[h2][center]Geralt of Rivia [/center][/h2]
[center]Midgar- Seiran, Abandoned Subway- Underground Nexus [/center]
[center]Lvl 9 (214/90) -> (216/90) [/center]
[center]Word Count: 951 words[/center]

Geralt's relentless assault did not go unpunished. His Strikers were quickly brought low, though the Judicator with its impressive bulk lasted its full timer, the others were not quite so lucky. Geralt did not respond to the wounds their defeat, nor to the blows that he made no attempt to block, dodge or parry. Blood trickled down his face from ribbon cuts, and as his berserker onslaught continued, he was skewered upon a pair of ribbons that crashed into him, slide along his armor, and dug between a small gap in the plates, impaling him. 

As they pulled away, carving even wider wounds into the massive Witcher's flesh, Geralt slumped for a moment, falling to one knee as blood pooled around him. Blazermate was no slouch, nor did she ignore him, but his lack of attention to anything other than destruction allowed the Other to slam his face with its arm, knocking him to the ground. He coughed, blood spraying over his face and his armor, and rose once more, as the blood shimmered into glowing particles and vanished. 

Like a phoenix, Geralt rose once more. He did not postulate on his miraculous recovery, even subconsciously. His only thought was murder. He leapt into the fray once more, only to be interrupted as an energy field appeared around the monster formerly known as Peach, and disappeared with her in short order. He whirled around, looking for what had done it, and his eyes narrowed as he saw the troopers drag one of their own away and made their escape. He tried to give chase, mind beginning to clear, but stopped when Karen Travers appeared and grabbed one of the OSF troopers they'd joined. 

Letting the Hateful Flesh fall to the ground and be re-absorbed into him, Geralt stopped, listening to what the Septentrion had to say, even as his heart pounded in his ears, his pupils still thin and catlike. 

More conspiracy talk. As his mind cleared, and his adrenaline slowed, Geralt sighed and shook his head, waiting for Travers to leave before saying anything. "The other Turk was saying the same thing. Zenkichi. Konoe, the administration, the corruption. And now that we know that these people can...do something to transform people into Others, it makes you wonder: is that where they're all coming from? Or is this somehow different than the other Others?"

Taking a moment to run his hand along his face, he grimaced when he felt a scarring gash on his forehead. Whatever that force that prevented his death was, it wasn't perfect, though that was preferable. He didn't know what it was, how it healed him, or if it could be overwhelmed, but he couldn't assume he was immortal. That was an easy way to become complacent. 

With the return to their headquarters being much quicker than their descent, Geralt had little time to ruminate on what had happened in the cave. Though he did know one thing: he couldn't allow himself to lose control like that again. He put himself [i]and[/i] the others at risk in his blind rage.

When they were finally back, Geralt ravenously tore into the food Goldlewis had prepared, thanking the man before making a second sandwich, this one even larger, for himself. He drank down as much water as he could tolerate before thinking about the questions they all surely had, and that the others finally began expressing. "Zenkichi mentioned there was corruption in the city's government. I wouldn't be so sure that these people are acting independently. If anything, Travers might be the one committing sedition by the way he spoke." He couldn't be sure of this, but he was sure this went even deeper than any of them realized. 

"Zenkichi said that Konoe was corrupt, and had a way to control the minds of people in their world. This might be some way of attempting to recreate that. If he could instantly destroy anybody trying to act against his interests by turning them into a mindless monster, eventually people are either going to snap and fight back, or bury their tails between their legs and cower in the hopes of being safe."

He drummed his fingers on the table, thinking. "And if we're all at risk of turning into one of those things, however they do it, it might be wise to heed that warning. Wait until a more opportune moment to strike. If Travers is planning to act against Konoe and the government, we could use that to our advantage. Zenkichi will want to hear this tonight when we regroup." 

Letting out a sigh, he looked over the others at the table. "Though, there's something else that I need to bring up. I know most of you haven't been part of this group long, or fought alongside me, but...what you saw there wasn't normal. That wasn't [i]me,[/i] and I mean that mostly literally. I think when I absorbed the Spirit of the Guardian...it muddled my mind. When we were in that strange corridor, being dragged along chasing and trying to destroy that device, one of those things shone its light on me. Midna said it was suppressing our abilities from fusing with spirits, after it almost caused her to fall off the platform."

"When the light was on me, and it was suppressing those abilities, my mind felt clearer. Like a fog had been lifted. And I've noticed since absorbing the Guardian, I'm more irritable. And I know, coming from me that's funny, but I am not exaggerating. It's altered my mind." 

Ending on that ominous note, Geralt leaned back in his chair to let the others digest all he'd said, as well as their sandwiches.

[hr]

[h2][center][color=BFBFBF]Zenkichi Hasegawa[/color][/center][/h2]
[center]Valley of Ruin -> Sector 7: Breaker [/center]
[center]Lvl 3 (13/30) -> Lvl 3 (15/20) [/center]
[center]Word Count: 795 words[/center]
[hider=New Power] Power gained: Fury- A self buff for Zenkichi that increases his offensive capabilities in exchange for slowly draining his vitality. While Fury mode is active, Zenkichi's attack power and attack speed are increased, and each of his sword attacks lets out a small AoE shockwave in the direction of his sword swing. His Vampiric Strikes ability still works while Fury is active, but the vitality drain is typically faster than the absorption, unless Zenkichi is cleaving through a very large number of enemies, and even then it's usually only enough to roughly break even.[/hider]


As the rain poured down, Wolf dragged his blade through yet another biped, the time between the first fight and this one having been enough for exhaustion and muscle fatigue to settle in. He was out of practice, but that was okay. All he had to do was keep fighting. A medium biped ran up to attack, but its leg was sheared off by an effortless beam of plasma, which was followed up by a second shot that tore its weapon-wielding arm away, rendering the machine harmless. Wolf stabbed his blade into the thing's torso, deactivating it with a sigh and a nod of thanks to Isaac. 

The fight went much slower for him, now that he was tired, but it still passed fairly quickly. Susie's missile made short work of a great deal of the attackers, and each of the Seekers only had to contend with a few machines, though it still took some time to make sure things were totally swept up and nothing remained partially intact. The defensive structures were damn impressive for having been cobbled together by desperate folks who needed to protect themselves in the face of a callous government. 

But soon, the Machines were dealt with, and Zenkichi, now finally back in his suit and sneakers, followed Isaac back to the forward command center with a slouch. He waved away a question of medical attention, having sustained no lasting injuries thanks to Valjean's protection. When Isaac thanked them, he nearly dismissed it as just helping out, but decided to accept the thanks graciously. [color=BFBFBF]"We're just glad that the army didn't get through. I...wish I could say nobody got hurt, but...well, Cain and Marshal..."[/color] Trailing off, he shook his head. [color=BFBFBF]"And one of our own got...well, I'm not sure what happened. But...dammit, we were such idiots! Why did we bring an Android out to fight a Machine army!"[/color] He buried his face in his hands, despair almost overwhelming him. [color=BFBFBF]"I don't know what happened to her. I just...hope Tora and the kids could do better than we did."[/color]

He couldn't say for sure whether he regretted staying or not. He had no idea what he could have done to help, and there was no denying that their help here had been vital. Even though only a fraction of the total army had reached the walls of Sector 7, it was still a sizeable group that the denizens of the Slums might not have been able to fight off without casualties of their own. 

[color=BFBFBF]"Listen, don't uh...don't mention that if anybody asks, by the way? You can probably tell, but we're not exactly on good terms with the Administration right now."[/color] Zenkichi asked Isaac, hoping he'd be happy to keep quiet about it. 

He shared a laugh with Partitio when he revealed his own sorry state of affairs money-wise, and promised to come back some time to share that beer. [color=BFBFBF]"I think we have bigger fish to fry, though."[/color]

When the Cargobob returned with Tora and the others, Poppi conspicuously absent, Zenkichi collapsed into his chair, speechless. Metaphorical clouds covered his face, and his mouth dried up. He'd failed again. Marshall, Big Bo, and Poppi. His first job since re-awakening and they'd lost a third of the group they set out with. He couldn't even make a self-deprecating joke. He just...sat there. Thoughts going a mile a minute, until he sighed and stood up, walking away from the others to the gate. 

[color=BFBFBF]"Joker...how did you do it? I'm no leader. I couldn't even help myself. How am I supposed to save people if I can't keep the people by my side safe?"[/color] Clenching his fists, he raised his head up, staring in anguish at the clouds above, the rain having slowed but not quite stopped yet. [color=BFBFBF]"Konoe, you bastard. I'll end you for this. Letting these people die to further your sick games. How dare you. How [i]dare[/i] you use the police like your own tools. You haven't changed. Not one bit. Condemn the evil...and hunt them down."[/color] He muttered to himself. 

Letting his head drop as he let out a sigh, he turned back around, hands in his pockets and back to his traditional slouch. He had to do better. Had to be better than this. Konoe and PubSec were just the tip of the iceberg. He had no idea how far this thing went, even with what he'd been told by the other Seekers. Whatever this world would throw at him, he had to rise up. He had to get back into the swing of things, remember everything those damn kids had taught him. And if they could help him find them again? He had to make sure they were okay.