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Post by SlvrNight on May 9, 2020 19:55:38 GMT -5
Sophia followed Garrett's lead, trailing behind him through the mist. Her breathing was steady and she was easily keeping pace. Stomping could still be heard getting closer as the group ran, which meant The Servant was still keeping track of them.
She narrowed her eyes in a mix of confusion and annoyance. "How the hell does that thing know where we are in all this mist? How does it see? Can it manipulate the mist in some way?"
As if answering her question a large chunk of metal, which looked like part of a destroyed vehicle, came flying out of the crimson fog. Sophia let out a surprised squeak as she jumped to the side, avoiding it and continuing to run alongside Garrett and Blayz.
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Blayz
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Lets hit 'em with that woah.
Posts: 36
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Post by Blayz on May 11, 2020 17:26:44 GMT -5
"For now, hope you can run."
Blayz nodded and steadied his nerves as quickly as he possibly could, then took off running alongside Garrett and Sophia. He had to make sure not to completely exhaust himself or else he wouldn't have any energy to fight back when the plan needed to be executed. Otherwise he'd positive he could get away from this monstrosity that was chasing them. Careful Blayz, dont leave Sophia and Garrett alone like you did last time. Stick as a team! "How the hell does that thing know where we are in all this mist? How does it see? Can it manipulate the mist in some way?"
Seeing what looked like car door flung at their general direction, Blayz juked the on-coming danger. "I'd say so..." choosing to keep his response short. But in his head? All sorts of vulgarities were being thrown at how fucking annoying this creature was. Its bad enough its practically invincible, but he has True-Sight as well? However he decided to re-center his focus and make sure this asshole would be gone. Hopefully. Back at Rino's house however, as soon as B.Jay took one step up the stairs, he quickly had to react to a loud battle-cry and his head nearly being knocked off by a wooden bat! He sloppily dodged his assailant twisting his body around and landing on the stairs so that he could get a good look at who or what was trying to attack him. As he looked at the figured in the shadows however, it didn't look like a creature that would instantly kill him... Who were they?
"R-Rino? Is that you?!" he cried out. "I-Its me! B.Jay! We're friends!" he stated loud and clear. Because if it wasn't Rino? The person would at least know that he was of no threat to them.
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Post by Jisui on May 13, 2020 13:00:48 GMT -5
Well, that car piece looked familiar. The Milson's would be in for an unfortunate surprise in the morning.
Man, his legs burned. So did his lungs actually. Various muscles that hadn't been in strenuous use for years, were suddenly being pushed to their limits. Who knew that a few years away from combat could leave him this rusty? It must have been Rino's fault... all the afternoons lazing about did this to him.
Yet, despite all of this, Garrett felt more at ease than he had been in years. It was especially evident in his movements. In contrast to the stiff, uncomfortable young man the group had met earlier, he moved at a controlled and confident gait. The adrenaline of battle somehow seemed to ease the perpetual frown marks that Blayz and Sophia had often seen on the young doctor.
"Look on the bright side," He breathed out in between sprints, wincing at the sound of approaching stomps towards them. "We'll be regular folk heroes if we pull this off. Right there with Tael Whitemane."
His tone was dry and laden with heavy sarcasm, but it was evident that he was trying to ease the nerves of his two companions. Suddenly, Garrett stopped his sprint, cursing as his eyes began darting around his surroundings.
"Damn... can't see anything." Quite literally, there were no landmarks in his line of sight. Nothing but dense crimson and scarlet. This was particularly dangerous since Garrett estimated that they were nearing the coast line... if they blindly ran off the cliffs, it would over for them.
Anything... he just needed a single clue to figure out where they were...!
"R-Rino? Is that you?! I-Its me! B.Jay! We're friends!"
If anything, those words somehow managed to aggravate the figure even further. Almost growling, it raised the bat above its head, intent on ending B.Jay's home tour preemptively.
"How do you know Rino, you damn pervert?! I'll-"
Suddenly, the lights came on, blinding all of the inhabitants temporarily and cutting off the figure's (most likely crass) sentence.
Rino, garbed in an oversized nightgown, sleepily rubbed the sand out of her eyes and took a single look from her position at the top of the stairs. A tall, somewhat pudgy older man stood over B.Jay, face red with the rage of an overprotective father. He had short, cropped hair speckled with grey, and was curiously wearing a white baker's apron. Although his expression was currently contorted with a mixture of indignity and fear, something told B.Jay that he probably smiled a lot too.
"Um..."
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Post by SlvrNight on May 14, 2020 15:34:42 GMT -5
Look at the bright side. We’ll be regular folk heroes if we pull this off. Right there with Tael Whitemane.
Sophia couldn’t help but cheerfully laugh at this, despite the fact they were running for their lives. It was a preposterous thought, and she had no real interest in personal glory, but she at least found the idea entertaining.
“Ha! We’d have to do something like this two or three more times to even get close to King Whitemane’s level!”
She stopped when Garrett did, hearing his muttering that he couldn’t see where to go next. She was going to keep moving ahead on her own, but the risk of her walking off a cliff herself was too real. The akma woman looked behind them, the ground shaking as the creature continued its approach.
“Damn it.”
With all her might, Sophia jumped into the air. She flew out from the red mist, getting a clear view of the crimson sky and a few roofs from the village. She looked ahead, in the direction Garrett had been running, and could see the ocean was far closer than before.
“About ten meters ahead!” She shouted down to Garrett and Blayz.
As soon as her voice echoed out, the large form of The Servant erupted from the mist and launched towards her. Her eyes widened in a mix of shock and fear as she quickly brought up her prosthetic arm in an attempt to fire an arrow in defense.
"I KNEW THIS WAS A BAD IDEA!!"
Before the weapon could even unfold from her arm, the creature was upon her and brought a single fist down, striking her on the top of the head and sending her straight to the ground.
Sophia crashed into the earth just a few feet away from Blayz, lying face down in a small crater. The Servant then landed in between her and the onyx-haired youth, its eyes focused on him, and immediately brought its fist upward in the form of a powerful uppercut, the very ground beneath him cracking from the force behind the blow.
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Blayz
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Lets hit 'em with that woah.
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Post by Blayz on May 16, 2020 21:32:25 GMT -5
Folk Heroes? Huh... Blayz never had a title before so the thought of this put a wide grin on his face that quickly and sadly interrupted by an extremely loud cry before seeing a body fly downwards with massive force. It was Sophia who had been spiked out of the sky when she scouted for the party so that they could put the plan into action. "Sophia!!!" he yelled out only for this disgusting creature to land in front of him with a look of rage in his hideous eyes. The monstrosity was gearing up to go on the offensive and Blayz had no time to dodge away from the attack. The aura that this being gave off was absolutely terrifying but, Blayz had no time to freeze up. It was time to act. The monster planted his feet and swung his arm upwards in a devastating uppercut. Blayz decided he would risk it all by stepping into the powerful strike to take the hit to his abdomen as opposed to his skull. "GAH!!!" he cried out as the upper cut sent him up, over and in the direction where the bastard was being led. The thing launched him with enough force that easily surpassed the ten meters to reach the ocean. "AHHHHH...!!!" he screamed as he fell to his spiky water filled grave. Now Garrett had to finish the plan by himself... What was to happen next? Wait... in what world does calling someone a friend make them angrier? Surely Rino wouldn't be that pissed off at him for noticing that her and Garret were-- Wait a second. Who the hell are you calling a pervert?! Sure B.Jay's a stripper and he charges people exorbitant prices for even glancing at his ass and he only wear a thong... Okay, so he had a point but still! Rude!
Just then, the lights came on to reveal that the person in front of B.Jay wasn't Rino, it was a short rotund man with slate colored hair and a face redder than cherries. Where as Rino stood up-top the stairs.
"Um..."
"R-Rino!" he cried out happily rushing to get up off the floor to scurry up the stairs and hide behind Rino using her as a shield to reason with this man who he assumed to be Rino's Father.
"Tell him I'm not a pervert! Oh, and that we're friends too!" he pleaded.
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Post by Jisui on May 18, 2020 13:16:21 GMT -5
Garret's eyes widened in horror as the creature seemingly appeared out of nowhere amid the scarlet mist. It was like a whirlwind had swept through them without warning. The doctor's eyes snapped between the still form of Sophia a few meters away from him, and the rapidly disappearing silhouette of Blayz as he flew over the cliff side. Impossible... he had thought that it had been farther away than this.
His breath hitched, becoming erratic.
They were gone.
They had followed him.
Blindly, with full trust in a man that they had just met. They had followed him to their death.
It took a few moments for Garrett to identify the painful, constricting feeling in his chest. Like the adrenaline rush of battle, this too was familiar to him. Shivering hands, a painful tightness in his chest, the feeling of his stomach dropping, legs that felt like leaden blocks... this was the feeling of watching your comrades fall right in front of you.
He couldn't move. He couldn't breathe, much less think. But even as Garrett's body and mind shut down, his instincts took over. Ripping his eyes away from Sophia's still form, Garrett defied every cell in his body, and began taking off towards the coast-side once again. While sprinting, Garrett grabbed his pistol, and haphazardly fired off a few rounds towards The Servant in an attempt to get its attention.
Just like those times, back then, whenever he was in the darkest of situations, the most hopeless of battles. Like a mantra, he summoned his symbol of victory to his mind.
Mars... what would you do here?
He asked, despite knowing the answer. Push forward. Never waste a single opportunity that your allies gave you.
"Tell him I'm not a pervert! Oh, and that we're friends too!"
"...Mmm. He's telling the truth, dad. We're friends." Rino calmly attempted to disarm the situation, fighting off a yawn while down so. To her credit, despite the rather uncomfortable situation, she seemed as composed as one possibly could be.
"Damn...!" Rino's father abruptly dropped to his knees as if defeated, slamming his fist down against the hardwood floor. "How could this happen... when did my cute, innocent daughter start hanging out with that kind of crowd?"
His previously enraged expression began to contort into some other, rather piteous emotion, as the man's head fell in defeat. It seemed that he was much less concerned about the home invader, and more so about his failure as a father.
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Post by SlvrNight on May 18, 2020 14:21:40 GMT -5
The Servant immediately turned its attention to Garrett after dealing with Blayz and Sophia, intending to finish the last of tonight's resistance. It noticed that he seemed to be frozen, either with fear or the pain of losing his allies. It didnt matter, it made it easier either way.
Then Garrett seemed to get himself back together and began running, the action making the large creature gurgle in annoyance and chase after him. A few shots from his pistol missed, but a few managed to hit his target, one in the shoulder, a few in the chest, and one in the neck. The shot in The Servant's throat caused it to stumble for a moment, falling to a knee before growling and resuming its chase.
Sophia began to stir, lightly groaning as she opened her eyes and saw nothing but crimson mist. Her mind struggled to piece everything back together as she slowly pushed herself off the ground, immediately placing a hand on her head and falling back down. She felt like she had a bowling ball for a head and whenever she sniffed her nose was filled with nothing but the smell of iron. She looked to her side, noting that her prosthetic arm was still in working order.
The hard part was actually getting up.
The akma woman tried again, this time managing to stand up before stumbling to the side and falling to her knees.
"Agh...this...this is bad."
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Blayz
Initiate
Lets hit 'em with that woah.
Posts: 36
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Post by Blayz on May 20, 2020 19:26:03 GMT -5
"Is this... really how I die?" "But... I dont wanna die! I have friends and family back home who need me! I have comrades who are still fighting some horrifying thing! I have to help them!" "Can I really help them though? I'm falling to my death when I was sure I'd at least be able to run away if that disgusting creature even got close to me." "Should I have just taken B.Jay to see his friend and not get involved at all? After all that's what Master would have taught me, right?" "...No." "Master's teachings aren't about running away and taking the easy way out. They're about protecting whats precious to you." "She wouldn't want me here falling to my death and feeling sorry for myself. She'd want me to stand and fight for whats right and for the people who cant fight for themselves!" "I may not know these people all that well but, I made a promise to everyone that I'd fight my hardest." "And there's only one true way to do that" "I. Have. To. LIVE!!!" The black haired fellow's eyes snap open and his hands quickly grab hold to some straggling pieces of rock to catch himself on the side of the cliff of which he had been punched off mere moments ago. He took a few deep breaths to steady his nerves and began to climb back up to finish what his party had started. His ribs were surely cracked and his abdomen was going to be sore and bruised in the morning. Good thing Garrett's a doctor huh? Blayz's Fight or Flight had officially kicked in. He was out for blood. "Hah! Told you! We're friends!" B.jay confidently repeated. His prideful moment was ruined as Rino's father was now lamenting just what kind of crowd his daughter had been hanging around. Which... caused B.Jay to sympathize with him.
Sure, he had called him a perverted and insinuated that he was who knows what but, the fatherly love for Rino was there and B.Jay could respect that. So he took a deep breath and slowly walked down the stairs before squatting down next to the rotund gentleman.
"I... know how you feel." he started slowly before taking a deep breath.
"I know my choice of fashions can be alarming to some but, having a child of my own? I'd probably be just as upset as you if he was hanging around someone suspicious looking. Especially when there's some... nasty things happening around town." B.Jay patted the man on his back and grinned widely.
"Please believe me. I'm here on Garrett's behalf. He wanted me to make sure Rino was safe and sound is all! I wasn't trying to harm anyone and despite my appearance? I promise I'm not someone shiest-y. Those type of people churn my stomach. I'm a hard-working business man!" he proudly stated before realizing one very important thing.
"By the way, I'm B.Jay! Nice to meet you sir!" he stood up promptly extending a hand out for a gentleman's handshake.
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Post by Jisui on May 20, 2020 21:07:51 GMT -5
3 meters.
The Servant's thunderous stomps echoed behind Garrett, causing his ears to painfully ring. His legs burned with the strain of exhaustion, as a flare of pain surged across his hip area. The bruise from earlier, he thought in a daze.
7 meters...
His body was failing him, and his mind was beginning to wear down. Blind trust in Sophia's words was leading his feet forward, his senses long lost in a sea of maddening scarlet. Screeching to a stop, Garrett vaguely made out the cliffside in front of him. Spinning around, he greedily took in a sharp breath of air, before his gaze swept about for any sign of The Servant.
This was terrible.
The situation would have been easier for him, if their home invader had turned out to be some random burglar. But you were telling him that this scantily clad man knew his daughter? And even worse, they actually seemed to be a reasonable, well-meaning person? Just terrible.
Next, Rino would be whisked away into the sunset, off to live in the big city. That was probably the next step.
Regardless, despite his inner thoughts, Rino's father looked up ruefully from his position on the floor, staring at B.Jay's outstretched hand with a conflicted expression. Apparently after some time, it seemed that B.Jay's heartfelt words won the man over, as he brought himself to his feet and clasped the taller man's hand with reluctance.
"...Ben. Ben Hallia." He gruffly responded. Behind B.Jay though, Rino's eyes widened as she digested her friend's words.
"Wait... Garrett sent you, in the middle of the night?" The young woman's usually stoic expression contorted in a mixture of concern and fear.
"What happened, B.Jay?"
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Post by SlvrNight on May 20, 2020 22:29:03 GMT -5
It took no more than a second after Garrett's breathing for the monstrous tyrant to emerge from the scarlet mist, its crimson pupils focused on its last obstacle. It approached with such ferocity that the earth cracked beneath its feet and it raised both its arms as it howled at the doctor. It intended to crush him into the ground like Sophia and lunged forward, pouring all its strength into its two mighty fists.
Sophia managed to get herself onto her knees and she looked straight ahead in the direction that Garrett and The Servant had ran off. The akma woman took a deep breath, her bow emerging from her prosthetic arm, and she nocked an arrow, using all her willpower to focus her eyesight and her hearing.
She heard The Servant's roar and shattering footsteps ahead. Then took a deep breath.
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Blayz
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Lets hit 'em with that woah.
Posts: 36
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Post by Blayz on May 24, 2020 14:57:57 GMT -5
"Ow... Ow... Ow..." Blayz winced as he climbed up the cliff-side little-by-little. He had to fight through the pain to make sure he could re-join the fight. This monstrosity will not win tonight! As determined as he was, he still had to correctly pace himself. Tightly gripping his currently location, he began to breathe steadily. "Ow..." Which also hurt. Just then he heard a ferocious roar and got infuriated all over again. He couldn't even have 30 seconds to himself! So he started to scale the cliff again. This time? It was his turn to get the jump on the creature. That thing would regret ever rearing its ugly face in this town while Blayz was here.
Luckily, he was starting to see the top of the cliff.
Good.
"What happened, B.Jay?"
"Uh--" B.Jay reacted to hearing Rino, who's usually calm, cool and composed actually get worried for once. Just how was he supposed to tell her that her boyfri-- Best Friend was leading an extremely ugly monster off a side of a cliff? Especially AFTER his house had been torn to shreds. Poor Mom's Vase...
He took a deep breath as he fetched Rino from atop the stairs so he could tell them both to their face.
"G-Garrett, Sophia and Blayz are... That is to say... They're fighting some really gross thing that might be the cause for all the weird happenings at night" he explained as his clinched his hoodie tightly to exhale.
"But! Don't worry! I know for a fact that with Blayz there? They'll all come back alive and well!" he reassured them with a smile.
Hopefully...
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Post by Jisui on May 24, 2020 23:09:09 GMT -5
Garrett took a deep breath as he saw the hulk of muscle charge straight at him, body tensing, before he suddenly lunged to his right. His hope was that the creature's momentum would take it straight over the edge of the cliff, off a neat 90 foot drop to rough waters.
"Grah...!" Unfortunately, he underestimated the speed that it charged at, and felt the creature's mass slightly clip him during his lunge. As a result, Garrett flew back farther than he had originally planned for, feeling his body begin to fly perilously close to the edge.
Hissing at the renewed pain in his bruised ribs, he clenched his teeth and glanced upwards in the hope that he would see the Servant fly off the ledge.
"G-Garrett, Sophia and Blayz are... That is to say... They're fighting some really gross thing that might be the cause for all the weird happenings at night."
As soon as B. Jay had finished his sentence, Rino immediately began to move towards the door, hand reaching for the door handle. Immediately, her arm was roughly grabbed by her father. All previous levity gone, the older man was giving his daughter a stern, but not particularly unkind look.
"Father-"
"No use going out there, Rino." Ben muttered softly, easing up the grip on her arm. "If there's anyone in this village who can take care of themselves, its that boy."
Rino stared back quietly, her usually calm expression streaked with a combination of pain and concern. Her father wasn't wrong. If there was anyone who could take care of themselves, it'd certainly be Garrett. The fact that Blayz and Sophia were with him also alleviated some of her worry. But...
An image of Garrett from earlier that morning flashed through her head, from when they had met Sophia. All she could think about was his green eyes desperately flashing about, searching for an enemy as if his life depended on it.
"...That's what I'm afraid of." Without saying anything further, Rino walked away, out of the room.
After a few seconds of tense silence, Ben sighed heavily, scratching the back of his head. Glancing over to B.Jay awkwardly, he suddenly broke the silence.
"Care for a pot of tea? Figure both of us need it."
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Post by SlvrNight on May 25, 2020 15:27:52 GMT -5
The Servant's eyes widened as his prey moved from his sight, effectively dodging its charge. Its mind then briefly came away from the battle and realized it was heading straight for a cliff. The creature immediately slammed its feet into the ground, tearing apart the earth as its momentum continued to carry it forward. It began to slow down as it approached the cliff, almost stopping a mere three feet away from the edge.
Then an arrow flew out from the red mist, striking The Servant in the back and erupting with a burst of force similar to a vehicle, launching it and sending it straight off the cliff. As it fell off, it turned its red eyes towards the mist and saw Sophia glaring at it with the most animosity she had ever shown anyone in her life.
The creature roared as it fell, outstretching one of its arms and grabbing hold of the rock, its weight dragging it down a few more meters before it came to a stop. It looked up towards the cliff and immediately began to climb its way back up.
The Servant was actually only a few feet away from Blayz, and it was completely ignoring him as it moved, its mind fixated on ending the marksman and archer.
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Blayz
Initiate
Lets hit 'em with that woah.
Posts: 36
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Post by Blayz on May 28, 2020 15:08:07 GMT -5
"Almost... there! C'mon Blayz! Ow... Just a few more--- Ahh!!!" the Onyx haired fellow let out of yelp as he saw a huge shadow quickly pass over him that fell like a bowling ball had been tossed out of a window! Just what the hell was-- Uh oh. "You..." his eyes locked onto the monstrosity who had been making this whole night-- no. This whole trip completely miserable! On one hand, Blayz was extremely happy that Garrett's plan had paid off and everyone would be rid of this creature once this whole ordeal was over! On the other hand... Blayz took a big inhale followed by a calm slow exhale. He surveyed his current surroundings. namely taking note on how far down this thing was from him, and the distance back up to the top. Was this plan ambitious? Extremely... Fuck it, we've done everything else tonight, right? Taking another big inhale, Blayz started to relax his muscles to keep his body nimble before he would-- "HAAA!!!" he yelled as he sent himself flying downwards at the ugly bastards head with his signature ability "Sharp Fall". Blayz had struck a direct blow with it, making a very audible "thud" but, his assault didn't stop there. Upon impact, the pugilist used his other foot to deliver another powerful stomp to the monster's head and used all the momentum from the dive kick to launch himself high into the air, towards the ledge he had gotten knocked off to begin with. As soon as he was able to make contact with the ledge, he grabbed held to whatever ground he could before doing a couple of back handsprings before falling over sloppily. The pain was getting sharper as he moved his body around more. As he sat there panting and catching his breath, he looked up to see Garrett and Sophia alive and... alive! A warm smile over-took Blayz's face. "Garrett! Sophia! Thank the gods you two are okay!" "Rino--" B.Jay started to call out towards his friend as she left the room but stopped himself as he thought it'd be best for her to have some time to process everything. He stood there all alone with Rino's father, awkwardly.
So what should he do? There was no way in hell B.Jay would be going back to the remains of Garrett's house, not tonight. Should he try to catch-up with Blayz, Garrett and Sophia? Probably not the best idea as who knows if something else was lurking in this miserable mist. Or... if there was even anyone to catch up to in the first place. Maybe go find another place to stay so he wouldn't feel the wrath of an over-protective father? Okay but... Where the fuck would he even go?! He doesn't know anything about this place!
Both of the men sighed heavily as this whole night had been just one entire hot ass mess.
"Care for a pot of tea? Figure both of us need it."
B.Jay looked at the rotund gentleman -who was obviously trying to figure out everything his damn self- and smiled.
"Honestly? At this point, I could probably use two" he quipped before chuckling.
"Can I help out at all Mr. Hallia?" he asked hoping to break more of the tension between them. He also hoped Rino would come back to the sight of two proud fathers getting along so he could talk with her to help ease her worries.
And his own worries too.
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Post by SlvrNight on May 29, 2020 14:54:49 GMT -5
The first blow from Blayz forced The Servant to stop its advance, the force of the strike breaking the grip of one hand. The creature narrowed its eyes at the man and closed its free hand into a fist, intending to meet its opponent's strike with its own. However, the second hit came too fast for it and a loud crunch could be heard once Blayz's foot met the beast's face again.
That's when The Servant's other hand lost its grip, the rock breaking from all the force thrust upon its body. It roared as it fell, its body turning around as it grew closer to the water below. It attempted to grab the cliff again but only succeeded in crashing against it and resuming its fall. This repeated two more times before it crashed straight into the jagged rocks below, the stone shattering and the abomination's party disappearing into the sea.
Sophia slowly approached the cliff, holding her head with her right hand and doing her best to stay steady. She looked over the edge, waiting for the creature to return to the surface and reveal it was still alive.
One minute passed. Then five. Then ten.
The red mist began to dissipate from the village and the moon gradually returned to its natural white glow.
The akma woman sighed and turned to look at Garrett and Blayz. Her right eye was closed, she had a cut across the bridge of her nose, a path of dry blood from one of her nostrils, and a steady streak of blood seeping down the right side of her face. Frankly she looked to be in rather poor shape, but a smile adorned her face and she gave her two allies a thumbs up.
"Wow, amazing work guys. I can't believe tha-" Sophia's vision went completely dark as she fell forward, landing face down on the ground. It seemed her exhaustion and injuries had finally caught up to her.
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