The Shaitan’s back was turned to her. The huntress noticed, but stayed still. She merely listened to his footsteps as he walked away. Her keen ears memorized their sound. Their weight. Their gait.

She’d never let that enemy sneak up on her. Never again.

It was not the right moment to hunt that beast though. The guard with guns was present. It didn’t matter if he seemed soft. A huntress doesn’t take any prey lightly when it comes to the hunt.

Her calm, soft eyes examined the orphanage. Then they looked to the doctor as the woman beckoned both her and the guard with guns to follow her inside.

”Right moment? No… terrain unknown…”

This facility’s structure was unfamiliar to her. As were the young subjects that ran around or looked at her or ran around.

She also made no response when offered a beverage. She was quiet and calm as she looked the place and its current inhabitants over with her quiet, reserved expression.

“Training?” She wasn’t unfamiliar with running around, yet the way these subjects did it was haphazard. Her ears picked up their sounds. She could feel their eyes on her, particularly her arms.

She paid the gazes no mind. She was used to being looked at. Yet her arms being looked at by the eyes of the young subjects made her look back, if only for a few moments.

When the doctor asked her that question… her ears moved ever so slightly. Words played in her mind.

But they weren’t of that ambition filled voice.

”Is it ok if…”

”That looks bad, can you let me look?”

They were the kind voices of the Anderson Doctors back in Mabel Village.

Those doctors had asked similar such questions before checking the various wounds accumulated during her various hunts and training.

She noticed the eyes of these younger subjects… were not too dissimilar from the children of that same place. Looking at her arms with curiosity as they ran and played whenever she just so happened to walk by.

”Doctor? Scientist? Prey?”

For the first time in a while, the elf was confused.

Not that it showed of course.

Instead she merely nodded to the scientist’s / doctor’s question. She needed to check something.

”Doctors… heal. Scientists… experiment. Need to study… prey”

A good huntress studies their prey. Learns about it. All in preparation for the right moment. The moment the hunt began.

So without much care for modesty, she materialized her hands and removed her bloody clothes right there. In that regard, she was much like a beast as the two bright, light green hands constructed from Anemo removed her clothes before simply dropping the bloodstained garments to the side.

She only knew clothes were good for their practicality and ability to protect oneself from the elements. The concept of “Modesty” was something that never once crossed into her mind.

She also knew that whether it was doctors treating wounds or scientists performing experiments, both often involved taking off them off so that the wounds could be seen.

Now to anyone there her bloody, scarred form was on full display. Surgical scars, battle scars, more surgical scars, more battle scars. Scars that came in all different shapes and sizes. From who knows how many varied kinds of instruments. From who knows how many surgeries. Her body was like a blood stained map.

She had a gunshot wound in her stomach, the bullet still in there. Any trained doctor worth their salt, or anyone with eyes for that matter, could tell that this was a very recent wound that nobody noticed.

She had a noticeable wound in her side, from where Garrick had pulled out that arrow.

On her back were two shallow, bloody lines from those swords that hit her. It seems though that rather than slashing her to pieces, the blades were stopped by metal that was embedded deep in her flesh.

There was both dried blood and fresh blood on her body. The dried blood was that of her enemies. The fresh blood was her own.

This was not to mention the various other wounds on the rest of her. Her face, her legs from when she kicked those enemies without any form of protection or leg armor and happened to kick the errant weapon.

Despite how bad her wounds looked, she was still walking as if nothing was wrong. Now she was looking at this doctor as she simply waited, calmly and quietly, her expression still not really having changed at all.

On her bloodstained body there was another source of emerald coloring that stood out aside from her eyes. A metallic socket on her chest. The socket stood over where her heart was. It seemed there was more armor imbedded into her than just the arms.

Inside of that socket was a Vision that gave off a green glow as her hands were materialized.

When her hands vanished, said vision stopped glowing. The socket seemed embedded in her flesh, much like her gruish mechanical arms were at the shoulders. These clearly weren’t simple prosthetics that one could put on or take off at will.

There was no doubt far more beneath the surface of this girl’s flesh than what was visible on the scarred, bloodstained surface as her bloodstained “armor” was clearly not being worn by her, but rather a part of her flesh.

"Ah!" Ken couldn't help but scream and cover his eyes, before exclaiming to 'Elf', "Who did this to you?! You need healing, fast!"

He then turned to, then spoke to the doctor, "Do you have any plant matter? My own Vision can turn plant matter into healing spores, but doing that right now will be counterproductive. Also, do we need to take out the bullet, and if so, we might need to do that in a way that does not hurt her..."

Another thought and a series of words, "Oh, where can I wash my hands, by the way?"

He had little to say and do besides that, and he was dimly aware that he might have annoyed the Elf. But if she's helped, she's helped.

@Renose@Sho Minazuki

@Sho Minazuki

Garrick's reptilian eyes narrowed as he took in the strange and thoughtless movements of his opponents. The conclusion was obvious: They were mind-controlled and were meant to merely stall him.

Seeing as time was of the essence.....he will make this quick.

The large cryptid charged forward, dropping into a roll to avoid fire from the two Geo gunners. As he rose, Garrick stomped the ground hard, unleashing a minor quake to trip his enemies. Before a gunner could recover, Garrick body slammed him into a wall before taking Azure Vein and throwing it, impaling the other gunner through the chest. Instincts flaring, he side-stepped to avoid a slash from behind. In response, the cryptid threw a powerful hook to swordsman's temple, an audible crack echoing in the area as they fell to the ground. The last two swordsman tried to end him with a pincer maneuver, but was thwarted when Garrick's tail swept the feet of one while dodging and uppercut the other. Wanting to end this, Garrick shot his grappling hook to catch his airborne victim before slamming him back down into the other opponent that prone on the ground, finishing the duo simultaneously.

With the deed done, Garrick reached out with his hand, Azure Vein returning to him as he went deeper into the ruins, in pursuit of the Ameno thief.

Zabar Ruins - Southern Region

@Rezod92

Garrick's skillful dispatching of the puppeteered pirates left them out cold, they'll be found in not too long by the other Radiant Suns, but for now he was hot on the trail and was not intent on letting it grow cold. Following the path he'd find himself encountering yet another challenge. The ruins in this section were rather desolate, 'ruined', one could say. Across a large floor, or lack thereof, were just a handful of places to jump, crumbling even, meaning without care they could collapse too. The bottom was barely visible, with water below based on the way the light rippled below. Knowing his quarry, they likely simply flew over these, though someone such as him may need another way.

Looking around, there were some crumbling walls, with suggestion of a hallway adjacent to this room, the way the pillars were lined up in front of him too if he could have them fall a certain way could make the way across easier, or... He could of course just try and make the jumps without doing anything drastic. The hallway may lead someplace else, but given the direction, the thief was also headed deeper into the ruin, and so doing that would achieve the same.

---

Underhull, Mayleaf Orphanage

@Letter Bee@Renose

Ms Mayleaf expressed some surprise to Kazue's arms changing into... Well, arms. She began to examine the wounds present on her, the gunshot wound, which she'd have to check thoroughly, the arrow wound, back wounds, and then the usual one would expect from a scrap. Bruises and scratches. Ken's offer was turned down though, "that will be quite alright, you just get some rest yourself", she said.

After a few minutes she'd have Kazue sitting at a bed as she began to clean her wounds and treat them. A medical pack opened up right beside her as she carefully removed the bullet after getting some of the bleeding under control. "Not a single bit of noise, even with all these wounds... You're a remarkably strong girl aren't you?" she tried to give comfort, but considering the way her eyes looked at those scars, she was getting some inkling of the kind of life she had. Still that wasn't important right now.

"One of you, prepare some hot water and a towel too, need to make sure these wounds are washed", she requested to the children, amidst the sounds of the kids talking amongst themselves and gawking at Kazue, amazed that her arms just... Transformed.... In not long they'd come back with just what she asked for. After a little while, the young and unusual elf would be cleaned up and covered in bandages.

"Now I just ask as a doctor that you get some rest. If you're hungry it's almost time for lunch, you're free to join us... Oh, you too of course", she added, looking over to Ken. With that, she was off, likely to prepare lunch as she had mentioned. For now, the two can relax just for a little while.

@Sho Minazuki

Time was of the essence. If Garrick was to catch up to his target, then that meant taking the quickest route available and seeing as how jumping on unstable platforms was very risky...

CRACK!

With his strength, the towering cryptid managed to knock down one of the pillars, haing it fall in a certain way to not only make a makeshift bridge for himself, but also for his Radient Sun allies who were catching up. He crossed the chasm and countined the chase.

Just as the doctor claimed, not a single sound came from her when her wounds were treated. It was clear that whatever life this girl lived before, it was far from a pleasant one. For her, not making a singular sound while receiving this type of treatment just showed how used to it all she was. To her, this was a normality.

The elf couldn’t help but notice the woman give orders to the children. It reminded her of that other scientist she once knew. She didn’t understand what was being said, but the words were similar. He’d often order around his… the extract word evaded her.

”Oi, Assistants. Get me my tools…“

Assistants was the word that entered her mind. Her eyes looked at those little assistants as they ran off to get the things. What would they come back with?

She watched as the small, young assistants came back with towels and water. Did the experiment have something to do with that?

Despite seeming quiet and still, she was waiting. Waiting for the right moment. The moment she felt anything experimental she’d pounce. She’d tear this place down. She’d rip them all apart.

Despite all the anticipation though… the right moment never came.

Instead what happened next reminded her of the Andersons. The doctors who also cleaned her previous wounds many times. Wrapped her in bandages.

Once she was cleaned up and wrapped in bandages her eyes looked them over. Even her arms had been cleaned off as well. The empty, metallic arms which looked like they had been covered in a layer of rust, but was actually dried, sandy blood, were now clean.

She heard the next words that came. Lunch. She recognized that word.

“Doctor… Scientist” The elf was starting to grow confused. But that didn’t mean she was going to lower her guard just yet.

That guard was still around after all. Her eyes did occasionally look towards Ken whenever they scanned their surroundings idly on occasion.

Once the doctor left them alone though the girl, whose body was only covered in bandages, took a better look at her surroundings as she began to simply walk and look around.

She couldn’t help but be inwardly surprised at the degree of freedom she had to just walk around. Other than the one guard, or more accurately Ken, who the elf misunderstood was a guard.

It just gave her more uncertainties about this place. Uncertainties that she needed to make certain before she did anything. As she walked or looked around in idle curiosity she did so with empty arms, her previously glowing green hands absent. She only materialized them when she needed them, making her demonic looking metallic arms seem odd.

After looking around the current room and being satisfied enough with it she went to her bloody, torn clothes and reached down to pick them up.

She looked at them, seeing the blood they were drenched in still, but in the end tossed them to the side as she chose to sit down now instead, waiting for lunch to happen.

Zabar Ruins - Southern Region

@Rezod92

Garrick's decision, while bold, was not rash. The way he handled it afforded him an ample amount of time before the ceiling behind him fell and locked him into this route. Would it be worth it for him as his legs carried him down the hallway in hot pursuit? His quarry was within eyesight of him, their black cape billowing behind them as they sprinted down the way. The chase would lead them into an underground passage with an exposed ceiling, the sun of the desert seeping through as sand fell like a waterfall around them, down into a ravine, the line of which they followed. It wasn't some small ditch however, around a hundred meters wide, and so high one had to crane their head to see the sky. The shifting sands beneath would make running difficult, but before the thief landed, their cape would spread as wings formed, letting them glide over the sands.

The cryptid could pursue through this sand, rather, this was the only course they could take. It would slow their movement, not ideal... Though, it would not take long for the thought to change from how he could pursue them efficiently on this uneven sand, to how he can move and fight effectively on it.

A screech rang out as the thief's smile turned into shock as a massive beast made itself known from underneath the shifting sands. It was an Aldugan Sand Worm, it seems this ravine might've been a nest of some kind, because one quickly turned into two, and then a third would be coiling somewhere below.

The sand worms were massive, although these were clearly not the mature ones found further out in the sea of sand above. They weren't nearly as big, yet they were big enough to swallow people whole, and long enough to coil a sand skiff three times over, their mouths a line of blades a truly intimidating sight.

On one hand, he now had to deal with these worms, but on the other, his thief was now reeling from falling so far, and surrounded by three of them, the three he had to deal with. Was this fortune, or misfortune? Perhaps it would be best to decide quickly, before an adult sand worm could possibly arrive, as they may be standing on a nest.

---

Underhull, Mayleaf Orphanage

@Letter Bee@Renose

The two would be allowed to enjoy their freedom at the orphanage, the kids approaching and playing, and Ms Mayleaf cooking some food for them. The orphanage itself was rather small, the beds of the children were upstairs, and all the facilities were downstairs. There was a small generator in the basement too, which according to Ms Mayleaf was a standard for most places on the ship, and were in case power would go out, which does happen, but of course it was a temporary measure. It would not last indefinitely, or even particularly long. It must have been maybe an hour or so of just this peace though, but soon Ken who was stand guard or even mildly alert would spot a man sauntering towards the orphanage.

Try to stop or check him as he might, he'd stumble and fall before his feet, twitching and shaking, clutching a bag in his hands. A quick call and Ms Mayleaf would be rushing out to check the man, kneeling by him, and turning him over. His eyes were upturned, glowing blue, hair shaggy and his clothes were musty, dirty, and marred with blue marks. The good lady looked at his face for a couple moments, before widening in mild horror, "Kellen?!"

The next maybe fifteen twenty minutes she had laid the man on a bed and administered a cocktail of medicine to him, as well as water and washing him down. When this Kellen had finally calmed down and fallen asleep, she sat by the table, sighing. It seems this had to do with the bag that he had carried with him, a blue dust of some kind. "What did they do to you...? What did you find...?" she muttered to herself, briefly checking the contents, before tying the bag up again and keeping it in her pocket.

Ken couldn't help but smile as his shock faded; the warmth and light of the orphanage, as well as the feeling that he was safe, was finally clawing its way to his senses. He wanted to stay, play with the other children, and maybe try and mend fences with the Elf once his' getting flustered at seeing her expose herself had faded.

He ate in silence, but his eyes darted to the door every few seconds as if expecting a new visitor or an intruder; this wariness was rewarded when this other man, Kellen, entered the orphanage.

Blue stains on his clothes, shaggy hair marred by clumps of dirt, glowing blue eyes that matched the powder he carried, a powder that sounded suspiciously like the narcotics synthesized by both Waltonians and Uverans; Ken knew the signs and what conclusions to make for now. Getting up from his seat after eating the last crumb of bread, he stepped towards Ms. Mayleaf and asked, "Who is he? What do you think happened to him? Maybe we - Okay, I - can help?"

Then his tone grew slightly sharper, heavier, "I know what addictive drugs are; they're a universal problem. If people are trying to push them on innocents, that deserves punishment. So if you can point me to whoever may have hurt your... friend, and tell me whether force will help or if it would make things worse, well... again, I'm happy to help."

He smiled before following up, his voice relaxing again, "We can discuss potential rewards later; heck, I'm even pondering doing it for free just because you were so kind to me and the Elf..."

@Renose@Sho Minazuki

@Sho Minazuki

Of all the obstacles he's faced so far, this one was looking to be an actual challenge. On one hand, the thief had finally stopped running, in no small part thanks to the three sand worms. On the other hand.......well, Garrick couldn't let the thief get eaten. He had information the Sand King needed.

With resolve, Garrick ran forward, crossing the river of sand to catch up to his target. The ever-shifting surface slowed his progress, but he remained undaunted as he marched forward. The sand worms were a fearsome sight, but
the cryptid could tell that these were merely juveniles, meaning there was a nest nearby. And when there's a nest.....

....the mother may not be far from it.

The Elf was confused. Not once was she escorted to any room nor disallowed from going anywhere. If this was truly some place like the one where she had been for years before, then that “guard” with the guns would have stopped her from exploring the entirety of the facility.

Furthermore, she discovered that it was just living quarters and faculties. There was also some strange large machine that she had seen once before. A generator. The only other time she had seen such a generator was at the place she had been before.

So what was this place then? There was a scientist… who was also a doctor. Despite this there were no operating tables. No archives.

There were living quarters for the subjects, but in them were actual beds like she had seen before in Mabel Village.

She had been brought here from that Arena place. Was that Arena the training arena where these subjects would be sent? Yet, as she watched these children play there didn’t seem to be an iota of combative ability at all.

Her year in that village had given her a good sample of data of what people who weren’t constantly putting themselves through life or death combat looked like.

These children didn’t smell of blood. Their hands seemed soft and feeble, unfit for survival be it in the training arena or the wilderness. They were also full of curiosity and the desire to do random activities.

“Play” was the word she had heard the Anderson Doctors call it on many occasions, so the word was a part of her rather limited vocabulary.

There was food given out, but it was given out freely. It wasn’t strictly regulated. It reminded herself of the meals she often ate back in the village.

The Elf’s memory only contained two places. The lab of Morgans and Mabel village.

Despite having some qualities of the former, it seemed to resemble the latter more. This was why she was even willing to eat the food. She didn’t smell anything wrong with it. Her instincts told her it was safe to eat.

Plus she was hungry. Her earlier hunt had worked up quite an appetite. Her empty metallic stumps would materialize their glowing green hands so that she could eat properly, the elf eating with… some level of civility and table manners.

Of course despite the food being fine, she was always quietly, calmly, and secretly observing her surroundings. The “guard” with the guns was included in her observation.

His eyes were always looking to the door. She wondered if that was part of his “guard route”.

Her ears twitched as she heard footsteps from just outside the orphanage. She then looked to the door where she saw a man barge in. He smelled foul and his eyes invoked a sense of familiarity within the elf’s mind, as did that strange blue powder.

It wasn’t just rations they used to keep subjects in check. To some she had seen them give strange looking substances as rewards for doing well in experiments or training.

“DON’T POLLUTE SUBJECT KA2U3’S BODY WITH SUCH FILTH!”screamed the voice of an ambitious scientist in her memories. One of the other scientists had attempted to give her bread that she noticed had a strange smell to it. She was about to just take it from the first scientist before that ambitious voiced scientist appeared, slapping them from the other scientist’s hands.

”B-But Doctor Morgans, sir. She maybe we can get her to finally speak this way if we just—-“ began the voice of a very wary scientist who tried to explain his reasoning.

“Bah, Nonsense! Who cares if she’s a mute. She has provided me with the most brilliant data and is far more obedient and reliable than cretins like you. You’ll only taint that data if you get her addicted to that garbage!” The ambitious scientist slapped the wary scientist before giving the elf normal bread and forcing the guards to take away the tainted bread.

Of course, while she remembered what was said, she understood practically none of it. But seeing that blue powder and those upturned eyes made her recall that particular scene.

Was this man a subject then of some experiment? She watched as the scientist and doctor took away the powder and put in her pocket. The elf even saw the scientist give the man some other substance as well before putting the man to bed. The guard talked to her, discussing something with her.

Now this place was starting to share more and more qualities with the lab.

It all needed to be investigated.

If this was all just like that lab… then the hunt could begin.

The elf, who still had no clothes on except for the bandages placed on her by Ms. Mayleaf would walk over to the sleeping Kellen and, without much warning, materialized her glowing green hands to cut off part of the man’s clothing that had been stained blue, each of her glowing green fingers seeming like sharp instruments when she wanted them to be.

Staring at the stained fabric patch, without much of a word to anyone else the elf walked outside of the orphanage despite her current state of undress, sniffing the air while also crouching low to the ground.

“Listen to the wind” repeated a quiet, familiar voice in her mind.

She was listening. Smelling. Watching. Feeling.

For to hunt one needed a trail. A scent. Tracks. That was how one found their prey.

To her, this was all part of the hunt.

And despite how calm her and quiet her expressions and actions were…

She relished the hunt.

Zabar Ruins - Southern Region

@Rezod92

As soon as Garrick crossed over to the ring of sand that the worms were making around their would-be meal, their attention turned to him, the sudden threat, but all the same an additional serving to them. These young Aldugan Sand Worms were worked up, and given their size, as well as the shallow spikes forming on their backs, they'd leave the nest in just a few years for the open sands where they'd have room to grow into an adult. In short, they were the teens of the species.

Garrick would be dealing with some troublesome foes, not for their sturdiness or strength, but rather elusiveness, taking preference to strike from unawares. Though, their spiked spines would reveal their location in the sand, before they would dive for an attack, though the speed they moved made these spines just as dangerous, an adult's would split small ships in two, though in this case if Garrick was in the way of a speeding worm he would suffer only a few cuts.

The worms themselves possessed one last ditch effort should they find themselves outmatched, and that is a toxin they spew from within their saw-like mouths. It has a paralyzing property, but doing so also expends the worm's strength, forcing them to retreat if not handled properly. As adults, they lose this ability and focus entirely on growth. It was fortunate for Garrick though, that they had yet to develop the thick sand-coated skin of their adult forms, perhaps it would not take long to dispatch of them.

---

Underhull, Mayleaf Orphanage

@Letter Bee@Renose

Ms. Mayleaf required silence as she treated the man. She saw how distraught Kazue and Ken were, or rather, riled up was perhaps the right word. She urged them to stay put, at least for now. Even if they wanted retribution, they would not know where to go or how to do it. This man in bed getting treatment was their only lead if they wished to go about it.

A bit of time passed, and the man's condition was stabilized. He was cleaned up, and he was no longer twitching, just sleeping, although there was still a great deal of worry about how he may be. This drug was known to change a person's psyche to some extent as an after effect, and from how much it looked like he consumed, it was beyond a safe dose. Well beyond. He didn't even seem cognitive at that point.

"Kellen was someone who helped around this area of the Underhull every so often, he disappeared some months ago. This drug here, that he was holding, he said he was going to find the ones responsible, and I told him not to. I know how dangerous these sorts of things and investigations tend to be. He was not versed in fighting, but he was so passionate about helping people here...", she sighed, sitting down and pressing her forehead, relieving whatever stress was building up in her.

"I know you both feel a need to do something about this but... I'm afraid it would be better to not pursue it. Most suppliers seem to be the Aldugan Spines, that much is common knowledge, and they're not afraid to slit a few throats, if their operations are threatened", there was a tangible seriousness to her voice. It wasn't unbelievable, in fact earlier they seriously injured or even killed some people at the coliseum. The casualties were not high but killing was something they were more than willing to do.

"So, please, just stay here, stay safe", she urged them. She felt it may have been a futile effort, she knew types like Ken, in fact Kellen and Ken seemed a little similar, in some regards. Well, either way... It didn't seem she was willing to talk further about it. An investigation into whatever trail Kellen left behind, or waiting and hoping he wasn't addle-brained by the drugs.