### Collaboration between RockFace and Yugeto --- Ciara and Beatrice continued their trek to the city nearby. * **'There's little to no doubt in my mind the security in the area will be heightened due to the destruction of the wall; it's fortunate I've learned my lay of the land during my year in Sovereign.'** * She thought to herself, pressing on. After about thirty minutes of travelling after having eaten their respective ration packs, small black blips on the horizon appeared in Ciara's vision. "Do you see that, up there? What does that look like to you?" She asked B. "Shuttles? I can't tell if they're military, but we should probably avoid them anyways." B had been hesitant to travel with Ciara, even after being saved by her. B like the idea of interacting with as few people as possible. As the two neared the blips and they became more recognizable, Ciara sighed in relief. "You seem to be right; it's two military shuttles up ahead. No point evading them, they've probably already spotted us by now." As she spoke, the shuttles became bigger and bigger as they neared at a seemingly increasing rate. "Almost every kage has some sort of ability for defense or offense; it is their byproduct as a result of superior selection, of course. These beings are the epitome of evolution; surely you are not worried about a meager patrol?" Ciara asked. Okani was putting B's mindset to the test. B's instinct was to just run and hide. "The 'niche' I evolved for in Sovereign was as a scavenger. I trained to stay alive and survive. I ran away." * **'Are you ready for this B?'** * During her time at Sovereign, her kage had hinted at battling and the offensive potential of her powers. "I don't know if that will cut it now that we're being hunted." She knew she would be able to evade the patrol on her own, but she couldn't just leave Ciara. "If we have to fight, I want you to shove me as hard as you can. It doesn't matter what direction." Ciara nodded to her anxious ally. "Unfortunately, running will just lead to heightened security at Kell. What I'm hearing from you is that you're fast, and if that's so then we can take care of these men quickly and head to Kell without causing a real disturbance." Ciara explained. If Kell was on a more-heightened alert, there was no point of them going there at all. As B thought back to Ciara's powers, an idea struck her. "Actually, can you use your power and throw me from a tree? Once I have momentum I can change the direction of it no problem. Just throw me wherever you want me to land. I'll try to take the guys out towards the back of the pack first. You seem really confident, are you okay taking the front line out once they notice me? Does this plan sound good?" B expected her kage to chastise her for this, but she stayed quiet. *Do you approve of this, Z? **'If I didn't you would know.'*** The two shuttles slowly inched towards the duo as a booming voice spoke from within. "This is an unauthorized entry route; can you present your valid identification, citizens?" The voice called out. Ciara motioned for B to head towards the tree towards the upper left of the two as she replied. "My friend here has valid identification; unfortunately, I do not. I don't see what you're going to do about that in a shuttle with no weaponry." She spoke, provoking the men within. "Prepare for descent and interrogation, undocumented alien." The voice spoke as the shuttles roared down, chopping the blades of grass nearby with their landing. Five soldiers from each shuttle formed two rows, a back row and a front row; farther behind, a lone man strode to a position in front of the front row. "We are absolutely prepared to use lethal force if you do not submit yourself, undocumented alien. Your currently unidentified companion is also accountable. We will be civil if you reciprocate, we assure total cooperation if you reciprocate, and we will resort to violence if you reciprocate." The man spoke indifferently. B paid little attention to the voice. She focused entirely on climbing as high as she could as fast as she could, making use of her power when she could to climb faster. She was worried about Ciara's range, but trusted that Ciara would have said something if it was an issue. As she neared the top, she didn't know whether to go higher or stay lower at a sturdier branch. Instead of hesitating, B just climbed to the very tip of the tree. She could feel it bend under her weight. Ciara looked to B in the distance using her peripherals, then focused on her as she spoke carefully. "Fuck you." She said coldly as the tree twisted to life, inching itself back and straining, crackling as the weaker branches broke off. The tree then shot forward, sending B speeding at an incredible rate towards the group. Feeling the tree bend backwards, B readied herself to be launched. She wasn't ready. She barely held on as the tree whipped her towards the group. She was winded, but managed to twist herself enough to spot where she was landing: right beside the leader of the group. *So much for being sneaky.* As she sped towards the ground, she could see the man's expression change from blank to startled to fear. He started to reach towards B with a gloved hand, but it wasn't fast enough. B reached towards the ground, rooting herself as she landed and sending her momentum in the direction of the man. Her shoulder erupted in pain as it impacted the man's knee, which shattered and inverted. The man screamed as he collapsed. B herself was sent spinning from the attack, and skidded along the grass for a moment before getting her bearings. Her chest was burning, but B knew if she stopped she would lose any advantage she had over the soldiers. She opted to rely more on her power than her body for the moment so she could keep on the offensive. She sent herself flying back towards the group. One of the men broke rank and stepped forward to help his fallen leader. B rooted her hand, twisting and aiming her foot at the man's head, and launched herself. What she envisioned as a graceful kick turned into a haphazard flail as her body ragdolled through the air feet-first. She stiffened her leg as her heel came into contact with the man's head which violently snapped to the side with a loud crack. B hardly lost any momentum. Her trajectory left her within arm's reach of the front line of men. All except the soldier on the far end reacted quickly enough to guard but not quickly enough to get an attack in. B managed to take that soldier out with an elbow to the throat before losing the element of surprise. One of the soldiers took to holding his sword out in front of him in the direction of B, and the rest followed suit. B circled the group twice in less than a second but saw no openings. She changed strategies and darted into the nearest shuttle. It was hard to process the information fast enough, but B saw the pilot still sitting down. She jumped and landed with both feet on the back of his head, slamming his face into the controls. She rooted her hand on the frame of the shuttle and sent herself flying out without looking to see how much damage she had done. She launched herself on top of the shuttle she had just cleared, stopping but able to drop off the shuttle for some speed. She collapsed to her hands and knees, finally catching her breath. Ciara noticed the soldiers having drawn their swords, her eyes having trouble keeping up with B's speed. She raised her hands and they began to glow, and the swords the men held were quickly strewn from their hands; the swords simultaneously plunged into the soldiers' stomachs, with all but three soldiers stabbed, as the evasive few who dodged the sword survived. Ciara took a quick head count. * **'Their leader is alive but downed, two are dead by B's hand as well as one pilot. Five dead via stabbing. That leaves one pilot and two soldier alive and well.'** * Ciara quickly maneuvered the eight floating swords, spinning them as they neared the two soldiers. "This is a world where the obsolete are eradicated. The tides of change are harsh and unforgiving." She proclaimed as the three soldiers attempted to run from the swords that only caught up to the trio, dicing through them erratically and messily like tough meat. B watched the scene from the top of the shuttle. It made her feel a little uneasy. She pushed that feeling away and dropped back to the ground, instantly sprinting towards Ciara. A pain hit her left leg and her feet were knocked out from underneath her. She hit the ground, skidding and losing all momentum. She looked to see the leader of the group lunge for her and grab her leg with his ungloved hand. Ciara looked to the shuttle with its pilot still intact and noticed its engines starting up. "B, if that shuttle gets away there's no chance we'll be in Kell safely." She noticed, however, B's preoccupation with the leader of the troop. She focused, and raised her arms once more. The leader easily dragged B towards him despite her struggles. He placed his gloved hand on her abdomen. * **'Focus, child.'** * B took a deep breath and anticipated the shockwave from the kinetic glove, the same that knocked her over. She exhaled and the man shoved the glove, with all his weight behind it, into her. The kinetic glove tried to shove her body, but with nowhere to go the energy would easily liquify her insides. The shockwave rippled into her skin but was redirected up into her right arm. Her fist swung at the man's head with all of the force of the kinetic glove, the man's weight, and B's muscles. The sound from the impact was a mix between a crack and a squish as both the man's skull and B's hand broke from the impact. The man collapsed on top of her, blood pouring from the side of his head onto her. She managed to wiggle out from underneath the body, gasping for breath. She felt sick, but managed not to vomit. * **'You're safe now, Beatrice. You did well.'** * The pilot within the rising shuttle was sweating with anticipation. "I'm done for, I'm done for, I'm done for!" He shouted as he flipped the shuttle's controls in a panic in order to get back to base. He reached for the emergency comm to signal for aid as he escaped, knowing that at least these menaces would be dealt with. Upon pressing the emergency button, however, the shuttle simply beeped strangely and inconsistently. "HELP! I NEED HELP! I NEED HELP!" The pilot screamed into the comm as the shuttle behaved inexplicably. The shuttle rose at a much greater rate, and the pilot panicked. "I don't understand, how did it gain the-AGH!" The shuttle shook as it continued its rise, and then stabilized. The pilot sighed in relief. "Ah....the autopilot setting triggered by the emergency must have sent the shuttle to an altitude it deemed safe." The pilot spoke, attempting to rationalize the actions that occurred out loud. The pilot rested in his chair, wiping the heavy sweat off his wet brow in relief. The shuttle's displays all flickered before turning black. After about four seconds, the displays clicked back to life, all showing a white screen with the same chilling text: **NO ONE CAN SAVE YOU NOW** The shuttle dropped at a near-meteoric pace, beeping and flickering wildly as the pilot drowned in his own piercing wails before the shuttle impacted, resulting in an explosive crash and pieces of flesh and metal flying out of the heap in nearly all directions.

Sayuri accepted the pair of rations greatfully placing the stone in one of her pockets, "I was stopping here on my way to somewhere I know I could live until I was discovered and even then I could get out easily. Seems like I should wait a couple years first though," she was just about to open one when she heard a shuttle traveling in their direction. Instatnly on edge she shoved the ration packs into her bag picked up her sword and was about to bolt when Reaven spoke up. She watched her as she gathered anything they would need. She noded back when she said she had a plan. She straightened and followed Raeven, "I trust you. I probably shouldn't but considering the situation doing otherwise would be a bad idea."

As Kisheto skidded to a stop, Kiara braced for a rough landing, gripping at his shirt as she tightened her legs around him. She let out the breath she had been holding and stumbled as he set her down. She put her hands on her knees, leaning forward a little as she tried to catch her back. When he touched her shoulder, she gave him a look of death. This was all _his_ fault. She stood tall, clenching her hands into fists. "You fool! You-you-_UGH_!" She began to pace, infuriated. "Do yah have any idea what you just **did**!? You could have killed me!" She brushed her hair back from her face, the stress of all that had just happened turning her stomach into a tight ball. "I can never go back to a normal life, now dat _you_ and your friends pulled de stunt you just did!" Kiara's mind was a whirl. Hosts? How could she have done this to herself? What was going to happen to her career now? "De whole city is looking for us now!" She yelled, throwing her arms up in the air. "What am I going to do when de military shows up on my front door!?" She froze, her face turning from rage to fear. "I'll never have a normal life again," she whispered. "I'm going to go to jail and rot there for the rest of my life." She buried her face in her hands, taking deep breaths to calm herself down. "Maybe my father can help.. I don't even know these guys." Kiara let out a frustrated whimper and kicked a nearby trashcan, feeling satisfied with the clangs it made as it flew a foot or to from its original spot. She turned to face Kisheto, her expression steely. "You better clean up dis mess you just made, _host_." She spat. She sighed and turned around, heading into her home. "Get inside before somebody sees you!" Kiara called, heading into her kitchen for a drink. She hadn't meant to sound brash, but she was still sour and upset from what had just occurred. Being arrested had terrified her. Especially when she'd been thrown against the carriage. She had no clue what to do next. She was most certainly a fugitive, now. Her life in Kell was over.

> "You better clean up dis mess you just made, _host_." Kisheto's expression went from light to solemn within an instant as he felt the words pierce through him like bullets. He had no problem confronting people who considered him annoying, maybe even useless, but this was different. He was a problem - a _monster_ - in Kiara and the rest of the world's eyes. Suddenly, he didn't feel much like a hero. As she stormed around, Kisheto shook his head slightly and looked to the side, hoping to see Yugeto. As he remained fixated in place in part of his disappointment and sense of failure, Julian's smoke form hovered above him and came to a halt right in front of him. Then, Julian's hand reformed upon Kisheto's shoulder, and the rest of Julian's body returned to normal as well. "Don't worry, brothah, we'll make it," he said reassuringly. Kisheto looked to Julian with sad eyes but smiled anyway, feeling his usual self return. "Of course we will. Just a bump in the road, y'know?" he replied as he followed Julian inside. The house was simply amazing. Kisheto had seen luxury before, but only when as a thief in the shadows. Never had he been within the walls of such an elegant home without having to keep himself hidden. Now, he was able to take in everything as it was laid out: fancy furniture, beautiful decor, the amazing smell of something cooking. "Holy shit, this is fucking awesome! Are you rich or something?!" Kisheto asked excitedly. He began peering at everything around him curiously, like a child in a museum. However, he realized that there was blood seeping from his collar and decided to stay put, as to not track blood on any of the beautiful furniture.

Kiara pulled a bottle of water from the fridge and unscrewed it, letting the lid drop onto the counter of the island. She took a long, well-needed drink from it as she watched Kisheto curiously look around. Her expression went from one of annoyance to one of defeat as the medical student noticed the cuts on Kisheto's body for the first time. With a heavy sigh, Kiara set the water bottle down and got out three more for the three young men. As much as she hated that they were inside of her home, she could tell that they had been through a lot. Plus, after being caught with a bunch of hosts in front of the *police*, what harm could it be to let them rest in her house before she kicked them out? "Sit," she commanded the fool, pointing towards the seat at the island in her kitchen. She moved into the small bathroom off to the right and knelt down at the sink. From the cabinet underneath the sink she retrieved a special medical kit about the size of a small briefcase, full of supplies to treat any number of victims. Kiara shut the cabinet door and stood, heading back towards the island. After setting the kit down, she took another swig of water as she let Kisheto get situated. "Now, let me see your wounded clavicle." Host or not, she felt an intense need to help anyone that was hurt. Her mother called it a gift, but at the moment Kiara didn't know what to call it. Either way, she didn't want this idiot to bleed out any longer. She bitterly cared for him. Especially since he had saved her from the police.

### Collab Between Demous and Skai ---- As the large military shuttle descended upon the clearing, eager soldiers jumped out to investigate the stolen shuttle in hopes of finding someone to rough up. This group enjoyed their new commander. Her mercilessness granted them all of the fun that they wanted to have. One soldier, named Butch, aimed his plasma rifle at the shuttle and kicked it. "Come on out! We've got ya surrounded!" The rest of the soldiers gathered around the shuttle as a few stragglers eyed the forest. ---- Raeven watched the military men from behind one of the many bushes hugging the forest ground. She frowned as she counted the number of soldiers and eyed the military's shuttle, guessing how many could be waiting inside to back up these goons. *Damn. How are we going to get out of this without a few wounds?* She asked herself, glancing at Sayuri. **Now is a good time to test your limits with my ability, Raeven. The situation at hand is enough pressure to get you to push them**, Eremiel said, curious to see what this human could do. Raeven quirked her eyebrow. *Like?* Eremiel chuckled. **Think. What can you do that keeps you from being detectable? Once these soldiers realize that no one is in the shuttle, they'll most likely search the forest for you. What then, hm? You cannot outrun their bullets.** Raeven smirked as the thought dawned on her. *I see. Good advice.* Without another word, she watched as the soldiers busted into the abandoned shuttle and searched it's belly. Sayuri watched the soldiers carefully getting a good idea of what equipment they had and other important details, 'Hmm... Those rifles seem to be a newer model than the ones I know. The helmets on the other hand don't seem to be much different than the old ones and are probably only equipped with the standard zoom cameras and night vision. Though I never really did pay attention to the armor as much as the weapons,' Sayuri could practically see the look Hiryu's face would have made with the sigh, *'Why did I expect you to be any different. Of course you only focused on the weapons,' she rolled her eyes before she looked over at Raeven, "Do you have any ideas? I have one but It would be dangerous for several reasons but could get us out of here," as she spoke the soldiers were starting to give up on the shuttle, "We need to think fast however." Raeven looked to Sayuri as she spoke and twisted her lips in thought. "What's your plan, Stan?" She asked quietly, ensuring that they couldn't be heard. "I have one that could keep us under cover until we reached the other's in Kell, but it's risky. Do tell yours, though." Sayuri met her gaze and answered completely serious, "I could start a forest fire," she just watched to see what her reaction would be. Raeven blinked, staring at Sayuri for a moment. "Hm." She looked back out at the soldiers, watching as they cursed the empty shuttle and sent the information to their main ship. "Well, as much as I'd hate to burn the military and possibly a whole forest, we can use that as a back up if my plan goes south. Deal?" Rae looked back at her, indifferent about using fire or not. Sayuri shrugs back, "I never said it was a good plan. It does make a good back up plan and if need be used, though if we do need to use it I will be exhausted, so what did you have in mind?" Raeven looked back to the soldiers as they gathered around the goon communicating with the main ship. "For precautionary reasons, I didn't tell you about my main ability. You see, I can hide us from the soldiers without having to be behind a bush or up in a tree." She glanced over at Sayuri. "I can become invisible, to say the least. I think I can handle stretching my boundary to hide you, as well." Raeven shifted uncomfortably behind the bush as the soldiers recieved their orders. They began to spread out in a circle into the forest, Butch and another soldier headed towards the two concealed fugitives. Hiryu forces his way into Sayuri's thoughts, *'Sayuri considering our options...'* 'I know Hiryu,' she look at the approaching soldiers and back at Raeven tightening her grip on her sword, "How long will it take to cover us? More importatly how long do you think you can hold it?" Raeven chuckled softly. "Well, I have no damn clue. We'll just have to wing it." She smirked and rested her hand on Sayuri's shoulder. "Now, be completely quiet," she whispered to her before focuing her spirit into her hand. Soon, the light around Rae's hand began to warp. The movement of light continued until it covered both girls' bodies, completely hiding them. Raeven looked over at Sayuri and smiled as she could still see her. *So, it acts like a skin-tight blanket. Interesting.* She quipped before giving Sayuri a nod. Eremiel smirked. **You did well. Now, let's focus on holding it and staying quiet as we get the hell out of here, hm? Remember, contact is key.** Raeven rolled her eyes and slowly stood, keeping her hand on Sayuri's shoulder. She gestured for Sayuri to follow suit, turning her head to watch the soldiers grow ever closer. Sayuri rose the same time Raeven did making sure to be as quiet as possible. She looked at the soldiers then into the forest. Nodding at Raeven she begins moving slowly, but deliberately, deeper into the forest. Making sure Raevens hand stayed on her shoulder figuring that was what allowed her to be hidden as well. She lead Raeven away from the clearing moving slightly to their right so as to not be directly in line with the following soldiers. Keeping at a steady pace she watched both Raeven to make sure she could keep up and to make sure the soldiers still couldn't see them. Raeven watched the soldiers closely as they snuck away towards the direction Kell was in. She let out a small sigh as she noticed that they were in the clear. --- Butch scanned the forest for any signs of life, looking determined and aslo a little excited. His partner, Skip, looked over at him. "Ay? You seein' anything? I've got nada." Butch simply shook his head and continued walking. Skip eyed Butch's new helmet. "Ay. Why don't you try that new, fancy infrared vision? My helmet's on the fritz today, or I'd use it." Butch nodded and pressed a button on his helmet, the screen inside popping up to show a infrared image of the forest. He cursed lightly. "This damn forest is too dense for me to get a good look. It's all too warm." He cursed the warm weather this time. Skip spat. "Damn. There goes our fancy equipment." The two goons continued their search, passing the now empty bush that had concealed Raeven and Sayuri before. They didn't hear the quiet footsteps the two women made as they continued to make their escape. --- Raeven sighed once she and Sayuri reached a safe distance and removed her hand from Sayuri's shoulder. She paused to lean against a tree, feeling quite tired after the expensive move. **You did better than I expected, Raeven. You deserve a cookie.** Raeven rolled her eyes and rubbed them before brushing her hair back from her face and turning to Sayuri. "We're close to Kell. We should be able to continue on from here without any danger, unless the military has already reached it." She sighed and cursed under her breath. "I have friends in the city. Let's hope they're still okay." Sayuri watched Raeven as the leaned against the tree obviously exhausted after that cloaking she'd used. She rummaged through her bag and pulled out a mostly full bottle of water and handed it to Raeven, "Here you look like you could use it. I have some," she hesitates for a second, "Contacts in the city as well. As long as we get into the city they could help us find your friends and if the military comes in later help us get out again," she looks off into the distance. She thought about her sisters for a couple seconds. Placing her sword on her back she looks back at Raeven, "Do you have any plans after you get out of Kell? I have some, but they would require a couple of months for all of this to settle down. Not that he *likes* those plans but they're good enough for me." Raeven waved at the water and removed her own bottle from the knapsack, taking a grateful swig from it. "I'll have to see what my friends think when I meet up with them." She watched Sayuri and nodded. "Shall we continue to the city, then? We can either split up once there, or you can come along with me if things are hectic there." Sayuri shrugged the water bottle into her bag before she smiles and nods, "Yes let's continue on. I'll probably stick with you for a while at least. If there is more trouble I'll try to be more helpful this time. Besides things will only get worse from here," she said this rather cheerfully and began leading the way towards the city, "Ya know, you've given me slightly more information then I have you. You have any pressing questions for me?" Raeven smirked lightly as she listened to Sayuri, continuing the seemingly long walk towards Kell. She took a deep breath to muster up enough energy to make it there. "I don't have any questions at the moment, but I'll let you know when I do." She smiled reassuringly. "Suit yourself, this could be your only chance," Sayuri fell silent wondering how many of her contacts were still in buisness or if they were still alive for that matter. As they approached the walls she gave an internal sigh of relief as there were no extra guards around the city, 'Finally something is going right for a change. Let's just hope things stay that way for just a little while longer.'

### Vates – Kell Vates continued along the rooftops, thankful that from such a height there were few that could spot him snaking along in almost full glory. This didn’t last long however as the commotion that he had witnessed a few minutes ago seemed to erupt. Looking back he could see flashes of light and could tell there was a fight ensuing. _‘What the hell’s going on?’_ he pondered. The possibility of hosts being the cause would not have crossed his mind were it not for Kisheto suddenly appearing in sight. He saw two of the other hosts too, although he couldn’t put names to them; at least not whilst they were fleeing in the distance. Janus was about to warn Vates to stop and think instead of following them, but before he could Vates burst into a sprint after them. It was possibly one of the most exhausting and dangerous chases he had ever been involved in yet Vates was able to trail after his friends without crossing any trouble. He was pretty confident that a couple of guards spotted him but they were evidently more concerned about the rampaging fugitives than the crazy naked man. At one point he lost sight of Kisheto, just as the other pursuers had seemed to but fortunately Janus was able to feel their presence. **_“Edward, they are somewhere ahead. My ability to sense other hosts is poor so they must be close.”_** Janus said, the concentration clear in his voice. “I thought your senses were practically non-existent?” **_“They are, but the three of them seem to be expelling a lot of energy. It is comparable to having a blocked nose and someone shoving some mint up your nostrils.”_** Janus surprised Vates with the analogy but didn’t get a response as Vates simultaneously spotted his fellow Mercs rushing into a fancy house. Without giving it an awful lot of thought Vates quickly made his way round the back of the house and snuck through an open window. --- ### Vortex – Just outside Kell “Fuck!” Vortex hissed whilst the three of them frantically packed everything up. “That’s not some ordinary military patrol, it looks like someones on a hunt” she groaned looking up at the not so distance military shuttles. There appeared to be activity in a couple of places nearby, one of which she suspected involved the women she had spotted earlier. “We can’t stay here, I say we head north!” voted Kansas. “Aye! Me too! The wilds to the North might be more dangerous but those military bastard will have a hard time tracking us!” exclaimed Benny. The two of them had clearly made up their minds, but they were forgetting something that Vortex certainly wasn’t: Vates. “We go to Kell. If we leave here and go anywhere else then Vates has no chance of finding us. I wouldn’t expect you to understand but he has resources and information that make him indispensable.” Vortex didn’t wait for the two to reply before turning and heading off towards the nearby settlement. “Then I’m sorry Dear, but this is where we depart!” Kansas called after her. “Suit yourselves.” She replied breaking into a run.