Vash

A R K H E U S

Only need to finish sector 2,5,and 6. Work will begin soon. Already have a rough draft in my head.

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<Snipped quote by Vash>

I should have clarified that, yes, we will be using "Credits". Fabulous question. As for religion, do whatever you want. You can create one, or reuse one. In the lore I talk a bit about cultures, specifically under holidays, and state that the Ark is an integration of the old world's cultures. So yes, there is religion, I know I never stated that anywhere above, and I apologize.

Important: I actually already use Discord for another RP, and I planned to see if I could get a channel up.

It is a police force, so yes, if you'd like to create a specific branch (Like how I listed the staple unit, The Watchmen) and create your own unit, for lack of a better words, for me to add to APD then by all means feel free. If you just want a detective character, feel free. I'm sure being a private eye is also an option. Also, please read up abovee where I talk about cybernetics. If your character is a detective than it's unlikely he'd know how to keep them functioning well, or even how to repair them other than maybe putting some tape around an arm of something.

<Snipped quote by Vash>

That's 1 for space. Even my Co-GM doesn't know what I decided Ark is.

@Esoteric

Alright, cool. I'll probably go the private eye route as that gives a lot of flexibility. He'll have minor know how on how to maintain what will probably be prosthetic arms and eye. I figure he would own an ebook on typical maintenance. With pictures. I'll reread the cybernetics page though.

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@Esoteric having read through all but the sector's list, I have a couple questions. Though I'm restraining myself from asking some so as to not ask what's already on the page.

What's the monetary system in place? Credits?
Is there any sort of religions in place that people would turn to? Tolitarian state tends to create fear and oppression and religion is one of the biggest coping activities.

I'll post again after reading the sector's list. I have a few more questions about activities and inhabitants that are probably answered in lore.

Calling it, we're in space. :p

A couple questions about ooc and characters.

Will we be using the discord (asking for a special channel or setting up a server) to keep good contact? In my experience, convenient Contact can do a huge amount for the rp.

Would there be a detective division of the police force? The character I have in mind would be one with a helping of cybernetics.

🅰🆁🅺🅷🅴🆄🆂

I'm interested in joining. Still reading through the novel length lore but I'm enjoying it a lot. I've been out of RPing for a good while, but I really want to get back into it and see if I can improve myself. I'll be working on a character soonish as well. Already got an idea of who to use.

Also. Thanks for referring me. @NuttsnBolts

STAR WARS: ANIHILATION {Reboot} {DemonTongue/Vash}

“Later that same day, after Nyrette and Quin had done their warmups.

“Ready, Pike?” Nyrette said, holding aloft a wooden training blade. “Don’t hold back. I want a few bruises.” She smiled and took her stance, a disengaged one where she lowered the blade to her hip and waited for Quin to make the first move.

“No head strikes, yeah?” Quin asked. “These blades are a little blunt, don’t want to hit a temple.” She was a little worried for both of their safety because of the last time they sparred and she was out cold for an hour after Nyrette accidently hit her on the head.

“Alright. No head strikes.” She said, smiling. “I still feel horrible about the other day, by the way.”

“It’s alright. It happens. Have you seen Iisska’s nose? It won’t stop bleeding from how much Marquis has hit it. In fact, I’m sure it needs a splint now.”

Nyrette shook her head, chuckling before she beckoned her student forward into an attack. Quin bowed her head, respecting her opponent whom did the same before she flourished her blade, flipping it over hand before charging at Nyrette, keeping her posture keen and precise as she went in for a quick slash. Nyrette jumped backwards and raised her blade as Quin struck out again vertically. Nyrette blocked it to the side, leaving Quin wide open to her opponent placing her hand on her chest and shoving her back, putting her off balance for just long enough for Nyrette to wind up and deliver a heavy handed cut to Quin’s ribs.

Quin grunted in pain as it was obvious her teacher wasn’t holding back and frankly, neither was she. Quin snapped her elbow back, nailing Nyrette in the jaw before she stabbed at her reeling opponent’s stomach. Nyrette, jaw in pain, moved to the side just before it hit only to see that Quin was feigning it, instead replacing the thrust with a swipe at Nyrette’s arm, which she put up a feeble deflection and narrowly stopped her opponent from hitting her. She jammed her hilt up into Quin’s shoulder, stunning her for just long enough for her to pull up her blade and place the tip over Quin’s heart. Quin stopped cold. “FUCK.” She yelled and backed up. “Thought I had you that time.”

“I didn’t expect the mixture of hand-to-hand, but your feigned attack was too obvious. Feigning an attack while your opponent is starting to recover won’t help much. If they’re helpless, finish them. Also...fucking damn.” Nyrette grabbed her jaw and squinted as the pain came shooting through her mouth. “Did you have to hit so hard?! Ah..,” she said, moving her jaw a little and feeling the teeth to see if any were broken. It was just a bruised bone.

“Consider it payback for my bruised rib.” Quin shot back, mift about the overly heavy rib attack. “Now that hurt like hell. I’m not armored.”

“It has nothing to do with armoring!” The two heard Iisska yell from next to the lake. “You just can’t take a hit!” He laughed as he stood next to Cheshik. The Trandoshan looked down to the Togruta and frowned, hitting him in the back of the head.

“Iisska. Be of the quiet now. Pike work hard to build muscles, she can take more hit than you. Also, nose is bleeding.”

“Because of you, dumbass!” Iisska yelled and put a hand to his bleeding nose.

“Well, if you’re so tough, Iisska.” Quin yelled out. “How about you come and get me.”

“Oh?! You wanna fight me?” Iisska snorted, making more blood come out of his nose. “Come on then!”

____

youtube.com/watch?v=IoSuyUFiEYo
“Da pacem custodivit. Percutiat esse faciendum opus in nomine tuo.”

Lithe, tall, garbed in gray and black, a white silk mantle upon his back. Black boots underneath dark gray leather armored greaves, his left shin having a white plate from knee to foot. Matching to a dark gray vest over white chainmail, all of which underneath a black longcoat, reaching to his calves, gold embroidery along the back painted a cross within a circle of words in an unknown language. His right arm was plated in heavy white plate. In each leather armored hand he held two circular blades, each coming to three points at the end of three viciously serrated curved blades. His face was hidden, the mask of a long beaked bird hiding it entirely. Upon his head was tall sheltering, leather and weathered with black with gold embroidery painting the same symbol on his back, stretching farther to form ivy and vines along the brim and top.

He placed the blades at his hip, small strings hanging from them hooked them to his gold embroidered belt. From under his coat he drew two gunpowder pistols and held them at his side.

The voice that he spoke with was not natural, to all of his listeners he would sound far away, but be able to understand him as clear as crystal, as if being spoken to by something otherworldly. Neutral and barely more than a whisper, he spoke to the darkness that surrounded him in the twisted forest where he stood.

“My keeper. Guide me on the hunt for my prey. A monster uses cunning and deceit to lure the innocent into its grasp and inflicts upon them the deepest of nightmares as it saps their will and life. This day, it’s own life shall be torn from its vessel and there shall be no remains for the vultures of the forest.”

With a sense of duty and an utter lack of hesitation or fear, the man stepped into the darkness, the light of his keeper leaving him as he steps beyond it’s reach. He was alone and ready for the worst.

___

youtube.com/watch?v=bW7Op86ox9g

“This will be utterly unfair,” Quin scoffed.

She ran her fingers up the edge of the wooden training blade and sighed. Iisska, now with a makeshift bandage across the bridge of his nose, punched the palm of his hand. His fists were wrapped. Marquis had stepped in and taken the gauntlets away. There would be no casualties in this childish fight; not on his watch.

“If you’re gonna get scared and whine then just back down,” Iisska teased.

“Oh, I’m not scared.” Quin slashed downward, flourished the blade with a few easy movements of her wrist and brought it back up to guard as she fell into a relaxed stance. “I meant this will be unfair for you.”

Iisska rolled his eyes, “Ooh, fancy. I’m shaking with fear.”

“Enough posturing. Come at me,” she demanded.

He obeyed immediately. There was no tense testing of the waters, no circling, no poking or prodding. Only the furious charge of a wild beast. Quin flinched when the first blow swung down on her like a sledge hammer. She was only just swift enough to sidestep him and lightly deflect his arm away with her sword. The air hissed with their speed. Her blade shot up his side like a whip and cracked down. Quin shot away and Iisska stumbled back groaning and holding the back of his shoulder. It was Quin who charged next, her feet moving as if she were gliding on water, her blade thrust like a striking snake. Iisska pulled up in a frantic block. The point grazed off his forearm only to catch him in the shoulder again. She coiled, twisted and lashed out effortlessly. Every strike the extension of a dancer’s body. While her opponent merely stood against her onslaught, a rock dashed by ocean waves. In spite of his passive resistance she cut him down piece by piece until he all but curled in a ball before her. The final blow ripped across his jaw and she pulled the sword wide in a triumphant gesture. One of his hands hit the ground to steady himself. Every place he had been hit stung like fire. He was dizzy, sick, humiliated and blinded by the color red. His fist clenched. Every fiber pulled tight. When he saw the sword swung out behind her, he exploded. Iisska wheeled on her like an enraged bull. Quin gagged. Every wisp of oxygen was forcibly displaced from her chest. Her insides screamed out as muscles failed and ribs cracked under the impact of the headbut that threw her to the ground. The dirt seemed to hit her just as hard as Iisska had and it took all her strength to roll out of it and get to her knees.

She could only breathe in whistles and gasps. Her stomach threatened to empty itself but she forced it down. Iisska stood over her, chest heaving, air hissing through his teeth, dark welts forming on his arms and face, blood running like rivers through his mouth and nose, shaking, eyes on fire. Quin made herself stand up and finally manage to suck in a full breath. She stumbled away to a safe distance and kept her sword out before her. A hand held onto her side. He waited patiently for her.

“That won’t happen again,” she wheezed.

She let her hand fall and held her sword firm. He pulled his hands up to shield himself and went back into stance. This time Quin lead with another thrust as graceful and tight as the last. Iisska threw it aside and was in her face with one motion. He cocked back, let loose and found himself with Quin’s left hand clasped onto his wrist like a vice. She twisted it hard and yanked him to the ground. A follow through with her blade on his back left him sprawling in the dirt. She quivered and her hand went back to her side.

“You’re intimidating. You hit like a brick,” she nodded and took a breath, “I’ll give you that. However, you have no technique. At the end of the day you’re nothing more than a brat with guns that are too big for him. Not a warrior, but a rabid attack dog with no discipline and no understanding of the art of war. It’s no wonder Zen gave up on you.”

The breeze stilled, birds stopped their chirping, the water of the lake stopped lapping at the shores. The clearing went silent. Breaths were held so tightly they could be snapped. Iisska rose up.

“N-no,” Quin sighed, “That… I didn’t mean to say… What I meant is that you need to--”

He stomped toward her. The blood was draining from her face and she snapped her sword up, holding it in both hands. The look in his eyes had her backpedaling toward the trees. She took a breath and steadied herself as he drew near. He got too close and she swung down at him hard. He blocked it with an arm and winced in pain. His other hand shot out, took the blade and tore it from her grip.

“Enough!” Marquis yelled. He was walking toward them quickly, “This fight is over!”
Iisska snapped the sword in two over his knee. Quin raised her hands. He plunged into her and the iron that wrapped around her neck as she struggled cut off any flow of air. The monster lifted her off her feet, brought her to his hideous face and snarled. His grip continued to tighten and quake. Tendons and muscles and airways strained. Everything was going dark. She was panicking, lashing out uselessly. She was going to die.

“IISSKA STOP!” She could hear running feet and people yelling all at once.

This beast that had taken the place of her comrade twisted, went to a knee and slammed her into the ground. The dim light that reached her was blotted out when he raised a fist. She could only feel the pain and the wailing, fear that smothered her thoughts when the brutal blows came down on her face one after the other. Time seemed to stretch out infinitely in an eternal moment of hell. She could hear the cracking and feel the breaking and was powerless to stop it, frozen in regret and terror.

Finally the vice was pulled from her and she was released. The hell evaporated like wind-blown smoke. She curled, sucked in biting breaths and writhed away to an unknown place. Iisska was doubled over several feet away from her. Marquis and Cheshik were both on him with holds on his arm and neck. He nearly dragged them both over while they restrained him. Quin continued to struggle away from the mess of bodies.

Nyrette knelt by her side asking questions that she could not register. She tugged on Quin’s arm trying to get her up. A soft hand ran over her face gently and quickly became, hot, wet and sticky. With help, Quin was on her feet, but she was still backing away. Nyrette tried to pull her back, she tried to slow her.

“We need to go to the ship,” Quin finally heard her say, “Come on, you’re hurt.”

Quin ripped her arm from Nyrette’s grasp and shook her head. She couldn’t go there. She wouldn’t go there. Not with him near. She turned and bolted into the forest.

“Quin!”
“Quin stop!”
“Quin, please!”

The voices were fading into the distance as Quin sprinted away from the Harpoon and into the darkness of the wood. Nyrette couldn’t keep up with her. She ran until she couldn’t hear the yelling between the others anymore. Until the only thing she could hear was the sound of her own breathing.

She entered into a small grove where the trees refused to grow. A small pond was in the middle, devoid of any lichen, lily pads, or even fish. Darkness surrounded her save for the light coming from the pond. The sun was blocked out by the tall trees. Tears were streaming down Quin’s face, sliding between the bruises and cuts that marred it. She fell to the ground, staring at the dirt while she tried in vain to recover her breath. Droplets of tears hit the ground underneath her, dampening the earth and grass. She pushed herself up, gripping her side as she did. Her breath came out shallow and ragged as the adrenaline wore off and the pain hit her like speeder. She grunted with a pain and tears of agony streamed out again as her body registered the broken ribs and what felt like a fractured skull.

“Dearie me. You aren’t doing well, are you?”

Quin snapped around to see a bent over old woman with a huge nose. She had a borderline toothless smile and barely any hair stuck her her head. Her clothes were a little tattered, leaving a couple holes here and there and she wasn’t wearing shoes. Her face was covered in pock marks and blemishes, with recessed eyes that she couldn’t tell the color of.

“My...you are worse off than I thought. Come with Tiabbat now. I will get you fixed up all nice and cutesy!” She tried to take Quin’s hand to lead her away, but Quin pulled away and took a step back.

“Tiabbat? What? Where am I?” She said, looking around for a moment. She froze cold when she looked away from Tiabbat. In the corner of her eye, she saw something move around the old woman. Something dark. She snapped back and it was gone.

“You are in my forest, Dearie. Do not worry. You are safe.”

She reached out and grabbed Quin’s wrist. The hand was as cold as death and burned her skin to the touch. Quin tried to pull away but the woman’s grip was tight. “Do not fight me, child. Tibbat will get you healed up just fine!” She wrenched Quin forward and she was all but helpless to fight against it as she dropped to the ground for a moment, feeling her side explode in pain. She shut her eyes tight as she was dragged slowly away from the lpond towards the darkness of the forest. She opened them and she saw the dark thing from before again. She got a slightly better look at it now, a malformed thing with an unstable aura about it. She reoriented her body and dug her heels into the ground.

“LET-” She raised her other fist and slammed down onto Tiabbat’s wrist. “-GO,” She fell back onto the ground as the grip was broken and she stood up in a hurry, grabbing at her side.

“Child…,” The woman faced away from her. “This is my forest.” She turned around and Quin backed up in shock. The woman’s eyes had sunken into a terrifying emptiness, leaving nothing but a black void. “You have trespassed and now must pay.” The woman took a step forward, for a split second the reality around her shattered and a humungous black beast took coporeal form. The woman’s fingers snapped and cracked as they lengthened into claws. She took another step forward and the true beast under Tiabbat’s skin showed for a split second yet again, her legs and spine snapped as she grew in size, taking on more of her true form. Her jaw twisted and formed into a terrifying visage with long jagged teeth and a venemous maw. Her claws had taken on a dark blue hue and her skin became a sickening black.

“Your Soul belongs to ME”

The dark beast lunged at her with claws extended and Quin had to tear her self out of the deep undulating fear-trance that she was momentarily trapped in just to jump out of the way. Her heart was in her throat and thus she had nary room to scream or breathe as she scrambled to her feet and ran for her life.

Plunging head long into the shadow of the forest, she felt the beast on her heels. Instinctively jumping out of the way before running into a tree, the beast slammed into the tree with a loud grunt. Quin rolled to her feet and took off, but before she got far the beast was already in the trees above her. She skidded to a stop as the beast dropped down in front of her. She could see it’s eyes now, white as phosphorous in the darkness. It bent down to head level and roared, freezing her in her tracks and momentarily stopping her heart. A swipe came up from underneath her and her chest was ripped open, throwing her back against a tree. She slumped down to the ground, dazed from hitting her head against the tree. She shook it off and opened her eyes to the beast approaching.

She was frozen, unable to fight or run away. The beast had completely annihilated any chance of survival. Her breaths came out ragged as the beast closed in. A low growl emanated from it as it squatted back and lunged at her again. She shut her eyes, wincing, but just before hitting an explosion echoed from somewhere close and she opened her eyes to see the beast flying backward to hit a tree. It dropped to the ground and roared at the direction the explosion had come from. It tried to move but a brilliant flash of white hit it in the chest and head at the same time, throwing it backward again.

From Quin’s side, a huge man stepped in front of her brandishing two strange looking pistols. She could hear a voice yelling at her but not from where it was coming from.

“Stay down and don’t move.”

The man put his pistols inside of his trench coat and threw out his arms, two flashes of white on his palms following the flourish to reveal two huge disk-blades. The beast had finally gotten up from the barrage of bullets and was staring down the man that stood between it and it’s prey.

“Beast, you shall be purged of this land and you shal claim souls no longer.”

With great speed, the man pulled his arm back behind his torso and threw the disk in his right hand, quickly followed by the left. The beast, on all fours, sprinted forward and ducked under the first but took the second in the shoulder, howling as the weapon burned it’s blackened skin. The blades reappeared in the man’s hands and he ran at the beast now. The beast lunged at him with claws extended and he ducked and slid underneath, coming up with both blades and catching the beast in the jaw, using the momentum to carry the beast right into the ground with great force. Dirt sprayed and the knight pulled his arm back for the killing blow, but hit nary but earth as the beast’s form dispersed and swirled around the man. The beast took on another form, one of a snake, and trapped the man in a vice. Being crushed, the man released his blades and forced his palms against the beast’s snake-skin.”

Bellowing once again, the beast used it’s body to throw the man far from itself, slamming him against a tree. He dropped down, his fancy hat floating down nearby and flourished his hands, momentarily revealing the twin crosses and resembled the one on his hat and trench coat. His blades were summoned again and he walked towards the beast, whom hissed in retaliation. The form exploded into a puff of smoke, moving towards the man and taking on another form as it did; that of a great wolf this time.

The man slammed his blades together and another flash of white followed. He ran a hand out along an imaginary edge and a greatsword, a golden flamberge, followed. He gripped it with both hands and met the beast head on, coming at it with an underhanded slash as the wolf-beast tried to tackle him. He followed the slash through, stepping to the side almost effortlessly as he did and ripped opened the beast’s stomach. Darkness spewed forth from the massive wound and the beast howled in pain. It jumped away before the man could do anything more and returned to the form it took when chasing Quin. It held its stomach, looking between the man and Quin.

“She is already mine. Your efforts are in vain, Inquisitor.”

The beast looked at Quin, grinning devilishly as it did. The Inquisitor unholstered a pistol and aimed, but didn’t get a shot off before the beast roared and took off into the woods. The Inquisitor wasted no time in running to Quin’s aid. When he got to her, she was fading fast. He took her into his arms and ran into the darkness.

______________________________________

Light.
“Awaken, outlander.”

Quin’s eyes slowly opened to see the man from before, having retrieved his hat and was sitting in a small chair before a white-flame campfire. “Do not be alarmed by the fire. It is of my own making, a spell that keeps monsters at bay...well, monsters not like myself anyway.” He said. “Feeling better?”

She tried to rise from where she lay but found that she couldn’t move. She wasn’t restrained, but her body refused to respond. “Don’t bother. Vicar’s poison, it paralyzes its victims. I’ve neutralized it for the most part, but a few...problematic side effects will still take place at he had ripped open your chest and exposed your mind to the toxin so quickly. You should be able to speak, but I’m afraid that it won’t last long.” He sighed. “I am Lucius Keldon of Randor, Land of the North, pleased to make your acquaintance.”

“W- won’t last long?” Quin strained. She swallowed hard, her mouth and face twitched with the effort of trying to move limbs she could no longer feel.

“Vicar’s poison is much like that of a spider. To dull the body of the prey until they can no longer move. Soon enough you will fall into a deep sleep. Normally, Vicar would feed on his prey after they had fallen into the sleep, but this will not be the same case. You’ll fall into the sleep and he will see into your dreams, but you will be able to resist, unlike the hundreds of others he has devoured.” He said, stoking the pearlescent flame.

“Resist?” she whimpered, “Resist what?”

“He feeds on the fears of the weak. He digs through their mind to unearth their deepest fears and force them to experience them tenfold. Normally, the victim would be oblivious and could not realize that they were dreaming. You will be cut from a different cloth, so to speak. To...render it simple, you will not die while asleep. Persevere and you will awaken.”

“... L- like a nightmare,” she whispered. Quin stared off into the night sky for a moment. Her eyes darted around the tiny patch of stars exposed by the tightly packed trees and the stark shadows and lights that danced around their branches as the fire flickered beside her. “You aren’t going to… do anything to me? What do you want?”

He was silent for several moments, seemingly concentrating on something passed her. He reached out with his hand toward her face. “Your souuuul” He said strikingly then pulled back, forcing out a laugh. “I am kidding. I require nothing.” He bent over and sighed. “Apologies. Emotion takes it out of me.” He was silent for a moment then straightened. “If you would help me destroy the Vicar once you awaken, it would be appreciated, but you do not have to do any favors in exchange for your safety. If anything, I owe you one considering that you have become an unwilling pawn in my hunt for the Vicar.”

“How… hnn-- kh--,” Quin struggled with words. Her tongue was beginning to go numb in her mouth, “How co-- could I be of any use… to you? I know nothing of th-- thi-- …” she trailed off and rolled her tongue and jaw in frustration. Her eyes were growing heavy.

“We will see when you awake. For now. Sleep. Dream of the sheep, and remember. He has no real power over you. Persevere.”

“Persevere.”

___

Quin’s eyes shot open and she looked around where she was, panicking.

“Pike. Pike. Hun. It’s okay.”

A familiar voice dashed her fears as her eyes settled on Nyrette’s. They were on the harpoon, on a couch in front of the fire in the lounge.

“You were just having a nightmare, hunny. Come here.” Nyrette snuggled up to her lover, placing her head over Quin’s chest and embracing her. “See. Everything’s fine.”

Quin felt herself come to a quickly growing calm and she started to relax. “Eos...was a dream?”

“Eos?” She asked “Is...that a planet or something? Sounds like a cool band name.”

“Wait…” She paused. “When did you cut your hair?” Nyrette’s normally mid-back length hair was freshly cut into an asymmetrical bob, highlighting her eyes….

“And...where is your mask. Why do you have…” Quin started to edge away from Nyrette, whom grabbed a hold of her shirt and held her in place.

“Don’t worry about it.” she said. “Zenithar fixed it.”

“Fix-” Something rang in the back of Quin’s skull. A voice to be precise. Zen’s voice.

“Come on. You know that this is fake. I didn’t manifest from your memories of me for nothing.”

“Nyrette...I have to get something.” Quin tried to leave again, but Nyrette’s nails dug deep into her skin, puncturing her chest.

“NO. Stay here. Vicar will be here soon to take us out.”

The pain was searing for but a moment before Quin’s mind reacted and the pain disappeared.

“This isn’t right.” Quin pushed Nyrette off and stood up.

Just as she did, something slammed itself against the lounge door. Quin froze and turned, feeling for her hip. Her fingers were met with a thin leather strap and cold metal. She drew the weapon with lightning speed and clapped the heavy blaster rifle down in her off hand, aiming it at the door.

Nyrette had frozen as well as Quin had broken off of the rails of the dream, the true reality that Quin knew snapped into sight for a few seconds before reverting. The door exploded off of the metal hinges that had held it in place and Troopers in white and black came screaming into the room, dropping concussion grenades as they charged. They ignored their own bombs as they rushed at the two. Nyrette stood and went for the bar, trying to dive over it but one of the troopers dived into a roll and shouldered his blaster. Before Quin could get a shot off, the expert trooper had fired and Nyrette screamed in pain as the bolt hit her in the arm and ripped it right off. She fell to the ground and tried to crawl away, but a second trooper was on her and slammed her face into the ground.

A pair of troopers charged Quin just before the concussion grenades went off. She got a shot off using her heavy blaster rifle, hitting a trooper right in the skull only for the bolt to just bounce right off. The concussion grenade went off and Quin was blinded by the flash of white. Crushing pain went through her body as she was tackled by the elite trooper, smashing her into the ground. She resisted for but a moment before the trooper planted his knee on her elbows and snapped them. She screamed in agony before the trooper’s fist slammed into her temple and she blacked out.

____

“Wake up, Quin,” ice cold water splashed onto her face. She violently shook her head and got a good look at her captor. Flanked on both sides by the same two troopers that beat her face in, a man that she knew from the republic placed down a bucket. He was well known in the Republic SIS as a hero. Wilhuff Tarkin.

“Captain...Tarkin?” she said, exhausted.

“Grand moff Tarkin,” he said, a scowl marring his face. “You have been on the run for quite some time now. It is good for the empire to have its most...loyal...agent in its hands again.”

“The empire?” she asked.

“What you once knew as the republic,” he smiled. “Lord Scurus has been rather kind in her erasure of the republic from the galaxy.”

Her entire reality shattered as he spoke the words. “The entire republic...erased?”

“Destroyed.”

“Huh…” Zen’s voice rang out in her head again. “You should probably let me know that you’re force sensitive...or maybe this is a side effect of Miraluka bonding...that did happen to me too a few years ago. Either way. Yeah. You don’t remember this at all. Your dreams are giving you premonitions. Glimpses of the future. How exciting! Don’t tell Nyrette.”

Quin closed her eyes for a moment, trying to regain her composure after her mind’s interjection.

“No no. There shall be no sleeping for you. Ginger?” The soldier on the right nodded sharply and slugged Quin in the side of the head. She yelled out in pain and she was forced to open her eyes. Her mind struggled to keep calm with the mental abuse.

“You will tell us where the rest are. Especially the Togruta and Gray Sith Lord.”

She closed her eyes again and took a deep breath.

“Whisper. Remind her not to disobey me.” The soldier on the left clocked back a haymaker and let loose all over Quin’s face, snapping her head to the side and into the metal wall. Her ears rang loudly from the concussion that ripped her brain apart. A second one came her way that nearly finished her, but the soldier knew exactly how hard to hit. “More, sir?” The female soldier said. “She’s good for one more.”

“Not to her. But to the agent. She will watch her mistakes come to fruition.” Tarkin said.

“With pleasure, sir.”

______

“I can’t find her anywhere.” Nyrette’s voice rang in Iisska’s head.

“I am unable to as well.” Marquis’ voice sprang up as well.

“I don’t know where she might have gone. Delbor said to never enter the deep forest. She could be anywhere in there.” Cynthia’s soothing voice calmed Iisska a little.

“Luke? Tristain? Do you know anything about this deep wood?” Marquis asked

“Only that it is deeply cursed.” Luke said. “Nobody that goes in there returns. There was a few rumors a couple years ago about how even a group of inquisitor officers went to scour the deep wood for rogue Haemonculi and never returned. I don’t know if we will find her.”

“You gone too far, Brother.” Cheshik’s words stung. “Quin gone. Soon you may be too. Not by my hand. By your own.”

___

Iisska came to outside of the Harpoon. His vision was hazy and he couldn’t remember how he got to where he was. “The...fuck?” He thought to himself as he groggily stood up. His shirt was spattered with Quin’s blood, like she had just run away moments before. The campsite was empty and the Harpoon sat alone.

Seeing as it was the only place where everybody could be, he walked up to the opening ramp and stepped up and inside. He scratched his head as he did, his skin crawled from some feeling in his gut. Something wasn’t right.

“Hey, Isska.” Isska froze at the sound of the voice. It was Zen’s voice. “Good to see you return from your drunken stupor.”

“Zen…? Where have-”

“Heard about what you did. They’ve left you know. While you were out. Packed up and went their separate ways. You betrayed Cheshik, Nyrette’s heart is shattered, the Twins are too afraid of you...now it’s just you and me,” Zen cut him off. He sat on a small crate with his feet propped up facing away from Iisska.

“You left,” Iisska finally blurted out.

“And I came back thinking that you would have handled things. Done as I have trained you to do. Seems that you have failed at even the simplest of things.” Iisska was frozen; His skin started to burn, boil under the pressure that was in the room.

“And now Quin has passed away. You have no idea what you have done.” Zen stood up, kicking aside the box. “You have disrupted the balance by killing an innocent and turned to the dark beast inside you.”

He turned. “And I aim to restore the balance.”

He shot out his hand and a torrential force of power hit Iisska all across his body, firing him right back out of the hanger and head first into the dirt outside. He scrambled to his feet only for the force to grip his entire body and slam him into a tree, leaving a deep impression. He fell to the ground after peeling himself off and groaned, trying to get to his feet.

Zen walked down the harpoon’s ramp, the force swirling around him in a hurricane of power and anger. Iisska finally got to his feet and put his hands up in a protective wall of the force but quickly remembered that he didn’t have access to it and winced just before another force of nature threw him into the air and redirected him mid flight, bringing him back down into the dirt with incredible force. In the split second of consciousness he had left, he wondered how in the hell he was still alive.

With nothing but a sliver of his power, Zen raised his former apprentice into the air and drew him close for a choke hold, activating his lightsaber as he did. Zen wrapped his hand around Iisska’s throat, puncturing one side with how tightly he held him. Iisska struggled to breathe and tried to wriggle out.

“I should never have dragged your sorry ass out of that junk yard. I should never have taken you as my apprentice. You are weak. Uncontrollable. Pathetic. Unworthy of even the lowest teachers. And now…”

Zen impaled Iisska through his abdomen. “May you burn in the void.”

________

“-ska! Wake up!” Iisska shot up in his bed, his heart pounding, his body drenched in sweat. Cynthia stood next to him, a hand on his shoulder, looking worried. “You were screaming really loud. I was worried.”

He couldn’t manage to catch his breath as he pushed away from Cynthia. He nearly fell while shambling off the bed, took a few steps, placed his back on the wall and slid down to the floor.

“Get out of here,” he muttered.

She didn’t move, instead watching him with her eyes furrowed in worry. She got up and knelt down in front of him, placing a hand on his. “It’s alright, Iisska. Talk to me.”

“I said, get out.” He snatched his hand away from her and glared.

“Iisska….” She said, not leaving his side.

“NO!” He shot up and stomped to the other side of the room “Don’t fucking talk down to me! It’s not alright, okay!? It’s not!”

“I’m not talking down to you.” She said, sitting still and watching him. “I’m just trying to help.”

“Where is she?” he turned on Cynthia.

“I don’t know.”

“Don’t know?” he sneered, “What the fuck does that mean?”

“It means that I don’t know where she is, Iisska.” She snapped back.

“Well she didn’t just ‘poof’ out of existence!”

“I know that. Nyrette, Cheshik and myself scoured all over. We couldn’t even find a trail.”

“Don’t feed me that! She shouldn’t have been able to walk! And all the--” He made a gesture over his face and looked sick before cutting himself off and starting for the door. “There has to be a trail. I’ll find it.”

“Cheshik won’t let you leave the ship.” She sighed.

“He can’t stop me.” Iisska flung the door open.

“Are you really going to attack another friend?” She asked.

Iisska stopped and his shoulders tensed. He shuddered a little and glared back at her. “No. I don’t have to attack him, I just have to out-run him. What? You want me to stand around here and do nothing?”

“Iisska, it would be best if you did. You...you have done a lot of damage.” She paused for a time. “They think you’re a monster.”

He took a long rattling breath and put a hand on the doorway to support himself. There was the empty hallway. All he had to do was run down to the cargo bay as fast as he could and escape through the damaged hull. If only his knees hadn’t turned to jelly. He opened his mouth to speak and shut it again.

“Iisska. Please.”

“They’re right,” he shrugged, “Then I shouldn’t be here. No point in fixing up this pile of shit if I’m just gonna snap and kill everyone first. I’ll go find Quin, bring her back, then you’ll never have to see me again.”

“I don’t want you to leave. It’s too nice seeing you every morning.”

Iisska snorted and shook his head. “What kind of backward priorities…” He let himself take a few steps back into the room and paused before turning to face her. “Doesn’t change much. I can’t stick around… I don’t think.”

“Of course you can. They won’t say so right now, but if you left...things would break apart. They...we all need you. Quin is resourceful, she’ll be back. That, at least, I know. There was something you told me you did before you came here...mediation, I think. Why...why don’t we try it and calm down.” She was a little nervous as she said it.

“Pfft, eh, no offence, but that stuff never really worked out for me. Some things… and people can’t be fixed.”

“It wouldn’t hurt to try, at least, would it?”
“I dunno… sitting for a long time hurts my ass… and I might get bored.” He couldn’t keep from cracking just a hint of a smile. “Whatever you say.”

_________

Thrown into a cell and left to rot, Quin didn’t know where she was. There was a solitary window across from her where rain pecked through the bars and into the room. A light thunderstorm was erupting outside, but the walls were thick enough that she could only hear the muffles through the window. She had watched Nyrette be dragged away to be executed for her crimes, she saw the entire crew killed without mercy, and now she was left to live with her choices.

She sat in a corner of the room, the faint light from outside illuminating her while she had her knees drawn to her chest as she hugged them in sorrow. She was alone in the dark. Nobody was coming for her now as they had been all eliminated by the republic she used to know, rebranded as “The Empire”. She didn’t have the will to fight and survive anymore. Everything was gone.

She was alone. Yet...something stirred in the dark.

“Outlander...you have such a beautiful sorrow about you.” There, in front of her, she saw it. From the forest on Eos. The piercing white eyes of the creature of the forest. “I have dined on the souls of kings and queens. Arch-wizards and great witches. Few compare to the soul that I see now yet cannot reach. That god forsaken inquisitor has locked out behind a cell door and I cannot reach you, my child.” It sat at arms length from her, unmoving. She couldn’t bring herself to move. She wasn’t shackled or restricted in the slightest, her body simply refused to move anymore.

“Child.” The creature’s hand entered the light, sitting mere inches from her body. “Take my hand. Allow me to take away the pain that you have endured. Let the nightmares stop.”

She stared at the grotesque hand, matted scales and boils covering it from the decades of terror. Long fingers with razor sharp nails at the end. Her hand trembled as her mind fractured into pieces, she wanted to just take it’s hand and finally rest...but deeper in her mind, something sprouted from the tiniest of seeds. A miniscule light of hope in her. The sight of the harpoon and everybody smiling. In her mind, the shadows that had grown were being snuffed out one by one. She felt something in her hand; a handle of sorts. Her head swivled down to see what it was. A vibroknife.

She refused to die.

Leaping to her feet, Quin screamed and jumped at the monster in front of her. It didn’t react in time, only managing to yell in surprise as Quin slammed Nyrette’s knife into it’s throat. It bellowed and fell backwards with Quin on top of it, stabbing into it’s chest and face wildly while it convulsed and fought back as hard as it could. It got hands around her waist, but it was a waste of time for it as Quin planted a hand on it’s head, slamming it to the side while she plunged the knife deep into it’s cranium.

____

She bolted upright in the makeshift bed in Lucius’ camp, her chest heaving and her mouth parched. She was immediately given a tankard of water and a serving of salted bread. “It is uplifting to finally see you rise.” She downed the water and bread with reckless abandon, daring not to slow down for fear of falling back asleep. “Slow down, girl. You’re going to kill yourself.” She ignored him, finishing the loaf of bread in less than a minute and washing it down with a second tankard of water. When she had finished she sat back and ran a hand over her face, digging off the sleep-dust that had built up around her eyes.

“You have been out of commission for about four days. For a time, I thought you might not wake up, but I am glad to see that my thoughts were misplaced.” He pulled a pack from behind him and placed it to his side. “Come. Stand up.” He stood and held out his hand, helping Quin to her feet. She nearly fell right back to the ground from not having stood in four days, but with Lucius’ help, she regained her footing and was able to stand decently well. “Walk and run around a littl-”

In the darkness, a dreadful howling echoed through the forest. Quin felt a clawed hand wrap around her heart, she knew exactly what was howling.

“It seems that we lack the time for you to fully recover. Here.” He knelt down and picked up the large backpack. “Some leather armor, a heavy crossbow, and some bolts. I dipped the bolts in holy water. Take them.

She nodded, but only took the leather armor, saying that she doesn’t need the crossbow.

“I insist, please.” But she refused again before pulling Nyrette’s vibro-blade from her boot, popping the visceral blade from it’s hilt. “A dagger...very well. The beast will fall either way.” He knelt down at the campfire and collected a few things that he had placed about.

“Are you ready? Once I snuff out my soulfire, there is no turning back.” She strapped a leather bound piece of armor to her shoulder and a piece of leather armor to her chest, nodding.

Lucius snuffed out the flame, leaving them in darkness.

____

Walking side by side, Quin and Lucius followed the howling of the dark beast that Quin had defended herself against. According to the Inquisitor, it was in the same part of the forest that he had found Quin in. Even though she refused to use the crossbow, Lucius had pleaded with her to carry several bombs of holy fire. They bounced slowly along her chest, hooked onto the leather armor, as she walked.

They entered the grove for the second time and saw the beast by the river, holding it’s stomach. Black blood was strewn about the ground. It seems that Quin had done physical damage to the beast in her dreams, weakening it severely.

It snapped around, staring them both down, and roaring loud enough to hurt Quin’s ear drums. “You! You dare approach me!” It screamed. It turned around fully and stood at full length. It seems Quin did much more damage than she thought as it’s stomach was completely ripped open. Black organs could be seen in the light given off by the river, there was a small pool of blood at it’s feet. “I will not allow you to live for your defiance!”

“Stay your feet, Quin. Now is not the time.” The Inquisitor summoned his dual glaives and held them at his side while Quin took a couple steps backwards.

The beast broke into a crazed four legged sprint, coming right for the Inquisitor. He threw his glaives at the beast as it charged him. Once smashed into the beast’s side while the other missed entirely. Lucius summoned his glaives again and smashed them together just as the beast was upon him, he wound back his flamberge and slammed it into the beast’s skull, but it all but ignored it. His blade was wretched from his hands as the Inquisitor was thrown backwards by the beast’s crazed attack.

He slammed into a tree and dropped to the ground only to be slammed against it again and grabbed, thrown into the canopy only to drop down moments later. The inquisitor rolled to his feet, summoning his weapons again as his foe jumped at him from above. He dropped down and came up with his glaive, catching the beast in the throat, using his body to stop the momentum. Before the beast could overpower him again, Lucius ripped the glaive up the beast’s exposed organs and ripped at the throat.

The beast broke off of the Inquisitor, stepping back for only a moment before wrapping a bloody hand around the Inquisitor’s throat, lifting him off of the ground several feet. The Inquisitor stabbed at the beast’s arm in an attempt to escape, but the beast used it’s free arm to grab at Lucius’ leg and slam him into the ground once, twice, thrice, four times, before swinging him around and throwing him into a tree with enough force to topple the tree itself.

With the Inquisitor out of the way, the beast turned towards Quin. “I will have your soul, Outlander.” The beast’s voice rang in her head as it approached her. She grabbed one of the three bombs on her chest and threw it at the beast, but it just swatted it away before it could detonate. It exploded in the darkness in a brilliant white light for but a few moments before disappearing.

“I know what you fear. I know what will break you.” Smoke enveloped the beast for several moments as it changed. Quin grabbed her dagger and popped the blade out of the sheathe, readying herself, but she was not ready for the monster that stepped out of the smoke.

A grotesque, deformed, harrowing vision of Iisska stepped forward, his horns were misshapen and too long, his skin pitch black and scaley. His fists were balled up into large metal gauntlets that shined with the blood that still seeped from his stomach. He smiled, fangs extending past his jaw line, but all Quin could focus on was the bright white eyes that pierced the darkness. As he stepped towards her, he twitched and spasmed randomly, instability wracking him at his core.

He charged at her, the ground kicking up into the air in his wake.

When he reached her, he raised both of his fists into the air to drop them down on Quin’s head. She jumped out of the way and dropped a bomb at her feet. He dropped into it and it exploded in his face, making him bellow out in agony as the holy fire scorched his face. He came at Quin faster, throwing punch after punch at her. She barely dodged them with how fast they were coming, but with a haymaker barely missing her face, she came up and plunged her knife into the beast’s chest before ripping it out and sticking it right back into his chest, stabbing once more before he back handed her and threw her back. She landed on the ground only to roll to the side when the beast punched where her abdomen was. He followed her, punching right where she was as she crawled and rolled away. She finally got onto her hands and rolled backwards onto her feet only to be nearly caught off guard as the beast hammered her defence, mixing elbows and feet into each attack to keep her off balance.

She found one more opening when he tried to sweep his leg. She jumped up into the air, flipping the foot long blade, and bringing it down onto the beast’s skull. She yanked it out and slammed it right back in, ripping it out the front of his face. It fell backwards in agony and shrieking, writing on the ground. Quin knelt down to look the creature in the eye. One of it’s eyes was missing and the piercing white eye was trained on hers, almost begging for mercy. She had none to give as she grabbed the last bomb on her chest and plunged it into the mess of organs in the beast’s stomach. She yanked on the fuse at the top of it and stepped back as the bomb went off inside of the unstable Iisska clone, enveloping it in holy white fire. It rolled on the ground back and forth, shrieking and bellowing in pure agony, begging for Quin to save it and for the pain to end. With one last ditch effort, he flipped onto his belly and struggled to his feet, turning to Quin.

He looked at her, unmoving as the flames burned. “I have seen into your dreams. Your memories. Your future.” He said, reaching out. Quin stepped back and he dropped to his knees. “He will abandon you in the lust for power and become a beast like myself.” He whispered quietly. “A monster capable only of death.” He dropped forward and dissipated, the white flame burning away the monster until nary but the ash was left. One of the first rays of the sun broke through the darkness that covered the forest and shined onto Quin, whom was frozen in place, looking at the remains of the beast.

The sun’s light overtook the grove and started to spread over the rest of the forest. Flowers started to bloom in excess as their life was returned to them. “Praise the sun!” Quin heard from in the distance. She saw the Inquisitor approaching, his arms were bent in strange directions and he was limping on an equally strangely bent leg. He held his hat in hand as he approached her. His clothes were torn and tattered but they seemed to be mending themselves via a white light.

“Thank you, Madam.” He said to her happily. “If you do not mind however...could you...ah…” he held his arm out and Quin quietly grabbed it, bracing it against her shoulder and snapping it back into place. “Ahhh. Thank you very much.” He said as he went to snapping the other arm back into place as well as his leg. “You would make a fine Inquisitor, Quin.” He said as he reached to his face and took off the mask, revealing what was underneath.

“Do not be alarmed.” He said as he revealed the skeletal head underneath. The jaw didn’t move as he spoke. “This is my curse, but it is not as harrowing as you may believe.” He said as he gazed up at the burning orb above them. “The sun, the representation of my dear lady Patron Hamara.” He turned to her again and Quin could hear a notable change in his tone. “My dear lady, if I heard the beast correctly, you are an outlander. Is that true?” Quin nodded. “Then I have another request of you if I may be so bold. I have see most of Eos and have been to every continent, but I have yet to see the stars. Might I accompany you?”

Quin stood there quietly and stared at Lucius for a few moments too long after he finished speaking. Then her gaze wandered off to the forest around them. “I’m still dreaming,” she nodded.

“No. You are not.” Lucius said.

“Prove it.”

He shrugged and slapped her. “See. Not asleep right now.”

Quin’s hand flew to her jaw and she gave him a stunned pout. “You-- Tch! That was uncalled for! I just meant that… This is too much to take in so fast.”

“Take your time. The woods should be safe now. If you need to sit down….” He tried to comfort her.

“I don’t.” She sheathed her blade with a snap. “I’ll process on the way… and I would appreciate it if you would accompany me.”

“Then lead the way, Ma’am.”

“Certainly,” she chirped, “I assume that you will be giving me directions from the rear as I haven’t the slightest where we are.”

“I...thought you did.” He admitted.

“An injured and delirious foreigner sprints into a cursed wood where she is accosted by a nightmare beast and a skeleton with a knife fetish, the later of whom takes her unconscious body to a camp further into the wood where she remains asleep for four more days. He then drags her through more of the same indiscernible landscape to face a creature that has no business existing. You seriously think she knows where she is?” Quin asked, “... Do you know where we are?”

He was quiet for a moment, staring at her through his mask. “I do not have a knife fetish…” he said, looking up to the sun. “It is early morning and the sun rises in the east, there is a caravan road that stretches along the eastern edge of the forest. We can go there and see where we are lead.”

“A caravan road?” she asked, “I might be able to find our way to the ship afterall.”

STAR WARS: ANIHILATION {Reboot} {DemonTongue/Vash}

It was the beginning of another dreary day at the Harpoon and it was already turning out to be a rather quiet, relaxing one. Least for everybody but Cheshik, whom Iisska had working on the ship for the day. The lizard had grumbled and gotten to work, leaving Iisska to happily start training in hand to hand combat with Marquis, much to his glee. All at the same time, Quin, fresh off of getting a little plastered in the lounge last night after her rather exhausting morning with her lover, was going to begin her sword training with Nyrette as her master. The thought of Nyrette schooling Quin, somebody she looked up to and loved dearly, how to use a sword was one that excited her possibly too much.

She hurried down the hall with both hers and Quin's swords in hand, making her way towards the hanger to head outside when she stopped just before the lounge and saw Cynthia walking out in a rather baggy lavender shirt and leggings. She had an empty bowl in her hands.

“Woah. Cynthia...those aren't my clothes.” Nyrette said.

“Nope. Got them last night.” She said with a smile.

“Last...night? What? You went back to the city?” Nyrette exclaimed

“Yep.” Cynthia replied

“And back in less than twelve hours?”

“Eleven, yes. Like my other pearl core sisters, I can run very fast.” She said, turning her leg a bit to show her larger than human-average calves.

“Damn. I won't lie...kinda wish I could build up the muscle like that.” Nyrette said a little coyly.

“You are upper body base. I'm lower. Kinda like it that way.” She winked.

“Also...what's with the bowl? Were...were you eating something?” Nyrette asked.

“I...um...,” she hesitated, her fingers tightened slightly around the bowl's edges and she got a little nervous. “I found out about the...err...Toasted grain squares, with the slight bit of sugar and a cinnamon powder on them...”

“The...Cinnamon crunch?” Nyrette stifled a laugh.

“YES,” Cynthia yelled. “They...made me a little tipsy but they're delicious. I can't help it. I hate that Iisska showed me them...yet love it.”

“Wait...tipsy? As in drunk?” Nyrette asked.

“Yes. Sugar tends to have the same effect on me that alcohol has on you...just really extreme.” She replied.

“Oh? That so? Remind me to dig out the fruit juices next time we party,” Nyrette chuckled. “They're loaded with them. Hey, I'll see you later, Cye.”

Cynthia gulped as Nyrette walked off, dreading the fruit juice that Nyrette spoke of. She took a bit of a deep breath and walked on to find the kitchen and do a bit of cleaning up.

Since her near mental breakdown just a couple days prior, Cynthia had been doing a huge amount better now that her brain had calmed down and she was able to sort out her rather large instabilities and settle down.

She stepped lightly into the kitchen to find it a bit of a mess around the sink, what with a couple small stacks of bowls and utensils lying about. She set her bowl on the side and turned on the lake-pumped water, letting it heat.

Since she had began talking with Iisska, she had found her emotional state to level out. She attributed it to him either being a good listener or caring just enough to acknowledge her presence every now and then when she asked a question. His answers didn't really prove one or the other, but it served to quell her emotions.

Rubbing off the morning grime from her otherwise polished hands, Cynthia began the work that she was most accustomed to. Even after removing her mask and coming to terms with her development as a living being, her body still institutionally returned to the task it was made for: Being a servant.

Even though she was more level headed now, she still had many burning questions in her mind about herself and the crew. Why is Iisska still so angry? Why can't she stop gawking at the most alien thing she had ever seen? Why is Nyrette blind? What is this 'force' thing that they talk about? Who is Zen and why is he so important? Why is cinnamon so damn delectable?

She sighed as she wiped away a piece of food stuck to the bottom of a bowl. There she went again...'trash wording' as she had began to call it. The more she hung out with Iisska, the more she learned of the trash words...in two languages even! She shook her head and placed the last of the bowls to the side before moving onto the utensils and plates. Now that she thought about it...the more she learned the less that she cared that she was saying them. She knew that they were trashy and horrible words, but she found her tongue calling to them and using them slightly more each day...that wasn't the only habit she was beginning to form, truth be told.

Since joining with the crew, her subconscious had been somewhat keeping track of how she was changing. Shifting to the qualities of the crew. She had to admit, she was happier now than she had been a week ago, then again she hadn't been feeling anything at all last week until her mask had been taken off, but she wondered when it would stop. She hadn't noticed it until nearly two hours after her first real talk with Iisska, but she had changed her manner of speaking mid-conversation. Just after she had changed her vocal cords her entire personality just...shifted. She acted a little more like him and her voice had dropped an octave. She wasn't complaining, but it was overly strange to her. She had to admit...she enjoyed entertaining the idea of taking after Iisska a little more than she probably should.

After scrubbing down the utensils, she placed them onto a towel on the side of the sink and left them to dry. She placed her hands on the counter for a moment, looking down to them and looking at the veins that snaked their way over the backs, disappearing into her arm.

That was something else that she had to admit to herself. The fact that Iisska was an alien that she had never before seen was...astonishing. He appealed to her curiosity and he gladly answered most of the questions that she presented him with. Even going as far as to detail what his homeworld was like and giving rather...vague descriptions of the other species in his universe was like...a whole universe. Again, she was presented with a sense of awe when he said that word. Universe. She already knew that Eos, as big as it is, is patheticly small when presented on a universal scale. To think that there was another universe out there was beyond her imagination.

Having returned to the dishes, she finished the plates and left everything next to the sink to dry. There wasn't any cups or glasses surprisingly. Now that she thought of it, they all probably still had their cups with them or scattered about the ship. She thought about going to clean it all up, but she decided against it. She wiped off her hands on a towel and made her way outside to watch Marquis beat up an alien.

---

Once Marquis and Nyrette sat down with their students, they spent the better part of a week teaching them the basics of their expertise. Marquis’ was hand to hand combat, one that rivaled his marksmanship while Nyrette’s was swordsmanship, a skill she was forced to love and hone to perfection in her time in the academy.

For Marquis, teaching Iisska all that he knew was an easy prospect. He focused on what made Iisska a formidable fighter; hitting hard and hitting fast. He already had the hitting hard part down to a science, he hit like a truck full of bricks, but he wasn’t incredibly fast, and that’s where Marquis stepped in.

Over the week, Iisska was shown how to direct his body and carry himself forward in an incredible momentum while simultaneously predicting where the enemy would be and how they would react. He taught the togruta how to send his opponent not only reeling, but flying backwards and unable to retaliate in the slightest. To shatter defenses and prevent them from ever putting up a fight.

As for Nyrette and Quin, it was a little tougher considering Quin hadn’t even held a sword in her entire life. She tried to justify it and say that knives and daggers were training enough, but after having her entire defense broken and being thrown to the ground, she stopped saying that.

Once she got the basics down however, Quin took to Nyrette’s training methods like a pen takes to paper. Nyrette focused on Quin’s body type and flowing seamlessly between movements, as if the entire battle was just a plan in her mind and she already knew the conclusion, a tactic that would throw off more than a few combatants.

At the end of the week, they each had a sparing match to show how far they’d come.

“Come at me, Iisska; Once more. I will not hold back.” Marquis yelled and set his coat to the side, taking a defensive stance to intercept Iisska.

Iisska’s eyes immediately snapped up to meet Marquis’. He began to circle around him with slow and deliberate steps which drew him gradually closer. He shook out his hands and wrists before clenching them tight and let himself fall naturally into a relaxed fighting posture. By the time his feet began to skirt around the edges of his opponent’s green zone his guard was fully up and he was on his toes, ready to move in an instant. An instant was all it to ok for him to lash out at Marquis with the first of a series of quick off-hand jabs and dangerous punches.

Marquis blocked every strike and moved to return the strike straight to Iisska’s stomach. The blow rang out through the trees as steel collided with steel. Marquis’ hand hit Iisska’s gauntlet after he sank, twisted and tucked his body in. Now that he was closer he twisted back and rose with a full forced uppercut. Marquis didn’t have the chance to block it and staggered back, a deep dent marring his once pristine metal beard. Marquis responded with a dozen well placed rabbit punches, which threw Iisska off balance as he back-pedaled to get clear of them.

Don’t keep pushing back, he remembered from an earlier lesson. Despite every part of his mind and body urging him to keep resisting, he let himself fall back. Not to the ground, no. Just enough. Just enough to let the last of Marquis’ flurry of quick punches catch nothing but the air centimeters away. He swung his forward foot out wide to catch himself and sidestep dangerously close to Marquis. He kept the arching momentum going and swung a hook at Marquis’ ribs. He took the attack and was thrown in the air for a moment, giving Iisska a large opening before he retaliated. Iisska didn’t waste his opportunity. With Marquis ungrounded he pulled up his knee and smashed his boot into him hard as soon as he touched the ground.

With that, Marquis flew backwards and hit the ground hard, rolling backwards onto his feet and took a different stance now, waiting for Iisska to rush at him, intending to go on a strong offense. But he didn’t rush. As at the beginning of the fight he took his time closing the distance between the two of them. His eyes hadn’t moved from Marquis’ for a second. He was steadying his breath and continuing to move and stay loose. He tested Marquis with a light jab that was more of a love tap than anything else. When he didn’t move Iisska struck out harder.

At the second attack Marquis moved like lightning. Iisska’s attack never connected with its intended target as Marquis countered with a hard uppercut to Iisska’s jaw followed up by an overhand punch to his forehead before Marquis wind back and slammed his palm against the stunned Togruta’s chest, throwing him back.

Iisska’s feet couldn’t move fast enough to catch himself. Not under that amount of force. He landed flat on his back. After a few seconds of reeling from being punched in the face Iisska sat up with a groan and a snort. Everything was spinning and it wouldn’t stop. Standing up only made it worse. He shook his head and tried to blink away the dull pain in his skull to no avail.

Fine. You wanna play rough? Let’s play rough.

His approach was far less calculated and careful now. He stomped right up to the droid before putting up his fists and had no reservations about delivering the first haymaker.

Marquis dodged out of the way of the haymaker and delivered a heavy jab straight to Iisska’s ribs, following up with a second then a third to Iisska’s abdomen. Iisska staggered back, stunned, before Marquis gift wrapped and delivered a wicked uppercut to Iisska’s jaw and finished off with a haymaker to the cheek, putting Iisska on the ground and out.

Approaching the Togruta, he helped him up. “That is enough. You need to fight like you mean it and never hold back. Stay focused regardless of the pain.”

“Damn it! How do you focus when being punched in the face!?” Iisska snapped… and sprayed flecks of blood on Marquis.

He angrily wiped the blood off of his chest and spoke. “Stand in front of a mirror, punch yourself in the face, focus on whatever is behind you.”

Iisska’s brow furrowed and he seemed deep in thought for just a second. Then he looked up at Marquis obviously unimpressed with the conclusion he had come to.

“I’m not doing that,” he said, “There’s a better way, right?

“Nope. Tis the only way, lad.” He said, rubbing his dented beard.

“Iisska...he means conditioning.” Quin said as she and Nyrette watched them. “Still requires a punch to the face though.”

___

Elsewhere in the world, many leagues away.

“My Regent…” The Inquisitor Brood Master bowed down onto one knee. Bordering on an almost unhealthy level of lithe, he was wrapped in a dark brown leather trench coat armor, various daggers and potions dangled from the belts that hung from his waist and chest. A jagged longsword made it’s home on his hip while a formidable flamberge sat on his back. He was very tall, easily standing seven feet and his tall inquisitor hat made him seem even taller.

Deep wrinkles and scars marred his face underneath sunken black eyes and around his thin, cracked lips. His nose was cut and obviously broken many a time.

Before him was a giant of a man adorned in reds in purples, bright white hair made up most of his head in long hair and longer beard. The master of the castle that the Inquisitor knelt in. The room was lavishly decorated with symbols of the regency and of the twelve kingdoms of the land. Guards stood at every door and an onyx skinned Haemonculus stood at his side.

The Haemonculus stood perfectly still, as if not alive at all. A large onyx gem shined slightly on the side of his neck. His skin, hair, and armor color matched the gem, being completely jet black to better hide in the darkness of night. Even his eyes were black save for the two bright white stars that made up his pupils. He angrily scanned over the Inquisitor, having difficulties staying his hand.

“Inquisitor Malgus,” the Regent said, his voice low and commanding over the room. “You come to me to deliver news of the outlanders, have you not?”

“I have, my Regent.” Malgus stood, placing one hand squarely behind his back. “They are stationed deep in the wood outside of Tildanad. My scouts have found the tracks and can locate them at a moments notice, my lord.”

“I would like you to bring them here, Malgus. Peacefully. I would like to converse with the outlanders and Delebor’s Haemonculus personally.” The regent said.

“Understood, my lord. I will require a small regiment of twenty soldiers for this task. Supplies for the two week long trip can be procured by myself, sir.” The Inquisitor cut to the chase.

“Twenty soldiers?!” The regent spat out.

“Twenty, milord. The outlanders are dangerous and they have a Haemonculi in their possession. If reports from my brothers and sisters in the city is correct, it has no mask and could be dangerous.”

“Why is a maskless Haemonculi a problem?” The regent asked, gesturing towards the onyx one next to him.

“It is a Pearl-core Haemonculus. Very easily corrupted and very erratic. It could lose control at any time.” The inquisitor said.

The Regent ran a hand through his beard several times, thinking heavily on the Inquisitor’s request. “Very well. Do as you must.”

“Thank you, milord,” The inquisitor bowed and turned on his heel, heading out of the room. The Regent leaned over and beckoned the Onyx to bow to his hand.

“Qeldon. Follow him. Make sure he performs his duties.” The Regent said.

“Why do you employ him, milord?” The onyx asked in a deadpan whisper. “He is too dangerous. He will try to kill them.”

“Because they might kill him and save me a war.” The Regent said bluntly.

STAR WARS: ANIHILATION {Reboot} {DemonTongue/Vash}

On the edge of the conversation, Cynthia stood and let her arms melt back into hands, the blood sliding off like it was on glass. She cleaned herself quickly, hearing the words they were saying and feeling a deep shame coming over her. "Another crazy murder machine...." She whispered, unable to contain her thoughts this time. Nyrette's voice pierced the tension.

"What do you mean 'You have no idea what you've done, do you?'" She mocked Luke. "Thus far, she's proven that she's closer to human than most of the people we've met today." She stood next to Quin. Cynthia approached but kept her distance from Iisska, seeing that he was extremely uncomfortable and disturbed. "I-I apologize." She tried to say. "I did what..."

"Don't apologize to them," Quin cut her off, "There was going to be a fight regardless."

"A fight. Not a carving contest," Iisska argued.

"A carving contest would be something Zen would do. This was a simple and clean kill. In case you don't remember, Vibroswords do the same kind of cutting." Nyrette retorted.

"Not my point," he said, "These jackasses were entry level chumps. That was overkill."

"Haemonculi don't have a limit. When they set out to do something it is done quickly and to completion even if their means go far beyond human sensibilities. There is no grey area. You can't reign them back in. You can't tell them to tone it down. It doesn't work that way," Luke crossed his arms.

"To speak of Haemonculi like that, is almost same as if speaking of droid." Cheshik said, approaching as he cleaned his halberd blade of blood. "Remind me of when first droid began to gain life, understand death. See what love and loss is. Before, they were servant, as I am sure you want Cynthia to be." He said, shouldering the halberd. "Luke. You are very wrong."

The man's eyes narrowed and he sized Cheshik up very carefully.

"Pardon me, but a what?" he asked quietly.

"A...Auto-matron? Quin, remind me of word." Cheshik said.

"Automaton," She quipped.

"Yes. Automaton. Marquis in home is droid. His skin metal, but heartbeat is true like warrior. Same is said of Cynthia, but skin is just very very hard, not metal," He finished.

Luke looked around at the group in shock and even Tristan perked up at the mention of such a thing.

"Seriously?" Tristan asked.

"No," Luke snapped, "You people are raising golems and giving them names and souls now too? What is wrong with you outlanders?"

"Golem?" Cheshik said.

"Regardless." Nyrette spoke before Luke said anything else. "If you don't like how we handle ourselves, you can take yourselves that a-way." She pointed away from them and towards the road. "I'm sure the guards would love to hit on you and your lover too." She would have glared if she had eyes.

"Wait no!" Tristan interrupted and ran forward, "I wanna see this thing. Also, ew. Also, guards. Also..."

He wrapped an arm around his brother's shoulders and turned him away from the group for another argumentative whispering match. Luke straightened and huffed out of his nose and looked like he was going to strangle someone. Tristan looked like an overexcited child.

“Come on. For me. Please?” Tristan begged, “I know you’re interested too. Don’t lie. Liars go to--”

“Fine!” Luke spat.

He turned around to the group once more and tried his best to relax.

“I’m s-- sr-- I’m sorry. I was out of line and we would very much like to meet this… ‘droid?’ If you would allow us,” he said.

Nyrette crossed her arms and gave Tristan a smug look. “I’m not sure.” She said finally. “I’ll let you see Marquis if…” She pointed at luke. “If he apologizes to Cynthia and mean it.”

“I already did, just now,” Luke said.

“Don’t you take this away from me,” Tristan threatened, “Just do it. Look at this freak show-- Ahg, I mean… Lovely people… How exciting is this?”

“Ya know, because of the freak show bit, now you both have to kiss her hand and apologize really nicely.” Nyrette smirked.

“Doooo it. Doooo it. Doooo it! Doooo it!” Cheshik chanted.

“I would be honored,” Tristan put on his best grin and urged his brother on.

He strode up to Cynthia with only a few long, graceful steps and went down on one knee. He took her hand in his so very gently and looked up into her eyes.

“My lady,” his words were soft and elegant, “Please accept our most sincere apologies.”

Then he kissed her hand.

She was very embarrassed. Enough to want to just hide because of all the hate towards her from the boys yet the love from the girls and Cheshik. Again, she was presented with an inability to know how to deal with the emotions. In the end, she just patted Tristan on the head.

“You too, Luukyloo.” Nyrette chimed.

“I will not be responding to that demeaning pet name,” Luke said as he walked past her.

He too took Cynthia’s hand and looked her in the eye, but did not smile nor kneel like his showboating fool of a twin.

“Please accept my apology. I’ll be keeping a tighter reign on my tongue,” he said.

He placed a quick peck on the back of her hand before dropping it.

“That was adorable,” Tristan giggled.

“Don’t talk to me,” Luke growled.

“L-lets just...get out of here…” Cynthia said, quickly scooting away in embarrassment.

Once the group finished with their bloody festivities, they made their way back to the animals, whom had promptly dumped most of the items the gear that was on their backs out of boredom and was playing with one another in the field next to the road. After some scolding from both Cheshik and Iisska, they reloaded the gear and headed off again towards the ship.

The entire trip however, Cynthia avoided Iisska's gaze. She was embarrassed and mortified of herself. To her, she saw an alien. An outlander that had seen what the stars were like and experienced things she couldn't even dream of. He was fascinating and she had driven him to sheer uncontrollable rage because...

"Another crazy murder machine..." she whispered to herself. From in front, riding on Snickers' back, Nyrette craned her head after having heard Cynthia's hushed words.

"What?" She said, finally.

"N-no. Nothing." Cynthia said quietly.

Nyrette wasn't convinced. It was obvious that the Haemonculus wasn't accustomed to hiding her emotions from her face. Nyrette could see that she was distraught. She hopped off of snickers and snuck back to walk with her. "What's wrong?" She didn't respond.

"Is this about earlier?" Nyrette said. Cynthia's eyes darted away for a moment. "Don't worry about it. Iisska's just going through a lot what with Zen being in a coma and everything." She smiled.

"How...how do you control yourself?" Cynthia said, wringing her hands.

"What do you mean?" Nyrette replied.

"Your...feelings. How do you control them?" Her cheeks glowed a slight blue, embarrassment marring them.

"My feelings? I...just do. I never let them take over my life. You...must be going through just as much as Iisska since taking off your mask. God, no wonder you went nuts against the bandits." Nyrette bit her lip, realizing that Cynthia was a ticking time bomb.

She looked towards the ground and took a deep breath. "I'll be fine. I'll learn to manage my emotions more easily." She smiled at Nyrette. The nervousness Nyrette felt in the pit of her stomach only grew a little more when she saw Cynthia's attitude change.

"Um. Alright then." She shrugged and went back to Snickers' back with Quin, whom had been listening in on the conversation. She ended up holding Quin's hand for the duration of the trip back.

The rest of the trip back went rather quickly now that the animals had traveled it once before and they didn't have to deal with a back full of supplies. The food held together nicely on Kobel's back while Snickers carried the weapons, gear, and alcohol. They even managed to pick up a few tools while they were in town too. Not great tools, but good replacements for the bits of metal that Iisska called tools.

It was nearing sundown when they finally stopped and dismounted the animals. The day had gone from a bright and sunny to an overcast, blotting own the sun and leaving them with a bright grey that threatened to turn into rain. A mist had rolled in from the lake as well, though Cheshik had no trouble finding his way into it to finally take a bath.

"Marquis! We're back!" Nyrette yelled. Not soon after she yelled Marquis came down the ship ramp looking angry as ever.

"So." Marquis started. "Trip go alright?"

"Yeah. Here. From all of us." Nyrette fished out the Rapier that she had bought for him in town and handed it to him.

"Oh my." He exclaimed, his eye turning bright yellow as his mood finally lifted a bit as he handled the blade. "How did you know that I had been trained to use a sword?"

"You seemed like the kind of person whom would know." She replied.

"You were right." He exclaimed as he slashed the air with it a few times to test it before returning it to the sheath. "Thank you."

"Anything happen while we were out?" She said as she started to unpack the supplies with Iisska."

"WELL." He placed his hands on his hip. "I have...great news and horrible news!" He coughed. "A lot of the ship's facilities came back online. The thrusters and turrets will not respond, but I did check the pipes and electrical systems. A lot made it through the crash and bathrooms are running as well as everything in the lounge...Zen really made that room indestructible...speaking of which."

Marquis paused for a moment to watch Cheshik yell and jump out of the lake to race to the ship and take a long hot shower. Nyrette clicked her fingers in front of his face a few times. "What's the horrible news?"

"Um...how to put this lightly...." He looked at Iisska. "Not my fault, I do not know what prompted it or what happened to him but...."

"But?" Nyrette frowned.

"Zen woke up." Marquis said flatly. "He got his speeder working and took off into the forest. This was a day after you left. I do not know where he went."

____

Meanwhile. On the floor of a bar nearly a hundred miles away in the middle of nowhere.

Zen lay on the floor, a flagon of ale still in his steel grip, face down and passed out. His head shot up with a snort and a gasp. "Fuck me. Cheshik'll be pissed." He put his head back down and went back to sleep.

STAR WARS: ANIHILATION {Reboot} {DemonTongue/Vash}

Zenithar

Journal of Mandalorian low scout 775893 designation "Zenithar Ouran." Mandalorian eyes only.

(Written in red in underneath the header. The ink is fresh.)
THAT MEANS THAT YOU CAN'T READ THIS IISSKA. TOUCH IT AGAIN AND I'LL BREAK YOUR FOOD EATING ARM.

Day 1. "Crashed on Korriban"
Well. That wasn't exactly a soft landing. Atmospheric storms have ruptured the hull and an EMP wrecked the systems. I got the repair bots running, but it'll be a good long while. Doesn't help that my fuel was running low too. Thanks Sergent Cathka. Fucker. In case somebody finds this, I'm Zenithar Ouran, designation blah blah blah. Don't think I'll be heading back to Mandalore any time soon. I'm done. I was sent to this desolate hellhole to scout new planets for Mandalorian expansion. Ship's toast and without an A.I. I'm pretty much screwed.

Day 5. "Seeing things."
Maybe it's the heat that's been causing my eyes to blister or perhaps its the two straight days of banging my head against the hull of the ship trying to fix it, but I've been...seeing things. Lots of things. Strange figures off in the distance, shadows playing at the edges of my vision. I have my blaster ready but something tells me that it's not going to do jack shit against whatever's out there. Just have to prime the turbo lasers though and I'll be fine.

Day 6.
Turbo lasers are broken. I'm boned.

Day 9. Dog-reptile-thing
I don't even know what this thing is. My codex says it's a Tuk'ata, but it doesn't even list a picture. Here, for future reference.

ATTACHMENT

Seriously. This thing is horrible looking. But one came up to me today. Maybe it wanted someof the shyrak meat I caught or maybe it wanted my flesh. Either way, it's sticking around and it's providing great company.

Wait...it doesn't think I'm it's master or something, does it?

STAR WARS: ANIHILATION {Reboot} {DemonTongue/Vash}

"So. Was fun, yes?"

Cheshik tried to start up a conversation as the group walked with their creatures on the lightly paved road heading away from the city. The animals were loaded with supplies and food for a few months of survival. Cynthia rode on Kobel, keeping him steady while Iisska lead the way with Snickers in tow, Quin and Nyrette riding her.

"Shut. Up." Iisska said.

Both the twins were bruised from Quin's fury. Tristain in particular had the worst of it with a possibly broken ripb and one of his eyes swollen shut from Quin's haymaker. Iisska and Cheshik's necks were bruised from Nyrette's stranglehold while their ribs were bruised from where she had planted her knees. Girl had power behind her small frame.

"Well. I think was fun." Cheshik said after a moment of silence. Iisska repeated the order from one ofthe twins.

"He's right though. It was fun." Nyrette said smiling happily.

"The trip to the ship should be much faster this time now that we are much lighter and aren't dragging a pesky cart behind us." Cynthia said. "Which reminds me. Did you get your friend...um..." She went silent for a moment as her mind went a flutter. She realized that she never learned his name.

"Marquis?" Nyrette said.

"Your silver skinned friend? Yes. Him." She said, blushing at having yet to learn his name.

"Yeah. I found a nice rapier just before we left. I think he'll like it since he said he's always admired fencing but has never had the chance to apply it." She said then paused for a moment. "That reminds me actually."

She jumped off of Snickers and jogged up beside Kobel. She fished a small pouch of coin from her backside and threw it up to Cynthia, whom caught it without an issue. "What is this for?" She asked.

"It's the left over money from today. Iisska mentioned that we should give it to you when we left and I agreed, as did Pike." Nyrette said with a smirk.

"Oh sure. Fail to mention lizard that gave most money to pool." Cheshik complained.

"YOU DON'T HAVE THE RIGHT TO SP-" Nyrette calmed herself and stared at him. "Shush, Cheshik."

"Yes mom." Cheshik frowned.

Cynthia held the bag in her hands and trembled a bit before handing it back to Nyrette. "N-No. I mustn't. I'm just a servant." Nyrette handed the back right back and spoke with a more determined attitude behind her.

"Nonsense. You're part of the crew now-" Nyrette was interrupted.

"FAMILY!" Cheshik yelled

"FAMILY NOW." Nyrette corrected herself, swearing to stab in his sleep tonight. "And you deserve a fair cut. Especially since CHESHIK ransacked your home for furniture." She finished.

"Admit, Nyrette. You have never slept in better way since bed taking." Cheshik said. He had a follow up statement but Quin hit him in the head with a left over vase that was determined to be worthless. He kindly shut his face then.

"T-thank you..." She said, holding the bag and watching Nyrette rejoin Quin. The bag jingled and jangled in Cynthia's hand She surmised that there was a couple pieces of platinum in the bag too. She felt conflicted on the inside, still attached to what she was but a few days ago. Her emotions were raging constantly. To the point to where she wanted to act out on nearly everything anybody said to her and elicited an emotional response. The guard from earlier made her want to break down and either weep or shed his blood. Or both. She took a deep breath to try and calm herself, but the rustling in the bushes off of the road stopped any chance of that happening.

A few bandits popped out of the bushes with bows at the ready to fire. They were all in pieced together leather and metal armor, looking like they had done nothing but fight one another and crawl through mud for a living. One walked forward with a short sword in hand, looking worse than the lot of them. He had a very gravelly voice and spoke with a badly imitated accent. "Listen 'ear govnahs. Yous be givin' over all the coin and dem pretty ladies sos and we'll be on our merry way. Ors else!" He raised his sword, opening his lips into a smile but with nary ten rotten teeth in his head he looked more like a simpleton than a threat.

"Now gentleman." Nyrette said dismounting from Snickers just before the others did. "Are you really go-"

"We ain't discussin' this with the likes of ya, wench. You. Mutant." He pointed at Cheshik as he grabbed his battle axe from Snickers' side. "Will ye be doin' as we say or not?!"

Nyrette was livid to say the least. She was just reaching for Quin's crossbow when Cynthia walked calmly past, placing a hand on her shoulder then stepping in line with Cheshik as he and Iisska came closer to the bandits. "Excuse me?" Cheshik said.

"I SAYS. Surrendah your coins and women ors else!" The leader said, clearly an illiterate.

Cheshik held his axe in hands and tensed up a bit. "Now ares yous reallys wantins tos dos thats?" he mocked him. The leader too offense and the boys readied themselves for a fight. But Cynthia spoke up.

"Might I handle this one, Cheshik?" She said. "I have not been able to show what I can do yet." Cheshik looked to Iisska next to him, whom looked worried but shrugged and put up his fists for some clobbering. Cheshik swiveled back to Cynthia and nodded.

"Ares you done?!" He questioned just before Cynthia leapt into action, her lower arms turning into twin blades of fury and offing the head of the leader in one clean slash, sending it spiraling through the air to land on the ground with a thud. Arrows flew from the others, but they were already moving towards the bandits.

Cynthia felt a few arrows pierce through her dress and hit her skin, but the bows that the bandits were using was weak enough that they didn't pierce and she was able to get close to them and chop them down in an instant, her blades slicing their their weak armor and bones with easy swipes and leaving them in pieces on the ground. Cheshik did the same to a few more as well as others that popped up from behind cover, blades already drawn. "Seems that this ambush was more like a gang attack!" Cynthia yelled as she closed in on more near Iisska and impaled them without a thought.

Zambeenies. [CLOSED]

Sorry for my delays. My creativity lately has been somewhat shot because my job is not really but sort of literally killing me. Post should be up at some point.

I'll be honest though. In a world like this, Alex isn't exactly fitting. Might be my brain being a bit too all over the place though. Have to see where it goes.