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Post by Kuma on Aug 10, 2015 22:03:32 GMT
Finally, after calming down a bit, Velvela was in sound mind again or at least a semblance of that. The Super Soldier Student decided to ask an important question. –What’s going on? I thought we came to hunt a beast, but moments after arriving your sister sends my mentor against you and now your father is frozen and you don’t seem fazed in the least! And you can change form? How is that possible? How is everything that is happening possible!? A lighting-shooting Tiger? A walking armory?-
Velvela leaned heavily against a wall still a bit confused. –I think I’m losing my mind!- She exclaimed as she tried to keep a grip on reality, in the span of a day she saw weirder stuff than all her life combined.
-Well done Stevenson-san!- Garo cheered as he redirected his reminding Ki, refunded from stopping the Tetsu charms from the arrows he shot at the Sacred Beast before, to activate the ones he left on Alex’s wires that formed the trap, increasing their durability and weight without compromising their elasticity. –I’ll give you a hand.-
-So we are done here? I still want to shoot something with my bloody laser gun.- Falken sighed as he saw Alexander’s trap. He was still surprised by the Grotesque Hunter’s weapons and soon he would have to try getting something akin to them, maybe also a bow and a cannon, copying his teammates designs wouldn’t be a lot of work for him.
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Post by HungryHunter on Aug 12, 2015 6:31:16 GMT
Byakku struggled, but the wires held for the moment. Its desperate howl split the air as it thrashed. "I want lasers too! So tell you what, if it looks like he's getting out, zap away." With a great beam, she spun to the others. "Great work everybody! ...now what?" She looked back at the squirming demigod. Would they have to kill it? COULD they kill it? Why was it being so aggressive in the first place? Her fingers tapped her chin. ...was it after Ariana before? "Hey Garo, where'd the kids go?"
___
Ariana's smile became a bit more pained when Velvela brought up Eve's betrayal again, and there were clear tears in her eyes when she sat down in the mud. "It's all just normal to me. And I love it." Her form cracked and shattered, leaving a tired little girl. "Just think of it as an adventure." She smiled a little more and lay down in the mud, hugging her frozen father and closing her eyes.
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Post by waybig1010101 on Aug 14, 2015 3:33:07 GMT
Alex appreciates his work a bit before he removes his sight away from the capture beast and upon Eve. He didn't know if they could kill such a creature. Heck, he even doubts if his trap could hold the deity for too long. He looks back up and attempts to adjust some wire threads to counterbalance the struggling lighting creature's efforts to free itself. "I'll remain here to keep the trap up for as long as possible." he said in a serious tone. "Meanwhile, you guys can go figure this all out." Alex was not one to care about little girls or the reasons behind the whole situation. His only concern is keeping the monster trapped in his net.
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Post by Kuma on Aug 17, 2015 4:33:01 GMT
-Can I?- Falken looked at Eve with his eyes wide opened in a clearly fake and sarcastic expression of child-like wonder. The Mercenary started humming as he played with the dials of the Inui Laser Cannon setting them to their highest setting. Yes… up to eleven. –So Tony…- He turned to face the restrained Byakko with a slasher smile plastered on his face and his right eye shining sinisterly with killing intent.- It’s time I fry your sorry ass… so close your eyes and let Dr. Falken put you down… you only need to loosen up your restraints.- Falken talked with a deceptively sweet voice, almost seeming to encourage the Sacred Beast to break free. –Come on, do it for me Tony, for Dr. Falken…-
Garo sighed and turned his back to Falken. The Old Archer couldn’t believe the total lack of professionalism the Mercenary kept showcasing, each time he thought the saw the worst Degiraz could sink he was wrong, Falken always got even more arrogant and annoying on missions. –Good grief…- Defeated, after seeing Eve joining up on the “fun”, the Hunter muttered as he started picking up his arrows.
-An adventure? This isn’t an adventure…- Velvela face could only show anguish, seeing Ariana sitting right next to her frozen father on the cold mud. The Super Soldier Student almost wanted to break up in tears, but she knew she couldn’t, she had to be stronger, stronger than she was in the past when she lost everything she held dear. –This is war Ariana, is stupid, unnecessary and only brings ruin and pain to anybody involved with it.- Velvela fell on her knees and tightly hugged Ariana. –I'm sorry about the things you saw today, the World shouldn’t allow a young girl to witness atrocities and creatures from beyond, no matter how much she is part of that.-
Velvela broke the hug and clutched Ariana’s shoulders while looking her right in the eyes. –What can I do for you right now? Do you need help with your father? Could he be still alive under the ice?- The Young Soldier asked, hoping that the Hidden World hid some miracles among such horrors.
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Post by HungryHunter on Aug 18, 2015 5:29:00 GMT
"Real helpful, guys. Garo, you're the tracker here. Help me find them." Eve tugged on Garo's sleeve. "Alex, Falken, keep an eye on Byakku."
___
Ariana didn't move while Velvela apologized for what she had seen. When Velvela hugged her, it became clear she was fast asleep. Getting shaken only made her mumble and hug Velvela back, aside from a little yelp as her fresh burns, covering a decent portion of her left arm and chest, were rubbed. Her body was icy cold. "I am alive." A voice, more distant that the stars and older than time spoke from both directions, coming from tiny tendrils tipped with mouths. "And she will be fine. What she needs now is just to rest." The partially thawed lump that was Warden had grown a baleful red eye staring into Velvela's back. "What's important until she awakens is what you need." The eye continued its piercing gaze, like it was stripping away Velvela's layers until her soul was bare before it. Searching her in the most invasive way.
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Post by waybig1010101 on Aug 24, 2015 5:33:48 GMT
Alex continues to keep his eyes on the Byakku and essentially ignore everyone's conversions. He was not concern with anything besides the deity in his wire threads. His mind focus mostly on adjusting his trap to counterbalance any efforts the scared beast attempts to perform to free itself, he couldn't help but day dream a bit. He imagines being able to store and keep the creature in a fascinating environment, where he could discover greater details on the four legged god. The thoughts bring a pleasant smile to his face as he wonders if he could manage to uncover a method to create wire threads with the creature's body. The possibilities of exploring the creature's body and abilities would be a huge asset for him. It might even be the extra source of resources he would need to face his greatest target.
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Post by Kuma on Aug 26, 2015 2:59:47 GMT
-Sigh- Garo sighed without much enthusiasm, -I’ll do it. - This wasn’t what he liked to do, but he was under contract. The Old Archer lowered his stance and placed his hand on the ground, trying to catch a beat of the situation. The former JHWAB Agent could sense it, dispersing like smoke, but it was there a trail, not only steps on the ground, or the scent in the air, but an imprint of a presence, one that read sadness and desperation. The expression in Garo’s face shifted from concentration to consternation and a hint of sadness, he could taste the emotional imprint of Velvela and Ariana, this was one of the reasons he despised hunting humans, he became attuned to them and they were much more complex than his regular prey.
-Are you going to take all day you bloody old fart?- Falken mocked him with arrogant tone but he was quickly silenced by a sharp glare from Garo, almost as piercing as the Old Archer Arrows. When he turned back to the trail he could see he stood up and whispered. –Follow me.- to Eve and started moving in a crouched position in complete silence, as if the blades of wet grass he was stepping on weren’t there at all.
Velvela was as frozen as Ariana’s skin. The voice… the eyes… glaring at her, digging deeper and deeper into her very core, layer after layer stripped away by the searing eye glaring at her. Soldier, Student, Hidden World Denizen, Woman, Teen, Disciplined, Focused, Moral, Ethic, Compassionate, Sad, Melancholic, Good. At her very core she was a good person, trying to live by a code and doing as little damage as she could. She had killed people, but only some of the worst human beings on the planet. She only killed out of her circumstances, if she was given the chance she wouldn’t harm a single person in the world, but the world gave her a bad hand to begin with.
Her eyes opened to their most, her mouth about to be hung open. This was almost too much for her. She only managed to utter, terrified and almost catatonic. –What do I need to do?-
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Post by HungryHunter on Aug 26, 2015 5:37:23 GMT
Eve followed suit, crouching and lifting moving carefully, concentrating on avoiding twigs and loose leaves. She would take Velvela. Garo would have to get her sister. Her heart clenched at the idea. She couldn't bear the thought of a child's blood on the ground, especially not her dear sister's. If only she could tell the others why! They might understand. "Garo, before we get too close... you do understand what we're doing, right?" She saw Ariana lying in the mud, arrow sticking from her chest, eyes wide in horror and betrayal as her short life ended. She squeezed her eyes shut, but it just made the image more vivid, adding a headless Velvela, skull annihilated by a cannonball.
___
The tendrils reached into Ariana's pockets. "You need to find a new employer." They pulled free a little scroll. "And tell me where you feel safe." The stare remained, unwavering on Velvela. "Your former master will kill you, for the sin of not wanting to harm an innocent. I can take you in. You can defend her. And I can pay handsomely."
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Post by waybig1010101 on Aug 27, 2015 22:56:28 GMT
While still focusing on his task on managing the trap holding the scared beast, Alex begins to plan out his next move. ideally, he would want to be able to study and learn as much as possible from the creature. Also, a certain idea keeps starching at his head. The last scared beast they encounter was able to communicate, could this creature also do the same? "Can you understand the words I'm saying?" asks Alex to the trapped creature. He was not usually one to start conversations, but his current curiosity requires the use of his words.
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Post by Kuma on Aug 28, 2015 21:34:17 GMT
-What I’m doing is track Gedide-kun and her companion, whoever she was…- Garo whispered in reply to Eve’s question. -What I don’t care about is what you do after I find them.- The Old Archer glared at the Huntress, noticeably pissed. -You hired to track creatures and hunt them, not to hunt people, my hands are already drenched in the blood of beasts beyond imagination, I do not desire to add a new coat.- The Hunter turned his head back to the previous position and kept crawling forward. -I will look away, but know that if you force me to help you or desire to deny my right to not do this I will leave after this mission, I fought my whole life to protect the people who couldn’t protect themselves from monsters... - The whisper grew harsher. -I don’t plan in becoming one of the things I used to hunt.-
-Can you understand the words I’m saying.- Falken mocked Alex imitating the voice of the Hunchback Hunter with his implants, but adding a hint of sing-songish whimpering. The Mercenary then laughed out loud at Alex’s intentions. -You really want to talk with this bloody thing? I say we kill him, just keep him in place and I’ll shoot my laser cannon point blank on the stupid tiger forehead, then I get his skin and fashion a comfortable coat…- Falken thought for a second, leaning against the tower. - I think it would be lighting resistant, I could use it to kill certain Cowboy who pissed me off in the past.- The Mercenary nudged Alex in the shoulder. -So, what do you say?-
-He is not my master or employer, he is just my school mandated mentor, but after this I don’t think he is going to be that anymore.- Velvela tried to difuse the situation, she didn’t want to go with Ariana’s Octodad, as part of her deal with the government of her country was to graduate from Inazuma Gakuen, in exchange they were providing for many of Velvela’s street urchin friends back in Jerusalem. –But I will help you out to protect Ariana, I don’t care what Ms. Harper or Degiraz say, I won’t allow them to harm a young girl.-
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Post by HungryHunter on Aug 30, 2015 1:43:44 GMT
Eve deeply frowned. "The little girl isn't what she seems. We don't have to hurt Velvela if she doesn't interfere, but her guardian is a fragment of a monster from outside of time, and she's something even worse. If not destroyed, they will keep feasting on innocents, turning them into weaker versions of themselves... like me." She let her skin ripple to display the consequences of her horror story. "But I can't hurt them myself. They did stuff to my head so I couldn't even try to hurt them. Garo, I need you to take the shots." She gave him a pleading look.
___
The beast slowed in its thrashing, moving its head enough to fix a yellow eye on Alex's. It looked at him like it was scanning every inch of him, inside and out, and suddenly it was like his mind was laid bare, alien imagery being shoved inside. Alex saw an image of a towering figure, humanoid but in no way human, raw flesh bleeding frost. It turned its shadowed head, and glowing, far too many, stared down at Alex with utter angush. He saw a flicker of chains, binding it infinitely far away, just before cold beyond anything that could be described filled him to his core, erasing him. The vision was over. Byakku was calm in the cocoon, looking at Falken with the same fervor now.
___
Warden slightly unfolded and waved the teleportation scroll in front of Velvela. "Then say the word, and she will be safe. Where do you want to go?"
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Post by waybig1010101 on Sept 1, 2015 6:33:42 GMT
Alex eyes become wider and wider as the vision intensifies. At some point his knees even give out and he threw his hands to his head, thinking that he needed to keep his head together with the support, otherwise his skull would crack and explode. Then he felt the cold. The cold was truly terrible and it would only get colder and colder. He could feel his very cells slowly die away. Then his very molecules begin to stop in place. Eventually, he experienced his very existence freezing away into nothingness. Only then did he move to another level of cold. One where no words could every hope describe the sensation. After that unimaginable amount of suffering did the nightmare vanish. The pain seem to fade, yet as the pain disappears, it was replace with utter confusion. He didn't know what to do for the longest time. He just stood there. Frozen.
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Post by Kuma on Sept 2, 2015 3:34:13 GMT
-You don’t get to tell me what to think or what to do…- Garo stopped tracking and stood as tall as he could, giving Eve a terrible glare with his steely eyes. It might been comical, because of the height difference, if it wasn’t for the extremely dangerous aura surging from around the Old Hunter, not Ki, just the pressure that only veterans can exude, like a thick mist of confidence and wisdom. –You don’t feel it, but I do… I can taste the sadness in that girl’s trail, I can feel it in my bones. - Garo grabbed her coat. –You don’t get to tell me who is good and who is bad when you hang around that bloodthirsty monster of Degiraz-
-He might be all smiles, jokes and charm, but I know his handiwork all around the world and even if you clearly have done some serious and sinister jobs in your day, I can see that in your eyes, you don’t even comprehend the deep abyss Degiraz lives in…- Garo knuckles went white as he clutched Eve’s lapel with all his might. –He is much more of a monster than the Tiger we captured and if I had to choose I would leave the Tiger roam free, he would do less damage than the trigger happy child killing idiot you haphazardly brought to the mission.- The Old Archer seemed to be about to blow up in anger.
-You think I would be scared by a monster older than time? - Garo’s face contorted into a mask of rage and sadness. –I killed dozens of them… hundreds even. - He looked at his free hand as he made a fist. –Did I say my hands? My very soul is drenched in their blood. - The Old Archer gathered his strength as he prepared a punch. –And I will tell you something, I would kill them all over again, but this time around I won’t no matter what you say.- The creaking on Garo’s fist wasn’t only his weary bones, but a hint of Ki, sparkling like polished steel. –Because them…- The Old Archer threw his punch directly at Eve's jaw after pulling her down from her coat lapel.
-DIDN’T FEEL SADNESS!-
-What the heck is wrong with you Quasimodo? - Falken looked at Alexander without a clue of what was happening. He didn’t have half of his functions on or he would have perceived at least a glimpse of the telepathic attack, still it was very possible he wouldn’t see anything or feel anything as most of his brain worked through digital means rather than organic. Or maybe all the plating on his skull made him immune to the mental probing. –When you think you know that somebody is bloody bonkers they always go the extra mile.-
-I can’t leave… I need to stay, or I would lose my scholarship and then my friends would lose their homes…. Is too long to explain.- Velvela tried to convince Warden and suddenly she got an idea. –I know. Knock me out and leave, I can save face and not lose the school and you can escape with your daughter, I can make an excuse of mental control or something like that, they thought us a class about it last semester.- The Super Soldier Student tried to shift her train of thought into new tracks, the Hidden World ones, or her brain would derail if she kept trying to solve Hidden problems with Mundane logic.
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Post by HungryHunter on Sept 4, 2015 5:13:01 GMT
Eve's face went blank as Garo talked. Just that default silly smile with nothing behind it. He let her manhandle her with no reaction, took his complaints without a twitch. She didn't even try to dodge the punch, even though she saw it coming a mile away. Something entered her eyes as her head snapped back. Hurt. "You know, that's strike two. Next time you hit me, I'm gonna have to kill you." She just stared him dead in the eye with a smile plastered on her face before sighing and walking past.
"I'll let you know how it goes." She erupted into a sprint, heading for town. She had a good idea of where they were. Maybe she could figure out a way to off them. If not, she'd stall and call Falken. His laser could handle Warden, then Ariana was easy pickings. That big form didn't seem to last long. Her heart cringed again. Easy. It would be easy.
___
While Falken turned to Alex, claws burst through the wires and swept. A mass of white fell free. The great abomination stood to its full height and looked down upon the tiny things below its jaws- and vanished with a sonic boom that toppled the damaged cell tower into the trees. All this in little more time than it took to blink.
___
Warden slowly blinked. "Very well." A needle extended from his body and aimed to jab into Velvela's thigh. "Just accept this and we'll be on our way. It'll look like I simply poisoned you and fled. No blame, no death."
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Post by waybig1010101 on Sept 7, 2015 6:02:00 GMT
Alex didn't even pay attention to the scared beast escaping from his trap. All his mind is focusing on is the violent vision he experience. He continues to play the scenario over and over again in his mind. Trying to figure and piece the whole thing together, but he was having no luck with any of it. Was it just an illusion, or was it a warning of a great threat? He didn't know. Yet, even in in his current state, Alex was more confuse than anything else. Next, his curiosity began to take complete control over him as he tries to comprehend the mental images being replayed. Eventually, he begins to smile and even laugh to himself like a maniac. He looks up to the cloudy sky and gleams with a hideous shine in his eyes. As the rain pours down heavy on his body he seems to have receive a revelation from some divine being. "Interesting!" he finally proclaimed out loud He stands up with his legs shaking of pure excitement. His heart races and his blood rushes around his body at twice the normal pace. Soon his body becomes still and he looks at his companion, "Come, lets go find the others." he said in a surpassing calm, yet creepy, voice.
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Post by Kuma on Sept 9, 2015 3:07:08 GMT
-You will TRY to kill me.- Garo shouted correcting Eve as he turned around and started walking back towards the Tower were they entrapped Byakko. The Old Archer knew that without adult supervision Falken would fuck things up, but he couldn’t avoid looking back to the town with a heavy heart. Maybe he was getting sentimental with age, he did kill the young spawn of monsters, as it was the smart thing to do, destroying them before they grew, but those were beasts… this was something completely different. Garo stopped walking as he weighed his options. He could go back to the Tower and check on Falken and Alex, he didn’t have anything against the Grotesque Hunter but he couldn’t fully trust somebody so hard to read… or he could go to the town and find out more about the situation.
The famous words say “Curiosity killed the cat” but in this case, Garo was a bit too hard to kill to just die from a bit of investigating. He followed Eve’s trail this time around, vanishing completely, with his pressure and Ki erased from the face of the Earth as his steps didn’t emit a single sound. The Archer was prowling towards the city, decided to find out the truth behind Eve’s animosity.
- BLOODY HELL! - The Mercenary shouted as he rolled backwards, escaping from Byakko’s range. Falken reflexes were still superhuman, even with lower specs in his anti-EMP mode, so he managed to aim the Inui Laser Cannon towards the location of Byakko and shot it, yet the Sacred Beast had moved before the weapon shot. The Plasma Beam spewed from the emitters in the cannon blew right through the telephone tower. The molten metal dripped down as the tower collapsed in the same direction the beam went, away from Falken and Alexander. The dripping red hot mineral started small fires in the tall grass where it landed.
-What the hell were you doing right there? BLOODY HELL MAN!- Falken stood up as he set the cannon into recharge mode, he only had one more shot before having to send it back to the Hyper Space Arsenal he was renting to that cheap ass technowizard. The Mercenary tried to do a scan, but realized that he couldn’t thanks to the Anti-EMP mode being active. – Where the hell did this bloody thing go?- He asked to a still dazed Alexander who decided to go look for Eve and Garo. The Dual Wielding Angel of Death considered for a second shooting the Grotesque Hunter in the back, even with low charge the Inui Laser Cannon packed a punch, but at the last moment he shook his head buffing heavily and followed his comrade.
-Okay, just promise me that you will protect her.- Velvela accepted Warden’s plan, in a total and complete act of incredible stupidity. Even if she tried to be open and trusting this was far beyond anybody would allow, she was letting herself being poisoned to cover the tracks of Ariana and Warden. But this was Velvela’s greatest weakness, she couldn’t withstand the thought of children suffering, no matter who were them.
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Post by HungryHunter on Sept 9, 2015 15:57:07 GMT
"Well then I'm sorry." The needle plunged deep and spewed nerotoxin. Velvela would feel the effects in thirty seconds and be dead in five minutes. He couldn't afford to leave her alive for Eve to question. He released her to wrap Ariana in tendrils. "The House of Eternity." He quietly spoke into the teleportation scroll. With a blue flash, he and Ariana vanished, leaving Velvela alone. "DAMMIT!" Eve charged down just as they were vanishing. Damn her worthless conscience! If she hadn't thrown that to Ariana, they'd be stuck here.
She glared at Velvela, spotting the needle hole on her thigh. "You fucking IDIOT!" She snarled. She pointed at the wound on Velvela's leg and fished a little needle of her own from her pocket. "You're fucked without this, kid. If he stabbed you, he wanted you out so you can't tell me anything. He knows Ariana's a blabbermouth. So I'm gonna make you a deal." She walked up and knelt in front of the fallen girl. "Tell me where they went and I give you the antivenom. And yes, I know this will work. I made this for the toxin he likes most. Your choice."
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Post by waybig1010101 on Sept 12, 2015 2:40:45 GMT
Alex walks forward with a slight stagger to his movement. He knew that the others had to been somewhere in this general direction, yet he didn't really seem to be in too much of a hurry, due to his mind still being somewhat fixated over his new idea. One he could not believe had never cross his mind before until now. Yet sadly, he wasn't skilled enough to be able to pull off what he had in mind. Though he does have a mental list of a few individuals that he can go to for help on this idea. He takes a couple more steps forward and begins to hum one of his own personal favorites as he continues to search for his companions.
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Post by Kuma on Sept 14, 2015 14:19:30 GMT
-So you can hurt her? - Velvela weakly said as she coughed. The toxin was coursing inside her veins. –I prefer dying here that dyeing my hands with the blood of a child… No matter what the child is. - The Super Soldier Student was starting to lose feeling on her extremities, but at least she was going to die with a smile. If she died during her stay in Inazuma her friends would still be cared for and she also avoided becoming the monster they wanted to turn her into. –I…*cough* was afraid of turning into a cold blooded monster like Degiraz… but at least there is a *cough* method to his madness… You… would kill your sister…*cough* how could you do it? *cough* How?-
As Velvela’s life started burning away a voice came from behind them.
-Give her the antidote Harper. Give it to her or I’ll shoot.- Garo, who against his better judgment followed Eve into town witnesses their exchange and wasn’t going to allow the death of Velvela just for following her own convictions. –The girl made her choice, and made it following her own code; if you’re a mercenary you should respect that at least.- The Old Archer had it with the situation and was dangerously close to snapping. Working with Falken, all this situation with Ariana, which he was sure Eve was withholding important information from him, was almost a tipping point for him deciding to quit from the Wild Hunt.
-And now bloody humming? - Falken rudely shouted to Alex. –You know what Quasimodo? People say that I’m crazy, but that’s only because they didn’t meet your ugly mug. - The Mercenary upped his pace and walked side-by-side with Alexander. – So do you have any plans or ideas for what to do? I only want to find that cereal mascot reject and pump him full of laser.- Falken wasn't joking, he didn't have the faintest clue of what to do against Byakko, the White Tiger seemed unstoppable.
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Post by HungryHunter on Sept 14, 2015 21:37:50 GMT
A noise like gears grinding came from Eve's chest. "You little shit. Is the poison not enough? How about I just make your last few minutes as horrible as I can?" She thrust her arm to grab Velvela's neck and lift her. She ignored Garo. "I can break every bone in your body. Light your hair ablaze. Strip you and dunk you in the ice cold lake. I can... I can't. Fuck it!" She thrust the needle into Velvela's thigh and injected it.
Eve pulled the girl into a hug, releasing her neck. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." The hug was nearly crushing. "If Falken tries to hurt you for this, I'll throw his head in the lake. Kay?" She smiled at Velvela before suddenly her own head vanished. Her body slowly fell away before the white wall that now leaned forward. Velvela's hair billowed towards the monster's face as it sniffed her, yellow eyes fixed on her.
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