The Forest of Memphis

Status
Not open for further replies.
Aquario and Blazrin bumped heads, trying to convince the other of their ideology. In the end, it was a stalemate and both scoffed at each other. Blazrin knew his brother was right at the end of the day and lowered his head in shame, knowing what will befall the women. 

"I guess there isn't much choice, is there?" Blazrin sighed. "I just wish there was another way, man..."

"I certainly agree, brother," Aquario said sternly. "But I am afraid it is all we have left. As the young lady said, we cannot bring these women to their fathers in their current condition, should they make it out alive anyways. I have enough energy left inside of me for a weak sleeping spell, so at least the women can go without feeling a thing."

"Oh, that reminds me," Blazrin dug in his little bag to pull out the wand he got earlier, handing it to his older brother. "This should help you."

Aquario took the wand and waved it elegantly, the tip glowing faintly as he got used to the feel. He nodded to his younger brother before pointing to Olivia and Magiana.

"You might want to aid the poor madam. It appears this might be a bit too much for her to handle. Why not wait around the corner and keep her comfortable." 

"R-Right... I don't want to see any of this mess either..."

Blazrin walked over to Olivia and gently placed a hand on her back, trying to keep her from breaking down. He slowly guided her to the entrance and behind the wall so that she couldn't hear or see what would happen.

"Hey, I know it sucks, I don't like it either... but I'm sure whatever decision they make will be for the best."



Aquario watched his brother comfort Olivia and he turned to the women before them. Without skipping a beat, he rose his wand in the air and twirled it around before whispering a few words to himself. The room suddenly got colder as the wizard continued his mumbled chant. The women would feel their bodies get slower, and eventually, numb.

"Sleep..."

Seemingly, out of nowhere, a light mist fell from the ceiling. It had no effect on the group, but on the women around them, it would lull them to a deep sleep in a matter of minutes. 

"That should numb the pain for them. I will not be administering any killing blows, so I leave the rest to everyone else. Please be swift."
 
The Dark Gunner closed his eyes, his senses sharpening, time starting to slow down around him. No longer thinking, no longer held back by having to consider what he was going to do, he reached into his coat and drew two hand guns. The barrels slowly spinning to him, but moving instantaneously to everyone else, he was about ready to begin his massacre when he suddenly froze. Tension rising inside him, he carefully looked down to his leg to see Angela hugging it. Looking up, nervousness beginning to course through his entire body, he saw the place where Mecha Samurai had been standing.

"If, you all promised, to bring them back alive... I cannot justify a mercy killing." He slowly said, looking around. "Not killing them is horrible but breaking a promise, without consulting that who the promise was made to, that compromises our options." He added, staring into the eyes of one woman. "Angela, do it." He stated. The winged cat floated upwards and with a out MEOW let loose a large wave of red energy in a heart formation, healing the wounds and stabilizing the conditions of everyone around him. Watching the energy wave roll out, he looked to Elanor.

"I know what I'm doing isn't right but I can't go through with killing them in light of this new information. But I promise you two things." He explained, putting one handgun away. "One. I will find a way to erase the tragedy of this time from their minds, that I'll find some mage who can alter memories. An alien is coming to slaughter our planet using magic, why can't I find someone with that power here!?" He said, his eyes starting to change to a blue hue. "Two. If you try to fulfill what I could not I will disarm you, without hesitation." He threatened before collapsing to his knees, grabbing his head, the glowing eyes covered in his face of shadow rapidly changing between blue and indigo, as his internal stabilization fell apart. Clutching onto something he whispered.

"I need five vans to my location... Asap... Bring the mages..."
 
Eleanor didn't flinch at the sight of the Gunner having turned his weapons towards them, partly because there was no way to dodge something at point blank range. Instead, she shrugged. "Whatever. If you wanna go that far, the aftermath won't be my problem."

Then her bored look changed as she glared daggers towards him. "But don't threaten me again. I don't care who you are or what you can do. I'll have your goddamn head on the floor before you pull that trigger on me, understand? The second you move your hands into that coat, I'll cut those arms of yours right off and let your kitty deal with the mess." She hissed a threat of her own. Once he collapsed, however, she made no move to attack or display any similar threat. Instead, Eleanor ignored what she thought was his ramblings and turned on her heel. "Well, while you go and call some friends to pick us up or whatever, I'm gonna go and check that we won't get ambushed on the way out," she said in order to just dismiss the entire conversation as something that just never happened. "Don't try anything stupid either since you're outnumbered." Was her final warning to the Dark Gunner before leaving him with Aquario and Mecha Samurai.

=======

"I just..." Olivia sniffled. "I wasn't expecting something this horrible." She said to Blazrin with a shaky voice. "This is the first assignment I've ever been on. If I had never bumped into you guys, I could have ended up like one of them too." Then she took to staring at the floor. "It was stupid of me to ever think that things like this don't happen..." she was holding Magiana so she couldn't try to hide her tears. She was ashamed to be crying in front of strangers. "The worst part is that I can't go back and lie to the King about what happened here."

"Eh, you won't have to. Dark Dude changed his mind." Eleanor said, walking up to the two from behind. "Er, we did? I guess."

"You did? So you aren't gonna..."

"I said no, didn't I? That means they get to live another day," Eleanor said irritably. "Or something. I don't actually know how we'll be able to do it. Dark Dude just said he'd make it happen."
 
The Gunner fell onto the ground, something inside him simply breaking under the stress of the situation and because of Elanor's potent, and morally correct, threat. His floating cat-like companion Angela went over and tried to nudge his face awake, the shadowed face not moving, indigo optics firmly closed.

Meanwhile, outside the compound, several small tearing sounds echoed through the forest, and soon enough five vans were parked outside the main area. Out of each of them, teams of six ragged soldiers filed out, dressed in worn clothes and holding weapons dating back ages, parts of their bodies either mutated in somewhat grotesque forms or modified with what appeared to be shadow energy, looking alien. The teams held onto their weapons and fanned inside, shouting out phrases. Two figures in robes followed after them, seemingly of a different organization. Remaining back seemed to be a field commander who wore heavier armor with a heavier gun and seemed to have a more stable modification to their body, retaining a normalized, but non-human, appearance.

"We're here to assist." ; "We're looking for anyone in need of medical help." ; "Do not be alarmed, we are hear to protect you." ; "We're emergency medical transport, please direct us to the wounded."
 
Mecha Samurai watched the Dark Gunner suddenly healed the women and supposedly call in for reinforcements, which later came. He didn’t know what to think or how to put it into words—he felt a sense of defeat that he failed to uphold his own oath as a Swordsman to do the deed, he felt a sense of doubt that his emotions override his own, calculating thinking and felt a sense of shame that he decided to push the duty onto his newly comrade and an complete stranger of their mission.

“I shame the name of the Clan of Swords… Silence will not be happy of my actions here.” Mecha Samurai spoke. But at the same time, he did feel happy that the dreaded women were healed. It was selfish thought, putting their feelings above theirs, but with the current medical technologies in Empire State, something could be done to restored them back to normal—well, for the most part.

At the same time though, Mecha understand Eleanor’s frustration—it was incredibly selfish and ignores their calls when they ask. The metal man approached the women before Dark Gunner’s reinforcements get their chance to speak with them.

“I’m sorry that we ignored your calls for death, but we figured this is a better way. Hopefully, we can help you removed most of the scars you experienced here with your families, friends and love ones.” Mecha Samurai crouched down to the one who spoke for death first. 

The woman’s eyes, despite being healed, looked up at the machine. She gives out a faith smile and opened her lips. Sounds came out, seemingly caused Mecha Samurai to become alerted. He tried to stand up and back away, but before he had the chance, the woman stabbed the machine through the chest with her arms—revealed to be vine-like substances. 

Mecha Samurai looked down, seeing the woman pulling out her arm slowly. 

“Death was the only chance of freedom and now you robbed us of that…” The woman’s eyes, initially blackened, change radically to red eyes, similar to the Cult of the Watchers. Dark Gunner’s magic did heal them, but because of that, they became an influence on the Cult, turning them to nothing more than followers. Tears flow out of her eyes, her will now tainted, as other women stand up as well with red eyes blistering through the darkness. The lead woman tosses the machine back towards the group. 

“We are the Cult of the Watchers, bless with the grace of the Queen….” Their energy auras were bursting out of their newly reformed bodies. “And our mission…” Her eyes narrowed, it seems that she received a message from someone. “Is to get the Queen…” Half of the women rushes towards the group, while the other half went deeper in the dungeon.
 
"Nice job, now we have to fight them..." Aquario snarled. "They were useless before but now we have no choice but to fight them. Nice one, gunslinger!"

The wizard took several steps back, unable to fight in his condition. He stared at the women before turning to Gunner.

"You! Grab the robot and warn the others! I'll try to hold them back for as long as I can!"



"Guess Elilinor isn't as cold-blooded as she claims to be!" Blazrin chuckled. "She's a big ol' softie on the inside! Ain't that sweet of her?" 

Blazrin stopped laughing when he heard his brother calling out to Gunner. He stood up and peeked inside the room where Mecha, Gunner, and his brother were and his eyes widen. Without hesitation, he took a defensive stance and placed his hand on the handle of his large ax. He spoke seriously for a change, addressing Eleanor and Olivia.

"Girls, we got trouble! Looks like the women in this room are ready to attack. We need to get the unconscious girl out of here." Blazrin pointed at Magiana. "You girls might wanna stay close, I think things are going to get really bad."
 
Why does no one listen to me... Eleanor thought to herself, wearing an expression that clearly spoke 'I told you so'. Regardless, she drew her second kukri blade after attaching the chakram to her belt, standing at Blazrin's side. "As long as we've got the girl, those cultists aren't gonna let us go without a fight." She turned to look at Olivia and in the direction the medical personnel were coming from. "Think those guys can cover our backs?"

"I'll try and get their attention." Olivia held Magiana close and shouted for them in the distance. "Over here! Come help, we're in trouble!"

Eleanor readied her kukri blades and took a defensive stance with a stern expression. "Don't you worry about me, I'll stay close by. Let's help your brother deal with these before the others come back with reinforcements." She then chuckled with a twisted smirk as her form began to blend in with the darkness of the area they were in. "Death will be their greatest blessing, guaranteed."
 
Angela looked from trying to wake up the Gunner to the sound of the changed, now tainted women. She let out a terrified, high pitched screech, causing the Dark Gunner to suddenly open his eyes, indigo eyes fully in control. He examined the area, seeing that there was a group of cult followers attacking his group, attacking... Attacking... Mecha Samurai. Vines through the robot’s chest, him suddenly in critical condition.

The Dark Gunner’s breathing slowed, his glowing optics narrowing, and all of his nerves went silent. Raising one hand into the air, the other reaching into his coat and pulling out a silver, antique handgun. Unnatural, horrific tendrils grew out of the ground and threw themselves at the followers attacking his group, attempting to restrain them. Meanwhile he fired the gun at the woman impaling the Samurai, the Dark Gunner running towards the robot. Moving up and grabbing him with his free hand, the Gunner suddenly fell hack, trying to escape with the robot through a small portal.

- - - -

The mercs converged on Olivia’s yelling, the teams of six all going towards the sounds. On getting closer, their ragged condition became apparent. Old, outdated armor, guns made out of scrap, and bodies that had been tampered with, altered. What kind of help were they, other than desperate? The thirty mercs stopped infront of Olivia, looking over the group and the incoming women. One woman, seemingly some sort of captain, stepped forward, pulling at a radio.

“Commander we’ve located the wounded, they look mostly stable. Preparing evac procedures.” She stated, shifting her head to see the incoming followers. “Wounded are under attack.”

The radio answered back. “Permission to engage. Shoot to kill.” With that order, four of the five teams moved forward, pointmen with shotguns running forward, with supporting mercs with rifles following behind, opening fire at the incoming followers. A few with sniper rifles stayed behind, taking aim. One team stayed behind, looking to Olivia, and made an announcement.

“We’re your evac, Fireteam Six. We’re going to cover you back to awaiting transport.” Said the team’s captain, before she pointed to a man with a shotgun. “Six-Two over there is going to provide us the path back to evac, follow him.”
 
The woman that struck down Mecha Samurai jumped back before swinging her arm, deflecting Dark Gunner’s shot towards the ceiling. The pain throbbing within her, she let out a shriek, causing all the other remaining women that stay to rush towards the group, attacking everything in their path. Some where shot down by the shotguns and rifles, but majority of them break through the bullet storms, attacking the medics and the crew.

One of them jumped so far ahead, she landed near Oliva, creating a crater underneath, before lashing out on her with her hands, covered in “red energy”. 

The others lashed at Blazrin and Aquario, firing “red energy” attacks at the brothers.

---

CRITICAL! ERROR! UNSTABLE CONDITIONS!​

Mecha Samurai’s system had been blaring loudly. “My body… cannot hold this longer. My core… is damaged.” His eyes flicker in and out in rapid speed. “But I cannot leave my post. Let me… fight. I must fight to protect…..”
 
Aquario gasped, ducking down to avoid the sudden red energy fired at him. He was in no condition to fight the women, so he tried to find a way to escape the room along with all the others.

"This isn't good! I cannot fight in my current condition, we must fall back somehow!" Aquario pointed at Gunner. "You! Find a way out of the mess you caused!"

Blazrin, on the other hand, unsheathed his ax and held it in front of him in a defensive manner, blocking the red energy directed at him. He noticed his brother struggling to escape and then saw one of the women appear and attack Olivia. He bit his lip with anticipation and decided to lend Olivia a hand by tossing his ax at her attacker in hopes of blocking the attack.

"Hazel eyes, duck!"
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top Bottom