The Reality Vortex: Red Reputations

[ShineCero]

Lucifer wiped the tears from his eyes from the roaring laughter upon Spina dropping to the ground like a stone. The mere fact that Bernkastel—the one Cuki described it as the “cruelest witch” once again show a bit of emotion when one from her team is severely injured. Especially from Spina of all people—since the angel was under the impression that Bernkastel does not harbor any positive feelings towards this “leader”. Calming down, Lucifer realized that they were teleported to another area after that surprise incident.
 
“Oh? We’ve finally went to this medical service area.” Lucifer said. “Pretty ancient to say to least. Well, not to be disrespectful though. I suppose as long it accomplish the task it set out to do, being outdated has no bearing at this point.” He wanted to observe the healing tanks, especially where Spina was placed in, but Vegetto’s tone of speaking changed, demanding answers from him in a cold manner.

A warm smile lifted the corners of Lucifer’s mouth; his eyes glare at Vegetto as he took off his suit jacket and placed it on the floor. “You may call me Lucifer Morningstar, Vegetto. Or Lucifer for short.” He stated first. “I hope we become acquainted with one another. Pardon me.” He took off his suit jacket and placed them on the floor since it was still wet. “That’s lifted quite a few weights off my shoulders.”

Lucifer’s eyes darted towards Bernkastel, who asked the question regarding this “state of transformation” that Spina underwent. “One become a Vortex Coin when they die—if they are one-shotted, they instantly turned into such. If they were to received damage throughout without healing, cracks will form across their bodies as an indication of how many hits they can take before turning into that—the more cracks they have, the greater chance of becoming one.” He said, providing a short lesson regarding Vortex Coins to the Breakers. He walked past Vegetto and placed his hand on the healing tank where Spina is kept in.

“Spina sustained incredible injuries after that little bout with Roya—I’m not quite sure how that happen but he never gotten the chance to truly heal fully. And from there, his energy levels were dropping rapidly to the point that he ended up using his own life energy in a battle. Wonder why he was pushed to that point. It’s a practically suicidal.” Lucifer turned towards Breakers, especially Gogeta, with a devilish smile on his face to showcase his smugness. “Normally, using your life energy like that to point that it vanished will leave you to the same fate—turning into a Vortex Coin. Yet, for some strange reason, Spina didn’t. In fact, something is actively preventing it from happening. Considering the black aura, I suspected that dark energy is currently keeping his body afloat until his life energy returns. Though, I cannot confirm any accuracy of this—just an educated guess since several of you touch him and didn’t get corrupted, so perhaps it’s a new phenomenon.” 

Spina’s body started to flinch just slightly towards Lucifer’s explanation regarding his status. “But those damages on his body is so great, they are unable to be fully healed. Most notably the cracks on his lower torso are now a permanent mark. Similar to that of Cuki’s cracks if I recall. And if his life energy does return, no doubt it’ll be corrupted.” Lucifer lowered his arms, placing his hands together. “And eventually, you ought to take him out." He paused for a moment. "Ah, perhaps that was the lesson along. The Breakers themselves aren't so unstoppable."

 

[~ Z ~]

As Lucifer explained the situation with Spina, Avalon listened very intently while Zenta seemed slightly more preoccupied with Spina's well-being but he listened to him nonetheless. Avalon thought deeply about what Lucifer said and glanced at the cracks on Spina's body. He instantly shot a glare to Gogeta for a brief second before lowering his gaze to the floor, slipping into deep thought.

So Spina's life energy is used up? He should be a Coin, right? ...Something is keeping him alive even after the fact? Could Spina be a Divine Host of some kind like me and Cuki? No... I doubt he is. So what's keeping him alive? Avalon bit his lip as he thought hard of an answer. And if Lucifer is right, then when he heals up, he'll be corrupted? But hold on, when I was fighting Cuki, her cracks looked a bit different than Spina's. But... does it mean she's still close to death? Did I... did I almost kill Cuki..?

"Cuki has these cracks on her body..?" Zenta said as he turned to Lucifer, his tone slightly agitated. "So according to what you said, Cuki must also be very close to death..." There was a slight pause in his voice before he shifted his attention to the rest of the Breakers. "I suppose I should mention a few other things Lucifer told me in private that I doubt he will mention now."

"A while back, Lucifer told me about these Vortex Coins and how their years are estimated. According to his research, the more disliked a person or group is within this realm, the longer they quell as a coin," He opened his arms, gesturing to the group. "Take us, The Breakers, for example; We are the most well-known, and most hated, group in all of Vortex so if we were to turn to Coins now, we would be stuck as Coins for thousands of years. The more the people of this realm hate us, the longer we stay as Coins. It is almost like... a defense mechanism this realm uses to snuff out evil."

The beast then gestured a hand to Gogeta, continuing to speak in a calm manner.

"While we all play a role in this cruel fate, it is thanks to the actions of Gogeta that our reputation has dwindled to the point of no return. Our mere presence terrifies and angers people all over. Our actions constantly recorded for all to see and judge. Even those who have done no wrong or new to our group, such as Avalon, Miss Berserk, Detective Bage, and Miss Jize, will suffer the same Thousand-year slumber thanks to the actions of one lone man."

"Wait, what?! But I never hurt anyone!" Avalon shouted. "How the hell is that fair for us?! You mean that because Gogeta caused a huge mess, Berserk and I gotta suffer for this too?!"

"I am afraid so, Avalon. Those who support the Breakers are also seen as part of the problem."

"So even people who want to help us are screwed. That's great. That's freakin' great," Avalon sighed before letting his shoulder slump in defeat. His tone started to shift back to the depression he was hiding. "Guess I'll never be able to find my sister since I decided to help you guys... "

"His actions even affect those who are not with us now, such as Cuki. She is still known as a Breaker, and thus, hated among this realm..." His ears and voice dropped to show his grief. "Had I known this before... I would have stopped her from leaving. As long as she remains out of the grasp from these Xy'phers and their King, I can rest easier at night..."

Wait... wasn't Zenta unconscious when the Red King spoke to us? Crap, that means he doesn't know, does he? We can't just keep him in the dark. Someone's gotta tell him! But... Avalon slowly turned to the others who were conscious during the Red King's speech before he began to have a cold sweat. Who's brave enough to tell him..? Oh man is he gonna be pissed like never before...

 

[Panich]

The detective remained silent as Lucifer spoke about the fate that Spina was facing. It made Bage regret ever stalling the Breakers. Sure they were terrible but he was trying to keep Spina safe just as much as the others, and He let the leader of the Breakers down. Once Zenta continued where the angel left off, Bage's eyes widened and a pit dropped in his stomach. He would suffer the same fate as the Breakers due to Gogeta's actions? He brought his hand to his face, cupping it in an attempt to hide the stress building in his expression. He believed they could change and actively went out of his way to let them help restore their reputation... and now he was doomed alongside them. 

Then, when Zenta continued his thought about Cuki being safe, there was a small hesitant silence filling the air. The detective turned to the beast, his face shifting even more uncomfortably. "Zenta... While you and Bernkastel were knocked out... The Red King contacted us through the berserker and told us they had captured two of the Breakers already."

 

[LoopyPanda]

"...Suicidal indeed," was Bernkastel's only response. Frowning, her eyes briefly rested on Gogeta as she pondered what Lucifer had said about the circumstances surrounding Spina's condition. But it seemed like she was staring through Gogeta instead, mulling over what happened with him just before she ended up passing out. If Spina knew how frail he was with the little amount she could heal him for, the risk of fighting the fusion was painfully obvious. That goes far beyond mere stupidity... It's just insane. Just who are you really, Spina? Unable to be given that answer, the witch turned her gaze off of Gogeta and gave a tense sigh. "There's no helping you, is there," she muttered to nobody in particular.

She perked slightly when Zenta delivered the more disturbing news. Berserk looked on in horror and put a hand to her mouth. "Wait a sec... thousands, as in plural?! Isn't that a little excessive!" She herself didn't necessarily have a clean track record, but it exacerbated her worries for her sisters. If she wasn't around to keep tabs on them, they could end up the same way before Berserk would have time to warn them about it. IF she was going to live through this long enoigh to do so.

"That is... a terrifying mechanism for sure," Bernkastel gripped her arms tighter and tighter to assuage her growing sense of tension with the situation. "Then it means splitting up to fly solo is out of the question." She stared down at the floor and tugged uncomfortably at her dress collar as if it suddenly had become a noose. "Thousands of years in isolated silence... that is a truly perfect hell. It's extremely lucky to endure 100 years, diligently counting the days not knowing when you'd be freed. A miracle survival... So I was told anyway. Heeheehee..." Bern stood there in a stiffened pose until Bage spoke up, her eyes snapping over to him as her expression fell flat. "...What did you say?"

"Y-yeah... he said two of you guys got captured for information," Berserk said quietly from behind Avalon, trying to word it in a way that neither her or Zenta would lose their cool. "But he wouldn't say who. Apparently they weren't that important to remember for him. I know Cuki left you guys, but who's the other person?"

 

[Z-Fighter]

Jize also blinked when she heard what would become of her in case she would become one of those Vortex Coins.

"Clearly this realm's rules and regulations are quite pressing." She commented.

"Now you see why I've been so pressed on getting Lady Gervene and our universe back, at least one of those reasons," Brachi said, "I just want to get out of this place and return home; the entire prospect of becoming nothing more than a useless piece of metal is horrifying to me... Bara already had experience in that and I don't want to have that repeated under any circumstance whatsoever."

"But obviously you can't return home because of whatever Doom has inflicted, the damages you inadvertedly have caused and this entire situation in general..." Jize retorted.

"Yeah, something I'm starting to understand as of late... this whole realm is driving me nuts." Brachi said.

 

[~ Z ~]

Zenta's ears shot straight up upon hearing what Bage had to say. His afro-puff tails twitched wildly as did his hands. The calm persona he had moments ago shifted to something more unpredictable and terrifying. His puffy fur began to slowly bristle until they almost looked like spike balls. A very low rumble came from his throat and the top of his lip twitched, occasionally exposing his growing canine teeth, ones completely new to him.

"...What?" For a brief moment, the skin on his arms and his fur shifted from white to a dark shade of red. Something new and unknown to the Breakers.

Avalon quickly held up his hands in a desperate plea to calm Bernkastel and Zenta down.

"Hang on! Hang on! While the King did say that he captured 2 Breakers, he didn't say anything about who they are! I think he doesn't know how many Breakers there are." He said, trying to shield Berserk from any gaze Zenta or Bernkastel might fire in their direction. "He also that he kept them in his castle--alive! I think he said that he wanted to gather all of us because turning us to Xy'phers. Kinda like trophies!"

"So Cuki is suffering at the hands of this King?!" Zenta roared at Avalon, shaking any small objects nearby.

"N-No! What I'm trying to say is that even if Cuki is one of the supposed Breakers he caught, it seems like he won't kill them and, in fact, keep them safe until he's captured all of us! T-This is assuming he even h-has Cuki!" Avalon kept his ground against Zenta who's anger was both new and familiar to him. It was almost as if he faced him before despite never having met before. "L-Let's just calm down, please..? The last thing we need is more trouble."

There was a moment of pause before Zenta removed his visor and pressed his hand against his face, almost as if trying to hold something back. His face contorted and, despite not having eyes, the emotion was clearly sorrow suppressing his unfathomable rage. His teeth were more akin to that of canine, sharp fangs exposing themselves as he controlled himself. As quickly as his odd skin, fur, and teeth appeared, they reverted back to normal once he finally managed to contain himself. However, he rubbed his forehead, signs of a headache.

"I...I apologize for my outburst. It will not happen again." The beast said as he parted himself from the group, standing closer to Spina's pod. His voice was shaky and it was obvious how hard he had to hide his true emotions and keep the composure of self-control. His frown was deeper than normal as he placed his visor back on. "I... I'm... sorry you had to see that side of me..."

 

[Vegetto]

Vegetto's narrowed eyes turned back to Bernkastel as she finished relaying the truth behind her appearance, a low scoff ringing out behind his dual voice. He waited until the others finished speaking, and once the last sentence of the others rung out before Zenta's outburst, his eyes shifted towards Gogeta first. The precautionary stern expression made his intention clear: the Potara fusion watched his counterpart more with a look of suspicion than one of emotional concern, carefully studying his movements.

Cayde's body demeanor immediately shifted as well; the android turned his own eyes towards the fusion without a word in response to the overwhelming gravity dropped on the others. He slowly walked around from behind the group, gradually making his way over to Gogeta, who dropped his shoulders at the blame placed upon him. The fusion kept his frown, staring at the ground to avoid the others' stares while he thought to himself. The hurt he felt before from being misunderstood had vanished under his direct decision to chase the goal of superiority on the entire realm, the rage from being denied his fight gone now that he had claimed his victory over an albeit, drained Spina. His eyes lifted a bit, looking around to see the few Saiyans gathered in the room, and to his mind, the realization of changing so that he could continue to challenge himself against the other warriors of his race present in the Vortex made him grasp at the need to be better.

I have to be better...

However, his mind clinged to a single phrase that distracted him, the sentence spoken by Avalon about Cuki. His eyes snapped open, the sound of Zenta's outburst filling his ears but did little to phase him as the voice of reason trying to calm down the beast was the very one that he focused on in his head.

"I would have stopped her from leaving."

In the midst of Gogeta's foundation being laid to move past his flaws, the single sentence unwound it fully in the contradiction the man felt in in his own interpretation of Avalon's statement and history with the Breakers. The prospect of fighting the only other Saiyans reminded him of Cuki's promise; driving forth the memories of her battle with Avalon that tore apart her home. His eyes narrowed fully, and for all the blame he endured for the events that unfolded, Gogeta clenched his fists together in the resolution that he would not be blamed for what transpired that day and the anger built at wanting to defend her name against the perceived slight.

"What?! You're the reason why she left!!"

Cayde quickly started to move forward at the sudden outburst, stepping in between Gogeta and the group while the fusion started to walk towards Avalon with a strong glare.

"I start fights and break things, but when you do it and make my friend leave, it's ok?!"

Cayde yelped loudly, Gogeta's arm pushing him back despite the android committing all of his effort to restrain the drained fusion to no avail.

"Boss help!! Code red code red!!"

The android rapidly stumbled down onto the floor, another pair of arms pushing him to the side promptly. He blinked in quickly turning back to the situation; his cape and hood flapping a bit at the sudden shockwave the shook the entire tower. In the brief second that transpired, Vegetto had moved between Gogeta and the Breakers, his right fist buried deep into the other fusion's stomach. Gogeta's eyes widened to the brim, coughing and hacking violently as he collapsed down onto the floor on both knees.

Vegetto kept his firm stare, watching Gogeta groan and grimace a bit from the debilitating punch, before turning back towards the Breakers with the same stare.

"I'll be clear: your priorities here are why you're in this mess. While it's easy to blame Gogeta since he was the one that ran around and gave face to the destruction, none of you can say you are better in letting the city burn and doing nothing to help the people of this reality."

He paused for a brief moment, continuing shortly after.

"In fact, the only time the Breakers moved in to stop Gogeta from his violence in Reality Metropolis, was to save the very enemy that managed to drag your name through the mud and put you in this state. An enemy that I tried to fight with Superman, but we were no match for the power behind that gauntlet, and she turned him into a coin."

Vegetto shifted his stern stare towards Bernkastel.

"I had to run, otherwise she would've stolen my power too. I spent my time hiding and looking for answers, all of them pointing to a strange woman that took in Ultraman when the entire city I helped build saw him as a joke. I knew I couldn't get to her myself; not without bringing attention and ruining my own name in the process. But before I could create my elaborate disguise that you mock to use as a way to get close, the Breakers had returned. Wrecking the city I saved from Tai Lung and bowing to no authority other than their own, allowing them to be the force I needed to take down Hart without ruining my own ability to sway the people's minds once the dirty work had been finished."

He gestured to the other Breakers.

"The very geniuses that solved Doom's puzzles, would take little time to solve the mystery of the Coin Hunter I thought. That genius, combined with Gogeta's brash tactics and simple focus, should've meant Hart would be wiped out before she could come up with a plan to cover herself. I was there watching that day when she and Ultraman should've been taken down; ready to jump in and clear your name after those two were dead. Instead, I had to watch from the sidelines as your team stopped Gogeta from ending them both, giving them the chance to recover. I wondered; perhaps you wanted to beat her another way? Perhaps, you had managed to destroy her gauntlet and killing her was not needed anymore?"

Vegetto scoffed.

"No...it was far worse: you didn't even have a clue. She played all of you, and managed to finish her plan in ruining your name. Even better, she found a scapegoat in Gogeta that you still blame to this day. He may have tore down buildings and turned people to coins, but if anyone would've stood in your way, you would've done it too even if they were innocent. Only one of you ever made an attempt to repair the real damage done by your enemies and Gogeta, and he's over there struggling to stand in front of that healing tank. The rest of you did nothing or worse, tried to have your underlings save face for you."

He kept his firm stare, glancing back a bit towards Gogeta who continued to hold his stomach and sides on the ground.

"I will train him to be better; he won't cause anymore destruction that isn't needed when I'm finished with him. But all of you have problems too, so it's time we start figuring out how to work like a real team going forward. This isn't some weakling hiding behind a gauntlet that's after us; the Red King will finish what she started if we don't start working together to beat the army that marches for us."

 

[LoopyPanda]

Bernkastel kept silent during the exchange between Zenta and Avalon, but her scornful glare rested ob him. While unmoving and no motions indicative of a threat came from her, she clearly held some contempt for him. Her expression softened just enough at his insistence they try to keep calm, but the tension returned when Gogeta's outburst came.

"Get out of the way, before he--" Bern only took one step forward as she warned Cayde just before Vegetto stopped Gogeta in one swift motion. Her eyes followed him as he fell to his knees, stopping where she stood and didn't get any closer. Her momentary shock reverted to a contemptuous glare as she met Vegetto's eyes.

Berserk fell back on her butt from the shockwave alone due to how unexpected it was, wincing in surprise. S-so fast! She wasn't familiar with the group's dynamics, but even if Avalon had something to do with Cuki, she didn't understand why it was such a touchy subject. All the Powerpunk knew was that she was tired, hungry, and soaked with snow and rain; so was everyone else. Since she wasn't really able to understand everything Vegetto said, she chose to stay silent until he was finished.

Bernkastel's glare intensified throughout Vegetto's disparaging lecture about their actions, with a look that was clear hatred. The witch often would look sour or annoyed, but this was a rare sight. Her hands balled into fists while she silently listened, face growing hot with anger as she crossed her arms. "...Tch."

"Um... so wait... the Metropolis was your city? You're not gonna avenge the fallen or whatever the usual deep stuff heroes like to say?" Berserk asked Vegetto with a nervous voice, looking confused by his speech. "I don't get it. you don't seem nearly as mad about them wrecking the city as I'd expect."

Bernkastel scoffed, not taking her gaze off him. "That's because he isn't that kind of hero. Does he look like the type to dedicate his days serving the people of the Metropolis? If he actually gave a damn about what we did, he would have stopped us himself while there still WAS a city to protect. We've been run ragged under Detective Goku's orders to fix things, not yours-- you don't do anything about the Metropolis being in shambles even after the fact!" Bern's voice grew in volume. "I bet we could destroy this entire city and you'd be most upset about the invisibility technology being lost instead of the deaths! And yet you get more respect than we ever will, acting like your accomplishments gave you some kind of mystic wisdom?! Don't make light of me!" Bern's voice was shaking with barely-restrained rage as she berated Vegetto. 

"And who is we exactly?! We didn't matter enough for you to stay, so why the change of heart now? As far as I'm concerned, there are no bonds that tie you to us! So... so..." the Witch trailed off as she pulled back her leg, readying a swift kick to Vegetto's shin as a defiantly bratty outburst. She stopped, however, when looked down towards Gogeta, causing her to choke on her words and slowly put down her leg. Her cheeks grew hot as she stood there out of breath... Then her look softened, speaking in a hoarse tone.

"If it were Superman or Whis, I'd be able to accept it with all my shame. But to hear this from you of all people... I can't stomach this." She clenched her fists and brushed past Vegetto to stand in front of the broken window, facing away from everyone to collect herself. "I've said my piece. I need some air."

 

[~ Z ~]

"Me?! The last thing I remember is Cuki screaming and crying about all the crap you did!" Avalon burst out to retaliate against Gogeta, even after he was punched in the stomach. "I stayed because I wanted to apologize to Cuki and help you guys fix your name! And what about you, huh?! All you ever want to do is fight her! Are you gonna hunt her down like you did with Spina?! Then, when you're done with her, drag her through the dirt and mud like you did Spina?! You couldn't even be bothered to show respect to the man!"

"Avalon," Zenta said in a low voice, holding his hand out in an attempt to calm him down. "Please..."

The ninja ignored Zenta for the moment and took one step forward towards Gogeta. He looked down at him, his shadow overcasting his body.

"You claim to be a big shot and all this other garbage but you're nothing but an idiot who pretends to be a hero, just like your bootlicking clone," Avalon pointed to Vegetto. "The whole time we were trying to fix the city and trying our best to clear our name, you ruined every step we took. Every time we asked you to stop, you laughed at us, mock us, and downright almost kill us just to get your stupid fight with Spina! You left us for dead while we were chased off by a horde!"

He slapped a hand on his chest before pointing off to Berserk, Bernkastel, Zenta, Bage, Brachi and her friends, and Lucifer.

"Avalon," Zenta said in a sterner voice.

"We had a whole city of enemies surround us. We needed your help! We needed Spina's help! Bernkastel and Zenta risked their fuckin' lives to save us! And where were you, Gogeta? Fightin' Spina to prove your pathetic 'warrior pride' bullshit! Had this guy--" He shoved a finger towards Vegetto. "not come in to save us, we would all be dead and you'd be next. Now that you got your big stupid fight with Spina, what did that change? Nothing. Absolutely fuckin' nothin'. You're still the same pathetic warrior that barks and hisses when someone is stronger than you."

Avalon spat on the ground next to Gogeta then turned his attention on Vegetto, also upset with his conclusions about the situation. Boldly, he stood before the Fusion and stood at almost eye level with him.

"And you! Miss Bernkastel is right about you! You don't care about the lives of innocent d'ya?! You know nothing about what Gogeta did to mess thing up--"

The ninja's voice was promptly muzzled by Zenta swiftly placing a hand over his mouth.

"That's enough Avalon, I think they understand the--" Zenta flinched slightly before looking down at his hand. Blood dripped as Avalon bit down on his hand. Slowly, he removed his hand. "You are quite adamant."

"I'm sorry I had to bite you but this guy is just as guilty!" He glared towards Vegetto. "He knows nothing about what Gogeta did to us and he claims it was our fault that everyone hates us?! And accordin' to Bernkastel, he left once before already! Clearly, he ain't give a damn before, so why now big guy? The city you wanted to protect is blown to bits now! And guess what? Everyone is going to think WE did it! Not the Xy'phers! Not you! The big bad Breakers! Why don't you go out and say what really happened?!"

He clenched his hands into fists before pushing Vegetto slightly. It wasn't much to move him since he was weaker than him.

"And worst of all, you gave the King your name and face, like an idiot. You literally have endangered every person in this little town and you don't even know it. Yeah, you look like the guy who is okay with people dying as long as no one sees how much of a coward you are." There was a small huff from the ninja as he kept a hard glare towards Vegetto. "I know the Breakers ain't perfect, no shit, but we aren't the demonized bastards you're making us out to be. I saw real heroism today in Bernkastel, Zenta, even you! I... I failed and lead everyone to their deaths. If you didn't come in, yeah, we'd be dead... But I'm not going to risk their lives just to prove a point or get ahead. You're no better than what that Xy'pher did to his own people... and look what happened to him! When he needed them most, they all turned their back on him."

For the first time, Avalon righteously stood up on what he believed in. He calmed himself down but his fists were still tightly balled up. He backed away from Vegetto and finally walked away from him. Walking by Berserk, he let out a sigh before showing off a depressed face. The fact that he felt responsible for almost getting them killed wore him down. With a simple pat on her back, He decided to sit down on the floor and lean against a wall, falling silent. As he stared at the floor, he noticed his hands shake. The fact that he could have easily been killed by anyone in the room, especially Vegetto, finally began to sink in, yet, his body burned with the need to defend the Breakers.

Zenta turned to check on Spina's condition before striding off to Bernkastel's side. He said nothing to her, deciding it would be best if she cleared her mind.

My, things seem to be almost identical to when Cuki left... High emotions, distrust between friends... Goodness, other universes are something else. Zenta then turned his head to gaze out the broken window. I only hope you are in a better situation than we are, Cuki...

 

[Panich]

As the room fell silent, Bage hesitated a moment. Taking in each of the Breakers rants. This group was certainly dealing with so much since this whole thing had began. He looked up at them, Finally daring to break the tension.

"Well... If you don't mind, I'll go next. This will probably be the only time we can be completely honest with one another before we're all either doomed to die or we all come to some consensus to stop the Red king."

Bage sighed, his body still exhausted from the previous bout. He leaned against a wall before continuing.

"Frankly, after hearing all of this, I don't care whose fault it is. We all face the same fate, no matter what. I don't want to invalidate any of your feelings, but sitting here playing the blame game isn't going to help us. Yeah, it seems easier to say that and negate everything that's happened up until now but... Things turned out like this and... As much as I wish they didn't, I still want to move forward to do the right thing."

Bage adjusted his position and walked out in the middle of the group, his face a bit more concerned now.

"I'm tired too... But the Red King won't stop his rein of terror until we're all turned into his little minions. You're group is so hated that even being associated with you can mean a terrible end for those involved. This Cuki and another of your members are supposedly in the Red Kings claws as we speak. Every terrible thing that could possibly happen to us has practically happened already! We're at the lowest point right now, so what now? We're just going to keep going for each other's throats? Hoping that blaming everyone else will give us some sense of peace, when peace is the furthest thing from our grasp!? To be honest when I first met you, I didn't care what happened to you all! I was like everyone else, I just wanted you all to stop causing trouble and go away. But I took a chance on you all because, believe it or not, I had faith that you could do better. You could be better. And I still do. So is there any way we can mend any hard feelings and move forward so no one else has to be at risk...? Because I'm open to ideas and if yelling at each other will help so we can stomach working together with each other, then please don't hold your feelings in."

The detective waited for the others to answer, hoping his plea would somehow get through to them.