[i]This is bad,[/i] Evelina thought, wincing at the high pitched scream—more like an animalistic screech. [i]Really, really bad.[/i] Her mind raced, working to find a way out of this situation. Had she been alone it would have been a piece of cake to get away, but with the metal-wielding woman there it was another matter entirely. She couldn’t leave her alone, after all. Not with this… woman—monster. "I’m not sure we have any choice but to fight.” She gulped, glancing at the cage warily. She wasn’t sure how long it would hold, but she wasn’t going to gamble on it staying up forever. Resigning herself to how things were going to be, she brought both her hands up to chest level, palms facing each other. “On three, close your eyes,” she told the immortal beside her. “One.” A spark of light ignited between her palms, growing from a needle head’s size to a tennis ball within the first second. “Two.” The orb of light shone brighter, but seemed more compact than before. It stayed the same size but it started getting more intense. Evelina glanced to her side, hoping that the other was ready to close her eyes. She tensed her muscles and looked forward, looking their attacker dead in the eyes. “THREE!” She clapped her hands together, crushing the ball of light and creating a flash of light bright enough that one could feel the heat from the light itself. Alex screeched once more as the blinding flash tore across her eyes, as if a fragment of the sun had just exploded in front of her. Her attacks ceased for a moment as she stumbled back, huddling away from the explosion like a wounded animal. Somewhere in the back of her mind a tiny voice cried out as Alex’s hands met the earth, marred by blackened veins. Her breath came in hot ragged gasps as her heart caught up to the unwarranted use of her power. Slowly, her vision returned to her, blurred and spotty. Vladimira didn’t bother too much with covering her eyes, simply turning up the attenuation on her welding goggles. She still averted her eyes though, to be safe. “What’re you going t- Чё за галима?! Совкуоплятьшому му дак!” She winced as the light seared her eyes, not blinding her, but she hadn’t set her goggles to handle the light. “What was that?! How did you- oh, nevermind.” She made the connection and cut herself off in mid sentence. Turning back to Alex, she kept an eye on her while dialing down the attenuation on her goggles. “So we have a blinded, angry, lightning shooting Immortal, who appears to be turning into a Hollow or something.” She shrugged, “Okay, I really don’t know what to do. I could try and bind her, let her drain off all that electricity into the ground, but I don’t want to kill her, and she seems like she wouldn’t stop trying to shoot lightning. The other option is running, which seems like a [i]really[/i] good idea right now.” [i]If we run she'll just go attack someone else. We need to stop her![/i] Evelina parted her hands again, another orb of light materializing between them. This time, however, she gave no warning, nor did she even repeat the blinding flash. From within the orb shot out several bands of light, each of them attaching themselves to the limbs of the blinded Immortal, tethering her to the ground; one rope around each wrist, another around her ankles, and a final one wrapping itself around her torso and arms. “I don’t know for how long these will hold her,” she said, “so do whatever you can to cage her, or hold her down. Knock her out of you need to!” Alex’s mind raged with a flurry of activity, as if she were host to the thoughts of two beings, but both of them were herself. She expected another flare of light, and was mildly surprised when the light shot out and wrapped itself around her wrists and ankles, each separate tether connected to the ground somehow. She fought the restraints as yet another wrapped itself around her chest and biceps, pinning the upper portion of her arms to her sides. She grit her teeth, moving one feet forward with great effort, A small puff of dust swirling around her tethered leg as she did so. The force of the restraints was great, but the change happening within Alex fueled her. She struggled with another step as she pushed against the bind around her torso, snarling as she did so. Vladimira's eyes widened at the ropes of light, "How the... what?" She muttered. Shaking her head, she put it out of her mind for now. With a motion of her hands, the metal forming her impromptu suit flowed off of her, more metal from the truck's chassis joining it as it streamed towards Alex. The metal coiled into thick cables, wrapping themselves around Alex's wrists and ankles, before plunging the other ends deep into the ground. With a flick of her wrists, the underground ends of the cable opened up, anchoring them firmly. "That should drain that electricity off if she tries more lightning!" She shouted over at her impromptu ally, "I don't know if I could knock her out without killing her, it's not like I carry sedatives on me!" The metal restraints halted Alex’s movements completely, yet she she struggled against them. Her energy flared, electricity once more swirling around her arms, only to draw towards the metal ties and disperse into the ground. Her heart pounded as she tried harder, the surge of energy increasing twice over, all of which drained into the earth. Tiny filaments of metal were drawn towards the sheer electrical attraction of the energy Alex was putting off, only to have it waste away. Anger boiled beneath her veins as the blackness spread throughout her, now encompassing her entire body. Her heart smashed against her chest as she relentlessly tried to attack the two women in front of her in a blind fury. She ignored the pain spreading through her chest, screaming in desperation at the women, at her restraints, at everything. Her toes dug into the earth as she tried to move. It was futile. Her vision grew hazy, a coldness sweeping through her body until her sight became fully black. For that single moment, Alex felt truly afraid, truly helpless. She fell to the ground as her consciousness receded into the back of her own mind. [i][color=orange]”That’s right Alexia, don’t fight them.”[/color][/i] A coy male voice whispered to his new pet, currently restrained against two “x” crossed beams in the middle of the camp. [i][color=orange]”Ssh,”[/color][/i] He whispered sweetly, brushing a hand across the naked flesh of his pet’s back,[i][color=orange]”That’s a good girl.”[/color][/i] [i][color=orange]”It always hurts the first time,”[/color][/i] He chuckled sarcastically, reaching for the coiled whip at his waist. [b][i]Crack![/i][/b] The world snapped back into clarity as her body trembled. Hot blood rushed through her veins, coursing through her body like fire. A jet black steam permeated her flesh as the heat in her body rose, alongside the fluctuations of her electrical phenomena. Her body shook, will rage, with power. Her skin became mottled as the blackness spread across her, like a veiling of bubbling smoke it caressed her skin, her clothes, until it covered her completely. Lightning arced through the cloud in abstract patterns, lighting up sections of the midnight veil covering her like dark storm clouds. The metal coils around her wrists and ankles vibrated with a hum of energy as the opaque mass quivered into a rough human outline, blue sparks jumping wildly around the figure. The coils let off a loud, resonating hum as the energy coursing through them surpassed the metal’s conductivity, bright flashes of electricity manifesting outside the exterior of the coil and plunging haphazardly towards the earth, throwing up small motes of dust. The dust cloud thickened as Alex pulled energy towards herself. The battery from the malformed truck exploded in a shower of sparks as Alex ripped away everything left inside of it. Nearly a mile away a powerline tore from its tomb buried within the earth, a cable as thick as a person, exploded from the dirt, each end emitting a thick arc of electricity that surged towards Alex. The two winding streams of energy snaked towards the heavily obscured form of Alex. The cloud of dust swirling around her body dispelled outwards as the energy smashed into her body. For a moment, time hung frozen as the dust settled. The twisting snakes of energy pouring into her body ceased, but the static was heavy in the air. A column of energy exploded from Alex, piercing high into the sky as she let out a bestial screech. The rest of the dust hanging in the air swirled around her and outwards, the area gaining rapid clarity. The column of energy dispelled leaving something new in Alex’s place. A hard, chitin like carapace covered her body. Vibrant teal eyes stared at the to women before the creature. It’s maw split into a wide, hungry grin, and its long claws flexed in anticipation. Its [url=http://i.imgur.com/J7JALZj.png]body[/url] quivered as energy flowed through it. The atoms in the air around it so heavily charged that small arcs of lightning burst through the open air around it audibly, crackling with a high pitched sharpness. It uttered a deep, guttural growl as it raked its electrically charged claws through the bindings, slicing through the metal coils and ropes of light with little effort. [i][color=red]”Freedom…”[/color][/i] It hissed softly, lowering itself to the ground on all fours, practically shaking with anticipation. Evelina winced, not because of any sort of pain but more because she had seen how easily that… thing… had sliced through her bindings. She took a step back, clenching her hands at her side. One thing was for certain, that right there was no longer the woman they had been faced with before, nor even an Immortal. Nor even human. She prepared herself, breathing deeply to calm her beating heart. She had used her powers, true, but not so much as to make it beat like this. It was this… thing who did it. Loathe as she was to admit it she was scared; scared of death like she hadn’t been before. [i]But,[/i] she thought to herself, steeling herself for what was to come, [i]I have to stop her. No matter what. If she stays like this she’ll just attack Russell Town![/i] She grit her teeth, lips pulling back in a defiant expression. [i]I won’t let that happen. Far too many innocents will be killed.[/i] The area around her seemed to distort, as if Space itself was warping around her. Even without her conscious effort, the light around her twisted and turned, creating the strange phenomena. She paid it no mind, her eyes narrowed and focused on the Beast facing them. “Be ready for anything,” she said, her voice just loud enough for the metal wielder to hear. “I can’t promise I’ll be able to protect the both of us from this thing.” Vladimira's mouth hung open in shock at the transformation. She opened and closed it a few times, but no words came out. What the hell was this thing in front of her? She’d run across the occasional Hollow, but they were Hollows, no dramatic transformation with Immortal powers thrown in. What was more concerning was how easily the… thing, had severed solid steel. [i]It’s one thing when she’s throwing lightning. I can just hide behind a Faraday Cage in that case. How do you fight something that can cut through solid steel cables like a hot knife through butter?[/i] She halfway wondered if it’d be possible to stun Alex again and make a run for it, with the other woman. [i]Though she probably has something else up her sleeves…[/i] She pulled the steel cables out of the ground, the metal coiling in front of her in a heap. “I can’t say I’m ready for anything…” she replied warily, watching the creature for any sudden movements. “But I think it’s safe to say this got a whole lot harder.” A dry laugh passed through the creature’s maw, it’s inky tongue flicking across its teeth briefly. Its claws dug into the earth as it studiously watched the two women and their exchange. It understood what they were saying, but more than that, it could smell their terror. The scent made its bloodboil, made its muscles quiver until finally, the creature could take it no longer. Its maw split wide as it howled at its prey. A cloud of dust erupted into the air as it launched forward towards the metal manipulating Immortal. It crossed the short distance in but a breath, in an instant it was nearly upon her. It coiled back on its haunches, keeping its momentum as it sprang forward, its right hand curled into a tight fist as it cocked its arm back. [i]Fast![/i] She didn’t have time to think much more than that before the thing was already upon her companion. She barely had time to register the thought that she had to protect the other, or she’d likely die from just that one attack. Quick as her mind allowed her, she threw out her thoughts with a single command: [i]Protect.[/i] The light in front of Vladimira solidified, forming into an invisible shield between her and the hollowfied Immortal. She wasn’t sure if it would hold. She could only hope. “Дерьмо!” Vladimira swore as the thing leapt at her, slashing with murderous fury. She tried to push herself away, use the steel cables to accelerate a jump perhaps, but she stumbled over her own foot at the last second and went sprawling. She scrambled to her feet and stared amazed as the creature that used to be Alex slashed at some invisible barrier. She looked at it incredulously, and then in fear as she saw a spiderweb of cracks run along what looked almost like air. She began slowly backpedaling again, shooting a panicked look over at the other woman -not that she’d notice through the gas mask- “I’m seriously thinking a tactical advance in the opposite direction sounds really good righ-” She was cut off as the monster burst through the barrier in a shower of all but invisible glasslike shards, lunging for her with the claw outstretched. “Дерьмо!” She screeched again, almost dodging the creature’s claw as it slashed through her mask and goggles- and face. Blood streamed into her eyes, nose, mouth. It was everywhere, hot and thick and suffocating. She clutched her face in a gloved hand, trying to wipe it clean. She succeeded in doing so temporarily, only to see the fist of the monster impacting her in the gut with a horrific screech of steel on whatever this thing’s carapace was made of. She went flying backwards into a rock, howling as her metal plated back smashed into the stone. Slumping forward, her vision clouded. She saw whatever Alex had become doing… something, at least it didn’t seem to be attacking her anymore. She blinked as blood began to seep into her eyes again, gritting her teeth she choked out through a mouthful of blood, “Wa-watch o-out!” She gagged as the blood ran down her throat, coughing it out over her clothing. She watched through eyes that seemed covered in wax paper until the blood ran into her eyes again and she slumped over unconscious. The barrier had worked. It had definitely worked, of that Evelina was sure. But even if it had worked it didn’t change the fact that it required little more than a few punches for that monster to break through something that even high caliber rifles barely managed to dent. She watched in almost horrified stillness as her ally was thrown back and impacted with a large rock. Hard. It was more reflex than anything when she acted, drawing as much light she could as possible into a single focal point in the palm of her hand; the midday sun lending itself to her. She flung her hand forward, a solid beam of searing light screaming forward, and… doing very little. Her lips parted and eyes widened in surprise. Her beam had done little but scratch the armour of that thing. [i]That was enough to cause third degree burns…![/i] Her legs moved on their own, taking a step back in obvious fear. [i]How am I going to stop that thing?[/i] The creature gave another dry laugh, a twisted smile set upon his face. It had been crouched, the scent of blood filling its nostrils, ready to end this woman’s life. Now, it stood slowly, letting its muscles stretch as it reached its full seven foot height. It’s attention turned away from the woman bleeding profusely, towards the other one now. This one was not masked like the other, this other woman wore only goggles and a look of terror. The creature’s smile widened, pulling the corners of its maw into a toothy grin. It’s claws flexed as the static charged air began pulling towards its hand. The frequency of energetic bursts through the air increased around him as the molecules became more charged. A small swirl of dust started around its feet as the gathering energy formed into a swirling sphere in its hand. [color=red]”Two can play this game,”[/color] It laughed, its voice like a throaty growl. Tendrils of electric energy fired from the ground, attracted towards the pull of the sphere in its hand. It’s fist clenched around the energy as its stretched its arm back as far as it would go, the other hovered in front and across from its chest, palm out. The entire process took it only a handful of seconds, and in another, its body trembled with the force of the throw. The projectile screamed through the air, closing in rapidly towards the light wielder. Despite her own fear, Evelina steeled herself, preparing herself for whatever might come. She highly doubted that she’d be able to do much to this thing, but damned if she didn’t intend to try. Even if it claimed her life she would still consider it a success if she took it down with her. She dug her toes into the ground and bent her knees, jaw clenched in an attempt to keep herself in check. She was fully prepared for another lightning fast attack, so it was with some surprise that she noted the monster—or whatever it was—raise its hand and start to charge up a blast of what she assumed would be electricity. She waited patiently, taking the time granted her to prepare herself. She knew an attack was coming, and she was prepared for it. And then it came. A static filled the air, and she knew to act. Instantly she dispersed into light, the same second that the lightning struck. But even then, she wasn’t fast enough. A fraction of a fraction of a second faster and she could have avoided it entirely, but she was just a tiny bit too slow and felt a shock of electricity course through her as she dispersed. It was far from life threatening, or even enough to paralyze her, but it was felt. Invisible in the daylight, and faster than any human could run, she rushed forward, behind the creature. When she materialized again—at least ten metres away—she was already building up another orb of light, staring defiantly at the monster. She waited for a few short moments, then shouted. “You’re not going to catch me that easily!” [hider=Translations and pronunciations] Чё за галима?! - What the fuck?! - chyo za ga-lima?! Ад - Hell - Ad Дерьмо! - Shit! - Derr-mo! Совкуоплятьшому му дак! - Fucking asshole! - Sovkuoplyatshomu mudak!) [/hider]