitary organization known as the Krieg Forces. Along with Krieg was Buddi, whom Father Death had sent to look over Hannibal, whom he was suspicious of. The battle ended prematurely when Hannibal retreated, leaving Buddi behind, but not before nearly killing Bunny Mio. In the end, Vulture Team was victorious, though Bunny was hurt.

The Battle for Baker Street was different. The battle lasted near 3 hours, while at first it seemed like a sure win for Conqueror Worm, Jade made several tactical mistakes that led to Elliot Payne managing to destroy the majority of his forces in the early stages of the battle. Complete war was waged on Baker Street, buildings were brought down, lives were lost, yet Vulture Team slowly began to win the battle. Kraven and Josephine would duel atop the ruins of a building, with Jo being victorious but still leaving Father Death alive to tell the tale. Meanwhile, Gangsta Pimp and Jade Fentom would duel in the streets. Gangsta Pimp revealed his name to be Jack Harrison, his pregnant wife had been raped and murdered by Jade years ago, and now Jack was out to get revenge. Jack earned the upper hand, but then everything changed. A conqueror Worm officer known as Gari attacked Jack from behind, using her super strength to punch a hole straight through his gut. Josephine was witness to this, and blew Gari’s head off before running to her comrade’s side. It was there where Jack revealed his job: though he was out for revenge against Jade, he was also a PALADIN Operative like Josephine, and he had been sent by PALADIN to be her back up and warn her of a new threat. Her mission parameters were changed. Not only was Jade a target, but there was a new threat to the world: the mysterious Super Criminal known as The Inquisitor. Jack died in Jo’s arms, Jade called in a retreat, but not before a scuffle with Elliot Payne. Vulture Team had won that day, but it had lost too much.

Following these battles, Hannibal would lead his army against Conqueror Worm, betraying them. Jade Fentom, Father Death, and Hell’s Chef would work together in the Conqueror Palace to fend off his forces. This culminated in a fist fight between Jade Fentom and Hannibal, in the end Hannibal was punch through a window and thrown out of the 78th floor of the Palace. With this victory, Jade Fentom had set that he was the absolute leader of Conqueror Worm.

Machination Enterprise Arc

Vulture Team welcomed a new officer to the organization named Gabriel, who quickly grew to become great friends with Bravery. However Josephine, still despairing over the death of Jack in her arms, was barely ready to celebrate for anything. Meanwhile, dark forces were at work. Elliot was suddenly contacted by Akuryo, given cryptic information before losing contact with him once again. Father Death was still recovering from his wounds, and Ripper silently mourned the death of Gari. For the first time in a long time, both factions seemed to be tired of their hostility. That is, until their leaders went missing. One night, Jade Fentom and Josephine were nowhere to be found. That was until a blimp flew through the sky of No Man’s Land, where a mysterious voice known as The Inquisitor claimed to have custody of both their leaders. There was only one way to ensure their freedom: they had until midnight to murder an innocent woman wrongly imprisoned in the city named Vivian. The catch: only the faction that killed her would get their leader freed, the other faction would have their leader executed.

Both factions swarmed to search for Vivian, both coming into conflict with each other. Vulture Team and Conqueror Worm fought throughout the entire city, war consumed the prison-city. Eventually Vivian’s location was announced by a familiar face: Akuryo Beckwood. The man had gone missing some time earlier, and now it had been revealed why, he was a spy for The Inquisitor all along. He had been feeding his master information about the war, and now, The Inquisitor was playing with them all like puppets. In the end, Vivian killed herself, along with her lover Rourke, a former officer of Conqueror Worm. Their deaths had sealed the fates of both leaders, and for once both factions had fallen into despair. The prolonged conflict throughout the city had left them both weak. And now, they were without their leaders. Yet, despite this, the two factions decided to work together. They gathered their wounded and began to treat them at Baker Street, and formed a coalition against The Inquisitor.

Meanwhile, Josephine and Jade Fentom woke up, finding themselves in a dark room held captive by a mysterious man wearing glasses. They were tortured, and fed information about an “Angel” who would punish the sinners of the world. This man with the glasses claimed to be a devout follower of this Angel and would carry out his orders to the letter. Eventually this man was found out to be Claus Beaumont, the former husband of Josephine Beaumont. Josephine and Jade made an unlikely alliance, to ensure their freedom and get to the bottom of this all. This ended with Josephine stabbing her Ex-husband in the heart, only for it to be revealed that the man had been brainwashed, he had come to his senses to speak his final words to Jo before dying in her arms. Too angry to feel real despair, her and Jade found out they were held in a tower, and began to move up to find this “Angel” whom Claus had been brainwashed by. After making it to the top floor, the angel was none other than The Inquisitor. He was a criminal genius, and a master of manipulating others. However, he was not a fighter, and Josephine made quick work of him, kicking him out of the tower through a window. The Inquisitor would survive, landing on his blimp that was hovering right below where he would fall.

The Inquisitor set the final stage of his plan in motion, gathering his own faction, three times the size of both Vulture Team and Conqueror Worm, and swarming Baker Street, where the two were gathered. Vulture Team and Conqueror Worm would have made a last stand, fighting to the last man. Instead, Wynn gave his life holding back The Inquisitor Faction. Josephine and Jade arrived on the scene, along with Ryder and Kraven, together, they managed to shoot down The Inquisitor’s blimp with him in it. The blimp crashed into the streets below, taking out several of The Inquisitor’s officers and himself. However, Ivy and Father Death were also caught in that same crash. Conqueror Worm and Vulture Team had won their battle, but both factions were weak, and they had lost many of their friends. Both factions left on peaceful terms, with The Inquisitor dead, perhaps there was a chance of peace.

Act 2

Armageddon Arc

It has been about one month since the fall of The Inquisitor. Both Conqueror Worm and Vulture Team have grown in power. Conqueror Worm now owns its own section of the city, Conqueror Town. It has electricity, it has protection, and it promises to give normal jobs to those who want to live in a normal society. While still under construction, it promised to change the city for the better. Elsewhere, Vulture Team had set up its own Underground base under Carrion Land (The construction was started by Gangsta Pimp before his death). Both factions were finally on peaceful terms. Even The Family was starting to accept their roles in the city. Both factions had been greeted by many new faces, among them Chelsea Mercy, Ryder's younger sister, and the new 2nd in command of Ryder's gang, Pugsy. Kat, another member of the Assassin's League also joined along with several allies of Vivian who wished to get revenge on The Inquisitor for setting up her death. The Inquisitor Faction was without a leader, it was lessening in size every day. Conqueror Worm and Vulture Team were achieving victory after victory against its remnants every day.

But then rumors began to spread, that The Inquisitor had returned. Many of his officers were still in hiding, such as Akuryo, and the Carnival of Crime. Josephine (now known as "The Boss"), hearing these rumors, was quick to act. She was determined to gain absolute power in No man's Land, to ensure that no one like The Inquisitor could have his way again. She would achieve this by any means, even if it meant betraying The Family. And that she did, along with Paladin in a single day. Josephine led a small force to Highend at the time of a weapons shipment from Paladin to The Family. Jo killed the drivers of the the truck, and set forth a plan to give Vulture Team enough high tech weapons to dominate the battlefield. The Family sent three assassins, Mr Ghoul, Kayden, and Jayden, all out to retrieve the stolen cargo from Jo. Jayden and Kayden found themselves in conflict with Elliot Payne, while Bunny fought Mr Ghoul. In the end both fights ended in a draw and neither won. Ryder, dispirited by the loss of his good friend Ivy during Machination Enterprise, found himself at odds with his own depression. Even when Father Death, his arch-nemesis, was revealed to be alive and well even after the blimp crash, Ryder could not bring himself to care. The two fought, Father Death now simply going by Kraven, and equipped with cybernetic arms after their loss in Machination Enterprise.

Meanwhile, the rest of Vulture Team lay in waiting down a path from Highend to Carrion Land. Conqueror Worm forces led by Chef would also make a move to gain the weapons, only to be stopped by Bravery and Gabriel. Bravery punches through Chef with his bullet-gauntlets, killing him. Ryder and Kraven's fight ends with Kraven victorious. Kraven tells Ryder that he must bring himself out of his depression or he will die, calls him pathetic, and no longer sees him as his enemy. The two part ways, Ryder deciding to follow Jo. All seems to go well until the truck Jo drives comes to a sudden stop. What she sees next terrifies her: a tall, skeletal cyborg, half machine, half man. Electricity runs through his body, he doesn't even look familiar anymore. It was The Inquisitor, who had lost most of his organs and burnt all of his skin in the blimp crash. However, he was saved by his followers and rebuilt as a cyborg. The Inquisitor Faction ambushes Vulture Team on the road, and a battle breaks out once again. When the battle reaches a highpoint, The Inquisitor reveals his new weapon: Armageddon. Armageddon is a powerful cyborg with the nuclear power of dozens of nuclear warheads, what's worse is that it uses Ivy's body and is built in with a disturbed and twisted personality of her own. Ryder arrives just in time to witness it, and he is caught in complete horror. Josephine is stuck fighting The Inquisitor, and the rest of Vulture Team seems helpless to her power. However, Chelsea and Pugsy, the new faces to the team, had a plan, a plan to not only stop Arma but possibly free Ivy from her cyborg-personality. Chelsea is a genius hacker, and Pugsy a Freakshow gifted with immense strength and immune to pain. Pugsy keeps Armageddon distracted while Chelsea hacks her cybernetics to weaken her. In the end Arma is weakened enough for Pugsy to deliver the final blow, taking Arma down. Josephine manages to beat The Inquisitor once again, but at the cost of the weaponry she had just stole. He was believed to be dead by everybody, Jo did not believe it. In the end, Vulture Team walks away with little, but with much higher spirits. Ivy is free and back with them, and The Inquisitor was defeated with less lives lost.

Night of Assassins Arc

Every year The Family holds a summit in Highend. In this summit No Man's Land's most lucrative criminal organization meet. Conqueror Worm and Vulture Team are invited for the first time. Figaro Luttan, a former member of Conqueror Worm, now the leader of the Carnival of Crime, conspires with Jade to use this summit to give Conqueror Worm an advantage. Chef's death had ended the peace between the two factions. Chef was the heart of their organization, and many were in an uproar. In times like this, Figaro offers Jade Fentom the opportunity of a lifetime: an alliance with The Inquisitor. Meanwhile, Ivy recovers in Carrion Land, alongside Chelsea and Pugsy. Jo decides to bring Ryder with her to the summit. Jade is approached by Kraven about his daughter: Dorthy. Dorthy was born in No Man's Land, but she is sheltered and spoiled. Kraven convinces Jade that for her to survive in this world and eventually succeed Jade, she must be brought into the world of No Man's Land. Kraven proposes to train Dorthy, which Jade reluctantly agrees to. With this, Kraven leaves with Dorthy and one of Jade's nurses, Catherine.

Josephine and Jade find themselves at the summit, greeted by an assortment of strange characters. At the head of it all is The Don, a huge, burly man. He dressed in the best tuxedos money could find, have a cybernetic left eye, and donned an afro shaped like a heart. His daughter Eve was also present, a beautiful blonde women in a wedding dress. The leader of Black Dragon, The Mistress, was present, a beautiful Chinese seductress. With her was Hall Innsmouth, a high ranking PALADIN officer and the man that interviews the super criminals in No Man's Land. At first the summit seemed to go by peacefully, until The Inquisitor arrives. The Inquisitor proves to be ruthless and aggressive at the summit. He attempts to kill one of his officers over a disagreement, and he calls The Don and The Mistress out. The Inquisitor and The Mistress have history together, it is revealed that she is the reason he was locked up in No man's Land in the fist place. She was the first person to ever outsmart him and defeat him on his own terms. The summit goes down poorly, resulting in Jade and The Inquisitor forming an alliance as planned. With Conqueror Worm and The Inquisitor Faction in an alliance, Vulture Team, Black Dragon, and The Family make their own coalition. In one night the city is split into two.

Whilst the summit was going on, The Family sent assassins from around No Man's Land to hunt down the officers of Vulture Team, Conqueror Worm, and The Inquisitor Faction. While the damage down to Vulture Team and Conqueror Worm is minimal, The Inquisitor Faction is hit hard. Only a single assassin is sent after them: Mr. Heart. Mr. Heart has the ability to regenerate from wounds, and manages to take on all of The Inquisitor Faction's officers at once. He succeeds in killing half of them before Buddi (now the strongman of the Carnival of Crime) manages to do more damage to Mr. Heart than he can regenerate from. While the assassins are called off of Vulture Team, this leaves a sour alliance between The Family and Vulture team. The Inquisitor returns to his base to find most of his officers and friends dead, leaving the criminal frustrated and annoyed. Jade meets with Figaro again, they agree to move on with the next phase of their plan, to arrange the death of The Inquisitor and take over his faction.

Rise and Fall Arc

The war between the Conqueror Worm-Inquisitor Alliance and The Coalition rages on, both sides have millions together on each side, the city is literally split in two. The Alliance finds itself on the losing side, and Jade proposes to make a deal with The Inquisitor: Conqueror Worm will use its talent and resources to give The Inquisitor an upgrade to his cybernetics. The Inquisitor agrees, fully knowing that Jade and Figaro plan to betray him. The Inquisitor is upgraded, now with the greatest cybernetics money could buy, The Inquisitor begin to develop powerful psychic powers. Jade and Figaro implant a bomb in The Inquisitor during his upgrade, planning to use it against him. However, ignorant of The Inquisitor's developing psychic powers, he disarms the bomb with his mind. Just as Jade announces the bomb, The Inquisitor attacks, revealing that Jade's plan had failed. He leaves Jade alive, intending to finish him off later. Instead, The Inquisitor focuses on Jo and Vulture Team, intending to finish his grudge against her once and for all. He attacks Carrion Land alone, taking on the entire faction while Black Dragon and The Family are away fighting the war. With his new cybernetics and psychic powers, The Inquisitor dominates. In the end, seemingly everyone is either dead or unconscious. This leaves Josephine and The Inquisitor alone to finish their grudge match. Josephine cannot beat The Inquisitor in battle, but when all seems lost The Mistress appears, helping Josephine fight The Inquisitor. Josephine, weak and deluded at the time, sees The Mistress as a powerful demigod destroying The Inquisitor with magical powers. The two team up to destroy The Inquisitor, in the end, Josephine points her handgun and The Inquisitor's head and pulls the trigger. The Inquisitor is dead, this time for sure.

Conqueror's End Arc

With The Inquisitor Dead, Jade Fentom now controls half of No Man's Land. Now with the larges organization No Man's Land has ever seen in its history, and Vulture Team eliminated as a fight, Jade sets out to begin the conquest of No man's Land, his ambitions are almost realized. There is only one force standing in his way: The Family. Both factions begin to wage war in No Man's Land, set out on conquering the enemy by any means. The Family deploys all of its assassins and footmen, while Conqueror Worm uses its superior numbers. Conqueror Worm begins by taking out the "Black Market", the economic center of No Man's Land. Then they take control of Baker Street, lost to them months ago against Vulture Team. Finally, they begin to march towards Highend. The Don is missing, gone searching for Jade's daughter, whom he believes is the weakness needed to bring Jade down. However, without their leader, The Family begins to suffer. Jade manages to escape with his life after Mr Ghoul betrays The Family and Sami is killed. The Black Market is destroyed and No Man's Land is free from The Family's economic hold. Yet, Conqueror Worm begins to suffer. Justus, one of the most loyal Conqueror Worm officers to ever serve, is killed, along with another officer named Jason and countless footmen. The Don finds Dorthy, who flees, leaving Kraven to deal with the mafioso.

Kraven, though a power fighter, cannot outmatch The Don, and finds himself losing time after time. Any Conqueror Worm or Inquisition Faction officers that tries to help Dorthy are killed. Eventually, Kraven decides to make a desperate action: go to his arch nemesis Ryder, and ask for Vulture Team to give them sanctuary. Kraven succeeds in getting Catherine and Dorthy to Carrion Land, though The Don manages to get their too. Josephine is given a decision: break her alliance with The Family to protect a little girl, or give her to a man that will most likely torture and kill her. In the end Josephine betrays The Family, gives Dorthy sanctuary, and sends The Don in full retreat. Unfortunately for Conqueror Worm, Jade's offensive against The Family is a total failure. Conqueror Worm suffers from mass defections and losses, and the last of the organization retreats to Conqueror Town, boarded up for a last stand.

A month passed, and Conqueror Worm was further pushed into a corner. Figaro revealed himself to be an officer for Black Dragon, sent to manipulate Jade into his current situation. The Family surrounds Conqueror Town, and The Mistress arrives to watch the end of the war. Just when things seem to be at their worst for Conqueror Worm, it gets worse. PALADIN itself marches on Conqueror Town, lead by Hal Innsmouth. Hal staged a coup in PALADIN, killing its upper branches and giving himself power within the organization under Black Dragon. Finally, The Mistress' "Students" known as Heavenly Truth arrive too. In the end Jade agrees to commit suicide in order to protect the remaining people under his command: the two "nurses" Mocha and Spanner. Conqueror Worm is destroyed, or so it is thought. Kraven begins to set his own plans into motion once Jade is dead. Forced to kill his lover Catherine for discovering his own plans, he sets out to gather individuals from No Man's Land to start a new Conqueror Worm.


The Conqueror Worm Arc

Kraven is on the move to set his own plans into motion. Among his first followers are Mr Ghoul, formerly from The Family, and Mocha, the surviving nurse after Spanner is killed in a scuffle after Jade's death. Pugsy and Ivy agree to help Kraven free Matthias, a former Conqueror Worm officer captured by The Family. In doing so, they destroy The Don's mansion, kill Atticus, the lover of The Don's daughter, and succeed in rescuing Matthias. Kraven succeeds in gathering officers, but lacks the manpower to become a real threat. So he sets out to begin the manipulation of the surviving factions. The Family strikes Carrion Land, intent on dealing with them after their repeated betrayals, while Black Dragon attempts to capture Dorthy for mysterious reasons. Kraven's Conqueror Worm, made up of Kraven, Mocha, Matthias, Mr Ghoul, and Pugsy, also arrive at the seen with varying goals. Pugsy arrives in time to see Figaro (his uncle) die at the hands of Buddi, whom was created through Figaro's own crimes in Black Dragon. Kraven manages to defeat Ryder once again, this time with the use of seemingly mysterious new powers. Finally, he manages to take Dorthy from Carrion Land, whom he had left behind earlier when forming his new Conqueror Worm. Josephine and Mr. Ghoul fight The Don, however the battle goes poorly as Mr. Ghoul is killed and Josephine is left defeated. In the climax of the battle, Kraven and The Don agree to meet in Chinatown for a final duel, supervised by Black Dragon.

The next night, they do meet in Chinatown, unexpectedly, Kraven uses technology that once belonged to The Inquisitor to broadcast his fight with The Don around the prison. The two engage in a massive fist fight, going head to head in a battle that holes the fate of the city in their hands. Millions watching, Kraven finally killed The Don, punching through his heart and leaving an explosive in his innards. The Don is blown to bits, leaving his daughter Eve in charge of the organization. Kraven, having defeated the most powerful man in No Man's Land broadcasted through the entire prison, is now the most well known boss in the city. Black Dragon swears its loyalty to Kraven, and declares himself "The Conqueror Worm" to No Man's Land, calling himself the undisputed ruler of this city. And in truth, he was, The Family's reputation was shattered with the defeat of The Don, Vulture Team was now only a collection of people after The Inquisitor struck, and Black Dragon swore its loyalty to Conqueror Worm. Kraven had succeeded in taking over No Man's Land.

The Rescue Arc

Kraven now controlled most of No Man's Land, PALADIN, Black Dragon, and The Family. With no one ready to challenge him, he moved to get rid of any potential threats to his reign. Declaring himself the Emperor of No Man's Land, Kraven began to set forth a train of events to give No Man's Land the power to wage a "Crusade" against the world. Using Ryder, whom was captured in a previous battle, as bait, he attracted the survivors of Vulture Team to attack him on his own terms. While only a few select individuals, these Super Criminals had a reputation for beating impossible odds and Kraven wanted them dead before they struck on their own terms. Led by Josephine, Vulture Team struck at the PALADIN HQ, used by Conqueror Worm now as its base of operations. With Jo were Bunny Mio, Emilia, Bravery, Gabriel Ivy, Chelsea, Boris (A former Family Hitmen), Isaac, and Buddi (Both of the latter being former Carnival of Crime members). Elliot Payne was wounded from a prior battle and resting at Carrion Land. Unknown to him, the medical team taking care of him were Black Dragon spies, who set forth a plan to place bombs all around No Man's Land.

When Vulture Team struck, it was a disaster. Bunny apparently died at the hands of Family assassins, Chelsea was captured with Boris killed, everyone else was forced into retreat. However, Ivy and Josephine continued to scale the Paladin HQ, attempting to reach the highest level of the base to confront Kraven and rescue Ryder. Ivy managed to kill Meili, a cyborg created to counter her own abilities on her way up, however once confronting Kraven himself, she was defeated and captured. Josephine managed to rescue Ryder, but at a cost. Hal Innsmouth confronted the two, and revealed to them the plans Black Dragon had to place bombs around Carrion Land. Ryder was forced to retreat to Carrion Land in an effort to stop these plans while Josephine stayed behind to face off against Hal. Both were highly skilled Paladin members, both trained under a famed and respected Paladin officer. In the end however, the battle was not about skill. Hal revealed himself to be a psychic, bred to develop such powers. The Inquisitor had a similar background but rebelled from Black Dragon, becoming the man that Vulture Team and Conqueror Worm would come into conflict with. Slowly, it became apparent that the criminal organization Black Dragon was behind so much of what had happened. Hal had been the one that arranged for Jade's escape, setting forth the events in which Conqueror Worm would rise to power, The Inquisitor was a creation of Black Dragon, The Don was merely fighting to keep order on Black Dragon's behalf, and PALADIN itself was owned by the same organization. Hal used his psychic powers to brainwash Josephine, she would lose all of her memories as a criminal, reverting back to her old self before she became the leader of Vulture Team. Meanwhile, Kraven revealed his own plans. He now had Ivy, and planned to use her (or rather Armageddon) nuclear power as a weapon against the outside world.

The Epilogue Arc

Mere hours later, Kraven revealed himself to the world, using Armageddon's nuclear energy to power a weapon with the power to decimate cities in seconds. San Francisco was the first target, in the blink of an eye a million people died. Chicago would be next, just because Kraven found it funny. His fight with Ivy earlier had left Kraven scarred and insane, hell bent on creating a world in which the "Survival of the Fittest" reigned, completely dropping Conqueror Worm's original goals and morals. After causing the deaths of millions, Kraven spoke to the world, stating that if they did not surrender to him, he would continue to nuke more cities. It would only be an hour before most of the world surrendered to him. Now there was only hope of stopping Kraven: the very inmates of No Man's Land.

For the first time since Highend, Ryder was once again in charge of Vulture Team. A crippled Elliot, Emilia, and Buddi would disarm the bombs in Carrion Land, however Elliot and Emilia would soon leave Carrion Land afterwards for unknown reasons. Ryder was left with Buddi, Isaac, Bravery, Emilia, and Gabriel. A team of 6 against millions, they stood no chance. This intensified when Josephine, now working as a Paladin Agent with no memory of her friends, came to attack Vulture Team. She proved to be too skilled for Ryder alone, and just when things seemed to be at their worst, Hal Innsmouth arrived at Carrion Land with the combined forced of PALADIN. Surrounded by thousands, Vulture Team was at its end. That was until Emilia and Elliot returned, now with thousands at their side. There were many in No Man's Land that were horrified by Kraven's actions and decided to fight against him. They may have all been criminals, but in the end this was still their world, and Kraven was killing millions. A massive battle ensued in which PALADIN was utterly wiped out by the new Vulture Team, Elliot Payne would be shot by Hal and sent into a coma, but this freed Josephine of Hal's brainwashing. Before Hal could do any further damage, Josephine would shoot him through the chest, killing him. The battle ended with thousands cheering in victory, Vulture Team now had the numbers to challenge Conqueror Worm once again.

Kraven had now gotten rid of one of his rivals: Hal Innsmouth planned to pull a coup again Kraven, and with him dead Kraven's power actually expanded. Next were Mocha, Justus, Chef, and Matthas (Justus and Chef had been brought back my the dead using cybernetics by Black Dragon). As the only former Conqueror Worm officers left, he claimed to have killed Dorthy, Jade's only child, before calling them all out on treason. Mocha, Justus, and Matthias escaped, with Chef sacrificing himself to give them the time. Kraven's powerbase was now unchallenged. However, there was an offside to these actions, Kraven's only talented officers now were those from Black Dragon, including The Mistress herself. This was all according to plan for Black Dragon, Kraven was a former Black Dragon assassin, and he had made a deal with The Mistress to lead No Man's Land and begin the unification of the world under one power. This was known as as Project Heritage for the Future, Black Dragon's plan to unite the world, after causing the cataclysm that created this horrible world in the first place. They had planned to destroy the world then remake it in their own image, figuratively. The former Conqueror Worm officers that escaped made it to Carrion Land, and joined up with Vulture Team. Now with both factions having a huge powerbase, this set a stage for one final confrontation between Vulture Team and Conqueror Worm.

Both forces would meet in front of Paladin HQ, Vulture Team making an effort to captured the headquarters of Conqueror Worm. Both armies met in battle immediately, though not before Kraven showing his mysterious abilities once again, this time to shrug of bullets shot at him without a single scratch on his part. Ryder and Kraven met in battle, while The Mistress and Josephine did as well. The remaining members of Heavenly Truth were finished off by Vulture Team. Kat (Whom had been revealed to be a Black Dragon spy) was killed off by Emilia, Robin was killed off by Justus and Matthias, and finally Vincent was killed by Vincent. The Mistress found herself rapidly losing supporters, culminating in Kraven calling for The Mistress' death. The Mistress had lost her allies, and now Conqueror Worm had betrayed her. Kraven had gone back on his word. The Mistress retreated to a nearby graveyard, Josephine following. Meanwhile Kraven retreated into the Paladin HQ, Ryder giving chase. The rest of Vulture Team seemed to be left to finish the battle on their own.

That was when T-Reich attacked, an experiment made by The Inquisitor locked up in the darkest reaches of the tower, Kraven ordered for his freedom, interested in using him as a potential superweapon in the case Armageddon didn't work out. Pugsy, one of Kraven's last supporters, revealed himself to be working against Kraven the entire time, and worked with Chelsea to free Ivy. Ivy was freed from Armageddon once again and Kraven had lost his superweapon. Soon after, T-Reich attacked, an insane Neo-Nazi with teh ability to transform into a dinosaur, Vulture Team and Conqueror Worm put aside their differences once again to provide a united front against this new enemy. Unfortunately for Kraven he could not be controlled. Ryder scaled the Paladin HQ, and apparently killed Kraven soon after, only for the Kraven Ryder killed to be shown as an illusion. The real Kraven awaited Ryder on the roof of Paladin HQ, a sickly man with only a few hours left to live. His fight with Ivy had left him with dire radiation sickness, enough to have killed him hours earlier. The two, both exhausted and at their ends, decided to wage one final battle against each other. Meanwhile, The Mistress and Josephine fought in the graveyard, both women being the leaders of their respective factions, neither proved to have the upper hand for awhile. The Mistress told Josephine of her true intentions: she was behind everything, the leader of Black Dragon, the one that had planned everything, all in an effort to reconstruct the world as a perfect utopia.

On three different battlefields, two sides fought for supremacy of not only No Man's Land, but possibly even the future of the planet. The battle waged on outside the entrance of Paladin HQ, with a united front between the remainders of Conqueror Worm and Vulture Team confronting T-Reich. T-Reich was a powerful creature with enhanced abilities, including diamond hard skin that seemed impossible to penetrate. In the end, it was Buddi who made a sacrifice to open the mouth of T-Riech, allowing for everyone to attack T-Reich in a spot where his hard skin could not protect him. At first it would seem Buddi was dead after T-Reich had fallen, only for the mutant to emerge from the dinosaur safe and sound. With this victory both sides ended, wary of their battle and retreating, unable to find their leaders. Pugsy and Ivy stayed behind, searching for Ryder and then later Josephine. Ryder continued his fistfight atop the roof of Paladin HQ, as the sun rose. The two were tired, beaten, only their wills moving them on. Kraven himself seemed to even lose his consciousness for a time, but his body still continued to fight on. Kraven eventually revealed his real name: Yuri Dragovich. Yuri was once a former soldier of the old United States, and he had worked with Black Dragon to see its downfall. Yuri once gad a family, he was once a college student, once a morally upbeat man. However the world brought him down to the man he had become, and Yuri warned Ryder that the same would happen to him. Rather, it had already started. Ryder would, Kraven dying of his exhaustion and his wounds rather than his radiation sickness. Ryder did not seem to stay around for long, he eventually walked away, disillusioned at the world.

Josephine and The Mistress fought on, and Jo seemed to have the upper hand in a single confrontation. Once Josephine managed to disarm The Mistress, it was an easy win for her. However, Josephine had underestimated her opponent. The Mistress did not get to where she was then through combat and fights. She was a manipulator, a mastermind, and she always had a few cards up her sleeves. And it was time one of her ace in the holes revealed themselves. Out of seemingly nowhere, hundreds of red laser aimed at Josephine, she had found herself surrounded by hundreds of soldiers. And their leader was Charles Paladin, the CEO and Founder of Paladin Industries. Through The Mistress had created Heritage for The Future, Charles had built No Man's Land with the full intent of using it as a prison. Though Charles followed The Mistress, he held completely different ideals and had separate goals from her. But in the end, he intended to keep the peace in his city, and for that to happen, The Mistress had to be safe. Charles ordered his soldiers to open fire on Josephine as The Mistress ran. That marked the end of an era for No Man's Land. Soon after, Pugsy and Ivy found Ryder and tired to lead him home. They couldn't find Jo, corpse or otherwise.