@SporkoBug, @Herald, @Qia

---

"Getting shot or getting eaten... gosh, that's a hard choice to make,”

Dex stared daggers at the dinosaur-like Wild standing in between him and his hearts, before his gaze flicked to the wise-mouth. A smile cracked underneath his mask.

”I know that wise-crack voice anywhere. How are you not dead yet, Valentino?”

He spread his arms wide, one hand removed from his gun as he spoke. ”Consider it your lucky day! I'm in a generous mood, and my dogs tell me you're newly… christened. How about you help you round up these other hearts here, and we'll let you join our ranks! Black would suit you, and you'll find the food never runs out, fills you up, and… nourishes your soul.”

But before he could continue his convincing assault, Wren's transformation caught him off-guard. His gun snapped to Wren, though purposely avoiding the heart area. Instead, his gun was aimed for Wren's gut. A slow, bleeding-out kind of death.

VV's eyes darted between the new intruders and A, desperately trying to keep her cool. A had a lot of meaning in her eyes, though. Did she mean to not make a move? But wouldn't they die faster that way.

VV grunted underneath the tail, pulling desperately to try and release the pressure on her windpipe. Her voice was low, horse. ”Don't underestimate yourself, A. You're strong. These monsters got nothing on you.”

A subtle read-in-between-the-lines. VV tried to encourage A to fight. She was the only one out of all of them that could deliver a surprise attack every time.

Le Frey's head turned sharply at her, “Quiet!”

The lead Ravager, Dex, was only delighted by VV's words. ”I do enjoy a good fight before my meal. Alas-” His gun turned towards Wren, and he opened fire. The rest of the Ravagers followed suit, unloading bullets in each and every Lawless, Umbra, Wild and Ghost Corp present.

…

… At least, they tried.

In a flash of brilliant light, a green dragon had emerged from Le Frey, leaving the man weak and on one knee while the dragon, Inu, used its body to block the attack. Inu quickly followed up with an unleash of green fire that scattered the Ravagers. Subsequently, the tails on VV and A loosened and withdrew.

However, the Ravagers were particularly slimey. A few slipped passed Mimi and Inu, one pointing a gun at VV and A while the others began dragging the two Umbra away…

Simultaneously, another Ravager had snuck around the other side, and began unloading his gun. Two shots found their home in Teresa, and she dropped like a sack of potatoes, silent as the grave. Four more shots unloaded in Val's direction, before the Ravager hissed, clicking his gun. Out of ammo.

Finally, Dex himself sized up Wren in his transformed state. One of his men handed him a bottle of liquid with a cloth shoved down the neck. He lit it, a creepy smile in his voice.

”I wonder how you'll taste on the coals…”

Before he lobbed the molotov directly at Wren.

---

The gunshot rang out through Mimi's ears, they let out a screech as their companion was potentially harmed and they went to dive towards some of the Ravengers before the different voices echoed around them. Instinctively they stopped and focused on the voices, thinking to themselves as they kept eyes on everything around them.

Wren had almost fully twisted into the Wendigo's form when they shot at him, The bullet went through his body easily. If he was any earlier in his transformation; it would have done some real damage, but Wren's mass was mainly just vines and plants at this point.
Ferz let out a loud, echoing Howl - just as everything went off and Inu showed himself around everyone.

"Well met, friend." Ferz rumbled to the other wild before turning to face the Ravengers trying to take the Umbra girls. He slammed a foot down, pulling up vines around the Umbra girls, they weren't thorned and they were obviously there to keep them safe and protected.

Ferz didn't hear the leader speak, his attention pulled away at that point.
But Mimi's wasn't.

The dinosaur-wild watched the human throw the Molotov and quickly leapt around; they knew it was going to hurt them - but their feathers would brace the fire better than the plant matter that Wren seemed to be made out of.
They moved quickly, moving the widened end of their tail to almost hit the molotov like you would a baseball with a bat - Uncaring if it exploded against their feathers or bounced towards the Ravengers.

Mimi rumbled angrily and they dived towards Dex, trying to tear at him with their claws and teeth.

{THIS WAS TYPED UP FEOM MY PHONE》Yesterday; East Elhm.

Gakushi SOUTHAMPTON

___________________________________

Fast asleep Gakushi was all but dreaming. Within his mind the young man had stood in a room made up of parchment paper evening the flooring had been lined with the same materials. At first glance one could see the Abyssal scrawliings and half sentences in English. At the center of it all were two beings a well-toned light skinned Black man; and a Wild borrowing the appearance of a horror story monster; The Wildess while headless; above it floated three hot pink eyesits body consisted of a ashen skin and had eight Black Widow legs, four Blue Jay wings and its four arms were a copy of dead cedar tree branches...The pair stood; attention fixated on the southeastern wall. "The war between each Faction...Hah! All shall fall before The Quiet Rapture is usurped by Our plot! Aeon's Yoni!"

"Eryu Ashu Nin'Culla." (While you slept I kept watch.) The Wildess has swiped her upper left arm while her lower right had intersected it forming an capital Y. In response; a memory from The Wildess had appeared on the parchment it replayed only what she saw and the pairs minions had retrieved. The parchment had displayed sketches of an Umbra Corp landed escape pod, a scuffle amongst the Lawless, Umbra Corp Personelle (Or so they believed) and Ghost Corp. A abrupt sandstorm had prevented the pair from spying on the conflict so as they waited Gakushi had grimaced sensing that the scouting minions had been destroyed by the sandstorm.

Waken up by the pain Gakushi bemoaned a slurred and groggily mispronounced string of swore words. It didn't take him much time to tidy himself up for the and get down to the basement where he kept his horse; Meg. While Gakushi slept The precious animal trotted freely and knocked over a container of Hay, feed, and Honeycrisp & Granny Smith apples. Luckily the water tank was mounted on the wall and hadn't been disturbed by Meg. (Not that it could be) after fetching her water and slowly returning upstairs to get the broom and a shovel Gakushi had saddled up and exited the building.

The Next Day, Valentino's Hideout.
____________________________________

A full day had passed as Gakushi had rode only stopping to urinate and use the minions his Wildess had gifted to him. The same old creations were made fuzzy cubes with the wings of dragonflies. They went out to gather information on where the warring factions had fled to. As he awaited their return Gakushi had lead Meg to a place far off in the shade leaving her a meal and water. Gakushi himself had skipped breakfast and had just snacked on dried vension jerky and the last of the virgin Shiner he had.

From underneath the mask he had stolen from his family when he was Garthowhen Ishikawa he saw the flying Abyssal creations return to him...It was through some off-shoot of echo location that they had found the group and another set Of Wild. They were under attack by the mad bastard Dex! Disgust and vexation fueled Gakushi. He created more minions; these ones were a mix of crab and hyena. Mounting one out of four Gakushi had rode to their whereabouts!

"HALT! YOU PYSCHOTIC Fuc-"
His eyes flickered from medium brown to a heated, blazing hot pink. The Wildess whose name he was never told spoke through him; her dissatisfied tone like a mother's who teenagers had just broken the law. "Oh, stupid and starved boy. You have spoiled yourself for far too long! We mustn't have that, must we?" The Wildess had spat in Dex's direction as for the created minions Gakushi had created they lunged for the Ravagers.

Graciously she dismounted the minions. Which, in turn sporadically ran off woth the flying ones to Benefactor knows where. She stepped up closing in on Dex. "Gluttonous children who know no difference between dessert and a proper mean must be disciplined. Won't you agree?" her tone was that of a strict maternal figure who had just ran out of compassion. Yet, for a reason unbeknownst to her and Gakushi the pair allowed the warring factions a chance to react to their all-of-a-sudden arrival.

_{Interactions/Mentions: VV, Ravager NPC-@Estylwen}

---

As Val dived for the remains of his tent, two shots rang out and he flinched, surprised that they weren't immediately followed by burning lines of pain piercing his vitals. He heard a body hit the ground with the telltale thump of a marionette with it's strings cut and he cursed loudly that it wasn't a ravager. He needed his weapons now!

Four more cracks broke the air. One shot went wide, striking a scrap of his tent and he threw himself flat at the sounds. Two more rounds struck the ground on either side of him, but the fourth found it's mark scraping a line of red hot pain along his ribs. He roared in pain, his connection with Mercy surging in red hot anger as the Wild's power tried to surge in his body once again. He fought down the instinct, he still wasn't recovered enough to risk another transformation and his control when assuming that form was severely lacking.

Wound. Maim. Kill... FEED!

Val muttered a curse under his breath, throwing himself forward enough to throw aside part of his damaged tent and reveal his weapons. With the ravager closing in, his hand grasped for his knife and pistol. Once he felt their solid grips in his hands, he rolled to his feet, dashing as fast as he could towards the ravager moving in on him. He threw himself at the opponent with a near reckless abandon, trying to secure the kill quickly so he could use his weapons to give covering fire to VV and A.

Already he could feel Mercy stirring again, the red hot chains burning around his heart dulling the pain of the wound in his side. He didn't know if he would need the power yet, but the next time he unleashed it, it would be for the kill.

@SporkoBug, @Herald, @Qia

---

Four more shots rang in the air.

As Val lunged for the Ravager and his empty gun, he'd be able to see out of the corner of his eye two bodies that had collapsed on the ground. Teresa and an unknown - a dark-skinned man with dreads. Both just… gone.

The Ravager shrieked, chucking his gun at Val and pulling out his own dagger a moment too late. The next instance later, the Ravager was on the ground, unmoving. Three dead bodies. And Val's kill count for the day increased to one.

One problem, however.

As the Ravager fell, three more took his place, guns raised and one diving at him with a knife.

Inu’s voice was swift as Wren- as Ferz, grew vines around VV and A. ”Seirael na, thaela Umbra dhaelar, tel’sir ior nan en’alarei! Tesh ylir esia! (Grab them, those Umbra girls, and get on my back. We must leave at once!)”

Looking more closely at the two Umbra test subjects, one would be pleased to see that A's attack had succeeded, and Wren's attack had shielded. The Ravager holding the gun let out a pained whimper as his gun dropped, hands moving to stop the blood flowing from his nose and ears. He quickly fell to his knees. The other two Ravagers attempting to grab the girls were pushed back by the vines, hissing and screaming in discontent. Immediately, twelve bullets from their guns were aimed at Wren.

”Die, you black heart!” One of them yelled.

Before they were blindsided by a wave of shadow, all at the courtesy of VV, squinting through the thick vines.

She turned to A, “That was awesome, but we really gotta get outta here.”

The molotov sailing towards Mimi was an unfortunate bottle. You see, it already had a fine crack along the side. So the slight flick of pressure, of a tail, caused the molotov to explode. Fire and liquid caught on Mimi's tail feathers, smoke sputtering. Dex looked on triumphantly, but before he could make his next move, Le Fray raised a device in the air, and pressed its button.

Immediately, a shriek of a thousand souls emanated outward, vibrating the very air. Each Ravager was visibly overcome, falling to the ground with their hands over their eyes and ears, weeping.

Le Frey wasted no time, motioning for Val to come over to Inu. Everyone needed to mount the dragon, and then they'd fly out of the garage door. He'd ensure Val got on, and he knew Wren would ensure the Umbra girls and Mimi would get on. And if their charge still had any hesitations about taking a trip to the Ghost Corp HQ… well, he'd deal with them right here and now.

They had to act quickly. Already, some of the Ravagers were realizing they weren't in immediate danger, heads peeking up…

North Ehlm, Val's Safehouse

---

Everything was happening really quickly; more Ravagers' seemed to appear from nowhere, people were being killed.
The smell of blood, gunpowder and Wild Magic echoed through Ferz snout as he moved to swipe at a small group of Ravager's near him. He moved to attack once more before Inu suddenly spoke to him; he hesitated, was he to take orders from someone else potentially working against their own king?

He threw aside his worried judgement and moved to lift the vines surrounding the Umbra Girls.
Twelve more shots were shot towards him, hitting his bark-covered hide, but the deep black blood started to seep from some of the bullet wounds. Ferz felt the pain crackle through his body, but he held back on roaring loudly as he was focused on getting everyone else around him onto the beasts back.

Mimi let out a loud squark when the molotov hit their tail and exploded, the liquid spread down their tail as the fire started to jet up their body. Mimi turned to Dex with a bare of their fangs and went to lunge towards him in anger before the Ravagers suddenly all collapsed.
Ferz looked towards Mimi as he had gotten the Umbra girls onto Inu's back, before he moved a tree arm to reach down and pick up the dinosaur. Mimi let out a loud honk and struggled at the sudden pressure around them before they looked up to see Ferz watching her.
"Mytharil tova, ashara vithrin.("My feathers sting, I need water.") Mimi whined to Ferz, who didn't answer as he placed the dinosaur onto Inu, his grip had killed most of the fire; in expense of burning himself in doing so.

""Thalir wil'nae lo'shar, wen'vayol toren, thalra enna'ven thirak. (He will be unconscious when I go, please make sure the wounds are covered.") Ferz warned Inu as he moved to pull his legs from the ground, the rocks that the vines had tied themselves into cracking as the vines snapped away.

Ferz seemed to be falling apart as he moved away from the Ravagers as they were on the ground. "Asha'len tova, el'sharn teva.(I will need to rest, I shouldn't be long.)" He spoke to Inu as he seemed to crumble more, dropping an unconscious Wren onto Inu's back. "Velenor thalir. (Look after him.)" Ferz's voice almost ordered before the rest of the vines crumbled away to the ground.
Mimi was immediately over to Wrens' side, covering him with most of their body. The dinosaur wilds' feathers from the base of their tail to the end, were blackened from the flames.

Val felt a surge of energy pass through him, the ravager's blood on his hands feeling like tiny points of warmth and he would later swear he could feel Mercy smiling inside of him. It was a paltry feast, hardly worth consuming, but it was the first meal served to him and the act alone was enough to quiet Mercy for the moment. He had his own problems to deal with anyways, as three ravagers sought vengeance for the one he had killed.

Val had survived this long by learning how to fight smart. When the man dived at him with a knife, Val immediately sidestepped to put as much of his opponents body between him and his backup. A knife fight, he could win, but a knife fight against a man with two gunmen as backup, he needed a better edge. A bullet clipped his shoulder, drawing a red line of pain along his bicep, but he was too busy slashing at the knife wielder to return fire just yet. He muttered a curse and started to reach for Mercy's power again, consequences be damned... when the ravagers as a whole fell to their knees.

He blinked in surprise, still keeping his knees bent and ready to move as his eyes searched for a new threat arriving to the battlefield. When all he could see was the ghost corp man waving to him to join the others now mounting on the strange dragon like creature. For the briefest of moments, Val hesitated, a glance thrown to the paths that led outside. He could escape... make it out... maybe even outrun the Ravagers with a little luck and a few bullets... but that would leave the Umbra visitors to the Ghost Corp. Not as bad as the Ravagers, but still not great.

"Dust me," Val muttered, stashing his knife and casually aiming his handgun at the weeping ravagers. He might have felt something once for gunning down helpless men, but out here in the Dust, anyone you spared would just try to kill you tomorrow. He put two rounds towards each of the men he had been fighting, taking a moment to retrieve his rifle and dashing towards the dragon. He ducked low to slide underneath the incoming fire that would be aimed at his center of gravity, all but baseball sliding into the cover the dragon and vines provided. Like a cowboy out of some ancient story, he grabbed a fistful of... something on the dragon and used it to swing himself up onto the Wild.

Seeing the unconscious Wren, he reached out to grab ahold of the man, only to find a strange reptile covering the man's body, embers still glowing in it's blackened feathers.

"Whoa, buddy," Val said, "don't bite, just trying to help your friend." He wasn't sure if the creature understood the words, but he still reached out to hold Wren down and make sure he didn't slip off from whatever this dragon was about to do.

@SporkoBug, @Herald, @Qia

---

The Ravagers were picking themselves up. They were screaming, raging, preparing all manner of fire and bullets to throw at Val for his heartless killings.

But it would be too late.

The moment the last of the group got on Inu's back, she took off, barreling through the garage door, taking the exact same path Mercy had taken to get in.

Whoosh!

In mere seconds, everyone was high in the air, soaring over Ehlm. There were sounds of gunshots below, but the Ravagers couldn't touch them, not now.

If one were to look down, they'd see the sprawling city of Elhm below, with its broken and torn skyscrapers. In the center were trees and their blue leaves, marking one of the largest Spectral Woods. A black haze was rising from the woods, causing tension to set in the stomach of anyone who dared to look too long.

Inu turned and set off in the east, in the direction of Ghost Corp. The ground of cracked earth and desert was contrasted by the red of the sky and the green of Inu's scales as they raced ahead, wind flying in their faces and stealing their breath. An exhilarating ride. It was almost too easy to forget where they were heading, and why.

---

Ghost Corp Head Quarters

@SporkoBug, @Herald, @Qia

---

The desert broke into sparse spindles of trees, remnants of the lush forests that used to coat Dust. Some even had a few leaves on them, indicating that some had somehow managed to survive the toil and torture of the surface.

Inu touched down in front of a massive, triangle-like building with several floors easily reaching 50-60 feet high. The mix of concrete and glass indicated it was a newer build. But who would have resources for such a complex structure?

As everyone started filing off Inu, the steel gates to the Ghost Corp Head Quarters opened, and several armed men shuffled up, taking points around the group. They didn't point their weapons, but it was clear they knew who had arrived.

Le Frey waved over a couple of the guards, and soon, a stretcher was brought out, and Wren was placed in it.

Inu gave a low rumble, before they began to dissolve, sighing as they returned to Le Frey's form to rest within. Le Frey gave his hand a flex as he felt familiarity return to him, before his gaze fell on the group.

”Best not to keep ‘em waiting. This won't take long.” Were the words of comfort Le Frey offered as he gestured for the group to follow him.

VV, A, Val, and Mimi were escorted into the building, Wren in a stretcher behind them and Le Frey leading. After moving down numerous concrete and steel corridors, Le Frey eventually led them to double doors he opened with an access card. They walked into what looked like a large, well-outfitted laboratory filled with men and women in lab coats, and several gurneys connected to old machines. And in the center, talking with one of the researchers, was General Solen.

General Solen turned to the group as they entered, watching as the guards took their positions along the back wall. His gaze flickered to VV, A, Val, and Mimi as Wren was brought to one of the gurneys for inspection.

”My sincere apologies for bringing you out here. My name is General Solen. I’m aware that you two,” his eyes fell on A and VV, “Are from Above, yes?”

“We will need to run some tests in light of some… information we received. Your cooperation is appreciated, as we ensure the safety of Dust as a whole.”

At his nod, two scientists approached VV and A. A cute little blonde in a lab coat smiled at A, grasping her hand. ”Hi there, my name is Doctor Willfreed. I'll be looking after you today. Now, tell me, have you been feeling any pain, anything abnormal since falling from the sky?”

Doctor Willfreed spoke enthusiastically and quickly as she guided A over to one of the gurneys. The same happened with VV, being led to another gurney nearby.

Another scientist approached Val with a hot cup of… Well, it smelled like coffee. But with the lack of coffee beans in Dust, it had to be artificial. A convincing fake, give the robust, full aroma it had.

That was when General Solen looked over at Val, and gestured for him to come forward. Of course, before that, he would have to hand over his rifle to one of the guards for safe-keeping.

”Protocol.” The general said plainly, not really giving much room for argument. ”But I am interested to hear how you got mixed up in all this. And what you can tell me about these two girls…”

A smaller scientist with two pink buns atop her head stood in front of Mimi, small hand brushing against his burnt feathers. She couldn't have been much older than a child. ”You're hurt! Letha enya fialth'vae. (Let's get you fixed up.)”

And the small child scientist began dragging Mimi over to Wren's gurney, where she rummaged through the station, pulling out some type of aerosol spray. She pointed it at his tail. ”Hold still, okay?”

North Elm, Val's Safehouse

---

Mimi watched as more hopped onto the large dragons back, still instinctively covering their humanoid friend. As Val moved over, Mimi fluffed their neck feathers slightly. They watched Val carefully and listened to his words, they relaxed their feathers softly as he reached over to take hold of Wren - Humans hands would do better than their feathered arms.

"Help, Friend." Mimi repeated, in an almost perfect sound of Vals' voice before Inu suddenly took off, causing Mimi to squawk and bunker down against the larger Wild-Beast.
Mimi kept themselves low against Inu's body, making sure not to dig their claws into Inu's scales. They braced their own fear and gently popped their head up to look over the edge, taking in the view.

They were flying. Flying! Their feathers fluffed up in awe and surprise.

---

Ghost Corp Head Quarters

---

Mimi watched the terrain below them, their fear of flying seemed to have faded away before Inu suddenly dove down to land. Mimi waited until everyone else was off before moving to help Wren off from Inu's back before they paused at the guards coming out to see them.
As the guards moved to pick Wren up, Mimi bobbed up and down to watch him carefully, swaying their tail before Le Frey moved to lead them inside.

"From Above." Mimi instinctively repeated after Soren before the Girls were taken to the gurneys, looking over towards Wren almost instinctively, before they let out a small yelp as something touched them. They turned their attention towards the smaller scientist, originally sneering before noticing how young the human was.

Mimi's head tilted straight to its' side as they watched her carefully. The small scientist didn't need to drag Mimi along too hard, at the mere movement towards Wrens' gurney, Mimi walked with ease. They moved to sniff over their human friend quietly, moving to put their head gently against their side.
"Hold still." Mimi repeated as their eyes looked back towards the Scientist. They didn't understand what was properly happening, but the Scientist smelt like hope and kindness.

Wren stirred at Mimi beside him, his body still injured but he was slowly coming to consciousness.

”Protocol.” The general said plainly, not really giving much room for argument. ”But I am interested to hear how you got mixed up in all this. And what you can tell me about these two girls…”

Val sighed and swirled the fake coffee in the cup. Inwardly, Mercy raged at the implication of disarming himself simply because a human asked him to. At first, he considered sarcastically asking the Wild spirit if they really thought option B would be any better: transforming and trying to kill everyone in the room, but given the spirits inclination towards violence he decided not to even make it a discussion. He pulled his rifle off of his shoulder, handing it carefully to a nearby Ghost Corp soldier that had moved closer to take his weapons.

"And while you're at it, polish the stock and clean the sights," Val said as though he could give orders to a Ghost Corp, "and Dust help you if anyone touches my frakking scope alignment. I'll use you and them to dial back in the sights."

The rifle wasn't the only thing he handed over. In a show of trust, and the knowledge that even if he did manage to pull one of these weapons he would be shot approximately sixteen times before he could bring it up to harm anyone in the building, he also pulled out his AE handgun and fighting knife and handed them over.

"Sorry, I'm traveling light these days," he said as though he wasn't carrying enough weapons, "do I have a cavity search to look forward to or..."

Turning his attention back to the General, though he had little idea who the man really was, he opened up his smart mouth one more time.

"I doubt I can tell you anything you don't already know," he said, referring to the General's earlier question, "they fell out of the sky in a pod." He rattled off the approximate location of the pod, using landmarks known in the perimeter of the city.

"As for me. Right guy, wrong time and place. The Bears beat me to the pod, and I have a uhh... mixed history with Vinny. Wild Spirit showed up, chaos erupted. Guns fired. People died. I didn't," Val said, shrugging his shoulders. He was being purposefully obtuse, but only because he figured the Ghost Corp could likely put together the truth of what happened without his cooperation.

"The ladies asked for my help. I agreed. We took a nap... not together, mind you, I'm a gentleman after all," Val said, a smirk dancing across his face. "Next thing I knew, your boy over there on the stretcher was pointing a gun at me. We had a... slight disagreement, then I saw the wisdom of coming here to the Ghost Corp. And well... then the Ravagers showed up, and we had a bigger disagreement."

It was only after he told his story that he took a drink of the coffee, looking the General directly in the eyes as though he had no fear of it being poisoned or treated with some kind of mind affecting drug.

"So I did what any man in my position would do, I shot a few Ravagers, then boarded a flying green snake to the warm embrace of Ghost Corp," he said.

He downed the rest of the coffee in one big gulp, "which now leaves me in the awkward position of figuring out what it is you intend to do with the ladies," he said, gesturing with a nod towards VV and A, "pretty sure we owe your man there with the scales for getting us out from under the snouts of the Ravagers, but if you're going to hurt them, you'd be better off putting a bullet in me right now. Not to say they can't take care of themselves... but a man is only as good as his word and his rifle in the Dust. And well... you've got my rifle at the moment."

Ghost Corp Head Quarters, Laboratory

@SporkoBug, @Herald, @Qia

---

The pink-haired child gave a serious nod, almost comical given her size. A nozzle was adjusted on the spray, and, delicately, she pressed the handle. A slight fizz escaped, making contact with the burns. Mimi would immediately notice how cold it felt, like ice cubes on a hot day.

In the next few seconds, a thick foam would coat the tail feathers and all areas that were obviously burned. The cold sensation faded slightly, and there was the smell of mint in the air.

The pink-haired child looked up at Mimi. ”Okay, just leave it on there for the next half hour. Okay? Na'lai thael! (Don't touch it!) Very important, okay?”

Meanwhile, two scientists had circled around Wren's gurney, checking vitals and going over initial assessments. One forgot themselves and swore aloud, hissing at the wounds.

”Captain Wren, the heck did you do…?” He mumbled.

The pink-haired scientist knew the next step, and reached into the station again to hand a pair of scissors over to one of the scientists.

”Thank you, Daphne.” The female scientist said, using the scissors to cut and remove Wren's shredded and bloodstained clothes. He was left in his boxers as the two scientists began examininging and cleaning wounds, and checking to see if any bullets had remained lodged.

The male scientist was preparing an anesthetic. If there were no bullets, they'd numb the area and start sewing the wounds shut. Bandages were also prepared for the gashes around the ankles and wrists.

Off to the side of the room, one of the guards smirked under his visor and face mask, plucking up Val's rifle, pistol and knife. It's possible that Val's comments even made the guard chuckle.

Val's items were taken to a work table pushed up against the wall for inspection and safeguarding as Val once again faced the general.

“So I did what any man in my position would do, I shot a few Ravagers, then boarded a flying green snake to the warm embrace of Ghost Corp.”

General Solen listened to Val's story, nodding along at certain parts, only his dark eyes giving hints of his thoughts. They twinkled in amusement as Val's tale concluded, and the general procured an old-fashioned walkie-talkie.

”Relay on the history of the outskirts of Elhm, close to the crash site?” He asked.

There was a fuzz of static that perforated the channel, before a voice cut through. The general held the talkie up so Val would be able to hear it clearly.

”Codename W3nd1g0 and Fr33dom made contact with the site at oh-eight-hundred. Heat signatures indicate there was a violent transformation from an unknown Lawless accompanying the Umbra variables. However, Codename Wend1g0 was able to negotiate a peaceful surrender without grevious injury to either side. Heat signatures confirm Ravagers converged on the site, however Fr33dom used their abilities to help the group escape. Approximately nine heat signatures went cold in the aftermath, some neutralized by Ghost Corp, some by the Lawless.”

The general pressed a button on the talkie. ”Copy that.” Before he tucked the device back into its space on his belt.

Eyes alight, he took a few steps closer to Val. At this closeness, it was a bit more apparent that the general was a few inches taller than Val. His hands clasped behind his back.

”...You could have lied. About anything. Especially the men you killed.”

Another long stare, before the general nodded. ”You've got a good heart. It's the burden that might get you killed one day. But you and I both know it's the only way to live in this Dust-forsaken world.

“I value truth, and trust. You're already proving yourself to me, that you may be a fitting guardian for these Umbra fallaways*.”

A scientist approached Val, taking back the empty coffee cup.

”...If you're going to hurt them, you'd be better off putting a bullet in me right now. Not to say they can't take care of themselves... but a man is only as good as his word and his rifle in the Dust. And well... you've got my rifle at the moment.”

There was a slight crinkle of crow’s feet around the dark eyes of the general.

”I can assure you, Guardian of the Fallaways, that all the tests my people will do will be entirely painless.”

There was a pause, before his gaze darkened. ”Umbra is planning something. Something big. It might even be as big as the Perishing Event. And you and I may be witnesses to a sliver of that plan.”

His head inclined to the two Umbra girls. ”How big that sliver is… well, it'll determine what happens to them. Best case scenario, we discover how Wilds interact with them, and create new tech that will keep us ahead of Umbra. Worst case… well,”

His eyes locked on Val, and hardened. ”No one will like that.”

A pause, before his head tilted lightly. ”Now, you're a guest here, willingly or not, and I feel I owe you an explanation. You have questions, I'm sure. I'll try to explain as best as I can.”

And he fell silent, waiting for Val to unload any anxieties or curiosities he had. Meanwhile, in the back corner, one of the guards was, indeed, dismantling and cleaning Val's rifle.

“No, I’m fine,”

Doctor Willfreed stared for a moment as she had A sit on the gurney. The tone indicated quite the opposite. And with her background in psychology and mixed medicine, the doctor could see a ripple in what should be a flat sheet when it presented itself.

“Is…am I supposed to feel something?”

Doctor Willfreed pursed her lips, before she grabbed a metal stool, sat, and scooted a bit closer to A, taking the Umbra fallaway's hand again.

”You're the first of your kind. No one blessed with the taint of a Wild has ever come from the sky. As there are no Wilds in the sky, from what we know, the technology put in you is… unique. Untested. It could have side effects. Side effects such as phantom pain, mood swings, irrational fears, schizophrenia, delirium in extreme cases. Trying to force so much AE in a single vessel is bound to short-circuit the system, after all. And from our distance-tests, you have a much higher concentration of AE than traditional Possessive Subjugation.”

The Doctor took a pause, looking up at A from where she sat hunched forward. Her glance instinctively snapped to VV, in the gurney just behind A. VV was giving A a wide-eyed, concerned look.

When VV saw the doctor had caught her staring, she grimaced, before whispering to A. ”The General said this won't hurt. You'll be fine, A. I promise…”

Alas, VV had to speak loud enough that the doctors attending them would also hear, but Doctor Willfreed didn't react. The doctor attending VV directed her attention again, having VV lie down on her gurney. Doctor Willfreed, though, decided to slow down the pace just a little, to try and make A feel more comfortable.

”From my reports… I don't know enough. But I do know you’re suppose to feel something. A lack… Is called dissociation. It indicates there's something not addressed, a trauma that is causing little imbalances in the mind.”

A pause, before the doctor asked. ”I'm aware you were three when you touched down, yes?”

***

*Fallaways: Lost people, without a true alliance or home.

Val watched the General with acute interest, listening to the radio bark out a summary of the events back at the temporary hideout. He didn't mind people double checking his story, after all, he had said that the two Ghost Corp agents could pretty much confirm everything he was saying anyways, even if they were a bit indisposed at the moment. There was almost nothing to be gained from a lie so easily discovered. Not that there was much to be gained here anyways other than some breathing room from the Ravagers and Vinny.

Lawless... a bad name for bad people just like him. True, Val might have tried to help the Umbrans when he could have just cut his losses and run, but he had also executed those Ravagers without a second thought.

”Now, you're a guest here, willingly or not, and I feel I owe you an explanation. You have questions, I'm sure. I'll try to explain as best as I can.”

"Now that's the wonderful thing about me General Ghost Corp," Val said, looking up at the man without a hint of fear in his eyes, though for those that looked closely, Mercy's own eyes were beginning to reflect in his own, Molten specks of lava in the calm ocean that was his otherwise blue eyes, "I know you don't owe me a Dust damned thing, but I do appreciate the sentiment. Since you haven't had someone shoot my insubordinately handsome backside, I figure you ain't likely to unless I really prove to be a read headache."

"I won't pretend to even begin to understand whatever tests you're running, hell, that's what the white coats are for, right?," he said sighing a bit and shaking his head before looking at the General again, "but I figure the 'Guardian of the Fallaways' gets a few things his way, yeah? I want to be near them at all times. Not in the same room, me being a gentleman and all that, but something adjacent will do just fine. I also lost some gear in the tussle with the Ravagers, so a full kit and ammunition would be appreciated. While we're here, the ladies get taken care of like they're VIPs. Me you can toss a can of beans and a canteen of water twice a day and I'll be fine."

"If the ladies say they want to leave, then we're leaving, but we'll cross that bridge when or if it comes up," he said, knowing full well he was not going to be able to shoot his way out of a Ghost Corp facility. Similarly though, no one chased after a goal like theirs unless they were desperate, insane, or both. And so far, they had both proven more sane than Val himself.

"Lastly... and I expect this is a longshot," he said, for the first time looking a bit nervous and uncertain, "my own Wild. Mercy. He can be a bit violent. You've got a few... partnered people here yourself. If you've got someplace comparatively safe for them to practice, I want in on it. Trust me, you want me to have access to it too."

Ghost Corp Head Quarters, Laboratory

---

Mimi gave a small shiver at the cold feeling, they made sure not to shake their tail until the child-scientists was finished. Their snout twitched slightly at the mint smell before looking back at the foam over the burnt feathers.

They stayed still for a moment, swaying their tail a little before they looked back towards the child; their feathers perking up slightly as she started to speak to them again. "Don't touch." Mimi repeated but nodded at the words, shaking their body as their feathers ruffled from the temperature difference before they watched the scientist move off.

As the other scientists started to work on Wren, Mimi walked over to them as they heard them swear out loud.
"Big fight." Mimi spoke, their fingers twitching slowly as they seemed to have trouble standing still. "Big change, bad people fire guns." The radio chirp from the walkie-talkie caught the mimicraptors attention, causing them to move away to allow the scientists to continue their surgery.

Wren moved his head slightly, his eyes still closed before he let out a heavy cough, a couple of leaves escaping from his mouth as he did so. He groaned, but still didn't move his body.

Mimi walked right up to General Solen and pressed their snout into the walkie talkie once it had finished it's main communication; before they looked towards Val and the General as they spoke.
"Falloways." They chirped, before Val mentioned about Mercy. "Mercy big. Angry, hungry." They shook themselves to rid the fear from their body, stomping a foot slightly, "Would like to friend, but angry." Motioning with their snout towards Val, "Smells of anger, not tasty."

Ghost Corp Head Quarters, Laboratory -> Inner Training Grounds

_{In collaboration with @Qia}

@SporkoBug, @Herald, @Qia

---

”A big fight, eh?” One of the scientists said to Mimi as they applied anesthetics to Wren in areas where gaping wounds were.

The female scientist on the other side of Wren nodded her head at Mimi. ”Yes, we were made aware there was… quite the fight. It's unfortunate, but we have some of the best medical tech, only bested by Umbra. He's going to be fine.”

Soon enough, stitches were placed, sewing up holes and wounds. A superglue-like cream was added on top, causing an intense warming sensation.

”There. Now he'll just need to rest for an hour, and his skin should fuse together. The cream is fast, but it's not a miracle.” commented the male scientist. The female beside him nodded, pulling off her latex gloves.

Meanwhile, A was staring at Doctor Willfreed with a pained expression.

Phantom pain, mood swings, delirium? Those particular words buzzed around in A’s mind. The gurney felt cold all of a sudden, almost like it was trying to suck the warmth right out of her body, the chill creeping into her clothes and making her shiver. She flexed her hands instinctively, not really thinking about it, just trying to shake off that strange sensation that felt like something was crawling over her skin, itching and uncomfortable.

As Doctor Willfreed turned her head slightly to the side, A couldn’t help but follow her gaze, landing on VV positioned behind her. The look on her partner's face was almost like staring at a deer in headlights—eyes wide, brows knitted together in worry. The bloodbender felt a mix of emotions bubble inside her as VV spoke, trying to convince her that everything was going to be okay.

The words weren’t convincing, but A nodded stiffly anyway.

Three, A thought, her mind rushing back to D. He had been the third. A flicker of guilt surged through her chest as the memory of leaving him alone replayed in painful detail.

“I don’t remember much,” A said finally, her voice coming out a bit shaky. It was a half-truth, though, because there was a hefty load of memories lodged in her mind that she’d rather not think about or hadn’t uncovered yet.

Doctor Willfreed stared for a moment before giving an understanding nod. ”It's entirely normal to blank out, I'll give you that. It's a trauma reflex, meant to protect the mind from further perceived pain.”

The young woman shifted in her seat, lost in thought for a moment, before she spoke up again. There was tenderness in her eyes. ”You know… Umbra doesn't quite know this, but we manufacture our own drugs here. Expensive, but worth it when doctor civilians are a thing of the past.”

She leaned over to open the station that sat next to the gurney, and procured a small plastic bottle filled with tiny white pills. She cracked it open, and offered one of the pills to A.

“Feelings like these are typically an indicator of unbalanced chemicals in the brain. It makes everything you do an uphill battle. But, with one of these daily,” she gestured to the pill, “You'll get a small dose of serotonin that will help balance those chemicals, and disperse the feelings I can see eating away at you.”

A glass of water was pressed into A's hand.

”Take it, and drink. Then we will move on to your AE assessment.”

If A were to take the pill, she would begin to feel the cloud of guilt, anxiety and pain pulling at her disappear like a bad dream.

A stared intently at the small, unassuming pill, her fingers curling tightly around the glass. Could one tiny pill truly erase all the pain and hardship she had endured? The idea of finding relief was incredibly tempting, but it also felt like a betrayal to herself, a shortcut laden with hidden consequences. VV had assured her that this was safe and effective, but the nagging doubt lingered—could she really trust it? Could she truly trust them?

If she decided to take the pill, she imagined the unbearable guilt she had felt for so long might just dissolve away, the raw ache of her memories fading into nothingness like a bad dream upon waking. Yet, wasn’t that deep ache also what defined her? It was that very hurt that had allowed her to discover her powers, making her who she is today, after all.

If she let it go—if she allowed herself to release that memory of the battered girl with the bloody nose—would she still be the same person she recognized in the mirror?

A's fingers shook just a little as she took and rolled the small pill around in her palm, feeling its smooth surface against her skin. In her other hand, the glass of water felt strangely slick, beads of moisture and anxiety clinging to it like tiny jewels. The cool surface was both refreshing and distracting, making it harder for her to keep a good grip as she felt the condensation gathering and dripping onto her skin. She could feel droplets trickling down her fingers, yet the thought of letting the glass itself slip away never crossed her mind.

Do or die. Those were the familiar words that echoed in her mind now.

With a shaky exhale, A carefully tipped the small, round pill into her mouth. The motion was slow and hesitant, as if her body was fighting against her choice, protesting the very act of swallowing something that could change how she felt. She could feel her heart racing slightly as she did the same with the glass of water, which felt cool and smooth against her lips, allowing the refreshing liquid to wash the pill down her throat in one easy swirl.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then, slowly, she felt the first tendrils of relief creeping in, soft and insistent, like the sun breaking through a storm cloud. The ache in her chest began to dull, the sharp edges of guilt and anxiety smoothing into something quieter, something easier to carry.

But with this relief came an unsettling hollowness.

Doctor Willfreed nodded with satisfaction, setting the pill bottle on the top of the station. ”I'll ensure you have a few months to take with you, when this is all done.”

That was when the doctor patted the small, flat head area of the gurney. ”Now, I'll need you to lie down for this next part. I'm going to take a scan of your heart.”

If A were to look toward VV, she'd see a small drone hovering over her chest area, whirring as a green laser scanned again and again over VV's heart area. VV's eyes were closed, and she was still.

The words felt strange in A’s ears, their casual finality settling uncomfortably in her chest.

Months of pills. Months of this strange, hollow calm replacing the fire she’d relied on for so long.

Her eyes darted between the doctor and the gurney, where she was being asked to place herself. The request sounded simple and harmless at first, but it stirred a deep, instinctive worry in her; it felt wrong to be so exposed and vulnerable. The quiet in her mind now seemed like a double-edged sword, robbing her of the usual adrenaline that would push her to act or react in stressful situations. And without VV….

A turned her head just a little, her eyes filled with worry as she looked for VV again. She felt a sudden shock in her chest when she saw her partner lying still on a gurney not far away. VV’s eyes were shut tight, and her face looked peaceful, but it felt strange and empty like she had decided to shut herself off from the world instead of dealing with what was going on around her.

Could she manage to do the same?

With a slow and hesitant movement, A carefully lowered herself onto the examination table. Her muscles remained tight and tense, even though a sense of calm was beginning to wash over her, thanks to the medication she had taken. As she settled down, the flat headrest pressed firmly against the back of her head, making her acutely aware of her surroundings, and she found herself staring up at the ceiling while her heart thudded loudly in her chest.

The bright lights of the lab hung overhead, casting a harsh glow that made her squint as her eyes adjusted to the brightness. She could hear the low, constant whirring of a drone moving above her, and its mechanical sound felt uncomfortably close, adding to her unease. Every breath she took was quick and shallow, creating a heavy noise that filled her ears as she concentrated hard on staying still.

“What exactly are you scanning for in there?” A asked, her curiosity breaking through her nerves.

Doctor Willfreed looked over from her tablet, sitting beside A, and smiled. The drone continued to whir, green laser passing over A's heart harmlessly.

”I'm scanning the tissues of your heart. Their context, and DNA make-up. When the data is finished processing, I'll be able to tell the origin of each tissue, and how old it is, as well as how it was added. I have a feeling… that your heart isn't entirely yours, if you get what I mean.”

It was a few minutes more of the drone taking its scans before it moved over to the station, settled on the top of the table, and shut off. Doctor Willfreed smiled, turning her tablet so A could see it. There was a 3D rendering of her heart, pure black.

”When it's done, I'll be able to see what changes they did to your heart.” She explained.

VV’s scan was done as well, and she had sat up, looking over at A with a relaxed gaze. ”Much easier than Umbra, I'll tell ya what.”

“I figure the 'Guardian of the Fallaways' gets a few things his way, yeah?”

General Solen listened carefully to Val's demands, reacting only with mild surprise as Mimi approached him.

”If I had to assume, you don't feed the same as Mercy, do you, little Wild?” General Solen mentioned in passing to Mimi.

As Val finished, Solen gave a nod.

”I can agree with you being close to them; I won't separate you. I will supply you with the best of our gear. The Umbra women will be treated with the dignity they deserve. You will be fed.”

His tone grew a tad sharper. ”However, I must insist that your party only leaves after I have ascertained they-” His chin jerked towards the girls. ”-are not a threat.”

As Val mentioned his desire to train, the general nodded. ”How fortuitous. We actually need a demonstration of the Umbrans’ powers, so we can all take a trip down to the inner courtyard if my doctors are done…?”

His head shifted to gaze at Doctor Willfreed. She nodded back vigorously. ”Yes, they're both done! We’ll process the data meanwhile.”

The general nodded, and glanced back at Val, then at VV, A, and Mimi. ” I'll show you our Wild training facilities. Follow me.”

The guards lined up behind the group as VV, A, Val, Mimi, Doctor Willfreed and Le Frey moved through the corridors deeper into the facility. They passed by canteens, staircases, and labs busy with scientists. Eventually, they reached another set of double doors, which opened up into a dust and sand courtyard about 150-feet wide and tall, with the walls reaching up high into the sky, reaching the point of the pyramid in glass, allowing the red light of the sky to filter down.

The walls were concrete except for this skylight up high. There was plenty of space to move around, even as a behemoth.

Le Frey smiled behind his mask. ”Ah, my favourite place. Lots of sweat shed here.”

The general pointed to one corner, glancing at VV and A. ”You two will spar here. Doctor Willfreed will monitor you.”

Then he pointed to an opposite corner, glancing at Val. ”You will train here.”

Then he glanced at Le Frey, ”Feed or spar with the little Wild, High Captain.” He said, gesturing to Mimi with his chin as he strode to Val’s designated corner. With a quick unclipping, his cloak fell to the dusty ground. He stood there, calmly, before there was a hint of a smirk in his voice, looking at Val.

”Alright. Try to hit me, Guardian.”

Le Frey watched with wide eyes at the general, before he managed to clamp his jaw shut and glanced at Mimi. ”You uh… got injured in your last fight. But your treatment should be almost done. When I get permission from the doc, I can teach you a few moves? Or are you feeling hungry? We uh… we don't have human meat, _obviously, but we can get you emotions.”

Doctor Willfreed walked excitedly over to the corner designated for VV and A, ”Oh, how exciting. This will be the first time I’ll have seen a new type of subjugation in action.”

She looked expectantly at the two girls. ”Whenever you're ready.”

VV stared for a long, long moment, before she carefully walked to the corner as well. A pause, before she half-chuckled. ”Not gonna be much of a fight. A can have me out flat in thirty seconds.”

Regardless, she seemed relaxed enough as she turned to A, settling into a defensive stance. ”Hit me with your best shot, A. Don't worry about me.”

Val eyed the open space that was to be used for training. He wasn't surprised to see that it was so empty, he had seen enough Wild powers in use even over the last few days of his life to surmise that very little could survive if a Wild truly let loose. And the fact that he had cut a deal with what he hoped was one of the most physically intimidating types also reminded him daily of their destructive power. Although the feeling of red hot chains around his heart had eased as he had become used to Mercy's presence, anytime the Wild became inflamed he could feel the chains tighten and burn once again.

He had been expecting to train with Le Frey, the soldier's Wild clearly a good match against Mercy in terms of physical power and dexterity. He had also expected a dozen or so Ghost Corp riflemen with AE rounds to be trained on him at all times in case his Wild went.. well, wild. To be facing down a man that seemed to be just human was unexpected, and Val raised an eyebrow when the man's cloak hit the ground. What kind of game was he playing? Even without weapons, Mercy would crush a regular human like an empty canteen. Was this meant to measure Val's skill?

”Alright. Try to hit me, Guardian.”

Val pushed his curiosity to the side, though it was a sign of just how far he had been taken off guard by the situation that he hadn't yet attacked. Lawless were undisciplined fighters by nature, and to take on a military man, Val needed every advantage he could get, including surprise and first strike, which he had just lost in his hesitation.

The even ground. No obstacles. No weapons. Not even bad weather or the exhaustion of previous combat were present to tip the scales. All of it meant that their individual skill, creativity, and will were the only things that mattered in this match.

Val sighed a bit, his body seemingly relaxed as he took the extra moment to decide on a pattern of attack. Against someone untrained, it might have looked like a surrender or refusal to fight, but the subtle shift in weight to Val's lead foot gave away his attack.

Val dashed forward, a sloppy right punch aimed towards the General's nose that was expected to fail. If the man had half Val's fighting experience, it was the most obvious attack he could make and easily countered. The trick was to anticipate the counter when you knew your opening strike was going to fail. He pulled the strike short, instead using the momentum from the slight turn of his body and leaning into it to spin and lash out with his back leg aimed at the General's center mass. If he was lucky, he could drive the General back onto his own cloak, hopefully making his footing uncertain.

---

Hearing that Wren was going to be fine put Mimi at ease, they strangely trusted these scientists; although they weren't sure why. The words they said, 'Umbra' were familiar to Mimi, but their focus was elsewhere now. Mimi watched briefly as the scientists patched up Wren, before turning their attention back to the General.

The General had spoken to Mimi, their attention stayed directly on the General before looking towards to Val before nodding.
"Feed on Hope." Mimi said gently, "Fear yucky. Hope... warm." They explained quietly, swaying their tail before mention of fighting was brought up. Instinctively they lowered themselves slightly, they knew that sparring was needed for the humanoids, but they didn't want to get into another fight so soon.

They followed the group as they moved to the sparring area, it felt weird to Mimi to leave Wren alone on the stretcher, but they could feel that he was slowly regaining strength. They watched everyone move to all of their corners, swaying their tail for a moment before looking to Le Frey as he spoke to them.
"Teach a few moves?" Mimi repeated back to the man, in his own voice before they shook their body, their feathers prickling slightly before they tilted their head at the mention of emotions. "Hungry." Mimi said with a small nod, "Do not feed on human meat." Mimi added, mimicking the term that Le Frey had used. "Hunt small critter. Mainly eat emotion." Mimi moved their hind leg to scratch at their neck slightly.

Mimi's attention was suddenly snapped towards the girls; a twist of emotion in the air - Cautious, Worry; before suddenly pain and confusion. Mimi moved quickly, stomping across the ground to instinctively try and get themselves under A before she slammed into the sand, hoping that their feathers would make a softer, more comfortable, landing pad.
"Worry?" Mimi chirruped softly towards A, looking towards VV for a moment before returning their attention towards A.