“What the hell is taking him so long?” Xenthos stood at the crossroad leading towards their mission area, waiting with Utsukushī.
“Quell your anger Xenthos. Especially when there’s nothing to take your anger out on.” Xenthos groaned and sat down, legs crossed and arms folded. Utsukushī knelt beside him waiting as well.
“He needs to hurry the hell up. At this rate we’ll be late to the meet up.” Xenthos kept trying to calm himself.
“I take it you don’t like camping out do you?” Utsukushī asked with a smile.
“What kind of a question is that?” Xenthos wasn’t used to back and forth talk with others, his social skills were quite bad.
“A completely reasonable question considering your temper.” Utsukushī despite this pressed on.
“No. I don’t. Especially when Ibaraki is out and about.” He replied.
“Wait a moment. Are you worried something will happen?” Utsukushī playfully gasped.
“Hnnnnh…” Xenthos’s anger began to grow the moment she spoke of Ibaraki and Sun.
“To them?” Xenthos’s aura began rising.306Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMvOBdjIt0N
“Wait between them?”
“Hmmmmmm…!” A surge of red erupted from his body as he kept his eyes closed, visibly annoyed.
“That’s adorable. I guess that should be expected from a brotherly figure.” Utsukushī continued her conversation with Xenthos but who were they waiting for? Simple. They were waiting for the brigand they worked with, Lee. What was Lee up to? He was doing his side of the job.
Leaping through the air hanging onto a mechanical bladed whip — which was currently wrapped around the claw of a large demonic crustacean — Lee was being thrashed and launched around. On his next flip he gave the whip a quick tug and tore its entire claw off causing it to roar. The beast would start foaming bubbles before jetting a stream of highly pressurized water at him. Ducking down he evaded it and broke off into a sprint — leapt around slashing and cutting its exoskeleton with his whip smacking it around.
“Good grief… These things are always so extra when they’re dying.” Lee groaned as he walked away. The beast scuttled towards him at high speeds — in a flash it was launched back falling on its shell all movement ceasing from it.306Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTcvUVzdSN4
“No sense of self preservation at all. Guess all that Miasma done made ya little things all bloodthirsty so I guess I can’t blame ya. Now sleep will ya?” All over the crabs bodies were slash glowing slashes.The blades retracted into the whip and with a wrap, tug, and a light pull of his whip the demonic crustacean exploded into a mass of shell bits and chunks of meat.
Lee took a bag out of his pocket and began collecting the crab meat. However something felt odd about today.
SWOOSH!!!
The sun was blocked out above Lee, his instincts spiked and he lept out of the way.
KATHOOOM!!!
Sand erupted everywhere from a ferocious and sudden shockwave.306Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxazexDW27V
“Whoa!” Lee just like everything else was sent flying back — hooking his whip around a nearby structure Lee kept himself from flying off into the distance.306Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSD9s0fEonZ
“Hey! What kind of stunt was th-”
Cold. An icy cold feeling swept throughout Lee’s entire body — he couldn’t even speak another word — he was face to face with a mysterious woman. She wore a very fancy dress with various colors ranging from blue, to white, to black and gold. Lee couldn’t lie, he was shaken. She began to float curiously around him allowing him to see the rest of her attire. Now much left to it but some golden boots which would fetch a high price on the market…thoughts for another time.
“Are you a human?” She asked.
“Are you not?” Lee responded.
“I do not know. Are humans capable of the abilities I possess?” She asked while examining herself.
“I ain’t never met a human that floats around like a ghoul.” This was confusing. She’s gotta be playing him but his danger sense ain’t kicking off, it's actually pretty damn quiet. After whatever that was she tried to hit him with. She can’t be a fiend, she’s much too different and needless to say way too weird to be anyone from the villag-
“It’s Rather Rude To Stare And Not Say Anything.” Her voice went from a high pitch to an instant somber and serious tone. Lee was moments away from speaking but then just like that her eyes closed and she fell from the sky. Lee caught her in his arms and the illusion faded. A black Miasma purged from her body revealing black skin and deep wounds with purple haze oozing from them. Lee held her in his arms, keeping her head raised, noticing a bit of the energy oozing from her mouth in a liquid form. He planned to regroup but it was running late. He didn’t wanna be out in the open when it's dark, not with demons lurking, especially those kinds. Best to find shelter.
Within The Wreckage
SSSSSSSSSS BOOM!
“There. Should be bright enough to let them know I’m still around. Knowing Utsukushī she’ll scamper across the damn lands to find me if I don’t give a signal.” Lee took a seat at the camp, which was inside of a destroyed ship docked within the sands. Inside he had a campfire made while cooking some stew. Across from him the girl lay still and unmoving but breathing, her wounds covered with gauze and her body with a blanket. Sitting down by the fire he stayed there watching and waiting. He could do no more. She either survived…or she didn’t. Time continued to move day went to night and night went to day.
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Awakening from her slumber, Ibaraki was gifted by the beautiful rays of the sun. The one of many constants in this world was seeing sunlight, it kept her happy, it is one of many things that remind her that she was-
“OH CRAP WHOA!” And there goes her train of thought. Looking over the side of her hammock she saw Sun was pretty wide awake as if she needed to use her eyes for that, the sound of him falling out of the tree was enough indication.
“What happened?” She asked.
“I was getting something to eat but it was right above you and I slipped.” Sun was currently tangled in some vines. Ibaraki laughed and slid down using one of her arrows; she cut him free and he slipped out and onto another branch.
“Wooo! Thanks.” He hung upside down by his tail smiling at Ibaraki, she looked at him and giggled before shoving his face.
“Come on Monkey Kid, we’ve gotta get back.” Hopping down Ibaraki and Sun both began to cleanse themselves making sure they were all ready. Then they began to make their way towards the village in a hurry both running beside each other on their way there, once they arrived they slid to stop at the entrance, hearing rapid steps approaching beside them they turned in defense. They arrived just as The Scientist and her group arrived emerging from the mountains.
“We made it back. Where’s-” More footsteps approached from another pathway of the village deeper into the mountains. Looking ahead everyone jumped aside as a burst of blue energy rushed from the caves launching a demon.
“We’re almost to the Village!” They heard Xenthos shout as more demons emerged from the caverns within the mountain to block their path. The groups rushed in and fought alongside Utsukushī, Xenthos, and Lee to clear out any and all demons coming at them ogre and the like.
“Scientists, we need your help! We have an injured woman with us!” Utsukushī called out as they sprinted back to the gates. They didn’t even wait for the gates to open — everyone leapt over them and sprinted inside.306Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbi1sAHweyM
