Raizo Kodo and the
Forgiven (Visigoth, Inka, Nighteyes, Ghost Blade, Quickshot) are summoned to
the castle of the Moksha Vampire Sect so one of the seers could relate to them
his vision: the Red Hulk is on the path to the Penance Pool….
Not
far away, Red Hulk is on the path to the Penance Pool, harassed by the ghosts of
his fallen comrades, and accompanied by the astral form of Doctor Strange, who
explains the ghosts are trying to make him miss the entry point. The Penance
Pool is said to have the power to remove any curse though it won’t remove the
true source of the torments. Rulk finds the hidden entrance through the
mountains and Strange has to depart, warning Rulk about a guardian of the pool.
A little further along, Rulk is attacked by a huge monster, unaware that the
Forgiven are on his trail. The fear that the Red Hulk could destroy the Penance
Pool, which granted forgiveness to the reformed vampires, motivates them. As
they encounter the dead guardian monster, Inka suggests the Hulk could be
seeking redemption….
As
Red Hulk progresses, he is confronted by ghosts which accuse him of having
failed his duty to them, tormenting him. He smashes one, uselessly, then in his
frustration he smashes his way through the rocks that make up the winding
chasm. Ghost Blade starts zooming around Rulk, warning him not to go to the
pool but Rulk knocks him out with a thunderclap. Visigoth assaults him,
wrestling with Rulk while Quickshot shoots at him, turning to a bat and flying
off when he gets low on ammo. Then Raizo Kodo has all of the Forgiven attack
Rulk at once, biting him, sucking out blood and spitting it out (as they no
longer drink blood). Seeing the vampires succeeding, the hosts are encouraged
to grow as solid as they can and try to hurt Rulk too. But Rulk slams them all
away, heading for the pool as ghosts claim the pool is in another location,
never existed, try to compel him to shoot himself, threaten to haunt Betty, and
more. But the comes to a chasm and hurls himself into the pool below, Kodo
leaping after him. Kodo recalls how the Penance Pool allowed the vampires of
the Forgiven to reject and overcome their bloody natures and so they were
forgiven. And the water also strips the ghosts away from Red Hulk but the
mystery figure watches and warns that Rulk will never be free of him. Kodo
realizes that Red Hulk came for the same reason he and the Forgiven had come,
confessing they were sent after Rulk by some dark figure; he apologizes and
lets Red Hulk know he can call in a favor from the Forgiven when needed. Rulk
is unimpressed as he doesn’t know how he could get in contract with vampires.
Dr. Strange appears in his astral form, suggesting that the solution to his
problem may lie with…the Legion of Monsters….