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Post by Advix on Apr 26, 2012 22:58:00 GMT -5
The tall woman smiled at Yarashii's last statement, and placed a half gloved hand on the cat girl's shoulder. "It's funny how it works like that. When times grow darker, human decency shines brighter." After rubbing Yarashii's shoulder lightly, she withdrew her hand and placed it back on the sheath of her weapon. "Something similar happened to my home, except... well people were being stupid, and threw some bombs around. You know; those kinds of bombs. Fortunately, a good portion of the nature was spared. Just people killing people, not too much in the way of collateral damage. Rebuilding wasn't TOO hard after all the dust settled. From the looks of things, you guys have had it way worse."
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Post by BloodValkyrie on Apr 28, 2012 8:32:19 GMT -5
Racamgi City Square
Several knights lay on the ground completely unconscious. One, however, was on his knees and holding his head. He was proving to be more durable than the others but not enough to actually give the cloaked man in front of him concern. The knight forced himself to stand back up and continued to fling insults at him.
"You're scum, Makkura! Kraft should have just killed you when she had the chance! You and that demon whore you were with!"
Carl's eyes widened and their glow intensified greatly. This foolish man had made a grave mistake. He insulted her. He never met the red-haired woman. He didn't know how she truly was. He had no right to say such things about her!
Carl moved towards the knight, appearing in front of him in an instant. Black and red energy began flowing from his body, leaving a small trail behind every one of his movements. He grabbed the stubborn knight by the throat and lifted him into the air, turning his free hand into a large needle-like blade of darkness. It was obvious what he intended to do.
Two small arms wrapped around the cloaked man's body. The green-haired girl he came with was holding him from behind. She whispered to him so that only he could hear her.
"No...you promised you wouldn't kill anymore people. You promised...don't break it now. Not over something as small as this, Carl."
The cloaked man sighed and dropped the knight, kicking him in the head as he fell and sending him rolling across the ground. He was knocked out just like the rest. Carl turned towards the girl and scratched his head sheepishly. "Sorry, Suna. Almost lost my temper there. You know how I get when-"
"I know. That's why I'm not upset with you. at least you listened to me. Proves that I was right with coming along. You do need me."
The conversation would have gone on further if Carl was not hit by a beam of white energy from behind, making him scream out in pain. He fell to his knees, but managed to look behind him and see the attacker.
Three more knights had managed to arrive, bringing a long-barreled white cannon with them. The cannon stood on four spider-like legs and had several yellow wires going from a rectangular pack on its back into the cannon itself. Carl recognized the technology instantly.
"Miya's Drenilo Cannon...seriously?" His voice was weak and sounded unusually human. The usual distortion and slight echo that accompanied his voice was completely absent. Suna moved to his side and knelt down so her face was leveled with his. "Carl, what did that thing do?!"
"...Suna. Go. That thing messes with my body. Cuts off a large percentage of the energy that flows through me."
"It cuts you off from your abilities?"
Carl nodded solemnly. The last time this had happened to him, it would have meant his death if Suzuki hadn't saved him. She wasn't around to help this time...perhaps he was going to die for real now?
Two knights moved towards Carl while the third stayed with the cannon, preparing another shot in case he could still fight. Suna moved in front of her friend, refusing to allow the knights to touch him. One of them silently shook their head at this action and indicated the other with a nod. "Move her out of the way. Gently. She's just a victim here."
Suna narrowed her eyes. "'Victim'?! What do you mean by that?!"
"That monster was extremely close to a demon named Suzuki Hellblaze. She was extremely skilled at seducing anyone of any gender whenever she wanted. I wouldn't be surprised if she passed on her skills to Makkura. You're probably just a victim to those actions."
"What?! No!! You're wrong! Suzuki wasn't like that! Carl's not like that either!"
The knight held up a hand. "Silence! Your words are unreliable. Don't bother wasting your breath." The other knight grabbed Suna by the shoulders and lifted her off the ground, ignoring her thrashing and loud verbal protests.
"Sergeant Maxwell, what should I do with her?"
"Go put her in a room at the inn. We'll figure out what to do once the General and Major return."
The knight nodded and began making his way towards the inn, still holding the struggling Suna.
Maxwell turned back to Carl, who was growling. The knight knelt so their faces were leveled. "So this is the mighty Carl Makkura...the one that Miya became so obsessed with capturing. I take it you like your second time with the cannon? From what she told us, you were thrilled about it the first time. Couldn't even really talk because of how great it was."
Carl's growling became louder and a very faint glow began emanating from his eyes. Maxwell laughed quietly at this and took off her helmet. She was a young woman with pale skin and black hair tied back into a small ponytail. There was a thin scar across the bridge of her nose and her eyes were a pale icy blue.
"Remember this face. This is the person who took you down. After all the demons, monsters, and military personnel you've fought, I was the one who finally took you down." Maxwell stood up and kicked Carl in the face, sending him rolling to the side and knocking him out cold. "And I was also the one who kicked you in the face with a foot covered in armor."
The female knight put her helmet back on and spoke to the small crowd that had gathered.
"It's all right everyone! You are safe! The dreaded Carl Makkura has been taken out! You can all return to whatever you were doing!"
At this news the crowd began to disperse. The citizens getting back to their daily routines but with some chatter about the confrontation.
Maxwell looked at three more knights that arrived. Two were obviously medics and she indicated them both with a nod. "You two. Attend to the wounded. If anyone is showing unusual activity send them to Dr. Ingel. We have no idea what Makkura could have done to them with his filthy powers." She then looked at the other knight. "You. Help me bring this 'thing' to the dungeon. We'll need to discuss this with the General and Major when they return."
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Outskirt Wasteland Truck Beta
Master sergeant Rei was fine with the silence in the truck. However, she knew that all these people would have to work together if the problem was as serious as the Doctor made it out to be. She looked at the rear-view mirror, seeing Kazuya, and decided to try and start a conversation.
"So...sir...If you don't mind me asking. What's your name? I know earlier you didn't want to give it out, but since we all may be working together for a while I thought it'd be best if we could refer to each other by name. If it'll help, I'll introduce myself first. I'm Maya Rei and you are...?"
Bon silently looked at Rei, raising an eyebrow at her before turning his attention to the window again.
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Post by Greed on Apr 28, 2012 10:27:22 GMT -5
Truck Alpha
Yu contemplated what Yarashii had just told them; was this the sort of fate he and his friends had averted for their own world. Not the same means, but still.
"There was... an oddly similar occurrence in our world. It's still hard for me to explain, but... in simple terms, your demons were the shadows of our world... and our 'madman opening the gate' was a goddess. It wasn't quite that simple, but still, it helps me understand this situation a little more..." Of course it wasn't that simple. It never had been simple during that investigation. But recounting the events that occurred near the end of it... they made his head spin.
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Post by BloodValkyrie on Apr 28, 2012 11:40:39 GMT -5
Outskirt Wasteland Truck Alpha
Yarashii looked at the Doctor. "You...you sound like you know exactly what I'm talking about. I'm not going to pry, but whatever happened, Doctor...I'm sorry." She then looked at the tall woman and Yu. "I'm sorry all of you had to go through stuff like that." The catgirl's smile from before quickly disappeared.
"However...there are small pockets of people who are worse than ever. While the majority of humanity is united with the common goal of survival, there are others who just don't care anymore and are willing to do whatever they want, whenever, and to whoever. I like to consider those people as outliers, but it's still saddening that there are as many as there are."
"Permission to speak freely, Major?" Kasshu said this as he drove the truck.
"Granted."
"Those people are weak."
"I beg your pardon?"
"The people who do whatever they want without a care in the world. They're weak. They allowed themselves to fall prey to their basic instincts and desires. Those who chose to live on with our morals and help rebuild and protect others...they're strong."
The major was silent as she listened to her subordinate.
"There's nothing we can do for those who lost themselves. I suggest you not let it bother you too much, Major. You're one of the few people left who's actually capable of leadership. Not the kind of leadership where you give orders, but the kind where you actually keep your morals and do what's truly right. Even when it contradicts orders from above. We need you to stay focused. We don't have enough people like you for you to lose it."
Yarashii nodded and quietly responded: "Thank you."
Johnson sat in the passenger seat of the truck, listening silently.
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Post by Advix on Apr 28, 2012 13:42:05 GMT -5
The tall woman gave Yarashii a slight nudge. "Aaaaw, what a lucky girl, having so many men looking out for you." She wore a bright grin after hearing Kasshu's words. "You see, this is the reason why I believe in people. Even after shit hits the fan, there's always people like us around to take action. Even if the rest of the world goes bad, there's always some people with the right idea."
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Post by Greed on Apr 28, 2012 20:38:33 GMT -5
"We're more alike than I first thought it seems." Yu spoke with his eyes closed. He looked out the window, and as he did, he saw something... peculiar to say the least.
A girl, with long blonde hair, and a leather cloak... wearing a rather nice hat. Really, she looked like a cross between a vampire hunter and a witch. Wierder still, she was riding a broom... and trailing vibrant stars to boot. And with a burst of speed, she shot ahead of the trucks, easily going more than five times as fast as they were, and in plain view of both of their drivers. All they saw, though, was the trail of glowing stars in her wake.
Yu blinked, and rested back in his seat, ".... well, at least it wasn't an unrelated fifteen year old in a bikini." Come to think of it, this ride was reminding him alot of his first train ride to Inaba. Back at stage one, so to speak. Well, he had to find some avenue of conversation, and the obvious place to start was, well...
"Your ears and tail." Yu blinked, turning to face Yarashii, "Are there alot of people like you in this world?"
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Post by BloodValkyrie on Apr 28, 2012 23:11:37 GMT -5
Racamgi Outskirt Wasteland Truck Alpha
Yarashii blushed lightly at the tall woman's words. "Well...y-yes. It's good to have so many to look out for me." Her attentioned was then grabbed by Yu's question. The catgirl's ears twitched and her tail moved around as she briefly pondered the question.
"No. There's a few, but they're extremely rare. See, I'm actually a demon-human hybrid. My mother was a demon and my father was human. Us hybrids are rare for a few reasons, but the main one is that combining demon and human genes can often cause some pretty dangerous mental problems. Many hybrids end up going insane or dying at a young age due to their weird biology. I was one of the few lucky ones. The demon and human DNA of my parents managed to blend in perfectly and, while I used to have some odd...quirks when I was younger, I'm completely fine now."
The Major smiled and looked away from Yu and the others.
"My demon-human heritage isn't exactly well known...people wouldn't trust me as much if they knew I had demonic blood in me since demons were the ones who wrecked the planet. I told you guys because...well...you all seem trustworthy and accepting."
Johnson laughed from the front of the truck. "We all thought the Major's ears and tail were pieces of a costume or something. A weird habit of hers. We didn't really care too much since she was so good at fighting and leading, so when we found out what she really was...well, it wasn't really that big of a deal."
Kasshu spoke next. "True. However, very few knights know of the Major's secret. Only us, Rei, first lieutenant Kigan, the general, and a select few know. I suggest the rest of you keep this quiet."
Yarashii nodded in agreement at Kasshu. "Yes. Please. I would prefer if you could all keep this to yourselves."
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Outskirt Wasteland Knight Truck
Shepard spoke from the driver's seat. "General. We're approaching Racamgi."
He nodded in response. "Excellent. You can finally see our grand city, Yuri." He then pointed towards the window to the long-haired man's side, the window rolling down in response. "Take a look for yourself. It's quite a sight."
From the truck's current location, the tall metal walls surrounding the city could be seen. However, several tall buildings could be seen rising beyond it. They were all different shades of gray, red, and other dark colors. They were made of several layers of metal, had slanted roofs, and windows filled with light. Some buildings had larger windows than others, which were obviously businesses of some kind due to the multiple colors of light visible from their windows.
In other words, it was a beautiful light show.
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Post by Greed on Apr 29, 2012 0:18:03 GMT -5
Truck Alpha
A smile grew on Yu's face as he listened to Yarashii's explanation. Unfortunately, he thought of the perfect thing to say in this situation.
"Alright. If anyone asks me, I'll just tell them you're a cosplayer." As an afterthought, he assured himself that it was a foolproof strategy.
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Post by Tokrochiru on Apr 29, 2012 3:31:47 GMT -5
Truck Beta
As much as it annoyed him, but the woman had a point. For the sake of keeping this ragtag bunch of misfits together, it was best that everyone knew each others names. Even his own.
"Kazuya," he told her. "That's all the info you'll be getting from me, driver. Now focus on the road."
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Truck Alpha
"Or an alien," the Doctor said, following up Yu's declaration that he would refer her as a cosplayer to people who questioned the cat-person's appearance. "Calling her an alien would also work. Does your planet have aliens? Ah, probably not. Probably shouldn't call her an alien then."
A bit of time passed in awkward silence before the Doctor decided to speak again.
"Do they have bananas in this universe?"
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Post by Advix on Apr 29, 2012 15:59:58 GMT -5
"I could go for an apple. I haven't had a good apple off of a tree in a long time. But judging by the state of things, it looks like healthy trees are a rarity. Poor world..." The tall, muscular woman looked out the window at the sad scene for a bit, before turning her attention back to the major. "Sooooo, what kind of "quirks" did you have when you were little? Would you bring your parents dead birds? Or curl up on their laps?" By this time it was a little clear that the tall woman was just having fun.
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Post by BloodValkyrie on Apr 29, 2012 17:39:26 GMT -5
Racamgi Outskirt Wasteland Truck Alpha
Yarashii nodded in agreement. "Yes, a cosplayer works fine."
Kasshu laughed loudly. "Doctor, there aren't any aliens in this world."
Johnson shrugged. "I dunno, Dom. We have demons and superhumans. We might have some aliens around as well who just managed to blend in. Weirder things have happened."
"Hm...you have a point, Keith. Looking at it that way, it's possible. But we've never heard anything about aliens so going around telling people the major's one would probably cause a bit of a panic."
Johnson turned back in his seat a bit, looking back at the Doctor, the tall woman, Yarashii, and Yu. "As for the apples and bananas...well. Each city is supposed to have a way of making food for themselves since trading has jut started to gradually come back. There's an entire section of the city dedicated solely to food production. There's plenty of trees there with a lot of different fruit. We've had apples and bananas several times before, so yeah."
Yarashii had turned a light shade of red at the tall woman's question. "Uhm...well...not exactly. I did rest in my parents' laps often...usually my mother's. I did also...well...uhm...lick myself." She coughed awkwardly after this.
The two knights in the front of the truck were completely silent. They both knew that about the major beforehand, but they always had difficulty properly commenting on it. So they decided long ago they wouldn't say anything when she mentioned it.
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Outskirt Wasteland Truck Beta
Rei nodded in appreciation. "Thank you, Kazuya. It's a pleasure to meet you. That's all that I'll be asking, so no need to worry about that." She then looked towards Bon and smiled at him. The techno knight merely folded his arms and turned his attention back to his window.
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The city of Racamgi could be seen in the distance. Both trucks would be arriving shortly.
[[If you want a description of the city from this view, just look at my last Knight Truck post. I'm tired of describing it over and over lol]]
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Post by Advix on Apr 29, 2012 18:05:39 GMT -5
The muscular swordswoman looked at her, slightly confused. "You licked yourself? As in, grooming? But why? You hardly have any fur." It was then that her eyes flicked open, as if something had zapped her, and then a sly grin stretched across her face. "Oooooooh~. You used to groom that fur. Say no more, I understand. A girl's gotta maintain herself, nothing wrong with a little fun while doing so." She slouched back in her chair, trying to control herself, but she simply couldn't. Her smile grew wider and wider as she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to contain her laughter.
"Oooooh... Look at this kid, it's as if he's almost sad to hear you grew out of curling up in peoples' laps. I bet he'd love the chance to let a girl rest on him. It's a shame, too. He looks like he would be just the right size for you. The kind of comfort a girl could appreciate, a cat girl, even! Hihihi! Oohoooooo~... I'm sorry, dear. I'm having too much fun with this." The tall woman wiped a few tears from her eyes as she tried to settle down, releasing an occasional giggle while doing so.
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Post by Greed on Apr 29, 2012 19:03:10 GMT -5
Truck Alpha
Yu turned and stared at the tall swordswoman as she went off on a... well, rather amusing tangent. The gray haired teenager looked up and down Yarashii's body once, and then nodded to himself.
"... well, I do like cats, so that's fine too." If Yu had any particular talents, it was being completely, and utterly, not to mention bafflingly unreadable by any living being in the multiverse. What exactly was fine? It was a mystery to everyone.
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Post by BloodValkyrie on Apr 29, 2012 21:30:51 GMT -5
Racamgi Outskirt Wasteland Truck Alpha
Yarashii's face turned even redder as she realized what the tall woman meant. She could do little more than stutter incoherently. "But...ah...that's not...I...aaaaahhhhh...." Her eyes widened when she noticed Yu briefly studying her body and saying he..."likes cats" and "that's fine too". The major then wrapped her arms around her body as if she were naked. "D-don't say weird stuff like that, Yu!! The rest of my body is perfectly human, b-but that's none of your business!!"
Johnson quietly spoke to Kasshu, hoping to avoid having the major hear him. "Amazing how she's a battle-hardened leader when on the field, but acts like a schoolgirl during times like these."
"Hmph. It just goes to show that the major knows when to cut loose and when to focus."
"No wonder she has so many admirers."
Yarashii's ears perked up at this point and she yelled towards the two knights.
"I can hear you two just fine!! Ears of a cat?! REMEMBER?!"
Johnson laughed while Kasshu put his eyes back on the road, smiling ever so slightly.
It wouldn't be long at all before they reached the city.
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Post by Advix on Apr 29, 2012 21:52:25 GMT -5
The tall woman laughed hysterically, before wrapping a muscular arm around Yarashii and pulling her close. "Don't worry, deary! I won't let this "Yu" steal you away with his lechery! I, Raiga the Second, will defend your honor! Though my own lechery is a separate matter entirely~." She gave Yarashii a quick squeeze, pressing Yarashii against her broad chest as she pointed the sheath of her weapon at Yu, as if pretending to fend him off.
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