[center][hr][img]https://i.imgur.com/4IFGczs.png[/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/L4GDi1Q.png[/img][hr][/center] [color=764820]”... Where the fuck is Ella?!”[/color] Lisa shouted, waking Saskia up as she hopped to her feet. [color=764820]”Ella! Ella! Where the fuck did you go!? This isn’t funny!”[/color] Saskia was awake immediately, sitting bolt upright and looking behind her where Ella had definitely been when they all fell asleep. They hadn't felt her move either - though they'd gotten used to Ella's movements during the night, and getting kicked a few times. Had they been that tired? [color=DC143C]"Ella? Ella!"[/color] Saskia jumped out of bed and joined Lisa in shouting. They ran out of the bedroom, checking the bathroom… then downstairs. Nothing. No sign of her. No telltale anime singing, no random shouting. Unless Ella had magically developed the ability to stay quiet. [color=DC143C]"Ella, if you're hiding, I'm going to torture you within an inch of your life."[/color] Nothing. No response. Fear clawed at Saskia's chest, their lips pulling down into a heavy frown even as the rest of their expression was minimal. Had she gone outside? But that was dangerous. Had something… gotten her somehow, while they were sleeping? All of Lisa's webs were still intact. It was just like… just like when they died. Grief and anger they'd never gotten the chance to work through, because then they'd died and Ella was there again, began to well up inside them. [color=DC143C]"She's not inside,"[/color] Saskia said, coming back to Lisa after checking the whole place. They were lightly sweating from running, and the underlying panic of it all. [color=DC143C]”Shit… all your webs are still intact. She can't have left unless she learned to teleport. Fuck, maybe she snuck out, let's look outside."[/color] [color=764820]”She’s not even a Purple!”[/color] Lisa snorted as the webs surrounding the front door began to dissolve. She ran outside and it was the same as she remembered. Nothing changed even in the slightest. [color=764820]”... How long were we asleep? Fuck. There is no day-night cycle so we can’t even tell...”[/color] Lisa smooshed her cheeks up and wiped her face with her hands. There was a faint rumbling in the distance, like from a motorcycle… [color=DC143C]"I don't know, but I don't sleep heavily enough to sleep through [I]Ella[/I] stomping around,"[/color] Saskia frowned, pressing a hand to their forehead. Where the fuck was she? How had she just disappeared? She had to still be alive… somewhere. She didn't want to leave, in case Ella came back, but how likely was that? If she hadn't walked out on her own two legs… [color=DC143C]"Someone else teleported her,"[/color] Saskia intoned. They furrowed their brow, gaze moving to where the sound was. Their nails dug into the unhealed wound on their hand, drawing enough blood for it to start coating their arm. [color=DC143C]"I don't know what the sound is, but maybe it's whatever kidnapped her."[/color] They didn't even wait for Lisa's response to start heading in its direction. [color=764820]”Wait, Saskia!”[/color] Lisa stuck her hand out. [color=764820]”... At least let me make some Goddamn spiders!”[/color] Lisa shouted, as she did just that. The rumbling got louder… as a cloud of dust smoke came their way. A massive, armored bus, alongside a gaggle of motorcycles. Each motorcyclist was clad in scraps of metal and other bits and pieces to act as armor; their faces were concealed by a cloth that was likely to protect against the elements. One of them noticed Saskia and pointed at them as the convoy changed direction to go towards them. Saskia stopped, narrowing their eyes. They folded their arms and just stared at the bikers unflinchingly, blood crawling across her skin and covering her whole body. The group looked like they were right out of a Mad Max movie or some shit like that… [color=DC143C]"Oy, you seen a girl with bright pink hair?"[/color] they shouted at the motorcyclists when they got close enough. Was it stupid? Yeah, they'd probably attack, but Saskia didn't really care. They'd just kill them all. And they'd kill anyone else in their path until they found Ella. They circled Saskia, and their motorcycles came to a stop. They dismounted, wielding firearms and makeshift weapons. “... No we haven’t,” One of them said. “But don't worry,” Another began, “We’ll find her.” “... Just come with us,” Saskia raised an eyebrow. Oh, did they think she was just some stupid, young woman who’d jump at the offer of help? No. Reckless, irrational right now, but not a complete idiot. [color=DC143C]"You’ll just scare her off. But thanks."[/color] Blood hardened around her, and with a sickening crunch muscular wings pushed through her back. The feeling of her flesh tearing was excruciating, but it felt like nothing compared to the pain of Ella being missing. Nothing. The blood from the wounds was pulled to their central back, blood tendril forming as their wings pushed through. [color=DC143C]"Since you haven’t seen her, I have no use for you. Bye."[/color] The blood tendril shot out for the throat of one of the first motorcyclist that had answered. It penetrated, and he gagged, coughing up blood. “Get her!” “You’re coming with us!” They pulled out nets and tossed them at Saskia. They all bum-rushed them, coming at them from all angles. However, a giant Huntsmen spider came out of nowhere and grabbed the ones with nets. It injected digestive enzymes into his torso as he screamed in horror. The buzzing of insect wings became overpowering. [color=764820]”...Good grief!”[/color] Lisa shouted as she came flying on a spider’s back. It was a tetrablemmidae with wings, and she was crouched down on its abdomen. She looked annoyed, but she had a team of three other spiders. “... What the hell?! Kill it!” One of the bandita said, aiming a machine gun at it and gunning it down. [color=DC143C]"What a pain,"[/color] Saskia intoned. Their wings fully pushed through, sharp tips ripping through the nets that had actually been thrown at them. Her blood tendril swept out, knocking as many as they could off their feet, while more blood formed a thin whip from her fingers. She was starting to get a bit light headed now, but that didn't matter. She lashed the whip out towards the machine gun. It knocked it away… And Lisa tackled Saskia, shouting, [color=764820]”... Get down!”[/color] All five of the giant spiders exploded, spraying acid and razor-sharp chitin in all directions. Many of the raiders were dissolved, while others were horribly injured. Many just outright fled… Lisa sighed, some acid getting on her. [color=764820]”Saskia! What the hell was that?!”[/color] Saskia shrugged, blood sizzling away on her legs where some of the acid had caught them. It hurt, and her head was spinning… but that lessened as she pulled the undamaged blood back into the open wound. [color=DC143C]"They might've had Ella. I planned to kill them either way."[/color] They sat up, frowning, looking round expressionlessly. Hoping to catch sight of bright pink anywhere. Then, she looked over at Lisa, seeming to come back down a bit from the panic that had taken over. [color=DC143C]"Shit. That was stupid, it was just like when she- fuck. When she died before."[/color] Saskia grimaced as she talked, paler than normal as she started to replenish the blood she'd lost when she pushed it too far moments ago. Blood armour and two weapons? She was surprised she hadn't passed out. [color=764820]”I mean if they took Ella, they probably would have taken the rest of us!”[/color] Lisa shouted, throwing her hands into the air. [color=764820]”You saw it! The web was undisturbed! How could they take Ella- but hold still!”[/color] Lisa grabbed Saskia’s arm, and her healing spiders forced their way out of her pores. They climbed from Lisa’s arms onto Saskia’s and burrowed their way in. Lisa released Saskia, then said, [color=764820]”Either way! That was reckless! What are you? Drake Blackmore?!”[/color] Saskia sighed, lips pressing together. Lisa was right. She’d acted like the very person who’d gotten her killed. If it was just her? She wouldn’t care so much. But she didn’t want to put Lisa in danger too. [color=DC143C]"You’re right. Ella’s not here… she’s probably not even nearby."[/color] Saskia stood back up after the healing-spiders had done their job. There was still a different air about her - like there was a detachment from the risk she’d put herself at, an extra unhingedness to normal. But it was reduced from when they woke up. [color=DC143C]"I’ll hold back. But we need to find her. Shit, how do we find her?"[/color] Lisa raised a finger, opening her mouth… [center][hr][hider=Bad Dreams (Instrumental) - Busta Rhymes][youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxosHaW-t4c[/youtube][/hider][hr][/center] “... Your friend has embarked on a mission of love! Of protection!” The Mother Will appeared in the blink of an eye, that smile on her face… “I warned her of a threat to your combined existence! And she told me to take her there!” The Mother Will laughed, “... [i]With [b]passion[/b] like hers, I couldn’t help but oblige![/i]” Saskia was immediately tense, light eyes narrowing into a glare at Mother Will. Their first instinct was to attack, but they knew that wouldn't do anything. Their lips pulled back, practically baring their teeth at the Mother Will. [color=DC143C]"Bring. Her. Back."[/color] The Mother Will laughed. [i]“I refuse.”[/i] The Mother Will began. “She made this decision to protect you all. It is not my place to interrupt it, however...” The Mother Will pointed in a seeming random direction. “She is combatting this threat in the ruins of St. Portwell. Well, one of them.” The Mother Will shrugged. “By the time you get there, one would have killed the other.” Saskia frowned, looking where she pointed. It looked like just any other direction. There was no way to know if it was right… but what else was there to go on? [color=DC143C]"Fine. Fuck off so we can go find her. C’mon, Lisa."[/color] They turned around and started walking in the direction the Mother Will had pointed. Lisa shrugged and followed as the Mother Will sunk into the ground.