The Forest of Memphis

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A little device on his right shoulder appeared, revealing itself as a flashlight, to allow everyone to see more clearly, than it was nothing by an abyss of darkness. The smell was a wretched one, as of mountains of bodies have been dumped for years without any sense of removal. Each step felt like their feet were sinking in—it was unknown if it was mud or amount of feces, but it made a sluggish sound every time they took a step on the stairs.

“Show us the way, Magician.” Mecha Samurai asked Aquario to lead the way. He turns to Eleanor. “According to my device, there are some life signals in here, but they’re blinking rapidly; it means that they’re in critical conditions, but it doesn’t tell us if they’re the missing women nor the band that supported the Queen.” Mecha Samurai said. “But I wouldn’t rule out the women being mooks now, considering what occurred with this Queen and this young lady. Make sure you’re ready to strike at any moment’s notice.”

In the distance, the cries of women can be heard, but it was weak and sluggish. One of them uttered a few words out. 

"H-help me..." 
 
As the group walked through the area, the Dark Gunner seemed to almost pause hearing the cries of the other women. Looking with concern to his floating cat companion, he considered something.

"Angela here can heal any more wounded we find, given enough time to recharge in between abilities. I believe she might've healed us earlier. I, could be wrong. Memories aren't well." He said, glancing to the unconscious Magiana as she was being carried. "It should come in handy, though she can only heal physical damage. I know for sure she can't do a thing about mental or emotional problems. I tried." He explained. Though his voice box like the rest of his physiology was warped by the dark fires that brought him to Booga, the more he spoke the more it became clear he still spoke in a higher range for a male despite the warping.
 
"I'm not sure why they picked Magiana over the other girls or why there wasn't an army of women fighting you..." Aquario sighed, answering Olivia. "But perhaps it was for the best. If these women came out to fight, your team might have been in much greater danger, or worse, the girls themselves."

Aquario, still a little weak from being held up in a cell, lead the group down the muck of the prison they were held in. He was careful where he walked, fearing that there could be traps. The light coming from Mecha helped guide both him and the group closer to the possible source of all this mayhem. When he heard a voice coming from the direction they were talking in, he shivered slightly.

"There, we must hurry." Aquario picked up his pace, Blazrin hot on his tail. 

"Hang on bro!" Blazrin whispered.

"Hurry up, don't drag your feet and everyone else!"
 
"We can try, but if they're that bad, maybe they're beyond saving." Eleanor continued to follow behind the brothers, although her pace was slow since she didn't want to touch whatever substance was clinging to the bottom of her boots by accidental tripping. "If they've got the freaky disease too, it would be better to just put them out of their misery."

"Let's hope it isn't so tragic..." Olivia said with a scowl. "I can't do extensive healing of my own, but I'll try to help her where I can," she tells Dark Gunner, referring to Angela. "You were barely conscious until recently, so it might be too early to try that much healing in such a short span of time."

Hearing the voice, Eleanor got on the defensive and readied a kukri blade in case they were walking into a trap. Magiana lay limp under Eleanor's arm, although her breathing was steady enough to suggest she was just under deep sleep.
 
“Let’s hope your healing can provide some aid, but… if they’re beyond saving, we have to make the hard decisions. At the least we can do is bring back the bodies to the Coast of Cleo, so they can have a proper burial.” Mecha Samurai said as he readied his weapon upon hearing the sound of a young woman’s cry.

Aquario lead them to the dungeon—it was filthy, sluggish and the smell was incredibly foul like a rotten corpse. Beyond the appearance, there were dozens of women, some of them nothing more than skins and bones, lay on the ground, with their weak, brittle hands trying to reach for the air. “He-help me…”

Some of them reacted negatively when Mecha Samurai’s light shine on them, causing the robot to shut it off to avoid sudden scares. Sweats of oil dripped on the side of his head; their appearances frightened the robot.

Few women were at the corner of the dungeon, wrapping their arms around their fragile legs, rocking themselves back and forth of the horrors that fell upon them. Their skins were melting off their backs, revealing their spines—as if their fluids inside them were drained completely dry; it is a miracle that they were still able to move around—let around, still be alive.

“My god…” Mecha Samurai is taken aback from this. 

One of the women, seemingly had enough strength to move, latched onto Blazrin with tears rolling down from their eyes. “They’re coming, and they won’t stop! They never stop! Please, are you the ones that will kill us and set us free?!"
 
"K-Kill? I don't wanna kill ya'..." Blazrin was a little taken back by the woman, looking towards his brother who was just as shocked. "We wanna save you ladies, but..."

"I think there is no helping them," Aquario said bluntly. "If we take them out into the world, they will most likely die before reaching the medical help they need. Some of them can barely even move. We can't carry all of them to the surface and most of them are too fragile to touch. There's really not much we can do..."

"So you're saying we have to kill them?!" Blazrin seemed hesitant about the idea. 

"There isn't much of a choice left for us, Blazrin."
 
"Just look at 'em. There's no way they'll recover from that." Eleanor agreed with Aquario, although she herself was disgusted with what she saw.

Olivia was peeking at them through her fingers in horror. "How does something like this happen?... How did they end up like this?..."

"Hold her for a minute." Eleanor handed Magiana over to Olivia before unsheathing both kukri blades. "If you lot aren't going to do it, I will." She said, walking slowly towards the emaciated woman.

"You, can't! Are you really going to?!" Olivia objected.

"What else can we do? I've killed people before. It'd be pretty fucked up if I made you guys do it." Eleanor said in a flat tone. "It's easier for everyone involved if it was me." She was an ex-con, a murderer, but she got the feeling that the others hadn't ever taken a human life before. At least, not the life of an innocent person. "You got enough magic left in you to make them at least numb to it?" She asked Aquario as she aimed the sharp side of one blade toward the woman closest to Blazrin. "Or even fall asleep. They deserve to at least not feel it."

Olivia turned her head to look away. It took everything in her not to cry, but she still did anyway. "We're so sorry..." she whispered. "I can't..." She felt the nausea creep up her torso as she resisted the urge to vomit.
 
The Dark Gunner followed the rest to the group of women at a quick pace, at least as quickly as he could get. The eldritch-like tall gunslinger did have a bit of a speed problem. Looking to the mutilated forms of the women, he didn't really have much of a reaction.

"Typical mutilations from dark magic. Unsurprising given the circumstances, still disorienting. Disgusting abnormal bodies, damage could last for decades without a miracle." He stated in an extremely calm tone. Every part of his being was focused. This was a time of crisis, this was his element. What he had been made for. He looked around the others of the group.

"While I know I just met you all, with the exception of the two mages who attacked my Opera House, as it stands we may not need to kill these women." He suggested, turning to Aquario. "We don't need to take them out into the world if we can get them to a hospital in Empire State directly from here. Hopefully, their magical healing tech could help them. In the meantime Angela would be able to stabilize their conditions, I hope." He said looking to the black cat. "Think you're up for it?" He asked, his question answered with a inquisitive meow. He then turned to Elanor.

"Or, I can kill them now. I too don't have much of a problem with taking life. Even innocents. This damage will leave psychological effects for years, even if we could heal their physical forms. If they're begging for death, my morality tells me I can't refuse them. A single blast to the head, instant, painless death. But I'll need a consensus from the rest of the group."
 
Mecha Samurai narrowed his eyes when Dark Gunner, Aquario and Eleanor converse the indication of actually slaying these women. “Have some of you gone mad? We are here on an operation to recuse these women, not butchered them. We have to transfer these women out of this place to a facility that stabilized their conditions.” However, Dark Gunner’s remark about the lingering effects on their mental strength bothered the machine; this woman, drained of energy, by the off chance that they survived this experience, their mental psyche is beyond repair. 

He was a machine, a machine with a purpose to calculating the best option for a successful mission. In his head, he was going through many logical conclusions of what is best for these women, but it all falls on putting an end of their life. He drew his sword halfway, but paused, turning to the others. 

“I cannot do this.” Mecha Samurai’s voice cracks. “It is… against my programming to take a life of another of those with innocence… even if the decision is logical and sound.” He was a nervous wreck; hid mind is processing so much data but his inner emotions are interfering it. 

The woman gently grabbed Blazrin’s hand and presses on her rigid face; you can feel her literal bones. Realizing that they were making a decision to what to do with them, she gives them a smile, a smile that views the sweet ending of her life but it is a blessing, free from this despair.

Mecha Samurai, distraught by the woman’s actions, turned around to face the other direction. “I cannot make a decision to kill; there has to be another way to save these women without resorting to that. How else we’re going to face the man who sent us to save his daughter, only to show up his footstep and bring the body of a dead girl?”
 
"You say that like it's a decision we get to make. The reality is they're just waiting for us to carry out their decision." Eleanor countered, gesturing towards the woman's expression. "Is that the face of someone content with living out the rest of their life reminded of what happened here? There may be magic to heal their injuries if we can even get them that far. But there definitely ain't a magic that can heal any of this trauma." She tapped her temple with her index finger.

"...Alright. Say we get them back to their families safe and sound. How are we going to tell them what happened? How will we explain that their daughters were turned into husks of their former selves?" Her pessimism was clear, but she was asking questions that needed to be addressed if they were going to deny the option to kill the women. "Being told that your daughter died is probably less painful than learning how she lived as a victim. Living in filth. Starved. Sacrificed by cultists in a ritual we know nothing about. Then spending every waking moment wondering if there ever will be a way to bring the light back into her eyes. Knowing she won't ever go back to normal. Her family will never understand her suffering. The only thing we should really do is minimize the amount of grief their families will have to deal with."

"I refuse to make any decision! ABSOLUTELY NOT!" Olivia's voice quivered as her face scrunched up full of tears that she couldn't hold back. "I can't do it. I don't want to make that decision!" She took Magiana and turned away to stare at the direction they came from, hyperventilating. "Why do we have to kill them?!" Her frame was shaking from holding in her despair.

"Because it's the merciful thing to do. I'm not completely heartless," Eleanor said quietly. "I'd rather not bring a father their daughter's body in either circumstance. His last memory of her should be her smiling face where she was happy and lively. Not... this." The more she talked about it, the more of a whisper her voice became from the reality of how painful the scenario is.
 
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!"
 
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