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Fantasy Z O D I A C | Umbra [Currently CLOSED]

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Boss

The only way out is through
The war for true justice is over.

The fated battle between the forces of good and evil has reached it's conclusion. The world had never experienced destruction on such a massive scale since the extinction of the dinosaurs. Many countries put their faith in a higher power to pray that a tomorrow would come. It was the legendary hosts that challenged the wardens of fate itself and won for the betterment of humanity, but you'll never know that.


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Welcome to Brookfield, many years after humanity's future was challenged. In the past, it was a humble town bustling with life and youth. It was also the birth place of the legendary hosts. Today, Brookfield is a crude mockery of their image. As the years passed by, the upcoming hosts began to change. The contracts in which bonded hosts to Zodiacs is no more. Violent impulses overtook new hosts, and soon the world suffered major terrorist attacks mostly by the works of lone hosts. As a result of thousands dead due to supernatural recklessness, the Dominion, an ancient non-host organization built in secrecy had stepped out into the light and declared hosts illegal in all corners of the globe. To the public, any host could carry enough firepower to bring down a small nation and must be contained on sight, thus beginning the hunt for supernatural beings.

Spearheaded by the Dominion, the hunt expanded throughout all reaches of the world. Those who didn't comply were killed on sight, and those that did were enslaved into the military or simply never heard from again. Within 48 hours, nowhere was safe. Humanity's technology was cast decades into the future thanks to the Dominion's ethereal harvesting of captured hosts, which was retrofitted into today's tech. Rotor-less drones prowled areas of the world that was still recovering from the war, searching for hidden hosts lucky enough to flee major cities. This extreme culling of hosts weren't limited to hosts with offensive capabilities or the newly made host - it extended towards the very hosts that won back humanity's future, too. These legendary hosts became the world's most dangerous monsters to the public's eyes, a single member potentially capable of killing off millions of people.

The war for true justice is over, now the war for survival begins.


"Radar's showing the target is headed down 49th, just past Stanford Ave. Keep on 'em." reported the pilot of a Dominion-issued VTOL unit, which smoothly glided past a high-reaching building as it kept it's spotlight on it's prey, a single host by the name of Dario. Further back a couple blocks a pack of smaller unmanned drones raced over street traffic, their target just barely outside of their crosshairs. "Don't open fire, there are too many civilians on this road." commanded a masked figure who leaned out of the VTOL which overlooked the chase. "Besides, I want to deal with this one personally." Her altered tone solemn.
 
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He ran in the veil of spotlight. The attention didn't matter. He wanted it, relished in it. He wanted his power to be known, feared, and respected. He fancied himself as a cut above the rest, he took the Dominion's attention as a form of flattery. He knew they couldn't stop with meandering chases, but he never wanted to give them the satisfaction of feeling like they had him cornered. He kept running, using his power to glide over the ground with each large step. A grid pattern of white-blue energy, as the lines fade in red-orange ends underneath his feet. The concrete contorts and shifts like loose sand, sliding him forward. He constantly swept his eyes from left to right. He pushed bystanders in the way aside, smoothly shifted himself between them, jumping over obstacles with the help of the ground pushing him upward for momentum. Dario looked over his shoulder, quickly scanning the area behind him for the drones tailing him over the sea of rush hour pedestrians. He fashioned his fingers into the shape of a gun, pointing back in the direction of the drones. Dark blue streaming in violent arcs bounced around his two fingertips, and the air rippled and distorted around them. From the center of the rippling transparent bullets fired. Cutting through the air cleanly with his bizarre energy following it traveling towards the drones. Dario landed on the grounds on all fours, the energy grid softened his fall and he was able to keep pace.

He grabbed a support beam to a multi-floor indoor parking lot, channeling his power over it. The beam turned, throwing him into the alleyway beside the parking lot and an adjacent building. He leaned over, dragging his fingers over the asphalt as black powder followed his fingers covering his trail from the searchlight of the hovering VTOL unit. He used the cover to cut into the indoor parking lot, following the road upward to the second floor.
 
It was never a dull moment in Brookfield. Bustling youth made for an energetic atmosphere that permeated both night and day--especially around the academic district that encompassed a large portion of Brookfield's estate. It was rumored that many years prior, the Institution of Ravenwood was the source of more sinister happenings; even those that were involved with the so-called legendary hosts. Though, in the end, they were nothing more than urban legends meant to scare the academic excellence who attended the institution. Ravenwood was a unique academic experience in that it was hosted by the Dominion who promised its graduates employment with the best and brightest in the world. Thus, youth from around the world were drawn to Brookfield which in turn had given the city explosive growth in both population and modernization. The academic district started from the east-most side of Brookfield and stretched into downtown through a commercial strip tailored to the tastes of young adults. During the day, fast food joints plagued every corner with their offerings of quick, cheap bites to eat, while major brands of clothing and goods attempted to drain the remaining dollars of impoverished college youth. It was at night, however, that the strip showed its true nature as club music and lights populated the atmosphere while countless students wandered the streets in a drunken stupor--most with hopes of finding the next party and inevitably a bed for the night. Nonetheless, for a particular pair of twins at a local late-night coffee bar, a life of education and alcohol meant very little apart from the perfect cover it provided them against the ever vigilant hunters.


"Your total comes out to be $8.3..." As the employee spoke, a sudden wave of horror washed over her face in response to the POS that flashed a sudden blue before crashing without a moments hesitation. A heavy sigh escaped her lips as she handed over a pair of chai lattes with a defeated announcement towards a lean, black haired youth who looked equally as shocked from the opposite side of the counter. "They're on the house, hon. It's gonna take all night to get this piece of shit working again." August gave a small bid of thanks in addition to a couple dollar tip as he turned to walk away from a stampede of drunken youths who rushed to the counter and began demanding free drinks in light of the broken POS. "None of you are getting free drinks because its broken!" he heard the employee bellow just before screams of "Call 911!" were shouted in light of an unfortunate student who had tripped and was subsequently trampled.

"One man's blessing is another man's curse."August whispered to himself as he returned to an isolated table on the cafe's second floor where his sister was gently napping in the corner of the plush booth. Being twins, Sylvia was strikingly similar to himself--only having much longer, split strands that reached her lower back in comparison to the neck length, messy bun that was on his own head. He placed one drink in front of his sister before settling into a free standing chair where he took copious gulps of the steaming liquid with subsequent sighs of relief.

"Don't you feel you went a bit overboard, Yin." he spoke to seemingly no one in particular. Nonetheless, a response was immediate as Sylvia began to speak despite her unchanged napping posture. "The student in question made use of his peers for his own benefit. This had given him much success in his academic standing. Perhaps, fate determined a forced vacation was in order to balance that which was necessary." August rolled his eyes as if to say "whatever" before slouching back into his chair and retrieving a pair of earbuds from his jeans pocket; however, just before he was able to pop them into his ears, his sister suddenly rose with a latent aura of energy emanating from her being. Her eyes, normally a deep amber, were lightly glowing with a icy hue that fixated on her brother with a sense of urgency.

"It is time." She said. "We sense a strong malevolent energy that has driven a man into a corner he does not yet realize he is running towards. Fate has given him much success over the years; however, tonight...tonight fate favors ruin for us all. We must make haste." Sylvia suddenly bolted for the second floor fire escape triggering the alarm that was left ignored in light of the medical emergency that took precedence below. August was a half step behind her as they both burst into the chilly air of a spring evening in Brookfield. There was zero hesitation from either twin who both inhibited the latent energy that seemed to heighten their physical abilities a step above a normal man. Normally, such travel would have been a beacon to the hunters and their drones; however, tonight, the enemies were preoccupied with far larger prey--be it a blessing or a curse for them all. Forty-ninth street was only a few blocks away and with an exact pinpoint on their moving target, it took less than a quarter of an hour for the twins to reach an optimal location--the third floor of an abandoned high rise that hovered within range of their talents but remained far enough away to give them a clear path for escape.

"Ràng wǒmen kāishǐ pínghéng de wǔdǎo (Let us begin the dance of balance)." As both twins spoke, a large symbol of Yin & Yang suddenly manifested itself beneath their feet. Unlike the usual balance between the white and black crescents, the present symbol was engulfed by a dark energy that wisped into the air and threatened the existence of the rapidly waning white. Without hesitation, the pair of twins began a peculiar dance that was a unique blend between traditional martial arts and a shamanistic progression.

"Jīn wǎn, wǒmen qídǎo nàxiē bǎochí pínghéng de shén. (Tonight we pray upon the gods that keep the balance of the land.)"

"Yuè lái yuè hēi'àn wēixiézhe wǒmen suǒyǒu rén. (A growing darkness threatens to consume us all.)"

"Guāngmíng yě zhàoyào zài wǒmen shēnshang. (So may the light shine bright upon us.)"

"Yīqǐ huīfù yīnyáng pínghéng. (And together, restore the balance of Yin and Yang.)"

A gust of gentle energy swept throughout the room just as the pair of sweat drenched twins fell to the ground that now inhabited an ordinary symbol of Yin & Yang. Having been balanced, the symbol began to rapidly dissipate while the twins gave themselves a quick high five before gradually helping each other onto their feet. Although escape was the first thing on their mind, they took a moment to walk to the nearest window where they bowed in the direction of the night's event.

"May fate be on your side, Dario." And with that they were gone--just another pair of college students walking the streets of Brookfield's nightlife.
 
Pedestrians shouted in shock as Dario's air bullet rippled over the crowds and sent one of the pursuing drone units into a flaming ball of wreckage that came to a destructive landing in the middle of an intersection. The remaining two drones picked up the pace, trailing Dario to the parking lot yet losing direct line of sight the moment his figure disappeared within. The unmanned units swiftly deployed smaller cameras just under it's floating hull that began it's laser-like scan that slowly washed over the entire structure. The VTOL pulled a 180, swinging it's large and loud mass in a manner that canceled out it's forward momentum and left it in a hover just over the parking lot building. "Reporting: The target vanished inside the parking lot." "Any signs of civilian life inside the building?" The masked figure inquired as she peered more than a hundred feet below to the top level of the building. "Nothing, boss. The only life-form inside that building is our man."

Stepping back into the aircraft, the darkened figure reached for a familiar looking staff that rested on a weapon's rack towards the back of the vehicle's bay. With a flick of a padded hand and a twirl of the weapon, the staff collapsed down to that of silver and crimson-lined handgun. "Send me a schematic of the parking lot. This foolery ends tonight." commanded the female as she stepped out of the VTOL as it held it's position over the building. The masked female's descent mysteriously slowed as she landed on the parking lot's top floor. Her crimson visor pulled up a three-dimensional map of the building, including information on her target Dario and his abilities. As she rose to a standing position, her appearance was lit by the automated building lights that hung over the lot. Layers upon layers of flexible yet durable body armor infused with the metal from a certain Zodiac's great axe. The sleek and reflective grey design stayed true to her actual shape despite all of that, which assisted in unhindered mobility and stealth operations. Along her shoulder and running down her arm was her serial code, followed by her call sign "Len".

"Ben-" "Already on it, boss." interrupted a voice coming from her integrated earpiece. The building's security system - namely it's cameras - came to life as each and every one of them rotated around it's axis and scanned for movement. "He must have hid somewhere because he isn't moving. I'll check the footage." Len knew that if Dario wanted to escape, he would have by now. Breaking into motion, Len made to way down from the top floor to the fourth followed the third, elegantly sliding over car hoods and clearing barriers and gates in an effortless leap. As she made her way down to the second floor, her pace slowed to a cautious advance. She knew Dario's abilities and what he was capable of. Close range combat was to be avoided, and the usage of her staff was out of the picture. Gun raised, Len slowly stepped into the silent clearing of the second floor, which was crowded with vehicles of all kinds. "Boss, watch out! He's--- Hhhh-" Ben's transmission was suddenly blended with a mixture of radio stations that drowned out the important information being relayed. Just for that moment, Len's guard dropped as she freed a hand from her pistol to hastily re-calibrate her earpiece.
 
A blast of heavy bass could be heard from the other end of the parking lot floor. No more than an inch away from Len's ear an air bullet zipped by, a harsh whistling sound assaulted her senses. The bullet made contact with the concrete wall further away, causing a great blast of dust and debris on impact. "How clumsy of me - I slipped." Dario walked from behind one of the support pillars, one hand in pocket the other raised next to his face arcing wildly with power. He lowered his readied hand and stood with a sassy slouch with his right knee extended forward, his head tilted to the side while keeping his eyes focused on Len. "So how many times have we met like this, just for you to walk away empty handed. Oh no don't answer that. I already know what you're thinking." He took two steps to his left towards the opposite row of cars, unbuttoning his gray suit jacket and untucking his linen undershirt. He began to spoke in a parroted tone, "Shut your mouth, you monster. You can keep running away but I'm always a heels distance behind you." His tone returned to his regular inflection. "Blah, blah more noble speak from a glorified murderer." The energy in his exposed hand calmed. "I propose a little query. You don't have to answer to me, but I know you'll tell it to yourself. What makes you any better than us beasts? You warp the mind of the common folk, go around killing Hosts even if they don't have a hostile disposition and have helped towards you cause. Should you not kill them, they inexplicably go missing - I have a good idea with what you do with them given your equipment. Then you parade around talking yourselves up as some ultimate solution to a threat you truly have no control over. You can kill off as many of us as you want, but you can't physically tackle the intangible force that gives us our powers. What if you are chosen for a contract? Will your allies suddenly deem you a monster in the extremist attitude they have? Even if you ignore the power, in their eyes and yours, you're no different than us. Less than human, but still superhuman." He takes a seat on the hood of a car, keeping his eyes locked on Len. "I'm sorry to keep prattling but, out of all of the cars in this lot what's your favorite color?"
 
Dario's "near miss" threw Len into a defensive roll with her weapon trained on Dario's chest. Despite being directly in her sights, Dario took up a leisurely posture, boasting about how the Dominion and their actions were no better than the hosts they hunted. As Dario went on, Len relaxed, lowering her augmented gun and rising once more. "The difference is that we're the necessary evil." Len's facial visor deconstructed into her earpiece, revealing a motherly yet stern and battle-hardened face. The slashing scars along her face told stories of past battles, but the sentiment of the past paled in comparison to Len's icy violet glare. "It was the Dominion's protection that the world chose. Every one of you fuckers we put down avenges the broken families you and your kind has created." Len slowly began to approach Dario, eyes locked on her target like a wolf on it's prey. "History has proven that Hosts are nothing more than a danger to society, if that weren't true then the Dominion wouldn't exist."

Len came to a stop several car lengths from Dario. "And here you are, standing in the way of positive progress once again." The visor quickly hid her face once more as she trained her weapon on Dario. "Ben, do it!" she exclaimed. The parked car Dario rested upon suddenly whirred to life. Within seconds, the engine surpassed it's rev limit and exploded, the hood cleanly separating from the body as super-heated engine oil spewed forth like a fountain. Len took this opportunity to squeeze several rounds at Dario during the distraction. At the same time, the two smaller drone units flew in from the outside to fire it's own dual .50 caliber weapons at Dario from different angles.
 
Dario felt the engine revving. The hum turned into a violent serious of overpowering chugs. He looked down sensing the incoming overload. He placed his hand down on the hood transferring his energy through the whole chassis of the vehicle. The blast blew the hood clean off, with Dario's energy keeping it intact. He kept his tether on the hood as the blast blew him and the hood back. Both unscathed. Dario didn't keep his eyes off Len. "Last mistake." He warped the hood into a flat square, the edges sharp as a diamond cutter. He propelled the metal plate at Len in a lethal spin that shred through the asphalt. When he regained his footing, Len took the opportunity of his imbalance to open fire followed by flanking Drones closing in on the parking lot. A grid patterned shield surrounded Dario, the bullets decomposed into scattered flechettes floating in place within his area of control. He turned the fragmented bullets towards the Drones, extending them like spears into the Drones. He kept a few by his side aiming them towards Len. "This whole time, Len. We haven't really closed the gap between which of the powers is stronger. You boast of the lives of fledgling Hosts under your badge, but you nor your order have dealt with a real power." The grid pattern spread through the ground, the asphalt became soft and malleable. As Dario expressed his control the energy around him grew wild. "I wanted to keep you following a fools chase but I'll indulge you this once, woman."
 
The shifted metal was fast, but it's slowing momentum due to it dragging across the building's asphalt gave Len enough time to dash to her right. Behind her, the car hood flung itself out of the parking lot and stuck itself into the side of the neighboring building. Between Dario and Len came a drone crashing down on top of an SUV, unable to avoid Dario's remolded metal which left a single drone remaining. There wasn't much time to think - the malicious grid pattern emitting from Dario's will had spread through the sundered path and began to convert it into a putty-like substance. As the grid closed in on her location, Len bolted for one of the pillars holding up the upper levels and ran up it's side, ejecting the used clip in her pistol and allowing the grid to pass under her as she launched off of the pillar in a backwards flip. In that airtime, Len loaded a specialized clip crafted with nullification rounds. In one smooth motion, she fired a single round into the asphalt below her, which quickly restored the warping ground in that area to it's original makeup, albeit lumped.

As Len landed, a new voice had called out through her earpiece. "Reinforcements are on site just outside of the garage, ma'am. We're ready to back you up." "Deadlock the building, now!" Len shouted. At street level, dozens of police officers were warding off an ever-growing clump of bystanders on both ends of the road, giving Dominion units clear space to operate. Within the barricaded zone, a handful of armored vehicles were accompanied by a large turreted APC, all painted a clean white with silver and ocean blue trim. The Dominion soldiers themselves were armed to the teeth with assault rifles and kitted in full body armor. They were the most basic unit that could be rapidly deployed at a moments notice. The only unmasked soldier happened to be the operator in charge of the reinforcements. He gestured his men to heed his words. "Set up a deadlock on all four corners of the building! Move it!" The soldiers dispersed to surround the building. Four of those soldiers each carried a pylon resonating with energy capable of nullifying a host's abilities. The pylons could connect to each other, forming the edges of a barrier that only affected those inside. The closer each pylon was to one another, the stronger the effect. Each pylon was stabbed into the ground on all four corners of the lot. Automated legs extended from the base and helped stabilize the device as it powered up. The upper section began to spin for a few seconds before linking with the other pylons and creating a large blue field that surrounded the lot. The darkened garage was suddenly lit up with blue. Any hosts' connection with a Zodiac began to dissipate over time the longer they remained in the field.

"Let's see how much of a man you are without all that 'real power'". Len taunted as she stowed away her pistol and vaulted on top of a partially sunken car. One by one, she jumped from car to car making her way towards Dario while avoiding the rest of the soft asphalt beneath her.
 
Dario watched the asphalt solidify. He rose a brow in curiosity to what she shot into it. "How convenient." He muttered under his breath. He watched Len pull off feats of acrobatics to avoid the quicksand, loading rounds into her gun and barking commands to what looked like no one in particular. From outside the openings in the lot, he heard more heavy engines around the perimeter of the building. He looked behind himself and outside, seeing more searchlights waving back and forth around the sides. "Ah, more cronies." He watched Len close the distance between him and her, leapfrogging over the sunken vehicles. He waited patiently for her to get close enough. "Squirrely as you are, you cannot evade midair. Hubris is a killer, dog." He stood there, watching her intensely. He waited until she was at least two vehicles away before making his move. "3... 2... 1!" He counted to himself, before raising his hands quickly and throwing them out in front of himself. Before he could throw his energy outward towards Len he was interrupted by a sudden, fiery impact. He was thrown over towards the closest vehicle slamming into its front seat door. The side of his face burned with an intense magenta colored fire. He looked up and saw a man with wavy hair tied back in a ponytail, pulling his fist back coated in similar colored fire. His eyes aglow in magenta light.

"Hello, Host #1." Angelo said mockingly looking down towards him. Dario slapped the fire off his face, his calm demeanor slowly growing more agitated. "Oh so they don't kill off those they capture, just make them attack dogs." Dario said getting up with some struggle. He didn't show it, but the blow caused some considerable damage. He was having a hard time standing up straight. "Give up. Place is deadlocked, and even if you could manage yourself with Len you won't deal with another Host as easily." Angelo rose his fists besides his head, ready to throw another punch. Dario scoffed, huffing through his nose like an angered bull. "You're nothing. By siding yourself with these zealots you've only proven yourself the worst of all of us. You represent nothing, and you'll just be culled when you've outlived your usefulness." There was a moments pause where Angelo spread his feet further apart and Dario channeled more of his energy, but the silence was broken by the sounds of wild surges buzzing through the ground. The grid reappeared but shifted and lost its pattern, breaking apart. Soon the floor shattered completely. The sunken vehicles fell down through the floor alongside chunks of asphalt and concrete. Angelo ignited his palms and used the propulsion to keep himself afloat. He lost sight of Dario in the heavy wreckage falling down to the first floor.
 
Within seconds, the ashes of the building's destruction rose hundreds of feet into the air, creating a dark tower of smoke barely visible against the night sky. Bystanders scattered as the dust continued to roll a block in every direction. "No sight of the target.." The VTOL pilot reported. ".. Lost visual on the boss as well." he followed up. The surrounding units retreated to their vehicles on the road, where the dust had accumulated the least. Everyone watched in silence, searching for signs of life in the pile of asphalt, cement and crushed vehicles. A bent car door breaking through the dust and landing on the pavement broke the suspenseful silence. Covered in dust and broken glass, Len surfaced from inside of the vehicles which had been crushed for the most part. A violet hum emitting from her gun had quickly died off as she stowed it in it's holster. "Target lost." She reported over the radio with an exaggerated sigh. The VTOL landed on the road, it's powerful rotating jet engines blowing away the dust from the scene. Len beckoned Angelo over as she made her way over and off the wreckage of the building.

"Don't let that non-sense get into your head," Len explained on the way to the VTOL. "We protect the people, not those who try to play God whenever they have abilities above the common man." Len hopped onto the VTOL and took a seat near it's bay door. The reinforcing operator in charge approached the VTOL, doing his best to speak up above the running engines. "What's the game plan?" "Clean up this scene and return to the detention center. Leave the remaining drone to scout out for Dario in case he's still nearby." "Copy that, orders received!" The operator saluted Len and jogged clear of the VTOL as it lifted off of the road and took off. "I'm getting too old for this game of cat and mouse, Dario.."


This was madness. Everything was dark and robbed Camilla of nearly all of her senses. The only hint of her situation was how cold the floor was barefoot, and the uncomfortable collar around her neck that glowed a light blue. It felt like an hour had passed since anything had changed. Calling out to anyone proved pointless after the 13th try. She couldn't tilt the chair even an inch, was it bolted to the tile floor? This silence was agonizing. It felt like her panicking thoughts could be heard as clearly as her voice. Why couldn't she remember how she got here? Where was here exactly?

With a loud click, bright lights nearly rendered Camilla blind as it illuminated the white-colored walls of her empty room. It took a minute for her eyes to properly adjust, but she was just barely able to make out a see-through window on the other side, where faceless figures stood on the other side. Another figure - smaller - stood next to them though not as still. Camilla knew exactly who it was, and she whispered his name under her breath. "Logan.." Her eyes widen as her situation became clear. "Logan!" She called out. Although they were nothing more than featureless silhouettes, she knew the outline of his hair and the way it flung about whenever they ran together. "Let him go! I'll kill you all!" she screamed. Her heart was about to jump out of her chest.

The figures began to move. It looked like they struggled to pull Logan's figure along, but eventually they disappeared from behind the window. Moments later, an individual wearing something similar to a lab coat entered the room, accompanied by Logan and three guards, two of which had to keep Logan detained. "Logan, oh my god-.." she spoke through a shaken tone. Logan struggled and fought, but was soon calmed by a swift strike to the back of his head with the butt of a rifle. "You-.. You can't do that! He's done nothing wrong!" "Don't pay attention to him. You owe it all to me right now." spoke the scientist, who approached the restrained Camilla and began to take a seat. The tile below the scientist rose to form a chair making his movement streamline and intelligent. A clipboard in hand and a pen in another, the scientist stared down Camilla, who was breathing rapidly. "Camilla, right? Camilla Ferrari?" The girl faced away, to which the scientist smirked and leaned to the side, trying to see her face. "Is that your brother? Yes or no. We'll dispose of him if he's not related to you." "-Wait..! That's my.. He's brother-.. okay?!" The man grinned. "Progress! That wasn't hard, see?" "Fuck you." Camilla retorted. The man faked pouting, then scoffed it away. "I want to know about your father, Camilla. You know, he's caused a lot of trouble for us recently. He put a lot of people in danger." As the scientist continued on, Camilla glanced towards Logan, who was slumped over, barely recovering from the blow he had received.

"I've got a family too, Camilla. Two baby girls, one just graduated from college a month ago. My wife, she uh-.. she's sick from an unknown illness your kind has brought over from uhh-.. What do you call it? The underworld? Limbo? It most likely can't be treated by current medicine you know." "We have nothing to do with that..." "Then tell me about the man who does." The man leaned in, yet Camilla abstained. "His favorite sweater? His degree? His little cult? What is he allergic to?" "Fuck off! Just let us go, please.." The man sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose under his glasses. "Give him one." He ordered. Suddenly, the room was filled with a loud bang, followed by Logan's screams. The third guard had sent a round from his sidearm through Logan's shin, and the tile white floor below began to shift into a crimson red. "Stop! Wait!" Camilla shouted once more, her face running with tears. "Why?! Don't hurt him.." "How many Hosts does he have on his side? Are there any secret passageways you take into his stronghold? Talk!" Despite it all, Camilla couldn't find the strength to form a sentence. Her eyes were locked onto Logan. "I'm alright, M.. I'll-.. We'll kill these bastards.." "I don't think they'll talk this soon." stated the third guard. "Alright, whatever. How about this: You help us find your father, and we'll release the both of you." The man's offer wasn't entirely terrible. Camilla couldn't imagine the terrible things he'd do to his children's' kidnappers. "Does that sound okay to you? Deal? No more shooting ol' Logan in the legs?" Camilla nodded hastily, choking back tears. The man clapped his hands together and turned towards the guards. "She said okay."

BANG




Logan's body fell to the ground, his body squirming against the slippery blood coated floor as the ill-placed bullet went through his throat rather than his head. Gurgling sounds were all Logan could muster as he tried his best to stem the fountain of blood spurting from his wound. Camilla cried out as she thrashed against her restraints. "Gosh, what kind of a monster would do such a thing? Gods, he's still alive - barely. You couldn't aim for his fucking head? He's right there." Ten seconds was the longest Logan held on for. His eyes turning dull. The guards stepped back from the pooling blood, silent. The scientist flicked up his wrist and checked the time. "Time for another wipe." He stated. Camilla's screaming and struggling suddenly came to a halt. Her tears running but her expression clueless. What was going on? Who were these armed men? The third guard looped behind Camilla and undid her restraints. Slowly, the girl raised up, fear and confusion being all that she knows. The scientist took her by the arm and walked her around Logan's lifeless body. "Do you know who that boy is?" He asked as they passed him. Camilla stared, completely perplexed. All she could manage was shaking her head and saying "No."
 
"Reporting: There is a child in the rubble...I repeat, there is a child."


It was like a fever dream--the aftermath of that war. Countless lives were lost to bring about an end to one of the greatest threats humanity had ever faced. If anything, the current state of civil unrest between host and mankind was a plausible aftermath of the chaos that man had wrought upon both lands. Nowadays it has become a taboo to speak of his name within the Dominion, yet back then, it was as if none of us could go a sentence without mentioning him. How could we limit his power? How is he seemingly immortal? How many members are left of his familia? The questions went on--at least until that fateful night when the final blow was struck. I remember it like it was yesterday; his words lingering on my mind; keeping me up at night as I tossed and turned over what he had meant. Many of us expected his final moments to be anguish over his demise. After all, he had described his acts of chaos as a ruthless game of sorts. There was no denying that the man was a ruthless murderer who valued neither human nor host. Yet even then, as he lay dying in a pool of his own blackened blood, how could he utter words with such genuine sorrow and love.

I don't know where your father went wrong or perhaps the worlds...they might have betrayed him. This day where I lay on this cold ground...it came far too early. I never wished for you to become a part of this war...neither you nor your mother. But perhaps one day, one day you will find it in yourself to first forgive me for life I have given you. And then, perhaps, you will find the strength to thank me for the life I've given you. Live on, my dearest Lilith, live on...


"Your report, researcher?" The words were spoken in a cold, bored tone by a man who was dressed in a black suit and seemed annoyed that his time was being interrupted by a mere researcher. The blond researcher immediately noticed this lack of fare treatment, yet bit his tongue to prevent the profanities his mind desired from reaching his tongue. Today's meeting was not their first and was likely far from their last--and though, his research was for the tremendous benefit of the Dominion--it was as if none of the uppers cared to give him a moment's consideration out of spite of his subject's origin.

"Yes, yes, of course. My team has had tremendous breakthrough in the development of the serum I mentioned in our former meeting. It show--" The man in the suit cut off the researchers announcement an annoyed hiss just as he began tapping his spare fingers on his desk. "Just get to the point. I don't have the entire day to listen to you squabble about the specificity of your research. What have you accomplished, or rather I just fire you for incompetence in light of another failure?" The researcher stifled a heavy sigh and again bit his tongue in response to his treatment. Although his tone harbored obvious struggles to keep tame, he managed to speak his ultimatum without condemning his future within the Dominion.

"As I was saying, I believe we have developed a serum to kill a Zodiac bonded with a host. This is of course with the host still alive."

There was a sudden silence as the suit realized what had been said, and soon after, he sprung from his chair in a fury like none other. "Why has this been kept from me!?! This is a huge breakthrough for our cause. Has it been tested on a live host?"

You have known about this for years, you lazy piece of shit. Your just an ignorant fuck who isn't fit for your position. Is what the researcher wished to say in response to being reprimanded by the suit; however, he still managed a civil tone and composure as he provided further details for his announcement. "The preparations for a live test are presently underway. I merely wished to convey the consideration of making this a demonstration for...more relevant individuals. With your permission, I would like to request an audience for this test."

"Permission granted." The suit spoke without hesitation as he reached for his cellphone and initiated a call. Nonetheless, before it connected with its recipient, he covered the mouthpiece and spoke his final words were dismissing the researcher from his office. "If you fail me though, know there will be dire consequences. Dire indeed."


Cold, confined darkness--It was a constant in Lilith's life from the very moment her blood began to flow black. Nonetheless, it wasn't a curse; rather a twisted blessing as the darkness meant she was free from the abuse that had become a constant in her life. "Ah, there's the monster bitch. It looks like she's already awake, but I think we should check just in case." The darkness became a blinding light as several armed figures entered into her cell with a sadistic grin encompassed on their faces. Without reason, one of the figures reached forward and smashed his fist against her stomach--an act that forced a small whimper from the lips of the frail, pale girl who lay bound to her metal gurney. "Are you awake, Lily dear?" several figures mocked just as another figure drew a quick blow against her cheek. "We can't hear you! You can't be asleep for today's test!" Another blow cracked across her cheek; this time drawing blood that left a small portion dripping from the first that hit her.

"Shit." was the only word the figure could say as the others began stepping away with utterances of "You idiot" or "What the fuck have you done." It only took a moment for the screams to begin as the man fell the ground grasping his arm that began to rapidly darken by the second. Immediately, the figure nearest the cell door reached outside and smashed the panic button that sent a sudden alarm blaring through quadrant. From the afflicted man's arm, grotesque tendrils were beginning to form from the surface of his skin--at least until another figure reached for his gun and shot the man's head without a moments hesitation. His body slumped to the ground, and the darkness seemingly halted its spread. Yet the existence patches continued to writhe until numerous researchers burst into the room and administered several injections of an unknown serum into the girl who lay grinning at her actions.

"What the fuck just happened here? Your orders were to transport her to cell 31A-nothing more, nothing less." The blond researcher exclaimed with a burning sense of frustration towards the guards actions. "Now that we've summoned the entire wing's guard to this single cell, do you think there is any one of you that might be half competent enough to follow fucking orders? Now let's get her to the lab before we all lose our jobs, and will someone please clean up the mess. This is a medical facility for fucks sake."
 
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Angelo stepped over the blanket of rubble, careful not to sprain his ankle on loose debris. "Sometimes... I wonder about that, Len." He followed his superior onto the VTOL taking a seat in the passenger hatch opposite of where Len was seated. "You know." He started. "They like to blame me for Hosts getting away, right? They say I manage to do something to mess up the formula you all have with my powers. That I'm sympathetic." He leans forward, folding his hands with his thumbs arching over. He took a moment to let the engine of the VTOL calm as the aircraft began its ascent for it to not overpower his voice. He was looking down at the clean, pearlescent floor of the hatch. Peering into his reflection. He noticed how much his brows had furrowed and consciously fixed his face. "Even if I trust you won't try to off me when all this is over, I can't say the others will be so forgiving. They don't think I hear, but I hear a lot. Mostly when you leave the room. They see me as some liability, that I'll go rogue. Or that I'm some spy and I tip Hosts off when you're coming. Hell, I even heard one say when this is all over I'm better off executed so I won't become a problem in the future. I fear there is some truth to his words, even if it isn't a whole truth." Angelo peered out the cockpit window from over the pilot seats briefly distracting himself with the passing dark clouds in the night sky. He gaze narrowed as his top eyelids fell relaxed.

"There's something I can tell you about Dario. More so, his Zodiac. His Zodiac, Hierophant, he calls himself. Has a history with mine." Angelo said, turning back towards Len. He was almost hesitant to continue the conversation seeing how tired she looked. "That is, if you're interested in that. Can't say it will help the investigation into capturing Dario but... It's the most I can offer for what we managed to lose."

________________________________________________________________________
The sirens and heavy vibrations from Dominion vehicles rattled the loose windows from her cheap apartment. A young freckle faced woman meekly peered out the window as if she was afraid of the Dominion presence outside her complex. She pushed her deep red hair behind her ear to keep it from obscuring her view of the streets below. She only briefly caught the sight of the APC, only making out a large vehicle with an equally large turret gun on the roof. She started to feel her heart race with anxiety, holding on to her chest and trying to pace her breathing. Her other hand clutched her thick, polk-a-dot comforter. "They.. Shouldn't be here for me? No one knows what I am yet. Yet? Oh, no no no... Not yet. Never yet. I'll be okay, I haven't harmed anyone I don't intend to I just..." She gritted her teeth and threw her hands down on her futon. "Okay... I just need some water." She quickly sprung up from her bedding and flipped the living room light switch on, just outside her bedroom door. Her kitchen and living room were joined together into one large living space, the only thing separating the two is where the carpet ends and the kitchen tile begins.

She instinctively scanned around her kitchen for any messes, or unorganization despite having cleaned her kitchen twice today. She reached for a medium sized glass cup hanging over a cup display stand, hesitated and instead pulled her fridge door open and taking the whole gallon of spring water. She chugged the gallon back hastily. Water spilling through the side of her mouth, down her chin and over her gray two buttoned long sleeve shirt a size too big for her. She finally placed the gallon down on the counter top when she needed to catch a breath. She exhaled loudly and breathed a single deep breath before exhaling slowly. "Okay, it's okay... But why so much? There can't be a lot of Hosts active at once in one location." She returned to her bedroom and sat down in her office chair and pulled herself up to her PC. She tapped the spacebar to wake it up and opened up Twitter. She refreshed the page and immediately there were retweeted images of the ruined indoor parking lot.

BunnieBae (@DominioncanDomMe):
holy sh*t some fucking mutant destroyed the parking lot at 49th and he managed to escape through the wreckage or sumn...

"...Okay that's all I needed to see." She closed Twitter and sunk herself into her chair. She stared at her blank Firefox tab unsure of what she wanted to do with the rest of her night off. But the paranoia of the Dominion had scared her off of taking a walk. "I need some air... I feel deprived of energy." She heard a Discord notification through her headphones, the bleep waking her up out of her daydreaming. "Oh, someone's actually talking to me."


Noir Today at 8:32pm
Hey, you alright? I heard Dominion was looking for a Host around where you were. Do you know what happened?

Quasi Today at 8:32pm
yeah, I'm okay... just paranoid
apparently a Host destroyed a parking lot? idk why they would do that but w/e


Noir Today at 8:33pm
Well, it was more than that. They were tailing a high priority target, real dangerous sort. He probably escaped through the destruction, Hosts tend to do that when cornered.


Quasi Today at 8:33pm
oh ok, I guess that explains the truck with a turret gun on it going down the street


Noir Today at 8:33pm
They sent a fucking APC?


Quasi Today at 8:33pm
uhm, if that's what it's called then yes


Noir Today at 8:34pm
What the fuck? Why are they-- Whatever. Just stay inside until the scene blows over. Dominion's probably as jumpy as ever right now.
You have off tomorrow right?


Quasi Today at 8:34pm
yeah why


Noir Today at 8:35pm
You want to get some air? I know you're not feeling too great being cooped up the past week, we can head out to Armstrong Park. Behind it is where the open space outside of the city begins.


Quasi Today at 8:35pm
god bless yes please
it's been nothing but this shitty apartment
I try to keep it clean to make the best of it but I'm getting tired of that too
what time do you wanna meet me at the park?


Noir Today at 8:35pm
Late morning, or noon. Around 11? 11:30? Depends on when I can get some errands done, I'll let you know. I've gotta split for now though.


Quasi Today at 8:36pm
oh okay..


Noir Today at 8:36pm
What's wrong?


Quasi Today at 8:36pm
nothing I'm going to try to play something I'll see you tomorrow


Noir Today at 8:36pm
Alright, Mika. Try to relax.


Quasi Today at 8:36pm
mhm


She minimized the Discord window and right clicked her file explorer in her taskbar. She clicked on the games folder in the pop up right click menu. When the folder opened she randomly clicked through the folders of dated, pirated games. She played eeni meeni miini mo with her mouse cursor until she finally landed on a folder named Dungeon Keeper. "I get to be a goblin farmer."
 
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The labyrinth of stainless corridors seemed to never end. Corner after corner, Camilla was often finding herself crossing paths with people dressed in the same white and baby blue jumper along with the same strange device around their necks. The scientist who gripped her arm upheld an uncomfortable pace above what she desired. All the different sights and sounds around her seemingly begged to grab her attention. Her mind still freshly wiped, Camilla hadn't the slightest clue where she was, what she was doing there, or who the deceased boy was in the room prior. The only thing she knew for sure was that her stomach tightened the moment a handful of armed guards rushed past her and the scientist as the base's alarm was tripped. "Oh Jesus.." The scientist exhaled. He had seen the room number the guards were called to.

"Take her to holding cell 11, I'll clear this up now." The man instructed the three guards in tow. Camilla had just caught a brief glimpse of a wicked smile - a genuine one that could only come from someone who truly enjoyed their situation. Just a few feet off, she spotted a guard laying in a pool of his own blood, his arm coated in a thin black layer which- "Move it, girl." A forceful shunt from the tip of a rifle into Camilla's spine broke her train of analysis and sent her back on her merry way to her holding cell. So many question began to rise in her mind, including why she had been crying earlier.

A few corners later, Camilla was brought to the holding cells, which consisted of a larger, more spacious corridor spanning at least 50 meters to the end. Cells were stacked two stories high, with the upper row having given a long balcony stretching back just as far. The area was busy with the unstable nature of it's inhabitants. The majority of the hosts practically foamed at the mouth, having completely lost their composure. Some were quiet, intelligent looking sorts who played tic-tac-toe along the cell walls. In some single-occupancy cells, certain hosts had completely lost their human form, having bones that broken through their body, or impossibly large upper body muscles. They looked like something out of a nightmare, and they did nothing to help their case. As Camilla walked by, several of the hosts lit up with a concerning excitement and began to strike the cell bars. As a result, the metal bars hummed with charged kinetic energy and repelled them back, but it didn't stop Camilla from physically cringing. "Something's got them excited" stated the guard to her left. "Calm down, you animals!" shouted the other, who pointed his sidearm at one of the oddly creepy prisoners. Like wolves to a wild fire, the hosts backed away from the bars and retreated to a corner. Camilla was scared for her life.

It wasn't long before she was thrown in a cell of her own. The sudden shove after the doors had open caught her off guard, and she fell face first onto the tile floor as the bars slammed shut behind her. She almost had half the mind to plead the guards to stay, but something told her they wouldn't. Without looking at any of her cellmates, Camilla crawled to the empty corner and hugged her knees. "Am I really going to die here..?"
 
"Of course you're gonna die here. We're all gonna die here. 'ell we're all gonna die out there." The voice spoke from the opposite side of the holding cell where a red headed male sat twiddling his thumbs--obviously bored from the lack of interactables. "I suppose out there you can at least die a heroes death. Valiant and with one hundred percent less needles being poked into ya." He jumped to his feet and hopped towards Camilla whom he immediately plopped next too with a cheeky grin plastered across his face. "The name's Willow...or so I think it is. Its hard to keep track of who you are after being under the influence for so long, ya know?" Willow extended his hand for a shake; however, he quickly dropped it upon realization that the new girl was not all that likely to reciprocate his greeting, much less even give him a reply. Nonetheless, being ignored seemed to bother him little as he continued his one-sided conversation without a care in the world.

"Ya know, this is the first time I've been housed with another host. Normally, I'd be super excited, like maybe I'm getting a roommate or something or another. But honestly, knowing the Dominion, I can't say its anything good we got coming our way. The cheeky bastards are always poking and prodding and trying to learn more about me--of course that's hard cause I don't even really know much about me, but that's honestly alrigh--"

Whether for the better or worse, Willow's never ending monologue was cut short by an ensemble of guards that were led by the blond researcher who began scanning the cell for a suitable set of test subjects. One by one, his eyes passed over each of existing hosts--many of which were unsuitable for his test given the state of degradation their body had endured. Eventually, he settled on Willow, Camilla, and one other, all whom were beckoned to follow under the duress of the guard's guns. It was a quiet walk from Cell 11 to 31A; a journey that led them back through the labyrinth of corridors that soon transitioned into pearl white walls akin to that of a medical facility. To no surprise, their final destination was unlike the previous holding cell in that it contained a plethora of medical machinery and tools amongst four metal gurneys--one of which was occupied by Lilith. In her current state, she eerily resembled that of an ethereal corpse given her malnourished, pale body that was embraced by long, flowing strands of her snow-white hair. Her eyes immediately focused onto the three hosts as they walked into the room, and her tilted to the side with a curious expression hinted on her face. Nonetheless, her emotions quickly vanished once the blond researcher began to speak after he beckoned each of the hosts towards one of the room's gurneys.

"On this day, we shall write a new page in history, together--host and human working hand in hand for a better future where co-existence can return once more." As if on cue, metal shutters which barred the room's windows were suddenly raised to reveal a minor audience that shared a common theme of authority and business-like attire. All together, there were about five individuals standing along the room's perimeter, impatiently awaiting the experiment that was about to begin.

"I thank you all for attending my demonstration. My team has made a fantastic breakthrough through the utilization of Subject Zero-One's blood. As many of us are aware, her blood poses a great threat in its unfiltered form; however, when carefully treated and maintained through the proper enzymes, we have determined that its power can be harnessed for the good of us all." The researcher walked towards the edge of the room where a rolling tray contained three hypodermic needles and six vials--three of which were filled with a bubbling black substance and the remainder filled with a clear liquid. He wheeled the tray towards the middle of the room, just in front of the gurneys , and lifted one of each vial into the air for all to see. "The black liquid you see is the blood of the Subject X in its purest state. As you see, it is quite volatile. But! If we mix it..." He paused to pour the clear liquid into the opposite vial--an action that had immediate results as the black blood began to grey and its bubbling came to an immediate stop. "You will see that the serum has rendered it in a dormant state under which we can control--specifically to force the hollowing process of a bonded Zodiac." The new formed concoction was filtered into an appropriate container then subsequently pulled into one of the three needles. With a smile on his face, the researcher then turned towards each of the hosts with the conclusion of his speech.

"Now, I can't promise this procedure won't hurt. But I can guarantee that you'll never have to worry about that pesky connection your have with the freaks. You'll be normal again. One of us! One little prick, and your life will be back to what it was. So! Who wants to be first." His smile grew even larger.
 
Dario dusted his jacket and pants, looking over his shoulder to see the searchlights no longer dot the night skies clouds. He inhaled but by consequence was shocked by a sharp pain in his abdomen. He quickly gripped his side coughing the air back out from his throat. The impact into the car inside the parking lot did more damage to him then he originally believed. "I may have a fractured something... Better put, he did." Dario took solace in the silence of a given up chase. Fortunately his clothing showed no signs of battle damage. He leaned up against the side of a building, keeping in the alleyway for the time being to think what his next plan should be. He rubbed his free hand against the ruffle textured brick, dragging the grit from the blocks and playing with it. The grit hovered and circled above his palm in a vortex. "I can't act on a wound like this. But I can't show my face around here." He stood upright, looking out both exits from the alley. "Dominion's thick here and so I'm pinned until they clear out. Armstrong Park is the easiest way out of the city through the forest reserve." Dario closed his eyes and continued to debate with himself what his best action for now is. He opened his eyes and slowly crept to the left exit of the alleyway where he originally came in. From a few blocks down he could see the field teams and heavy vehicles still parked around the lot. "They must be cleaning up the scene." Dario contemplated his chances of skipping town through the park right this very second, but the odd pedestrian may catch wind of his suspicious path. "Even if I go in the morning, there's no guarantee I'll be any less visible than now. Now is the best time, or in a couple of hours." Dario sucked his teeth and continued down the right side of the alley. He could see traffic was caught up in the blockade made around the lot, not many pedestrians as most people were loitering around the scene. Rush hour has mostly subsided and anyone who would be walking from work would be indoors, so he thought. "I can't just walk out of an alley though... I'll have to keep here for a little bit until things clear up. Then I make my break." This was Dario's least favorite part of the case, actually getting away undetected after escaping. The thrill here was gone, and it was all tact and caution. He'd have more confidence if they hadn't called for heavy reinforcements. He sighed, and resigned back to the middle of the alley sitting down on the concrete. "Now I wait." He thought back on incident, wondering what caused the ground to collapse. No more than a strike of dumb luck.

__________________________________________________________
"You're meeting with the one who clings to shadows again?" An old female voice croaked from over Mika's shoulder, startling her out of her wits causing her to shriek in surprise. "Please! Can you stop that! Warn me or something first." The old woman, draped heavily in midnight colored robes. Only from the nose down was her face visible. On both sides of her head thick, silver braided hair extended down above her chest. Her skin was pale, smooth and young looking despite her decrepit tone. "This can be a good lesson. Control your breathing, your heart is racing. You are the master of your own temple, you--" "Your body is your temple, I know. But I wouldn't be in such a panic if you kept looming over my shoulder unsolicited all the time!" Mika turned her chair around to face her Zodiac, looking at her directly from under her hood. "You should not fear me, if there was any danger unaware to you I'd have warned you of it long before it reaches you." Mika took a moment to breathe and calm herself. "Is that why you were quiet when the Dominion were right outside my window?" The Zodiac shook her head dismissively. "The Dominion are fools to believe they can stop what is beyond their control. They can forcefully separate the Host from the Zodiac, but what will that accomplish. The supernatural, as you people call it, has a will and mind of its own. If they intend to continuously lock themselves in a war they can never win so be it. There are forces even they are unaware of, and once that force is tried it will destroy them as it caused on destruction on a grand scale years ago. They're the method to their own demise."

Mika frowned and tilted her head to the side quizzically. "What do you mean? You always bring up things from the past but never explain it to me." The Zodiac took a seat on Mika's futon, folding her hands inside of her robe sleeves. "Because you are not ready to know that tragedy. I am to help forge you into something to prevent a dark history from repeating itself, telling you now can only expose you to what I wish for you not to be." Mika gyrated her hands, expressing more confusion and some slight displeasure in the Zodiacs veiled speech. "And why me? Why do you believe I can prevent anything from happening to anyone?" "You dismiss your wisdom. Right now, you actively dull yourself with these... Games, and what you call memes. You have the mental capacity to harness my power and knowledge in full but you deny yourself the opportunity of growth. You may find yourself unassuming now, but in time if you follow my guiding hand you'll be as great as the Hosts before the time of this new Dominion."

Mika's shoulders fell. She couldn't find words that can continue to conversation. She barely understood her powers let alone this inquisitive spirit. She curled her lip and staggered for words to say but couldn't find the right thing to convey what she wanted to continue with. "You struggle to speak. Speak your mind. It's not as if I can already read it." Mika's eyes opened briefly in disbelief to the idea of the Zodiac being able to read her mind. "Okay I just-- Okay, so what if. Lets say in some scenario I do take your power and knowledge in full, right?" "Right." The Zodiac replied. "What do you expect me to do with it? Stop the Dominion? Solve third world problems? Be Ghandi? I don't understand what it is you want from me." The Zodiac chortled, hiding her mouth with her robe sleeve. "I don't expect you to do none of those things. While I may be knowledgeable of the past, your feelings, the cause and effects of others I am never certain of the future. However, I know where my gift is best utilized but I won't tell you because as my Host you will also know. When the time comes." The Zodiac folded her hands upon her lap again. "If you want the most direct answer I can give you, it's that I want you to make your own decisions to know what's best. I will offer my wisdom and tutelage, but no more than that. While I can help you become the best of who you are, I cannot make you into someone in my vision. Only you are in control of that." Mika's posture relaxed in her chair. Her face straightened and she hummed to herself. "Is that satisfactory?" "I suppose it is... But I still don't even know if I want your gift. I'm a little heart-warmed by the maternal instinct you have but, the only thing I have experienced in your gift is that I always want to be outside in the sun. You've practically turned me away from being a homebody." The Zodiac bursts into a short fit of laughter. "Oh, my dear. Soon you'll conquer that weakness as well. We have a lot to address together. Your friend in the shadows will want to discuss that with you as well, I'm sure." Mika rose her eyebrow. "Didn't you say that the future isn't certain to you?" "It is not, but the subtle clues are there. If it is in his best interest to make sure you can fend for yourself away from his enclave, he will express the use of your powers. This I am sure." The Zodiac slowly dissipated and vanished in the moonlight cast from the window. Mika slowly turned back towards her monitor, resuming her game of Dungeon Keeper. However she wasn't able to focus as much as before.
 
Camilla's mind raced a million miles a minute, and it wasn't because she was afraid of needles. The thought of finding entertainment out of helpless captives made her really question how the next few minutes would play out. The scientist pranced about like a madman who had created Frankenstein. Although faceless, Camilla could feel the eyes of the figures scan her along with the other individuals. Was that strange girl subject Zero-one? Why was she strapped down to a gurney? Camilla hugged herself and backed away slowly from the needle-waving man. "Now, I can't promise this procedure won't hurt. But I can guarantee that you'll never have to worry about that pesky connection your have with the freaks. You'll be normal again. One of us! One little prick, and your life will be back to what it was. So! Who wants to be first."

"Normal?.." Camilla echoed. The more she heard about Hosts, Zodiacs, and the existence of strange abilities, the more her mind pieced together the once lost and scrambled memories. Visions of hollows, fire, a blind man, and a fierce electrical storm flooded her mind. Forgotten names began to come back to her. Her brother's death began to come back to her. All of it began to come back.
"You won't.." she stated, her back pressed against the wall. "Willow, get away from him!"
 
The researcher burst into laughter in response to Camilla's rejection of his offer. "My dear child, why do you hold onto your curse so tightly. I thought your handlers might have broken your stubborn nature, but I see we have yet to reach the pinnacle of your strength." He snapped his fingers which set the rooms guards into motion. For each host, a gunman stood sentry while two additional guards began forcefully moving each host onto their gurney.

"Get your filthy hands off of me! " Willow snarled. "I swear I will get this collar off me and when I do! You'll wish you never laid your hands on me. I'll burn your souls. All of them! All of you wil--"
THUD The gunman having enough of Willow's shouting, reached forward and smacked the butt of his gun against his skull. Dazed by the blow, Willow fell limp; his only sounds being mild groans as he was strapped onto the gurney by the other two guards.

"Now can't we just get along. See your buddy over there? He just went with the flow and he didn't get hurt." The researcher nodded in the direction of the third host who was in no state to protest his forceful manhandling. Although his body seemed intact, his mind was in a lucid state given the duration he had been away from his host.

"You say I won't, but really, I will. Oh don't worry, I will." The researcher started as he walked up to Camilla and stared directly into her eyes. "And I think I will save you till last. You seem to have fight left in you, so we'll see how long that fire will burn. One by one, your new acquaintances shall receive my blessing, and you will do nothing but watch them. Then, you'll see how nice it is, and even you will want it too!"

"Let's begin!" He said while joyfully rubbing his hands together. After returning to the metal tray, he retrieved the serum-filled needle and settled alongside of the lucid host's gurney. "To my esteemed guests, I now present to you, the start of a new era..."


"The development is complete...Shun." Cecilia spoke with a sly grin as she watched Fushinsetsu's brow furrow at the usage of his former name. Nonetheless, he ignored her slight and observed the set of vials which were resting in the center of the round table that they, and several others, were seated at. Each vial contained a black liquid that seemed to shimmer with an ethereal glow as it pulsated a latent energy akin to that of a Zodiac.

"Good work." Fushinsetsu said with a satisfied nod. "With this, our familia's reaches can begin to extend in direct competition to the other factions. Begin mass--" His announcement was cut short by a male voice that interjected from the chair embossed with the symbol of a knight. "What are the risks." Kaivant began in an incredulous tone. "I can't imagine a simple serum can invoke the same consistency that was involved with my own transformation at the genetic level."

"Silly boy." Cecilia tutted with a giggle. "Do you not feel the energy that these vials emit? This is not hollow blood in the literal sense; more or less, a fanciful diversion to the true nature of the energy that is contained within. Understand?" Kaivant shook his head, now looking far more lost than concerned as before. A small sigh escaped Cecilia's lips as she opened her mouth for further explanation; however, a wave of Fushinsetsu's hand silenced her as he began to speak instead.

"Zodiacs are nothing more than spirits chosen for a greater purpose beyond their mortal existence. And spirits are not solely defined by mortal elements such as flesh and blood. Follow?" Kaivant nodded. "When a Zodiac loses its purpose or the potential to influence its higher calling, a process known as hollowification begins. Just as flesh is to rot and decay, a Zodiac is to hollow. Its spirit and mind begin to crumble, and as a result, its power becomes unstable and its body corrupt." Fushinsetsu paused his explanation to wave his hand. Immediately, an animated scene of paint began to form above the center of the table. In the scene, a Dominion member was locked in combat with a hollow that demonstrated great power, yet hopeless potential as it attacked without any thought. "A hollow is doomed to die--as it should be given it is no better than a dumb, hostile creature. But what if we could do better? What if we purify and extract the energy of a hollow and make the honed power accessible to all?"

Cecilia snapped her fingers and a life-sized teddy bear walked into the room while pushing a plush, memory foam gurney that embraced the pristine body of a red headed teen. Fushinsetsu walked to the side of the gurney and inspected the teen who was breathing but unmoving. "Still stable. You see, Kaivant. This was a comatose body I happened to find during my trip in Japan. He had been skewered by peculiar means, but entirely fated to die. We administered a prototype of the hollow blood--one containing a powerful healing factor--and well...you see. A perfect adaptation that has restored the integrity of his body. Unfortunately for the child, the integrity of the body does not restore the integrity of the mind; not that it all matters one way or another. Though..." Fushinsetsu forced his thumb into the body of the teen forcing a small pool of black blood to rise around the wound. "Black blood and the occasional physical deformity happen to be an unfortunate side effects of the bond. Hollows are cursed beings after all." Fushinsetsu dismissed the bear and its gurney and looked to Kaivant who had furrowed his brow in heavy thought. "You have questions I presume?"

Kaivant nodded as he spoke, "I think I understand the concept of it all, but I have to wonder what if someone in the future got a hold of this research and tried to inject actual hollow blood, like your own, into another human or host without the proper treatment."

As rare as it was, Fushinsetsu burst into a fit of laughter that was soon followed by Cecilia giggles. " Well if there is anyone stupid enough to inject the corrupt essence of an aggressive, mindless beast; then I think the results will speak for themselves."


The injection was anti-climatic as the third host did not even cry out in pain. Immediately, subordinates of the research began monitoring the energy levels of the host, watching as the numbers began to gradually decrease. "We detect a gradually decline in energy levels, sir. Estimated to fall off within the hour"

"And there you have it, ladies and gentlemen!" The researcher practically screamed in excitement. "From this point, we simple monitor the subject until the connection with its Zodiac is lost. From there, we can extract the serum from their blood flow and we have a human born again! The era of humans is back once more!" From outside of the room, the guests began to clap which only widened the grin plastered on the researchers face. Wanting the gloat, he walked back over to Camilla where he cheerfully pinched her cheek and spoke, "Now, how do you feel, my dear? All of this can stop. No more pain...no more suffering...We can get you enrolled in a school and you can live your life like a normal girl agai--..."

A small pulse of energy emitted into the room.

"What was th--" The researcher began, but before he could finish his statement, high pitched laughter began to screech from Lilith as she began to writhe against her restraints. "M-My blood...I feeeeeeel it in hiiiim~" She sung. "Good morning, Dr. Redwell, Lily is finally awake."

With a snarl, the third host broke through its restraints and lunged for Dr. Redwell who wasn't even given the chance to scream before his head rolled across the floor and settled next to Camilla's feet--his cheeky grin looking up towards her. There was a moments pause, then the alarms and gunshots began.
 
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Camilla wanted to scream, but sights of the supernatural was the norm for her. Unlike most hosts, Camilla had been born a host and accompanied by a mute Zodiac whose form she hadn't ever seen. Seeing people perform impossible feats sounded like an average weekend goofing off to her. Regardless, there was something extremely unsettling about Zero-one, and it wasn't the way she severed that scientist's head either. Camilla struggled within the restraints of the gurney as bullets whistled by. "Come on, come on.." she strained.

Instead of the base going on high alert, the heavy blast doors that served as their exit had slammed shut and locked. It was up to the remaining guards to subdue the girl. The armed men called out her position and warned one another of an impeding attack, but Lilith was faster, especially against grunts like them. Within half a minute, the room was riddled with blood and body parts. The faceless viewers mostly unaffected by the situation. To them, it was probably another failed test crafted by another expendable life.

The silence after the gunfire was eerie. Camilla was just barely unable to see the rampaging girl, who was the only soul free of their binds. Once again she found herself scared for her life. Was this Lilith just as insane as the hosts in the holding cells? Would she kill Camilla too? And what about Willow? Just thinking about it heightened her panic.
 
"My vote is to discontinue the Ravenwood Research" Murmured one of the faceless viewers who observed the inner carnage without so much as a twinge of sympathy or horror. Several nods of agreement occurred amongst the remaining viewers who soon broke into small groups of discussion concerning the next failure that stood before them. Their discussions occurred for the duration of the massacre until they eventually dispersed without any care for the interior. "The guards can clean up the mess according to protocol." One had said to which the others agreed without protest.

Inside the cell was mess. Blood and guts splattered the walls and ground while dismembered bodies littered the area with their once-connected parts. Having reached its limit of sustaining the hollow blood, the possessed host began to groan and falter as it gradually hobbled towards the remaining gurneys in the room. One by one it ripped apart the bindings, starting with Lilith who immediately hopped to her feet and stretched her arms body with a satisfied moan.

"Human blood is so icky, dontcha think?" Lilith said to no one in particular as she plopped onto the ground with a pout. "And now i'm covered in it." She muttered with a sense of disgust as she inspected her, once white, now splatter painted dress. A loud groan burst from the thrall before it fell into a puddle of blood with a splash and dull thud. It was at this point that Lilith realized she was not alone and suddenly jumped to her feet, startled by Camilla and Willow who were both on the verge of panic in response to her mayhem. She tilted her head with a curious expression as she skipped closer to Camilla and began sniffing the air around her. "You smell good," she giggled before skipping over to Willow and doing the same. "Less so, but passable."

Immediately, Willow took several steps back and flashed a "What in the fuck is happening" look towards Camilla. Lilith noticed but didn't seem to mind as she skipped back to Camilla and reached to touch her cheek. "You are shaking. Why are you afraid?" she questioned with a quizzical expression and another head tilt. "I won't hurt you." She turned around to point at what was left of Dr. Redwell's body. "The bad doctor killed Lily's papa, and the guards hurt her. Papa told Lily to defend herself and to be smart. So Lily waited and waited just until the right moment and then she defended herself." As she spoke, she turned to face Camilla once more--her face glowing as if she were proud of her actions.

Outside, more guards were beginning to congregate while their commander made the order gas the room. "Use what it takes to put then down. At this point, I care less if Zero-One." Inside, Lilith was ignorant to the events outside--her attention was solely focused on her two new acquaintances that stood before her. "Lily is bored with this place, and both of you smell different." She claimed sniffing the air around Camilla once more. "You don't look happy here either. Will you take Lily somewhere nice?"

Lilith waited a whole five seconds for a response from Camilla, before she hopped several steps back and fell to the ground with another pout. Willow took this moment to approach Camilla with a whispered question if his own--his voice still shaking from his yet to settled nerves. "Should we trust bringing her with us. Is it even possible to escape this place?"
 
Us? Baffled would accurately describe Camilla's expression as she glanced between the talkative host and Lilith. She could sense both of them awaiting a solution to their predicament. Her lips parted to relay an answer, but ultimately she stammered. "..I don't.." Home was safe, yes. It also housed many different personalities within. Her fearful logic was overpowered by her yearning for good deeds. "Yeah, I mean-.. No. Yeah, we should stick together." Escaping was a different beast to tackle. Camilla had no idea what this place even was, or how she ended up there. All she knew was that it was dangerous to be there, host or not. Camilla slid off the gurney, careful to avoid any puddles of blood. God, the smell was getting to her.

"I can't use my abilities though." She explained to them whilst pointing her thumb at the strange device around her neck. "All the hosts have this thing on their necks. I think it dampens powers." Following her words, Camilla tried to pull the device apart from both sides, but it did nothing to free her from it's bind. Suddenly, an idea dawned on Camilla. "Wait, maybe this creep has a key.." She muttered, awkwardly squatting down next to the decapitated researcher.

The sounds of air depressurizing echoed throughout the room. The long locking bolts on the blast doors retracted into the door frame as the heavy metal doors slid open. A canister skipped into the far side of the room, spraying an unhealthy vapor into the air as it spun around in the blood pool. Marching boots and waving cones of light through thick smoke filled the chamber as what sounded like a small army entered the room. "Spread out along the western wall, watch your crossfire!" shouted a disembodied voice in the smoke. Multiple visors began to glow a bright blue through the screen. Each Dominion guard came equipped with heat-signature googles, which allowed them to easily spot the three loose hosts. "Targets located! Opening fire!"

A hail of bullets parted through the layers of smoke on it's way to Willow and Lilith, when suddenly a bright wall of lightning formed between them and the guards as they emptied their clip. Thermally, the heat signatures of the hosts were overlapped with that of the lightning, effectively blinding them. As the initial assault ended, the lightning ceased. Camilla stood on the opposite side of her escape group. She gave her enemies a stern look as she held out her arm and opened her palm. Dozens of bullets trickled down to the tile, not a single one reaching the escapees. In her other hand were the devices inhibiting the abilities of Willow, Lilith, and herself. "Their collars are off! Lock down the building! GOOOOoooooooooo......"

Lightning begun to crackle between Camilla's fingers and hair while bolts of electricity arched wildly from her. Time slowed to a crawl.




The soldiers fired again. The muzzle flashes of each rifle expanded in unison. Lethal bullets slipped through the smoke ever so slowly, only to be caught between Camilla's thumb and index finger. One by one, Camilla collected the incoming bullets and stuffed them in her right palm, a trail of lightning following the movements of her appendages.

"I've never seen them look at me like that before." A younger Camilla explained to an even younger Logan. The two sat upon a brick wall that bordered a barren playground. The darkened forecast stretched for as long as the scorched earth. The two had their eyes fixed on the glowing city of Brookfield in the distance. "I don't get it. I didn't mean to scare them." She went on. Logan curiously looked up to his bigger sister, who lowered her gaze to her twiddling fingers. "Dad said that humans would always be scared of kids like us." Logan reminded her, the pauses between his words very child-like. "We're kids, but we can't have friends.." Camilla replied solemnly.

The intensity picked up. Camilla found herself picking up the pace to retrieve every bullet on a collision course with her cell-mates.

Logan rested his head on Camilla's shoulder. "Colt's fun." He stated. Camilla shook her head. "She's kind of like a mom though."

Camilla raced behind the closest guard who hadn't begun firing yet, her arms creeping up behind him as she grabs a hold of his head.

"Listen, don't tell Dad about me sneaking out, okay?" She pleaded her little brother, who was usually a taddletail by nature. "Okay. Just play with me from now on."

Sound waves rippled out from the guard's neck as Camilla effortlessly twisted it a lethal 180 degrees and moved on to the neighboring guard, and then the next. Camilla kept going until the neck of the last guard in the room echoed with a chilling pop. As time resumed, the guards all collapsed at once, and the room was threat-less once more. Camilla panted heavily, her hands shaking from the sudden rush of her powers returning. Mostly. "I still feel.. disconnected.." She confessed, one hand on the wall to support her. "..This entire place is probably deadlocked."

The once steady lights in the room began to alternate between red and it's original white hue. An ear-ringing alarm blared throughout the entire facility. That same flashing pattern repeated throughout the corridor, which was clearly accessible to them now. "Let's get out of here!"

 
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Willow wolf-whistled in response to the rain of caught bullets and dead guards that fell to the ground having. "God damn, girl. Save some for the rest of us." he claimed with a chuckle as he cracked his neck with a sigh of relief. It was a satisfying feeling having the collar removed--almost as if a piece of himself was gradually returning within his grasp. "Welcome back, Will-o-Wisp" he mumbled with an ever-growing grin. Out of the blue, Zodiac energy began to emanate from Willow's body which began a sudden transformation in both physical appearance and attire. Gone were the drab medical gowns--now replaced with a leather cloak and red tights completed by knee high boots and elbow long gloves. On his head, red fox ears began to sprout in addition to a pair of fangs that now protruded from his ever-grinning mouth.

"Will-o-Wisp and I got a special bond, ya see. Unlike you hosts that tap into your Zodiacs power, Willy kinda just possesses me at all time. He's a quiet kinda fellow so we tend to get along. I help him out with his job, and he gives me these awesome new features. Though speaking of job..." Willow paused to conjure two of Will-o-Wisp's tools by reaching forward and pulling a long circular-topped staff and a flaming lantern from the air. Without hesitation, he proceeded to slam the stave against the ground which caused a series of glowing flames to appear above the bodies of the deceased. with a wave of the stave, the flames flew towards the lantern where they converged and began a gentle orbit. "See Will-o-Wisp, here, has an obsession with human souls. Gotta make sure none get left behind or corrupted, so we tend to follow the scent of death wherever it might lead us. Of course, the last adventure led us right into the Dominion which was a bit of a set back, but hey, everything worked out in the end."

Finished with all he had to say, Willow stood there grinning like an idiot until Lilith poked at his side with a curious expression on her face. "Didn't fast girl say we should go?" She asked in a soft, innocent tone. Immediately, a wave of panic washed over Willow's face as he suddenly burst forward in a sprint past Camilla, "Oh yeah, we're running!"

Lilith let out a small giggle before walking up to Camilla's side where she planned to follow at whatever pace the girl planned to run at.
 
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Camilla had no doubts her new tag-alongs could handle themselves. Being a host in this day and age warranted some respect at the least. With Lilith in tow, Camilla jogged out into what she felt was going to be a maze. Red lights flashed down throughout both ends of the corridors. Specialized rooms had begun to close as the base fell into lock-down. Pretty soon, it really was going to be impossible to escape. Just a couple of meters behind Willow, Camilla kept up a normalized pace whilst scanning ahead of the group for any signs of an exit. The three occasionally were spotted by researchers and other non-combatants who either fled or tried to announce the group's escape over the blaring alarm.

Unfortunately for Camilla, the randomized route the group took had passed her previous holding room. The girl slowed to a stop as she peered down at the same spot her brother was executed in. She gulped. Logan's body was gone, and so was any trace of a killing. It dawned on her that his body would still remain in the facility, at the perverted hands of the Dominion. "..I can't leave.." She told the other two, her face conflicted. "My brother," she faced them. "I need to bury my brother, they'll cut him up!" At the next junction just ahead, an equally small sized group of guards had just rounded the corner, probably on their way to be briefed for the escape. "We found them! They're at lab 27b, near the holding cells!" one of them reported as they readied their guns to fire.
 
The endless cycle of corridors was driving Willow insane. "Dear lord, could you imagine working in this god forsaken place? I'd be hours late for work on a daily basis." he muttered in an annoyed tone that only grew worse after they turned a corner only to reveal yet another cell filled corridor. A low growl began to form in the back of this throat and would have become a trill screech if not for Camilla who suddenly took interest in a particular cell. He fell silent as he listened to her somber announcement. His grin fell from his face--replaced by a serious expression that matched the new tone he spoke in. "I can feel his soul. I could guide us there...though, the risk..." his voice trailed off only to be replaced by sudden shouts from oncoming guards who formed a defensive line and readied their weapons.

"We found them! They're at lab 27b, near the holding cells!" A man shouted into his communication device just before joining the defensive flank and barking an order to his squadron. "We give them no quarter, men. Fire!" The guards readied their sights and opened fire without a moments hesitation. Bullets ripped through their air, focused on their mark, yet before they could reach, four soul flames flew into each intersection among the floor, walls, and ceiling where they expanded into a wall of blue flame that extended the width and height of the corridor. "Can't you guys read the moment? Its a sad time over here, and you lot are shooting at us." Willow muttered in a snide tone as he watched the bullets vanish into the flame wall only to reappear as harmless objects, randomly falling out of the idle flames around his lantern.

"Hold your fire!" The squadron leader announced. "Save your ammo, men. If its a defensive battle they want to play, we will win. Reinforcements en route in less than 30 seconds."

"I can't bring your brother back. And I can't promise we'll find his body today. But I can give you a moment to mourn. Take a breather, cry if you need to. I've think I can handle these jokers alone." He announced while tilting his head just far enough to wink at Camilla. "Thank you for your presence, O spirits of mine. I pray that thee allow my humble use of thine soul's power." He suddenly announced before humming a mantra that soon stirred the idle fires into flickering balls of chaotic flames. And with that, he walked into the wall of fire which disappeared along with his body and the remaining flames.

"The barrier is gone, ready your weapons!" The leader announced as soon as the flame wall vanished without a trace. "Aim and Fi--" It was a peculiar occurrence that followed the half-spoken order as the leader suddenly broke ranks and ran towards a single flame that hovered just above the ground. "Emily! What are you doing here! Get ouuuuuuuut! Don't shoot, Don't shoot my daughter!" The leader kept screaming with desperation in his voice, but it was far too late as a few panicked guards pulled the trigger and sent a barrage of bullets that ripped through his body.

All hell broke loose as bullets began to fire in every other direction apart from where Camilla and Lilith stood. From their point of view, all they would have seen were the soldiers chaotically shooting at the wisps of flame that darted around and about the mass of guards. Cries of "Demons" and "Monsters" were shouted by the guards, who in their attempt to kill the opposition, were causing more damage among themselves. By the time, ten seconds had passed; all that remained was a bloody pile of guards and twice the number of flames which danced above the bodies of the dead.

"We should move before reinforcements come." Willow announced as he stepped onto the bodies of the guards from a culmination of several flames that formed a portal-like shape above the massacre.
 
Willow spoke the reality of the situation. There simply wasn't enough time to go and find Logan's body while dealing with a seemingly limitless barrage of guards. Camilla knew that given enough time, the Dominion would stop the flow of weekend soldiers and send in tougher units. She looked Willow in the eyes and nodded once in affirmation. "We can't escape with all these guys coming after us.." An idea stemmed in her mind. They were close to the holding cells, right? Camilla faced the two with a renewed determination, putting aside her personal affairs for the more immediate issue. "We need a diversion. If we could get to the holding cells and release the other hosts here, it'll start a riot and make it easier for us to escape." Luckily for them, the most recently deceased troops had seemingly originated from the cell block. Camilla remembered coming down this way. "Come on, this way!"

Arriving at the nuthouse, the situation was no better. The eye-piercing alarm drove the more primal hosts into a fit of rage. Sound-sensitive hosts clamped their hands to their ears, withering in pain. Behind the last of the three escapees, the blast doors had slid shut and locked. A sinking feeling made itself known in Camilla's gut. Were they expecting them to release the other hosts?

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"Sentinel unit on scene."

In a perfect sync, six similarly armored soldiers phased into view. Their cloaking suit revealing armor emitting supernatural energy within it's metal. Older hosts would have recognized it as the same metal as Tyreke's axe, which could withstand heavy impact trauma. "Surrender now and one of you lives." A single unit offered through his tone-altering helmet. The squad was unusually confident, having brought no weapons to confront the three.

"I've seen these guys before. They specialize in hand-to-hand and carry bladed weapons hidden in their gauntlets." Camilla noted. "Then you know this game's over."

Judging by the fact that the Dominion sent a mere handful of personnel to protect the cell block told Camilla that they put a lot of confidence in this 'Sentinel unit'. The nearby hosts cheered on the escapees, shouting encouraging words mixed with profanities for their wardens. The Sentinel unit stood in a line between the three and the cell block. The only way to free those hosts was to go through them. With a swift hand gesture, the unit broke into a sprint towards them. Camilla met two half-way, mentally recalling her sparring matches with Colt. She sent a jab towards the gut of one, which was slapped away with ease. Her next jab was also knocked away. Camilla kept on the offensive until the second soldier got involved with a hook of his own. Camilla's reflexes were fast enough that she could lean back far enough for the attack to barely miss over her head. Her new attacker remained on the offensive while her previous target cloaked from the bottom-up, disappearing from view. The second sentinel's attacks were slow, but blocking took a toll on Camilla. She was fighting without armor and had to deal with not only the force of the attacks, but the mass of their supernatural suit too.

 
"I'll free the other hosts." Willow announced as the sentinels engaged Camilla in hand to hand combat. He flicked his stave which sent a soul flame flying towards the nearest cell block; however, as soon as he vanished to travel within, two more sentinels flew forward with their sights set on Lilith. Unable to react, she simply squealed as one of the blades came hurdling towards her head.
CLANG...Sparks erupted from the collision of blade and stave as Willow managed a split second save through a flame he had left behind to protect Lilith.

"Nrrrgh" He grunted as his strength gradually began to falter under the pressure and weight that the sentinel's blade exerted. Rather than stand and fight, he vanished into one of his flames; only to reappear from a fire that had positioned itself directly behind the sentinel. "Take this, you metal bastard." He exclaimed as several flames smashed against the protective armor and burst into an impressive display of burning blue. The flames only grew stronger, soon engulfing the entirety of the sentinel, yet it wasn't enough to stop the spare fist from reaching around and smashing into Willow's midriff.

"Guh." He managed as the wind was knocked from his body. The pain was overwhelming as he crumpled to the ground and vomited a small pool of bile from his empty stomach. "The hell kinda 'roids these bucket heads been taking!" He exclaimed with a weak chuckle--his eyes focused on the damage his flames had managed against the armor. Under most circumstances, soul fire was more than enough to incapacitate an ordinary opponent; however, against the sentinels, it seemed as if it were merely capable of inflicting minor damage to the armor's durability. "I don't know about you, but I can't say I'm liking our odds here." He muttered in between dodging a flurry of sentinel blows. "These bucket heads aren't giving me much of an opening to slink away fro--" Another sentinel joined the assault, cutting his words short as he began to focus entirely on managing two at once.

Panic erupted from Lilith as she began a desperate crawl away from one of the sentinels who seemed content with a small game of cat and mouse. "Surrender." it eventually muttered as it thrust a blade aimed towards the girl. At the last second, Lilith attempted a side-roll, yet it wasn't enough to stop the blade from piercing through her shoulder and skewering her to the ground. A bloodcurdling scream filled the air, yet the sentinel was unfazed as it spoke without an ounce of remorse. "Your struggle is futile, surrender or die." The sentinels left blade prepared to deliver a final blow while tears began to run down Lilith's cheeks amongst her whimpers of both pain and fear. "W-Why." She whined. "W-Why can't Lily be treated like a girl." Her gaze began to blur as she lay in a growing pool of her own black blood, yet it didn't stop her pleas that grew more frantic and forceful. "Lily didn't ask for this power, so why--why do you hurt Lily and her new friends? We don't want to hurt you...SO WHY DO YOU HURT US!" There was no denying her words were backed by genuine emotion, but without any strength to enforce their meaning, they were nothing but her final words as she dizziness that surrounded her conscious drifted her into a lull of sleep. "Target unconscious, proceeding with extermination." The sentinel muttered while positioning its blade directly above her heart.

"He...he...he..he..he..he" The laughter was slow but unmistakably Lilith's despite her unconscious form that lay unmoving on the ground. The sentinel paused its blade as it examined the peculiar situation; however, it quickly resumed the execution after Lilith's eyes flung open; now burning with a crimson aura similar to that of a hollow's. "Boo" She said with a giggle as three black tendrils erupted from the pool of her blood and sent the sentinel flying upwards where it smashed into the ceiling before plummeting back to the ground. "Die." She screamed as the tendrils began a rapid assault against the armor.
 

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