Abandoned Facility, Five Hours South of Ehlm
@SporkoBug,
@illirica
As Mimi watched from the shadows, a pale blue light grew behind him. Jumping off a path of stars and ethereal mass, a small Wild, no higher than up to a human's kneecap, came up beside Mimi.
“Aelir, faeí eínara aril adha e'thelyn, Fethraes Bestía. Ire shaey'an eil, sira talae efiná linna velethar. Aen shírae néol. Vel'kaí an ehlar aen áethila. (You look lonely here on the edge, Feathered Beast. Come join me, there are some souls that need to be drawn out here. You can witness it.)”The Wild, Cercyes, jumped back on their carpet of stars, and shot forward, landing directly in front of Wren, Ivy, and the three other soldiers.
It was just at this time that the doors had a positive response to being finessed with abyssal energy, and Ivy's strategy worked. The doors to the Umbra research facility hummed, before opening wide to accept its new guests.
Cercyes, twirling his blue-lit staff, gazed up at the humans standing at the gate to the facility.
“I smell the scent of Wilds on you…” He said in the common tongue, blue eyes resting on Wren.
The Wild didn't seem perturbed by the weapons the humans held, sizing them up as he stood, tiny and small in front of them. Before he decided,
“You will do fine. Come, there are souls that are calling me here.”As Ivy, Wren and the soldiers would look down the dimly lit hall, it would extend on for a ways before another door would open up. Behind that door was a large research room. There were glass tubes lined along the wall, holding long-abandoned specimens - human-like. The operating tables had the remains of dried blood and viscera. And, most curiously, containers of Wild hearts.
They were sealed and preserved, and were most coveted as the prime material used to power abyssal devices. The soilders’ eyes widened, doing little to hide their excitement behind their masks.
Whatever happened in this lab, the residents left in a hurry, leaving behind precious material, specimens, though taking all their research. If Ivy were to scan the console at one side of the room, the holo-screen would show that all flies had been wiped or corrupted.
However, among the trash and loose debris on the floor, there was a computer chip that could be plugged into the console. The shine of its metal meant whatever remained on it could be salvageable…
Northern Outskirts of the City of Ehlm
@rabidbacon,
@Lexisheeps,
@Qia,
@Herald
As VV stood there, hands raised in the hot sun, she noticed what she at first thought was a mirage approaching from the city. Alas, she was wrong. It was as every bit real as she: a monster the size of a small building, haze of the sun seeping off him as his cragged jaw and eyes stared hungrily.
As far as she could tell, it hadn't made a move to attack. What on earth could she, A or D even
hope to do if it did?
“Perhaps you can try swaying them to your side.” Said a voice in her head. The Wild she had subjugated in her running escapades on the Umbra space station.
“Now you speak up, of all times?” VV muttered in her head, eyes scattered between Vin and his goons, and the 25-foot monster.
“Work with me if you want to live. Speak this, and exactly this to them.” The shadow entity in her mind then uttered a sentence in a language VV didn't understand.
VV took a steadying breath, then spoke quickly, hopeful she wouldn't forget the words half-way through. Her enunciation was off, but it was understandable.
"Eldrin, shaen aen sin'ta ela'ra vel Thal'shael. Pelair, dẫneth aen thara faelin, eir shaen daen'el aen áth'winna humens. (Brother, we seek an audience with the Wild King. Please, guide us there safely, and spare us from these wretched humans.)Vin stared for a long moment at VV, glancing for a moment back at the monstrous Wild staring them down, before he slowly, steadily approached VV. He stepped up the escape pod, looked down at VV for a moment, before a ringing slap struck her across the face.
“You think I don't know the basics of the Aes language, you little wretch? Trying to get the big boy to come save you, huh?!”He turned to his boys,
“Couple of you keep an eye on that one. A couple AE bullets will have him thinking twice.” He said, tapping his rifle.
VV, stunned, had fallen to her knees, holding her red cheek after the man had slapped her.
“Great plan, ghost.” She grumbled mentally.
“It's very uncommon for a human to know our language. This is strange indeed.” The shadow entity within VV muttered in her mind, perplexed but otherwise unbothered.
“Alright. We’re coming out.”
A joined them at the top of the escape pod, and Vin gave her a once over, eyes narrowing at her.
“No funny games, alright?”As A tried to appraise her position and the position of the enemy, she would count five pulsing hearts spread out around them, all in fair health. The sixth heart, Vin's, was directly in front of her. Besides VV and D's hearts, she also noticed a strange rush of blood coming from the massive Wild watching from a distance. And, even more strangely, a beating heart where she couldn't see anyone…
Vin's gaze lingered on A, before his head snapped to the sound of another voice.
"Vin, I want Maddox if he's with them. I'm willing to trade with you."
Vin almost appeared like he saw a ghost at the sight of a floating Bastian, before he heaved himself off the escape pod and took a few menacing steps toward Bastian.
“You son of a bitch, you dare show your face here? After everything you've done?”Vin growled under his breath, before he sighed angrily, and waved a hand at the girls.
“Have at it.”Bastian's next question was posed to VV and A.
"MC-457-R2M-21. Is he with you?! Is he alive?”
VV slowly got back on her feet, throwing a confused glance to A before she blinked. Realization hit, which quickly turned to sadness.
She spoke loud enough her voice carried across the dust.
“M… He… He didn't make it. He died trying to protect me, to protect us.”“He was tasty.” The entity within VV's mind chimed in.
“That's cruel.”While Bastian got his information from the girls, Vin had retreated back to one of his men running some type of interference device by the jeep, holding a receiver up in the direction of the girls.
The man gave a yip and a holler, pointing enthusiastically to the girls.
“The signature is a little off, but they got it, boss! They got Wild hearts!”Vin suddenly looked at the girls a little more hungrily, already seeing the credits rolling in.
“Well, well, ya don't say. Well ain't this our lucky day!”He took a step closer to the girls, the men surrounding the escape pod still holding their weapons trained.
“So here's how this is gonna work, ladies. You're worth quite a shiny penny. We're gonna walk you into town and sell you to the highest bidder. They'll likely strip you for parts… but that's no concern of ours, is it boys?”There was a hoot and a holler from the men surrounding VV and A. VV could feel her stomach churn, but refused to let it show on her face, instead aiming a glower at Vin.
Before the man standing by the jeep adjusted the knobs on his device, and shot a worried look to Vin.
“Hey boss? We got some interference? Motion interference, just a blip, but it came from that building.”The man pointed, and Vin looked. He looked carefully, but couldn't see a damn thing.
“Is it worth the bazooka?” Vin asked steely.
“I… I think so, boss. What with snipers, raiders and all.”Vin growled, not taking his eye off the building, before he turned gruffly to the back of the jeep. Roughly slamming parts together and loading it, Vin knelt and spun in the direction of the building staring through the sight. He gestured to the escape pod without taking his eyes off the building, and one of his men jumped into action. They went straight up to A, grabbed her arm, and pulled her down. VV watched in horror as she was brought in front of Vin, acting as a barrier to protect Vin from Izaac in the building.
With a human shield covering him, Vin yelled at Izaac through the space between them.
“Whoever you are, we don't take kindly to sneaky little thieves! Exit the building and come face us, or I'm blowing up the building you're in until there's nothing left!”
Aku the Samurai
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