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Post by HungryHunter on Jan 28, 2020 6:02:21 GMT
The tree holding Huntsman was growing as the Primal Roar’s power echoed through the space. Branches were twisting clawing arms, hairy like a tarantula’s limbs. He thrashed and stabbed, drawing blood, but not as quickly as he was pulled into pieces. Leone’s grenade hastened the decay of the ground, cliff cracking further and falling into nothing. When she landed in the tree, Huntsman gave up and broke off an arm to fall around her neck. “Sorry, you’re gonna have to put up with that. I’m not getting out of this damn tree!” The arm wrapped around her neck like a scarf and produced a scroll.
“Teleport scroll. Save it for the last minute.” The broken end of the arm spoke. Abijah screamed and ducked as the grenades went off around her. “No!” She yelled as the exit decayed further. “My lord, this realm is nearly gone! We must move!” She called to the Primal Roar, but it showed no sign of recognizing her voice. “Oh, she doesn’t get it, does she?” Huntsman’s body was barely together, a ragged hunk of bone barely draped in meat, and yet he spoke. “The Primal Roar can’t listen to you, honey. He’s only capable of any thought more lofty than his next meal when he’s a fragment in a vessel. You pulled his entire body through. He’s not like your boss. She’s nuts, but at least she’s smart. This guy’s about as dim as a sponge, only equipped to hunt down the tastiest thing in the room. And guess who smells different than everybody else here?”
Huntsman broke out laughing and his body dissolved as the Primal Roar loomed closer. Its entire body opened up into a mouth. There was no throat, just endless lines of jaws and beaks and rolling, barbed tongues. “Open the scroll before somebody decides to come with us. Let’s see if a teleport scroll works cross-dimensionally!” Huntsman suggested, an eye appearing to watch Yamiko. The entire cliff was beginning to sink into the sea now, a sea that boiled away.
“Uh, yeah, just thought we might, uh-” Dan glanced at Qiang, his frightened child. “Never mind, let’s move.” Cosmina led them through the darkness, narrowly avoiding holes in reality itself. They climbed the stairs, trying to ignore the way they zigged and zagged like they had not before. They emerged at last into the bar, which seemed to be unaffected. Through the hole in the floor, they could see the stairs upending themselves into the abyss. “Is everybody okay? ...were’s Leone!?” He stood up and stared down through the hole, but the stairs were already gone.
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Post by Vapovile on Feb 3, 2020 0:13:03 GMT
The bizarre landscape transforming around her went by as a blur to Leone, who finally ran out of grenades and shoved the gun onto her belt loop once Huntsman landed on her shoulder, nearly pulling a side arm and shooting him off. "You're lucky I'm friends with short stack, this is a little more than a favor!" Leone said with a small hint of annoyance, grabbing the scroll and waiting until the furious god began to approach before opening it. "Now how do I..." She mumbled to herself, and then immediately felt a hand on her shoulder.
"Now now, you weren't going to leave me behind, riiiiiiiiiiight?" Yamiko coo'd, giving a toothy smile as Leone weighted her options. There wasn't time to grab a side arm and drive Yamiko away, and if she took one hand off the scroll, the demon might just yank it out of her hands. With a snort, Leone activated the teleport scroll and sent them all into time and space.
---
Finally at the top of the stairs, Haruko immediately took a head count. "Cosmina is here, and..." Looking back, Kate appeared behind, breathing in and out with exhaustion. "So...much...running..." Kate complained, happy that she at least was in decent shape because of soccer practice. After hearing Dan mention Leone, Haruko looked around with horror on her face. "Uh, she is..." Terror began to spread across her face. Was Leone still in that nightmare dimension with the angry god?! The seamstress turned her attention toward Cosmina. "Cosmina, can you see anything nearby? Something that would show where the others are? Please." She asked, clear concern on her face. Kate leaned against a nearby wall, trying to catch her breath.
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Post by HungryHunter on Feb 8, 2020 6:36:41 GMT
Normally, teleportation via scroll was an instantaneous and painless process. A flash and you were elsewhere. Doing it in a rapidly-collapsing pocket dimension was different. Everybody involved could see through the flash to see space warping and tearing around them. A black abyss was traded for white, and they hung a moment in emptiness. Then everything shattered and they were dumped painfully on the sidewalk with a boom that shattered the bar’s windows. Dan dove to defend the kids, but when he rose, a smile broke out on his face. “Leone is fine! And Yamiko!?” He pushed the kids back and readied for a fight, but he knew there was nothing he could do now.
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Post by Vapovile on Feb 16, 2020 21:51:22 GMT
Both Leone and Yamiko landed on the ground after the rough ride through the teleport scroll, Yamiko bouncing and leaping onto her feet with inhuman grace, while Leone rolled and slowly got back up. Yamiko tossed out little red petals as she posed for everyone present. "You are correct, sir beef patty! It is I, Yamiko! Free from the shackles of oppression by useless seamstresses!" She gave a toothy grin to Haruko, who readied explosive knives. Yamiko seemed to relax when she saw the door. "But take heart! For we shall settle things later, when we're not among weird gods who might trap me forever! So I bid you all farewell." Smiling, Yamiko raised bother her middle fingers. "And truly, from the bottom of my heart, fuck all of you to Hell. Toodles!" And with that, Yamiko dashed out of the building and disappeared into a cloud of mist.
Haruko let out a sigh of relief, drained from the day's events. "You ok, Leone? Where is everyone else?" She asked. Leone motioned to her shoulder. "Well this is your little friend who showed up. Sorry, don't know your name. And the angry god's still in his own little world with that woman." She said. The mercenary looked around at the mess the place was now. "Sooooo...I'm not on hook for any of these damages. Nope." Leone said, making Haruko laugh in response. Kate just rolled her eyes at the entire situation.
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Post by HungryHunter on Feb 19, 2020 7:49:39 GMT
“Well that was a thing.” Dan sighed as Yamiko vanished. At least she didn’t want a fight now. He looked down at his hands. He felt weak. There was no power in his hands. In any part of him. Abijah had robbed him of all of it. “We’re not done damaging it.” He turned, marching back into the bar. Some furniture still stood intact. Not for long. He trashed chairs into tables, smashed and kicked at wood until it was splinters, throwing it all into the center of the room. He left the pile behind to rummage behind the bar, taking unbroken bottles of alcohol and throwing them into the pile. “Huntsman. Light it.” He growled, pouring out whiskey on the counter.
“Now you’re speaking my language.” Huntsman hissed, coiling off of Leone’s shoulders and slithering into the building. He grew mandibles, clacking them until sparks caught in the pile. Within moments, the fire was spreading. Dan seemed to deflate watching it. “Leone. Please don’t tell Haruko this, but I’m powerless. It’s all gone. I need your help. Your clothes are stronger, right? Bulletproof, cutproof? I need that.” He’d never felt physically vulnerable before, but now anything could hurt him. It was a skin-crawling feeling.
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Post by Vapovile on Mar 15, 2020 23:04:59 GMT
“Wait...really?!” Haruko asked in surprise. They couldn’t just destroy someone else’s property like this! And with fire?! That could set the entire block on fire! Leone listened to Dan telling her that he was powerless, the battle seamstress’s eyes narrowing. “You expect me to keep this a secret, boy?” She asked in a whisper. “I do, because it’s worth your while. I need an outfit. Like yours. Tough. Regenerative. So I can still fight. It’s all I’m good at and all anybody pays me for.”
Leone stared Dan down intently. Was it a good idea to give him an outfit like her’s? “...you do realize even my outfits can only do so much, right? They will let you punch harder, but not knock over a car. They will dampen blows, but not bullets. How am I to believe you won’t get yourself killed, not knowing your own limits?” Leone asked, folding her arms. “I’ll know them better than I do now, Leone. How hard can a regular human punch? I’ve never known. I just need enough to fight in the ring. It doesn’t matter if I lose every fight. I just need enough to make money for Qiang. Please, Leone. This is all I’ve ever learned how to do.”
Despite the feeling of doubt still in her mind, Leone let out a sigh and patted Dan on the side. “...fine, I’ll help you and your kid out. BUT!” Leone raised a finger. “You have to promise me one thing. If you can’t find a way to get your powers back soon, you’ll look for a more mundane job. Your kid still needs to be supported, and I don’t need you stuck in a hospital. Do we have an understanding?” She asked, looking down from her shades at him, showing her light brown eyes. “Crystal clear. I already seek out mundane work where I can get it. I know the risks.”
“Very good. Here’s my card.” Leone reached into a special pocket on the side of her pants and pulled out a jet-black business card with intricate purple lettering that gave her shop’s address in France. “Call me in a few days and I’ll let you know how it’s coming along. I expect a thank you for being so generous, you know.” Leone’s lips curled into a small smile, fixing her sunglasses so they were right over her eyes once more. Haruko at this point had finished setting up a fire barrier between the building and the next, and was jogging back to the group. “Of course. Thank you. And please, don’t tell Haruko.” He clasped his hands and turned to his friend. Everything twisted up inside when he looked at her and he almost spilled it himself. But no. When did being open help? Cram it down and figure out a way to get his powers back, or get new powers. Whatever it took. “I’m sorry I dragged you into this.” He sighed, putting a hand on Qiang’s shoulder. “But I couldn’t have done it without you.”
Haruko shook her head and pointed to the door. “Thank you, I always try to help friends out when I can! Now, can we please leave before we all burn to death in this building?” Haruko asked, motioning to the fire rapidly spreading. “Yeah. Yeah, that’s probably for the best. Come on Qiang.” Dan scooped his son into his arms and walked away from the burning building. He took one last look back at Haruko. Did she ever remember him confessing his feelings? It was probably better if she didn’t. He’d not mention it again. There was no point.
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