Vates – Somewhere Northish of Sovereign

After about thirty minutes of flight Vates found a clearing and set down the transport shuttle; he was confident that by then there would be a big enough gap between him and any pursuers. There were a few things that needed to be sorted out immediately, notably the corpses in the cockpit. Vates also wanted to release the other prisoners and sweep the ship for any standard tracking devices; he had both planted and disabled enough in his time and knew roughly were to look. “Are you sure you want to release them?” queried Janus, his voice finally back to the calm and composed tone that Vates was used to.

“Yeah. I can’t think of why the Mercs would pose any sort of threat. I’ll be cautious with the woman though.” Vates got up and made his way to the cargo hold. The three captives were clearly awake as they all turned their heads to the sound of Vates’ footsteps. “Right, let’s get you out of these cuffs then” he said, wanting to reassure them that he was no threat before trying to handle them.

“Thank the maker!” sighed one of them as Vates removed the sack from their head, “I thought we truly screwed! It’s nice to see there’s still a few Mercs left, I’m Kansas and to right here is Benny”

“Nice to meet you. I remember seeing you on battlefield.” Vates tried not to waste too much time with idle chit-chat and instead focussed on quickly releasing the two mercs. Once they were up Vates silently signalled for them to grab weapons, wanting to be prepared in case the mysterious woman tried anything.

“Are you going to let me out? Or are you just going to stand there gawping at me?” The woman’s condescending tone could be heard even through the burlap sack. There was something oddly familiar about the voice but Vates couldn’t quite put a finger on it. Without replying he gave a nod to Kansas who then removed the sack.

Vates’ mouth dropped as her face was revealed, “Sierra?”

“Hello Vates. Long time no see” she straightened her back and smiled, glad to finally be in the presence of someone she didn’t want to kill. It took a few seconds for Vates to really register her, but then he beamed a smile back in return. He wanted desperately to wrap his arms around her but he knew better than to randomly hug an international assassin. “So…” Sierra cocked an eyebrow “are you going to release me or what?”

On board the Leafy Wind

Beatrice Magin

Well, I still hate long trips Z. You should be happy for some time to relax, B. In her mind, the massive tigress sprawled across the laps of the passengers around B. You know I can't relax in this space. The man to B's left startled as she gestured at the cabin around her. You should try. You're always so high-strung. Being cramped had always made B feel restless. After a year in Sovereign, it also reminded her of when she was vulnerable. She started her stay in Sovereign with serious injuries and new power. Both reversed years of hard work spent honing her body. For the first few months in Sovereign, Beatrice felt about as capable as an infant who was first learning how to walk. Because of her injuries, She had to completely rely on others. Her power also completely changed the basic principles of how she moved. The learning curve was shallow at first. For an athlete of Beatrice's caliber, it was torture.

Less than an hour ago, Beatrice had - literally - hopped aboard a larger Golden Mercenary shuttle filled with civilians. She had been late to the fight, deciding to stay with the group she was living with instead of rushing ahead. A few of that group had made it to the shuttle, but most had been unfortunate enough to fall at the hands of the military. Finally leaving the city was still slightly surreal.

Something made all of B's hair stand on end, but it lasted for less than a second. Electricity. In the same instant, every function of the craft ceased. The most obvious effect instantly was the darkness. Murmurs started between the passengers. The onset of panic. A few seconds later, the nose of the craft began to point downwards, and B could feel the craft losing altitude. The civilians started to talk, yell, and try to find family and friends, some leaving their seats.

A mercenary walked from the cockpit to where everyone was seated. Before he could make his announcement, He is swarmed with questions. "What's going on?" "will we make it?" "We gon die!" "I call a parachute" "Sit the fuck down!" "-EMP?" "Has yah seen mah son?" "Let'em talk!"

The merc, fed up and with no time, fiddled with something on his one-handed mace. He sighed and shook his head at the small mob in front of him, then shoved the mace into the abdomen of the man closest to him. Electricity jumped into the man, dropping him instantly. The man squirmed on the floor. The cabin went quiet. Calmly, he asked, "Does anyone else have a question?" "Yes, I was wonde-" he shoved the mace into another man, sharing his fate with the first. The mercenary hardened his face. "No questions. Good. Now sit down." The passengers who were standing returned to their seats, except the two men on the floor. You like this guy? B shrugged visibly, then nodded. The man to her left was confused by her reaction to the scene in front of them. It's more respect. He obviously has a conscious, but he didn't hesitate when it counted.

"Our pilot is very experienced. He says he can land this thing with no power, and I trust him. It will be bumpy, so fasten your seatbelts. That's the good news. The bad news is we just flew through a disruption field. We have no electronics, and the military is probably tracking us. They are ready for us." Someone near the merc began to ask a question, but thought better of it when he raised the mace slightly.

"If there are any hosts-" B reacted, sitting up straighter. With her reaction to the word "host," the man to B's left figured out why she had been acting funny. Wide-eyed, he moved as far away from her as he could in his seat. "-now is the time to reveal yourself. We have a few parachutes, and if it avoids you being captured by the military, you will have priority. Rumor has it they run experiments. If it's clear, we'll parachute first, assess the landing site, and move in to assist if it's a fight we can win." It sounds like the best choice, B. Doesn't mean I have to like it. At least you can stretch sooner. B smiled as she slowly stood up, then walked down the aisle to the merc.

Damian, Northeast of Sovereign

While the large tank had initially sent Damian into a near anxiety attack, he calmed himself realizing it was just more clean up for him. 'I don't have time for all of this...' he thought. He wondered what they thought they had against him. A big, metal cannon? Guns? Swords? 'Well aren't YOU feeling cocky,' said Triliq. Damian sighed, realizing she was right. He was going overboard, and the whole situation might have been avoided had he decided to ignore his desire for chaos. Damian walked forward a few paces, nonchalantly looking forward towards the opening door.

"Didn't I teach your friends a lesson?" he spat before rearing his right arm back and shooting a long tendril forward with immense force. It was enough force to tear through the door, meaning he had launched the attack with all intent to kill whoever dared stepping out.

---

En Route to Kell, Bomber Shuttle

Ishigo leaned against the door of the cockpit, which was closed off, leaving only Zachary inside to focus and pilot his aircraft. Ishigo's mind had been drifting from subject to subject and he felt like it was time to hone in on the current objective. He took a moment to look around at everyone in the room. 'They haven't recovered yet...' he thought. He looked to Matyo, who seemed to have remained quiet for most of the journey. Jin's voice chimed amid Ishigo's thoughts: 'Speak for yourself, Ishigo. I'm still trying to patch up your spirit, and all your wondering is making it harder. Can you just relax? For one minute?' Ishigo closed his eyes and focused once more. 'I can't... I feel weak if I remain idle,. He could feel a slight alteration in his consciousness as his vision faded for a brief second. He quickly opened his eyes and began planning out his gameplan once more. 'See? I... I can't... he thought. 'Those are two words I never expected you to use together, hm. Listen, you're fighting off your body's natural recovery stage. You'll be weak and drowsy, but how else will you get back up to full strength? You need to rest. I have the power to knock you out, you know.

The side of Ishigo's mouth curled upwards in a slight smile. 'You wouldn't dare.' Ishigo looked outside the window and noticed the thinning number of trees. From there, he noticed the two clear paths in the forests that affirmed his assumption that they had made it to the main roads. They were close, and it was about time to prepare. Ishigo cleared his throat and stood up straight, making it apparent that he was to address his group. "We're al-" Ishigo began, but looked to his left first, where the sound of snoring caught him off guard. Kisheto's head was slumped to the side, resting on Yugeto's shoulder, while Yugeto's head was slumped forward, indicating he, too, was knocked out. Ishigo had to hold back a smile, and instead snapped twice (rather loudly) in front of their faces. Kisheto's head rose slowly and he rubbed his eyes, "Holy shit..." he began, his voice low and hoarse, "I'm so.... hungry...." Yugeto yawned and looked forward, his eyes squinting as he looked around to recall where he was. Ishigo scoffed and continued: "We're almost there, actually, we're about fifteen minutes from drop point. Here's what I'm thinking: Zachary, and I will search for the closest vendors, while Raeven can hang back and watch the shuttle. We don't need much to get us to the next drop point, and I do plan on staying here for a bit. Not too long, just... enough to mask our trail. Our shuttle is untagged, so we could most likely hide it in the thicket on the far side of Kell." Ishigo eyed the group once more, confirming his decision. They were tired. They were weary. They had just made it out of Sovereign with barely a whisper of life.

"The rest of you- Kisheto, Yugeto, Arianna, Matyo, Blake, and Julian. Split it into groups of three. You're tourists. You're on a field trip. You're visiting family, whatever. Lay low, relax, and recover. But stay on your toes, you got me? If you didn't link up your holocoms, do it now. Anything goes wrong, you call me, I'll know where you are before I even answer the phone."

Ishigo nodded and then looked over his shoulder before knocking on the cockpit door, "Zach, put us down about a half mile off the Eastern gate of the city. You'll see a bunch potential spaces in the greener woods, it'll give us some distance to walk, but we'll be out of traffic and detection."

Ishigo then turned back to the group, "I leave first with Raeven and Zachary. The next group of three leaves fifteen minutes after, and the last three leave another fifteen minutes after the second. Take any valuable things with you in the case that we are unable to return to the shuttle, but nothing that will catch anyone's attention. Blake, that sword? If anyone asks, its an heirloom."

Ishigo nodded once more and then walked over to Raeven, crouching by her side, "Listen, you're the only one I can trust to watch this shuttle without getting caught. Don't use spirit unless you need to and let me know as SOON as anything goes wrong, got it?"

Raeven frowned lightly when she noticed Ishigo falter. He seemed in deep thought, but he couldn't hide the fact that he was still injured and recovering. She smiled softly when Ishigo's lips turned up into his own little smile. She was beginning to admire every expression he had, no matter how few in numbers they were. It reminded her of the good old days when they would screw around in the fields after school instead of going home for chores. Kisheto's complaint about hunger tickled Raeven, prompting a light chuckle to erupt from her chest. She shook her head and stretched, preparing to head into the city.

These plans were cut short when Ishigo didn't mention her name. Raeven assumed that he was either planning something different for her to do, or was simply showing a little protective side of him. She pushed her bangs back from her face as he approached her and gave him an indifferent look. With a small nod, she agreed to watch the shuttle. Its this damn hip injury, isn't it? She muttered in her mind, causing Eremiel to chuckle. "I got it, boss," she lilted before smirking lightly. "Be careful in there, okay? You'll have to actually interact with people."

Zachary obediently brought the shuttle down where Ishigo had indicated, landed it and shut off the engines. He listened in to the plan of action, then he readied himself for departure. He took stock of what he had- One suit of Vanguard armour, with sword and shield; his wind cannon; the plasma rifle; the rugged backpack; his improvised toolkit; two 'iron knuckles' still in his jacket pockets; a water bottle; the engineering reference book (he had considered returning it to Leo the Librarian, but he figured that he was the only one in Sovereign capable of using it and that he would need it later); the kinetic shield projector hidden under his jacket; a few toiletries; whatever scrap and knickknacks were in his two trap cores; and, significantly at this point of time, the briefcase containing the payment from Matthias Winters. After a moment's thought, he heaped the armour and weapons together and then, in a flash of red light and pop of rushing air, he sent the contents of the pile into a trap core.

Zachary then took a moment to observe his own appearance in a small mirror he had grouped with his toiletries. If he was going out into public, he needed to not look like he had spent the past year in a wasteland and had just come out of a fight. But as inspection confirmed, his regular hygiene habits throughout the past year had ensured that he wasn't an utter mess, so he simply took a facecloth, applied some water to it from his bottle, and cleaned his face of the sweat and grime it had gained during their escape, and then brushed down his hair with a hairbrush. Helping with appearances was that his jacket was mostly new.

Finally, he took the briefcase, opened it discretely, counted out two stacks of cash and put them in his pockets, then closed the briefcase and put it safely at the bottom of his backpack. Checking that the rest of his stuff was still inside his bag, he stood up and hoisted the backpack onto his shoulders. From the cockpit, he grabbed a key and handed it to Raeven. "This is the key to the shuttle. You can use it to lock and unlock the doors from the outside." He then nodded to Ishigo. "I'm ready to go now."

As they left the shuttle and started walking towards Kell, Zachary said, "I've run the figures in my head, and I know how many cores we'll need to get to Vantus, as well as how much that will cost. I can buy that many, plus food and whatnot, and then we won't have to stop at any more towns along the way, making us harder to track."

Ishigo didn't have much to take with him. When he was sure that everyone in his group had gotten the message, he exited the shuttle and stretched his legs. He reached for his scarf and put it around his neck and face, then proceeded to join Zachary when he left the shuttle as well. The two walked together along a stable path cut through the forest; it eventually led to a man-made trail, and the two fell upon the path perfectly, as if they were on the trail the entire time. Ishigo nodded when Zachary mentioned the cores, "I'm impressed. You always seem prepared, Zachary. I was going to try to check my old bank accounts, but due to its link to the Golden Mercenaries, it'll only serve to sabotage our entire plan. If you're willing to take the entire expense upon yourself, I can assure you I'll be able to pay you back completely, with interest, when we reach Vantus." Ishigo was genuinely grateful for Zachary's contribution to the group. From piloting the shuttle to providing for the entire group, he had proved to be a valuable ally and friend.

"The gate's are up ahead, but there aren't any defined borders. They only have a patrol stationed at the gate, so we won't have to worry about any screening. But if anyone asks, those two cores are fire cores. If people find out you're carrying those strange cores with you, it might turn ugly."

---

After walking for a good bit, the two finally broke past the receding forest line and entered a man made park that surrounded the path leading to the main gates. The "gates" were really just two large guard towers teaming with patrols that eyed all that came in and out of the largest road leading into the city. A line of small buildings, possibly guard barracks, created a sort of border around the "gate." Ishigo looked forward and nodded to Zachary, "We can try the market district. It's at the center of the city, and if we can't find any there, we'll head to an armory to see if they have stock cores for us."

Sayuri cursed as the branch she was leaning on snaped nearly causing her to fall from the tree she was resting in. After she regained her balance she looked around and listened carefully. Not hearing anything she drops down to the ground and hurries through the trees. After several minutes she stops, 'Are you really set on getting back to your family and that you can trust them?' she sighed and ignored the voice and before climbing the tree next to her, 'you know I can bug you to no end right? Keep you from slee-' she stopped annoyed, 'Would you shut the hell up Hiryu! We've had this conversation three times. Yes I'm sure they won't betray me. We all trust each other with our lives. Very little can change that,' she paused before continuing to climb, 'Hiryu do you have any siblings?'

He remained silent as she climbed. Once she reached the height she wanted and began scanning the area Hiryu sighed, 'Yes I did have an older sister. As to whether she's in this world or even alive I wouldn't know. We've been at odds for a long time and eventually stopped communicating... Enough about that we need to focus on getting somewhere to rest with as little military presence as possible. We're both in need of a good nights rest. We've been traveling non-stop through the forest since we slipped away during the battle. We can't be too far can we?' Sayuri nodded, "We should almost be to Kell..." suddenly a shuttle flew overhead cutting her off. She froze staying completely still and watched as it flew in the direction of the city. Once she felt it was far enough away she climbed a little bit higher so she could continue watching it. As she watched the shuttle changed direction and landed in the trees, "... Let's go check it out. It could be other people who made it out. They might even be able to spare some supplies!"

She climbed down excitedly, 'You know it could also be a bunch of military goons out to hunt and kill us. Did you ever think of that?' when she reached the ground she checked her bag to make sure she had everything. She also checked to make sure her sword was still on her back. Satisfied she turned and began walking in the direction of the shuttle, "I know that is a possibility but I'm willing to risk it. Besides we'll hear them long before we see them especially if they are military. They're not exactly sneaky with all of that gear and weapons. It couldn't go too badly I've got you right?" 'Whatever let's just hurry.'

Collab with BBeast and Sage

Zachary looked in mild surprise at his hands when Ishigo mentioned the strange cores. He had almost forgotten that he was still holding a trap core. He promptly twisted around and shoved it into the depths of his backpack. "There, nobody should ask about it now." They continued on into the town.

---

The market district of Kell was compact and rather small in its layout. However, it was efficient and it allowed for the perfect amount of traffic to flow through the many shops that lined its circumference. The shape of the district was circular, with a large flea-market set up in the very center. There, street vendors, booths, fruit stands, and other small wares were sold in a very live and comfortable environment, all surounding a large fountain and central park. The border of this flea market was a circular path that stretched for a mile around. Along this path were small buildings resembling townhouses that were narrow, but tall. Inside, specific wares and items could be found, all stored in the floors above the respective store. The stores were connected around the circular border, leaving a space for a road every six or seven buildings. A total of thirty six buildings - and seven roads connecting to the district - created the circular market district.

Ishigo and Zachary had just emerged from the busy road leading to the district from the east side of kell. Ishigo was somewhat surprised by the sheer activity of the district: it was rather sporadic for such a small city. However, he realized that maybe Kell was like many other small Gaian cities; what they lacked in size, they made up for in resource and population.

Zachary looked around, searching for particular shops and orienting himself. "Our first stop is a shuttle shop. There should be one around here somewhere." Ishigo nodded in agreement and then reached for his holopad which was stored in a case that attached to his belt. It had been a long time since he had the leisure of using the device given to him by Hector, and he was surprised it still functioned. "Hmm..." Ishigo looked around as he waited for his holopad to update its software, as it had seen nearly a year of inactivity. Once it completed, he opened a browser and accessed a database of Kell's shops. "There's a registration office nearby; they sell carriages and shuttles, but not directly from their little building. Might as well give it a shot," he said before showing the directory's information on a "Flyby's Transport Co."

Zachary's mouth turned to a slight frown. "What we really need is a mechanic, or a shuttle stop. This place seems active enough to have facilities to cater for passing shuttles." He then shrugged, "But I suppose we could ask them." Ishigo looked back at the page on his holopad and nodded. "If anything, they'll be able to lead us to where we could find such a place."

---

Flyby's Transport. It was a small business that specialized in providing civillians access to their own carriages and shuttles, if they had the finances for such luxuries. The shop was rather plain, besides a handful of models that depicted the type of vehicles that were sold. Behind a small front desk, a lone man rested on a chair, reading some sort of novel. Ishigo opened the door and noticed the man look up as the store let out a soft jingle to alert him of a new customer arriving. "Ah, welcome!" he said as he set down his book, clicked a few keys on a desktop computer, and walked from behind his desk to the center of the shop. "My name is Felix, how can I help you fine gentlemen?" Ishigo took a moment to eye the man. He seemed to be in his fifties or sixties, with a balding head of white hair and a frail, thin body. He looked at the two behind large glasses, but his face lit up in a warm smile that comforted Ishigo; he had bad experiences with schemers in market districts of Sovereign.

Zachary spoke up, his voice confident as he had rehearsed this line in his head and, as was common, Kaa'is was working behind the scenes to make sure he maintained the right tone. "We were looking for somewhere to top up the cores in our shuttle." The man nodded, his brow wrinkling as he thought to himself. "Ah, yes, yes, I see. Well... hm... You aren't looking to upgrade your shuttle to one of our fine selections, then? We have tremendous sales, as it is!" Ishigo shook his head, "We just needed some cores, really. No new shuttle." The man nodded and looked to the side, "Well... Why not try Pitstop? It's right near the main gates, and it has one of the cheapest prices out of any shuttle stop you'll find nearby."

Ishigo hesitated. He couldn't exactly answer that, but he knew that Pitstop, as well as many other shuttlestops, kept records of shuttles that went through them. It was a government policy to regulate shuttle traffic and records in the case of accidents, theft, and what not. As it was, their group was using a makeshift shuttle with a removed military tag. It would not bode well for them at all. Zachary hesitated for a moment too, for he was also aware of this, but his hesitation was to formulate the correct words. "Do they sell spare cores?" The man raised a brow, "You mean like personal fuel packs? I'm not sure... The store was originally run by a military reserve who got called to take care of those monsters that broke out of Sovereign, so the actual shop might not be open, but the station itself is. If not, you could always try a Core vendor."

At mention of the Sovereign breakout, Zachary maintained his poker face, with Kaa'is helpfully keeping any hints of adverse reaction under control. "Thank you for your help, Felix. I'm sure we'll find something. Have a nice day."

Ishigo nodded at the man and turned back to leave the shop. Once the two were outside, he pulled up his holopad once more and began browsing while speaking to Zachary in a low tone. "We're going to have to watch what we say. I should probably look up some news to make sure we seem somewhat knowledgable about things out here. But what do you say? Core vendors?"

"I'd rather try my luck with the station. Vendors don't normally stock enough kinetic cores off the shelf," Zachary replied. "We'll be on foot, so we can always turn around if there's nothing there for us." Ishigo nodded, "You're right." He then searched for the quickest route to the Pitstop station, memorized it, and put his holopad away. The two began walking, and after leaving the busier roads of the central market district, Ishigo spoke once again. "Zachary... how are you holding up?" he asked. He knew that there was a lot to hide during their current venture: emotions, identity, and intentions among other things. Ishigo often found himself underestimating the toll that everything might have taken on his group. There was a moment's pause, as Zachary considered the question. In truth, he was a bit of a wreck. He was haunted by the actions brought about by his unnatural addiction. He was in a world of uncertainty and danger. He was worried about how long until withdrawl would return. He was holding for now, but he knew not how long.

"I'm a little nervous that we're not in the clear yet, but I'm going alright," he replied, Kaa'is concealing the truth that lay beneath his expression.

Ishigo nodded and looked forward. "I understand. Don't worry about what Felix said. These people are going to need time before they can accept the reality that is thrown at them. It may seem unfair, since the brunt of the reality was forced into our souls, quite literally. But in the end, our actions and our will is what makes us just as human as the rest of them." Ishigo looked to Zachary, "You're taking a big risk by allowing all of us to come with you, but at the same time, I promise to have your back. Sometimes even the best of us need some support, right?" Ishigo said with a smile. Zachary returned the smile. "Thanks."

Collab Between Yugeto and Myself

---

After fifteen minutes had passed, Arianna stood and looked to Blake. She nodded to him, signaling for him to lead the way into the city. The past thirty minutes had been tense for her as she had been in a state of shock at the recent memories that Blake had shown her. Millions of questions had flown through her mind, making it difficult for her to concentrate on Blake's thoughts. She was still weak from the fight, too, which made it even more of a strain to try and pry into his mind. Rest, Arianna. You'll have your answers soon. Plus, I don't trust him if he has kept this information from you for so long. We also don't know if his interactions with your father were good ones. Keep your guard up, Castiel murmured. Arianna nodded inwardly, her eyes wary as they watched Blake.

Blake noticed Arianna watching him, and inwardly grinned. 'Finally...' Blake circled Arianna nonchalantly, his mind filled with pictures of the outskirts. He knew she would be unable to resist the allure of learning about her father and his jaded, dark past. Stepping out of the shuttle slowly, Blake began to cautiously walk in the direction the group came from. "Curious, are we?" Blake asked without turning around, as he slowly picked up his pace.

Arianna hesitated as she stepped out of the shuttle, but she followed him, watching him with a cautious gaze. "Wouldn't you be curious?" She asked, hoping to entice him into revealing more information.

Blake pushed forward at an increasing pace, feeling the rush of air flow across his determined face. "You'll have to keep waiting, just a bit longer." He shouted back. 'How long have you waited for this day, Blake? Years? At least a decade, I'm sure.' 'As long as I can remember, Dama. But what is this petty quabble to an ancient being like you, hm? This thirst, this desire for revenge is my life, and my goal. However cryptic you've been, it's about time I deserve to know what you're getting out of this. If you think you can take control of me after the fight, you're wrong, Dama. I am ever grateful for your power and this opportunity, but I'm not so foolish as to blindly let you double-cross me.' Blake felt a shake from within his soul itself, pushing upwards. 'You're right, Blake. I have ulterior motives. But I can take control of you at any time, these would be unncesessary hurdles that we crossed if I simply wanted your body. Learn to trust me fully, Blake, or our technique will fail.' Blake simply sighed in submission; Dama was right. If he had wanted Blake, he could have had him at any time, despite the strong-willed young man's bluff. Closing his eyes momentarily before reaching the outskirts, Blake slowed down and halted to a steady, gentle stop, before turning to Arianna.

Arianna slowed to a walk when she saw him stop, her brows furrowing in confusion. She looked into his eyes, her own full of questions. "What game are you playing, Blake? Why have you stopped?" Blake stared into Arianna's pupils with a deep, penetrating gaze. "I've been waiting for this moment for almost my entire life, Arianna. You've damaged me beyond repair, and I've calculated every step, every move to get you where you are right now. Your father, your father is indeed a great scientist. But I surpassed him, I succeeded him with vast prowess; do you know how he congratulated me? He shunned me, Arianna. He shunned me again, his own flesh and blood."

Blake's fists tightened, and his voice became more strained. "Your father isn't the honorable man you think he is, Arianna. He slept with my mother, had an affair with her, and gave birth to me, turning me away and eventually having you. I worked day and night, learned and toiled to become something he would be proud of, even out of poverty, and he simply pushed me aside again, Arianna. I'm not playing any games; I'm getting vengenace, by taking away the thing he loves most." Blake said, cracking his wrists. "I've had so many opportunities to simply take you out, but this is nothing if not done honorably. Ask me anything you wish, and then draw your sword; I will do this justly, and when it's all over with, the rightful child will emerge victorious."

Arianna stared at Blake, frozen in place. Her thoughts were consumed by this new information. It both scared her and made her feel ill. She could only guess that he was going to fight her to the death. Could she handle a fight of this proportion? Blake was hardly injured and she was barely gaining enough control of her abilites again to even process the menacing thoughts swirling around Blake's mind. She shifted, trying to gain some composure before she found her voice. "Why did you keep this from me? Why reveal it now? How is any of this my fault?" She was beginning to feel defensive. Her father had been the one to be so cruel while she had been sheltered from the truth and kept ignorant about the ordeal. So, then, why was she to blame? Blake rubbed his temples in frustration. "Your father told me when I approached him that he already had a family, a child, to take care of. Well, I'll be taking care of you, and nothing will cause him greater pain and agony. Is there anything else, Arianna?"

Arianna clenched her jaw, her own frustration beginning to show. She wanted to find a way out of this fight, but she couldn't run. Blake was much stronger than her at this point. He would overcome her. Her only option was to try to talk him out of it. "If I had known, I would have helped," she replied. "There is no honor in revenge." Blake chuckled. "Do you think you could change that old man's mind? There's nothing he would do for me, the monster resented me, left me to be a bastard. Ironic that I'll end you with the sword that he made. This killing intent is unstoppable, and there is always honor in the blade. Muster all of your spirit, because you're going to need every last drop." A dark, purplish, heavy aura pulsated around Blake, as he clenched his fist. "Being an established researcher in Spirit, I took it to myself to bond with my kage in the purest possible form." The ground around Blake shook, and then began to crack from the raw spirit density. "When a Kage and its host achieve perfect unity and exist as one soul, usually in times of distress as a last-resort, the duo achieve a higher level of power, the Prime form, as I'd like to call it. After endless training and toiling while most dawdled around with no purpose, I've harnessed this ability. Behold the Prime form before you." Blake's aura of energy suddenly fell dramatically, and Blake clutched his chest, crumbling to the floor. "What...agh! Wh-what are you doing, Da-AGH!" Blake yelled in pain as he felt himself slowly losing his grip over his body. After a few seconds, Blake silently stood back up, his eyes a deep purple color. "This is not coincidence, old friend. This is fate. This is our destiny. Shed your mortal shell, and let us forget these childish feuds." 'Blake' spoke, seemingly piercing through Arianna, as if he were addressing someone else.

Arianna stepped backwards, feeling a deep emotion erupt from within her. Castiel, do you know this kage? Castiel spoke, but his words were strained as he struggled to come to terms with who he was speaking with. I-it... can't be... Castiel whispered in disbelief, fear striking the two bonded souls at their core.

Blake shook, and began to laugh in a maniacal, crazed manner. "CASTIEL! How many eternities have we known and quarreled with one another, my old friend? My truest, most beloved, dearest friend; do you truly believe our hosts were picked by chance? The odds are meaningless, Castiel: we are fated to FIGHT, until one of us truly falls to the greater soul. I have yearned for this opportunity to emerge, waited millennia for this day. Castiel, I felt your presence the second I left the Void; let us finally come to a coalescence, CASTIEL!" Dama uproared, using Blake as his vessel. 'It's far too clear now, Dama, what you've wanted. Is this why you chose me? Two souls, driven by revenge? Or is this truly the force of fate even something as ancient as you defers to? Dama, do not suppress me completely or our Prime form will not last, both of us know this. I'll gladly aid you in your quest, as you have aided me in mine. Let us have our glorious retribution.'

Arianna stood still, mortified by the man before her. She had no idea what to do, but it wasn't as horrible as the ancient fear from Castiel begin to overwhelm her. Castiel's fear began to diminish, though, as his anger and hatred for Dama began to settle into Arianna's human bones, threatening to break them. I do not apologize for what I am about to do, Arianna. Dama is one of the most powerful and dangerous kages I have ever faced in battle. We will need to resonate our souls to achieve the prime form, like Dama and Blake have achieved. It will not be as painful, because I want you to willingly give up control. This fight is for the both of us. Castiel instantly felt Arianna give control of herself to him and he felt his soul grow within her, taking almost complete control of Arianna's body. The once frozen, tense posture of Arianna suddenly straightened and became stiff as Castiel looked up at Dama's host. Arianna's once calm, cool eyes were now full of fire and passion, glowing a bright blue color. The two souls were working together to achieve the most power they could. They knew that their will would ultimately be what decided their fate. As the full prime form was accomplished, the two decided to give it all they could. Her back began to glow the same blue as six wings sprouted from it and grew to almost the full size of Castiel's wings. Castiel shifted his shoulders to make them comfortable before reaching to Arianna's side, pulling her sword from it's sheath. He held it in front of him, the tip of the blade facing upwards.

Dama-Blake reached for Kataskai, drawing it slowly as the bandages around it unraveled. He put his hand to the blue flame core within the sword, and Kataskai cracked and darkened, before glimmering. A black flame began to dance along the outer edge of the blade, then quieted as he sheathed it. "I'll give you a taste of that later. It's time I put my powers to full use, Castiel; this boy, however impressive, fails to handle my abilities to their fullest." He explained as he kept his hands up, palms facing one another. In the gap between his hands, Dama-Blake seemed to be concentrating hard. The ground began to crack more as a small black dot started to form in the gap, slowly growing in size as smaller black dots converged in on it until it became about the size of a soccer ball. "All the potential energy around and my stored energy has been converted into condensed, pure negative energy. Castiel; I feel only happiness as I grant you your salvation within my soul."

Castiel tightened his grip on the sword, glaring at Dama with the righteous hatred he felt burning within him. "Unfortunately there is no salvation for the damned, like you Dama. I will enjoy smiting you, just like how it should have happened ages ago," he growled, the cracks in the ground initially caused by Dama growing as rocks tore through them and circled around Castiel to form a barrier that was ready to absorb any of the energy sent his way.

"Shall we begin?"

Collab between Sage and Savato - Pride and Wrath

---

Someone's in a hurry...

Keifers' slow movements had likely spared her a lot of problems as the target host had arrogantly launched an attack directly at the queen piece of the squad, and considering the speed of the assault one could easily assume the morbid intentions of the fugitive host. She had only started to take out her foot as the reinforced door had been pierced clean by the raging appendage, slipping right under the girl's shoe. Though, it wasn't like it was 'close' in any way, she had a large, tinted window right before her which allowed a clear vision of the man's movements. She had anticipated the offensive approach with his sudden movements, and could calculate with relative ease that the tentacle was aiming low enough on the door to proceed in stepping in anyway. The vile woman chuckled, slightly surprised as to how violent that man was, that same man who showed pity to a worthless sodier, everything got so very interesting.

One of the accompanying elite soldiers had the reflex to deliver a wave of three shotgun shots on the now stiff tentacle used to pierce the door, in hopes of severing it in half.

The shotgun shots blasted the tentacle a short distance away, ripping off small chunks of flesh as it did so. A faint screech could be heard as the tentacles were hit, as if the appendages were alive. Damian quickly withdrew the tentacle, and spun, slashing at the line of soldiers with a sweep of a newly emerging tentacle. The force of the attack was enough to take down a tree, and while it did threaten to crush the soldiers, it also left Damian locked in his spinning momentum.

"Sergeant, please do with the other two~ Now."

Keifers was now slightly reluctant with the idea of stepping out so early in the game, after all the squad appeared to do just fine without her anyway. As for the soldiers in question, well the guy who previously shot down the first tentacle was also the first one to get sweeped by the tentacle's attack, followed by the closest one after him. The rest had just enough time to drop down with their weapons still pointed at the man, the other two, thanks to their armor, took little damage but were thrown rather far away nonetheless.

The diving sergeant had pointed the transport tank's main canon toward the mass of logs used to hide Damian's buddies, threatening to blast them away with a single explosive shot. The simple movement of the canon and the screeching noise that followed made the intent rather obvious to the opposing host.

"Oh wait! Don't shoot just yet!"

Ordered the sadistic major, fully seated on the passenger's seat as she spectated the soon to be bloodbath she'd orchestrate no matter the outcome.

Damian, having completed his spin, panted as he looked on in a steadily rising rage. He noticed the M.A.T point its cannon towards where his two men were hiding. His expression quickly reduced to a more sober, unagitated one as he realized just what was happening. 'All of that for nothing. Great,' he thought. 'Hope my poker face hasn't gotten any worse.'

"HA! Is that it?!" he spat at the squad. "AY FRECKS AND TIZZ, YOU BETTAH RUUN!" he cried in a bout of near-maniacal laughter as he shook his hands to relax his muscles. While he continued to stare down at the metal hulk before him, two tentacles slowly slithered out of his forearms, ready for whatever move the squad made.

"And we got him~ Good job Sergeant. Now keep quiet."

She hopped out of the vehicle in an agitated manner in contrast to her previously slow movements. She was a little moe motivated now that she had a dominant position in this very situation. The opposing man could easily notice the only female individual of the M.A.T without a form of body armor walking in the open and straight toward him. Hands behind her back, she attempted to look as solemn as possible, knowing that the man before her was no pushover.

"Hello. I'm Major Keifers. I sure hope this laugh of yours is proof of your surrender. Well, quite honestly, I'm just waiting for an excuse to send your friends back to Kingdom come and beat the hell out of you in the process."

Her arrogant stature and wording didn't make her sudden speech any more enjoyable combined with evil threats. She wanted him to burst, to justifiy her every inhumane act to the higher ups in the army. And most of all, she wanted to crush him. Step by step, the gap between the two individuals closed, leaving little amount of time for Damian to make up his mind.

"Surrender isn't in the Roy vocabulary," Damian said with a sly smile. He didn't feel fear, but he knew in the back of his mind that every second he spent letting his pride fuel his actions was a second closer to his possible demise. He wasn't thinking strategically; this wasn't the ideal route he had planned for he and his men. But that didn't matter anymore. "And what's stoppin yah? An eye for an eye, right? Might as well take those two chumps; you and your whole squad seems like a fair trade!"



He then jabbed his left hand forward, shooting a tendril straight towards the woman's torso, aiming to pierce through her. The attack was quick and straight on, with enough force to render any attempt of blocking it useless.

The men behind her were still ready to react when needed, and these were one of those situations. Keifers wasn't too worried even if they were not to react accordingly, but the title 'elite' wasn't just decoration. They were on the ground, weapons aimed at the man, so of course as he aimed his arm toward their superior, Damian's arm would be greeted with three high caliber shots, one missing and the others tageting directly the elbow and forearm. Another one aimed for his knee, which was a rather easy target considering the man's lack of movements.

Nonetheless, Keifers swiftly drew out her Kinetic infused knife from behind her back and with that same movement would be used to block the tentacle. Because of the Kinetic core's attributes, once the tentacle would have contact with the blade if the shots wouldn't be enough to derive the trajectory of the attack, allowed her to deflect such a strong strike without too much problem.

"That sounds like a shitty deal, even for a gangster. Last chance before your buddies become collatoral damage~"

"FUCK!" As Damian's tendril was swatted away by the shots and kinetic field, he followed the force of the impact and spun once again while his tendril shot back into his arm. He felt a bullet graze his leg, and it was enough to cause his knee to buckle. However, he fluidly fell to the knee that was nearly hit by the shot and fired off his second tendril, aiming past the woman. The tendril flew past the unarmed lady walking towards him and split into its three constituent fibers which aimed for three diferent soldiers.

'I suppose he's telling me to go screw myself.'

She thought to herself as he spun around like an enraged monkey. Morel was silent, not even uttering a single gasp in the woman's mind. He was in reality petrified with fear that his beloved host would die by the hands of the abomination she was facing. Once Damian landed, the Major had her knife ready in her right hand so she could counter the same type of approach. However his targeting was suspicious, he wasn't aiming toward her, the angle was way too off considering how close they were she could deduce that rather easily.

As she let the tendril go pass her, still ready to block it sideways if he were to go creative, Keifers could only guess he was aiming for the weaklings behind her. The sporadic shots in reaction to the tentacles charging at them were proof of that, however they were caught by surprise and couldn't even land a single shot right with stupor keeping them disoriented and the fact that they had to be careful to not shoot their boss. Keifers giggled, apparently satisfied that he gave her such a wonderful opportunity. Before the tendrils had reached the men, her free hand flattened, only to hurl a second later a speedy orb toward the divided mass next to her. By that time the soldiers were screwed, but the speedy orb shot at near point blank range had hit two of the tentacles simultaneously. The effects were absent, and to anyone who didn't know Carol-Ann's abilities this seemed strange. The tentacles had become bombs, bombs that would detonate in a cloud of blood and flesh in about five seconds.

Damian could feel a disturbance in his spirit as his tentacles were invaded by some sort of outer force. However, it wasn't before each tendril had latched onto three separate soldiers. It took no longer than the five seconds for him to have gained control of two soldiers behind the woman, shooting a barrage of rounds from their firearms at the unsuspecting enemy's back. In a mixture of explosion and gunfire, Damian screamed as his tendrils were reduced to disintegrating masses of flesh, while the storm of bullets still flew towards the rear of the woman without armor.

Many of the shootings had stopped, which was what she expected from the man's assault. People acting strange after coming into contact with him, it wasn't too difficult for the field tactician to notice what was Damian's intention here. As the men turned their guns toward their boss, ready to fire down at her, a blue wing had taken shape on her back, almost as if it was always there but only revealed itself now. The swarm of bullets would consequently touch the wing as it responded with a weak, forward jerk. The air pushed by that miniscule movement had turned into explosives, creating a bizarre and one directional explosion at the direction of the rest of the swarm of bullets.

The release of pressure was strong enough to stop the remaining bullets on their tracks while the first wave left a few holes on the wing used in this scenario. Morel's spirit energy was used to slowly fill up these holes. Following this, the tentacles had exploded as planned.

'Jeez this guy's not letting go. Glory to the pirated personal cams, don't you agree Morel?'

The creature in her was just as terrified as before, since it risked both their lives once more. The fearless yet reckless major had been spared the burden of a gunshot wound by the data she gathered earlier throught the dead soldiers' cameras, but this was also the reason why she was so reckless. She had enough intel on his abilities to figure out, more or less, what certain feints would lead to. Hidden behind the cloud of blood from the tentacles' self-destruction, she launched her being toward the agonizing man, knife in hand and attempting to sever his unscathed arm with one clean vertical slice.

While Damian had been clutching his arm in pain, he noticed the woman's dash and prepared for the worst. He instinctually shot his free arm up, shooting a tendril in her general direction while he attempted to turn away from her.

"Gotcha now."

His reaction was the reason she had her blade up, but as it came to contact range, she did not hit it with the blade. Her timing was off, oddly enough, causing her knuckles to hit the tentacle instead. Her arm had appeared to be shot from the assault he had previously performed. She didn't feel the wound from the gunshot until she employed her arm so swiftly, likely due to adrenaline. But it didn't make much of a difference in the end. As her weak fist hit the tentacle, the air between her flesh and the apendage had turned explosive with the motion she had just performed. A force strong enough to stop bullets and push away heavy men had befallen the sporadic tentacle, ending it upwards as it followed the movement's direction.

The threat was now handled and an opening was made. With her next step, she'd created an explosion from her feet, projecting her body in a much faster speed than anyone would expect from her. Her end goal was to sever the arm he had just used to counter her, with her knife.

Damian's right arm was blown back, and his left arm lay limp on the other side, exposing his entire front to the oncoming attacker. Time seemed to slow for him as he felt himself nearing failure with every passing second. 'Let me have it, Damian, came the chilling voice of Triliq. Damian's eyes widened and he felt a lump forming in his throat. He didn't want to, but he felt he didn't have a choice anymore. 'GIVE ME CONTROL DAMIAN!' In a final moment of acceptance, Damian closed his eyes.

As his arms were flung back, his entire body trembled and jerked in a flash in which hundreds of tendrils exploded out of him, seeming to come from unseen pores spread across his body. He became the central point of a large, piercing web that shot a tendril in each and every direction, cutting through anything that stood in each tendril's way. The tendrils stretched far until they latched onto the surface of a tree, and what remained was Damian's aching body, suspended in air, void from the damage.

The strike from the Kinetic knife had done no damage to the opponent, but at least it insured no damage from the abomination's body. The forward projection she had performed on herself allowed her to control her landing a few feet behind the man's previous position as she turned around to face Damian's new aesthetic.

"Hah. Aren't you an ugly freak. I guess it fits parasites like you. Morel, give me both wings in case I'd need them."

The creature's silence was proof of consent. But she did not use both wings, actually they were both absent at the current time. Keifers wasn't too sure as to what she would have to do here, it was quite obvious he was revealing something new to her as she previously thought he was limited to his arms. Taking a bullet wouldn't be an option this time, she had to be clean about her method. Patiently, she waited for him to show something she could exploit, otherwise she could simply solicit the tank and shoot the suspended man down.

Damian groaned in pain as he felt his spirit drain rapidly. 'You won't have long to escape. Use the farthest tendrils behind you to slingshot yourself away, then yo-'

"NO!" he cried out to his kage, though his voice could be heard clearly around him. "I'm tired of running...."

The tendrils slowly began to retract back into his body, and he fell down, onto his knees. "Ego cecidi..." he said softly.

She couldn't believe it, was he serious? She clenched the wound on her armed arm rather tightly with her free hand so she could confirm this was true and she wasn't completely doused by insanity at this point.

"Are you serious? A gangster pansy talking like he's some kind of wounded warrior."

She didn't seem as playful or happy as she was when this all started. She was ecstatic when she could finally brawl again and bring about destruction in order to prove her dominance. But he kindly submitted when things were getting deadly, he had enough while she wanted more. She grazed her teeth against each other, barely swallowing her anger.

"Fine then."

As she stored away her knife, she picked up the pistol on the same belt befoe pointing it at the man.

"I'd kill you if this was Sovereign a year back..."

She had wasted no time, as she uttered the first half of her sentence, she had shot twice at the man's knees, aiming both bullets perfectly on their designated targets. The lightning infused land bullets were the most damaging of bullets, working as fragmented pieces of metal once they hit something. Damian cried out as he felt the bullets ravage his kneecaps and muscles. "FUUUUUCK! AGH! MY FUCKING...UGHHHHH!" He clenched his teeth at the pain keeled over, quickly losing feeling in his lower legs.

"... But I gotta assume my responsibilities, ya' know? You must be familiar with that."

She claimed, finishing the job by giving the exact same treatment to his elbows, or at least she did her best to pop them as they were evidently smaller targets. Her words were in synch with the man's cries of pain, as if she were completely immune to any form of empathy one could feel in such a predicament. The man could see the lack of care in her eyes, she only focused on the message she was passing on to him.

"So. Eye for eye, huh? That's how you work? That's the kind a thing only a victor gets to say, my friend."

She stored away her gun, there wasn't anymore use for it unless she were to burst in a fit of rage and execute him almost randomly. The soldiers swiftly caught up to the two fighters, weapons all pointed at the menace who appeared to be down for good. One slowly approached in an attempt to taze the agonizing man behind the neck, hopefully knocking him out cold.

'I hate you, Damian,' came the angry voice of Triliq who began to sift through Damian's mind. Damian didn't say any more. As his vision slowly began to fade and he fell forward, he looked to the side to see his men having run off safely. Despite the pain, he managed to crack a weak smile before passing out and hitting the ground with a thud.

Indeed everyone was more focused on Damian and forgot about the two weaker targets, even the driver sergeant was more preoccupied by the situation at hand. It wasn't like they were lost, if they wanted to they could locate the rare few living creatures with humanoid traits running about in this forest, but they had more important matters to attend to. Notably, the medic oriented soldier, one of the few that didn't get any damage, had quickly joined the major's side to patch up her arm fast enough. Keifers was infuritated, her teeth clenched and her cheeks red. Things didn't go as she wanted.

Once the path finished, she waved her soldiers to escort the prisoner back to the tank. She took her own good time to sit herself back in the driver's seat in the tank. Despite having a hole on the door, she was too caught up by wrath to even care. The orders were to return any captured host, and so she would do just that. A few minutes later, they would arrive back at the improvised military camp. The military personel would handle the rest from there.



Damian was half awake when he felt himself chained up, the sound of metal doors slamming shut nearly waking him entirely. He could barely make out the voices he heard as the whirring of some sort of machine began echoing in the metallic room.

"The new shipments arrived. Prototypes for the new collars, wanna bring them in?"

"Yeah, let's try that. He's already weakened."

"Alright, we have to save one for Cronus though."

"We'll just give the collar a single attempt. If he doesn't budge, then we'll have to resort to much harsher measures."

Kell Outskirts - Watcher's Lake

As soon as Ishigo had departed, Kisheto had decided to group up with Yugeto and Julian. The three agreed to the idea and decided to meet up when it was their turn to head to the city. In the meantime, Kisheto wasted not a second to gather his belongings, specifically his armor, rifle, and dagger. He walked past the shuttle towards where they had came at a brisk pace, looking around and about. 'There it is...' he thought as he saw the clear lake isolated in the middle of a random clearing in the forest. It was small, but it had beautiful blue waters that created a small mist around the area. Kisheto felt the humidity rise as the mist caressed his skin. "Hell yes.... just what I needed..." he said as he dropped his armor and dagger before running to the lake. Kneeling by the shore, he cupped his hands and gathered a small splash of water to wash his face. After taking a nice long drink of the water as well, he blinked and stared at his reflection in the water. 'Whoa....'

He looked much different. His hair was longer, his face was more chiseled, and his eyes were a much brighter hue of golden. He looked forward, towards the rest of the lake and pondered his thoughts for a moment before chuckling. "Fuck it..." he said, throwing off all his clothes and diving into the lake. He felt a tremendous euphoric rush as the water embraced him while he dove down. He could almost feel the grime, dust, and dirt wash off his body, and he felt a cleansing sensation to the core of his bones - no, to the core of his spirit. He let all of his muscles relax for a good moment in which he simply floated idle in the water, no movement influencing his body. His hair floated upward and he ran his hand through it to feel the texture. It was an amazing sensation, and not even the need for oxygen could take away the pleasure he felt.



After enjoying his nice little dip, Kisheto left the water and shook his head, splashing the majority of the water off. He used his old jacket to dry off his head and body and decided to only put on his golden mercenary cargo pants, leaving the rest of his skin bare. 'The sun is setting....' he thought as he bundled his equipment by the lake and sat down on the soft grass near it. He leaned back on his hands and stretched his legs out before him. Staring into the sky, he sighed and smiled at the serenity of the moment. "Wow... this is what freedom feels like...."

'Imagine the look on dad's face when he sees how big I've gotten...' he thought, ignoring the negative thoughts that swirled around the back of his mind. He closed his eyes and soaked up the cool air. 'It's been a long time.... I wonder if he's an old man now. I wonder what my old friends think of me?' Kisheto felt his muscles loosen and his body relax. He had felt - for a long, long time - that he had been caging up many emotions that needed to be released. While any ordinary individual would have been torn apart by the loneliness, despair, and general feeling of being lost that Kisheto lived by day to day in his old life, Kisheto had turned it into habit. It was his lifestyle. He denied any feelings of sadness from overcoming his generally positive energy. And though his wandering ways left him short on friends, he still felt a connection to all the people he passed. It was just the way he was, and the way he would always be.

Suddenly, a gentle wind brushed past Kisheto, causing him to open his eyes as he felt something within him stir. Leaves shyly fell of the trees surrounding the lake and flew towards him as the breeze seemed to embrace him just as the waters did. He smiled, feeling blessed by whatever force of nature blew the gentle breeze his way. It was more than that, though. Kisheto felt the gust graze his head, slightly startling him as he thought it to be a hand. 'Hm? He looked around, puzzled. Chuckling at his overactive imagination he returned to his peaceful ponderings. 'No more hiding and stealing. I'll finally... I'll finally belong, huh? Wow, I feel like I'm in a movie! This is great...'

Realizing he had probably spent too much time day dreaming, he got up, although hesitantly. He chose only to wear a fresh under-armor, full-sleeve mesh shirt. He then pulled a loose, white t-shirt over the net-like garb and put on his golden mercenary boots, leaving the actual armor, cloak, and helmet there. 'I won't need these anymore... he thought solemnly. Picking up his dagger, he headed over to where Julian and Yugeto were waiting.

"Ay, yo! Time to go!"

.

---

Darkness fills his eyes
the man within now long gone
only fire remains

---

Vates and Vortex
“How long do you think it will take to reach Vantus?” Vates inquired as he fiddled with the little blade he had acquired. The only equipment he had was his merc armour, that blade and his empty gauntlets. Fortunately Vortex’s equipment had all been brought aboard; the soldiers clearly recognised it to all be quality gear and probably planned to sell it. She had her sniper rifle (with a functioning plasma core), her sabre claws and her sleek (completely black) armour and helmet.

“Hard to say. Depends on how much time we’ll have to spend avoiding military. I advise ditching this shuttle near Kell and trying to acquire another. I know we swept this thing but we can’t be one-hundred percent sure we’re clean.” Vortex seemed quite relaxed despite the topic and situation, she was just happy to be on this side of the wall and not be in a body bag or chains (anymore). Vates turned his head over his shoulder at the sound of a large thud in the cargo hold. Kansas and Benny were sparring, both taking their anger at the military out on the other. They weren’t the best of fighters but clearly had to have some degree of skill or prowess just to have survived the battle earlier.

“Kell should work. I have a safety deposit there that should contain enough to cover any expenses we need.” Vates smiled to himself, glad that his safety precautions from before the event were still paying off. The criminal underworld was a risky business but it certainly encouraged one to plan ahead.

“I have account in one of the local banks as well, but I imagine that its under military surveillance.” Vortex’s grip on the shuttle controls tightened, “Towards the end of my military service I realised that they had gathered a lot more information about me than I thought they could have. They probably know more about the way I work than the infamous Vates.”

Vates felt like saying that he knew nothing about her, but knew that he would end up saying it in such a way as to make him to jealous or childish. “Tell me more about your military service. You said you were a hunter? They were the hosts that annihilated the Golden Mercs during the battles earlier.” Visions of Nekros, the undead and his companions being torn apart filled his mind.

“Yes. I was one of the original members. Back then we were led by a guy named Garrus and mainly worked to take out notable threats and gather intel. But then the brass became more ruthless, Nekros replaced Garrus, and before long we were slaughtering civilians and stomping out any traces of hope that the people of Sovereign might have had...” Vortex paused for a moment to gather her thoughts, “I’ve killed a lot of people, but I’ve always been able to justify my actions to myself, been able to tell myself the targets were bad people. After a while of being a hunter you run out of justifications.”

“So you just left?”

“No. They tried to kill me on a field mission. I brought down the whole fucking skymall on their heads and ran. Managed to even kill a couple. The ones I really wanted to kill were Fang and Nekros but your buddies beat me to them.”

---

His spawn hide away
fearful of the fire father
he will destroy all

---

.

On board the Leafy Wind

Beartrice Magin

"-Now, I would join you, but we only have one parachute." B was standing near the back ramp of the transport shuttle. The Golden Mercenary had just finished explaining how to use the parachute. The mental projection of Ballizein, Beatrice's kage, in the form of a tigress perked her ears up and looked directly at B. B, I want you to know I don't approve of this plan. Noted, Z. B calmly looked at the merc and said, "I don't need a parachute."

The merc was dumbfounded, and B took the chance to lay out her plan. "You jump at whatever altitude you need. I'll jump a little later, check out the enemy forces, and get back to you." The merc had processed the information, and responded. "How-" "I'm fast. Don't worry about it. Head towards the shuttle. If there's no threat, I'll check out the nearest settlement. Where is it?" "There are some small towns but I'm not sure where they are. We're heading directly towards Kell. It's 20 kilometers to the northeast." B held out the parachute pack and the merc took it, adjusting the straps. "Are you sure-" "I know my limits." B's posture, tone, and eye contact radiated confidence. The merc began to lower the ramp by hand, manually overriding the hydraulics that normally operated the ramp. It emitted a hissing sound the entire way down. "If you're doing recon, I need exact numbers on troops, armament, positions. If you head to Kell, keep your eye out for other Golden Mercenaries. All of our comms were fried." As an afterthought, the merc added, "They might be trying to refuel."

The merc walked to the end of the ramp and, looking backwards at B, jumped. B walked to the end of the ramp. She watched the merc fall and the little "poof" of the parachute opening. B used one of the verticle hydraulic bars on the ramp as a handhold and looked over the edge, examining the landscape. She scowled slightly at the forest below her. I expected it to be a little clearer Z. The tigress had disappeared, not wanting to distract B. Still going to do it it? Only if I know I can make it. B thought she could make the jump unscathed even if she landed on a tree, but the slightest of errors would mean death.

At this point B wasn't worried about if the military would capture her. Her immediate concern was getting off this bulky transport ship while it performed an "emergency" landing with no power. She reckoned the merc's speech to the civilians on board earlier had been mostly for crowd control. The transport ship was rapidly losing altitude, and B was rapidly losing chances to leave this shuttle.

There. A few hundred feet off the ground, B spotted a large clearing in line with the shuttle. She estimated her trajectory and, without hesitation, stepped off the edge.

---

---

Freefalling towards earth, B wondered how close she was to terminal velocity. She tried to pick some landmarks so she could find the shuttle easily. She noticed a small river parallel to the aircraft's path. You should kill some speed in the clearing, navigating the trees will be difficult.

As the ground quickly approached, B twisted and extended the back of her right hand downwards. She rooted her hand and moved horizontally, rolling. With every roll she burned a little speed and adjusted her course slightly, circling the clearing rapidly before she was at a safe speed to travel. On the last roll she vaulted, sending her feet forward and beginning her cat-like run through the trees. She came dangerously close to slamming into trees multiple times before bounding into the clearing of the river. She traveled along the banks, making a much better time towards the shuttle now that she didn't have to dodge trees.

The mental projection of her kage appeared beside her, and the massive tigress matched her stride. You're still so tense. This takes a lot of concentration, Z. You can still enjoy it. Enjoy what? The freedom.

B felt the wind in her face and the warm sunlight from the setting sun on the back of her neck. She only rooted one of her hands for the next few strides, feeling the healthy grass and dirt and mud between her fingers. Smiling, a few tears streamed backwards across her face, glistening as the wind quickly swept them away.

In front of B a rumbling noise marked the crash of the transport shuttle. She was close.

Raeven sighed as the last group was preparing to leave and sat down on the ground by the door to the shuttle. She winced as she felt her hip slip and sighed, resting her hand over where the pain radiated from her hip. She should have asked Ishigo to snag some morphine for her while he was in the city. The injury was most likely healing faster than a normal human, but she felt vulnerable like this. She only wished that she could have been more careful in her fight against Ghost. The rage she had felt for Ishigo's "death" had made her foolish. She'd known that he would have phased his chest when she kicked it, but her instincts had been in control at that moment. She was becoming foolish because of her feelings.

A gust of wind blew through the small clearing, rustling the leaves and causing the grass to appear like an ocean. Raeven closed her eyes and listened to the sound of the forest, resting her head back against the shuttle. As an assassin, Raeven had never let her emotions consume her so much as they were now. She resented Ishigo and Hector for awakening them.  What good were they to Raeven other than to confuse her and cause her to make mistakes?

Raeven let out a small groan and rubbed her eyes. As much as she hated the emotions, she had to admit that she enjoyed them. When she was around Ishigo, it felt like the good old days again. She couldn't care less what was happening at the wall, or how messed up the world could be. It was like she was home, safe and sound, and with one of her best friends to mess around in the fields with.

A distant sound, like the buzzing of a fly caught her attention and she opened her eyes and looked around. Movement in the sky caught her attention and she looked up, frowning as a smoking shuttle began to dive towards the ground. She stood and climbed onto the shuttle to get a better view, ignoring the pain in her hip. A small object dropped from the shuttle before it deployed a parachute. She continued to watch the shuttle, wondering if it was military or a civilian shuttle that had hit a bird. A second object dropped from the plane, but no parachute deployed. She twisted her lips and watched, the object shoot towards the ground. The poor sucker must have had a faulty parachute. She moved her attention back to the shuttle and watched it continue its fatal fall towards the ground. Anyone left on the shuttle was most likely to perish in the crash. Raeven frowned when the shuttle flew below the clearing's tree line, leaving her view. She heard the distant boom when the shuttle hit and cringed. "What a shame," she murmured. She wanted to go discover who the parachuter was, but knew she shouldn't leave the shuttle. If it had been the military, she wouldn't want to run into the survivor with a hurt hip.

With the spectacle over with, Raeven gripped a bar on the top of the shuttle and slowly lowered herself to the ground. Normally she would have had fun with it and flipped off, but today she felt like keeping the pain in her hip to a minimum. She returned to her spot against the shuttle and relaxed, waiting for the groups to finish their trip into the city.. She would tell Ishigo about the downed shuttle when he returned.

.

---

The soldier left home
his wife and unborn child too
but doom awaited

---

Vates and Vortex
The young man brushed his clammy hands through his yellow straw like hair. His eye twitched nervously a he awaited his guests, fearful that he would someone end up dead. He swallowed in a futile effort to counter the rising sick that he could feel. They should be here by now he thought frantically to himself, what if they’re not coming, what if they’ve been captured… or what if this is just a trap for me? He could take waiting no longer, but as he turned to escape the scene a blade found itself resting under his chin, the cold metal tickling his neck.

“Where do you think you’re going Tobias?” a voice whispered seductively in his ear. His response was unlikely to be expected for he suddenly wrenched forward and emptied the contents of his stomach onto the mud.

“Still suffering with the nervousness I see. Sorry about Sierra here, she likes to surprise people.” Vates chuckled as he appeared from the nearby treeline, “We would have come out sooner but we wanted to make sure that you were good to your word and that you weren’t followed.”

Unbeknownst to Tobias there were still two more people hiding in the nearby flora. Kansas and Benny were laid in the dirt, watching silently for any other signs of movement. Tobias, who was now kneeling in the dirt, grimaced at the remnants of his curry and winced as its heat burned his throat; it seemed to do more damage coming up than going down. Vates nodded to Vortex prompting her to help him raise their new contractor to his feet.

“I thought you were dead. You were in Sovereign. How are you here?” Tobias’ eyes wandered over Vates and Vortex, still struggling to believe what he was seeing.

“I’m very much alive Tobias. Now, as much as I’d like to catch up we need to get moving and you need to do what I have asked.” Vates glanced approvingly at Tobias’ bag before alliterating his task, “I need you to head almost due West of here, to the coordinates I gave you. There you’ll find a military transport shuttle. I need you to fly it to the North then dispose of it. If you head to Brenner you can find more than adequate payment in the storage locker I told you about.”

Tobias gently rocked his head backwards and forwards in what seemed more like a trance than a understanding nod. Without asking any questions or bidding the two goodbye he wandered off towards the west. Vates and Vortex looked at each other with raised eyebrows. “You really think he’s up for the task? He seemed brain-dead to me.” Sierra looked back at the figure who, by the way he walked, looked like he may have defecated himself.

“He’s not the brightest spark but he always pulled through in the past. Maybe us being here really is a shock to the people on the outside? Who knows what they think has been going on; they might know more than us, or they might know nothing at all.”

---

A river of blood
skin and bones torn asunder
he could not save them

---

.

Crash site of the Leafy Wind, outside Kell

Beatrice Magin

Beatrice saw smoke above the trees, and allowed herself to slow as she neared the crash site. As she slowed the projection of her kage disappeared as to not distract her. She changed course from following the river and went through the trees.

She had to remind herself to keep checking the skies, but saw no signs of military shuttles. With the forest around them, she doubted the military would come by land. Was the mercenary's speech pure conjecture? That made sense, considering they had no electronics. Why offer her the parachute first? There were other mercenaries on that shuttle. He had barely asked B about her power.

She decided to push those questions out of her mind. She approached a small clearing and slowed by directing her momentum up a tree at the edge of the clearing. If she needed to run away, she could drop and gain that initial burst of speed that she needed. Covered in sweat, she observed what remained of the transport shuttle.

The military didn't need to follow the transport because it was too bulky to land anywhere in this forest. Scattered across the clearing were branches and leaves taken from the tops of the trees above her. They made a trail to the far end of the clearing, where the body of the aircraft, in several pieces, laid. One thing that surprised B was how little damage the trees had taken.

There's no way anyone survived that. At least at the end, the pilot must have known his fate. B dropped to the ground, rolled to kill speed, then slowed from a jog to a walk towards the aircraft. She pushed some questions out of her mind before they even formed. If there was anything she learned to deal with in the past year, it was survivor's guilt. She would have time at some point later to reflect and maybe mourn, but right now she was focused on scavenging supplies from the wreck.

Climbing through the wreck, she focused on finding three things: food, a backpack, and valuables she could barter with in town, particularly cores. There was little left that was actually identifiable, and of that there seemed to be nothing in one piece. In the rear of the shuttle, easily accessible because of the open ramp, she could see a crate of military rations. The box was destroyed, and many of the rations were crushed and scattered about, but it was blocked by twisted metal. B reached through the metal and snagged a lone ration pack, Almost cutting herself. She munched on it while she walked outside.

The main cabin of the wreck was next, and she finished the bland food before she looked in. Beatrice wasn't going to enter unless she had to. The scene was awful. A few mangelled limbs and bodies were scattered about, but in all most people were still attached to their seats. She navigated the rows and stepped over bodies, checking pockets and compartments when it didn't mean touching gore. She found mostly junk. Any electronics she found would have been fried by the emp even if they survived the crash.

B was about to pass one woman who was particularly mangled when B noticed a bulge in her windbreaker pocket. She felt the outside of the jacket and felt two cores inside. She excitedly dug them out. Wind and kinetic.

Ballizein formed in B's mind next to her. There may be others here soon. This soon after the wreck? This deep in the forest? Despite her arguments, she knew Z was right. She searched the rest of the plane quickly. She found a large leather handbag covered in blood. What kind of idiot brings a handbag through a firefight? B dumped out the bag, finding mostly makeup which had broken inside the bag and tampons, and put the cores in. She then traveled back to where the ration crate was and grabbed as many as she could reach, about 15 in all.

The bag was cumbersome. B wore it like a satchel, and started off in the direction of Kell. She briefly considered going back for the merc first, but it would be dark soon. If she didn't find him, it would be a lot of wasted time. She would return and try to find him near the shuttle, though her hopes were not high.

B started off in a light run, but picked up the pace. When she reached the trees she began running like a rabbit with the aid of her power, launching herself with her feet and directing herself with her hands. She made her way back towards the riverbank and followed it in the direction of Kell. She didn't dwell on the recently deceased, but her kage also said nothing about how she wasn't enjoying the outdoors.

Okani watched as the grass before him swayed outward from the body laying in the center of the patch, pushing away from it in all directions as if trying to escape its pull, its orbit. He sat down in criss-cross position, closing his eyes and meditating. 'Through strength of mind, body, and soul, we conquer the weak. The weak will achieve a coalescence within my iron will. Let my power spread, let my power spread. Through strength of mind, body, and soul, we are strong. The strong will absorb the weak and defiant still.Those beneath are dead, those beneath are dead.' Okani repeated this mantra in his mind as the trees within the small grove Okani had found himself in bent inward towards the body that the grass attempted to flee from. A thick, liquid-like, clear substance slowly made its way from Okani's body to the deceased one. The corpse seemed to have been that of a girl around 19 years of age, of petite but not underdeveloped figure; no better scout for Okani to weed out and distinguish the weak. This was the first step to him setting his plans in motion for Aeros to become a great arena of battle once again.

As time passed, Okani felt his spirit gradually diminish and shift, as the first signs of a stirring life became apparent within the corpse after an extended period of time. 'Yes...the ritual is yielding results once more.' Okani shuddered inwardly as his greater field of sense expanded, and he felt a rush of life, a new set of veins, new blood, new tendons, new muscles, new organs, new limbs; a new body.

Okani kept his eyes shut, and for a brief moment, there was a void of nothingness that rivaled the cosmos themselves enveloping Okani's consciousness.

Darkness.

Then, Okani opened his eyes. He sighed in relief and satisfaction, looking to the body that lay before him. The body's blank expression slowly turned to a smirk as the paleness was diluted by the new, warm life that coarsed through the corpse's veins.

Then, Okani opened his eyes.

Baron Military Prison

"Shock." An old man wrote notes down on a clipboard as his assistant pressed down on a switch located on a large control array. On the other side of the wall, behind a glass viewing frame, Damian, who was locked in place with his limbs stretched, was shocked by enough volts of electricity to nearly cause him to blackout. He cried out in pain as the electricity caused his entire body to spasm. "AGHHHH!! NOOOOO!" when the electrocution stopped, he gasped for air and coughed. "FUCK YOU, INHUMAN PIECE OF SH-"

"Shock."

"ARGHHHH-ckkkkkkk....ck.....ckk...." Damian's mouth was forced shut as his jaw clenched in response to the pain.

"We didn't want to have to resort to this, my friend, but you are wasting our time. Bring in the collar," the scientists said in annoyance. Damian's breathing was weak and labored, and he could only move his eyeballs to watch the assistant press a button to open the sliding door on the far side of his chamber. The assistant then grabbed a metal band that had a small box on it. The inside of the band was riddled with tiny needles, the largest needle extending down the neck. It was obvious it wasn't a painless procedure, and it he couldn't imaging the pain of the largest needle digging into is spine. Damian squirmed in place as adrenaline and fear began to take over. However, the cylindrical locks on his hands and feet kept him rooted in place. The assistant then used a magnetic rod to carry the collar up to Damian's neck, as he was somewhat high in the air. The collar seemed to float by the end of the rod, and when it neared Damian, the assistant jammed the opening of the collar towards his neck. Damian screamed as the collar wrapped and then tightened as it auto-adjusted to his neck's size. The needles dug in and the back needle drilled into his spinal column, causing him to shriek before he lost his voice.

His vision began to fade as he felt his consciousness drain in pulses synchronized with his heartbeat. He had to exert every ounce of his spirit just to stay awake. He then felt a sudden jolt of electricity within his brain, but could not act to express his pain. He was terrified: he could feel his body, but could not control anything. It was as if he was a conscience trapped within a body without any control whatsoever.

The assistant stepped out and returned to the scientist's side. The man nodded and then spoke into the microphone with fed into an output speaker in the chamber.

"Ok, subject 33, I want your first AND last name, now," he said calmly.

Damian was frightened when he heard his own voice speak without him even thinking to move his mouth: "Da-.....Damian....Le'Kruz...."

Damian began to panic, though on the outside, no emotion was present. 'This is not good... NOT good, Damian. We don't have enough spirit to do anything! DAMNIT!" Even Triliq felt Damian's fear, and she realized that he was justified in it.

"Ah, the general will be pleased to hear of these results. However, we won't be able to get full combat and field capability like this...." he said as he fidgeted with a few controls. "I suppose I should wipe the conflicting conscience now..."

Damian mustered every ounce of his energy to break through whatever force was stopping him from accessing his nervous system and spoke: "N-n-no! I'll.... I'll listen! I'll..... obey...."

The scientist hid a smile as he looked down and nodded. "Ahh, will you now? Well, then...." he nodded to his assistant who retrieved a small chip and reentered the room. Using the same rod, the assistant placed the chip in a small slot located on the box that was attached to the left side of the collar. "We'll keep the collar on, but I'm beginning to think we'll be able to trust you."

After typing up a few notes on his computer he pointed to his assistant. "Mandy here will be watching your endocrine responses. We'll also have constant first person surveillance. What you see, we see. What you hear, we hear. If we suspect you try to take the collar of at ANY time, we simply..." with the press of a button, the Doctor watched Damian scream in pain as the largest needle dug deeper into his spine. "...spark the reaction of the toxins in your body. You'll be dead within seconds, if the collar doesn't take control of you first."

Damian felt his eyes beginning to droop as his consciousness leaked away rapidly.

'This just got much more interesting, don'tcha think, Dee?'

Watcher's Lake, Kell outskirts

Beatrice Magin

Beatrice slowed as the river narrowed, but still maintained her gallop. The river narrowed even more, and she saw the source of the river up ahead.

Think I can run across water, Z? Not at this speed. As she approached the lake, B planned out a path to gain the most speed in the least distance. She abandoned the idea. She usually didn't mind using more of her spirit reserves to train and push her limits, but decided now was not the time. At the edge of the lake, she directed her motion up a tree. She planned on enjoying a ration pack or 2, washing off, then continuing towards Kell.

When she reached a branch about ten feet up, she stopped and surveyed the lake. The lake was misty and a beautiful blue, but that's not what stood out to B. In what looked to be a path that ended at the lake she noticed a pile of clothes and armor.

She immediately dropped out of the tree and moved to investigate. She stashed the bag haphazardly behind a log as she circled the lake, staying hidden in the trees. She bounded between trees, rooting and rapidly changing direction constantly to keep her speed up. She felt like a pinball. On closing in on the trail she ascended into a tree. She still didn't have a good view of the trail so she dropped, moved forward a few trees, then ascended again.

Below her, the trail was empty. The pile of clothes had no owner nearby. She paused, listening intently. She could hear the various sounds of wildlife and the trickle of a stream, but not anything to indicate people were near.

Ballizein appeared on the branch next to her. Tell me what you see. Golden Mercenary gear. Someone went for a swim. That's obvious. Why? They felt safe. Beatrice saw where the tigress was going with this. They put their guard down. If I was military or hunter or had worse intentions, I could track them, hurt them. I'm more careful than that, don't worry. She became aware of her unattended bag across the lake.

B dropped to the ground and killed her speed by rolling, checking the merc gear for valuables. And here I thought you were trying to get me to relax more, Z. There's a time and place for everything, B. There was nothing valuable in the discarded armor. B quickly moved through the trees towards her bag, not wanting to be caught going through someone else's stuff. She walked towards the log. I'm starving. I'll eat two of these ration packs then try to make contact with these mercs.

Looking over the log, B saw a racoon, tail and rear legs in the air, headfirst in her handbag. "Nonono that's MY food!" The racoon was startled but had trouble removing itself from the bag. Beatrice lunged, grabbed the raccoon by the tail, spun around, and hurled it. She saw the animal fly away from her between the trees, ration pack and kinetic core held tight against its chest. "You little shit!" she yelled, much louder than she meant to. She threw the handbag over her shoulder, not letting another creature get into her loot. She made sure the wind core was present then ran off to chase the racoon.

O.o