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Fantasy Unleash the Beasts(closed until further notice)

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Lucy

Lucy woke, stretching her arms above her head to alleviate some of the stiffness in her joints. She had become used to falling asleep on the ground in her recent traveling, but her body still ached for the comfort of a bed come morning. Rubbing her eyes, the events from the night replayed themselves in her head. She remembered Hunter, ringing back Marie. He'd tried to take her as well and was difficult to calm, but she smiled at his sleeping form. He was as much of a mercenary as when she'd first met him, relying on his instinct alone. The same instinct had brought back Marie, she'd noted, who she was less happy to see. If not for the circumstances, she'd have torn into the girl for the trouble she caused.

Aside from the white wolf he'd gone to save, Hunter came back alone. Lucy didn't mind leaving Johnathan and Gwen, assuming that they'd opened her cuffs and gone away. When the pair returned with two strangers, she was unhappy to see that the thief was injured, and that Johnathan had been unconscious. She'd jumped to the conclusion that Gwen had ambushed Johnathan, but that didn't explain the presence of the two girls, or the deep wound on Gwen's arm. She'd turned her eyes upon the strangers, ready to berate them for whatever they had done to the two. She did not get very far before being forced to drop her questions until later, everybody being exhausted.

Now that they had all rested, she readied herself to resume her verbal assault on the two. "So," she began, loud and harsh, not caring if the girls had woken up yet "would either of you two care to explain why the hell you brought back two of our group members in that condition?" she asked, gesturing to Johnathan and Gwen with her dagger. "I could easily take you out if I feel like you're lying." She bluffed, fixing her eyes on the smaller of the two. It was clear by her tone that she was accusing them of something, though she didn't know what.
 
Lucy's yelling was what finally woke Katie up. It took her a moment to get a grip on her surroundings. The first thing she did was unleash her shining white blade from her hand, it was back to its perfect, undamaged state.
"Thank goodness." She'd whisper as her blade disappeared and her arm crashed back to the ground. The huntress would grunt as she slowly sat up. The previously motionless girl seemed mostly fine now. She'd looked around the camp, trying to learn where exactly she was. She recognized Hunter. the crazy shifter she and Kay encountered yesterday, his presence worried her, but he seemed to be tame for now.
Her eyes would bring her to the young girl shouting at her, swinging her knife wildly. Her words flew completely past her, not paying attention to anything she said previously.
"What do you want? What's going on?" Was all she said in response.
 
Kaleylle finished helping the townsfolk quelling the fires. This was done with her aid, calling the energies of nature to make rain fall. Once the fire was dealt with, and their enemies, the snake warriors retreated. Kaleylle would notice the dead foliage and plant life around her. This town was better than most, and perhaps she could help in its recovery. The attack hurt the natural lifeline that ran below the ground. For the rest of the night. She sat in a meditative trance. With her hands spread outwards, fingers pointed towards the ground. This process was still new to her, but she went through it nonetheless. Almost catatonic, she sat as glowing positive energies began to drip from her fingertips, into the ground around her as she began the long an arduous process of healing the land. It would take her roughly 14 hours to finish this process. She’d awake, bags under her eyes as she slumped on the ground. The process physically exhausted her small body as she remained in a sleepy state.
 
The rest of the night felt like a blur. Both Ben and Lucy had stated firmly that they couldn't help the new comer, and Lila knew she was no help to the town. She couldn't fight and she lost her medical bag to the flames. She was useless. The falcon left as quickly as he came and the three were left heading back to the meetup spot. It wasn't until shortly after reaching the rendezvous point that Hunter showed up carrying Marie, but Hunter wasn't himself. His eyes were crazed and pupils constricted, looking more like a dog with rabies than anything else. In his hallucinating state he tried to take Lucy as well, but by some sort of magic she was able to calm him down. Ben had to hold Lila back when Hunter returned without the other two he had forced to join his dangerous mission. The ape wasn't holding her back for Hunter's safety but for her own. Who knew what the hired mercenary would do in such a state. Her anger was only broken when Ben pointed out the limping mass moving in the distance. It was Gwen, Johnathan, and some strange woman, though the thing that caught Lila's attention was the blood that caked both Gwen and Johnathan. Ben aided in lying the unconscious bird-man out and keeping the clearly combative Gwen still. She wasn't able to gain any answers out of Gwen, she was in shock, both mentally and hemorrhagic-ally.
The rest of the night was spent quickly trying to patch the two up. Johnathan wasn't as bad as previously thought- a number of bruises along his side and neck and a few broken ribs. Those would be the worse to heal, but he was going to live. Gwen was also sporting a few bruises, but the main attention grabber was the incision that tore all the way through her hand. Lila worked as diligently as she could, cleaning and stitching up the wound.
The next morning came painfully with the sound of barks and shrieks from a voice she had come to know: Lucy. Lila's head pounded as she slowly sat up. Was this really necessary right now? The blonde did her best to ignore the conversation as she looked to her patients. Johnathan was still sound a sleep, his breathing a bit shallow from the broken ribs, but he was still breathing. That's what mattered. Carefully, the medic scooted her way to his side, examining the bruises. Finger and palm bruises around his neck and large bruising on his ribs and flank. The marks suggested he was grabbed around his throat, maybe in an attempt for strangulation, and then dropped or thrown. Her brow furrowed in confusion. Who could've done this? Was it the master who was after Marie? If it was why didn't he just kill Johnathan? Why throw him? Her cool, golden gaze slowly moved to Hunter who was still asleep. She knew she shouldn't suspect her own teammates for such an attack, but who ever came back to their camp last night wasn't her teammate. He was a beast, bordering a monster. He wasn't someone to be trusted.
 
Lucy

Curling her lip at the girl, Lucy stepped closer to tower over her while she was still seated on the ground. "Who are you." She growled, quieter, giving Lila an apologetic glance. Poor girl wasn't having an easy time, lots of patients on her hands and not a lot to treat them with. Cutting her eyes back towards the stranger, she looked her over for any telling details. The height difference was immediately obvious, as well as the corded muscles she could see on the strangers arms through the rips in her clothing. Her beast form was impossible for Lucy to judge, and she decided she would ask Hunter later, as he had once accurately guessed her own. She could gather no more useful information from the girls appearance and resolved to continue glaring, holding her knife level and ready to strike if the stranger proved to be aggressive. If there was a threat she wanted to take care of it before Hunter woke up, fearing that she couldn't calm him down in time if he tried to kill the girl. The poor likelyhood of her winning a fight was disregarded.
 
"Just put that thing down alright? I'm not gonna hurt some stranger." The huntress would reply in her groggy voice. The small stature of the girl didn't make for a very intimidating presence. She'd take note of the blonde girl who was also just waking up. She seemed to be in a lot of distress. Lucy's sad look on her face as she looked over strengthened her theory. What happened to these people? Are they Evergreen refugees? She'd think before turning back to the woman threatening her. She didn't seem evil, and was probably just stressed, Katie didn't want to add to that stress.
"Name's Katie, now where am I and why were you watching me sleep?" She'd ask.
 
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Gwen glared up at Lucy, still being on edge she was not in the mood to deal with her pompous blustering. "Listen darling, no one wants to hear you puff out your chest all night; least of all me. You should be questioning the crazy boy over there who left us..." She gestured to herself and Johnathan, "...to fend for ourselves. Me, alone and without my beast form. Johnathan by himself with no help or proximity to the only person who knows where to look and... well you can see how that panned out." She raise her punctured hand and made sure Lucy got a good long look. "Now, are you going to offer your help to the injured or to the person trying to take care of everybody?" Gwen pointed at Lila, checking the extent of Johnathan's broken ribs. "Or are you going to continue your current bellyaching until someone with a less injured hand can smack you with it?" She gave the girl one final annoyed glare before turning back to Johnathan lying next to her, it didn't matter what Lucy's response was as Gwen was going to ignore it regardless. Turning her attention back to Johnathan, Gwen couldn't help but be met with two different ideas. One; damn he looked good without a shirt on, and two; she kept cringing slightly at the green and purple bruising he must have gotten during their fall. Gwen looked up for a moment to find Lila, earning brownie points by trying to take care of Johnathan. But Lila's eyes seemed focused on something other than what was right in front of her, her brow furrowed for good measure. Gwen made a small movement to catch her attention, "Is there anything I can do to help? I... want to help get him back on his feet. He helped me several times and I hate owing people favors. I can't search as quick with these things..." She flexed her wrists, making the brands stand out. "But if you can take them off somehow I can go look for some medical supplies? Or maybe someplace better to spend the recovery time, out in the open like this doesn't sit well with me." Just as she finished saying it a drop of rain landed cold on her shoulder, signaling more to come. Gwen hoped she could get through with her, having a person here who tolerated her and was still conscious was a step in the right direction.

Ben had just finished cleaning the blood and mud off his hands with a rag from his pack when the yelling and arguing started. As much as he wanted to be the peace-keeper and reach a better solution than yelling nonsense at each other, it's only purpose to annoy and hurt and spark more raised voices. But right now he wasn't in the mood to care, nor the state of mind to help. Gwen could mostly walk fine on her own, also stubbornly refusing to be helped to their makeshift camp. Johnathan was out cold and not much of a burden to carry even by himself, hunter was no help as he seemed to be checked out, much to everyone's safety. The new girl the others helped him bring over. He had to quiet Gwen down with a few soft pleas to let Lila look at her injuries but for the most part she seemed on edge, scared and frayed, so Ben knew well to leave her be when he could. No point in himself being associated with that panic and fear by his proximity. Ben offered to help Lila but she seemed quiet too, only asking him to help rotate Johnathan this way or that to check all his injuries. But that was probably for the best, Ben had no medical expertise like Lila did and would only get in the way. He just kept close by to make sure if he was needed or wanted, he was there.
 
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After his failed attempt to secure the assistance of the three strangers, Elyot transformed into his falcon form and flew several hundred feet into the air. Entering a high-speed stoop, he dove towards Evergreen, determined to protect whatever and whoever remained, by himself if necessary. As he approached the ravaged city, he noticed the breached walls and what remained of the buildings, most of which were burning or already collapsed. Diving into the center of the city, the angered falcon set about attacking any perpetrator he could find.

Green, brown, or black; large or small; venomous or constrictive; he spared none of the snake-like monsters that he encountered. His frenzied assault consisted of savagely tearing into their eyes and the backs of their necks. But he was just one defender, and there were many enemies to drive back. The sudden arrival of a strange young woman who performed feats beyond Elyot’s understanding was of great assistance to Evergreen. She wielded a power that allowed her to combat the raging conflagration that threatened to consume the entire city, summoning a torrential downpour to quench the blaze.

This act helped to rally Evergreen’s meager defensive force, the guardsmen bolstered by the possibility of saving their home. All throughout the night, the sounds of steel striking, soldiers shouting, and serpents screeching could be heard from even a mile into the Feral Forest. Together with Elyot and the mystical newcomer, they finally managed to repel the assault after hours of fierce fighting. Though they had prevailed over the monstrous creatures, there was no cause for jubilation, only anguish and grief. The smoldering ruins of Evergreen were littered with burned and bloody corpses, most of which were those of the murdered denizens. The night air was filled with hot smoke, which seared the throats of the survivors.

It was the bitter taste of victory.

After the remaining snakes retreated deep into the forest, Elyot went off on his own. While others searched for loved ones, hoping to find them alive and not cut down or burned beyond recognition, Elyot returned to his residence... or what remained of it. The mighty pine tree in the center of Evergreen no longer seemed so comforting. Its remaining branches were naked, most of their green needles having been destroyed by the inferno. He flew up and surveyed the damage closely. Indeed, most of Elyot’s nest was gone, but its foundation, the crossbow he had stolen long ago, survived. Constructed with an elegant metal frame, the weapon had mostly resisted the fire. Its wooden handle was partially blackened by the fire, but the weapon was otherwise undamaged.

Exhausted from the battle, the falcon rested there. He fell asleep in his usual position, nestled in the deep groove of the crossbow. Hours later, the sun poked above the trees and began to shine its light on Evergreen. Elyot was early to wake, accustomed to hunting at dawn. But he felt no hunger and no desire to take more life so soon after last night. The falcon clutched the crossbow with his talons and gently lowered himself to the ground, where he transformed back into a human, the weight of the weapon too much to bear for too long. He walked aimlessly through the scorched city, observing the destruction. There were few buildings that were untouched by the fire. Most were either partially scorched or had collapsed from the power and heat of the blaze.

Eventually, he came across a young woman lying on the ground. It was not an unusual sight, given the multitude of bodies, but then he recognized her as the strange outsider who appeared suddenly and summoned the rains that put out most of the inferno. Without her, Evergreen would have been lost entirely. Lying there, she seemed dead at first glance, but then Elyot realized that she was actually conscious, albeit extremely fatigued. He was cautious yet curious. Any person who could control the sky was potentially dangerous, but all the same, she saved Evergreen. Elyot frowned as he realized that she did more to protect the city than he did. He wasn’t there when he was needed, just like eight years ago. Despite his guilt, he returned his focus to the woman before him. If there was a chance that she would succumb to her exhaustion, he had to prevent it. He needed to ensure the survival of Evergreen’s true protector.
 
Marie laid on the ground in a motionless, bloody mess. Her wounds were deep and with Lila not having her bag, it was hard to stop the bleeding but the medic made it work. Now that the female wolf was patched up, the group just had to wait for her to wake up. Her body twitched and whimpers escaped her every now and then throughout the night like she was reliving everything in her nightmares. She didn’t know that the worst of it was over, and she also wasn’t going to be the nicest to the newcomers. Slowly her hearing came back and her mind started to wake up as she heard voice. Soon the arguing became more clear in her white ears and a few words grumbled out of her mouth. “Will all of you just shut the fuck up and leave it alone? I’m trying to sleep.” and right after those words, pain came crashing to her body and a loud yelp escaped her as her blue eyes opened to a blinding light. where am I? the words rang in her now pounding head as she blinked away the brightness in her eyes until she could see. Her eyes landed on a newcomer and a snarl escaped her as she tried to stand up to confront the newcomer but her body slammed back down to the ground. Her legs couldn’t hold her up and she didn’t understand why. What happened to her??
 
Hunter didn't want to wake, he didn't want to remember what he became the night before. But he had too... he always had to cone back to it. No matter how far he ran. His eyes creaked opena s he sat up slowly, watching Lucy yell followed by the blonde girl's... she looked familiar. That wasn't necessarily a good thing, but still. Marie followed, he would speak up. He didn't really feel he had the right too now.
 
Kaleylle very gently held up here head as blood started to trickle down from her nose, seeing the feet of a very blurry figure. Typically, the beasts of the wild watch over her after this rejuvenation ritual. Her head slumped back into the cool, wet grass, as she saw a flower sprout out of nowhere right in front of her weary face. That was a sign that it was working. That’s all she needed to know. Soon the plants inside this nature heavy town, would sprout once again, or begin a rapid healing process.

This power comes at a cost, she figured. She didn’t know if it would eventually cost her life. None of that mattered to her right now, because her body was too tired to move. She’d close her eyes as she fell asleep, hoping to wake up recovered eventually.
 
Lucy

"Just put that thing down alright? I'm not gonna hurt some stranger." The girl said, looking around their camp. Sleep was still thick in her voice, and considering the nature of her waking she wasn't completely rested yet. "Name's Katie, now where am I and why were you watching me sleep?" Katie asked. Lucy scoffed, rolling her eyes "Don't flatter yourself, I've got better things to watch." Most of their group seemed to be waking now, with varying degrees of injury. She watched Marie stumble awake, growling and falling over herself. She hadn't noticed Hunter sitting up before, but now that she saw he was awake she paused, but he seemed to be back to himself. Without looking back at Katie, she introduced herself. "I'm Lucy. You're right outside of Evergreen, which should be nothing but a black smudge on the map by now."

She slipped her dagger back into its place at her belt, making sure Katie saw that it was ready to be drawn at any time. Lucy's trust was hard to buy, and a name just didn't cut it. Pushing Katie from her mind, she put her focus onto the group, ready to move on. "The road ahead is tough without our supplies, eh?" She said, putting a hand on her hip. She'd left her pack in the hotel, as had most of them. "Should we send someone back to get what they can?" She suggested, pointedly looking at Lila. It still bothered Lucy that they were just going to leave behind her herbs. Even if she didn't think going back was the best idea, she wasn't keen on abandoning them.
 
"You're right outside Evergreen, which should be nothing but a black smudge on the map by now." The words triggered Katie's memory. The large plumes of smoke coming out of Evergreen, the city she spent so much time protecting from ferals, the city she worked for ever since her father passed, the city that always offered her food and a bed even though she always refused, was burning. She couldn't fathom why something so devastating could happen so quickly.
Katie looked up Lila. "Wait! What the hell happen to Evergreen?! Why was it burning to the ground by the time I got back?!" *She'd question, clearly desperate for answers on who or what attacked the town.
 
"Monsters... or as they prefer to be called, the Legion. They sent their lab rejects to attack the town." Hunter explained, not bothering to look at the girl, but more into the distance. "Just be glad they didn't send a successful attempt, other wise there'd be no Evergreen to save." He sighed before closing his eyes.
 
Everyone seemed incredibly active considering the previous nights events. They were all so loud. Besides the quick introduction from the stranger, Lila did her best to ignore everyone else. All except for Gwen's comments, which, on top of being loud, held a lot of truth. Everyone seemed so caught up in yelling that they did little to solve any of the problems they were complaining about. All except for Ben. He did everything she asked with no complaints; he helped move Johnathan and Marie, restrain and calm Gwen, and prevented her from hurting herself when it came to confronting Hunter. And while he did everything she asked, Lila couldn't help but feel like the ape was being distant. Of course he was. She had been quite emotional last night. Clearly she had upset him. A light sigh escaped her pale lips as she came to the conclusion that this problem would have to remain unsolved until later. Gwen carefully scooted her way closer to both Johnathan and Lila, examining the bruised male. Her expression seemed to be one of worry and sickened. That was a normal reaction for those who weren't used to seeing such extensive injuries. "Help?" She echoed softly before looking to the ashen girl's wrists. The cuffs still remained on her wrists, limiting her ability, and therefore help, significantly. Lila looked up to the clouded morning sky, feeling the gentle pattering of rain starting to fall. "Help would be good, but I can't remove those. I can deal with the runes easily, but Ben would have be the one to see about removing the cuffs. I imagine he could break the locks."
"Should we send someone back to get what they can?" The familiar sound of Lucy's voice came into focus shortly after Gwen finished. "I doubt it would prove to be useful. Everything was consumed in the fire. Anything that might remain would probably serve little value to us." Lila's voice was stoic, like it had been the first day they all met, but saying the words still caused a pressure to swell within her chest, pressing against her heart. The feeling was interrupted by one she could only guess was annoyance as Marie growled at everyone to quiet down. The complaining was short lived as the wolf suddenly cried out in pain. "Try not to move, please. You're only going to make things more difficult for me." The crow stated rather bluntly. "That includes your mouth. Unless you wish to continue feeling the way you do." Her words weren't hostile, but instead apathetic as if she really couldn't care less if the wolf remained in pain.
The newcomer, Katie, questioned Lucy, rather loudly, about what had happened to the once beautiful city. Surprisingly Hunter was the one to respond. "Speaking of what happened last night," Lila's piercing, golden eyes hovered over Johnathan's unconscious body. "Care to explain what happened last night and why half our group has sustained major injuries?" Slowly her eyes dragged up to meet Hunter's. "Well, Mr. Mercenary?"
 
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Gwen nodded solemnly and stood quickly, lost in thought for a moment. If I can get tall, dark and brooding over there to help me, then get Lila to help with these runes, I can get the stuff she needs to help Johnathan, maybe Big Ben as well for helping me. She continued her plan in thought, then I can get Johnathan awake, my debt to him will be done, and I can be on my merry way! It would be tough if Johnathan didn't want to come with, I don't know why he wants to stick with this rag-tag road group! Because I would sure love to get to know him better in private. The thought made her smile wickedly, which she kept all the way over to where the big guy was sitting. She quickly explained what she needed, a little more rashly than was necessary but she was so close to sweet, sweet freedom! But Ben didn't seem to notice at first and Gwen had to fight the urge to snap her fingers in front of his face to get his attention. Or maybe some flirty remark will make a better impression? She thought impulsively, but she shook both of those ideas away. Ben was already agreeing to help and she gave him a big kind smile, this one only partly fake, she was almost done with these troglodytes! But something in a tone of voice caught her attention. The amount of apathy and distain only seemed to come from princess but she wasn't talking. To Gwen's surprise and immediate interest it turned out to be Lila talking. Gwen's smile changed to a smirk as a new source of entertainment seemed only a few sentences away. If Wolf boy plays this wrong, she is going to chew him up and spit him out. The thought made Gwen almost giddy with excitement, Hunter was long overdo a verbal beating and she was more than happy to watch, participate, cheer even! Another thought crossed her mind too, she didn't really think Lila had it in her to get angry. But right now she seemed only annoyed. Gwen found herself immediately jumping to a new thought. What if Lila let the mask drop, what would she look like if she got truly angry and commanding. Gwen found the thought all kinds of interesting, and the best kind of exciting. Thinking about the good girl going very, very bad she almost didn't notice the weight of the cuffs fall to the ground, quickly she picked them up and sent them soaring into the brush. Sitting down quickly she turned to the others, not wanting to miss a single thing.

Ben looked up, roused from his own mental labyrinth by Gwen asking him for help. Well... in his experience asking for help usually didn't involve several expletives and various amounts of arm waving. But he got the gist of what Gwen wanted, the stupid cuffs off so Lila could fix the rune marks on her skin so she could shift again and help out. That last part Ben was a little less convinced was the whole truth. He looked around at the others, unsure of what to do, but they were all involved in their own conversations. Which were getting more heated by the minute. So as it stood Ben had to decide for himself what to do with Gwen. The others had taken such charge with moving her around to their own whims that he hadn't really been asked his opinion or thoughts on what should be done with her. After at it was his room she broke into. Although he wasn't her choice of target apparently, seeing how things did play out. Ben could gather that most of the people here didn't like Gwen, except for Johnathan of course. And with everything that had happened between those two avian rebels, the fact that Johnathan even liked her around was a mystery Ben would have to solve on another day. It did however swing his opinion of her strongly into the 'possible friend' category. Of which he was happy to improve by helping her out, even if she wasn't being entirely truthful with him. But that was just a hunch and he didn't want to judge or question just yet. So reaching out he soon found the locking mechanism in the cuffs that kept them in place and with a couple forceful pushes, with the help of a twig for leverage, he soon popped them open. As they clinked together softly on the grass floor Ben had to stifle a laugh as Gwen thanked him, then immediately picked them up and chucked them into the forest. She shouted a final few curses and grumbles their way before sitting down next to him. Ben turned to her perplexed, "I thought you would want Lila to fix that as soon as possible?" He gestured towards the marks left by the cuffs, still hindering her ability to shift. All she did was shush him. Apparently she had been paying attention to the conversations and the "show was about to start". Ben had to roll his eyes, recalling a similar sentence he had told Lila about Gwen when she first showed up.
 
Katie would watch the group converse with each other. She could get a basic understanding of how each one connected with the other, and who could cause trouble.
"If you guys are going to Evergreen, then I want to go with you." She'd interrupt. "I spent every day of my life hunting ferals and other beasts to protect Evergreen and sell whatever kind of meat they needed," her eyes would narrow, "but the one time they really needed me, I was gone. I need to make it up to all of them, also..." The huntress would look over to Gwen and the unconscious Johnathan. She remembered them as the last people she saw before blacking out, they must've dragged her here to safety. "I have a debt to pay to you two."
 
Hunter starez at lila for a moment, his eyes dull and tired, "i failed. What else is there to say?" He titled his head at the rhetorical question, "People got hurt. Some died, some survived, and you can point a finger at me all you want if it makes you feel better." He let his head returned to it previous postions and just took a deep breath he was still fighting his own internal battles.
 
Lucy

She'd already known that going back to Evergreen was a bad plan, but hearing Lila confirm those thoughts solidified something in her gut. It sat heavily, a pit inside of her for the things they had lost. "It's too late to save Evergreen." She snapped at Katie, not caring at all for her role as a protector. "The city has already burned, and you can't unkill all those people. If you want to go back so bad, be my guest, but we have no more business there." She said, wishing the night had gone differently. She blamed Gwen, the thief, for her role in distracting them. She reasoned that if they had been in the hotel instead dealing with some street rat they would've had time to better prepare for departure. It was easier to blame the failure of the mission on someone else. In her outburst she missed the growing tension between Lila and Hunter, as they'd always been in disagreement with each other, and had learned to overlook it. With everything that had happened the previous night, it was more than reasonable to expect most of them to be high-strung.
 
“No business? Is that true?” Katie would ask. The apothecary seemed the most affected by Evergreens destruction. She didn’t know why, but there had to be a reason they were there.

“An entire town burned overnight and it’s people are starving and afraid. Don’t you want to at least try to help them? Or at least learn about what the hell happened?” She’d ask Lucy.
 
Lila watched with an unamused expression. She could clearly make out the internal struggle the mercenary was dealing with, but it made no difference to her. Maybe if he had been kinder to her, or extended some kind of acquaintance-like traits, she would've considered his circumstances, but he clearly had no intentions of being nice to her or any of the others. It seemed that he preferred to be around women with loud mouths and little brain power. "You're right," she began, her voice overcome with a deadly calmness. "It is your fault. Unfortunately, no, pointing fingers won't heal the injuries our group members received while on your watch or bring back the time and materials that were lost." Her golden eyes seemed almost yellow at this point. With careful precision, the crow woman took a few steps towards the sitting wolf man. "You were hired to guide us to the town and protect us from harm. That was the arrangement. And, as you managed to put it so eloquently, you failed. You're fired." Her eyes then darted over to Lucy who seemed preoccupied with the newest tag along. "Both of you." With that done, Lila glanced over at the other party members. Gwen and Ben seemed dumbfounded, for a lack of better words, and Johnathan was now propped up on his elbows. She had no idea when he woke up, but she supposed it didn't matter. It was all over.
Johnathan woke to the less than pleasant feeling of his entire body aching, and the soft, muffled sound of voices. Each breath caused a sharp pain to resonate throughout his chest, leading him to take shallow breaths when permitted. After a few moments of listening to the garbled speech of who he could only guess was Lila, he peeled his eyes open, squinting at the bright light. With incredibly slow movements the raven pushed himself up into a half-sitting up sort of position. Most of the blonde woman's words had been lost on him, but he managed to catch the last sentence. "You're fired." His eyes widened in surprise. Did Hunter tell them what he had done? How he had attacked him and gone ape shit? Johnathan glanced over to Ben. Maybe ape shit wasn't the right phrase, but the point was the same. That was the only explanation for Lila to go off like that, right?
 
Gwen had to fight the urge to stand up and clap, 'this is just too priceless!' she thought to herself. Not only did wolfy screw up and got his ass fired for it, he didn't even take responsibility! She knew he was as denser than tungsten but come on, that apology was abysmal! Gwen figured it shouldn't surprise her at this point, in the short time she's been around him he lost princess, told me and Johnathan to come with only to leave us behind, the results of which are still being fixed. She glanced over at Johnathan, happy to see that he was conscious at least. He never helped us find her, only showed back up and left me and Johnathan to fend for ourselves again. He has no leadership or charisma concerning rallying his comrades to his side, something a essential for a leader. He is negligent, arrogant, self-centered, and a danger to himself and to others; and now he is getting his due. At least some of it, I'm still going to steal his shit before I leave; Gwen smirked, looking around at the other's reactions. At least now we get to see who even comes to his aid, however few they may be. Or maybe no one will stand by his side, leave him out in the cold, alone and abandoned. That brought her smirk to an evil grin.

Ben remained quiet through the talking, but he agreed with most of what was said. Lucy didn't really reserve to sink on the same ship as Hunter but he understood why Lila had to do it, Lucy joined up with Hunter still being ill-equipped to handle the task. But it still stung for him, he didn't want to see his new found friends be torn apart. Sure he was hopefully sticking around to the people he cared for, Lila specifically, he just didn't like the way things turned out. He hoped Lila would want him to stay through to get her home, at least make sure she was safe again and then he could try to find his own way if she didn't want him around any more either. But maybe he was just being paranoid of her lashing out at him as well. Even though he felt he hadn't done anything bad his mind wouldn't stop letting him feel anxious. Change was coming to the group, sooner rather than later, and he didn't know how it would end up. He didn't want to watch these people he wanted as friends pick sides and tear at each other but... this did have to happen. People made mistakes and now the consequences are coming, good or ill, he just hoped he was on the good side in the end. Maybe with some direction for himself, figure out a way to move forward if this really was the beginning of the end.
 
Lucy

"An entire town burned overnight and it’s people are starving and afraid. Don’t you want to at least try to help them? Or at least learn about what the hell happened?" Katie asked, and Lucy felt something within her crumble, her shoulders slumping. "No, I can't say I do." She said, turning away. Her feet ached, but her heart ached more. All at once she realized the mistake she'd made, agreeing to come along on such a venture. Her every effort had gone unrewarded, and she was terribly unsuited for the job she'd taken on. Now unfocused, the heated conversation from the others met her ears.

"You were hired to guide us to the town and protect us from harm. That was the arrangement. And, as you managed to put it so eloquently, you failed. You're fired." Lila cut her eyes to look at Lucy "Both of you." She said, the finality of the statement hanging over her head. "Can't say I blame you for that one." Lucy agreed, lacking in her usual fire. "It was stupid of me to take this up - I'm sorry to have wasted your time."
 
As lucy's will crumbled a sinister chuckle cut through the air like a knife, "Awww, i know it's a good day when someone's thrown into despair first thing in the morning!" An overly cheerful voice with a biting undertone commented as the source made itself known. A lanky man with reptilian eyes and a toothy grinn stepping into landing in the center of them all, a short red cloth resting over his right side baring the same narks as the attackers from last night embroidered into gold trim. "isn't that right... oh what is it you call yourself again?" The man tapped his chin in as he stared at Hunter, who returned with a glare and growl a he stood, "A yes! Hunter." The man chuckled again as he as turned to lila, "Good choice firing him. He never could follow an order correctly." The man explained nonchalantly with a shrug, "C'est la vie, i suppose. Now i must be off! His lord ship wants me at Gemono by night, Evergreen was just the first of many tests after all! Ta Ta!" The man called to the group and a sudden blurr past by with a gust of heavy winds, and the man was gone. Looking up they saw a spec in the sky slowly vanishing "That son of a bitch..." Hunter growled as he stared where the man had disappeared too.
 
Marie’s eyes scanned the group before sighing. They were all arguing, upset with each other. A growl escaped her throat as she tried to sit up and a flash of white crossed her vision that made her close her eyes. Concussion, great. “If you guys just left me... none of this wouldn’t have happened, no one would be hurt, Lila would have her equipment. What all of you guys did...” her blue eyes opened and she scanned them over the group, of what she could make out of the group. “what you guys did was stupid. If you would’ve just let him kill me, no one would be hurt and you guys could’ve moved on. I’m not apart of y’alls mission, or whatever the hell you guys are supposed to be doing, so why keep me?” She grunted as she tried to fully get up on her feet. She didn’t have time to sit around like this. A cry of pain escaped her as she felt a ping of pain in her chest. She pulled out the already blood stained shirt away from her body to see a cut running from her neck to the bottom of her stomach. Her gaze moved to Lila and back to the cut before asking, “Lila how did you stop this from killing me? How am I even still alive?” She was shocked that the girl actually went to the lengths to patch her up. Even after how much she snapped and growled at Lila, the girl made sure she was okay. Marie has yet to notice the newcomers, which in her state she wouldn’t have been able to do anything to them, but at the moment she was focused on the other things. How others were injured cause of rescuing her. That reminds her... her gaze moved to Hunter and she scowled. “what the hell was going through your mind Hunter? You risked everyone’s lives, including your own. Look at you, look at bird boy, look at injuries. Rescuing me...” she paused to take a minute to keep her temper and voice low before continuing, “I was not worth all of this. Don’t risk this much just to rescue me again. I should’ve died, and you guys would’ve been left alone and continued whatever you were doing.” she stumbled to her feet and fell against a tree, a groan escaping her lips as a look of pain crossed her face. “we got to keep moving, he is still in this area and I don’t want anyone but me to die at his hands. Let’s go.” the female grunted and stumbled into another tree, trying to walk.
 

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