[img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/909715047918497815/1037211200871731300/Umbri_banner6.png[/img]


[url=https://youtu.be/dpwer4u6e1c][color=deepskyblue][i]"Now if you're all fucking done... I have a Ripper to hunt."[/i][/color][/url]

A Ripper? Umbri had not been privy to Koba’s answers. The reveal of the culprit took her completely off-guard. A Ripper had broken into a chrome workshop and taken absolutely nothing else of value but Temujin and Jemma - the cyberninja, she could assume the motive, but Jemma? What did they want with her? Did they mistake her ink orb as some piece of rare technology? Whatever the reason, they were going to be torn apart.

She flinched and whipped her arms over her face as the blue light rushed at her, only for it to pass through. There wasn’t any time to ask or do anything before the Rogue had charged off, not even taking the time to equip his armour. Umbri was left behind in a room of terrified civilians. She looked down to Ako, expression stoic. The apprentice's eyes twitched with movement beneath their lids. She came down on one knee beside Graham. The old guy was shaking. It didn’t feel right to challenge him anymore on what he’d just spat at her. If she was upset, she would feel it later.

[color=#A4303F][b]“What’s the closest place we can get them help?”[/b][/color] She asked, trying to coax him back to a solution, and not take charge.

Graham looked up at Umbri. His pink-red face calmed as he took deeper, slower breaths. His eyes were wide and glossy, and whatever rage they portrayed had been drowned by a naked anxiety as he held his apprentice close. [b]“The… The Doctor from before…”[/b] he exhaled. [b]“His clinic’s a few blocks down the road. I can- I should…”[/b] The giant of a smith lumbered to a stand and turned his attention to the roller door. Margot followed her senior’s lead, looping Koba’s one good arm around her shoulder. Umbri nodded to herself before standing.

[color=#A4303F][b]“Can you wait for me,"[/b][/color] she said and dashed off to the bedroom, where she snatched up all her weapons, axe in hand, gun tucked by the small of her back, stinger - which she'd since adopted as a dagger - concealed. As she yanked a drawer open to retrieve a vial of GIFT, she glimpsed herself in the mirror, and her face flashed with neon warpaint smeared across her nose, like that night. She stormed back out, twenty seconds later. [color=#A4303F][b]"I'll come with you. We don't know where they are out there. They mightn't have meant to keep the witnesses alive."[/b][/color]

Graham nodded, the hesitance in his eyes obvious as they fell on her fire axe, its red paint chipped, its edge dulled by the dried and blackened crust of Rat blood. [b]"...Yeah."[/b] He turned around and charged out the door. There was no time to look a gift horse in the mouth.

When Umbri stepped out after them, it was like she was underwater. The hardlight cast a filter over everything. She held out her arm and watched a blue sheen ripple over her skin, then stared up at the spikes bursting from the dome - casing the [b]entire settlement[/b] directed inward, towards them. 

[i]“Attention residents. Thunderdome procedures have been engaged…”[/i] an alarm could be heard repeating, booming blocks away. She struggled to steady her breathing. She didn’t know how his powers worked, but she’d seen him sit on one of these projections. That meant, the blue glow could become [i]hard.[/i]

And this hard thing that was encasing them could [i]expand[/i]. If he could make it grow, [i][b]it should be able to shrink.[/b][/i]

Aegis could kill them all.

[hr]
Mantablack's cloak billowed behind him as he skulked through the dark alleys of Shieldtown. Chains looped and bound Temujin to the ripper's back, even as the former continued to struggle. Distant murmurs and talks grew loud enough to prick Mantablack's sensors, followed by… an energy surge. Bright, unknown, and much stronger than most he'd ever seen. 

[b]"...!"[/b] Mantablack skittered behind a pile of refuse. A colour bluer than the sky rippled overhead, like a cage of pure energy. The ripper's eyes bulged against their frame. [b]"...Shit."[/b]

Temujin scoffed. His shoulders rattled as he held in his laughter. [color=DC091C][b]"Aegis has your number, fiend! You're not getting out of Shieldtown alive!"[/b][/color]

Mantablack slowly turned his head, to over his shoulder, and then… completely around, with a dry crack that sent Temujin reeling back. 

[b]"Watch me." [/b]

[hr]
[center]P̶̣̎͗̌̕ą̷̡̻̽͜i̷͛͛͜͝n̷͔̈̈.̷̦̌̄̋̀

H̵̡̥̰̲̉́̽a̴͙͆͌͘ͅẗ̵̮̙̞̭́ē̷̢̏͐̍.̵̢̧͉̞͛́͑

F̴͉͖̓̾̑ẹ̷̑á̵̠ṛ̵̟̏̏̇̊.̴̦̿͗͊̚[/center]

The creature twitched in a nightmare, thick body lurching with the sway of its cage, unable to root itself without its claws, wrenched from the flesh of its paws while it was live and thrashing. Its ears flicked, warding away the echoing memory of a story it had heard, amidst all the rabble and its captor's scorn.

[i]"The lion curled inside its cave and did not move. For seven days and seven nights it wasted away, until the beggar girl was so become she offered to feed it her legs. 

The lion ate."[/i]

P̶̬͋̌a̷̦͐̉ͅǐ̴̢̼̘ň̸̘̫̀ ̴̠̤͗͛̀͜ͅp̴̛͎̜̑̀̚a̸̡͈͎̾ḯ̷͚͉̱̉̅n̶͔̦͐̉͜ ̴̭̀͑͝p̶̜̟̠͒ȁ̵͎̘̓̽i̶͎̇͌͘n̸̬̂̈́̿͠.̴͇̭̟̤̾̂̉̕  The creature growled in its sleep. Its barbed tail smacked against the cage, a spike slipping through and catching someone's knuckles. "Ah, fuck! Keep still, you fat shit!" A prod jabbed through the bars into its hide, and flashed with sparks. The creature jerked its head back and convulsed with an agonized yowl. "Easy on that. The big man said to keep it discrete." P̵̨̛̹̱͒̽A̶̭̖̙̾Ȉ̸̩̖͋Ṅ̸̨̿̋ ̴̠̻̚͠P̴̺̬̺̫͊̔A̷̹͋I̴̼̙͆̑͑͜͝N̵͇̳̪͎̕͝ ̷̡̞̫̾̂͂P̵̢͈̔́͜A̴̘͙͕͆̂̓͠I̸͈͐N̴͈̖̗̂͒̚

[i]"When the lion grew hungry, she gave it her arms.

When the lion was hungry, she would let it devour her, until all there was left to give was her heart."[/i]

The big man... The big man, the big man! The giant that glowed, came here with his h̸̢͓̅͜͝a̷̢̰͍̞͒̐͐t̷͕̹̼̂͐̒e̶̹̭͝ and gave it this p̵̨̲̞̓ã̵̻̥͈͜i̸̜͌n̵̯͇̋̂ͅ!̵̡̗̬̬͗̒̈́͊ Brought [s]her[/s] and this f̸̟̱̳́͊͂e̴̢̤̹̩͒̓ả̵̯̜̤̞̎̄͊r̸̳̙̀̾.̷̻̜͌ The creature moaned and shuffled, and its escorts muttered, "Yeah, I hope you're scared about where you're going, monster."



[center]P̵̭͠A̷̤̳̓͝I̸̢̩̫͓͑́̌͛N̶͇̏́͜.̴̛̫͉̫̍̔
̷̡̩͍͑̆̓
̴̭͛Ḧ̷̢̻͖̿͑̂Ȁ̵̬̞̉T̶̙̝͉̹̈͒̇E̷̟͔͝.̸͍̳͉͆̎̈̕
̷̢͎̊
̷͎͙̓͂͒̽F̸̛̙͌̽͝Ẹ̵̯̠̝̓̆À̴̜̟R̴̳̣͗.̵̪̘̫̲̉́̊͗

P̶̛͎͙͍̪̑̚͠A̶͍̯̔̾̕͜.̴̲̣̮̖͒.̷̧̫͌.̷̻͖̓  ... in.

[ ___ ]

[b][FEAR.][/b][/center]

He had come here, [Blue] eyes full of [HATE], and in a throw of his hand, he had transferred that [HATE] to it with [PAIN]. He had brought [s]her face her smell my memory[/s], and in all its hate and agony, the strongest pain it had was [b][FEAR].[/b]

The creature opened its eyes as the [Blue] took over the sky, [Awake].

And as its captors stopped to look up, it melted away from its cage in a passing shadow.

[hr]
Umbri didn't approach the Doctor's clinic with the others as they arrived, turning her head away from the huddled bunch and their relieved 'we're here'-s to watch her back. Thank God, they'd arrived safely without any Ripper jumping them. They were still out there - the thunderdome would be down already if Alex had already pulverised them.

[color=#A4303F][b]"Hey - I don't want to hold you up, just - is there [i]anything[/i] else you can tell me about the Ripper?"[/b][/color] She spoke up.

[color=#ffb561][b]"Mantablack…,"[/b][/color] a soft voice called out. Ako stirred in Graham's arms, her eyes peering from a pallid, sweat-drained face. [color=#ffb561][b]"He called himself Mantablack…"[/b][/color]

Umbri almost gasped when Ako replied. She watched everyone fawn over her, in disbelief that she had woken up, let herself feel relief for just a second then gripped her axe in two hands. [color=#A4303F][b]“Thanks. Keep safe, I’m going.”[/b][/color]

Margot's eyes shot wide open. She looked from Umbri, to Graham, and back to Umbri. [b]"What?! By yourself? Who-where are you going?" [/b]

Graham's brows knitted as he stared at Umbri. It was one thing to watch their backs as they went down the block. But to go after a ripper? With a [i]fire axe[/i]? [b]"You can't be serious, girl. Folks like us, we don't stand a chance-..."[/b] the blacksmith stammered and gestured to the rippling dome, then shook his head. [b]"Let the Big Man take care of it. That's what he's here for." [/b]

Umbri’s hands wrenched around the haft of the axe. Her face darkened with the memory of the Shieldtown Rogue’s confessions. [color=deepskyblue][i]“But he’s not Hardcase. Who’s to say he can handle the pressure? Not like he can afford to break under it.” “Deep down is a neglected and abused boy… that’s desperately trying to be better than his angry alcoholic father… who he killed in a fit of new power fueled fight or flight.”[/i][/color] She glanced up at the weapon encasing the town over their heads and tried to swallow the same feeling she had when she sensed him growing angry beside her.

[color=#A4303F][b]“I don’t think we should put the weight of this onto someone like that,”[/b][/color] she said. [color=#A4303F][b]“He’s not… he’s not yet what he tries to be.”[/b][/color] She shook her head and scoffed, [color=#A4303F][b]“And nobody in Shieldtown has seen what I can do,”[/b][/color] she asserted, channelling Temujin’s words to her as she clung to her life outside of an inverted train car, [color=#A4303F][b]“Jahannam couldn’t kill me, the Threshers couldn’t kill me, and a train full of zombie Rats couldn’t kill me, either, so I won’t be sitting down for some guy when Rippers have taken Tem. I'll survive this, I’m getting him back, and I’m bringing back your Dove. I owe them both my life. And Aegis-”[/b][/color] she paused and struggled to find the words without breaching his confidentiality, [color=#A4303F][b]“He’s quick to leave everyone behind him, but he needs help.”[/b][/color] [s][i]To not explode.[/i][/s] She shrugged. [color=#A4303F][b]"I'll see you when I see you."[/b][/color]

She turned back around and walked off down the road.