[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISM1z9BSED0][img]https://i.imgur.com/5B3hkEZ.png[/img][/url]

[sub][@Izurich][@Crusader Lord][/sub]

Silmaria didn’t wait to act. She took aim and fired at the masked woman as soon as she was able. The first round slammed into Viper's hip, which shredded her pants clean off. She seemed to be wearing some skin tight short-shorts underneath her armored pants. She hadn't recovered before another bullet struck her in the head, disintegrating her bandana. Nearly every article of mundane clothing had been blown off of her body, save for her [url=https://i.imgur.com/o5nvc49.jpg]esper uniform.[/url]

[color=#f3f82a]”Oh well.”[/color] She said before snapping her fingers. In that instant, her body turned into a yellow cloud. Any extra shots Silmaria had fired would not find purchase in Viper's flesh.

Meanwhile, Liliah examined the safe. It had seen its share of abuse, but was still holding shut. Though there was no reason it wouldn’t open up when struck by an arcane melody or even a potent enough instrument. That was provided Liliah wanted to get inside. Who knew what sort of thoughts tumbled around the head of a monkey? [s]Only Luna and Marrie knew.[/s]

[hr]

[sub][@SilverPaw]@TheGMbby[/sub]

Jacqueline asked Su about her resistance to physical attacks. [color=peachpuff]”I hurt, but I survive.”[/color] Su may be resistant, but surviving a pistol shot at point blank range was tough on any esper. Regardless, she remained calm despite looking down the barrel of her opponent’s weapon. 

[b]”Taking pity on me, huh?”[/b] Rottweiler regarded Jaqueline with a tip of his head, as she had offered to contact her boss. [b]”Can’t say I was expecting that.”[/b]

Fritzi responded to the summon immediately. [color=#bd71e8]“I didn’t want a hostage situation.”[/color]

Su pressed her ear against her own shoulder to activate her com. [color=peachpuff]”I fine! We under control!”[/color]

[color=#bd71e8]“Good, because the government doesn’t negotiate with terrorists. Well, save from a few times during the Iraq war, but that’s not a mistake I plan on repeating.”[/color] 

[color=peachpuff]”Now really time for this?”[/color]

There was a short pause over coms. [color=#bd71e8]“If he surrenders, we may be able to work out better arrangements for him and the blood mage. I'm not the law, but I'll be responsible for all paranormal related incidents once this operation concludes. Making the blood mage's life more comfortable is well within my power. But I can’t send in any medics until the area is secure. So it's really up to Rottweiler. My hands are tied. I could try discussing things with the top brass, but experience tells me they aren't going to give him a better bargain.”[/color]

Su squinted at Rottweiler. [color=peachpuff]”You hear that?”[/color]

Rottweiler shrugged. [b]”Sounds like Lada’s best chance is if I surrender now.”[/b]

[color=peachpuff]”It is.”[/color]

With a shrug of his shoulders, he pulled his gun away from Su and shifted it in his hand. He presented it to Jacqueline. [b]”I guess we’re all done here then.”[/b]

Su looked at the inmates that were walking all over the place.[color=peachpuff]”Back in your cells!”[/color]

There weren’t too many complaints. As ridiculous as Su might have looked, she did have a very real looking gun, which wasn’t to say Jacqueline’s warpick was any less intimidating. It wasn’t like they could escape. 

Lada let out a noisy cough. She might just survive.

[hider=specs]
[center]32 | Female | Gemini | Steel Gaze
Bipartisan | Handgun, Greatshield | Physical | Bullet Window
Dragon Breacher | Kevlar Vest 
Debris | Wind | Locally Sourced
[Storm , Flight ], Push, Pull, Build, Purify, Restrain, Damage

DAMAGE: D | SPEED: E | SENTINEL: C | 500

PHYSICAL: D | ARCANE: D | CHAOS: E | 132[/center][/hider]

[hr]

[sub][@FamishedPants][@mantou][@ERode][@OwO][/sub]

It was a troublesome scene to be sure. With Cobra’s thumb resting directly on the button, there were few things the freelancers and Silhouette could do that wouldn't trigger an explotion. But none of the espers present were willing to just let him walk out.

Fortunately, the hallway filled with espers was perfect cover for Klava to prepare her melody. Cobra was too distracted to focus on someone he had partial visibility of. He also couldn't see her melody spawning in. So she was able to get the drop on the snake. Her knife bit into his shoulder, which weakened his grip just enough for Protector’s melody to pull the detonator out of his hand. They would spend the next few seconds fumbling with the detonator to ensure it didn’t go off. 

Meanwhile, Klava was about to discover that the rocket launcher and the detonator were not King Cobra’s only weapons. With a hiss, he turned around and opened his mouth. He bared fangs, not that of a cobra, but of a [i]vampire[/i]. His teeth were about to sink into Klava’s wrist when shadow magic took over his body. His entire head passed through her arm without inflicting a single wound. The reason for this was Silhouette. His sword had a sinister glow to it, and that glow coiled around Cobra when he touched him. 

The snake had a moment of intangibility, and was prepared to use it to make a swift escape. But there was more to Samuel’s tactic as his allies would soon see. Silhouette tossed his sword forward causing it to intersect with Cobra’s location as his intangible melody wore off. The sword was now piercing Cobra’s chest much deeper than it would have had Samuel thrown the sword at him normally. The vampire shivered when the sword appeared in its flesh, and sank to his knees. 

[b]”This is bullshit!”[/b] 

Samuel grabbed his sword and wrenched it out of Cobra’s back, slicing the vampire open from their shoulder to their heart. Then with a kick, Cobra fell onto his chest. His body managed to hold together, but the growing pool of blood under his body let everyone know he wasn't getting back up. Cobra attempted to gurgle something into his radio, but wasn't able to get anything comprehensible out. He did get a message back.

[b]”Quit fooling around King! ...King? King!? KIIIIIIIIING!?!?!?”[/b] With news of Cobra’s death spreading to the other gang members, it was likely that the few who remained would either flee or surrender. 

Showing up a bit late to the scene was Apollo, who was holding a really sweet piece. Something gold plated that probably didn’t do anything for the weapon’s accuracy. But it sure made him look cool! 

The operation had been a success. None of the agents died, the police station was still standing, and they managed to avoid a hostage situation. That was even including the surprise appearance of hostile espers and a blood mage.

While Cobra’s body remained unmoving, it was hard not to miss the two perfectly round scars on the back of his neck...

[hr]

[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oMNwI4Gyq0][img]https://i.imgur.com/rtlB6LL.png[/img][/url]

[sub][@The World][/sub]

A blast of light and sound, and from there, Marrie was free once more, her singular Melody’s trajectory masked by the barrage of projectiles sent from Tetrad’s direction. Bound further by honeyed restraints that seemed to persist even upon its caster’s demise, Tetrad collapsed against the jelly-belly of the construction worker, watching as the freelancer’s form disappeared in the blink of an eye…

And reappeared right in the cockpit of the demolition crane. Her actions were precise, controlled, even as her conscience grappled with the [i]murders[/i] that she had committed. Apex Predator punched through leather and foam, scraping into the metal underneath as Marrie spat out her order, moments before twisting her body away to vomit out what remained of her breakfast. She hardly had a chance to glimpse at who exactly was sitting behind the controls. She hardly had a chance to think, so caught up as she was in her own guilt and self-pity.

But there was no human in front of her. No flesh-and-blood being, no cultist, no furry.

Only a corpse-puppet, the top half of their head sliced off to reveal a cluster of arcane machinery, their drooling mouth affixed into a permanent smile. Marrie’s mercy, informed by her own desires and her morality, had caused her to miss the mark at the very last second.

The crane smashed into the support pillar.

The roof of the warehouse gave out a long and tortured shriek.

And then, darkness, violent and oppressive, took over.

…

…

…

And then, a beam of light!

Marrie could hear the sound of the sheet metal panels being dragged and cast aside. More and more light shined through the rubble before Marrie’s eyes were overwhelmed by the high beams on an old Cadillac. It wasn’t long before she heard Billy’s voice.

[color=lightgray]”I say, I say! If it ain’t the little esper who could!”[/color] As her eyes adjusted to the light source, she could see the silhouette of a massive hand reach out for hers. [color=lightgray]”Glad you stuck with it, kid! Unfortunate we had one of our own run off. Just means you get part of her take. But who’da thought there would have been an illusion spell cast on the entrance to the place?”[/color] With a chuckle, he swung his finger towards the manhole [color=lightgray]”Anyway, Operation ain’t over yet, kid. Ya need to get inside first.”[/color]

And as Marrie pushed herself away from the unmoving corpse-puppet, she could see it. Though it had been imperfect, Tetrad and her own actions had resulted in only half the warehouse collapsing, with the motley collection of shipping containers that had been hurled about and the bulldozers that had been crashed and commandeered culminating into a miniature array of ‘secondary’ support pillars, strong enough that any extensive rubble was held up.

As for the manhole itself?

It laid unblocked and pristine, the entrance way to Bastion beckoning forth the champions of this battle royale.

[hr]

[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4Pzx1NDTtI][img]https://i.imgur.com/OYSa6cT.png[/img][/url]

[sub][@Majoras End][/sub]

Fable was already a swift esper. But under the effect of his melody, he was even faster. 

This was a situation where he had to make every second count. The crabs were not fast, but it seemed like a few hundred showed up every second. They were starting to show up faster than they could move. 

The blue crab strummed its ukulele as Fable drew closer. It was impossible to read the crab’s emotions, but its capsule shaped eyes were focused straight on the approaching esper. His arrival was noticed. But rather than fleeing, the crab charged forth.

The crabs in the street surged under its body, elevating it as the scattered crabs came together to form a pyramid with their leader on top. The construct elevated the crab leader up to Fable’s level. Now it did not hold its ukulele like an instrument, but like a giant club. Things were moving so fast that Fable didn’t have time to react, but he didn’t have to. He just needed to make sure his thrust hit his target.

And a decisive blow happened in an instant. 

The sound of metal scraping across metal brought everyone’s attention to the blow. A ukulele slathered in amber oil fell out of the sky and clattered against the ground. But when they cast their eyes to the other end of the street, they could see Fable. His shoulder was dripping with oil, but his one good arm gripped a rapier that had been thrust through the heart of the behemoth. The blue crab flicked its legs about before ceasing all movement. The remaining crabs retreated in a matter of seconds, and the slain ones seemed to turn into dust. The street lamps revealed no more crabs that night.

[color=baddab]”Seems you hit its weak point for maximum damage.”[/color] With a sigh, Binky’s Esper state ended. The now much shorter girl ran a hand through her hair before pulling a stop watch out of her shirt. [color=baddab]”And with just seconds to spare.”[/color]

[color=c9272c]“You alright, gear boy?”[/color] Elroy hurried over to Fable. He may be a clockwork soldier, but his body was still much like a humans. If it lost too much oil, he would seize up and die like a human running low on blood would. [color=c9272c]“Looks like he cracked you a bit, but you showed him, didn’t ya?”[/color] The esper laughed. [color=c9272c]“Doesn’t look too serious, have a heal on the house!”[/color] His hand lit up with flames, but when he touched Fable, the wound on his shoulder closed. He could feel the gears in his arm were turning normally again.

[color=baddab]”This should be a decent pay out for you guys, let’s take a look.”[/color] Binky looked at her tablet. [color=baddab]”Pac-A-Fist handled evacuations, and I’ve got Immortal Volcano and Cthulhya on extermination.”[/color] She looked at Fable. [color=baddab]”Did you forget to sign yourself up for the operation?”[/color]

[color=c9272c]“Hah!”[/color] Elroy gave Fable a light punch with his gauntlet. [color=c9272c]“You were white knighting green doc huh? Gotta remember to accept the bounty if ya wanna get paid.”[/color] He shrugged. [color=c9272c]“Give gear boy my cut. He did more of the work.”[/color]

[color=baddab]”That won't be necessary, I can make a few edits.”[/color]

Cthulhya, or Mary as ze had introduced zirself, stood off to the side twiddling zir thumbs. [color=1462ba]“Elroy?” [/color] Ze continued to avert her eyes. [color=1462ba]“Do you have time now?”[/color]

[color=c9272c]“Right!”[/color] He laughed before nudging Fable. [color=c9272c]“We were discussing something, and then we got word that the Crab Rave was here.”[/color] Mary’s eyebrow twitched when Elroy brought Fable into the discussion, but did little else. [color=c9272c]“I’m sure we can all help out. So! What happened?”[/color]

[color=1462ba]“The white princess, you took her place on stage?” [/color]

[color=c9272c]“Violin girl!”[/color] Elroy laughed. [color=c9272c]“Did she get stage fright?”[/color] Mary opened zir mouth to speak, but zir face only scrunched up in response. Tears ran down zir cheeks before Elroy placed a hand on zir shoulder. [color=c9272c]“...What happened?”[/color]

Mary struggled to calm down and explain what happened next.

[hr]

Betty looked through the gap in her stall door to see if all the men in the restroom had left. Nope, they were still there. At this point she was wondering if she could make up some story about being a babysitter. Yes! She just left some baby wipes in the stall and needed to go back to get them. If only she had something on her that could pass as baby wipes. Perhaps she just came in to grab some toilet paper? But if that was the case, why did she come into the boys room? It didn’t look like she could lie her way out of this one. But she really didn’t want to leave Elroy up there for too long. It was bad enough he had to take over at all. Perhaps she should march out there and get it over with. But when Betty unlatched the stall door, someone else pulled it open. 

[color=ade81b]”Yipe!“[/color] Betty stumbled backwards and fell onto the toilet seat. She was still holding her cup of joe in one hand. [color=ade81b]”I um, I was in here because! I got confused!“[/color]

Obstructing her way was a blond German wearing a regal looking suit. The cape looked a little tacky, but a lot of these “friends” that walked around here dressed like it was Halloween. His eyes were also closed, which was slightly unnerving. Was he blind? [color=662d91]”Forgive me, I didn't mean to startle you. But you identify as your birth gender?”[/color]

[color=ade81b]”Yes!“[/color] Betty lowered her head. [color=ade81b]”I was having a panic attack, I must have entered the wrong restroom.“[/color] That must have been what happened. Wew, that was easy. She needed to relax so that she could think about situations like this in the future.

The man let out a heartfelt chuckle. [color=662d91]”That is fine, so long as you realize I wasn’t trying to invade your privacy.”[/color] His lips curled into a smile before he extended his hand. [color=662d91]”I’m Justin, by the way. And if I do say so myself, you are an amazing violin player. The others don’t know what they are missing out on.”[/color]

[color=ade81b]”Really?“[/color] Betty smiled back. [color=ade81b]”I’m usually much better than that, but I’m glad you liked it. Wait until you see the rest of my set!“[/color]She reached out and took Justin’s hand, and allowed him to pull her onto her feet. 

[color=662d91]”I actually don’t think that’s going to happen.”[/color]

When Justin opened his eyes, Betty opened her mouth. But nothing came out. She just froze with a look of shock on her face. Her heart was pounding out of her chest, but she couldn’t move her limbs. Over time, even the desire to move didn’t register. Her arms relaxed, and her cup fell to the floor, splashing her legs and dress in warm coffee. She was aware of her surroundings, but her mind was in a fog. It was as if her emotional responses had been disconnected from what she was experiencing. Once the tinge of fear subsided, she had no desire to do anything. Her inner monolog had shut down, and she could only process what was going on around her. Betty was cornered in a bath stall, but it was impossible for her to decide how she should feel because of how hazy the past few minutes had been. She couldn't remember anything, and she had no desire to dig through her mind to find it. 

[color=ade81b]”What did I just see?“[/color]

[color=662d91]”You know Betty, I don’t ask for permission anymore.”[/color] He stroked the side of her arm with his gloved fingers. [color=662d91]”If I want something, I take it. If I want someone to do something, I make them do it.”[/color] He traced his finger up to one of her shoulder straps and slid it off the edge of her shoulder. [color=662d91]”I know everyone likes a tan complexion these days, but I still like a pale princess.”[/color] He traced a finger along the top of her bare shoulder, and stopped right at the base of her neck. [color=662d91]”I’m just a bit surprised I found something like you here. You deserve so much better than this, Betty.”[/color] His hand slid around the back of her head. [color=662d91]”You’re going to be mine now.”[/color] Justin lowered his mouth over her flesh.

Betty could feel his hot breath before the kiss of his tongue caressed her flesh. But what got her to wince was the hot pain in her neck. The sensation was similar to catching her skin on a thorny bush. But even with this unknown sensation coursing through her body, she was unsure how to react, and it was about to get much harder. Her consciousness was fading. But she would not drift into a dreamless slumber. Rather, the world started to feel less real. Betty was no longer the one controlling her body at all. Now it merely did anything this strange man desired of it. She found her self reciprocating the painful kiss with a hug, and didn't let go until he was done.  

[color=662d91]”You taste wonderful, Betty.”[/color] Justin pulled a small handkerchief from his breast pocket to dab his lips. [color=662d91]”I'm going to have to exercise a lot of restraint to not just drain you in a single sitting.”[/color] After tucking away the handkerchief, he took Betty by the hand. [color=662d91]”Now, how about we go home?”[/color]

[hr]

Mary had zir eyes closed. [color=1462ba]“...So after I told him where she was, he walked into the boy’s room. Then later, he came out with her.”[/color] Ze sniffed. [color=1462ba]“I wanted his phone number, but he was really rude to me! He said I was ‘as wrong as my parents were when they made me’ when I said it would be cool to trade phone numbers. And she was being kind of mean too! But, but....”[/color]

Elroy snorted. [color=c9272c]“What? What!?”[/color]

[color=1462ba]“She um.”[/color] Mary pouted. [color=1462ba]“She had bite marks on her neck, like a vampire.”[/color]

[color=c9272c]“Why didn’t you say something earlier!?”[/color]

[color=1462ba]“I-I don’t know!”[/color] Mary stammered. [color=1462ba]“She was mean to me, and the Crab Bounty was time sensitive!”[/color]

[color=c9272c]“Hngh! Never mind!”[/color] Elroy ran back towards The Great Escape. [color=c9272c]“I’ll see if I can find any clues.”[/color]

Meanwhile, Binky approached Fable. [color=baddab]”A vampire named Justin? I wonder if that was Justin von Carnage. If it was, it’s just a matter of time before we run an operation to execute him. Shame about the girl though.”[/color] She pulled out a tablet device. [color=baddab]”Thank you for the assistance earlier. Just tell me your handle on Shimr and I’ll transfer the funds.”[/color]