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Post by Kuma on Nov 28, 2017 5:24:56 GMT
Chelsea’s better nature, at least compared to her sister, was more than enough to do the trick, a single hit and the extremely brittle Benkeinium, at least as brittle as Sidney’s efforts left it, shattered like glass, breaking the bond that connected the bear with the futuristic weapon. Wolf rushed towards it, letting Sidney connect it. -The veapon has morrre memorrry vanks, might rrrememberr more avout what vrong in this place.- He told, as he remembered that the energy source of the weapon also powered up some of his subsystems. Sidney surely was more than enough to reconnect the weapon to Wolf. When that happened his eyes went black, with red lines of code floating over it as the subsystems booted up. It might take a minute or so, but the Lazy Doll’s work was finished, it was a matter of waiting and hoping neither Masako nor Riku killed everybody in the room before he could use that amazing weapon on either of them to stop them.
Riku looked down on Martha, his red eyes moving erratically and his neck awkwardly tilted to the side, still giving the impression that Riku was being controlled by invisible threads, jerking his limbs into the positions they should be. The Vengeful Boxer then turned, with the same contorted movements, to face the incoming Jane. In a blur of motion his hand shot towards her, unloading a powerful backhand slap that would surely send the Tiny Doll flying. But unlike before, when his movements always snapped back into the previous position his hand stopped right after hitting her. His eyes stopped moving and locked into the hand, that was shivering. His disgusting and sinister smirk slowly faded into distress. The red slowly leaving his eyes as they scanned the room, looking at everything that was happening. Blood poured out his eyes, mouth and nose, as he struggled to move, fighting the Benkeinium on his system. It was stupid, a stupid stunt by a stupid kid.
The metal fought against his will power, as Riku tried to fall on his knees, but was unable to do so, as the metal kept him up, resulting on the Vengeful Boxer being in a strange slouched stance. Realizing he wasn’t going to win against it, he knew a losing battle when he saw one, he used all of his strength to turn his neck towards Martha and with blood still pouring out from his orifices he plead. -Kill me… Please…- He promised himself that he would never lose a fight again, for his master and for himself, but here the only way to win was dying, at least that’s how he felt. -Just kill me…- He asked again as his body slowly started to move towards the Brawling Doll, once again being dragged like a puppet on invisible strings.
-yEs! yEs! yEeEeEs!!!!- Masako roared in triumph as Marika’s negative emotions hit him like jolt of lighting. the pieces of inert or burnt out Benkeinium that were on the floor also felt it and slowly moved towards him, his body reforming much faster than before. As much as Marika tried to fight for Yuu’s sake her underlying nature was just too vile and twisted to actually serve as positive emotions, even when he was attempting to do it. -fEeD mE mOrE!!!- He laughs, a mighty bellow that echoes in the room as his body is fully formed again, back to being a humanoid with extended limbs. With a creepy smile on his face he moves towards Marika, his hand turning into a large Benkeinium blade that starts spinning like a chainsaw. As he walks the tip of this newly casted weapon hits the floor rising a torrent of sparks into the air. The Alpha Predator pops his neck as he walks, chuckling through his disgusting jagged fangs. In an instant he launches his arm towards Marika.
But it hits the air, as a split second before his attack reached her, a burst of shadows surrounded her and blinked her body 20 away. Urnas stood besides her with a deadly glow on his eyes, speaking with his thick accent, muffled under the chain veil. -If you die, our employer won’t grant me my revenge, so stop acting like a child and stop feeding this abomination.- The Vampire stood tall looking down on Marika with burning ember for eyes, a deep crimson unmatched by anything from nature. Quite the rare find. -You tell your toys to do their work and keep the mongrel at bay, I am busy doing what we’re supposed to be doing.- And with that said he vanished into the shadows again.
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Post by HungryHunter on Nov 28, 2017 7:37:12 GMT
"Storing memories in a gun? Fascinating. That's my next project, clearly." Sidney worked on attaching the gun while floating upside down and saw Umbra's appearance over the mound of discarded parts. "Hey, Chelsea, keep Marika alive while I finish up here. Or don't, makes no difference to me." She shrugged and kept working, but Chelsea was already gone.
Marika backed up as her tainted soul undid everything Yuu had fought so hard for. "No... Yuu! Yuu, save me!" She screamed, but Yuu was still stiff and still on the floor. Masako's arm swung and there was no escape. She didn't expect the help of Urnas of all people to rip her away from Masako but also from Yuu. Fear held her tongue when Urnas insulted her. Feeding it? That couldn't be. She had stabbed him with only Yuu on her mind. How could that be bad? She grasped at darkness when Urnas vanished again, leaving her alone with no answers and no hope. Then the sound of flapping wings entered her hearing. Chelsea rocketed by to face the mercurial cannibal.
"Oh, beast. Your skin is a poor reflection of your soul, for it is shining and full of life. You are tarnished and stagnant, but lo, I shall bring a spark back to whatever lays within!" Chelsea raised her palms. At long last, something she could use her fire on! Impossible black flames danced from her fingertips, casting no shadows for they carried no light. They were hell's flames, causing harm to the soul while leaving the body intact. If Masako copied figments of people's souls, perhaps this could burn those stolen fragments away.
"Gently there comes a soft rain, and it is of metal, melted from a man departed." Chelsea attempted poetry again as she stepped in front of Yuu, sword defensively raised. She wasn't deluded enough to think she could take Masako down alone, but she could buy time for Wolf's gun to be repaired. With that gun on their side, they would have him for sure. Marika wasn't so optimistic. She ran to Yuu's side under Chelsea's cover and searched for a sign of life, but it was impossible to tell the difference between a doll that was unconscious and one that was dead.
A doll's life was in their string, not their organs. They could survive getting their heads blown off, but enough threads burned or cut would destroy them. Yuu's insides were a mess of bone shards. Who knew how many of her strings her shattered rib cage and Masako's drill had severed? "Don't die." She ordered, but a horrible thought crawled up her amygdala. Yuu wasn't bound to her orders like the others.
Martha saw Jane smashed hard into the wall and her face contorted. The scar on her cheek seemed to grow when her lip curled into a bestial snarl. Her eyes narrowed into empty slits. Her nose flared like she was blowing steam. She left a trail of concrete turned to dust by her feet when she seemed to teleport in front of Riku's face. She launched a front kick that would go through a concrete pillar at Riku's knee, followed immediately by flicking that foot up at his chin.
She was too blind with rage to see the concrete crack besides her. It might have let her dodge the pillar that shot diagonally from the ground to smash her across the room. Her angry yell ended with an ouch and a thud on the other side. Josefina took a few ginger steps forward towards Riku and knelt. She held her huge hands out like a human might for a small animal to run into to be picked up. Jane wobbled to her feet, head spinning. Riku's strike had cracked a few ribs, but she had gotten off easy. She had no doubt that with a better position, Riku would have torn her in half.
She looked at Josefina ready to take him up and realized what she was getting at. Compassion and affection to drive away the benkeinium, not Martha's fury-fueled pummeling. Jane understood the plan, but would just that be enough? There was something that Jane might be able to add to the mix. She raised her hands and shuddered to a stop. Terror flooded her mind, grabbing hold of her body to hold it like a mannequin. If she did this and it didn't do anything, Riku might attack her and this time he'd do it right and she'd die. She backed away with a lip quivering like it was a boat on a wave. She only stopped when she saw Riku's face. His face made her heart crack. The man who looked as tough as Martha was a broken mask, something ugly and unfinished slithering behind the cracks. She couldn't let him stay like that.
"Riku, I'm sorry and I will let you borrow my coat if is fits!" She yelled and sprayed foam with power like a fire hose, pushing herself back with the sheer force. Would a combination of a corrosive and positivity do it? Jane could only hope. If Riku didn't get stopped, Martha might beat him until his body was dead and the only thing left was Benkeinium.
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Post by Kuma on Dec 10, 2017 4:58:37 GMT
It wouldn’t take too long for Sidney to re-attach Wolf’s weapon, it was literally made for him, so the attaching mechanism was already there, the Doll’s work would’ve been limited to cleaning up the residual Benkeinium and connecting a handful of cables into their respective ports around the weapon. -Zat's good, rrreally good, memorrry floods my mind, like good vodka should flood into me.- Wolf started talking as new lights started blinking on his body, like signals of his advanced functions being turned on by the influx of energy and data coming from the weapon. -Da, I rrremember now, I vas brrrought herrre... I saw….- His tone shifted from nostalgic mutterings to a darker one, scared whispers. -Zhe scientists... Zey... Zey invited Death and it kame... ZEY INVITED DEATH AND IT KAME!- He shouted, shaking in fear as his head looked to the sides until it locked into a tank in the middle of the wall, unlike the others this had black liquid, making it contrast against the others. The digital pupils of the Cybernetic Canine widened.
-SMERT’! (DEATH)- He shouted in disbelief looking at the darkened tank, that only had a black arm floating inside, it looked almost insectoid, dark plates of chitinous armor interlocked by golden-auburn lines delineating muscles of something akin to it, the light bubbling out from the creases of the armor were the ones allowing anybody to see it inside the murky water. Unlike the other tanks this one also had some kind of rudimentary electric system on both it’s top and bottom, creating some kind of stasis field around it, that crackled whenever any particle of dust moved closer to it. Eastern Wolf eyes went wild upon locking his sight on it and then, without any other word rushed away from the battle, towards one of the back doors behind Masako’s throne. Whatever he remembered it was too traumatic for him and his fight or flight instinct took over, making him run away from the bizarre looking arm floating in darkened conservative fluid. Seemingly Wolf wouldn’t be of much help against Masako. Maybe his shiftiness and uneasiness until now were just remnants of his memories telling him to get ready to run away.
Masako growled with frustration when his attacks hit thin air, Urnas taking Marika out of danger at the best possible moment, the weapon on his hand reacted to his irritation, revving up even faster, turning into a hydro-cutter buzzing with intensity usually reserved to industrial buzzsaws. -nO! nO! nOoOoOoO!!!- He spit the words like poison out of his mouth as he turned around, still regenerating, locking his half formed burning eyes on the Wicked Seamstress. -yOu ArEn’T aLlOwEd To LeAvE, yOu TaStY mOrSeL!!!!- His feet became wolf-like paws, akin to a werewolf, the claws rending the concrete under them with each step. He leaned forward, drool dripping from his Benkeinium covered jagged fangs as his frantic eyes were still focused on Marika. -yOu DoN’t GeT tO lEaVe UnTiL I gEt mY fIlL!- He charged forward, but stopped midway when Chelsea place herself in-between the Alpha Predator and his prey.
Masako was too focused on Marika and that was a mistake, as he didn’t even attempt to dodge the flames launched by the Devilish Doll. The powers of Masako Hihashi were genetical in natura, capable of altering his own body through ready the genetic code of other individuals through a highly advanced, almost impossibly so, sense of taste and then using his telekinetic prowess, specialized on micro-modifications, to alter his own genetic code and cellular structure. He lacked any “soul” of his own and his powers didn’t allow him to take any spiritual energy from his foes. But the Benkeinium currently controlling his body was something else. Capable of draining negative emotions and powering up through it. It had absorbed energy from every victim Masako created with his predations, their last moments of dread, regret, sadness and anger were the kind of dish the Alien Metal found most pleasing. The reaction was instantaneous and extremely violent, as the moment the flames made contact with Masako’s metallic skin a large, massive burst of fire spewed out from every pore in the Benkainium. -aAaAaAaAaArRrRrRgHgH!!!- A massive blazing pillar shot out from the Alpha Predator’s body, lighting up the whole room, quite paradoxical considering the dark hue of the flames. It was a strange mixture of light and shadow, dancing and reflecting against the creepy conservative tanks.
When the flame stopped, black smoke swirled in the middle of the room, right were Masako was standing, obscuring the vision of everybody. Was he dead? Or did he manage to survive such attack?
The wave of warmness coming from Josefina managed to break the power of the Benkeinium, Riku was out like a light, incapable of moving, but at least the web of Alien Metal on his body wasn’t forcing his hand against his will. He started shivering, his body growing colder as sweat poured from his whole body, what remained of his clothing damp sticking to his battered and bruised body. This exposed rings of black and blue skin around his articulations, whatever the Benkeinium did it pushed his body beyond its limits and now he was paying the price, his capilars destroyed and surely quite the number of muscle fibers ripped from the bizarre movements his body was forced to make under the sway of the Mineral Parasite.
Jane started pouring her foam into Riku’s body. For a moment it seemed as if it wasn’t making any effect but soon the sizzling sound of the Benkeinium being melted filled the surrounding area and soon a similar noise started coming out from Riku’s body, who started convulsing, even unconscious as the pain coursed every fiber of his being. His skin forming blisters as the Benkeinium slowly dripped into the floor and disolved into cracks of the ruined concrete. It seems like Jane’s gambit was working as the Benkeinium was taking most of the damage, but still there would be some permanent cosmetic damage on Riku afterwards if he didn’t get treatment soon. Hopefully this would take all of the Benkeinium out of his system, or at least enough to stop the Alien Metal from expanding and taking over again.
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Post by HungryHunter on Dec 11, 2017 6:44:02 GMT
"Does you system actually allow alcohol to effect your brain? I guess that's what you get with a Russian cyborg." Sidney put her tools away and looked over at the grand explosion of dark fire. She expected Wolf to go over and help, but instead he fled, leaving her hovering alone. She wheeled to look at the tank he had reacted to. It was instantly interesting for its extra defenses. Just what was this that it was worth the effort?
Sidney floated up to the tank, just outside its containment field. Some might see an insect, but the mechanically minded Sidney saw something that looked robotic with its plating and glowing lines. She could follow Wolf and ask him about it, but wouldn't it be easier to open up the case? She reached for her tools, but her fingers balked before they reached the wrenches they sought. Isn't this risky? The thought gave her more pause. Of course it was. Science was about risks. It was just weird to actually think about it. She grabbed a screwdriver and looked for any way she could stop the field. She wanted to check that arm out!
"Chelsea! What took you so long!?" Marika's rage was a defense mechanism. "I was figuring you would owe me more if I saved you at the last second. And you do. I want a chimera." Chelsea's face didn't twitch a muscle, and she turned back to Masako before losing composure and breaking into a grin. "A chimera!? If you want something stubborn, just put a collar on Martha! And if you want something that stinks, put one on Ash." Marika stewed with her shoulders raised and her fists balled up at her side, making her look even more like a petulant schoolgirl than usual.
"Aw, just one! I won't take him inside!" Chelsea tossed another black fireball into the smoke cloud just in case Masako was still there to attack. "I said no!" "Well what about a hellhound? We'll adopt an old one that's already housebroken and everything! I don't need a puppy!" "You just started with a chimera so that would look reasonable!" "Ah, dang. I thought you were way too dumb to figure that out..." "Fuck you, pay attention to the bad guy! Is he alive?" "I'll have to check again." Chelsea blinked and she gained her demon eyes. She wasn't sure whether there was any soul to see, but if there was, she would see it.
The collapse of Riku made Jane's metaphorical heart metaphorically skip. She sprayed and kept sprayed, running the stream over his body twice over. She flipped him over to get his front, expending the last of her foam to make as certain his recovery as she could. When she was done, she wiped the last flecks of foam off on the ground. She ignored the steaming puddle to grab her water bottle and poured it over Riku's body, washing away the bubbles and exposing his blistered, bruised form. She winced at the damage, but before she could do anything about it, she saw Martha hurtling back over.
She was there before Jane could even blink, her wrathful scream coming a split second behind. "Wait! No! He's done! We won!" Jane jumped in front of Riku and winced at Martha's face, a snarl that pulled her cheek halfway up her face. "BUT- HE! I CAN'T JUST! ...I am going to run laps." Martha took off again to circle the room, making a lap every couple of seconds. The wind flicked Jane's hair into her eyes and she brushed it away as she looked at Riku again. "MARIKA! WE NEED YOU!" She yelled. She saw Marika poke her head up on the other side of the room, and a minute later Marika had managed to climb her way back.
"Oh, right, this idiot." Marika looked down at Riku with the expression a neglectful mother looks at her child's latest drawing with. "Help him, please! Just make sure he's okay!" Jane reeled when Marika slapped her. "Instead of helping Yuu!? What's wrong with you!? You think I should help this stranger instead of my mother? He did this to himself. I hope he dies." Marika spun on her heel and began walking back over to Chelsea and Yuu.
"What if it was Miles?" Jane winced when Marika spun to face her with a blood red glare. She was surprised when scissors didn't cut the offending tongue from her mouth. Instead, Marika knelt at Riku's side and felt for a pulse. "I might as well keep him alive. With Yuu knocked out, we need as much help as we can get. And... well, Yuu will be fine if she's still alive. She just can't be moved." Marika would do her best with her medical knowledge to get Riku standing, or at least make sure he would survive.
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Post by Kuma on Dec 24, 2017 3:59:21 GMT
Sidney skilled hands easily found a way to pry open the tank and deactivate the field, it was quite advanced tech, but it had a rustic flavor from being built years before some important advanced in miniaturization had became commonplace. The buzzing electric current coursing the surface of the tank was turned off with some dextrous touches of the screwdriver on an exposed panel, as the lid had rusted and corroded after years of lacking maintenance. But the moment it happened something else slowly sipped out through the glass, at first one could easily mistake it for condensation, as if the tank was extremely cold and the mere contact with the air of the massive storage zone they were in caused large dollops of liquid to appear, but upon closer inspection this was different. First and foremost it was black, like tar, the consistency was more akin to a syrup than water and the smell, it would hit anybody near in waves. First the metallic aftertaste of recently spilled blood, then a brief moment of fecal stench and finally the stink of a thousand rotting fruits. Inside the liquid the arm quivered for a moment and then started vibrating, crackles of black lighting surrounded it as the armored fingers twitched. Maybe Sidney just became the proverbial cat, about to get killed because of her own curiosity.
Riku was out, the injuries received by the acid were mysteriously gone and the only thing that remained of the Benkeinium that took over were jagged lines that were seemingly filled up with the metal, as if he was a broken vase and somebody used the Kintsugi technique to fix him. The Alien Metal was inert and lacked the peculiar movements that even were present in solid form. It was as if what remained of the metal had covered his wounds, creating a network of interlocking rivers of metal, his skin was cold to the touch but he was still breathing. Marika might even find halfway funny that Riku know looked less like a human and more like a mended porcelain doll. The lines covered most of his body, easy to see as he was barely clothed, just pieces of his pants and underwear remaining. The only wounds he had were the dark blue circles on his joints, evidence of the inhuman strain his body was place under.
The billowing black smoke gradually cleared out. A figure was there, knee deep in a puddle of innert liquid Benkeinium. It was Masako Hihashi, or at least the human body of Masako Hihashi. His eyes were blank, fixed on something in front of him. His hair was white and straight, falling in disorderly locks all around his head. His body lacked any sign of Benkeinium, not even marks as Riku had. Whatever Chelsea did she caused a massive and systemic change on Masako’s (If you could call him that) body, expelling the Benkeinium and leaving something behind. He was alive, his chest moved up and down, and he was completely naked. Strangely there weren’t any scars of wounds on his body, not even marks, almost as if was just born, untouched by time, pain or anything else. He was on his knees, his arms hanging limply from the sides of his body. And to Chelsea’s surprise, unlike the Benkeinium powered Masako from before this one only had a single Spiritual Signature inside, not a mismatch of energy.
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Post by HungryHunter on Dec 24, 2017 7:09:14 GMT
Sidney's nose twitched. Ugh. Whatever that liquid was, it smelled awful. Perhaps whatever was in here had begun to spoil and those were rotting juices. That would be a shame. It might be unsalvageable. Marika's preservatives only worked if there was something fresh to preserve. Her thoughts changed when she saw the black lightning crackling. She still hadn't quite figured out good and evil, but she was almost certain about where black lightning went on the spectrum. She fell away, landing safely on the ceiling. Perhaps this was best observed from a distance.
Marika scrutinized Riku as impersonally as she would look over a shirt for stains. She poked under his arms and legs with scissors acting as a lever, moved his joints around, felt for a pulse before dropping his hand to the ground. Jane watched beathlessly, eventually joined by Martha, who breathed only to spew a constant stream of insults related to Riku. "Well, I don't know what's wrong with him, if anything. He's breathing normally and has a pulse. Nothing seems to be broken. He's just knocked out. And stupid, but he had that problem already. Kind of built in. Like Martha." Marika stood and gazed at the pile of bodies that hid Yuu.
"Do whatever the hell you like with him. Yuu needs me." Marika ran off and jumped over the makeshift throne. Jane crouched and stared at Riku. What went through an unconciosus human's mind? Was it peaceful, or the same chaos that lead him here? Was Riku even human anymore? That part didn't matter to her, but she was pretty sure humans cared about that. Martha just looked away. She did not need to see that much of his body. Gross. Why did her sister care? Riku was nothing but standoffish and weird this whole trip, and he had just gone nuts!
"You're too soft. He's a jerk, he deserves to get his face pounded in." Martha shot Riku's prone body a glare before cringing and looking away again. "Maybe. But he already got his face pounded in. Maybe a little bit of softness will do him better." Jane knelt next to Riku and laid her coat over his cold skin. The coat was electrically heated like all the others the dolls wore, so even if he lacked body heat of his own, it would grant him just a little. Jane couldn't do much, but she could be nice.
Marika scrambled down to Yuu just in time to see the smoke clear. "What the hell happened?" She paused to inspect Masako before going back to Yuu. He had no parts that interested her. She barely registered anything else about him. It was nice of him to be naked so she could figure out she didn't want anything right away she guessed. Chelsea was in a different position. She had never actually seen a naked guy. It assaulted her entire persona to confront it. A cool teen girl should know everything about sex, or at least that was the impression she got.
"You're a lot smaller than my boyfriend." She stared at the ceiling. "Oh, shut up Chelsea. You don't have to pretend. Just chop his head off." Marika snapped while she drug Yuu away from the fight. Chelsea gulped and nodded. She aimed her sword. "Uh... I'll cut out your cannibal heart and... you'll eat it?" Chelsea rushed forward and swung her black blade for Masako's neck. Marika rolled her eyes and heaved Yuu behind a container. She unbuttoned Yuu's sweater and surveyed her. She put her hand over her mouth and tears came to her eyes. Yuu had a slash in her shoulder so deep it cut through her clavicle. Just below her shattered sternum was a fist sized hole. Marika didn't know how deep it went and how much of Yuu's threads it had severed. Yuu's body was warm, but was it still living?
Marika set Yuu's clothes aside and lifted her scissors to her chest, up to the hole Masako had made in her. She hadn't operated on Yuu since she made her. She didn't like it. It was a reminder that Yuu was made of parts, like any of the ugly idiots who walked the streets. I can make another Yuu if she dies. I can replace her string and sew her parts back together and give her Yuu's memories and she'll never know she's a replacement. The thoughts caused revulsion even in Marika. How the hell could she think that? Yuu was fine. Yuu would be on her feet in a few minutes, holding Marika and telling her it was alright. Marika began cutting, this image forcefully kept the only thing in her mind.
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Post by Kuma on Dec 26, 2017 1:34:40 GMT
A faint noise, like wood hitting a concrete floor, echoed in the large room, as Masako’s head fell on the ground. He didn’t even flinch, as Chelsea’s blade cut cleanly through his neck, separating his head from his body. The head bounced a couple of times and then rolled for a short moment until it stop, hitting the wreckage of one of the bears. The body was still in the same position as it was, arms limply hanging from the sides and knees touching the ground. The flickering flame inside him, the remnant of spiritual energy faded away as the body suddenly went completely lax, falling into the ground like a ragdoll, lagged behind the head for about 15 seconds. Masako Hihashi was dead, or at the very least the husk that once was Masako was finally destroyed.
Riku lied on the floor, seemingly unbothered by the cold. His skin was getting more rigid with each passing second, almost as if it had mutated to some kind of flexible armor, plates interlocked by Benkeinium. The more time it passed the less human he looked, he was still humanoid, but his factions became sharper, he looked more artificial than organic. Even his white hair, that before was a bit bushy and fluffy was getting spikier and straighter. Most of the damage he had on his body was gone, except for the largest scars, that were blemishes on the now flat plates slowly forming. Whatever effect the Benkeinium left on his mind it was still unknown, at least until he woke up, but the physical transformation was quite radical. If it wasn’t for the texture of his skin he might look more like some kind of robot than an actual person.
As Marika dealt with Yuu, shadows gathered in the middle of the room, moving out from the corners and spinning into a dark whirlwind. In the middle of it Urnas appeared, standing as tall as he was and scanning the area. With a scowl, hidden by the chainmail face mask, but clear on his dark crimson eyes, he scanned the area. His locked on to the beating arm in the wall and then looked around until he saw Chelsea, with Yuu out of commission and Marika busy with her Chelsea seemed the best option to talk to. -The mechanical mongrel following your group used his weapon on the Heart and escaped. There are no more enemies, the human who was in this room also died.- He explained with a monotone voice. -Seemingly he only used you for his own gains.- The Vampire Lord looked down on Chelsea, his eyes shining like recently lit embers.
-But at the very least you managed to clean this place up enough for me to do my job, I should praise you, but praise is wasted on tools.- He pulled a small electronic artifact from a pocket and pressed a button. A faint alarm started sounding as a tiny light in what seemed a high tech garage remote, blinked, letting out a slight red glow. Urnas placed the device on the floor, away from the dolls and took a couple of steps backward. A sudden thunderbolt appeared out of nowhere, the same kind of tech used by Kuro-san and Ikari to teleport. And those two individuals were the ones who dropped from out of nowhere, right in the place were the blast of electricity struck the floor. Kuro-san, as always, was utterly emotionless, while Ikari, as a contrast, was brimming with burning contempt and hatred, his eyes lit up like deep purple bonfires. -Arachne-dono, I congratulate you on this successful mission.- Kuro-san praised her, without a single ounce of emotion on his voice.
-I’m here to take the Heart and to take that.- The Forgotten Emperor he pointed at the tank with the black arm. -I think that wouldn’t be an issue, right?- He asked as Ikari placed himself in front of Kuro-san, in-between his boss and Marika. -You’re free to take anything else.-
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Post by HungryHunter on Dec 26, 2017 3:45:27 GMT
Jane had her hand on Riku's shoulder when the ground suddenly shook beneath her. "Eep! What was-" The instant her hand left him, the concrete under him split apart and from it seeped the earth. It wrapped around and entombed all of Riku besides his face, leaving him room to breath and little else. "Sorry Jane, Josefina's right. We don't know if he'll attack us again when he wakes up." Martha knelt and hugged her sister. "But... okay. No. You're right. But you're apologizing if he's back to normal! You too Josefina." Jane knew Josefina was more likely to say sorry than Martha, but it didn't hurt to try. Martha rolled her eyes and stepped back. She didn't take her gaze away from Riku's face, eyes as steely as his skin.
Killing somebody felt like a little resistance when you swung your blade. Chelsea watched the head drop and looked at the blood on her blade. She hadn't expected it to work. She thought he would move, make the blow glancing. She blinked her demon eyes a few times and didn't see his soul. In one strike, Chelsea had become a murderer. She stumbled back towards Marika, nearly falling. She turned to her maker and found Urnas right in her face.
She stared through him bleakly while he told her what had happened. It took a second for her to process it with her mind in turmoil, but everything snapped into place at once. Her killing, Wolf's betrayal, Urnas' attitude. "Shut up, you smug stake bait. Did you keep the human decency you had when you were alive back in the Jurassic you miserable turnip?" Anguish was converted directly into snark, lifting a weight more crushing than the burden of Atlas from her chest.
"Maybe in whatever backwater sewer you crawled out of you got to treat people like that, but out here we have what we're all people. You don't call me a tool and I don't call you a UV adverse basement dweller who sleeps in dirt." Tears began rolling down her cheeks as she yelled, and by the time Kuro-san and Ikari teleported in, she had fallen to her knees and curled up.
"Privacy! I'm working on Yuu here!" Marika waved back at Ikari and Kuro-san. Peeking in on poor Yuu while under surgery. Only the thoughts of the parts soothed her soul. Yuu would be fine. Yuu would be fine and she would help Marika pick out all the parts she wanted here. "Yeah, take the Heart and whatever. Just stay out of my way and stop looking at Yuu without her shirt!" Marika continued her delicate surgery, removing shards of bone and repairing the threads shredded by them.
"So, what is that arm?" Sidney had drifted down behind Kuro-san and Ikari, hovering upside down as she looked at the arm from a safe distance. "Given Wolf's reaction to it, I figure it's somehow connected to the Heart and possibly his own world, which would explain his familiarity with it." Sidney stared into Kuro-san's eyes until Marika yelled. "Sidney, Chelsea, shut up and find everything with a rib cage! Yuu needs a new one!" Sidney looked over at Masako and shrugged. "Answer while I work." Sidney floated over and inspected Masako's body, making sure it didn't have any tricks before she tried to move it.
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Post by Kuma on Dec 31, 2017 0:31:02 GMT
-The arm?- Ikari asked looking down on Sidney, placing himself between the Lazy Doll and his employer. -None of your business, that’s what the arm is.- Kuro-san placed his black gloved hand on Ikari’s shoulder. -Fukushi, allow me to explain.- He pointed at the door Wolf took. -You secure The Heart.- The Forgotten Emperor nodded at Urnas. -Urnas-dono will protect me.- Urnas sunk into the floor again reappearing right besides Kuro-san as Ikari left towards the room with the Heart. The Forgotten Emperor then focused his attention on Sidney. -The arm is part of a greater being, probably useless for your creator, as it doesn’t react well with anything organic from this plane of existence.- Kuro-san kept explaining with his emotionless tone, with the detachment of a community college professor on his last day before retiring. -I knew there was a chance of this being here, but in any case the Heart was the plan B.- The Forgotten Emperor finished, turning around and just adding this. -I think that’s more than enough information for now, you might find out more if your Creator decides to keep working for me in the future.-
Ikari didn’t take a lot of time inside, coming out with a large metallic box, that he was carrying thanks to a briefcase-like handle. The box had several locks and some high tech readout screens attached to it. He placed it right besides Kuro-san’s feet and moved towards the tank. In the way towards it he looked at the prone and encased Riku. The Avatar of Hatred smiled, a sinister grin, as he walked towards the group around him. -Tell him, if he wakes up, that he can find me where we met the first time.- With that message delivered he then turned to the tanks and with a single leap he reached the tank. As he moved up his arms got covered by the dark purple armor generated by his Gainen Medal and without much ceremony he pierced through the glass clutching the arm with his armored hands, jumping down to the floor. The smell was masked, as a deep purple aura surrounded the severed limb. Ikari looked at Kuro-san, who nodded and with a gesture of his hand summoned a bloom of golden threads, that exploded out of his hand and encased the arm in what almost seemed like a cocoon.
The Forgotten Emperor then turned towards Marika and Yuu, crouching and leaving a sealed letter besides Marika. -Is a shame that your creations suffered any damages, if you require any resources to fix them just contact me to the number inside the envelope, I’ve also included a basic outline of the project I want you to finish in the near future, I hope you can find this treasure trove of biological samples useful.- With that said he turned around and grouped up with Urnas and Ikari, pressing the same remote Urnas had and summoning a Teleporting Bolt to exit the labs.
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Post by HungryHunter on Dec 31, 2017 3:44:54 GMT
"Oh, greater being, fancy." Sidney's grin was unbearably smug as she looked around Kuro-san at the arm. He was clearly saying the bare minimum of information to prevent more questions. It worked. She wasn't going to bother him if he wouldn't give her anything substantial. She just stared at the briefcase. She had been expecting the heart to be big. A big computer bank with a glass tube and a heart bigger than a human being inside. That was just a box. One she could grab. Of course, she was too lazy to do that. Too bad they hadn't brought Robin.
Marika numbly took the letter. "...thank you." She coldly tucked the letter away and continued her work. The idea of what was around her was lighting a fire in her chest, but she kept it under control as she worked on Yuu. Her employers left and she was alone by Yuu's side. Chelsea lay near while Sidney brought torsos for Marika to scavenge. Eventually, Marika sewed Yuu's chest back up and looked down on her. Her pale, bloodless skin, perfect before, was marked with a new stitch down the middle of her chest, from her collarbone to her bellybutton, marking where she had been torn open. She looked smaller lying down like this. Not the mighty, protecting figure Marika so often looked up to. Just a weary woman who was in an accident.
Marika slid Yuu's layers of clothing back on and stepped back. "Josefina! Carry Yuu! We're leaving!" She yelled and Josefina stomped over. Marika looked through the parts lined up in the room and sorted through them, handing off canisters to Josefina, Martha, and Sidney for transport. Stacks of canisters tottering precariously, the team made a slow trek back up to the place where they had branched off of a path to the surface. This time, they took that route, and soon they had clambered up a spiral staircase to freedom. Chelsea had her nose buried in a piece of paper and the others didn't bother her when they heard the sobs. The dolls gratefully breathed in air that had touched the sun and stretched.
Marika didn't let them linger, and soon they had located the camp they had set out from again. The tents lay in ruins, covered in scrap and gore. Zyborgs lay in pieces, clearly recently subjected to a variety of weapons. Some had holes in them with the radius of a basketball, some were still smoking from whatever had burned them, some looked like they had been mashed up in trash compactors, and others with injuries the dolls didn't even understand.
In the midst of it all, Shikishima stood on a mountain of the dead. A ciggarette stuck from his bandaged face, a cartoonish visual. Marika didn't laugh. She only winced. It reminded her of Masako's throne of body parts down in the lab. She snapped her fingers and Riku's body rode forward in his containment of earth. "Tell him Ikari will meet him where they first met. The job's done." Marika curtly waved and they turned away. They walked out into the swamp until they left the interference that blocked communications and prevented them opening the kaspa. With the twist of a key, they all stepped into home.
A letter was left at the exit that the dolls had left, hidden from the elements in a conspicuous tent of concrete.
Dear Wolf,
I don't know if you'll ever find this. Even if you do, there's no way to find us. That's okay. I just wanted you to know that even if you betrayed us, I don't hate you. You didn't get any of us hurt. We still did everything we wanted. So it's okay. But if you didn't, that's better. Stay good, Wolf. Here's hoping the next people you meet have vodka for you (if a cyborg can even drink, Sidney still wants to know if they can).
Love, Chelsea (Jane helped)
Yuu felt herself suspended in softness. It wasn't like the hard concrete and wet bodies she remembered below her back. So they won. Yuu didn't dare to think that if she died she would have gone somewhere this soft. She opened her eyes slowly, saw purple. Smiled. She weakly reached her arms up and pulled Marika down into an embrace. "Yuu! You're okay! I told you she'd be fine, Miles!" Miles didn't look particularly thrilled about it, but today, Yuu could ignore him.
She leaned up, figuring out she was in Marika's bed as the blankets slid to her waist. She looked down and saw the stitch running through her chest, only covered up in the center by her bra. It looked like she had been torn in half and pieced back together. She could feel her insides had been changed. Her chest wasn't quite the same, the bones replaced by somebody else's. Part of her body was gone. Swapped out for something else. Did that make her a little less herself? She looked down at Marika, quivering in her relief that she had her mother back. It didn't matter. "I'm going to measure you for your new clothes. Your stuff doesn't fit perfect anymore. Miles, get out!" Yuu leaned back and couldn't help but smile as Miles was shoved out the door. Her Marika had saved her. Didn't that mean there was some good in her after all?
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Post by Kuma on Jan 6, 2018 3:46:54 GMT
-You sure that the crazy one will cooperate?- Ikari, who was leaving the arm in a prepared tank, asked to Kuro-san, who walked out from the teleportation platform that brought them back to their current hideout. A powerful gust of wind made their clothes wave as they walked, the whistling currents of air surrounded them, coming from the direction they were walking towards. -She doesn’t seem like the type to be quiet and just do what they are told.- Ikari added, while glaring behind, directly at his shadow. -And you can get out from my shadow! It ain’t public transportation.- Urnas surged from Ikari’s shadow, his armor changing as he came out, turning into an elegant three piece suit, black pants, jacket and vest, white shirt and red tie. -Mmph.- The Vampire Noble scoffed, turning away from Ikari. -You should be honored of being the vehicle for me, even if you are such an uncouth mongrel.- The Agent of Hatred locked his burning eyes on Urnas, almost as if he was attempting to set the Vampire on fire with his glare alone. -You better shut your fanged mouth or I’m going to pull out each of yer teeth one by one.- This time around Ikari’s body wasn’t engulfed in Deep Purple flames as usual, but there was a faint hint of golden-red light.
Kuro-san turned around, summoning Melancholy Memory behind him, getting the attention of both and stopping the fight. -It would be for the best if you two stopped this useless bickering, we have much to do and we’re getting close to the Chosen Time.- Both men lowered their heads and fists. Ikari clucked his tongue with frustration and continued walking behind Kuro-san who turned around. Urnas was still standing in his place and shouted. -You have not forgotten our agreement? You can only send me to 2 more missions before your protection is lifted from the dishonorable witch who desecrated my family ancestral homestead.- He pointed at Kuro-san, his finger trembling with vengeful fury. The Forgotten Emperor merely looked behind him and nodded, before resuming his advance in the hardwood floor towards a banister. Both men stood in front of a wooden railing overlooking clouds below. They were floating far above ground, hidden from view in a sphere of clouds, drifting across the sky. The railing was in the bottom level of a strange structure. It had the style of a Japanese Feudal Castle, but instead of being just a single tower it was a 6 different castles attached from the base to a cube of stone, coming from every side of it.
-She will help Fukuma-dono, she won’t be able to help it when she realizes the scale of what I’m asking.- Kuro-san showcased a emotionless smile, more like a reflex than an actual show of feeling. -Beneath her madness lays the spirit of a craftsman, she won’t miss the opportunity I’m offering.- He added, the smile vanishing from his face. -And this mission wasn’t only a way to get them to trust us, it was to get information.- Ikari smiled. -You wanted to know where to hit her if she backed out? I think I’ve said this before, but I like your style boss.- Kuro-san nodded. -Yuu Arachne will be the perfect hostage if things get complicated, as we require Marika Arachne’s unique skills if we want the first phase of the plan to succeed.- He explained while they both looked down from the balcony. Doctor Lazarus appeared behind them, coming out from a door. -Excuse, I don’t want to intrude, but we’re ready for attempt #234, Kago really wants to start with the interrogation.- Both Kuro-san and Ikari nodded and followed the Scientist into the hallway he came from, closing the door behind them.
Riku woke up a couple of days after the events of the mission. At first he felt off, as if he was in somebody else’s body. He tried to stand up, but realized that he was strapped in to a bed in what seemed to be some kind of hospital. -Uh?- He attempted to move again, feeling the pressure of the straps, but not their texture. In fact he didn’t feel anything on his skin. -What’s happening?- He weakly asked looking around, taking in his surroundings. The room was mostly painted white, but with some details in wood and metal. There was something off about it, as he kept scanning around he realized what it was. The TV was on, for some reason he didn’t realize it before. He focused his eyes on it, seeing a man, surely a newscaster, speaking in front of the camera. He couldn’t hear him, at first he thought the volume was off, but his sight suddenly zoomed in and he saw a fly being pushed by the distortion of the soundwaves. He closed his eyes, blinking a couple of times and his sight returned to normal.
-What… the… hell?- He asked and realized that he couldn’t hear himself talk. That’s was when panic hit him and the Vengeful Boxer started struggling against his bonds until finally he broke free, ripping the leather shackles by pure brute force. That’s when he saw his hands. If he could still call them that. His skin was rigid, looking more like porcelain than flesh. Cracks covered most of the surface and inside the cracks rivers of dim silver metal keeping him together. Instinctively he touched his ears, realizing he was deaf, but he discovered that they were there or at the very least something was covering them. Trembling he frantically scanned the room, noticing the latches keeping his feet restrained. He ripped them open and stood up, he felt awkward and off-balance, like a baby horse giving his first steps. He was wearing a hospital gown, but he couldn’t feel the fabric against his skin. He couldn’t feel anything. Not the ground beneath his now strange feet, nor his own touch. Confused he staggered towards the closest door, opening it and collapsing inside.
He was inside a luxurious bathroom, with elegant tiles and tasteful decor. There even was a framed piece of art to really tie the place together. He struggled to get up, clawing his fingers into the marble slab around the handwash. He flexed his muscles but to his surprise instead of just lifting him up, he was shot up, slamming against the ceiling and cracking it. He didn’t feel that either. He crashed against the floor but managed to do it standing on his two feet. As plaster and dust fell on him he managed to finally get a look at his body. His hair was sharp and rigid, his whole face was a shattered mask of porcelain fixed with metal as glue. From top to bottom he had changed. Parts of his body were covered in slightly translucent pieces of strange armor, like his ears and upon inspection his privates, seemingly some kind of extra layer of protection. He focused on them, feeling a pounding headache as he did and without any warning the rigid membranes pulled out, sliding into his body, revealing his ears and other weaker parts.
In the other room, waiting for him, there was a letter from Shikishima explaining the situation and telling him Ikari’s message.
Back in Uzhastale, deep within the complex two inhumanly tall figures, cloaked in black tunics, were standing besides the rotting corpse of Masako Hihashi. Upon closer inspection they weren’t standing, but floating centimeters off the ground. They exchanged a few words with a gurgling sound behind each word. -The experiment #2 was a total failure.- The other one nodded. -I agree, I hope experiment #3 is more successful, we need to prepare for the future.- The first one who talked floated away, inspecting the area. -I hope that’s the case, still I’m worried.- He made a pause and then continued. -The High Command as instructed us to stay away from their conflicts, but some of the predicted outcomes for the current predicament might impede our stakes in this planet.- His comrades shrugged with a gurgling sound coming out from deep within the shadows of his hood. -I don’t presume to know what High Command wants, but it seems they prefer to be wiser and avoid the conflict, their predictions surely include what happened to the last “visitors” that came here.- The first one nodded and both waved their hands towards Masako, lifting the body and taking it with them before vanishing into thin air.
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