Fandom Soul Eater: F.A.T.E

[Merciless Medic]

Sara & Eva​

Date: April 12, 2067
Location: Weeping Woods - Northeast Forest Line, Valaam, Republic of Karelia, Russia
Collab with Mook-LandStrider
Interactions: Cyrus, Irina, Adrian, Nadia, Dani
Mentions: N/A
Sir Les Paul RedArmyShogun EmperorsChosen

Eva listened to the information as both Nadia and Cyrus explained what was going on with the trees. Sighing, she relented. “Fair point, they are protected.” She still felt terribly off about the whole subject. Turning her voice, she spoke to Sara. “Sorry, this whole thing makes me uneasy.” Eva explained. “I am glad you decided to ask, I don’t know if I would have done it, but I definitely felt as if I wanted to.”

Sara sighed in relief, her ears falling to the side as her tail wagged to ease the tension in her body. “It’s okay…” She patted the flail’s handle, looking off at the odd trees. “I don’t like it either, but we should grin and bear it.” She said, looking back at the others to mull over the rest of what they said. To be fair, she didn’t really have anything else to say besides Nadia’s proposal to find a way to communicate with each other. Adrian’s idea had some merit, but there was a slight problem with that.

“If it can affect one person out of an entire group that should hear supposedly the same thing, I don’t know if technology would work because then it would be based on the mind. We could try it for now, but I propose hand signs if it doesn’t work out. I had a teacher in DWMA teach some of us a few military hand signs, but I’m quite sure I botched them when I was making hand signs on our way here.” She chuckled sheepishly.

Eva laughed as she kicked off from the ground of her soul space. “Throw up gang signs.” Eva joked, using her hands to form several weird letters and symbols. It was all gibberish but it still amused her.

When Irina said the Spirit Forest was likely being used like how a meister and Demon Weapon would, she looked up at Nadia. “Well, I do know you know Soul Force. I’ve seen you use it back in Paris.” She then looked between Nadia and Adrian. “If we can cause the Leshy to experience rejection like how a meister would feel from their weapon, I think it’d be a good idea. It’s going to suck hurting the forest, but we don’t exactly have any other idea to debilitate him, but we should only really use it when he’s around us. Doing it when we’re further away may let him know where we are and avoid us, I think.” She didn’t sound too sure, but it sounded like something that could happen.

Nodding in agreement Eva spoke from her lantern to the group. “I think waiting to use it until we are near it would probably be the best idea. If only more of us knew that, we could try to force an actual rejection. Would be interesting to see how it happens.” Eva let her mind wander for a few moments. “I can light up a path ahead of us to dispel illusions but you guys will have to keep an eye open for anything after we pass by them.”

 

[Sir Les Paul]

Yutu Tatigat​

"Astor"​

Species Meister (Werewolf)
Location Daedelon Island
Mission An Ancient Quarry


​

Tags: Merciless Medic EmperorsChosen

While Astor was content to merely deflect the bladed feathers, Shiro and Alek took a considerably more proactive approach. What they would soon find is that these birds, as agile as they may be, did not measure up to the superhuman speed of the Meisters. Astor soon found himself thrashing one harpy around while Shiro pelted several of them harshly with stones. Harpies higher in the air had enough distance to dodge these incoming projectiles, but the ones closer took a rough beating. The unluckiest of the harpies were hit in their wings, causing them to drop to the ground. Others wobbled in their flight before ascending, going far beyond the unhurt harpies.

What Shiro likely hadn't considered was the fragile, hollow bones of these creatures. Those stones could have easily killed had they hit a ribcage or skull just ever-so correctly. The harpies with their wings broken were now likely fated to death on the shores. Already, they had failed one of the objectives of the mission. Though, with as many harpies as there were, a few missing likely wouldn't alert the DWMA even if they did investigate.

Astor might have relished in being correct about their decision to back off had he been aware of every danger on the landing. He watched as Alek released the harpy he was swinging around around the same time a larger, more vibrant harpy emerged from the crowd. She was more vibrant. Her feathers almost beautiful in a way, dark crimsons and violets creeping up her wings and into a type of wispy, feathered mane around her neck. A matriarch of some kind. Most notably, she had a beak over her face and her upper body was more avian in structure than the other human-headed harpies.

She let out a violent screech. A painful screech. Something high-pitched and loud enough to shake the air itself. Astor winced at this, his sensitive hearing taking a direct hit from this as if it were a jab from Mike Tyson. His free hand quickly reached up to grab the side of his head over the duration of the screech, which itself lasted a good ten or fifteen seconds.

This served to anger Astor, but it served another purpose as well.

That screech was loud enough to wake the dead. Literally.

From the waters along the bay south of the landing began trudging up semi-transparent human figures. Drowned men. All the victims ever sank and consumed by Charybdis. They were slow and shambling, but as they reached the shores, their ghostly bodies began mending themselves, shifting from grotesque corpses into that of the phantoms of sailors and warriors. The first wave of them had but ten or so, all recent victims in more modern clothing. Out in the waves, however, came hundreds more with each wave depicting men and women in older, even ancient gear. Further out in the water still were the souls of potentially even thousands of victims.

These were the Eidola. Referenced somewhat rarely in Greek mythology, often from prophets, or sometimes in Hades. While it likely wouldn't be put together by the group, the death screech of the harpy awakened the countless victims whose bodies and souls were consumed by the underwater beast tethered to the island. The Eidolon lacked any real power, but were great in number. The Eidola were legion. They were many. They shared the same fate, and if possible, they would drag the Meisters into the waters to share that fate.

These harpies no longer saw themselves as predators. The Meisters were not prey. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, and this was the retribution of the harpies for harming them. Now, they flew up as high as they could and watched patiently to see their vengeance come to fruition.

Astor was enraged and ready to react. He drew another of his blades: one of the Jorguun's Needles. With a blade in each hand, he began to effortlessly slash through the spectral warriors climbing ashore, only to find that their bodies dissipated into a mist once they were destroyed. They were not fast or strong enough to even counter, but there existed no substance there for it to matter. Meanwhile, the beach began to flood with them, and the Eidola had no qualms even racing towards the two downed harpies to drag them to the ocean. That, at the least, would definitely avoid the problem of leaving corpses for the DWMA to find.

That likely wasn't their biggest concern at the moment.

After having cut down his eighth or ninth Eidolon effortlessly, Astor realized how many there truly were with a quick use of his Soul Perception. Already hundreds on the shoreline attempting to swarm and surround them and thousands more swimming up the sea. He grit his teeth. "Gentlemen, I don't believe this is a fight we'll win. I suggest we head due North and adjust our route on the map," Astor suggested, jumping back several paces which in turn brought him further up the short and closer to the Northern treeline, though that would still be a decent run to actually reach. The trees were thin and sparse. They didn't provide any coverage or protection, but they did seem to connect to the forest inland, which did thicken into a tropical field of verdant leaves and foliage.

Astor eyed both of the others intently, but honestly had no intention on remaining here to fight this pointless battle against specters. He didn't know how they worked. Perhaps some of these shades would be far more powerful and present a challenge, but why even deal with it? Escape made the most sense. They were here for a mission, not to stroke their ego by fighting a spectral army. The moment they agreed or saw the beachline become overwhelmingly swarmed, he intended to exactly as he suggested: run straight North.

 

[Sir Les Paul]

With the group in agreement to move into the Weeping Woods, the final leg of their journey had begun. Adrian had offered his spare earpiece to Irina, setting up their digital line of communication. Irina wouldn't be able to speak into it as only one of them had a mic, but she could at least hear. In the event that failed them, Nadia had also went over various hand signals and what they meant, making sure each one of them agreed upon what the gesture was and how it would be used. Alongside Eva periodically trying to disperse illusions, that was about the extent of preparations they could make as a whole.

The forest itself was full of souls. While the trees themselves appeared normal, on a spiritual level, this area was anything but. A thick, dense fog of spiritual energy hung around everywhere. It was overwhelming. In fact, it would eventually prove to make it more difficult to control ones own wavelength. Whereas they were blind before, they could now at least still see the souls inside of these trees. There were common trends. Agony and despair seemed to emanated the strongest off of those with a red, corrupted hue. Those with more pink or even a normal blue color still radiated vague pain, but it was nowhere near as intense. The real issue present was that there were thousands of these trees planted and their pain spread like a disease. Whether it was some complex root system or just the spiritual atmosphere, no soul here went without torture.

Deeper into the Weeping Woods, they would find that many of the most red trees were afflicted with a pinkish-red fungus that grew into the bark, creating cracks and causing a deep brown sap to ooze out, as if bleeding. In many places, that sap had hardened over into a sheen, creating an amber syrup where it had pooled, and crystalizing over the portions of the broken bark where it had seeped out, as if a scab trying to close a wound. Though, so rarely did it close. The fungi were not the typical type seen on trees. Instead, they were pulsing ruber of some type, factually modeled after the Clathrus ruber, and creating imperfect hexagonal meshes around the trees, avoiding places where the sap dripped out. It was almost a grotesque site as the mangled wood and fungi hardly appeared natural or healthy.

Irina took moments to stare at this arrangement, but didn't dare to slow down the pace of the group. As much as she wished she could have researched it or taken samples, there still existed a real danger here.

Another trend soon emerged. All those trees infected by the fungus had no souls in them. What that meant was uncertain, but it was clear and hard law as they progressed forward. The more developed of the fungus as they went deeper into the forest scaled up the trees and even into their limbs where they spawned blue ribs that draped down, releasing their stores for procreation, from purple drapes along the topmost portion of wherever they were attached. The lavender spores they released scattered across the ground and attaching to other foliage, though only sticking to the trees.

Irina speculated that this might be how the Leshy was spreading its power and influence. Infecting these trees with whatever fungus this was, perhaps created or corrupted by the weeping woods. Her mind raced with possibilities. She often mumbled to herself with only Adrian close enough as her guard to hear, and when caught, she simply answered that it was nothing. But, in truth, it was unbridled curiosity. Whatever this was, for better or worse, it was a marriage of magic and nature, perhaps with a far-flung affair of Madness and Corruption. As horrid as that may be, it was also a source of fascination due to its rarity.

Her questions would have to come to an abrupt halt. In fact, so would the others. At first looked like totems of deer skulls guarding the deepest parts of the Weeping Woods where the reddest of skulls and the most intensely infected trees with their violet-lavender blooms of parasitic spores were most dense. Soon enough, they sprang to life, extending out not unlike the treants before. They took humanoid forms with deer skulls for heads, antlers protruding from their body, and various bones including even sets of human and animal skulls comprising their form. To some, these might have been mistaken for the Leshy itself, but in this case, there were of them. They were the guardians of this part of the Weeping Wood, and they did not take kindly to the new intruders.

Both magic and spiritual energy poured off them. They were on a different level than the treants that came before them. This much was obvious to both Irina and all those with Soul Perception. They little time to ask questions or give commands.

The first of these totemic creatures outstretched its arm and from it fired a lengthy stretch of a wooden spike aimed right at the heart of Nadia. It's speed and precision were unlike everything that came before it in the forest, most comparable to an arrow fired from a bow. A surprise quick shot hoping for a quick kill.

The other slammed its fists down into the ground and caused a wave of vines to unleash forward, aimed at Sara, Adrian, and Irina. The speed of these too were such that even Adrian couldn't immediately react to get out of the grasp and Irina only did by freezing the area around her feet to break out of it. Chances were, if Adrian couldn't dodge it off-guard, Sara couldn't either, but Irina quickly leapt as she did before, using the extended cloth from her sleeve to reach a tree, then freeze the ground to make the vines brittle enough to break.

The wood was hard as steel, the speed like the snapping of a mousetrap, and the enemy far greater than the pawns they fought earlier.

"Something else is coming our way," Irina announced, having sensed a far stronger magical signature in the distance now en route to them. "And, it's a lot more powerful than those," she added, her tone showing some sign of worry since the beginning of the mission.

As if they didn't have enough to worry about...

RedArmyShogun Merciless Medic EmperorsChosen Mook-LandStrider​

 

[Mook-LandStrider]

Annika
Romanian Brawl
Sir Les Paul RedArmyShogun Merciless Medic Peckinou The Regal Rper The Regal Rper EmperorsChosen

Seeing the flash of light erupt from the crossbow Annika brought her weapons to the sides of her hips and magnetically locked them there for a moment while spinning out of the way to her right. Bringing her hands up to her pockets she removed two grenades. Clicking the runes on both of them she exited the spin and used the momentum to throw both grenades at her targets. The frost grenade impacted the morningstar pair and immediately caused them to freeze. The second grenade was hurled out towards the crossbow pair.

With her grenades thrown Annika gripped her weapons and deactivated the magnetic lock. Kicking off from the ground she used her speed to very quickly clear the gap. A bolt erupted from the weapon just as she came up on the pair. The bolt passed by her face causing Annika’s hair to puff up. Undaunted, she brought her left weapon down in an arc. Forcing her wavelength into the weapon the chain spun up to speed and caught at the meister’s left shoulder.

Tearing into the meister the work was done in mere moments. Eventually the blade passed through the other end and contacted onto the weapon turned into a crossbow. Impacting the crossbow it didn’t immediately get torn to pieces. Instead, an arc of light erupted from the point of impact as Annika’s soul clashed with the weapon’s. Realizing what her weapon struck and seeing the damage done to the teeth she turned and kicked the crossbow as hard as she could.

The weapon flew and struck a tree. “Alright, we have one pair alive.” Annika said, now surveying the battlefield. She watched Gauss deal with the bloodsuckers, knowing that he could handle them considering the two weapons he had. Taking stock of her surroundings she looked at her chainblades. The damage on the belts was pretty decent. She knew they would hold up for another fight but wouldn’t last a whole lot longer.
​

 

[RedArmyShogun]

~~~Mountain Path to Calimani - Calimani Village~~~
​

As the actions of the team played out, the Vampire was incinerated, letting out a shill scream as she fell, the flames licking out and starting a sporadic fire upon the hillside, while the zone may have been limited the sheer heat of such fire was not. It was a small miracle that the gunmen at the Vampire's literal feet were catching small amounts of the fire upon them rather than catching up in falmes at once. Soon after the magazine in the rifle exploded with loud pops that could be heard far and wide in rapid succession, the ammo cooking off, likely scaring the piss out of anyone that didn't know the physics behind ammunition cooking off and even then likely scaring some of those.

It was with Annika's actions that an amused cackle sound out from around the trees and hills, rocks rolling and silence settling over the area, as the reason for it became immediately obvious, the weapon formed back into a human, knocked out and as weak as the rest, just as the blade slid home. Vampiric Magics were at work here, likely an illusion, one of those balls of observation from before, with a blood totem nearby. The thralldom on all the weapons and Meisters was released as a taunting reply echoed forth.

"Aww, you killed a man that meant you no harm... Do continue to entertain me."

While not worked to the bone, all of those who were enthralled were in rough shape. The Baroness seemingly didn't run a charnel house at the least, though her sudden and casual release of thralls that no longer served a purpose which wasn't too common among her kind. Though it did mean the closer they got the stronger she would become. As the team recovered it would be agreed upon that the Agent pair would help the enthralled, chiefly as she was the only one that knew how to speak Romanian. She would follow them and do what she could for the collapsed and fallen.

Upon entering the outskirts and village proper of Calimani the scene was much as before, empty streets, closed windows, the sounds of life absent, up ahead just dimly was a tall chair, a figure seated at it, with another at the side. Was the Baroness here to greet them? Between the diversions and travel time, the sun was finally setting, the early spring sun still aligned closer to winter than summer. And why would she be out?

That became brutally and immediately obvious as enthralled, hypnotized and the terrified and pressed into service normal civilians came into view, all around them were a collection of police officers, crucified in the village center, lashed to utility poles, the stench of death hung over the village and every man, woman and child was armed with pitchforks, axes, wooden spears, scythes and knives. Some more willingly than others, intermixed among them was a lone farmer with a white and bushy beard and a double-barreled shotgun. Unironically the most dangerous one here.

A test was put before the DWMA, try and bypass the crowd and be given a death by a thousand cuts or risk the normal among the number being killed, or to take them apart carefully. Though it was possible they could just barrel through them and advance.

Merciless Medic Sir Les Paul Mook-LandStrider Peckinou

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Maria Mayer - Scorpion Cavern​

Going down into the bit below as the magic worked, well, its magic, Maria had her demon tool wires deployed, making full use of the spoils on her back to send her dolls out into a criss cross pattern, lances digging into the dullard enemy, gore and bits exploded here and there as her human sized doll joined the fray, the Sorceress Witch joining the fray personally as she walked forward, finishing off the stragglers with the array of wind based spells she had learned and showed off her push and pull spells, picking up the claws or stingers of her defeated foes to direct them into another.

While Rand thought Maria was sticking to her comfort zone, she was also utilizing everything she had been taught, none of it was wasted. It was just her core means of fighting, being a frontline witch, was not going to change, her psychotic giggles and laughs affirming that she personally liked fighting this way. What else had she incorporated into her new production dolls? Like a whirlwind of destruction she cut and cleaved, dancing her way to the earthen bunker before clearing the area around it as her dolls were splattered in the scorpion coup, more so on the weapons, which she commanded the dolls to sling off, to protect the blades from corrosion and rust.

It was soon after that she found both she and Ark had killed them all. Minus the nests, which she pondered how best to destroy, as she commanded her dolls to kill what infant creatures turned up, out of practicality. Then Raph and Rand had arrived. Keeping a watchful eye, the literal flaming eye design of her magelight looking at the caveran around them, akin to the eye of Sauron she scanned the whole field, before turning her attention to the agents and the speaking Rand.

"Ah! How quaint! You all are more together and alive than I feared! Settling down in the nest and food storage to a hive, ha, so it was on purpose... I see, I see... Hahaha. Ah... Hmm?"

Taking note of the wounded Agent and hearing her orders, it was Maria's nature to serve order, to build, create, repair, construct. She took to her materials and offered the man a chunk of wood, she would set the bone in place if it needed it, then split and wrap it. "Bite this if you need it."

"Would it make you feel better if I said most of us are technically sorcerers? One should not look a gift horse in the mouth, we were called here from another mission. But if it makes you feel better or worse, we are FATE agents as well." She says, of the questioning stutter. She had a history of confrontation when it came to her own efforts being looked down upon, be it from Man or Witches, and the former she had even less to fear.

Merciless Medic The Regal Rper Sir Les Paul

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Nadia Semyonov - Daniella Ethalyn - Valaam Island, Russia

​

The further they got into the woods, the worse the situation became. The souls more tormented, like the throes of madness, linking one chain to another, the DWMA rules were those the former ganger would follow, had followed. But she would be making several official complaints about this forest, to the office in Moscow, the office in America, the Priests that oversaw this, even to Cyrus if she must. At least Dani could not see what she did as she dipped into soul perception, though the hardening of her Jaw and gaze in her eyes showed her contempt for this forest.

Hopefully the rest remembered those hand signs.

Dani softly grumbled the deeper they traveled in. She didn’t have much practice with soul perception, but the raw negative emotions from the souls here still weighed on her and it made her all the more uneasy, antsy even. Honestly, she preferred it when they were being attacked, and the silence only played on her nerves further. However, she refrained from speaking to avoid giving way to further manipulation or distraction. On the one hand, Dani presumed speech within their soul space was safe, but it wasn’t as if she know how the trickery worked.

They would eventually come upon eerie totems with rot and spores littering the flora. The tension was so thick by this point that Dani would have jumped when the totems moved, mimicking some half wooden, half bone creature. Two of them, one shooting projectiles at Nadia and the other slamming its fist at the others.

‘I TOLD YOU THERE WAS A FUCKING WENDIGO!’

‘That’s no Wendigo, though that stronger thing I bet is the Leshy.’

Watching and waiting as the highspeed stake she waited, waited and suddenly stepped to her left, swinging Dani at full speed into the upcoming stake, sending it flying far from her with a CLANG!

“Engage the enemy, confirm any strange orders or relay directions by hand! No way this other thing that is coming is not the Leshy. Do not trust all that you hear and see past a point, stay together, watch my hands! Unless GRU has been out here, no way he knows what I signal.”

Nadia said over the comms. With that she held her left fist out to the side, instructing them to make a line against the enemy as best as they could, before then shifting her left hand up with index finger extended, circling her hand counterclockwise and then pointing at a purple tree in the distance, or rather a path to its immediate left. She would explain why there some other time, she found it odd she was trusting the word of a man that some did not think existed, but this situation was not to their advantage as she rushed into the Wendigo Treant as Dani thought of it.

‘It’s got a fuckin’ wendigo-lookin-ass face and body. Or a fuckin’ skinwalker,’ Dani relied in retort. ‘I thought this fuck was on his last legs after last time, but he still has these shits?’

‘Dani, a cornered beast fights the hardest. Danger will not end till it is dead and hopefully these spores, which I think are siphoning off the souls, are not… dangerous to us. Either way I’ll recommend this whole area be set on fire or at least censured when we return.’

‘Maybe we should’ve taken the lantern’s suggestion…’ Dani remarked.

‘We don’t know what that will do. These trees however, they aren’t… right… For now focus on the battle.’


Interactions: Sir Les Paul Merciless Medic EmperorsChosen Mook-LandStrider

 

[Sir Les Paul]

Wendigo. Treant. Those words were wrong. These totemic creatures eclipsed all foes that came before them. They reacted quicker. Their actions more fluid. Their bodies stronger, their attacks faster, their bark harder.

Nadia and Dani might have been able to deflect the projectile, but they hardly halted it. A fraction of a second after its trajectory was derailed, it lost its momentum entirely and became prehensile. The head of the deflected wooden missile looped back around, now returning to the creature that launched it while also attempting to tangle Nadia within it from behind. Simultaneously, the same creature lunged forward with a stomping motion, sending a cone-like flurry of wooden spikes through the ground just as the other did. The creature seemed to function on the premise that the best defense was a good offense.

The purple tree Nadia referenced prior was not purple due to the tree itself, but more so, the overgrown fungi on it. Unlike the others that were in various stages of development, this tree was considerably larger, half-rotted, and almost entirely covered in vibrant purple ribbing that periodically released spores into the wilderness around. The fungi itself nearly doubled the size of the tree in volume, making thicker and wider as each of its limbs, even those broken or slumped by the weight, supported enormous rows of fungal gills. The last few leaves of the tree were exclusively at its top where the fungus had the most difficulty reaching, but even those did not appear healthy. Regardless, if any tree could be described as "the purple one" in the forest, it was this one. The reddish hues of the hexagonal patterned fungal growths on the others had shifted entirely to purple, essentially giving the tree a color schemed of a dead, dark brown, a vibrant purple, and scarce green leaves at its top.

Meanwhile, Adrian and Irina were facing their own issues. Adrian was unable to stab through his bindings to free himself alone. It wasn't until they were frozen could they even be picked at and broken. This proved to be a much more difficult situation than their previous encounter. The wood now was so hard and durable that they could not have freed themselves in time to dodge, even with the ground being frozen. The result was that Adrian elected to transform both of his arms into the doors of his Iron Maiden and simply absorb the brunt of the incoming wooden spikes at face value. That proved sufficient to block the attack, but only barely.

Worse was that Irina as she tried to freeze more and more of the wood demonstrated it was resistant to the cold. Only ever having its most outer layer frozen to flake off. Switching to fire only darkened that same wooden flesh. When directed at the creature that first attacked Sara and Adrian, it was quick to conjure an undergrowth of vines to block of the blaze entirely.

Even if Nadia attempted to slash or hack at this wood in the same vein as the others, it would prove just as futile. Rubber mallets mashing against steel beams. At best, they made dents and dings.

This was not a fight they could win in their current state.

RedArmyShogun Merciless Medic EmperorsChosen Mook-LandStrider​

 

[The Regal Rper]

Ark | Mojave Desert | Rings: 0/3

The process was smooth and simple. Finishing what remained and then getting the agents out was the goal. Once all were dead, Ark used Seismic Sense to determine the state of the One Stars, and once Rand announced their presence, the sense of relief he felt hearing any of their voices, was more than what he had expected.

His shoulders, stiff the whole trip, something he hadn't even noticed, relaxed only slightly as he placed both hands on his hips. Letting out a loud exhale from his nose.

Rand however made a fine point. Having One Star rookies participate in this sort of activity anymore wasn't a good idea. Not with how far these scorpions had evolved.

At Rand's call, he followed after him. The final part of this was to burn everything down, and that, he for certain, had no qualms on doing. With the magic circle set and their target aligned for the cooking, Ark's grimoire glowed as he channeled fire magic into the magic circle with his hand pointed at it.

"Good riddance." He said in a deeper tone of satisfaction. He wanted all of these things gone.

At the One Star's question however, Ark chose not to reply. He could hear that sense of surprise in his voice, and to him, it sounded like they were the last type expected to save them or come to their aid.

What was that old saying he heard back in the U.K. a long time ago? Something that had pissed him off enough to engage, what his friends had said, was a goading attempt to get him into a fight?

DWMA looks after is own, and its own alone.

Granted, he'd kicked that guy's ass or they'd gotten into it badly enough the argument had to be cut short before he started using his spells or the other person started using their partner; his memory was vague on the person's face but he recalled that sense of occasional tension between a few Mages and DWMA Agents, here and there in the UK back in his early days of starting out. It wasn't everywhere, but it still existed and had its way of getting around in the form of rumors or scare tactics especially to fresh entries. These kids, clearly weren't any different.

He recalled a lot of the stuff he'd heard upon joining the Guild- most of which, given his lineage, had just been social manipulation attempts at securing him with a clique. Though DWMA Agent by extension he knew there was a sense of 'rivalry' between Mages and DWMA Agents. Always had been ever since the Guild gained enough members as part of its more magically focused branch. The Witches back then had been pushed heavily by Kidd in the early days to make good impressions with every mission they were a part of, after the Treaty and again, after the Second Hunt. That had bloomed into a amicable rivarly or at least a sense of competition to encourage agents to work not only together more but increase interpersonal relations and avoiding an 'us-vs-them mentality', something neither side needed.

He'd never really considered that factoring in to any of their reactions, it hadn't crossed his mind in years but if they were rookies, fresh in EAT by a few years or less, they'd likely be more familiar with things over time and probably had more experience with word-by-mouth than any profound personal experience.

If this impression of Guild Agents rescuing them did anything, he expected it to be something of an improvement at the very least. It wasn't like if another team had been sent, the rookies would get mistreated or anything, but still, first impressions were always and would always be, everything. Especially on rookies.

That was something his grandmother had always advised him to be mindful of, and though he didn't say anything yet, he would, depending on what Raph and Maria or even Rand said in response as he accomplished his task of burning all these cretins away.

Mentions: n/a

Interactions:: Merciless Medic Sir Les Paul RedArmyShogun

 

[The Regal Rper]

Swamp Man

• Part I
• Part II
• Part III

• 
  
  
  There was a shift, not sudden but stained in abnormality. The further they walked, the less clear the air became. Following the route was like walking ever deeper into a meat freezer. The further they went, the colder it became and the more fog seemed to appear.
  
  Here and now, that sensation from before became clear, that passing phantom of a presence at the start stuck out here like an itch and it clicked almost suddenly. Magic, or at least the sensation of the frog man’s magic. That was what she had sensed from the start before it was gone. Now walking through the quite transparent fog, if it could be truly called that, it became clear that just as before, the magic was slowly fading.
  
  Having reached a strategically sound distance, Soul perception gave insight into what their eyes could not see through the array of trees they stood in. There were nine souls.
  
  And both saw the souls differently.
  
  Elly saw six bloodsuckers, a single unnatural soul, and two human souls.
  
  Midori saw six bloodsuckers, and three human souls.
  
  The Enforcer clearly was at the center of the magic.To Midori’s senses it appeared weak, and given the human soul that surrounded that magic it might have even been quite odd- Elly however pierced through the Soul Protect with ease- all it took was a closer examination and meager focus and his contained soul- flourished to her senses.
  
  It was much stronger than the sudden feeling of those two human souls from earlier. Too strong- and that- sucked her in.
  
  It swept up her focus in what almost felt like a wave as soon as she gave it her full attention. The frogman's magical presence ebbed, but now that her attention was on it, it ebbed with a sense of pressure- like a growing weight. Up and down, with every pulse.
  
  What made it worse, were the hidden emotions she could pick up that he did not seem to care to hide on the surface.
  
  
  Something must have happened, for what followed immediately after..
  
  Super Soul Protection’s greatest power was its clarity, but that too could be a weakness.
  
  Faintly aware that the Bloodsuckers had reached the Frogman, his frustration and fury spiked. It was like an explosion and the concussive force that followed it, except instead of blowing her back it drew her deeper in.
  
  There were emotions that flew through her she didn’t even know. Didn’t even understand. But there were a few she knew of, had seen on others, or witnessed others go through given her old life and the gritty work it involved.
  
  The most prominent was anger. Anger, followed by frustration. Followed by murderous rage, followed by grief and disappointment. They came not as one but all at once and each one, the strength of her perception forced her to examine, washing over her like a bucket of frozen water.
  
  It happened in an instant, but it did nothing for Midori, but everything for her. Maybe he took felt a fraction of what she felt through the resonance or maybe he took was dragged in with her. Like being shaken in the car they had ridden, there was a sudden sense of force pulling on her shoulders. There was this almost out-of-body experience of being both aware you were standing still but also feeling like you were being shaken around while feeling a force from above.
  
  It was like having to do a lift without any real preparation. Like being thrown weights and having to catch them before being dragged down by gravity. Dizzying, almost suffocating as the frogman’s irritations seemed to die down suddenly.
  
  Then all of that was gone- her concentration, sucked in by the presence of his soul’s magical weight, snapped like a rubber band stretched beyond its limits- releasing her from his brief emotional hold- Elly was released.
  
  ‘What was that other one, Kappa? Or, no that’s more of a turtle I think,’ Elly mused, moving from tree to tree and using the natural cover of the other flora to approach the area. ‘I’m not a ninja, but this isn’t my first assignment where I’ve had to be stealthy.’ She didn’t sound very offended, more so pointing something out.
  
  As they grew closer and the signatures became more clear, Elly’s encroachment slowed. She focused a bit more, trying to pinpoint what the odd one out was when it hit her. In one beat, her movement stalled. Silently, her body jolted before growing rigid and stiff. Her grip instinctively tightened around Midori and her breath hitched slightly. Finally, her footing stumbled slightly and she took cover around the trunk of a nearby tree.
  
  Midori may not have been subject to the same odd interaction Elly was, but he could feel the residual emotions radiating from her soul. He didn’t waste time postulating what it was. Given what he once could do with his spiritual energy, he knew all too well that it could have intense and abnormal effects. All that mattered in that instance was that he ruled out Madness, as he couldn’t fathom how she would have felt that but not he, and magic, given no normal magic should be able to affect the psyche as that did.
  
  While Elly composed herself, Midori assisted. The skills of a well-trained Demon Weapon extended far beyond just releasing a torrent of power. Anger, fear, anxiety–it all impacted the sympathetic nervous system. Releases of adrenaline, spikes in heart rate, a clouded mind. It was all important. A sound soul dwelled within a sound mind and a sound body, after all.
  
  Midori reacted not verbally, but with his regulation. He extended his wavelength into her and stabilized it, smoothing out the peaks and valleys that brief fritz would cause. He was not so skilled that he could soothe nerves, but by keeping her soul itself stable, her body and mind would be less prone to overreacting. Given his prowess at remaining calm in damning situations, translating that same skill over to her only further assisted that cause.
  
  She exhaled slowly, moderating her breath to steady herself again. ‘I don’t like whatever that is,’ Elly said with a subtle hint of irritation in her voice. ‘Six Bloodsuckers, two Human Souls… and something else. I can’t identify what it is, but it’s stronger than it looks at first glance…’
  
  Pushing herself off the trunk, Elly let her fingertips trace the bowstring, ready to pull it back as she encroached further. The bowstring itself was merely a fabrication of her own wavelength. Her wavelength coursed through him and manifested both the string she pulled and the arrow that was subsequently generated because of it. This in turn gave the arrow some of the traits of her Incognito Soul, which wasn’t nominally useful as any amount of spiritual energy flung in the direction of someone could be assumed as dangerous.
  
  ’My vote goes to shooting at the unknown first. We lose our element of surprise after our first attack, so eliminating the biggest threat is logical,’ Midori explained, his tone as cold as the facts he spewed. Ultimately, the decision was up to her. His arrow went where she aimed, and more so could home on a target if she focused on its signature. He was but her vessel for slaughter. ’I can’t imagine he would be that weak. Anyone wanting to hide their presence is probably doing so for a dangerous reason,’ he added, only adding another layer to his rationale.
  
  ‘Sound familiar?’ Elly inquired in jest to Midori, however she nonetheless took his advice, finding the suggestion agreeable. As she grew closer, the souls stood out more clearly and Elly became more confident in her aim. Drawing the string back, she sent her wavelength through to Midori to charge the projectile. Even if she had more frequently utilized firearms than bows, her experience with complex resonance was a given as her wavelength control demonstrated familiarity. Lining her aim at the unusual soul from the flora, she steadied her grip before releasing the projectile toward the spirit.
  
  Like a hive mind, six pairs of eyes turned in the direction of Midori and Elly, all at once, human features morphing into pale imitations of their former selves, tiny veins bulging around their altering eyes. Yet even as they simultaneously turned it took only two seconds for the arrow to reach its target.
  
  Zulal turned his attention to the attack in that moment, and the arrow struck, ripping through clothing in a spray of droplets and water, passing through his palm before stopping midway.
  
  They all stood still for a moment as the human in wet clothing glanced with a calm expression volatile spirit arrow embedded in his hand before it faded, leaving a hole that wept purple ichor from the open wound.
  
  His soul pulsed and the full weight of Zulal's magical presence was released as Soul Protect broke, striking Elly's senses again like a smashing wave that threatened to draw her out to sea. The fog became denser, almost heavier, the air becoming more humid, and as this occurred it was at that same moment two bloodsuckers moved in the direction of Midori and Elly instantly. The other four followed as pairs, two leading while another two stayed further in front of the frogman.
  
  One lesser bloodsucker shifted it's hand into claws, nails long, abnormally sharp. The other launched itself into the air, right into the thicker of branches and there was an audible crack and snap as branches were shattered, and make shift splinters were hurled like spears from above in Midori and Elly's direction as the first pointed it's hand out and fired it's nails in a arcing linear path.
  
  ‘Perfect…’ Elly said disappointedly. She knew the moment of that the arrow hadn’t taken out its target and now the bloodsuckers were on them.
  
  Bounding backward to gain distance, Elly spun behind one of the tree trunks to shield her from the projectiles. Focusing on the signature of the bloodsucker, she drew back the bowstring before peeking around and letting the projectile fly. The fog made things difficult sight-wise, but thankfully she could compensate by tracking the souls rather than their physical body.
  
  ’If you do this well with a bow, I’d love to see you with a Tommy-Gun,’ Midori commented, taking a shot at her former career path.
  
  ’Wanna try to learn a new technique on the fly?’ Midori asked, his tone shifting quick and realizing there was a technique here that might be incredibly useful for Elly to use–if she could execute it.
  
  ‘Oh, I’m sure you would~. Though, I like weapons with more precision,’ Elly replied on the move. ‘Depends. What’d you have in mind?’
  
  ’A guided triple shot,’ Midori answered swiftly, ’A scattershot might backfire, but the triple shot is easier–just a little draining.’
  
  ‘Well, if you give me the short version of the tutorial, I’ll give it a go,’ Elly agreed in turn.
  
  ’Four fingers on the bowstring, give me as much of your wavelength as you can, lock onto the signatures you want them to hit–then I do the rest,’ Midori quickly told her. ’You’d think it’d use three times the energy, but it’s closer to five. Just be aware of your stamina,’ he offered as an additional warning.
  
  Putting some distance, Elly turned and ran four fingers along the bowstring, drawing it back with steady breaths. She did as instructed, focusing as much wavelength as she possibly could while focusing on three signatures, the front-most pair and one in the second line. She took an extra several moments of concentration before releasing the string and letting out a huff. ‘I can tell… But, I like it.’
  
  The one in the air was struck in the midsection as it hit the ground, it's frontal partner, attempted a dodge, only to be slashed by the arrow as it unexpectedly curved and drew a weeping line along it's lower exposed side, the third curved after it's target as it was already dashing for cover, and struck but with a heavier thunk as it slashed through the wood of bark instead of the flesh of undead.
  
  One down, one injured.
  
  The injured bloodsucker grabbed the body of it's downed ally, and rushed forward.
  
  A third and fourth dispersing to the sides, moving rapidly as they went around Elly creating a wider space between them compared to the one charging rapidly towards her. Red eyes glinting unnaturally in the magical faint fog. Though it's foot falls were rapid there was a disturbing softness to every beat as it approached, closing in to narrow the gap.
  
  ‘Blades,’ Elly said tersely. Two flanking the side while the first was relentless in its charge, now carrying with him a shield. While she liked to keep a distance from her opponents, Midori was the first of her partners with multiple forms, and she was intent on making use of that perk. The natural boon to her physical attributes was welcome too.
  
  After he transformed, Elly dashed forward toward the vampire facing her front. Drawing close to him, she suddenly dipped and slid beneath him whilst slicing at his feet to immobilize him. Then, with deft precision, she spun around and staked the bloodsucker with one of the blades. A showcase of that knife specialty she talked about, striking at weak-points, then vitals.
  
  The staked one died instantly- the grounded one missed Elly by the brush of her hair- good fortune saving her more than speed in the instant his fingers failed to close around the tendrils of her whipping locks as she dipped below and threw him off his balance entirely. While he struck the ground, his partner moved forward.
  
  Two down, four remaining- and to her senses, with a sudden increase of its speed- one lesser moved suddenly behind her. Slashing with claws down towards her while another arm guarded its exposed midsection. Bulging with vein and muscle as if it were an iron defense. As the female lesser attacked, its fallen ally sank its fangs into the body of its shield, still dripping blood. And as it did, slashed wounds healed ever so slowly. The damage done to its legs was barely fully repaired- but enough for it to shove the shriveled carcass to the side and shift to all fours as bones cracked and it adjusted its position.
  
  The third, a female lesser, followed through on the retreat of Elly’s likely dodge- it brought the defending arm up and shifted her stance to deliver a boxer’s jab- aiming to push Elly back and in the same moment its partner that Elly hadn’t fully killed but briefly immobilized moved hastily on all fours, like a wounded animal but with desperation in her direction in an attempt to cut off further movement.
  
  Of course it couldn’t be that easy. They moved like a pack of animals. The swipe cut awfully close, tearing a bit of her dress as Elly bounced back to evade it. However, her retreat wasn’t a full one as she immediately lunged forward, thrusting the right blade not towards the lesser’s body, but at the clawed hand that struck at her. Then, she cut down at the wrist with the left sword to free the claw from the rest of its appendage.
  
  Spinning around, Elly slung the claw toward the vampire attempting a boxing stance before she charged in the direction of the crawling bloodsucker. Instead of diving below, Elly dipped down before leaping over the former human, rotating her body in the air to cleave into its head as she passed. As her feet touched the ground, she executed the vampire with a thrust in the back much as she had their partner.
  
  The lesser female had already retreated back to her partners as the head landed redundantly on the ground and Elly landed. She was fast. Possibly faster than the others.
  
  ’I can’t help but think we’d have had this done already if we worked on that Resonance,’ Midori chimed in, his tone slightly more playful or teasing at the end with its raise in pitch. ’Faster, stronger… maybe some feints, extend the reach of my blades… he listed, just going over the advantages such a skill would have. Of course, they had Complex Resonance down for the ranged attacks, but not much more. If pushed, they might be able to pull it off; it’s not as if neither of them were unfamiliar with the technique or unskilled.
  
  He pondered if Elly could ever learn to create an after image. It took years of training in the Old Ways. Zosar probably wouldn’t even get near it and he was training with the masters. Still… an interesting thought.
  
  ‘It also hasn’t been that long since you were coaxed into being my partner,’ Elly justified. Of course, she’d prefer to familiarize herself with her weapon, however they didn’t have that much time prior to this mission. ‘Perhaps I also could’ve taught you to enjoy that polearm form a tad.’
  
  A spear made of water came rushing forward, right past the head of the unsuspecting female bloodsucker who froze in the moment as it soared past her and straight at Midori and Elly, aiming for Elly's foot, dodging, for once, didn't quite matter, the spear contracted before it even hit the ground then exploded, pushing outwards omnidirectionally with it's load of water at a cold temperature, furthering the distance.
  
  "What are you waiting for? Kill them already!" One of the other rear guards at the front could be heard yelling at Zulal.
  
  The look he shot the redhead lesser's way made her shut her trap with a fanged scowl. "Move up." Was the Endorcer's command.
  
  There was a look from the redhead as she was about to make a statement.
  
  The temperature dropped enough to make the chill much more noticeable. And immediately anything the redhead was going to say died on her tongue.
  
  The Enforcer rose that same injured wet human hand and held it out as if waiting for something And in a near instant, faster than Elly's eyes could keep track, like a magic trick he levitated a polearm, a spear made of water that froze at his touching grip and turned instantaneously into ice.
  
  
  
  
  
• 
  
  
  
  The three bloodsuckers charged, blitzing. Faster this time than they had been before.
  
  They were taking her seriously now. Losses didn't matter to them. There wasn't even a shred of anger at the death of the one Elly had just killed. The Baroness could always make more of them anyway.
  
  Zulal did not blitz however, he remained where he was. And then he twirled the ice spear around in the air, and released it where it levitated on its own.
  
  "Osc." His voice rang deep, "the girl's partner has multiple forms. Use that to your advantage. And be careful with her partner." He slipped the glasses he had pulled out back into his pocket. "He's no ordinary Weapon."
  
  Then faster than a blink, more of a blur, the spear vanished with a pass of wind, and one of the Bloodsuckers jumped, catching, the male one, likely Osc, and used one of the trees like a trampoline, bark cracking under his force as he launched off it like a arrow straight at Elly, twisting with speed to use the spear against her.
  
  The other two female Bloodsucker following his attack immediately after.
  
  Elly poised herself, ready to react as she retracted the blade in the now deceased bloodsucker. However, the liquid sphere dispersed just before it had struck her. Elly turned her gaze to the stationary vampires and Zulal. She let a friendly smirk creep on her face as her stance relaxed a bit. “Oh come now, you’re going to let him speak to you like that? Where’s that Bloodsucker pride?” She cooed with a tilt of her head before they began their attack again.
  
  However, it was not cockiness. As Midori was familiar with by this point, she was doing her thing, which encompassed getting under her enemies’ skin or in their head. The moment their charge commenced, her stance shifted to one of preparation as she braced. ‘Sorry love. Trident,’ She requested, focusing her attention on the airborn lesser with the water spear.
  
  Now, they both had range. The difference was that Elly had far more maneuverability on the ground than the vampire did in the air. All she had to do was shift her body and brace the trident, and the attempt to skewer him failed.
  
  She miscalculated where he was going, Osc hadn't been aiming right at her, he'd been aiming close to her. When she threw the trident forward on his approach he displayed a surprising skill of acrobats, muscle control agility and reflex all at once. Already prepped to strike, he turned it into a twist and smashed the spear against the trident's prongs with much greater force than might have been anticipated given how scrawny the lesser looked. And when the polearm slashed together, the force not only threw Elly's arms to the side pushing Midori completely out of his path and slowing a possible counter, it also sent Elly's feet sliding along the growing dew that coated the fog covered ground.
  
  He landed, twisting immediately and the spear, chipped but not useless, flew diagonally downwards as he was a blur of motion. There was the hiss of wind, and Elly felt the razor sharp slash of air as the sliding motion aided her in creating distance.
  
  Unharmed, save for a clump of her hair severed and falling towards the ground that caught her eye.
  
  Osc moved forwards immediately, and as if they had pulled weapons from nowhere, Red and Blonde pulled ice made knives and spear from their air as it formed in their hands. Red with the knives threw one immediately with the distance Elly had to force her to block, Blond followed up with a stabbing motion from the side as Osc moved in to engage Elly once more.
  
  Zulal watched, not moving an inch forward to aid his subordinates.
  
  "No better than those fucking mercenaries." Osc replied as he drew near. Disgust thick in his voice. "I wasn't always a vampire. Save your trash talk for someone that cares.” The spear snapped in half becoming two short spears. Osc followed up on Blond's attack. "The fuck were you people when we needed you?" He snarled and moved in to engage.
  
  Elly frowned slightly as her brace was avoided, she moved to avoid the counter attack, losing some strands of hair in the process. Nonetheless, she didn’t break character. The fact the bloodsucker replied and with such animosity proved that a little banter was worth it.
  
  She paused a moment to look at Osc with a quizzical expression. “Well… yes, dear. Isn’t that how bloodsuckers work? You don’t exactly get born as one… Are you confused?” Taunting him further to see if she could get a rise and opening out of him.
  
  The ruse didn't work as he closed in.
  
  Swiveling the bident, Elly batted the thrown knife, smashing the ice into glittering shards. Swapping targets, she transitioned fluidly from defending against the thrown knife into attempting to skewer Blond whilst still facing Red. The effort was blocked by the hardened icicle spear but instead of being blocked entirely, the move allowed Elly to lock the tongues of the bident against the spear when Blond blocked her assault, ice pieces chipping. Using that leverage, Elly made a move, yanking Blond into Osc's line.
  
  Blond one upped her by physically snapping the head of the spear off and in the close range, made a slashing motion at Elly's nearest hand on the staff.
  
  Osc, proved more agile than anticipated. He had the agility of an acrobat. Something that must have transitioned over from his last life. His movement shifted to swing around the two as Blond forced Elly into a locked cqc as he came across Elly's back on the rightmost side. His expression enhanced by the blood red pupils and discolored sclera. With a stabbing motion, that could have been legit or feint with one of the short spears he attacked.
  
  The redhead followed suit, throwing the other icicle blade at Elly's lower half, going low. Aiming for leg or hip.
  
  ‘Sword.’ As Midori’s form shifted back to the blades, Elly’s hands separated from each other as the icy shiv came down, allowing it to graze past nothingness. She was quick to bring the blades back toward Blond’s hand like scissors in an attempt to sever the limb from the main appendage.
  
  It worked, partially, severing the tips of three fingers, and forcing Blond to jerk her arm backwards and create some distance.
  
  Tucking in her stomach, Elly twisted her body slightly to allow the ice dagger to graze her hip before she moved forward, gliding one of the twin blades along the length of Osc’s spear to keep it from being turned against her. Then she moved forward with the other sword to go for a quick cleave at his throat.
  
  The other weapon in his hand blocked that with a clink, and the super strength of that same arm shoved the blade away with a sweep. Just like her, using the slipperiness of the ground, he used the sliding momentum to bring the butt of the spear up, and swatted at Elly’s unused other hand in counter to her follow up. Yet the blonde as she recovered was moving in with her working hand to try and cover her mistake with the jagged part of the broken spearhead. Redhead dashing forward to follow suit as a weapon of ice materialized into her hand, an assassin’s dagger.
  
  The two closed in like animals on her side while Osc required more of Elly’s focus than the latter.
  
  With both parties’ attacks deflected by the other and two more closing in on her, Elly need to react quickly to get out of the poor situation. ‘Get ready to shift to bow again. We’ll be using that technique from earlier,’ She warned through their link ahead of time, twirling the grips so that they were held in a reverse grip. She positioned the blades to mimic a sort of grappling hook with the way her hands held the swords to create a secure latch. Of course, it made it difficult to follow-up with an attack, but that wasn’t what Elly was going for yet.
  
  Suddenly, she pushed herself off the ground with a leap, planting both feet on the chest of Osc before pushing off with great force. It wasn’t intended as a kick at the bloodsucker, but rather to vault her back and over the two enemies advancing on her flank. ‘Bow,’ She requested at the same time, dismantling the grapple she had created for leverage to allow herself to fly over Blond and Redhead.
  
  Drawing back on the bowstring in the air as she honed in on the wavelengths of all three, Elly landed with a slide and released to unleash the seeking arrows they had used before.
  
  All three flew even as each bloodsucker attempted to react, save for the third aimed at Osc which instead of piercing through him he deflected with the spear shattering, causing shards of sharp ice to hit him while the volatile arrow was sent astray elsewhere, ice cutting a slash into the flesh of his right leg as he leaped backwards and landed with a scowl not far from Zulal’s side.
  
  The other two bloodsuckers did not rise. And Zulal’s disinterest and lack of concern said enough about how he felt on that matter.
  
  “Are you alright?” He asked aloud- an odd question since when he said it he was looking at Elly.
  
  Osc rose with controlled anger written all over his face. “Fine.” He said tightly.
  
  “You have two options now.” Zulal followed on with Elly. “We can continue this charade and you can learn nothing in return, or you can hear what I have to say and let him go in exchange for me no longer wasting your time. Your friends will likely need your help if you’re to put an end[/color]” he waved his uninjured hand freely, “to all of this nonsense.”
  
  “If you think you’re fine wasting both our time, feel free to pursue the quest of killing both of us” Zulal stated, as if he already knew what was on their mind, and from his own disposition there wasn’t a shred of fear as he said it.
  
  There was the acceptance that Elly could feel clearly from him though which made it all the more clear to piece together he’d never expected to win this fight to begin with.
  
  “but if you’d rather go after the Baroness, I have information that I can provide to get rid of both our problems. Whether your group is successful or not, won’t be my problem anymore if you choose to let me go. But--” he nodded to Osc. “I would suggest leaving him be. Like many of her soldiers who haven’t completely been corrupted, he’s a victim here, even if he is following her orders.”
  
  Standing to her feet, Elly kept her hand on the bowstring regardless. Listening to what he had to say, it was odd that this enforcer was displaying some care for the lackeys he had thrown at her, or one of them at least. Stranger still, he was more concerned with the safety of that Osc. “Well, that’s a bit interesting. Our main concern was you coming in and stabbing us in the back while we were busy. If you never showed up or even just left, you could’ve saved both our time from said charade in the first place.”
  
  ‘What do you think? He seems genuine enough from what I can see,’ She asked.
  
  ’We haven’t even pulled out all our tricks yet. This is a fight I’m quite sure we can win,’ Midori replied, establishing a baseline for where he believed they stood. ’A man facing death will say anything to escape it,’ Midori told her.
  
  ’If they wish to end hostilities, have them disarm themselves,’ Midori said, ’Then ask the Bloodsucker why he does not seek refuge in the DWMA. The very program you’re in is the exact place even he may find sympathy and a second chance. Jarvis is proof of that as a Bloodsucker, you are proof of that as a killer. His answer will reveal plenty.’
  
  ’You should be able to focus on them and detect deceit, whether they’re undead or not. I don’t intend on transforming while we’re outnumbered,’ Midori added, providing his last bits of input to the situation.
  
  ‘Hmm…’ Elly mulled over his suggestions. “In that case, we’ll hear you out… after you disarm yourselves. That shouldn’t be a problem given even you seem to understand that a further fight wouldn’t be in your favor,” She said with a smile. “As for the both of you, why are you here helping the little baroness? And why haven’t you gone to the DWMA for safety? I’ve seen Bloodsuckers like you provided shelter under them.”
  
  "You weren't listening be--"
  
  " Osc."
  
  The lesser silenced. Zulal turned his eyes from him to Elly and Midori. " If disarming will satisfy you, then so be it…" The fog faded, and the air cleared, the humid hold dampening. In a few seconds the chill, the cold and the fog were almost entirely gone. Save for the wetness of the ground and what lingered on tree leaves or branches.
  
  " Before I answer that let me ask you this. You called me ‘frog man’" was Zulal's response to Elly's question. " Do you or your partner know what my species actually is called?" He asked, and he blinked. And this time when he did, it was with secondary eyelids. " You aren't from the Eastern Branch. I'm well aware of the issues Romania has with DWMA since that plague that nearly could have wiped out your kind. I know for certain you're from the main branch. Regardless, you two have the skills and one of you must have the experience. Do you know what my kind are called?"
  
  ’I don’t play those games, Elly,’ Midori chimed in, not appreciating the tone this individual was taking with them. ’So do ask him if he knows what I am. Because it’s not like I’m technically human, either,’ Midori added, his intention to entirely undermine the point this frog man was trying to make–or at least the one he assumed.
  
  Elly made an audible hum as the man complied. The bow dipped down slightly, however was still able to be readied in a sliver of a moment if needed. “To be fair, your baroness’s words, not mine,” She stated as Midori made his comments to her. “Frog man is about as much of an identifier as we were given–prior to any of us seeing you, I might add. That said, my dear partner is curious if you have a guess as to what he is.”
  
  
  
  
• 
  
  
  
  So they didn’t know. That was fine. No point giving them information they didn’t need. He shrugged in response to her partner’s prompt and also at his own decision.
  
  “ I know he’s not a normal Demon Weapon” he replied, instead of the distaste that came to him at the mention of the baroness.
  
  “ Look, I’ll spare you the socio-politics here. I don’t expect you to know the details of how each branch deals with things here. I've never met the Blue Reaper, I met his predecessor, and Spirit Albarn though and they were a lot different. There’s collective rules it follows but every branch handles things differently under each Death Scythe, even if they take orders from Kidd. You two sound like you know some of those bloodsuckers within the DWMA, but knowing Osc’s history, I can tell you for a fact he couldn't have joined. Alina's group don't waste time on using that ritual unless they want to make good use of the people they select for it.
  
  Elly could see that in this statement, there was no lie. And from Osc’s minor change in expression, it wasn’t something he liked being reminded of.
  
  “ I’ve worked partially with DWMA for multiple years, a little since Kidd first took rule, and intermittently during Lord Death’s. I had a few friends, one like a sister, who originated from this very village. Used to walk around these very paths with them before they were killed. Used to have an old farm that got bought” he turned and pointed through the woods to see a small building, some kind of business, now standing.
  
  Again, it wasn’t a lie.
  
  Midori listened, but he just didn’t quite care for the answers these two were offering. Perhaps he should have felt a touch of sympathy. He almost felt bad for not. Scratching at the back of his mind were the memories of cutting down his allies when Eros took control over his body. Even then, Kidd took pity on him. Kidd saved him. The differences between the branches and his species didn’t matter then. He couldn’t bring himself to believe it would matter so much now.
  
  If these two were criminals, it was by choice. Bloodsuckers were effectively immortal; what would it genuinely matter to pay time back in either rehabilitation or world service when time was what he had the most of? Surely, very surely, Midori believed that with a sufficient plight, Kidd would find it within himself to spare him–if he tried.
  
  ’I’m not moved,’ Midori told Elly.
  
  ’They have given us no information and no reason not to cut them down. All I hear are excuses,’ Midori added, making it quite clear that he didn’t care for the points being made.
  
  Regardless, since the Enforcer couldn’t hear the two’s conversation, he went on.
  
  “ My deal with Alina was a strategic decision.”
  
  “ When I came here she hunted me down with Bloodsuckers just like Osc. She’s been occupying this area for quite some time, expanding her control steadily. If it weren’t for me, there’d be more bloodsuckers for you to fight, I presume. I hadn’t noticed much, unlike you I can’t exactly sense souls- but I detected magic, with today’s technology though I wrote it off. I wasn’t in the mindset of observation until trouble came to confront me directly and lost.
  
  “ My original goal coming here was to take a break from my work.” He reached out and slowly, the human souls that had been floating not far from him glided over. “ But ever since I started working with DWMA, I’ve noticed just like you Agents, trouble always finds a way. Gathering these from Psychopomps wasn’t exactly easy.”
  
  Carefully, he rose his injured hand, and droplets of water lifted the vials from the ground and offered the blue souls a return to their container. They slipped in and Zulal closed the lid on each one.
  
  “When I got here she had half this place under her thumb, and the other half none the wiser. I can't say I know how strong you are, but I doubt you’d have lasted long during that phase. She couldn’t kill me without suffering costs, and I could not kill her with success.
  
  “ So I bought time till I figured something out. She picked here because of all the advantages, that's my assumption at least. Can’t really do your jobs here without starting a bunch of drama for both branches, not without requested aid. Some of those reports the officials received, my work through the tourists that come by here. I helped more than a few who came here see the truth of what was going on, and helped them flee without trouble.”
  
  ’Sorry, but I smell bullshit,’ Midori told her. He just was having none of this. It made so little sense. The supposition this frog man was making was far fetched and circumvented almost all of the facts they had been presented up to this time. They didn’t have time to just contact Lord Kidd again, either, so this was a decision that was based on their judgment.
  
  If Midori was the executioner, this man was destined to die.
  
  ’We had Lord Kidd and apparently a CIA Agent in the same room with us, and they didn’t inform us of any of this. It makes more sense that this is an elaborate lie to get out with his life than it is that much information was withheld,’ Midori said, rationalizing why he was calling bullshit to Elly.
  
  ’Besides that, Lord Kidd said this was a threat we could handle. Yet, now it’s being described as a death sentence for us? Nah. I don’t buy it. If this Bloodsucker was that dangerous, we wouldn’t have been sent. This whole area would have been swarmed with Bloodhunters. The European Branch is literally their base of operations,’ Midori added, only further adding reasoning to his decision.
  
  ’I say you cut him down. He may not be lying, but he may be so damn delusional he doesn’t know the difference. He’s destroyed any faith I have in his intel. Besides, consider the outcomes. We cut him down, we explain why, turns out he was some deep cover agent and we get slapped on the wrist. That is the risk they take. We let him go, turns out this was a lie, we get our asses chewed, look incompetent, and he’s out in the wild, putting others at risk. The decision seems clear to me.’
  
  It seemed clear, but was it really?
  
  The whole mission had come with complications from the start. The Agent they ran into had been outed as a mercenary- had it not been for a method to contact Kidd and confirm the truth, and had their exchange gone differently with the Priest, if he hadn’t been a Thrall backed by Bloodsuckers- they might have written her off entirely.
  
  In fact, if they hadn’t known the name of the head vampire they were now after, had she been smarter and not provided her name at all or even a false one, they likely would have called off on the mission or been led astray once Kidd checked the database.
  
  Zulal didn't have a shred of fear, for someone supposed to be desperate for their life as much as Midori seemed to suggest. Osc was the one who seemed more nervous about the whole situation. Zulal however, had spoken calmly. He didn’t show any sign, physically or spiritually that he was scared of them or the threat they posed to his life.
  
  It could have been confidence, cockiness even- but Elly’s life dealing with people like that in her family’s business, would have made those signs obvious and that much easier to link to deceitfulness. It would have made detecting his lies more easier.
  
  Yet, she hadn’t sensed the air of wrongness that came when she focused to pick out the lies a person could tell.
  
  Elly mulled it over, listening to Midori and Zulal both like an angel and devil on each of her shoulders, though she didn’t speak between the both of them. Zulal made himself out to an ally and the reason they even had this job whereas Midori believed him a liar. While she wasn’t Eva, her Super Soul Perception did allow her to examine the souls of those she spoke with, and souls were often much more honest than the container they inhabited. Not to mention, her line of business gave her plenty of experience with liars and deceitful individuals, so she felt even without that special ability she was quite good at reading people.
  
  ‘Down boy,’ Elly coaxed her weapon. ‘From what I can tell, he isn’t lying, and I may not be the lantern girl but I’m still fairly confident about that. Plus, Lord Kidd and the investigators didn’t know much of… Well, anything to be honest. The most information we received about this man was from the Baroness’s careless words. Not to mention… exactly how old are those records of the Baroness?’
  
  Additionally, what he may have been alluding to was not that the Baroness was too powerful for them, but that she would’ve had an army if not for his interference.
  
  “That still begs the question of why you attacked us in the first place. Had you not, we wouldn’t even be speaking, nor fighting. If there was ever an opportunity to cut yourself free, it was then, no?” She questioned further.
  
  "You have to be dedicated to the part you play in this kind of work, even if it puts your initial allies at risk." Was the smooth answer.
  
  "An agreement I made with the baroness to gain her favor after killing her assassins, for her to be certain I could not run off and divulge her location was an agreement to a magical ritual. If there were other options I would have taken it but at the time I had little time to decide. That ritual binds me to answer the call whenever I am summoned and restrains me from going outside the limits of her reach. In summary, when she or someone she designates calls, I have no choice but to answer, and the furthest I can go for now is just a bit past the Commune. If you hadn't been able to handle the bloodsuckers here, I intended on merely killing them myself. Save for Osc, who I can only imagine was added here to keep an eye on me like the ones you just killed were.
  
  " I doubt all of them were supposed to be involved in the fight anyway. If I hadn't pushed them, the second things looked bad, they would have scattered and reported back to Alina. Their link to her is stronger when they've submitted entirely compared to those that have their will whole. I couldn't have them run off while dealing with you. You wouldn't give me the chance and they wouldn't waste time."
  
  ’It sounds like he’s spoon-feeding us bullshit to buy time. None of this information has been particularly useful,’ Midori commented, now getting frustrated as he felt they were being played. ’A ritual to bind him instead of enthralling him? Or, outright killing him after he killed her men? C’mon, Elly, that’s convoluted beyond belief,’ Midori went on.
  
  ’Occam’s Razor. The simplest explanation is the best, and usually correct. I think between his convoluted story and the chance he’s manipulating us, the simpler answer is pretty damn clear,’ Midori told her, his tone carrying a hint of finality. Which was true. He was tired of dealing with this. If he had his way, both Zulal and the Bloodsucker would have been dead by now. Nothing about this story added up.
  
  There was a second, hidden reality to this situation that he didn’t quite communicate with Elly, but it rubbed him the wrong way entirely. Midori was once a spy planted by Eros. A construct with a will only to better play a part. He was then bound to Eros, and if given a command, he had no choice but to obey it. The story Zulal told them and how stupidly unbelievable it was only infuriated Midori as it played to his old trauma. He wanted those two dead. Not enough to transform and do it himself, but enough that the urge radiated right from him and into Elly as she held him.
  
  ‘Well, by his point, the goal was to avoid having more of her men killed in the trade off of eliminating him,’ Elly answered Midori. It wasn’t that far-fetched by her thoughts. He maintained some modicum of self-consciousness and she had another ally she could reasonably keep in check. He could live and she wouldn’t have to waste resources killing him. ‘We were also in agreement that we care less about his existence and more that he doesn’t get us in a pincer while we converge on the baroness, and I’d rather not off a DWMA agent if I can avoid it.’
  
  “Then shall we stop wasting time as well? I’m sure you know my detection range by now, given those souls you used as a flare,” Elly said with a nod. “Give us something we can use against the baroness, and you can hide out here until it’s over and leave. To be honest, I don’t really care so long I don’t have to worry about a back-stabbing… and suffice to say, I will see either of you coming well in advance to prepare, especially now that I have a feel for your souls. So let’s be friends instead, hm?”
  
  Giving them a soft smile with a threatening undertone, she, unlike Midori, didn’t care if the two in front of them were good or bad or whether they went on to hurt people or not. Right now, they needed to kill the vampire, so if she could guarantee they stay out of the way in exchange for not expunging further energy trying to finish them off, that was fine with her.
  
  ’I wonder how accurate that truth-detection is on random-ass Magical Creatures… if you assume his soul should react like a human one, he might be bluffing the ever-living shit out of you,’ Midori commented with no small amount of sour distaste over the lack of outright murder.
  
  He was silent for a moment. Not without a small smile of minor appreciation. He only had three things he could offer them, and none of it was really information that would give them something over the Baroness in his mind, at least to kill her.
  
  It seemed he’d played into her ploy in the end after all.
  
  Still though, he wasn’t about to turn tail and run with it fruitless. Knowing one of the three would prevent them from making a foolish move.
  
  “ The Baroness has in bulk more thralls and golems than Bloodsuckers available to fight at her behest. Outside of guiding you to the routes I know she could use, which you likely could use to pick up on her signature, the last and most important thing I can tell you is she has support beyond me.” He nodded towards the human soul resting in the container in his palm, “ You'll recognize I have an ability of connecting the dots when it comes to this sort of stuff. Her allies are likely the ones she may be making her way back to as we speak. That, I'm afraid, is all I can offer you.”
  
  ‘If he is, then he’s not been bluffing like anyone I’ve met before. And if I can read a Hoshi better than him, then we were probably fairly screwed to begin with,’ Elly summarized her points. “Right, then let’s do this. You show us these routes and you’re free to leave on the condition that if you've been bluffing me this whole time, you hide in some corner of the Earth so I don’t have to hear I told you so over and over again.”
  
  "Deal." He replied instantly, and without a second to waste, moved towards the two then in a seemingly random path. "We're running. Time is short." And by that last word he was already off. Osc remaining behind.
  
  
  

Mentions: RedArmyShogun Mook-LandStrider Merciless Medic Peckinou

Participants: EmperorsChosen Sir Les Paul

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Nadia Semyonov - Daniella Ethalyn - Valaam Island, Russia
​

With the new threat before them, Nadia goes into the attack, yelling within the soul space, ‘Dani! Resonance!’ With that said she attacked the first Totem and only penetrated it 1/3rd of the way, as she caught a backhand blow, using Dani to block as she pulled out and jumped back, running towards the others she strikes, aiming for the roots and bindings that kept them in place, making use of the disparity in time from their join soul space, Nadia was at a crossroads and hand no idea what to do.

‘Dani, have you ever heard of the Quantum Wavelength Guy?’

‘How the fuc-We cut through that corpse pile in France but I can’t cut through a damn tree?!’ Dani growled out in frustration. ‘Huh? He was some fuckin’ superstitious excuse for bullshit back when I was in classes. Why are we talking about this?’


‘Yes… The enemy is durable, but not so strong, if we join our efforts then maybe… but ah…” Pausing for a little bit as she swung at more roots in the outside world, Nadia then continues, sitting on her throne.

‘When Maria’s pizza arrived, he brought them, and that obsidian knife. He also told me in the near future to take the left path at the purple tree, I looked into matters and the Pizza place never filled our order, though it was marked as done, and all the Pizzas were free. We have two choices here… The Logical part of me wishes to retreat, to save us all… But the Agent part, the fighting part, wants to see what is past that accursed tree that we are so close to, in hope that what we find can solve all this.’

‘You’re fucking with me,’ Dani said with an exasperated sigh. Part of her didn’t believe that, in part because that meant she’d half to question half the bullshit her brother used that rumor as an excuse for. Dani sure wasn’t a model soldier, but looking at the golems, Nadia was right. Offensively, they were at an impasse. However, defensively, they were stable. Nothing could cut through Adrian’s defense. The witch had her magic. Sara was too agile for these things to land a hit on, and Nadia was fairly durable herself. ‘Part of me calls bullshit, but another part thinks it's way too convenient to be… If we can do it without dying, I’d rather kill this Leshy while we can.’

‘We won’t die at least. If nothing is there we can still outrun them, I can princess carry the witch if I must, go to the north and while not ideal, swim. Though I would rather go South. Still these enemies…’

“I think these are totems! If we get away from them then they cannot follow! We will make for the path!” Signaling afterwards by hand, she was now calling off fighting the enemy so much as moving on. This had better be worth it. If it wasn’t there would be hell to pay.

With all of that said Nadia partially acts like a shield, cutting her way towards the tree, finding a path that led downhill a matter of moments later she was before an ancient gate and a swirling mass of energy, very close in fact.

It had only been around a minute or so before they reached the gate. It was ominous-looking in and of itself, but even more suspect was what appeared to be black flame-like energy. While initially silent, it grew louder to Dani as they came closer.

‘I… fucking hear something from it,’ Dani stated skeptically. ‘Not like hear hear, but like some kind of pull… Do you feel anything like that? You’ve got the soul sense.’

‘I feel something pulling towards you.. My soul perception only shows a bit of energy, like soul energy, maybe we could try absorbing it?’ Nadia said a bit blankly. It wasn’t the best of plans, but it was something…

‘Yeah… Worth a shot…’ Dani said with some hesitance, yet at the same time wanting to follow the pull.


Interactions: Sir Les Paul Merciless Medic EmperorsChosen Mook-LandStrider

 

[Sir Les Paul]

Thaddeus Thales​

"Gauss"​

Species Human
Partner Noah Wiley, Arkayis Misonuka
Rank Fate Agent

Location Romania, Calimani Village
Mission A Bloody Investigation
Status Focused

​

Tags: RedArmyShogun The Regal Rper Merciless Medic EmperorsChosen Mook-LandStrider

The fight with the priest and bloodsuckers was over. Gauss didn't care about the mention of an innocent life lost. In his mind, acceptable losses were just par for the course in this type of situation. Obviously, they wanted to keep them to a minimum, but wouldn't lose any sleep over it. Hesitating to make a tough decision would only risk his life, that of his partners, and that of Annika had a mistake been made.

They moved on.

Gauss had tried to contact Elly, but apparently, the group had to have been out of their local comms range. They either succeeded in their mission, or died. He doubted the latter. He found it difficult that Midori would die to an enforcer of a Bloodsucker the group could supposedly win a fight against. He also doubted that Midori would allow anyone to hurt Elly; he was pretty sure the two were partners in more than just the battlefield.

Then came Calimani Village.

What a disgrace. Cops strung up, thralls scattered around, villagers fighting due to fear. This Bloodsucker might have been weak, but she made up for it in spades with her despicable actions.

"We're not gonna make it by nightfall," Gauss said aloud, mostly talking to Annika, as she was the only one that couldn't hear his thoughts.

"Time is no longer of the essence. That means we have three options, essentially. Only two of which make sense, in my opinion," Gauss said, offering his strategic thoughts to Annika before just taking the plunge.

"We could try to avoid the entire mess. You can cloak well enough to get by and I could try and dart around them. Between your obfuscation and my speed, it shouldn't be an issue," Gauss told her, outlining the first idea. "Or, we could back off and wait for word from Elly. They know what general direction we went in. Fighting with those two would be a safer bet," Gauss said, though begrudgingly. There was a hint of his dissatisfaction. More obvious to Arkayis and Noah whom could feel just how salty he still was with Midori.

"Either option is better than just barreling in. There well over a hundred down there and neither one of us are suited for incapacitating them," Gauss added on, explaining the third and least logical option.

"Any preference on your end? Personally, I'd hate to risk any scar being added to that pretty face of yours," Gauss finally asked, showing he would in fact wait to get input from his teammate. That, and his slight regression to his flirtatious nature.

 

[Sir Les Paul]

Facing the Inner Demon
​

Missing the massive wooden structure within the Weeping Woods would have been nigh-impossible. It was at least forty-feet in height, and while that didn’t dwarf the massive trees around it, the fact it was twice that in width, a completely different shade of brown, possessed an unnatural archway under it, and protruded from the ground from what could be best compared to the stumps of massive oak did in fact make it stand out.

To a scholar, this would have clearly been a now-defunct Fae Gate. A portal at a time connecting two realms. Now, it was merely a centuries-old monument to a forgotten era. Despite its age, it had not rotted or decayed. It was pristine, albeit covered in vines and foliage from the nearby area. Defunct or not, Oberon created these structures to last.

In truth, the entire area was teeming with energy. Just not one these two could perceive. The spiritual energy radiating ever so faintly from the archway did not originate from it. No, it was a reflection of the souls near it. It felt weird to them for an ominous reason. One rarely had the opportunity to see what their own soul would look like to others, and as they neared, that was precisely what would occur. The faint traces of spiritual energy would be their own.

Within the center of the arch was a rift. Not something easily described. It was if the space between the pillars had been cracked ever so slightly like an egg shoved just slightly too hard. What seeped out was not yolk, but period spits and spurts of what appeared to be a black flame. Hardly noticeable from a distance, but up close, it looked little different than a hot-rodded muscle car over-combusting from its tailpipe every time the engine revved.

As foreign and odd as it was, nearing it wasn’t entirely illogical. The pull to the black flames was no different than the magnetic pull that their ally possessed. Nadia, who had danced with the dandy man, would know that feeling all too well, as he used it on her. It was an unexplained force met by a faint voice. A soft lullaby, a siren song of odd and inexplicable familiarity.

Was it something her mother sang to her? She was young when she died; a victim of the MIBVI outbreak. She couldn’t feasibly remember anything like that.

Maybe it was one of the songs the other children in the quarantine camps sang to the younger ones. Those were hard times; forgetting such a trivial memory would only make sense.

Its origin couldn’t be explained, but it was undoubtedly familiar to the subconscious mind of the Demon Weapon. And, its allure was undeniable.

Nearing the black flames, the song did not grow in intensity, instead it soon faded, like a somber ballad coming to an end. By that point, it did not need to continue to lure her with an oddly familiar tune. Instead, it could speak directly to her.

’You can hear me now,’ said a feminine voice inside the mind of Dani, ’I have tried reaching you for so long… my heart broke for you on all those lonely nights,’ it told her, continuing on.

’I am not a soul you can absorb, but I can make you more powerful,’ she told her, referencing the idea Dani and Nadia had shared just a moment ago. ’The black flames of Adolla would leave that wretched creature cinders if you accepted it,’ the voice explained, declaring that there was enough power here to cut down whatever foe they faced in this forest.

The lullaby did anything but calm her. Rather it did the opposite, building tension until it inevitably subsided. Dani practically jumped when the voice spoke to her. ‘W-Who the fuck even are you?’ Was the first question that arose, though the offer of what was currently needed brought her back to her priorities. ‘What’s an Adolla and how do I use it?’

’It is… not that simple. You know that Madness exists within every soul, but not that every soul exists within Adolla…’ she murmured, trying to find the words to explain the situation. ’I am..’ she said, but stopped and offered a frustrated sigh. ’I am not the best with words. I could show you, but I don’t fuckin’ know how to explain it,’ she admitted, letting her frustration out.

Whatever mask of kindness there was shattered, but in an authentic way. The frustration that came from this voice was something that Dani could almost sympathize with. It was a frustration she might have felt, if asked how half her techniques worked. The tone this woman took was little different than Dani had she tried to work ten minutes as a waitress at Death Backs Cafe.

‘Alright, whatever. I don’t really need you to be good at words or give an explanation. If you can show me and I can kill that overgrown bark, that’s good enough for me,’ Dani compromised, caring more about eliminating the threat at hand than delving into whatever this thing was. ‘Long as this isn’t some sketchy demon pact shit.’

’Nah, I’m not a demon. You’re the Demon Weapon, remember?’ the voice responded, becoming more and more human, this time with a remark that bordered right on the line of being a smartass.

’All you need to do is touch the black fire. It won’t burn you. Doesn’t matter if you do it as a weapon or human,’ the voice told her, keeping that bit of the explanation short, sweet, and simple.

‘Yeah, but–You know what I mean!’ Dani replied, but did it? Why would it? ‘Alright…’

Pausing a bit, Dani altered her speech to Nadia. ‘Okay… Stab me into the black fire. I’m gonna try… something.’

‘The Death’s name do you mean stab you in the fire? Something is off about all of this… Are you sure?’ Nadia asks via their link, catching some of what was happening but yet not enough to make sense of it, a presence was there, but she was deaf and blind to it.

‘There’s something there, talking to me about an Adolla… Apparently it can kill those things,’ Dani explained, understanding how sketchy that sounded. ‘I know it sounds fucked but… Fucking Quantum Wavelength Guy told you left at the purple tree and here we fucking are. Whatever it is can apparently show me how to use it.’

Letting out a sigh, Nadia nods within the soulspace. ’That name I’ve heard it once before but I am not sure where or what… Ancient… Becareful, making pacts with Devils can be problematic, but I shall not let you go… This all is like story book shit, but if it saves us…’ With that she carried out the attack as requested.

It wasn’t necessarily a true attack or stab. Truth was, there was no substance present where the blade edge of Dani would have struck. It was not a portal to another world, per se, or a tangible thing to hit. It was, at best, stabbing thin air. At least, to Nadia.

For Dani, it was something entirely different.

The very moment the edge of her bladed form came into contact with the black flames, her very soul became subject to the will of another. It was instant. There was no measurement or increment of time small enough to describe how long it took for her soul to transition from being within the hand of Nadia to inside the bridge made for her to Adolla.

Time became irrelevant. All that existed for Dani now was the world she was brought into.

It was sudden. Jarring. Chaotic. It was not the same as entering a Soul Space or resonating. It was not the same spiritual endeavor she was accustomed to. She was abruptly brought to a realm of black fire. A gray sky illuminated not by a laughing sun or smiling moon, but by a pale white orb of faceless, dim light. Colors and tricks of the eye were everywhere. Things that ought not exist did here.

Fire could not be black, yet it was. There was no blue in the sky, no brown to the earth. It was merely a mix of dark ashen dirt, hues of gray, black charred forestry. All that was around them was charred and burning. Trees identical to the forest she was just in, but without leaves, twigs, or small branches, instead burning with constant dance of these black flames only noticeable due to the gray that peaked out between the leaps of the lightless fire.

Here, Dani was not a sword. She was not even a Demon Weapon. She was human, and there existed no option to be otherwise. All of the sensations that she lacked in her sword form became immediately present. And, despite the realm being lit with a constant flame, it was eerily cold. Not as cold as the mountain air, but chilled and dry nonetheless.

’Alone again, it seems…’ the voice muttered, this time from behind her. What would have been East, had directions even mattered in this realm. This time, it was clearer. It was eerily similar. Similar to her own voice, that was.

Dani looked around at the change in scenery, first slowly before her scanning of the environment become more sporadic as she realized just how different it all was. Her hands crossed over her chest to rub her biceps due to the temperature. ‘Fuck me, it’s like Nadia’s space.’

Huffing a bit, then the voice came, causing her to jump a bit again. Dani spun around whilst stepping back to face the owner of it. ‘What the fuck–’

What stood before her… was her. Well, not exactly. A version of her. She had the same resting bitch face, but her features were more symmetrical. More beautiful, by the Hollywood standards. Her body not as tone or muscular, but with more pronounced curves. Her hair more well-behaved, highlighted with lighter pinks and near-reds at the root. Even her eyes, which she knew so well and stared at every time she looked into the mirror, they popped with more pronounced depth in inside the iris.

It was still, without a doubt, her. Perhaps a more idealized version of her. The type of girl some prettyboy might fall for at first site. The type that even with her popped hip and crossed arms, her fuck off body language, that could pull in far more gazes. But, it was still her. Her demeanor. Her stance. The look on her face, the pace of her breath, the distinctions to her body that only she could know about it.

It was so different, yet still so perfect. Like a mirror built solely to show you how good you could be.

Dani gave the not-her a look over with widened, suspicious eyes. That wasn’t her. That was some barbie-fied version of her. Even her damned voice was more soothing, like one of those that would be hired to read a recording of a book or voice act. Hell, she looked like a fucking actress.

The expression of shock quickly turned into that of a scowl as she stared her alternate down. ‘Alright, what the fuck is all… this?’

The figure across from her squinted her eyes into a glare. She didn’t eye her down the same. She didn’t have to. She already knew the Dani across from her was a disappointment. Instead, she tilted her head back, uncrossed her arms, then waved them down to her body. ’Do you mean this…’ she said sarcastically, then opened up her arms and gestured to the world around her, ’or this?’ repeating herself, though this time emphasizing her repeated word to mock how Dani used it so vaguely.

The bullshit levied by her photoshopped clone only made the glare more intense. ‘Yes,’ Dani said, folding her arms and jutting a hip out ever so slightly to mimic the posture of her opposite.

The figure scowled in a perfect mirror of the typical way Dani did so often. She rested her arm across her chest, sliding it below her fuller figure, then rested her elbow on the hand she had tucked away at her side. This was only to support it as she rubbed her middle and index finger between her brows, rubbing them vigorously in a display of frustration at Dani.

Not unlike herself.

The figure then inhaled, and even with that simple gesture, it came across as aggressive.

’Dani, this right here is why everyone leaves us. You just have to be difficult for literally no fuckin’ reason,’ she said, calling out Dani for the petulant answer she provided, which didn’t indicate which one of the two options she was provided that she wanted an answer to first.

‘Are you fuckin’ serious?’ Dani asked with a look of incredulousness. ‘I touched black fire, poof over to–all of this!’ She said, waving her arms in a frenetic motion at the environment surrounded them. ‘And then you show looking like me if I were on the cover of one of those magazines that use a photoshop edit of like 20 other fuckin’ models! What. The. Fuck. Is. ALL. Of. This.’

She giggled. In an overly polite, obviously satirical tone, she answered, ’No, I’m… Krusty the fuckin’ Clown and this is all one big joke.’ She kept a straight face for a moment. She waited.Then her eyes darted daggers at her counterpart, and she decided to give a real answer.

’I am you. The real you,’ she said, ignoring the rest of the comment her counterpart made. She then huffed, this time airing out a slight tone of superiority. ’Why? Like what you see?’ she asked, though this time pride didn’t come from her voice. It was spite. As if her words were intended to hurt, not stroke her ego.

Dani’s eyes narrowed at the supposed joke, being completely unamused, especially given that they were still on the clock needing to find a way to beat the totems. ‘The real me–my ass,’ She replied with a growl, not giving the other her’s question a direct answer

’Oh, I am, though,’ the figure chimed in, quickly without missing a beat. ’This is what we would look like–if our childhood wasn’t shit. If we ate right, if we grew up in a real home. If we didn’t cry every night wondering about where we’d end up when our parents died,’ the figure told her, explaining precisely why she looked the way she did.

’You don’t remember it, but I do. Mom was beautiful. We could have been just like her…’ she added on, confident in her answer though still spiteful in her tone. She wasn’t just picking at the exact memories Dani had, she was picking at some Dani might not even be able to recall.

Whether or not Dani could recall it all didn’t matter. The memories were real. The events were true..

Dani was stunned by the specificity of what the woman said, but her stubborn nature quickly brought back the challenging scowl. ‘Well, it was shit. You bring me in here to play with my fucking memories? What about that Adolla shit?’ She demanded, wanting to quickly get what she came here in the first place for.

She sighed again, shaking her head. She then lifted up her hands, opening them wide and shaking them in the air a moment. Her bottom lip protruded out as she bit her top one for a moment, followed by another deep breath in. She closed her eyes. Only then was another one of those differences obvious. Her lashes were longer and thicker. They only made her eyes pop that much more when they reopened.

She exhaled.

’You came here, dumbass. I didn’t bring you here,’ she exclaimed, half-shouting but at least trying to withhold her emotions.

’Besides, this isn’t a fucking game. Your memories are my memories,’ she explained, trying to emphasize that point. It was, for the most part, true. She shared every bit of knowledge about Dani’s life that she experienced.

’If you had any sense, you’d have just ran. We’re gonna be alone forever anyway,’ the figure said, her tone shifting from irate to almost defeated. ’Adrian is gonna die out there. Doesn’t matter how strong you are,’ she explained, though her tone had shifted entirely. She wasn’t angry. In fact, if anything, she sounded sad.

’I don’t why you do this to us…’ she said, then just trailing off, that angry face of hers becoming stoic, if only to hide what was welling beneath it.

‘He isn’t fucking dying! No one is!’ Dani shot back immediately and sharply with a growl for an undertone. ‘You said before you weren’t good with words, but you don’t have any fucking problem running your mouth now. You said that if I could use this Adolla thing, we could beat those trees. Now how the fuck do I use it!’ Her question sounded more like an exclamation with the way her voice raised.

The figure didn’t react with rage or an outburst like Dani did. She just stared there a moment. Silent. Sad. Somber. Dani wanted an answer, so an answer she would get. Not that she would like it. ’Adolla is a place, not a power… you can’t use it…’ the figure explained.

She returned to that stance of pinching her brown, trying to formulate what to say. How to word it. It was beyond difficult. ’The whole damn world has its opinions, okay,’ she told her, ’Adolla is… those opinions made real. I am smartass because the world sees you as one. We are alone because the world knows you are alone.’

’You can’t handle the black flames because you can’t come to terms with the truth. You can’t accept me. The real you,’ she told her, that tone now shifting to anger. ’You can’t admit to what we really are, and people will die because of it,’ she explained, ’and, that is just… who we happen to be..’

‘How… How does that make any damn sense? I can’t use it but I can use the black fire?’ Dani questioned in exasperation. Whether this thing was actually her or not, is was probably as bad at explanations as she was. She still didn’t understand what Adolla was, or how she couldn’t use it, but she could use the black flames, which were possibly Adolla? Then there was the line about accepting who she was. Dani made no attempts to claim she was better than she was. She criticized and blamed herself more than anyone else. How much more acceptance did she need?

‘So everyone thinks I’m a bitch, what does that have to do with handling this shit? What are you even talking about with this admittance crap?’ Dani questioned with audible irritation.

’Just a bitch?’ She asked. It was rhetorical. She scoffed. The audacity of Dani. To boil everything about herself down into this oversimplified belief that the world saw her as a bitch. The ignorance was not only grating, but began to bridge into the world of humor.

’No, we are a liability’ she said, her voice now enraged and accelerated, throwing out her beliefs as fast as she did raise her arms. ’Let me show you,’ she added, raising her pitch and oozing with the confidence of a salesman. With her last statement hanging in the air still, the flames that surrounded them from the ever-burning trees raised into the air, circling around to show vivid flashbacks of memories in the form of a fiery screen.

”I am a killer. I have seen and probably caused enough bloodshed to make what you’ve went through in life look like a game of Battleship. Yet here I am on this stage for what I am told is your sake. So I will tell you this for your sake. I don’t give a damn who won or lost, but those Mages could have killed you, or pushed you into Madness. Get off your Russian high horse and take a moment to understand what that really means. Because if you go Mad, you’ll force an Agent just like me to track you down and make you another Death-Damned notch in their belt–if I don't do it myself out of some absurd notion of responsibility for you. All of you,” he explained to her, marking the only time any amount of humanity seemed to come from his cold, robotic dialogue. He put at least one card on the table: the alternative no one wants.​

’This? You think that was about Nadia?’ she said, scoffing at her own comment as she knew neither of them believed it. ’Oh, we both know better. He was afraid of us--and for good fuckin’ reason,’ she said before waving her right arm through the air, swiping through the memories like pictures on a phone.

‘That… That was–’

“What I said before…” Dani said coldly. If those assholes wanted a bloodsport, now she was motivated. “Forget it. Put him in the fucking hospital.”

"Weasley little fuck…" Dani growled in dissatisfaction. That wasn't penance. He deserved more. He didn't know, of her rage, of her loss, of Mikey's pain, of how she watched the light leave his eyes. "Hurt him again… times a hundred! A thousand! He fucking deserves it!"

“Patience… patience, patience, fucking patience. I’m tired of being fucking patient!” Dani growled out as her madness began to seep into her words. “DO IT OR I WILL!”

"Keep his name OUT OF YOUR FUCKING MOUTH!" Dani shouted as if he could even hear her. The rage seeped into the connection she had with Nadia and the sword's aura seemed to grow and whip more violently, the madness urging her forward, demanding blood. "I told you to quit fucking around. Cleave him down the fucking middle! DO IT!"​

’We aren’t just a bitch,’ the figure told her, ’we’re a threat to every person around us. That’s how the world sees us.

’It’s what we have always been,’ she told her, her tone deeping and shifting to an emphasis on on how long this problem has lasted.

‘T-That was a fucking while ago!’ Dani argued, her sharp tone wavering slightly to show an undertone of hesitancy.

’Not that long,’ she chimed in, utterly disregarding the pathetic answer Dani gave. ’Besides,, it’s what Mikey was, too…’ she added, all before pulling up that final memory with one short swipe.

At that, Dani knew what was coming next, and her whole body froze. ‘No… No, don’t you fucking dare–’

The flames swirled and danced, bringing forth a memory that Dani had tried to bury time and time again. The exact moment when Mikey gave into the Madness. When he fell prey to the murderous wavelength. That desire to harm, maim, kill, destroy. Everything Dani exclaimed in the previous memories. When Mikey became a beast that wasn’t really Mikey anymore. The risk Nadia took every time she wielded Dani. When Mikey went so far he had to be put down. The exact thing Cyrus warned her and Nadia about.

This wasn’t a quick flashback like the previous ones.This was the entirety of her experience, hours of content compressed into a quick moment. The rage, defeat, desperation, depression. These images could not force her to feel these emotions, but they could remind her of exactly how she felt in each individual second of that personal Hell she lived through.​

’This is our fate… we will be alone,’ she explained, ’we are a death sentence to anyone close to us, sometimes even the executioner..’

At first, Dani was speechless and her body slumped, dropping to her knees as if all strength had left them at one moment. Her hair draped to cover her face and shield her expression. Pain, sorrow, a bit of rage but mostly overcome with genuine hurt, as if having lemon squeezed on fresh cuts. Her breaths were shaky, but there as for the first time she didn’t just retort immediately.

‘Okay… Fine,’ She said through an unsteady tone but one nonetheless filled with venom. ‘I. Fucking. Suck. Mikey’s dead be–’

’Shut the fuck up,’ said a new voice. Another familiar voice. A male voice.

Mikey’s voice.

’You’re lucky as fuck I’m dead,’ he said, knowing full-well that statement had a lot of implications but not giving a damn about the single one. He even laughed at the thought. ’’Cause, sis, if I wasn’t, I wouldn’t be here to save your ass now,’ he added, explaining exactly why he said what he did in one fell swoop.

From the black flames, he emerged. Unlike her, he hadn’t aged. He wore the same outfit he died in, same height, same build, not a thing different.

’You can’t be here!’ the figure snarled, ’this is supposed to be just us.’

’Ignore her, she’s the dumbass side of yourself,’ Mikey went on, completely ignoring the other Dani and her comments. He stood there waiting, cocky as ever, as if nothing had changed from the day he left. ’Get up, and I’ll explain everything,’ he told her, his voice softer and his smirk being the lifeline thrown to her in the sea she was drowning in.

Dani’s voice caught in her throat the moment the voice interrupted her. She hesitated to turn her head up, believing it was another memory or some kind of trick, but she was compelled to look. Even if it was fake, she had to see for herself. When she looked up, eyes wide with disbelief, Dani could only stare. She wasn’t even really registering the meaning of his words or what he was saying, just that the voice was his, that he was here.

She stumbled back to her feet and shot past her other to him, hands clasping around his face with a soft tremble as if to verify it wasn’t an illusion of some kind. ‘I-It’s… No… How…?’ She breathed out before yanking him into a tight embrace. ‘I-I’m so fucking sorry. I’m so fucking sorry…!’ She practically whimpered out as tears streamed down her face.

’I know…’ he said quietly, holding her in that tight embrace. His hand patted her back, the warmth from his body radiating onto her as a reprieve from this cold world. Meanwhile, the figure that had her appearance was screaming various obscenities, pissed off beyond belief that this version of Mikey was here. Factually, she didn’t even know how. A bridge like this shouldn’t allow for another on it, yet here he was.

Mikey ignored the rage and cursing for some time, giving Dani all the time she needed to compose herself in that hug. It was long overdue.

That shut-the-fuck-up extended to you, too,’ he shouted at the alternate Dani, only causing her to pout and get upset. Regardless of what or who she was, it seemed like even she didn’t handle Mikey speaking to her in that tone terribly well. It would only buy some time.

’Alright, alright,’ he said, relaxing from the hug and trying to move on so that he could probably explain what was occurring. He was well aware that no matter when he let go, it would have been too short a reunion. He, unlike his sister, was fairly decent at explaining things. He was a decent student, if something held his attention. Not the best, just better.

’So, yeah, first thing’s first, she is actually you, and I am actually dead,’ he told Dani, just outright breaking the ice with that one. He couldn’t think of a gentler way to get that point across. ’Now, uh, I don’t fully get how all this works, but the power of the mind is a real thing,’ he told her. He didn’t exactly expect her to get it, especially given that the weren’t psionic powers or something relatable in the real world.

’It’s weird as hell, but just fuckin’ run with it for a moment,’ he told her, starting off this explanation with an assertion that Dani would just have to accept. He relied on her trust in him to suspend disbelief for long enough so that she could get some type of understanding.

’Me and that Dani are created by what other people think of us in the real world. Now, here’s the thing. Most people have forgotten about me in the real world, yeah? It’s mostly just you that remembers anything,’ he explained to her, ’and there may be a ton of shitty things you remember, but… when you remember me alive, it’s almost always how inseparable we were, yeah? How we’d never let anything happen to the other?’ he asked, this time waiting for an actual answer.

Backing up a bit, Dani tried to wipe the tears from her face as she attempted to compose herself. Everything still felt like it was moving too quickly for her to process, but she was trying to focus in on his words. ‘Power of the mind…?’ She repeated with a weak nod. ‘Y-Yeah… What of it?’

’Yeah, power of the mind. What people think has power. Not like telekinetic shit, but, like, social influence,’ he explained, which while lacking, did at least give some clarity to what he meant. He couldn’t help but convey a slightly incredulous tone with that phrasing. The best he could do was make it sound more psychological than it was spiritual.

’Alright, well since that’s what you think of me, and you’re pretty much the only one that thinks of me, that’s what I am. Get it?’ he asked, still trying to make sure Dani was up to speed. His tone wasn’t quite demeaning, but it could have been taken that way. He was oversimplifying everything as if she were a toddler.

‘Okay…’ Dani murmured with a short nod. ‘Okay… So, that’s how I see me and this is how I see you… What’s that have to do with everything else?’

The explanation was cut short. The alternate version of herself erupted into rage, and with that rage came fire. Swirling around her now were more traditional red-orange flames, and with it came a transformation. Her skin blackened. Her vibrant pink hair ignited, her eyes sparked into small pyres. A single off-set horn grew out from the right side of her skull, and finally with it she made an absurdly fast rush at Dani and her brother.

It was-half futile. Her brother was fast enough to intercept the swipe this version of herself made at him, and he followed up with a quick rolling kick that sent her flying. The brawl continued when that version of herself manifested a massive tail from her back, reaching out twice her body length and beginning to jab it at Mikey in quick succession. Mikey, however, parried each strike, only needing to transform his right arm to do so, it also becoming blackened.

’Revealing your actual form? You must be real pissed I’m not letting you take over, Mikey commented, taunting this alternate version of Dani. She took the bait, literally roaring in rage. Again, it all proved pointless as Mikey was quick to rush her again, grabbing her entire face in one go and literally slamming her into the ground, subsequently getting a brief respite from her rage.

He sighed, mostly just disappointed. He tried wiping the ash from the ground off of him, but that proved even more futile than the efforts of the alternate Dani. It was there, it was stuck, and it wasn’t coming off.

’So, uh, not a demon, but that is pretty fuckin’ bad, sis. A bunch of people must still think you’re dangerous as Hell,’ he said, critiquing just how terrible that twisted form became. It definitely looked like a demon.

’Uh, back to the main points. I’ll skip the bullshit: the worst of us in this realm almost always want to go to the other. You see, we get stronger with the more negative thoughts people have of us. If we can make it to the other world, we can make that cycle of hate just go on and on, like a hamster wheel,’ he explained, boiling the whole situation down to a simple power struggle.

’What she was trying to do was convince you that you are alone. If you give in to how everyone else sees you, she wins. Your body in the real world would combust and you would become… uh, I guess pretty much what she just did,’ Mikey explained to her, giving her a play-by-play run-down of what that alternate version of herself was trying to do.

’Looked like you were getting pretty close, so I stepped in,’ he told her. ’Bright side is that if you can beat her in willpower, you merge with her and get whatever power she had. So, that tail thing, but not the whole demon form,’ he added, quickly tacking on that fairly important piece of information as if it was a half-forgotten fact.

Dani recoiled at the sudden transformation of the other her, though the moment she processed that it was trying to attack her, and more precisely Mikey, she grit her teeth and stepped forward with a transformed arm, but paused when her attacks were seemingly deflected with relative ease.

‘Yeah, no shit…!’ Dani retorted to the presumed opinions others held of her as her arm returned to normal. ‘People from this world, I thought you said everything here is created from what people think. What is the Mandela Catalog bullshit?’

Letting the rest of his words sink in, it dawned on her that if she had, then she really would have been a danger to Nadia and everyone else. That thought made her more angry at herself than anything the other had shown her. ‘Okay, how am I supposed to beat it in willpower? Just tell it to fuck off enough times?’

’Don’t overthink it, sis. This world is a shit storm of chaos and fucky rules. It’s a reflection of the mental state of the real world, and that’s been going to Hell for decades,’ he told her, doing his best to give her insight to a subject that honestly didn’t have a lot of clarity. Ultimately, he shrugged. ’It’s all sorts of fucked. Bad people that others think are good have genuinely kind versions of themselves here. Since leadership is screwy in the real world, there’s basically none here. It’s not exactly a fair system,’ he told her.

Then he had to actually think about her other question. He knew more than her, but he wasn’t exactly an expert. He had a type of clarity because his existence was derived from how she saw him, and his older sister saw him in a pretty positive light. Dani thought he was stronger than her, so he was; even her alternate version. Beyond that, she knew he cared about her and loved her. So, of course this version of him did.

’I figure it’s because you’re not convinced. Your heart must still have some doubt. Something she said must have really got to you,’ he told her, rationalizing it as best he could.

Then a sudden change in tone. ’Also, what’s this shit about a partner and this guy you’re so worried about dying? Is there something you’re keeping from me?’ he asked her, though mostly in a teasing tone. Even now, he couldn’t exactly keep himself entirely serious. Not like he ever could–unless, of course, he was angry.

‘This shit’s making my head hurt…’ Dani murmured in complaint. Adolla was one hell of a complicated place. Of course, he didn’t have all the answers for it either, eliciting a sigh from her. ‘Of course it did, it all fucking did. I never claimed to be a good person. I’m just… trying to be better. I’m fucking tired, Mikey. Tired of losing my shit and hurting people and fucking wallowing all alone.’

Dani brought her hands up to her head, massaging her temples with her fingertips. Then there was the teasing. Partly, it put her at ease, even in this morbid situation. Still, she couldn’t help a small chuckle from escaping. ‘Seriously, you’re going to do this while dead…? Or are you just a smartass because I think you’re a smartass?’ Letting a long, drawn-out sigh, she answered him seriously. ‘...I… do have another partner, and a few people I don’t want to die. So I’m trying not to be a fuck-up,’ She said, feeling a little bit guilty discussing it with him.

’I am what I am because I was what I was,’ he said, smirking as he knew such a cryptic answer would only make that hurting head of his sister hurt worse. ’You got your ideas of me from when I was alive, so what I am now is pretty close to what I was then,’ he told her, that smirk softening to a genuine smile. His left arm, still human, extended out to rest on her shoulder. ’No one knew me better than you, sis,’ he told her with that same stupid, blind confidence in her he had in real life.

’An’, I know you, he went on, shifting his tone again to a more positive one.

Dani looked at him with that unsteady expression again. She once would've said she'd do anything for more time, though a reunion like this wasn't what she expected. This Mikey partially was of her own creation too, not the real one, but he felt as much. They spent more times arguing and talking smack with each other, but there was always this comfort when they needed it.

’You fuckin’ hate most people. You don’t want to hurt people, but if you could snap your fingers and make their mouths disappear, you would,’ he told her with a chuckle.

’Eh, you’re probably right. You may not be a good person.’ he told her, now outright laughing at her. ’But, you’re not a bad one, either. Before you go and slap me upside the head for being a mean ass younger brother, let me show you some things,’ told her, raising his hand from her shoulder and holding it up as if to halt her, trying to buy himself a bit of time.

'Huh?' Dani looked over at his free arm and instantly realized what he was trying to do. 'No… Mikey! You fuckin'!' She growled, trying to force herself past the arm levied to obstruct her, flailing with her arms to block his vision or grab at his other arm.

With that left arm of his, he swiped through different memories. ’Give me a moment, uh… I’ve never done this shit before and these aren’t my memories,’ he told her, clearly struggling with how to work the flame screen. It was like watching a boomer try to work a smartphone for the first time.

The first memory he scrolled through was a fairly recent one. It was similar to the last in that it played through an entire sequence of events quickly. It was simple. The trip to Gamescadia. The dancing, the fun. Nadia, Adrian, Maria all present and seemingly having a blast. As simple as it was, and despite it meaning very little in the grand scheme of things, it was a start.​

This was the first time Mikey had seen any of this. His face lit up. In all his time, he hadn’t actually seen his sister behave like that. There wasn’t anger or rage on his face. No hint of jealousy. He was truly glad to see Dani having some fun. If anything, the thought coursing through his mind was that he held Dani back. Together, they were so trauma bonded that they didn’t make room for anyone else. Without him, though, her heart had some room for others.

’See, sis, if you asked me to go dance with some of your friends, I’d have probably said fuck off and wanted to train or play some Dark Souls in an apartment room,’ he told her, doing his best to convey how well Dani actually was doing without him. ’But uh… seeing it now, or I guess if I could have seen it in that weird hypothetical situation, I might have reluctantly gone along so you could enjoy yourself,’ he told her. Perhaps it didn’t help with the guilt, but it conveyed one thing. Mikey would have made sacrifices for her. He already had, but even in life, he would have.

Dani’s frantic waving calmed a bit as it proved futile, growing silent like a child waiting for their misdeeds to be uncovered.

He swiped through a few more.

As Dani went on with her words, Nadia has a brief annoyed expression to her face as she pondered getting up and walking over to the girl, least she meant well. "Dani. Today has been a very..." A pause, "...yes, a very difficult day. We both seen glimpses of the other's memories. I said you were not alone in this, and I meant what I said. And damn right you won't slow me down, I'll drag you with me if I must." With a confident gaze she nods her head. "It is too late for either of us to turn back now, but I don't think we'll try resonating again just to destroy something, da?"​

’So… this is your new partner,’ he commented, taking it all in at once. The rest of the memory was the back and forth after the exchange with Cyrus. That same tournament fight that played earlier. The other Dani reminded her of what Cyrus said following everything Dani said and did in their fight. Mikey was more focused on how Nadia reacted after.

Dani grew increasingly stagnant as this memory came and her attempts to stop him all but ceased.

’She seems pretty committed,’ he said, keeping his opinions quiet. He then shook his head and let out a sigh.

'...Yeah…' Dani answered absentmindedly.

’Nah, I can’t not say it. Your partner there is kind’a hot,’ he spat out, not being able to withhold that comment anymore. It was his typical fashion. He couldn’t stay serious for long, especially when something else was abrupt on his mind.

This comment froze Dani in her tracks, as if processing it, then her aggressive pushing and shoving started up again. ’Oh my fucking god, I fucking knew it!’ She said with a scoff.

’I remember there was one memory, but it’s totally eclipsed by another. Where the fuck is it… he muttered out, now swiping through what seemed like a dozen various memories trying to find a specific one. At this point, Mikey seemed like he was more focused on playing with the black flames like they were a new toy.

But, he found it.

From the perspective of Dani, it wasn’t that grandiose. At the time, she was well below the platform in the Duchess of Discord and could only see Nadia dancing from below. But, it was there. Nadia dancing a waltz with Gauss.​

’See, look at that. She can be so refined when she wants to be,’ Mikey said, almost drooling over Nadia there for a moment.

It meant more than that, though. Nadia was effectively his replacement. Her new partner. If there was anyone in the world that Mikey should have been jealous over or angry at, it should have been her. Nadia was the person in the world Dani was closest to. A sister, almost. She truly did step into the role Mikey left behind.

And, it turned out, Mikey was probably her biggest fan. There was no resent emanating from him. If he was jealous of anyone, it was Gauss for getting that dance.

'You are NOT using my fucking head to check out Nadia!’ She said with a tone of disbelief and a tinge of disgust.

’Also, what the fuck is this… you’ve got a whole memory here that it’s like you’re trying to hide…’ he said, realizing something nearby was buried a little deeper. He tried scrolling, swiping, pushing, but he couldn’t immediately get it to register.

This caused Dani to panic, hooking an arm around his neck as she attempted to wrestle him away from whatever interface let him bring up her memories like a movie reel. 'Mikey, I swear to Death-!'

Mikey was undeterred by the attempts Dani made to stop him. Not that she couldn’t swing on him like a jungle gym if she wanted, just that it wouldn’t halt his progress. Her subconscious on the other hand was a different story. In a fit of frustration, he stomped his foot and conjured black flames from his right arm to almost forcibly rip the memory over, breaking through the mental block Dani erected. This was one she didn’t want to share with her brother.

”Then how about I let you see the world through her tall-eyes for a sec’?” he asked, though he could hardly finish his sentence before breaking out into laughter at how ludicrous this ballerina style pick up probably was.

Adrian’s blush made Dani stop to think, then her face turned about as red. “What? …Wait-W-What are you thinking?” She questioned, realizing how that could’ve been taken. ”I didn’t–Huh?” Then he responded to her statement in a challenging tone and Dani became worried for what he planned to do.

However, while momentarily shocked and still flustered from the faux pas from earlier, she broke into a laugh after his statement. “I-I’m tall enough you dork! Put me down!” She retorted, though she was smiling and clearly amused by the act.

Adrian had considered, in fact, not putting her down. Maybe spinning her around. Maybe just leaping into the air absurdly. Or, maybe tossing her up just high enough to carry her like a princess. But, Adrian did, in fact, possess a lick of sense. He knew he was surrounded and being watched. While things were fine between them now, he was pretty sure a girl saying to put her down probably ought to be done given how many eyes were on them.

So, he did. He lowered her back to the floor, and his hands lowered down to her sides, just behind her ribs, swaying along with the music as best he could, and laughing the entire time with her. ”I guess you’re right; you’re tall enough,” he told her, just smiling and saying whatever came to his mind, regardless of how red it made him, ”I don’t think I’d change a thing about you.”​

His stare turned into a glare. He watched the scene play out, then extended it outward to see the whole dance. From there, he only started playing more memories associated with this individual. This was the guy the alternate version of Dani was talking about it. The person that Dani didn’t want to die. Apparently, he was a lot more.

Once the memory played, Dani’s body grew stiff again. It was a fond memory, but like this, all she could feel was guilt which was enhanced by the expression she could see out of the corner of her eyes.

After seeing a few scenes and returning to that last comment, Mikey finally said or did something. The boy theatrically decided to begin fake vomiting, acting entirely disgusted by the newfound romance of his older sister.

’I could have gone a thousand more years without seeing you like that, ugh…’ he complained, behaving exactly as one would think an immature, youthful boy would have in watching his older sister. Mikey was frozen in time, and honestly, this romance thing was never his cup of tea to begin with.

’When the fuck did my sister become a Disney Princess, holy shit,’ he added, holding back absolutely none of his incredulous disbelief at this development. He just stood there wide-eyed in total horror. ’My sister, an angry little ball of rage, turns into a giggling, blushing idiot around this guy,’ he muttered, just hardly accepting it. ’I don’t think your partner would have me acting like that,’ he added, circling back to the fact he found Nadia attractive.

Dani loosely released him as he began to retch, once again finding herself stunned silent by her expectations and the lack of follow-up. Then, once again, the normal Dani came back, flustered and angry. 'Oh fuck off! You were the fucking one who insisted on looking!' She retorted in embarrassment. 'And we both fucking know you'd let Nadia walk all over you,' She added, crossing her arms over her chest with a huff.

Mikey chuckled. This was the Dani he remembered. Angry, lashing out, defending her insecurities. This was more like it. He tried to cover the shit-eating grin with his hand, but it failed to cover his entire face. Instead of pressing her about Adrian, he knew other ways to press her buttons.

’I-Is… she into that?’ he asked, his tone conveying both a genuine curiosity alongside clearly teasing Dani with this line of questioning.

'Wh--I DON'T FUCKIN' KNOW! Eugh!' Making her distaste blatantly clear, Dani's hands ran through her hair in frustration. 'Why is that your fucking question right now?!'

’Right now? Not like it fuckin’ matters,’ Mikey said, still withholding his laughter to the best of his ability. He was trying to be serious, just wasn’t terribly good at it. ’Time flows different here. We could shoot shit for a decade and it would be a second in the real world,’ he told her, ’so if I wanna ask my sister about her hot ass new friend, you best bet I am.’

This response didn't even garner an audible retort from Dani. Instead, it looked like she tried to come up with something, but was once again shocked into silence. She opted instead to let out a long groan as she turned away from him. 'This is unbelievable. Im going to fucking lose my shit,' She said, turning back to face him with a deep breath. 'This shit is jumping back and forth way too fucking much for me to handle. I was almost possessed and now you're here asking for my meister's kinks. THAT SOUNDS SO STUPID!'

’You need to calm the fuck down. At least I’m just interested in your partner, for Death’s sake,’ he responded. He finally shifted out of laughter to a more serious tone. He crossed his own arms and loomed over Dani. Despite dying so young, he was still a fair amount taller than her. Not like she wasn’t accustomed to being towered over due to Nadia.

’That lover-boy of yours has a counterpart, too. We call him the Terrorfiend,’ Mikey explained to her. ’I’d have never fuckin’ guessed in my whole life that he was some awkward dude with a crush on you in the real world. Here, he’s a fuckin’ two-horned, walking catastrophe,’ he told her, then throwing up his arms as if he was making some type of valid point.

’Just sayin’, sis, I think between you dating a Terrorfiend and me thinking your partner is hot, I’m not the one with the weird taste,’ Mikey shouted back, completely missing the point Dani was making. He was being defensive now for the sake of being defensive. This was the argumentative side of him she remembered.

'You're gawkin' at her through my memories!' Dani argued, though when the matter of Adrian’s doppelganger was brought up, her demeanor automatically grew more grave. 'There's more of those fucking things…' It was less a question and more a realization that dawned on her. 'It's not about fucking taste! Wait, so does everyone have a fucked up version of them here? Or another version?' There had to be others like Mikey, but then that also meant there were others like her.

’First, let’s get something straight. You are not in Adolla. This is a rift. It’s like a bridge. It’s supposed to be private between you and your counterpart,’ Mikey informed her, clarifying a misconception she seemed to have. ’But since I’m dead and live on through you, we’re close enough that I can come in,’ he told her. He was getting a little more serious, but only out of his own frustration drowning out his humor.

’Secondly, yeah, just about everyone has one. Some are thousands of years old. Historical people. Some fade away when people forget them. We exist because people think of us,’ he said, answering her question. It had a pretty sad implication in that people only truly died when they were forgotten. That was a recurring theme in a lot of literature, though.

Neither of them were much on quotes, but if they were, this would be the perfect time for the old adage, “they say you die twice. One time when you stop breathing and a second time, a bit later on, when somebody says your name for the last time.”

’And, lastly, you’re fuckin’ right. It’s not about taste,’ he told her. He then reached out his left arm to flick her right in the center of her forehead. ’We’re here ‘cause you’re fuckin’ stupid, sis,’ he told her bluntly. There was no sympathy in his tone. Utter confidence in his opinion.

’You damn near let the worst version of yourself–that bitch,’ he said, nodding over to the still unconscious alternate version of herself, ’convince you that you were alone and dangerous.’

’But, look at your fuckin’ memories. You got a partner that refuses to give up on you, a shit ton of friends, and apparently a boyfriend that treats you like a Death-damn princess,’ he shouted at her. Not with anger, mostly his raised voice because this revelation was obvious to him.

’If you had half a brain, you’d know what she said was absolute bullshit,’ he added, explaining why he called her stupid.

Dani wracked her brain to process this information. It was so damned odd, everything about this place. However, more than the confusion was concern. If she could find a gate like this, couldn't others? The fact that Adrian's other was famous in the damn place worried her beyond belief. However, she was brought from her thoughts when she felt the sting on her forehead.

'Ow! The fuck!' Dani growled, rubbing her forehead to ease the trivial pain. 'Wh-I am fucking dangerous, the hell?! My wavelength has murder in the Death-damned name! But… I'm going to be dangerous no matter what, so I figure I'll try to not be as much… I guess…'

’Dipshit, everyone is fuckin’ dangerous,’ Mikey told her, cutting right into that stream of logic she was spewing out.

’Every fuckin’ person has a bit of Madness in them. People are shitty. Most would throw another person under the bus if it made their life a little better. Some people think they’re still the hero of the story when they’re responsible for the deaths of thousands. Think about it,’ Mikey told her, just blindly reinforcing his own point.

’Sure, you get angry, you say mean things, you might wanna kill people,’ he told her.

He then gestured back to the flaming memory now paused on the moment Adrian was holding her up in the air in that ridiculous Titanic rip off.

’But apparently, you also do shit like this,’ he said, trying to really emphasize just how big of a gap really existed within Dani.

His eyes widened and he tilted his head with a pursed smirk. ’Sis, get the fuck over yourself. It isn’t that bad. All you gotta do is decide you won’t be her,’ he said, again gesturing to the demonic version of her on the ground.

Dani flinched slightly at the straightforward and blatant retort to her logic. She looked over at the fiery memory solemnly. She was dangerous, but so was everyone else, that much was true. She certainly didn't think she was the strongest in the program, and there were plenty of people who did wrong that were treated like heroes.

When prompted, she looked over at the other version of her and glared. 'No… She would've tried to hurt everyone and she even attacked you. I wouldn't do that… I won't ever do that.'

That was it. The revelation Dani needed. The drive and determination required to not become that alternate version of herself. The clarity to see she wasn’t truly alone. A new understanding that danger was everywhere, not just where she was. She won this battle.

The alternate version of herself woke up, but only to writhe in pain as red scorch marks pulsed over her blackened skin. Her body began to incinerate itself. Flames erupted from her, creating a spiraling pyre of heat and light that brought forth color and warmth to this otherwise abysmal place. Soon after, those same flames circled around Dani before completely encapsulating her. The kindling, the coals, the hot new spark of power; it embed itself into her very soul.

And, with that, this world of black flame slowly started shrinking, burning away from the outside edges working in.

’That was it, sis,’ Mikey told her, realizing this rift itself was closing. The world shrinking meant there no longer was a way to keep it open; not without the alternate version of Dani seeping through. He couldn’t do it himself; there wasn’t a living version of him. And, apparently, none of the other alternates were present either.

He smiled at her. He was proud. Proud to be her brother. Happy he got to see. Elated she came out of this on top. There was a moment it didn’t seem things would go in her favor, but he just wouldn’t allow that. He was glad he did, even if it meant he too would crumble in this rift. That much, he would keep to himself.

’But if that fuckin’ Terrorfiend breaks my sister’s heart, I’ll find my way out of here to beat his ass,’ Mikey told her, ’and then right after, I’m taking your partner out and we’re gonna shit talk him the whole time.’ Even in this moment, Mikey couldn’t stay too serious. Humor was how he coped. Truth was, he was sad it was coming to an end; but, like hell he’d let Dani know that.

Dani’s eyes shot to the doppelganger as its form vanished from the bridge and the fire embedded itself within her. She recoiled at first, but it didn't burn or hurt. 'That was it…?' She repeated in disbelief, looking herself over as if to spot any visible changes. She let out a soft, relieved huff followed by a chuckle. 'He's not fuckin' Terrorfiend out there. He's Adrian. I'm sure the two of you would find an excuse to smack the hell out of each other regardless, like the dumbasses you are…'

Though with that joke, Dani started to notice the area around them dissipating and it didn't take long for her to realize what that meant. She knew how he coped by now too. Her voice caught in her throat, wanting to ask but not wanting to hear the answer. She wouldn't be able to come back.

Realizing that, she stared at him as her expression started to waver again. Then, she ran forward and clutched him in a tight embrace like before. 'I fucking love you, bro…'

This was the part that Mikey didn’t know what to do with. Maybe that’s because Dani didn’t really know what to do with it. Or, maybe, it’s because Mikey never really thought about losing Dani. Those roles in the real world were reserved, after all.

He scoffed. Smirking that cocky ass, confident smile. ’I know, Danibear… I know,’ he told her. It was the fakest thing he had ever said. Even he couldn’t hide the fact tears were strolling down his face. All he could do is keep talking through them. His voice hung up. He choked slightly, a frog in his throat that was almost immovable.

’I love you, too… and I’m glad I got to say it this time,’ he told her, reciprocating every bit of remorse she had.

The walls of this burning would came closing in. Time was fleeting. He held her in a tight hug, one arm around her back, the other pulling her head in and holding that pink hair of hers. Goodbyes were never easy. Especially when they were so clearly final.
’One last thing before you go, Dani,’ Mikey said, releasing his hold on her head enough for her to pull back and speak.

'...That's a stupid fucking nickname…' She said, what little she could that didn't cause her to completely break down. As she pulled back, Dani averted her eyes slightly to quickly wipe her eyes with the back of her hand. 'Yeah? Anything.'

’D-Don’t you dare.. Name your kids after me,’ he told her. Tears still rolling down his face, but a deadpan tone. It was hard to tell if he was half-joking, entirely upset, or if this was some hugely serious request from him. ’I have always hated Michael, Mike, Mikey–all of it. Pick something else, fucking please,’ he explained, apparently being quite serious with this final request.

'W-What kind of fucking request is that…' Dani murmured with the tears starting to fall from her again. 'Fine… no fucking Mikey, you dumbass. A-As if I'm having kids anyway…'

’Just in case…’ Mikey said, pleased to hear her agree. With that, the flames encroached around them. He hugged her tightly once again. He thought to kiss her hair, a sweet final moment, but the world had burned away before he even could.

That same abrupt, sudden shift that had brought Dani into the rift now brought her back out. The black flames that Nadia attempted to stab died down immediately. In their place was an explosion of flame from the tip of the blade edge that comprised her sword form. Five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten feet of flames launched out of it and maintained themselves. A burning cloak around her blade, and now taking the form of several round links that appeared markedly similar to the tail of a scorpion.

At the end of this tail was a large stinger, curved under the tail itself, that brought the tail to an end. This was a whole new feeling. It felt closest to a new limb. Nothing like her hands or feet, but still something she individually controlled. Nadia was not responsible for the movement of the tail. It would take a considerable amount of adjustment.

While Dani still needed some time to compose herself after her emotional time in the rift, Nadia now had to come to terms with the new force in front of her. While it burned bright, it did not burn her. It was not composed of spiritual energy. It did not feel like magic. Quite frankly, it didn’t make a lot of sense. But then again, what did?

The familiar coldness that was her connection with Nadia washed over her, and like that she was back. Dani could feel the tail of flame that spurred from her sword form and could tell it was hers to control. However, that curious feeling aside, the most prominent emotion was deep sorrow as if her wounds were still fresh. For all intents and purposes, it felt like she had just lost her brother again.

'A-Alright… let's go kill those trees,' Dani finally said with a shaky voice.

‘W-what?’ As the new revelation came nearly instantly, Nadia found herself caught off guard as the flaming sword took on a partially new shape and form, a bit insectoid…no, Scorpions were arachnids weren’t they? It didn’t matter much, now was neither place nor time. However, the second pressing matter was Dani’s wellbeing. The pink haired weapon was clearly distressed… Sadly now was not the time to deal with that either, though she did reach out to her over their soul space and embraced her, with a rub on the back and a hug, she then parted ways.

Looking Dani in the eyes, the Ice Blood Giantess gave a reassuring smile unlike her normal expression.

’It seemed like no time passed at all, but now I’m starting to wonder… We’ll go to Moscow when this is all said and done, you could use some cheering up, but for now, how are you holding up? I don’t know what any of this is, it's neither magic nor soul… But we should use it to take out that leshy bastard if we can. Take him out and all of this ends… I think..’ Holding the blade in her hand, she still did not know why she didn’t catch on fire and how best to make use of this new form, though she suspected that part of that laid with Dani, she had no time to pause and reflect, the Lord of the Woods was coming.

Dani's spirit leaned into the embrace slightly, but that only made it difficult not to collapse into the comforting gesture. So, her body stayed rigid, internally at least.

'I-I’m not okay… I'll explain later, but if I go into it now I'm gonna lose it…' Her words were no different sounding than the normal Dani, but the tone made it clear that she was referring to tears and not rage. If Dani didn't focus on the task at hand now until it was done, she knew she wouldn't be of any use. 'I'm gonna kill him whether it stops this or not.’

‘My sentiments exactly, we should be done soon.’ With that, she showed confidence she didn’t truly feel. They would have to end the threat or the threat would end them, mysterious powers aside.

RedArmyShogun EmperorsChosen​

 

[Merciless Medic]

Noah Wiley​

Date: April 12, 2067
Location: Calimani Village, Romania
Interactions: Gauss, Arkayis, Annika
Mentions: Elly, Midori, Alvilda, Ileana
Sir Les Paul Peckinou The Regal Rper RedArmyShogun EmperorsChosen

As they blasted through the group, Noah felt a chill upon hearing the Baroness from earlier taunt them for killing someone who meant them no harm. Really? Meant no harm?

Weren’t they just attacking them?

He didn’t get it.

Leaving Alvilda and Ileana behind to tend to the injured now unenthralled civilians, they walked until they reached Calimani Village and Noah was now concerned for the fate of all those people if they just blitzed through. It wouldn’t look good on them if they killed innocent civilians. In the distance and through the crowd was a woman sitting on a chair with someone beside her. Well, he hoped it was the Baroness, but he doubted that was the case. But the sun was setting…

The grisly scene that was preceded by ominous silence had Noah being reminded of Cry of Fear. Gauss spoke up, speaking to his partners and Annika to figure out what to do. Not wanting to lose out in this conversation, Noah also piped up once Gauss was done, rolling his eyes at Gauss’s flirt, to which he made his disgruntled opinion known within his soul space. ‘Come on, man, flirtin’ wit' ‘er when yer doin’ the same to that bitch of a spy a few hours ago? Maaaan… At least court ‘er when we’re done 'ere…’

He then spoke aloud for Annika’s ears. “I prefer not killin’ anyone down there. They obviously don’t look too happy bein’ used as our roadblocks. Ya see that chair there? What’re the odds of the Baroness bein’ there ‘r it bein’ a trap?” He was sure hoping the Baroness would be there, but he also doubted it would be. Granted, it was getting dark…

 

[Merciless Medic]

Raphael Valerias​

Date: April 12, 2067
Location: Scorpion Cave, Mojave Desert, Nevada
Interactions: Rand, Maria, Ark
Mentions: N/A
Sir Les Paul RedArmyShogun The Regal Rper

Their plan worked without a hitch, with Raph placing a hand on Rand’s shoulder to use Rand as a sort of medium for the ice spell. Putting the scorpions into hibernation and feeling pretty drained from doing that for fifteen minutes or more, Raph was being made to wait for Ark and Maria to clear it, which only had him just feeling more antsy to just go in there. Once he got the go ahead, he made longer chains and put up chain anchors for any sort of steep or difficult-to walk incline/decline essentially making steps with his chains, especially for those who were too weak to walk without assistance.

Once he changed the density of the earth per Rand’s instruction to use it, they finally found the people under a slab of rock. Hearing the scorpions used pit traps, he raised an eyebrow before constructing a chain step-ladder and putting the chain anchor near the mouth of the tunnel to keep it there, even before Rand asked him too.

Once that was done and while the burning of the eggs were being done by Ark and Rand, Raph created a harness with a few loops - two large ones for someone to sit on comfortably while another smaller loop away from the two larger ones that was made to keep both legs elevated and straight. It was attached to a horizontal circle so the person sitting in it can hold onto the chains at their sides and have some support on their back. The harness he made had chains on each side and connected to another chain that led to another chain anchor, allowing the man to be hoisted up.

While he was making the harness for the fallen agent, he gave a grin to the male agent as he asked if they were witches. “Sorcerers, fellow agent. Whether we could utilize the soul or magic; Fate, Guild, or EAT; we’re still all a part of the DWMA’s collective forces, and we won’t let another DWMA agent die out here. That’s absurd.” Maria’s own answer to them as she began working on a splint had Raph’s eye twitching. Yeah, he wasn’t a big fan of being questioned either, but he had some sleep this time, so he wasn’t about to be a bitch like he was during training for a brief moment. He then set it slowly down into the pit, speaking to Maria this time.

“Here’s your harness~. Glad to see you all alive.” He practically sang with a polite smile, all too happy to make himself looking like a good guy just to spit on any preconceptions these One-Stars had of them.

 

[Merciless Medic]

Alek​

Date: January 15, 2067
Location: Pegasus Landing, Daedolon Island
Interactions: Shiro, Astor, Harpies, Undead
Mentions: N/A
Sir Les Paul EmperorsChosen

Alek had only come to the realization that the stones were a horrible idea and actually glared at Shiro once he threw the other harpy away. “Hey, this ain’t bird season.” That was when a more magnificent looking - relatively - harpy appeared before them and Alek’s shoulders slumped in exasperated disbelief. “Ya serious? This harpy looks only marginally better than the others and that’s not much of a compliment…”

That was when it screamed and he groaned, covering his ears with his hands. He felt like it was going to last for a lot longer as he gritted his teeth and looked over at Shiro and Astor. Astor didn’t look like he was doing so well. That’s when he saw the waters churn, and as the scream died down, he saw the dead scramble onto shore and shamble up at them. Eyes widening, he saw the sheer amount of the dead coming at them.

He didn’t want to think about it, but it was a better idea to run.

He saw these things drag the downed harpies into the sea, which was good that those were dealt with, but he saw Astor try and attack them. He didn’t see any point in doing so. While he was one to fight hard and find a weakness, there were just too many of them for any of that to be effective. Thankfully, it didn’t take long for Astor to notice this either, as Alek had been trying to fight them off from Astor’s and Shiro’s back if they needed it.

“I agree a hundred percent. There’s too many. Let’s go, ninja man.” He called out to Shiro, then sprinted due North, running with Astor and into the forest, hoping Shiro came with them.

 

[Merciless Medic]

Sara Middleton​

A Buried, Bright Spirit:
Location: Spirit Park, Death City, Nevada
After Event; April 1, 2067

Spoiler 2:
Location: Cafe of Skulls and Gamescadia Rooftop, Death City, Nevada
Night; April 3, 2067

Noah Wiley​

A Buried, Bright Spirit - Rest in Peace, Allie

Killing the three bug-themed witches was met with a sudden rush to the triage tents. With Sara only having a few burns from the acid and dealing with bite marks from the termites, she was able to walk away with some bandages, her figure by Eva’s side for the most part while she also made sure everyone else was okay.

Noah was in a similar boat, not really needing any medical attention. The clarity of himself he received from eating the Witch’s soul was still reeling in his mind. He felt like there was a different, more proper way of doing that, but he didn’t exactly know how either. They were pressed for time anyway.

Sara’s mind grew restless, so much so that the attempts at trying to keep the atmosphere light-hearted within the triage tent was starting to feel fake, artificial. She wasn’t supposed to stay for too long anyway, so she left soon after she made sure Eva was okay, with Noah following suit after checking up on Gauss and Arkayis.

Against a broken down wall nearby, Sara was curled up, head on her knees as she hugged her legs. Seeing Sara breaking down like this had Noah wishing he could do more to help. Leaning against the wall and sliding to sit, he was just about to put a hand on her shoulder when she lunged for him, clutching at his chest and burying her head there, sobbing uncontrollably. “Ach…” Noah was just about to tell her off, but seeing her in such a state had him biting back a retort, even though her hugging him like this hurt. He just patted her on her back, feeling just as drained, but he didn’t have the energy to cry.

Not like he lost anyone important out there.

“She’s gone, Noah…” She squeaked out, shoulders shuddering.

Sighing deeply, Noah focused his wavelength and zapped her with it, calming her sobbing until it was just her sniffling. “I know… What’re ya gonna do ‘bout it?” He was sure she was going to do something about it, but he didn’t think it was wise to go out there and get in everyone’s way.

“I’m gonna find her body…” She pulled away, wiping away her tears, despite how much her mind wanted her to cry it all out right now. Thanks to Noah’s wavelength, she couldn’t, which only made her more restless.

Noah deadpanned. “Ya sure that’s a good idea? How’re ya gonna do that? Aren’t there people pickin’ up bodies right now?” He let out a grunt of surprise when she immediately gripped his shoulders, her golden eyes alight with a tired, yet determined flame.

“Yes. I have to see her. We can help out with the effort, we’re able enough.” Voice firm, she let go of him and got up, holding out her hand for him.

Noah glanced at her tail and found it almost curling between her legs. Sighing, he grabbed her hand and got up. “Yer scared they’re gonna say no.” He stated, with Sara scowling at him. This wasn’t like her and it had him worried.

“Don’t say it out loud. I can help bring the bodies in. Maybe they’ll let you help me.” She said it as if she was confident it would be the case, but Noah was already heavily doubting not only her words but the confidence she had with them. He wasn’t as physically able as she was anyway, and he frankly didn’t want to see any dead bodies.

Leaving the triage tent, they walked in uncomfortable, solemn silence. It was miasmic enough to make them both anxious walking through the near empty streets, scattered with rubble of their fighting. They saw some people already trying to clean the place up, busy trying to erase what happened - at least that’s what it seemed like to Noah.

After a bit of walking, they finally made it to Spirit Park, or at least the edges of such. There was an older man standing at the edge, his safety vest marked in fluorescent green spray paint, and “SCENE COMM.” in pink paint on the back and front. His hair was greying, his once golden eyes a dull brass, and he was taking stock of the people nearby, delegating where they needed to go and rationing out equipment and inventory they needed.

Noah looked at Sara with some concern, but she didn’t look back at him. She just confidently walked up to the scene commander and nodded respectfully. “I’m here to help. I just came from the triage tent and I’m all good. I can help bring the bodies back.” She said confidently, the man narrowing his eyes at her and looking her up and down to see if she was going to be helpful or break down. “I’m also a part of the Vena Clan, I can find anyone if they’re missing.”

After a moment, the commander spoke, firm and stern with a clear voice. “If you’re able to grab the bodies, then you’re able to help with other clean up, as well. Go out there and clean up, we should be done in a half an hour to an hour. There’s a tent right here to put the bodies in.”

Sara looked out at the rest of Spirit Park. While there were bodies strewn all over the place - puppets and those who were once living intermixed - it wasn’t too bad out here. Relatively. There were some people who were either identifying or hauling them back. Looking over at the long tent that was established, she could see a few people leaving, the flaps opening up to show bodies being set in body bags and tagged with identification if any were given.

The werewolf was just about to leave, but she stopped in her tracks when the commander looked at Noah and spoke to him with a nod of his head. “What can you do? You want to help?”

Noah, uncertain if he was able to do what Sara could do, gave him an affirmative nod. “Yup. I got a Healin’ Wavelength.” He looked at Sara, gave her an apologetic furrow of his brow, and looked back at the commander. “I don’t think I’m fit to carry bodies though.”

“You don’t need to.” He then ushered someone else to approach them. He wore a bright red plus on his chest vest. He looked rather young, probably older than Noah by a few years with black hair slicked back and carrying a rollable suitcase with medical equipment attached to it. Noah figured there was more inside. “Medic, take this man with you, he’s got a healing wavelength.”

“Good.” The medic nodded towards Noah and started walking, with Noah having to jog slightly to catch up to him and power walk beside him. “What’s your name?”

“Noah.”

“Eric.” As they walked, he pointed to the tent they were to be in. “So, when we get to the tent, you’re gonna see some injuries, but don’t worry about the injuries. You’re our therapeutic guy. The ones with a higher precedence to calm would be those who’re obviously having a tough time. Everyone’s feeling all kinds of fucked up, so don’t worry about tapping everyone. We’ll need you for longer than an hour, I’m sure. I’ll get you some snacks, so you aren’t running on fumes. Other than that, use your best judgment, Noah. People go through trauma differently. We’re going to attempt to make a more positive environment inside the tent as much as we can so it’s easier to sit in there. I know how it sounds, but seeing someone smiling can help more than you realize, even though you might catch some flack. So, just smile a bit, ‘kay?”

Noah couldn’t help but feel slightly overwhelmed. Really? It was all so much… He wasn’t exactly the charismatic guy, but he had an edge with his wavelength. Either way, he was going to do his best. He nodded. “Yeah, thanks. I’ll do what I can.”

“Good.”

With that, they entered the tent. It was similar in terms of the triage tent they came from, but some of those who were here recovering were also those who were having a mentally rough time and just needed some time to recuperate. The tent was filled with solemn idle chatter, some attempts at trying to make a joke and wry chuckling, but it was mostly crying and there were those who were talking to themselves in whispers and mutterings.

Noah felt like he had his work cut out for him, his expression attempting to stop the glum.

---

Sara was rather disappointed Noah couldn’t come with, watching him following a medic made her feel so much more alone. Shaking her head, she stubbornly set one foot after the other as she made her way towards the center of the crisis and where she remembered seeing Allie’s body. She made it look like she was wandering first, trying to find bodies and setting them in lines so she may be able to pick them up easier. She remembered most of these people’s names, their last names, their jobs…

It hurt so much, but she stubbornly continued, even as her eyes began to flood with awaiting tears.

That was until she saw Allie. Glancing over her shoulder to make sure the scene commander wasn’t watching despite how far she was, she kneeled down to scoop up the now cold, limp form of her dear friend. Sniffling, she shakily took Allie’s earrings off her ears, keeping them in her balled up fist. Tears landed on the horrified face, eyes disdainfully looking up as if she wanted to defy death. Sara closed them with a gentle touch of her fingertips.

With a kiss to her forehead, Sara finally got the strength to hook her arm under her legs and carry her to the line she made. “My dear friend… I’ll remember you forever. I’ll find your trash raccoon buddy once I’m done, Allie. I’ll give him the news… I love you…”

The affirmations she wished Allie could say were silent. She ached.

She had never spoken to Raphael, but she remembered him from the tournament. It just didn’t click until now that this man was the same man who hung out with Allie while she was at her worst - homeless and drugged up to hide from her loud insecurities.

She was doing so good… Yet, she was lost too early before she could own the cafe. Before she could win over her insecurities for good.

Sara found herself standing motionless above her friend and shook her head, continuing to work until she got everyone from the area she was in into a line, and then began carrying them back to the tent for bagging and processing. She picked up Allie first, taking her back to the tent and setting her within a body bag.

It was so weird… Feeling how rigid her body became from rigor mortis.

That haunting face would never leave her eyes, even as Sara zipped up the bag and tagged the bag with Allie’s name and age.

Sara wanted to break down, wanted to cry and take the body away and find someone to resurrect her, but she wouldn’t allow herself. Looking at the earrings she took from her friend, she felt like she was alive. Or maybe this was denial. Her quiet voice croaked.

“Rest well, Allie…”

She pocketed them, and went back outside to take from the line of bodies she made. She found a few people had begun helping her, and she gave them a weary smile, cheeks stained with silent tears as she continued to give proper identification to the bodies they set inside the tent.

---

Noah had chosen to work with those who looked to be taking it far harder than the others. He had to get used to the amount of strangers hugging him or holding on to some limb of his, but it was okay. Zapping them with tiny arcs of his healing lightning as if it were static electricity from rubbing their backs, Noah was somewhat successful with the first couple. They hugged him, calmed from their uncontrollable wailing, and got themselves under control, even if they looked to be empty afterwards. The third person, a woman, had a gunshot wound in her thigh, the wound constantly bleeding out.

He couldn’t heal their wounds, and he was reminded of the machine that had tried to fix Gauss’s hand after the rejection he suffered from the hands of the insane demon gun he wielded back in Lot C.

He needed to get stronger.

With gritted teeth, he walked over to her bed, sat beside her, and patted her messy, auburn hair. The older woman looked up at him, felt the soothing sparks frizz her hair, and she sniffled with a squeaky voice. “... They can’t save me, can they…?” Her forehead felt cold, skin already paling.

It felt like a rock was wedged in Noah’s throat, voice wavering and hushed. “Th-they can, don’t worry.”

“Hun…” She shook her head, then looked over to see one of the medics coming over. “Thank you, but leave your strength for the others to latch onto.” Noah watched her eyes begin to dull - becoming blank, the smile on her face strained. Her breath shuddered unevenly and shallowly.

Where were the tourniquets? The clamps? Noah looked up at the medic who arrived, but the look he received was grave. At the moment, they didn’t have enough to go around, and this woman likely wouldn’t survive… Noah tried to swallow the lump down his throat as he got up, letting them take the woman away to a different tent where she may pass in peace without being in the presence of those already worse off, but alive.

To hide away from it, Noah found the next person who was sobbing uncontrollably, weeping. Asking if they wanted comfort and setting a hand on their back, he soothed them, the poor person leaning into Noah and unwilling to let go of him now that they had their hands in his shirt. Forced to sit down beside them, he wrapped an arm around them to pull them into a hug, using them as a sort of comfort for himself from the last person.

However, he needed to move on.

“Ya okay?” They shook their head. “I need ta help others, too. I’ll come back.” Giving them a pat and pulling away, the person nodded and went back to hugging themselves, but they were not wailing as hard as they were before. Still, they slumped over, as if even their very bones had wept.

Feeling accomplished albeit in a hollow sense, Noah got up and walked over to someone else. This someone entered not long ago from helping with the cleaning efforts. He was mumbling to himself, and as Noah got closer, he understood why.

“Pieces… Pieces everywhere…” It was clear to Noah that he had just helped out cleaning a spot from some flesh chunks. Blood smattered his hands and arms, his eyes wild as tears stained his cheeks. Sitting beside him as a medic came by to check on the mumbling man, he went to zap him with the healing wavelength by rubbing his hand on his back, but he wouldn’t be able to get close to touching him.

The reaction was near instantaneous. As the medic went to ask if he was okay, he immediately stood up and shoved the two away from him, sending Noah on the floor. “Like hell I am! You think this is some joke?!”

Immediately, a few people came by as Noah scrambled up and away, shaken as the man struggled against the hold from three people. “5-2.” Another medic said from one of the exits, holding it open for them to drag the struggling and yelling man outside to a nearby ambulance truck, the incoherency getting worse once they got him out of the tent. Eric ran up behind Noah and put a hand on his shoulder as everyone began to hold order and comfort those who found that scene too much.

“You okay, Noah?”
“Yeah, just fell, nothin’ I can’t handle…” He rolled his shoulder away from the hold, huffing at the man who had to be dragged away. “Can’t say I don’t feel for ‘im though… Silver linin’s…” He muttered, shaking his head and going to grab a snack. He felt Eric’s concerned gaze on him, but he didn’t meet it, for fear of trudging up the torrent of emotions he held.

He was going to be here for a while.

---

Sara had gone on autopilot. Finding pieces of torn flesh and ripped bodies was natural from her time hunting, but it hit different when she recognized the arm or the face of the person that was in pieces before her. The pain began to numb, the actions blurred and became the same. Pick up, pay some respects, line up in a line, take to the tent, slip into a body bag, identify them. There were just multiple trips being taken for those who were in pieces.

Sara felt like she wanted to vomit.

In fact, she nearly did after her mind tried to process the metallic ichor in the air, the blood and detritus that stained her clothes and skin, the bodies… The bodies of those poor people. What would their families go through?

Taking a moment behind the body bag tent, she noticed a woman was taken out of the tent Noah went into, bleeding out on the cot with a vacant expression as she was wheeled in.

Depressing.

Feeling like she was almost done, she walked back to the scene commander to request a break in the tent. Seeing as she was out here for close to an hour and the scene was almost wrapped up, she was let go. She could’ve taken a break earlier, but she didn’t feel like she could.

Walking in, Sara noted the more solemn air here, but thanks to Noah’s efforts, some of the worst cases here were doing okay, which brightened the mood a little bit. Of course, Noah was starting to tire out, even after having a couple snacks.

Sitting down at a cot, Noah walked over to her, imparting her with some of his wavelength by squeezing her shoulder. The look in his dull green eyes was tired, but determined. Sitting beside her, Sara leaned her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes as she sighed shakily. “I found Allie…” She spoke quietly. She then dug in her pants pocket and pulled out her earrings. “I’m going to find someone, a friend of hers who was with her through her darkest times… And give one to him.”

Noah pressed his face in her dirty hair, sighing. “Do ya know who he is?”

“We met him at the tournament. The chain sorcerer.”

Noah’s face paled and he pulled away. He remembered the number he did on Dani and Nadia, and it wasn’t even a physical attack… “Ya serious?” He groaned and shook his head. “Well, be careful.”

Sara smiled. “Don’t worry, I will. I’m sure I can become friends with him.” She looked back at the earrings, then pocketed them. “Are you done here?”

“No. I’m gonna continue until I can’t use my healin’ wavelength anymore. Probably another hour ‘r two.” Noah’s resigned look cast a sweeping glance over the tent. There were still a couple people he should help. He let go of Sara and stood up.

“I’ll leave you to it then. Thank you.” Sara smiled, standing up and ruffling his hair. “I’m going to check up on Eva, your partners, then leave.”

“Good idea.” Noah gave her a half-smile, patting her shoulder before going back to help the others in the tent until he was told to go home.

Sara watched Noah go back and help someone else, her ears flattening as she let out a tired sigh. Walking out of the tent, she looked over Spirit Park, blood still stained the grounds as piles of jester dolls were set away from everything else, likely going to be burned.

There were many quotes Sara had heard about tragedy. But here and now, not one of those seemed to fit what she felt. At limbo with her feelings, she stubbornly made her way back to the firehouse to see her friends, hoping they were okay.

Raphael Valerias​

Misery Loves Company - A Visit Down Parallel Memories

It was early in the morning, the morning heat was slowly rising as Sara got up from another sleepless night. She made herself food, burnt it, yet ate it anyway. She had washed the earrings and herself, but hadn’t brushed her hair since, hadn’t put on a fresh set of clothes after she did so a couple days ago coming home. Her mind was somewhere else, not on herself.

How could life be so cruel?

She cried all the tears she could, her body felt like jelly as she left home to walk. There was no parkour, as it felt too happy. She was chained by guilt, by shame, caged from the freedom of a physical exercise. No, instead she walked her way - in sweatpants and a sweatshirt - to Cafe of Skulls, Allie’s workplace.

As Sara peered through the windows, she realized just how empty it felt despite the amount of people inside. The cafe's interior still held its modern and simplistic style, the floors still a checkered white and black and the walls being a grey scale of stripes. Before, this was fine. It held a macabre sense of simplicity and fun. Now, it was just lonely, as if they fell into a black and white film.

The furniture was the same: geometric in shape, the black tables either sporting monochrome, striped booths and a set of black chairs or were taller and had a couple taller chairs. The lights still held the skull motif. Each of the tables had a cutesy skull with little flowers within the pot inside the skull that sat in the middle. The little flowers this time were cherry blossoms on twigs and the red spider lily, as a homage to Allie’s favorite flowers.

Sara swore the skull vases were frowning.

The cafe was partially busy as it was breakfast a couple days after the tragic attack. The counter held a glass display case that held breakfast options and treats like muffins, crepes, crescents, cookies, brownies, fudge, and little square cakes. A menu hung from the ceiling above the counter, the words written in chalk. Smoothies, milkshakes, coffees and lattes, even Italian soda and regular soda were offered as beverages. There were even more breakfast, sandwich, and dessert options written in print on menus.

Still as they were before Allie’s death, the only sense of normalcy. Yet, it hurt more to see Allie absent - practically the face of the mornings for those in Cafe of Skulls. She was like a permanent fixture. It was wrong to see her gone.

As she approached the door, she saw a memorial on the wall through the glass. Pushing open the door took more strength from her arm than she thought, and she didn’t even hear the bell chime as the numbness from her mind extended to her senses. Feeling as dead as Allie was, she walked towards the memorial that sat on a wall near a window, a shelf was made to hold the things she liked. Her specific coffee cup, the colors pink and black in ribbons, replicas of her earrings, her uniform neatly folded, and a picture of her smiling while standing at her spot behind the counter.

Her bright eyes in this picture didn’t capture the life she held in person too well. Sara felt a tear fall for the first time in a couple days.

Pulling out a card she wrote in honor of her, she set it down on the shelf next to her picture. The cute little pug, Allie’s favorite dog breed, in the center of the card wore a skull-themed dress and looked so happy, full of joy and life just like Allie was despite all that she went through.

She was Sara’s brightest star, the one who pushed her to continue when things got hard, and she was gone now.

“You also one of her friends?” A solemn male voice spoke from behind, and Sara turned her head just softly to see it was none other than Raphael. His right eye was closed, probably so as to not startle anyone with his tattooed blind eye. Sara nodded, wiping away the errant tears as she turned around with an attempt at smiling.

“Hello, Raphael. We didn’t get to properly meet. I’m Sara.” She smiled, holding out a hand for him to shake.

Raphael looked at Sara’s puffy eyes, splotched red cheeks, and watched her smile waver. After having come back from his mission, Raphael didn’t look pleased himself. He was winded, still recovering from the island and exerting themselves just to get out alive, the weariness of such was seen on his face. But within that red eye - as Sara saw - was hidden pain and torment. Hesitantly, he reached out and grabbed her hand, shaking it once and gave her an attempt at a smile, too.

“Nice to meet you properly and not on a holographic screen.” Raphael said cheekily, getting Sara to smile a bit more now. She kept her olfactory soul perception to herself, so as to not overwhelm herself with the smell of his madness.

“I have something for you.” Sara said, digging into her pocket, but paused when Raphael held up his hand and shook his head.

“Later. Let’s talk first.” Raph didn’t want anything from Sara. At least, not yet. He didn’t want to feel like he owed her anything.

Sighing, Sara walked to the counter with Raphael. As they were asked what to have, they both spoke at the same time.

“Chocolate peanut butter banana shake-” The two looked at each other with some surprise, then gave sheepish smiles.

“Ah, you two were her friends… I remember you two. This milkshake has been rather popular since yesterday…” The clerk mused to himself, sighing sadly. “I’ll get you Allie’s special. Don’t worry about paying for it.”

Raphael shook his head and sent some money down, much to Sara’s surprise. “For a donation, then.”

The clerk paused briefly before smiling graciously with a hint of sadness, took the money to put in the donation jar, and left to make the milkshakes. The two then sat down at a booth, Sara immediately slouching and resting her head on her crossed arms.

“You look tired.” Raph commented.

“You don’t look so bright-eyed either.” Sara said in a muffle, making Raph huff in amusement.

“Heh, just came back from Dall Island is why. It was tiring.” He yawned, then shook his head. “But you look like you’ve let yourself go. Hit ya that hard?”

Sara just nodded in silence.

“Hey, I may not be a friend - yet-” Sara huffed in response. “But I’m still willing to listen. She’s talked about you sometimes. And I bet she’s talked about me to you, too.”

Sara nodded, her silence prompting a sigh from Raph.

“Come on, girl, I can’t hold the conversation by myself. Here, once we get our shakes, let’s go to a place and relax, yeah? I know a spot.”

Finally, Sara looked up at him. A wry smile spread across her face. “I don’t think I can parkour today…”

“Nonsense, you can.” Raphael waved a nonchalant hand at her, causing her to look at him more in confusion. “Besides, you won’t need to.”

The clerk arrived with their milkshakes in to-go cups. With a bow of his head, Raphael swiftly stood up and held out a hand for Sara. She looked at him unsure before sighing and taking it anyway, grabbing her cup and allowing herself to be taken somewhere.

“Are you gonna do something to me like you did with Dani and Nadia?” She asked after they left the cafe, with Raph letting go of her hand in shock and gasping.

“Noo, I would never, you’re too upset right now. Besides, I uh… Hehe, it’s not a fond memory of mine. I’d rather not talk about that or the fallout.” He scratched the back of his head, opening his other eye now and giving Sara a bit of shock.

“The hell did you do to your eye?”

“Got it tatted.” It was such a simple, nonchalant answer that Sara had a hard time believing it.

“That… Can’t sound healthy.”

“It’s not. Here.” He closed his good eye and stared at Sara with it. She noticed the pupil wasn’t moving, and it lazily began to drift, like it couldn’t focus on anything.

“You’re blind…?” She asked incredulously.

Raph opened his other eye with a smile and nodded with triumph. “Yup, I am~.”

She sighed wearily. “I don’t know how you’re supposed to be proud of that, but okay.”

“It’s so I can get a bigger tax return for being disabled.”

Sara nearly spat her drink and then nearly choked on it. Finally able to breathe, she chuckled, shaking her head. “Horrible.”

“Probably, but also very clever.” He nudged her shoulder with his elbow, earning a small smile. He sighed and reminisced as he stared at the blue sky above. “I remember the look on Allie’s face when she found out. She was so pissed.” He chuckled. “It was right after she got her clerk job, too. I was made to drink this disgusting concoction by using one of my favors against me.” He chuckled, getting a bewildered yet amused expression from Sara.

“Heh, I remember that. She was ranting to me about it, but she didn't want to out you, so she didn't tell me who it was. Sweet thing. Oh, you’re loyal to favors?” Sara asked, curious. Reminiscing like this, while it still hurt, felt a bit better than recalling what her dead face looked like.

“Yup, I am. Though, because we just met, you get a free favor. But I’m not doing this out of any favor just because you happened to be a good friend for Allie.” Hearing the name still stung, but Sara was busy drowning her taste buds in the milkshake and staring at Raphael, his actions eccentric as he waved his hands in explanation, even holding out a finger when he explained further this was no favor he was doing.

“So, you’re just a sweetheart locked behind a vice, you just don’t want to or can’t admit it.” Sara chuckled, now making Raph nearly lose his drink.

“Hey, now, enough of that. No I’m not.” He chuckled, shaking his head.

It was then that Sara realized he was leading her to the entertainment part of the city, and they were nearing Gamescadia. The bright lights had Sara squinting her eyes. She wasn’t really in the mood to play games and was about to say that when she saw Raph taking a turn into an alleyway next to the building. Following him, she looked up to see him using his chains to pull down a fire escape ladder. Pocketing his chains, he began to climb up it, Sara following suit until they reached the roof.

At this height, the sights were beautiful, even if it was overshadowed by the bright lights of the building they were on. Being led to the edge where they can sort of see the wreckage that happened over yonder, they sat down and enjoyed the macabre view.

“You know, this was Allie’s favorite spot to sightsee.” Raph began, smiling as he leaned back on his hand and took a sip.

Sara smiled as she saw the sight, but her face fell as she realized what the view was about. “How funny… She died at the place she admired from afar.”

An uncomfortable silence ensued, but it was quickly broken by Raph. “Heyy, let’s not think about that. We should celebrate her life as she lived it. I don’t think she would enjoy how much you’re letting this affect you.”

Sara groaned and hung her head. “What’s the difference? She’s unable to slap me across the head, she can’t be here with us, I had to literally carry her body into a tent full of dead people, I saw her dead body on the ground when the jesters attacked, I-...” Sara paused to take a breath, but found herself shivering then sobbing.

She heard a sigh amidst her crying, then warmth wrapped around her shoulders, getting her to pause briefly. She looked over to see Raph side-hugging her, his expression grave. “You know, I wish I was here to see the mess that unfolded. I wanted to come back and tell her the good news of our mission, how we as sorcerers in Fate are likely paving way for the acceptance of magic users in the DWMA thanks to our contributions and the cremations and identification we took with us of those who perished in that great tree in Dall Island… I wasn’t even able to tell her how badly I felt… After the tournament.” His tears welled. “I was too afraid to meet her. And me putting it off consistently has led me to wonder if she hated me before she died…” He gritted his teeth. “I wish I was here to help when it all happened…”

Sara looked up at him, concern in her gaze before she wrapped her arms around him to give him a big squeeze, something she felt him smiling about. Using her nose this time, she smelled a sudden spike in his madness from admitting something that took a hit to his pride, but it thankfully died down. She was thankfully told of this before from Allie. “I don’t think she hated you. She never hates anyone for long. She probably just felt disappointed, but missed you is all. That’s not as bad as her hating you, right?” She looked up, but evidently struck a nerve as Raph choked on tears.

“Hmph, I-I dunno what’s worse… I think I preferred it if she hated me before she died.” He huffed in bitter amusement, with Sara wondering if she should apologize.

“Well, let’s exchange phone numbers and keep in touch. If you need anything, I’ll see what I can do.” Sara smiled bright, her tail now wagging. “And this isn’t a favor. I’m doing this out of the bottom of my heart.”

The sorcerer looked at Sara with some confusion, then a genuine smile creeped upon his face as he chuckled. “You’re strange. Sure, but first. What was this thing you were gonna give me?”

“Oh.” Sara pulled out the earrings from her pocket. They were cleaned when she got back from helping out at Spirit Park, the little skull over a crossbone-mug sat there in her palms. “I got these from Allie, as a way to remember her. Have one.” Sara smiled, putting her hand towards him to take one.

Eyes widening, he gingerly picked one up and inspected it with a smile. “Huh, so we’ll be twinning now, hm? She always wanted her friends to get along.” He smiled sadly, then put it on one of his ears he left vacant. “Thank you.” He said after setting it in, lightly touching it with a wistful look.

Sara smiled and giggled, putting the other earring back in her pocket. “You’re welcome.”

They had drunk the rest of their shakes, and sat there enjoying each other’s silence finally as they stared at the reconstruction from afar. However, the laughing sun was beating down on them, and Raphael began to yawn.

“Y’know, it’s getting a little hot out here. Let’s go someplace else. Maybe find some more fun while we’re at it.” He then lifted up his hands defensively as Sara gave him a raised eyebrow. “Er, it’s all legal, don’t worry.”

After staring at him for a moment, Sara giggled, leading Raph to chuckle in relief. “Yeah, let’s go. You said you wanted to parkour? I’m a bit fast for that, but I can probably show you a thing or two.”

Helping her up, Raph was the first to descend the fire escape, with Sara following suit, trying to cheer up one another with crazy antics, just like how Allie wished for them to be.

 

[EmperorsChosen]

Katsushiro Hoshi | Southwestern Montenegro
____________________________________________________________________________________________
​

Smirking as the harpies he aimed at dropped to the ground, likely they wouldn't survive the return to the tower, but that was just Darwinism. A couple harpies dead or eaten by the other wildlife wasn't anything to scoff at or to cause brows to raise, and Shiro knew that. Of course, avoiding them in their entirety was also a possibility alone, but the two with him were no assassins.

Watching as the matriarch of sorts made her presence known, the Hoshi placed his hands on his hips expectantly as he waited to see what she'd do. The other birds were already b-lining it for the tower with their tailfeathers tucked between their legs. Did this one intend to fight even after seeing their power?

Of course not. It just wanted to give them the equivalent to a harpy's middle finger.

His face instinctively cringed at the high-pitched screech, though that was the least of their worries. Turning his head the way the came on boat, corpses and spirits began sifting out of the water and onto the beach, even going so far as to drag some of the grounded harpies into the water.

'Even if some of your kin get sacrificed, that's fine so long as we get fucked over? What a queen.'

"Well, that takes care of the evidence," The Hoshi mused. As the dead encroached on him, he disappeared in blitzing speed, striking at Eidolon attacking him. There were numerous, but with how sluggish and vulnerable they were, he was more than capable of dispatching them as they readied attacks, removing heads and crushing joints with precise and powerful strikes.

Hearing Astor's suggestion, he snickered a bit. "Eh, I'm not so sure about losing. Energy reserves and injuries are another matter though," Shiro mused aloud, chopping through the neck of another Eidolon before kiting back another several that tried latching onto him in the midst of that strike. Even if they did cull the herd, they wouldn't have the energy to continue on in all likelihood.

Shiro followed after the two shortly after, allowing them a head-start and the Eidolon's a moment to target him given his speed statistic was most certainly the highest.

"So you think the merc's got the army of the dead treatment or did the birds just like us that damn much?"

Sir Les Paul Merciless Medic

 

[Sir Les Paul]

Rand Mabason​

"Soundwave Sorcerer"​

Species Witch
Partner N/A
Rank Two Star

Location Nevada, Mojave Desert
Mission A Last-Minute Rescue
Status Focused

​

Tags: RedArmyShogun Merciless Medic The Regal Rper

April 12th, 2067​

The was in fact some trepidation from the agents upon realizing their saviors were in fact Witches. To the common, low-level agents, there was little difference between Sorcerers and Witches. Magic was Magic. Not that the group was rude, but their closed off body language and avoidance of conversation after that first introduction made for a noticeable cold shoulder.

By the time Maria had finished her splint and the injured Agent was assisted out of the pit trap they were in, Rand had picked up on the social climate and wasn't particularly fond. He pointed out that not only did he outrank them, but that they were in a situation where their enemy had a resistance to spiritual attacks. Magic made the most sense. Fate Agents or not, Witches or otherwise, it made the most sense for them to come. His words came across as more scolding than enlightening, and he even spat out that they were taken off their original mission solely for this.

Logic reigned supreme. With the cold, hard facts laid out in front of them and the reality of all that these Mages could do, the group of young agents softened. Now that they were in the glow of the Magelight, all of them were notably quite young. Under eighteen, inexperienced, fresh to the world. If anything, Rand hoped this early encounter being saved by 'witches' would help sculpt a more positive perspective in the future. More so, he wasn't about to allow the efforts of his team be diminished by an ancient stigma.

In his mind, Rand, Ark, and Maria deserved congratulations and credit. This wasn't an eventful mission. It wasn't climatic or perilous like Dall Island. It wasn't insightful like their training. It was relatively mundane aside from the urgency of saving lives, which honestly was present most of the time regardless. Ark had to control himself the entire mission. He had to use his spells in finer, more creative ways for navigation. Maria was heavily limited in such confined spaces and starved of her normal resources. Raph had to remain patient; he had to keep in mind his role was important even if he wasn't doing the fighting. The struggle here was not from the difficulty of the mission. It was from the limitations and lack of luster involved. Rand refused to let others, even those they were saving, diminish the value of success here.

The rest of their escape went smoothly. Mostly backtracking through the tunnels where they had came from and developing a system for safety in such a large group in narrow passages. The only challenge came in dealing with the injured agent from time to time, but those were all easily overcame. Rand had Raph create a long chain that would attach to each individual, something that connected them and they could tug on if there was a problem. The magelights were spread out more widely, making the travel more dim, but between Rand and Ark, navigation was simple. They had already traversed these paths.

It was until the chamber full of the smaller, weaker scorpions came around that the now-recovered agents really chimed in at all. They were quite obviously in awe of the massacre. It was trivial to the mages, but apparently, that number of scorpions in one area would have been a death sentence to these agents. Their group leaders, the two that presented themselves in the first place, were a Meister and short sword capable of Basic Resonance. According to their claims, even basic resonance wasn't sufficient to cut these scorpions down. The sword might as well have been a bat, they said. It took all they had to fight off two of them at once above ground and then the larger ones came after them in the pitfall, sealing themselves in seemed like the only way to survive.

It was then that the group finally started to actually converse with the Mages, asking how they did it and what spells they used, how they fought, so on and so forth. The conversation was mostly educational, but polite. It was better than the awkward silence that followed Rand scolding them. Once the agents were informed that the biggest issue was actually holding back the strength of their spells, they were truly impressed. According to them, it had taken everything in them to cause the cave in that sealed off the entrance to the egg pit they were in. Ark could have done that in a snap of his fingers.

All good things must come to an end.

Near the entrance to the cave system, a low rumbling echoed through the cave. Both Ark and Rand could see it. A large, serpentine creature burrowing its way into the cave entrance. It was massive, akin to several small busses being linked together. It wasn't exactly a mystery, either. Rand knew about these, and it was likely the agents and Mages did, too. With these massive scorpions abundant in the desert, they had predators. Not many, but a few. This was a Morsipede; an iron-clad centipede that preyed on the scorpions. Immune to toxins, an exoskeleton as durable as iron and plated like a tank, capable of withstanding the pressure of cave ins, and capable of burrowing deeply.

The DWMA had a love-hate relationship with these creatures. They loved how they killed dozens or hundreds of scorpions in a day, if they found them. They hated how death-damn dangerous they were.

Worse is that the group was still stuck inside the cave with no other way out. The only known entrance was now blocked by the head of this burrowing centipede. It could withstand a cave in, but none of them could.

"This... is what we call a problem," Rand said aloud. There wasn't a tinge of worry in his voice. Not that it didn't exist, just that he didn't show it.

"Two chambers up at the entrance is a Morsipede. Probably picked up on the scent of the dead scorpions and is wanting an easy meal... he explained, "but it wouldn't complain about eating us, either."

"Ark, close off the the passages in front of us. We need to buy time to think of a plan. There's no real knowing what this thing can do; they tend to adapt just like the Scorpions do," he said, shooting Ark some instructions. Rand then looked back to the agents. They were nothing but liabilities at this point. Almost entirely depleted of their wavelength reserves, one injured and another likely without a partner due to it.

"You six, go back and hole yourself up somewhere. Even if you could resonate, quarters close. Avoiding friendly fire is next to impossible," he said to them, still shouting instructions and explaining precisely why he wasn't going to let them fight. They complied, though the two that were noted as the leaders didn't seem terribly happy about it.

"Aside from this thing being a living tank, some can secret slippery goo or toxins. I'd prefer to fight at a distance..." Rand said, adding what little else he knew about the creature itself. Maria and her few dolls could be instrumental and keeping it at bay. Ark might be able to either expand the cavern for combat or perhaps tunnel a way out from here given how close they were to the outside, but that could also be dangerous. Raph could potentially chain it down, but given the size and strength he expected out of it, that might be too much for him at present. Not to mention, they were all still slightly drained from their previous training.

 

[The Regal Rper]

Ark | Mojave Desert | Rings: 0/3

There was nothing to say on Rand's decision to scroll the One Stars. The scolding was well deserved, and in his eyes, would straighten them out and move them off the path of indiscriminate assumption making. Not only was presenting the facts to them the right thing, the thought process that it undermined their activity in rescuing them as a whole, was in fact, factually accurate. If they'd maintained the attitude after they began moving, Ark would have said something once they reached topside-- luckily, conversation upon reaching their past location, opened the gates for the tension to bleed off.

It helped having them be curious about some of the stuff they did as a whole. Ark, provided some insight on what he did at least in relation to offing the scorpions with the others. He would pause to give Maria and Raph the chance to get words in, or simply listen as he kept his senses on high alert for any extra activity. It wasn't until they reached the near entrance to the lip of the cave, that Ark had began focusing more on what he was detecting than the conversation going on. The vibrations from the rumbles, the mass that created them, all signs of nothing but trouble.

"It's never easy" he muttered inaudibly under his breath, as Rand made it clear he was seeing what he was sensing from his remark. At Rand's command, Ark dutifully did as he was told.

With his two hands pointing above ahead of them he splayed his hands, made a gripping gesture and then dropped both hands down with a flick of his wrists at the end of their downwards descent towards the ground. The earth ahead shattered and collapsed till the whole place was sealed. And Ark, grabbing with one hand, clenched with his fist, pieces of earth ceiling together tightly as everything fell apart ahead of them creating the sealed wall of earth and stone ahead.

Stepping forward and grabbing the air with his other hand, Ark closed that also into a fist, more pieces of dirt and pebble making the cave-in ahead compact and tight as it all sealed up nicely before he released his magical hold.

"That things going to burrow through that in a few minutes. I can make another path for us, but getting that thing killed likely won't be easy."

Mentions: n/a

Interactions:: Merciless Medic Sir Les Paul RedArmyShogun

 

[Mook-LandStrider]

Annika
RedArmyShogun Sir Les Paul The Regal Rper Merciless Medic Peckinou​

Annika looked to Gauss as they continued on the path. “That sounds like a half decent plan.” Annika responded to Gauss’s planning. She had been changing the belts on the blades over the last several minutes, occasionally looking up to make sure she wasn’t going to trip over anything. Taking a metal ‘key’ she inserted it into the main rotating mechanism and tightened it, locking the new belt into position.

“Subterfuge is preferable over running in and dealing with more than we are probably capable of dealing with at once.” Annika said, her voice rather robotic and responding bluntly as she replaced the belt on her own chainblade. “Sorry, just dealing with this while we have some down time. No idea what else we may run into. I have one more replacement belt. Which means if I wreck both of these one is going to be useless.” Annika explained, nearly tripping over a rock as she looked to Gauss to speak to him.

“Ill be fine, I don’t really scar.” Annika admitted, the flirt going over her head for a few moment. Tightening the main mechanism she looked over finally catching on. She smiled “Ill be fine, you’ve done well so far. I'm sure you’ll keep me safe.” Annika responded. Tightening it the rest of the way she quickly replaced the outer casing and tightened the three hex nuts locking the outside case to the main body.

“Alright, I am back to being fully functional.” Annika announced before sheathing the two blades. She covered the grips with fabric and began to tap on the right leg of her outfit. The fabric flashed once, twice and a third time before refracting the light and causing her to somewhat shimmer and appear difficult to perceive.

“How are you two holding up?” Annika spoke to Noah and Arky. “If my blade breaks, toss me one of them if you feel up to it. I tend to be pretty receptive to wavelengths, though my swinging wavelength may be abit of a shock. I have ideas on how to reinforce my weapons but if I have to block an attack this vampire leader may just demolish one of my weapons.” Annika admitted, knowing the limits of her current equipment.

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Maria Mayer - Scorpion Cavern​

As they made for the exit, Maria would speak with the agents in turn when questioned about how they did what they did. Going into some detail on her craft and showing off her creations, she seemed rather pleased and unfortunately like a professor went into a long yarn. However, at least some of them were still keen to talk or listen, showing off a couple of her knives and her equipment, she in some ways held more in common with the human agents than the typically minimalistic witches.

Though the conversations took awhile to start, they did seem grateful for Maria setting the leg, anyone could just tie on a split, but with her own in-depth understanding of the human body, that was reflected in the points of articulation of her dolls, she made a surprisingly good medic. Still, the journey back was short and just at the end yet another problem came as Rand gave commands and Ark threw up a blocking wall, the dreaded Morsipede had came on the prowl. To say they were difficult to kill would be and understatement, even senior agents found it problematic.

"Hmm... We should have kept the agents with us, they are only going back to where this thing wishes to eat. My dolls can penetrate the armor, given the metals I use, however the sheer girth will make it very difficult to kill it in a single blow... Unless I can self-destruct a doll inside of it at any rate, which would mean I have to get very close. Though we may not need kill the beast at all. I cannot say, maybe the others have more ideas."

Merciless Medic The Regal Rper Sir Les Paul

 

[Sir Les Paul]

Yutu Tatigat​

"Astor"​

Species Meister (Werewolf)
Location Daedelon Island
Mission An Ancient Quarry


​

Tags: Merciless Medic EmperorsChosen

"Doubt the philistines gave them enough of a fight," Astor answered, responding to the question Shiro shot out before he joined Alek and himself North.

Escaping the army of Eidola was... easy. The phantasms made little to no effort to chase them further up the beach. Not that they were fast enough to begin with. More so, the moment that the three were outside of their range, they showed no real ambition in following them. The three were gone before the ghosts could even drag the grounded harpies to their watery grave. Which itself left the question of if they would be included in the next round of Eidola if ever the harpies used the screech again. Not exactly an important curiosity given their mission, but harpies flew and none of the Eidola seemed to.

The new plan was head North, then reroute East. The tree line was still fairly sparse here. Sand transitioned into a more earthy terrain into grasslands. The only new creatures that appeared for some time were docile, black horses that seemed to flee any time the three ran through. Nothing extraordinary about them. They seemed to merely graze the land in a few small herds, no different than they would in their native lands.

That was until the ground shook in their immediate North and on the horizon were a group of three black dots growing ever larger. Much, much larger, in fact. Their speed was able to match what the agents were running at presently and it was hardly a few moments before the monstrous equine species was upon them. The largest in the center of the pack the size of a fully-grown bull elephant with a robust body that made its speed unthinkable. The other two significantly smaller in size with dark gray bodies as opposed to the black. Each with menacing red eyes and a set of three horns protruding from its forehead.

Astor took note of these. Aggressive. Not predatorial. Territorial. The three had likely been scaring off mares in the area that belonged to them, and that caused their intervention. Granted, he was wrong before with the harpies, so he wasn't as quick to give his thoughts voice at the moment. Astor slowed and halted his run once he realized the sheer size of the three of them and that they were factually charging right at them with what he assumed was intention to fight or run them off. Kill or trample them, he assumed.

He glared at them. If this whole place was based on Greek mythology, or the creatures in it, at least, then the best he could come up with were the fire-breathing horses Heracles supposedly cleaned the stables of, but that didn't seem quite right. Nothing in those old myths wrote them out to be this large. It had to be something else.

"Big beasts, and I have no idea what they are," Astor commented, mostly just to confirm his ignorance towards the creatures. He assumed if he didn't know, then neither would his comrades. Given they didn't seem to know what Charybdis was, he couldn't fathom a world where they knew what these were when he didn't.

Not that there would be time to clarify that. The beasts stopped their stampede upon nearing the group and the largest let out a deafening roar, which again Astor winced at. Damn his hearing.

With that roar, the mouth of this massive equine creature bore rows upon rows of shark like teeth, and its entire head widened to show a large maw. It was almost reptilian and seemed entirely out of place on a creature like this. Following that roar, the two to its side reared up and stomped their massive hooves into the ground, causing a shockwave through shoot through the earth around them akin to a low-magnitude earthquake. Intelligent to some degree, the largest attempted to make use of this window of potential confusion by rushing straight forward. It was like a locomotive with the acceleration of a drag car. It's head laid down much like a bull with the clear intention of impaling anything in its path. In this case, Shiro being its first target.

 

[Merciless Medic]

Raphael Valerias​

Date: April 12, 2067
Location: Scorpion Cave, Mojave Desert, Nevada
Interactions: Rand, Ark, Maria, Survivors
Mentions: N/A
Sir Les Paul The Regal Rper RedArmyShogun

The scolding these agents received from Rand for being rude, even as Maria and Raph tried to ease it, had Raphael frowning slightly. Not from the scolding itself, but because it had to be used anyway. What were these agents thinking? He never really understood the hate sorcerers got. They weren’t like Witches, so it confused him and only fueled to irritate him.

No, no, don’t think bad thoughts. They’re just young and dumb. They just can’t understand the importance of us magic kind.

Making a long chain to keep each other together as per Rand’s request, Raph hummed in realization as they walked through. If the scorpions got resistant from wavelength attacks, would they get resistant to their magic if they keep this up?

A bad thought to have. They really need more fodder to beat up.

As they got to the room where they killed all the scorpions, that’s when the questions came. The fact that they were such weaklings against these scorpions had Raph smiling in pride that the fight was so easy. He told them all of what he did and was capable of, despite how tired he was from yesterday’s training. He made that a point as he spoke as well, expressing simply how tired they were from learning new spells yesterday (not telling which kinds unless they used them today), how new the spells were when they used them today, and they were still able to cull the scorpion menace with a few flicks of their weapons.

Of course, his boasting quieted when he heard a rumble, and he looked at Ark and Rand to see their expressions.

Oh, that’s not good…

As Rand explained what was in front of them and as Ark closed off the entrance, Raph was about to make a plan that talked about freezing the damn thing. He wasn’t sure if the spell Rand taught them would work though, and he furrowed his brow as Rand told the one-stars they just saved to go back, and to keep fighting at a distance.

Ew, slippery goo?

Wait…

“First, what’s the property of the goo? Second, if there’s a spell or rune we can put on something where we can affect the item with a magic circle upon crossing it? Like, say, a rune for ice generation on a rock-” Of which he picked one up. “And after throwing it in its mouth, we set a magic circle under it to cause the rock to freeze and hurt it from the inside? If we can’t hurt it from the outside, might as well go through its mouth. We can do the same with lava.” He then tossed the rock in the air and grabbed it. “Though, we should have Ark make another tunnel out of here and take those people with him. I can’t restrain a Morsipede due to its size, but I’m sure Magic Circles can work in dealing damage to it.” He sounded rather confident, sure that whatever he was coming up with wouldn’t actually hurt them or cause a cave-in, unless the Morsipede began to struggle…

 

[Merciless Medic]

Alek​

Date: January 15, 2067
Location: North of Pegasus Tower, West of Centaur Circle, Daedolon Island
Interactions: Shiro, Astor
Mentions: N/A
Sir Les Paul EmperorsChosen

Astor’s response to Shiro’s question had Alek huffing in amusement. Once they were away from the Eidola, Alek slowed down to a jog, making sure to keep in time with his friends while also reserving his energy. The black horses they passed by were peaceful and docile, but it left Alek feeling rather uneasy.

As they continued on however, their peaceful trek came to an abrupt end when three horses, one larger than the other, rushed at them. His eyes widened and he stepped back. He had seen these before in a picture somewhere, but he definitely remembered it wasn’t Greek. “Ahhh, that’s not Greek at all I don't think. Don’t ask, don’t remember its name. Still. What the hell is this thing doing here???”

It then roared, and it hurt. He covered his hands over his ears, growling. “Yo, what’s up with all their yelling? Does everything here have a sonic attack?”

He watched their teeth, their horns, finding this creature uncanny. He hated it, and he wished it was dead. He knew he couldn’t kill it sadly. The shaking of the earth started by the other two, then the middle, larger horse charged at Shiro to gore him.

While Shiro was fast enough to deal with it, Alek wasn’t just going to stand there and let it happen. He punched his fist out, white blood becoming a long, thin wrap to grab any of its legs to then pull to the side, using his wavelength to root his feet in place and disrupt the horse’s charge.