[RP] Soul Eater: New Earth

[Tickles]

Carter entered the room. Merlin however, disappeared.

For the life of me, why did I choose him again?

Because you used to be a nice little boy before you graduated from DWMA. Let him be, you're not going to need him tonight. I wanted to show you this witch...

Carter got into a battle stance, but the Stranger put up a gesture to assure his safety.

Calm down, she's harmless...mostly. She is a rare one, able to wield a weapon without trouble, while holding a deep well of magic within her.

No.

The Stranger looked at his boss in confusion. Did he actually just say no without hearing him out?

You know how it works. They're evil. All they want to do is destroy. It was thanks to a witch that a Kishin was revived in this world. Or did you forget that in history?

Carter, I have a firm belief that not all witches are evil. This one shows great resolve not to use her powers unless it's life or death. And one with her abilities is even more rare. Imagine the possibilities.

Carter lowered his guard.

You make a good point. I'm not going to like it, but I'll allow you to do what you need.

The Stranger clapped his hands together.

Wonderful. Now, all I need to do is see you power. Hason, I want you to launch your Maw attack at me. Don't worry, I'm well aware of the risk. Carter, you may want to get out of the way.

Carter had a seat in the back of the room. Merlin was following Warren and Silene, making sure to stay out of sight. He seen something in Warren that he liked in particular.

[Desbear]

Hason

As the headmaster, the one who had told a speech in the beginning of the day, entered the room, I tensed up, and began to sit... Rather still. Throughout the conversation, be it an argument, or just a heated discussion, between the two, I was careful as to not make any sudden movements... After all, I'd like to live, and the headmaster seemed... Rather jumpy. As the cloaked figure requested I fire an attack at him, I have to say I was rather shocked at this. Though, I guess the best I could hope for at this point was living through this night, huh? As I got up from my seat, I lowered my soul protection, cringing a bit as I did so, as all of the electricity in the school was very quickly making itself known to me. After a few seconds however, the feeling seemed to pass, and I held out my hand, water beginning to form from nothing in front of my hand. As it grew in size, I began to count down, hoping that I was clear in the fact that I was charging it to it's fullest power. "Five...Four...Three...Two...One...Go." And with that, it was off, and I watched as a rather large maw, similar to that of a shark's and about the size of the desk I had been sitting in, was sent from my hand, hurtling towards the cloaked figure.

[Tickles]

The Stranger kicked up his desk and blocked the attack.

Soul Protection and a strong projectile attack. Water based, aligned to a shark. This is rather exciting. Not only do you know an advanced technique like soul protection, but you're able to generate an attack from raw magical power. I can also see the pull it has on you for using it. Just like a shark, you can see electrical currents, though the effect seems to wear off when you cast your protection. You're not too far into the magical arts. It's just a large well of magical energy. May be to dangerous to test further. Thank you Hason.

Carter was stunned. He never seen a witch with this much power. Was she really an amateur?

This is a rare opportunity. To be able to study a living breathing witch. I already have a thesis: Is it possible to remove the pull of magical destruction without ridding you of your abilities? Hason, if you wish to continue on other days, I will be glad too. Meet me once a week, every friday right here. I will have the room set up in a way for you to use your abilities...

ENOUGH! I will not allow a witch to grow stronger in my school!

Can you imagine the strength she would have as a meister that can wield magic? She could possibly become the greatest warrior in the world.

While risking our well being. Stranger, we have first years here. If she grows out of control, who knows how many lives she would take before either of us stopped her!

The two debated back and forth, throwing reasoning after reasoning. There seemed to be a stalemate.

Merlin walked up to Warren.

Hey, kid, want some gum?

Merlin held out a piece of special gum. Anyone who chews it feels a rather painful explosion of flavor. He smiled like the joker he is.

[The-Blades-slave]

Silene shuffled through another rack, trying to find a new shirt. She had her shopping method down to an art, cursed gifted with the ability to tell how an outfit would look on her with a single glance. Nothing really stood out to her. 'Too skimpy, too revealing,' she stopped on one outfit, taken aback that anyone would call what was basically a lacy bra a 'top'. "Hmmph, this is pointless! This store was made for whores!"
Warren looked at Merlin, slightly surprised one of his Headmaster's was at the store, much less offering him gum. He could tell just by the scent of it it wasn't a regular stick (he had memorized them all), but either way... What could go wrong?

"Sure, thanks."

He popped it into his mouth.
'Okay, two more racks. Hopefully they have somethin-' Silene was ripped violently from her own thoughts when an explosion rocked the store and Warren went flying by, knocking over half of the stores product line. "Warren!" She bolted over to his side, her left forearm already a scythe-blade, but he didn't even notice her as he rose. He was the most focused she had ever seen him as he rose like a zombie, stomping over to... their Headmaster?

Warren shoved a finger in Merlin's face, his hair disheveled and his face dark. "That was," His violent appearance suddenly changed completely, turning into an extremely wide smile that revealed his soot-stained teeth. "the best gum I have ever tasted! What brand is it and where can I get it?"

Silene stared at him in amazement for a moment, her arm slowly reverting back to the normal. Afterwards, she just went back to looking for a shirt with a shake of her head, done with her meister for the night. "You're still paying for the shirt."

[Desbear]

Hason

As the figure talked, I realized something; He hit the nail on the head with... Well, everything. I was about to agree to the cloaks terms, hoping to rid myself of that wretched effect... And then the headmaster spoke, saying that he would not allow it, alluding to my death being the only solution. I... Should have stayed quiet as they spoke. But... I couldn't. Something wouldn't allow it, something in my head just... Egged me on. Something snapped within me, as my emotions were flipped on their head at every turn today... And I was going to at least attempt to put an end to it here. As I spoke, I felt my head begin to pulse with pain, and my tone sounded... Off. Not malicious, nor aggressive, but my voice sounded somewhat defensive, with a monotone base to it."Headmaster. Your reasoning is based off of the assumption that a witch only destroys, and is inherently evil. That they start off this way, and never cease to follow this this path. For the most part this is untrue, as what makes them this way is a combination of the world around them, and the pull of magic. As you know, or should know, the pull of magic grows with their age, time, and power, and effects their behavior and nature, tilting to be destructive. The Instructor here, is supposing that he strip the pull from me, and possibly even other witches, allowing less blood to be shed."

As that last line was uttered, the pulsing pain seemed to... Dissipate, however, I wasn't done speaking. As I continued, a somewhat more fearful tone kicked in, however I attempted to eliminate it. "I... Would also like to bring up, that based on what the... I paused for a second, recalling to what the headmaster had called him, before continuing on. "...Stranger, said a few minutes ago, that he can sense the pull it has on me, right...? Wouldn't that allow him to sense, or see if it were growing too strong before he could remove it, and stop me, prior to taking any lives?"

[Lunartic]

Jessie ran over to where Warren and Silene were. "What did Warren do this time?" At the mention of "gum", Jessie stopped chewing hers - Warren had her craving this stuff now. After a few seconds, she shrugged and spat it out. "How's the shopping coming along? Doesn't look like you've found anything you like yet." She took a pack of gum out of her pocket and put a piece in her mouth. "Y'know, I heard that 'whore' comment earlier. I could've told you that. I mean, I shop here all the time, and look at what I'm wearing," she said while turning to give Silene a profile view of her skimpy green top.

[Tickles]

Carter was stunned by the young meisters sudden outburst. He felt rage well up inside of him, and surprisingly, respect. He looked to the stranger, who shown his eyes for the first time. Black as the abyss, yet calming.

Fine. You can go on with the experiment. However, If she gets out of control, it's your problem.

Carter got out of his seat and left the room. Merlin was shocked at the boys reaction, then started to smile. For the first time in his long life, he found the one who would carry on his legacy for all time, or at least until he passes it on himself to infinity.

Here, you can have all I got on my. I have about three full packs left. What's your name, son?

He handed the gum over to Warren.

[The-Blades-slave]

Warren took the pack of gum gingerly, like one would a newborn child. His eyes were filled with soft, unadulterated love as he marveled at the package - decorated with biohazard symbol symbols and bold red characters that read "DANGEROUS! NOT FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION!". 'God is real and he is merciful...'

He was broken from his reverie when Merlin spoke, jumping in surprise and shoving the package into the deep pockets of his sweat pants. "Warren Renniger, scythe meister." He normally was not this respectful or attentive, but anyone who would gift him explosive gum deserved it.
Silene shook her head in exasperation, still watching Warren's antics from across the store as she shopped and talked (yes, she was a very good multi-tasker thank you very much). "Being a lazy bum, like usual." Her words were insulting, but by her tone it was obvious she didn't mean it.

"Nope, haven't had much luck here." She blushed heavily at the whore comment, struggling to find an answer. "I-I didn't mean it like that! I have nothing against revealing clothing, your top is fine, I just don't wear it myself!" She tried to change the subject, rummaging through the pocket of Warren's coat and pulling out his wallet triumphantly.

"I have his card, we could go shopping if you know any stores. I don't get much girl time, so it'd be a fun way to get to know each other!"

[Lunartic]

Jessie laughed at Silene’s comment about her clothing. ”It’s fine. I get shit for it all the time.” She cracked a smile as Silene took Warren’s wallet. ”And you’re sure you’re not dating?” She giggled. ”I know a few places you might like. Hold on.” She pulled a bright orange and very skinny bikini off the rack. ”I do need a new one of these…” She turned over the price tag and her gum almost fell out of her mouth. ”A hundred-fifty for this thing? I don’t think so.” She put it back and grabbed Silene by the wrist, dragging her out the door and down the street with a huge grin. ”Anyway! Alex found a place just down here, it’s where she got her red and blue sweater. You’d like it more than Death’s Tops and Bottoms. Speaking of which, have you seen her? I think she wandered off after we left the school.”

[Tickles]

Merlin laughed at Warren's Earnestness. He wrote on a small piece of paper "One week , meet me after your class outside the school. I will teach you how to not only make the gum, but a few other fun things." He wrote it fast, and it came out sloppy, but almost readable. He handed it to Warren. He had to be quiet because his meister was probably looking for him, and anyone in the city would alert him immediately. He walked away as if nothing had happened. He didn't notice that some people were looking at the MASSIVE hole in the wall.

The stranger got up and started to head out of the room.

We can start our tests as soon as you're ready. I'll give you three days to prepare, but you can ask for longer if you wish. I need to prepare some things before we can start.

He left the room, disappearing into he night.

[The-Blades-slave]

Warren took the paper and shoved it into his pocket, staring at the hole the man left in the wall with admiration. 'Maybe this school won't be so bad after all...' He turned, scanning the now desolated store for his weapon partner, but he found nothing. Shrugging, he reached into his pocket for a new piece of gum, fingers fumbling around to carefully extract a stick from the package- and he froze. "Where's my wallet...? SILENE!"

He tore through the night like a bolt of lightning, knocking over several pedestrians in his rush. "I JUST GOT PAID!"
"Good, you're here. Help me carry this stuff!"

Warren whipped around fast enough to give himself whiplash at the sound of his partner's voice, eyes dark as the thunderstorm they were usually compared to. He flinched back when he saw what she was wearing. Silene's old clothes had vanished, replaced by a purple t-shirt, tight black jeans, and glossy purple sneakers. In both hands she gripped big bags, filled to brim with what he could only assume was more clothes. "How much did you spend?"

"Four hundred, give or take."

"F-four hundred?" Warren fell to his knees, clutching his chest. So this was how he was gonna die, a dumb-ass weapon induced heart attack. His family would rejoice that the bastard was dead, throw a grand old part. He supposed it was for the best.

"Oh, stop being a baby. It's your fault for leaving me your wallet, you know how I am." She toed him with her new shoes, motioning for him to get up. "C'mon, this stuff is heavy and we're still a few blocks from home." She dropped the bags on top of him, sighing in relief.
"Man, I wanted to relax tonight." Warren cracked his neck, a strange gust of wind kicking up the tail of his coat. "Did you have to spend all the money?"

"Shut up, it's your fault for leaving it in your pocket. You know how I am." Silene was nervous, hugging herself and rubbing a circular, comforting pattern in her arms. The entire assignment felt wrong. The building in front of them looked like it had been abandoned for ninety-years; the paint and shingles were rotted and peeling off, the windows were boarded up with splintered slabs of wood, and the once-bright red door hung from one hinge, creaking eerily as it swayed in the wind. The weeds in the yard were wildly overgrown, roots traveling into the house itself, and an abandoned tricycle missing a wheel lay under what was left of the archway, streamers flapping wildly. "Can we just get this over with?"

Warren nodded, picking up on her unease. "Yeah, the drive back to New Death City is gonna take long enough, so we need to kill this kishin egg fast. I want some sleep tonight." He shoved his hands in his pockets and walked up the cracked, cement path. The closer he got, the more the wind seemed to pick up until, blowing his hair and cloak around willy-nilly. It abruptly stopped when he stepped onto the porch and shoved the door open, causing him to pause. Something was wrong.

"Warren behind you!"

Before Warren could react, something smashed into him from behind. His head felt like it had been split in half; vision swimming, he struggled to locate what had struck him before a big, grimy hand closed around his throat. He almost puked at the sight of what held him. Had he not been raised around Third Degree burns and explosive wounds, he might have. The creature behind was his height and roughly humanoid, wearing a black-and-red sweater, brown trousers, and worn work books. A clawed-glove was on his right hand, the blades grating together like nails on a chalkboard. The worst all though, by far, was his skin. It was charred completely, filling the room with the stomach churning scent of burning flesh, and muscle tissue showed through more of the severe spots. A sadistic grin light up his face, a snake-like tongue slithering out. "It's Kreddy, bitch!"

The blade of a scythe suddenly ripped through one of the kishin egg's arms, forcing him to release Warren. The meister leapt back, floorboard creaking underneath him. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," he murmured, slightly winded. "Thanks, now transform."

"Right!"

Warren spun the scythe around him when his hands closed around it, immediately forcing Freuger to step back to avoid being shredded. "Lets end this fast." He lunged forward, swinging a sideways strike.

"Not so fast," Kreddy blocked the strike with his clawed hand, grinning. "Die bitch!" He jabbed at Warren's stomach, blades pressed together to resemble a thick knife.

Warren stepped to the side, the blow shredding a piece of his coat as it grazed by him, and brought up his fest directly into the kishin egg's chest. "Hexanite strike!" The explosion from his palm discharged directly into Kreddy, lifting him off his feet and sending him flying directly into the stairs, which shattered them.

"It's over now."

"I don't think so." Warren glanced around cautiously, eyeing the wooden wreckage for his opponent. It didn't move, but somehow the burnt man appeared behind him, claws arcing down in a slash. He didn't have time to block, so he braced for impact. The claws dug scoured over his shoulder, slicing through the skin, but the rusty blades weren't sharp enough for anything fatal. "Now it's over!"

He spun around, scythe blade lopping off the marred head of Kreddy Freuger. It rolled to the ground, coming to a stop several feet away, eyes looking directly at them, and winked. Then the entire body dissolved, leaving nothing but a dark red soul. Silene transformed into her human form, walking up and crouching down to pick it up, then consumed it. After she had, she turned back to her meister, eyeing his wound. "We have a first aid kit in the car, I'll bandage it up before we leave."

Warren rolled his shoulder in attempt to blow it off. "I'll be fine."

"Tough talk for a lazy bum."

"Last I checked, you were bumming money off me."

"Ugh, you never change!" Silene motioned towards the door. "Lets go, this place is giving me the creeps." She walked out the door, Warren following close behind her. Two souls down, ninety-seven more and a witch's to go.

[Desbear]

Hason
I...Don't know what came over me, but something caused me to... Snap earlier. I wasn't sure why I had spoken like that, to the headmaster of all people, but it felt... Good... I couldn't' do that again. As the Stranger left, I slowly left the room, and began to head back to the dorms... This had been an interesting night, hadn't it? I had three days, three days until we began to find a way to stop it...

The next night
Steven and Hason

The atmosphere was quiet, and calm as the waves washed up along the shore... Steven and Hason had been directed to this city, called Wilgebater. It was said that this was the city where a Kishin Egg was going to strike next; The name we were given for the egg, or criminal, was named Naut Ilias. The city itself was a port city, with a large beach, but the buildings of the city itself were run-down, and would break easily if anything large was to come into contact with them...

 At this point, all that they were waiting for, was for it to make his appearance, standing on the dock away from the shore. Steven was even already in his weapon form, and Hason in a stance, waiting for a sign... They had to stop it. As they continued to wait on their target, Steven began to talk, a questioning tone to his voice. "Hey, Hason... I've been meaning to ask, what was The Instructor talking to you about after maintenance yesterday? It took you awhile to get back to the dorm." Hason began to respond, her voice a bit hushed. "I... It was about... I'll tell you l-"

As she went to finish her sentence, they heard an earth shattering noise... Footsteps, from the water. Hason immediately began to walk towards the water, trying to get a better look at their target. What she saw wasn't pleasant,  an anchor larger than the meister herself slamming into the soil, and digging in. There was a chain attached to it, and a being... No. A suit of armor pulled itself towards it at blinding speeds, glaring around the city, glowing eyes only pointing to a being inside the armor... The armor itself appeared to have been through a lot, being rather rugged and broken, including that the tubing that would have held it together was long gone, a blueish glow in its place... As the being looked around, it locked eyes upon the dock, eyes meeting with Hason and Steven's; It had found it's next target.

As the being began to walk towards the dock, Hason jumped off the dock itself, landing on the shore. As her feet touched the shore, the being raised a leg, before stomping on the ground. The force of so caused the ground to begin to crumble, and water to shoot up with great force around Hason, however it didn't land. She stopped moving for a second as the being continued to near, and reared Steven back, before throwing him with great force towards the being. In response, the being did similar; Throwing his anchor towards her, the anchor knocking Steven aside with ease. Hason was forced to begin running to her right swiftly, as for the anchor not to plow into her completely. As the anchor collided with the dock, the being pulled himself to the dock, slamming into, and through it, causing the dock to begin to crumble around him.

As Hason continued running, she pulled on Steven's chain, bringing the large chakram back behind as she ran. She was going to have to play a bit differently, as he would simply block her attacks with the large anchor... But she had a plan. A grin grew on her face, and she began to taunt to the armor as it began to climb out of the docks. "Hey, Jackass! Try and hit me with that Anchor this time, you gave me way too much time to r-"

Her sentance was cut off as the anchor was once again propelled at her, to which she once again ran; However, she did something different this time. She turned around as soon as the anchor collided with the building behind her, throwing Steven with all her might. Steven worked in sync with her, the blades beginning to rotate faster and faster as they neared the chain, draping over the anchor's chain and sawing through it with speed unmatched, disarming the large suit of armor. As Hason whipped Steven back, she wasn't met with the pleasant voice she had expected; No. She heard Steven's voice... Quivering, afraid. "Hason...I...I heard it... I heard them... There were people in that house. Innocent... People."

At this, she realized something; She wasn't still on the shore like she had thought. They had somehow made their way to the edge of town, and the being was simply... Walking through houses. demolishing them to get to his anchor... And to them. As he picked up his anchor, he turned to them, watching as Hason and Steven began to move back towards the shore, a bit of a disgusted look on her face. Something had egged her on to continue fighting in the city, to watch as the being continued to cause destruction... Something brought her pleasure, watching the armor plowed through the buildings just to follow her... She had to get away. She couldn't give in into it.  "Here, go check for survivors and get people out of the city... Don't worry about me, I'll be fine.

As she spoke those words, she threw Steven. He normally would have gone back to her, he felt like he should have... But, something in her words told him not too. Something in her words filled him with hope, even as the being followed her to the large body of water...  He believed she would follow through with her words, and so he did as he was told; He went off into the city, and began to gather the survivors from each house, and brought them to safety at the other edge of town, ready to escape if it showed back up.

As Hason stood at the edge of the water, she watched as the dive suit continued to grow nearer to her, and then, it did something she hadn't expected; It slammed the anchor into the ground, and a shock-wave was sent out towards her, water and earth shooting up from the ground as one. She jumped back, disabling her soul protection and noticing something; There wasn't much electricity in the area, the town barely had any, however, the armor... Had a good bit. The blue glowing joints, along with the eyes were where the electricity was most notable, and it was going to make her job easier. However, that wasn't why she disabled her soul protection. See, the shark that she had summoned, and landed on, and was now floating on was why she disabled it.

This shark confused the being, and caused it to follow, until it was about waist deep, and the shore was barely in view. This, would be where the fight would end... Or so she hoped. As she neared the being, it swung the anchor rather slowly, giving her time to dodge, and even get behind it. The shark's maw opened as it closed in on the beings back, ready to dig it's teeth into it... And then, what appeared to be a translucent green shield appeared around the being, causing the shark to impact with it, and continue to push. It pushed, and pushed until the being was barely visible, lifting itself and and removing itself from the being's shield. The being seemed to walk farther into the water, causing her to follow overhead on the shark, waiting to see... Well, anything. What she wasn't ready for, was when an anchor slammed through the water, hitting the shark and her, sending her flying and causing the shark to disappear.

As Hason began to float through the water, she began to sink, closing her eyes as she did so... She had to locate him; She had to see the largest mass of electricity. She felt something, something strong walking towards her... Fast. It was fast. She began to channel something in the water; She wasn't sure if it would go off since she was in the water, but it was her last hope to kill this thing... She wasn't even sure if she wouldn't drown. As the being neared her, she heard it speak for the first time as it reared it's fist back towards her... The voice echoed through the sea, reverberating off of every point, a deep rumble to it's tone. The sound almost assaulted her, slamming into her with a force much like a blow. "Fear the weight of the ocean."

This was her signal... This was the do, or die moment, as she unleashed a maw larger than she had seen before, ripping through the water with force greater than expect... And with that, the electricity disappeared. She could no longer feel the being, however, there was something smaller; Something... Warm to the touch that she felt, and clutched it in her right hand. It was a soul, a Kishin Egg she had to get back to Steven, or this would have been for nothing... With her left hand, she summoned a shark, and gave it a command; Saying for it to take her to the surface. To take her to the shore... Return her to Steven. And so, it did. She grabbed onto it with her left hand, and it did... And as it neared the shore... Everything went black for her, as she lost the last of her oxygen as the beast neared the surface.

As she neared the shore, there was Steven was waiting for her, and collected her from the shark... He wasn't sure where that sea creature had come from, or why it would help her, but he would question that later; He had to make sure she was alive. As he dragged her onto shore, he began to check for life, checking for a pulse and listening for breathing... He realized he was going to have to do something he didn't want to do, but would possibly save her life if she had almost drowned; He was going to have to perform CPR.

Skipping the details on how exactly it was done, Steven's face lit up with a grin as Hason began to breath again, coughing a bit before taking heavy breaths, and then steadily breathing... As she began to breath again, there was something he noticed, something was glowing... He hadn't noticed it earlier, but she was clutching a Kishin egg within her hands, and his grin only grew wider at that. She had done it... She had killed the beast. He slowly removed the kishin egg, and consumed it as he did; Adding it to the length of his chain. After that, he did the best he could, and merely transported him and herself to their dorm, where he then began to await her awakening.

Upon Hason's awakening, she was surprised to see that she was alive at all, and was pleasantly surprised when she was in her bed, somehow dry. She looked around for a bit, a bruising pain in her side where she had been hit with the anchor, and began looking around. Across the room, sat Steven, on his bed staring at her, a bit of a... Smug look on his face. "So, I'm just gonna jump right in with these questions. All right? All right. So, first off, I'd like an explanation of how you defeated the Kishin egg. Then, I'd like to know about the shark that carried you to the shore."

To this, he was met with a bit of a disappointed look from her, however... She knew something. She could keep lying. She could come up with excuses... But why? She could trust him, couldn't she...? He was her partner after all. She spoke, a bit of a cautious tone to her voice. "I can answer both of those with...A single...Sentence..." Her voice turned a bit quieter, to a hushed tone as she continued. "I'm...A witch.

The reaction she got wasn't one she expected; it wasn't of fear, hate, or even laughter as if he was joking. His face changed; To one of a bit more serious of a tone. There was a quiet moment between them as he placed his words around in his mind, but he spoke a sincere tone to his voice. "...I uh, I guess you're expecting me to lash out, or somethin' huh?" At this, she merely nodded, but he continued nonetheless. "To be honest, had it been someone else... I probably would have. But... Here's the thing. I'm here where I am... Because people are afraid of Demon Weapons. Afraid of our power, and the death we bring. You're here... Because witches are hated, because of their power, and the death they bring... It would honestly make me a hypocrite to say anything against ya', especially, if you're trying to make the world a better place. So, in other words, much simpler words... " His face changed to a more normal grin, a happy tone to his voice. "Money's in the desk over there, and I was thinking we could try lunch at  this really cool sea-food place I found. You up for it?" And with that... She nodded, a sincere smile on her face.

The rest of the night's not really of importance though, is it? They simply went to bed, trusting their partner a little bit more than before.

[Lunartic]

Jessie giggled at the sad, defeated man known as Silene’s Mule Warren. She thought about tossing her own bags onto him, but decided against it. Not in pity for him, though. He’s just not her slave. She stopped for a moment and put a hand on her hip. I should get a boyfriend, she thought. Then I’ll have someone to carry my shit around for me too. “Hey, wait up for me!”


”So Alex.”

”Yeah?”

”Where are we?”

”I have absolutely no idea.”

She reigned the horse in to a stop and lept off with Jessie following. They were at the edge of a fairly large city in the brown-green foothills, with small houses covering the incline. The roofs seem to flatten out into taller and taller buildings in the lower grounds. They were all so closely packed together, it almost seemed that you could run across them.


A large man with a glorious fu manchu sat in a decorated room with a book and cup of tea, channeling the great tactics of a great man. A god in his eyes. After hours of waiting, he closed the book and left the room, which was really a garden shed, and into the bustling city streets.


”Who are we fighting again?”

Alex rolled her eyes. Her sister was leaning against a wall with arms crossed over her chest. Bored, as usual. But Alex couldn’t blame her. She was about to braid her hair for the third time when an arrow flew into the wall beside her. The two reacted instinctively. Alex rolled towards Jessie, who she caught mid-air after transforming, and came to a crouch with an arrow drawn, aimed in the direction the first came from. It was probably a warning shot, so Alex sent out one of her own and bolted down a nearby alleyway.

Was that our target?

Probably. I don’t want to lose sight of him, though. I wonder where he-

Whoo-crunch

There! She let a return arrow fly, and this time she hit someone: tall, armoured, and carrying a bow of his own. The shaft had barely scratched the leather on his shoulder. Damn. We’re going to have to aim for somewhere between the-

He’s getting away! Run Alex!

He was fast for such a large man, and although Alex was faster, she had trouble keeping up with his knowledge of the city: turn this corner, avoid that crate, avoid getting run over by a car. All the while they fired at each other, and each time the shot went wide. Alex finally smartened up and gave up stopping to shoot. She couldn’t do it while running, not here at least. Too many things to trip over.

The man ran into a building, and Alex followed him up and up and up to the roof. Alex had him cornered - or so she thought. An arrow sailed right towards his head - and missed completely.

The fuck? He just leaped off!

Then go after him! He’s getting away Alex!

She peered over the railing. It was a good 15-metre drop, which wasn’t really that far. The target didn’t seem to have a very nice landing, as he was flat on his back on the next building. He landed a bit farther than Alex thought she would’ve been able to on her own. But with a bit of help . . .

”Jessie?”

She transformed into a human. ”I’ll kill you if you say that stupidly cliche line.”

Alex gave her a sly grin. ”Are you thinking wha-”

"Alex!"

”Hey, I deserve something after you scared me shitless last night.”

”This is not the time.” She put her back to the railing and crouched down with her hands in front of her. ”You can get me back after this, now hurry up and jump before he gets up!”

Alex nodded and took a few steps back. ”Ready?”

”Ready.”

Alex ran towards her sister, put a foot on her hands, and lept off them and over the railing. Jessie pushed up with all her strength and almost fell over backwards after doing so. She caught her balance and, like her sister, leaped over the railing with a running start. Their plan worked perfectly, because now the target was surrounded by two walls and two girls trying to kill him. He drew his sword and looked back and forth between the sisters. “An unfair battle is a battle without honour,” he said poetically.

”Well Mr. Kenkhis Ghan,” said Jessie as she casually strolled towards him, ”we don’t give a shit.”

Alex wrapped her arm around his neck - she had to jump up to reach him - and pulled his head down so his back arched backwards. While he was comprehending this surprise attack, Jessie gave Kenkhis Ghan a swift kick to the ro sham bo.


”Well, that was easier than I thought it would be.”

Alex nodded. ”How was his soul?”

Jessie made a sour face. ”Bitter. Old. Kinda dusty.”

”How was his soul dusty?”

”I dunno, you just have to experience it for yourself I guess.”

For a moment, the dull hoofbeats on the dirt road could be heard. Only a moment.

”So Alex.”

”Yeah?”

”Where did we get a horse?”

[Tickles]

Mortecai looked a little more pissed off than normal the following morning. A couple days have gone by, and the class was smaller due to some students failing at maintenance. The sign on the door now read: Only I have an opinion. If you have one, it will be crushed out of you. It was rewritten on the board along with other rules he added over the last few days. Now he sat there, head in his arms, a vibe of fucks not given and asses needed kicking.

Alright, I have a hangover. Them hoes down at the death bar don't know when to quit. Anyways, I'm supposed to inform you of three new students. They can introduce themselves.

He waved at the door. Archie opened it, and was followed by three new people. One was a woman wearing some kind of officer uniform. She was smiling as she enetered.

Hello, I'm Malencia. Nice to meet you all!

Keep it the fuck down! I don't want to have to introduce you to Long John Masterbomb.

A slightly taller young man walked in after her. He was wearing an open shirt, showing off his carved chest. The women in the room seemed to all take notice instantaneously. He flashed a smile at a few of them, but stopped smiling once he laid eyes on Warren. Inside, he felt rage, but he regained his composure.

The names Dagen. I look forward to getting to know a few of you very soon.

He winked at some of the girls in the front, who swooned over him.

[Lunartic]

Jessie thought the girl was pretty cheerful. Kinda cute. And had really big . . . eyes. Yeah. She wasn’t jealous of her endowment anything.

The first guy . . .

”Jessie? Are you okay?”

She made some odd noises that sounded somewhere between a moan and a giggle. Alex could see why. I mean, I guess he is pretty handsome, but he’s not even wearing a shirt. Like, really?

Then the second boy walked in. ”I’m Dean,” he said, just loud enough to reach the end of the room, and then sat down in the closest empty desk he could find. He didn’t do or say anything else, just sat down.

Alex nudged her sister. ”That boy who walked in, he’s the one who . . . Jessie?”

Now she was resting her elbows on the table and her chin in her hands, staring at Dagen, taking in how strong he was, imagining how those muscles would feel . . .

”Jessie!”

”Huh?”

Alex pointed at the corner of her mouth. ”You’re drooling.”

Jessie sprung into action, wiping the entire bottom half of her face with her sleeve. Which was dry . . .

”Funny,” she said sarcastically as she leaned back in her chair.

”It actually was. Anyway, that boy who . . .” Alex sighed and shook her head. Jessie was off in her own world now, which probably consisted of herself and Dagen’s washboard abs.