#well at least she is rearmed so I might get her just for the axe

[yeyayeya]

MY DAUGHTER!!!!

[marvelousbirthdays]

Happy Birthday, sincenothinglasts!

July 10 - Daisy/Redeem!Killmonger, maybe some hurt/comfort with “Let me keep that promise” and hopefully a bit of desperation, recklessness and lot of love (revelation) for @sincenothinglasts

Written by @ozhawkauthor

An AU in which T’Challa didn’t allow Killmonger to die at the end of Black Panther. He sent him to the Jabari and let M’Baku kick his ass into shape for a while. After a year on the border, Erik has learnt a whole lot about Wakanda (and indeed Africa) he never really understood before.

When Thanos comes, Erik is the first to step up by M’Baku’s side and join the fight. After it’s all over and the Snap has been reversed (yes, I’m handwaving here) Erik joins the Wakandan outreach program. T’Challa has a special task for him… liaison to SHIELD, who are back up and running and who need to be fully up to date with the Wakandan tech now being spread around the globe.

Killmonger arrives literally in the middle of a battle as the Watchdogs attack SHIELD and try to pick off the Inhumans. He doesn’t even hesitate before wading into the fight.

Also, I couldn’t resist making it a soulmate fic :D

He wasn’t even armed, but when the massive garage door opened to reveal a fight taking place inside, Erik didn’t even hesitate. He leapt from the car before the stunned driver had even stopped it, snatched a weird-looking shotgun-axe weapon from a brother lying unconscious on the ground, and decapitated the ugly white guy who was about to put a bullet in the brother’s head.

The spray of blood which splattered across the next three ugly white guys made them freeze in their tracks, just long enough for Erik to give them a spray of lead. And that gave him some breathing room, not that he needed it. He rearmed from the dead as he moved, snatching up weapons, emptying them and discarding them when he’d finished.

It wasn’t long before the last few mutts were throwing down their weapons and begging for mercy, though it wasn’t all Erik’s doing. A couple of women had been doing most of the heavy lifting, both slight little things dressed in black. One, a Chinese woman with agelessly beautiful features, cast him a glance and a nod before moving away to start ruthlessly restraining prisoners.

“I could take care of that problem for you,” Erik offered with a twitch of the Uzi he was currently holding. He reckoned he still had half a mag in it. More than enough for the four guys currently pissing their pants at the expression on his face.

“Thanks, but I think you’ve already helped us enough,” a soft voice said at his shoulder, and his head snapped to the side, his eyes widening.

The second woman was no taller or sturdier than the first, slight enough she looked as though a breath of wind might blow her away. Delicate features, slightly tilted dark brown eyes, and a slightly golden cast to her skin said she wasn’t one hundred percent Caucasian, but she wasn’t the colour Erik had expected the woman who spoke his soulmate words to be.

He took a half-step back in unthinking rejection, before catching himself, taking a deep breath. T’Challa would look at him with those disappointed eyes, tell him not to judge on appearances alone. He knew nothing of this woman, nothing of her life, her struggles. All he did know of her was that she was more than human. He’d seen men fall as she flung her hands out towards them, felt the ground tremor under his feet.

“Daisy Johnson,” his soulmate said, holding out a small hand. “And yes, if you read the newspapers, that Daisy Johnson, leader of the Inhumans and currently in the Saviour of Humanity phase rather than the Evil Mastermind.”

He couldn’t help a grin at that, accepting her hand in his and feeling the smallness of it, the softness of her skin.

“And you must be Erik Killmonger, only monarch I’ve ever heard of with an even shorter reign than Lady Jane Grey.”

Ouch. That burned. He winced.

“Or are you going by N’Jadaka now?”

It sounded good on her lips, not stilted or awkward the way a lot of non-Wakandans said it. He could almost get used to it, hearing it from Daisy, even though he hadn’t used the name in two decades.

He was opening his mouth to reply when the most medium-looking white guy he’d ever seen came up to him. Medium height, medium looking, medium balding, medium priced suit… seriously, he’d never seen a dude so likely to fade into the background. If he hadn’t seen the SHIELD Director’s picture, he’d never have guessed this was Phil Coulson.

“Mr Coulson.” He offered his hand to shake respectfully. Dude might be white, but according to all reports he had a pair of solid vibranium balls under that medium suit.

“Mr Killmonger.” Coulson shook his hand, smiled at him with surprising warmth. “Thank you for your assistance with that little problem. Your arrival was most fortuitous.”

“You’re welcome.” Looking around, Erik saw the big brother whose shotgun-axe he’d stolen was back on his feet, leaning on the shoulder of a slender Latina woman. “Any casualties?”

“Not of ours, thanks in part to you.”

“You’re welcome.” To his surprise, it felt good to be thanked for what he’d done by instinct. Killing in defence of the good guys? Maybe he was useful for something, after all. His chest puffed up a little higher. Daisy was smiling at him too, and that made him feel even better, as good as the first time he took that crazy heart-shaped herb, almost.

He still hadn’t spoken to her, he realised, opened his mouth again to try and speak, but the moment passed as she suddenly hurried past him to embrace another young woman, crying;

“Jemma, thank goodness you’re all right!”

“This way, please, Mr Killmonger,” Coulson said pleasantly.

“Erik,” he said, suddenly uncomfortable with the name he’d claimed for himself. “Erik Stevens is my legal name.”

“It certainly carries better associations, but we can call you by whatever name you prefer.” Coulson’s expression was mischievous. “Agent Killmonger would sound pretty intimidating, especially with the way you look, and there are times when that could be useful. Pair you with an innocent-looking young agent like Agent Johnson and you could play good cop/bad cop very effectively.”

“I’m pretty sure she’s a pretty badass cop, considering what I just watched her do,” Erik said dryly.

The corners of Coulson’s medium-blue eyes crinkled up. “Keep that in mind and you’ll do just fine with her,” he said, handing Erik a lanyard.

Once he plucked up the guts to speak with her, that is. As he followed Coulson down the passage deeper into the underground base, he rubbed the fingers of his right hand over the inside of his left elbow in an unconscious gesture.

He’d been five when the words appeared, a glimmering silver beneath his skin. His father had been shocked and resigned… after all, his own soulmate was an American, a woman he could not marry because of his closeness to the throne. N’Jobu had accepted that he would never sit on the throne.

Erik had just hoped he’d meet a Wakandan woman who would speak to him in English. It didn’t matter now, of course. Part of the terms of his pardon were his resigning forever any claim to the throne. He was no longer restricted from marrying a non-Wakandan.

Which was good. Since he’d been waiting a long time for his soulmate to turn up.

Gently, he touched the words again, hidden under the sleeve of his leather jacket. He’d been careful never to scar over them, wanting to ensure his soulmate would recognise her writing, just in case there was any doubt.

Glancing back over his shoulder just before they turned the corner, he caught a last glimpse of Daisy. She was watching him, her brow furrowed, even as she spoke with her friend.

Well. At least he’d have time to think up what he was going to say to her.

Two weeks later

“He hates my guts.”

“Of course he doesn’t!” Mack gave her a startled look. “Why would you think that?”

“He’s never spoken so much as a single word to me.” Daisy picked moodily at her fingernails, watching as Erik moved through a training exercise with May. May was overmatched and she knew it, but she certainly wasn’t giving in. Erik had to work damned hard for every fall. Stripped to the waist, his scarred skin glistening with sweat, he was sexy enough to make Daisy shiver a little with delight. Eyes riveted to his every move, she barely heard Mack’s response.

“He’s talkative enough with everyone else. Maybe he likes you, likes you.” A huge elbow nudged her ribs.

“What are we, twelve?” Daisy scoffed, and then shot to her feet as an alarm shrilled. Erik and May were right behind her as she sprinted along the corridor to the operations centre.

They’d need two teams, Daisy realised with a quick glance at the objectives up on the screens. Coulson was already making the assignments.

“May, you’ll fly in with Mack and Yoyo. Daisy, you and Erik at ground level. Motorbikes will be quickest; May can drop you from the quinjet.”

“Sir, yes sir!” Erik barked, and Daisy slid a sideways glance at him, recalling that he’d been Special Forces with the US Army for some years. His natural reaction to tactical orders, she guessed. Hopefully, he’d respect hers in the field.

As she left the centre at a dead run to head for the armory, she heard Phil speak to Erik.

“You watch her back out there, you hear me?”

“I promise, sir. I’ll bring her back safe.”

Well, at least he liked her that much. Daisy smiled slightly to herself and kept running.

*             *             *

Coulson barked clipped orders over the radio in his ear, and Erik acknowledged when he could. Which wasn’t too often, because he was thoroughly occupied keeping up with Daisy. She strode through the enemy base they were assaulting, waves of focussed vibration flung out in front of her as effective as a battering ram. He took to running backwards, assault rifle poised and ready, looking for the threat from behind which could take her down when her attention was focussed ahead. If he didn’t see the shooter in time, maybe his body armour could take the bullet instead, as long as he stayed close enough.

Of course, what happened was she stopped suddenly and he ran backwards into her, taking both of them over in a heap.

“What the fu…” Daisy said, and then there was an ominous crack.

“Shit!” Erik was back on his feet in an instant, spinning around in a low crouch, surveying their location for danger before dropping to one knee at Daisy’s side. There was a metal table just beside her, and he realised with horror that she’d hit her head on the corner on the way down. There was an ugly contusion on the side of her head, blood beginning to flow into her hair.

“Coulson, Quake is down,” he said rapidly into his comm. “It was an accident, she fell and hit her head.”

“Can you exfiltrate?” Coulson asked almost immediately.

“If I go back the way we came, yes. I can’t carry her and shoot my way out, though. She’s not conscious.” At least her pulse was strong and steady under Erik’s panicked fingertips.

“The way you came is clear. Fitz has full control over the surveillance and security systems; I’ll put him on to guide you out.”

“Copy that.” Slinging his rifle around to his back, Erik pulled a field dressing from a leg pocket and slapped it on the contusion on Daisy’s head. It would have to do until he could get her to Simmons and proper medical attention.

She was light as he lifted her, and he marvelled yet again at how much lethality was packed into such a small, delicate-appearing form. Her head lolled against his shoulder as he set off back the way they’d come at a dead run.

“You’re jostling me,” a small voice said as he emerged from the building, and Erik heaved a sigh of relief.

“Sorry, angel. Can’t be helped,” he said without thinking, and Daisy went rigid in his arms.

“What did you say?”

“Oh, shit.” He thought fast, nothing useful came to him. “I… said whoops, I think I’m your soulmate and this is really not the time to discuss how I’ve been too chicken to speak to you so far? How about you let me keep that promise to get you back to Coulson almost unscathed, and we can talk about it later?”

They’d reached the spot where they left the bikes, and he lowered her carefully to her feet. She wobbled; there was no way she could ride alone, and they both knew it. Throwing a leg over his bike, he reached out his hand to her.

“We’re definitely talking about this later, mister,” Daisy said as she accepted his hand and climbed on the bike behind him, nudging his rifle to the side so she could put her arms around his waist and lean against his back.

Her slight weight leaning into him so trustingly triggered the most intensely heart-warming sensation. Taking one hand off the handlebars, Erik put it over hers on his abdomen.

“We can talk about anything you wish.”

Slender fingers twisted to link with his. “Now you’ve found your tongue, we will.” She giggled a little naughtily, and her next words made him wonder if she was concussed. “Though I might have a better use for it than talking.”

(Later on, he discovered she wasn’t concussed. She definitely did have a better use for his tongue than talking).

[mechagalaxy]

John T Mainer 28840: Chronicles of the Black Company - Book of the Lady

Chronicles of the Black Company

Book of the Lady

This is the Chronicle of the Black Company, last of the Free Companies of Khatovar. In those days the Company was in service with the Bouncing Blue Brigade. The year was 3354, and the rise of Evil Santa and his hordes had caused the warrior clans to gather together and form great Factions to oppose him. The Berserkers found his lair and prepared to hunt him down and end the threat to humanity. Abominable tracked them, and took one of their scouting lances, and the data they captured for themselves. Winter had spies in Abominable, soon three great Factions were headed to Evil Santa’s craftworld, and to get their captured pilots back, the Berserkers had to cut a deal with the Unicorns to rescue their pilots. The cost? The location of the craftworld and Evil Santa’s storehouse for galactic conquest.

What should have been a nearly bloodless campaign to crush a madman before he could build his army would turn into Faction War, where the great and small clans alike bound themselves into huge Factions, where ancient ships of war, long sidelined in small clan conflicts, again crowd the sky as dropships spawn many hundreds of mecha to fall like so many blood soaked angels from the pristine heavens to the icy hellscape, where acidic snow and radioactive springs howl their cheery songs of twisted death in harmonies the sane cannot grasp, and the mad know too well.

The Brigade had landed first near the division 2 markers, the secondary cache sites and feeder complexes. Before the work could even begin on digging it out, Pandemic Legion fell on us like so many plague spores and ate away at our formations like some dread flesh eating disease. We withdrew in poor order, the Black Company used every trick in its thousand year history to delay and get our technicians free to rearm and rebuild.

We lacked the supplies to fight, so we did what armies have done since the first rock got strapped to a stick, we robbed those who had what we needed because we could. Sacrificial Lambs had landed in good order, and were setting about building their camp, but their inexperience made them slow. Too slow. They had begun to send out patrols when Ferbie Doodle and The Yow worked themselves inside the patrol line and closed behind them. Mark Spiznet and Igor Takeda pounced on the patrols, and with Ferbie and The Yow jamming their communications, the Lambs never got word they were in trouble until it was too late. Bolverk Borson with axe in hand lead the charge, Tony Hays, Driss1066, and my own Black Company, the Ten Who Were Taken. We got our supplies, and time to rebuild.

Scouts failed to report just after nightfall, we did not openly respond, Jerry Moon followed the patrol route to see what jumped them, and Brian Wilson took the Double Rainbow Gate to Candyland gulch (never let Evil Santa name your terrain features, or you will be ashamed to die there). Jerry found what ate our patrols, when Jim Buck did the same for him, but the battle for information was won. AFF, it was the skull sucking Faction War Brethren.

Brian Wilson punched Raucox at the double rainbow and got us solid intel on the deployment of the AFF. My own Black Company took the Single Rainbow gate with the ease that comes from surprise and utter ruthlessness, but surprise did not last long and the march columns dissolved into fighting formations as the AFF performed a fighting withdrawal rather than play out full front shock assault without surprise on their side.

We made red war upon the white snow, and the green/gold radiation that wreathed every laser shot made the night sky dance like a Yuletide light display, the crackling of burning ceramite as plasma weapons ignited armour and transuranic sabot cored delicate engine systems leaving sprays of molten metal that froze like so many poisoned snowflakes to twinkle in the night sky. Missiles tore through the fog in twisted red and white noble gas flares like so many candy-canes falling from the sky to decorate mecha in festive flame and death.

We crushed the 1200 ton, the rainbows, but their 40 tonners and 70 tonners held those passes to allow the battered AFF to withdraw before any of our killing pockets could close decisively. Victory remained at the edge of our fingertips, like safety to a climber clawing at the last icy projection on a cliff face.

Like that climber, I watched our grip on victory claw ever and always just short, the slow erosion of the lead, the crumbling of the ledge promising a swift and terrible fall, and predictable fate. I would not go gently into that good night.

I fell upon Brian D Wise, but it was not an ambush as I thought, he turned it back on me with fury as hif forces fired in a full volley as we closed, Lifetaker’s Boreas and Nightcrawler’s Humbaba were dead before getting off a shot. Croaker’s Fext and my Regis (The Lady) slaughtered the next two ranks, but his third returned the favour and his fifth could not be broken, two Fext warding a Notas that burned my machines like so many moths in a flame, with a Humbaba scuttling behind sowing confusion and scatterable mines.

Skywise took advantage to storm out and attack us while we were wounded, and got his kill, but I got his measure. Joe Smith fell upon my Black Company thinking us beaten, but my company, built from my old Ten Who Were Taken, and the rebels that brought us down had been broken so many times in the past by foes whose skulls now sit atop our standards that it only makes us fight stronger, and smarter.

It took three ranks to stop my first, and he never recovered. Tom Tom’s Pike fired like a metronome, and Scorn forked ice from his Boreas to lash them with hatred that froze souls and machines alike. Soulcather laughed in a dozen voices as her Reaper lived up to its name, avenging my own destruction a dozen times over even though it would kill her to admit she cares.

I got our machines turned around for what was coming next, one good push could break our lines and open us to the slaughter. There is much fighting and little dying at the line of engagement, the slaughter happens in the retreat and pursuit. You have to break us first, and we don’t break.

Skywise hit again, leaving his 70 ton glacier fortress to strike with his unlimited. This time we were ready. Croaker’s Fext impales Cutter II’s Notas with a blood dripping Flavian Spear that spilled plasma from shattered conduits through the hull like lighting a paper lantern. I laughed while it burned, Tobo called down fire with his Notas on the coal black Antithesis, purple Critical Kill shields flared around it to block the rightful critical kill, but Tobo howled his rage and redoubled his Okha’s fire, blasting not only the Antithesis but the Torrent beside as well, heating the Antithesis until he burned like a wicker-man, pilot ejecting wreathed in flames as the Torrent crashed to the ground shut down but not killed. Lifetaker killed it, the Apatotron that charged forth to stand over the helpless Torrent fell to a Blue Dragon from my own chest batteries as the Lady fed on the unwary.

Victory had been taken from us, but white they sought to hold it in their hands, still we cut at their fingers, bone, sinew and blood falling to paint the snow as they held on through the night until the cold brutality of dawn left us no choice but to accept, it was theirs.

We withdrew in good order to the cache we had stolen from Sacrificial Lambs, and let the silver cache go to Faction War Brethren. Had we an answer to their 70 ton specialists we might have won, of course if we hadn’t owned the rainbow gates we might have been slaughtered to a man.

We squatted on our cache and set our technicians to work. Prizes inside might be all that stood between us and defeat. Evil Santa was going to use these supplies to permit his army to sweep over all the empires in a made yuletide whirl of laughing madness. Now that madness was descending on us.

At least I knew the FW Brethren could hold their flank strongly, and we all understood we stood or fell together at the last. We would not let their flank be turned, nor let the Sacrificial Lambs or Pandemic be overwhelmed either. If Evil Santa wanted to crush the Factions, he would have to earn it, the same way we did. Force on force, head to head, and may the ravens pick the bones of the lesser.

I don’t know how ravens survive in this hellscape, but they gather, two sit on each mecha at the shoulders, waiting for the feed that comes. The red feast of war. Merry Mechmass, and to all, for this is the last fight.

John T Mainer 28840

[shooter-nobunagun]

Unseen Village: Yahar’gul [Bloodborne AU]

//At last we explore the “forgotten village” proper, Yahar’gul. Spoilers abound for the latter half of the game, especially after the events of the blood moon!

Note: I ended up writing waaay too much (was wondering why this chapter never seemed to be any closer to being done) so I split it. I gotta pace myself better...

“This place...what happened?!” Once again they stood before the bloody moon, only this time the sky seemed to have changed with it as well. Gone were the murky clouds and dim sky, now replaced with a garish streaks of purple and yellow and the color of fire. Sio hadn’t seen much of the actual village during her first trip here, but it seemed like perhaps it was for the better. “The moon...it’s so large now!”

“And that color...I don’t like it.” Hunter shook his head. “This must be the blood moon that Rom an’ everyone else is talkin’ about...though I’m more worried about those things.”

“What things—oh...” Her gaze turned upwards and suddenly it came into view, sitting like a monstrous human spider, its body an alien blue-grey and a head that appeared more like a rock. It sat there, hanging off the spire with its too-long limbs and many-fingered hands, the numerous eyes constantly opening and closing in rapid succession. Sio felt her frenzy growing rapidly as she continued staring at the terrible creature. It wasn’t until she nearly burst did she finally tear her gaze away, panting and gasping as her frenzy slowly dissipated.

“Oy, Sio...you all right?” Adam’s worried gaze peered at her, but she simply nodded, leaning against him for a few seconds to regain her senses. “Careful; those Amygdalas are everywhere now, it seems...”

“A-Amygdalas...that’s what they’re called...” Groaning, she rubbed her temples, trying to will the headache away. Was this another symptom of her blood sickness? Sio felt a sudden sense that there was something she should be trying to figure out, in this strange world of blood moons and unnatural skies and filled with creatures beyond her imagination. But for some reason the more she tried, the less she seemed to understand.

“Sio...will you be all right? If you’re not feeling well, you should head back to the dream and get some rest.” She and Adam were trailing a bit behind the group, partly for safety (so a large-scale attack wouldn’t wipe them all out at once) and also because she sensed that Adam was trying to keep her away from those who might use her condition against her. “There’s nothing to be gained by pushing yourself too far.”

“N-No...no please, I’ll be fine. Trust me,” she searched his eyes, and he could only sigh and nod. “I’ll be all right...after all, I have you and Hunter to help me out.” A pause, before he gently placed a hand on her shoulder as if he was about to say something but instead he just rubbed the junction slightly, before nodding wordlessly.

The Amygdalas. Where did they come from in the first place? From what she’d heard the others talk about, there were suspicions that they’d been there all along, but for some unexplained reason, weren’t visible until now. Vidocq was insistent that the blood moon had something to do with it, but Sio felt there had to be something else, either triggered by the blood moon or maybe it was what she’d heard from Rom...

‘When the blood moon rises, the line between man and beast will become blurred...’ 

She shuddered slightly and tried not to think too hard about what those words specifically meant. There was no doubt what the end result of her blood sickness would entail: victims became the very beasts they hunted, stripped of all reasoning and humanity and replaced with a lust for blood and mindless killing. Already she could feel the primal urges increasing, especially when they fought; at times the frenzy was so strong it was all she could do to focus it on their enemies, rather than her fellow hunters. Swallowing thickly, she tried her best to catch up with the rest of the group, as they approached what appeared to be a deserted plaza.

“Careful...remember what we encountered las’ time, those blasted chime maidens—”

“Sshh, you’ll give our position away!” Geronimo gave a severe frown at the surgeon, who only returned it with equal fervor. “I think I see her; against that stone wall? Trying to blend in, eh? Cheap tricks like that don’t work on me...” Without another word, the crow hunter dashed forward with her axe raised, but before the killing strike could be dealt—

SSCCHHWWWWWIIINNGGG—

An intense beam of blue light, similar to the one they’d encountered in Byrgenwerth and against Rom sliced the ground in half, a trail of flame scorching the rock as everyone dodged haphazardly to the sides and alcoves. 

“God damn it, what the hell was that—”

“—It came from the Amygdala—but why would it attack us now?”

“Nevermind that, get that chime maiden before she summons anyone!” Adam barked at the other hunters to get back on their feet, but it was too late; already a hulking troll and several hunting dogs were materializing, followed by a crowd of insane villagers, all of whom were more than ready to tear them to pieces. “Blast it all to hell! As if we don’t have enough to deal with...!”

Whining was for losers however, and as soon as he could get a clear path Adam dashed towards the ghostly maiden and sank his stake into her body. Now there was just the matter of getting rid of her minions...and that alien creature. Adam cast a wary glance upwards, trying to fight off the brick troll while watching for the next time it decided to fire that magic beam. “Umph—” His side exploded in pain as the troll swung a particularly brutal left hook as he barely sidestepped the fire, sending him face-first into the stone ground. “Fuck...”

“Adam!” He heard the sound of her gun before she came into view, the spear ripping into the troll’s body as she pulled off another spectacular visceral attack, tearing out its guts with a gleeful smile... Wincing, Adam blinked a few times, trying to convince himself that the girl hadn’t actually grinned like she enjoyed killing and bloodshed; it was probably just the angle that he saw her at, and the light...had to have been, after all Sio was just an ordinary girl caught up in something so much larger than all of them combined...

“Adam! Adam, are you all right?” The face that appeared now was frightened and worried, but determined. “Hold still, you might’ve broken a rib or something—”

“—Let’s get out of the open, first—that Amygdala, it seems to be firing whenever it sees anyone,” he grunted, limping around to a half-ruined gateway with Sio’s help. “Thanks for that, back there; shouldn’t have gotten sloppy like that...” he coughed up a few bloody strands of saliva, Sio carefully checking his torso for any broken bones as she gingerly touched each rib. “Ughn—”

“Sorry! But, it’s here...” Taking a small knife from her pouch, she quickly sliced away at the fabric, revealing a mass of bruised and bloodied flesh. “O-Oh...that looks pretty bad...”

“Tell me about it...sure as hell feels broken,” Adam hissed through his teeth as Sio cleaned it the best she could with some alcohol, before attempting to bandage it without hurting him any further. “Where’s Hunter?” 

“Uh, last I saw he and that Tell guy were trying to get rid of the last of those dogs, down the steps...” Sio glanced around nervously, peeking at the Amygdala that was still curled around the rooftops. “Do you want me to go get him?”

Adam shook his head. “No, there’s no sense in running out there and putting yourself in danger just for one person; we’ll regroup with everyone after the battle. ‘Sides, you’ve gotten pretty good at this,” he ran a hand over the bandages, nodding in satisfaction. “This’ll do for now. Can’t be wasting blood vials for every little scrape.” Grunting, he rearmed the Stakedriver, but Sio noticed his movements were more hesitant.

“But...Adam...” Despite her worries, she knew he was right; it would be easier if they got rid of the remaining enemies first, and then find a place that would shelter them from the Amygdala’s gaze. Steeling herself, she followed him out from their hiding place, making sure to take the lead in clearing their path and warning him whenever she heard that peculiar sound of magic. ‘I don’t think we’ll be able to defeat that Amygdala...not from here, at least.’ She’d fired off a few bullets just to see if it could be dissuaded, but they only bounced off its skin harmlessly. Besides, every time she merely glanced at the creature she could feel the frenzy boiling up; if they didn’t get out of its sight soon, who knew what other difficulties they’d have to deal with.

It took a few seconds for her to recognize their chosen “hiding” spot, but after the others started commenting on that broken lamp, Sio suddenly realized they were back at the top of the Hypogean Gaol, where she’d first arrived after being knocked unconscious and dragged around in a dirty sack. “Th-this is...” Unconsciously she shuddered, gripping her weapon so tightly it felt like even the spear’s shaft would snap in two.

“Easy there lass, there’s no need t’ fear. We’re all here now, an’ yur much stronger than before, ye?” Hunter gave her a kindly pat on the back, though Sio was only slightly reassured. “Mind ye, doesn’t mean we should let our guard down...”

“No...we need to get ready,” William Tell was sighting his bow off into a dim corner. “We’re not alone...”

Nobody said a word, but all gazes turned to the direction of the bow’s aim. Three figures in the dim light, standing there but Sio knew the second they got their attentions, they would be in for a fight.

“There’s three of them, I’m fairly certain...” Tell lowered his bow and it changed back into a single blade. “Since we’ve a large group as well, it makes sense to split up and face them separately. We’ll have a much better chance of success than tackling them when they’re together.” 

“A spear, cane whip, and...what are those, claws of some sort?” Sio was looking through her own monocle at their foes; the first two hunters wielded fairly standard weapons that one could easily find, but the third... “He’s all crouched over...like a beast itself...”

Before she could make more sense of it however, the others were already assembling into three teams. “Ogura, you go with Hunter an’ Tell; you’ll be taking on the whip wielder. Vidocq’ll be with Jess and Mirza against the spearfighter, and I’ll take the last one with Geronimo.” Adam’s tone left no room for discussion, and so she could only nod in agreement, despite the fact that he was about to take on the unknown hunter with only one other person for back-up—and it wasn’t her at that. Though she hated to admit it, she was slightly miffed that he hadn’t asked her to team up with him—but after having been with him all this time, something told her that it wasn’t because of personal reasons. ‘But still, did he have to ask Geronimo of all people? I thought they disliked each other...’

“No need fer the green-eyed monster, lassie. I’m sure Adam’s got his reasons...” Hunter gave her a slight nudge, after she kept turning around and staring at the other two. “‘Sides, Geronimo’s too professional t’ be stickin’ her beak in others’ businesses.”

“I-I—wha—I didn’t say anything!” 

“Ye don’t hafta; yer eyes say it all, Miss Ogura,”  Hunter teased, but got serious soon after. “Anywho, ye can chew ‘im out after ‘f ye want; but fer now, let’s figure out how the hell we’re gonna deal with this mess.”

“Have either of you had any experience fighting against this type of weapon?” Tell split the bowblade apart, turning the single blade into a formidably-sized bow. “I’d rather keep my distance of course, but if need be, I can do melee-combat...”

“A threaded cane, similar to what Vidocq has; it was contrived as part of the original Workshop, and fairly common among hunters. You can use it as a bladed cane, or split it into the whip for crowd control. ‘Concealing the weapon inside the cane and flogging the beasts with the whip is partly an act of ceremony, an attempt to demonstrate to oneself that the bloodlust of the hunt will never encroach upon the soul,‘ or so they said... We’ll have to time our attacks carefully, it’s probably best to strike when he’s switching between forms.”

Though Tell did not say anything, his eyebrows raised slightly at the girl’s impressive description; not only on the weapon’s detailed background but the strategy to fight against it, as well. “...You are Ogura, correct? And according to the others, this is your first hunt...?”

“A-Ah, yeah...I’m not exactly experienced, so...” Sio rubbed her head sheepishly, suddenly keenly aware of how much younger she seemed compared to everyone else.

“That doesn’t matter; clearly, you are much more knowledgeable than even some of the most veteran hunters.” He gave her another peculiar look, not threatening but curious. “Are you perchance from a family of hunters...?”

“H-Huh? O-Oh no, no no no—I’m just your average girl from a regular old family, I guess...” Well all right that, wasn’t quite true, otherwise she’d still be back in her village and not about to face a deadly enemy in the middle of an abandoned prison. “I...I’m an only child, but I never had much friends...so I just mostly kept myself busy, studying weapons and strategy...a-ah, n, not that I hated it! I actually found it quite fascinating...”

“Hm. Fair enough. Perhaps you will become one of those they speak of in legends...” Tell sighted his bow once more, as the others started heading down to separate their quarry. “Careful; we’ll have to move quick so they don’t try and rejoin each other.”

The spear was now engaged in combat with a Kirkhammer, Vidocq’s whip-like blade cutting through the gloom with a silver gleam while Mirza worked to parry the blows. Their opponent headed towards their corner as well, Sio switching her rifle spear into its trick mode and Hunter separated his blades in two. Tell was off on his perch, firing shots when the opportunity presented itself, but even while dodging the serrated whip and striking back, she noticed that the third hunter, and Adam and Geronimo for that matter, were nowhere to be found.

“Where did those two go? This place is only so big...!”

“Focus on the battle at hand, lassie! Those two can take care of themselves!” Hunter grimaced as he nursed a gash on his cheek. “Knowin’ them, they probably took the fight outside...where there’s more space.”

Although she knew it was logical, and that Geronimo was honorable enough to not try anything, somehow the very fact that those two were out of sight didn’t sit well with her; Sio didn’t recognize this strange burning in her chest, but she knew she didn’t like it. ‘Am I really that jealous...? Even though I trust Adam, and Geronimo wouldn’t...she wouldn’t do anything to him, right?’ Not just those illogical feelings of possessiveness, but the uneasy fear that Geronimo wasn’t someone they could trust completely. 

Her anxious feelings translated into an increased frenzy on the field, the bloodlust growing as she lunged straight down at the hostile hunter, effectively splitting his spine in half as she landed on the bloody corpse with a ‘thump’. Neither Hunter nor Tell said anything much aside from the usual acknowledgements, but she could sense that both of them were viewing her with a sort of feared respect. Elsewhere, the other trio had also finished their fight, and was now in the middle of salvaging and weapon repairs.

“...I’m going to go look for Adam and Geronimo; they’re still not back, and it was only the two of them.” Without even waiting for a response, Sio armed her weapons and headed out the entrance, with Hunter and Tell looking silently on. --- “Watch it! He’s transforming...already more beast than man!” Adam dodged the claw’s swipe, countering with a ferocious thrust as the man-beast howled in fury.

“Hmph, that’s not a problem...” Licking her lips, the Crow Hunter neatly blocked the monster claws with the blunt side of her axe, before firing a shot and nearly decapitating the mad hunter. “Muirhead!”

“Don’t even need t’ ask.” With a grin, the Stakedriver plunged into the beast’s chest, Adam ripping out the insides with a visceral attack that was not unlike the one Sio had pulled off earlier. 

“Well, we managed to make a pretty good team, Muirhead,” the other woman drawled, pushing aside the remains with the end of her giant axe. “Sure you don’t want to change your mind about changing partners?”

“Hn. Thanks but no thanks; besides, don’t you work alone? Why are you still hangin’ around? The beckoning bell’s effects ended a while ago.” Adam didn’t even bother looking at Geronimo, instead more concerned with studying the mangled, mutated body and those claws. “I wonder...if this weapon accelerates the beasthood process...”

“That doesn’t mean I won’t consider the prospects of teaming up...especially with a strong hunter like yourself, we could do a fair bit of damage...maybe even end this scourge, and prevent more hunters from becoming beasts...” Before he knew it Geronimo had gotten much closer than he liked, those dark eyes narrowed into a enigmatic smile as she brushed the bottom of his chin—

“—Adam! Oh...” He pulled away immediately, but not before he caught sight of the petite huntress’ expression: shock, a slight embarrassment, and...anger? “...Geronimo, Muirhead. We’re uh, all done inside...so...”

“Sure.” Geronimo slipped by cooly, as if nothing had happened at all except for a whisper—

”—she’s an interesting one, isn’t she, Muirhead? Very interesting...”

And then Adam was staring at that cape of black feathers, the Crow Hunter whistling casually as Sio slowly trudged forward.

“Sio...you all right?” The air was thick with some sort of unspoken tension, but Adam had enough sense to know that this was not the time nor place to sort it out...whatever it was. “Everyone else all right?”

“...Yeah...” She was definitely upset; her single-word, callous answers notwithstanding, the girl was deliberately not looking his direction, instead adamantly pulling her hat lower and stalking back to the Hypogean Gaol. Great, just what he needed to deal with in a realm that was already more dangerous than usual: emotions. Not for the first time, he questioned the wisdom of attempting to pursue a relationship with the girl. Even though Hunter had more-or-less given them his blessing, Capa’s warning, and his own inner doubts, continued to sit with him.

Don’t fall for her; she’ll just make you cry, in the end.

The emotional turmoil did not make it any easier as the group trudged through the abandoned town, making their way across an especially precarious tower that was filled with foes both human and inhuman. More Amygdalas seemed to have made their home here, as well, but unlike the one they faced earlier, these seemed content to just leave the group alone. Still, he kept a close eye on the girl, who hadn’t said much since they left the crypt; for some unknown reason, the Amygdalas were making her condition worse, even when they weren’t engaged in combat. Hunter had cast a dark glance back more than once, especially after Sio nearly stumbled for no apparent reason, most of the group just shrugging it off as fatigue but Adam didn’t miss the way Mirza’s eyes kept watching her. Gently he tried to reach out to her, to tell her that she didn’t have to push so hard and that...thing with Geronimo hadn’t meant anything at all, but she coldly shrugged it off, only saying that she had tripped and would be fine.

“Leave ‘er be, Muirhead. She’ll be fine.” Hunter said lowly, not wanting to attract attention. “This has something t’ do wit’ Geronimo, don’t it? The lassie wasnae too pleased ‘bout it...” The silver-haired hunter cast as irate a look as he had in a long time, leaving Hunter frantically trying to mollify the other man.

“Piss off,” Adam muttered, though his tone was more resigned than angry. “...Are you seriously accusing me of...underhanded actions, even after all...that?”

“Of course not,” the lanky surgeon hastily replied, “I meant it when I said I trust ye, Adam. I figured ye had yur reasons...but I’ll admit, I’m curious meself. I thought you detested the Crow Hunter?”

Adam snorted. “Beast huntin’ ain’t exactly a profession for the choosy. The woman’s a fair enough fighter...if she could just stop actin’ like this is all some kind of grand game. Of all the hunters in this group. she’s probably the one I’d want t’ avoid going toe-to-toe with the most...’

“That’s fair, but why her? You think none of the others can match you?”

“...That hostile hunter we faced. You saw his weapon—hell, even the squirt pointed it out herself. Beast claws,” he added, and Hunter’s face dawned in understanding. “I was afraid...if she got too close, and with her already like this...”

Neither man said anything more, Hunter now visibly broodier as they pushed their way through mobs of creatures, each spawned by a hidden chime maiden. Yahar’gul may have been abandoned, but it certainly wasn’t dead; it seemed like every corner was filled with some sort of hazard, even compared to memories of his previous hunts—and it was anyone’s guess as to what made the Amygdalas attack, if at all. It wasn’t until the road opened up to some sort of open street did they get a chance to breathe...somewhat. A hissing noise before a gush of vile liquid arched through the air, just missing the group as it landed on the stone walkway, where it proceeded to sizzle and smoke, seemingly burning through solid rock. Sio lept back in shock, before tracking the venom over the side of the wall to the streets below.

“What’s th...th, th-that?!” She didn’t even have any words for the horror that had spat the vile liquid: what appeared to be a tangled mass of half-rotten skeletons, somehow all fused together and shoved into a casket that was much too small to fit them all, forcing the hideous creature to spill out and writhe onto the cobblestones. The many arms and hands clawed and pulled every which way, and what remained of the bodies squirmed randomly as each individual seemed to have its own mind. The creature’s contorted movements and twisted designs left Sio feeling nauseated, and before the group had even decided on how to deal with these monsters she heaved, a puddle of vomit splashing right next to the poison itself.

“Easy there now, lass. Here, drink some water,” Hunter kindly patted her back as Sio emptied the last of what remained in her stomach, breathing hard. “Those cramped caskets probably rank as one of the ugliest sods out there...as dangerous as they are ugly, to boot.”

“H-How...wh, why...” Those large maroons open wide with fear and just plain confusion; she knew that Yharnam was home to nightmares that were indescribable, but this was just too much. “Why is it so...terrible?”

“...If we knew the answer t’ that, we wouldn’t be here.” Adam answered quietly for her. “Chin up, Ogura. We’ve ground to cover.”

She was a little surprised at how civil he was towards her, despite the cold shoulder she was giving him. Which, now that she thought about it, was probably just a bit too childish of her, especially at this point. ‘I guess I really am still a kid,’ she thought bitterly, though when her mind flashed back to that single moment when he and Geronimo were so close...a flash of heated anger flooded her senses, and she wiped her mouth and forced herself to stand up.

It was decided that they would move as two groups; the street was too dangerous to just go waltzing about in the open, and splitting up would allow them to deal with several threats at once. Morbid as the caskets were, Sio discovered they could be tricked into a lit fire, making it easy for her to get in several visceral attacks on the flaming mass of flesh. The streets were littered with what appeared to be stone statues...and yet, as she gazed upon their faces, frozen with fear and something else... No, they couldn’t be real humans. It just wasn’t possible... A sudden roar, before she was pushed roughly against these stone figures and narrowly missed getting sprayed by that poison. “Keep your guard up, Ogura.” By the time she managed to right herself, Tell had already sliced up the monstrosity using the blade form of his weapon.

“S, Sorry...” She shook her head to clear it. This wasn’t the time to be solving the mysteries of this world, though Sio knew that wasn’t the only thing that was distracting her. This tension between her and Adam...it was getting unbearable, even before Geronimo decided to pull that stupid prank. It wasn’t the same as when she was seeking his respect and getting irritated with his put-downs, no...this kind of feeling was closer to seeking a type of satisfaction, to quell this strange desire she was feeling...

Like when they almost kissed that time; her cheeks became hot and she forced herself to pay attention to the battle. ‘Now is not the time to be thinking this, Sio...’ If this was what it was like to fall in love and all that romantic, mushy crap she’d heard so many of the village girls gossip about, Sio wasn’t sure she wanted it. It was very distracting, for one, but it was also frustrating that no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t seem to detach herself from it.

“Lass, you alright?” That strongly-accented voice cheered her up slightly, especially now that the streets were slightly-less-deadly than they had been. “C’mon, let’s find the others.”

“Right...how’s everyone else?”

“Eh, nothin’ fatal. By the way, nice work figurin’ out how t’ lure ‘em into th’ fires.” Hunter nodded in appreciation. “Seriously, findin’ you was like a single blessing in this wretched place.” Sio blushed at his comments, and wondered why Adam couldn’t be polite and caring like the surgeon. 

“Hunter. Ogura...” Speak of the devil. She gave him a single nod as he said her name, not sure yet how she wanted to act towards him. In any case, they were currently in the field of battle, so it would be understandable for her to be all business-like...right? “There’s a plaza of sorts coming up; I think we know what that means...”

“...There’s something there.” There was no proof yet, but after all these hunts, they knew from experience that coming across a seemingly-deserted area usually meant something dangerous lurked nearby. 

“Here, there’s a shortcut. We just need to use this as a stepping—” Adam’s voice cut off mid-sentence as the rotting carriage gave a violent shake, muffled cries coming from inside. “...Or, not...”

“...Right then. I vote we look for an alternative.” 

“But, we’d have to spend more time looking for one...and there’s no guarantee it’ll be any safer,” both men looked at the girl with a slight surprise. “If we’re fast enough...it should be fine...”

At least she hoped so; Sio didn’t want to admit it, but the rattling carriage was terrifying her to no end. Just knowing how things were, it was bound to burst open the second she stepped foot onto it...and yet, it was the quickest way down, perhaps even the only way. “...Worst case, there’s three of us...we should be able to handle anything...”

“Can’t say I’ve much faith in meself, but I’ll trust yer instincts lass,” Hunter shook his head gravely, but got up anyway, despite the fact that he was probably the least courageous out of the entire group. “Well, no use in puttin’ it off...”

“I’ll go first,” Sio volunteered the lead, after all it was her idea to go forward, despite the high risk. Steeling herself, she gingerly landed on the carriage, trying not to think about the vibrations underfoot and the awful moans as she cautiously made her way across, Hunter landing not too far behind.

‘Here it goes,’ she gulped and then leapt down, wincing a bit from the height but otherwise it seemed all right, nothing was broken and no monsters were in sight. “Hey, it’s all—”

The sentence wasn’t even out of her mouth before the carriage windows shattered violently, and the whole thing seemed to topple over as the what appeared to be an endless stream of mutilated corpses were disgorged. Sio briefly heard Hunter and Adam cursing as they fought for their footing, before the whole thing was drowned out by the cries of undead bodies as they seemed to cave in on her; she herself too shocked by the sight to do any but just watch through her fingers as she vainly tried to shield herself.

“Sio! Sio! Dammit, get off her you bastards!” Growling, Adam plunged his way through the seemingly endless number of flailing limbs and half-melted bodies, but he couldn’t risk just recklessly stabbing the pile, lest he accidentally hurt her. “Sio! Hang on!”

“Somehow I knew this was gonna happen,” Hunter bemoaned, but plunged straight in as well. The two men worked with a sort of possessed fervor, Hunter not even flinching as a wailing corpse tried to reach out and grab his neck.

“Sio! Can you hear me? Sio...!”