“This ain't over, Val. Mark me.”

Val chuckled as he watched the bear retreat, his own hand sliding away from his pistol. For a moment he had actually been worried that Vin had gotten the drop on him, his body tense with the instinct to spring in any direction to throw off the aim. At such close range though, and against a rifle like Vin's, he wasn't sure his body armor would have been enough to save his life though. "Next time, Vinny. Next time," he muttered.

“Hey, guys? We're gonna get caught in a sandstorm if we don't do something.”

"Yeah, you're right about that...," he said, though he was staring directly at the massive Wild that had caused such a ruckus. Feed me, it had said right into his brain. And since the creature's jaws weren't currently separating Val into three neatly portioned chunks, he guessed that it must have meant something else by the comment. "Do yourselves a favor and take sixty seconds to take anything nice from the dead guys. Food, water, breathers, bullets, hell if they left behind a rifle or three that'd be great. Just keep it to what you can carry fast. About a three minute run to the east of here, a bit deeper into the city is a hidey hole I've used from time to time. Marked with a big gray bird symbol on the west facing wall. Deep enough inside the building is a cosy little shelter that will shield us from the storm, even has some kind of old garage opening on the bottom level for the big guy here if he's a friend of yours..."

"Which I am dearly hoping, since I don't think we're getting very far if he's still hungry," Val's hand strayed close to his AR pistol, his most valuable possession.

“We're in your debt…”

"Lady, I appreciate the sentiment, but there ain't no debt here. Just some mutual survivors looking to live another day. Not that I'm gonna stop you if you really want to pay me back somehow some way," he flashed her a friendly grin, but left the statement at that, his eyes back on the big Wild.

"Maybe we all just get to some cover for now, yeah? I'm not fond of talking with lungs full of Dust. Bad way to die," he admitted.

"What do you think, big guy? You gonna let us go, come along, or am I about to be an awfully handsome red smear across one of these buildings?," he called out, not even certain the creature could understand him.

If he didn't find himself in yet another fight for his life against a Wild that could pretty much drop a building on him, Val would faithfully lead the group towards a point of safety from the storm. A former office building of some kind, with the bird marking on the side and enough walls between them and the outside that the storm would have an extremely difficult time making it's way into the interior where a space had been cleared out that could hold two dozen people if needed, with room for a fire pit in the middle and tents to the sides against the walls.

Debt? If she truly thought that, she would immediately hop into his mouth and lie on his teeth. A deep rumble of unimpressed dissatisfaction with the human's lack of sincerity came from Mercy's throat. The terrible sound was dwarfed by the oncoming storm, however. He grew quiet, feeding from the fear it generated in the humans; what else could he do but follow along? They were bound to grow in number, and together, he would feast every day without even needing to try hard. The very world was a danger to them upon waking, and it made their dark little hearts quake, the fragile things. Glowing eyes focused on the chattiest human, answering his question as he eventually followed in their tiny footsteps. Mercy couldn't understand why he kept being referred to as big, when nearly everything was larger than the humans, even the things they built, themselves.

Of course, the Wild couldn't fit inside the building, but it was not as if he needed to. Weathering some of the worst storms meant hardening his hide and closing his eyes, and this felt far from the worst he'd lived through, thus far. He wondered how long it would take for the humans to start killing each other here, too. It almost always seemed to end up that way, and it would be a terrible shame if they died inside the building. The holes would be far too small for him to get to their corpses, and damaging the building would mean their red, warm juices would be wasted on the dead earth.

Eventually, he noticed that there was a rare opening into the building. Taking one wary look at the humans, he clambered into the space, entering without much care, scratching up the edges of the door with his heft. He sat on the floor and licked his wounds, the holes in his body still oozing steam and what appeared to be some form of organic magma, hardening into a metallic scab.

---

It only took a few minutes to reach the subway tunnels. Vin had left two men to watch over the jeep from the safety of the subway's shelter. Meanwhile, him and the rest of his men ventured forward in the murky darkness, staircases, platforms and tracks covered in dust and debris.

They walked in silence, guns at the ready. Anything could reach out and jump them in this darkness. They had to stay alert.

Walking on for a considerable distance, it was almost shocking when a masked face and a hand reached out to them, dimly lit by their flashlights.

It was a runner for Savio.

“You're right on time. Boss got back too. Storm is brutal out there.” The runner commented, before following with the Bears to the next platform, and up the stairs.

Vin's eyes adjusted to the dimly lit, expansive abandoned mall that the Red Embers called home. Little fires cropped up every so often across the floor, with men sitting on plastic chairs and other miscellaneous objects from days bygone. Vin didn't spare the men a glance, feeling their stares on him as the runner led them to the second floor, where the remains of an outlet store stood.

Savio was seated behind a large table, fingers propped against his mask as he sat there, pondering over scribbled maps of Elhm. His sharp gaze darkened as he saw Vin approached, but waved his guards to stand down.

“Vinny boy, you look like you've seen a ghost. Did you lose men in the storm?”

Vin held his rifle at the side, a grim look to his face. “Nah, lost my marks. Some good loot has fallen from the stars.”

“Oh?”

Vin nodded. “Yeah. Three humans with, get this, Wild hearts. They're literally walking fortunes.”

Savio's head lifted a little from his hand, surprise evident in face. “And you just let them walk away?”

“I had to!” Vin growled, frustrated. “They had a massive Wild and that Val helping ‘em.”

Savio leaned back in his seat a bit, amused. “Massive, eh? Would it be that one about the size of a building, bleeds fire?”

“Yeah, that's the one.”

“Ah. So they got old Mercy and sneaky Valentino on their side.” Savio snorted. “And you're willing to split the goods sixty-forty?”

Vin grimaced. “You really gotta pull my arm, dont’cha?”

“That's just how it works, Vinny boy. Now, we gotta a deal?”

“...We do.”

“And you know where they're headed?”

Vin raised his head in thought, pausing before responding. “One of them said something about the Wild King. My bet is they're headed to the city center.”

Savio chuckled. “Then we better get started.”

---

@SporkoBug

---

Ivy nodded towards Wren, “It's true. Not nearly studied enough, but from what my research has uncovered, not all Wilds consume negative emotion.”

She gazed at the little dinosaur-like Wild. “Wilds such as this one are the exception…”

Cercyes watched the soldiers try in vain to get their little technological device from the Feathered Beast, but to no avail. It would get out of hand, maybe even dangerous, if he left it.

Fine. Time to play mediator.

Followed by a stream of blue souls, Cercyes approached the Feathered Beast, the expression on his face similar to a mother scolding a child.

“Zishit untasen satla unu-unulations lina-ina, rema? Ester rema notan se untasen avas, zat must jamost. (You want to foster positive relations with these people, don't you? Then you know the right thing to do, what must be done.)”

And, gently, Cercyes climbed his staff and freed the computer chip from Mimi’s maw. He sighed, before sliding down, and offering the chip up to the soldiers. The soldiers were only hesitant for a moment, before scooping up the chip.

With that done, Cercyes gave the room one last look, before his gaze was caught up in the swirling souls around him.

“I've got to shepard these souls, and I imagine you humans are busy with what you need from here.”

A carpet of stars appeared below Cercyes, and his staff spun, causing the souls to stir up in the breeze. He spared a glance back, body facing the door, and waved.

“See ya.”

And he was gone, out the door and into the sky.

Meanwhile, the soldiers, along with Ivy, were staring in shock at what was loading up on the screen after inputting the chip. Diagrams and schematics of the research being conducted here, the failed experiments, and the successful ones taken to the space station. All in the effort to, all to build up to a type of super soldier.

Wild heart tissue was grafted onto the heart of a human, allowing for impossible phenomena. But what if it could be duplicated, multiplicated, up to infinity?

The schematics detailed such a beast, filled with scraps of thousands, if not tens of thousands of Wild heart fragments.

The research for it was here. But, did they go through with it? And what was Umbra's plan for such a creature?

Ivy stared at Wren, blinking a couple times, before she said hastily. “We need to report this back to HQ.”

---

@rabidbacon, @Herald, @Qia

---

“Lady, I appreciate the sentiment, but there ain't no debt here. Just some mutual survivors looking to live another day. Not that I'm gonna stop you if you really want to pay me back somehow some way."

VV's lips drew into a fine line. ”I'll find a way, I swear it. We owe you our lives.”

"Maybe we all just get to some cover for now, yeah? I'm not fond of talking with lungs full of Dust. Bad way to die."

VV grimaced at the coming sheets of sand pulled up into the sky, and made to loot off the corpses of the men. Before a groan stopped her. D, of all people, stepped forward, a gunshot wound to the abdomen.

VV took a sharp intake of breath, slipping under his arm to support him. “A, help me get him to shelter!”

“No, don't bother yourselves…” D whispered weakly. “Just… set me in the escape pod, and close the hatch. I'll-… you won't make it to safety dragging me along.”

VV stared for a long moment, before the increasing howling of the wind had her cursing under her breath. Regret painting her face, she helped support D as he climbed the outside of the escape pod, and entered it. VV could be seen whispering into the hatch, before she pulled it shut, and turned away.

A pause, before she pulled the pistol off a dead man, and nodded to Val. “We'll follow your lead, friend.”

Soon enough, the group plus the behemoth had made it into the shelter, the office building with its telltale bird. Outside, the storm wailed, sand and wind screaming against the exterior walls. The winds were turbulent enough to send rocks, metal signs, and other small objects into the air. If that wasn't lethal enough, the sand itself was too thick to breathe, the Dust indeed coating the lungs enough to induce suffocation.

However, they were safe, circled around a warm fire in the comforts of Val's shelter. VV had set her packs down beside her, pocketing her rebreather for the time being.

VV stared at the flames, guilt flushing her face as she thought of D, before she swallowed and pushed the thought away, and looked over at Val.

“We don't know your name, friend. I'm VV, and this is A.” She said, gesturing to A sitting beside her.

“We, uhm, we're actually on a mission. We've been tasked with killing the Wild King.” She said, her red eyes staring at Val, watching for his reaction.

“I know this might be a lot to ask, but we know nothing of this world. It would… Well, it would be a mighty help if you guided us to where the King resides. We can take it from there.”

Before VV looked over at A, and nudged her elbow. “You doing okay?”

A breath, before VV grimaced at A. “I don't think it'll be the end that we see D. We just gotta have faith.

“Beyond that, there's those raiders that tried to capture us. Said something about our hearts. We, uh, well we had that heart surgery before on the station. Maybe that's what they're referring to? Something about our hearts being different?

“Regardless, I don't think this will be the last time we see them.”

VV's gaze dropped between A and Val, sighing. “I was trying to be subtle, but it looks like their leader understands the speech of the ghosts. They know we're headed to the Wild King. And I very much doubt they'll leave us be…”

VV gazed up at Mercy, feeling a shiver run down her spine as she saw him licking his wounds. He'd be able to feel the fear and apprehension seeping off her, mixed with a bit of hesitant trust.

“We need fire power. You fought those men so easily… Would you do it again for us?”

A pause, before VV considered what the behemoth would consider to be useful. “There would be more bodies to eat, I'm sure.”

“We don't know your name, friend. I'm VV, and this is A.”

"Val, or Valentino if you're feeling fancy," Val said as he began to set up the camp, laying out what precious few supplies he had available and what had been taken from the fallen soldiers. His rifle lay propped against a nearby cement column, but his AR pistol and knife were still within easy reach. After all, they were allies of circumstance and weather as far as he knew, and both could change in an instant when life and death were involved.

“We, uhm, we're actually on a mission. We've been tasked with killing the Wild King.”

Val laughed loudly and gave a look at the red eyed woman like she had just told the funniest joke in the world. Kill the Wild Kin? Dust, they'd barely survived the bears and that was with a Wild actively on their side. The image of that molten beast charging into the fray reminded Val to cast a look in the Wild's direction, remembering the strange words the creature had spoken in the heat of blood and battle.

“I know this might be a lot to ask, but we know nothing of this world. It would… Well, it would be a mighty help if you guided us to where the King resides. We can take it from there.”

"Oh. You're serious... or at least you think you are," Val said, reaching into a pack and pulling out some hard jerky and taking a rather large bite. He felt hungry... downright ravenous actually. The feeling was strange considering he hardly ever missed a meal unless he had to stake out a spot for a few weeks, but something within him felt different.

"You will feed me. In exchange, you will have my strength. So you can feed me more.", the words came unbidden, but with perfect recall to Val's mind. The words of a monster. Of a Titan. Of a Wild.

He listened to VV talk to A about their situation, though the idea of their hearts being modified somehow escaped his thoughts. He kept glancing over at Mercy as though trying to figure out if the Wild had somehow infected him with something. It was a disturbing thought, but he just didn't know enough about the creatures beyond that their hearts sold well and their powers were... strange. There might be something to what VV thought about their hearts being altered, but it seemed impossible to Val to survive something like that. After all, to a duster like him heart surgery alone sounded like a myth, but the possibility of infusing Wild Hearts?

“We need fire power. You fought those men so easily… Would you do it again for us? There would be more bodies to eat, I'm sure.”

Val chewed his jerky as though it could help him think. From the sounds of it, these two definitely needed help. Taking on the Wild King was suicidal, after all, if even the Bears, Ghosts and Umbra couldn't do it... how were two women who fell from the sky supposed to succeed where they had failed. Dust, Vinny had nearly killed all of them!

He should leave when the storm broke. Take his gear, thank the lovely ladies for sharing his little hideaway space, wish them luck and hit the road in the exact opposite direction. He had never been much of a team player, too many people to split the shares with. Too many people to mourn when they caught a bullet or the dust caught them...

"Dust me...," he muttered, getting to his feet and brushing off the bit of the storm that had managed to worm its way inside. He walked up towards where VV was speaking with Mercy, his eyes on the massive Wild, but stopping to stand next to VV herself.

"Of course he'll help," he said, locking his gaze onto Mercy's eye, "won't you big guy? You'll have to... if I go with them and take you up on your offer. Strength for Food. Power for Death."

He held out his hand as though he were going to somehow shake the creature's massive paw, which would likely result in him being reduced to the red smear he had mentioned before the storm came in, but it was an amusing gesture.

"I've killed a lot of men and women in my time here in the Dust. You want the leftovers, you're welcome to them if it means you'll show me why I would be wise to ally with someone like you," he said.

After Mercy's response and whatever events might unfold because of the bargain, he would turn towards VV and offer a sly smile.

"I don't know much about the foresty areas, but I can get you close enough that tracking down the King should be possible. Only thing you might want to keep in mind is I always call my markers in due time, and this is a big marker. For now, maybe you can tell me a bit more about what the Dust is going on with you two," he said lightly, "oh, and if I die on this little trip. Your asses are haunted. Just a disclosure."

---

Wren looked towards Ivy as she spoke, he instinctively started to relax at the mention that Mimi seemed to feel less of a threat than anything else. He flinched when the Soldiers leapt at Mimi, he stepped away even though the raptor-wild moved away from him in order not to harm him.

Mimi rumbled at being leapt on, but seemed to pause when the Shepard spoke to them. They hesitated for a moment, watching Cercyes' move up his staff before not resisting when he moved to take the computer chip from the Wild. When the soldier slid off Mimi's back, they moved to follow Cercrye's around before he mentioned he had to leave.

Mimi hesitated for a moment, tilting their head as he said his goodbyes before they turned back and walked over to Wren and pressed her head into his chest again, pushing him slightly onto the table he was leaning against.
"You're not leaving us alone, are you?" Wren said with a small laugh, Mimi giving a rumble before Wren stepped over towards the computer where the computer and his other companions were. "What is this?" He asked with a furrowed brow. "That looks... scary."

She was telling him what he already knew, while spouting words of treachery out loud for even him to hear. Mercy's tongue slithered out, as if to taste her hatred of the Wilds, a putrid, sulfurous substance dripping down onto the ground as he licked his teeth in thought. Did they truly think his kin so easily manipulated? Perhaps he should play along, for now. Humans were born with the insatiable need to slay each other after all, before they even knew of entities like himself.

"Var mor," said the Devourer to them all, a low rumble thundering through his chest, reverberating onto the ground. Pieces of dirt rattled from the resonant sound; he turned his gaze to the one called VV. "Var hal, Coronal ik ar!" The sound rose from the fanged maw, ending in a cry that sounded like gnashing metal and rusted hinges, piercing the desolate air. They would die, they were weak, the King was strong! His words were no warning, but a mere statement of the truth. "Sal linta val mor. Deshu... sal wenta." He would watch them perish, then he would eat them, too. "Teshuel arael." The hearts they had taken, he would take back as vengeance.

His eyes went to the one full of care, savoring how her goodness twisted into fear and anguish. Yes, this lot would do very nicely. She and her companion -the one who knew the words of his kin- seemed to look to his prize with hope. The whiff of it disgusted him. He had to suck that poisonous hope out, like the tender marrow from their fragile, puerile bones. But how?

The answer came in an outstretched hand, the one who offered ignorant in the suffering he was about to receive. Mercy peered into his mind, that great crown of pain that poured darkness into his heart. Each piece of the human's thoughts, all that he had ever felt, it wafted up into Mercy's own senses, like incense for a forbidden, malevolent god.

"Val... No. Izaac," he whispered, the voice quite tender. It was the croon a slavering beast gave in thanks, as its jaws closed upon a throttled neck. "You worthless, wretched child. You let them hurt you, because you want it to hurt." As the Devourer leeched into Val's thoughts, the human would feel a force akin to tendrils closing in around his chest. You seek kindness in murderers, and place trust in traitors. Foolish being. Give thanks, for today, our paths have crossed. I will grant you that which you seek. But be under no illusions that your fortunes have changed. You will never find peace, Izaac Valentino."

The pressure around the man's heart would rise, escalating into blinding pain, the agony of a thousand barbed needles piercing into the cavity of his chest, flooding it with an ancient, forlorn hatred. His ears would ring with the sound of all the anguished cries of those he had loved and slaughtered.

"I am Mercy, the Great Devourer! I forgive you for your weakness... and I grant you a second chance to seek your vengeance."

Only Val would hear his venomous offer, and there was no way he could turn back. Not when it was he whose hand reached out first, to seek the beast. In the passing of a breath, the colossal wild would disappear like the ether, choosing instead to reside within his host, fertile with fresh hurts and future fears.

Teresa stumbled, coughing as dust threatened to overwhelm the filters of her mask. The Dust storm had arrived with little warning, sweeping over her as she hid from the fighting. Stupidly, she knew, stupidly she couldn’t help but feel a small tinge of joy seeing Vin and his loathsome gangsters fleeing, bloodied and battered.

Vin was not a good man. She knew that well. Teresa had met him before. More times than she would have liked. Longer than she had ever wanted. Doctors were rare after the Perishing Event. She was valuable. Vin had threatened her. He had forced her to help. The price to be allowed to live and to travel safely had been temporary servitude. Bitter tears tugged at the corner of her eyelids as she remembered. She wished she’d fought back.

Gasping for air, Teresa struggled to keep moving. She felt tired, her muscles ached. The adrenaline was fading. Scrambling inside a building, she made out what might have been a bird or perhaps a bat beneath the swirling clouds of sand. She crumbled against a wall, struggling to remove her mask. The air was musty, but she greedily breathed it in, relishing the unfiltered oxygen.

She heard voices. She couldn’t place them exactly. But they came from further inside. Unbidden, her hand moved towards her revolver. Her heart thumped, fresh fear coursing through her. She looked outside, watching the roiling storm that whipped dust mercilessly after her. She replaced her mask, covering her face once more. She was tired. Too weak to fight. And too tired to run. All thoughts she held of fleeing into the storm vanished.

Waiting would do no good. She needed warmth. She needed more shelter. Pulling herself to her feet, Teresa raised her hands up, palms facing forwards, in the universal sign of submission. She walked cautiously, but made no effort to be quiet. Surprising whoever had claimed the dilapidated building seemed unwise.

"Hello?" She said hesitantly, her voice measured, and weighed with anxiety. "Is anyone there?"

"You worthless, wretched child. You let them hurt you, because you want it to hurt. You seek kindness in murderers, and place trust in traitors. Foolish being. Give thanks, for today, our paths have crossed. I will grant you that which you seek. But be under no illusions that your fortunes have changed. You will never find peace, Izaac Valentino."

Val felt the tendrils burning in his chest, the image of red hot spikes driving into the sensitive organ mirrored by the flashes of pain that lit across his nervous system like a wildfire. He bit back a scream, piercing the inside of his cheek until blood filled his mouth. He had been stabbed. He had been shot. Hells, he had been tortured by self-extolled masters of the craft and never once felt pain like this. A weaker man's mind might have broken under the assault, but Val had suffered too much and learned to deal with the cost to break now. And so he embraced it instead.

I do want it to hurt. From pain, comes strength. From strength, comes survival. From survival, comes a change in every living being's fortune, Val thought to himself, his mind instinctively beginning to shut away the pain, besides, we're hunting the King.

"I am Mercy, the Great Devourer! I forgive you for your weakness... and I grant you a second chance to seek your vengeance."

Val's eyes opened, and he realized at some point he must have collapsed onto the floor and lost consciousness. His chest still burned, and he could swear there was a feeling of... writhing inside of it. Like Mercy had somehow hollowed out his entire chest cavity and squeezed itself inside. An impossibility, but it wasn't like Val really understood what he had just done.

Covering up the pain in his eyes, he grinned widely and coughed out a spatter of blood onto the ground. "See, told you the big guy would be up for it," Val said, his voice suddenly hoarse and he winced as he felt his heart seemed to constrict within his chest, "Dust me though, that stung a bit." He reached down to his side pouch, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it with a match. A deep drag on the small paper wrapped helped bring some normalcy back to his senses, which were still going haywire from the overload of pain.

"Hello?" She said hesitantly, her voice measured, and weighed with anxiety. "Is anyone there?"

Val's reflexes exploded into action, the cigarette dropping from his lips as he threw himself towards his rifle and took aim in the direction of the voice, his still blurry sight failing to draw in a proper sight on the speaker. He blinked hard, cursing himself inwardly for weakness at a time when their lives could be in danger and slowly the image resolved into a woman.

"Uhhh... friend of yours, ladies?," he asked, his rifle still pointed towards the stranger.

Abandoned Facility, Five Hours South of Ehlm

@SporkoBug

---

Ivy stared at Wren, then at the worried faces of the soldiers. They were expecting her to make sense of this, but even she could barely grab what they were actually looking at.

She had to keep it together, for them.

“From the data, it looks like Umbra is making some kind of Wild weapon. Something we've never seen before. A living, breathing weapon. How far along this project they are, I don't know. Where they're going to strike, I don't know either…”

A hand pressed to her chin in thought. “...Mr. Solen will know what to do.”

---

Back at the Ghost Corp Head Quarters, Three Hours East of Elhm

---

General Solen stood in the war room as Ivy, backed up by Wren and the soldiers, told him what had transpired. The computer chip was handed over, and the general inspected it before passing it to one of his researchers.

”Scrub it for data, leave no digital stone unturned.” He said quietly, before turning back to Ivy.

“You've done well. Take some rest, Miss Tenebra. I won't disturb you from your research any further.”

Ivy nodded and turned, taking her leave. So too did most of the guards. That left the general, Wren, Mimi if they came with, and a few dedicated captains of the council. The general gestured for Wren.

“Come here, I need to show you something.”

They circled the holographic table in the center of the room, lit up with blue buildings of Elhm. The map shifted, revealing the edge of the city, and a tracked projectile that appeared to have fallen from the sky, and impacted the outskirts of Elhm.

“While you were on your mission, we tracked a pod from the Umbra space station that landed just outside Elhm. Three signatures left it, but one went offline in the first few minutes of landing. We tracked the two remaining signatures to a building just within Elhm.”

The general glanced up to meet Wren's. “With the new intel you and Miss Tenebra brought in, we scanned their signatures. They have Wild hearts, which makes them fit the description of being these super soldiers Umbra was developing.”

The map zoomed in on the signatures. The general gestured to them. “What we need to know is if they are, in fact, the same project as denoted in the Umbra research notes. We also need to know how dangerous they are.

“Of course, entering Elhm as a battalion will only bring unwanted attention.”

General Solen's steeled gaze glanced at one of the captains of the council standing at the table. “High Captain Le Fray?”

Le Frey, dressed in soldier garb and a mask over his face, stood at attention. “Yes, General?”

“I'm teaming you up with Wren. You both will capture these signatures, and bring them back to our headquarters for a full analysis.

“Understood?”

Le Frey nodded. “Yes, General.”

The general nodded back, before coming around the table to stand in front of Wren. He clipped a small pin to Wren's shirt. Denoting an elevation of status and rank.

“I'm promoting you to captain, Wren. You've served us faithfully, and you deserve it. Now you will be able to command soldiers in your battalion, when the chance arises. You will also be afforded more expensive equipment.

“I hope you'll serve me faithfully.”

---

@rabidbacon, @Herald, @Qia, [@AbstractProxy]

---

"For now, maybe you can tell me a bit more about what the Dust is going on with you two Oh, and if I die on this little trip. Your asses are haunted. Just a disclosure.”

VV nodded, unsure if the man was trying to tell a joke or not. “I'm already haunted, so another ghost won't hurt.”

“We were part of an experiment. Umbra Corp. They did something to us, changed us. We don’t know the full extent of it, but that's why those raiders were probably after us.”

VV nodded as A recounted their short tale. ”I've tried to remember more beyond the past few days, but beyond a few scant memories, we're both uh, pretty empty. The scientists were pretty cruel. Said they enjoyed whatever they were doing…

“Not that it ended. Apparently if we get off track, they'll shoot us from the station. I don't want to put you in danger, but we should be fine as long as we're heading towards the King.”

“Var mor, var hal, Coronal ik ar! Sal linta val mor. Deshu... sal wenta. Teshuel arael.”

As the Wild within VV's mind translated, a look of horror overtook VV's face. It was hard to dismiss his words when the Wild took up the entire space to the ceiling. She was stuck craning her head up to him, and couldn't help but shiver at his teeth.

So the Wild wouldn't betray his King, but wouldn't attack them right then and there. It was comforting, in the same way a barbed wire fence was against the skin. Without his help, they would be quite powerless. But… This was the only way forward. VV just had to convince herself that they would figure out something, even if the Wild would be able to tell that her hope was constricted by fear.

Then, a miraculous event took place. Something VV had never seen before, and could barely understand. The massive Wild and Val stared at each other for a long, long moment, before the Wild disappeared. Into thin air!

“He has moved to possess your friend. He resides within him now. And your friend is now burdened with a double-edged power.” The shadow said within her mind.

VV's head tilted curiously, before her eyes widened in alarm as Val collapsed. “Val?!”

“He’ll be fine. Instead, you should greet the new Wild here.” Said the shadow.

“Hello? Is anyone there?”

Val was faster than her on the draw, rifle already pointed and waiting while she fumbled with her new-found pistol.

"Uhhh... friend of yours, ladies?”

VV stood there, gun pointed at the masked Wild, staring for a long moment.

“I have met her before. She is an old soul. Changer of Forms. She's a healer, not a fighter.” The shadow offered VV in her mind.

“You sure?” VV thought back, her inner voice laced with anxiety.

“You really think it wise to doubt me?”

VV pursed her lips, before she lowered her pistol. “Yeah… Yeah, she's our friend.”

She, instead, took a step forward and offered her hand out to Teresa. “We have space for another by the fire. Why don't you come join us?”

---

---

The group were once again gathered by the fire, swapping stories and making plans as the storm outside howled. Eventually, everyone took rest, sleeping while the storm raged.

The bright red skies of the morning greeted them, clear as could be save the standard dust flitting around. The storm had tuckered itself out and withdrew from their area of the world.

The group, exhausted, were still tucked away in their tents. They were, at the moment, unaware of their ‘guests’.

Le Frey had led them, leaning up against the wall, peeking out to spy on tents. His eyes quickly darted down to a GPS-like device, with signatures highlighted right in front of them. They were in the right spot. Now they just had to figure out how to take them.

Le Frey and Wren were well-armed. Disguised like Lawless, but with Ghost-manufactured bullet-proof vests on underneath. They held AE rifles, pistols, and AE EMPs (from their cousins on the space station).

Le Frey spoke low through his mask to Wren. ”I vote we arrest them one by one, as silently as possible. The marks and their friends. If you're ready, let's go. We'll take the first tent together.”

---

Ivy looked like she had no idea either, which made Wren sweat a little. He heard the footsteps of the Wild Beast behind him, he winced as he expected it to leap and attack them; lulling them into a false sense of security before attacking them, but he was surprised to hear the footsteps leading away.

When Ivy mentioned about getting the information back, Wren nodded instantly. The idea of such a beast terrified him, and it angered the wendigo within his chest; it rumbled at the sight of the information- It wanted to take control and charge off to the Wild King to let him know, but Wrens' mental strength currently was too strong for once. And the fear that the information caused these people around him, tasted delicious.

---

Mimi made their way from the inside of the building out into the outside air.
Dust had picked up far away, but it definitely drifted near; Mimi could smell it in the air, but then again, their ability for scenting was rather superior to others.

They clicked their maw softly in a small trill, moving their snout down towards the ground as they sniffed for the scent of anything they could eat. The vehicle was still there, was it open? Mimi felt their eyes flex slightly as they stepped towards the Vehicle.
The humans shouldn't be out anytime soon, right? They thought to themselves before they moved to the handles and tried to open them.
Drat. Mimi felt themselves think, they had the foresight to lock the vehicles.

They fluffed their feathers down their neck, back and tail; trying to cycle their body heat a little before they headed off into the trees. Maybe they'd hunt something and then try and find these guys again...

---

Strangely, by the time they got back to the Head Quarters, the strange Wild had appeared again. Was it attracted to Wren? He was already possessed by a Wild, surely this one wasn't trying to do the same thing, right?

It took a bit of explaining to allow the Ghost Corp to allow Mimi, now that Wren knew her? Their? name, in; but the importance of seeing the General was more important than worrying about a Wild that seemed rather un-aggressive.

As the soldiers left with Ivy, Wren straightened himself up - Especially as Mimi stepped forward from their spot from behind the group and muzzled their head under the mans arm. He tensed, he didn't know what the General would say about anything like this.
"Sir, this is Mimi. They seem to be friendly." He had explained when they arrived, and they seemed to allow Mimi in without any worry.

Wren stepped forward when called on, Mimi instinctively following after him, their tail swaying as they looked at the captains carefully. They could feel their unease of their existence, but they weren't acting on it.
Wren looked to the holo-map with a neutral expression, he tilted his head as he watched and listened to the General. Wren nodded at his task, he had questions but he'd leave them for now.
He tensed when he was addressed again, before he blinked at the mention of being raised to Captain. "I'm honoured, sir." He said with a small smile, Mimi gave a happy trill and nuzzled into Wrens' side. "Hey, careful!" He said softly to the Wild, who let out a purr.

---

Mimi still followed Wren, he had tried to understand why the creature was following him but they only gave the answer of 'you have hope!' in it's raspy normal voice, before chirruping happily and settling down beside him.

They had travelled through the night, getting off a vehicle to get a sneakier advantage on their new 'friends', Wren felt worried that Mimi would give everything away, but as he turned to find the Wild, he caught a glimpse of their normal colour before they seemed to suddenly disappear from sight.
Oh. Wren thought to himself before he looked over to his Fellow Captain.

He felt weird in the clothes he was in, with the new weapons in his hands. "We're doing this peacefully as possible, yeah?" He asked carefully, loud enough in hopes that Mimi would hear his words, "Arrest and bring them back without harm or death?"
Mimi watched the tents, their body low as they watched carefully, their irises flexing and adjusting to the morning light.

@SporkoBug, @Qia

---

"We're doing this peacefully as possible, yeah? Arrest and bring them back without harm or death?”

Le Frey gave a serious nod, his voice low. “As peacefully as possible. We need to succeed in our mission, though, so use force if necessary.”

He peeked out from the corner, studying the tents once more, before he turned back to Wren. “Okay. I'm going to take the closet tent. You take the second one. Then we will both go after the third. Got it?”

He waited patiently for Wren's response before he bagged the tracker, put his rifle in his hands, and pushed off against the wall. He went on tip toes towards the tent, passing the Embers of the fire last night, and pried away the flap of the closest tent with the tip of his rifle.

He slipped inside, finding two young women dressed in Umbra suits sleeping. Perfect.

Le Frey took a step closer, pointing his rifle at A and prodding her with his boot.

“Scream and you’re dead.” He whispered, low and threatening. “Hands where I can see them.”

Wren would find himself headed to Val's tent, if he took the second one.

---

Wren listened carefully to Le Freys' words and gave a nod, slipping forward slowly as he watched him take the first tent, readying his gun for a moment. He readied himself before he headed over to the next tent, the tent he was told to look in and apprehend anyone who was inside.

The Wendigo spirit within Wren felt a vaguely familiar presence, a presence of another Wild. And this time, it wasn't the Mimicraptor; this was something much larger and much more dangerous. There was a pause through Wrens' body, done by the wendigo specifically.
"Let me talk." The Wendigo hissed in Wrens' mind, which caused him to flinch as he stepped into the tent, accidentally nudging Vals' foot as he did so.

"Idiot." The Wendigo said before he twisted his own soul to quickly take control of Wrens' body, small branch-like horns sprouting quickly from his temples as he did so.

"We mean you no harm." The Wendigo spoke calmly, a strange tone lingering over the words, "We need you to come with us. I know you're of Wild Blood, the Ghost Corp needs to look you over. Come calmly and quietly and I won't have to do anything dangerous."

_{Interactions: Le Frey-@Estylwen}

---

((Co-op post with @SporkoBug Also posted from my phone so any format issues are my bad.))

Val woke from the sounds of someone stepping into his tent, a lifetime of murderous fighting instinct keeping him still and his breathing even as the soldier nudged his boot. Clumsy... but from a distraction, he though, his eyes opening just a few hairs for him to examine a bit of the situation. Whatever this man was, he wasn't human, not entirely anymore based on the small, antler like protrusions on the sides of his head.

Mercy... buddy, if you can hear me. Pretty sure we're in a mess here.

"We mean you no harm." The Wendigo spoke calmly, a strange tone lingering over the words, "We need you to come with us. I know you're of Wild Blood, the Ghost Corp needs to look you over. Come calmly and quietly and I won't have to do anything dangerous."

Val's mind whirled. Ghost Corps. Rifle approximately five feet from chest, aim is calm, finger is on the trigger. They must want him alive, or there would be two holes in his chest already. Reference to Wild Blood probably means whatever the dust Mercy had done to him. Make him talk. Talking people weren't thinking about shooting. There would be a split second-

Rage. Murder. Blood.

As Val dipped into his subconscious to form an emergency plan, he unintentionally found the scars Mercy had left on his psyche. Red hot chains that seared into his mind and narrowed it down to a singular focus. With the connection being so new and raw, he had no real defense to it, no ability to quarantine Mercy's influence away from his actions. Like the most voracious of poisons, the raw emotion and motivations of the Wild overpowered Val's human brain and suddenly there was only one command. One need.

Feed. Feed Mercy.

Val's eyes snapped open, murderous intent clear as the normally blue orbs shifted to red. It was the only warning Wren got before the man whipped his legs up, one slamming into the side of his knee and the other kicking hard at the grip of the gun. The AE rifle went off, burning a hole in the tent next to Val's head but it only served to fuel this new rage. Both feet pulled back and then shot forward again, throwing every ounce of power Val could muster from the ground into Wren's chest to shove him back out of the tent.

Wren let out a yelp being hit in the leg, stumbling backwards after the gun went off into Vals' tent. He moved the gun to his side for a moment before he was about to speak before Val pushed his entire weight into his chest through his feet and almost threw him out of the tent.

If Val had been in his right mind, he would have grabbed his knife and pistol, cut open the back of the tent, and escaped out the back while his foes either wasted ammunition trying to kill him inside the tent or tried to enter it again. But he was far from his right mind and the changes were beginning to show in more than just his eyes.

He roared. Not yelled. Not shouted a battle cry. No, what came from his throat was like a primordial beast that had been shaken from a good nap and now had to deal with the waking world.

His flesh blackened, hardening into armored plates as he swelled in size. The tent was destroyed, ripping apart across the rapidly growing frame of the new creature that was Val was becoming. It was painful, the human side of Val's brain wracked with pain he hadn't felt since Mercy had first dug it's chains into him. Inwardly, locked inside the head of this new monster, he screamed and tried to rally his willpower to shatter the chains his new form had built around his consciousness. His body grew to eight feet.

"I will be Merci-ful..," the voice coming from this creature was deeper, far more beast like than it's original owner could even hope to imitate, the word merciful coming out more like the twinned words Mercy and Val, "...and devour you first, Bloodling."

Eleven feet. Val's new form was pressing against the ceiling, and already cracks in the concrete from the intense pressure were beginning to show. This building had been out of repair since long before Val and his companions had arrived, and it certainly was not build for a monster being born inside of it.

AE rounds burned away part of his new form, slicing through Val's body with the ease for which the rifles had been designed. He moved out of instinct, but his instincts were used to a much smaller body as he swiped wide at Wren with a clawed hand and then reached for a knife that was not part of his transformation.

Wren had been slammed into a column, letting out a loud groan as the Wendigo side of him rumbled angrily. "New bond, the first transformation always hurts the most." The Wendigo hissed, moving to shuffle out of the way of a few pieces of concrete. "Too dangerous to change here, too dangerous to change." It rumbled, Wren instinctively nodding.[/b]

At fourteen feet, the ceiling gave way under the pressure. Concrete rained down around Val, bouncing harmlessly off of his new armor plating, but inwardly he looked on horrified as the concrete continued to splinter and crack over A's and VV's tents.

No! We kill only who I say we kill!, his mind rallied, and he turned the fury that his new form was feeding on against the very chains that bound his higher consciousness. The animal part of his mind broke under this concerted effort, and the eyes of his new form briefly shaded back to blue as it turned it's attention back towards the tents where everyone else had been sleeping.

Eighteen feet. Even crouching now wasn't helping to avoid damaging the ceiling, and person sized chunks of concrete began to fall.

"Mimi!" Wren called out, unsure if the dinosaur-shaped wild was still around. Mimi gave a canine-like bark from the third tent, away from everyone else. "Stay safe!" Wren called out before he looked back to Val and pulled his run out at the ready, just in case. He didn't want to fire at him, no injuries. This was supposed to be peaceful.

Val growled in frustration and pain, his arms swiping forward to knock the falling chunks aside and he left an arm in place over their heads to prevent the worst of the debris from crushing anyone.

There was a brief moment of respite as the building shifted slightly, then stabilized once more as Val stopped growing. And then, like a massive breath had been released from his lungs, quickly dissipating smoke poured from the cracks in his armor as his body shrunk back down to human size. The building creaked once more as the support Val's body had been providing caused it to shift ever so slightly, but it seemed the worst of what he had caused was over.

The armor melting off of his skin, leaving burn marks where the AE rifles had struck and his whole body a few shades redder and running like he had just come off the worst fever in the world, Val went down to one knee in exhaustion. Holding up his hands, he breathed deeply as he turned back towards Wren.

"Alright... we'll call it a draw," he said, a stupid grin on his face as though he hadn't been the cause of most of the danger to his own companions.

"Ferz." Wren said, glancing behind him slightly as if looking to his own Wild spirit. The Wendigo rolled its eyes quickly, using its' ability to twist and pull vines from the ground to attempt to hold up the building in case Val and Mercy's body change broke anything too integral to the structures.

While his wild was doing everything, Wren seemed to be wincing in pain. His veins glimmered a deep, swampy green, before he seemed exhausted after everything had happened. Once he recovered, Wren shook his head, his antlers disappearing from his head before he looked down to Val, moving to put his gun off to his side and offered a hand to Val to help him up.

"You think you can walk?" He asked with a tilt of his head, "If not I'm sure Mimi could probably carry you." He hesitated before he looked towards where the call from Mimi came from, "Wherever they are."

Val nodded, struggling to his feet and doing his best to pretend like he hadn't just been rolled through hot lava and buried in an avalanche. "Gonna have to, not fond of being left behind," he muttered, coughing up a bit of blood.

@SporkoBug, @Herald, @rabidbacon, @Qia, @Abstract Proxy

---

“Who are you?”

Le Frey's eyes narrowed in the darkness. His voice was a measured whisper. ”That don't matter right now. What matters is that you do what I-”

A gunshot.

VV's eyes opened, and she shot up.

Le Frey cursed under his breath, their eyes meeting. The gun in his hands seemingly criminal now.

But, before VV could attack with her darkness, or A could respond. Two scaled objects slammed into both girls, wrapping around their necks and pinning them to the floor. Closer inspection revealed them to be tails, one emerging from Le Frey's tailbone, the other from his arm. The one from his arm, in particular, had a greenish aura around it.

"Nae cael-laen. (Don't be foolish.)"

Another otherworldly voice rumbled through Le Frey’s lips. Inu, his Wild. Wise and majestic, and wholly prepared to impose his will.

The ghost in VV's head translated the Wild language in real-time, and she struggled under the tail closing around her throat.

That was when the roof started to crumble. Le Frey, cursing under his breath again, yanked his tails, dragging A and VV out of the tent and in front of the campfire. Just in time to see Val de-transform back into himself, and surrender to Wren.

Ley Frey, looking at Wren and his foe in alarm, seemed to relax a bit. Wren had it under control, after all. So, with the two girls still pinned by his tails, he walked to the third tent, tails extending after him. In a couple seconds, he had Teresa by the arm, and threw her in the direction of VV and A, where she stumbled and fell.

Le Frey stood over them, glancing at Val, before crossing his arms, his voice crisp and commanding. ”I am High Captain Le Frey of the Ghost Corp, my partner is Captain Wren. We were sent here to apprehend you lot and bring your back to our base. Your… Connection with Umbra needs to be ascertained.

“Come quietly and you won't be harmed. Resist…” His eyes flashed a brilliant green as claws formed on his one hand. “And I will subjugate you myself.”

No sooner had he spoken, however, before the safehouse was flooded with hooded, masked scavengers from all entrances. Dogs on chains among them barked and howled, snapping at Val, VV, and A as if they wanted to devour them whole. And with the way these hooded intruders looked at them, with their mundane pistols, there was certainly a… ravenous quality to them.

The leader, dressed similarly to the rest, emerged at the front, one hand on his hip. He regarded the Ghost Corp captains snidely, before he spoke gruffly.

“Surrender your hearts.”

He gestured to his men, brandishing their guns.

“Or we open fire.”

Wren couldn't help but give a chuckle at Vals' words as he helped him up before he looked to Le Frey as he headed out of the tents to see what was happening.
"Apologies. First transformation for-" He hesitated for a moment before he froze up at the sound of the dogs and intruders entering the area. "Fuck."

"Isil’loth naira’tha vaer’thar? (Time for me to take command?)" Wrens' wild burned in the back of his mind, the human hesitating before looking towards La Frey, "Possibly." Wren whispered mentally, he locked eyes with his companion and hoped that the look on his face told him what he was planning to do if he needed to.

While La Frey grabbed Teresa from the tent, Mimi stayed in the shadows - out of sight as they took in everything before their hearing caught the dogs barking first. They acted quickly, under their cloaked state they moved to scale the wall slightly and fanned out their feathers before narrowing their eyes at the sight of the intruders.
They needed to make a sound to try and scare them off, they didn't want their friends harmed.

Mimi tolled through everything that they could think of, what would scare the dogs? They were well trained, what would scare the cannibals? Something large. Mercy's roar echoed in their mind but they weren't sure if they could project it that loudly or that well.
They felt their claws start slipping ever so slightly, no, they needed to figure out something quickly.

Wren looked away from La Frey has he hoped he conveyed what he was planning. "Take control." He whispered under his breathe, "Just... Don't hurt our friends."
"Say it right."
"Vaer'thar (Take Control)"
Wrens' eyes suddenly twisted in colour as they snapped open, they twisted a blood red for a moment before sinking into a deep mossy green colouration before the vines around him seemed to rear up and twist around his legs.

Wren was glad he wasn't in control of his body while it transformed, he felt the pain still and he didn't want to let them know how painful this was. He could feel his bones snap as his form shifted into something bigger; his skull cracking as the antlers slowly twisted out of his skull more. His own skull twisted outwards to more of a deer muzzle, but with much more teeth.
Blood dripped from parts of his body before it seemed to deepen into a horrible black colour.
His shoulder blades buckled, he felt his legs would give away if the vines weren't already coiled around them, the spines slowly protruded through his flesh and clothes as his neck seemed to lengthen.

"FRIEND!" Mimi yelled as they watched Wren change, leaping from their spot as they abandoned their plan to scare the intruders. They could feel the pain from Wrens' body and moved to instinctively stand in front of the group with a bristle of their feathers.

Val's nerves still felt like they were superheated, cooling down from the brief exposure to Mercy's essence that had so rapidly and completely changed his form. He was exhausted, in pain, and damn near the point where he might not be able to stay conscious. His rifle was still in the remains of his tent along with the rest of his weapons, and he wasn't even sure now how many different groups wanted a literal piece of him now.

"Weak... can't even handle an immature copy of my form..." Mercy's voice rumbled through his mind.

"Surrender your hearts. Or we open fire."

Val visibly twitched when the newcomers arrived on the scene, hands going for a weapon that wasn't there. Ravagers. Of course it would be the dusting Ravagers. With King Ravager himself in the lead.

"Getting shot or getting eaten... gosh, that's a hard choice to make," Val called out, rising again to his feet. He could feel Mercy chomping at the bit to be released again, but channeling the Wild's power himself again so soon after such a dangerously unbalanced transformation was far too likely to kill him.

Fortunately, he wasn't the only Wild-touched around.

The man that had attempted to apprehend him suddenly changed as well, bones cracking and body deforming as vines seemingly grew straight out of the their flesh. It was a horrific sight to see up close... and one hell of a distraction.

Val forced his body to move, at first acting like he had panicked and broken at the sight of the man's change, but throwing himself into a dive straight at the shredded remains of his tent. With this many Wilds in play, he knew he needed his Abyssal Energy Handgun. Normally, he might have been tempted to let Ghost Corp and the Ravagers play things out and then take out the winner, but even he wasn't stupid enough to run the risk of the Ravagers winning. Whatever Ghost Corp had in mind for him and the women from Umbra, it would almost certainly be better than what the Ravagers did with their usual captures.