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 Posted: Thu Aug 06, 2015 12:50 am
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After an uneventful hike through the desert, stretched out over the course of an hour, the royalist forces at last found themselves staring into the entrance of the rebel headquarters. Tucked around a cliff in the sand dunes, the cavern mouth would have been near impossible to spot from a distance. At a gesture from the hooded figure, the drones marched to the front of the brigade. Then, moving in silence, the troops crept into the enemy territory.
The tunnels were long and circuitous. Without a map or a guide, it would have been all too easy to become lost in the labyrinth. Even so, their journey was not long. Abruptly the hooded figure called for a halt. In the stillness that followed, echoes of voices reverberated clearly through the halls. They were close, just around the corner even. With a flick of their wrist, the figure pointed.
---
In the midst of all the Initiative's idle chatter came a rumble from down the hall. It was not the rumble of collapsing tunnels, or of distant thunder, but the rumble of an army.
The initiative had little warning. Drones suddenly flooded the cavern, forcing any stragglers into the centre of the base along with the others. They fanned out to surround the rebels in a semi-circle. More trolls surged in from the tunnels behind, many in military uniform, but interspaced between were teenagers and even children still accompanied by lusii. A plethora of weapons extended towards the rebels.
Springing immediately into action, Byakko had rushed to the front lines. "Everybody- backs together!" Her gleaming kanabō was drawn, expression absolutely livid as her stare darted around the cavern at the intruders. Her mind raced as she tried to recollect her footing; how had the military known they'd be meeting that night--
Suddenly out from between the drones was a crack of gunfire. A small hole formed in the cavern wall behind the Initiative's leader.
Byakko didn't even register the pain at first. Her initial reaction was to glance down at herself, as always, to check for mutant pink blood- and there it was, splattered across the white pelt she wore for all to see. A chill took her.
The meticulously kept mask she had worn for so long had been shattered.
Her stomach lurched, knotting firmly in her throat. Akko's robe had been blown clean off her shoulder from the buck of the shot, and although her upper arm had only been lightly grazed, her brightly coloured blood dripped and collected at her sandals. Swallowing hard, the rebel leader steadied her stoical composure the best she could. They were trapped, and her secret was out.
"Why are you here?!" Byakko trembled with rage, knuckles whitening as she tightened her grasp around her club. It still didn't make sense to her. She had placed guards at the base for weeks- the military had never even sent so much as a scout. Why now of all times, why at full force? They weren't attacking, and seemed to be awaiting further orders.
Either way, she already knew the answer to her question.
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Posted: Thu Aug 06, 2015 1:21 am
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As the rebels rushed to form a defence, a hoarse voice cut over the din. “Oi, oi! What kind of welcome is this?” There was absolute pandemonium. Weapons were drawn, voices shrill. In the cavern corridors, every sound was amplified a dozen times.
“Why doesn't everyone just... quiet down.”
Suddenly there was a loud crack. For a moment, all was still.
“...Well isn’t that interesting?” Stepping out from behind a wall of drones, the hooded figure appeared. They carried a still smoking rifle in their right hand. Stowing the gun, the figure nodded towards the rebel leader. “The leader of this pathetic insurgence is a mutant. To think you managed to hide it for this long...” Where the bullet had clipped Byakko, a ribbon of pink blood laced her arm, and splashed up against her cheek. The blood dribbled down her chin for all the world to see. The figure smiled.
“It's a damn shame,” they continued. “But I guess we all have our secrets... Right, Legs?” Reaching up, they drew back their hood and cast aside the cloak. As the shadows fell away a troll with wild hair and tattooed eyes emerged. A crosshair symbol marked their chest.
Grinning, Kursha passed his gaze over the rebels. “So, anyone mind telling me and my friends what we missed?”
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Posted: Thu Aug 06, 2015 9:09 am
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Posted: Thu Aug 06, 2015 9:25 am
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“Agitated” was quickly becoming Rasali’s default state of being. As firmly as she stood behind the Phoenix Initiative, their presence in her life was rarely a sign of good things yet to come. The location back at the Chittentown base wasn’t helping Rasali’s nerves in the least either. Still, she had a significant hand in messing the place up, it was only right to help clean things up.
The physical labor helped settle Rasali’s thoughts. The awful memories were making it difficult to focus on a positive outcome. She hoped desperately that it was merely her difficulties with long-term planning that were making the situation seem more troublesome than it was. Still, Rasali was having a hard time imagining how things would get better. Sure they had the Stepmother Grub, but she would hardly help in countering against the queen’s numbers. Really she was just a big, symbolically important target, to say nothing of the grubs in her care.
Bloodfest was only capable of doing so much to distract Rasali from the reality that was her dangerous lifestyle. Her trip to Civisect had reached a disastrously epic finale in which she broke down and confessed her rebel activity to Aandes. Rasali blamed the heat rising in her cheeks on the heavy lifting she was doing. The feelings of weakness and lack of control were absolutely loathsome. Still, Aandes seemed willing to come through for her. She didn’t want to have to hold him to that.
Futilely, Rasali tried to brush the thin coating of dust from her hands and leggings. Her chain jingled around her waist as she straightened out, wiping a line of sweat from her forehead with a puff of breath. The chatter of fellow rebels echoing down the remaining tunnels was a welcome soundtrack to Rasali’s work. The Initiative’s numbers were still abysmal. Still, there were more trolls there now than there had been survivors at the last battle. The war wasn’t over yet. Their cause was good. They would gain more supporters. Better ones.
The rumble came practically on cue. If Rasali wasn’t experiencing a learned reaction to combat, she may have even laughed. Drones were everywhere. Byakko was shouting. Rasali’s chain was unfurled.
Gunfire.
Just one shot through the din. Rasali flinched and looked for the bullet. It wasn’t hard to find the target. Rasali watched rosy pink blood run down Byakko’s arm. She swallowed the instinctive fear and disgust that bubbled deep within her. It made sense. No one would know the cruelty of the hemospectrum like a mutant. Rasali stilled the chills in her spine and turned back towards the legion of drones before her. Mutant or no, Byakko was Rasali’s leader and friend. The only politics she need concern herself with were the ones with guns pointed at their faces.
Rasali wanted to be surprised. She really did. Kursha was a menace, but even the slightest concern for the rebel cause would have elicited some grain of sympathy from her. No such luck. True to form, Kursha operated on whims and grudges. Rasali felt sick at the idea that perhaps she may have played a part in his betrayal. She certainly didn’t endear herself to him at their last encounter. Rasali found herself wishing she’d not only taken Kursha’s gun, but also shot him with it.
Regardless, if it was a fight Kursha wanted, it was a fight he would get. It seemed to be the only language shared between the two greenbloods anyway. Perhaps she had made a good impression if Kursha was coming back for seconds.
Rasali subtly began to wind her chain and picked out the drone she was going to hit first.
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Posted: Thu Aug 06, 2015 9:41 am
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Eostre Diazzi had been so bored of all the Queen's events lately, which seemed to drag her into the desert to be assaulted by stupid and terrible things, and forced her to act as a babysitter (how come she did end up partnered with so many wrigglers? Ok most were just Tierte but still...). She wanted action and excitement that was worthy of the army, somewhere she could prove herself! And tonight it seemed she was going back to the awful desert to do more boring things, when the Queen announced they would be exterminating something...
The labyrinthine caves they entered were admirable, much like Eostre's hive. It gave her a faint sense of pleasure. Then, the caves opened into a meeting ground for a scattered group of various blooded trolls, many of which wore masks to disguise themselves. The rebels. A shot of... pink blood was revealed, showing their leader was a mutant. Eostre held a gloved hand to her mouth, surprised. She'd basically figured the rumors were fake, with how ridiculous they were. How had the Queen let this go on for so long? As their hooded leader revealed himself as a traitor to the rebels, Eostre pulled her hood back up. This was going to be a long night, after all.
---------------------------------
Poeias Claudy was excited for his first mission. Lanata at his side, he didn't think he could mess up whatever the Queen wanted him to do! Well, maybe he could, but he would try his best! There were a lot of older trolls to follow and emulate here, and he could show himself off as still worthy.
However, the events happened in a flash, before he could get a good look. Trolls yelled, and he heard the word mutant. He pressed close to Lanata. They were supposed to kill a bunch of trolls... that they ambushed and were betrayed? Somehow, it felt like a cold stone sunk into his belly. This didn't seem right.
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Posted: Thu Aug 06, 2015 9:44 am
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Karrem pushed through the crowd, frustrated. Short even by child standards, the only spectacle she had witnessed thus far was an array of shuffling legs. Too many people were talking at once for her to pick up on all of the events by speech, and she had no companions to aid her in her height induced plight. The only thing she had picked up on was that the crowds' dialogue consistently revolved around mutantbloods. If a rebel mutantblood had indeed just been revealed, Karrem was eager to see their inevitable take down and culling. What a privilege it would be to see the order of society enforced at its most extreme! Though troll law did have its flaws, she found its merciless imposition admirable. She felt honored to even be able to participate in the restoration of societal order at all- that is, if scrambling around would be considered participating. Even being here was no good if all she got to see were the legs of her fellow royalists!
Karrem lifted her bangs out of her face and surveyed the scene in order to deduce the best route to the front. It seemed like it was inevitable- she would have to crawl. It would get her pants filthy, but it seemed like a worthy trade to her. Crouched down on her knees, Karrem carefully maneuvered through gaps in legs, occasionally being squashed or kicked. It certainly looked ridiculous and felt humiliating, but she was devoted to her cause, and that made her actions respectable in concept! Or, at least, that's what pushed her to continue her quest without feeling unbearably silly.
The second she emerged as far as she could go, Karrem quickly stood up, eyes immediately darting over to inspect the rebel side. There the mutantblood was- dripping vibrant pink blood, she was hard to miss. Karrem found herself positively thrilled to witness such a sight. It seemed as though remaining so close was a bad idea, however, so she stepped a bit back into the crowd and focused on wiping herself of grime collected in her crawl, but the impact of the image she had just seen held its place in her mind. Though she tried to appear calm, all Karrem felt in that moment was excitement.
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Posted: Thu Aug 06, 2015 10:02 am
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Posted: Thu Aug 06, 2015 10:08 am
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Zeffer had been in the process of making some amused comment to Akko when the rumble of approaching trouble had stopped him mid-sentence. He was puzzled over the sound...but not for very long. The sudden rush of noise, confusion, and a surge of intruding military drones wasn't nearly as horrible as the realization that he'd been sickeningly justified in his past worries. Part of him felt responsible; he was supposed to be council to Akko now, after all. Shouldn't he have pushed harder for the relocation of their base? It was just one big security risk waiting to happen. Thank god they had made some back up plans, at least.
There was no time to ruminate on the subject, as fear and anger flooded his system. He leapt to Akko's side immediately, joining her at the front and making sure that Maneki was protected and hidden somewhere behind them both. He could already feel his heart beginning to pound, and without a thought he had his batons in hand, the weapons giving a menacing crackle as he pressed the electricity up to full throttle and locked them at the highest setting.
The shot that rang out only gained a flinch from him, and for a moment he couldn't tell what it had hit, until he glanced to their leader in bewilderment. Confusion melted into horror, and Zeffer felt his bloodpusher leap into his throat as he beheld Akko's brilliant pink blood spattered across her face. For a split second he was horrified that it had hit her somewhere vital, in the chest or neck, but when Akko barked out in rage at the intruders, he turned his attention back again, flustered but reassured.
As the source of the shot stepped out to gloat, Zeffer bared his fangs in a stunned, enraged grimace. He knew that voice. He knew it, but he didn't want to believe it. Sickened disgust coiled in his stomach as the hood fell away, confirming what he already knew. His breath came in ragged pulls, and he allowed a wave of vicious energy to wash over him. He didn't know if escape or survival was an option, but he was certainly interested in pursuing both. His mouth hung open as he began to pant, every muscle tightened as he made a quick plan in his mind. He had to help Akko, but even more, his fears were centered on the tiny mutantblood hidden behind them.
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Posted: Thu Aug 06, 2015 10:24 am
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"This is the end losers! Looks like you're all done--" She said and a shot was heard. Gasps and murmured filled the cave. Something about a mutant. What? A mutant leading the rebels? Could things get any weirder? Why would any troll listen to a mutantblooded monster in the first place? She now thought even lower of them. They were traitors of the queen herself. They were all pathetic, horrible and insane.
A mutant leader? That's rather unpleasant. The child could only see the bits of blood from afar. The idea attacking the rebel scums was one thing but attacking a damn group lead by a mutant meant getting rid of every single troll infected with their ideals was another. She never saw herself participating in such thing but now she felt like serving the queen. To get rid of these pests. They weren't dealing with trolls anymore, but with monsters. Monsters whose goals were to destroy their every aspect of life. Take away the fairness of Alternia's society... Take away it's meaning... It's luxuries and most importantly, her rank! At least that's how the child interpreted things. The idea of the lowly rebels being led by someone unworthy irritated her. Her goals now were to please the queen, earn herself a worthy title in this mission, destroy the enemy and get a shiny medal or a statue... Something to brag about!
"Woooow, you rebels must all be dumbfounded by these turn of events." Eridia said in a tone filled with sass, as she tried making her way to the front to see better. The drones made it was hard for her to approach them. That didn't stop her from trying. Eridia never gave up easily. "Ugh! Let me through!!!!" She grunted, pushed and occasionally kicked but all her efforts were utterly fruitless. The drones were stopping anyone who would try to get close to the opposing side. Although they were an obstacle she wasn't silent. Eridia insulted the drones, insisting them to let her through. She blabbed and kicked some more.
Nothing. Yet was she quiet as her father would have wanted her to be? Of course not. The again, she never knew when to stay quiet.
"What does it look likes? A welcoming party?"
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Posted: Thu Aug 06, 2015 10:28 am
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Everything was going absolutely wrong and Anguis was panicking..
It had started out fine, it had started out perfectly really. He had Luxara to talk to and Forera and even Estali was fine, she was turning out to be an okay troll. Even when they had broken up to be by themselves, to have some peace, he had found himself remaking to Forera that "This wasn't so bad really, kind of nice". The rebels, despite what his last interaction had been, were turning out to be absolutely fine.
He was eating those words now.
Fear and panic laced his veins as they were backed up together, surrounded on all sides by drones. The way they had come in had terrified him, backing everyone up into the center of the room. By pure instinct he had grabbed Forera's hand to make sure he wouldn't lose her. He wished he knew here Luxara was at but he couldn't find her and his mind was mostly focused on protecting his sister. His sword came out soon later, following the leader's call as much as following his wish to simply survive.
But then she was shot and all he could do was gape.
Pink, pink blood pouring down the front of her. The mask he was trying to keep on his face, the calm collected expression he had, started to tremble as he realized the magnitude of that action. Faintly a voice in the back of his mind stated that it wasn't unexpected for a mutant to lead the rebellion. The ones that had the most to gain from this, after all, were the ones that had the most to lose from not fitting in at all. His mind raced as the hooded stranger, the one who shot her Anguis realized, start to talk but he didn't follow his words at all.
His grip on Forera's hand tightened as he moved in front of her, shielding her body with his own as he jutted his sword out defensively. His only option now was to get his sister out and get him out, the rebels be damned. If he could manage it, Luxara too, but she was still lost among the crowd. The only thing he was glad about was that he recognized no one among the trolls that were here with the drones, no one that he felt he would be obliged to help too.
The only option now was left to fight and protect. Redeem himself from the past where he failed at this, where he didn't protect those he cared about.
Anguis didn't know if he was ready, but it was that or die. He had no choice.
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Posted: Thu Aug 06, 2015 10:29 am
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The small steps were the first things Vremea heard that made her bristle.
It had seemed like a normal night at the base— Vremea was laughing and enjoying her time with the scouts and Aerona, feeling good and enjoying the community, even managing to feel the tension in the room go the more they spent time together. However, when the low rumble began to sound, the yellowbloods eyes narrowed in confusion. She quickly stiffened and mentally prepared herself, though nothing she thought could prepare her for what she saw.
When the drones marched in, the adult paled. What are they doing here?! She thought desperately as she pulled out her scythe and tossed on her hood, eyes hard and defensive. She quickly tucked her clothes under her outfit, immediately grabbing the string on the side and tugging the bustle up so it wouldn't get in the way of her movement. Tying it while she watched the drones get into place around them, the yellowblood felt her hands tremble when she finished, barely able to believe this was actually happening. Her breath was picking up, but the adult willed herself to stay calm, jaw clenching as she clutched her scythe tightly.
Through Vremea shoved back when they shoved her toward the middle, eventually it was too much for her and the yellowblood pulled back reluctantly. The entire cave was filled with young kids and their lusi, drones, and few teenagers scattered in the crowd. Her eyes narrowed as she looked from face to face, thankful for the coverage her cloak gave her. Most of the faces Vremea saw were unrecognizable, save for maybe two or three trolls she honestly didn't know too well. While she hadn't wanted to hurt any kids, they were all... So ravenous. They wanted blood, and seeing as they were surrounded... They'd most likely have. She knew this would ultimately come to violence-- So Vremea needed to be prepared. She had brought some of her trinkets in her satchel on her side, as well as her mask and her body suit-- But those were... in her room. With her books. No...
She would probably die, tonight.
A chilling shiver slid through her body and Vremea swallowed hard, keeping her breath steady when a loud crack startled her. Vremea's head slowly turned to look at the direction where it struck, body tense. Byakko-- Their leader --had been shot, right in her arm. Instead of the teal blood she expected to see pour out of shoulder, instead, a stream of pink liquid was pooling at her feet.
Vremea's eyes widened. A mutant.
Vremea swallowed hard, feeling speechless but undeterred-- Eventually, she'd sit down and think about this. Now, the yellowblood could only stare as a hooded figure with a familiar voice neared, a slow, burning anger curling in her chest, rising until it reached her mouth where her held breath was finally released with a single word. "Kursha."Her eye twitched as he removed his hood, flat teeth clenching with anger as her breath quickened and her hand clenched harder around the handle. Rage hotter than fire, more of a searing, scathing fury burst through her as she listened to the traitor speak, wanting to interrupt him and not give him the joy of a finished speech. He had become Errade. She didn't want to let him speak. She wanted to hurt him, to rip him in two. She trusted him. She told him about herself in a moment of weakness, apologized when he was the one who acted out of turn. She grinded her teeth together in anger— No, this couldn't be about something that petty. It had to be something deeper, rooted in him since hatching.
What could possibly drive someone to that point?
The question was considered for a moment as the others around her took in the scene and a few kids on the other side watched them. Vremea wondered silently, eyes staring at Kursha with a simple question, anger morphing into confusion. 'Why?' What had made him want to do this? What else but a worthless rank to a danger seeker like him... And who knew if the queen even trusted him after this? Not only did this look hasty and reckless, but... Kursha was hasty and reckless. And he did this. He fooled us all.
Vremea's eyes hardened after realizing how alone she was, rushing over toward her team and standing infront of them should anything happen. Before long, however, Vremea realized— Her scouts were strong. They would be fine, fighting with her. And if they became injured, the yellowblood knew a lot more about medicine now than before, and she would definitely heal them, no matter what. They had done so together in the past and it was fine, but Vremea... She was just nervous. She could honestly say she adored them and considered them each significant, important trolls in her life.
So Vremea took a step backend neared one of them, pressing her back against theirs and letting the anger deep within her curl into a deep pit in VREMEA'S body. Kursha was trying to threaten her scouts. To hurt them. Well guess what, traitor.A singular thought stood out amongst all her anger, disgust, and disappointment.
I won't let you hurt my family.
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Posted: Thu Aug 06, 2015 10:29 am
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No. No, no, no, no.
How was this happening?
One moment, one moment they had been fine and the next she was backed into the center of the caverns, horror in her eyes as she stared at all the drones and trolls filling the caverns. Ones that shouldn't be here, ones that should have never learned of this place, yet filling the space with their presence. She would have felt sick if the adrenaline running through her veins hadn't been there, just leaving her cold and hollow and almost scared.
Her weapon had come out at the ready though, ready to follow Byakko, but then she had been shot and Athene's mind had stuttered at the blood that had covered her front. Pink, how was that even possible? A mutant had been leading the rebellion this whole time? She felt betrayed almost but a mutant, a mutant must hide and it had made sense that she hadn't told anyone. Even those that supported her. Especially now since it seemed one had betrayed the whole rebellion.
A hot sort of anger filled Athene, cut through the fear as she stared down the army that was here. Her garrote was clutched tightly in her hand, knuckles turning white as she realized that the only way out of this was to fight. She'd fight them all then, fight to protect the rebellion and her friends a- her friends! Quickly her head turned, searched out if the scouts were nearby. She could see the majority of them near here, Kei the only one missing, and a sort of relief filled her at that. They were nearby, they had her back. She could trust them to not turn on her.
With her free hand she brushed one of the scouts hands, hoping to hold them for a second, to try and feel better and reassure herself that one was there. She was scared, and angry, but ready to fight if she had to. To protect what she believed in, those she cared about. To fight against another traitor.
Any of the scouts Any of you are free to feel and/or grab her hand if you wish! |
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Posted: Thu Aug 06, 2015 10:30 am
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It was rare for Muerte to ever feel uplifted, but his conversation with Aprife left him strangely eased. It was strange feeling, air cleared of animosity, but he wasn't going to complain. Still, they had dawdled a little too long and it was about time they made it back to the main hall. Surely with the amount of rebels that had arrived Byakko would make her announcement soon, or give a speech, or at least something. Truth be told, he hadn't scrutinized the summons that arrived at his hives those nights ago. Perhaps he should have. Water under the proverbial bridge now.
The quaintness didn't last long, but did peace ever last forever? It seemed almost immediate the way they were so conveniently swarmed. Suddenly there were shadows crawling from every crevice, drones and trolls and children appearing from each and every tunnel.
They were ******** cornered.
"I knew it..." he murmured under his breath, bearly a whisper. This was exactly what he was telling Aprife about. Staying here in a place that the enemy had key details on was absolutely inane and here they were ******** paying for it. There was no way there wasn't a mole; for them to be swarmed on a night like this, one where everyone would be present? Muerte practically bristled, but the doctor was no fighter. Despite the glare on his face and the teeth bared through his snarl, he found himself wishing to slip backwards, to run.
There was no escape.
No, they were ******** surrounded. What did he say? The second things went south again, he'd bail, right? There was nowhere to go. Was he going to die here? His entire body was shaking and, in a moment of weakness, Muerte couldn't quite tell if it was fear or not. He was short in stature but he never felt small, never felt vulnerable. Thank god he had brought his saw along. Fighter, no, but he wouldn't go down without giving everything he had. He would not die.
He was immortal. Bang.
He hadn't been shot, but the reverberation of sound shaking through him made him feel as if he was. He was startled into looking, eyes widened when they fell on their leader, Byakko Mawiya, imposing and strong and covered in pink. Muerte felt his eyes widen, his pumpbiscuit skip, a mutant. He was enthralled in the way when an experiment went right, when he learned something so valuable and new. The doctor never found himself privy to witnessing one. In fact he had begun to doubt their existence entirely. Yet here was the pinkblood. He was being led by one the entire time. Muerte's eyes fell onto the small child—the one that had crashed the supplies on his table—the way Byakko had fretted over him, his lack of a lusus... could he...
Now isn't the time.
Back to the matter at hand. Lo' and behold the snake reveals himself, green and smirking and looking cocky as ******** ever. He remembered his face, though his name escaped him completely. Muerte hadn't really socialized with any of the other members on their last night summoned together, why would he care about whoever the hell this was? He wished he had payed more attention now, but it wasn't any use dwelling on things he should have done. He had to be on guard, focused, on point, ready to go.
He wouldn't lose.
But Muerte had to wonder too what brought the Crown here. Sure, they were all committing treason, but it wasn't as if they had the numbers to really do anything to anyone, let alone Her Highness. The Initiative before seemed like a literal threat, but this felt a little bit like a joke. Why the attention? Did the Queen have nothing better to do rather than ******** with them? After all, he knew this wasn't the first time the rebellion was targeted.
Calm down.
Muerte was collected again, "Well Invasi, it seems as if we were both onto something after all. What do you propose we do about this rat?" He didn't dare to take his eyes off of the drones now, not since his blunder in glancing away earlier. He knew the yellowblood was still close. They had walked back here together after all. He knew damn well that tenacious b*****d wouldn't go down without a fight either.
There was only one thing to do with vermin.
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Posted: Thu Aug 06, 2015 10:35 am
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Forera honestly thought everything would be okay this time. She thought maybe, the Initiative could pull their hard hats on and they would do something good. But when Forera heard the hard steps on the floor and looked to the reactions around her, the tealblood could only panic. She hadn't brought anything to cover her face, she hadn't brought anything to make herself unknown. She had expected the Initiative to give her a mask, or a suit, something, but the tealblood was bare. Only the cloak she had was left, and even that was only from her pants up. She gulped and her body locked when the drones come in, gulping hard while her hands trembled violently, teeth beginning to chatter.
Before she could do anything, a hand grabbed her own and the tealblood looked toward the owner, expression one of terror and fear. "A-anguis," Of course, the only person here she felt like she could trust unconditionally. Luxara and even Etsali were important and close to her of course, but they didn't know her like Anguis knew her, and she didn't know them like she knew Anguis. No matter what dumb jab he'd say, no matter what dumb remark she made, at the end of the day, he'd be there.
Even if the world was against her, he'd follow her.
And that gave her a slight comfort.
She allowed him to pull her close, body still locked, arms stiff and in pain. A loud crack resounded through the area, and Forera's head instantly snapped toward it, only to see... Pink. Pink? What the hell? The salmon was dripping down the wall now, and Forera couldn't help but feel her stomach drop. They were dead. Automatically gone. Following a normal troll was fine, but she had this weird coral color that Forera had never seen before, ever in her life. She guessed that was why Byakko was the leader. And Maneki...Was he...? No matter. At least, not anymore. The sensation of knowing her death was upcoming seemed to be reoccurring, and the tealblood easily slid back into that mindset, body shaking as her breaths became unsteady, thoughts unfocused and confused.
How could this happen?
Who could do this to them— Who could abandon them when they had tried their best to not attract attention?
Forera didn't know exactly who was apart of the rebels, but if she knew something, this was the work of a traitor. A traitor... That had apparently stepped up. Her eyes narrowed as she stared at the figure, watching the hood come off and... Kursha. Her bike sack dropped. s**t. Immediately she looked for Luxara, knowing she would be affected— No matter how many times Forera teased her about the greenblood, every time she would retort it with a jab, but once, just once, Forera managed to catch her off guard.
Forera saw her blush.
Which... Which only made the things happening worse. Luxara must've felt something serious toward Kursha, for when she saw her expression, it was complete disappointment. Forera wanted to go over toward her, but everyone was frozen and Anguis was still holding her close— Until he slowly placed himself in front of her. Forera's eyes flashed with anger. What was he doing?! Didn't he know that without him, she'd break?! He needed to take more care of himself, he needed...
He needed to think. He was being a dunce.
Forera's anger eventually faded as the situation was still tense, but really, the only expression and feeling she could even remotely feel was shock. She didn't even try to get into a position for battle— She was shocked, scared.
At least Vulpin was alright.
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Posted: Thu Aug 06, 2015 10:54 am
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The night had been fun so far! Luxara had caught up with her friends, met new ones... Weird how Kursha hadn't shown up yet, though. But he was an odd one. Would probably come around eventually. For the first time in a while, she felt at ease. Like she belonged. She was a part of this, and it felt promising even though coming in had made her so nervous at the beginning. That was silly! There had been nothing to worry about. It was mostly a wonderful community, full of good people.
For once, she had made a good decision.
It was easy to stand back with her back against the wall, arms crossed. In the midst of taking a breather and watching others for a bit, she could hear something down the way. She turned her head just in time to see the ambush flow in. That calm smile faded. Drones were a bad sign, then the military followed suit. And...teenagers? Children? The ******** were still sending children out for their dirty work. On top of her growing fear, Luxara felt a flash of anger.
Byakko was quick to lead them, and Luxara was also fast to admire that. This troll deserved her position. But it was a risky one, which she saw first-hand as Byakko was shot. Her eyes widened at the pink spray. Pink...pink? Blood wasn't pink! A mutant! Those existed?
As much as she wanted to contemplate this new information, too much else was going on. Luxara clutched her crossbow, reading it for a fight. She wouldn't drag children into this, but she wasn't going down on her first night with the Initiative, either. There were trolls here to protect. Friends. Allies.
Before there could be a flurry of action from either side, a voice commanded the room. Didn't she...know it? Luxara knew few trolls who rasped.
One even. One who she knew before his voice had been permanently distorted.
She eyed the new figure with a confused suspicion, trying to put a finger on their identity. The greenblood didn't have to play a guessing game for long, though.
He gave her the answer quick and easy, removing his diguise and showing his face. He might be able to be smug in this moment, but Luxara was the opposite.
No no no no no no no nonononono no nono nono no
Kur...Kur, of all people. He? But! No! No, but... Yes. No point in denial. She was too old to fall into that.
Did everything I do for you mean nothing?
Kursha led the raid.
You backstabbing ******** up piece of s**t
After they defeated a mole...he took over that role? But what about everything he did for the Initiative? Didn't he have any loyalty to anything? Did he ever care about anything beyond himself? Even her? He led her here! He told her where the base was, when to come...everything! Even after all they went through together...he'd still...? She swallowed.
I tried so hard...I tried so, so hard...
Is this what forgiveness got her? Is this what happens when you give someone a second chance? Or did she just believe in someone she should've dumped in the well? She had saved his life, and now he was about to let her die.
I wouldn't hurt you even when I should have. How can you be like this?
She almost smiled at how this s**t worked out. Hilarious that even when she had a moment of happiness, she lost big time. But, right now, there was a smug snake in front of them all. Thinking himself victorious. He sold out, and now he acted like he was seadweller shades. Pathetic. Because if the royalist side wasn't everything it was chalked up to be...if he fell out of favor, he had nothing left.
I can't do this again
No one left.
You hated me once? Fine. Let's go back to that
And if she faltered in front of him? He'd win. So as Kursha looked around, Luxara didn't give him any sort of smile back. Not even a tight, rebellious one inviting him to a fight. No, she let her expression fall into muted, easily readable disappointment, chin tilted up defiantly. If he wanted to look at her, he could. Because her gaze was sure boring into him right now. And she wasn't going to look anywhere else unless s**t started to fly.
I loved you
That said, it was hard to keep herself from crying. Her face kept wanting to twitch, but she needed control. She had to keep it together. Just push it down, push it down. That anger at him, for everything she had forgiven him for, swelled up. The cold kind that froze up the tears and left them for another time. He could break her heart, but she wasn't going to waste her emotions on a two-faced traitor. Not while he could see it.
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