[center][hr][img]https://i.imgur.com/SGIReHs.png[/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/11gAoSU.png[/img][hr][/center] More airships hovered in the distance after pushing deeper into the city - just as Yoko stated. However, as the four proceeded, they traveled further and further away from their search area. The town was destroyed, and there wasn’t anything in sight - not that it meant there wasn’t anything there. They kept moving forward, until Yoko raised a hand and said, [color=fce420]”On a scale of one to ten…”[/color] Yoko began. [color=fce420]”... How is everyone doing?”[/color] Yoko came to a stop, and turned towards the group and said, [color=fce420]”Do not lie.”[/color] [color=DC143C]"Solid six. Average. Never been higher."[/color] Saskia intoned. [color=764820]”I’d saaaaaaaaaay five,”[/color] Lisa said, rubbing the back of her head. [color=764820]”I’m here! That counts for something… right?!”[/color] Lisa smiled widely. [color=fce420]”Survival is better than the alternative, Turner,”[/color] Yoko nodded her head. [color=fce420]”Just stay sharp; a five is dangerous in the Pit.”[/color] Lisa shrugged, [color=764820]”This place kinda brings it out of you.”[/color] Ella hummed, thinking about it. Could she really put her feelings on a scale? Well she guessed it wasn’t her feelings but rather how she was doing, but wasn’t that also her feelings? She didn’t like putting a number to it. [color=e77fbf]"An elated eight! I could keep going for hours!"[/color] Yoko stared at Ella momentarily before nodding and saying, [color=fce420]”... Excellent, Disciple.”[/color] Yoko said before lowering her hand, turning around, and walking back in the direction they were going. Lisa followed behind Yoko, and the airships in the distance faded out of view as they continued marching through the streets, which were thick with the smell of rotting bodies, ash, and decay. There was a strange sense of purpose to the way the debris was scattered. Yoko stopped, then Lisa stopped behind her… Ahead was a row of overturned vehicles ahead, but they weren’t arranged in a chaotic way like one would expect from The Pit. They formed a subtle barrier, almost blending in with the wreckage. [color=764820]”... Something’s not right here,”[/color] Lisa added. [color=fce420]”Let’s go,”[/color] Yoko said as she just proceed forward. [color=fce420]”The Autoknights are going to swarm this city at this rate looking for us.”[/color] [color=e77fbf]"Feels like they’re watching us,"[/color] Ella commented quietly, talking about the vehicles. She felt unnerved by it. The smell was horrible, and she was immediately on alert, extending her senses like Yoko had taught her to sense anything that so much as moved as they continued onwards. [color=fce420]”We’re in the Pit, of course, something is watching us,”[/color] Yoko said with a nod of her head as she paused for a moment before hopping surprisingly high onto the top of the barricade before jumping to the other side. Spider legs retracted from Lisa’s back. Even though the zeppelins were out of sight, they could still be heard in the distance. As the group moved past the barricades, cars, debris, and even a few trash bins were stacked to make the area seem closed off, but not blatantly. Various windows and doorways had cloths and curtains covering them that fluttered in the wind. An alleyway was completely blocked off by debris... [color=764820]”Yoko…”[/color] Lisa muttered, as extra eyes formed on her temples and upper cheeks, [color=764820]”You see this?”[/color] Yoko didn’t respond but merely stopped after closing her eyes. [color=fce420]”... Keep moving,”[/color] Yoko calmly whispered, [color=fce420]”[i]We are not alone.[/i]”[/color] [color=764820]”Wait, who are they?”[/color] Lisa asked, whispering. [color=fce420]”Survivors,”[/color] Yoko succinctly answered, before putting the Yokai Killer away and pulling out the Dragon’s Wisdom. [color=fce420]”They do not want to be noticed. All we to do is calmly walk through and they’ll leave us alove.”[/color] [color=e77fbf]"Are you sure?"[/color] Ella asked quietly, extending her senses to catch the slight movements and all the oddly placed things. It was more obvious the further they walked. [color=e77fbf]"What if the Autoknights get them?"[/color] [color=DC143C]"That’s not our problem,"[/color] Saskia said, blood subtly coating their hand just in case. Lisa’s Exoskeleton was not-so-subtly wrapped around her. [color=fce420]” It’s sad to say, but we cannot save everyone down here,”[/color] Yoko said with a sigh as she quietly moved forward. [color=fce420]”Given the nature of the Pit and our circumstances, we can only save ourselves.”[/color] Lisa followed closely behind Yoko, her additional eyes scanning the area as they moved through the streets. Vehicles were stacked naturally, yet their placement had a purpose as if it were created to make a maze. [color=764820]”I don’t like this…”[/color] Lisa muttered, [color=764820]”... They are watching us.”[/color] [color=fce420]”Of course they are,”[/color] Yoko said, [color=fce420]”They don’t want a fight with us… even though they outnumber us, they don’t want to risk a confrontation with the Autoknights or the other monsters that reside in the Pit.”[/color] Yoko paused for a moment. [color=fce420]”... [i]They are not a threat unless we make them one.[/i]”[/color] [color=764820]”Are you sure?”[/color] Lisa asked. Yoko stopped and turned on her heel towards Lisa as she said, [color=fce420]”... [i]They haven’t attacked, have they?[/i]”[/color] [color=DC143C]"Not [i]yet[/i],"[/color] Saskia said, head tilting. [color=e77fbf]"And they won’t!"[/color] Ella ushered them onwards. The other two were just being too pessimistic! Sure nearly everything in this hellhole had already attacked them, but that didn’t mean these survivors would. And even if they did, they could totally take them. [color=e77fbf]"The quicker we get through the less chance that they change their mind!"[/color] [color=DC143C]"If I see a glimpse of another person, I’m killing them,"[/color] Saskia intoned. [color=DC143C]"I can’t extend my senses, so if I do, they’re too close."[/color] [color=fce420]”Let’s not, Otten,”[/color] Yoko whispered, [color=fce420]”One, that’s escalating. And two, we should attempt to preserve life whenever we can… even here. But, let’s just get out of here and stop talking about it.”[/color] Yoko sighed. They kept moving, and as they moved, there was a faint rustling, some barely audible chattering here and there, and the glint of eyes watching them poking from their hiding spaces. Yoko pulled the Dragon’s Wisdom from its sheath, and water dripped down as Yoko scanned the windows. [color=fce420]”Just a few more blocks,”[/color] Yoko whispered, [color=fce420]”Then we should be out.”[/color] As the four continued through the streets of the ruined city, they approached an intersection with an abandoned bus in the center… cars and chest-high barricades were scattered about in strategic locations. Yoko paused momentarily as her grip on the Dragon’s Wisdom tightened. The streets were quiet save for the distant hum of the Autoknight Airship, which seemed to be subtly growing [i]louder[/i]. Yoko closed her eyes before they shot open. [color=fce420]”... [i]Everyone stop![/i]”[/color] Yoko commanded as she whipped out the Dragon’s Wisdom, and Lisa summoned a wave of spiders. Her command echoed through the empty streets as the survivors who watched their every movement stopped being subtle. Several of them quickly popped from the buildings that were covered with ragged clothes, armed with rifles (including the oversized muskets used by the Autoknights), bows and arrows, and even some makeshift slingshots. “... Don’t get any closer to the bus!” A gruff voice shouted from the windows. There was a flash of a scope from one of the rooftops as survivors on the ground floor came out wielding rusty pipes and makeshift spears. A man came from the top bus, wielding a very beaten up and dirty M16 rifle, as he shouted, “One more step and you’re all dead!” “You don’t know what we’ve lost to protect what’s in that bus!” A woman wielding a bow shouted from the second-floor window. “We won’t let anyone take them!” “We fought Bando’s men off before!” Another woman shouted it was hard to tell at this point, “Don’t fucking test us! We’ve been down here for God knows how long!” [color=fce420]”You three, take cover!”[/color] Yoko said, giving them a wave of her hand. [color=fce420]”I’m going to try and talk them down!”[/color] It began to rain… Without a word, Lisa jumped inside one of the empty cars… and several of her spiders were applied with the Enlarge spell and began growing inside of her ethereal cocoons. Saskia jumped into another car, on the opposite side to Lisa. They crouched down, wings shoving through their back and beginning to grow, shaped to have long sharp bones along the tips as well as at the top joint. Blood coated the rest of their body. [color=e77fbf]"I’m not letting you do this alone!"[/color] Ella declared, refusing to run and hide. It wasn’t in her nature! She didn’t move, except from her eyes that scanned between all the people visible. Senses extended to find the rest… then she spoke. [color=e77fbf]"We’re just passing through! We’re not here to take anything from you. We just want to get out of the city."[/color] Yoko strongly snatched Ella’s wrist and stared her in the eye as she said, [color=fce420]”.. Let. Me. Handle. [i]This[/i].”[/color] [color=e77fbf]"No way. A magical girl never abandons her friends,"[/color] Ella replied, completely unphased by the strong grip on her wrist or the eye contact. She just met it with a smile. [color=e77fbf]"[i]Never.[/i]"[/color] [color=fce420]”... You’re not abandoning anybody!”[/color] Yoko hunched down and tried to whisper. [color=fce420]”In case this goes south, I don’t want you-”[/color] “... Heard that before!” The man on top of the bus with the M16 shouted, “‘Just passing through’ - that’s what they all say before they take everything! Shelter. Supplies. [i]Lives.[/i]” “You don’t know what’s at stake!” The woman with the bow shouted. “What’s in that bus is all we have left!” From the windows, one of the survivors, a younger man barely out of his teens, shouted nervously, “... They’re lying! They’re with the Kingdom; just look at those weapons!” “I say we open fire now!” [color=764820]”Yoko…”[/color] Lisa groaned. Yoko sighed. [color=fce420]”... We are not trying to take anything from you!”[/color] Yoko said, taking a step forward. [color=fce420]”You do not need to protect that bus from us.”[/color] “It’s not the bus…” The man with the M16 said, “... It’s the children we got inside of it!” [color=fce420]”... Children?”[/color] Yoko whispered. “Now you know why we can’t let you through! No one is getting near them. No one!” The man shouted, “Turn around or die!” Ella's mouth fell open. [color=e77fbf]"Children can fall into the pit?"[/color] [color=fce420]”... [i][b]Anyone[/b] can enter the Pit,[/i]”[/color] Yoko answered. Ella looked over towards the bus, then back to the man shouting. She wasn’t sure what to do. They couldn’t go back, because they’d have to fight AutoKnights, but… she didn’t want to fight these people. They were humans just like them. Struggling. [color=e77fbf]"Yoko, will we be able to survive if we turn back?"[/color] Ella whispered, sounding pained. The spiders burst out of the cocoons… tetrablemmid spiders. They weren’t just large but armed with the pincer of the Rhinoceros beetle. The rain intensified. [color=fce420]”We can…”[/color] Yoko said. [color=fce420]”I haven’t taught you everything, but I [i]have[/i] taught you well, Brooks.”[/color] The rain beat down on all of them, soaking all of their clothes, but Yoko took a step forward and spoke, [color=fce420]”... I know what it’s like to lose [i]everything,[/i] to fight for what’s [i]left[/i]. We don’t want your shelter, your supplies, or [i]your children.[/i] I can’t imagine what it’s been like to protect those kids, but if you think we’re here to take from you, you're wrong. We’re [i]not[/i] with the Kingdom or Bando’s men. We’re [i]not[/i] like them.”[/color] Yoko put a hand on her chest. [color=fce420]”If necessary, we will turn back.”[/color] Yoko said, [color=fce420]”We can handle the Autoknights! [i]We don’t want to an unnecessary fight![/i]”[/color] The man on the bus narrowed his eyes, his finger hovered just off the trigger. "You say that… but I’ve heard that bullshit before! [i]‘We just need to pass through; we’re not here for trouble’![/i] And every time we’ve trusted people like you, we’ve paid for it!" Yoko quickly pulled the Dragon’s Wisdom out of the sheath as she shouted, [color=fce420]”Use your damn heads! If we were going to attack you, [i]we would have done so already![/i] We don’t have an army; we don’t have the numbers to take [i]anything[/i] by force!”[/color] The woman with the bow shouted from the second-floor window. "How do we know you’re telling the truth? You’ve got monsters with you!” She pointed at the giant spiders Lisa created, “And [i]magic![/i] How do we know you’re not part of some raid?" [color=fce420]”I get that you all are scared!”[/color] Yoko shouted, [color=fce420]”But think of those damn children! Haven’t they seen [i]enough[/i] violence?! Even if the four of us go down… I assure you that a [i][b]majority[/b][/i] of you are going down with us! Haven’t they lost enough?!”[/color] The man on the bus looked down at Yoko and then at the people with him. "We can’t afford to trust strangers!" [color=fce420]”You don’t [i]have[/i] to!”[/color] Yoko waved her hand, [color=fce420]”You just need to let us walk away!”[/color] "You expect us just to let you walk away? After everything we’ve been through, after everyone we’ve lost?!" The man shouted. One of the younger men stepped forward from behind a makeshift barricade. His hands trembled as he clutched an old, rusted rifle. "They’re lying! They’re just stalling so they can bring the whole damn Kingdom down on us!" The man on the bus shouted, "Hold your fire! We’re not-" Then Yoko shouted, pointing back towards the airships coming their way. [color=fce420]”Use your damn head, the Autoknights are-”[/color][center][hr][hider=Bad Dreams - Tricky][youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TBCR7ZwUH8[/youtube][/hider][hr][/center]The young man squeezed the trigger, and the thunderclap of the rusted rifle flashed through the street. The bullet cut through the air, and before Yoko could react, it hit her in the abdomen, right underneath her breast. She screamed as she fell backward and hit the ground. "Open fire!" another survivor screamed, and suddenly, arrows and bullets flew through the rain. [color=764820]”Yoko!”[/color] Lisa shouted before the spiders charged at the bus and were met with a barrage of bullets and arrows. Spiderwebs immediately bound the man on top of the bus. [color=e77fbf]"Yoko, no!"[/color] Ella screamed, dropping to her knees. She then dropped fully, a bullet still catching her arm. But it wasn’t a place that could kill her like Yoko’s. [color=e77fbf]"Just wait, I’ve got you!"[/color] She raised her channeler, bathing Yoko in healing light. [color=DC143C]"Just kill them,"[/color] Saskia hissed. She raised a hand, shooting a blood bullet at the shoulder of the young man who’d shot first. At the same time, one of her wings sliced through the car she was hiding in, pulling the metal closer in front of her. [color=DC143C]"It’d be a mercy."[/color] [color=764820]”... They shot first!”[/color] Lisa shouted as the man on the bus's roof received a chitinous spear through the bottom of his jaw straight through the top of his skull. It retracted, and he flopped over, head. The spiders she summoned were shredded, but Lisa summoned more. Yoko hissed as the bullet was pushed out of her, and she climbed to her feet. [color=fce420]”... Otten and Turner are right!”[/color] Was the first thing Yoko said, [color=fce420]”We cannot hold back!”[/color] Yoko quickly disappeared in a speed that disrupted the rain patterns as Yoko seemingly teleported past the group of melee-wielding survivors. A moment later a cut appeared in their bodies… [color=fce420]”... Find cover!”[/color] Yoko shouted. [color=fce420]”Go into the building! Something!”[/color] Yoko took a defensive position as their bullets and arrows seemingly bounced off her body. [color=e77fbf]"But what about the children?!"[/color] Ella wailed. She scrambled forward, legs glowing with prismatic light to power her forward. She kicked into a guy in her way and shoved through a door. [color=DC143C]"They have a miserable life anyway!"[/color] Saskia shouted. Their blood tendril shoved through a broken car window to spear the neck of the person nearest. Lisa was right behind Ella, with spider legs out of her back. They had entered an apartment, and the sound of the survivors stomping around upstairs was oppressive. Lisa summoned more spiders, and said to Ella, [color=764820]”... I’m not sure how long Yoko can keep that going,”[/color] Lisa began, [color=764820]”We need to get at the people with the guns.”[/color] Ella nodded. Now that she was inside, she was out of the rain. She held out her hands, coating them with electricity. [color=e77fbf]"Stay behind me."[/color] The spiders that Lisa summoned climbed on top of Lisa and underneath her clothes. She located the stairs and made her way up as quietly as possible. She immediately kicked down the door that met her, blasting anything in the room with electricity. The room Ella burst into was once a modest living space, but it had been hastily converted into a makeshift defensive position. The walls were lined with barricades made from furniture, scraps of wood, and whatever else the survivors could scavenge. The survivors inside the room had been entirely caught off guard by the sudden attack. They had been in the middle of fortifying their position when the door was kicked open. A few were armed with makeshift weapons—rusty pipes, repurposed tools, and even firearms. They scrambled for cover as the lightning surged through the room, struck the other side, and immediately ignited the dilapidated building. “... What the hell!? What the hell?!” One man shouted as he dove behind cover. A woman dove behind an overturned couch, dropping her rifle that was held together by the duct tape. “They’re in the building! We need to-” Her voice was cut off by a loud crack as a ceiling beam fell, nearly crushing her. “We need to get out of here!” A man shouted, his voice somewhat drowned out by the fire and electricity. “The whole place is coming down!” The horde of venomous spiders that Lisa was carrying dispersed into the room. They quickly sought out their targets and began biting at them, quickly and quietly eliminating her targets. [color=e77fbf]"Whoops! Didn’t mean to set it on fire!"[/color] Ella laughed awkwardly, having not used electricity on purpose… but this worked! They couldn’t shoot Yoko from a burning building! She grabbed the ice scepter, pulling it out and shooting beams of ice at anyone that was trying to escape that Lisa’s spiders didn’t get. [color=e77fbf]"Sorry! It’s- it’s better this way!"[/color] "Get them off! Get them off!" one man screamed as Lisa's venomous spiders swarmed over him. Another survivor, a woman, was frantically trying to extinguish the fire on her jacket after being grazed by one of Ella's ice beams. She stumbled backward, crashing into a wooden beam, "It's all burning! We have to get out!" She cried out. One man dashed the door, trying to outrun the spiders - but one lept from the wall and landed on his neck. Before he could flick it off, it sunk its fangs into his neck, and he landed facefirst into some debris. Another survivor crouched behind an overturned table, gripping a rusted pipe tightly. "....[i]Where the hell did they come from?![/i]" He shouted, his voice shaking. "This wasn’t supposed to happen!" The building groaned under the pressure of the flames. More beams cracked and collapsed, sending showers of sparks into the air. The survivors, their numbers dwindling, were cornered, suffocating in the smoke and overwhelmed by the onslaught of spiders and ice. Ella kept up ice blasting anyone who tried to escape, covering her mouth with an arm and backing away towards Lisa. [color=e77fbf]"We should get out before we get buried in here too!"[/color] She looked around - they were only on the second floor. Jumping down wouldn’t kill them… [color=e77fbf]"I’m sorry!"[/color] Ella shouted at the survivors, ice scepter going back to its holster. In its place a massive, pink fireball formed in her hand. She grabbed Lisa with her other arm before throwing the fireball at where most of the survivors had been forced to hide. As soon as she’d thrown it, holding tightly onto Lisa, she kicked down the nearest wall and jumped outside. Soft rainbow light covered her as she [i]tried[/i] to protect herself with orange lux… but it wasn’t perfect. It still fucking hurt when she landed, protecting Lisa with her own body, but! She wasn’t dead and nothing was broken! Outside, the fight continued to rage as Yoko faced off against the survivors in the street with the rain pelting all three of them, which mixed with the thick smoke from the burning building. They could hear the distant shouts of survivors rallying behind makeshift cover- abandoned cars, broken fences, and anything else they could find to shield themselves. Yoko took cover behind one of the abandoned cars they used as they opened fire on her position, and Yoko held the Dragon’s Wisdom, one hand on the hilt and the other on the sheath. [color=fce420]”... [i]Don’t you idiots know you’re just going to bring the Autoknights on top of your damn heads!?[/i]”[/color] Yoko screamed at the top of her lungs, her voice trembling at the end. Nobody heard her, or they didn’t [i]listen[/i]. Someone charged her position with a rusted shotgun, but before he could react, Yoko appeared on the other side of him… Slowly sheathing the Dragon’s Wisdom, before a slash appeared on his chest, and he fell over dead. Another man came from behind her, wielding a makeshift spear, and Yoko quickly turned around as he dove the spear into her chest - and seemingly did nothing. He tilted his head before Yoko slashed the spear in half, and the blade extended as she slashed at his stomach and his intestines hit the ground. He dropped the spear before he fell backward, desperately trying to push his intestines back into his body. Yoko didn’t finish him as she placed the Dragon’s Wisdom back into the sheath. A woman, soaked from the rain but filled with fury, stood far from Lisa and Ella, hoisting a makeshift flamethrower pieced together from old fuel tanks and spare parts. She pulled a lever and screamed, [i]“Take this, you freaks!”[/i] The flamethrower unleashed a firey arc directly at Lisa and Ella. [color=e77fbf]"BY SAILOR MOON!"[/color] Ella physically threw Lisa to the side before shifting her stance, and the rainbow aura around her strengthened. The first blast of the flamethrower hit her, causing her clothes to start burning (but the rain out that out thankfully). But then she stabilised her block spell, tanking the continued stream of fire. A bone spear came out of nowhere, shooting right at the woman's head, piercing through it and she slumped over dead. [color=DC143C]"Don't just stand there, take cover!"[/color] Saskia shouted, from the opposite side of the street. They were tearing through makeshift shields with their wings, protecting themselves from bullets by wrapping them around themselves. They spun around, gouging out a man's chest with the sharp tips of their wings. The rain hissed against the fires, creating a layer of steam that made it hard to see or breathe… Lisa ducked behind a makeshift encampment made from scrap metal and other debris, with the fire to her back, and summoned five Tetrablemmidae spiders applied with the Enlarge and Hybridization spells. Behind them, she summoned a wave of venomous spiders but remained put. Behind a rusted van, three survivors huddled together not too far away from the leading group, “We can’t hold them off like this; we need to-” A bullet whirled by his head before he said, "Where the hell are the others?!" "They’re dead," An older woman gripping a rusted homemade pistol said, "We fight, or we’re dead too." “... How the fuck are we going to fight that?!” The man shouted. “They… they have magic!” "If we die, we take one of them with us!" The woman spoke, before she let out her battle cry, popped out of cover, and aimed the pistol at Saskia. Yoko appeared at her side, and before the woman could turn towards her, Yoko slashed upwards and sliced her hand off. She screamed as her hand hit the ground, then she fell to her knees as blood spurted in all directions. “Holy shit!” The man with the shield charged Yoko, but the Dragon’s Wisdom extended and with a slash, she went through both the shield and the man. He slumped over dead. “Oh my God!” The last woman quickly cut on run. “Who the fuck are these three?!” One of them shouted in the distance. “Who gives a shit?!” A man shouted, “Keep fighting!” Despite their brave battle cry, many of them were simply cutting their losses and running with as much as they could. The rest formed a makeshift defensive position around the bus, gathering as many firearms and scrap as possible to huddle into a bunker position. Then started barraging all four of them with gunfire and whatever other projectiles they had. Silently, Lisa sent her spider horde into their position... Yoko appeared in an alleyway in a burst of supernatural speed. She pressed her back against the wall, as a barrage of bullets went her way and pinned her down. [color=fce420]”... Look around you!”[/color] Yoko shouted at them, [color=fce420]”You’re fighting for [i]what?![/i] To lose more of your own?! At this rate, the children you are fighting [i][b]so[/b][/i] hard to defend[i] are going to die due to your collective stupidity![/i]”[/color] It likely went unhead as they kept firing. [color=DC143C]"It would be a mercy if the children died,"[/color] Saskia intoned, forced to take cover behind a car door again. They looked over it, throwing a bone spear at a gap in their makeshift defences. [color=e77fbf]"Please! You can't win this!"[/color] Ella shouted, joining Yoko in trying to get them to back down. They didn't have to kill all of them. They'd killed enough to make a point! She let out a shout of pain as a bullet hit her arm, but ignored it - it could be healed later! She pressed against a wall to get some cover and shot a continuous beam of light at the scrap. Ella concentrated on making it as hot as possible, pushing it further until it reached metal melting temperatures, like a laser beam cutting through. The survivors’ makeshift defenses around the bus were crumbling under the relentless pressure. The heat from Ella's beam began warping the metal, and the scrap barricade they had hastily constructed was starting to buckle. The panicked voices of those behind it grew louder… “Fall back!” one of the survivors screamed, grabbing at the others around him. "The barricade’s gonna melt, we can’t stay here!" “No! We hold here! If we give an inch, we’re dead anyway!” Another shouted as they reloaded. “What the fuck?! Spiders!?” Another woman screamed, before they began panicking. One man finally broke. He dropped his rifle, hands raised in surrender. "I’m done! I’m not dying for this!" He turned and sprinted away, disappearing into the maze of streets. “Wait, what the fuck is tha-” There was a roar as a man was launched through the air, and landed right by Lisa and Ella. He died on impact, but there was shooting from behind the barricade. “... Fuck this!” A woman shouted, running out of the barricade before a [url=https://i.imgur.com/FT7tzRR.jpeg]massive creature[/url] lept from the formation, only to pounced on her and ripped her to pieces as it ate her alive. She screamed and thrashed before she just stopped…. [color=fce420]”... Good grief,”[/color] Yoko facepalmed. [color=fce420]”You all should have listened!”[/color] When Yoko shouted that, the monster ceased eating the woman before charging at Yoko…. [color=e77fbf]"Yoko!"[/color] Ella shouted. But she was too far away… she moved her light beam to hitting the creature, aiming for its eye and ignoring the burning of her own hand. [color=DC143C]"Shit."[/color] Saskia launched themselves forward towards the creature, slashing at its side with the large, sharp bone at their wing tip. The two attacks hit the creature, and knocked it over, but it climbed to its feet… and was met with a barrage of gunfire that it quickly healed from. Then the gunfire targeted the four, and Yoko shouted, [color=fce420]”... Don’t worry about me!”[/color] Yoko shouted as she drew the Dragon’s Wisdom… the rain water collected around the creature, and with a flex of the sword and sheathe, the beast was launched into the barricade, where it wreaked havoc there. [color=fce420]”... While they are distracted, push forward!”[/color] Yoko commanded. [color=e77fbf]"Push forward to where?!"[/color] Ella shouted, coming out from her cover. She stopped the beam of light, grimacing as she looked down at her burnt hand. It was fine… Yoko. facepalmed [color=DC143C]"To them, idiot,"[/color] Saskia hissed. They spread their wings, to fly forward and land on top of the school bus. They crouched on it, wings wrapping back around them protectively. Ella ran forward, a rainbow leg coming up to kick someone out of the way as she did. Lisa didn’t proceed forward; however, at this point, the tetrablemmids burst from their cocoons the size of a small car, sprouting dragonfly wings, as they charged forward in her stead. There were panicked screaming as the combined assault from Lisa’s spiders, and the creature was causing many of the survivors to cut and run. “Get back! Get back!” One of the survivors shouted as his makeshift rifle let off a few rounds against the oversized spider, which pierced its exoskeleton but barely saved him from getting consumed by the creature. Yoko quickly appeared in a burst of speed, her hand on the sword… … She vomited seconds later. The creature roared as it thrashed through the remains of the barricade, its body healing almost instantly from any damage inflicted by the few survivors still firing at it. The rain swirled violently as Yoko swung her sword, sending a torrent of water crashing into the creature. The force knocked it back again, smashing it into a nearby car. One of Lisa’s spiders flew over to it, exploded in a burst of acid that dissolved the monster’s flesh, and took out a few survivors. It screeched in pain as the acid sizzled, but the rain washed some of it off… "We're not dying like dogs!" one of the survivors screamed as he hefted an improvised grenade launcher and fired it toward one of Lisa's spiders. The grenade exploded on impact, blowing off the spider’s legs… and the spider fell over dead. However, the creature regenerated from the acid as it clawed at Yoko. However, it was met by the Dragon’s Wisdom and was launched off balance. One more swipe from the sword went through its chest, and it stumbled backward as the wounds regenerated. Then Yoko slashed both of its legs off, and before it had a chance to realize it hit the ground, the Dragon’s Wisdom pierced its skull. It slumped over, dead, and Yoko pulled the sword from its skull. Meanwhile, two men charged forward, aiming rifles at Saskia on top of the bus, while a woman sprinted toward Ella, knife in hand, screaming a battle cry as she leaped at her. Most of the survivor group was running away in fear…. Ella easily dodged the wild swing, slamming an as hard as iron leg into her leg to trip her over. Then she jumped on top of her, pulling the knife out of her grip and throwing it away. [color=e77fbf]"I'm so sorry!"[/color] Ella said as she sliced the woman's throat with a hot beam of light in what she hoped would be a quick death. [color=DC143C]"Oh, you're going to shoot me?"[/color] Saskia intoned. They tilted their head, before pursing their lips. Two incredibly accurate globs of spit hit the rifle barrels. It immediately hardened and covered the entire front. They then spread their wings mockingly. [color=DC143C]"Go on, try."[/color] The two men pulled the trigger at the same time, and then the round exploded into their hands. It sent shrapnel and metal fragments in all directions and shredded their hands and faces. They dropped the rifles, looking at their hands, then back up at Saskia before they turned around and bolted away into the alleyways and streets of the Pit. At this point, everyone fighting had lost the will to continue and fled. The scraping of metal on concrete could be heard as the remaining survivors, those who hadn’t fled rose from their positions. Some staggered away, dragging injured comrades, while others simply collapsed where they stood, the fight wholly drained from them. The battlefield fell eerily silent as the rain stopped. Yoko sighed as she wiped the excess rain off the Dragon’s Wisdom and sheathed it with a poignant click. The spiders that Lisa summoned stood tall, and she climbed from beneath cover and walked over to them, and placed her hands against them. A web-like pattern appeared on their wounds. [color=764820]”Holy shit…”[/color] Lisa groaned, her jaw dropped. [color=764820]”... I just, I’m at a loss for words.”[/color] Yoko sighed as she closed her eyes, [color=fce420]”There is no time for regrets, Turner. They didn’t give us [i]any[/i] other option.”[/color] [color=764820]”I mean, just…”[/color] Lisa looked at one of the corpses of the survivors as she slumped down onto the side of the spider. [color=764820]”Holy fuck.”[/color] [color=fce420]”We can’t afford to get stuck in the moment, Turner,”[/color] Yoko said to Lisa before turning back towards where they came from. The airships were in full view now, and they floated in one line in their direction. There were twelve in view, but they still had plenty of time to escape before they even had a chance to catch sight of them. [color=fce420]”We didn’t come here for them; we came here for the All-Blade and my brother.”[/color] Lisa was silent for a moment, as her exoskeleton disappeared, and her excess eyes faded back into her flesh. Lisa turned towards the bus, [color=764820]”... What about the kids?”[/color] [color=fce420]”... Wait!”[/color] Yoko turned towards the bus. [color=fce420]”They left them!”[/color] Ella’s eyes widened, clothes going back to normal as she stared at the bus. What did they do about the children? They couldn’t leave them behind, but they couldn’t take them with them either… She felt sick. Ella squatted on the ground, hiding her face in her knees. [color=DC143C]"We kill them."[/color] Saskia said, still crouched on top of the bus. Their wings were slowly being pulled back into their back. [color=DC143C]"As painlessly as possible."[/color] [hr][center][hider=Don’t Look Behind (Requiem) - Black Lagoon OST][youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1mcHM92fiM[/youtube][/hider][/center][hr]Lisa and Yoko were silent. They stared at Saskia, and their expressions did not change at all. The streets were eerily silent, save for the hum of the Autoknights’ airship approaching. However, Yoko broke the silence. [color=fce420]”... [i]I agree.[/i]”[/color] [color=e77fbf]"No way!"[/color] Ella looked up at Yoko, then at Saskia. There was… they couldn’t… They were children. The adults were one thing… even if Ella hadn’t wanted to kill them. They’d attacked first. But the children? [color=e77fbf]"We can’t!"[/color] [color=DC143C]"What else can we do?"[/color] Saskia jumped down from the top of the bus to the entrance, blood blade forming on the back of their hand. [color=DC143C]"Better us than a monster. We can’t look after them. I’ll do it if no one else can."[/color] Ella shook her head. No way. She looked over at Lisa. [color=e77fbf]"You don’t… agree, do you, Lisa?"[/color] Lisa stood awkwardly, only hanging her head as she played with her fingers. [color=764820]”... Yes, I do.”[/color] Yoko walked over to Ella, placed a hand on her shoulder, and looked her in the eye as she said, [color=fce420]”Disciple… I don’t want to do this. And I can tell Lisa or Saskia does not want to do this either, but tell me, what option do they have?”[/color] Yoko paused, and her words hung. [color=fce420]”Like Saskia said, they cannot come with us. The best case scenario is that they get consumed by a monster. Worst-case scenario...”[/color] Yoko sighed. [color=764820]”... What do you suggest we do then?!”[/color] Lisa shouted at Ella, swiping her hand as she took deep breaths. [color=e77fbf]"I don’t know."[/color] Ella held her head in her hands, looking down, unable to keep up the eye contact with Yoko. She knew they were right. And she knew none of them wanted to do it… but she just couldn’t accept it. How did that make them any better than all of those monsters? Because they were doing it to prevent something worse? She looked back up, tears spilling down her cheeks. [color=e77fbf]"I can’t do it. I really can’t do it."[/color] Would she be able to call herself a Magical Girl if she did? Could she even call herself a Magical Girl for letting it happen? But she would… always choose her friends. [color=DC143C]"You don’t have to."[/color] Saskia said, nearly expressionless. But Ella knew them well enough to notice the minute changes - the reluctance hidden in their cold eyes. They really didn’t want to do it… [color=DC143C]"I’ll do your share. Or all of them. I’ll take on that burden. I know exactly where to cut to make it quick and painless."[/color] [color=fce420]”Lisa, stick with Saskia as she does it,”[/color] Yoko trailed off, then sighed as she grabbed onto Ella’s hand and used her strength to lift her up to her feet. [color=fce420]”Disciple, let’s go; I know you don’t want to watch this. We’ll be a few blocks that way.”[/color] Yoko pointed in the direction, then began heading that way as she left Lisa and Saskia… She began to walk away with Ella in tow. A few moments after they got out of earshot, that static voice appeared in their heads… [i]… ?…?…You-...-id….?...?...right…?...?... thing….[/i] The voice paused for a moment before speaking clearly. [i]…?...?...?... [b]I still love you.[/b][/i]